“Guilty about what?”
“About what you’ve done to this family. Do you have any idea how humiliating it was to have to stand up in front of the entire town today? Do you?” She slams her fork down and begins clearing the table. Evidently, dinner is over.
“Judy. Lay off.” Dad’s tone is smooth and even. It’s obvious he doesn’t want an altercation any more than I do.
“Lay off? Lay off? How can you sit there and act like nothing is wrong? Because of her, we had to stand in front of the entire town today while they looked at us with pity—as if we’re unworthy.”
She acts like this is anyone’s fault but hers. She’s so perfect.
“There’s nothing we can do about it. This is just the way it is,” Dad says.
“And you’re okay with this?” She laughs with disgust, slamming plates into the dishwasher like she’s punishing them.
Dad sighs and rubs his forehead with the palm of his hand. “No, I’m not okay with this, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“I knew this was a bad idea,” she says, tossing a handful of silverware into the dishwasher and slamming it shut.
“What did you expect me to do? Pawn her off on someone else? Let her live on the streets? She’s our daughter, Judy.”
“Wrong. She’s your daughter, Mike. I have only one child.” She points a bony finger at me, her face red with contempt. “That little hellion is not mine.”
“Thank God for that.” I push back my chair and throw my napkin on the table. “What did I ever do to you? You’ve always hated me. Even when I was a kid you treated me like a pimple on your ass.”
“That’s exactly why. That language. Your attitude. Your behavior over the last year is proof that you’re nothing but a bad seed,” she says dismissively. “I swear to God, if they take your father or Mitchell from me I will make your life a living hell. You brought this on. It’s you they need to take, you worthless little bitch.”
“Judith, that’s enough!” My father’s voice bounces off the walls of the kitchen, startling us.
For a moment, I don’t breathe. She may as well have just punched me in the gut. Judy and I have had our disagreements in the past, but she has never said anything like that.
Mitch sits at the table with tears in his eyes. I hate that he has to see this.
“Who says this is my fault?” I ask, taking a step toward her.
“Oh, please.” She rolls her eyes and turns her back on me, which really pisses me off. “How could it not be? The drugs. Rehab. Do I need to go on?”
“Don’t stand there and accuse me of being this horrible, worthless person,” I say. “I know I messed up. I know I’ve made mistakes, and I make an effort every single day to turn my life around. If you want to blame someone, why not try looking in the mirror? You are the one that seduced my father and took him from me and my mother.”
“Caitlyn,” my father says, warning me.
“So that’s how you think it is?” She turns to face me, an evil glint in her eye. I know this is a sore spot with her. “It’s not my fault I’m a better woman, a better wife, and a better mother than that crazy woman ever was. There’s a reason he chose me.”
“He didn’t choose you. You slept with your boss, got yourself pregnant, and pulled him away from his family. You seduced him and you feel no guilt about what you did. That doesn’t make you a better woman. It makes you a whore.”
My head whips to the side as her hand smacks me across the face. My cheek burns and tears sting my eyes. I turn and run out of the kitchen, out the front door and down the steps, ignoring my father as he calls after me.
Get away. Run.
My mother’s voice echoes in my head as my feet pound against the cracked pavement. I run down the country road, dodging puddles and fallen leaves as I head for the high school. The town is eerily quiet, the streets deserted. A breeze rustles through the trees, filling my nose with the scent of mud and damp leaves. I press my back against the brick wall of the high school, doing my best to catch my breath and compose myself. I wish I could just keep running until I get somewhere far away—Canada would be good.
“Hey, Cait. You okay?” I turn to see Jeb walking across the parking lot in my direction.
I wipe the tears from my face, and try to smile. “Yep, I’m great. Let’s do this. Did you talk to Chas?”
He nods. “She’s worried about Parker. I told her we could bring him with us, but she’s scared. I told her I had a plan to get us past the river.” He points to his truck. A small canoe hangs over the edge of the tailgate. “We’re getting out of here.”
Just then, Chas appears, pushing Parker’s stroller. She’s wearing a blue tracksuit and appears to be out for an evening stroll. When she gets closer, I see the worry written across her face.
“Do you think we can do this?” She fidgets with the zipper on her jacket, and I grab her hand.
“Jeb has a canoe. We’ll make it work.”
Chas takes Parker out of the stroller and hands him to me. He’s all smiles and spit as I talk to him. Chas expertly places the car seat in Jeb’s truck, muttering the entire time about how it isn’t safe to drive with a car seat in the front. Jeb folds the stroller and throws it into the back of the old Ford while Chas fastens Parker into his seat.
“There’s not room for all of us,” Chas says, surveying the cramped front seat.
“I’ll ride in the back. I’ll be fine.” I hike myself onto the bed of the truck, wedging myself between the stroller and the canoe. As Jeb’s about to drive off, a low rumbling noise fills the air and I smile when I see Trevor riding up on his four-wheeler.
“Come to see us off?” I should probably be mad at him for not coming with us, but I can’t. His family is important to him. Besides, none of them were marked for slaughter.
He shakes his head and smiles. “Do you really think I’d be able to let you do this without me, Green Eyes? Come on, you’re riding with me.”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I hop out of the truck and throw my leg over the four-wheeler, wrapping my arms around his waist.
“You guys go first,” Trevor tells Jeb. “It will look suspicious if anyone sees us following you. We’ll cut through the fields and catch up with you at the bridge.”
Chas sends a wink and a wave my way as Jeb’s truck bounces down the road heading out of town. Trevor guns the four-wheeler, and I tighten my grip around his waist as we attempt our grand escape.
Chapter Seven
Chas and Jeb travel down the road leading out of town as Trevor hangs a left in the opposite direction and navigates the four-wheeler down a dirt road that cuts around the perimeter of one of the alfalfa fields.
The air is cool and crisp against my cheeks, and my eyes begin to water. I glance behind me as Trevor turns the four-wheeler onto a bumpy path leading up a hill. It’s hard to imagine that this peaceful little town will turn into a place of terror once the church bells ring. It doesn’t seem possible.
I involuntarily lean forward into Trevor’s back as the four-wheeler begins its decline down the steep hill, the raging river to our left. Jeb’s truck comes into view briefly before taking a curve and disappearing behind some trees. Trevor speeds up, and tiny pinpricks sting my cheeks and forehead. It’s kind of gross to think of how many bugs have splattered across my face in the last few minutes.
We finally merge onto the highway, and I can see the back of Jeb’s truck rumbling along the road in front of us. We’re going to get out of here. We will hop in that canoe, make it across the river and find help.
With a six-month-old baby.
With a good fifteen miles to walk until we get to the state highway. In the dark.
Then it’s another seventy miles to the nearest town. We don’t need a canoe; we need a helicopter. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. Maybe we should have thought this through a little more. Maybe—
I scream when I see a huge pine tree, at least forty-foot tall,
fall out of nowhere and crash toward Jeb’s truck. Just when I think it will crush them, it flies forward as if pushed by a very strong, invisible hand. Jeb slams on the brakes, the back end of the old Ford fishtailing before skidding to a stop in the middle of the road. Trevor stops the four-wheeler and both of us race to the truck. My heart pounds in my chest, the crash of my feet against the pavement keeping rhythm with my thoughts— be-okay-be-okay-be-okay.
Jeb’s door flies open and he jumps out, staring at the tree, his hands rubbing his head. I rush to the passenger door and fling it open. Parker wails in his car seat, and Chas sits wide-eyed, her face white, her hands gripping the edge of the dashboard.
I place a hand on her shoulder, giving her a small shake. “Chas? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
She turns slowly and shakes her head. “That tree. It almost hit us. We could have died.”
“Can you get out of the truck? Parker is scared. Let’s get him out of his car seat and calm him down.”
She nods, and I reach across her to unbuckle her seatbelt. She crawls out of the truck while I fumble with the car seat, doing my best to soothe Parker with my voice. It doesn’t seem to be working.
“We’re not making it past here,” Trevor says, inspecting the tree blocking the road.
Jeb shakes his head and walks down the embankment, Trevor behind him. “We’ll carry the canoe, the river’s just a few feet away.” Jeb crawls atop the trunk of the huge pine and disappears over the other side while Trevor inspects the ground around them.
“Where did this tree even come from?” He walks into the forest, reappearing a few seconds later. “There’s no hole in the ground or broken trunk anywhere around here. It’s like it was thrown off the mountain, or just fell out of the sky.”
“How is that even possible?” Chas has found her voice, and walks down to join him, leaving me alone with a wailing Parker.
“Shit!” Jeb’s voice echoes off the surrounding forest. Whatever he found doesn’t look good for our escape. “There’re at least three more trees blocking the road. There’s no way we can crawl over all of them—not with Parker and a canoe.”
“We need to go back. We’ll try again tomorrow.” Chas places a hand on his shoulder, trying to reason with him, but he shakes her off.
“Tomorrow is too late. You know what it’s like when they come. We can’t even leave our houses.”
“We can sneak off during the Gathering in the morning. We have three hours.” There’s hope in her voice, but Jeb continues to shake his head.
“These trees won’t be gone by then. It won’t be any easier tomorrow. Besides, they could take one of us tonight. We have to get out of here now.”
We all stand around the truck, Jeb pacing and Trevor looking up the side of the mountain, determined to find out where the tree came from. Parker has finally stopped screaming and curls up with his head buried in my neck like a puppy. I bounce softly while rubbing his back, doing my best to keep him calm.
Jeb turns quickly, a determined look on his face. “We can drive the old hunting trail. It will take us along the side of the mountain. We’ll drive as far as we can and then walk the rest of the way.”
“It’s not safe to drive your truck along the side of the mountain. It’s too steep. It could roll and kill everyone inside.” I can tell that Trevor hates cutting down all Jeb’s ideas, but I have to agree with him. Jeb has never been the best at making informed decisions.
Jeb throws his head back and tosses a string of expletives into the air. It’s a good thing Parker can’t talk, or he would have many fun new words to use.
“Wait. I’ve got it,” Trevor says, stopping Jeb’s tirade. “We’ll drive up to the falls and park at the campsite. We can cross the bridge that goes in front of the falls and hike down the other side of the mountain.”
“But won’t that bridge be washed out, too?” I hate to state the obvious, but why wouldn’t it be? The way the water rages down the side of the mountain, there’s no way that bridge could still be intact.
A low rumbling fills the air, and the ground around us begins to shake. I didn’t realize Northern Idaho was prone to earthquakes. I lean against the truck, holding Parker against my chest as the rumbling grows more intense.
“What the hell is—”
Before Trevor can finish his sentence, several large bucks, a few does, and a handful of elk burst from the trees. They rush past us, jumping over the fallen tree trunks. Chas screams and clings to me, shielding Parker when two very large black bears and a mountain lion emerge from the forest. At first I think maybe the bears and lion are chasing the deer and elk, but then it becomes apparent that they are trying to escape something themselves.
“What the hell is going on?” Jeb yells above the rumbling.
Several more animals rush past us: Horses, more deer and elk, cattle, raccoons, foxes, and a few wolves. We stand and watch, unable to move. Where are they going and why?
Finally, the rumbling subsides and the onslaught of terrified animals tapers out to a few scurrying field mice. The four of us stare at each other, dumbfounded.
“I need to go back home,” Chas finally says, breaking our silence. “I can’t hike through the woods with Parker. It will be freezing up there. I’m sorry. I can’t go.” Her eyes fill with tears, but I know she’s right. We will have a hard enough time ourselves, and bringing a baby along won’t make it any easier.
“You have to come with us. I can’t let you stay.” Jeb takes Chas by the shoulders, trying to reason with her. “Tonight, we’ll camp out at that old church up past the falls. We can make a fire and sleep there. I have gear in the truck. When the sun comes up in the morning, we’ll hike down the mountain. We’ll be okay.”
“I don’t know,” Chas says. “It seems like a lot of trouble.”
“We have to try. Please?”
Trevor passes a sideways glance in my direction, and I know what he’s thinking. We’d be much faster without her, I agree with him there, but I don’t want to leave her behind any more than Jeb does.
“We can try,” Chas finally says. “But if it looks too dangerous, I’m not going.”
“We need to hurry if we’re going to do this,” Trevor says as he climbs back onto the four-wheeler. “The sun has already set. We have maybe an hour or two before the bells chime and all hell breaks loose out here.”
“Guys? We’re not supposed to be out here, right? Reverend Carter said we would die if we were outside our homes when the Redeemers come.” They all look at me like I’m not making sense. “Why would we be safe in the mountains? Is there like a border or something—a fence to keep them out?” I try to make my tone light, but I’m partly serious. What’s to stop them from getting us if we’re up there?
“I guess we’ll find out.” Jeb jumps in his truck and fires it up as Chas puts Parker back in his car seat. Trevor pulls the ripcord on the four-wheeler. It takes four tries before the engine finally roars to life. I climb on behind him and we wait for Jeb to make several three-point turns to get his truck turned around.
The closer we get to the falls, the cooler the air becomes. My cheeks sting with the cold and my eyes begin to water. Just when I think I can’t take the cold any longer, Trevor slows the four-wheeler, following Jeb’s truck off the dirt road and into the camping area. The sky grows darker by the minute and it’s difficult to see. Other than the roaring of the falls in the distance, the air is silent. An owl hoots, startling me.
“It’s kind of creepy out here at night,” I say. I’ve never been up here after dark.
Chas unbuckles a sleeping Parker from his car seat, bundling him in another blanket. The poor little guy is exhausted and barely stirs. “How far away is that church or whatever?”
“Maybe another mile or two,” Jeb says, pulling a large backpack and sleeping bags from the back of his truck. “It’s around the side of the mountain, about halfway up the falls.”
“Why is there a church all th
e way up there?” Chas asks exactly what I’m thinking. You’d have to be pretty devout to make that trek just to attend services.
“It’s abandoned. It’s been there forever.” Jeb finishes unloading the gear and he and Trevor start loading up. I pick up a sleeping bag and Trevor fits me with one of the backpacks.
“Is it even safe?” Chas is obviously very nervous, and I can’t blame her.
Trevor holds up a hand before anyone can answer her, and we all fall silent. “Hold up. I heard something.” He creeps around the side of the truck, peering into the trees and dropping his backpack on the ground. “You guys stay here.”
“You’re not going alone. Let me come with you,” Jeb says.
“We can’t leave the girls here by themselves,” Trevor says, and I roll my eyes. I don’t think he realizes how much ass Chas and I are capable of kicking.
“I’ll come with you,” I say.
Parker begins to fuss in Chastity’s arms and she rocks him. “Guys, we need to go. It’s getting colder by the minute.”
A flash of red catches the corner of my eye and I turn my head, peering into the woods. I take a step in that general direction and my skin starts to prickle. With every step I take, the tingling sensation grows in strength. I see another flash of red ahead of me and catch a glimpse of a hooded figure ducking into the trees. Before I know what I’m doing, I’m hurtling through the woods toward the figure.
I ignore Trevor’s shouts for me to come back. My skin is on fire, fueling my need to catch whoever it is. Several branches smack me in the face as I press forward, following the red cloak like a beacon through the dark woods.
I come to a clearing near the small pool at the base of the falls and stop in my tracks. My entire body hums with energy and the stone pendant around my neck feels like it’s trying to jump off the chain holding it down. A red-robed figure stands with its back to me, staring up at the falls.
“Who are you?” I ask, my voice shaking. The figure murmurs something and slowly begins to raise its hands. A whirling wind circles me, sending leaves and pine needles flying through the air. A blinding pain, like a thousand daggers jabbing at me, pierces my head. My vision begins to blur and I feel myself grow weak from the blinding pain.
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