Wyatt put his hands on his hips and stared directly at Bryan and then Evan.
“What's the deal? Something is up. I would appreciate you being straight with us.”
Megan tensed. Jack moved to stand beside his brother. Rosie casually moved behind her sons and rested a hand on Megan's shoulder.
There was a very long, tense silence as the other group looked at each other seeming to have a silent conversation. Wyatt's heart raced as he considered the possibility they had walked right into a trap.
Tara looked incredibly nervous. She motioned for her kids to leave the gazebo, which increased the feeling of doom.
“We'll go. Just keep what we gave you.” Wyatt reached down to grab Megan's elbow. He would take his chances in the forest with a storm brewing. These people weren't being straight and he didn't know what they were hiding. He didn't like it one bit.
Megan stood, with the help of Wyatt and Rosie. Wyatt kept his arm around her, prepared to shelter her if things got ugly.
Jack moved to grab the packs that had been propped in the corner of the gazebo.
The foursome backed out of the gazebo. The others stood and watched not making a move to stop them. They turned and Wyatt held onto Megan as they covered the distance to the fence line. With every step, Wyatt expected to be shot in the back or ordered to stop.
Megan leaned into his side, “It's okay. None of us could have known.”
He looked down at her, “I should have known. We need to get as far from here as possible. Can you make it?”
“I have to. I'll be fine. Just get us out of here.”
They reached the makeshift gates that led out of the camp. The two guards they encountered earlier stood at the gates.
“We're leaving,” Wyatt said. He kept moving forward.
One of the guards held up his hand “Doesn't look like it. Evan wants to have a word with you.”
Wyatt turned enough to see behind him. Evan was walking towards them with long, purposeful strides.
He turned back and whispered in Megan's ear, “When I say run, grab my mom and push your way through those guards. Do whatever it takes to get out of here.”
Megan froze, “We can't just leave you and Jack.”
Wyatt gave her a look that made it clear he wasn't in the mood for a discussion. He had decided and she had better obey.
Evan approached. His gaze never leaving Wyatt's face.
“You aren't leaving.”
19
Wyatt pushed Megan behind him. He stepped towards Evan, using his size to intimidate the smaller man. It wasn't exactly working. Evan had a smirk on his face that irritated and worried Wyatt.
“You aren't leaving,” Evan repeated. “There is no reason for you to head out in the dark in this storm. We have shelter for you. And no, we aren't going to kill you in your sleep.”
“Why would we trust you?”
“Because we are your only friends,” Evan stated. He said it in a way that Wyatt couldn't tell if it was a joke or a threat.
Wyatt could see Bryan approaching behind Evan. He debated ordering Megan to run, but something made him hesitate.
Bryan had an easy gait. Not the walk of a man who was about to execute the people he had just shared a meal with. He walked as if he hadn't a care in the world. Wyatt didn't know if that was a good thing or a sign of trouble.
He walked up, slapped Wyatt on the shoulder and chuckled. “You are one intuitive guy, man. Seriously. Are you ex-military or special forces or what?”
Wyatt eyed him, “Something like that.”
“Well, Mr. Paranoid, we would like to show you something. And it isn't anything crazy or evil.” Bryan looked at Jack, “Please, come with us.”
Wyatt wasn't getting any bad vibes. He looked past the fence line, into the dark forest. He thought about what it would be like trying to walk through the rocky, uneven terrain in complete darkness. With Megan's injury and the coming storm, Evan and his people seemed to be the lesser of two evils.
Jack looked at Wyatt and nodded his head, giving his agreement to see what it was they had been hiding. Wyatt hoped he wasn't leading his family to their doom.
“Okay. Any funny moves and I will break your neck,” Wyatt told Bryan. It could have been taken as a joke but Wyatt was very serious.
Bryan laughed, “Got it.”
They made their way back to the gazebo walked past the two tents that were set up next to Evan's small cabin and kept going. They were headed into the forest the camp backed up to. The area didn't look very inviting. It was heavily treed and the undergrowth grew wild. Evan pressed on, telling the others to watch their step.
Wyatt brought Megan up beside him again so he could help her navigate the uneven terrain. They walked about one hundred feet when they saw what the big secret was. There was a large cabin with another small outbuilding not too far away.
Wyatt smiled. He knew they had been hiding something, but he didn't suspect it would be this. This was amazing.
He looked at Megan. His arm was wrapped around her waist, supporting her. She had gone completely stiff.
“What's wrong?” he asked so quietly that only she could hear.
“What if she's here?”
Wyatt shook his head, “They would have told us.”
Evan walked to the cabin, “It's an old forest ranger station. We don't want anyone to know it’s here. The tents are a decoy. The Raiders haven’t discovered this yet. If they knew it was here, they may decide they want it and the supplies we have inside.”
“Smart. Very smart.” Wyatt nodded in approval.
“We make sure to take a different route through the woods each time to avoid making a trail. Walking through the heavy brush and trees isn't fun but it helps maintain the natural barrier between the camp and the cabin,” Bryan explained.
Wyatt looked at the cabin. He would personally add some more defenses to it but the simple fact that it was completely out of sight was a very good offensive move.
Evan opened the door, “Come on in. We have two rooms we will give you guys, if that works?”
They walked in the door to find a very cozy setup inside. Two couches in an L-shape designated the living area with a potbelly stove putting off plenty of heat. There was a pot on the woodstove with steam rising out of it.
The cabin had a full kitchen with a small dining table and chairs in the middle. Evan opened a door, indicating one of the rooms they would occupy. There were two twin beds on either wall with a small window between. The door next to it was a bathroom, which wasn't functional. Another door led to the second room with two more beds with bright quilts on each.
Megan stayed on the ground floor as the rest of the group walked up a flight of steep narrow stairs to a loft area. Duke stood beside her, leaning into her good leg. Upstairs was a third bedroom. There were two twin beds in the room along with a couple of mattresses on the floor. The area could easily sleep another six-to-eight people.
“Most of us sleep in here,” Evan explained. “Whoever is on guard duty sleeps in the small cabin in the main camp. During the summer, we did use the tents but it’s too cold to do that anymore. We could in a pinch but why would we when we have this,” he smiled as he spread his arms wide.
Jack laughed, “You guys really had me convinced you were going to hole up in those tents all winter. I have to admit I thought you were crazy.”
They made their way back down the stairs.
“I'm sorry we were so shady, but we weren't sure how much we could trust you. This is our livelihood. We can't afford to lose it,” Bryan explained.
“I understand and appreciate you trusting us with your secret,” Wyatt answered. “But what made you decide to trust us?”
Evan and Bryan looked at each other and seemed to have another silent conversation. Finally, Evan spoke up. “What went down with Kyle was bad. Not just everything that happened to you guys. There was more, so much more. After my brother was gone, we decided that we need allies not enemies
if we’re going to survive. The things he did…” Evan’s voice trailed off as he stared off looking at some unseen horror.
Before he could continue, Bryan added, “We know there are hard feelings but we figured if we put our cards on the table, you’d see that we’re sincere and have something to offer this partnership. More importantly, understand once and for all that we don’t have Caitlin.”
When he finished speaking, he was looking directly at Megan and frowning.
“Megan, maybe you should sit down before you fall down.” Bryan pointed to one of the couches.
She hadn’t realized exactly how much effort she was putting into standing up until Bryan said something. Without speaking, Wyatt took her elbow and guided her over to the couches where she sank gratefully down and leaned her head back. As soon as she did, other parts of her body began to point out small pains and areas of exhaustion. Closing her eyes, she felt Wyatt sit down next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and letting her lean against his chest. Opening her eyes, she watched Evan, Bryan, Jack and Rosie settle in the living room area.
The conversation dropped to a lull as Megan felt herself falling asleep. She hadn’t slept much the night before and the day’s intense activities took its toll on her; she was falling fast. She roused when a middle-aged man with a full beard stopped by. He looked like he might have been a biker once upon a time based on the leather cut he wore with various patches sewn on it. Despite his gruff appearance, the man was very soft spoken. Megan couldn’t help smiling as she imagined him playing Santa Claus.
The man, Greg, offered to radio back to the lodge on his HAM radio. Albert had one set up in a corner of his room, but rarely used it since they’d not been able to reach anyone for months.
Wyatt took him up on his offer to radio back to the lodge first thing in the morning.
“That’d be great, man,” Wyatt said quietly. “I’m sure the others are worried and I’d love it if we could let them know we’re okay here. All of us,” he finished as he stroked Megan’s hair.
Forcing herself to wake up, Megan shifted into a less comfortable position and smiled at the others. She had to admire everything they’d managed to accomplish with what they had. She’d also come to realize that Evan and Bryan’s group was much larger than they’d first suspected. They’d made it appear they were small in number, just like they kept this cabin a secret. It was smart. If The Raiders are as bad as they claimed, they didn't want to appear too capable. That might attract more attackers.
Tara and her two children had come in and headed for the loft room upstairs. Evan excused himself to join them.
As the conversation wound down, Bryan asked if there was anything else they needed.
“No, we’re good here,” Jack assured him. “I suspect we’re ready for bed as well.”
Rosie and Megan took one room and Jack and Wyatt took the other. As they made their way to their rooms, Bryan tossed a blanket on the couch and made himself comfortable.
Megan lay in the small twin bed, thinking about her little girl. So far, they’d been unable to find her but she refused to give up hope. If this Green Woman could be found, maybe she could talk to her and find out if she’d seen Caitlin or even better, maybe her daughter was safe with her. But if that were true, how come no one had seen Caitlin? She prayed her daughter wasn’t seriously injured.
Duke made himself comfortable beside Megan's bed. She drifted off to sleep, anxious to get started in the morning. She was going to find this Green Woman and hopefully Caitlin.
20
Megan woke up feeling as bad as she had the first morning after her accident. The fall in the barn had done more damage than she thought. She laid perfectly still, breathing through the pain.
“I think you may have re-sprained it or maybe tore the tendons that had started to heal,” Rosie said from the bed across the room.
“I hope not. It doesn't feel like that. More of a throbbing pain.”
Rosie got out of bed and pulled the blanket off Megan's leg. She gasped when she saw the exposed foot.
“Oh sweetie, we should have unwrapped this last night. I need to get this bandage off. We need to get some circulation to those toes. Your ankle must have swollen after you fell.”
Rosie quickly unwound the bandage and Megan sighed in relief. The bandage had been restricting her ankle for so long, it felt as if it had been let out of a small box.
“With the bandage off, you need to stay right here in this bed.” She grabbed the pillow and blanket off her bed and used them to elevate Megan's leg.
“Not again,” Megan groaned.
Rosie put her hands on her hips and looked down at Megan, “You shouldn't have made the journey in the first place. Your ankle wasn't healed. I don't think it’s that bad though. It looks good and is already pinking up. Yesterday was simply too much. Relax for an hour or so and then we will get you up.”
“Fine.”
Megan lay in the room all alone listening to the wind howling outside. The rain was beating against the window so hard she worried it would actually shatter it. The thought of trying to walk home in a storm that seemed as bad as the one that caused her original injury didn’t appeal to her.
She heard a knock on the door before Wyatt popped his head in.
“Hey, heard your ankle is giving you some trouble,” he said sitting next to her on the small bed.
“Yeah, but Rosie doesn't think it’s all that bad. Just need to stay off it for a bit.”
He nodded, “I radioed back to Chase. All is good there.”
When she looked at him in question, he shook his head no. “No, she didn't come home.”
“I am hoping we can find that green lady they were talking about,” Megan said excitedly.
Wyatt hesitated, “Well, we will.”
When he paused, Megan scowled at him, “But?”
“But, it is really nasty outside. Like tree branches coming down and muddy. Evan has offered to let us stay another night.” When she started to protest, he held up a hand “You need to rest the ankle. Jack is going to help them get that roof on in exchange for a couple of bows and some of the arrows John has made.”
Megan sighed in frustration, “Wyatt, we need to talk to this Green Woman.”
“I know and we will; but not today. We can't risk you getting hurt again and what if one of us slips or a tree branch takes us out? It isn't safe out there right now.”
“Fine. But I am not going to sit in here by myself all day. Will you help me up please?”
He waggled his eyebrows, “Or I could join you and we could stay in bed all day.”
She slapped his arm, “Wyatt! We are guests. Help me up.”
He laughed. He scooped her up from the bed and carried her to the couch. She complained about it, but he told her it was more efficient and to deal with it.
The door opened, bringing in a huge gust of cold air along with Rosie.
“Wow! It is nasty out there. Megan, would you mind hanging out with Tara's kids for a bit. I am going to help her clean up the other cabin. It’s too small for four people to be in and it isn't safe for the kids to be roaming about.”
“Sure. It will give me something to do.”
Megan realized she had no idea how she was going to entertain the kids. Without TV, video games or the ability to go outside, she imagined it would get pretty boring. She suddenly felt anxious. Caitlin was easy to entertain. She loved to read, draw or hang out with Duke.
Megan looked at Duke, “You better help me out today, buddy. I hope you are ready to be the star of this show.”
He barked and wagged his tail. Megan hoped that was a yes.
The day passed by rather quickly. People were in and out of the cabin for different reasons. Megan was convinced it was Wyatt and Rosie who were making sure she stayed off her leg.
The kids, Donavan and Amy, looked bored. Megan had a feeling they were here to babysit her and not the other way around.
“Do you guys like to
play Scrabble? I saw the game sitting on the shelf.”
Donavan didn't look interested. “Amy doesn't spell. She's seven.”
Megan wanted to tell him it was a great way to learn, but let it go. She scanned the shelf and saw Candy Land.
“How about Candy Land?”
Donavan rolled his eyes, “Fine.”
He grabbed the game off the shelf and they set it up on the floor in the living room area.
“Amy doesn't get to win just because she’s the baby,” Donavan stated with authority.
“I would never do such a thing,” Megan told him. This kid was nothing like Ryland even though they were probably very close in age.
“Donavan, what do you like to do?”
He shrugged, “I don't like to play baby games.”
Megan gritted her teeth. “Okay, so what do you like, then? Do you like to play ball, go hunting, drawing?”
The boy perked up when she mentioned ball. She was quite proud of herself for finally finding the little chink in his armor.
“Well, I used to play basketball a lot but now I can't.”
Megan understood the kid's frustration.
“Maybe Evan can find a basketball. It wouldn't be hard to make a hoop,” Megan offered.
Donavan thought about it for a few seconds, “But the ball won't bounce on the dirt.”
Oh this kid, Megan thought.
“Well, you could practice your shooting at least.”
That seemed to appease him.
They played three rounds of Candy Land before the kids decided they’d had enough of her company. Donavan came up with an excuse to go check on his mom and they both left without looking back.
Megan was thankful for the silence, but kind of missed their company, even if Donavan was a bit surly. Amy was fun and reminded Megan a lot of Caitlin.
She kept waiting for Wyatt to show up and say they were leaving to search for the Green Woman. When lunchtime came and went and they were still there, Megan had a sneaking feeling they weren't going anywhere.
The EMP Lodge Series: Books One to Three Page 33