EMP Lodge Series (Book 1): Dark Retreat

by Grace Hamilton

  “Okay, I promise, I won’t say another word about it.” He grinned, “Well, I will certainly try not to. We still on for hunting in the morning?”

  “Yep, I am looking forward to it.” Megan looked back at her daughter, “Is your mom upstairs?”

  Wyatt turned to look into the kitchen, “Probably. She has been working on that puzzle. What’s up?”

  Megan shook her head, “I want to ask her if there are any other plants we should be looking for. Caitlin seems better, but she is still not winning whatever battle is waging in her little body.”

  Wyatt felt a knot swell in his stomach. He was really hoping the little girl would be up and awake by now. What could possibly be wrong with Caitlin?

  12

  Megan got off the bed and stood in the bedroom, looking at the bare walls. This place could be a very comfortable home with a few personal touches. It was safe, secure and there were plenty of people to help. She wouldn’t have to be the sole provider. Megan allowed herself to consider the idea of sticking around, at least until Caitlin was better and back to her old self. There were many benefits to staying—temporarily.

  But could she rely on them when things got really bad? More importantly, could she trust them?

  When she was nine, her dad had given her a signed Seattle Mariners’ baseball. The entire team had signed it and her dad had presented it to her in a special box. She knew she wasn’t supposed to play with it but she couldn’t resist. It was her favorite and she often slept with it under her pillow so her dad wouldn’t see it. When her best friend, Sasha, spent the night, they’d taken it outside to play. Sasha was pretending to be Randy Johnson as she practiced her windup. Unfortunately, her pitch went wide and she accidentally threw the ball into one of the wells on the property.

  Luckily, the well was dry but Sasha felt awful about it and before Megan could say anything, she decided to climb down to get it. Unfortunately, the darkness of the hole hid the real depth. When Sasha jumped in, she ended up twisting her ankle when she landed.

  Megan had run for help, but no one believed her. The adults she thought would help her ignored her. Megan was terrified for her friend so she did the only thing she knew to do—she went into the well and after many hours, scratches and bruises covering the both of them from head to toes, she finally managed to get her friend up and out of the well.

  Sadly, Megan wished that had been her only lesson on counting on others but it had only served as the basis in a long line of disappointments over the years that taught her it was better not to rely on others than to risk constant disappointment and hurt feelings. It all left such deep emotional scars. She didn’t think she could survive being hurt or let down again.

  But she also knew she had to try. If it had only been her in this scary, new world, she would have left already. She had to think of Caitlin. Was it fair to her daughter to raise her in such an isolated environment? Her daughter loved being around people and made friends so easily. She needed to do what was best for Caitlin.

  Megan made the decision to stay with the people who had taken her in and were providing her with the help she needed to take care of her daughter. The driving factor behind her decision was the idea of learning more about how to survive without modern conveniences. How to survive in a world without grocery stores, plumbing or electricity.

  The decision gave her new resolve and she was excited to have somewhere to call home, even if it was only going to be for a little while. She pulled her pack out from under the bed and started to go through it. She wasn’t lying when she said she packed light. Both she and Caitlin each had a change of clothes and her basic survival gear.

  She had used her last emergency blanket the night before they found the cabin. She checked her small headlamp to make sure it still worked. She needed to look for batteries on her next scouting mission.

  She resealed the sandwich bag that held her lighter, matches and the dried moss she always picked up when she saw it. Finding tinder wasn’t always easy so she carried it with her to make starting a fire easier. She had put her knife back in the pack after showing Ryland how to process the rabbit. That would stay in there, along with the multi-tool, paracord and her little first aid kit.

  Yes, she planned to stay, but the past few months had taught her the importance of being ready to go in a heartbeat. The stuff in the drawer wasn’t critical to survival. She could leave it if she had to go in a hurry; all she had to do was grab her daughter and her bag.

  She found the picture she had tucked into the pack at the last minute before they left their house. The picture had been on the fridge for a couple years.

  It was one Caitlin had drawn in preschool. The crayon drawing depicted their little family back then. Derek was holding hands with the little stick figure that was supposed to be Caitlin. Megan’s character had a big smile.

  Those were days she missed. Thinking back to them often brought pain and resentment. Derek had really done a number on her. She couldn’t believe he had betrayed her and then left them as if they were last week’s trash.

  Megan kept the picture for a number of reasons, but mostly to serve as a reminder of what happens when you trust implicitly. You are taken advantage of. She placed the picture on top of the dresser and put the few personal items she and Caitlin had in the top drawer. She stared at their meager belongings in the drawer and felt her breath hitch. Could she make a home here? With Wyatt? With Rosie and the rest of the group?

  She slowly closed the drawer and her eyes were drawn back to her daughter’s artwork. The school! She knew every town had to have a school and that meant there was going to be a nurse’s office or at the very least a stash of medicines and first aid supplies. Maybe someone had left antibiotics at the school. Megan was thrilled and quickly dashed upstairs to find Rosie.

  Instead of working on the puzzle, she found her sitting on one end of the couch with several books spread out around her. She had her little notebook and was jotting down notes. Soft candlelight made it possible to read, but it would certainly strain the eyes after a while.

  “Rosie, what about the school nurse’s office?” Megan blurted out excitedly. “Do you think they would have some leftover antibiotics?”

  Rosie looked up from her notebook, “Maybe. I can tell you we checked every pharmacy from Spokane to here. They were all wiped out; school medical rooms may be the same. Medicine was one of the first things to be looted.”

  The news deflated the excitement Megan felt earlier.

  “She does seem to be getting better. I just need to figure out what it is she is fighting,” Rosie assured her. “These are the times I miss those expensive tests the doctors could do that gave us answers within minutes. We are stuck going the old-fashioned route. Thankfully, I have a ton of medical books. Dale picked these up at library sales and wherever he could. He knew we would have to go back to old school medicine and provided us with the tools, now I just need to find the answers.”

  Megan plopped down on the couch opposite Rosie, sinking into the soft material. “Thank you. I know you’re working hard. It is so frustrating not knowing.”

  They sat in silence a few minutes, “I am going hunting with Wyatt in the morning and would like to check the school after we are finished, just in case. Even if it doesn’t help Caitlin, it may come in handy to have around.”

  Rosie looked at her and smiled, “It sure will. It’s important to stock up when you can just in case you need it down the road; especially since most of the medications have a shelf life far longer than what’s listed on the bottle.”

  Megan realized she had actually let herself think about being here in the future. It felt good to think about the future and not worry about whether they will have food and shelter. Usually, when she thought about the future, she became apprehensive and stressed herself out. Now, it wasn’t so scary.

  Especially with Wyatt around. She had to admit to herself that if he wasn’t a member of this group; chances were that she wouldn’t have had such
a difficult decision to make. Around him, she could be herself and he seemed to appreciate what she brought to the table; unlike Derick whose condescending attitude constantly made her feel less than. It was as though he took great pleasure in belittling her. Wyatt was definitely the better man compared to her ex; heck, he was the better man compared to Chase and Albert.

  WYATT WOKE up earlier than usual. The sun was just starting to put out some color across the dark sky. He had slept on one of the couches upstairs since Caitlin and Megan were in his bed. Chase was on the couch opposite him, snoring away. They were short a bed, so every few nights, Albert, Wyatt or Chase would give up a bed and take the couch.

  Now, they were short two beds. They were going to have to either add on to the cabin or maybe build a new small cabin close by. He would talk to Jack about that. He may actually like having a bit of privacy for him and his wife. Getting materials would be difficult, but between the group, they could come up with an idea or three to transport lumber and other heavier supplies up the hill. He didn’t feel bad about raiding the Home Depot or lumberyard. It was all up for grabs now. The world had suffered a huge blow and commerce wouldn’t be starting up anytime soon.

  It wasn’t hard to wake up. He was excited for the hunting trip and the chance to spend time with Megan. He quietly went downstairs to find his mom already brewing coffee.

  “You’re up early,” he said in surprise.

  She nodded, “I’m going to keep an eye on Caitlin while you two are gone. I figure Megan will feel better if I’m awake, just in case Caitlin wakes up.”

  Megan appeared in the doorway, “If Duke could speak, he would be the perfect babysitter.” She twisted left and right a couple times, “That dog insisted he sleep beside us, which left very little room.” She shrugged her shoulders, “But, sleeping in a bed with a dog is better than sleeping on the ground.”

  She carried her boots to one of the chairs at the table. “You ready?” she asked, lacing her boots up.

  “Do we have time for coffee?” Wyatt hoped she’d say yes because he really wanted some.

  She smiled, “Sure do. It’s still pretty dark and we wouldn’t be able to see tracks or even animals at this point.”

  “Can you imagine what it will be like if you actually get a deer?” Rosie asked in excitement.

  Wyatt smiled, “That is the goal. Steak, jerky, stew...we would be set for a while.”

  Megan spoke up, “How will you preserve the meat if you do manage to get big game?”

  “As much as I would love to keep it fresh, for now, we will have to dry it.” Sipping appreciatively at his coffee, “It will give us a chance to use those fancy dehydrators we built.”

  Megan smiled as she accepted the coffee cup Rosie handed her. “I should have known you would have a plan. You are definitely prepared for this new way of living.”

  “As much as I hate to say it, much of it is wishful thinking right now,” Wyatt told her. “But we’ll get there.”

  Rosie was staring out the small kitchen window, which faced out towards where the garden would go. It was high enough and small enough a person couldn’t fit through, but it allowed some natural light in. “We need a smokehouse like my daddy used to have.”

  Wyatt agreed. “We’ll add it to the list, mom.”

  They had so much to do. His dad had worked tirelessly for years preparing this place, but it seemed like there was always something more to be done. Admittedly, it was hard to plan to live like this when you never had to experience it firsthand.

  His generation and even his parents’ generation never had to worry about finding food or living without electricity. It was a strange, new way of living and it required everyone to have an open mind and be ready to roll with the punches.

  “When fall and winter arrive, we will be able to keep some of the meat fresh. We have an old, gutted refrigerator ready to go. We will bury it in the ground and pack around it with snow and ice.” Wyatt added. “With the average temperatures in this area during the winter, it’s easy to keep meat frozen. Albert is concerned about bears getting to it but we don’t have the lumber needed to build a proper elevated structure for it. We have to do what we can with the supplies available to us.”

  They each drank their coffee in silence for the next several minutes. Wyatt imagined they were all thinking the same thing—meat. Fresh meat. Enough to fill their bellies. The rabbit had been great, but a single rabbit divided between eight people didn’t go far. They had to step up their hunting. It couldn’t be a hobby or something they did when they had the time. It was going to have to be at the top of the list, every single day. And if Megan chose to stay, her hunting and trapping skills would be more than an asset, it could mean life or death.

  13

  “You ready?” Megan asked.

  Wyatt put down his cup, “Yes, let’s grab the rifles.”

  Wyatt led her to a small closet, moving the coats out of the way; he revealed a small arsenal of rifles and smaller handguns. Handing her two rifles, he moved the boots sitting on the floor, which concealed a hollowed out area in the floor filled with boxes of ammunition. Megan realized the floor inside the closet sat a little higher than the floor outside the closet. She wouldn’t have noticed the subtle height difference if she hadn’t seen him purposely move the boots.

  “Wow,” Megan exclaimed. “You really have found ways to hide things in relatively plain sight.”

  “We wanted to be ready to live up here should anything happen. Hiding our weapons in case someone broke in when we weren’t here makes sense. Our lives may very well depend on these weapons.”

  He grabbed some extra ammo and turned to her, “Unfortunately, we didn’t get quite as much food stockpiled as we wanted. Getting that garden going and hunting are really our top priorities.” He put everything back in place, “I am counting on you to teach me everything you know about hunting. My family’s life depends on it,” he said with complete earnestness.

  She held his gaze, “I get it.” She reached her free hand out to lay it on his arm, “You did great here, Wyatt. You took care of your family and you will keep taking care of them. I have a feeling you’re a natural hunter. You will all be eating hearty meals in no time.”

  The duo set off, heading towards the area Megan had come across the day before. She explained to Wyatt how a deer trail is the best indicator of wildlife. The sun had just started to rise, giving them enough light to see. In the heavily wooded area, it was still a little dark, which provided them some cover should a deer happen to wander into sight.

  Megan tried to hide her frustration, but Wyatt’s noisy steps were making her a little crazy. They would never find deer or even a squirrel at this point.

  “Um, Wyatt?” she said in a hushed voice.

  “Yeah,” he said in his natural voice.

  Megan grimaced. He couldn’t see her face because she was walking in front of him. She stopped, turned and held her arm up. She paused, trying to think of how to tell him he sounded like a bull in a China shop.

  “Your mom said you were an ex-Navy SEAL, right?”

  He nodded.

  “So, I’m sure you did tactical missions and stuff like that, right?”

  Again, he nodded, looking a little unsure.

  She put her arm down, “You need to treat hunting like one of those stealth missions. Animals are far more alert than any human, so you need to be extra stealthy.”

  He stood there for a second looking at her. “Are you saying I am being too loud?”

  “Yes!” she hissed.

  He started to laugh, but it was muffled by her quickly putting her hand over his mouth.

  “Wyatt,” she whisper yelled, “Seriously. I want some steak. Do not deny me a steak.”

  His eyes sparkled and she could feel his lips against the palm of her hand stretching into one of those big, heart-melting smiles.

  “Got it, little Miss Huntress. I know better. I wasn’t thinking,” he said by way of apology.

 
Megan nodded and turned around, ready to start tracking again. She could feel his eyes on her and knew he was silently laughing at her little tantrum about wanting steak. It was a moment of weakness, she decided. She was hungry.

  Megan stopped in her tracks and motioned for Wyatt to come closer. She pointed out the hallmark signs of a game trail. Wyatt squatted down and saw the small indention of hoof prints. The trail was nothing more than a muddy line leading into the trees.

  She indicated he follow her. She stopped again, pointing at the ground. Deer scat. They were definitely on the right track. She stopped again, pointing out some young birch trees that looked like they were stripped on one side. She quietly explained these were signs of rubbing. Deer rubbed their antlers against the trunks of trees. They were close.

  “That’s where they are bedding down,” she whispered close to his ear. She pointed out a dense area in the trees that showed signs of something heavy lying in the area.

  Using her head to motion him, they walked about one hundred feet away from the trail.

  “We’ll sit here and wait,” she explained, sitting on the cold ground. It was chilly out, but she had gotten used to the cold.

  “You comfortable with that gun?” he asked, referring to the rifle she was holding a little anxiously.

  She nodded, “Yeah. It’s been a long time. Hunting with an unfamiliar gun is a little weird. It is probably best if you take the shot if we see anything.”

  Wyatt nodded, “You’re right but we don’t want to call attention to ourselves by needlessly shooting off guns and the way sound travels, we would have to travel several miles just for a bit of target practice. Didn’t seem worth it, but I can guarantee that one is sighted in. We took care of it when we first got to the cabin.”

  Megan scanned the area, looking for any signs of deer moving about. This was their feeding time. They sat and waited but Megan couldn’t resist asking. “How is it you don’t have much experience hunting?” she whispered to him.

  Wyatt shrugged his shoulders. “You would think I would have but growing up, my brother and I preferred sports and dad never insisted we learn. While we both can handle most every type of gun, we don’t have any practical hunting experience. Well, more importantly, tracking. I can follow a man’s footsteps just fine, but the nuances of finding a game trail are all new to me.”