The men were going over minor details when the back door flew open. Samantha came running in. “She’s gone!”
They all looked up at her.
“What do you mean? If she’s not there, maybe she’s over Scott and Lucy’s,” Nelson said.
“No, something happened down at the barn. The stall was open. Macintosh was walking around loose inside the barn. The water bucket had been dumped on the ground just outside his stall and…” Samantha was upset and close to tears.
Nelson stood, alarmed by what she was saying.
“…and this was on the ground. Haley was wearing it!” Samantha cried out as she held up a silver compass.
Nelson had alerted the others to Haley’s disappearance. They quickly rallied to find her by establishing search parties. Nelson and Scott looked for any other evidence around the barn but found nothing. The frigid cold air was still present but no new snow had come for a while now. What snow was left was frozen solid and impossible to create a footprint in. Mack and a few neighbors went south and combed the creek beds and streets. Eric took several others and walked the hills to the north.
By midday they hadn’t found anything.
Nelson called everyone together for a quick briefing before they went out again. Samantha tried to be helpful but found herself on the verge of tears anytime she spoke. Lucy took her aside and suggested she come over for a warm cup of tea as the others tried to sort it out. As Nelson spoke to the group, he couldn’t help but have this remind him of when Hunter went missing. He couldn’t even imagine how difficult this was for Samantha.
Nelson had his suspicions about what might have happened to her. A search of Truman’s area would have to be conducted next, and in force.
“Everyone, thank you all for coming together so fast to help find Haley. So far, we haven’t found any additional clues.”
“I know where she is!” Eric blurted out. “Let’s go get her.”
“You don’t know she’s there,” Barbara challenged.
“Well then, where is she? It’s not as if she just walked off. There’s evidence that there was a struggle,” Eric said.
“It’s not uncommon for little kids to run away when they are upset,” Barbara said, pointedly.
“You really are a dumb person,” Eric responded.
“I agree with Nelson. It makes sense to check that area. We will keep looking in other places but I suggest a group goes out—and in force. Does anyone want to volunteer?” Scott said.
Eric, Mack, Seneca, and Nelson’s dad raised their hands.
“We’re leaving now. We need the rest of you to provide one person to man the gate and others to please keep looking for her here,” Nelson said.
Just like the night before, cross talk started to get louder and louder.
Scott bellowed out, “I’m sorry, Barbara, but this is what we’re doing, period. We’re not going over to Truman’s to attack him but to find out if she is there. That is all.”
“Let’s keep looking here before—” Barbara said before Eric shouted over her.
“Just shut up. This is a child here. We’re going and there’s nothing you can do about it!”
Barbara’s mouth was wide open in shock at how Eric was talking to her.
Nelson had enough of wasting time discussing what he was going to do. They needed to go—and soon, before the sun set.
“Let’s go! Whoever is coming with me, let’s go now!”
A slight westerly breeze chilled Annaliese’s face. The temperature had dipped down in the single digits, making it a very uncomfortable night’s sleep. The boys annoyed her a lot and many times she selfishly wished they weren’t there. However, a sisterly compassion would compel her to make sure they were doing okay. In the middle of the night, she brought them a blanket that she had set aside to give Sebastian for his late-night fire watch.
Watching Sebastian teach the boys the proper handling of the revolvers the next morning filled her with pride. She loved him for a variety of reasons, one being that he was very patient with people, and he was very compassionate. For her, he was that perfect mix: a man who she could trust to protect her physically but also strong enough to be available emotionally.
He was very thorough in his explanation of the basics of marksmanship, covering sight alignment and sight picture, breathing, the natural arc of movement, grip, the mechanical functions of the pistols, expected recoil, and how to reload. Brandon had shown a natural proficiency with the handgun when he went on his shooting spree at the compound in San Diego, so, for Sebastian, the lesson this morning was for him to feel comfortable handling this specific weapon. He also wanted to impart to him a sense of responsibility. Firearms were powerful things, but overall, they were nothing but tools. And like any tool, could be used for good or evil. The most important thing he wanted to instill in Brandon was to use it for good.
Luke, on the other hand, had never handled a gun in his young life. The lessons were to make him feel more comfortable with a weapon. Once he had developed that comfort, Sebastian thought it would build his confidence. He wanted Luke to understand that it would be okay to use the gun if he had to in defense of himself or others in the group. He knew Luke didn’t have it in him to be a killer, but he might need him one day to help defend the group.
“Now that we’ve covered the basics, I want you to shoot some rounds,” Sebastian said.
“Finally!” Brandon exclaimed.
“Luke, you go first.”
“Oh, come on!” Brandon barked.
“Brandon, you’ve shot before; I’m not worried about your abilities. Luke has never shot a gun. I need him to show me that he feels okay with it.”
Luke didn’t say a word; he just stood and looked at Sebastian nervously.
“Here,” Sebastian said, handing him the old Colt Detective. “This is a very reliable piece; you’ll never have issues with this guy. It’s got six shots in the cylinder. What I like about these wheel guns is if you do have a misfire you don’t have to stress, just squeeze the trigger again. That’s the easiest troubleshooting you’ll have to do with these guns.”
Luke took the gun and held it like Sebastian had shown.
“Take the stance I was telling you. Don’t stand like you’ve seen in movies. That’s all bull. Remember, lean in, arms out, take that fighting stance I showed you.”
Luke replicated what he had been shown. He leaned forward, both legs bent, with his weight distributed evenly.
Sebastian lowered his voice now and stood behind Luke. Leaning in, he said, “Remember, sight alignment, sight picture, and squeeze. Don’t pull it. Your body has a natural arc, just keep the sights on the bottle and slowly apply pressure.”
The pistol went off, surprising Luke. It appeared that his brief training had paid off. He hit the target, a plastic milk jug that they had found lying among other garbage on the ground. He turned around and looked expectantly at Sebastian.
“Good shot! How did that feel?”
“Good, not as bad as I thought it would be,” Luke said, grinning from ear to ear.
“Beginner’s luck!” Brandon said.
Sebastian gave him a look and shook his head.
“Do it again, Luke. You’ve got five more shots. Same as you did before and always remember this: Don’t worry about your last shot. Once it’s downrange, it’s gone. Only worry about the shot you’re about to take. Again, sight alignment, sight picture, and squeeze.”
Luke repeated what he had done the first time. He hit the target five more times.
Sebastian was overjoyed at Luke’s performance, but tempered it internally because he knew shooting at a static target without stress, was different from real combat. What he had accomplished, though, was a little confidence-building.