Dead Center, page 15
part #2 of Nemesis Series
Curious, she followed his trail through the snow. As she went, she examined every detail of the cabin. “Why didn’t you ever take me here? This looks nice.”
Using his shoulder, he shoved against the door. It broke free and opened fully. “Damn fools, I asked them to come out and clean this up,” he said upon seeing the inside of the cabin had a thick layer of dust. He went to the windows and pulled the blinds to allow what daylight there was to penetrate the darkness. One by one he went to each window and drew the blinds.
The wood floor creaked when she stepped foot on it. A musty smell hit her nostrils and her eyes quickly scanned the great room until they rested on the remnants of what was a dead and dried out Christmas tree in the corner. “Who lived here?” she asked.
He spun around, gave her a smile and said, “Well, you did.”
“Huh?”
“This was your house before,” he replied.
“Before what?”
“Before the lights went out.”
“But the house where Scott lives, that used to be where I lived. That’s where my parents and brother were killed,” she said. “When did we live here?”
“Up until a week after, around mid-December, Gavin acquired the other house.”
“From who?”
“That doesn’t matter. This was the house I first met you. I remember Gavin and Nancy bringing you home. You were so small; I look at you now and it’s hard to believe you could even be the same person.”
“Why are we here?” she asked as she paced the space, looking at each trinket and tchotchke on a bookshelf against the far wall.
The six-inch planks of the wood floor gave every so subtly as he walked up to her. He held out his hand, the keys lying in his palm. “We’re here cause this house is yours. You should finally take possession.”
Her brow furrowed, she asked, “Take possession?”
“Yes. I’ve been thinking. I believe it’s my fault you feel the way you do. You’re old enough that if you choose to live here, you can.”
“You want me to move out?” she asked, a bit taken aback by all of this.
“No, I want you to choose. You’ll be eighteen soon and you should be able to make up your own mind. You were right that I’ve treated you like a child sometimes and, well, the best way for anyone to grow up is for them to be on their own.”
“I’ll need a—”
“A vehicle? I’ve got one for you. It’s a truck and it’s waiting for you at the old temple.”
“Please tell me it doesn’t smell of gas fumes like this one,” she said.
“No, it’s a nice ride, you’ll be happy,” August said.
She didn’t know what to make of all of this. August was a man of conflicted behaviors. Yesterday he’d had someone killed, and today he was being nice, warm and generous. How could this man do the things she’d seen and heard about?
“Well, do you want it?” he asked.
“I do,” she said. “Can I look around more?”
“Of course, it’s your house,” he said. “I’ll leave the key on the counter here.” He walked to the kitchen island and set the ring of keys on top of the granite countertop. “How about you move in after I get it cleaned, which I’m sorry it wasn’t done before. Clearly I need a word with a few people.”
She shot him a look and said, “Please don’t kill anyone for that.”
He chuckled and said, “No one will die.”
“Why’s the tree still in here?” she asked.
“Your dad grabbed only your clothes and set up house in the other place. The tree didn’t make it, as you can see.”
The dust was thick, but she didn’t care as she ran her fingers across the counter. Just the fact that this was hers warmed her heart. “Can we go?”
“You’re over the place already?”
“No, I want to go get my truck, then grab my stuff and move in right away,” she chirped happily.
“You don’t want to wait for me to get it cleaned?”
“No, I want to sleep here tonight,” she said, clapping her hands together.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
“Okay,” he said and went to turn, but she stopped him when she took his hand.
“Thank you for this, Uncle Auggie, this helps a lot. It really does.”
“You’re welcome. Maybe I should have shown you this long before.”
She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.
“Oh, wow,” he said, shocked by her affection.
After a kiss on his cheek, she pulled away. “Thank you so much.”
Blood rushed to his face. He wasn’t a man accustomed to a lot of touch and felt awkward. “Like I said, you’re quite welcome.”
“Let’s go. I’ve got a lot to do if I’m going to sleep here tonight,” she said and raced out of the cabin towards the truck.
TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST, REPUBLIC OF CALIFORNIA
“What do you think?” Lexi asked.
The forest was quiet minus the crackling and swooshing of the trees as they swayed in the wind. Sasha remained quiet as she used all her senses to ensure the area was secure.
“Well?” Lexi asked.
With a raised hand, Sasha motioned for her mother to be quiet.
A couple of minutes passed and again Sasha raised her hand but this time signaled for Lexi to approach with a slight wave.
Attempting to be as quiet as she could with snowshoes, Lexi walked up behind Sasha and asked, “And?”
“No one is anywhere around,” Sasha replied.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m positive,” Sasha said confidently. “I’m not messing up twice today.”
“And where should we camp?” Lexi asked.
“There,” Sasha answered. She pointed to a flat area adjacent a large tree.
“Looks good, just down from that slope and it has an easy way to escape this way. How will you secure it?”
“I’ll set some lines once we set up camp, signal lines to notify us if anyone is coming close.”
“Good,” Lexi said and walked towards the open space.
The two divided the responsibilities of setting up camp, with Lexi laying out their gear while Sasha set lines around the perimeter. On each line she attached metal utensils in bunches she’d taken from the cabin. If anyone hit the line, the utensils would clang, alarming them someone was close.
“Should we have a fire?” Lexi asked.
“No,” Sasha answered.
“I’d agree with you, but tonight is going to get cold. I say we make a small fire,” Lexi said.
“Mom, are you sure?”
“With the lines up we’ll have a heads-up; plus I don’t want to freeze to death tonight. We are in the mountains and it’s only March 1.”
“If you say so,” Sasha agreed, happy to know they’d have some warmth.
The two made some food and enjoyed the relaxation. The sun quickly sank below the horizon and with it took any warmth there was, making the fire a great idea.
The flames danced and their heat warmed Sasha’s hands, which were extended and hovered over it. She was enjoying herself. Their first day hiking the mountains seemed more like an adventure for her though Lexi was using it as a way of testing her skills, hence her constantly probing and asking her opinion on everything.
“You’ve done good today,” Lexi said, her hands also dangling near the flames.
“Well, I had a good teacher,” Sasha said. She pulled her hands back and adjusted the tight black beanie that was on her head. “Say, Mom, remember what you promised?”
“I was wondering when you were going to ask.” Lexi laughed.
“I know you hate the idea, but I think I should know,” Sasha said.
“I agree, you should know. It’s taken me awhile to come to that decision but you deserve to know why I’ve had you living in the middle of nowhere for thirteen years.”
“Before you tell me, can you again share how the world used to be?” Sasha asked.
Over the years, part of Lexi’s training was educating Sasha on the basics, from math, reading, writing, biology and science—she did the best she could with what she had, but she was eventually successful. During periods of time, Lexi had left their cabin in search of materials like books and magazines, which she brought back and used, as well as gear or equipment. These trips happened when Sasha was very young, but stopped ten years ago after an incident. It was a close call and almost resulted in Lexi getting killed.
Lexi’s lessons also focused on what the world was before; this was done more so that Sasha understood history.
“The world was big yet small…” Lexi said then paused. She sighed and asked, “How about I tell you about your aunt instead of how the world was?”
Hearing that Lexi was just going to go into the stuff she’d been desiring to know, Sasha perked up and scooted closer.
“Your aunt was the sweetest yet dumbest person I know. Now I say that lovingly. Maybe she wasn’t stupid as she was innocent, too innocent to adapt to the new world. I always protected her; all the way from when I was young I kept my eye out for her. She was that person who always seemed to make messes or drop things or get hurt. She couldn’t pour a bowl of cereal without spilling cereal and milk all over the counter; then she’d walk away and leave it for someone else to clean up.”
“Cereal is a breakfast food, right?”
“Yeah, there used to be aisles and aisles of all different kinds, from bland to super sugary and everything in between. Carey tended to love the sugary kind…and I’ll admit I did too. Oh, there was this one, Golden Grahams, oh my God, soooo good.”
“What did it taste like?” Sasha asked.
“Like graham crackers.”
“What does a graham cracker taste like?”
Lexi paused and looked at her daughter, her eager eyes wanting to know all she could. How does one describe how a graham cracker tastes to someone who’s never tasted anything remotely like it? “I can’t think of anything you’ve tasted that would make sense. Anyway, your aunt was an amazing human being. She saw the world with eyes wide open, while I always viewed it…I should say I still do with cynical eyes.”
“How did she die?”
“She was murdered, brutally.”
“How?”
“Do you really want to know this?” Lexi asked.
“I do. I need to know.”
“Well, we were captured by some religious nuts, and she was executed. They tied her to a cross, looked like an X,” Lexi said, crossing her arms to illustrate. “And their leader plunged a dagger into her chest.”
Sasha stared, her face not showing much emotion. “Did you watch it happen?”
“Ah, you know, I don’t want to discuss it anymore. Um, not long after I managed to escape, I was picked up by some decent people then made my way to Oregon to track down and kill the fucker who killed Carey. To make a long story short, he was killed. I then started to travel around. I got good at taking out the trash, as they say.”
“Taking out the trash, what does that mean?”
“I killed bad people, sometimes for sport,” Lexi quipped. “Word spread and I got a name for myself and it stuck. People called me Nemesis on account if you were a bad guy, I was your foe. If I found you, I’d put you under. I kept traveling and one day ran into Nick, your father. I thought we’d end up being a good team, but it didn’t work out and he was killed. I have to admit I didn’t know him very long, but our time together was….oh, how do I put it? It was good for me. You see, Sasha, I had a difficult childhood. I don’t trust many people; in fact, I pretty much can count on my hand those people I’ve met along my travels who I trust; your father was one of them. He was one of the good ones.”
“You’ve mentioned before that he was handsome,” Sasha said.
“He was, he was a good-looking man.”
“Who killed him?”
“He was killed when we attacked this group, they were abusing people…anyway, it doesn’t matter what they were doing; he was killed in the shoot-out. Not long after that I took shelter with another wonderful person, and that’s where I found out I was pregnant. Like so many people I’ve known over the years, she was killed.” She paused and chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”
“I sometimes think I’m bad luck, sorta like a curse. If you get to know me, you end up dead,” Lexi replied.
“You believe that?”
“Let’s see, the nice couple who took me in just before you were born, they were killed. Some of the Marines who helped me track down that madman Rahab died too.”
“It does sound like you’re cursed.”
“Well, there is John, the owner of that bar in Oregon. I think it was called the Big Chief or something like that. I left him and he was still alive and there was also Gordon. He’s alive last I heard years ago; he’s up in Cascadia. He’s a good man too and one that you should try to find if something ever happens to me.”
“How do I find him?”
“Oh, what was the name of that town,” Lexi said. She looked up in deep thought. “McCall, that’s it, the town is called McCall; he lives there or did years ago. He will help you if you tell him you’re Lexi’s daughter.”
“Gordon from McCall in Cascadia, got it.”
“Gordon Van Zandt from McCall, Idaho, Republic of Cascadia. Just ask for him if you end up there; he’ll remember me, I guarantee it.” Again she chuckled.
“Now what’s so funny?”
“Oh, I remember when I stole his dog, at least I think it was his dog.”
“Beau or Frenchie?” Sasha asked. She’d been told about the dogs before.
“Ole Beau, he was a good boy, I miss him a lot. A damn good dog, sometimes got sidetracked by stupid squirrels,” she said, a big smile on her face. “He had the most beautiful gray coat. It was shiny and soft.
Wrapping her arms around her, Sasha said, “I’d like to have a dog one day.”
“Me too.”
“Mom?”
“Yes, sweetheart.”
“I know we’re going to visit the cabin where I was born, and I appreciate that, but will we ever leave the forest?”
Lexi reached out and touched Sasha’s arm. “When you’re ready, then we’ll leave and continue my work.”
“Killing people?”
“I prefer to say taking out the trash.”
“Is it hard to kill?”
Pulling her hand back, Lexi thought for a moment. “How do I answer that? Um, I’d say it gets easier, but the first time, it’s weird, really weird.”
“Why didn’t we just go to McCall? Why are we living here?” Sasha asked.
“On account that McCall is a long ways off, and after I fled Truckee, I couldn’t risk going back on the road. After a while the cabin just became home and it felt safe. So we just stayed and I began your training.”
“How do you know if the world is still like it was?” Sasha asked.
Again Lexi found herself pausing to answer. “You know, I don’t know what’s really going on, but I suppose things could be better, but then again, they could have gotten worse.”
Sasha yawned and stretched.
“You should get some rest,” Lexi said. “I’ll take first watch.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive,” Lexi said.
The sleeping bag was cold to the touch when Sasha got in, but she knew she’d quickly warm up. She zipped it up to her chin and said, “Thank you for talking.”
“I didn’t really say too much,” Lexi replied.
“I know more than I did yesterday,” Sasha said. “And, Mom?”
“Yeah.”
“Were you really that well known? I’m talking about the nemesis thing.”
“Well enough. Listen, you get some rest.”
Like a starstruck adolescent, Sasha said, “My mom is a celebrity, a total badass.”
“Badass? Where did you learn that word?” Lexi asked, her jaw wide open.
“I read it in a magazine,” Sasha answered.
“I suppose I need to be careful what I bring home for you to read.”
“That’s not a bad word, you say fuck a lot,” Sasha said.
The fire popped and crackled.
“I-I-I,” Lexi stammered.
“It’s okay, I don’t care,” Sasha said.
“Well, I do, I talked like that all my life, but I want something different for you. Those words aren’t necessary so make sure you don’t use them,” Lexi explained. “Anyway, get some rest and know that I’m not a total badass; I’m just a woman, that’s all.”
“A badass woman,” Sasha quipped.
“Enough, now go to sleep. You’re only getting a few hours, so take advantage,” Lexi warned.
“Okay, okay, I’m going to sleep,” Sasha said. She closed her eyes and within moments she was fast asleep.
◆◆◆
Lexi’s firm hand over Sasha’s mouth woke her suddenly. She looked around, her eyes darting back and forth only to find Lexi kneeling over her, the dim glow from the embers of the fire the only light around.
Leaning down to whisper in her ear, Lexi said, “There’s somebody out there. I need you to get ready.”
“Where?” Sasha whispered.
“To our seven o’clock, get out of your sleeping bag and get ready,” Lexi ordered.
The loud crack of a branch breaking sounded forty feet away from the area Lexi said it was from.
“What do we do?” Sasha asked.
“I need you to stay put, but be ready to fight, okay?”
Another loud snap came from the original area.
“I think it’s one person,” Lexi said, her Glock now in her hand. “Where’s your pistol?”
Sasha pulled hers out and showed it to her mom. “I’ve got mine.”
“Good, now just steel yourself and remember your training,” Lexi said. She spun around and scurried away, disappearing into the darkness.
“Mom, wait. Where are you going?” Sasha whispered, fear rising in her.
Footfalls now sounded east of where the original sound came from.
Sitting up in anticipation of whoever might be there in the world, Sasha firmly gripped her pistol and waited.
The footfalls increased in volume as whoever it was approached.
