Jo pulled the hood of her sweat jacket over her damp hair. She pinched her cold earlobes between a thumb and finger to warm them. Her friends’ spirits were lifted by the sight of shelter, but Jo was uneasy, though there was nothing particularly sinister about it. Perhaps it wasn’t the house itself that bothered her, but how they came to find it.
The abandoned structure was made of rectangular wood panels painted an orange color, faded and peeled by wind and weather. On one side, erosion revealed that it had a basement. A pipe for a chimney grew out of the roof. There was one window in front, to the right of the door, covered with a grey material.
The trail disintegrated here, disappearing into the earth.
“A trail to nowhere,” Jo said, quietly. She turned her back to the building. A meadow of grass and wild flowers stretched out before her. It stopped in the far distance at a line of trees. The river. Trees always seemed to cluster alongside the river. Thinking about the river made her think of Red. Pangs of guilt and sorrow hit her. Regret flickered on her face.
Ben was staring at the vanished trail, running his fingers over his mustache. “I’ll see if it picks up on the other side of the building.”
“Stay with us,” Galen told him. Ben didn’t argue.
“Must be an old Forest Service building,” Mike ventured. He was holding his swollen wrist. He sounded more like himself, but there was tension in his mouth and a slight squint around his eyes.
“Sheet metal,” Lary said, banging the side of his fist on the window covering. “That’s an odd choice.” He, Mike and Drew tried to push the covering inward, as it was fastened on the inside. It wouldn’t budge.
Ben was examining the building’s door.
“What d’ya think?” Drew asked him.
“It’s got a pretty heavy duty lock.”
“Let’s just bust it in.”
“That’s not going to be easy. It’s a commercial door. Probably made of steel.”
“Here, let’s give it a try,” Lary said. Together they pushed, kicked, and rammed against it to no effect.
“We’ve got to get in there,” Galen said, and moved toward the door.
Jo wheeled around. “Why?”
Galen stopped and faced her. “Because it isn’t going to be safe out here after dark,” he said, as if speaking to a small child.
“And we’ll be safe trapped in there?”
Galen remained outwardly calm, but the grey darkened in his eyes.
April rubbed her arms and limped in Jo’s direction. “We’ll be warmer, Jo.”
“I say we keep walking.” Jo’s eyes locked on Galen’s.
“Walk where?” He asked. “There’s no more trail.”
“Yeah, how ‘bout that.”
“Are you blaming me?”
“Yes.” Jo peered distrustfully at him. She was aware that her friends were watching them and listening, except Ben, who was fiddling with the door. “I say we keep going.”
“In the dark?” April fretted.
“We’ll have moonlight,” Jo told her.
“It’s too dangerous,” Galen said. He glanced at the sunset.
“We’ll light some torches.”
“It’s not about having firelight.”
Jo nodded her head towards the building. “Well, that thing’s sealed tight. We’ll never get in. We can sit here all night stoking a fire, or we can keep walking and maybe get back to the cabin in a few hours. I don’t see the big deal.”
“Of course, you don’t.” Galen headed to the door.
Jo’s eyes threw daggers at his back. “So, what are you gonna to do?”
“Get that door open.”
“You brought the key?” Her tone was sharp with accusation.
“Jo, stop,” Dove pleaded.
Galen glanced back at her. “Don’t need one.”
“Oh, I forgot, you have super powers.”
“Something like that.”
“You—”
“Jo!” Dove cut her off. “That’s enough.”
But Jo’s indignation was too far gone. “What were you telling that man this morning?” Her voice was loud, her tone demanding.
Galen stopped and turned.
Jo glanced around the group. “He had words with the father of that family we saw.”
Everyone stared at him, except Ben.
“I told him to take his family and leave.”
“And why would you do that?”
“They were in danger.”
“From what? Your hunger monster?”
“The danger in this forest is real, Jo. I'm sorry you can't feel it, but I can.” He lifted his gaze above her head and scanned the trees. “It gets closer every minute.”
Jo eyed him suspiciously. She stepped as close to him as she dared to and peered into his turbulent grey eyes. “You’re hiding something,” she whispered.
His hands were back on his hips. His black hair swung around his face. “And what’s that?”
“I don’t know—yet. But I’ll figure it out.”
An arrogant smirk surfaced on his lips. “Good luck with that.”
Jo gawked at his conceit. Her blood boiled at the gleam in his eyes and the mischief that played around his mouth. He is hiding something. I knew it!
“Jo.” Mike’s voice came from behind her. She dropped her icy glare and turned. Mike shook his head and grinned painfully. “Look, I haven’t set a very good example, but arguing isn’t helping us. We really should stay here for the night—get some rest and head back in daylight.” His eyes looked into hers.
She unfolded her arms and wet her lips with her tongue. She wanted to tell him all her suspicions about Galen. Her eyes darted to Dove for courage, but Dove was shivering with cold. She looked sad and weary. Everyone did.
“But…what about Red?” She asked in a timid voice.
Mike looked down at the grass. He sighed and glanced around at the group. “I think it’s best, Jo.”
“I guess,” she surrendered.
Mike smiled weakly. “We’ll be Ok, Jo.” Cupping her arm with his hand, he squeezed it, sending thousands of tingling sparks through her body. He released her arm and walked away. She took a deep breath, preparing to face Galen and what she knew would be his lordly victory glare. And there it was. She puckered her mouth defiantly and poked her thumb at the building. “We’re still never getting—”
“Door’s open!” Ben announced.
“Ben, you sly, little, ol’ lock picker!” Drew patted him on the back.
Thanks and praise rippled among the friends.
Jo dropped her head and puffed a breath out through her lips. The moment would have been comical, except for the circumstances. She was not looking forward to seeing Galen’s face and was relieved to hear his boots crunching on the ground as he walked away from her.
“Let’s go! Everyone inside,” he shouted.
“Thank, God,” Dove said.
“Grab some kindling and whatever pieces of wood you can manage on your way in,” Mike told them.
Jo’s friends worked quickly to scoop up fire-making materials and get into the shelter. Jo moved slowly on purpose. Hearing her friends’ muffled voices inside the building, she was glad to be alone. Under the pretense of picking up some sticks for kindling, she knelt beside a tree, down in the sweet-smelling green grasses.
Through a jungle of limbs and past the dark, scaly trunks of pine trees, fuchsia and copper-colored rays of sun streamed. Above these colors the sky was purple, and above that steel blue. “Made a fool of myself again, didn’t I?” She whispered to the Lord. She sighed. “Thank you for saving me from drowning, even if you had to use ol’ sour-face to do it.” She frowned. “That wasn’t nice. Sorry. I don’t know if can be loving, but please help me be nicer to him. And I don’t know what he’s hiding, but please protect us, Lord.”
Her mind wandered back to Mike’s hand on her arm and his eyes looking into hers—and the fact that he had spoken to her as if her opinion mattered. That was new. She
picked up a few sticks and placed them in the crook of her arm. She gazed wistfully across the top the grass, into a haze of red and violet. Slowly, she stood up.
“Jo.”
She whipped around, raising a stick like a dagger. “If you don’t stop sneaking up on me, I’m gonna—”
“What? Stab me?” Galen stepped closer to her. He reached out, forming his warm hand around hers, removing the weapon from her grip. His voice was low and calm. “Now who’s the reprobate? Maybe they should keep an eye on you.” He dropped the stick onto her pile and stepped back.
“My friends have nothing to fear,” she told him with haughty eyes, but then she remembered her prayer—and that he had rescued her. Her face warmed, as it dawned on her that he must have heard the things she’d said about him.
Her expression softened as her cheeks heated. Her gaze plummeted to the forest floor. “Uh…listen…I’m sorry. I guess I’m just tired…and worried.” Her eyes rose to his. In the ruby glow of dusk, they glistened like amethysts. She searched his face for signs of empathy though she found none. “I feel awful about Red. I guess I’m taking it out on you.”
He was tall and impressive standing before her. She glimpsed the shoulder she had laid her head on. Focus, Jo. She gazed inside the silvery-violet eyes. “I haven’t seemed very grateful to you for saving my life in that river, and I am grateful.” She grinned at him. “I’m sorry for those things I said—for all the things I’ve said.” She shook her head. “It’s just…well…anyway, it’s my problem, and I apologize.” She smiled graciously, bestowed forgiveness from her heart, and waited for him to do the same.
His expression was void of sentimentality. “Get inside.”
Chapter 20