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A few minutes later Tom could hear the cars and trucks arrive. He opened the front door and saw the Texas Ranger vehicle and other patrol officers heading toward the Shays’ house.

Maggie and Jasper pulled up in his truck and looked as if they didn’t know anything was happening.

Tom waved them in, and Charlie, Trevor, and Dante asked Ben what happened.

Tom felt the tears reach his eyes as the little boy explained what happened and where they were taking his aunt and what they planned on doing.

“Ben, honey, oh my God, baby.” Maggie came in crying and ran to Ben. He hugged his mom and cried as Jasper knelt down and caressed Ben’s back.

“Mommy, Lori saved me again. She fought the bad man. He was going to bury us alive to hurt Mr. Cantrell, Charlie, Ben, and Dante. He’s crazy, Mommy, and big and ugly. We have to help her, Mommy.” Ben pulled from her arms and took her hand and Jasper’s hand to lead them from the house.

“Hold on, buddy. We’ve got this. You stay here with your mom,” the sheriff stated.

“No! Aunt Lori needs us. She needs us to save her this time. She’s hurt.”

“What do you mean hurt?” Trevor asked.

“The bad man beat her up. He hit her throat and I looked back and he was choking her.”

“Oh, Jesus, no. Please, God, protect Lori,” Lynn stated aloud, crying with her hands clasped together.

“We have to find her fast,” Charlie stated.

“The construction site. He said he was going to bury us there,” Ben said.

“Let’s move. Call Gunner and have them meet us there pronto.”

Tom watched as everyone ran from the house, jumped into their cars, and headed up the road a mile to the construction site.

“We need to go, too, Mommy. Aunt Lori needs us there,” Ben insisted.

“I’ll drive,” Jasper said, and Tom and Lynn left with them.

* * * *

Lori couldn’t walk, which earned her another smack and a kick to her thigh. She fell to the ground only for him to lift her up and carry her to a large dirt pile area near a very large hole. She saw Henshaw running toward the bulldozer. He was climbing in and as he started the loud engine she could have sworn she heard sirens in the distance.

As hope of being rescued filled her heart, the big man shoved her into the hole. She screamed as she felt the long fall then slammed onto her broken arm, her head hitting something hard.

Dirt began to fall on top of her. She sensed the crumbled bits of dirt, the intense smell of earth filled her nostrils, initiating panic and fear like nothing she ever felt before consume her. This was it, she was going to be buried alive.

The sound of the engine from the bulldozer above whined high as the first bit of dirt fell from the bucket and slid down the sides. She rolled to her right and tried to get up, but as she lifted her head, it throbbed, filling her gut with nausea as something thick and warm oozed from her head and went into her eye. She couldn’t move to stand up. Her mind fought over her body’s ability

to just get up, stand up, and fight. The sounds of the engine revving, sirens blaring and people yelling sounded muffled in the back of her mind. Was she hallucinating? Was she already dying? She thought she heard gunshots, something as the bulldozer stopped, more dirt came down upon her and she lost her focus and rolled into the fetal position. She reached out with her good hand and grabbed a hold of the dirt wall. The dirt and rock scraped under her fingernails then crumbled. There was no way to climb out, to get free.

I’m going to die.

* * * *

“Fuck, he’s right there and, look, someone is on the bulldozer dropping dirt. Fuck, hurry!” Trevor yelled as Charlie skidded out near the bulldozer.

Trevor and Dante jumped out as Gunner and the sheriff exchanged gunfire with some big dude Trevor thought was the stranger.

Dante climbed the bulldozer and threw someone out of it then pulled the bulldozer back and turned it off.

As Trevor reached the side, he saw Henshaw, lifted him by the collar, and punched him straight into the face. He fell to the ground as one of the deputies handcuffed him.

Charlie was yelling down into the hole.