Dark Destruction (EMP Lodge Series Book 4)

by Grace Hamilton

  Rosie smiled. “I’m only making sure my grand baby is healthy and mama is happy.”

  “I know. You are doing an excellent job. Jack would be very happy to know you are taking care of us both so well.”

  Megan watched as Tara and Willow went into the lodge. When the door closed, she turned to Rosie, “We need to figure out a way to make the chore responsibilities a little more balanced.”

  “What do you mean?” Rosie asked.

  “Well, it’s no secret Garrett doesn't like to do the laundry. He is always talking one of us or even the kids into doing it on his days. I know it irritates Tara, which means it is irritating Evan. The tension is increasing.”

  “Responsibility means having the tough conversations,” Rosie told her.

  Megan was hoping for some words of wisdom. Instead, she was left shouldering the responsibility of evening things out between everyone. To be fair, Garrett did do a lot of the hunting, which wasn't something Tara or Rosie did. She didn't mind trading chores, but Tara had made it a point to bring up the issue; particularly on days when Garrett was nowhere to be found and someone else was handling his assigned laundry duty.

  The tension between Evan and Garrett was very noticeable. Evan often referred to Garrett as his little brother but lately, their relationship was strained. She had to do what she could to make sure there were no major problems that would divide the group. Plus, Garrett seemed to look up to Evan as well. She didn't want their relationship ruined because Tara was feeling slighted.

  In her mind, each of them contributed. Tara did do many of the day-to-day chores around the lodge that often went unnoticed. She likely felt taken advantage of or like her work was being ignored. Megan would make it a point to make sure Tara, Willow and Rosie knew how much she appreciated their efforts. Without them, the lodge would be a pigsty and every one of them would be starving.

  She decided to talk to Wyatt tonight. He would help her come up with a strategy that would make everyone happy. Or at least as happy as a group of people living together could be. She knew it wasn't technically her responsibility, but since the raid on McDaniels, the group looked to her and Wyatt for direction on most things.

  Whether she wanted to acknowledge it or not, she and Wyatt had somehow become the leaders of this little group of survivors. She didn't have the luxury of only worrying about her own feelings or taking care of Caitlin. Between her and Wyatt, they took on most of the responsibility of making decisions and keeping the peace.

  Megan finished her task alone, which gave her plenty of time to think. She looked up and saw Wyatt leading the men down the hill. They each had a grim look on their face. They weren't at all as casual as they had been when they left.

  When he got a little closer, she could see the worry etched on his face. Something was wrong. His whole body was tense.

  She put down the knife and started to walk towards him.

  “Group meeting. Now,” he said, not bothering to say hello or tell her what was happening. He just kept walking past her, right into the house.

  This couldn't be happening again. They must have found another group. Maybe more raiders. Megan walked with the rest of the men into the lodge. None of them was saying anything, but they each had similar looks of fear and concern.

  Wyatt hollered up the stairs for everyone to come down.

  Albert and Brenda were still out on watch.

  “Where are the kids?” Wyatt snapped.

  Willow's eyes widened. “What happened? Are we in danger?”

  She rushed towards the door, headed out to round up the kids.

  Wyatt gently grabbed her arm as she walked by. “No. They're fine where they are. They don't need to hear this.”

  “Hear what, Wyatt?” Megan demanded, trying to hide the panic in her voice.

  Chase cleared his throat. “We may have a problem with a dam upstream.”

  “What kind of problem?” Megan asked. She had no idea there was even a dam upstream. In some corner of her mind, she decided she needed to get up that way to check things out. If they were alive to do so, that is. She had always been fascinated by dams and to know she had been living so close to one was somewhat alarming.

  She really needed to know more about her surroundings.

  A million thoughts assaulted her when the words Chase said sunk in. In every scenario, it ended up with her and her family drowning.

  “There is a crack in the dam. It's leaking,” Chase repeated.

  Megan nodded, not fully understanding the urgency or worry she saw on his face.

  “Okay. A crack can't be all that bad. Dams crack all the time,” Megan reasoned.

  “No. This crack is already leaking. The water level is high and with snow melt and spring rains, we could be in serious trouble,” he explained.

  Tara looked confused. “The stream isn't that big. It will probably flood a little, but it can't be all that bad. You guys look like this is some disaster waiting to happen.”

  Evan looked down at his feet.

  “Evan?” Tara asked.

  He looked up. “Tara, it is bad. If that dam breaks, it will send a wall of water cascading down the hill. It won't just flood that stream; it will take out the entire area.”

  Willow staggered when she heard the words.

  “What?” she whispered. “A flood?”

  “It isn't going to be enough water to whisk us away, but it will cause major damage to the lodge and everything we have around here,” Wyatt explained. “We’re safe enough if we can get to higher ground. The water will slow down and spread out by the time it reaches here. Our main concern is the damage it will cause.”

  That seemed to give Willow some comfort, but she was still shaken.

  “Higher ground? Wouldn't that require us to go uphill?” Willow asked.

  Wyatt looked uncomfortable. “Yes and no. If that dam was to break and the water came crashing down, we would be safe on the hill behind the lodge where the orchard is. It isn't going to be excessively deep. It will have some force and it will cause some erosion. The lodge will be in jeopardy from the amount of water and mud that will come down the hillside. Thankfully, there aren’t any windows on that side of the building but there’s also the root cellar and the outbuildings, which will be destroyed. No matter what, it will be unlivable.”

  “Sit down, Willow,” Rosie ordered, pulling out a chair for her.

  The group digested the information for several long, quiet moments.

  “What do we do about it?” Megan asked. She assumed they had already worked out the solution to the problem on their way down the hill.

  Wyatt and Chase looked at each other. Then they both looked at Evan, then Bryan and lastly, Garrett.

  Garrett threw up his hands. “Don't look at me! I have no idea what we’re going to do.”

  Megan put her hands on her hips and stared at Wyatt with her brows raised.

  “Well?” she asked when he didn't say anything.

  “I don't know, Megan. I’ve no idea how to repair a dam and I know no one else here does.”

  “So, your plan is to do nothing and run for the hills when the dam bursts?” Megan asked in a sarcastic tone.

  Wyatt looked at Chase for help. Chase shrugged and turned away.

  “We haven't spent any time considering an alternative,” Wyatt said.

  He refused to meet her eyes.

  “I think that should be the first thing we do. Don't you?” she asked, looking at each of the men.

  Wyatt was quiet before nodding his head. “You're right. We need to come up with a backup plan. If there is one to be had. Right now, we have a lot of other stuff to take care of. Why don't we discuss some options over dinner?”

  Megan gave a brief nod. “Fine. That works for me.”

  “Well, then. I guess we better get started with dinner and get that wash hung out to dry,” Rosie said standing from her place at the table. “Idle hands give us too much time to worry.” She turned to Wyatt. “I'm sure you guys have
things to do before dinner?”

  Megan had to hold back her smile. Rosie had dismissed them. She was the kind of woman who didn't care to sit around and wait for things to happen. When she was stressed, she stayed busy and clearly wanted everyone to do the same.

  The group dispersed. Wyatt and Evan were planning to dig a new hole so they could build a second outhouse. Megan wondered if they would bother to do it with the latest threat. It did seem kind of pointless if it was all going to get washed away in a matter of days or weeks.

  Her question was answered when she walked outside and saw the two men furiously attacking the ground. Wyatt was swinging a pickaxe. Once he was finished breaking through the rocky ground, Evan would use the shovel to make the hole bigger.

  It seemed like a lot of work, especially since they were planning on the place being underwater soon. Megan headed out to check on the children. She smiled when she came around the corner and saw Caitlin, Ryland, Amy and Frankie all playing hopscotch. It was nice to see them being kids and enjoying themselves.

  As she watched, she thought about what their lives would be like if they had to leave. Would they ever find a place they could call home for good? Staying here at the lodge didn't seem feasible. Would their group split up and go their separate ways? The thought made her sad. She considered them her family.

  She shook off the wistfulness and focused on the kids. For now, they would pretend like everything was okay. She knew that dinner tonight would be subdued. Wyatt would want to talk tonight when they were alone. They did better hashing out problems when it was the two of them. This one problem was going to require a great deal of thought and energy.

  6

  Megan was sitting up in bed when Wyatt finally came in. She had been waiting for what seemed like forever. He had to do what he referred to as “making the rounds” before he went to bed. Wyatt was the real leader and he made it a priority to make sure every person in the lodge knew he was their friend going to great lengths to talk to everyone one-on-one at least once a week.

  With the latest crisis at hand, Wyatt would be busy calming people down and answering questions—even if he didn't have the answers. It was one of the traits Megan admired most about him.

  That night at dinner, no one had any suggestions or ideas about how to fix the dam. With no training or equipment, they were at a loss as to what to do, leaving them at the mercy of the dam. Megan hated the idea and refused to accept the fact the lodge was in serious jeopardy.

  “Hey,” she said, watching him walk in the door. He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

  “Hey,” he replied. “I'm beat.”

  “I bet,” she waited for him to strip down to his boxers and crawl into bed.

  He sat up next to her. She needed him to talk to her about what he was thinking.

  “So, a dam breaking. That's intense,” she said, trying to keep the mood light.

  He chuckled. “Intense is certainly one word to describe it. I am trying to figure out how this is all going to go down. I mean, my dad did a lot of planning and preparing to live off the grid and be totally self-reliant, but this, this is not one of those things I thought about. I don't think he did either.”

  “I don't think any of us thought about things like infrastructure.” Dams were certainly not on her radar. “Can you imagine the larger dams? I mean those things used to be monitored 24/7. Now, there is no one there to watch for those cracks or to hear the alarms that would have sounded to alert them to a problem.”

  Wyatt nodded in agreement.

  Megan thought of the road into town. They hadn't been down the mountain since fall, but she imagined it would be in bad shape as well. If the United States ever managed to get the power back up, the infrastructure was going to be a huge hurdle. It would be costly as well. That wasn't going to be easy for a country that had been brought to its knees.

  Infrastructure required funding. That funding typically came from taxpayers. Taxpayers would be out of jobs. Megan couldn't see things getting back to normal in her lifetime.

  The thought of the work after the power was restored was overwhelming. She strongly doubted the world would return to what it was prior to the EMP before Caitlin was an adult. It was going to be a very long road.

  “Do you think it’s going to break?” Megan asked.

  “I do. I think it will break. I don't know if it will happen tomorrow, in a couple of months or maybe a few years. I know nothing about dam construction.”

  Megan was quiet for a few moments while she processed what he said.

  “What are our options?” she asked. “You can tell me. I know you have an idea about this. I get why you didn't tell the others, but you can tell me.”

  He shrugged. “The safest bet would be to pack up and leave.”

  Megan groaned. “Really? That is what we are looking at here? You don't think we can do something?”

  “I’m hesitant to put any of you at risk. I mean, we could try and figure out a way to stop the flood. Like, put up a rock wall or something like that, but I don't know how effective that will be. It’s a lot of water, Megan. I can't even begin to guesstimate, but I would venture to say hundreds of thousands of gallons.”

  Megan thought about telling Wyatt about her experience in Louisiana several years ago, but figured it didn’t have any bearing on this situation. The flooding of the Mississippi River in 2011 had been horrible. She happened to be in Louisiana when things started to get dicey and had volunteered to help fill sandbags. She’d been lucky enough to be attached to workers with the Army Corp of Engineers, but the extent of her experience involved doing exactly what she was told and when.

  She didn't want to stress him out by giving him more to think about. She knew him well enough to know he needed time to evaluate the pros and cons without her own two cents.

  “Let's sleep on it,” Megan suggested. “We know there are at least two options. We leave and hope to find a house or several houses to accommodate our group or we stay and take our chances. Neither sounds all that appealing.”

  Wyatt looked like he was going to say something, but didn't.

  She fell asleep thinking about how she could help save her lodge family. There had to be a way.

  WHEN MEGAN WOKE up the next morning, she was convinced she had the answer. Wyatt was still sleeping, but she couldn't wait to tell him. She had to tell him now!

  “Wyatt, I think I know what we can do!” she said with a great deal of excitement.

  He blinked several times. Heavy bags and bloodshot eyes indicated he hadn't slept at all last night. Megan felt a twinge of guilt. She had slept fine and hadn't even realized he was having such a rough night.

  “What's your plan?” he asked, stifling a yawn.

  “Let's hold a group meeting so I can explain it all then, but in a nutshell, we build a dike to keep the water from hitting the lodge. It’ll divert it down the hill and into the river going right by us.”

  Wyatt raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to build a dike? Isn't that something typically done with bulldozers and a bunch of other machinery?”

  “Typically, yes, but we have managed to do things like build a long cabin without the help of any electric tools. I mean, think back to the old days, before bulldozers. They had to build canals to water their crops and things like that.”

  “I think that is a little different than what you’re proposing.”

  She shrugged. “A little, but the idea is the same. We have to do something, Wyatt.”

  “I'm gonna need some coffee to get my brain functioning. Then maybe I can get a better handle at what you want to accomplish. All I see is us at the bottom of Mount Everest, preparing to climb with no experience, training or gear.”

  She chuckled. “I don't think it’s quite that bad.”

  He didn't look appeased.

  “I'll go get the coffee started. Everyone will probably be up soon enough. I’m guessing they probably had a rough night's sleep,” Megan said, throw
ing on a pair of worn jeans and a blue t-shirt. She put on her tennis shoes that had seen better days. She looked down at her feet and thought about how badly she needed new shoes. They all did, really.

  “Get dressed, take a deep breath and I'll see you out there,” she said before giving him a quick kiss and leaving the room.

  As she had suspected, Rosie was already pouring steaming water into two cups.

  “Willow didn't sleep well?”

  Rosie shook her head. “Not at all. Her anxiety is in overdrive. I am hoping this chamomile and lavender tea will help calm her down.”

  “I want to have a group meeting. I have an idea that may work. If Willow is up to it, I would love to have her there. It may help allay her fears about leaving the lodge.”

  “I will let her know, but if she can fall asleep, I want her to get some rest,” Rosie said, carrying the tea up the stairs.

  Megan filled a pot and put it on the woodstove that was cranking out the heat. Rosie must have just stoked the fire. It was really cooking. She pulled off the pot of water that had already been on the stove. It was nice and hot already.

  Pouring water into her own cup, she added some tea. Leaving it on the counter to steep, she headed out to wake up the men out in the long house.

  The long house had been a major success. Albert found it to be plenty comfortable and turned his room over to Evan and Tara after Harry, Linda and Emma moved on. She gently knocked on the door.

  “Chase?” she said when she didn't hear anything.

  “What?” came the gruff reply.

  “When you guys can get up and moving, I would like to have a group meeting to talk more about the dam situation,” she said through the closed door.

  Garrett, Bryan, Albert and Chase had made it very clear the house was their domain. She didn't want to step on any toes or violate anyone's privacy. It was too valuable a commodity.

  Brenda was the only one who didn't have a room. They had given her a small corner in the upstairs sitting area, but the woman always said she didn't need a room. Megan had a feeling that wasn't the case and Brenda was “embracing the suck.” It was a military motto Brenda borrowed quite often.