Footsteps crossed the tiny room. Caitlin could hear someone breathing. The person didn't say a word. Her curiosity got the best of her and she barely opened her right eye to get a peek. It was a woman with a tray of food in her hand, which she placed on the floor.
When the woman turned to get something out of the drawer of the bedside table, Caitlin got a good look. She was tall and skinny and she could see glasses on her face. She also noticed the gun holstered at her waist. At home, they always put the guns away; no one wore them in the house.
The woman stood and turned back to Caitlin.
Caitlin squeezed her eyes shut and feigned sleep again.
“I know you’re awake. You need to try to eat something so you can get better,” the woman told her.
Caitlin didn't answer or move.
“I'm going to take off the handcuff, okay? But, it’s very important you stay still. You don't want to rip those stitches out.”
The woman undid the cuff that held Caitlin's wrist and gently rubbed the area where the cuff had been.
“Stay put and I won't have to put the cuff back on.”
Caitlin laid perfectly still for several minutes after the woman left. Her mom had warned her in the past about kidnappers and what to do if someone tried to snatch her. But this was different. She was injured and she didn't remember much of anything, including how she got here. She didn't get to use any of the things her mom had taught her like paying attention to her surroundings and the people kidnapping her.
The reality of her situation started to sink in. She was kidnapped in the woods. Her mom wouldn't be able to call the police and no one would find her. Caitlin wondered what would happen to her. Horrible images flashed through her mind.
All she could do was cry.
“Please, mom, come get me,” she whispered into the room. “I'm so scared. Please don't leave me here.”
10
Chase and Jack set out in their designated directions. Wyatt walked with Ryland and Albert until it came time for him to split off. Right now would have been a great time to have two-way radios. Unfortunately, while the ones they had still worked, the batteries were dead. They had been scouring every house, store and shop on each of the trips into town, but had yet to find batteries to fit.
He knew they would be hard to come by but he thought for sure they would find some. In the spring, they were planning to head east to see what they could find. They had pretty much searched all the small towns in the area and had made it into the outskirts of Spokane on several occasions. They were all picked clean.
Wyatt's mind wandered as he walked along, looking down at the ground. He was looking for footprints but it was impossible. The rain had washed everything away. He was losing hope.
He didn't care how long it took, how cold it got or how much it rained; he was going to find her. She was going to be just fine. There was a cool breeze whipping through the trees as the sun came over the horizon. The weather was getting much colder the closer they got to winter. If Caitlin were in the woods on her own, she wouldn't survive the cold temperatures much longer.
Megan woke up when she heard the men leave. The pain shot through her body, reminding her what had happened the day before and an involuntary groan escaped her lips.
Rosie appeared at the doorway as if she had been hovering nearby. “I thought you would be up soon. Do you need to use the bathroom?”
Megan did, but was not looking forward to moving her leg.
Rosie left and came right back carrying Albert's crutches. “I adjusted them so they should work perfect for you. I know it’s going to hurt, but getting up and moving will actually help you a little.”
Megan wished she could jump out of bed and be her normal self. Her ankle was preventing her from looking for Caitlin and it was seriously ticking her off.
Rosie helped her to the bathroom and then back to bed. By the time she laid down, she was breathing heavy. The pain was severe, but she refused to give in. Mind over matter is what her dad always said.
After a quick check of her toes, Rosie declared all was well.
“I'm going to get you another Percocet.”
When Megan tried to refuse, Rosie held up her hand.
“You need the rest, Megan. One more pill and then we will see how you are doing. The guys are out looking. There is nothing you can do but sit here and heal. Caitlin will not be happy to see you miserable.”
Megan wanted to argue, to tell her to save the pills for when they had a real emergency but the pain really was brutal. She figured she would take a pill, sleep a few hours and when she woke up again, Caitlin would be waiting to talk her ear off.
“Thank you, Rosie. I'm sorry I'm being difficult.”
The older woman smiled, “No, Wyatt was difficult when he was injured. You are just fine. I'll get the pill and something for you to take it with.”
Megan ate a few bites of the oatmeal Rosie delivered and swallowed her pill like a good patient. She closed her eyes and imagined holding Caitlin in her arms. She drifted off to sleep knowing Caitlin would be there when she woke up.
Wyatt was so frustrated he wanted to punch something. The sun was setting and no one had shot a flare up. No Caitlin. He couldn't believe this was happening. How did an eight-year-old simply disappear without a trace?
He heard Chase coming before he saw him.
“What the hell, Wyatt?”
Wyatt shook his head, “I don't know.”
“We have scoured this area. She couldn't have disappeared. Are we dealing with a kidnapping here?”
Again, Wyatt shrugged his shoulders. It was looking that way, but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions. They had to widen their search. Caitlin could have wandered away and kept going in the wrong direction.
The two men started walking with no particular direction in mind. They were lost in their own thoughts when Wyatt focused on a Grand Fir tree that was surrounded by a group of Douglas firs. It stood out because of its height but what drew Wyatt's attention was the shelter it created underneath its boughs.
Chase followed Wyatt's stare and quickly understood.
Both men jogged to the area. They found a length of gauze with blood on it.
“This could be from Caitlin,” Wyatt said picking it up and scanning the area expecting to see Caitlin. Nothing.
Chase seemed confused. “I thought Megan said she didn't have a first aid kit with her?”
Wyatt shook his head, “She didn't.”
Both men took a moment to process what the bloody bandage meant. It could have nothing to do with Caitlin. Wyatt hoped it was simply a coincidence.
“This could be from anyone,” Chase stated the obvious.
What were the chances of someone being out here, bleeding, without anyone from their group knowing? He thought about that for a few seconds, it was actually very plausible. There were people wandering all over the mountain, in search of food and shelter.
Wyatt squatted and carefully studied the area under the tree. He finally found what he was looking for. Footprints. Walking to the prints, being careful not to disturb them, he dropped to his knees like Megan had taught him to do when he was tracking an animal.
It was best to get as close to the print as possible to identify all of the details. When tracking animals, the smallest detail mattered. Megan had told him to put the track between him and the sun. Unfortunately, the sun was going down and the trees made it difficult for the sunlight to filter through.
The track was nothing more than a heel with a light impression of the toe. It was too big to be Caitlin's. He tried to find the trail by following the direction of the print. He was rewarded with another print that was barely noticeable in the mud. Wyatt stayed low to the ground, envisioning where the next footprint would be.
There was only one set of obviously adult footprints leading out from under the tree. The trail was lost once the shield of the heavy branches was gone. Whoever it was had boots on. It could have been male or female. The
print was small, suggesting that it was a woman, but there was no way to tell for sure.
“Those are pretty small. I'm thinking female,” Chase said, confirming Wyatt's own conclusion.
He walked beside the tracks he found to get a sense of the person's walking pattern. The strides were much smaller than his own were. It could be a woman or a short man. Maybe the strides were closer together because the person was carrying something heavy, like Caitlin.
When he could find no more tracks, he imitated the mystery person's stride and headed in the general direction the prints went. Chase followed. There was nothing, but more trees and the setting sun made it difficult to see too far around them.
Wyatt stood still and did what Megan told him to do; he used his senses. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath through his nose. He couldn't smell any smoke that would indicate someone had a fire nearby and he didn't hear anyone, besides Chase walking on dried leaves and snapping twigs.
He opened his eyes and scanned the area. Nothing. This part of the forest looked like every other part of the forest.
“We better head back,” Chase said breaking through the quiet.
It was almost five and the sun was well on its way out of the sky. It would be dark by the time they got back to the lodge.
As they walked, they hashed out the various possibilities.
“Assuming it was Caitlin who was injured, someone obviously took the time to take care of whatever injury she had. That has to be a good sign, right?” Chase asked.
Wyatt nodded, “Yeah, but why wouldn't they bring her home? Caitlin would have a general idea of where home was.”
“Maybe she was unconscious or disoriented?” Chase offered.
That thought didn't sit any better with Wyatt. He wasn't sure how Megan was going to take the news. On the one hand the bandage could mean Caitlin was alive. Injured but alive and being cared for. On the other hand someone took the injured little girl instead of trying to bring her home. Of course, there was the very real possibility it wasn't Caitlin's blood or bandage at all. The tree was quite a bit away from where the accident happened.
The tracks led to the east, which was where they assumed Evan's people camped. They had no idea if the other group had left for the winter or had found shelter to ride it out up on the mountain.
Ever since the situation with Kyle had gone down, they had been waiting for Evan to make good on his promise to avenge his brother's death. Could this be it? Would they actually stoop so low to kidnap an injured little girl?
Wyatt realized he had voiced his concerns aloud when Chase answered.
“I don't know, man. I think we need to find Evan. There is only one way to know for sure what happened.”
Megan would come unglued. Injured ankle or not, she would storm Evan's camp to get her daughter back. She would die trying to rescue her daughter.
Wyatt flipped on the headlamp he put on his forehead.
“Let's not assume the worst yet,” Wyatt said aloud, trying to calm his own fears as well as his friend's.
Chase nodded, “Got it. We'll go over the maps again and come up with another search area. At least we have a general idea of where to go.”
Wyatt saw the lodge looming through the trees. There was a faint glow in the windows on the second floor. He imagined his mom working on her puzzle by candlelight, waiting for everyone to come home. It looked so peaceful and welcoming.
He dreaded walking through that door empty handed again. He felt like a complete failure. Megan was furious yesterday when he returned without her daughter. He could only imagine what she would do the second time.
11
Megan felt like she was on pins and needles she was so restless. It was a struggle to stay in bed where she had been ordered to spend the day.
To say she was uncomfortable was an understatement. She had refused to take any more pain pills and her ankle actually did feel as if it were being stabbed with a million pins. She was either sleeping or complaining about being stuck in bed. Rosie had been very patient with her, but Megan knew she was being a serious pain in the butt.
She couldn't help it. Being laid up in bed while everyone else searched for her daughter was driving her mad. Every time the door opened, she held her breath, waiting to hear Caitlin's voice only to be disappointed each time. Duke had been in and out of the room to check up on her.
Megan knew he wanted to hop onto the bed but she didn't want to risk him jostling her leg. Instead, she invited him to stand next to the bed so she could rub his head. She quietly talked to Duke, telling him not to worry; Caitlin would be home soon.
Duke was a very intelligent dog. His ears always stood straight up when someone was talking to him. He would tilt his head to the side and maintain eye contact. The dog was an excellent listener and Megan took comfort in being able to say what was on her mind without worrying about hurting anyone's feelings. Duke wasn't going to repeat a word she said.
Albert and Ryland were the first to return.
“Hey,” Albert said popping his head into the room.
“Nothing?”
“Sorry hon, we searched our area, but the others are still out there. Don't you worry, she'll be home by dinner,” Albert assured her before leaving her to her own thoughts again.
Jack came in just before the sun started to set. Again, Megan got her hopes up only to be let down again.
She wanted to pace, clean, do anything to take her mind off her missing daughter!
Chase and Wyatt had yet to come home. Megan didn't know what that meant but she was staying hopeful.
When she heard the stomping of boots, she tried to sit up in bed but it pulled her foot, causing her to wince in pain.
She waited. Not breathing. Not moving a muscle.
Rosie's sigh of disappointment nearly made her vomit. They hadn't found her.
“Wyatt!” she shouted. She was furious. Terrified really, but her fear wasn't something she wanted to deal with. It was easier to be mad.
Wyatt's large frame appeared in the doorway. Megan took a second to look at him. He was pale under the mud he was covered in and she could see circles forming under his eyes.
The man looked exhausted and defeated. She could see it on his face, by the way his shoulders drooped and the look in his eyes. Her anger instantly deflated.
“Wyatt?” she said softly.
He shook his head.
“I'm sorry.”
She leaned against the pillows holding her up. Wyatt slowly walked to the bed and dropped to his knees on the floor beside her. He reached out and grabbed her hand.
“We'll go back out tomorrow,” he promised. “We will find her, Megan.”
She looked at him. There was no stopping the tears streaming down her face. The thought of Caitlin alone in the forest for a second night was too much to bear. She remembered hearing miracle stories of kids surviving in the forest alone before all this EMP stuff happened; she hoped Caitlin would be one of those miracle stories.
She had to. Megan refused to believe her daughter wouldn't be okay.
“Megan?” Wyatt started softly.
She jerked her eyes back to his. “What?”
“We found something.”
Megan's heart raced. It didn't sound like this was something she wanted to hear. She started shaking her head.
“Don't you dare tell me anything bad, Wyatt Morris!”
“No, no. I don't think it's bad. It may be nothing at all.”
“What?” she said louder than she had meant to.
He took a deep breath, “We found a bloody bandage underneath the canopy of a big fir tree. There were some footprints but it looked like it was only one person.”
Megan processed the information, “And?”
Wyatt squeezed her hand.
“We followed one set of tracks, but they disappeared once we got out from the protection of the trees. They were too big to be Caitlin's. It could mean the bandage didn't come from her or it could mean someone found h
er, cared for an injury, and then carried her out of there.”
“Carried her where, Wyatt?”
The hysteria in Megan's voice was hard to miss.
“We don't know yet.”
Megan yanked her hand away from him. “Did you follow the tracks like I showed you?”
He nodded, “Yes and we have a good idea of where to look, but it was already dark. We couldn't see anything under the canopy. Chase is going over the maps and we are going to focus our search in that area tomorrow. We'll find her, Megan. I promise.”
Megan pressed her head against the pillows and closed her eyes willing her anger and frustration to calm down. She knew they were doing the best they could but a part of her was convinced that if she were out there looking, she would find her!
“Thanks. You better go get cleaned up.”
Wyatt knew that he had been dismissed. She was angry with him again and he couldn't blame her. He’d made a promise to her and so far, he hadn’t come through.
Going into the bathroom, he quickly cleaned up. They had found his dad's camp shower and had been using it the past few months, which had improved morale tremendously. He longed for a hot shower but he was too tired to go through the process of heating water and filling the bag.
Jack and Albert had hung a tarp to create a nice little shower stall. A rubber mat, the kind used in restaurants where the cooks would stand for hours, made a perfect floor to stand on.
It was the highlight of the summer in Wyatt's eyes. An outdoor heated shower was luxurious, even in their old world. When the weather turned cold, they had moved it inside the house, but that meant he had to heat the water on the stove. He would go without for now.
The rest of the night passed in relative silence. No one was up for idle chitchat. Caitlin's absence left a huge hole in their blended family unit. Even Duke was having a hard time. The German shepherd paced the floor, continuously looking for his friend.
The EMP Lodge Series: Books One to Three Page 26
