by Hunt, Jack
“They never got in.”
“Good.” He unlocked the door and threw the box in the rear. “I’ll have to hide this. With few vehicles on the road, people will want to get their hands on it.”
He fired up the engine and they drove off heading for the Manor.
“I still don’t get it. Why is this working?”
“Like I told you. Most of the vehicles today rely on electronics. This baby doesn’t. In fact those two vehicles we saw on the way out to Trenton were similar to this. They were probably diesel, had a large fuel tank, good cargo space, and towing and off-road capability.” He asked her to get a pack of cigarettes out of the glove compartment. She reached down and a large box dropped out. She glanced at him. “What? I was saving them for a rainy day,” he said with a smile. She’d never smoked a day in her life. The smell was foul. “Anyway, parts are a little easier to find for these than some souped-up, expensive modern vehicle. Then of course, the most important thing — this baby doesn’t rely on microelectronics, computers or chips. I remember the client, the one that recommended I get one, gave me a whole list of things to avoid when it came to searching for a vehicle. He also said, make sure it doesn’t stand out. Hence the reason this sucker has a camouflage paint job. It also has a conductive metal body enclosing the engine and passenger compartment. Well, I slightly customized it but for the most part it’s just the way it was when I got it from the auction.”
He rattled on spouting all manner of stuff that went over her head. In all honesty her mind was elsewhere — with Landon and Ellie. Where were they?
As they got closer to the Manor, Jake kept sweeping the mirrors.
Sara glanced behind her shoulder but didn’t see anything.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I swore I saw something. Nah, was probably nothing.”
He drove up the long driveway, the tires crunching over snow as a flurry washed across the windshield. “Looks like the weather is getting worse. Lucky you got this,” he said jerking his head towards the food.
“Listen, Jake, I really appreciate all you’ve done. You didn’t have to go out of your way.”
“No. I know. Glad to help.”
Sara hopped out and he gave her a hand taking the box into the kitchen.
“Do you want to stay for supper? With it being Christmas and all.”
“I appreciate the offer but I should be getting back.”
“You live alone, Jake,” she said.
“Thanks for reminding me,” he said, his lip curling into a smile
“Oh. I didn’t mean it like that. I… Uh, sorry.” She tucked her hands into the front of her jeans and bit down on the lower portion of her lip.
He shrugged. “It’s fine.”
“Jake. I’ve gotta ask. Why aren’t you with someone? I always figured by now you would be…”
“Happily married?”
She nodded.
“Are you?” he asked, turning the question back on her.
She didn’t reply immediately because he caught her off guard. “Ah, I shouldn’t have asked. Forget it. Well I should get back to it. If you change your mind, we’ll probably eat around six.” He nodded, said he would consider it and made his way out. Sara went over to the window and glanced out, watching him get back into the vehicle. She would have been lying to say she wasn’t attracted to him. He had this boyish charm that appealed to her. Then again, Landon had his strong points. She was happy. Wasn’t she? She shook the doubt from her mind and went to stock the cupboard.
“Max. I could use a hand.”
Unlike days gone by, when she usually had to go up and pull his earbuds out, he came bounding down the stairs. “You’re back. I didn’t hear you return?”
“Well maybe if you take those earbuds out once in a while you wouldn’t have ear damage,” she said joking with him. He looked around.
“Jake gone home?”
“Yeah. But he might be joining us for dinner.”
“What about Dad, Ellie? Any sign of them at the airport?”
She reached into the box and pulled out a can and sighed, shaking her head. Max looked as concerned as she was. “I’m sure they’re fine. You know your father. He’s probably enjoying the warmth of Alabama right about now.”
“How would he?” Max said. “The country has no power.”
“How did you find out?”
“I’m not deaf,” he said.
“You were listening to our conversation?”
“Not exactly… your voice travels…” He pointed to the large vents. She tipped her head back and smiled as she returned to the pantry and added a few more cans.
Max looked in the box. “Is that it?”
She sighed. “I’m afraid so. And if Jake is right it might be the last of it for a while.”
“The last of it?” He frowned.
Over the next twenty minutes she outlined what Jake had shared with her and the chance of things getting worse as people started to realize the gravity of the situation. Under normal conditions, generally people remained calm when there was a power outage, that’s because emergency services were still operational, water flowed, communication often still worked and vehicles could be relied upon, but now that had all been stripped away. Remembering what Jake said, Sara picked up the landline and listened for a dial tone. It was still there but for how long? And what was the point of a few old landlines working if most phones in homes and businesses were no longer operational?
“Do we even have a turkey?”
She brought a hand up to her head and frowned. “Shoot, the turkey. I put it out to thaw but didn’t put it on to cook.” Max groaned then fished into the box. “Well, I guess it’s pasta tonight then. That will be a first,” he said.
They both laughed as she scooped up the wine and put an arm around him. He was a good kid, certainly more understanding than Landon was at times.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Hank came by while you were out. I told him you’d gone with Jake to the airport.”
“What did he want?”
Max shrugged. “No clue. He said he would swing by later.” She knew that asking him for a ride was a dumb idea. He was the kind of man that if you gave him an inch, he would take a mile. He was known to cheat on his wife. Sara had avoided his advances numerous times, and she was still living down the embarrassment of when Landon knocked Hank on his ass. Sure, he’d tried to come on to her but that was when he was drunk. Generally when he wasn’t drinking, he was cordial and polite but maybe that was because others were around.
The generator could be heard churning away.
“I hope you haven’t had that on all the time I’ve been out?” she said.
“It’s freezing.”
“I know but we need it for tonight and there’s not a lot of gasoline left. Once that runs out—”
“Why didn’t you buy a solar one?” Max asked.
“Because it cost too much. We were lucky to get that at the price we did.”
After finishing unpacking, she began preparing for a light supper; tuna and pasta with onions. Something simple and quick. It wasn’t ideal but maybe with a glass of wine she could pretend it was a delicious, mouthwatering turkey.
As she was reading the side of the box the generator shut off.
“Max? Can you get that?”
He didn’t respond. Sara groaned and slipped back into her jacket and boots and waded out into knee-deep snow. It was still coming down heavy and if it kept going, at this rate they would be snowed in. She rubbed her hands together, her breath releasing in puffs of smoke before her as she made her way to the generator. She figured because Max had been using it while they were out that it needed topping up. She unscrewed the top and looked inside. It wasn’t full but it wasn’t empty. What the hell? She stared at the generator and turned it back on again. Once it fired up, she pulled a face and headed back inside not giving it another thought. Maybe the cold had shut it off. No, that was impossible.
Two minutes, that’s all it took and it shut off again.
“Oh you have got to be shitting me,” she said, then apologized to the Lord above. She wasn’t a religious person but having grown up with a mother who never missed a Sunday, she had gained a conscience, a kind of moral meter that attempted to keep her in check. Trudging back out to the generator, this time she noticed something different. There were footsteps leading up to and away from the generator, none of which originated from the house. How hadn’t she seen that before?
A shot of fear went through her.
Sara scanned the property, backing up slowly while glancing over her shoulder.
Who was out there? Hidden by the storm? And why were they shutting off the generator? One thought went through her mind — get Landon’s rifle.
21
The cougar attacked and nearly got the drop on Cayden. Russ had reacted fast, firing two rounds which echoed loudly. One struck the snarling beast in its hindquarter. It scampered away leaving a trail of blood behind and Cayden in a state of shock. Russ extended a hand to help him up, but instead of accepting it, he waved him off.
Embarrassed, he got up and brushed off snow. “I’m fine. Let’s just find that coke and get off this damn mountain,” he bellowed.
Morgan grinned and shook his head as he trudged ahead leading the group of four using the vague scribblings of the doctor.
Cayden and Morgan walked ahead of them, discussing business while Russ hung back with Tommy. “You don’t think he’ll say anything, do you?” Russ asked Tommy.
“Morgan? No. He’s a good man. A few screws loose but he’s got your back.”
“He better or he might find something buried in his back,” Russ said as he lifted his boots out of the deep snow. It felt like they were wading through quicksand.
“I really wish you hadn’t shot him,” Russ said referring to the doctor.
“I had no choice, he was all over me. It was either him or me. For a second I thought I’d taken the bullet.”
“And the wife?”
“She was a witness. We couldn’t leave her there.”
Russ shook his head. Illegal activities were one thing, killing wasn’t something he was onboard with. Morgan had no qualms about it, especially if it meant impressing Cayden but Tommy, he thought he was better than that.
“I’ve become something I never wanted,” Russ said.
Tommy scratched the side of his face. “It was inevitable, Russ. What did you think you’d be doing if you managed to scrape some off the top?”
Russ flashed him a glare and put a finger to his lips. “Keep it down,” he said.
“Sorry.”
“I got into this to make money not to murder people.”
“It kind of comes with the territory, don’t you think?”
“No. We have choices,” Russ said. “Morgan didn’t need to kill those cops.”
Tommy nodded. “Yeah, maybe,” he muttered.
Although snow was still falling and had covered Dr. Banks’ tracks, and the map was vague, it was enough to point them in the right direction. They saw the gouge in the forest long before the plane or what was left of it. Morgan hollered, “I got something.”
He charged ahead and ran out into a clearing.
When the rest of them caught up, Cayden looked off to the east and west. “Which way?” Tommy asked.
Morgan pointed to the treetops. “See how much has been clipped to the west versus the east? It’s that way,” he said heading to the east. The mountainside was covered in snow and at times was slippery, especially where there were rocks jutting out. It was clear to see that very few people came up this high, and yet someone had been here.
“I’ve got fresh tracks!” Morgan said, dropping to a crouch and putting a hand into a footprint, then looking up ahead at the row of tracks. “Looks like the same person went both ways.”
“Searching?” Tommy asked.
“Or carrying away something,” Cayden said, motioning to what appeared to be a large gouge in the snow as if someone was dragging a sleigh.
This was not going to end well, Russ thought. He had got used to gauging Cayden’s mood swings after having him tag along on a couple of deals. In every instance when he’d gone with them it ended with him going berserk on one of the men. His lack of trust was evident. Now it seemed that they were one step away from seeing another outburst.
Continuing on, it didn’t take long to find the plane buried with tracks leading in and out. Cayden was the first inside, scrambling around with a hand-cranked flashlight on. “There’s Dustin but where’s my coke?” He turned and bellowed, “C’mon, help me find it.” Over the next hour they searched high and low for the bag but came up empty-handed. Cayden paced, fury building in his features.
“It could have been in the tail.”
“Have you ever known Dustin to leave it in the tail? No. It’s always behind that seat,” Cayden said pointing. “There’s only one other person that’s been near this plane.” He stared down at the small boot prints and began to follow them. Cayden cradled his AR-15 and forged ahead.
22
It took only a few breathless seconds for Sara to realize someone was playing games. She’d turned to dash back into the house when her world was rocked. The collision was so hard and unexpected she thought her nose broke from the impact. Looming over her, blocking the last rays of sunlight, a figure extended a hand, apologizing profusely.
“Whoa, I’m so sorry. I thought you heard me.”
“Hank? Hank!” she bellowed, glaring at him as he hauled her up. Blood gushed down from her nose, droplets hitting the snow. She groaned and placed a hand to her head. She felt a little woozy. Sara staggered to the side, and he caught her with a chuckle.
“Come on, let’s get you inside and get that cleaned up.” He continued to apologize as he led her through the mud room into the kitchen where Max was devouring a sandwich and packet of chips, completely unaware of what had just transpired. He glanced up and his eyes widened.
“It’s okay. Just a little accident,” Hank said, bringing her over to a seat where he got her to sit. “Just keep your head back.”
“An accident? An accident is when I stub my foot, or spill a drink,” Sara said. “What the hell are you doing creeping up on people?” The sink was full of water that she’d filled to the brim. Hank took out a bowl and scooped up some and then dipped a rag in it and brought it over to her face to wash away the crimson stain.
“I wasn’t creeping. Like I said, I thought you heard me.” He lifted his hands and grimaced, realizing he’d made a mistake.
Sara dabbed at her nose, then washed the rag in the bowl of water. “So was that you who turned off the generator?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He groaned. “I was about to refill it with fuel,” he said. He quickly headed out of the house and returned a moment later with a red gasoline canister that he held up as evidence. “I swung by earlier and spoke to Max, I asked him if there was anything you needed. He said you were a little low on gasoline. I figured I’d bring over some of the extra that we have. When I arrived, I turned off the generator, then walked back to my truck to collect the canister and it came on again. I thought the damn thing was faulty.”
“So did I!” she bellowed before getting up and going over to the sink. “Maybe next time before you decide to show up unannounced, call me.”
“A little hard when you don’t pick up.”
“What are you talking about? The landline is…” She picked it up and now there was no dial tone. “That’s odd, it was working only a short time ago. Did you say yours was working?”
“It was before I left home. I mean, the landline.” He walked over and checked hers. Sure enough there was no dial tone. “Huh, strange.”
Sara waved him off, too tired to get into it. Jake had warned her that it would eventually stop, she just figured it would last at least a week. “Listen, thanks for bringing by gasoline but I can’t pay
you for it. I already spent the cash I had on groceries.”
“You don’t need to pay me. It’s a gift.”
“Come on, Hank. There’s always strings attached with you.”
He laughed. “Can’t a neighbor just do something nice for once?”
She narrowed her gaze but decided not to say what was on her mind. Hank rarely went out of his way to do anything for anyone in the town unless it affected his bottom line or gave him some form of sexual gratification. Hank looked around the kitchen. “So you managed to wrangle some food from Meg’s place?”
“What little she had,” Sara said before taking a seat because she felt lightheaded. She kept the cloth near her face. She hadn’t had a nosebleed since she was nine and that had happened at Christmas. She’d come barreling down the stairs behind her cousin who was visiting and went smack bang into the back of her. She was beginning to wonder if her Christmases were cursed.
Hank sniffed the air. “I would have thought you’d have a turkey cooking by now, with the generator and the time and…” Oh he knew how to play the game. “You know what, Rita has a beautiful one cooking right now. More than enough for us. Why don’t you two come on back? Heck, you could stay the night. I mean, Landon hasn’t returned yet, has he?”
He knew full well he hadn’t.
“Listen, I appreciate the offer but we’re just—”
“I would love that,” Max said. “We were only gonna have pasta and tuna.”
Hank grimaced. “Pasta and tuna on Christmas Day? Oh there has to be some law against that,” he said, a smile forming. His eyes bounced between them. “Well then it’s done. You’ll both come back with me.”
He was so damn pushy. This was exactly why Landon punched him. He came across as friendly but everything he did was manipulative. He reminded her of a sleazy Hollywood executive that wined and dined actresses just so he could corner them later in a hotel room under the pretense of offering them a role.
“Hank. It’s not a good time,” she said raising a hand.