by Lia Lee
I was glad we’d had a warning about the storm. Luke had been able to bring in wood, and we hadn’t set out to Dillon the way we might have if we hadn’t known what was coming.
Snow started falling at first, coming in a steady sheet of white fluff. Slowly, the wind picked up, blowing the snow around in swirls that seemed to coat the trees that it collided with from every angle. The world was transformed once again, and before long, it was impossible to see much further than a few feet around the cabin.
I was fascinated by the snow, by how easily it could cover everything as if there had been nothing in the first place.
With the storm raging outside, the wind howling through the trees, there wasn’t much to do. I played around with the radio until I managed to get a signal again, and Luke and I listened to what they had to say about the weather. They reported it was the worst storm of the century.
“That’s saying something if you consider the types of storms we get up here,” Luke said. “It’s not strange to be snowed in a couple of weeks through the winter. But this is a lot worse than anything I’ve seen.”
I nodded. It was beautiful even though it was so intense. I thought about the night I had headed out into the snow to find civilization when my car battery had died. I had been so lucky that Luke had found me. Now that I had lived in this weather for a while, I realized how dangerous it had been and how easily I could have died. I was once again so grateful for Luke and that he had saved me.
I was glad I was snowed in with Luke, of all people. He had been so good to me, and he was an amazing person. I had started caring for him. To think I would never have met him if I hadn’t gotten stranded in the snow made me happy about how things had worked out, even if it had been life-threatening. But he had been my white knight in shining armor. Or rather, my rugged mountain man.
My thoughts went to Lizabeth and her parents. I would have stayed in Steamboat if it hadn’t been for the mistakes I had made along the way. Even though I was glad I was here with Luke, I was worried about Lizabeth. She had to be worried about me. She knew my situation now, and she knew that I couldn’t call as often as I would have, had I had cell service. Still, I didn’t want to make her worry.
“When do you think we’ll be able to go to Dillon again?” I asked Luke.
“Why?” he asked. “Do you need something?”
I shook my head. “I want to check in with Lizabeth, let her now I’m okay.”
Luke nodded. “I think we’ll be able to go into Dillon tomorrow if the storm lets up by morning. The highway shouldn’t be shut down, at least not between us and Dillon. We’ll have to see in the morning how things go.”
Luke walked to the window and looked out, leaning from side to side as if he was looking for something. He seemed worried.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Luke said. But he didn’t move away from the window, and he didn’t stop looking around. I wondered what he was looking for.
The storm didn’t last for very long. It was over before night fell. When it had been quiet for a while, Luke announced he was going outside to check the traps. He put on his jacket, and it was only after he had stepped out into the thick snow that I thought about what he had said. Why would he go out to check the traps right after a storm? We had enough supplies not to need any extra food, and there would be no animals. He was the one that had explained that to me.
When Luke came back, I confronted him about it.
“It just doesn’t make sense,” I said when I explained it to him. “Why do you keep going outside or checking the window? It’s like you’re waiting for something.”
Luke hesitated as if he was trying to decide if he should tell me or not.
“Just tell me,” I said when he hesitated too long.
“I’ve been watching out for a mountain lion.”
It took a moment for the information to sink in before my body ran cold.
“A what?”
Luke just looked at me. He knew I’d heard him.
“I thought you said they don’t come close to the cabin because there are people here.”
Luke nodded. “Usually, yeah. But this one is getting arrogant. He’s been around the traps lately, and I found paw prints close to the house.”
I was starting to panic. As if it wasn’t bad enough that I was running from my dad and the people who worked for him, now I was being hunted by an animal.
“I didn’t want you to worry,” Luke said. “I made sure we were safe. I was keeping an eye on things.”
I shook my head. “How do you know we’re safe?”
“Because I’m watching the pattern, seeing the tracks. It can’t get into the cabin so it’s only when we’re outside that we need to be careful right now. But so far, it’s only been coming out when it’s quiet around the cabin. It knows that we’re around, and it’s not trying to get close to us.”
“Yet,” I said.
“We’ll be okay,” Luke said again. “Trust me.”
But I was terrified. To make matters worse, we heard a raspy roar. Luke turned his head toward the window. I heard the sound again, and it made my stomach turn.
“Is that it?” I asked.
Luke nodded. At least he wasn’t lying to me. He’d kept information from me to protect me, but he didn’t lie to me.
“It sounded very close,” I said softly.
“It did,” Luke said. He walked to the hearth where a rifle was mounted against the wall and took it down.
“I thought that was ornamental,” I said in a small voice.
“Out here it’s never bad to have a gun,” Luke answered and opened the front door. I froze. A big cat stood about fifty feet away from us, right in front of the cabin, looking at us as if it didn’t have a care in the world. If I wasn’t so terrified of it, knowing a killer was so close to us, I would have been in awe at how majestic the creature was. It was like an overgrown house cat with sandy colored fur and pig paws. The eyes were yellow and watching us with intelligence. It yawned as if it was bored or showing off its teeth, and I shivered. The mouth full of teeth was terrifying, the teeth sharp and white as if the animal took care of them.
Luke lifted his gun.
“Don’t,” I whispered frantically. “You can’t just kill it.” I was nervous about the animal being so close to the cabin, but it was such a beautiful creature, and it was a shame to shoot something so magnificent.
“I’m not going to shoot it,” Luke said. “I only want to scare it away.” He had barely spoken the words when he pulled the trigger, and the bang was so loud my ears rang. I jumped at the same time.
Luke had aimed to the side of the cat, the bullets hitting the snow and kicking up a spray.
The mountain lion whipped its head around before turning back to us, unfaltering. It hadn’t thought Luke’s shots to be a threat.
“It’s arrogant,” Luke said. “I’m going to have to try again. It’s not a good sign that it’s so comfortable with the bullets snapping that close to it.”
I understood what Luke said even though I wasn’t a hunter. If a wild animal—one that could kill us—was okay with guns and bullets whizzing around its head, we would have to kill it or be killed ourselves. It was not the scenario I had hoped for. I had hoped it would run off and not come back so we could coexist in peace.
Luke aimed again and pulled the trigger. It hit the snow closer to the cat this time. I had pressed my hands over my ears, ready for the bang this time.
“Cheeky bastard,” Luke said under his breath. He stood, facing off with the big cat, deciding what he was going to do next. I didn’t want him to kill the cat, but if it was between our lives or the cat’s life, the decision was an easy one.
“Once more,” Luke said, aiming again and firing. This time, the cat ran away. It had finally been too close for comfort. Luke closed the door and leaned against it as if the cat would try to fight its way into the cabin.
“That was too close for comfort,” Luke
said. “I’m not sure why it’s coming so close to the cabin. It’s not normal. It’s never been here before that I’ve seen.”
“Do you think it will come back?” I asked.
Luke nodded. “I’m afraid it might. It wasn’t scared enough of the gun. It might take its chances. We’ll have to be careful for the next while, taking care when we go out to get wood or head out to the truck. We’ll have to watch each other’s backs. Maybe we’re lucky, and we’ll never see it again, but I would rather play it safe.”
I agreed with Luke. We had to be safe. It was terrifying to think our lives could be in danger because a mountain lion might lay in wait for us. But out here, it was a reality we had to cope with. I didn’t like thinking there were predators out there that could kill me. I had enough going on in my life already.
In a way, the mountain lion was a much better enemy than my father. It was straightforward. I knew its intentions, and it was predictable if I knew how it operated. My father wasn’t the same. I had never been able to trust his word. He was unpredictable and that made him unstable, and I never knew what I was going to get. A hug or a threat or a cold shoulder.
Maybe, compared to the hell I had been through, the mountain lion wasn’t so bad. Besides, I had Luke who knew what he was doing and who would protect me. I felt the same about how he would react if he ever had to run into my dad. Luke would always try to fight for me.
It was one of the qualities I liked so much about him. There were many, and I found more every day I got to know him better. But I knew that if I had to face off with my dad, Luke would take my side and say and do what was needed. Which was why the mountain lion, scary as it was, seemed so much better than having to face anything else in my life. Because there were worse things.
Chapter 14
Luke
By Friday the snow had melted enough that I could drive to Dillon again. We were running low on supplies so it couldn’t have come at a better time. I was starting to feel a little stir crazy, stuck in that cabin for nearly a full week and even though Anna and I had had a great time, I knew she had been worried about calling her friend and letting her know the latest plans.
We climbed into the truck and headed toward Dillon. The snow still lay in thick patches by the side of the road, and the view was breathtaking. The sky was a crisp blue, the clouds having disappeared, and the sun made a feeble attempt to melt the snow that covered the mountains like a blanket. It would be a while still before they snow would melt enough for the earth to breathe again. For now, it was only the road that was open. It was still better to stay indoors whenever possible.
“I can’t believe how crazy the storms get here,” Anna said, looking out of the window. “Back in the city we get snow, but it’s never like this. It’s almost like rain back home—you deal with it when it’s there, but life carries on. Here, everything stops. It’s like nature is the star of the show and the people’s lives and routines are an afterthought, not the other way around.”
I nodded. “It’s a very different life to co-exist with nature out here. I think it’s part of what I love about this place. I’m always reminded how small I am in the universe, how fragile life really is, and how much of a skill it is to survive. With technology and all the other luxuries we have in the cities, it’s so easy to think we’re more than we really are.”
We drove in silence for a while longer.
“I’m going to stop for lighter fluid, fire starters, matches, and so on. I don’t know if you need something specific? Let me know if I need to go to other stores as well so we can plan our visit.”
Anna shook her head. “I think I’m alright for now. I have everything I need. I just want cell service so I can call Lizabeth and let her know I’m safe. She was freaked out after I disappeared the first time, but now that she knows I can’t reach her unless I come down here, she’s not so panicked about it.”
“It’s good that you have friends that care about you,” I said. I had people I had considered friends, once. When I had left my past behind and ran for my life, I realized they hadn’t been on my side at all. We had only been connected through mutual goals and the circumstances we had in common. The moment my outlook on life had changed, and I had decided to get out of the life I had created for myself, they had turned against me, and I had realized I’d been alone all along.
“Lizabeth is a very good friend,” Anna agreed. “She’s helped me in ways I don’t think anyone else would have.”
She seemed forlorn, and it made me want to ask her what she was thinking about. I didn’t ask, though.
We drove into Dillon, and I stopped in front of the store where I would get most of what I needed. Anna switched on the phone and dialed her friend’s number. I opened the door to get out when she said, “Hey, it’s me.”
She gasped, and when I looked at her, her face had drained of blood, and she was ghostly pale.
“Dad?” she asked, her voice almost in a whisper. She froze for only a second before she pulled the phone away from her ear and hung up. Her hands were trembling, and she swallowed hard.
“Are you okay?” I asked, climbing back into the truck. Her reaction wasn’t quite what I would have expected when she’d spoken to her dad unexpectedly.
“He found me,” she said in a strained voice.
“Who found you? Your dad?”
She nodded, swallowing hard. She looked terrified.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
She looked at me with haunted eyes.
“My dad is after me. He’s not a good person. I’ve been running from him. Now he’s got Lizabeth.”
She pressed her hand over mouth, and it looked like she was trying to bite back tears.
“What if he hurt her?”
I shook my head, trying to understand. “He would do that?” I asked.
“You have no idea what kind of person he is. My dad doesn’t care about anything other than his own agenda and getting what he wants. He won’t stop at anything until he finds me. Oh, God. I thought I had managed to get away from him.”
It was all starting to make sense now. She had been paranoid about me when I had first found her, asking me who sent me. She wasn’t using a cell phone that was personal, and she had bought that shitty car with cash. And she had told me she would be safe with me, which was why she had asked if she could stay.
She was on the run much like I was.
“What if he finds me here?” Anna said, and it looked like the shock was over and panic was setting in. “If he finds me, there will be hell to pay. He can’t find me.”
She looked like she was about to break down. I could relate to her panic, to how she seemed to fear for her life. It was ironic that even in our situations in life, Anna and I could relate to each other and I understood who she was.
I didn’t mention to her that I was in the same boat—there was no reason to get technical—but my survival instincts kicked in.
“Did you phone Lizabeth on her cell phone or a landline?” I asked. It would be harder to track the burner from a landline, albeit not impossible.
“I phoned her cell phone,” Anna said.
“Right. We have to get rid of that phone. You’ll have to find another way to contact Lizabeth when the time comes.”
I held out my hand, and Anna handed me the phone. It was an old flip phone, barely worth anything. I opened the back of the phone and pulled out the battery.
“It’s harder to track when the two parts aren’t together,” I said. If her dad had the right resources, he would still be able to track her after the line had been open on the call, but we had to do what we could. I didn’t mention that last fact to her. I didn’t want her to panic even more than she already was.
“I’m going to grab what we need. Come with me,” I said. I didn’t want her waiting in the truck. Even though they had only just found her, and they were still in New York, if my guess was correct, I wanted to keep an eye on her.
Anna didn’t protest. She clim
bed out of the truck with me, and we walked into the shop. On the way in I threw the cell,phone battery into a trash bin.
I made quick work of finding the supplies I needed. Anna stuck to my side, looking around as if her father would jump out behind one of the shelves any minute. She was terrified, and I wondered what kind of man he was to have his own daughter so spooked, to have sent her on the run in the first place. I could kill people who treated women—their own children, in fact—like that. I was becoming protective of Anna. I wanted to do anything I could to keep her safe, and the mere thought that someone was trying to hurt her made my chest burn with rage.
If anything happened to her, I would take out whoever had done it. I had sworn off killing and doing all sorts of bad shit that broke the law, but for Anna, I was willing to make an exception.
Anna was willing to listen to me and do what I suggested. It was a good sign. I could help her stay alive, stay safe and hidden. I had been on the run for a long time, and I had more than enough tips and tricks to survive. That I was so proficient in running and hiding wasn’t a good thing, but it meant I could keep her safe and help her do what needed to be done. I was glad I had the knowledge to share with her.
It was ironic that Anna and I—both on the run—had found each other. I didn’t quite believe in destiny and fate and all that bullshit, but this seemed a lot like the universe had lined up to bring us together so that I could be there for her.
I didn’t share my own past with her, of course. But I could be a great help to her when she needed it, and for now, that was all that was needed.
We headed back to the cabin once we were done with our shopping. Anna was worried. She kept twisting in her seat to look back or looking in the mirrors to see if we were being followed. We were the only truck on the road heading back to the cabin, and she finally relaxed, but I could tell her worry didn’t subside.
She didn’t speak to me. We were quiet, and even though I was burning with curiosity, I didn’t want to ask her anything that would make her uncomfortable. I wanted to know what her father had done that she was running from him, why he was so horrible. It took a lot of courage to run away from someone you feared that much, but I knew from personal experience that it only increased the fear. Getting caught often had worse consequences than if you had only stayed put.