by Brian Quest
“There’s too much snow!”
“Then stay here. I’m going.”
“Fine, I’m coming.” It was obvious Beth was terrified, but she trusted her older sister, so she followed closely behind. Once on the ground, they trudged through the snow, and soon were out of sight of the house.
The night passed slowly for them. They walked and walked, frozen from head to toe. Connie never had walked so much in the snow before, and couldn’t believe how quickly her feet became numb. She worried about Beth, but watching her younger sister, she could see that Beth was stronger than she gave her credit for. So…they pushed on, but quickly realized just how cold and scary the night was.
The rest of the family slept hard, comfortable in the heat of the fire. They all had dreams of the shelter, and what kind of life they would have. No two dreams were the same, but none were bad. In fact, they all had one similarity, and that was that they all were happy…together.
Chapter Eighteen
“Rise and shine everyone!” Debbie sang as she carried a tray of coffee cups to the group. “Time to get up! The snow stopped…it’s moving day!” She actually was excited about the move. For a long time she had known about the shelter, but never actually had been in it. So to her it was a new adventure. She looked forward to it much like she would a long vacation, and hoped she would be able to convince Connie to do the same. “I made some toast and jam. It’s not much, but everything else is packed.” She went back into the kitchen to get the toast while everyone else got up.
“I can’t believe Connie and Beth are still sleeping! They’re usually the first ones up! Deb, can you please wake them? We have a lot to do today,” Andrew said, looking forward to the move.
“Okay, Dad.”
Debbie went up to the bedroom she shared with Connie and opened the door. The blankets were on the floor, but there was nobody there. She thought maybe they had moved to Beth and Amy’s room, so she hurried down the hall. When she threw open the door, she realized nobody had slept there.
“Dad!” she yelled as she ran down the stairs. “They’re not up there!”
“Where in the world are they?”
“I don’t know, but they aren’t here.”
“Maybe they went down to the cellar?”
“The door still is covered with stuff for the move. They aren’t in the house, Dad.”
Concern and fear washed over Andrew and he said, “We need to find them.” He went up to the bedroom and noticed the shutters to the window were wide open and the window was cracked open. He rushed to the window and it was instantly obvious where the girls had gone. “Look, they went out the window. What were they thinking?”
“I knew she didn’t want to go to the shelter, but I really didn’t think she would be stupid enough to run away!” Debbie said, more angry than worried.
“Well, we need to go look for them. Debbie, you stay here with Amy.”
“No way. I’m coming with you.” Debbie looked at Amy and then said, “We both are. She can stick with me.” Amy smiled, wanting to help the family look for her sisters.
“And both of you can stick with Thomas.”
“Yes, sir.” Debbie said, relieved that he was allowing them to help in the search.
Everyone put on all of their warmest clothes and then started out of the house. They followed the steps in the snow and quickly realized the girls had trudged through the snow all the way to the woods. They picked up their pace as much as they could in the deep snow, thankful it would be not as deep under the cover of the trees.
“Connie! Beth!” Andrew shouted. There was no response. Soon, everyone was yelling their names.
Debbie stopped and looked ahead, noticing the footprints in the snow took a turn farther up in front of them. “Look, they turn back toward the ranch!”
Everyone began running, hoping they would find the girls closer to home. They followed the footsteps as they wound around the large trees. “I can’t believe they did all of this walking!” Amy said. “I’m freezing, and the sun is up. They must have been really cold last night.”
“Yeah,” Andrew replied, not wanting anyone to think what he was thinking. With it having been that cold, anything could be waiting for the searchers. He braced himself for anything they might find and kept on walking.
The footsteps led them to the barn, and they all secretly hoped the girls hadn’t decided to take their horses. If they had, they could be anywhere by now. When they went into the barn, it was obvious right away that all of the horses were there. Again, Andrew called the girls’ names, and right away Beth came out of one of the stalls.
“Hi, Daddy.”
“Beth! What in the world were you thinking? We were so worried about you!”
“I know, Daddy. I’m sorry.”
“Where’s your sister?”
Connie came out of the same stall and said, “I’m right here.”
“I cannot believe that you took your sister in the middle of the night like that!” Andrew said loudly, almost shouting.
“Daddy, she didn’t make me go. I wanted to go.”
“But why would you want to leave?” Andrew just didn’t understand.
“I was afraid. I didn’t want to go live underground.”
Andrew almost chuckled and then said, “Jeez! You make it sound like we dug a hole and are moving into it! You’ve never even seen the shelter. So how could you know you don’t want to stay there?”
“I don’t know.” Beth hung her head and said, “I’m sorry. I’ll go to the shelter.”
Andrew turned his attention to Connie. “I know you love our house, but the shelter is so much safer. I wish you could see that. Besides, I think I did a pretty good job of making it light and homey.”
“But it won’t be the same, Dad.”
“I didn’t say it was the same, but it is pretty nice. Trust me, please?”
“Okay, Dad. I’ll trust you. But I don’t think I’m gonna like it.”
“Well, I think you will. Now, come on. We have a ton to do and now we have two hours less to do it. You and I will have a nice long talk after we get to the shelter.” Andrew was firm with his daughter, but knew that since her mother died, it was better to talk things out than instantly go to a place of anger and discipline.
The group went back to the house so they could load up the sleds with all of the things they wanted to bring to the shelter. With everyone working, it didn’t take long, and soon they were ready to hitch the horses to the sleds. They all walked to the barn together, nobody really knowing what to say. So they all stayed quiet, thinking to themselves. After readying the horses, they headed back to the house to get the sleds and take one last look around.
When they were ready to ride off toward the shelter, Andrew looked at the group and said, “Okay, it’s a pretty long ride I have planned out for you guys. Just stick close to each other and if you need to stop, say something. We will be going right to the new barn, and then will walk from there to the shelter. They are really close to one another.”
“I’m ready, Dad,” Beth said, happy to finally get it over with.
“I’m glad. This is going to be fun, really.”
“Yeah,” Debbie said. “It will be an adventure.” She looked over at Connie and said, “Come on, it won’t be as bad as you think. I have all of your magazine pictures that you can hang on your side of the bedroom. You can make it look however you want.”
“I’m over the magazine pictures. I’ll figure out something.” Connie obviously was not as excited about the move as Amy.
Amy was grinning from ear-to-ear. She always was looking for an adventure, and this was the perfect one for her. She already had planned out exactly what she wanted to do with her side of their room, even though she never even had seen it. One time, her dad set up the salt and pepper shakers, along with a spoon and some bottle tops, to give her an idea of what the room was like. So she had been setting it up in her mind ever since.
It took a while to ge
t to the new barn, but luckily it was still light when they did get there. “So, what do you guys think?” Andrew asked when he finally pulled up to the barn. By the time he got there after covering their tracks, the other horses had been put up in their stalls and everyone was waiting just inside the doors.
“It looks great, Andrew. Nice job,” Keith said, visibly impressed.
Thomas had been a part of the process of creating the barn and shelter. So he was well aware of how great everything had turned out. He put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into the project and was very proud of it. “If you like the barn, you’ll really love the shelter!”
“Wait, you’ve known where it was all along? Why didn’t you say something?” Keith asked.
“Because it was a secret. We couldn’t very well tell everyone we knew about it…look at what happened with James. If he had known about it, then who knows what would have happened?”
“Yeah, I guess you’ve got a point.”
Andrew finished stabling his horse and then joined the group. “You guys ready to see your new home away from home?”
Debbie, Amy and Beth hurried to their father’s side, but Connie was slow to move. She wanted so badly to be as excited as her sisters were, but she still had very strong reservations about it all. In her mind, it was bad enough they had had to live a large portion of their lives for the past year indoors, but to have to live literally underground really was upsetting to her. She feared she never would see the light of day or be able to go outside in the fresh air.
They all walked to the hidden door of the shelter and Andrew opened it. A pad of grass and tree branches was stuck to the door, meaning that when it was closed, it would be completely hidden from anyone who passed by. A set of stairs led the group down to the first storage container. It was the living room. When Andrew flipped on the lights, it was obvious to them all that he had taken a long time to make it just right.
There were two couches and a recliner for Thomas. There was no real fireplace, but there was an electric one that flickered and glowed. On the mantle were pictures of everyone and in the center a picture of the main ranch house…with the girls and their mother on the porch. Andrew even had hung a set of curtains on one wall to give it the appearance that there was a window. He had placed an oval braided rug on the floor, just like the one up at the house. These small touches made it look almost like a real living room.
Just off the living room was a small doorway that led to another container. Inside, they found a kitchen equipped with a small stove/oven combo, a small dorm-sized refrigerator for cooling milk and a few other small items. There was a series of cabinets set up along one wall, and a long counter against the other. At the far end of the container there was a table and two benches, large enough for the entire group to sit comfortably. Again, there were two “windows” covered with blue-and-white checkered curtains. The lighting was better than what oil lamps created, and it looked as light and airy as the kitchen in the main house during the day.
From there you could choose two doors to go through, one on each side of the kitchen. The group walked through the first one and into the first of three containers. It was the bathroom that had a shower, toilet and the bank of batteries. It was a basic room, no real frills, but it did have a cabinet filled with fresh towels and linens for the rest of the house.
Passing through the bathroom is where Andrew showed the group the supplies storage area. The girls never had seen so much storage or so many supplies. She was not only impressed with her father, but so excited to be able to go into the “pantry” and gather what she needed to make dinner and actually go to a kitchen with power!
They went back to the kitchen and on into the next set of containers. What they weren’t expecting was an actual hallway of sorts that led to five doors, one for each of the bedrooms. Andrew’s bedroom was first and it was plain but still comfortable. Thomas’ room was next and it was much like Andrew’s. Debbie and Connie’s room was the third in line, and Connie was very pleased to see it. It was feminine and adult, but still had some sweet, childlike touches. She fought herself against looking too pleased. Beth and Amy’s room was cute and girlie and they squealed with delight. The last room in the hallway was for Keith and Stewart, and they were honored to see Andrew had spent considerable time on it.
Chapter Nineteen
“So, what do you all think?” Andrew said with a look of pride on his face.
“It’s amazing, Dad,” Debbie said. “The kitchen is incredible! I can’t wait to get to cooking!”
“Well, slow down. We have a lot of unloading to do. I figured we could have something simple tonight so you girls have more time to set up your stuff in your new rooms. How about you, Connie? What do you think?”
“I hate to admit it…I mean I REALLY hate to admit it, but it is really nice. You did a great job.” Connie smiled and went to hug her father.
Everyone went outside to begin the process of unloading the sleds. One by one they carried boxes and bags from the cold of outside to the warmth of the shelter. It was hard work, but they all did it with smiles on their faces. By the time they finished unloading and putting the stuff in the right rooms, it was dark and they all were starving.
“I’ll go make some sandwiches. Do you all want coffee?” Debbie asked.
“That would be great, Sweetheart. Thank you.” Andrew was proud of his daughters for all of their hard work.
“Can we have hot chocolate?” Amy asked.
“I’ll make some hot chocolate, too.”
“Yesss!” Amy said, excited to get to living in the shelter.
Debbie made short work of the sandwiches and before long everyone had claimed their seat at the family table. They all were starving. So they scarfed down the sandwiches almost two at a time, which left little opportunity for conversation. Andrew looked down the table at the faces of his family and friends and felt a warmth spread over him. They all seemed happy and satisfied with the shelter…even Connie.
After dinner, everyone moved to the living room for more coffee and hot chocolate and to enjoy the new furniture. They sat in silence, each of them thinking about their own thing…their bedroom, the fact that the shelter looked so much like a real house, people on the outside, the main house, and what life would be like.
“I’m surprised you girls aren’t in your rooms setting things up!” Andrew said.
“I’m too tired! I’ll do it tomorrow,” Beth said.
“Yeah,” Amy added. “I think I am going to go lay down in my new bed!”
Amy and Beth got up and said their goodnights and hurried to their new room. They knew which beds were theirs because their father had painted signs that he had hung over them with their names on them. They lay down and turned off their bedside lights. They lay in the dark, and quickly fell asleep.
In the living room, Andrew and Thomas talked to Keith and Stewart about the next day. Andrew said, “Tomorrow we will have to go check on Emma. The storm was a whopper and she may need some digging out. Thomas, I’ll take Stewart. I need you and Keith to check on the other horses in the morning and then keep an eye on the girls.”
“Sure thing,” Thomas replied, thankful he wouldn’t have to go riding in the cold again. His old bones didn’t like the cold as much as they used to.
“Great. Connie, Debbie, thank you for all of your help today. You handled things like troopers, and that helped Amy and Beth.”
Connie replied, “I don’t think they needed any help, Dad. They were excited about the move and that actually helped me.” She paused for a second and looked around. “This place really is nice, Dad.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Well, I think it’s time for me to hit the sack. You coming, Connie?” Debbie asked.
“Yeah. Well, goodnight guys. Goodnight, Dad.” Connie said, hugging and kissing her dad on the cheek.
“Goodnight, girls. Sleep well.”
After Connie and Debbie went to sleep, the guys spread out on
the living room furniture and finally felt they could fully relax. About ten minutes later there was a loud clank and Beth and Amy came running into the living room.
“Daddy! Daddy! Did you hear that? What was it?” Amy shouted as she ran.
“Calm down. We heard it. We will check, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about. There is a system of vents that go out above ground and a branch probably fell and hit one. Go back to bed. Everything is fine.”
Rubbing their eyes, they walked zombie-like back to their room and went right back to sleep. Andrew turned and looked at the other guys and saw the concern on their faces. “Come on, we’d better check on that noise.”
“I hope that is all that it is. I sure would hate to have to fight off thugs in the night already!” Stewart said.
“I’m sure it is. Keith, why don’t you come with me? Stewart and Thomas, stay here but be ready.” Andrew grabbed his revolver and headed to the coat rack to grab his coat.
“If it’s just a branch, then why are you taking your gun?” Stewart asked.
“Well, you never can be too sure or too safe, right? Come on, Keith, let’s get this done.”
Keith and Andrew walked slowly up the steps, trying as hard as they could to make little to no noise. Once they reached the top of the steps, they took a deep breath and slowly opened the hatch. The trees blocked much of the moonlight, so they turned on their flashlights and began looking around. They had been careful to cover their tracks in the snow. So it came as a huge surprise to find a set of snowshoe tracks that circled around and went in a few different directions.
Andrew looked at Keith and said in a whisper, “Keep an eye out. Someone’s been here. We need to check the barn. You got your gun?”
“Always.”
The two men moved slowly and quietly, following the tracks that led to the barn. The tracks stopped at the barn door and then went off in another direction. After looking around and making sure all the horses were still there and safe, they decided it would be best to look around in the light of day.