Both Jessica and Emily remained silent and lowered their heads. Jacob looked down at the mound of dirt at his feet. Trying to come up with the right words.
"Flash, you were my friend. You saved me more than once, in more ways than one. You kept me sane through all this and never left my side, even when things got bad. I never would have made it this long if it wasn't for you." He paused as a tear ran down his face. Kneeling down he placed his hand in the dirt of the grave. "I hope you're chasing rabbits and running free wherever you are. Good-bye ol' buddy, I love you."
As Jacob stood up both Jessica and Emily wiped tears from their eyes. None of them spoke for a moment as they stood there in awkward silence, each unsure of what to say.
Jessica became aware the sky was starting to darken as night quickly began to move in on them. Jessica knew they'd have to head back to the cabin soon. They didn't want to be out roaming far from it after dark.
Emily turned to her Mother. "Mom, can he come stay with us tonight? We have plenty of room."
Jessica was caught off guard by her daughters question. She hadn't even thought of asking Jacob to come back to the cabin with them. With the chaos and unexpected nature of the situation, that though hadn't even crossed her mind. Even though she didn't think he would do anything to either of them, but there was still a twinge of doubt in the back of her mind. It put her in a precarious situation.
"If he wants to hon. That's up to him." Her eyes locked with his as she spoke.
"I don't want to impose on you, if it's a problem I can be on my way. I'm used to being alone out here, I'll be fine," Jacob said.
He could see the apprehension on Jessica's face. After what she'd done for him he didn't want to impose on her any further. Deep in his mind he though about how nice it would be to have some human company for a change and maybe even get to sleep in a real bed.
Jessica looked up at the quickly darkening skyline. "Well it’s getting dark and it doesn't make much sense for you to stay out here in the cold. We have a nice warm fire, food and a bed you can sleep in. We've got to do something about that bear meat though, we're gonna lose it to the coyotes if we don't. Our cabin isn't far from here." All three of them were looking at the meat they had taken off the bear.
Jacob thought of something his father had told him about a long time ago. Those old stories had come in useful more than once since all this began. Now it looked like they would again.
"We can take some with us and put the rest in the stream. Weigh it down with rocks, the water will keep it cool and the smell out of the air. My dad told me stories about how they did that when they'd stay at the hunting camp when he was growing up."
That was a brilliant idea, Jessica wasn't sure why she hadn't though of doing that herself. It made perfect sense.
"Okay, we'll do that. We better get a move on if we want to get back to the cabin before dark."
The three of them quickly got to work. Emily brought the slabs of meat over while Jessica and Jacob got rocks to weigh them down. Darkness arrived, and by the time they finished up you could barely see ten feet in front of you. Jacob gathered his things and Jessica retrieved the .22 she had left in the woods.
They were able to take one of the bear’s hindquarters with them. There was no talking as they worked their way through the forest. Jacob followed closely behind Jessica and Emily, not wanting them to get too far ahead. The forest was pitch black and made it nearly impossible to see where they were going. Luckily Jessica and Emily had made this trip enough they could easily navigate the path in the darkness. It wasn't long before they reached their cabin.
Before they reached the door to the cabin Jessica handed Emily the .22. "Go inside and put this where it belongs, we're going to put the meat away."
Emily nodded her head, took the gun and headed inside.
Jessica turned towards Jacob who was carrying the hindquarter. "Come with me, I'll show you where we store our meat."
Jessica grabbed a lantern that hung on the edge of the cabin and lit it. The soft white glow lighting up the area around them and enabling them to see where they were going. Jessica led him around the corner of the cabin and then came to a stop. Reaching down she grabbed a set of handles that stuck up out of the ground. Two doors swung upward when she pulled.
"That's our fridge," She said as she grabbed the hindquarter and tossed it down into the hole.
"Aren't you worried about it getting dirty?" He thought it was a bit unusual to just throw meat into a hole in the ground.
Jessica laughed as she closed the doors up and slid a bolt through the handles. "Well it’s lined with plastic and there isn't anything else down there. The depth of the hole keeps anything we store in it cool for short periods of time. We've actually only used it once when I shot a deer earlier in the winter, but that meats all been used up. What we didn't eat right off we smoked so we could have it when we needed it."
This woman seemed to know what she was doing and wasn't a stranger to the woods, at least from what he could tell.
"It's just different I guess. I've never heard of anyone doing that before." He came from a family of hunters and never once could he remember hearing of anything like this.
"It's something my dad and uncles did when they used the camp a lot. I wouldn't have known about it otherwise. Let’s get inside and get something to eat."
Jacob followed Jessica inside. The cabin wasn't huge and didn't have a ton of furnishings. It had a big queen size bed, a set of bunk beds and a dinner table with stools carved out of an old Oak tree. A few other random chairs were scattered about the cabin. There were several old wildlife paintings adorning the walls as well as a NAPA auto-parts calender that had run out back in 1997.
Jacob noticed there was also a loft above the wood stove in the kitchen. He noticed the few windows in the cabin had boards across them. They were almost completely blocked except for a small slit to see out of. Besides the boards across the windows It was a typical hunting cabin from what he had seen.
Emily walked up to him as he was looking around and handed him a glass of water.
"Thanks Emily." Jacob put the glass to his lips and took a drink. The water was surprisingly cold.
"You’re welcome." Emily turned and went back to the kitchen.
Jessica came over to him as he stood there drinking the water Emily had given him. "Feel free to put your things down and make yourself comfortable. Emily is quite the chef. She'll have dinner ready for us soon."
He could see Emily was already opening cans and putting them into pots on the wood stove. Jacob put his backpack and gun in the corner before sitting down in a small wooden chair just outside of the kitchen. Jessica pulled up one of the oak stools and sat facing him. She leaned in towards him and began to speak in a whispered voice so Emily wouldn't hear her.
"Listen, I'm trusting you to stay here with us. If you do anything, and I do mean anything to make me think you're going to hurt my daughter or me, I wont hesitate to kill you. Do you understand me?"
He understood whole-heartedly what she meant and nodded his head yes to the question.
"Good, we won’t have any problems then. You can sleep in the bunk bed." She stood up and walked over to the table. "Now come over here and sit at the table. We may not have much, but we eat at the table in this house."
Jacob moved over to the table and sat down. Jessica joined Emily in the kitchen and brought over plates and silverware.
"Is there anything I can do to help? I kind of feel like a fifth wheel here," Jacob said as Jessica set everything down and walked back into the kitchen.
"No sir. You're a guest in our home. You just sit there and let us take care of you this evening."
He was a bit overwhelmed at finally being back around people. It actually made him somewhat uncomfortable.
"I do appreciate the hospitality, probably more than you realize. It's been a long time since I've gotten to sit down and have a civilized meal with other people."
Jessica and
Emily walked back to the table carrying pots of food with them and placed them upon the table. Jessica sat down as Emily scooped food onto each of their plates. She had made beets, beans and what looked like some sort of stew. There were even fresh biscuits. It was an odd combination of food, but to him it looked like the greatest meal he'd ever seen. He grabbed his silverware and started for the food on his plate.
Jessica grabbed his hand. “We don't eat until everyone's ready, and we say what we are thankful for."
Jacob placed his silverware back upon the table as Emily sat down with them.
"Emily what are you thankful for?" Jessica asked.
The young girl thought for a moment. "I'm thankful for you mom and Mr. Jacob, and we have a roof over our head and food on our table. What are you thankful for Mom?" Emily looked at her mother and waited for her response.
"I'm thankful for you my beautiful daughter. I'm thankful for all we have in these trying times. I'm thankful that Jacob is here to share this meal with us."
Emily spoke again as she turned towards Jacob.
"What are you thankful for Mr. Jacob?"
It took him a moment to choose the words he wanted to say. "I guess I'm thankful to be alive. I'm thankful your mom came along when she did and I get to have this wonderful dinner with two very beautiful ladies. I'm also thankful for Flash and the time I spent with him."
The room was silent for a moment. Jacob could see both Emily and Jessica smiling at him. Jessica touched his hand.
"That was very kind Jacob, thank you. Now lets eat."
The three dug into the food like they hadn't eaten in weeks. The only sounds in the room was of clattering silverware against cheap ceramic plates and the consumption of food. Outside the moon rose high in the sky, casting a subtle light through the slits in the windows. Warmth from the fireplace covered them with a blanket of comfort, a peaceful ending to a chaotic and difficult day.
Chapter 5
Jacob woke to the sounds of early morning life creeping in through the cabin walls. He couldn't remember a time in recent memory when he'd slept so well. He sat up and got out of bed, being as silent as possible he made his way to the fireplace. The cabin was a bit chilly as the fire had burnt down to nothing but a pile of ash and glowing coals.
Taking a few small pieces of kindling wood from the wood box, he placed them on the glowing coals and gently blew on the embers. After a few repeated attempts, the kindling began to catch. Once the flame had taken hold and he was sure it wouldn't go out he put on larger pieces of wood. Walking over to the window by the door he peaked through the slit in the boards. The sun was just beginning to rise and cast a reddish orange hue against the clouds.
He couldn't see anything near the cabin that would be cause for alarm. There was however a large pile of firewood that could use attention. Grabbing his shotgun and removing the large wooden latch that held the doors shut, he opened it. Doing so slowly, trying not to make any unnecessary noise that might wake up Jessica and Emily. He was sure to be just as careful about shutting the door the behind him.
The chill of the morning air hit him almost immediately. There was something magical about the cold air of an early spring morning. It was refreshing, it breathed new life into the soul and helped clear the mind. He saw a splitting maul stuck in a large hunk of wood that was obviously used as the base for splitting. He pulled the maul out and grabbed a piece of wood from the pile, placing it upon the base.
It had been awhile since he'd split wood, but with his first swing it all came back to him. The maul struck the wood squarely, splitting it down the middle into two almost perfect even pieces. He grabbed another log and repeated the process, finding himself quickly getting into a rhythm. It was good to stay busy, it helped keep his mind off what had transpired yesterday. Sweat began to bead down his forehead, he wiped it away and continued, getting lost in the task at hand.
Jessica slowly opened her eyes. She had slept extremely well last night, which was a bit of surprise to her. The air in the cabin was nice and warm, the heat from the fireplace kissing her skin. Someone, either Emily or Jacob had kept it going. Emily was currently sound asleep next to her so it must have been Jacob. She looked over to the bunk he had been sleeping on and noticed he wasn't in it.
She looked towards the door and could see his shotgun was gone, but his backpack still sat by the chair. He hadn't taken off, because he wouldn't have left the backpack. Maybe he was hunting, it was then she heard the sound of firewood being split. It was hard to mistake that sound for anything else.
Jessica slowly slid out of bed, being careful to not wake Emily and walked to the window near the door. Peaking out she could see Jacob splitting wood. He had quite a pile around him and she wondered how long he'd been at it. With a smile on her face she walked to the stove and opened the front door, putting starter materials and wood in. She grabbed a match and struck it against the coarse metal, the flame quickly coming to life.
Lighting the starter materials she watched as the flame greedily licked at the wood. Satisfied it wouldn't go out she closed the door. The stove now roared with the crackle of burning wood. Grabbing a tea-kettle of water and placing it upon the stove, Jessica began searching her cupboards. Soon finding what she was looking for, a jar of instant coffee.
Jacob stopped for a moment, thick beads of sweat now covered his face and soaked through his shirt. He'd already split a fair amount of wood and figured now was a good time to take a break for a few minutes. He'd then tackle stacking the split wood so it could dry. After sitting and resting for a few moments he grabbed several pieces of wood and walked over to where the old woodpile had obviously been. He began placing wood on the pile, doing it just like his father had taught him when he was younger.
“Remember son, stacking wood is like a puzzle. You've got to make sure all the pieces fit, take your time and don't just throw it on there.” His fathers voice echoing in his head.
He chuckled to himself as he thought about it. His father had been a hard man, but now that he was older and had experienced all he had, he appreciated everything he'd taught him. Many of those lessons had saved his life over the last few years. Walking back towards the pile of wood he saw the door to the cabin open and Jessica come out holding two tin coffee cups.
"Good morning," She said as she handed him one of the cups.
"Good morning to you. What’s this?" He took the cup and put it to his lips.
"Well, I figured seeing we don't have guest very often I'd break out the fine china and the luxury items. Still had a jar of instant coffee left, been stashing it away for a special occasion."
Jacob took a sip, his face instantly puckering up. It was bitter, but he hadn't had anything other than water in months and it was a welcome treat.
Jessica took a sip from her cup. "It's definitely not gourmet."
"It is to me, this is quite a treat. The caffeine is probably going to have me bouncing off the walls."
Both of them laughed at the comment.
"Well I figure you can use the extra boost while you split the firewood. I appreciate you doing that for us. It's one of those things I've been meaning to do, but haven't gotten around to. Seems like there's always something to do out here and never enough time to do it."
Jacob took another drink of his coffee. "Not a problem, figured it was the least I could do after all you've done for me."
Jessica smiled and nodded her head. "I'm going to cook up some of that bear meat for breakfast. I'll let you get back to what you're doing. I'll holler when it’s ready."
Jacob couldn't take his eyes of her as she walked away from him. With the chaos of everything going on yesterday, how attractive she was hadn't struck him until now.
Jessica seemed like the type of woman he would have found himself going for under different circumstances. With the madness and chaos the world had plunged into, it had been the furthest thing from his mind. He had a thing for women with long black hair and green eyes, there was just something ab
out them that drove him nuts. Combine that with Jessica's athletic build, confidence and no nonsense attitude you pretty much had his perfect woman.
This wasn't the before times though so he tried to shake his head clear of those thoughts. Taking one last gulp of coffee he emptied the cup and wiped his lips. He placed the cup on a small branch and grabbed another armful of split wood.
Jessica entered the cabin and could see Emily sitting up in bed rubbing her eyes.
"Morning sweetheart. Did you sleep good last night?" She asked.
Emily got out of bed, walked over to her mother and gave her a hug. "Mommy I didn't sleep good. I kept having bad dreams."
"I'm sorry hon. Wanna talk about it?" It wasn't unusual for Emily to have bad dreams. Jessica always tried to make sure she was there to talk if they really bothered her.
"No, I'm okay. Where's Mr. Jacob?"
"He's outside splitting firewood. I'm going to make breakfast. You want to help me?" She enjoyed cooking with her daughter, it gave them a chance to bond.
"Okay." Emily's voice perked up at her mothers question. She loved cooking with her mom. She had been doing it since she was a little girl and was almost as good of a cook as her mother.
The two women began getting ready for the morning meal. Making sure everything was laid out and ready before they started. Soon the smell of frying meat wafted through the air, filling the cabin with a pleasant aroma. Emily set the table while her mother finished cooking, humming a song from one of the television shows she used to watch.
Jessica walked to the door and opened it, hollering to Jacob. "Breakfast is ready."
"Alright, I'll be right in."
He finished putting the last few pieces of wood in his arms on the woodpile and headed inside. The door shut hard behind him as he entered the cabin and made a loud thud, drowning out the sound of a branch snapping a short distance away in the woods.
Three men crouched in the forest, hidden from view. The outline of the cabin could be seen through the fir trees they hid behind. They watched as Jessica opened the door and hollered to Jacob. As Jacob entered the cabin they remained silent, trying not to make any noise. Just as Jacob closed the door one of the men shifted and a small branch under his foot snapped. The other two men turned to face him, each giving him a stern look.
The Returners Page 4