“It's fine. I mean, I know. I just, well, it's just a lot. I'll be fine,” she said, giving a small, tight-lipped nod of her head. “I just need some time to get used to everything. It's so much.”
He grinned, “Yeah, there does seem to be a lot happening. I'm sure things will settle down by this evening. We just need to figure out where to go from here.”
Wyatt turned to leave. She grabbed his arm, “What happened to them?”
“I don't know the details. There wasn't time to get into it, but I am going to find Bryan or Evan or both and find out what the hell happened out there.”
“I'm coming with you,” she said, grabbing a sweater out of the closet. The air outside was chilly and there was no way they could have a private conversation in the lodge. The last thing she wanted to do was expose any of the kids to the horrors of what had happened back at Evan's camp. It was obvious it wasn't meant for kids' ears.
Wyatt and Megan walked out the back door. With the front door barricaded, it was their only option. Megan wasn't sure it was the best idea, but Jack and Wyatt assured her it was as safe as could be.
Evan and Bryan were busy putting up the old Army tent that had been stashed away in the storage shed. Megan's nose instantly crinkled as she thought about how stinky it must be. The tent was huge and would be big enough for all ten people in their group. But with the chill of winter approaching, how long they could stay in the tent was questionable.
She watched the two men working in silence. They both appeared to be lost in thought. As they approached, she noticed blood on Evan's sleeve. Bryan had speckles of blood all down the side of his jeans.
She shuddered. They had been through something horrendous. They were wearing the blood of their friends and people they loved. Both men were so focused on protecting and caring for the remaining people in their group, they hadn't even taken the time to clean up. She had a whole new respect for them both.
“Hey,” Wyatt said as they approached.
Evan and Bryan both jumped turning quickly, eyes wide and fists bunched. Wyatt had startled them.
“Hey. What's up?” Bryan asked, his body language relaxing as they approached.
He was holding a couple of tent poles, trying to get them to fit together. His hands were clumsy and shaking. She reached out and helped him slide the two poles together. His eyes met hers and just stared. Megan wanted to hug him and promise him it would all be okay, but didn't figure that was what he needed in this moment.
“What happened out there?” Wyatt asked.
“It was a surprise attack in the middle of the night,” Bryan started. “There was no rhyme or reason to it.”
“So, they found the big cabin?” Wyatt asked.
Evan sighed, dropped the poles he was working on and nodded.
“I guess we better explain why we just showed up at your door. Is there somewhere we can talk?”
Wyatt looked around. Jack was filling water jugs. A couple of Evan's men were leaning against the back wall of the lodge, talking in soft voices.
“How about the bench?” Megan suggested.
The foursome walked to the spot that Megan had grown so fond of. They had added a couple of chairs made from some old tires they had found down the hill.
They all sat down, with Wyatt and Megan sitting on the bench. Bryan and Evan sat across from them on the tire chairs. Bryan was looking at his hands and then his pants. He was staring at a large, dried spot of blood.
“What happened?” Wyatt repeated.
Evan met his eyes, “They slaughtered us. There is no other word for it. McDaniels has lost his mind. He is all that is evil. This time was completely different—once he found the larger cabin. He killed…children just because he could. He murdered the women trying to protect the children. Why? Why would he do that?”
Megan felt a thick knot tightening in her stomach and had the sudden urge to vomit. Wyatt reached out and put a hand on her knee to comfort her.
“I don't know. What provoked him? You said in the past he came and took what he wanted and then left.”
Bryan, still staring at the blood, spoke up, “The men all seemed different. Like they were together, but not really in it together. One of the men was questioning McDaniels. He shot him. Another one of the men looked as if he was going to say something when McDaniels turned the gun on him. He didn't shoot him, though. He shot one of the young women who had just come to our camp a couple months ago.”
“When they found the large cabin,” Evan said quietly. “They took what they could carry and then burned it to the ground.”
Megan gasped. “I'm so sorry. I don't even know what to say, but I'm sorry.”
Wyatt nodded in understanding.
“And that's why you're here.”
Bryan nodded, “We have nothing left. No food, no shelter, nothing. We’re on the brink of winter. We didn't want to come here, man. You have to know that. We know how difficult things are, but we didn't have a choice. We couldn't leave the rest of the group out there exposed to such evil.”
“It's okay. I would have done the same thing,” Wyatt assured him, reaching across to squeeze Bryan’s shoulder. “We'll figure something out. Are you sure they didn't follow you?”
Bryan shook his head, “We had someone hang back to make sure. McDaniels and his men were completely loaded down with all our stuff. I’m positive they were headed back to their own camp.”
Megan looked at the men she had come to know as strong and courageous. They looked defeated. Their shoulders were slumped forward and they both had a look in their eyes that said they were broken.
“We’re going to kill them all,” Megan stated, determined.
All three men looked at her. No one smiled or chided her for saying something so outrageous.
Wyatt’s hand gripped her knee lightly. “Damn straight we are. That kind of evil needs to be eradicated. It will spread like cancer if we don't get rid of it.”
“I hope so. Those people are savages,” Bryan said through gritted teeth.
“We have some chores to get done if we are going to make all of this work,” Wyatt said, standing up. “You guys want to take a few minutes and clean up? I can get Jack to help you with that tent. Then we will need to talk with Chase about how we are going to make sure this place is secure. With all of us here, it will be easier to rotate watch. We need to be on guard 24/7. I have a feeling McDaniels is going to find his way up here sooner rather than later.”
Bryan extended his hand to Wyatt, “Thanks. I know this is a huge burden and I promise we will do everything we can to lighten the load. I can't tell you how much we appreciate this.”
Evan nodded his head, “No matter what happens, please promise me you will take care of Tara and Amy. They have both been through so much. They don't deserve what has happened to them.”
Megan blinked several times to clear the tears from her eyes. Evan was a good guy. She hadn't been convinced of that fact early on, but now she could see his love and devotion to the woman that fate had dropped on his doorstep.
Wyatt promised him they would be taken care of. They all walked back to the lodge with a newfound energy and strength. Things were about to become very dangerous, but Megan knew there would be strength in their numbers.
15
Willow and Rosie were busy rushing back and forth in the kitchen and Megan could see the stress etched in the lines on their faces. They weren't chatting or joking like they normally did. They were cooking for twenty instead of ten. That doe they had just butchered would be gone in no time. Their food supply was barely going to carry them through and now they had an extra ten mouths to feed.
Tara was peeling potatoes at the end of the breakfast bar with Amy by her side, chopping the potatoes into small chunks. The pile of potatoes waiting to be peeled was alarming. Megan could see the food supply dwindling right before her eyes.
They had to do something quick.
Megan had helped the men get the tent set up and was coming
in to get blankets for them. They had thought they had plenty—they’d even considered trading the surplus—but with this many people, they were barely going to have enough. When Megan walked upstairs, she was surprised by the scene.
Sandra, Greg and a little boy she hadn't met yet were all sitting on the couch. It was very odd to see strangers in the lodge. It wasn't like they had company on a regular basis.
She quickly went to the closet and grabbed a couple of blankets. They didn't have pillows, but she doubted that would be a big problem.
She walked back downstairs, taking in the sounds of people talking. They were everywhere. Everywhere she looked there were people in small groups, huddled together.
“Megan, everyone will be sleeping inside, except for Evan and Bryan,” Rosie told her as she crossed the kitchen.
“What?”
How in the world were they going to fit all those people in the lodge?
“It's too cold out, but Evan and Bryan insisted they would be fine. We will use the floor upstairs and down here around the fire.”
Megan wanted to argue, but didn't. It wasn't her lodge—this was Rosie's. What she said, went.
“Okay, I'll just set these here,” she said referring to the extra blankets, “and take a couple out to the tent.”
Rosie smiled. It wasn't a real Rosie smile. The smile was polite and strained, much like a politician would paste on when meeting new constituents.
Megan was going to find Wyatt and have a talk with him. They needed to set some ground rules if this new situation was going to work. The amount of bodies in the lodge was sure to cause problems for everyone.
There was a rush of activity as Rosie and Willow dished up dinner for everyone. Unlike their normal practice of putting the dishes on the table and everyone helping themselves, they were now being served. It was a way to ration the food. Megan wasn't sure she was comfortable with it, but knew that was the way it had to be.
Wyatt had already promised her a group meeting after dinner to go over the concerns she had as well as the rest of the group. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who had been complaining to him.
All around the table, there were individual conversations about sleeping, food and taking turns using the outhouse. Wyatt was acting as a mediator, trying to answer as many questions and concerns as possible.
Megan silently watched from her seat in the corner. She had to put some space between her and the many bodies crowding around the table and breakfast bar.
“You ready?” Chase said standing up from his spot on the floor. He had given up his seat at the table so the women and children could sit down.
One of the men from Evan's group, Garrett, stood up and nodded. Megan could tell he wasn't thrilled about having watch duty. The kid was young, probably in his early twenties. He was tall and lanky and had that frat boy look about him. She was guessing he had been young and full of excitement about his future before the EMP struck. Now, he looked as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
It was dark and cold and sitting in the trees for hours would be miserable, but it had already been decided it was an absolute necessity. They couldn't take the chance of being caught off-guard now that McDaniels' Raiders were in the area. Wyatt had wanted Chase to stay for their impromptu meeting, but Chase wasn't about to leave the fate of the lodge in the hands of strangers.
It was decided an original member would always be on watch with a member from the new group. This made everyone feel a little better.
They had decided to meet in Wyatt and Megan's room. It was cramped, but they squeezed in.
“How's everyone doing?” Wyatt asked the original lodge members.
Rosie and Willow both looked at each other, but didn't say anything.
Albert surprised them all, “I'm glad for the extra hands. We need help getting this place secured. With more eyes to keep watch and more hands to get the heavy lifting done, we have better odds of beating this crazy dude at his own game.”
Brenda nodded in agreement, “Wars are won by sheer force and strategy. Now we have both. We can win this war.”
Megan knew the veterans would say something along those lines. Brenda was career military. Everything she did was programmed by her extensive training and experience in the Army.
“Can we trust them?” Megan had to ask.
Jack shrugged, “Little late for that.”
Megan glared at him. He smiled in return.
“She's right,” Wyatt spoke up. “I don't think we can trust them all just yet. There are a couple of guys I am not sure of. I think Bryan, Evan and Greg are solid. Sandra and Tara are harmless as well as that other little boy.”
“We watch them. We keep certain things to ourselves for now, like the escape hatch,” Jack said referring to the wall in the kitchen they had just finished opening up into the store room.
“What about the root cellar?” Willow asked. “We can't exactly hide that forever.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, “They'll know it’s there. All we can do is keep an eye on things. Like Jack said, that ship has sailed. We’re in it now. We do what we can to keep some things to ourselves, including the stashes that are buried around the property. If we want them to trust us, we can't be shady,” Wyatt reasoned.
“Are we going to shadow them, like we did—” Megan stopped. She was going to say like they did with Brenda, but considering Brenda was in the room, it felt wrong.
“It's okay. I knew and I appreciated you being careful. It made me feel a little better knowing you didn't just let anyone into your group,” Brenda assured her.
Jack spoke, “I don't think we need to shadow anyone. Well, maybe those two guys. One's name is Garrett; I don't remember the other one.”
“David,” Brenda stated.
“Okay, David and Garrett stay on our radar. We know the rest and I think we all feel pretty comfortable with them, right?”
“What about the guy Brenda fixed up?” Jack asked.
No one said anything.
“Did anyone talk with him?”
Silence.
Brenda spoke up, “His injury wasn't that bad. He’ll be up and walking in a matter of days. Or he should be.”
“Then we do what we can to feel them all out, while watching them,” Wyatt said.
Everyone agreed.
“The kids need to be watched by one of us. I trust Tara and Sandra, but I would feel better if one of us was nearby,” Willow added.
They all agreed and promised one of the adults in the room would always be near the kids.
“What about the guns?” Albert asked.
“I think for now, those are kept under wraps. We don't need to flaunt what we have. If we are under attack, we will distribute the guns, but for now, let's leave them out of sight,” Wyatt offered.
Megan hesitated, but finally had to say what was on her mind, “I think one of us needs to be on watch here at the lodge all night. At least until things settle down a bit.”
Everyone quickly agreed.
“Okay, anything else?” Wyatt asked. “If you have something on your mind, now is the time to say it.”
He looked around the group. No one said anything.
“Alright, I think we have some ground rules and we will go from here. Tomorrow we are going to have to work out some plans for getting more food and stepping up our security even more. We will get the other group in on all of that. There is no reason for us to do all the work. With all of us working together, I think this could work,” Wyatt said, sounding pleased with the outcome of the meeting.
Megan hoped his prediction proved to be true. As it was, she was feeling over crowded. Finding any privacy now was going to be very difficult. She took a moment to look around their little room. This would be her sanctuary to get away from the crowd.
It took an hour to get everyone settled into place. Garrett was going to sleep in the tent with Evan and Bryan. The man grumbled about it being cramped. Megan had to bite her tongue. Jac
k had placed a hand on her elbow to remind her of her manners.
Amy was sleeping with Caitlin. And the little boy, Frankie, was crashing on the floor next to Ryland. Rosie had insisted the injured man sleep downstairs instead of trying to climb the stairs. It was hectic, but once everyone settled down, Megan realized she kind of liked having a full lodge. It just felt stronger.
16
Connor McDaniels sat in front of the massive stone fireplace, deep in thought, as he stared at the dancing flames. The whiskey in his hand was going down smooth, settling his nerves. The leather chair cradled his weary body. If he wasn't so worried about one of his men slitting his throat while he slept, he would have dozed off right where he was sitting.
As it was, he couldn't—not if he wanted to see another day. Today's raid had been fruitful. They had scored a great deal of food and supplies. The men were in the large living room downstairs celebrating. They were drunk. Their hoots of laughter and the occasional shouts helped keep him awake.
He hoped the score would help settle things down in the group. The men were restless. They were on edge and losing confidence in his ability to be the leader he promised to be. He’d heard rumblings and knew mutiny wasn't far off if he didn't get control of things.
Shooting his man during the raid had driven home a point. He was the boss. He was not to be questioned. Connor surprised himself with his ability to be so ruthless. All those years of being rejected by society had cultivated the man he was today.
He didn't need to be accepted, but he did want to be feared. He couldn't afford anyone leaving. Every man who joined their forces made them stronger. Connor needed an army. That was the only way he could live. It wasn't like any of the little prepper groups they had encountered along the way would ever invite them in.
They were on their own. Together they could conquer the world, but divided they would surely all be killed. He prided himself on his ability to out think most people. These men were pawns and he manipulated them for his own gain. He would never be satisfied simply with surviving—he wanted to be set up.
The EMP Lodge Series: Books One to Three Page 48
