by Roger Hayden
They reached what seemed to be the bottom of a hill and walked a narrow dirt path on flat ground. Larry seemed to know exactly where he was going. He no doubt planned to call the forest home for the time being and knew it well. For James, it felt like nothing more than a relaxing nature hike. Larry slowed a bit, gradually stopping and then turned to his side, stroking his beard. His attention was focused into a section of the woods where endless trees, large and small, extended as far as James could see.
“You see something?” James asked.
Larry stared ahead for a moment longer before responding. “Nah. I was just wondering where that old campsite used to be.”
James knew nothing of what he was talking about and simply nodded. “Do you see many people out here?”
“Not if we're lucky,” he answered. “We might run into a camper or hiker. But with everything going on, I wouldn't expect it. We have to be vigilant, regardless.”
“Agreed,” James said.
They couldn't have been more isolated than in Larry's remote cabin. James believed that the most they had to worry about was roaming wildlife. The tranquility of their surroundings gave a sense of comfort and security. He only hoped that it'd last.
Larry resumed his walk as James continued beside him. He could hear running water in the distance, of a stream or creek not yet visible. The straight path soon led to an embankment which appeared to be natural. Below it ran the creek, with water glistening in the sunlight and appearing to be only a few feet deep, but was probably much more. They moved down the slope across earth a ground scattered with rocks and stopped at the edge of the creek. It stretched for about twenty feet across, where the forest continued upward into rolling hills.
Larry knelt and dipped his hand into the water, swishing it around. “This is the blood that runs through the veins of this place.”
James stared into the small, rippling waves of water flowing past them. Stone in hand, Larry rose and skipped it across the water, nearly to the other side. “Good fishing here.” He then pointed across the creek to the other side. “Carol and I once camped right over there before we bought the cabin. Sort of just fell in love with the area soon after.”
James burrowed his heels into the pebbled ground and squatted. He cupped his hands and splashed the cool, refreshing water into his face. “What's the water system for the cabin?”
“We're connected right into the springs. Cabin has damn near everything you could need in our current situation.”
After splashing some more water onto his face, James stood up and stretched his arms. Larry turned and continued walking beside the creek. James walked alongside him on the pebbled ground, observing the reddish-brown leaf-covered branches of the maple trees, pines, and oaks around them. The flowing creek below looked inviting enough to dive in, but he knew that they had work to do.
Larry stopped in a shaded area off the embankment that overlooked a wondrous green valley below. The land sloped between two mountainous ridges. There were tall, wavy grass swayed amid bedrock and pine trees. James had seen nothing like it. They looked to be on the cusp of a wilderness paradise. Larry leaned against a tree, basking in the scenery. James reflexively searched his pocket for his phone, wanting a picture. He stopped and reminded himself once again to forget about his phone.
Larry cleared his throat and then motioned toward the valley and all around them. “This area is good living. We're blessed to have found it.”
“It's beautiful,” James said in agreement.
“There's a fair amount of work to be done out here as well,” Larry then began in a more serious tone.
James had known the discussion of work would be coming sooner or later that day. Work was one of the main reasons they'd been invited to live out there. Larry had been upfront about his intentions from the beginning, and it only made sense that they’d be put to work. It was an even exchange for the most part.
“There's hunting, skinning, fishing, peeling, cooking, and gardening. You name it,” Larry began. “This is what it means to hunker down. This is what living off the land is all about.”
“I'll try my best,” James said.
Larry turned to him with a stern finger in the air. “All those emergency non-perishables we brought are a last resort. We'll ration a little at a time. Everyone pitches in, and there shouldn’t be a problem.”
“How many guns do you own?” James asked, slyly changing the subject.
The question seemed to take Larry by surprise. He studied James, almost suspiciously, and then answered in his usual, vague way. “I have enough guns and ammunition to defend this cabin with. Let’s keep it at that.”
James glanced out into the valley, admiring its vast beauty. “Do you have a map of the area?” he began. “I was curious where the nearest town is.”
“I do,” Larry answered. “Nearest town's Winslow. It's five miles west.”
The town's name had eluded James. It must be small, or he might have noticed signs on the way up, but he still wanted to see it, regardless. As if sensing this, Larry stepped into his path with another stern warning. "I'm only going to say this once; don't venture off without letting me know. And stay away from populated areas. That's the rules."
James opened his mouth, only to be cut off. He tried hard not be offended by Larry’s manner.
Sensing he might have overstepped, Larry explained: "Because you could be followed. Rules keep us safe. Rules keep us alive."
As they continued walking, he then let Larry in on his overall plan, hoping to establish an openness between them. “We only plan to stay for a week or so,” he began.
“Then what?” Larry said, snapping a twig off a branch.
“We hope that the threat level would go down and we could return home,” James said.
Larry tossed his twig away. “I wouldn't expect that to happen anytime soon.”
James looked at him with disbelief. “How can you be sure?”
For the first time since meeting Larry, James began to doubt his judgment. To spend weeks on end, hiding in the woods with no real understanding of what's going on, was absurd. Larry stared out into the valley. “I never claimed to have all the answers, James, but when I make a plan, I stick to it. I owe Carol that much.”
“You've got a working car,” James responded. “Why not take it across state lines?”
Larry just shook his head. “It's that kind of thinking that creates unnecessary risks.” He paused and stepped closer to James. “The roads are hazardous. I'd either get jacked for my vehicle or mobbed. We don't know how far this thing has spread or how long it's going to take to fix. And until we know, we stay here.” His words stopped, with a growing anger seeping into his tone.
“I understand,” James said.
“Then why not stick to the plan?” Larry asked as though he was hurt by the idea of their leaving.
James thought to himself, searching for an answer but couldn't come up with a satisfactory response beyond feeling homesick. He wanted his life back. He wanted normalcy, and the sooner the better. “Because we have family and friends out there,” he finally said. “And we want to make sure they're safe too.”
“So do we,” Larry quickly said. “I've got two sons out there with no idea on their status. You don't think that's tearing me up?”
“Where do they live?” James asked with increasing concern.
“Pittsburgh and San Antonio. They might be okay, we just don't know.”
“Do they know about the cabin?”
“Sure,” Larry said with a shrug. “Won't do them much good from where they're at.”
James turned toward the creek as a splashing sound caught his attention. He saw what looked like a large-mouth bass, shuttling underwater and swimming between the rocks. He approached the rippling water and saw more fish dart past, scurrying toward the bottom.
“We're kind of friends now, right?” James asked Larry, adding a small, wry smile.
Larry looked at him with slight confusion.
“Uh. Yeah, sure.”
James stared into undisturbed forest just past the creek. “Can I look at your map? I'm just curious about what's out here.”
He waited for an answer and then faced Larry who was looking in the same direction he had been. "Larry?"
"It's back in the cabin. I can loan it to you,” he said, almost reluctantly, it seemed.
James thanked him and then tilted his head up, looking into the cloud-filled sky. He hoped to see or hear an airplane or helicopter, anything that indicated an aerial presence and a reminder that they weren't completely alone.
7
Tension Rising
Marla paced the bedroom, trying to get her thoughts straight. James and Larry had been gone most of the day, and she had spent most of her time with Carol. Their hosts were nice enough, and Carol certainly knew a lot, but Marla needed a break. She needed to get away from everyone. They were so confined inside the cabin, four grown adults living together, she didn't know how she could ever really get used to it. But Marla had adapted to situations before. She recalled that studio apartment she had moved into with her mother and three siblings after her parents’ divorce. That had seemed like an impossible situation too.
Fleeing the city with a dedicated survivalist to his hideout cabin was newsworthy in itself, but she had no way to capture any of it. She missed her news team. She missed every person in her life so much. She could hear Carol sweeping the floors of the cabin outside her room. Marla had told her that she had a migraine and needed to lie down for twenty minutes or so. It was no lie. She got migraines all the time.
She had spent the morning with Carol, inventorying food rations. Later that afternoon, and it was already getting late, Carol was to show her the garden out back and how they kept the ground fertile. It was all very interesting, but nothing could quell her desire to find out what was going on in the outside world. As a local news reporter, the virtual blackout was driving her insane.
Marla sat at the foot of the bed, staring at the wall as a thought occurred to her. Finding their own vehicle would be a challenge, but it wasn't an impossibility. She'd suggest it to James once he returned. Getting up, she walked to the window and peeled back the curtains to look outside. The garden was sizable and had plenty of vegetables that were nearing ripeness. The spaded, evenly divided soil was enclosed in chicken wire.
Beyond the garden was the forest that surrounded them, a ground-covering of leaves, all seemingly uncharted, and a small path that led downward. She wondered how safe they really were. They had left their home in such haste without even discussing the risks involved. That was all James's doing. He had made the decision for them.
The sweeping outside her room ceased along with Carol's footsteps. Marla went to the door and slowly opened it, looking down the hall.
“Feeling any better?” Carol asked from the bathroom, startling her.
Marla backed away with a gasp, holding her forehead.
“Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to scare you.”
Marla smiled. “No, I scared myself.”
Carol wiped her hands on a towel, studying her with concern. “Would you like some Aspirin? We have plenty of Aspirin.”
“I took some earlier, thanks,” Marla said. “What's next on the agenda?”
Carol pulled at her overalls as though she had been anticipating the answer. “More gardening.”
“Sounds good,” Marla said, following her down the hall. She glanced inside Carol and Larry's bedroom as they passed it. She saw coat hangers on the wall near the neatly made bed.
Carol opened the front door and they walked outside, into the cool, breezy air. The trees and their swaying branches offered shade between the drifting clouds. Directly parked in front of the cabin was the pickup truck and Larry's station wagon, untouched from the night before. They walked behind the house, passing a large blue tank with a hose running at the bottom.
Approaching the garden, Carol put on a pair of gloves and grabbed a shovel from a nearby bucket. She opened the makeshift waist-high gate and stepped in. The garden was set up in an open space, allowing direct sunlight to shine on it. They had a plastic watering can and another bucket within the same area. Against the cabin leaned a rake and another shovel. Carol knelt next to the sweet potatoes, and began digging around them.
"You can start by helping me pick off these caterpillars," Carol said, tossing Marla a pair of gloves.
Marla's own experience in gardening was next to nothing, but she was a quick leaner. Carol pointed to some fresh tomatoes in the corner and asked if she could start there. Marla knelt next to them and saw small black caterpillars, barely noticeable at first glance, eating the leaves. She pulled them off as Carol called out to her, “Make sure you kill 'em. Snap their heads off good.”
Marla pulled another one off a leaf with tiny parts already eaten away. It looked so tiny and helpless. She winced as she crushed its head with her fingers. Beneath her friendly facade, however, was fear and uncertainty. Their neighbors had climbed into military trucks the night before. She’d lost her news team in the chaos of downtown. There was no telling how many people were injured or dead. But just as soon as she tried to make sense of it, Marla knew there was no point. She had to pretend that the situation was manageable and that they could go on with their lives at some point.
“Hello, ladies,” Larry's voice called out from the nearby bushes. She looked up to see him and James walking together, both of them sweaty. James looked tired and there were smudges of dirt on his cheeks. They had been gone for hours, actually most of the day. She assumed they had went hiking, because of the backpack on James's shoulders.
"Well, if it isn't the men of the house," Carol said, standing up. "Did you catch us a nice buck to skin?"
Larry put an arm around her, squeezing her closer. She took her sun hat and swatted at him, laughing. "No time for that today. We'll catch something nice by the creek tomorrow."
James approached Marla with a look of surprise at her appearance, dressed in an old T-shirt, jeans, and wearing work gloves. He extended his hand to help her up. "Carol's already putting you to work, I see."
Marla stood and brushed the dirt off her jeans. "Having a blast. What about you?"
"Larry was just showing me around," James said. "Took me to the creek, and this beautiful valley. It's really nice out here."
"Oh?" she said, crossing her arms. "Do think maybe I can see some of it?" she asked a tad testily.
James took her arm, laughing. “Of course you can.” He paused and turned to see Larry helping Carol with the sweet potatoes. “How about a walk through the woods?” he asked with a wink.
Marla scanned the garden before them and nodded. “Sure.”
James led her away toward the path into the woods. Larry took immediate notice, looking concerned. James remarked that they were going for a walk.
“Don't be gone too long,” Larry said in a fatherly tone.
“What time is it anyway?” Marla asked, looking around.
“About 4:30,” Larry answered.
He resumed his work as James and Marla continued down the path under the growing shade of tree branches. James held onto her hand as they traversed down a rocky slope that led to a narrow path, seemingly carved from the forest.
“The creek’s just beyond here,” James said.
He was moving fast, but she managed to keep up without a fuss. The dirt path with its sporadic weed patches and gopher holes soon curved and then inclined upward Marla felt better the farther they got from the cabin. She couldn't quite explain it. As they reached the top of the hill, with the creek below, the answer came to her.
She was tired of putting a happy face on everything. She was tired of acting like everything was normal. The glistening creek below was visible far into the distance in both direction, flowing like vein. Marla stood, mesmerized, as James placed his hands on her shoulders. She turned to him and noticed him studying the land, as if surveying the property in all directions. He then spoke i
n confidence.
“We need to talk.”
“What is it?” she asked.
He stepped away and leaned against a tree. “Nothing. Just wanted a little chat.”
“About what?”
James scratched his scruffy chin. “Larry has a map. There's a town not far from here. I think I'm going to check it out.”
Marla nodded. She didn't see why any of it needed to be secretive until James began to elaborate further. “You see, Larry has made it very clear that he wants us to not stray too far from the cabin--”
“Why not?” Marla interjected.
“Because he's concerned that if anyone sees us, they'll follow us and find the cabin.” James held up a hand in Larry's defense. “I agree with him on that, but there's no reason we can't explore a little.”
Marla looked down in thought, while taking his hand. "We need to be careful."
"I just want what's best for us," he said. "As soon as I can get my hand on a vehicle, we'll drive up north to Canada if that seems like the best place to go."
Marla thought of the car keys dangling on the hooks in Larry and Carol's bedroom, but betraying a couple who took them in wasn't going to be something they would do.
"Anything else?" she asked as crows cawed overhead.
"Not now," James said. I just wanted to let you know what I was up to."
They walked hand in hand down the hill, returning to the path. The quiet forest offered a sanctuary unlike anything they could have hoped for. They could always stay put and listen to Larry. Marla had come to terms with their options, if any still existed. But now James was up to something else altogether. Whether it would bring them any closer to home, remained to be seen.
Dinner was served that evening with some unexpected fanfare as Larry unveiled an unopened bottle of red wine. With all four seated at the table, James scooped into a bowl of fresh lettuce and tomatoes from the garden. A nearby wall had several charts and graphs written out with daily regiments and times. Larry and Carol were two of the most meticulous people James had ever come across. Living off the grid, away from civilization, offered full autonomy along with responsibilities large and small. Survival itself based on routine.