The men took one last look at the swollen stream and the crack in the dam before rushing back down to their home. They were going to have to do something and do it fast.
Wyatt was absorbed in his own thoughts and wasn't paying attention to the other men. They were each trying to guess what could happen and how they could handle it. His mind was working through various scenarios as well. The result was always the same. The lodge was no longer a safe place to live.
5
The day was nice and warm and it felt good to feel the sun on their skin so Megan, Willow, Rosie and Tara had taken their chores outside. Megan was tired of wearing layers of clothing to walk out the front door. All winter she had longed to move freely and unencumbered.
Megan was working on skinning the deer while the other three women were sitting at the picnic table they had moved into the sun while they worked on their own chores in a comfortable quiet. Silence truly could be golden. They didn't have to talk all the time. They had spent plenty of time with each other to be okay with not talking. Using a sharp knife, Megan carefully separated the deer hide from the meat. Albert was going to try using the hide to make shoes, vests and knife pouches. He told her the importance of making clean cuts that didn't tear the hide.
It was a slow tedious process, but so far, she had done well.
The knife was super sharp, which was good and bad. It allowed her to cut easily through the fibrous tissues that clung to the hide, but one slip and she would slice the hide, making it very difficult to use for clothing.
She was finishing removing the hide from the carcass, but her work was just beginning. Once she removed it, she would then have to spend time scraping the remaining sinew and fat from the hide. If any remained, it would rot and ruin the deer hide.
Megan spread the hide on the tarp she had laid out. It would have been nice to have a solid table to work on, but they didn't have one available. She made a mental note to have Albert come up with a picnic table design. They needed some outdoor furniture. All they had was the one picnic table and it wasn't enough for the size of their group.
“What are you doing, mom?” Caitlin asked.
“I'm getting ready to finish cleaning this hide. Once I am finished, we are going to cover it in salt.”
Caitlin scrunched up her face. “Ew, I'm not eating that!”
Megan chuckled. “No, you’re not going to eat this. The salt dries out the hide. After a couple days, I will soak it in saltwater. Then stretch it out on that board and let it dry for at least two weeks. Then it will be time to soften the hide up with lots of bending and stretching.”
“That sounds like a lot of work,” Caitlin said, clearly not interested in having any part of it.
“It isn't really. Once it’s done, we can use it to make bags, shoes or even a nice jacket,” Megan told her.
“We'll see. I'm gonna go find Ryland,” Caitlin said, leaving Megan to her work. Duke was lying nearby, intently watching the process.
“No meat for you yet, mister. I better not find you out here dining on this deer,” Megan warned him.
His ears perked up and his tail thumped, but he didn't bother lifting his head or taking his eyes off the big prize in front of him.
“Are you sure that meat is going to be safe to eat?” Tara asked. She pointed to the carcass still hanging.
“Yep. It’s still cool at night,” Megan explained, “and with the skin off, it will help. Tomorrow we’ll start the process of deboning and cutting up the strips of meat. Back to dried meat for us,” she said wistfully.
Tara didn't look convinced, but knew to trust Megan. Megan's hunting experience was often relied on to keep them fed and out of everyone there, she was the best at prepping the meat for use.
“Albert or Wyatt will be finishing that smokehouse. That will make the meat completely safe and we won't have to worry about bugs making their home on the meat while it’s drying,” Megan said.
“Will the meat taste different?” Tara asked, looking unsure.
“I personally like the taste of smoked venison better. Wyatt pruned the apple trees in the orchard last fall. The branches have been sitting in that wood shed all winter and will be ready to use in the smoker,” Megan said.
Tara looked thoughtful, “I vaguely remember apple smoked bacon and things like that at the grocery store. Is that what you’re talking about?”
“Yes, well, maybe not bacon, but the Applewood smoke will give the venison a bit of a sweet flavor. It’s a subtle taste, but I personally think it' really good.”
“I can't wait to try it. It will be nice to have something a little different,” Tara said wistfully.
“If only we had one of those big meat lockers,” Willow said. “Jack talked about making one. He said he needed some of those insulation sheets.”
The mention of Jack's name and his plans for the future were always tough for Megan to hear. He had become her best friend and she missed him terribly, but knew Willow's sense of loss had to be so much worse. Megan didn't even want to imagine how hard it was for her.
“Is she kicking a lot today?” Megan asked Willow who was sitting at the makeshift table they had put outside for the meat processing.
Willow smiled. “Kind of. It has been so long time since I was pregnant with Ryland. I forgot what it felt like.” She looked down at her swollen stomach with a wistful expression. “We tried for so long and could never get pregnant.”
Rosie was next to Willow, slowly grinding wheat berries into flour for the bread she was planning to make. It was an arduous task that the ladies were dividing up while Megan worked on skinning the deer.
“I cannot believe how much grinding it takes to get a few cups of flour,” Tara complained when it was her turn to start using the hand grinder.
“Imagine our grandparents and their grandparents. They managed, and most of them had to do it on their own. They didn't get to share the chores,” Rosie lectured.
Tara smiled. “Alright, alright, I get it. I'm so glad we can be outside. I missed the outdoors.”
“It is a little chilly,” Willow said, “but I will take this weather over the bitter cold any day.”
They all agreed.
“So, should we start looking for more stinging nettle, Rosie?” Megan asked.
Rosie had been relying on her herbs to help Willow throughout the first trimester of her pregnancy. It had been very stressful, but Willow appeared to be healthy.
“We have plenty for Willow, but we will need to replenish our supply. The stinging nettle tea will make sure the little guy or girl has nice strong bones. Without milk and dairy for calcium, the nettle tea will help supplement. We do need to start looking for more lemon balm, though.”
Megan grimaced. They had gone through quite a bit of the herb in the weeks following Jack's death to make a tea to help calm Willow down so she could get some sleep.
They were anticipating Willow having a hard time in the days before she delivered. Rosie wanted to keep her calm, which in turn would help keep her blood pressure down. Already, Brenda had lectured Willow about drinking more water. They were worried she would develop preeclampsia, which would be life threatening.
“Dandelion too,” Rosie added. “We can always use that and it would be a good idea for Willow to start drinking dandelion tea. We need her kidneys to stay in tip-top shape.”
Willow grimaced. “Dandelions? This baby is going to come out grazing.”
They all laughed. Megan was relieved to hear Willow crack a joke. The woman tended to be very serious and somber; especially of late.
“I can go out with the kids later today,” Tara volunteered.
“That would be great,” Rosie said. “Keep your eyes open for any berry stalks. They won't have leaves on them yet, but we need to get our hands on some red raspberry leaves. It will help the labor and delivery.”
Willow groaned. “Don't remind me. I can’t believe I’m going to give birth in the middle of nowhere. No hospital. No doctor. No drugs!�
��
“You will do fine, Willow,” Rosie assured her. “Many women have given birth naturally.”
Megan went back to work on her deer hide. She was glad it wasn't her. She couldn't imagine how terrifying the thought of labor must be for Willow. Even if a woman didn't choose to take drugs during delivery, it was nice to have the option. She didn’t envy her one bit.
“I think I have enough flour, Rosie,” Tara said standing from the table. “I’m on laundry duty for the day.”
Willow stood as well. “I'll help you. It is one of the few things I can still do,” she said, casting a glance at Rosie.
Rosie smiled. “I’m only making sure my grand baby is healthy and mama is happy.”
“I know. You are doing an excellent job. Jack would be very happy to know you are taking care of us both so well.”
Megan watched as Tara and Willow went into the lodge. When the door closed, she turned to Rosie, “We need to figure out a way to make the chore responsibilities a little more balanced.”
“What do you mean?” Rosie asked.
“Well, it’s no secret Garrett doesn't like to do the laundry. He is always talking one of us or even the kids into doing it on his days. I know it irritates Tara, which means it is irritating Evan. The tension is increasing.”
“Responsibility means having the tough conversations,” Rosie told her.
Megan was hoping for some words of wisdom. Instead, she was left shouldering the responsibility of evening things out between everyone. To be fair, Garrett did do a lot of the hunting, which wasn't something Tara or Rosie did. She didn't mind trading chores, but Tara had made it a point to bring up the issue; particularly on days when Garrett was nowhere to be found and someone else was handling his assigned laundry duty.
The tension between Evan and Garrett was very noticeable. Evan often referred to Garrett as his little brother but lately, their relationship was strained. She had to do what she could to make sure there were no major problems that would divide the group. Plus, Garrett seemed to look up to Evan as well. She didn't want their relationship ruined because Tara was feeling slighted.
In her mind, each of them contributed. Tara did do many of the day-to-day chores around the lodge that often went unnoticed. She likely felt taken advantage of or like her work was being ignored. Megan would make it a point to make sure Tara, Willow and Rosie knew how much she appreciated their efforts. Without them, the lodge would be a pigsty and every one of them would be starving.
She decided to talk to Wyatt tonight. He would help her come up with a strategy that would make everyone happy. Or at least as happy as a group of people living together could be. She knew it wasn't technically her responsibility, but since the raid on McDaniels, the group looked to her and Wyatt for direction on most things.
Whether she wanted to acknowledge it or not, she and Wyatt had somehow become the leaders of this little group of survivors. She didn't have the luxury of only worrying about her own feelings or taking care of Caitlin. Between her and Wyatt, they took on most of the responsibility of making decisions and keeping the peace.
Megan finished her task alone, which gave her plenty of time to think. She looked up and saw Wyatt leading the men down the hill. They each had a grim look on their face. They weren't at all as casual as they had been when they left.
When he got a little closer, she could see the worry etched on his face. Something was wrong. His whole body was tense.
She put down the knife and started to walk towards him.
“Group meeting. Now,” he said, not bothering to say hello or tell her what was happening. He just kept walking past her, right into the house.
This couldn't be happening again. They must have found another group. Maybe more raiders. Megan walked with the rest of the men into the lodge. None of them was saying anything, but they each had similar looks of fear and concern.
Wyatt hollered up the stairs for everyone to come down.
Albert and Brenda were still out on watch.
“Where are the kids?” Wyatt snapped.
Willow's eyes widened. “What happened? Are we in danger?”
She rushed towards the door, headed out to round up the kids.
Wyatt gently grabbed her arm as she walked by. “No. They're fine where they are. They don't need to hear this.”
“Hear what, Wyatt?” Megan demanded, trying to hide the panic in her voice.
Chase cleared his throat. “We may have a problem with a dam upstream.”
“What kind of problem?” Megan asked. She had no idea there was even a dam upstream. In some corner of her mind, she decided she needed to get up that way to check things out. If they were alive to do so, that is. She had always been fascinated by dams and to know she had been living so close to one was somewhat alarming.
She really needed to know more about her surroundings.
A million thoughts assaulted her when the words Chase said sunk in. In every scenario, it ended up with her and her family drowning.
“There is a crack in the dam. It's leaking,” Chase repeated.
Megan nodded, not fully understanding the urgency or worry she saw on his face.
“Okay. A crack can't be all that bad. Dams crack all the time,” Megan reasoned.
“No. This crack is already leaking. The water level is high and with snow melt and spring rains, we could be in serious trouble,” he explained.
Tara looked confused. “The stream isn't that big. It will probably flood a little, but it can't be all that bad. You guys look like this is some disaster waiting to happen.”
Evan looked down at his feet.
“Evan?” Tara asked.
He looked up. “Tara, it is bad. If that dam breaks, it will send a wall of water cascading down the hill. It won't just flood that stream; it will take out the entire area.”
Willow staggered when she heard the words.
“What?” she whispered. “A flood?”
“It isn't going to be enough water to whisk us away, but it will cause major damage to the lodge and everything we have around here,” Wyatt explained. “We’re safe enough if we can get to higher ground. The water will slow down and spread out by the time it reaches here. Our main concern is the damage it will cause.”
That seemed to give Willow some comfort, but she was still shaken.
“Higher ground? Wouldn't that require us to go uphill?” Willow asked.
Wyatt looked uncomfortable. “Yes and no. If that dam was to break and the water came crashing down, we would be safe on the hill behind the lodge where the orchard is. It isn't going to be excessively deep. It will have some force and it will cause some erosion. The lodge will be in jeopardy from the amount of water and mud that will come down the hillside. Thankfully, there aren’t any windows on that side of the building but there’s also the root cellar and the outbuildings, which will be destroyed. No matter what, it will be unlivable.”
“Sit down, Willow,” Rosie ordered, pulling out a chair for her.
The group digested the information for several long, quiet moments.
“What do we do about it?” Megan asked. She assumed they had already worked out the solution to the problem on their way down the hill.
Wyatt and Chase looked at each other. Then they both looked at Evan, then Bryan and lastly, Garrett.
Garrett threw up his hands. “Don't look at me! I have no idea what we’re going to do.”
Megan put her hands on her hips and stared at Wyatt with her brows raised.
“Well?” she asked when he didn't say anything.
“I don't know, Megan. I’ve no idea how to repair a dam and I know no one else here does.”
“So, your plan is to do nothing and run for the hills when the dam bursts?” Megan asked in a sarcastic tone.
Wyatt looked at Chase for help. Chase shrugged and turned away.
“We haven't spent any time considering an alternative,” Wyatt said.
He refused to meet her eyes.
&nbs
p; “I think that should be the first thing we do. Don't you?” she asked, looking at each of the men.
Wyatt was quiet before nodding his head. “You're right. We need to come up with a backup plan. If there is one to be had. Right now, we have a lot of other stuff to take care of. Why don't we discuss some options over dinner?”
Megan gave a brief nod. “Fine. That works for me.”
“Well, then. I guess we better get started with dinner and get that wash hung out to dry,” Rosie said standing from her place at the table. “Idle hands give us too much time to worry.” She turned to Wyatt. “I'm sure you guys have things to do before dinner?”
Megan had to hold back her smile. Rosie had dismissed them. She was the kind of woman who didn't care to sit around and wait for things to happen. When she was stressed, she stayed busy and clearly wanted everyone to do the same.
The group dispersed. Wyatt and Evan were planning to dig a new hole so they could build a second outhouse. Megan wondered if they would bother to do it with the latest threat. It did seem kind of pointless if it was all going to get washed away in a matter of days or weeks.
Her question was answered when she walked outside and saw the two men furiously attacking the ground. Wyatt was swinging a pickaxe. Once he was finished breaking through the rocky ground, Evan would use the shovel to make the hole bigger.
It seemed like a lot of work, especially since they were planning on the place being underwater soon. Megan headed out to check on the children. She smiled when she came around the corner and saw Caitlin, Ryland, Amy and Frankie all playing hopscotch. It was nice to see them being kids and enjoying themselves.
As she watched, she thought about what their lives would be like if they had to leave. Would they ever find a place they could call home for good? Staying here at the lodge didn't seem feasible. Would their group split up and go their separate ways? The thought made her sad. She considered them her family.
She shook off the wistfulness and focused on the kids. For now, they would pretend like everything was okay. She knew that dinner tonight would be subdued. Wyatt would want to talk tonight when they were alone. They did better hashing out problems when it was the two of them. This one problem was going to require a great deal of thought and energy.
EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 63
