Chapter 2

The Appalachian wind howled through the holes in the cabin walls. The temperature plummeted to freezing.

Alton opened his eyes in the pitch black. His pupils dilated, instantly adapting to the darkness. It was a reflex burned into his nervous system by Delta Force night-combat training.

He heard a faint scratching sound near his neck.

His hand shot into his canvas bag. He pulled out a toothbrush with a sharpened plastic handle. In one fluid, blindingly fast motion, he drove the makeshift shiv into the floorboards.

A massive brown recluse spider twitched and died, pinned perfectly through its thorax, two inches from his collarbone.

Alton stood up and stripped off his thin jacket. His torso was a terrifying canvas of violence. Thick, raised knife scars and circular bullet wounds covered his heavy muscles.

He walked to the rusted pipe sticking out of the wall and turned the valve. Freezing, brown water sputtered out. He stood under it, his face blank as the ice-cold mud washed away the sterile stench of the maximum-security prison.

When he turned off the water, his lungs suddenly seized.

His vision blurred. The sound of the dripping pipe morphed into the deafening roar of gunfire. The smell of rust turned into the metallic tang of fresh blood.

PTSD hit him like a freight train. His heart hammered against his ribs so hard it hurt.

Alton dropped to his knees. He shoved his own forearm into his mouth and bit down hard. His teeth tore into his flesh. The sharp, grounding pain sliced through the hallucination, forcing his brain back to reality.

A single, hot tear slid down his scarred cheek and hit the dusty floor.

He breathed heavily, his chest heaving until the panic faded. He wiped his face. He found some rusted wire and broken glass outside. Within ten minutes, he rigged three lethal, invisible tripwires around the cabin's perimeter.

Morning fog still choked the town when Alton walked out. He wore a faded flannel shirt.

He marched toward the public cemetery on the east side of town. His boots hit the pavement at exactly one hundred and twenty paces per minute. A flawless tactical march.

Early risers peeked through their curtains. They whispered the words "killer" and "psycho."

Alton ignored them. He reached the overgrown graveyard and stopped in front of a cheap, crooked headstone. It read: Roy Combs.

He dropped to one knee. His rough fingers dug into the carved letters, scraping out the wet dirt and green moss.

He didn't speak. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of metal. It was an eagle, carved perfectly out of a prison coin. He placed it at the base of the stone.

The roar of a truck engine shattered the silence. A brand-new Chevy Silverado slammed on its brakes by the curb.

Orville McCoy, Cletus's cousin, stepped out. He held a steaming cup of coffee. His eyes widened in panic when he saw Alton.

Orville was the man who had used a legal loophole to steal the Combs family's prime real estate in the center of town while Alton was locked up.

Alton slowly stood up. He turned his head. His wolf-like eyes locked onto Orville.

Orville's hands started to shake. The hot coffee sloshed over the rim, burning his expensive leather shoes. He cursed, stepping back.

"Don't even think about coming after that land, Combs!" Orville yelled, his voice cracking. "I got legal papers! It's mine now!"

Alton didn't say a word. He took a step forward.

His massive frame moved with a terrifying, silent grace. The sheer physical pressure radiating from him sucked the oxygen out of the air.

Orville scrambled backward. His spine slammed hard against the door of his truck.

Alton stopped. He was only inches away. He looked down at the sweating, trembling man.

"I'll call the cops!" Orville stammered, frantically slapping his pockets for his phone.

Alton suddenly raised his hand.

Orville squeezed his eyes shut and let out a pathetic shriek, waiting for his neck to be snapped.

Instead, Alton's hand gently brushed a dead leaf off Orville's shoulder. The movement was so soft, so controlled, that Orville's heart betrayed him-slamming against his ribs in wild, uncontrollable surges.

A violent tremor coiled deep in his muscles, clawing to break free, and it took every shred of his will to hold himself still.

Alton leaned in. His deep, gravelly voice vibrated against Orville's ear.

"Tell Cletus I'm coming to negotiate tonight."

Alton turned and walked away. Orville's knees gave out. He slid down the side of his truck, gasping for air as if he had just escaped a tiger's cage.

He pulled out his phone with violently shaking hands and dialed Cletus.

"He ain't broken, Cletus," Orville sobbed. "The devil ain't broken."

Alton walked back toward his cabin. His eyes drifted to the west side of town. He stared at the massive, abandoned shale field that everyone considered a toxic wasteland.

A dark, calculating light flickered in his eyes.