“Not yet. Let's enjoy the moment the rest will still be there in an hour,” he told her, gently pulling her up and away from her work.
She sighed and allowed him to keep her on the path up to the dam.
The sound of rushing water made her nervous. It was much louder than it had been.
They crested the hill and the dam stretched out before them. If it had been any other normal day, the view would have been gorgeous. Unfortunately, all she could see now was danger.
Wyatt walked closer, his gaze focused on the patch.
“Is it holding?” she asked.
He grimaced. “I guess. Probably about as good as can be expected. It looks a little muddy. I don't know if it’s because of the rain yesterday or the water seeping through the crack and soaking it.”
Neither option was ideal.
“Are we going to have someone stand guard again today?” she asked.
He nodded. “We probably better. Assuming I didn’t hit an organ or cause major damage when I shot him, he’ll want to finish the job sooner rather than later so he can get off this mountain. Personally, I’d rather make that as difficult as possible for him. Plus, I don't like the guy and really want to mess up his plans.”
She laughed. “That's what motivates you? You don’t like him? Not the fact he is threatening everything and everyone we know and love?”
“Well, that too, but mostly because he shot at me.” He winked, indicating he was joking.
“What about the patch?” she asked redirecting him back to why they were there. “I don't know if it’s really doing any good. It takes three of us to patch it, which is a waste of manpower. I think our best bet is to keep that man from blowing the dam and finish that dike.”
He stood on the walkway, extending his hand to her.
“Is it safe?” she asked, not sure the dam was in the best shape to be standing on.
“For now. Come and enjoy the view.”
She climbed the short distance and stepped onto the walkway. It made her very nervous. She already knew the integrity of the dam was compromised. Standing on a crumbling cement wall above a lake and rushing water on the other side didn't seem like the smartest idea. The amount of water behind the dam was intimidating, with hundreds of thousands of gallons in the lake held back by a cement barrier. It was so much water. She remembered the damage the floods had caused in Louisiana and she didn’t want to think about the devastation that would result when this dam cracked open releasing a deadly force from its confinement.
They walked to the middle of the dam's walkway. Wyatt stood, staring at the river flowing down the hill.
“It's flooding a little, but it doesn't look all that bad,” Megan said following the river with her eyes.
She had expected to see the river flowing out in every direction. It looked normal. There were some waves and whitecaps, but it didn't look like the death and destruction she had imagined.
“Quit focusing on the water. Look at the landscape. If only we had a camera or if one of us could paint, this is an image I want to capture and remember forever,” he said in a hushed tone.
She looked at him and smiled. He was a truly unique man. He could appreciate something as simple as the natural beauty of a mountain vista while the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He would walk through fire to protect them all, but he had a soft side. That was a side he kept reserved for her, making her feel special. These moments with him like this were to be treasured.
He handed her the binoculars he had been wearing around his neck. She didn't think she needed them; the view took her breath away. The bright blue of the sky was a stark contrast for the tall evergreens that seemed to be reaching for the clouds.
He looked at her, smiled and brought their joined hands to his mouth, kissing the top of her hand.
“I hope the dam doesn't destroy this,” she said. “I want to come up here and take in this view every chance I get. It’s things like this that make me appreciate this life more than the one I had before; especially knowing that I’m sharing it with you.”
He released her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. She felt completely relaxed and at ease. The construction of the dike and the impending doom were pushed out of her mind for the moment while his physical and emotional strength gave her the comfort she needed.
They didn't talk for several long minutes. Instead, they listened to the water rushing below. She closed her eyes for a moment before putting the binoculars up close. She scanned the area, imagining all the life below. Little animals were going about their business without a care in the world.
Something shiny and out of place caught her eye. She leaned forward, squinted and then opened her eyes wide before squinting again. She focused the binoculars on the area and froze.
“Wyatt!”
She looked through the binoculars again, letting her eyes focus and soak in everything she was seeing. It had been difficult to see through the trees, but now that she had a solid focal point, she could determine what it was she was looking at.
“Hmm,” he said, still lost in the moment.
“What is that?” she tried to hide the anger in her voice.
He played dumb, but she felt him tense up the moment she asked the question. He knew.
“What? What am I looking at?” he said, clearly trying to play dumb.
She used her finger to point in the direction of a chain link fence. She could tell it was the kind of security fence that was built with an angle facing out with a string of barbed wire around the top. She had seen enough power stations in her day to recognize one now. The tall gray transformers and the various wires connecting to power lines were telltale signs.
“The power station, Wyatt. Isn't that where you said there was an abandoned warehouse?”
Wyatt didn't answer her.
He had lied.
“Wyatt. Is. That. A power station?” she demanded.
He hesitated, looked away and released a deep sigh.
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me it was there?” she shrieked.
“I didn't want you to worry about it. You had enough on your plate. It isn't like you can move the thing or as if it’s doing anyone any good right now.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but he held up a hand, cutting her off.
“The dike is our focus. Nothing else matters. It is the best and only way to save the lodge,” he explained.
“Wyatt,” she started again with exasperation in her voice.
“I know exactly what you’re thinking but we can’t save the power station.”
“You know the dike is going to force all that water directly into the power station. What if someone is down there trying to fix things? What if they are close to restoring power to this region?”
“Dike or not, the water will hit the power station. Saving the lodge is our priority. Not some ‘what if’,” he reasoned.
She narrowed her gaze at him.
He wouldn't look at her. He had already figured out the additional water being funneled directly at the power station would devastate the area. He chose not to tell her so she would keep building the dike.
“Wyatt. This changes things. We can't do that. We can't flood the power station and destroy all that equipment. It may not be possible to replace it for years.”
He looked at her. “Megan, it can be fixed. The lodge can't. Our lives would be seriously jeopardized if we had to leave. What about Willow and the kids? We have to consider everyone we love. A power station can be rebuilt.”
“When? When can it be rebuilt?”
He shrugged. “I don't know. It may never be restored. We don't know what the plans are. We can assume our government, if they are even intact still, are working on a plan, but this region isn't exactly a booming metropolis. They aren't going to put in a lot of time, effort and manpower to restore power in our neck of the woods when the cities will take priority.”
“You do
n't know that. Wyatt this changes everything,” she repeated.
“It’s already damaged. It will be damaged whether we build the dike or not. It’s a lose-lose situation. After everything we’ve been through, we have to think of ourselves first, even if it sounds incredibly selfish. We can’t hedge our bets on a power station that appears to be abandoned,” he pleaded.
Megan suddenly felt ill. All the work they had been doing building the dike was only going to prolong the blackout. She couldn't believe she was being forced into an impossible situation. She was still trying to cope with choosing to let Jack die while she saved the larger group.
Fate was against her. That had to be it. She had done some awful deed at some point in her life and now she was paying for it all. Megan had never been one to believe in such things, but she did now. It was the only way to explain away the events that had unfolded over the past several months.
She wanted to be alone. She needed to think about the consequences of putting the lodge first. She had said she didn't mind living the way they were, but that was only her opinion. Other people weren't doing as well.
Even people at the lodge, like Garrett, would probably appreciate life going back to the way it was before the EMP. This was not her decision to make. It wasn't only her future she was toying with. Wyatt may choose to keep this small group safe and sacrifice the other people that were in the region, but she couldn't make that decision quite so easily.
She couldn't be selfish in this. She needed to think long term. Caitlin's future could depend on this as well.
Wyatt interrupted her thoughts.
“Megan, if, by some miracle, someone somewhere is working on restoring the power grid, they won’t start here. The big cities and the manufacturing plants will get up and running. Trade will pick up again. They can replace anything that may get damaged by the flood,” he said in a pleading voice. “Think of us and our welfare. Don't worry about the rest of the world.”
She looked him in the eyes. “I can't do that, Wyatt. You know that.”
“The people who want and need electricity to survive can move to those areas. I don't have any idea how it will all work. None of us do. We have to worry about the right here. The right now. The people that are in that lodge, counting on you and me to make sure they stay alive for the foreseeable future.”
She put her face in her hands, trying to block out the world that was closing in on her. Wyatt was her rock; the man that stood by her side. He had been her sounding board, but in this situation, she couldn't depend on him to give her an unbiased opinion. He was fully vested in this.
It was moments like these she missed Jack. He was the yang to Wyatt's yin. They were alike in a lot of ways, but different enough she felt she got a balanced dose of advice and opinions.
Megan started to walk away from the dam. She hated the stupid dam. It was going to destroy everything, possibly even her relationship with Wyatt. She hated that he lied to her about something so important. He wouldn't be able to forgive her if she allowed the lodge to be destroyed and his family displaced.
It was a damned-if-she-did-damned-if-she-didn't situation. Who was she willing to damn?
Their moment had been ruined. The realization that she had to put others in jeopardy to save herself soured inside her. She truly wished she had never seen the power station. Ignorance was bliss, so they said.
Could she live with herself if she continued with their plan to divert the water away from them? She wasn't the type of person who could do that. Was she?
22
“Slow down, Megan,” Wyatt grumbled from behind her as she practically ran down the hill to the lodge.
“I can't do this again, Wyatt,” she shouted without looking back.
“You don't have to. Keep doing what you were. You can't let this get in the way of saving the lodge. I promise you, you will regret letting down those people.”
He caught up to her and grabbed her arm to make her stop.
“There has to be another way. Why are we assuming it is either us or the power station? We can figure this out. We don't have to make such a gut-wrenching decision,” she said, looking him in the eye.
He clearly didn't buy into the notion.
They passed Garrett and Evan who were headed up the hill, to the dam.
“Is it your watch?” Wyatt asked.
“Yep, we have the first shift today,” Garrett said. We get to stand around and watch cement crack.”
Wyatt looked as if he would say something about the snarky comment, but wished them luck.
He grabbed her arm, making her stop for a minute.
“Megan, you don't have any other options. Please, don't tell anyone else about this. It isn't going to help and it will only cause division. We can't afford that. We all have to work together. This is for the best,” he said with such conviction she almost believed him.
“Okay, we will do it your way, but, I want some time to evaluate everything. I won't say anything to anyone yet, but I also won't lie to them. They deserve to know.”
“Fine. Take the time you need, but remember that crack is growing and that guy will try to finish the job. We don't have the luxury of mulling over a decision for too long. The water is coming,” he stressed.
She nodded and continued down the hill. “I get it. I understand.”
Megan did her best to calm her nerves before she went inside. She didn't want to explain the situation any more than Wyatt did.
Rosie was cleaning up, popping her head up when Megan strolled through the door.
Megan smiled at her and did her best to look cheery. Rosie eyed her carefully.
Wyatt walked in behind her. “Hi, mom,” he said with the same forced happiness.
Rosie looked back and forth between the two of them. “You aren't fooling me. You don't have to put on a show. You'll tell me when you think I need to know.”
She went back to wiping down the counters with the lemon oil. Megan took a moment to breathe in the powerful citrus scent. It always calmed her down and reminded her of home. The lodge was her home.
“I need that map,” she said to Wyatt who was looking at her with anticipation.
“I'll get it.”
He went to the desk where the HAM radio was set up and brought it back to her. She gestured to the bedroom with her head, not wanting to talk in front of Rosie.
He nodded and followed her in, quietly shutting the door.
Megan spread the map out on the bed.
“So, this is Lake Rowland,” she said pointing to the area on the map. Tracing a line across the map, she pointed to the general area of the power station. “The station and us,” she said, moving her finger again while studying the map.
Wyatt nodded in agreement.
“What's over here?” she asked, pointing to the right side of the lake area.
“There is a small dam that controls a relatively small stream. I didn't see anything in the immediate area but I assume it feeds an irrigation canal or something down below,” he said.
She nodded. “And there is a dam on the west side as well?”
“Yep. It's about the same size and again, I don't know what’s on the other side.”
Megan felt an idea forming in her mind. She wasn't sure it would work.
“Wyatt, hear me out,” she started, knowing it was probably far-fetched but could save the entire area causing only minimal damage.
“I’ll listen to any suggestion you have.”
“Okay, what if we got our hands on that C-4? We could use it to simultaneously blow the dams on the west and east side. It will help drain the lake, minimizing the amount of water that will flow our way when the south dam gives way.”
She focused her attention on him, waiting to see what his reaction would be. He studied the map for several long seconds before slowly nodding his head.
“It could work,” he said, not sounding completely sure.
“It has to work,” she said, willing it to be true.
&
nbsp; “It's a long shot. We would still have some minor flooding, but spreading the water all around will be easier to deal with than one concentrated flood,” he agreed.
She beamed as a sense of relief washed over her. She had managed to figure out a way to save the world; or her little corner of it anyway.
“Megan?” Wyatt interrupted her private celebration.
“Yes?” she asked, expecting congratulations or a ‘well done’.
“How do you suppose we get that C-4?”
She groaned. It was a minor detail, but obviously an important one.
“Well, we find the guy. You do what you have to and take it.”
He raised an eyebrow at the new, ruthless Megan. She would do everything in her power to save the area and that included taking out anyone who threatened to get in her way.
She shrugged. “You know it has to be done. Taking out one bad man isn't anything new for us.”
He smiled. “No, I suppose it's not. Hopefully he is an easy target and we don't have to sacrifice anyone to get him.”
Megan flinched at the harsh words.
“You don't go into a battle and expect to be completely victorious. You have to be prepared to take some knocks. I am hoping since he is injured, he will be easy to track down and kill.”
Again, she flinched at the cold words. He was only saying what she was feeling. It was a part of their life now. He wasn't being mean and he wasn't trying to make her feel guilty for Jack's death, but it always brought up that horrible feeling of regret.
“It’s too bad the leftover dynamite wouldn’t work. Most of the remaining blasting caps are bad and even if we could make it work, it would potentially be far too disastrous. Plus, I’m not sure any of us could run fast enough to get away before it blew,” Wyatt mused.
“That certainly would have made things easier. Okay, not really.” Megan couldn’t imagine trying to run up a hill to avoid being blown up. It sounded like something out of a Western. Wyatt interrupted her thoughts as she was imagining herself dressed as some sort of old west train robber.
Dark Destruction (EMP Lodge Series Book 4) Page 14
