His time in the field on the ground in Afghanistan had given him a harsh lesson in what screams of pain sounded like. He never expected to hear it here, on his own land, coming from a woman who’d stolen his heart. It paralyzed him with fear and agony for a split second before instinct kicked in and he tore through the trees that surrounded the cabin.
25
Megan burst through the back door, using her foot to kick the door shut behind her. Her heart raced at the thought that her daughter might be in danger. She’d just gotten her back! No way was she going to let anyone or anything put her daughter’s life in jeopardy again. She called upstairs, hoping Rosie or Willow was around. No one answered her.
She pushed the door open to Wyatt’s room, once again using her foot to kick it shut. Her eyes focused on the closet positioned on the outside wall across the room. A stinging pain cut across her left forearm, causing her to shout. She spun around to see Kyle lunging at her with a knife in his hand.
Megan turned around, putting her back to the charging man in an effort to shield her daughter. He stabbed her again. This time cutting into the flesh at the back of her left arm. The pain was too much and she unceremoniously dropped Caitlin to the ground.
“Mommy!”
Caitlin’s scream triggered an emotional and physical response in Megan that she didn’t know was possible. Spinning again, she balled her right hand into a tight fist and punched with every ounce of strength she had.
While her punch landed on his chest, it was enough to stop the next jab of the knife, but it didn’t disable him. She kicked out with her right foot and hit him square between the legs. She flashed on what Wyatt had shown her in the woods that day.
Reaching out, she grabbed a handful of his hair with one hand, twisting his hair in her fingers as she pulled his head down. Bringing her knee up to smash it into his nose, Kyle swung his knife in an arc forcing Megan to twist to avoid the blade, which weakened her knee raise. His knife missed, but she lost her chance to use her knee to break his nose and she knew she wouldn’t have another.
“Run, Caitlin, run!” Megan shouted at her daughter when she realized Kyle was intent on killing her. The last thing she wanted her daughter to see was her own mother being stabbed to death.
Caitlin staggered to her feet and tried to get around Kyle but he grabbed her with his free hand. Megan saw red and felt like a wildcat in every sense of the word. She started scratching, kicking and screaming at the man to let her daughter go. Her attack surprised him and she landed some pretty good kicks to his shins and stomped down on the tops of his feet with her boots. She managed to scratch his arms and one side of his face deep enough to draw blood.
He pushed her back with such force she landed on her butt so hard she felt like her tailbone had splintered. The blow stunned her, knocking the air out of her lungs. She could only stare in horror as he looked out the door where Caitlin had run. He was deciding whether to go after her daughter or come after her. Megan had to make him come after her.
She quickly jumped to her feet and prepared to attack him again. This time, he was ready. He crouched with the knife in his hand and jumped at her. Megan assumed she’d probably end up with a knife to the gut or chest. It was inevitable. She only hoped it wouldn’t kill her or disable her before she could take him down. She had to give Caitlin time to get away.
She thought her life flashed before her eyes in a blur, but realized it wasn’t her life at all. It was Duke. The dog flew through the air and latched onto Kyle’s arm. The man screamed as Duke bit down. The bite caused him to release the knife as Megan quickly scrambled for it while Kyle started to beat on the dog in an attempt to get him to release his arm.
Megan watched as poor Duke went limp and fell to the ground. She held the knife up, ready to use it on the man who was intent on killing her.
Kyle stared at her, clearly calculating how he would get the knife back. She was trying to look brave and unafraid, but she was shaken to her very core. She didn’t know if she could kill him, but she wouldn’t let him kill her. Megan thought about Caitlin and hoped she’d found Wyatt or one of the others. They’d protect her daughter should this man kill her.
Voices in the distance brought her back to the reality in front of her. Kyle plainly didn’t want to stick around. He ran out of the room so fast she didn’t have time to blink. He was gone. Just like that, he was gone.
Megan stood there with the knife in her hand. She couldn’t believe what happened. A noise at the door got her attention. Wyatt and Jack were rushing towards her. She raised the knife and they both stopped.
“Megan, it’s us. Megan, we aren’t going to hurt you. You can put the knife down, you’re okay.” Wyatt spoke softly as he slowly walked towards her.
“Caitlin?” she whispered.
“Mom has her outside. She’s scared, but she’s fine.” He reached out and touched the hand that held the knife. She felt him gently unwrap her fingers from the handle and heard it fall to the floor. “She’s okay, Megan. You did great.”
Megan looked at him and collapsed against him. Her legs felt like jelly. Her butt was killing her and she realized her arm felt like it was on fire. It was over, though. Kyle had run. Right now, she needed a minute she told herself. A minute to pull herself together.
Wyatt held Megan close. He didn’t know if it was her shaking or his own that was reverberating through them. Rosie carried Caitlin into the room. The little girl was far too frail to walk on her own.
When Wyatt first saw the little girl stumbling through the trees, he was initially thrilled to see her moving on her own, but it only took a split second to realize that was a very bad thing. Megan would never let her out of her sight if she were able. He’d yelled for his mom to grab the girl and sprinted towards the back door.
Seeing Megan standing in his room, blood dripping down her arm, he didn’t know whether to give chase to her assailant or hug her. He chose the latter, hollering at Jack to go out the front.
“It was Kyle,” Megan muttered. “Kyle tried to kill us. He stabbed me.” Her voice was leveling out. He had a feeling she was probably going into shock.
“Jack went after him. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“Caitlin, baby, are you okay?” she wailed when she saw Rosie holding her daughter.
Tears were streaming down the little girl’s face, but she nodded her head. “I’m okay. Mom, you’re bleeding.” Her voice was hoarse from days of no use.
Rosie rubbed Caitlin’s back. “Hey sweetie, let’s go find Willow. She’ll get you something to eat and drink while I take a look at mommy’s arm, okay?”
They disappeared out the door, leaving Wyatt and Megan alone again.
“Here, sit down,” he told her moving her to the bed.
She held out her arm. “I don’t want to get blood on your blanket.”
It was then she spotted Duke. “Duke!” she cried dropping to her knees next to the dog. “Duke. Oh sweetie, are you okay?” She rubbed his head and bent low to whisper in his ear.
Duke groaned and shifted enough to expose his belly. Wyatt sighed in relief. That was a good sign. The dog wanted a belly rub.
“He saved me,” Megan said looking up at him with tears in her eyes. “Kyle was coming after me with the knife. Duke came out of nowhere and bit him. He bit him good. I wish he would’ve torn his arm off,” she said angrily. “Poor Duke got knocked to the ground. What kind of a vet punches a dog?” she asked in bewilderment.
Wyatt bent down and gently rubbed Duke’s belly. “I don’t think he was a vet at all. He was a bad guy that wanted what we had. Sadly, I don’t think it’s going to be the last time we deal with someone who tries to steal from us, but I can guarantee I won’t ever let it get this far again.”
Rosie came back into the room, looked at the dog and then at Megan. “We’ll take care of him in a minute. Let’s check you out first,” she said carrying a small kit into the room.
Megan sat on the bed and Rosie gently
washed away the blood with some wipes. She declared they both would need to be sutured, but they were clean slices and would be easy to stitch. She reached into the bag and pulled out two small packages. Rosie explained they were sterile suturing kits. The needle was already threaded.
The packages were part of the very elaborate supply closet Wyatt’s dad had put together. The pain of the needle threading through her skin was relatively minor compared to the wound itself. It hurt, but she’d survive. When Rosie was finished, she dabbed some raw honey over the stitched cuts and placed clean bandages over the area.
“Wyatt, she’s going to need a hot bath. There’s some Epsom salts in my bathroom. Add some of that to help with the sore muscles and bruising she’s sure to have.” She turned to Megan. “You’ll need to keep your arm out of the water, hon. If you want to wash your hair, I can help you.”
Megan looked away, blushing. “I’ll be okay, thank you. A hot bath does sound good. I need to go talk to Caitlin and let her know everything is okay. Poor kid, she wakes up and nearly dies at the hands of some crazy man.”
Wyatt helped her stand and stuck close as she walked up the stairs to where Caitlin was sitting on the floor playing. She was pale, but seemed to be in good spirits. Ryland was asking her various questions about where she lived, what her favorite foods were and what she wanted to do tomorrow. Megan smiled seeing her daughter get to do something so normal. Caitlin was leaning against the couch, obviously still very weak, but she had a smile on her face that stretched from ear to ear.
The next several hours were busy for everyone in the house. The men searched for Kyle, but never found him. They repaired the alarm system and talked about what could’ve made him do what he did. Why attack Megan and Caitlin? It was agreed she must have interrupted his plans to steal their food and supplies. Nothing else made sense.
Megan soaked in the tub. Her mind whirred as she thought about Kyle’s attack. He was intent on killing her. It was a strange, terrifying feeling to think of someone wanting to hurt you physically. She’d thought she was safe here. As if nothing could happen if she was surrounded by others, but it was her depending on others that lead to this.
She’d thought Caitlin was safe here. She wasn’t. Safety in numbers apparently meant nothing nowadays. Her life was more at risk being in a home with lots of food and water because that’s what everyone wanted and needed.
The events of the day had led Megan to decide to leave. She wasn’t any safer here and she couldn’t put her daughter’s life at risk again. Wyatt had promised over and over that he’d keep them safe. It wasn’t possible. He couldn’t make such promises. Not now. Just because he had a gun, it didn’t make him or his home invincible. She should’ve known better to think she could depend on anyone.
It was best to move on and keep a low profile. No one was going to seek her and a child out. They had nothing. They threatened no one. People would leave them be. She hoped. For now, she’d let Caitlin rest and build up her strength. Then, they were on their way no matter what Wyatt or anyone else thought was best.
26
It’d been ten days since she first arrived at the cabin with her daughter in her arms. Tonight, the moon was high in the sky providing ample light for them to see as they walked. Caitlin was a little groggy, but the cool weather would bring her around. Megan had carefully packed her meager belongings into her pack last night after she told the group she was going to bed. Despite wanting to take nothing from the group, she did borrow, as she liked to think, some basic supplies. Granted she probably wouldn’t be returning the items, she promised to repay them somehow in the future.
She’d filled two empty water bottles with water and hid them under the bed after dinner. A few snacks from the pantry and some bandages from the first aid kit were also added to her stash.
Wyatt had given her a flint rod earlier that would make it possible for her to start a fire. She still had a few matches, but the flint rod would last for months—she hoped. He’d given her a compass instead of stashing it in the hidden bag, in case she needed it to get around. Wyatt insisted she keep one of the headlamps in her room in case Caitlin had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. That was on the bedside table and ready for her to put on.
She took a survival blanket from the stash in the root cellar along with some paracord. She was hoping they wouldn’t miss it since they had a roof over their head and plenty of blankets to keep warm. Megan tried to think of what would get them through the next few days, which should give her enough time to find shelter.
She’d lain next to Caitlin staring up at the dark ceiling knowing she’d miss all the comforts this place offered. As she waited for everyone to go to sleep so she could make her escape, a million thoughts ran through her mind. She was anxious, scared, and a little excited.
The thought of starting over was intimidating, but she wanted to prove to herself that she truly could do it on her own. She didn’t need anyone. The fact that Kyle had been able to get so close to everyone without anyone realizing what kind of a person he was proved that depending on others was dangerous and she was better off on her own.
While she’d been packing her bag, she’d come across the baseball skin from the ball that had fallen into the well so many years ago. Even though, she could no longer read the autographs on it, she refused to let it go. It served as a reminder to her of what happens when you depend on others. It never worked. People had been letting her down all her life. The baseball skin was a reminder of that hard lesson and one she finally accepted. She tucked it back into the inside pocket. Her decision was made.
She knew she was going to hurt them by leaving in the middle of the night, but she didn’t want to deal with the arguments that they would use to try to compel her to stay. She’d made up her mind.
Wyatt probably suspected something was up. He kept trying to talk with her and pry into her sullen mood. She didn’t want to tell him. He’d be offended, angry, and likely hurt by her decision. He’d shown her kindness and she was appreciative, but she couldn’t jeopardize her daughter’s safety.
What if Kyle came back? What if he succeeded in seriously hurting or killing her or Caitlin? It was a risk she wasn’t willing to take.
“Mommy, it’s too cold out here,” Caitlin whined.
Megan hadn’t realized it would be so cold, but the full moon was a blessing and a curse. It provided light for them to see, but it also meant the sky was clear and that meant for a chilly night. She promised Caitlin a warm fire, but first they had to walk a bit more. She didn’t want anyone to see the smoke, in case someone realized they were gone.
After walking for two hours, Megan decided Caitlin had enough. It’d started to rain and she didn’t want to risk Caitlin getting sick. She still tired easily even if she was bouncing back quickly.
Megan put together a lean-to structure like Wyatt had shown her. She used one of the shiny emergency blankets to create the shelter with the paracord to hold it in place between two trees. The flimsy blanket had torn, but was an easy fix with the small roll of duct tape she’d brought along.
She used her headlamp to scout out a few rocks to create a fire ring under the canopy. Wyatt had explained the Mylar blanket would reflect the heat of the fire back into the little shelter, making it more effective.
Unfortunately, there was a bit of a breeze, which threatened the small fire in the early stages. She needed to cover the one side. She quickly found some downed branches and made a small wall that provided a little more protection from the elements for them and her fire.
Wyatt’s lesson on not sitting directly on the ground was also very helpful. She’d used her hands to scrape pine needles into a nice big pile in the shelter. The needles were dry from sitting under the protection of the trees where they fell. Megan got Caitlin settled and had her lay her head in her lap. The shelter helped keep them dry, but it was still cold.
Megan tried to close her eyes to rest, but her mind was racing. Had she made the right move
? Right now, she and her daughter could be warm and comfortable in a bed. They would wake up and have breakfast. The day would be spent laughing, learning and being around good people. Instead, she’d removed them from that and they were on their own in the cold and dark.
It was too late now. She couldn’t go back. She’d finally drifted off to sleep leaning against the tree she tied the blanket to but it wasn’t very restful and it seemed as though mere minutes went by before chirping birds woke her up. The cold and wet was miserable. She sighed, which produced a puff of steam. It was definitely cold out and the morning air was damp. At least, it stopped raining.
She needed to stand up and stretch. Her butt was still sore from the fall and spending the night sitting on the hard ground didn’t help.
Megan carefully moved Caitlin’s head out of her lap. Nature called. Another thing she really missed—the toilet. She grabbed a couple small sticks and put them on the fire. Wyatt had explained that a small fire was plenty. The bigger the fire, the more wood you needed to keep it going, which meant more time away from the fire scouting for wood.
The sun was coming up, which usually always inspired her. She loved to watch the sunrise when she camped out with her dad. It always felt like you were getting the chance to start fresh each day. Today, it didn’t feel quite as invigorating.
Today, the sun’s rising meant she had to walk potentially for days to find somewhere to live. It was daunting. She couldn’t live in the forest for months at least not with Caitlin. They needed a roof over their heads.
Maybe she could build one? That caused her to laugh aloud. She didn’t have the skills or knowledge to build anything. Building a box for a dehydrator and a very crude greenhouse didn’t exactly count as construction experience.
EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 18