Wyatt laughed.
“Heck yeah, you can go. I would love a nice glass of scotch and I know a few ladies who would love to kick back with a glass of wine.”
Harry was looking over the supplies.
“Are you sure you are okay with this,” Wyatt asked, clearly feeling guilty himself.
“If you are going to allow us to stay here through winter and the foreseeable future, it is only right. Besides, a lot of this stuff isn't what we had stored anyway. You saved our lives, this is the only way we can repay you,” he said getting a little choked up.
Wyatt put his hand out and Harry shook it. “Deal.”
“Let me help this strapping young man get all this stuff put away. You two go talk,” he said shooing Wyatt and Megan away.
Evan directed Frankie on which bags to take while he took the heavy stuff.
Wyatt and Megan walked to her favorite place under the birch trees.
“How is she?” he asked.
“Willow? The same. Ryland is with her. It's your mom I’m worried about.”
“Why? What happened?”
Megan put her hand on his thigh, “Nothing. She's fine, but I think she wore herself out staying up with Willow all night. She hasn’t taken any time for herself. She suffered a loss as well.”
Wyatt stared up at the trees.
“I know. I don't know what to say to her. First, my sister. Then I leave them alone and my dad is killed. And now, Jack.”
“Wyatt, don't you dare put this on yourself. You know you had nothing to do with any of those incidents. I think she needs you now. Talk to her. You two are all you have left. Lean on each other.”
He exhaled a long, slow breath.
“I will. I'll go check on her. She'll be okay, Megan. My mom is so strong. After my dad, well, I thought she would be destroyed. She was sad, but she didn't let it consume her. I think we need to keep her busy. She is the type of woman who needs to have her hands doing something, taking care of all of us.”
“What about Willow?” Megan asked.
“I think their combined grief is going to hurt them. Let's have my mom help with Linda and Emma while you or Tara takes over the care of Willow. Give them some breathing room. My mom will dote on the newcomers, which is what she does best.”
“That is a very good plan. I knew you would have all the answers,” she smiled at him.
“Don't try to butter me up, woman.”
She laughed.
“We better get back and make sure those kids didn't find any treats. They'll be sharing with the goats,” Megan said standing and holding out her hand for Wyatt to take.
They walked back to the lodge, hand in hand. Megan felt better than she had in days. Things felt like they were settling into place, once again. She prayed they would make it through the winter without any further loss. They all needed a break. More than that, they needed hope. Hope for a brighter future.
Epilogue
It had been a long two weeks since they returned to the lodge without Jack and Greg. The time had been filled with a lot of tears, but Megan was relieved to feel like they were coming out on the other side.
Wyatt and Harry had made one last supply run, which filled the pantry and guaranteed they would have plenty of supplies to make it through winter comfortably.
Willow was doing much better. Megan had spent the past ten days by her side, talking, laughing and crying together. She had never allowed herself to be so open with another woman, but Willow needed her and Megan knew she needed Willow just as much.
“You ready?” Megan asked Willow who was stirring a bowl in the kitchen.
Her face lit up, “I am.”
“How about you, Rosie?” Willow asked.
She pulled the cover off the surprise they were planning for the evening meal.
“Oh my gosh, I am salivating!” Tara exclaimed when she saw what was under the large lid.
“That looks amazing,” Linda said from her perch on one of the stools at the bar with Emma at her side. She was swirling her glass of wine, taking small whiffs every few seconds.
The women had kicked everyone out of the lodge a couple hours ago. They had asked Brenda to stay, but the poor woman looked like she was going to panic. She was not one to hang out in the kitchen. She preferred to be on patrol or cleaning guns.
“The kids are going to lose their minds,” Willow said. “Don’t you think so Emma?” she asked the little girl who instead of responding ducked her head behind Linda.
Megan picked up her glass of wine, “With the amount of alcohol Harry and Wyatt brought back, we may all lose our minds. At least it isn’t Albert’s moonshine.”
“Hear, hear,” Willow chimed in.
They all giggled at once.
“I think it will be the potato toppings that do it. I have never had freeze-dried sour cream. It is pretty close to what I remember sour cream tasting like,” Willow said, dipping her finger in the dish.
“Thank you again for sharing with us, Linda,” Megan said, gesturing to the feast spread out before them.
“It is nothing, really. I am so glad we have someone to share it with. When my husband bought all this stuff years ago, I thought he had lost his mind. He was ordering cases and cases of all this crazy stuff. We filled an entire room downstairs. I demanded he add some wine to the list. But I think he got a little carried away,” she laughed.
“Well, his getting carried away has worked out quite well for us,” Tara laughed.
Linda sighed, “I wish those horrible men wouldn't have used so much of it. They were so wasteful. So awful in general.” Emma’s arms had crept around her and she hugged her granddaughter to her.
The room grew silent.
“Sorry,” she said, suddenly realizing talk of the men that had held her captive for months brought Jack's death front and center.
“It's okay,” Willow assured her. “We can talk about him. All of them. None of them should be forgotten.”
Tara nodded, her own loss still a fresh wound on her heart.
“Let's set the table. Linda, would you light the candles, please?” Megan asked.
She was truly enjoying herself. It was fun to hang out with the girls. She wasn't worried any of them were going to stab her in the back or gossip about what she was wearing or how her hair looked.
These ladies were her true friends. She felt very fortunate to have met them.
Once everything was perfect, Tara was asked to do the honors of inviting everyone in.
It would be their first big group meal together since the loss. Harry, Linda and Emma were officially a part of the group. This was to be a celebration of life in general.
Everyone filed in the back door. There was a lot of excitement as they all got a glimpse of the table that was set up. There were baked potatoes, venison steaks, corn, and a rice dish set out on the bar. Wine glasses were at each place setting.
The surprise was at the end of the bar, carefully covered to hide what was underneath.
“What is it, mom?” Caitlin asked; and not for the first time.
“You have to wait until after dinner.”
“Have a seat, everyone,” Rosie instructed. “We will be your servers this evening,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.
They all managed to squeeze in around the table. The five women remained standing so they could serve the meal.
Willow picked up a bowl that was stacked high with baked potatoes wrapped in foil. She put one on each person's plate.
Megan delivered her tray filled with small bowls.
“What's that?” Ryland asked.
Megan smiled, “This is sour cream, butter, fresh chives and bacon bits to put on your baked potato.”
Albert let out a whistle, “I haven't had a loaded baked potato in forever!”
Willow went back to the counter and distributed slices of bread, slathered with butter.
Rosie dished out the corn, while Tara followed behind pouring red wine into each of the adult's wine glass.
Megan grabbed the bottle of apple cider Linda said she had been saving for when her grandkids came to visit. They never had the chance to drink it before the Raiders arrived.
“Wait,” she said to Caitlin who was about to take a drink. “We are going to have a toast.”
Linda quickly served the venison steaks that had been resting on the stove.
“This looks absolutely amazing,” Wyatt said, making eye contact with each of the women. “You absolutely outdid yourselves.”
There was a chorus of ‘thank yous’.
“Wyatt,” Megan started, “Would you make the toast please?”
He stood, holding his glass of wine.
“Here's to a fresh start. We will never forget those who gave their lives so we could all be here today. Their sacrifice can never be forgotten. We honor them by moving forward.”
The moment was honored with a moment of silence following the heartfelt tribute before Wyatt shouted, “Let's eat!”
The dinner was lively with everyone asking for seconds. They talked about Jack and although there were some tears, there was a lot more laughter. They shared stories about Greg and Sandra as well. Sandra had acted as the camp grandmother. She was also baking, reading stories to the kids, and provided a shoulder for anyone to lean on.
Bryan spoke fondly of Greg and how helpful he had been in the beginning. Greg had been one of the men who helped push out Kyle's men. He was not a man to be pushed around. He was stern, but had a real soft spot for the kids. They had relied on Greg a great deal because of his knowledge of off-grid living.
Once everyone declared they couldn't eat another bite and the surprise had all but been forgotten, Willow stood, carried the tray to the cleared table and removed the lid.
“Mom! It's chocolate!” Caitlin screamed.
Everyone started talking excitedly all at once.
“Linda has been so generous to share her chocolate stash with us,” Rosie announced. “You are all about to go into a chocolate coma. We have some powdered milk to help wash it down, too!
“What kind of cake is it?” Ryland asked.
Willow smiled, knowing she was about to make his day, “It is chocolate cake, with chocolate filling and chocolate frosting.”
Brenda groaned, “I am thinking about kissing you, Linda.”
Everyone laughed. Brenda was not the type to joke and her dry tone made it even funnier.
“Kids, I'll make you a glass of milk and adults, you can have milk or wine,” Tara announced.
Duke barked, not wanting to be left out of the festivities. Megan cut off a few chunks of the venison, cut up a baked potato and served the ecstatic dog. He scarfed it down and instantly and started to look for more.
The cake was polished off without even a crumb leftover.
“How about a game of Bridge for the adults and the kids can play that Life game they have had their eye on?” Rosie said.
“How about a nightcap to go with it,” Harry said, holding up a bottle of his favorite scotch.
There were more cheers as most of the kids raced upstairs but Emma remained behind holding Linda’s hand. Brenda and the men cleared the table and quickly washed the dishes while Rosie and Tara set up the Bridge game.
Megan and Willow had gone outside together to walk to the outhouse.
“You doing okay?” Megan asked her on their way back.
Willow stopped, inhaled deeply and stared up at the stars.
“I am. I will always miss him, but he would not want me to be miserable. I'm still sad and it hurts like crazy, but with all of you around me, I'll get through.”
Megan held back the tears. She felt the same way. Jack would always be a part of their lives. His presence could be felt everywhere. All of his building projects were reminders of how much he did for them all.
To honor him, they had to keep going. Failure or giving up was not an option.
“Let's go learn how to play this game,” Megan said grabbing her hand. “I have a feeling Linda and Rosie are going to be kicking our butts!”
They drank and laughed and enjoyed the camaraderie well into the night. For the first time in a long time, they could let down their guard and simply enjoy all the good in their lives.
Megan looked at Wyatt. His smile warmed her heart. She was at peace. Right in this very moment, she was the happiest she had ever been in her life. She was going to cherish the moment. Megan knew it may not last forever.
End of ‘Dark Defiance’
EMP Lodge Series Book Three
Blurb
In this new dark world, responsibility for others is a heavy burden.
Megan Wolford is used to handling her own problems, so being part of a makeshift family, and all the responsibilities that come with it, is a new experience. She’ll do anything to help protect her newfound love Wyatt and the lodge group—but sometimes events are out of her control…
When a leak in a nearby dam threatens to flood the land they’ve fought so hard to keep, Megan and her group will have to make a difficult choice: stay or leave? Stopping the flood will require all their resourcefulness, prepper ingenuity and effort—but leaving it will mean the blood lost protecting it was for nothing.
As Wyatt reveals the true hidden value of the lodge, they’ll be forced to dig in and build a set of flood defenses to divert the incoming torrent. But with the leak growing larger everyday the survival of the group is anything but guaranteed—and little do they know, a force more malevolent than Mother Nature is behind the deteriorating dam…
1
Vlad Berezin scanned the area below. Most of the snow from the heavy winter had melted, leaving a beautiful, peaceful scene reminiscent of some of the landscape paintings his grandmother had hanging in their home where he grew up. The lush green colors intermingling with patches of white from the leftover snow reminded him of his favorite painting created in the image of a forest in Yakutia. Like him, the forests in the region were slowly dying.
He used the binoculars to follow the river until it forked. The smaller fork likely irrigated the fields that had once grown food, while the path of the main river snaked all the way down the mountain.
He almost felt bad he was about to destroy the mountain’s tranquility with one explosion. Shaking off the momentary lapse in emotion, he returned to his binoculars, following the river downstream to where it opened into the lake below. The small town that had been built along the lake would be destroyed along with any remaining residents. People died every day; some much more horrifically than he planned. He didn't know them, or care about what happened to the nameless faces.
Vlad looked back up the river to another fork. The small stream seemed innocuous, but that was all about to change.
It was the young woman who had caught his eye earlier. He turned his gaze to the area in which she lived, farther down the mountain. She carried a backpack into a large lodge. He had noticed other people milling about, but it was the woman who had his attention. She looked to be in her late twenties, maybe early thirties. She walked with confidence as if there was nothing in the world to fear. Vlad wondered if his life would have turned out differently if such a woman had ever taken an interest in him. Would he have become the heartless monster he was so often accused of being? Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he took a moment to admire her beauty before pulling himself back to the task at hand.
The time for regrets was over.
He had one job and he intended to complete it before his time on this sorry earth was over. He chuckled to himself as he thought of the cliché “going out with a bang.” He was going to do exactly that.
Vlad put away the binoculars he had been using to watch the woman and picked up his C-4. The pretty lady would probably die, but that wasn't his problem or concern.
Handling the explosive didn't bother him a bit. He could die quickly or continue the slow
death from cancer. A quick death was starting to sound more appealing with each passing day. Unfortunately, his survivor instinct kept him from sticking around when the C-4 was detonated.
Vlad climbed down a small hill and placed the explosive on the wall of the dam that was holding back the spring melt and set the timer on the detonator. Even if he didn't blow it up, there was a good chance the water would erode the spillway and cause a flood. He was simply speeding things up.
He picked up his pack, shouldered his rifle and took one last look around before strolling down the hill being careful not to slip in the mud that covered the hillside.
“Bog prostit menya,” he said in Russian. Hopefully, God would forgive him.
2
Megan dropped the empty pack on the table. It was one of the group's spares. Wiping it out to make sure there weren't any spiders or other critters holed up inside, she was glad she didn’t find any as she realized she should have done this outside.
“You want to help me, Caitlin?” she asked the little girl sitting somberly at the table.
“I guess. Do they have to go, mom?”
Megan smiled at her daughter, “It's what they want. We can't force them to stay here, but I bet we will see them from time to time.”
Caitlin didn't look convinced.
“I'm gonna miss Emma. She’s like, my best friend,” she moaned, pouting with her chin pressed against her hand.
“I know, but you still have Amy, Ryland and Frankie.”
Caitlin heaved a sigh. “It's not the same.”
“No, it isn't the same, but Emma needs to be with her family,” Megan said softly. “You wouldn't want to leave your family, would you?”
“No, but I don't know why they have to leave,” she grumbled.
“Come on. We need to go to the root cellar and grab some supplies for them to take along on their journey. We want to make sure they have everything they need to survive outdoors for a day or two, in case it takes them a while to find a new home.”
EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 60