Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
“That came out wrong,” Harlow said, flinging her pack on the ground and ripping it open. She took up the position at Raine’s head, leaving her leg to Vienna.
Vienna could see the leg was in bad shape. The bone hadn’t just been cleanly broken, but clearly the bullet had torn through with such force it had done major damage. She didn’t have to worry that the bullet was still inside. The exit wound was large. When she wiped the blood, she could see parts of the bone, and her heart dropped. They needed an orthopedic surgeon immediately.
“We’ve got to call in Search and Rescue,” she whispered to Harlow. “She’s only got hours before it will be too late to save the leg. And I’m being generous with the time.”
Harlow swore under her breath. “The head wound looks as if it’s from the granite, not a bullet.”
Vienna continued to work as fast as possible to stabilize Raine’s leg.
“There’s two shooters,” Shabina said. “I know because at one point they fired almost simultaneously. We’ve got to get out of here. We can’t stay on the trail either. We’ll have to get into the forest and try for a meadow where a helicopter can set down for Raine.”
Vienna tried to stay calm and breathe deep to clear her mind. She needed to figure this out and not move until they had a plan. “They’re across the ridge,” she reminded calmly. “Even if one stays up there with his rifle, the other has to hike to us. That’s most likely what they’ll try. We’ll be exposed the moment we move around this bend. We’ll send out an alert to Raine’s people, Sam and Search and Rescue. For one thing, we don’t want any innocent day hikers caught up in this.”
Vienna continued to work on Raine’s leg while she assessed their situation. The only real thing she could do was try to minimize the bleeding and stabilize it for travel. It would hurt unlike anything Raine had ever felt if she woke before they got her to the hospital.
“Oh no. I was the one tasked with bringing the GPS,” Stella said, panic in her voice. “I dropped my pack on the trail when I went to push the slab off Vienna. Raine’s is there as well and she’s got the most weapons and all those fancy things to call in the military.”
“Don’t worry about that right now,” Vienna said. “If someone did try to come hiking up that trail, we’d be able to hold them off.”
“With what? I just said Raine’s pack is on the ledge with the gun in it,” Stella challenged.
“She’s not the only one with a gun,” Vienna admitted. “At the moment we’re as safe as we can be unless they go all the way around to the other side of the trail. That’s not going to be easy for them. The first thing we need to do is to get word out we need help. Get into my pack, Stella, there’s a small plastic case I keep for emergencies. I have the larger version of the Garmin in there as well as my gun. The other case holds more ammo. I want both cases.”
She kept her voice quiet and soothing but absolutely firm, letting them all know she was in charge. She had to find a way to turn the hunt back on the hunters. If she didn’t, it wouldn’t matter how many helicopters they brought in. By that time, Raine was going to lose her leg. They wouldn’t be able to move her to a meadow where the helicopter could land.
“Make a gurney. Use your jackets. Be aware of any angle the shooter might get on you. You’ll need a couple of poles to put the sleeves through.” She had no idea what they were going to use, but her friends were an ingenious bunch.
The moment Stella handed her the Garmin, she got it up and running and sent the signal for help. Within seconds a text message came back asking if she needed help or if her device was accidentally triggered. She replied quickly, texting, Two snipers active in the White Wolf Trail at this location. One member of our party in bad condition. She wrote out what Raine would need and told them the trail should be cleared of any day hikers from either end. If there were campers, try to remove them if possible.
“In the inside pocket of my pack there’s a small laminated card with a number on it. I need that card.” It was difficult for Vienna to keep pressure on the leg with the wraps they had. Harlow had brought a medical kit, but it wasn’t a full-size one. They were traveling light.
Stella handed her the card. She texted again. You need to call this number immediately. When open line answers punch in this code. 4780981. You can’t make a mistake. Make certain you punch in those numbers. A person will pick up the line. You tell them who you are and that Vienna Mortenson has activated the call code for Raine O’Mallory. Raine has been shot and her life is in jeopardy. Tell them active shooters, at least two with sniper rifles, are present and we’re pinned down.