The Forge of Darkness (Darkness After Series Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

of the road, he slowed his pace, as he was quite sure it was the road that must have brought the intruder to the area in the first place. He turned to follow it, keeping in the woods inside the fence on the hidden path that was their normal route used when patrolling the property. He figured if he followed it far enough, it would lead him to whoever fired those shots, but he sure didn’t want to be seen until he and David saw them first. Why anyone passing through would be shooting, Tommy didn’t know. He just hoped it didn’t involve his daddy or those girls. With it raining like it was now, he hoped they’d gone back to the house and given up on finding a Christmas tree today anyway.  
    He glanced back at David and whispered to him how important it was that they keep quiet. He thought he could trust him to stay back and keep his mouth shut, but it made him nervous. David seemed to get it, though. He was creeping along, watching ever step Tommy took and trying to copy his movements. And he had that silly sharpened stick in his hands, poised like a spear ready to thrust at any danger that might appear. Tommy certainly didn’t intend for them to encounter anything that close range though. With the .308 in his hands he didn’t figure they’d have to.  
    He had just about reached the corner of the Henley property where the fence turned away from the road again when he saw someone step out of the woods. Tommy stopped in his tracks and squinted through the rain. Whoever it was, he was crossing the road and walking onto Henley land, and he was carrying a gun. Tommy figured he had to be the mystery shooter. He watched to see what the stranger was up to, and that’s when he saw something brown and white, lying in the low grass and undergrowth just inside the fence up ahead. It took him a few seconds to register what it was, and then he knew—it was one of the cattle—and it was dead! He bent down so he could see better under the low hanging pine branches and then saw that there was another one nearby too. The stranger leaned his rifle against a tree and pulled out a knife. Then he knelt down in front of one of the dead animals, clearly getting ready to cut its throat and bleed it. So that was it! That’s what the shooting was all about, killing Mitch’s cattle for their meat!  
    Tommy turned to David and told him to stay right where he was and keep his mouth shut. Then he started down the path at a brisk pace, his anger building as he closed in on the stranger, who had his back turned to him. When he was within twenty paces, he stopped:
    “HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”
    The stranger turned to face him, clearly startled by his sudden appearance, and Tommy saw that he couldn’t have been much older than about fifteen or sixteen. He had gotten to his feet and still had the knife in his hand, unfazed by the rifle Tommy was pointing at him. Tommy was about to tell him to drop the knife but before he could utter the words the sharpest pain he’d ever felt slammed into his side, burning through him like a hot needle and taking his breath away. He was aware of the rifle slipping out of his hands as his knees buckled beneath him and then his next sensation was that of his face pressed against the wet pine needles that covered the ground. Tommy didn’t understand what had just happened. He knew he needed to get back up, but his body wouldn’t do what his mind willed it to.  

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    The shooter cursed under his breath as he watched his kneel beside the first steer, so intent on what he was doing that he was oblivious to his surroundings. It was a good thing he’d decided to stay put and keep watch. He knew someone had to be looking after any cattle that still looked that good, but he hadn’t really expected them to show up so fast. When he noticed movement in the trees just inside the fence line, he wished there was some way he could warn Kenny that he was not alone, but it would be impossible without giving