by Sharon Dunn
“It just takes longer in the snow and the dark. We’ll come to an open area and then it’s just a little ways after that. It’s at the top of the hill away from the rest of the camp.” Her eyes had adjusted enough to the darkness that she could see his breath when he spoke.
The wind had almost died down completely, and the night had a crisp, cold feel to it.
Nathan said, “Let’s keep moving.”
Every choice they made seemed to be wrought with uncertainty. Would they find the rifle? Would it be enough to protect them against three men with handguns? What if they couldn’t find Lorelei and free her? What if something had already happened to her?
A sense of foreboding and anxiety snaked through her as they stepped free of the trees and buildings.
They came to a sloping meadow filled with snow. The trees that surrounded the rest of the camp had blocked out much of the moonlight. But out here in the open the new fallen snow took on an almost crystalline quality. Flakes glistened like tiny diamonds. A calm came over her as she stared out at the pristine snow. God was in this with them. If they lived or died, they had done the right thing by coming for Lorelei.
“It’s just up this hill,” Nathan said. “Walk around the edge of the meadow where our footprints are less likely to be spotted.”
“It’s really beautiful out here, isn’t it?” she said.
“I’ve always loved it. Too bad you aren’t getting to see it under different circumstances.”
They trekked down into the meadow and up the hill. A large building came into view. Nathan led her to the front door and filed through his keys. She stared down the hill at the way they had come. Underneath the moonlight, the snow took on a blue hue.
Nathan let out a groan.
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m concerned they may have changed some of the locks and not given me an updated key. I have a vague memory of the camp director saying something to me about it.” He shook the doorknob. “With Mom and Dad dying last year, I really wasn’t in any kind of shape to deal with those mundane details.”
“Is there another way in?” Merci bounced up and down to stave off the cold.
“There is no alarm system. We can break a window. You’re small enough to crawl through. Once you get in, I think the back door will open from the inside. Follow me.”
She glanced back toward the camp. Her breath caught. Halfway through the camp, two torches bounced against the blackness of the night. “They’re coming this way.”
He pulled on the sleeve of her coat. “It looks like they are searching the other buildings for food. They’ve got a couple more buildings before they come up this way. We’d better hurry.” He led her around to the side of the building where she could no longer gauge the progress of the thieves as they moved toward the cafeteria.
Nathan stopped and tilted his head. “The window is higher than I remember. I’m going to have to boost you up.” He skirted around, turning on the flashlight and kicking away snow.
“Are you looking for a rock?”
“Anything that we could use to break the window. Then you can just reach in and unlatch it,” Nathan said.
Her boot touched something hard. She reached down and felt through the snow, pulling up a metal cow bell. “Will this work?”
He shone his light on it and took it from her hand. “One of the instruments we used for music class. Someone must not have been too happy with the sound quality and thrown it out. It’ll work for us.” He drew his arm back as though he were about to throw a baseball pitch and tossed the bell.
The bell hit its mark. In the frozen air, the glass had a tinny quality as it shattered.
“You should be able to reach it if you stand on my shoulders.” He put his flashlight in his teeth and held out a cupped hand for her to put her boot into. “I’ll boost you up.”
Her heart raced a mile a minute. “I was never a cheerleader, and gymnastics was not my strong suit.”
“I have every confidence in you,” he said.
She placed her boot in his hand. He groaned.
She froze. “Am I hurting you?”
“Don’t worry about it.” His voice sounded strained.
Merci gripped his opposite shoulder and pulled herself up. She managed to position each of her knees on his shoulders. “I don’t know if I can stand up. Move closer. Let me see if I can reach it this way.”
Nathan wobbled a bit as he stepped forward.
By straightening her spine and stretching her arm, she was able to reach through the broken window pane.
“The latch should be right below the hole,” Nathan said.
She felt around until her fingers found hard metal. She clicked the latch and pushed open the window. She hooked both hands on the bottom of the window frame. “Okay, push me through.”
“Once you get in, check the back door. If memory serves, it opens from the inside even when it’s locked on the outside.” He gave her a final push through and then shouted. “I’ll be waiting there.”
Merci cascaded down to the linoleum floor. Table and chairs lined the walls of the big open eating area. She rose to her feet. When she glanced out the window that faced back toward the camp, she saw the torches as they headed toward the final building before the meadow. Her muscles tensed. They didn’t have much time. Maybe six or seven minutes. She raced down a hallway with closed doors toward what she assumed was the back door Nathan had referenced and pushed it open with force.
A blast of cold air hit her, and she struggled to catch her breath. Panic tickled her nerve endings as she stared out into the blackness. “Nathan?”
She took in a deep breath.
He came around the corner. “They’re on their way up.”
“I know. I saw.”
He directed her toward one of the doors in the hall and pulled out his key ring again to unlock the office. The eating area took up about half the building. The kitchen and pantry must be opposite the offices.
Nathan pushed open the door. He dashed over to a closet behind a desk and pulled out a rifle.
Through the open office door, they could hear the rattling of the doorknob in the cafeteria.
“Do you think they will crawl through the window like we did?”
“They would have to find it first.” Nathan yanked open drawers in the desk. “I don’t think they have that kind of finesse. They’ll probably just break through the door with an ax like they did with the main building.”
Nathan’s mouth dropped open as he checked another drawer. He shook his head.
“What’s wrong?”
“We’ve got a rifle, but no bullets,” he said.
Merci’s gaze darted around the room. “Maybe they are somewhere else?” No matter what, she wasn’t going to give in to defeat. Those bullets had to be somewhere. She walked over to a file cabinet and opened the box that was on top of it. Receipts.
Nathan shook his head. “They were always kept in his desk. I’m sure Dad taught the new camp director to do the same. The camp crew must have taken them when they closed for the season.”
The crack of the wooden door being sliced by an ax became loud and insistent again.
“We have to get out of here.” Nathan ushered Merci toward the office door.
The front door of the cafeteria banged open. The stomping of feet intensified. Though she could not discern all the words, the thieves’ conversation was mostly about food.
Nathan led Merci down the hall to back door. “They will go to the kitchen first. That buys us a few minutes.” He walked on his toes and opened the door only wide enough for them to slip through. “But we should hurry all the same.”
The cold night air assaulted them as they raced out into the darkness.
SIX
As she ran, Merci glanced out at the meadow that was now marred with footprints. “They know we’re here now, don’t they?” She looked over her shoulder at the back door.
Nathan nodded, but didn’t slow his pace
. “Hard to say. They might have noticed the footprints, but our footprints are on the edge of the meadow, not in the middle like theirs.”
“Only two of them came up this way. That means one of them stayed down there…probably with Lorelei.” Merci still hadn’t given up hope that Lorelei was okay. All of this risk couldn’t be for nothing. But what were they going to do without a rifle?
They dove into the shadows the surrounding trees provided.
The priority for the two thieves was food, so even if they had suspicions, they might not come looking for them right away.
Nathan pulled her deeper into the forest. “I know where we can hide until we figure out what we’re going to do.”
He increased their pace enough that she was breathing heavily. He came to a cluster of cottonwoods. “There’s a platform up there.” He pointed at one of the larger trees.
Merci tilted her head but couldn’t see anything but dark branches and sky. “I’ll have to take your word for it.”
“It was built to be camouflaged,” Nathan said. “It was for the paint ball wars they have at the camp.”
She moved a little closer to the tree, hoping to see spikes or wooden footholds in the tree. The trunk was bare. “How do we get up there?”
“We climb up on the tree next to it with the lower branches and then we leap,” Nathan said.
Her breath hitched, and her hands grew clammy. “And then we leap?” She’d never been one to back away from adventure, but her adrenaline and desire for excitement had worn a little thin over the past few hours.
“They’ll never find us up there, and in less than an hour when we have some daylight, it will provide us with a view of the whole camp.”
Merci sucked in a prayer filled breath. “I guess that is what we have to do, then.”
“I’ll go first. Watch which branches I go on.” Nathan walked toward the tree.
Merci stood beneath the tree as Nathan skillfully climbed from one branch to the next. Once he was on top of the shorter tree, he scooted to the middle of the branch that he had straddled. “You can see the platform from here.”
He repositioned himself so his feet were on the branch. He eased up to a standing position, balancing on the branch that couldn’t have been more than ten inches around. The branch wavered from his weight. He stretched his hands out and jumped.
Merci held her breath. She closed her eyes and braced for the sound of a body falling and branches breaking. A simultaneous thud and a grunt filled the air. When she opened her eyes, she couldn’t see Nathan, but she could hear him.
“Now it’s your turn,” he said.
She pulled off her gloves and put them in her backpack. Fear overwhelmed her. “I’ve never been very good at falling.” She stepped away from the tree. “Maybe there is some other way.”
“Merci, the men have left the cafeteria. I can see their torches. You have to come up. We’ll be safe up here even if they search the whole camp.”
She had no choice. This had to be done. She stepped toward the tree. On wobbly legs, she placed her boot on the branch that Nathan had used. The initial climb was easy enough. Each time she pulled herself up a section of the tree, the next branch she should reach for was obvious. She swung onto the last thick branch near the top of the tree. When she looked up, Nathan waited for her at the edge of the platform.
“I’ll turn on the flashlight for just a second when you are ready to leap.”
“Okay.” Her trembling voice gave away her fear. She swung her leg over the branch to a sitting position. Her pulse drummed in her ears as she gripped the rough cold branch and placed a boot flat on it. She lined up her other foot. The branch was thick enough to provide a secure platform for her boot.
Her throat constricted, and her leg muscles felt as if they’d hardened into granite. This was the moment of truth. She was going to have to let go of the branch.
“Ready?” Nathan whispered. He lifted the flashlight, but didn’t turn it on.
“Wait just a second until I’m standing.” She released the death grip she had on the branch and eased into a standing position. The branch bounced. She held out her arms to find her balance. She tilted her head. “Now.”
He flashed the light on and off long enough for her to see the edge of the platform. She bent her knees and jumped. Time stood still as she held her hands out. One of her hands found the rough edge of the platform but the other slipped. Her heart seized. She was going to fall.
Nathan’s strong arms grabbed her hand. She lost her grip on the platform. She dangled by the hand that Nathan held. Her body swung like a pendulum.
His grip on her hand tightened. “Give me your other hand.”
She angled back toward the platform and reached her free hand up. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up, gathering her in his arms.
She shuddered, fighting back tears. Once again, she had nearly died, and Nathan had saved her.
His face was very close to hers. He brushed a hand over her hair. “Not so bad, huh?”
She couldn’t form words, only nod in agreement. He tightened his arms around her and drew her even closer. “Hey, you were pretty scared there.”
She sniffled, but still couldn’t think of what to say. She was trembling. Only the strength of his embrace calmed her.
His face was very close to hers. His beating heart pushed back against her palm where she rested it on his chest. She tilted her head. The rough stubble of his face brushed over her cheek. His lips found hers. At first he grazed over her mouth with his own and then pressed harder. She responded to the kiss, scooting closer to him. A calm like warm honey spread through her.
His lips lingered on hers. He pulled away and kissed her cheek. He opened his eyes, and even in the darkness, the power of his gaze melted her to the core.
“Better?”
She nodded, still not able to come up with the words, but not because she was still afraid. Nathan’s kiss had stolen her ability to use language. She had become a speechless puddle of mush.
“Me, too.” He rested his hand under her jaw. “I’m better now.” His fingers traveled down her neck where her pulse throbbed. He studied her for a long moment. “I hope I wasn’t out of line. I’m not sure why I did that.”
She shook her head. The kiss had been wonderful.
He backed away. His voice lost that smoldering quality. “Maybe it’s just all this life-threatening stuff we are facing.”
Her heart crumbled into a tiny ball. Now he was regretting the kiss. “That must be it,” she said flatly.
He pulled away as an uncomfortable silence descended. They looked at each other then looked away.
After a long moment, he reached over and touched her ear. “Those are nice earrings.”
The inflection in his voice suggested that he didn’t want any awkwardness between them. He was trying to keep the conversation going. “Thanks. I got them at a garage sale right before break.” His touch sent a zing of warmth down her neck. “I get most my things secondhand, part of how I managed to pay for college on my own.”
Noises in the distance caused both of them to sit up. She turned back toward the meadow, but couldn’t see anything. Then voices, growing louder and closer, separated out from the other forest noise.
Merci took in a ragged breath as fear returned. “I don’t see them.”
“I do.” Nathan placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Get low, they’re coming this way.”
* * *
Nathan placed a protective arm over Merci’s back as he lay flat against the hard wood of the lookout. The delight and excitement that had flooded through him from kissing Merci was replaced by a need to keep his senses tuned to his surroundings. He didn’t regret the kiss, but he feared he had been too forward with her. He’d felt the need to apologize, but it had come out wrong.
He turned his attention back toward the approaching voices. The men had made their way back through the meadow and appeared to be carrying some items, judging from the way th
ey were bent forward. They must have found food of some sort.
The torches bobbed across the blue-white landscape of snow. The men headed in the direction of the trees. The manner in which the thieves were stopping and shining the torches revealed that they were searching for footprints. So they had become suspicious.
The thieves stepped into the trees, and their voices grew louder and more distinct.
“Do you think it’s that guy and that chick from the cabin?” That voice belonged to the larger man in the orange coat.
“Nobody else could have made it up here,” said the taller, thinner man in the leather jacket.
“Maybe this place has a caretaker or something.”
“I doubt it,” said Leather Jacket. “Whoever it is, Hawthorne is not going to be happy.”
The thieves were within twenty feet of the lookout. Close enough for Nathan to hear their footfall on
the snow.
Nathan tensed.
Nobody ever thinks to look up.
Merci had turned her face toward him. Even in the near darkness, he knew she was afraid.
You’re safe, Merci. You’re safe with me.
The men stomped around a while longer. It sounded as though they were right at the base of the tree.
“I’ve had enough of this. Let’s go eat,” Orange Coat said.
“Yeah, I’m starving,” said Leather Jacket. The thieves’ footsteps crunched in the snow.
Nathan and Merci waited in silence, not daring to move, their cheeks resting against the rough wood of the platform. Nathan longed to tell her it was going to be okay. He longed to calm her with a kiss again. But they could only wait and be quiet and still. As they faced each other, he looked into her eyes, hoping to communicate all that he was feeling.
The footsteps faded and the voices grew farther away. Gradually the sounds of the forest, branches creaking in the breeze, became distinct again.
“I think we are in the clear.” Nathan lifted his arm off Merci’s back.
Merci let out an audible breath as she sat up. “They know we are here now. They’ll be looking for us.” She wrapped her arms over her body.
Having to stay out in the elements without moving had probably chilled her. “Are you cold?” He lifted his arm, indicating that he would hold her.
