Page 7 of Face Her Fear

He opened his mouth to answer but clamped it shut when a loud huffing sound came from behind him. He turned and Josie stepped up beside him as they both tried to find its source. Was yet another person up here on the top of the mountain with them? The noise came again, low and deep, followed by the sound of clacking.

“Oh shit,” Josie said, dread sending her heartbeat into overdrive.

There was another long exhale of air and then the sound again:clackclackclack.

Cooper pointed to a boulder about thirty feet away from them. “There,” he said softly.

The enormous head of a black bear rose up above the boulder. It pointed its light brown snout upward, scenting the air. It huffed again and snapped its jaws several more times in succession, its inch-long canines sharp and gleaming wet with saliva. Josie felt a shudder run the length of her body. “Shouldn’t that bear be in hibernation by now?” she whispered.

“Some bears den from October to now. Others don’t den at all if they can’t find sufficient food,” Cooper answered quietly.

One of its feet appeared on the top of the boulder. Two-inch claws scratched against the stone. The bear drew itself up onto the top of the rock, its massive black fur-covered frame seeming to take forever to come fully into view. It paused, bobbing its head and letting out an exhale that sounded like a large piece of machinery lurching to life. Then it hopped down, drawing closer.Clackclackclack.

Josie reached for her pistol and was again reminded that it wasn’t there. Not that a 9-millimeter would take down a bear of this size. Its massive body lumbered around, searching for the source of the alien scent. With dawning horror, she estimated it to be between five and seven hundred pounds. She’d never been up close and personal with a black bear before. Its legs were almost as thick as her body. Its powerful shoulders moved with a sort of savage grace as it walked, taking a step or two directly toward them and then sidestepping right and left, as if it was still trying to decide whether to attack or not.

Again, it lifted its nose. Huff.Clackclackclack.

The air in Josie’s lungs stopped moving as the bear spotted them. Panic dried up every ounce of sweat on her body. Suddenly she felt cold, like an ice statue, rooted to the spot. Some part of her brain tried to remember everything she’d been taught about what to do when encountering a black bear, but came up with nothing. All she could think about was how she couldn’t breathe, and she was probably going to die in the next few minutes. She’d fought a lot of killers in her time, and won, but she was no match for a black bear, especially without her gun.

Cooper’s callused palm closed over her hand. It was surprisingly warm. In a voice low enough for only her to hear, he said, “Keep still. Stand your ground.”

Josie was sure she’d heard that advice before. Her police department was filled with hunters, most of whom had encountered a black bear at some point in their outdoor endeavors, but now, at the mercy of a creature so massive and with the power to potentially kill her with a single swipe, this sounded like the worst advice Josie had ever heard.

“You have to be out of your mind,” she whispered from the side of her mouth.

Cooper gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “It’s the only way we survive this if he decides to mess with us. You’re looking at an apex predator. You run, he runs after you, and I can assure you that he is much faster than he looks.”

Clackclackclack. The next huff that emanated from the bear’s throat seemed like part growl. The sound vibrated in the air all around them.

Cooper said, “He’s going to bluff-charge us.”

“What?” Instinctively, Josie began to pull her hand away, but Cooper held her in place.

Now his voice was much firmer. “Stay still. Do not run. Follow my lead now.”

He let go of her hand, raised his arms, and started waving them in the air. Loudly, firmly, and with no trace of fear, he yelled, “Go on! Get out of here now! You get on out of here! Get lost!”

The bear paused, regarding them steadily, but the clacking and huffing had stopped momentarily.

Josie’s arms felt like lead weights, but she thrust them up and over her head, waving them like Cooper was doing. Her voice came out shaky at first but grew stronger with each exhortation. “Get out of here! Leave us alone! Go! Leave!”

Cooper continued, “Get on out of here, you stupid old bear! Go!”

The bear continued to stare at them, perplexed.

Cooper stopped yelling. Over her own shouts, Josie heard him say, “Be ready and remember, don’t move.”

The bear had no tells. It gave no indication that it was going to attack. One moment it was staring at them, dark eyes inscrutable. The next it was charging at them, a solid mass of muscle and destruction bearing down on them faster than Josie imagined an animal so large could move. Her bowels loosened. Cooper’s arm was a bar across the middle of her back, holding her in place. She had time for one thought.

Noah.

Then, abruptly, the bear stopped within a foot of them and darted off to the side, loping away from them.

Cooper had the wherewithal to start yelling at it again. “That’s right, you son of a bitch! Get out of here!”

It disappeared, heading in the direction it had come, down the mountain, but luckily, away from the camp.

With one large hand, Cooper patted Josie’s back. It was hard, as if he were trying to dislodge something stuck in her throat. Her breath, maybe. “You did a good job there, Miss Quinn.”

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