Dark Destruction (EMP Lodge Series Book 4)

by Grace Hamilton

  “Nothing. No rocks, no mud or downed trees. That river is flowing strong, though. Once we figure out what the noise was, we need to follow the river. We need to be prepared to deal with some flooding if it gets any higher.”

  “Let's keep going up,” Wyatt directed. “If we go back without any answers, Willow is going to seriously stress herself out.”

  They walked farther up, enjoying the leisurely climb, even if it was a little steep at times. They weren't in a hurry and the weather was clear and sunny. They could take their time, for which he was thankful. Walking up steep hills at a quick pace was not easy for anyone, no matter how good of shape they were in.

  “That's weird,” Garrett said pointing to a small stream running down the mountainside.

  Wyatt looked at the trail of water coming from up above. He watched as the water flowed down the hill, cutting a new path. This wasn't an old stream that was part of the typical snowmelt. It didn't appear to be a part of the larger stream either.

  “Maybe it's a natural spring,” Garrett said.

  “A natural spring would mean the water is technically safe to drink,” Chase added. “It would be like having a well.”

  Bryan grinned. “Maybe it’s a hot spring! How awesome would it be to relax in our very own hot spring after a long day of work?”

  “Let's go check it out,” Wyatt said, once again leading the charge up the hill. They stayed to the left of the spring, more interested in getting up to the lake.

  Wyatt kept a close watch on what they suspected could be a natural spring. The new stream seemed to be getting a little faster, which fueled the men. They were elated at the prospect of fresh water. As they walked, they talked about the many different ways the spring could be used.

  “Garrett, are we close to that dam you guys found when you were looking for a bug out location?” Wyatt asked.

  “Yeah, just up a ways,” he said, heading up the hill. “From the lodge, we went northwest and ran into a stream that was a lot smaller than this one. We followed it to the dam, but we didn't cross the stream. We walked back down when we didn't find anything useful on this side. We didn't think it would be a good idea to have the kids trying to cross any sort of water.”

  Wyatt nodded in agreement.

  The sound of the main river rushing down the hill was making Wyatt feel uneasy. He loved the sound, but wanted to make sure it didn't turn into a disaster downstream. It seemed to be moving faster than he remembered.

  “Here it is,” Garrett said, pointing to the small cement dam on the stream that flowed to the west and down the mountain towards the meadow in which they liked to hunt. It was only about eight feet in length and a couple feet wide. They would have normally been able to walk across it, but now, the water was flowing over the top and too fast to safely cross.

  “It doesn't look too bad,” Chase said watching the water flow through the opening and over the top. “This is a good size lake, though. I’m guessing there may be some good fishing in there,” he said, looking into the water on the other side of the dam.

  Wyatt walked closer and stared at the lake. They were on the west side of the lake. He wanted to get a better idea of what they were dealing with a little closer to home. He was getting an uneasy feeling about the water and wanted to get a much better look at the south end that was almost directly above the lodge.

  “Let's head down and circle the lake,” Wyatt said setting off. The lake seemed bigger than he remembered. He hadn't been up to the area since he and his dad had worked on the lodge years ago but something didn’t feel right.

  He knew the lake fed the river that flowed down the mountain and through the middle of town. An offshoot of the river was the stream that ran across their property.

  He hadn't bothered with the lake or the river when they first arrived. The stream provided them plenty of water and hadn't been a priority. They rarely ventured up this way, preferring to stay closer to the lodge and the lower elevation.

  “Check out all the tracks,” Garrett said excitedly. “This looks like a good place to hunt. I think these may be elk.”

  All the men focused on the deep, large tracks in the soft mud along the stream. This was definitely a watering hole for the local wildlife.

  Wyatt knew Megan would be chomping at the bit to get up here and do some hunting. The area wasn't quite as clear as the meadow and it would be more challenging to get a clear shot, especially with the bow, but she would be all for it.

  “Probably better keep our eyes and ears open for bears. I'm guessing there are going to be some hungry black bears roaming around up here now that winter is over,” Wyatt said, suddenly feeling as if he were being watched. He imagined a bear or mountain lion was hiding in the trees, waiting for the human intruders to leave their domain. He wasn't up for meeting anything like that face-to-face without a little more firepower than his handgun.

  “Hey,” Garrett said, stopping to point to another large dam.

  The men focused their attention on the dam.

  “Let's go check it out,” Wyatt said leading the way.

  They stopped when they were in line with the large dam that stretched about two hundred fifty feet across the lower south end of the lake. This was the part of the lake that had Wyatt the most concerned. It was positioned almost directly above the lodge. He knew extreme flooding tended to happen following wet winters. He didn't think they hadn't gotten all that much snow and the rain hadn't been too heavy yet.

  The water was high, but he wasn't overly concerned with one of those record-breaking floods. It didn't look all that bad.

  He stared down at the water pouring out of the spillways. It was mesmerizing. He loved the sound of the gushing water and the spray that rose as the water slammed into the much slower river below. This was the river that ran all the way into the small town below.

  He imagined the residents in the town prepared for minor flooding every spring. It was typical of mountain run off.

  He turned to see Chase, who had walked about twenty feet away. He was looking at the front of the dam. Wyatt watched as he saw concern cross Chase's face. Then his friend stepped a little closer, staring at one spot at the dam. He could see Chase's concern grow into all out fear.

  With his curiosity piqued, he walked towards him. “What's up?”

  “That little spring we saw earlier. It wasn't a spring at all. Look!” His face set in a grim look.

  Wyatt took care to avoid the slippery area the small stream of water had created.

  Looking where Chase was pointing, his blood ran cold when he saw what had terrified his friend.

  There was a two-foot long crack in the cement wall of the dam. He could see where the water was trickling through the crack and creating its own way. The tiny stream of water had made the embankment to the water slick with mud and had already eroded a small section of the earth. It looked like a tiny trail running parallel to the larger river.

  Wyatt imagined what could happen when that crack spread and the tiny trail of water grew and merged with the river. Eventually, the dam would give way completely and the entire mountainside would become one giant spillway for the lake.

  The rest of the men had come to stand near Chase and Wyatt looking at the crack in horror. The crack was on the outer edge of the cement wall holding back the water. If it had been any closer to the center, chances were high they’d already be evacuating the lodge.

  Wyatt imagined the force of water behind the crack. It would be putting an incredible amount of pressure on what was now a very weak spot in the dam. The crack may have started out small and been growing with time. He seriously doubted it would appear out of nowhere.

  “Do you think a small earthquake could have done this?” Garrett asked. “I have heard the mountains get tiny quakes all the time. We don't feel them because they’re so small, but even a little shaking could cause a crack I would think.”

  “Possibly,” Wyatt answered.

  “What do you think?” Bryan asked aloud
without addressing anyone in particular.

  Chase answered. “I think we have a serious problem on our hands no matter what caused the crack. This dam is going to give. That crack is only going to get bigger. With the pressure of the water behind it and more snow to melt, this dam is going to fail.”

  Chase had just voiced Wyatt's own fears. It was a volatile

  situation and once again, another threat to the people he loved.

  Evan cursed under his breath. Garrett stared at the crack as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

  “How long do you think this will hold?” Wyatt asked.

  Chase shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea. It could last for months or it could break today. We know rain is likely over the next month or two. It's spring in the mountains. I wish we had some way of predicting how much rain is expected.”

  “This is when we need one of those Farmer's Almanac things,” Garrett said.

  Evan chuckled. “That would help. I do miss the days when you could get an idea of what the next season was expected to be like. I feel like we are at the complete mercy of Mother Nature. We have no idea what she has in store for us.”

  “No, we don't, which is why we always need to prepare for the worst and hope she is gentle,” Chase answered.

  Wyatt groaned. “We need to get back to the lodge. This could take out the lodge and everything we’ve worked to build.”

  The men took one last look at the swollen stream and the crack in the dam before rushing back down to their home. They were going to have to do something and do it fast.

  Wyatt was absorbed in his own thoughts and wasn't paying attention to the other men. They were each trying to guess what could happen and how they could handle it. His mind was working through various scenarios as well. The result was always the same. The lodge was no longer a safe place to live.

  5

  The day was nice and warm and it felt good to feel the sun on their skin so Megan, Willow, Rosie and Tara had taken their chores outside. Megan was tired of wearing layers of clothing to walk out the front door. All winter she had longed to move freely and unencumbered.

  Megan was working on skinning the deer while the other three women were sitting at the picnic table they had moved into the sun while they worked on their own chores in a comfortable quiet. Silence truly could be golden. They didn't have to talk all the time. They had spent plenty of time with each other to be okay with not talking. Using a sharp knife, Megan carefully separated the deer hide from the meat. Albert was going to try using the hide to make shoes, vests and knife pouches. He told her the importance of making clean cuts that didn't tear the hide.

  It was a slow tedious process, but so far, she had done well.

  The knife was super sharp, which was good and bad. It allowed her to cut easily through the fibrous tissues that clung to the hide, but one slip and she would slice the hide, making it very difficult to use for clothing.

  She was finishing removing the hide from the carcass, but her work was just beginning. Once she removed it, she would then have to spend time scraping the remaining sinew and fat from the hide. If any remained, it would rot and ruin the deer hide.

  Megan spread the hide on the tarp she had laid out. It would have been nice to have a solid table to work on, but they didn't have one available. She made a mental note to have Albert come up with a picnic table design. They needed some outdoor furniture. All they had was the one picnic table and it wasn't enough for the size of their group.

  “What are you doing, mom?” Caitlin asked.

  “I'm getting ready to finish cleaning this hide. Once I am finished, we are going to cover it in salt.”

  Caitlin scrunched up her face. “Ew, I'm not eating that!”

  Megan chuckled. “No, you’re not going to eat this. The salt dries out the hide. After a couple days, I will soak it in saltwater. Then stretch it out on that board and let it dry for at least two weeks. Then it will be time to soften the hide up with lots of bending and stretching.”

  “That sounds like a lot of work,” Caitlin said, clearly not interested in having any part of it.

  “It isn't really. Once it’s done, we can use it to make bags, shoes or even a nice jacket,” Megan told her.

  “We'll see. I'm gonna go find Ryland,” Caitlin said, leaving Megan to her work. Duke was lying nearby, intently watching the process.

  “No meat for you yet, mister. I better not find you out here dining on this deer,” Megan warned him.

  His ears perked up and his tail thumped, but he didn't bother lifting his head or taking his eyes off the big prize in front of him.

  “Are you sure that meat is going to be safe to eat?” Tara asked. She pointed to the carcass still hanging.

  “Yep. It’s still cool at night,” Megan explained, “and with the skin off, it will help. Tomorrow we’ll start the process of deboning and cutting up the strips of meat. Back to dried meat for us,” she said wistfully.

  Tara didn't look convinced, but knew to trust Megan. Megan's hunting experience was often relied on to keep them fed and out of everyone there, she was the best at prepping the meat for use.

  “Albert or Wyatt will be finishing that smokehouse. That will make the meat completely safe and we won't have to worry about bugs making their home on the meat while it’s drying,” Megan said.

  “Will the meat taste different?” Tara asked, looking unsure.

  “I personally like the taste of smoked venison better. Wyatt pruned the apple trees in the orchard last fall. The branches have been sitting in that wood shed all winter and will be ready to use in the smoker,” Megan said.

  Tara looked thoughtful, “I vaguely remember apple smoked bacon and things like that at the grocery store. Is that what you’re talking about?”

  “Yes, well, maybe not bacon, but the Applewood smoke will give the venison a bit of a sweet flavor. It’s a subtle taste, but I personally think it' really good.”

  “I can't wait to try it. It will be nice to have something a little different,” Tara said wistfully.

  “If only we had one of those big meat lockers,” Willow said. “Jack talked about making one. He said he needed some of those insulation sheets.”

  The mention of Jack's name and his plans for the future were always tough for Megan to hear. He had become her best friend and she missed him terribly, but knew Willow's sense of loss had to be so much worse. Megan didn't even want to imagine how hard it was for her.

  “Is she kicking a lot today?” Megan asked Willow who was sitting at the makeshift table they had put outside for the meat processing.

  Willow smiled. “Kind of. It has been so long time since I was pregnant with Ryland. I forgot what it felt like.” She looked down at her swollen stomach with a wistful expression. “We tried for so long and could never get pregnant.”

  Rosie was next to Willow, slowly grinding wheat berries into flour for the bread she was planning to make. It was an arduous task that the ladies were dividing up while Megan worked on skinning the deer.

  “I cannot believe how much grinding it takes to get a few cups of flour,” Tara complained when it was her turn to start using the hand grinder.

  “Imagine our grandparents and their grandparents. They managed, and most of them had to do it on their own. They didn't get to share the chores,” Rosie lectured.

  Tara smiled. “Alright, alright, I get it. I'm so glad we can be outside. I missed the outdoors.”

  “It is a little chilly,” Willow said, “but I will take this weather over the bitter cold any day.”

  They all agreed.

  “So, should we start looking for more stinging nettle, Rosie?” Megan asked.

  Rosie had been relying on her herbs to help Willow throughout the first trimester of her pregnancy. It had been very stressful, but Willow appeared to be healthy.

  “We have plenty for Willow, but we will need to replenish our supply. The stinging nettle tea will make sure the little guy or girl has nice strong bones. W
ithout milk and dairy for calcium, the nettle tea will help supplement. We do need to start looking for more lemon balm, though.”

  Megan grimaced. They had gone through quite a bit of the herb in the weeks following Jack's death to make a tea to help calm Willow down so she could get some sleep.

  They were anticipating Willow having a hard time in the days before she delivered. Rosie wanted to keep her calm, which in turn would help keep her blood pressure down. Already, Brenda had lectured Willow about drinking more water. They were worried she would develop preeclampsia, which would be life threatening.

  “Dandelion too,” Rosie added. “We can always use that and it would be a good idea for Willow to start drinking dandelion tea. We need her kidneys to stay in tip-top shape.”

  Willow grimaced. “Dandelions? This baby is going to come out grazing.”

  They all laughed. Megan was relieved to hear Willow crack a joke. The woman tended to be very serious and somber; especially of late.

  “I can go out with the kids later today,” Tara volunteered.

  “That would be great,” Rosie said. “Keep your eyes open for any berry stalks. They won't have leaves on them yet, but we need to get our hands on some red raspberry leaves. It will help the labor and delivery.”

  Willow groaned. “Don't remind me. I can’t believe I’m going to give birth in the middle of nowhere. No hospital. No doctor. No drugs!”

  “You will do fine, Willow,” Rosie assured her. “Many women have given birth naturally.”

  Megan went back to work on her deer hide. She was glad it wasn't her. She couldn't imagine how terrifying the thought of labor must be for Willow. Even if a woman didn't choose to take drugs during delivery, it was nice to have the option. She didn’t envy her one bit.

  “I think I have enough flour, Rosie,” Tara said standing from the table. “I’m on laundry duty for the day.”

  Willow stood as well. “I'll help you. It is one of the few things I can still do,” she said, casting a glance at Rosie.