Windburn

by Kenny Soward

  “More likely a dead body,” Barbara added. “A hungry dog would eat them in the wild.”

  “I’m sure they would,” Sara said with a frown. “Rex will also let us know when someone is coming way before we can hear them, and that’s the most important part of all.”

  “We’ll see,” Barbara said, moving to the passenger side door and holding the handle. “Hard to tell what a dog is going to do in any given situation. We had a Doberman Pincer named Rambler when I was a little girl, but Daddy didn’t work with him much. One night when we weren’t home, someone broke in, and Rambler didn’t attack them because the robber distracted him with some ribeye steaks and locked him in the bathroom. By the time we got home, he’d chewed the meat to the bone and all our stuff was gone.

  “Heartening story,” Sara quipped to the girl. “You’re just full of fun facts today, aren’t you?”

  Barbara shrugged, opened the door, and climbed inside, pulling the handle until the door slammed shut.

  “You sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Dion raised his eyebrows. “It really seems like you’re breaking up the old team here.”

  “No, I want you here with Natasha and the kids,” Sara said. “There’s a house full of people who need your protection. You’ve got Jake’s gun, right?”

  Dion patted his waistline, and Sara looked down to see the bulge of the .357 beneath his jacket and rain poncho.

  “Good.”

  Dion gave a quick glance in Barbara’s direction, saying softly, “She’s not exactly a ray of sunshine, is she?”

  “No, she’s not,” Sara said, “but I don’t need a ray of sunshine where we’re going. I need someone who can help me navigate to some supplies and get us back here quickly. Barbara knows the area, and the people. She’s one of them.”

  “Good point,” Dion said. “Don’t worry about things here. I’ll keep an eye on everyone. You just be careful.”

  “I will, Dion. Thanks.”

  Sara gave the man a pat on the shoulder and spared a final glance at the cabin before she turned and got into the Subaru.

  Thirty minutes later they pulled to the end of Powdermill Road where it hit Glades. Sara’s eyes looked across the road where the antique shops and restaurants had been washed out, the debris drifting sluggishly.

  “Take a right here.” Barbara sat patiently in the passenger seat with her 9mm handgun resting in her lap.

  “Not left toward the urgent care?”

  “Naw, most of that area has been gone through. The Good Folk scavenger teams haven’t come this way yet, at least the last time I checked.”

  “Okay.” Sara blinked once and then looked both ways before she pulled out into the street. Sara chuckled as she hit the gas and edged the car to the right shoulder and away from the flooding in the other lane.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I looked both ways before I pulled out.” Sara’s tone was flat and dry. “Like there would actually be another car coming. It’s an old habit that will probably never die.”

  “It’s good to be careful anyway,” Barbara said quietly.

  “You’re probably right, although I have a feeling there are a lot of old habits we won’t need anymore, in favor of new ones that keep us from getting killed.”

  “Now that’s definitely the truth,” Barbara agreed.

  They rode slowly in silence, their eyes scanning both sides of the road for any favorable opportunities to gain some additional food, supplies, or tools.

  “Is there something in particular I need to be looking for?” Sara asked, one eyebrow cocked in question.

  “Not really. It’s a feeling thing.”

  “A feeling thing,” Sara repeated more to herself than to Barbara, although she wasn’t scoffing at the advice. She let her attention drift from the yellow line in the road over to the left side of the flooded gully, up the side of the hill, and then back to the yellow line again. She was only going ten miles per hour, so there was little chance of wrecking the Subaru, Sara figuring that they needed both pairs of eyes if they were going to cover more area.

  Sara noticed they’d passed several gravel driveways on their right that wove up into the side of the mountain. “We’re not going to try any of those?”

  “Not a good idea,” Barbara replied. “Those houses probably aren’t in bad shape, so there will likely be people living in them. Best to go for the low-hanging fruit first and then work our way up.”

  “Low-hanging fruit,” Sara repeated, amazed that they were referring to other human beings and their possessions in such a way. But the girl was right. They needed those possessions if they were going to survive.

  After a quarter mile of slow driving, the mountain on their right broke away to reveal a shallow rise with a series of structures set off the road. Water flowed over the rise and pooled in the gully on their left. Directly ahead, one of the structures had washed across the road, and Barbara spotted something she liked.

  “Take the gravel driveway here,” Barbara said, peering to her right through the rain-slicked glass.

  Sara turned slowly into the driveway and rolled up toward a couple of structures set behind the house that had washed away. One structure looked like an old house, still intact, with faded red siding, while the other structures appeared to be storage sheds and a small barn.

  “Do you know the people who live here?” Sara asked as she pulled between the structures and put the Subaru in park. She noticed the driveway kept on going and curved down to the road once more, bypassing the washed-out home completely.

  “I sure don’t,” Barbara said. The girl hadn’t opened her door, instead peering around carefully and even tossing a glance over her shoulder and out the window.

  “What are we waiting for?”

  “Just waiting to get a feel of the place,” the girl said quietly. “Seems best to just pull up and wait at places like this. Someone might do you a favor and fire a warning shot before you get out. Others might rush in and try to steal your car, so getting out right away is the worst thing you can do.”

  Barbara was being excruciatingly patient, a trait that had never been strong in Sara. She was used to seeing something that needed to be done, forming a plan of attack, and executing that plan of attack as quickly and perfectly as she could. The girl was smarter than Sara gave her credit for, and she continued to prove herself every minute that passed. Sara realized there were a few things she could learn from the girl.

  Rex let out an impatient bark, possibly sensing Sara’s growing anxiety as her eyes roamed the grounds. That, or he was anxious to get out of the car and sniff around. Barbara pressed the button to roll down her window and get a clearer view, and Sara followed her lead.

  The old home appeared to be in decent shape, with grass grown tall around the foundation and a wooden deck that had seen better days. An electric line ran from Glades Road to a short pole in the front yard and then down to the corner of the house.

  “I’ll get out first, okay?”

  “Sure thing,” Sara said, putting aside her motherly instinct to protect the younger woman in lieu of her clear experience in the matter. Tension crawled up her back and pinched at her shoulders as she waited.

  Finally, Barbara pulled the handle to release her door and got out. She held her gun at her side and stood in the rain for a moment with the door open. Then, coming to some conclusion, she gestured through the open door at Sara. “Come on out. I think it’s safe.”

  Sara was glad to open the door and step into the rain. She immediately went back and popped the Subaru’s hatchback, allowing Rex to hop out with an excited yelp.

  “Shush,” Sara told the German Shepherd. She grabbed him by his harness before he could run off and affixed a leash to the D-ring between his shoulders. Rex obediently sat and quieted down, although he shifted from his right paw to his left, whining as he pointed his muzzle in every direction. Once Rex was situated, Sara stood. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “Check the sheds first,�
�� Barbara said, “I’ll keep watch.”

  They walked over to the barn and shed cluster, moving to the first ten-by-ten foot shed. The faded red paint was chipped, and the wood was rotting away around the perimeter where water, moss, and mold had accumulated. The shed’s padlock rested in the metal staple but was unlocked. She lifted the lock free, swung the latch open, and placed the lock back in its staple.

  After handing Barbara Rex’s leash, she slowly opened the door and stepped into the darkness, looking for a light switch out of habit. Then, remembering there would be no electricity even if she found the switch, she pulled her small flashlight from beneath her rain poncho, flipped it on, and directed the beam of light all around.

  The shed was full of old tools with cobwebs hanging from them. The smells of dust and old stains made Sara want to sneeze, and she directed her flashlight down to illuminate a lawn mower resting on a concrete slab with several cans of gasoline and oil on a shelf nearby.

  Her eyes followed the flashlight beam to the far wall where several lawn tools hung from hooks. There was a weed eater, a hedge trimmer, and some shovels and rakes. Then she saw exactly what she was looking for.

  “Bingo!” Sara called out. She went over and reached up for an eighteen-inch chainsaw that hung from a hook. “I found a chainsaw!”

  “Awesome,” Barbara replied, sounding relieved.

  Sara gathered the chainsaw and flashlight under one arm and grabbed the fullest gas can she could find in the other. She left the shed and walked over to the car, popping the hatchback and placing the chainsaw and gasoline in the back.

  “There’s a lawn mower in there I want to come back for,” Sara said. “We probably won’t be cutting the grass, though we might be able to make use of the engine.”

  “Good idea,” Barbara said. “No one has come out of the house yet. Want to check it out?”

  “Sure thing,” Sara agreed as she took Rex’s leash from the girl. “Let’s see if our luck continues.”

  They walked up to the back porch of the house and ascended the steps to a sliding glass door. It was a small deck with just enough space for the three of them. Barbara placed her hand on the glass and peered inside, her gun held at her waist with the barrel pointed down.

  “Nobody’s home.” Barbara tried the sliding glass door and found it was locked, so she took a flathead screwdriver from her pocket, knelt down, and wedged it between the frame and the door latch. Then she jiggled it around as she lifted on the door handle.

  “You always carry around a screwdriver?”

  “I’ve broken into more of these than I can count since this all happened,” Barbara said, then she flashed Sara a frown. “I’m not proud of it.”

  “I’m sure we’ve all done some things we’re not proud of.” Sara’s words were partly an agreement of justification and partly an absolution, although she didn’t think it was her right to absolve the girl of anything.

  Something snapped on the latch and the door slid open. Barbara stepped inside and stopped, her head cocked to the side as she listened. Sara looked down at Rex to see that he was interested about the home but not excitedly so. Sara took it to mean he didn’t smell food or anything else that piqued his interest.

  “Come on in,” Barbara said, gesturing with her weapon.

  Sara stepped inside and went around Barbara, moving through the small kitchen and into the open living room. Only, it wasn’t a living room like Sara would have suspected. There was no big-screen television, or any television at all. Just a radio sitting on a desk along with several chairs covered in lace, tulle, and other patterns Sara didn’t recognize at first. Then she knew.

  “They’re bridal gowns.” Sara’s jaw dropped open. “Whoever lived in the house made bridal gowns.” She reached out to touch some stiff pieces of plastic combs that appeared to be used for fixing the tulle and other decorative material to a woman’s head. “And veils, too.”

  “That’s not surprising,” Barbara said. She stepped into the room and looked around at the pretty material, and Sara thought she saw a flash in the young woman’s eyes before her expression fell flat once more. “Sometimes people use their old houses for hobby homes.” Barbara nodded out the front window to the home that had been washed out into the road. “They probably built their new house down there. It might have been nicer, though they clearly skimped on the foundation.”

  They checked through the old house but couldn’t find anything of use. Being a hobby house, there was no real food to speak of except for an open bag of chips that had long since gone stale and some empty Sprite bottles. The rest of the hobby home had been cleared out completely.

  Once outside, Sara glanced down at the washed-out home with its roof collapsed down around the foundation. The flood waters had risen above the shingles, leaving no noticeable entrance. Rex pulled on his harness, drawn in that direction, and Sara pulled him away.

  “You don’t want to check it out?” Barbara asked.

  “Not really,” Sara said, thinking back to when she’d been trying to rescue Astro and the corpse of a woman had popped out to scare the wits out of her. “I think Rex smells something off, so unless we want to go swimming around down there…”

  “Whoever is inside is likely dead,” Barbara finished Sara’s train of thought. “And, you’re right, it would be too dangerous for us to try. I say we head back to the cabin.”

  Sara looked around and then up into the rain as a heavy gust of wind knocked her sideways a step. “I don’t know. I’m feeling pretty lucky, and there’s still plenty of daylight left. Let’s try another few houses.”

  Barbara shrugged. “If you’re up for it, sure.”

  Chapter 21

  Sara, Gatlinburg, Tennessee | 2:45 p.m., Friday

  They tried three more homes along the road with mixed results, salvaging some canned goods, a couple of mountain bikes, and some clothes that would fit both Todd and Zoe, items Sara knew they would need down the road.

  One of the flooded homes they’d visited had collapsed and fallen sideways, but the entrance was partially accessible. Rex had sniffed excitedly around the busted front-door frame, and even Sara could smell the rot coming from inside. She didn’t need to enter to know what she’d find. Still, both she and Barbara called out to see if anyone was still alive inside. Upon finding no one, they got back in the Subaru and pulled off.

  Sara found a patch of raised road and guided the Subaru over it at a leisurely pace. The trepidation she’d experienced upon first setting out this morning was gone, and they’d even passed a couple of vehicles heading in the opposite direction. Sara had been surprised at this, and had even wanted to flag down the drivers. Barbara told her not to stop, so Sara kept on driving. And the drivers of the other vehicles had barely glanced in their direction, anyway.

  They approached a road marked by a quaint-looking streetlamp on the corner. On a whim, Sara turned right and pulled the Subaru onto a thin lane covered with the first leaves of fall. They scattered and danced as Sara drove past more damaged homes.

  “Any of these will do,” Barbara reminded her.

  “None of them feel right,” Sara quipped as her head swiveled to the left and right.

  “Oh, you have some intuition about this now?” Barbara asked with a note of amusement.

  “Maybe.” Sara flashed the girl a grin, although she didn’t expect to receive one in return. Something was bothering the girl; something about her family or the storms or the flooding, Sara didn’t know. She was determined to remain patient until Barbara was ready to open up.

  Sara suddenly pushed on the brake, turning the Subaru into a long, newly blacktopped driveway that led up into the swaying trees. They passed a fancy mailbox made out of pristine brickwork that looked like it cost a fortune and made their way slowly up the drive.

  “This isn’t low-hanging fruit,” Barbara said.

  “I just want to try something a little drier.” Sara peered ahead and pressed the gas harder, causing the Subaru’s engine to t
ick higher as it climbed the incline. “I just have a feeling.”

  Barbara wordlessly looked out the window as Sara pulled up the smooth driveway surrounded by woods on both sides. When they reached the end, Sara let out a small gasp of awe.

  Before them was a small, empty parking lot in front of a wide, three-story lodge. It was a wooden structure with big-framed windows filled with dazzling glasswork. More dazzling was the faint glow coming from inside that added a warmth to the place Sara couldn’t define. It reminded her of festive holidays, big cups of hot cocoa with marshmallows, and long fall evenings watching movies with her loving family.

  “This place is incredible,” Sara said. She stopped short of pulling all the way into the lot and merely sat at the top of the driveway. “It’s got to be worth at least a half-million dollars.”

  “Looks like our questions are answered,” Barbara stated. “Time to go.”

  “We’re going in,” Sara said. Pulling a short distance into the lot, Sara turned the Subaru around in a tight circle and parked it at the top of the driveway so they were facing toward the road should they need to escape in a hurry. “Or at least up to the door.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Barbara fixed Sara with a hard look.

  “Look, whoever lives here is confident enough to keep their lights on. They are probably well-defended. I think as long as we play it honest, we’ll be fine.”

  “What do you expect to find?” Barbara asked.

  “Maybe we can talk to them,” Sara shrugged. “You said yourself that the Good Folk need all the help they can get. And if, for some reason, they’ve abandoned the place…”

  “There are likely some great supplies inside.”

  “Exactly.” Sara glanced into her mirrors and saw no one approaching them from the lodge. She gave Barbara a reassuring look. “Don’t worry. We’ll be careful.”

  With a sigh, Barbara grabbed the door handle and opened it, stepping out into the wind and rain. Sara followed suit, getting out and moving slowly to the back of the vehicle. She popped the hatchback, and Rex hopped down with an excited bark as Sara clipped his leash on.