“Behind it?” Aiden asked, slightly out of breath.
“We want to be where it’s already burned. We don't want to be in its path, which is everything in the area. It's been dry this summer putting us in a giant tinder bundle, which is probably how the damn thing got started. Those morons weren't paying attention and lit the forest on fire,” he grumbled.
They managed to make the hike to the lodge in an hour. It was a testament to how committed they were to getting to Rosie and Caitlin, giving Megan more confidence than ever that they were a great team, capable of anything.
“We'll approach from this side,” Wyatt said, pointing in the general direction of the hill where the orchard was perched. “We should be able to see the root cellar from up there. We'll know if it’s been exposed or not.”
Megan's stomach lurched at the thought. As they climbed the rocky path up the hill, her heart raced. She silently chanted, please let them be okay, please let them be okay.
“Get down,” Wyatt whisper shouted, causing them all to drop to their knees. “Crawl,” he ordered, leading the way.
When they reached the fruit trees, Megan couldn't stop herself from trying to inspect them. She had put so much time and energy into those trees; they felt like part of her family. She could see small fruit hanging, but knew the ants would be making quick work of the harvest. If they managed to take the loge today, they could still save the trees—she hoped.
Wyatt was lying flat on his stomach at the edge flanked by the rest of the group. Megan crawled to join them and couldn't believe what she saw below. The lodge had been completely transformed. It was unrecognizable!
“What is that?” she hissed, not specifying what she was referring to.
Wyatt didn't need her to say the words. “It's metal siding. A bullet isn't getting through that stuff. They're preparing for a war and this is their fortress!”
They all stared at the sight below, illuminated by the bright security lights positioned all around the property. The entire area was awash with light.
“Look over there!” Aiden pointed.
The fire was at the bottom edge of the lodge property, near the stream. It was a giant slash pile.
“They’re clearing the area,” Wyatt said in disgust. “Neil must be planning to build something. They're burning the trees they cut down.”
They could see men milling about; one of them was carrying a hose in the direction of the fire. None of them looked to be overly concerned. Megan assumed they figured the lodge was impenetrable with the metal roof and siding to protect it from embers. They clearly had never seen or felt a forest fire up close and personal.
“They’re guarding that barn as if it’s worth more than anything else,” Bryan pointed out.
Megan and Wyatt looked at each other, before Megan explained. “That's where we saw the helicopter carrying that big shipping container to. That's probably Neil's bunker. Coward. He hides in there while his men risk their lives.”
“Wow,” Aiden said with sincere awe. “This is a prepper's dream. Can you imagine living here? We would never have to fear being attacked by bad guys.”
Megan rolled her eyes. “Guess what? In this particular scenario, we’re the bad guys. We are the ones who want to break in and attack.”
“Oh,” he answered.
They watched the men below for several long minutes, taking in the security systems that had been installed. A digital keypad was mounted by the front door and red lasers shot across the darker areas of the property.
Ryland was lying next to Wyatt. “How are we ever going to get in there? Those guys are like real live army guys,” he said in awe.
Wyatt grunted in response. Megan wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. They were all in awe over the new installations all around the lodge and the property. It was very exciting to see, but the fact they were the ones that had to go against it was beyond intimidating. It felt like an impossible feat. She could hear Albert and Brenda quietly talking to each other. They too were taking in the new and improved lodge.
“I have an idea!” Megan said, watching the dancing flames in the distance. The fire wasn't all that big. There was a lot of smoke, but she assumed that was the green pine needles burning.
“What?” Wyatt asked.
She pointed to the fire. “That. We make that bigger and more threatening.”
Bryan winced. “Isn't that a little risky? What if it gets out of control and takes out everything?”
She shrugged. “I think they have the capability to get it in hand. If not,” she put a hand up. “Oh, well. We can't move into the lodge with them in there.”
“What's your plan to make the fire bigger?” Wyatt asked.
She pointed beyond the garden area. There were a few ATVs sitting next to the plot with large red jugs beside them.
“Gas? You want to pour gas on a forest fire?” Albert asked incredulously.
“We need a distraction. The only way those guys are going to leave their posts is if there’s something major going down. I want to make sure no one is left behind to see us,” she explained.
“See us doing what?” Aiden asked.
“Saving my daughter and Rosie,” she said as if he were a simpleton.
Wyatt shook his head. “None of us can get down there fast enough and back to safety. It's too risky.”
“I can. I can run faster than all of you,” Ryland said with a grin. “I'll be in and out of there before those guys ever see me.”
“Uh-uh,” Megan said. “No way. Your mother would kill me if anything were to happen to you.”
“He is really fast,” Aiden volunteered, causing Megan to glare at him.
“I'll go with him as backup. If anyone sees him, I'll take them out,” Wyatt said with resolve.
“Wyatt,” Megan started. He was already up on his hands and knees. He held up a hand. “He'll be fine. This is our best option.”
She growled in frustration. “Fine, but I'm warning you. Anything happens to him and we have to move. To Russia.”
He chuckled. “I'm not going to let one of two of my favorite nephews get hurt.”
Ryland, who was several feet ahead of Wyatt, stopped, turned around and looked at him. “You only have two nephews.”
“Yep, and you’re tied with JJ,” he said, with a hint of laughter in his voice.
Megan was glad they could keep it light, but she was terrified. If anything went wrong, which it had a very bad habit of doing, she would never be able to live with herself. Wyatt and Ryland had to be okay. There was no other option, she told herself.
She crawled back to her spot on the hill, watching the men below and getting a better look at the extreme security installed. It was impressive. Impenetrable. She vowed to find a way to take back the lodge or blow the damn thing to kingdom come. If she couldn't have it, no one could have it.
18
Megan watched the area where the ATVs were parked. Her heart raced. So far, the men had ignored that area. She saw movement and smiled as she saw Ryland dart towards the tanks, snatch up two and race away from the scene. He was fast. Jack had been a fast runner. Ryland clearly inherited that from his dad. It warmed her heart to see Ryland slowly stepping into Jack's shoes.
“We better get ready to move,” Megan told the others who were still enthralled with the activity below. It was like watching some sci-fi movie with all the advanced technology. It wasn't technology they’d never seen before, but it was shocking to see it in the current state of the country.
As they were making their way down the hill, Ryland met them half way.
“Wyatt says we need to move, now,” he said, only a little out of breath.
“We're coming. Good job, Ryland. I knew you could do it,” she said, smiling in the dark at him. Away from the glaring lights that flooded the lodge area, it took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the moonlit night.
They took the long way around the perimeter, not wanting to trigger any alarms. Wyatt brought
the group to a halt, halfway between the orchard and the area where the fire was burning so they could hash out their plan in relative safety.
“Those gas cans are kind of heavy. We can't safely get close enough to pour the gas near the fire, which means we need to toss one in,” he explained.
Megan lifted one of the two-gallon containers and knew right away she didn't have the upper body strength to do what he was asking. She looked around the group and questioned whether any of them did.
“I'll toss it,” he said.
She raised an eyebrow in question.
He shrugged. “Swinging an ax and playing ball with the kids all summer has kept me in good shape.”
She laughed. He grinned in response. He had a point.
“Okay, let's do this before they get that fire out,” she said, ready to see her daughter.
“Wait,” he called out. “When this can hits that fire, it will go up quick. We need to be ready to get out of the way.”
Albert looked thoughtful. “We don't all need to go.”
Wyatt nodded. “You're right. I'll go, toss the gas and get back over here.”
“I'll cover you,” Megan volunteered. “Then, we run back to the root cellar and free the girls.”
He nodded. “Let's do it.”
With only the two of them moving in the dark forest, their pace was much faster.
“Ready?” he whispered, putting down the can and making a wide circle with his arm.
She nodded, holding the gun he’d been carrying. He had to get close enough to lob the can, which meant he was risking exposure. If anyone saw him, she was ready to take them out. He picked up the can, looked at her, gave a quick nod and tossed the red jug through the air.
She held her breath, watching as it flew through the air before dropping out of sight. Nothing happened.
They looked at each other, she opened her mouth to speak when there was a loud boom and fire filled the night sky.
“It worked!” she yelled.
“Move!” he shouted over the sound of dried trees going up in flames. The crackling noise was much louder than she’d imagined it would be. The sound of men yelling and a hissing sound cut through her thoughts.
Their plan was working. Now they needed to get back to the root cellar. Wyatt took the gun as they ran towards the rest of the group.
“There's the bastard,” Albert was pointing through a break in the trees. “He's running to that barn next to the root cellar.”
They made their way closer, trying to find a way to get to the root cellar door without being seen. They could see Neil shouting at several men who were following behind him. There was another man standing at the door that led to the barn structure. Neil was holding up the same black box they had seen him use earlier.
Within seconds, the man at the door dropped.
“What the hell was that?” Albert asked.
“Long story. We need to move,” Wyatt said, undeterred by what was happening in front of them.
Megan grabbed Wyatt's arm. “Look. He's going in the barn. We can use that other can of gas to set the barn on fire. We'll lock him in and that takes care of all of our problems.”
“What about getting Rosie and Caitlin?” Ryland asked.
“We won't have to worry about rescuing them if Neil is dead. I have a feeling these men are going to abandon ship once he's dead. We can take back the lodge. Two birds with one stone,” she said with a great deal of satisfaction.
“Sounds good,” Brenda chimed in.
Megan turned to look at her in the glow of the fire. Her face had a determined look on it. She was in soldier mode.
“How are we going to get close enough to pour the gas on the barn?” Bryan asked.
Wyatt looked around, before snapping his fingers. “The rope. The one we have on the path to the orchard—behind the screen.”
“Did somebody bring matches? A lighter?” Albert asked.
They all looked at each other.
“Crap!” Megan growled.
“We'll use the rope as a long wick. The fire is spreading this way. We soak the rope in gas. Put one end in the path of the fire and the other end close to the barn. We'll soak the barn with whatever gas we have left,” Wyatt explained, looking towards the fire the men were struggling to bring under control.
“If you think that'll work, let's hurry!” Megan said.
Ryland once again volunteered to use his speed to retrieve the rope. With most of the men concentrated on the other side of the property, Megan wasn't too worried.
“Hurry!” she said and he took off racing towards the hill.
They watched closely, counting the number of men. So far, the men had appeared to abandon the barn guard duty in favor of fighting the fire. As expected, they’d rigged a hose to one of the tanks and were now using a pump to push water through the hose. They were making progress, which wasn't good news for Megan.
Ryland returned and they quickly got to work soaking both ends of the rope with gas and dropping gas along the length of the rope.
“Hold this end,” he handed the end to Bryan. “Stand right here. When it goes tight, I'll know to stop,” he directed, walking towards the fire with the other end.
They all waited for what felt like eternity. When the rope pulled tight, Bryan gave a small tug to let Wyatt know he was out of length. Wyatt jogged back.
“Hand me the gas,” he directed Ryland, who quickly obliged.
Wyatt reached for the rope, but Bryan shook his head. “I'm going with you.”
The two of them walked towards the barn, crouching low. Megan and Brenda each had a gun, ready to shoot any of the guards who may notice the two intruders.
Wyatt and Bryan worked fast. Now, it was a waiting game. Megan began to have doubts about her plan. They should’ve rescued Rosie and Caitlin and forgotten all about Neil. He could have the lodge. Her daughter was far more important.
“This is a good plan,” Wyatt reassured her when he got back.
She wasn't so sure. A gust of wind blew her hair into her eyes, which she quickly brushed out of the way. A cloud of smoke washed over them, sending them all into coughing fits and burning their eyes.
“This is a little dangerous, don't you think?” Aiden asked, clearly unsure about what he was doing.
“Yes, it is, but it’s our best option,” Bryan assured the kid.
“Look! The fire is headed in the direction I placed the rope. Get ready,” Wyatt ordered.
They were all crouched and poised to jump, like racers on a starting line, waiting for the gunshot that would trigger their body's reflexes into moving.
“Oh no,” Brenda groaned.
“What? What is it?” Megan looked about frantically, trying to find what had upset Brenda.
“The lodge,” she said with profound grief in her voice.
A collective gasp from the group could be heard. The lodge was on fire. The shift in the wind had brought the fire to the lodge, despite the defensible space they’d worked so hard to maintain all summer.
Megan fought the urge to run towards it in an attempt to put out the fire. It would be a fool's errand, she knew it, but watching it burn tore at her heart. She had to remind herself the lodge wasn't her home anymore. It belonged to her enemy and if burning him out was the only way to get rid of him, so be it.
“Here it comes,” Wyatt said in a low voice of warning.
Goosebumps popped up on Megan's arms despite the heat of the fire wafting over her. She felt as if everything went into slow motion as she watched the fire trail, leading straight for the barn.
“They're putting it out,” Bryan said, pointing to where about twenty men had gathered around the lodge, focusing their efforts on saving the house, rather than worry about the forest burning beyond.
A pat on Megan's arm drew her attention. It was Ryland. He was silently pointing out the barn. A small fire was burning near the barn. The new construction had left the ground disturbed and free of vegetation, which was maki
ng it difficult for the fire to gain any traction. Wyatt cursed under his breath.
“Give it a second,” Megan said, having faith the gasoline would do the trick.
Within seconds, there was another gust of wind, which blew the flames towards the barn. It was all that was needed. Flames spread out across the wall, covering it with dancing blue and orange colors. They watched as the barn burned. Megan couldn't hide the smile that spread across her face. Death by fire was ugly business. It was a horrible death for a horrible man.
“No way!” Albert gushed when one of the walls fell away. “Are you kidding me?”
Megan couldn't stop staring at the container in the center of the barn. It was blackened, but not burned in the slightest. Neil was tucked away in his bunker, safe as could be. No wonder the men weren't running to put out the fire. They knew their leader was safe.
“Now what,” she groaned. They’d risked it all, based on the theory that once they killed Neil, everyone else would go away. Their plan had backfired. Rosie and Caitlin were still trapped—assuming they were in the root cellar.
“What if they're in the house?” Megan gasped, watching the smoldering section of the lodge.
Her mind raced with the possibilities. What if they’d been tied up in there and she’d been glad to see it burn?
“Shh, they're coming,” Bryan said, duck-walking back to their position.
In her despair, Megan hadn't even noticed he left.
They slowly moved back about twenty feet into the trees and brush. The men had fanned out and were stomping out smoldering embers. Another one had a shovel and was tossing dirt on the areas that were still burning.
“Look at this!” one of the men called out, holding up a charred piece of the rope.
“Uh oh,” Wyatt said. His words were foreboding.
It didn't take long for an alarm to start screeching. The men went from casual firefighting mode to soldier mode. They were ready to kill.
“We need to get out of here, now!” Wyatt hissed.
They all scrambled, doing their best to stay low and out of sight. It didn't work. Beams of high-powered flashlights crisscrossed over the area, catching the fleeing intruders in their light.
Dark Revival (EMP Lodge Series Book 6) Page 11
