by Eric Vall
I watched the trees, on the lookout for shadows, or any sort of movement, but I didn’t see anything, and Winchester wasn’t growling anymore, so I stood up and led him back toward camp.
“What’s going on?” Bailey asked as I exited the tree line, the girls were all there, armed and ready.
“I’m not sure,” I said, and I shook my head. I knew I had seen movement, and those tracks were fresh. They could belong to someone from our group, but if they didn’t we might be in deep shit.
“Well, what did you see?” Anna asked.
“I saw some movement in the woods,” I told her. “Winchester did too.”
“What was it?” Paige asked, and her voice was serious and low.
“I don’t know,” I said. “But I found some footprints.”
“Footprints?” Tara asked, wide eyed.
“Could they be from someone in the group?” Paige asked.
“It’s possible,” I said. “But we can’t rule out that they’re from someone else.”
“You think we’re being watched?” Bailey gasped.
“Could be.” I nodded.
“Oh my God,” Anna said, and she looked at me slack jawed. “Remember that methed out guy we saw on our way to the cabin?”
“Yes,” I said, and I pursed my lips. “He said he had been watching us.”
“Ew,” Tara said, and her face pulled into a grimace.
“Yeah,” Anna agreed. “But there could be more people like him around here.”
“Anna’s right,” I said. “We can’t be too careful. Everyone stay out of the woods at night, and when you’re on guard duty, make sure to watch the tree line.”
“Okay.” Anna nodded. “I’ll tell Jim.”
“Don’t tell him about the meth guy,” I said. “Just tell him I thought I saw movement over there and to keep an eye out.”
“Okay,” the redhead said, and she ran toward the dorm building.
“Is everything alright?” Cathy asked as we rejoined the group.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I thought I saw something in the trees, and Winchester was growling, so I went to check it out.”
“Did you find anything?” Marla asked.
“No.” I shook my head.
“Could it be another bear?” Justin asked.
“Or a cougar?” Rolly asked. “We had that one earlier this year.”
“Could be,” I said. “Everyone stay out of the woods at night, and if you’re on watch duty, make sure you keep an eye in that direction.”
“Okay,” Donna said with a frown. “Should we be worried?”
“You should always be a little worried,” I said. “But just stay together, and you’ll be fine.”
“I think we can manage that,” Betty said with a smile.
“Good,” I said. “Let’s finish up dinner and head to bed.”
Everyone finished their dinner and drinks, and we all made our way into the dorm building. My escapade earlier had definitely lowered the morale a bit, but everyone still seemed to enjoy themselves, though I kept a close eye on the tree line as we ate. I didn’t see any more movement, but I was wary. If there was someone watching us, what did they want with our group?
I left the girls to cuddle by themselves for a while, and I went up to the roof to relieve Jim from guard duty.
I sat in the single chair on the roof with my rifle in my lap, and I stared at that tree line for what seemed like an eternity. I thought about that quote about staring into the abyss, something about if you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you. I recalled studying it in school, there was a line just before the one about the abyss, and it told the reader that someone who fights monsters risks becoming a monster himself. I thought about the dead men that hung at the road, and the faces of those I had killed to protect my family. I didn’t feel like a monster, but I would become one if it meant protecting those that I loved.
I stared into the abyss of the tree line, just begging it to stare back.
The next morning I headed downstairs to find Dan, Jenny, and Justin all piling into one of the trucks.
“We’re going to go feed the animals,” Dan called out.
“Okay.” I waved to the young man. “We’ll have coffee ready when you get back.”
“Thanks!” Jenny waved, and Dan took off down the road.
It was still dark out, and I made a small pot of coffee. I knew that Paige was on guard duty, and I figured she could use a pick me up. Everyone else was still resting, so I thought I’d let them sleep for a while longer.
“Hey,” I said as I walked out onto the roof with the two cups of java.
“Is that coffee?” Paige asked, and she perked up a bit in her seat.
“Yes,” I said. “I figured you could use some.”
“Yeah,” Paige said, and she yawned. “It’s been quiet up here.”
“That’s good,” I said. “You keeping an eye on the tree line?”
“That’s where I’ve mostly been looking,” the brunette said, and I realized her chair was pointed in that direction. “The footprint thing has me a bit on edge.”
“Me too,” I said. “Mind if I sit?”
“Not at all.” Paige smiled, and she stood up so I could sit in the chair, then she sat on my lap and snuggled her head into my neck.
“Thanks for keeping watch,” I said. “You and I have been on nights the past few days, I’ll ask Anna and Bailey to take tonight for us.”
“I don’t mind,” Paige said, then she chuckled. “But I would feel especially safe with Bailey up here.”
“Safer than with you up here?” I raised a brow at the brunette.
“She’s a better shot,” Paige said with a shrug.
“She is a good shot,” I laughed.
“Where’s Winchester?” Paige asked.
“Where do you think?” I asked wryly.
“Curled up at Bailey’s feet,” she said, and she rolled her eyes and laughed. “I was basically the first one he met out of the group, but she’s still his favorite, I don’t get it.”
“Really?” I said. “You don’t get it?”
“Yeah,” Paige sighed. “I guess I do, I just wanted him to like me the most. Is that mean?”
“No,” I laughed. “But he does love you, dogs just tend to have one person they bond with the most.”
“Yeah,” the pretty brunette said with a nod. “I call dibs on the next dog, though.”
“I don’t think it works like that,” I chuckled.
“Yeah,” Paige laughed. “It didn’t work out so well for me last time.”
“He’s a good dog,” I said. “He tried to protect Bailey from the bear.”
“He did?” Paige asked, and her brown eyes grew wide.
“Yeah,” I said. “We split off in different directions, and he went with her and stood between her and the bear.”
“That’s so sweet,” the brunette said.
I took a long look at Paige’s face, her nose and cheeks were slightly red from the cold morning air, and her usual messy bun had started to fall down, so I reached back and pulled her hair free, and it fell around my arm in a long brown wave that swayed back and forth as she shook her head.
“You’re beautiful,” I told her with a smile.
“Thanks.” She blushed and looked down.
I gently put my hand on her chin and lifted her face to meet mine, then I kissed her softly, and I felt her arms wrap around my neck.
“Ahem,” Anna said, and I turned to see her, Bailey, Tara, and Winchester standing in the doorway. “Are we interrupting?”
“I’d say so,” I chuckled.
“Oh, did Rolly make coffee?” Tara asked, and she smiled when she saw my cup.
“No.” I shook my head. “I did.”
“Oh,” Tara said with a frown. “Is Rolly up yet?”
“You know,” I laughed. “Rolly can’t make your coffee forever, eventually you’ll have to drink mine.”
“Nah,” the platinum blo
nde shook her head. “I’ll make it then.”
“And you shut your mouth,” Anna teased. “Rolly is going to live forever and ever.”
“I didn’t mean he would die,” I said. “I just meant maybe he’ll want to live with Betty, eventually.”
“They can live here,” Bailey said without an ounce of humor.
“Okay.” I nodded and laughed at how much the girls cared for the old man. “It’s about time to get going anyway, why don’t you all go wake him?”
“I’ll take over on guard duty,” Anna offered. “Just bring me some coffee when it’s done.”
“Will do,” Paige said, and she climbed off of me.
We left Anna on the roof, and Tara stopped by Rolly’s room to wake him and Betty, and then they met us downstairs at the fire pit.
“Where’s everyone else?” Rolly asked.
“Still sleeping,” Tara said, then she gave Rolly her puppy dog eyes. “We just really wanted some of your coffee.”
“Woke me up for coffee, eh?” the old man chuckled. “Well, alright.”
“Can’t say I blame you.” Betty smiled, and she took a seat on the bench. “I’d love some of Rolly’s coffee right now too.”
“Didn’t you get enough last night?” Tara winked at Betty, and the old woman laughed mirthfully.
“Keep teasing, and I won’t make you any coffee,” Rolly joked, and Tara turned her fingers against her mouth as if locking it with an imaginary key.
“Seems you’ve found her weakness,” I said.
“If I had known all I had to do was threaten not to make coffee,” Rolly chuckled. “I would’ve done it a long time ago.”
“Oh, you love our jokes,” Tara said. “And if you don’t, at least Betty does.”
“You girls are funny,” Betty chuckled. “You remind me of me and my friends a long time ago.”
“What were your friends like?” the platinum blonde asked.
“Oh, just like you all,” Betty said with a wave of her hand. “Raunchy jokes, getting drunk together, just having girl fun.”
“I bet you were quite the looker in your day,” Paige said.
“She still is,” Rolly said, and he kissed Betty on the cheek.
“Oh,” Paige’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t mean--”
“It’s okay, dear,” Betty chuckled. “I know what you meant, and yes, I most certainly was.”
“I always wanted curls,” Bailey sighed. “Yours are so pretty.”
“We could curl your hair if you want,” Betty said, and she smiled at the blonde hippie girl.
“We don’t have any curling irons,” Bailey said. “Or any curlers.”
“I bet there are some curlers in that dorm somewhere,” Betty said. “And even if there aren’t, I know how to curl without electricity. I’m old, remember?”
We all laughed at Betty’s teasing, then I heard Anna say something from the roof.
“What?” I asked. “I didn’t hear you.”
“Truck,” Anna called down. “Looks like one of ours.”
“Must be Dan, Jenny, and Justin,” I said with a nod. “They headed out early to feed the animals.”
“I’m sure the critters were happy to see them,” Betty said. “They’re good kids.”
“They are,” I said, and I smiled at the older woman.
“Shall we make some breakfast?” Betty asked Tara.
“Sure,” Tara said. “What’d you have in mind?”
“How about biscuits and gravy?” Betty said.
“Doesn’t that require milk?” Bailey asked.
“It does,” Betty said. “But I saw some evaporated milk in the gym, if that’s okay?”
“Be my guest,” I said. Some biscuits and gravy sounded like heaven right about then.
Tara and Betty headed to the gym to collect supplies for breakfast, and Dan, Jenny, and Justin pulled up in the truck.
“That coffee ready?” Dan teased.
“I promised them coffee,” I said aside to Rolly, and he chuckled.
“Almost,” he called out. “Your grandma is gonna whip us up some breakfast too.”
“Yum,” Jenny said, and she held up a basket. “We got some fresh eggs too.”
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that,” Rolly said, and he smiled at the young redheaded girl.
Soon enough the rest of our tribe came down from the dorms and took seats around the fire. The sun was just above the horizon and the sky was still lit with dim pinks and oranges.
“Why didn’t anyone wake us?” Cathy asked.
“Everyone worked hard yesterday.” I smiled. “Besides, it’s only dawn now.”
“Okay,” Cathy said with a frown. “I just hate to be a lazy Larry.”
“Lazy Larry,” Paige chuckled. “I like that.”
“Haven’t you heard that before?” Joanna laughed.
“No.” Paige shook her head. “Negative Nelly sure, but never lazy Larry.”
“Oh, that smells so good,” Donna sighed, and she sat down and looked at the gravy Betty was working on.
“Coffee is ready,” Bailey offered with a smile.
“Yes please,” Mike said, and Bailey passed out cups and poured coffee for everyone.
“You really think we can get the trench done today?” Jeff asked.
“I think we can,” I said.
“Is all the insulation ready?” Marla asked. “Nobody was itchy after yesterday, were they?”
“Nah.” Jim shook his head.
“I think we got almost enough,” I said. “But a few people might want to volunteer to do another room’s worth.”
“I can do it,” Rolly said.
“Well, I’ll help,” Betty said.
“Oh, I can…” Rolly trailed off when he saw Betty giving him a raised brow. “Thank you, dear.”
“Good call,” the old woman said with a grin, and everyone laughed.
After a breakfast of eggs, biscuits, venison gravy, and coffee, we were all ready to start the day.
“Do you think it’s okay to let Winchester lick the pan?” Bailey asked as she looked at the bit of gravy left.
“I don’t see why not,” I said. “You can put it down for him, we’ll wash it later. Now it’s time to get to work.”
I sent Tara and Bailey to check our traps, then the rest of us started toward the trench. On the walk, I inspected the work that had been done the day before. It wasn’t perfect, but it was damn good, and the trench was about halfway done.
By lunchtime we were about three quarters of the way done, and I had gone back and fixed some areas that looked a little shallow. We broke for a lunch of smoked meat and crackers, and Marla made sure everyone drank plenty of water. Merideth took over for Anna on guard duty, and we all got back to work.
I expected that we wouldn’t be done digging until just before dark, but we were able to finish up and bury the line with the insulation just as the sun started to set.
“Guess you were right,” Jeff said as we walked back to the fire pit.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m proud of everyone’s effort today, we should all feel accomplished.”
“Accomplished enough for a few drinks?” Tara asked with a hopeful smile.
“I’d say so,” I said “Everyone should stay for dinner too, if they want to.”
“I won’t say no to good cooking,” Mike laughed.
“Me neither,” Cathy chuckled.
“It’s settled then.” I smiled, and we reached the fire pit so I bent down to get a fire started for us.
“I’ll go let Merideth off guard duty,” Cathy said.
“Thank you,” Anna said, and she smiled at the sandy blonde haired woman.
I got the fire going, and a moment later Merideth came down from her guard post.
“Oh, is it time for supper?” the redhead asked.
“I believe so,” I said.
“I’d like to cook tonight, if that’s okay,” Merideth said.
“Sure,” I said. “What did you ha
ve in mind?”
“I saw that Bailey and Tara caught some rabbits this morning,” she said. “Is rabbit casserole okay?”
“That sounds delicious.” I smiled at the redhead. As much as I enjoyed Tara and Betty’s cooking, Marla had made a great stew last night, and if anybody wanted to cook, I surely wouldn’t stand in their way.
“Great,” the redhead said. “It’s my mom’s recipe from Ireland.”
“Irish girls for the win.” Anna smiled, and she held up her hand, and Merideth gave her a high five. “My mom didn’t have a lot of Irish recipes though, I’m excited to try yours.”
“Oh, it’s good,” Merideth said. “Would you like to help?”
“Sure,” Anna said with a grin, and they started toward the meat shed.
“Looks like you get another night off,” I told Tara.
“I’ll take it,” the platinum blonde said. “I’ll just enjoy my vodka instead.”
“Don’t enjoy it too much,” I chuckled.
“Yeah, yeah,” Tara teased, and then she smiled at me softly. “I know, Tav.”
I smiled back at the platinum blonde and pulled her against me to kiss her on the top of her head, then I looked back to the group and saw Donna quickly look away. I chuckled to myself and leaned back on the bench.
I poured myself a drink and toasted the group. We had accomplished a lot in the past couple of days, and it was nice spending time with them, and not just because everyone seemed to know how to cook, though that didn’t hurt.
I sat back and watched as everyone talked amongst themselves, and Anna and Merideth giggled as they leaned over the pot and made the rabbit casserole. But I also kept a watchful eye on the tree line, and on Winchester, since he had proven to be a great help in spotting danger. I leaned down and rubbed his black head, and he licked my hand.
“That smells delicious,” Betty commented.
“Thanks,” Merideth said. “It will be ready in ten minutes or so.”
I poured myself another drink and noticed Donna and Jeff walking toward the woods, they looked like there were trying to be sneaky, and I smiled at the thought of the two of them together, they hadn’t been the most obvious pairing, but when I thought about it, I figured their personalities meshed well. Honestly, I was just happy that Donna was able to heal and move on from everything that had happened at the Guard camp, so I decided to keep my mouth shut and enjoy my vodka.
