Matt Brown: Collection of Short Alaskan Bush People Fan Fics

Old Friends. Part 6

The four brothers thundered through the woods toward the beach. There was no other way off the island except by boat and they had to get to Pete's boat before he did. Knowing that Pete would be slowed down having to carry you through the woods, their confidence grew as they raced down the path.

Bear was in the lead and carried a pistol in one hand and his knife in the other. Close on his heels was Mr. Cupcake, running along silently, his muzzle sniffing the air. Clustered together behind the family dog were Bam and Gabe. They had tried to get Matt to stay behind but he had refused.

"You'll just slow us down or get in the way." Bam had grumbled as they began running down the path.

"I don't care. I've got to get her away from him. I'm going with you." Matt whispered hoarsely as he wrapped a thick swatch of cloth around his neck to protect it. He grabbed up his rifle and jammed his hat down on his head and forced his feet to move. His vision swam after a few steps but as he ran, he thought of you and he knew he had to push on. He had to save you.

Pete staggered slightly under your dead weight as he picked up one foot then the other. His brain screamed at him to hurry faster, but his legs wouldn't respond the way he wanted. Hearing Matt and his brothers crashing through the woods toward him, his rage grew until a red cloud blurred his vision. How dare they try to stop him when he was so close to getting what he deserved.

Pete shifted your weight on his shoulder and his hand felt the softness of your thigh. He couldn't stop himself from stroking your leg gently as he inhaled your sweet floral fragrance. It was your scent that brought everything back to him when he saw you in town. If you hadn't assaulted his mind with your fragrance, maybe he could have left things alone. It was all your fault and his anger began to build again. He jostled your limp body harshly, wanting to make you pay for forcing him to do things the way he did. As he struggled to get control of his anger, he felt your body stirring and a small groan escaped your lips.

"Further back on the trail, Bear skidded to a stop and pulled Mr. Cupcake to a stop next to him. Bear silently motioned with his hands to his brothers and for a few minutes hand signs and signals flew through the air.

The sudden quiet behind him filled Pete with more alarm than the running footsteps. At least when they were running, he could tell exactly where they were. Pete's next step brought a loud crunch as a dry twig snapped under his weight. He froze, his eyes wide and his ears straining to hear a sound from his pursuers. But there was nothing except the sound of forest birds calling to each other in the night.

Noah stood still as a statue in the shadows near the front of the cabin. If Pete decided to circle back to the campsite he would be ready. His rifle was held firmly in his hand and he reached up and adjusted the strap on his long bow. Then, hearing the two short whistles clearly in the night air, Noah stepped away from the cabin wall and began to move toward the sound.

As the five brothers slowly converged on their prey from five different directions, the small hairs on the back of Pete's neck rose. It was too quiet and he was still too far away from the canoe. His chest ached with fatigue and disappointment but he refused to give up. He had you in his arms and he would never let you go.  Letting your body slip from his shoulder, he laid you gently on the hard ground. He frowned as he saw your eyes start to flutter open. "Not yet", he thought. Quickly reaching into his bag, he brought the still damp cloth up to your nose and mouth and waited.

Your eyes suddenly flew open and the memory of that smell flooded back like a storm. Holding your breath, you jerked both knees upward, catching him square in the groin and he yelped and fell back, the cloth falling from your face. You flipped over onto your knees and began scrabbling with your hands to drag yourself away and just as your toes found enough of a grip to push you to your feet, you felt Pete's hands tighten around your ankles. As you fell, the breath knocked out of you, a sound you had never heard before pierced the darkness and you felt a fast moving blur rocket past your vision.

When Mr. Cupcake saw you on the ground and the man holding your legs, he knew had to save his human. Sniffing the air, he could smell the man's fury and your fear. His furry legs picked up speed as he ran and at the last minute he hurled himself, teeth bared at the man. The force of the impact knocked both man and dog backwards and they hit the ground with a tooth-shattering thud. In an instant Mr. Cupcake was back on his feet, snarling and barking furiously at Pete. The insanity in Pete's eyes was clear even to Mr. Cupcake so he kept his distance but continued barking and advancing as menacing as he could. Pete took his eyes off the snarling dog just long enough to see that you were still on the ground, stunned and unmoving. Slipping his hand into the black bag, he slowly pulled out the revolver and pointed it at Mr. Cupcake. His hand was shaking and his head was pounding but he gripped the gun with both hands and steadied his arm for the shot.

The crack of the rifle butt against Pete's head sounded almost exactly like a gun shot and for a  second, Pete thought he had pulled the trigger on his revolver. And for an instant, before consciousness left him, Pete was bewildered as he looked at Mr. Cupcake still standing up and facing him. Then his vision faded and his mind slipped into blackness.

As Pete slumped over from the force of the blow, Matt threw down his rifle and kicked Pete's hands away from your legs.

"Watch him, Cuppy." Matt coughed as he spoke, bringing a fresh wave of pain. Pulling you to a sitting position, he ran his hands over your head and face and torso. As he reached down to check your legs for any wounds, you suddenly startled awake and kicked weakly at his hands.

"It's me, sweetheart." Matt brought his hands up to your face and focused your eyes on his. "It's me. You're ok."

Your arms were still weak but looking into Matt's bright eyes and knowing you were safe, you used what little strength you had to throw your arms around his neck. He held you tightly and stroked your hair with his hand as he repeated over and over, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." You opened your eyes to look at his beautiful face and tell him how much you loved him. But as you looked over his shoulder, Mr. Cupcake let out an ear-piercing bark and you saw Pete's arm rising up and his revolver pointed directly at Matt's back.

"NO!" You screamed as you tried to push Matt to one side. But even as you pushed with all the strength you had, you saw the evil smile on Pete's face and you saw his finger press on the trigger.

"NOOOO!" You screamed as you shut your eyes.

Matt had twisted around as you pushed him, so when he landed, he was facing Pete. You looked into Matt's face but quickly followed his gaze as he stared at Pete. The arrow from Noah's bow had caught him high in the right shoulder and the revolver had spun uselessly from his grip. Bam, Bear and Gabe clustered around his bleeding form. While Noah roughly yanked his arrow free, the others began to tie Pete's hands and feet for the trip to town.

"Are you alright?" You asked as you finally registered the roughness of Matt's voice and the cloth wrapped around his neck.

"I should be asking you that question, sweetie." Matt laughed hoarsely then grimaced as he clutched his throat.

"I'm fine. Now that you're here, I'm fine." You threw your arms around his neck again and pulled him closely to you.

"Actually, I do have one other question I want to ask you." Matt pulled back and held your chin in his hand as he looked into your eyes.

"Anything, Matt." You smiled.

"Do you have any other old friends I need to know about?"