She took a step back with Misty in her arms, now realizing where she stood. There were eight crosses.
Megan couldn't stop the chill that shivered down her spine.
2
Megan dropped to her knees, keeping one hand on Misty. The crosses didn't have names, but some of the mounds they sat on had little bouquets of wildflowers laid on top of the dirt. Megan looked at the sad scene and thought about all the loss Evan's group had recently endured.
The Raiders were stepping up their game. They had become more violent and aggressive with each new attack. These eight crosses represented the people murdered without rhyme or reason at the hands of the rampaging men. Megan had seen how evil they were firsthand, and couldn't imagine what the people buried under each of the crosses had endured.
The other three came to stand beside her. It was a moment of silence the dead all deserved. The people lying in this makeshift cemetery were heroes.
Evan knelt at one of the crosses, his face contorted with pain. These were people he had come to love.
“I'm so sorry, I couldn't protect you,” he whispered. “I am going to do everything I can to protect your mother and sister.”
Megan didn't have to ask who was buried in the plot. The Hot Wheels in the dirt was enough. It was a heart wrenching scene. Megan couldn't imagine how much pain Evan was in. She knew he felt responsible for the deaths of the people who had come to live in his camp. The four of them stayed for a minute longer, each paying their respects. Jack took Misty from Megan.
“You’re sticking with me, little lady. You keep running off and a big, bad wolf is going to eat you alive.”
Megan punched his shoulder, “Don't say that to her. She doesn't know any better.”
Jack laughed, but it was forced. They all wanted to get away from the crosses and the sadness they awakened. Evan brought up the rear, though he was still pale-faced from sight.
Megan didn't know what to say to help him feel better so she chose not to say anything at all. Grief was a tricky business. It was too easy to say the wrong thing and make the emotions harder. Instead, she focused on Misty, softly breathing in Jack's arms.
“Hey, sweet, baby girl. You are such a naughty goat. One of these times something is going to eat you before I can save you,” she said in a baby voice, rubbing the goat's hard head.
Jack rolled his eyes, “It isn't a baby. It’s a menace.”
“Stop it. She is the cutest little girl ever and likes to play.”
Bryan snorted from behind. “You have a weird idea of cute.”
Megan waited to see if Evan would join in or if he was still lost in his grief but he spoke up.
“I hope for your sake, Megan, that thing doesn't have you chasing it all over the mountain this winter. Wyatt won't be happy to run around trying to save you all the time.”
Megan laughed. Evan was so right. While she chased the goat, Wyatt would be chasing her. The vision had them all laughing, dispelling the darkness that had been hanging over them a moment ago. Death was hitting a little too close to home for all of them. It was like a menacing cloud, waiting and watching. Always hanging over them, no matter what they did.
Megan was tired of the fear. Tired of always wondering if today was the day The Raiders or some other violent gang would decide to kill them.
They walked back into Evan's camp, the tents they used for newcomers as well as a decoy against potential marauders looking the worse for wear. The cabin they had helped put the roof on was now in use along with the guard cabin. Unfortunately, his group was much smaller than it had been a month ago, and the people who were once primed to make a new life for themselves seemed to be going about their chores without any sense of real purpose.
Megan watched as little Amy stood next to her mom. Tara was staring off into space, her shoulders slumped forward. Evan immediately walked to her and wrapped his arms around her. The woman appeared so fragile—so different than when Megan was here last.
The scene was difficult to accept. Chase was chopping wood, with another young man. They stacked the split logs in a neat row next to the newest cabin. When Misty had run off, he refused to go looking for her—again.
“Jack, put her in the pen with little Mason,” Megan instructed.
The pen was nothing more than some wood pallets held together with rope. It was not built to hold a goat intent on running free, but Megan wasn't too worried about it. They would be leaving soon and they would build something much stronger at the lodge. She made a mental note to make sure the fence was nice and high. Building a pen for the goats had not been on the agenda so soon, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity or deny the gift Evan had so generously given.
Tara walked to the gazebo, pulling out a large dish from the oven. Megan could smell the fresh garlic and oregano from here. It smelled heavenly. Fresh herbs were always a real treat. The plan was to eat dinner together and then head out first thing in the morning.
“It sure is getting cold, huh?” Jack asked, standing next to her.
Megan rubbed her hands together, “It sure is. I hope we’re going to be okay this winter. I remember years ago, we had a bad one in Spokane. There was so much snow on the ground, the plows basically gave up. We had some friends who lived up in the mountains and they had to dig their way out from the front door, there was so much snow.”
Jack whistled, “Yep. I imagine we are in for something similar. I'm not nervous, though. We’ve been preparing for this winter for close to a year.”
Megan knew he only said the words to reassure her. No one was feeling confident going into this winter. They had been fortunate so far. There had been a light dusting of snow, but it was typically gone within a few hours.
Bryan was standing close by, watching the goats play in the pen. “Most of us are from Oregon near the coast. We’re not used to snow in general. This winter is going to be a tough time for us for sure. I just hope we’re ready.”
“You will do just fine,” Megan assured him. “It’s all about having plenty of firewood, food, water and preparing to spend a lot of time inside.”
“I hope we have enough,” Bryan said. “By our best guesstimate, we’ve cut more than eight cords. Do you think it will be enough?”
Megan shrugged, “Possibly. It’s always best to have too much and not need it than to need it and not have enough. Even if you don't use all the wood this winter, you’ll still need it come spring.”
Bryan nodded in agreement.
“I'm going to see if Tara needs help with dinner. Jack, did you give her that meat before we went chasing after Misty?”
He nodded, “Yep, and she promised to make something that would knock our socks off.”
Megan laughed as they joined Tara. “Is there anything I can do?” she asked her.
“You can help me get the dishes. We have them stashed in the guard cabin.”
“Great,” Megan said following her towards the tiny cabin.
When they got back to the gazebo, Chase, Evan and Jack were seated at the table. Megan heard them talking about the different types of wood they were stacking on the pile.
“Avoid burning that pine, especially at night,” Chase instructed. “It burns fast and hot, which is great for heating up a cold cabin, but it will be out before you know it.”
“Got it,” Evan said. “Stick with the fir and birch.”
Jack added his two cents, “The red fir is the best. Birch is very hard and can be a bit of a pain to get going. Do what you can to split it into smaller pieces. We like to add it to the fire once we have the stove and chimney heated and there are some nice hot coals to keep it going. The bark on the birch logs will ignite immediately, which can also help a sluggish fire.”
“Good to know. Thanks guys. This is stuff we should know, but, well, we just don't have the experience.”
Megan imagined that if she hadn’t found the Morris family, she would be in the same predicament. These people had little experience with harsh mountain winters. T
hey were struggling to get enough food stored and with the Raiders stealing their supplies, it was seriously threatening their ability to survive the winter.
“So, how is Wyatt doing?” Bryan asked, sitting down next to Chase.
“He's good,” Jack responded. “He’s not in the best of moods right now. My brother makes for a terrible patient and doesn’t like to be laid up.”
Megan defended the man she loved, “Hey now. He's only a little grumpy and only when he can't come on trips like this. He hates being down.”
“Is his leg any better?” Evan asked.
Jack nodded, “Thankfully, yes, but it still gives him some problems if he overdoes it. Then he has to deal with my mom and this one,” he said using his thumb to gesture to Megan.
She rolled her eyes. “I didn't see him making it easy on me when I was supposed to be resting my ankle.”
They all laughed. Each of them had witnessed Wyatt doting on her and his demands that she not do anything at all. He had been a real mother hen.
“I think we’re ready to eat,” Tara announced. “Amy, go tell the others dinner is ready.”
They ate the meal quickly. The sun had already set, dropping the temperature and making it too cold to sit around in the gazebo.
“We better head to bed,” Jack announced. “We need to get an early start in the morning.”
Megan checked the goats one more time. They were fast asleep in the little shelter they had inside the pen. She hoped they would stay put through the night.
Jack stood outside their shared tent.
“All good?”
“Yep, hopefully she doesn't get any wild ideas about going for a midnight stroll.”
From inside the tent, she could hear Chase grumbling about how cold it was. Bryan brought them a couple extra blankets.
“I'm real sorry about this. I know it's cold. Pretty soon we won’t be able to use these tents.”
“It's okay, man,” Jack assured him. “We'll be fine. You get some rest and if we don't see you in the morning, take care and thanks for taking us into town. This portable HAM radio and solar panel is more than we could have expected to find. I can't wait to come back this spring and do some more digging down there.”
Bryan nodded, “Yeah, we’ve had some pretty good finds there lately. Good luck with your goats, too. Hopefully they don't give you too many problems.”
Megan smiled, “Thank you so much for the goats. It’s the best surprise I’ve had in a really long time.”
“Well, the old guy had far more goats than he needed. I think he was actually relieved to get rid of them before winter.”
“We’re happy to have them. It’ll give us a jumpstart on the whole milk and cheese thing. Just think, by next winter we’ll be trading cheese!”
She was so excited to show her daughter, Caitlin, and Ryland the baby goats. She knew Wyatt would be thrilled, but not nearly as much as his mom, Rosie, and his sister-in-law, Willow. Albert would feign nonchalance, but she knew he was a softy when it came to animals and she suspected he would dote on them more than anyone else.
They were such characters. The goats would provide plenty of entertainment throughout the long, boring winter to come.
“Good night, guys,” Bryan said, walking to the small cabin.
3
Megan's eyes popped open. It was dark inside the tent. She blinked a few times and tried to clear the cobwebs from her brain. Something had awoken her. She laid perfectly still, listening to Jack and Chase breathing deep.
There! It was a noise outside the tent. She couldn't tell what it was. Was it anything? Maybe it was Misty. The goat had probably jumped over the fence wall and was milling about the camp.
She could hear the change in Jack's breathing and knew he was now awake as well.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“I don't know,” he whispered back. “Shh,” he said, slowly sitting up.
Chase sat up silently and slipped out of his sleeping bag.
Megan wasn't about to stay in the tent while they went out to investigate. She had seen the horror movies. The person who stayed behind always ended up murdered in some gruesome way. Not her. No way.
The three of them knelt at the opening of the tent, waiting in silence for another noise beyond the flimsy walls of their tent.
Megan clapped her hand over her mouth to muffle the involuntary gasp.
There were men's voices and heavy footsteps just outside the tent.
She looked to Jack, waiting for him to assure her it was just Evan or Bryan milling about.
The look on his face told her all she needed to know.
Megan didn't hesitate and reached back under the blankets to grab their weapons. They had decided never to be unarmed again. They each tucked a handgun into the back of their waistbands, pulling their shirts over the top to conceal the weapon.
If they could get through a confrontation without pulling their guns, they would. Firearms would only escalate things and someone would likely end up shot and probably killed. In this new world, with hospitals and antibiotics a thing of the past, a bullet wound was hard to survive. Even an untreated cut from a rusty piece of metal or a bad case of the flu could kill you.
Chase held up a finger and silently counted off three.
Megan took a deep breath and followed the two men out through the flap. That is, she tried to crawl out. Jack was standing in front of the tent door, keeping her inside. She jabbed the back of his leg, trying to tell him to move.
He dropped his left hand down and gestured for her to get back.
Oh this can't be good, she thought to herself.
Jack should know by now she didn't like playing the damsel in distress or the little lady who needed saving. She would wait and see what his plan was before she threw a fit. She may be the one that had to save them and that would require her presence to be a surprise.
She knelt, ready to spring, waiting for the signal.
It didn't come right away. While Megan waited, she looked around for something to hold her hair back. She had Rosie cut off quite a bit of the length off, but it still got in her way. She found Jack's ball cap in the corner of the tent.
Grabbing it, she tucked her hair up under it before pulling it tightly on her head
“What can we do for you gentleman?” Chase asked. The words were polite. His tone of voice revealed he was anything but nice.
“Oh, I think you know.”
The voice wasn't familiar. Megan could hear laughter from several men. She knew instinctively that this had to be the Raiders. They were back to steal and cause more trouble. She clenched her fists. These men were some of the worst of humanity taking what little people had with no thought to their survival.
A grunt followed by, “Who the hell are you?”
Megan tensed. The man was walking closer to Jack and Chase.
“You guys took all the extra supplies we had last time,” Bryan's voice came from the side of the tent. “We have nothing more for you to take.”
It was then Megan realized it was barking dogs that had first alerted her to the intruders. They must have woken Bryan as well. That meant the rest of the camp would hear the commotion. She silently hoped they stayed out of sight. She couldn't deal with any more deaths.
“I'll decide if you have anything I want. We're looking for some friends of ours,” the gruff voice said, right outside the tent door.
Jack's hand came down again. He wanted her to stay inside.
“I doubt we’ve seen any friends of yours,” Jack stated with a large dose of sarcasm.
“OOMPH!”
“You better step back!” Chase shouted.
Megan saw Jack's legs buckle. The man had just hit him! She wanted to burst through the tent door, firing her gun at everyone in view.
Jack must have known what she was thinking and wagged his hand back and forth.
“I think maybe you have seen our friends. We are looking for a group of little ladies. We seem to k
eep missing them. One's real cute. Long hair and has a little girl. The other one is some wannabe soldier. Short hair, big glasses,” he said, describing Brenda.
“As we told you the last two times you’ve been through, we haven't seen the women you described,” Bryan said, trying to hide the irritation in his voice.
Megan was shaking with anger. These men were worse than bullies and Jack, Chase and Bryan were at their mercy. She had no idea how many men were out there. Could they fight back if they had to? The thought of a gun battle at close range scared her to death.
“Whoa, dude. No need to shoot anymore people. Take what you can find and go. We have nothing left,” Bryan started. “These two just happened on our camp. We don't know them and quite frankly, they aren't welcome. We don't have the resources to support any more people.”
Chase backed up Bryan's claim, “We’re looking for somewhere to live through the winter. We don't want any trouble.”
There was a moment of silence. Megan hoped that meant the bad guys bought their story and would just go away.
BOOM!
A gunshot rang out followed by what sounded like a yip from a dog. Megan held back a scream. The opening in the tent was completely blocked. All she could see were feet and calves. She stared at Jack's legs, waiting to see if he would collapse. When he remained standing, she waited for screaming. Anything to tell her who had just been shot.
“That was not called for!” Chase yelled.
“This time it was a dog. Next time it will be you,” the man said. “Or maybe I'll shoot one of those goats.”
Another gunshot rang out and Megan saw red. Jack's hand immediately popped down. She was about ready to rip that hand off.
“I'm taking what I want. Move.” The voice was right outside the tent, now.
Megan froze. He was coming in.
Within seconds Jack's legs disappeared from her view and were replaced by a large, full-bodied man. When he popped his head in the tent, she flinched.
The EMP Lodge Series: Books One to Three Page 41