Brenda was across from her on the other side of the massive picture window.
“Anything?” Megan asked, not needing to be specific.
They were looking for an enemy.
Megan could hear the flurry of activity below. She knew Chase and Wyatt were boarding the place up.
She sent up a silent prayer and hoped Bryan and Evan were safe. They were on watch this morning. They didn't sound the alarm, which meant they either didn't see the attack coming or had been taken out. The thought of losing two more close friends, who had become like family, was too much to bear. There was no way they could recover from yet another devastating loss.
Megan's heart raced as she thought of the many different possibilities of who could have made the noise. Was it a new group? Was it some of McDaniels' men coming back for revenge? She had to stop her imagination from running wild. There was no point in trying to figure out who was out there.
She had to focus on making sure whoever it was didn't get close to the lodge.
Her hands were sweaty and she could feel the panic trying to bubble up. She managed to slow her breathing, knowing what she had to. If she was clammy and breathing hard, it would interfere with her shooting. She could not afford to waste bullets. Every bullet she fired had to count.
“Anything?” she asked Brenda again.
“Clear,” Brenda said.
Megan waited for what felt like forever.
“Wyatt?” she called out.
“I'm here,” he answered.
“There’s nothing here. Wait!” she peered through the crack, readying her rifle.
“It's Bryan,” Brenda said.
“Bryan is on his way in,” Megan called out.
“Everyone hold position,” Chase commanded.
They all stayed in position, ready to fight for their lives against the unseen enemy. Megan could hear low voices, but couldn't hear what was being said.
She couldn't wait another second. “Wyatt?”
“It's all clear,” Wyatt replied.
Megan put down her gun and slouched into the corner. Her legs and arms were weak and shaky now that the adrenaline was zapped from her body.
“Are you okay?” Brenda asked, standing over her.
Megan peered up at her. She was cool as a cucumber. Nothing fazed the woman.
“I need a minute,” Megan breathed.
She took a few moments to pull herself together. Memories of Jack and his brutal death flooded over her as they fought to save those she loved. Since then, their winter had been peaceful and she had hoped it would stay that way.
She should have known it wouldn't last forever.
She saw boots in front of her. She didn't need to look up to see who owned them.
Wyatt squatted in front of her, “It's okay. There’s no one out there. We don't know what the noise was. Bryan and Evan said it came from the north.”
Megan nodded, too relieved to speak. She was overcome with emotion.
“Thank, God.”
“You ready to go down?” Wyatt asked softly.
She nodded. “Yes.”
He extended a hand to help her up off the floor. They walked downstairs where everyone had gathered. Evan had stayed on watch, just in case.
“Could it have been someone hunting up there?” Bryan asked.
“No,” Brenda answered. “That was too loud for a gun shot.”
Chase looked contemplative. “Maybe a mud slide or a rock slide?”
“A mud slide would make sense, with the amount of snow we had and the quick warm-up,” Wyatt agreed.
“What if somebody lives up there?” Megan asked. “They could be trapped or hurt.”
“We need to know what it was. If it is a slide, we could be at risk here,” Wyatt stated. “A dam controls the flow of water to at least one of the smaller rivers that runs along the west side of us. If it overflowed and the spillway was breached, it could create some problems.”
“I'll go,” Chase said. “Albert, can you take over for Evan on watch. Garrett, you come with us. The rest of you stay alert, just in case. It could have been an explosion set to draw us out and away from the lodge.”
Megan's stomach dropped at the thought of being left vulnerable again. She didn't know if she could take another round of bad guys so soon after the McDaniels situation.
She looked at every person in the room. She cared for every one of them. She couldn't bear to lose anyone else. She looked at Willow who had instinctively put a hand on her belly to protect her unborn child.
Megan would not let anything happen to Jack's child.
4
Wyatt couldn't stop smiling. Life was good. He was so thankful for the stupid EMP, he felt ridiculous. His friends could never understand how he could be so happy after all the pain and suffering of the last year, but he was giddy.
“Are you really going to go for it?” Chase asked Wyatt as they walked.
Garrett, Bryan and Evan stared at Wyatt in surprise. The five men were headed out to check where the noise came from, when Wyatt dropped his bombshell.
“I have thought about it a lot. I want to do it,” Wyatt confirmed.
All the men took turns slapping him on the back and congratulating him.
“We'll miss you,” Chase joked. “You won’t be part of our little group of bachelors anymore.”
“You aren't getting rid of me that easy, but this is something I need to do,” Wyatt said in a serious tone.
“No need to kick him out of the single guy club yet, she may turn him down,” Bryan joked.
“Ha ha,” Wyatt quipped.
Chase got serious. “I think it's awesome. We all know she’ll say yes. I'm not sure how we would make the marriage official, but the ladies will have a blast planning a wedding. Megan doesn't seem the type to want all the frills, but I'm sure we can put together a nice, country-style wedding for the two of you.”
“Congratulations,” Bryan, Garrett and Evan echoed.
“Thanks guys. Now, I need to find the perfect time to propose. It’s a little tough to find the right moment when you’re constantly surrounded by people, but I'll think of something,” Wyatt mused.
“Public proposals are all the rage,” Bryan joked. “Well, they were. You know, with someone there snapping pictures of the very moment you drop to your knee.”
Garrett laughed. “If only YouTube worked. We could make it go viral. Think of the headline, ‘First Proposal after the Apocalypse’.”
“I doubt I’m the first, but it certainly sounds like a good story,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt couldn't stop smiling. It was spring. They had survived winter and he was about to make Megan his wife. Obviously, he wouldn't get the luxury of making it legal, but in this world, all that mattered was the fact they gave each other their word. They loved each other and had proven time and again they were stronger together.
He couldn't have asked for a better partner in life. They had been through some of the worst moments of his life and she had never let him down. She was absolutely his other half. He was never letting her get away.
Wyatt was lost in his own thoughts, not paying a great deal of attention to the laughing and joking between the other men ahead of him. No matter how safe they felt, he still didn't like leaving the lodge exposed.
Megan was the one who convinced him that if there was trouble up here, it was better to have five strong fighters versus only two. He knew she was thinking about the raid on McDaniels. Their small number had nearly been the death of all of them.
The lodge was secure with the assorted early-warning systems in place and Brenda’s bear traps. When they’d first put them in, there were some harrowing moments until everyone knew exactly where they were. The winter snow and mud had managed to wipe out the too-obvious foot trails they’d stamped into the ground and everyone had gotten into the habit of taking a different path to the lodge to avoid a repeat. Should someone be lucky enough to breach their defenses, everyone was prepared to shoot to
kill. No one would hesitate at the thought of killing someone. Those days were long gone. Living in this world had cured them all of their apprehension at killing another human if it meant protecting themselves, the kids, and their supplies.
“See anything yet?” Wyatt called ahead to Chase, who was leading the procession up the hill to Lake Rowland.
They had been walking for close to an hour. The lake was at the top of the mountain on which they lived, and it was fed by the higher peaks around them. He wasn't exactly sure how far up it was, but guessed it was a mile, possibly two.
The hike up was relaxing. The scenery was beautiful and the area might be a nice place to build a cabin. He wasn't sure if he wanted to move too far from the lodge, but it was an option he would toss around with Megan.
“Nothing. No rocks, no mud or downed trees. That river is flowing strong, though. Once we figure out what the noise was, we need to follow the river. We need to be prepared to deal with some flooding if it gets any higher.”
“Let's keep going up,” Wyatt directed. “If we go back without any answers, Willow is going to seriously stress herself out.”
They walked farther up, enjoying the leisurely climb, even if it was a little steep at times. They weren't in a hurry and the weather was clear and sunny. They could take their time, for which he was thankful. Walking up steep hills at a quick pace was not easy for anyone, no matter how good of shape they were in.
“That's weird,” Garrett said pointing to a small stream running down the mountainside.
Wyatt looked at the trail of water coming from up above. He watched as the water flowed down the hill, cutting a new path. This wasn't an old stream that was part of the typical snowmelt. It didn't appear to be a part of the larger stream either.
“Maybe it's a natural spring,” Garrett said.
“A natural spring would mean the water is technically safe to drink,” Chase added. “It would be like having a well.”
Bryan grinned. “Maybe it’s a hot spring! How awesome would it be to relax in our very own hot spring after a long day of work?”
“Let's go check it out,” Wyatt said, once again leading the charge up the hill. They stayed to the left of the spring, more interested in getting up to the lake.
Wyatt kept a close watch on what they suspected could be a natural spring. The new stream seemed to be getting a little faster, which fueled the men. They were elated at the prospect of fresh water. As they walked, they talked about the many different ways the spring could be used.
“Garrett, are we close to that dam you guys found when you were looking for a bug out location?” Wyatt asked.
“Yeah, just up a ways,” he said, heading up the hill. “From the lodge, we went northwest and ran into a stream that was a lot smaller than this one. We followed it to the dam, but we didn't cross the stream. We walked back down when we didn't find anything useful on this side. We didn't think it would be a good idea to have the kids trying to cross any sort of water.”
Wyatt nodded in agreement.
The sound of the main river rushing down the hill was making Wyatt feel uneasy. He loved the sound, but wanted to make sure it didn't turn into a disaster downstream. It seemed to be moving faster than he remembered.
“Here it is,” Garrett said, pointing to the small cement dam on the stream that flowed to the west and down the mountain towards the meadow in which they liked to hunt. It was only about eight feet in length and a couple feet wide. They would have normally been able to walk across it, but now, the water was flowing over the top and too fast to safely cross.
“It doesn't look too bad,” Chase said watching the water flow through the opening and over the top. “This is a good size lake, though. I’m guessing there may be some good fishing in there,” he said, looking into the water on the other side of the dam.
Wyatt walked closer and stared at the lake. They were on the west side of the lake. He wanted to get a better idea of what they were dealing with a little closer to home. He was getting an uneasy feeling about the water and wanted to get a much better look at the south end that was almost directly above the lodge.
“Let's head down and circle the lake,” Wyatt said setting off. The lake seemed bigger than he remembered. He hadn't been up to the area since he and his dad had worked on the lodge years ago but something didn’t feel right.
He knew the lake fed the river that flowed down the mountain and through the middle of town. An offshoot of the river was the stream that ran across their property.
He hadn't bothered with the lake or the river when they first arrived. The stream provided them plenty of water and hadn't been a priority. They rarely ventured up this way, preferring to stay closer to the lodge and the lower elevation.
“Check out all the tracks,” Garrett said excitedly. “This looks like a good place to hunt. I think these may be elk.”
All the men focused on the deep, large tracks in the soft mud along the stream. This was definitely a watering hole for the local wildlife.
Wyatt knew Megan would be chomping at the bit to get up here and do some hunting. The area wasn't quite as clear as the meadow and it would be more challenging to get a clear shot, especially with the bow, but she would be all for it.
“Probably better keep our eyes and ears open for bears. I'm guessing there are going to be some hungry black bears roaming around up here now that winter is over,” Wyatt said, suddenly feeling as if he were being watched. He imagined a bear or mountain lion was hiding in the trees, waiting for the human intruders to leave their domain. He wasn't up for meeting anything like that face-to-face without a little more firepower than his handgun.
“Hey,” Garrett said, stopping to point to another large dam.
The men focused their attention on the dam.
“Let's go check it out,” Wyatt said leading the way.
They stopped when they were in line with the large dam that stretched about two hundred fifty feet across the lower south end of the lake. This was the part of the lake that had Wyatt the most concerned. It was positioned almost directly above the lodge. He knew extreme flooding tended to happen following wet winters. He didn't think they hadn't gotten all that much snow and the rain hadn't been too heavy yet.
The water was high, but he wasn't overly concerned with one of those record-breaking floods. It didn't look all that bad.
He stared down at the water pouring out of the spillways. It was mesmerizing. He loved the sound of the gushing water and the spray that rose as the water slammed into the much slower river below. This was the river that ran all the way into the small town below.
He imagined the residents in the town prepared for minor flooding every spring. It was typical of mountain run off.
He turned to see Chase, who had walked about twenty feet away. He was looking at the front of the dam. Wyatt watched as he saw concern cross Chase's face. Then his friend stepped a little closer, staring at one spot at the dam. He could see Chase's concern grow into all out fear.
With his curiosity piqued, he walked towards him. “What's up?”
“That little spring we saw earlier. It wasn't a spring at all. Look!” His face set in a grim look.
Wyatt took care to avoid the slippery area the small stream of water had created.
Looking where Chase was pointing, his blood ran cold when he saw what had terrified his friend.
There was a two-foot long crack in the cement wall of the dam. He could see where the water was trickling through the crack and creating its own way. The tiny stream of water had made the embankment to the water slick with mud and had already eroded a small section of the earth. It looked like a tiny trail running parallel to the larger river.
Wyatt imagined what could happen when that crack spread and the tiny trail of water grew and merged with the river. Eventually, the dam would give way completely and the entire mountainside would become one giant spillway for the lake.
The rest of the men had come to stand near Chase and Wyatt lookin
g at the crack in horror. The crack was on the outer edge of the cement wall holding back the water. If it had been any closer to the center, chances were high they’d already be evacuating the lodge.
Wyatt imagined the force of water behind the crack. It would be putting an incredible amount of pressure on what was now a very weak spot in the dam. The crack may have started out small and been growing with time. He seriously doubted it would appear out of nowhere.
“Do you think a small earthquake could have done this?” Garrett asked. “I have heard the mountains get tiny quakes all the time. We don't feel them because they’re so small, but even a little shaking could cause a crack I would think.”
“Possibly,” Wyatt answered.
“What do you think?” Bryan asked aloud without addressing anyone in particular.
Chase answered. “I think we have a serious problem on our hands no matter what caused the crack. This dam is going to give. That crack is only going to get bigger. With the pressure of the water behind it and more snow to melt, this dam is going to fail.”
Chase had just voiced Wyatt's own fears. It was a volatile
situation and once again, another threat to the people he loved.
Evan cursed under his breath. Garrett stared at the crack as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
“How long do you think this will hold?” Wyatt asked.
Chase shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea. It could last for months or it could break today. We know rain is likely over the next month or two. It's spring in the mountains. I wish we had some way of predicting how much rain is expected.”
“This is when we need one of those Farmer's Almanac things,” Garrett said.
Evan chuckled. “That would help. I do miss the days when you could get an idea of what the next season was expected to be like. I feel like we are at the complete mercy of Mother Nature. We have no idea what she has in store for us.”
“No, we don't, which is why we always need to prepare for the worst and hope she is gentle,” Chase answered.
Wyatt groaned. “We need to get back to the lodge. This could take out the lodge and everything we’ve worked to build.”
EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 62
