Unknown

by Wendy Higgins

  Ash Meadows was stunning with its hills and mountains with both desert beauty and greenery in its shrubs and ash trees. We followed the road as far as it could take us toward the mountain and then parked beneath a copse of trees near a hiking trail into the mountains. The entrance of the trail said “Point of Rocks” and had a board with information, a map, and brochures. I took a brochure and shoved it in my back pocket.

  “Do we need two tents?” Tater asked. “This one fits six.”

  “Just one,” Remy said. “Less work.”

  I looked at the darkening sky. “We need to hurry. It’ll be night soon.”

  We grabbed as much as we could carry and ascended the trail until we came to a semi-flat area surrounded by ash and pine trees. We got the tent up quickly and broke out the gas stove to heat baked beans and Vienna sausages in their cans. We could have eaten them cold, but Tater was feeling fancy.

  On our way up we’d passed signs that mentioned a desert oasis, and looking down at the view, I could see why. Amid the mountains and desert plains, scattered with dry shrubs and ash trees, was a spring. In the setting sun it glittered an icy blue. Movement by the spring made my heart nearly stop until I realized it was a four-legged animal with huge horns.

  “Look!” I whispered.

  We all peered down.

  “Bighorn sheep,” Rylen breathed.

  “They’re drinking the water,” I said, worried.

  “Doesn’t look like it’s hurting them,” Remy remarked. “Yet.”

  Tater nodded. “Not sure they’d bother poisoning these springs when people don’t live out here.”

  I pulled the brochure from my back pocket and read through it.

  “That’s King Spring. It says the water from these streams come from an underground aquifer. Fossil water that takes thousands of years to move through the ground.” I looked out at the springs. “Do you think it’s safe? Could we actually bathe in it?”

  “Oh my gosh,” Remy said longingly. “That would be so awesome. We got those vaccinations, so we should be safe, right?”

  “There are different strands,” I said. “Bacterial, viral, we’re not protected against everything.”

  We watched the sheep roam freely, and I envied their lack of care.

  “I’ll jump in that shit,” Tater said.

  I rolled my eyes at him. “Not it on taking care of you when you break out in hives.”

  Rylen chuckled.

  If I weren’t so exhausted, and feeling so worried about my family, I might have gone to explore.

  Right now, all I wanted to do was sleep. I was the first to climb into the tent and bury myself inside a sleeping bag. I don’t even remember closing my eyes, but my brain shut off hard, and I was thankful for it.

  During the night I felt Remy press her body flush behind me, but she felt bigger than normal. And then her unusually heavy arm slung over my waist. If it wasn’t pitch-black in the tent, I would have figured it out sooner. It was the scent of him that made me realize. ‘Wide awake me’ might have discretely removed his hand and put some space between us. ‘Exhausted me’ scooted closer, garnering his heat through the thin sleeping bag separating us. I fell back asleep with the feel of his breath on my neck.

  It was still dark when a barely audible low groan from the back of Rylen’s throat made my eyes flutter. My sleeping bag had slipped down, and we were both covered by Ry’s blanket. In a moment of shock, his strong hand grasped my hip, and he pressed the hardened length of himself against my ass. His mouth came down on my neck and I felt his lips, soft in contrast to the light scratchiness of his facial hair. The heat of his tongue flicked against the skin of my neck just as his hips grinded against me and he held me hard. I gasped as the heat of arousal shot through me so powerful it was almost painful. The sound of my shocked breath froze him. For one split second we were still touching, and I felt him everywhere: his lips, his hand, his really hard—

  Rylen sat up in a rush and whispered hoarsely, “Fuck.”

  A solid beat passed before he unzipped the tent and pushed out, zipping it back. His footsteps sounded like he was going toward the path, walking fast. My heartbeat was pounding in my ears and throat, and every sensitive place on my body. Oh, my God.

  Tater sat up, but Remy kept sleeping.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  It took me a second to find my voice. “He’s probably going to the bathroom.”

  Tater sighed and fell back. In seconds he was lightly snoring again.

  I tried to relax, but it was impossible. I lay there with my eyes wide open, more turned on than I’d ever been and wishing the sensation would go away. Rylen had been asleep. He probably thought I was Livia. That heated moment had not been meant for me.

  But OH MY GOD. Now I knew exactly what I was missing out on, and I would never forget. But it sucked to know he was out there right now, probably feeling embarrassed and ashamed. Should I go to him? Tell him it was no big deal? No. Because it kind of was a big deal. And I hadn’t tried to stop the moment from happening. At all. So I lay there feeling all the things for what seemed like forever.

  When I finally heard Rylen coming back, I yanked my sleeping bag all the way back up. I flipped to my side and lay still, pretending to sleep. He unzipped the tent and whispered in a deep voice, “Tater.” I heard him shaking Tater’s foot, and my brother groaned.

  “Come on, bro,” Ry whispered. “It’s four. Let’s scout.”

  Remy stirred and said, “What’s going on?”

  “You can keep sleeping,” Tater told her. “We’re going to do some recon and be back to plan together.”

  “I wanna recon,” she slurred.

  “We’re just getting a lay of the land,” Tater whispered.

  He closed the tent flap, and I listened as they gathered their things and crunched their way down the path. A minute later the car started and drove away. Once Rylen was far away, I managed to fall back asleep.

  Dawn was lightening the horizon when my eyes flitted open again. Remy was breathing soundly next to me. I shuffled out of the warm bag and felt immediately cold as I opened the zipper and stepped out. I would need to get my fleece jacket from the car, but for now I was focused on the small tin kettle on the gas stove and the two mugs with packets of premade vanilla latte powder inside.

  I’d bet my life Rylen set that up for us. I rubbed my arms as I waited for the water to heat and then turned off the stove and poured two steaming mugs. When I opened the tent, Remy was sitting up, her blond waves a tangle around her face. She let out an animalistic sound when she saw the steaming mug, and it made me giggle. I handed her a cup, and we cuddled into our bags as we sipped.

  I tried, and failed, not to think about what had happened in the night. I would deal with it and try to deflate the situation when Rylen returned. I normally didn’t like to share personal stuff, but I needed Remy’s help to make sure this didn’t happen again.

  “Hey, Rem?”

  “Hm?” She took a sip.

  “Can you sleep next to me from now on?”

  Her eyebrows scrunched. “Why? What happened?”

  “I mean, nothing. I think maybe Rylen was dreaming last night or something, and he got a little snuggly—”

  “Oh, my freaking Gosh, Amb . . . did he have morning wood?”

  I took a calm sip and said, “Maybe.”

  Remy rocked back, her laughter splitting the air. “That is classic! The poor guy. He’s so freaking noble, he’s probably beating himself up about it.”

  “Yeah, well. Sleep next to me from now on, ‘kay?”

  She grinned. “You liked it.”

  I took a sip. Shrugged. Took another sip.

  “You liked it a lot,” she corrected.

  I sighed. “Let’s drop it. It didn’t mean anything. He was asleep.”

  She smiled softly to herself as we drank our coffee in the quiet morning.

  “How long have they been gone?” Remy asked.

  “I’m not sure
. An hour, maybe? No more than two.”

  When we finished our coffee, savoring every drop, we hiked down to Mom’s car and got my jacket, plus a sweatshirt of Tater’s for Remy. My eyes landed on the shower stuff in the trunk and I asked, “Want to take the big pot and gas stove down to the spring so we can wash up?” I felt really grimy.

  Her face scrunched. “I guess. I wish it wasn’t so cold out.”

  “Me too. Let’s make it quick.”

  We ran back to camp for the stove, and grabbed the pot, towels, clothes, and soap from the trunk. The hike down to the spring was awesome. Part of the Preserve were wetlands from the springs, so they’d built boardwalks to cross over marshy spots.

  We got to the clear pool of water and I scooped a heavy potful, then placed it on the fire. Remy was reading a placard stand.

  “It says people aren’t allowed to swim here because it disturbs the algae for pupfish. Ooh, I want to see a pupfish!”

  We dropped to our hands and knees and stared down into the pool until we both pointed at the same time to a tiny, inch-long fish. Then another. There were a bunch. When our water warmed, I carried the heavy pot away from the pool so the soap wouldn’t get in. Remy laughed at how I walked bowlegged to keep the hot pot from hitting my knees.

  “You first,” I told her.

  She looked around. “Should I get all naked out here? What if they come back?”

  “It’s up to you. If you want wet undies, go for it. Otherwise, strip.”

  “But I haven’t shaved in, like, ages.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I swear I won’t stare at your sasquatch crotch.”

  She gasped dramatically. “It’s not sasquatch!”

  I started giggling at her defensive, and she laughed too, giving me a shove.

  “Oh, fine. Whatever.” She took everything off and turned her back to me, rubbing her arms. “Hurry. I’m freezing.”

  I focused on her hair, pouring just enough water over her head for her to start a lather, which she used to quickly wash her body. Then I scooped cupfuls and began to pour them slowly over her head until it looked like the soap was gone. It took more than half the pot. But she had a lot more hair than me, so it should be okay.

  “Done.” I bent and grabbed a towel, tossing it at her. She wrapped it around her body, cinched it under her arm, and squeezed out her hair.

  “Your turn,” she said. “I’m not dressing until we’re done ‘cause I don’t want it splashing on my clothes.”

  Now that it was my turn to get naked I suddenly felt modest. Remy was curvier and more confident in her body than I’d ever been. She put a hand on her hip and regarded me smugly.

  “Not so easy, is it? Just turn your skinny butt around and do it.”

  I sighed and turned, ready to get this over with. But first I peered around to be sure the guys weren’t coming. It was just us and Mother Nature. I quickly undressed.

  “Oh my gosh,” Remy said in a happy voice. “You have the cutest mole right here!” I felt her finger poke the center of my right butt cheek and I jumped.

  “Ah! No touchy! Just hurry up—it’s cold!”

  “See, I told you!”

  We were laughing hysterically at ourselves as she began pouring water over me. It was the most ridiculous thing ever. Who would have thought Remy and I would ever have to shower each other?

  “Make sure you wash your sasquatch,” she sang.

  “Shut up!” I was dying. My ab muscles hurt from laughing and Remy totally missed me with her next pour, dumping it at my feet as she slumped over in a fit of humor. “Give me that, crazy.” I took the cup and did the rest of the pouring myself since we were almost out of water. Finally I was clean. Except my feet, but not much could be done about that. I’d brush them off when they dried.

  We stepped away from the mud we’d created and moved to the boulder that held our clothes. I scrubbed the towel over my head first, then my body. Remy and I were both shivering as we reached for our clothes and hurriedly tugged them on. Then we took turns brushing our wet hair.

  We were gathering our things when I heard a throat being cleared. I stood and spun toward the noise, expecting to see Tater’s amused face, but what I saw instead made my blood freeze. The far side of the pool was lined with huge rocks, and behind them stood five guys in camo. A sixth, beefy guy was crouched on top of the middle boulder with a handgun propped on his knee and a grin on his face. Remy sucked in a harsh breath and moved closer to me.

  How long had they been there? I’d glanced this direction before my shower began, so they had to have snuck up stealthily and hidden behind the rocks.

  “What do you want?” I asked, moving instinctively to block Remy. I really, really should have brought Grandma’s gun down here with me.

  The big guy with the gun kept a smile glued on his face, but his eyes were hidden beneath a camo hat pulled low over his forehead. “You girls with the Disaster Relief Initiative?” he asked casually. He had a seriously southern drawl.

  I swallowed hard. They didn’t look like Drips, and they weren’t in Derp uniforms. Their camo actually looked like authentic military gear. And they were sporting overgrown buzz cuts. My heart started to calm when I realized they might be safe, but I could feel Remy’s terrified breaths on my neck.

  “No,” I said. “Are you?”

  “Let’s just say, not the current government.”

  I looked at the other faces: hard, expressionless, careful. “You guys are Army.”

  The guy gave me a real grin now. “Four of us.”

  A solid African American with wide shoulders and a narrow waist lifted his chin. “Marines.” A shorter, leaner guy on the end with auburn hair and freckles said, “Air Force.”

  “What’s your name?” I asked the main guy.

  “Sergeant Ray Harris. But most people just call me—”

  “Texas Harry,” called a voice from the other side of us.

  “Tater!” Remy gripped my arm.

  Everyone turned and watched Tater and Rylen materialize from behind two trees with rifles in their hands. A wave of relief crashed over me. Tater kept his eyes on the newcomers while Rylen glanced at me. I gave him a nod to show we were okay.

  “No fucking way,” Texas Harry said. “Tate Bait?” He hopped down from his rock and loped around the pool toward Tater. The other guys, as well and me and Remy, started walking over too, but carefully. The two of them met in a back-slapping hug. “I thought you were at Benning.” The guy dwarfed Tater, and my brother was no shorty.

  “I was,” Tater said. “But my family’s here, so I hitchhiked back when Benning closed. What are you doing up here from Huachuca? I figured you’d go back to Texas.” I recognized that base name. It was in Arizona.

  Sergeant Harris snorted. “I did. Whole fuckin’ place where I grew up was a ghost town. Then I heard on the radio people were being taken to Nevada.”

  “They actually said that on the radio?” I asked.

  He gave a nod. “Underground station. Been shut down since then, though.”

  A lull passed as everyone looked around and sized each other up. The guys all nodded, as if passing one another’s assessments. Then they made introductions.

  The marine was Sergeant Devon Price. The airman was Second Lieutenant Sean Wilcott, and the other three army soldiers were Sergeants Matt Nelson, Mark Mahalchick, and Josh Depaul.

  Everyone seemed safe enough for us to speak openly.

  Remy and I turned to Tater and Rylen. “So?” I asked. “How did it go?”

  They addressed both us and the new guys. “They’ve got a whole town set up in that pass between the mountains. All gated. All guarded.”

  “Up where they’re taking all them busses?” Texas Harry asked with a nod. “Supposedly they got those kind of places set up all through the countryside, away from cities. You know someone there?”

  Tater’s face went hard. “My parents. My grandma. His wife.” He inclined his head to Rylen, who stood with his arms crossed. “Re
my’s folks.” He looked at Remy, and all the guys turned to stare at her. Remy eyed them skeptically.

  “You guys saw us washing, didn’t you?” It burst out of her like she’d been holding it in.

  The guys all looked down or to the side, anywhere but at us. Some scratched their necks. I felt my face go hot.

  “Say what?” Tater asked. Rylen stared hard from guy to guy.

  Texas Harry gave an unapologetic slow grin. “We didn’t see . . . much. And we stayed behind the rocks.”

  Remy crossed her arms. “Pervs.” My face was on fire. I hoped they hadn’t heard the stupid sasquatch commentary.

  “Wait, hold up,” Tater said. “Y’all got to see Remy naked?”

  I whacked Tater on one arm while Remy slapped his other shoulder. He jumped away, shielding himself. “I’m just saying! That is wrong. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

  He tried to look serious, but the guys all laughed now, and while I still felt a bit violated and embarrassed, even Remy rolled her eyes and seemed to relax some. Rylen gave me that serious look of his again, like he was making sure I was okay. I let out a huff of air and gave him another nod. We had bigger issues.

  “What else did you find out?” I asked.

  “There’s only one entrance and exit,” Rylen said. “It looks like they’ve got new, basic buildings set up, like barracks or apartments. They had all the people lined up—”

  “Looked like thousands,” Tater added.

  “And they were leading them into a couple of big warehouse buildings.”

  My heart raced. “What are they doing in there?”

  Ry shook his head. “We didn’t hear any gunshots or see any bodies being carried out. My guess is they’re putting the people to work.”

  “Like concentration camps,” I whispered.

  “No,” Remy said fiercely. “These are not Nazis, Amber. How do you know they’re not just keeping them safe? Giving them food and beds or something.”

  The marine, Devon, spoke up in a smooth voice. “They may not be Nazis, but they’re evil as hell. I’ve seen ’em line people up and execute ’em.”

  Remy gave him a horrified look. “Were the people bad?”

  “Bad? Not unless you call five jarheads refusing to leave their post bad.”