by J. R. Tate
Mike’s last remark was so quiet that Ryan wasn’t sure if anyone else had heard it. No one seemed to be indicating that it was out of the ordinary if they had, everyone going back to their conversations, books, and sleep.
Ryan watched Mike disappear into the shower and rather than bring it up with Steve, he left it alone.
“I didn’t know...”
He didn’t know what, exactly?
Chapter Thirteen
“Ryan, what was that about?” Darryl cornered him after his altercation with Mike. So much for keeping his concerns a secret. For now he could play dumb but people would catch onto the friction happening between the two of them.
Ryan rubbed his arm and watched Mike come out from the showers, ducking past people on the way to his cot. He wasn’t speaking to anyone and most people were staying out of his way. Ryan didn’t want to lose sight of him. If there was any trust left between him and Mike, it was completely stripped away with the last few words the man had said that sent red flags sky high with Ryan.
“I don’t know what it was about, Dad. Everyone is on edge. We’re stuck down here together.”
“Cabin fever,” Darryl replied, shaking his head. “You two serve on the fire department, right?”
“Did serve on the fire department. I don’t think one exists anymore. And if we organize one, the hierarchy of leadership will definitely be different than it was before.”
“The last time they opened the doors to clear the snow there was barely a dusting on top. I think the weather might be slowing down a tad,” Darryl reported. “I think it might be too late to salvage anything we had to leave behind though.”
“We got most of the stuff picked. The plants will definitely be a total loss. And I don’t know if what we have is going to be enough to get us through the winter, mainly because I don’t know how long winter will last. Spring and summer were abbreviated. Maybe winter will follow suit.”
Ryan had lost track of time and was having to estimate what month they were in. Ballpark figure, it was late September, early October, which meant that winter had definitely fired up earlier than ever.
“Is anyone keeping track of what day it is?” Ryan inquired, padding back toward his family’s area of the shelter.
“No.” Darryl arched his eyebrow and shrugged. “It never occurred to anyone to do it. We all assumed that this would blow over and that would never be an issue.”
Ryan pulled the covers down from Ty’s face and watched him sleep. It felt like just a few minutes ago, he was playing hard, but sleep made him crash hard and it was probably best for him. Hopefully he was out before the altercation happened. He didn’t need added stress on top of everything he was going through.
Ryan sat beside Cecilia on the cot and closed his eyes. Exhaustion plagued him and physically, he could probably sleep for days. Mentally, his mind wouldn’t shut down, hindering him from any chance of getting shut eye. Neither he or Cecilia spoke right off, each just allowing the silence to linger. Ryan watched people interact with each other and like clockwork, lanterns burned out and people began to turn in for the night. Only a few lamps burned but it was enough for Ryan to still see Cecilia’s face next to him.
“Dad said the snow seems to be tapering off a bit,” Ryan whispered. He wanted to talk to her about all of his concerns but there wasn’t an opportunity to be alone and away from everyone. He was trying to devise a plan on his next steps in investigating what Mike was up to and he wanted her to know, as well as get her opinion on his thoughts. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t completely paranoid and reading too much into it.
“That’s good. Poor Ty just conked out. One minute he was playing, the next he crawled into bed and was out like a light.” Cecilia smiled as she admired their son. “And don’t worry. He didn’t see what happened between you and Mike.” It was as if she had read Ryan’s mind and it eased some of the tension in his shoulders.
“That’s one person who didn’t, at least.”
Sighing, he laid back and stared up into the darkness. If he thought hard enough, he could catapult himself back in time and pretend he was lying on their bed, in their house, and he was winding down for the night to prepare for an early day at the mechanic shop the next day. He missed working on cars and tractors. It was a nice escape and troubleshooting the issues was something he always had a knack for. Maybe he could eventually build a car for their use so they could travel farther and quicker than they had been able to with the horses. There were so many tasks and plans he wanted to get done – building or repairing a car would definitely be a crucial one if he could get his hands on the right supplies to get it done.
It’d also help him on his trek to solve the mystery revolving around Mike Rayburn. Sitting up again, he faced Cecilia and took her hands in his, kissing the back of one of hers as he prepared himself to reveal his thoughts on the brewing situation.
“Mike Rayburn is up to no good.” He kept his voice low. Though it appeared everyone was sleeping, someone would hear him if he wasn’t too careful.
“I kinda got that from the last time you talked to me. Do you have proof? What makes you think that?” Cecilia gulped, her worry palpable as she inquired about his theory.
“I don’t have clear and concise proof, no.” Ryan ducked his head. “It’s just… some of the things he has said aren’t normal. They are out of the blue, like he wants to tell us all but he can’t. It’s been driving me crazy… I’m scared I’m just being paranoid and not trusting people. Doug’s note had some things that sort of align with Mike also.”
“What kind of things are they saying? What did Doug write?”
“Don’t trust anyone… things go deeper than what we see… and just now, right in the middle of our tussle, Mike said, I didn’t know. He trailed off after that but the look on his face was guilt and fear all wrapped into one.”
Cecilia squeezed his hand and looked down at Ty for a few seconds. “What could he be up to? Why would they say things like that?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out, Cecilia. I haven’t been able to sleep. It’s consumed my thoughts. Mike has been acting out of character. And Doug… his suicide caught us all off guard.”
Doug had said some off-handed remarks about ending it all instead of dying quickly but he seemed to have taken a turn for the better when they had accepted him into Harper Springs. He had a will to want to make it and to work toward rebuilding. And then he shot himself, his suicide hitting them all blindside. Ryan still couldn’t get the stain of the other man’s blood off of his memory, even if the first few weeks knowing the man was filled with resentment and dislike toward him.
“I think he might be working with the looters.” It was the easiest thing to speculate about and though it was a possibility, Ryan’s instincts told him it could go deeper than even that.
“You think he’s going to help them take us over?” Cecilia’s eyes widened and she looked at Ty again, as if her first thought was protecting him. She was a damn good mother and it made it that much easier for Ryan to feel confident enough to leave them when he had to go out and protect their town. She’d make sure protect their child first over anything else.
“Yeah, partly.”
“Partly?”
“I don’t really know about the rest. Which is why I’m going to go out there and try to trace his steps. Go to his ranch, see where he might be going. He already spotted me following him once so I’m going to have to be a bit more inconspicuous this next time. I’ll be better prepared.”
“Ryan, the weather is bad. You’ll freeze out there.”
In the midst of their conversation, the whispers had gotten louder and Ryan put his index finger over his lips to remind both of them to be quieter.
“I’ll wear layers. I can make protection for my face and ears out of the hides of the wild boar I killed. I don’t plan to be gone long. If the snow really has slowed down, it’ll be a day’s mission, tops.” He was being cautiously optimistic about his plan
– trudging through deep snow, dealing with sub-zero temperatures, and having to stay invisible would be a challenge. He could omit all of that from his conversation with Cecilia. Knowing her, she probably was already aware of all of the challenges he would face out of the shelter.
“Are you going to take anyone with you? Steve?”
“No. The less I involve, the better. I don’t want to get spotted and I can’t trust anyone. You, Dad, your mother and Ty are about the only ones I can trust right now.”
“Steve has helped us so much...”
Ryan cut her off. “No. I don’t know much about him. He’s helped us tremendously and he’s done a hell of a lot for Harper Springs but so did Mike, and now look at where we are. I can’t take that chance.” He felt guilty for having those feelings toward Steve. They had become friends but he had to be consistent. If he let his guard down just once, it could be their complete demise.
“So you trust leaving him here while you’re not around to watch us?”
It was a good question that Ryan hadn’t thought about. “If he is somehow involved in whatever the hell this all is, as long as he doesn’t know that we are on to them, everything should be fine. It’s just business as usual. We can tell him I’m out hunting or something.”
“Business as usual,” Cecilia repeated. “What would you like us to do while you’re out there on your mission.”
“Weather permitting, I’m planning on leaving first thing in the morning,” Ryan replied, looking around the room again. He felt like they were being quiet enough that others weren’t hearing. Their cots were far enough away but he also felt like if someone was eavesdropping, it wouldn’t be hard to get the main idea of their conversation. “You can start working on the canning. The sooner we can get everything done, the better. We should probably start preserving some of this snow. Bottle it up in the plastic bottles we’ve been saving. Refill them all.”
“So, business as usual,” Cecilia said again, smirking.
“Yeah. What’s funny about that?”
“Who would’ve thought bottling up snow in used water bottles was normal? Though it’s our way of life now, it just seems funny.”
Ryan’s lips parted in a smile and a small laugh vibrated in his throat. “Good point, hon. I better try and get some sleep. Maybe my mind will shut down for two seconds.”
Cecilia scooted in next to him, the cot too small for both, but neither was willing to let the other go. It was worth the mild discomfort to soak in as much time with her as he could.
Ryan had quoted that it should only take a day to do the digging on Mike Rayburn. His estimate was likely inaccurate but there was no use in fretting over it. Tomorrow was his first step in stopping whatever Mike Rayburn was up to. For Ryan’s family and for Harper Springs – the town deserved safety, and Mike was a barrier standing in their way of progressing toward rebuilding and getting their lives on track.
~~
Morning came too soon. Ryan actually slept a lot more than he thought he would and when he woke up, Cecilia was already helping Ty get ready for the day. There were a few more people up and some still remained asleep. He tried to estimate what time it was – with no vantage point and the cellar still dark, there was no way of knowing until he went up to ground-level to see.
Whether or not he got to set out on his mission depended solely on the weather. While the snow had stopped falling right before they went to sleep, it could have easily picked back up. Spotting Steve across the room, Ryan slid out of bed and went to him. He hated that he couldn’t trust him and he’d never admit it out loud to the man.
“How’s the weather look up there?”
“We just cleared the door. Light snow but nothing like last night,” Steve replied. “I’m glad we harvested what we did. Talk about random!” The man smiled, his positive attitude making Ryan feel even worse about developing the attitude he had toward everyone he had been working with.
“Yeah. It’s a blessing and a curse all in one.”
Ryan stretched out and yawned. He could have easily used a few more hours of sleep. The temperature in the storm shelter was chilly in itself, the drafts from the door being opened keeping it cool. Concerns of winter clothing and bedding were the next milestone they’d have to worry about. They had cotton but it wasn’t near enough to make blankets, socks, and sweaters for everyone. At least with everyone together in one small room, the body heat was helping be a natural heater. But how long would that last?
“Steve, I’m going out there today to do more exploring. I’m going to go alone since I really don’t know what to expect. Hopefully I can run across more clothes, blankets, and things to keep us warm. If we have more nights like last night, our luck is going to run out. And something tells me, with the pattern we’ve been dealing with, we’re in for a lot worse than that.”
“Yeah, considering we had record-breaking heat, massive tornadoes, what’s to stop winter from doing the same damn thing?” Steve clicked his tongue on his teeth and shook his head. “You think it’s safe to go alone?”
“Gonna have to be. I’d rather you stay here and take care of things. It’ll be one less worry on my mind knowing you’re here to watch my family and friends. There’s a few guys from the firehouse but Cecilia and Ty seem to have taken a liking to you. And you can help get the canning done. That’s going to be one of our top priorities right now.”
Ryan quickly shoved aside the warnings from his conscience. Most of what he was saying to Steve was true. Cecilia and Ty had bonded with Steve. And if he had to choose someone to help with his family, it’d be Steve, even if he couldn’t trust him completely. He hadn’t shown any signs of being on the looters side but keeping quiet was a decision Ryan had decided to make with everyone, with the exception of letting Cecilia in on it.
The world had shot them off into a different time. The days of worrying about feelings being hurt and coddling people were over. Ryan was doing this for the good of mankind. And as far as he could tell, Steve didn’t suspect a damn thing. This was just another one of Ryan’s escapades out into the wild. He was on the search for more supplies – he was just choosing to omit the biggest reason he was heading out.
“Yeah, Ryan, we’ll take care of everything here. It seems like we’re making you do all the dirty work. Past the canning, what else do we have to do? Sit around?”
Ryan patted Steve’s arm and laughed. “Steve, my friend, that is the hardest of all. Watching the time pass by with not much to do. Maybe y’all can figure out what we can do with that cotton. And if you happen to hunt anything else, save the fur. It’ll all be useful when it comes down to making warm clothes and blankets.”
“We’ll see what we can come up with.” Steve shook his hand. “How long do I need to wait before we go looking for you? Being alone is risky. Too bad you can’t pull your cell phone out and give us a call if you need us.”
Ryan grinned and glanced at the floor. “I told Cecilia it’d just be today. I really don’t know how long it’ll be, Steve. Three… four days?” Was he overestimating it now? What if he really did get into some big trouble and needed them sooner?
“You got it, Ryan. Be safe.”
Ryan strode back to Cecilia and Ty. He’d have to say his goodbyes again, leaving them for a third time. He wondered if there would be a day where he wouldn’t have to do this anymore but like they had said multiple times, it was like they were back in the old west days and he was riding off into the sunset.
Ruffling Ty’s hair, he sat beside him on the cot. “How’d you sleep, kiddo?”
“Good! It snowed last night!” There was so much light behind the child’s eyes. Ryan wished he could be as excited about the wintry precipitation.
“It did! Do you even remember what snow looks like? It hasn’t done it much since you’ve been around.”
“I remember! Can I go make a snowman?”
“I don’t think you’ve seen this much snow at once, Ty. I haven’t even seen this much snow at once. You’ll
have to ask your mother if you can. It might be deep enough you’ll disappear.” Ryan forced a laugh. It might be deep enough to devour him, too. He dreaded what he’d have to trudge through once he got out there.
“Ask me what?” Cecilia approached them, handing Ty a bowl of steaming oatmeal.
“I wanna play in the snow today!”
“We’ll have to see how cold it is out there.” Cecilia grabbed Ryan’s hand and led him away from Ty. “Still planning to head out today?”
“Yeah. Steve said the snow is light. If I can get going I might be able to make it back before another blizzard hits.”
“How do you know that? It’s been so crazy, how can you even begin to forecast something like that?”
“I can’t. And if I sit around second-guessing myself I’m going to waste more time.” Ryan leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I’ll be safe. Please, don’t worry.” Telling her not to worry was like telling him not to stress about Mike. “I love you, Cecilia. I’ll see you soon.”
“I love you too, Ryan.”
He ducked her glare. She wasn’t meaning it to be so harsh and he couldn’t blame her. Just like before, he tried to be empathetic. How would he feel if it was her, running around the area with so much uncertainty happening around them? Cecilia and Ty were his inspiration to come back safely.
He gathered up clothes to put in his bag. After layering so many on his body, there wasn’t much left to pack. Losing weight had helped aid Ryan in being able to wear several pairs of pants, most of them fitting over the layer below. He also cut a few squares off of his blanket large enough to cover his head and ears. His baseball cap would help hold it on in the wind. If he could keep his head warm, the rest of his body would stay warm with it. He assumed he looked pudgy with the layers but his appearance didn’t matter – if he didn’t prepare correctly, frostbite and hypothermia would get him fast. With his one day estimate a long shot, he had to get ready for days of exposure once he got out and explored.