Dark Hunt (EMP Lodge Series Book 2)

by Grace Hamilton

  Dark clouds were rolling in. Megan wanted to get back to the lodge before the storm hit but they were so close to the mountain ridge, she wanted to peek first.

  “Let's go see if we can find any deer trails that way,” she pointed toward the ridge.

  As they were walking, the first raindrops started to fall.

  “That was fast,” Megan grumbled. She thought they had more time.

  “Mom, we better go back. We can look tomorrow.”

  They were so close. Megan could see the clearing indicating they were close to the cliff’s edge. She had never been to this area before and wanted to see if there was a stream or meadow that would attract the deer.

  “Look,” Megan said with excitement, calling Caitlin over.

  Down below, there was a meadow. Megan looked around to see if there was a way to climb down the hill. She just knew that would be an excellent place to hunt.

  The rain started to fall harder and the wind picked up.

  “Mom, let's go.”

  The fear in Caitlin’s voice brought Megan back to the situation at hand. She had gotten so excited about the meadow she had ignored the weather. She should have paid more attention to the weather signs as both Wyatt and Chase had been instructing her.

  “Okay, okay. We are going to come back up here tomorrow, though. We'll bring Wyatt and find a way down.”

  Megan pulled her hood over her head and made sure Caitlin's was up as well.

  “Wow, this storm came out of nowhere, huh?” she said to her daughter hoping to lighten the mood a bit.

  The wind was gusting strong enough that it made it difficult for them to move forward.

  “Let's get back into the trees,” Megan had to shout to be heard over the howling wind. The rain was slamming into the ground, making a loud drumming sound.

  Caitlin nodded and struggled to move against the wind and into the trees. Just as they reached the shelter of the trees, they heard a horrible cracking noise. Megan looked up in time to see a large tree branch falling through the thick trees.

  “Caitlin!” she screamed grabbing her daughter and pulling her back out of the trees.

  More cracking and a loud boom. Megan knew a tree had just fallen. The trees were no safer than the exposed ledge. They would need to push through to get down the mountain. She was counting on the wind not being quite as strong farther down.

  The rain was coming down in sheets now, making it impossible for them to see anything. Megan grabbed Caitlin, doing what she could to shelter her with her own body.

  “Just hang tight, baby! It will be over soon!” Megan didn't know if her daughter heard her. She could barely hear herself.

  The wind blew the rain sideways; soaking them both and making the ground quickly turn to mud. Megan knew the walk back to the lodge would be difficult. She hoped they could manage without twisting an ankle. She silently prayed for Wyatt to come and save the day.

  As she stood there with her arms wrapped around her daughter, pushing her head into her belly, she couldn't help but get angry with herself. She should have been paying attention to the weather. She knew it could change within minutes. She should have known better. Wyatt had drilled into her the cardinal rules of survival. Being aware of your environment was at the top of the list.

  The rain began to subside a little.

  “Let's go, Cait,” she said untangling her daughter's arms from around her waist. “The rain is slowing down; we can make it back now.”

  They started walking along the ledge, with Megan walking on the outside. The wind was still gusting and she didn't want to risk a strong gust blowing her daughter over the edge.

  Just when she thought the rain had stopped, it picked up with a force she wasn't prepared for; blinding her. Puddles formed all over the ground. It was so loud she couldn't hear anything but the rain beating the earth and then, suddenly she was sliding.

  Megan screamed as the ground beneath her disappeared and she landed on her back. She reached up to grab Caitlin but her daughter wasn't there. She heard a faint scream and saw a blur of pink whip by her.

  Caitlin was sliding down the face of the ridge with Megan right behind her. Megan's descent down was brutal. Her right leg had been bent behind her and her left leg seemed to be smashing into every rock on the way down. She desperately grabbed at the ground, hoping to slow her fall. She could feel her fingernails breaking as she clawed at the rocks.

  Her body rolled and her forehead smacked into a jagged rock. She could feel the rock slice into her skin and prayed it was only a shallow cut. Worried that she might break her leg, or worse, she managed to pull both her knees toward her chest but hadn’t quite succeeded when she made contact with a large boulder. The landing sucked the wind out of her as she took gasping breaths.

  At least she was no longer sliding down the hill, she thought vaguely as she tried to take inventory of her body without moving. Megan opened her eyes and tried to focus. Blood was pouring down her nose and into her eyes. She used the back of her hand to wipe the blood away but it did little to help her see. She was definitely at the bottom of the ravine.

  Using her elbows to prop herself up, she looked around the area yelling for Caitlin. Nothing. The rain had come to a sudden stop as if a faucet had been turned off and the wind wasn't nearly as bad at the bottom, which made her thankful.

  “Caitlin!” she yelled again.

  Her head was spinning from what she was sure was a concussion and her left foot was swelling. She tried to move her injured leg. A powerful, shooting pain tore through her body. Rolling to her side, Megan vomited before collapsing back down. The world was spinning. Taking a few deep breaths, she waited for the pain to subside.

  She called for Caitlin again and waited. Nothing. Deafening silence.

  Megan had to find her daughter. She took another deep breath and shifted slowly into a sitting position. The pain in her leg radiated from her toes to her hip. She had no idea where the actual injury was. Maybe it was just a badly sprained ankle. She'd torn ligaments before and knew the pain could be excruciating. In fact, the doctor told her a torn ligament could be more painful than a broken bone.

  Please don't be broken.

  She moved her right leg and was relieved to feel no intense pain so she could still support the majority of her weight on that leg. Megan slowly tried to stand but even moving the injured leg was brutally painful.

  You're not walking out of here, Megan.

  She sat on the ground and screamed as loud as she could putting all her anguish into her cry. She couldn't believe she had been so foolish. Now her daughter was out there somewhere, possibly injured or unconscious. There was no way she was going to sit here with Caitlin out there all alone.

  Megan took a deep breath and rolled onto her stomach. The move jarred her foot and sent shooting pains throughout her entire body. She gave herself a few seconds to breathe through the pain before pulling her body across the rocky ground.

  She needed to look around the bottom before she made her way back up that rocky incline. She had no idea how she was going to do that, but she had to. Megan pulled herself at a slightly upward angle that would give her a better vantage point to see the area.

  Caitlin's bright pink coat would stand out. She hadn't been too worried about her daughter wearing camo on their hunting expedition. Her dad had insisted she wear the bright orange vests whenever they went out hunting so he could always see her. It was a safety thing that had been drilled into her brain from an early age.

  Megan had to stop every few minutes. She knew she was on the verge of passing out from the pain. Or maybe it was the concussion; at least her head had stopped bleeding. She refused to succumb until she knew her daughter was safe.

  She made it back to the tree line that led up the hill. A thick branch lying on the ground gave her an idea. She could make crutches. They wouldn't exactly be comfortable, but sliding her body across the rocks and wet ground wasn't exactly a walk in the park.

  The branch was
strong enough to hold her body weight. She used a tree and the branch as a crutch to get to a standing position. Her injured leg felt as if it was heavy as a rock and as thick as a tree trunk. She looked down to make sure it hadn't tripled in size.

  Nothing. It looked perfectly normal, minus the tears and mud. That was a good thing, right?

  “Move, Megan,” she said aloud. Caitlin was out there somewhere waiting for her mom to find her.

  It was a slow, painful climb back up the slippery slope. Thankfully, the trees actually provided something to hold on to. This was the path she had been looking for. This is where they would climb down the hill to get to the meadow; that is, if she ever went hunting again.

  Megan collapsed at the base of a large pine tree and propped herself up using the large trunk as support. Staring out at the meadow below and the area where she had crawled up from, she lost her breath. It was a long fall. Caitlin had flown past her when the ground had washed away under their feet. She didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified Caitlin was not down there. With her view of the entire meadow, she took a relieved breath. There was no pink coat and definitely no body of a broken little girl.

  Caitlin must have been able to stop her fall. She had to have run for help. Did she know the way back to the cabin?

  It was becoming increasingly difficult to stay awake and Megan shook her head trying to clear the increasing fuzziness that was wrapping around her vision. She had no idea how much time had passed. It could have been an hour or more. If Caitlin knew her way back to the cabin, it would take her about an hour to get there. Help could be arriving at any minute. She hoped.

  4

  Wyatt finished splitting another cord of wood stacking it neatly next to the woodshed on the platform they’d built. This would make ten, but he wasn't convinced it would be enough. As the old adage said, better safe than sorry.

  Sweat dripped from his brow even though the temperature hovered around fifty degrees. He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and wiped his face. A cool breeze whipped through, cooling his skin. Looking up at the sky, he wasn't very surprised to see dark clouds building up in the north. He expected Caitlin and Megan would return anytime. She knew to watch the weather and get back home before it hit.

  Rosie stuck her head out the back door, “You want something to eat, hon?”

  “No, mom, I'm good, thanks. Is Albert still in there?”

  “Yep, just gave him some ointment for his knee. His arthritis is really acting up. I would say we are in for a good storm,” Rosie said matter-of-factly.

  Wyatt used to question her theory about arthritis pain and incoming rain, but she was usually right. The clouds confirmed it. Megan better get her butt home.

  He tried to stay busy but the nagging feeling in his gut wouldn't be ignored. Megan and Caitlin hadn't taken any gear with them besides the basics. She should be back by now. He had been fighting back the need to go with her, wanting her to learn to be independent but it wasn't easy. He was so used to protecting those he loved, and he loved Megan and Caitlin.

  His mother had lectured him repeatedly about his overprotective nature but it was like trying to tell him not to breathe. The thought of not being there when a loved one needed him made him crazy. When he had seen Kyle holding the gun on Megan, rage and terror gave him superhuman strength. The only thing he thought of as he fought against the man who threatened Megan was her. Her safety. Her well-being. Her life.

  Wyatt helped his mom carry in a basket of laundry and hang it by the fire. The rain was starting and the wind was picking up. If Megan didn't come walking through that door in the next minute he was going to lose his mind.

  Suddenly, the door swung open slamming against the wall with a loud thunk. Looking up in relief, he frowned to see it was only Jack and Chase.

  “Wow, that wind came out of nowhere!” Chase said brushing crushed bits of leaves and pine needles from his hair.

  Wyatt went to the back door to check out what was happening outside. This was the downside of not having any large windows on the ground floor. He pulled open the back door and was nearly blown off his feet. The wind gusted through the open door, blowing the clothes that were hanging near the stove.

  “Oh my,” Rosie said quickly grabbing a sock that had been ripped from the clothespin holding it on the rope.

  “You should see what it looks like from up here,” Willow called out from upstairs

  Wyatt slammed the door shut and took the stairs two at a time. He stared out the huge windows. It was the middle of the morning but the sun had been blocked out. He could see the tops of the trees bending sideways with the force of the wind.

  “Give her some time,” Jack said from below. “She is a smart girl. She probably saw the storm and took shelter somewhere.”

  Wyatt slowly walked down the stairs.

  “She better have,” he grumbled. “I need to secure the root cellar.”

  “I'll help you,” his brother said grabbing a rain jacket from the hall closet. He grabbed another and handed it to Wyatt.

  The brothers struggled against the wind and the rain beating them with tiny, sharp pellets. They heard a loud crashing sound and watched as a tree fell onto the cabin. Jack raced inside to make sure everyone was okay.

  Wyatt struggled to walk against the wind. The tree was resting on the metal roof of the lodge, but there didn't appear to be any serious damage. It was a fairly small tree and the cabin was well-built. It wouldn't be a problem.

  Another cracking sound had him frantically looking around to see where it was coming from. He couldn't see any falling trees, but he could hear it happening all around him.

  Jack slapped him on the shoulder, pulling him back into the house. He was shouting something, but Wyatt couldn't make it out.

  When he walked through the door, everyone was huddling in the kitchen terrified. Megan and Caitlin were in this storm, exposed and alone.

  “The heart of the storm will pass within minutes,” Chase assured Wyatt. “Then we'll go.”

  The small kitchen window shattered, as a tree limb burst through spraying glass all over the counter. Duke started barking as Rosie gave an involuntary scream.

  Wyatt looked at Jack. His little brother was worried about his own family. This storm was a wild one. The lodge was sturdy, but he wasn't sure it could take a larger tree coming down on it. One was more than enough.

  “Ry, mom, Willow, you guys need to move away from the windows. They are small, but I don't want anyone getting hurt. You can sit at the table for now but if the wind gets much worse, I’d feel more comfortable if you sat next to the staircase, which will provide some additional protection and support.”

  “Chase, help me put together some go bags, would you?” He knew his friend was chomping at the bit to get out there too.

  Jack started to go help Chase but Wyatt put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You’ll need to stay here with Albert and take care of any damage from the storm.”

  The two brothers looked at each other and communicated without words. Jack needed to stay behind and protect his family.

  They packed quickly, hoping to leave the second the storm started to subside. Wyatt threw in extra first aid supplies, just in case the worst had happened. He added some bread that had been left over from yesterday's batch. A pack of dried apple slices from this year's harvest was also added.

  He dug through the other bug out bags they kept at the ready, pulling out a couple of ponchos, Mylar blankets and more paracord. Wyatt wasn't sure what they would find, but he wanted to be ready for anything. They were planning a rescue mission, not a survival mission. If Megan and Caitlin had been caught in the storm, they would be cold, wet and likely injured. Their first goal would be to assess any injuries and then get them warmed up in a hurry.

  Wyatt was praying they could walk but if not, he was prepared to carry them home. He added in a pair of leather gloves for himself and Chase. Wyatt stared into the open backpack and did a mental checklist. He hoped thi
s would be enough.

  Ryland stood up, “Dad, you have to go with them. I will take care of mom and grandma.”

  Jack looked at Wyatt who was about to say no.

  “I would appreciate that, Ry.”

  “Jack,” Wyatt started, but was cut off by his mother.

  “I think he's right. The three of you can cover more ground. Ryland and Albert can hold the fort down.”

  Willow laughed, “We aren't exactly incapable here, guys. Thanks for the confidence, but we aren't a bunch of wilting flowers.”

  Wyatt knew they were right. His mom, and especially Willow, hated being treated as if they were fragile.

  “Fine, get your bag together, Jack. I'm gonna check the weather.”

  When Wyatt opened the door again, the wind was still howling but the rain had subsided a bit. It was still pouring but it wasn't that violent rain that drove into your skin like nails.

  “Let's go,” he said grabbing his bag and heading out the door.

  Jack and Chase rushed to catch up to him.

  His brother asked the obvious, “Where are we going, Wyatt?”

  Wyatt pointed, “She told me they were heading up the mountain. She wanted to check out the area and look for good places to hunt in the coming weeks.”

  “With her sense of direction, there’s no telling where she might have ended up in this storm,” Chase muttered. “Please tell me she has a compass with her?”

  “She promised never to leave home without it anymore,” Wyatt told them as they trudged through the wet leaves and mud, making their trek that much more difficult.

  They all knew that Megan was an excellent hunter. Her father had made his living leading hunting expeditions into both the Cascades and the Rocky Mountains. While she’d readily taught the others what she knew, this season would be the first time they would put it all to the test. The group was hoping to get several deer. With the makeshift freezer they’d built, they were hoping to have fresh meat throughout the winter, as well as make jerky.