Albert objected, of course. “You don't need to be going anywhere alone with her.”
Wyatt slapped his palm on the table when Albert's comment sparked more loud conversation.
“Enough!”
The room fell silent. The tension was high. They were not in agreement. Despite what Brenda had done for him, the rest of the group didn't want her around.
Wyatt inwardly groaned. This was going to be a long night.
28
Megan felt terrible for the way the group was treating Brenda. She was more than happy to extract the woman from the situation before things really got ugly.
Her opinion had already been established and she trusted Wyatt to speak for her.
Brenda was more than happy to leave the table. Megan couldn't imagine how uncomfortable it must have been listening to people talk about your good points and bad points as if she was up for auction. The funny thing was, Evan was vying to get her to return to his camp, which she could understand because it was the same reason why she wanted her to stay. Anyone with a valuable skillset was an asset to any group and truth be told, she trusted Brenda more than she did Evan.
Megan took comfort in knowing Brenda would have somewhere to go if her own group decided not to let her stay.
Brenda and Megan walked out the front door; both pausing to take a breath of the cool night air. Megan looked upwards and marveled at the stars in the sky. She would never get over how beautiful it was out here. Without the streetlights or the lights from a city, the stars seemed so much brighter.
“It really is beautiful, isn't it?” Brenda asked.
“Yes, it is. I love when it is a clear and you can see for miles across the sky,” Megan replied.
They walked to the bench off to the side of the cabin. Megan had spent all summer cleaning the area up and making it a perfect place to sit and stargaze. It always reminded her of that moment she first showed up at the lodge. It was the moment her life changed forever.
“I'm sorry you have to go through this tribunal council type thing,” Megan told Brenda who seemed to be lost in thought.
She shrugged, “It's okay. I mean, it's actually a good thing. It would be more worrisome if you simply invited anyone and everyone to live with you. I understand if they would rather that I didn't stick around. I didn't make the best first impression. I don't even know that I want to stay, to tell you the truth.”
Megan laughed, “Well, I'm glad you found Caitlin when you did. I can't imagine what would have happened had she been stuck out there for hours. It could have been much worse. Besides, what else are you going to do? You can't go back to your cabin; not yet anyway.”
Brenda nodded, “Yeah. That is definitely not a good choice but I refuse to let them run me off either.”
Megan didn't say anything. She thought about the bodies scattered about the area. She would help bury them. She did kill them all after all.
Brenda interrupted her thoughts, “I really like Rosie and Willow. It has been a long time since I sat around and talked with other women. Men too. You never realize how much you depend on human interaction until it is gone. I have never been a big people person but the isolation plays tricks on your mind.”
Megan nodded and listened as Brenda talked about the lonely months she had spent. Despite being alone, she had managed pretty well. She told Megan about her secret caches of food and other supplies that were buried around her cabin as well as all around the forest. She was prepared to bug out of her cabin if it ever came to it.
One of the perks of being alone meant she could pick up and move in a heartbeat. She didn't need to talk it over or worry about moving a large group. She simply grabbed her pack and left.
Megan marveled at how well prepared Brenda truly was. She wasn't going to be completely destitute if she decided to stay on her own or if the group refused to let her stick around. Megan hoped they could come up with some kind of compromise.
Wyatt listened as each person offered their opinion on Brenda and whether it was a good idea for her to join the group. Caitlin and Ryland had excused themselves and gone upstairs. They had more important matters to discuss. Caitlin had put in her two cents. She liked Brenda and wanted her to stay. Ryland agreed with Caitlin.
Now it was up to the six of them. Megan had already put in her vote.
“How do we make sure we don't have another situation like Kyle on our hands?” Chase asked.
No one answered right away.
It was Rosie who came up with a solution.
“One of us needs to be with her at all times. Like glue. She sleeps with someone and isn't allowed to roam the property alone.”
“For how long?” Jack asked.
“I say a week or until we are comfortable everything is on the up and up,” Chase answered.
“Why don't we have her stay at her own cabin and we just get to know her a little at a time?” Jack ventured.
It was Evan who offered an opinion on that option.
“She can't go back there right away, Chase. Not with the dead bodies still there. You guys have to know the others will be coming to look for their guys. Would you really send her back?”
Chase nodded in agreement. “True, but bringing her here could also invite more trouble.”
“Evan, how do you guys go about letting new people into your group?” Wyatt asked. Their group had clearly grown in numbers over the summer and things seemed to be going just fine.
“Well, we do have that one cabin in the main camp. Any newcomers are basically quarantined there. They are not told about the main cabin. We keep a guard with them at all times. If they can't handle being watched like a hawk those first few days, they leave. We all take turns talking to the newcomer. They begin to open up and we get a sense of who they are.”
Wyatt nodded his head. It was about the only real option. They didn't have a spare cabin but they could probably figure something out.
“I'm sure Megan will volunteer to do most of the babysitting but I think it would be best if we all took turns. We all need to evaluate her and get a better idea of who she really is,” Wyatt explained.
Albert scowled, but nodded in agreement. “After the week is up, we have another meeting. At that meeting we decide if it is a go or not.”
Everyone agreed but Wyatt had one more condition to the trial period. He didn't want Brenda to know she was being tested and watched. If she knew, she could fake it. They needed to see the real her.
The group agreed. Brenda would be allowed to stay at the lodge for a week. After a week, they would make a final decision.
Wyatt wanted to talk to Jack about building a cabin or some kind of shelter they could use as temporary living quarters. It was likely they would come across more people who would want to join their group. They had to have a way to vet them while keeping their own people relatively safe.
Jack agreed that a small, single room, cabin like Evan’s would be a good idea. They wouldn't have to be too picky with construction. It would only need to be big enough for a person to sleep in. Wyatt and Jack didn't want to refer to it as a jail but it would be somewhere that separated the new person from the group. If they had to, one of their own group would watch the little cabin all night.
It may not appear welcoming and a newcomer may not like it but it would be the way it had to be. If someone wasn't willing to go through a trial period, they would not be welcome in the group.
Wyatt hobbled back to bed. His leg was starting to throb and he was ready to get a good night’s sleep in his own bed with his lady tucked in close beside him. Jack agreed to have Caitlin and Ryland have a sleepover in his room.
While no one actually thought Brenda would do anything, they wanted to be safe. Having the kids in the room with Jack and Willow would keep them relatively safe, just in case Brenda got any crazy ideas.
Chase would be sleeping on the couch across from Brenda. He would keep an eye on her all night. Everyone knew Chase was a light sleeper. Brenda was stealthy, b
ut they were confident Chase would hear or sense movement. Evan volunteered to sleep on the floor upstairs as well. Just in case, Brenda managed to overpower Chase.
When Brenda and Megan came back into the cabin, Chase explained the sleeping arrangements. Brenda didn't show any emotion, simply thanked them for their hospitality and quickly spread a blanket on the couch.
Megan went downstairs after helping Brenda get settled in. There was still a lot of tension, but she hoped it would settle down soon. She was convinced everyone in the group would eventually come around and Brenda would be welcome around there.
It wouldn't happen overnight and it would likely take months or longer. Brenda was a bit of an odd duck. Her tendency to hide all her emotions would make it difficult for anyone to judge how she was feeling but with time, that could change.
Brenda had been through a lot. She was going to have to learn to rely on others. Megan didn't know for sure, if this arrangement would work out but they had to try.
As she lay down next to Wyatt for the night, she thought about the way things worked out. Some would call it fate.
Kyle's poisoning of Caitlin had led her here, to the home she loved, her accident had led to peacemaking with Evan's group, and had quite possibly saved the life of a woman who was all alone in the world. Yep, life had a funny way of working things out.
Epilogue
Wyatt sat at the kitchen table with his leg elevated on another chair. It had only been a couple weeks since his accident and while he was itching to get back to work, between his mother and Brenda lecturing him, he agreed to convalesce. With Albert hobbling around a bit better thanks to the new knee brace and Megan still wearing the boot, they were down able bodies and Wyatt didn’t dare make it worse.
The days were getting shorter and the temperature was dropping. It would be close but he was fairly sure they were ready for winter so long as no one else became injured. With Chase’s help, the kids brought down a deer and while they didn’t appreciate having to help skin it, everyone was eating well and Albert took it upon himself to cure the skin for later use.
Brenda's skills had become sought after and she was able to barter her services for some additional supplies. Come spring, Wyatt imagined expanding their network with other groups in the area and soon, they might have everything they needed.
When Evan had returned to his camp, he’d taken some men to bury the bodies and collect the guns and ATVs. Except, the equipment was gone and only three bodies remained.
Both Megan and Brenda were sure they’d taken down all four men and Wyatt had yet to tell anyone what Evan found not wanting to worry anyone else.
Wyatt didn’t want to imagine what that could mean or why The Raiders would only pick up one body. With a survivor, revenge was only a matter of time and unlike Evan’s group, Wyatt didn’t doubt they would come.
His mom was already making plans for Thanksgiving and he knew they had much to be thankful for this year. They had a roof over their heads, warm beds to sleep in, food on the table, and were making friends and allies.
There was so much more at stake now and Wyatt wasn’t prepared to let his guard down for any reason but he couldn’t help buying into the growing enthusiasm that maybe things didn’t look as bleak as he once thought.
He smiled when he heard Caitlin and Ryland’s animated chatter as they came stomping inside. With the new mudroom, they no longer had the cold wind blowing into the lodge every time someone opened the back door.
Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, he nodded absently at something the kids said, not really listening. Looking up at their smiling faces as they trudged up the stairs, he made the decision not to tell anyone about The Raiders. No sense in creating more worry. This was definitely something Wyatt would have to shoulder at least for a little while longer. After all, that’s what leaders did.
End of ‘Dark Hunt’
EMP Lodge Series Book Two
Afterword
Dear Readers,
For the purpose of the story, in chapter 3, I decided to give Megan a Crickett rifle. While definitely not the first choice in hunting rifles, it is an excellent starter gun for children. A more common choice for hunting would be a 20-gauge shotgun but given that Caitlin’s character is only eight and small for her size, the weight of the gun and length of pull would have been too much for Caitlin; although Ryland probably could have managed it.
Perhaps better choices would have been for Caitlin to use a .223 Remington (think AR-15 or bolt action) and Megan a .308 Winchester or a .30-06 Springfield in case they do encounter a bear. Why? Because a .22 LR does not have enough power to penetrate a deer's skull since all .22 LR cartridges are loaded with either soft lead or lightly jacketed bullets with very little powder behind them due to the lack of case capacity. Most game animals’ vitals are located behind the shoulder and the shot should be placed approximately one inch behind the elbow rather than in the neck (an easier target for a child), which depends on hydrostatic shock to incapacitate the animal rather than physical damage to the internal organs.
However, in this post-EMP world, wishlists are longer than easily accessible supplies and my decision in choosing Caitlin’s weapon was not based on what would be the best choice but on what I thought might be more readily available.
That said, I hope you enjoy:
Caitlin’s Birthday Cake Recipe
•1 cup brown sugar
•1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter (can substitute oil but butter tastes better)
•2 large eggs (Ground flax seed can be used as a vegan alternative for eggs. Mix a bit with water and stir until you get an egg white type consistency)
•1 teaspoon baking soda
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•2 teaspoons baking powder
•1 teaspoon cinnamon
•1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
•1 3/4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
•1 cup unsweetened applesauce
•1/2 cup raisins, golden raisins, or currants
•1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Blurb
Strength in numbers can make the difference between life and death—but only the right numbers.
Megan Wolford has finally found herself a family she and her young daughter can rely on in terrifying times. Their group is small, but they trust each other with their lives—and day by day, Wyatt is showing her how to love again. With a long winter looming, they’ll have to hunker down in the lodge to survive, but there are deadlier threats to their safety than harsh conditions.
When a neighboring group is struck by ruthless raiders led by the fearsome Connor McDaniels, they must form an uneasy alliance with Megan’s new family. She doesn’t take kindly to newcomers, but they will need every pair of hands they can get to fight off the raiders. After McDaniels turns his sights on Megan’s people, she plans an assault that will put an end to the threat he poses once and for all—she’ll need every person she can get at her side. But she has to learn to trust them first.
1
Megan Wolford stared through the trees, desperate to find her. Jack was right by her side, which was a place he’d tended to frequent in the past month. With Wyatt not totally healed from stepping in the bear trap—forced to hobble around in the walking boot Greg had given her and use Albert’s crutches—Megan and Jack had taken on many of his responsibilities. Together, they had become a formidable team.
“Do you see her?” Megan asked.
“No,” Jack said. The frustration in his voice mimicked Megan's own feeling.
“Where in the world could she have gotten off to?”
Megan was tired of scouring the woods looking for her, but they couldn’t leave without her.
“It probably took off, deeper into the forest this time now that it’s more familiar with the area.”
“Her,” Megan corrected, not trying to hide her irritation.
Evan and Bryan tramped through the trees behind them, making their frustration clear with the amount of noise they were
making. Bryan was shaking his head. “I say let it come back when it’s ready.”
“Her!” Megan shouted.
She stomped away from the three men. They were heartless threatening to leave her out here. She knew Jack would never do that. He had become one of her closest friends and he would never do anything that would hurt Megan like that.
Wyatt and Jack were not only brothers, but best friends. Wyatt trusted Jack with his life. Megan trusted Wyatt's judgment and had naturally gravitated towards a friendship with his brother. She wasn't the best at making new friends but she had started to consider Jack her closest companion by default.
He was one of the nicest, kindest men she had ever met. She was so thankful she had gotten the chance to know him. Their relationship had evolved into one you could compare to a sister and brother bond.
Evan and Bryan went in the opposite direction, knowing Megan wouldn't give up.
Jack caught up with Megan and they fell into an easy stride, walking side by side.
“She couldn't have gotten far.,” he reassured her. “I hope.”
Evan's baritone voice boomed through the trees to the left.
“Over here! Hurry up, Megan! I’m not even going to try to catch her. It’s up to you.”
Megan and Jack took off running through the trees. Stepping on a small rock, she twisted her ankle, pain shooting up her shin all the way to the hip.
“Ow!” She stopped and leaned against a tree.
Her ankle had healed, but every so often she managed to turn just right and it stretched the weak muscles and healing tendons.
Sucking in a deep breath, she took a minute to breathe through the pain.
“That's it,” Jack said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Just breathe. It will pass.”
EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 40
