The Lookout: A Gripping Survival Thriller

by Hunt, Jack

  After removing his jacket and hanging it on the back of the door, Travis fished through a drawer and removed a corkscrew, then looked at her. “I assume you want a few of these logs in the fireplace… that is if you plan on us having lunch?”

  Kelly snapped out of it. “Yeah. Right. Um.” She returned the empty magazines to his duty belt. While he was adding wood to the fire, and stoking up the flames, she went back to what she was doing.

  Gradually, as the afternoon’s light waned and they drifted into early evening, Travis leaned back. His dark eyes looked sleepy. He also looked less bothered by the day’s events, though it probably helped that he’d consumed several glasses of wine. He even told her not to worry after she apologized for her line of questions which implied that he wasn’t being truthful, something she still wasn’t convinced about.

  In fact, there was one thing she still wanted to check, just to be safe.

  “You think you can give me a hand unloading the snow from the panels?” She pointed to the large flaps of red plywood that stuck out above the windows, covered with a layer of corrugated steel to protect the wood. There were eight, two for each side of the fire lookout, and each one was propped up by two posts. In some of the old fire lookouts, the panels were hinged to fold down over the windows to prevent anyone from breaking in. They were usually closed in the winter months. Kelly was used to leaving them up as they rarely got this kind of snow but now she had no choice. “If I don’t do it now, those posts are liable to give way from the weight. That’s the only downside to getting such a large dumping of snow.”

  “Yeah, no problem.” He took a swallow of wine and got up. He widened and closed his jaw, rubbing it as if he was working out a kink. His eyebrows rose as he steadied himself against the counter. “Wow, that wine’s pretty strong.”

  “Yeah, it has a way of creeping up on you,” she said slipping into her boots. Kelly had purposely only drunk half a glass as she wanted all her faculties to remain razor sharp. After donning a hooded jacket, gloves and a thick scarf, she looked at him. “You ready?”

  He gave a nod and she swung open the door that led out to the deck which was now covered in a foot of snow. Keeping her head low, she forged to the left, a gust of wind battering her and taking her breath. Kelly gestured for him to handle the opposite side while she did the other two nearest to her. “Be careful when you knock out the posts as the weight of the snow will force the panel down and is liable to slam you into the window. Happened to me last year.”

  Travis gave a thumbs-up.

  The reason she wanted him away from her was the solar panels and wiring that came down into the charging panel was on her side and it was the only thing she hadn’t checked. Working on the first panel, he peered through the window at her and watched as she took out the posts and slowly lowered the panel until a huge wedge of snow slid off to the ground. She made sure he was doing it right before moving on to the next. When she made it to where the cables ran out of the cabin and up to the roof, Kelly lowered a panel and dropped down to check if they were in.

  They weren’t.

  They had been completely removed.

  Had they been slightly loose she might have thought the wind had done it but the cables didn’t come out easily, especially in the winter.

  She knew they were working prior to her run.

  Kelly jammed the cable back in, then continued on, though she took a moment to get up onto the railing and clear off the snow from the solar panels. Not that it would help as it had been overcast since the blizzard had started, but it gave her a chance to check if the panels had been tampered with. Nope. They looked fine.

  As she lowered herself and went to see how he was doing, she turned right into him. “Oh, I didn’t see you there.”

  He gave a menacing expression. “Be careful getting up there, you don’t want to slip. It’s a long way down,” he said. Had he seen her plug the cable back in? Was he growing tired of her questions?

  “Yeah, thanks. All done.”

  She gestured for him to head in, preventing him from knowing that she’d plugged the cables back in. It was clear someone had tampered with them to prevent the phone from charging — and it was hard to imagine it was anyone else but him — but why?

  It still made no sense.

  As soon as they entered, Travis turned to remove his jacket. Kelly noticed the charging light which indicated the solar panel was connected was glowing. It was the same light that indicated the battery pack had juice. Thinking fast, she threw back her hood, removed her beanie and tossed it to cover the unit.

  “Hot drink?” she asked, hoping to distract him.

  9

  Kelly’s heart was pounding, the tiny hairs on the back of her neck were erect. At any moment her phone would flash on to show it had enough charge. It did it every time. Whether at 100 percent or not, the screen would light up indicating it was ready to use. What then? The gig would be up. He’d have to explain why her phone was working.

  Three hours had passed without incident. Outside the blizzard had eased but snow was still falling heavily. After a simple meal of grilled cheese, they’d spent the early part of the evening discussing her book over a game of checkers. His fascination with her writing only intensified. At first it was to be expected but then it bordered upon uncomfortable. She’d tried to turn the tables, get him to open up about his life, where he lived, who his friends were, in an attempt to learn more, perhaps even catch him in another lie, but he kept his cards close to his chest and swung the conversation back to A Call to War. Travis questioned her motivations, probed for answers she couldn’t give and wanted the skinny on how her writing tours, book signings and interactions with fans were conducted before he raised the question of the next book.

  “So you came here to write?” he asked, running his finger around the top of his cup.

  “Attempt. Though lately, I haven’t been in the mindset to do anything.”

  “Huh. Now I feel as if I’m infringing upon your creative space.” He rose from the table. “Please. Don’t let me stop you.”

  She waved him off with a chuckle.

  He gestured to the table. “No seriously, I would love to watch the magic happen.”

  Kelly chuckled. “Believe me, there is no magic. It’s caffeine fueled, mind numbing, grunt work that some days is easy but more often than not, it’s just a whole lot of staring at a blank page, watching a cursor blink.”

  He shifted from one foot to the next. “You make it sound like torture.”

  “Believe me, at times when a deadline is looming and the words don’t flow it can feel that way.” She rose from her chair and tossed the final dregs of hot chocolate down the sink and pumped the faucet to wash it away. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s a very rewarding career, and I’m fortunate to be in the position I am.” She sighed. “I couldn’t imagine doing anything else but… like anything, it has its moments. At least, lately.”

  As he approached the sink, Travis set his cup down. “I was thinking about the sleeping arrangements.”

  Her mind was so preoccupied by the strangeness of the situation and worrying about what would happen when her phone came to life that Kelly hadn’t given it a passing thought.

  She gestured to it. “You can have the bed.”

  “No, you’re too kind, Kelly. I’m a guest, and an infringing one at that, however, what we could do since we are in this together is you could sleep under the blankets on one side, and I’ll sleep on the top on the other.”

  Was he joking?

  Before she could reply, her phone let out that familiar chime, and a burst of dull light emerged from beneath her beanie. The glow pierced the wool. Both their eyes bounced to the charging panel. She looked back at him for a second to gauge his reaction before Kelly darted across the room and scooped it up.

  “Power?” she said, showing him the phone, her brow furrowing. There were multiple text message notifications.

  “I can explain.”

  She lif
ted a hand. “No need. It seems things are okay.”

  “Kelly, just hold on a second.”

  “For what? I’m heading into town.”

  As she shrugged into her jacket and boots, he tried to get her to reconsider.

  “The snowmobile isn’t working.”

  “Really?? Like this wasn’t?” she said lifting her phone.

  She turned and headed for the hatch, he darted in front of her with his hands out. “Wait.”

  “For what? Move out of the way, Travis.”

  “I can’t do that. You’re not safe out there. We need to stay together.”

  Her brow furrowed. “The grid is not down. There is no EMP. You were wrong, now step aside.” Still clutching the phone she tried to get by him but he prevented her.

  “I can’t do that.”

  Kelly took a few steps back and slid the phone into her pocket. “What is this?”

  She studied his face.

  “I told you. It’s an EMP.”

  “Bullshit. Why did you lie to me?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “No? Then why did your phone power on?”

  His eyes darted to his forestry jacket. Kelly continued, “I saw that married woman, those kids. Let me guess, not yours?”

  He lifted a hand. “Look, I know how this might look but I can explain.” He pointed to the table. “How about we take a seat, have a drink and…”

  She pressed forward. “Screw the drink. Move out of the way.”

  He refused to budge and stood firm over the hatch. “You don’t understand. The grid is down,” he said in a strong tone.

  “The phone had one bar.”

  “Backup power. I told you, it…”

  “Enough! You unplugged the cable to the solar panels and loosened the cable to the battery pack. Didn’t you?”

  When he didn’t answer fast enough she took that as a yes and darted for the door that led to the deck in the hope that he would move — sure enough, he moved from the hatch and she went for it. Travis crashed into her, knocking her back against the sink and causing her to cry out in agony.

  “Look, I don’t want to hurt you but…”

  Before he could finish, she grasped the pot of hot chocolate she’d boiled on the butane stove and tossed it at him. While it wasn’t at boiling point it was still hot enough to burn, however, at the last second he raised an arm preventing the splash from striking him directly in the face. Angered, he threw her down on the bed and she hit her head on the corner of the headboard, sending a jolt of pain through her skull. “Now look at what you’ve made me do.”

  Travis clambered on top as Kelly kicked and thrashed. Twisting over, she latched on to the OC in his duty belt. All the while he was trying to control her like a wild animal. “Stop fighting me. I don’t want to hurt you but you’re starting to piss me off.” As he flipped her onto her back, she squeezed off the OC. A thick orange spray erupted, shooting into his eyes and mouth. Travis released his grip, bringing his hands to his face as he gasped for air, and tried to stop the pepper spray from burning his eyes.

  Even Kelly started coughing.

  Temporary blindness, a swift kick to the nuts and Travis doubled over in agony.

  In an instant, Kelly was up, and scrambling. She quickly unlocked the hatch and lowered herself down and out. The desire to get away from him was so strong that she was willing to hike out if need be. A blast of arctic temperatures and she sucked in the cold air. The steps were steep, the speed of her descent, dizzying. By the time Kelly made it to the bottom, she could hear Travis screaming at her, cursing loudly. The wind roared in her ears as she plunged into waist-deep snow. In her haste to escape she’d forgotten to grab snowshoes; now she was struggling, tripping, flailing like a fish out of water. Every few seconds Kelly cast a glance over her shoulder to see if he was on her tail. Snowdrifts blew hard into her face, threatening to wipe her out at any second. The terrain blurred before her as the force of Mother Nature battered and swallowed her in a wall of white.

  Where the hell is the shelter?

  She squinted. So thick and heavy was the blanket of snow that everything looked alike. Working off memory she forged ahead. All she could do was press on, tramping and struggling to make it to the snowmobile.

  If her phone was working, it had to be something else.

  It had worked on the day she went into town.

  He must have tampered with it.

  Unable to see more than a few feet ahead, she kept her hands out until she made it, breathless, her lungs seared by pain. Kelly brushed off snow and lifted the hood, took out her phone and shone the flashlight over the engine. Almost immediately she saw it. Reaching in she pulled up what remained of a wire that had been cut. With a stab of terror, Kelly twisted at the cry of Travis. “Kelly!”

  She tucked the phone into her jacket.

  Peering into a wall of white she knew she was hours away from civilization. There was nothing out there, no house, no road, no ranger station in miles. Trudging into the woods in these wintry conditions would have been pure suicide. Without snowshoes she wouldn’t make it far. And with evening upon her and no idea where she was going, she wouldn’t make it twenty yards let alone survive two hours. They’d probably find her body, buried, frozen, weeks later.

  Behind her, Travis was hurrying to close the gap. “Kelly!” he shouted. His flashlight beam cut into the darkness revealing a curtain of snow.

  Blinking ice crystals out of her eyes, she knew her choice was limited. She turned on the jets, propelled by pure fear and desperation. Like wading through thick mud she struggled toward the closest structure — the sauna.

  At least there she could lock the door, stay warm and hopefully get a signal.

  Kelly powered away from him, making the best of what little sight she had. Her legs plunged deep into snow, bobbing and stumbling forward, using her arms like paddles. Her vision was so poor that the structure only came into view when it was a few feet away. Her feet stumbled over the platform’s steps.

  Another angry shout. Nearer this time.

  Fear gripped her.

  Only one thought pushed through her mind: Escape.

  As she slammed into the wall of the sauna, her lungs were on fire. It took every ounce of effort to pull the door open as several feet of snow was preventing it from moving. “C’mon!” she shrieked, looking over her shoulder as Travis got closer.

  She never did get it completely wide.

  Kelly managed to open it just enough to squeeze through the tight gap.

  She slammed the door and drove the lock home just as Travis appeared on the other side. Through the small but thick glass window he glared at her. His skin was flushed, red, burnt from the OC spray, his expression a picture of fury.

  The door rattled as he shook the handle violently from the other side.

  “Open up!” He bared his teeth like a wild animal.

  Travis continued to pull on the handle, convinced he would get in, but she’d built it well, with strong, thick walls to contain the heat of the sauna. However, the noise of shaking reverberated around the small space, making her think the walls might collapse. “Open up!”

  “Who are you? Why are you doing this?”

  His expression changed from anger and a smile flickered. “Oh c’mon, Kelly. Stop playing games. I was willing to go along with it for a while but now I’m just getting tired. After all this time? Think! If anyone should know, it’s you.”

  She took a few steps back. No, this wasn’t happening to her.

  Kelly wracked her brain. Who was he? She went through the Rolodex of her mind, thinking of every interaction she’d had with locals, ex-boyfriends and even friends of Cole. She couldn’t place the face. He was a complete stranger.

  Travis continued to pound on the door, even stepping back and kicking it. Her heart leaped in her chest as she held the handle to ensure it wouldn’t open. While she was confident the lock would hold, there was no telling if he could break in. The only saving
grace was all the deep snow that had fallen made it impossible to charge the door.

  Tears welled in her eyes, her throat stung. She reached up and blood trickled down the side of her face. Kelly slumped behind the door.

  She stared absently around at all the wood paneling, and the stove for heating rocks. A pile of wood was below it and a firestarter hung on a hook. “Just open the door, Kelly. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Minutes passed. Her back jolted forward as he kicked the door multiple times. She thought he would never stop. Then, the muted sound of a phone ringing. It was low, almost indistinguishable. It was her ringtone. She fished a hand into her jacket pocket only to feel nothing. No. No. No. Her hand went into the other side and came out empty. But if it wasn’t in her pocket, where was it? She turned and pressed her ear against the door, that’s when she could hear it clearer. Rising from the floor she peered out the double-paned glass and saw Travis bending over, reaching into the snow. No, no, no! He straightened and in his hand was her phone. A smile formed as he returned and pressed the phone against the glass showing her the caller ID.

  Erin.

  There before her was Erin’s face, her full name and number.

  “Erin Miller. Friend? Guest?” he asked. “C’mon, Kelly. Time to come out. You can’t stay in there.”

  Please. Please. Let it be her calling to say she can’t make it. That something had come up or that the roads were too bad.

  Kelly backed away from the window and that only frustrated him even more. He returned to banging on the door, rattling the handle and revealing a whole new level of crazy. They stared at one another through the thick frosted window. His eyes boring into her, his features twisting in horror reminded her of that night, the moment when Cole almost killed her.