by Dave Bowman
No cars driving up, no wanderers. Not a sound had emerged from the isolated mountains that surrounded the resort.
They were still reeling from the run-in with the BSC, a vicious Denver gang. Everyone was on edge. Every time the wind blew, they looked up, expecting to see an SUV full of blood-thirsty gang members drive up.
Nick scratched at the short beard he was growing. His eyes scanned up and down the dusty road. It was quiet and empty, just as it had been all night.
If any gang members were out looking for his group, they hadn’t tracked them down.
Not yet, anyway.
Nick was always on guard, even when he wasn’t on watch duty. He couldn’t relax until he got everyone to safety – or as far from the gang territory as possible.
If he had been alone, he would have already been across the Colorado state line. But his friends needed to rest. They had been through hell, and he couldn’t push them endlessly.
Just two days ago, they had fled their home in New Mexico as a forest fire scorched the area. After an encounter with the BSC gang in Denver, they had found Jessa.
But before they could escape, the BSC had found them. The gang had tracked the group down and ambushed them.
Nick’s group had made it out alive and fled the area. They found shelter at the empty ski lodge. Nick had led their four-vehicle convoy to the resort through hours of winding mountain roads. It had been an exhausting journey, but he hoped the distance from Denver and the isolated location would mean that the BSC wouldn’t find them.
Nick had promised they could stay two days to rest. Everyone needed to recover. Charlie, for one, was wiped out. His body was fighting infection and trying to repair itself from a gunshot wound in the shoulder.
The grueling pace and extreme stress had caught up to Bethany, who was heavily pregnant. She had barely left her bed except to eat.
Soon, she would have to face another long journey through the Rocky Mountains. They had to get back to New Mexico where they would be safer.
But Nick couldn’t ask Bethany to take that journey so soon. The last thing he wanted was to put her or her baby at risk.
No, they couldn’t leave just yet. For now, the ski resort was the best place for them.
Everything’s different now. No place is safe. Just a matter of hedging our bets.
His mind flashed to his grandfather’s lodge. He still couldn’t believe it was gone. Society had crumbled in mere days. And his world had fallen apart with it.
But he pushed that thought aside for now. There was no time for looking back. He had to steel himself for the journey to their new home. The sooner they could get there, the better.
Getting there might be the hardest part.
Murderous gangs weren’t the only reason they had to leave the area fast. Grueling work waited for them in New Mexico.
They’d need to locate – or build – a new place to live, get settled, and find food before winter came. If they didn’t get to work soon, they’d face a brutal winter unprepared.
And judging from the frigid night he had just endured, winter was coming early.
Starvation, hypothermia, disease. Nick shuddered, imagining everything that could go wrong if they didn’t have adequate shelter and food, and fast.
Mia had inventoried the food they had remaining. Their precious food stores had been sacrificed to the forest fire, and what they had left was a fraction of their original supplies. Including the food found in the kitchen of the resort, they had enough for about two weeks to feed the eight of them.
One more day of rest at the ski resort would have to be enough.
He squinted to see Matt at the southern entrance. His thirteen-year-old nephew was stationed among a stand of Douglas firs with his shotgun. Nick could just barely make him out.
Yesterday, he and Jessa had surveyed the property. They decided to station two people on watch at all times – one at each entrance to the resort. Matt had volunteered to take the graveyard shift with Nick. The teenager was eager to take on responsibility. Nick felt pride watching his nephew step up to the challenge. And anyway, Nick needed all the help he could get.
The front door of the main hotel opened, and Trina and Jessa walked out. Each had a rifle strap slung over a shoulder. They split up and headed to their designated guard stations. Trina would relieve Nick, and Jessa would replace Matt.
He hated to leave guard duty. But he couldn’t be on watch all the time. Besides, he trusted the others – especially Jessa – to keep things under control. Breakfast and a few hours’ sleep would do him good.
An unexpected noise made Nick snap his head back toward the road.
It couldn’t be.
For a second, he listened intently.
The unmistakable sound of car wheels on the dirt road reached him. He sprang to action, lifting his rifle up.
“Car!” he bellowed to Matt, Jessa, and Trina. He glanced back to see the two women take cover behind some posts near the front entrance of the hotel. Matt ducked behind a tree and clenched his firearm, waiting for the vehicle to appear.
Despite the cold, Nick felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The unseen vehicle continued its approach from the north.
Nick had shown everyone where to hide in a situation like this. None of them should be visible to a passing vehicle from the road. Their four trucks were parked out of sight behind the ski lodge. If they were lucky, the car would continue on without stopping.
Nick took a deep breath. His heart pounded in his chest. He waited, willing his body to be perfectly still. He had to remain unseen behind the thick tree trunks.
A white Dodge Grand Caravan appeared over the crest of the hill.
Nick’s thoughts were racing as he squinted in their direction. He spotted two men and a woman in the vehicle.
They didn’t look like the BSC. The gang members he had seen usually drove flashy SUVs or sports cars, not older minivans. Still, he didn’t make a move, hoping to remain unseen. The last thing they needed was visitors. He didn’t want any trouble, and his trust of strangers was at an all-time low.
A bead of sweat rolled down Nick’s face as the minivan approached. The woman in the passenger seat craned her neck to look at the ski lodge and said something to the driver.
The car slowed down, then came to a stop.
Nick watched them from his hiding place. The three people were talking to each other. They seemed to be discussing whether to turn into the driveway or not. His stomach clenched as he waited.
Finally, the driver turned into the north entrance, passing Nick’s spot by just a few dozen feet.
Once they had passed his location, Nick moved quietly through the woods to watch as they drove into the parking lot and parked near the main entrance of the hotel.
The driver, a young guy with blond hair wearing a plaid shirt, opened his door and stepped out. He looked around as he shoved his hands in the back pockets of his scrubby jeans.
“Hello!” the driver called out. “Anybody here?”
Nick moved to the edge of the forest, weighing his options. These people weren’t gang members, but something about them gave Nick a bad feeling.
They shouldn’t be here.
The woman emerged from the passenger side and slammed the door behind her. She wore flip-flops and shorts, and stood shivering with her arms crossed in front of her. Her bright red hair blew in the breeze.
“Hello!” she called.
A guy in a hoodie and jeans climbed out of the backseat and stood near the couple. He looked around nervously.
Nick watched as the three people, who couldn’t have been much more than teenagers, spoke amongst themselves. He strained to hear what they said.
“Go on, babe,” the girl said to the driver. “Let’s break in that door. No one’s here. We’ve got this big old fancy hotel to ourselves.”
She gave him a little push in the direction of the door, and the guy started off toward it.
Nick stepped out of the woo
ds with his rifle raised. He took a few steps toward the three of them, then stopped in the parking lot.
“Hold it right there.”
2
Three heads whipped around to look at Nick. They were startled. The driver immediately threw his hands up and stood shaking. The other two stared at the man who had addressed them.
Jessa walked out from behind the post with her rifle aimed. The three newcomers turned toward the noise and locked eyes with Jessa.
The second guy, shorter and with a patchy beard, spoke up. “Whoa, we’re not looking for trouble.”
“You guys scared us to death,” the driver said. “We thought this place was empty,”
“Well, it’s not,” Nick said, taking a few steps closer. “So you’d best be on your way.”
“But we need help!” protested the young woman, looking between Nick and Jessa. “We have nowhere to go. We spent all last night driving around these mountains looking for someplace to stay.”
The driver, still with his hands in the air, nodded. “Yeah, there’s nothing out here, except for this ski lodge. We had to leave Denver. It’s overrun with gangs.”
“We know,” Jessa interjected.
“We just barely made it out of there. And around here there’s nowhere to live. This hotel is the first place we’ve seen in a while.”
Nick looked them over. They were underdressed for the cold, especially the girl. They seemed to be totally unprepared for much of anything, much less the end of the world.
“Can’t you spare a room for us to stay in?”
“I wish we could help you out,” Nick said. “But we’re in a tight spot ourselves. You’ll have to find somewhere else.”
There was no way Nick was going to let three strangers stay with them. The kids may have been harmless, but he wasn’t going to risk everyone’s safety for some newcomers. With what he’d been through the past few days, he couldn’t afford to trust anyone. Especially not when they could find their own housing if they looked hard enough.
Besides, the food stores were already low. Three new mouths to feed would just deplete the supplies faster.
“There are plenty of empty houses,” he said. “Just make it out to a bigger road, head south a little, and you’ll have your pick of places to stay.”
The young woman sighed. “But we’ve been all over,” she insisted. “We’re telling you, we haven’t seen anything.”
“You haven’t looked hard enough,” Jessa said. “Go down toward the New Mexico line. The gangs haven’t made it that far, and there are empty houses in every little town.”
The driver’s eyes darted between Jessa and Nick nervously. “It’s not just a place to stay that we need. We’re out of food.”
The second guy piped up. “Yeah, we’re super hungry. We have nothing left to eat.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you,” Nick said. “We don’t have enough as it is. You should be able to find something in the abandoned houses to the south.”
“But this is a matter of life and death,” the driver said. “My girlfriend here, Angie, is sick, and we haven’t eaten much for days. We might not make it out of these mountains.”
“We’ll die if you don’t give us food,” Angie said, her voice raising in tone. “Do you really want that on your conscience?”
Nick felt a twinge of guilt for refusing them food. He lowered his backpack off his shoulder, keeping his eyes on the three people. He found the snacks he’d brought to his guard duty that he hadn’t eaten – dried fruit and a few granola bars in a plastic bag. He tossed the plastic bag to the driver.
“Here, this will tide you over till you find more,” Nick said.
The driver caught the bag and looked up at Nick. “Are you serious? This is barely a snack.”
“Like I said, you’ll find something if you make it to the highway and go south. Do you have a map?”
Three heads shook no.
“I’ll give you directions. You have anything to write on?”
Angie and her boyfriend looked at each other while the other guy glanced at the minivan, trying to recall if a pen could be found in its messy interior.
A look of impatience came over the woman’s face, and she put her hands on her hips.
“You can’t spare any more food than that? I bet that hotel is just loaded with food,” she spat. “And I haven’t had meat in days.”
Nick just looked at her and kept his rifle ready. Maybe they were armed. He had learned not to make any assumptions.
Be ready for anything.
The driver looked at his girlfriend scowling at them. He became emboldened by her tone. He frowned as he finally lowered his hands.
“That’s pretty cold-hearted, man,” the driver said. “Won’t even help somebody out to keep them from starving.”
“We can offer you some water, but not any more food,” Jessa said.
“We have plenty of water, thank you very much,” the driver said. “There are springs in the woods, but no food.”
Angie turned toward the hotel, making big gestures with her arms as she spoke. “And you’re taking this whole place?” she asked mockingly. “It’s pretty big for just two people, ain’t it?”
Nick’s rifle was still raised. In his peripheral vision he could see the post where Trina hid. She hadn’t followed protocol. Instead of coming out to confront the newcomers as they had practiced, she had remained hidden.
“We’re not alone,” Nick said.
“We’re just three people,” he said. “Surely there’s room for three more in that big hotel. Don’t you know how to share?”
Nick glanced at the second guy. He seemed uncomfortable as he stared at the ground, then met Nick’s gaze briefly before turning to the driver.
“Come on, Patrick, let’s find something else,” he said.
Patrick gave him a look. “Shut up, Josh.”
Nick had to keep from rolling his eyes at their childish antics. He knew the trio would find food if they tried hard enough. Besides, he couldn’t give them any more food from their supplies. Bethany was eating for two. Matt and nine-year-old Mia were growing. How could he take meals away from them?
And what if Nick’s group were somehow trapped in the hotel and couldn’t get to more food? The gang could find them, or weather could delay their departure. He couldn’t jeopardize their lives by giving away their food supplies.
“You kids are wasting my time. Get out of here if you know what’s good for you.”
Angie’s eyes narrowed as she stared Nick down. She was seething with rage at being denied what they wanted.
“You heard the man,” Jessa said steadily.
Patrick looked at her rifle, then back at Nick, before kicking at a rock on the ground. “Fine, let’s go, babe. Some people are just so selfish they can’t help anybody else out.”
He opened the car door and hopped in, slamming his door. Angie did the same.
The quiet one, Josh, looked at Nick.
“Can – can I get those directions?”
Nick nodded. “Got a pen?”
Josh opened the sliding door and rifled through a bag in the backseat of the minivan. Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw Trina slip inside the front door of the hotel quietly.
Josh found a pen, but no paper. He wrote the directions Nick gave him on his arm.
“Thanks, man,” he said before climbing in the backseat. Nick nodded and met the driver’s steely gaze before he started the engine up.
The front door of the hotel flew open and Trina ran out.
“Wait!” she shouted, running up to Angie’s open window.
Trina held out a few items of clothing toward the young woman. “Something to keep you from freezing.”
Angie’s eyes met Trina’s for a second. Then she looked down at the clothes and muttered a quiet thank you.
Nick watched as the minivan drove through the parking lot and turned to the south on the gravel road. Once it was out of sight, Matt retreated from hi
s watch station and crossed the distance to join the rest of the group. By then, Mia and Liz had emerged from the hotel and were getting caught up on what had happened.
“Nice job, Matt,” Nick said to his nephew. “You stuck to the plan.”
Nick gave Trina a little smile.
She threw her hands in the air. “I know, I know. I didn’t follow the protocol.”
“You did fine, Trina,” Nick said. “You probably saved that girl from freezing. We’ll go over the protocol again later. For now, I want you to take your watch duty in the rear kitchen entrance.”
“Okay, that’s a new one,” Trina said. “But who’s going to be on guard at the north entrance? It was my turn to be there.”
“I will,” Nick answered.
“Nick, you’ve been on watch all night,” Jessa said. “You need to sleep.”
“I can sleep later,” Nick said. “I want to be around just in case our visitors decide to make a stupid mistake like coming back.”
3
“Did you see the look on that guy’s face?” Patrick asked as he drove the minivan down the road. “Who’d he think he was, Dirty Harry?”
Angie put on her new sweatshirt. “I mean, it’s pretty nice that lady gave me some clothes. But we needed food, too. Like, real food.”
“Yeah, and a place to stay,” Patrick answered. “What a bastard that guy was. They have that big hotel all to themselves and they couldn’t let us stay the night.”
As he drove, he distributed the food, then tore into his own ration.
Josh gobbled down his fruit and granola bar. He leaned his head back in his seat. The energy flooded into his body and made him feel a little better. But he knew the hunger would come back quickly.
He had been desperate for food all night. Maybe the guy at the hotel was right. Maybe they could find something once they got to a highway.
He saw a road sign and looked at the directions scrawled on his arm.
“That’s it!” Josh said, leaning forward to direct Patrick. “Here’s the road that’ll lead us to the highway. That guy said to turn left here.”
