EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6

by Hamilton, Grace

  Megan closed her eyes and nodded. Jack was the brother she never had and would have always wanted. He pushed her when she needed it, but was always there to give her a few kind words when things were especially tough.

  Wyatt had a lot on his plate with his injury. He was used to leading the family, he’d been especially grumpy and touchy these last few weeks. She knew it was because he felt bad that he couldn't do as much to help prep for winter.

  She completely understood the feeling. Been there, done that, she thought.

  Jack stood beside her while Megan leaned against the tree, waiting for the pain to pass. He was a patient man and had helped her through many situations just like this one. Jack and Megan had been forced to do most the hunting and scavenging with Wyatt down. Chase generally stayed around the lodge to act as head of security, with Brenda and Albert rotating watch shifts.

  It was an effective system. Everyone was on edge at the lodge, waiting for retaliation after the incident at Brenda's house. Brenda had remained at the lodge as a permanent resident, which Megan wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. She wanted to trust the woman, but it wasn't something that came naturally to her. It didn’t help that Brenda was a difficult person to get to know. She didn't say a lot and when she did, it was nothing personal. Megan knew very little about the woman who had ultimately saved Caitlin's life.

  This trip was supposed to be Jack and Megan's last before the snow started to fall. They were going to be scavenging what was left of the town with Evan and Bryan. When Evan had radioed Albert, asking if they wanted to go along on the last trip, it was Wyatt who agreed that it would be a good idea. He was feeling better and had insisted Chase go along to help carry supplies back. They needed to pad their stores before winter. The trip was risky, but Megan had agreed with Wyatt and they’d managed to score big on their trip into town. She couldn't wait to get back to the lodge to show Wyatt the haul they had found and the surprise gift she received from Evan.

  Brenda had volunteered to go with them, but Megan convinced her to stay at the lodge. With Chase going, Brenda was needed for security purposes. Their numbers were spread thin with Wyatt down. Everyone had to do a little more to help make up for his inability to do anything strenuous.

  “It is going to kill one of us one of these days,” Jack said, trying to get a laugh out of Megan.

  “You're right. If I don't kill her first,” Megan grumbled.

  They both knew she would never do anything to bring the little thing harm, but she certainly did try Megan's patience.

  “You ready? Let's go before it, I mean she, takes off again.”

  Megan stuck close behind Jack as they ran as fast as possible through the wooded area. She could hear Evan and Bryan shouting ahead. All that would do is scare her and she would run off again. Megan was going to explain, again, how to calm the poor thing down.

  When they finally reached the clearing where Evan and Bryan were making a huge fuss, Megan had to hold back a laugh. Both men looked frantic. They were waving their arms in the air, dodging back and forth, as the baby goat bleated in glee and slipped between Bryan’s legs.

  Megan and Jack watched as the men came up with the plan to divide and conquer. It was decided Evan would capture the doeling, who watched him closely while Bryan served as backup should she run away again. After a moment of hesitation, Evan dove for the goat but she easily moved out of the way. Unable to stop his forward momentum, Evan hit the ground with a loud thump, chest first.

  They all laughed. Except Evan, who came slowly to his knees taking painful breaths.

  “Megan, I am about sick of that stupid goat. You need to put her on a leash or something,” he huffed out, standing and brushing himself off.

  “It's a baby, Evan. You don't chain up a baby goat,” she chastised.

  Megan walked towards the doeling, who was playfully butting her head against a small tree stump. The kid was occupied, allowing Megan to walk right up to her.

  It was a game they had played many times in the past few days. The little doeling was far more precocious than her brother, who tended to stick around the pen and didn't try too hard to get out. The same could not be said for his sister, who constantly escaped and ran off, enjoying the merry chase that ensued.

  Megan looked at the stump that had caught little Misty's attention. Only now, upon closer inspection, she could see it wasn't a tree stump. It was a cross made from tree branches.

  She took a step back with Misty in her arms, now realizing where she stood. There were eight crosses.

  Megan couldn't stop the chill that shivered down her spine.

  2

  Megan dropped to her knees, keeping one hand on Misty. The crosses didn't have names, but some of the mounds they sat on had little bouquets of wildflowers laid on top of the dirt. Megan looked at the sad scene and thought about all the loss Evan's group had recently endured.

  The Raiders were stepping up their game. They had become more violent and aggressive with each new attack. These eight crosses represented the people murdered without rhyme or reason at the hands of the rampaging men. Megan had seen how evil they were firsthand, and couldn't imagine what the people buried under each of the crosses had endured.

  The other three came to stand beside her. It was a moment of silence the dead all deserved. The people lying in this makeshift cemetery were heroes.

  Evan knelt at one of the crosses, his face contorted with pain. These were people he had come to love.

  “I'm so sorry, I couldn't protect you,” he whispered. “I am going to do everything I can to protect your mother and sister.”

  Megan didn't have to ask who was buried in the plot. The Hot Wheels in the dirt was enough. It was a heart wrenching scene. Megan couldn't imagine how much pain Evan was in. She knew he felt responsible for the deaths of the people who had come to live in his camp. The four of them stayed for a minute longer, each paying their respects. Jack took Misty from Megan.

  “You’re sticking with me, little lady. You keep running off and a big, bad wolf is going to eat you alive.”

  Megan punched his shoulder, “Don't say that to her. She doesn't know any better.”

  Jack laughed, but it was forced. They all wanted to get away from the crosses and the sadness they awakened. Evan brought up the rear, though he was still pale-faced from sight.

  Megan didn't know what to say to help him feel better so she chose not to say anything at all. Grief was a tricky business. It was too easy to say the wrong thing and make the emotions harder. Instead, she focused on Misty, softly breathing in Jack's arms.

  “Hey, sweet, baby girl. You are such a naughty goat. One of these times something is going to eat you before I can save you,” she said in a baby voice, rubbing the goat's hard head.

  Jack rolled his eyes, “It isn't a baby. It’s a menace.”

  “Stop it. She is the cutest little girl ever and likes to play.”

  Bryan snorted from behind. “You have a weird idea of cute.”

  Megan waited to see if Evan would join in or if he was still lost in his grief but he spoke up.

  “I hope for your sake, Megan, that thing doesn't have you chasing it all over the mountain this winter. Wyatt won't be happy to run around trying to save you all the time.”

  Megan laughed. Evan was so right. While she chased the goat, Wyatt would be chasing her. The vision had them all laughing, dispelling the darkness that had been hanging over them a moment ago. Death was hitting a little too close to home for all of them. It was like a menacing cloud, waiting and watching. Always hanging over them, no matter what they did.

  Megan was tired of the fear. Tired of always wondering if today was the day The Raiders or some other violent gang would decide to kill them.

  They walked back into Evan's camp, the tents they used for newcomers as well as a decoy against potential marauders looking the worse for wear. The cabin they had helped put the roof on was now in use along with the guard cabin. Unfortunately, his group was much s
maller than it had been a month ago, and the people who were once primed to make a new life for themselves seemed to be going about their chores without any sense of real purpose.

  Megan watched as little Amy stood next to her mom. Tara was staring off into space, her shoulders slumped forward. Evan immediately walked to her and wrapped his arms around her. The woman appeared so fragile—so different than when Megan was here last.

  The scene was difficult to accept. Chase was chopping wood, with another young man. They stacked the split logs in a neat row next to the newest cabin. When Misty had run off, he refused to go looking for her—again.

  “Jack, put her in the pen with little Mason,” Megan instructed.

  The pen was nothing more than some wood pallets held together with rope. It was not built to hold a goat intent on running free, but Megan wasn't too worried about it. They would be leaving soon and they would build something much stronger at the lodge. She made a mental note to make sure the fence was nice and high. Building a pen for the goats had not been on the agenda so soon, but she couldn't pass up the opportunity or deny the gift Evan had so generously given.

  Tara walked to the gazebo, pulling out a large dish from the oven. Megan could smell the fresh garlic and oregano from here. It smelled heavenly. Fresh herbs were always a real treat. The plan was to eat dinner together and then head out first thing in the morning.

  “It sure is getting cold, huh?” Jack asked, standing next to her.

  Megan rubbed her hands together, “It sure is. I hope we’re going to be okay this winter. I remember years ago, we had a bad one in Spokane. There was so much snow on the ground, the plows basically gave up. We had some friends who lived up in the mountains and they had to dig their way out from the front door, there was so much snow.”

  Jack whistled, “Yep. I imagine we are in for something similar. I'm not nervous, though. We’ve been preparing for this winter for close to a year.”

  Megan knew he only said the words to reassure her. No one was feeling confident going into this winter. They had been fortunate so far. There had been a light dusting of snow, but it was typically gone within a few hours.

  Bryan was standing close by, watching the goats play in the pen. “Most of us are from Oregon near the coast. We’re not used to snow in general. This winter is going to be a tough time for us for sure. I just hope we’re ready.”

  “You will do just fine,” Megan assured him. “It’s all about having plenty of firewood, food, water and preparing to spend a lot of time inside.”

  “I hope we have enough,” Bryan said. “By our best guesstimate, we’ve cut more than eight cords. Do you think it will be enough?”

  Megan shrugged, “Possibly. It’s always best to have too much and not need it than to need it and not have enough. Even if you don't use all the wood this winter, you’ll still need it come spring.”

  Bryan nodded in agreement.

  “I'm going to see if Tara needs help with dinner. Jack, did you give her that meat before we went chasing after Misty?”

  He nodded, “Yep, and she promised to make something that would knock our socks off.”

  Megan laughed as they joined Tara. “Is there anything I can do?” she asked her.

  “You can help me get the dishes. We have them stashed in the guard cabin.”

  “Great,” Megan said following her towards the tiny cabin.

  When they got back to the gazebo, Chase, Evan and Jack were seated at the table. Megan heard them talking about the different types of wood they were stacking on the pile.

  “Avoid burning that pine, especially at night,” Chase instructed. “It burns fast and hot, which is great for heating up a cold cabin, but it will be out before you know it.”

  “Got it,” Evan said. “Stick with the fir and birch.”

  Jack added his two cents, “The red fir is the best. Birch is very hard and can be a bit of a pain to get going. Do what you can to split it into smaller pieces. We like to add it to the fire once we have the stove and chimney heated and there are some nice hot coals to keep it going. The bark on the birch logs will ignite immediately, which can also help a sluggish fire.”

  “Good to know. Thanks guys. This is stuff we should know, but, well, we just don't have the experience.”

  Megan imagined that if she hadn’t found the Morris family, she would be in the same predicament. These people had little experience with harsh mountain winters. They were struggling to get enough food stored and with the Raiders stealing their supplies, it was seriously threatening their ability to survive the winter.

  “So, how is Wyatt doing?” Bryan asked, sitting down next to Chase.

  “He's good,” Jack responded. “He’s not in the best of moods right now. My brother makes for a terrible patient and doesn’t like to be laid up.”

  Megan defended the man she loved, “Hey now. He's only a little grumpy and only when he can't come on trips like this. He hates being down.”

  “Is his leg any better?” Evan asked.

  Jack nodded, “Thankfully, yes, but it still gives him some problems if he overdoes it. Then he has to deal with my mom and this one,” he said using his thumb to gesture to Megan.

  She rolled her eyes. “I didn't see him making it easy on me when I was supposed to be resting my ankle.”

  They all laughed. Each of them had witnessed Wyatt doting on her and his demands that she not do anything at all. He had been a real mother hen.

  “I think we’re ready to eat,” Tara announced. “Amy, go tell the others dinner is ready.”

  They ate the meal quickly. The sun had already set, dropping the temperature and making it too cold to sit around in the gazebo.

  “We better head to bed,” Jack announced. “We need to get an early start in the morning.”

  Megan checked the goats one more time. They were fast asleep in the little shelter they had inside the pen. She hoped they would stay put through the night.

  Jack stood outside their shared tent.

  “All good?”

  “Yep, hopefully she doesn't get any wild ideas about going for a midnight stroll.”

  From inside the tent, she could hear Chase grumbling about how cold it was. Bryan brought them a couple extra blankets.

  “I'm real sorry about this. I know it's cold. Pretty soon we won’t be able to use these tents.”

  “It's okay, man,” Jack assured him. “We'll be fine. You get some rest and if we don't see you in the morning, take care and thanks for taking us into town. This portable HAM radio and solar panel is more than we could have expected to find. I can't wait to come back this spring and do some more digging down there.”

  Bryan nodded, “Yeah, we’ve had some pretty good finds there lately. Good luck with your goats, too. Hopefully they don't give you too many problems.”

  Megan smiled, “Thank you so much for the goats. It’s the best surprise I’ve had in a really long time.”

  “Well, the old guy had far more goats than he needed. I think he was actually relieved to get rid of them before winter.”

  “We’re happy to have them. It’ll give us a jumpstart on the whole milk and cheese thing. Just think, by next winter we’ll be trading cheese!”

  She was so excited to show her daughter, Caitlin, and Ryland the baby goats. She knew Wyatt would be thrilled, but not nearly as much as his mom, Rosie, and his sister-in-law, Willow. Albert would feign nonchalance, but she knew he was a softy when it came to animals and she suspected he would dote on them more than anyone else.

  They were such characters. The goats would provide plenty of entertainment throughout the long, boring winter to come.

  “Good night, guys,” Bryan said, walking to the small cabin.

  3

  Megan's eyes popped open. It was dark inside the tent. She blinked a few times and tried to clear the cobwebs from her brain. Something had awoken her. She laid perfectly still, listening to Jack and Chase breathing deep.

  There! It was a noise outside the ten
t. She couldn't tell what it was. Was it anything? Maybe it was Misty. The goat had probably jumped over the fence wall and was milling about the camp.

  She could hear the change in Jack's breathing and knew he was now awake as well.

  “What is it?” she whispered.

  “I don't know,” he whispered back. “Shh,” he said, slowly sitting up.

  Chase sat up silently and slipped out of his sleeping bag.

  Megan wasn't about to stay in the tent while they went out to investigate. She had seen the horror movies. The person who stayed behind always ended up murdered in some gruesome way. Not her. No way.

  The three of them knelt at the opening of the tent, waiting in silence for another noise beyond the flimsy walls of their tent.

  Megan clapped her hand over her mouth to muffle the involuntary gasp.

  There were men's voices and heavy footsteps just outside the tent.

  She looked to Jack, waiting for him to assure her it was just Evan or Bryan milling about.

  The look on his face told her all she needed to know.

  Megan didn't hesitate and reached back under the blankets to grab their weapons. They had decided never to be unarmed again. They each tucked a handgun into the back of their waistbands, pulling their shirts over the top to conceal the weapon.

  If they could get through a confrontation without pulling their guns, they would. Firearms would only escalate things and someone would likely end up shot and probably killed. In this new world, with hospitals and antibiotics a thing of the past, a bullet wound was hard to survive. Even an untreated cut from a rusty piece of metal or a bad case of the flu could kill you.

  Chase held up a finger and silently counted off three.

  Megan took a deep breath and followed the two men out through the flap. That is, she tried to crawl out. Jack was standing in front of the tent door, keeping her inside. She jabbed the back of his leg, trying to tell him to move.

  He dropped his left hand down and gestured for her to get back.

  Oh this can't be good, she thought to herself.