Dead Center, page 17
part #2 of Nemesis Series
Scott raced into the office. “What’s going on?”
“Get out.”
“What the hell is—”
Facing Scott, August glared and yelled, “Get the fuck out!”
“Fine,” Scott said and immediately left.
Betrayal was the one thing August could not forgive, and when tomorrow came, one person would know their fate and feel his wrath.
OUTSKIRTS OF TRUCKEE, REPUBLIC OF CALIFORNIA
Arms crossed and head tilted to the side, Ava looked on with pride at the great room of her new house. She’d spent a considerable amount of time cleaning it up and rearranging the furniture. Now all it needed, she thought, was some flowers or something natural to give it a pop of color. She recalled seeing some wildflowers not far away from the house. Filled with purpose, she gathered a pair of clippers, a sack and headed out.
Humming a sweet song as she went, she stopped wherever she saw something she thought would be beautiful inside. A thick pine branch, pine cones, tall stalks of lupine. She smiled as she placed each item into the sack.
She had found that even in the short time since she’d been away from August, a peacefulness had swept over her. To many, August was a crude, brutal and harsh man, but for Ava, he had shown her a gentle and generous side that none saw. However, he could have his moments, and when he did, she’d tremble in fear. She often wondered if a dark cloud hung over the family. None were nice; even though she liked her other two uncles and had grown to enjoy her time with Scott, they too had their dark sides. There could be no mistake though, being away from August’s house gave her the separation she had longed for.
She daydreamed as she strolled down a game trail, her thoughts imagining a time when she wouldn’t have to be concerned with the Clancy Clan or be bothered with any of it. She longed to truly see the world, specifically to travel to Australia. They hadn’t suffered from the EMP attacks years ago and had gone on to become a superpower. They were now the place to be, the envy of the world.
Her problem was that she’d probably never see anything outside of a hundred miles of Truckee and that depressed her. The heavy weight of her life gripped her; she walked to a large rock and plopped down. She pressed her eyes closed and listened to the peaceful sounds of nature. After a few minutes, she got up and continued down the trail, curious as to where it would take her.
◆◆◆
“How much farther?” Sasha complained, her feet sore.
“Close,” Lexi replied, determined to reach the cabin. She pushed through thick bushes and emerged onto a massive slab of granite that spread out for twenty feet until it dropped off. She had reached the edge of the mountain; that could only mean the cabin was just beneath them. She walked over to the edge and peered down but couldn’t see it due to the false summit that sat just below her. She spotted the large boulder she and Sasha had hid behind all those years ago.
“Are we close?” Sasha asked. She brushed off leaves and twigs that had stuck to her clothes in the bushes.
“Just down there,” Lexi said.
“Where?” Sasha asked, looking down but not seeing anything.
“When we get down there, you’ll be able to see it,” Lexi said and proceeded down the slope.
The two meandered carefully down until they were at the false summit.
“Right there,” Lexi said, her hand extended and finger pointing to the cabin that sat nestled in the trees below.
“It’s big,” Sasha said.
“I wouldn’t say it’s big but not as small as our home,” Lexi said. She reached out and touched the boulder where she’d taken cover that fateful day. “I watched them get murdered here.”
“Here?”
“You were swaddled tight and tucked into a carrier on my chest. We hid behind this boulder,” Lexi replied, her voice subdued as she thought about that moment.
Silence fell over them as Lexi replayed that day in her head.
Impatient, Sasha began the final descent.
“Where are you going?” Lexi called out.
“I’m tired, Mom, I just want to get down there,” Sasha answered.
“Have you thought that someone might be there?” Lexi shouted.
Sasha stopped, turned back to face Lexi and said, “Mom, no one is living there. Half the roof is gone and, well, just look at it. No one is there.”
Sometime over the past years, a massive branch from one of the towering ponderosa pines had fallen and slammed into the back end of the house, destroying the roof and exposing the inside to the elements.
Lexi caught up to Sasha. “So you plan on just rolling into the cabin without securing it properly?”
“Mom, no one is there and, of course when I get down there, you and I both will make sure it’s fine. I’m over the lessons and tests. How about you trust in the training you gave me my entire life and we work together.”
Flabbergasted by Sasha’s response, Lexi found a bit of pride. She was standing up for herself, a trait she recognized because in that moment, Sasha sounded just like her.
At the bottom, Lexi took up a position to the east side with Sasha positioned to the west. After taking a moment to make sure there was no movement, they both moved in.
It took Lexi one peek in the side window to know for sure it was vacant. She lowered her rifle and walked around to the front. She glanced to the front yard, half expecting to see the remains of both Joe and Anna but knew that couldn’t be. She was sure they had been left to rot where they fell, but couldn’t imagine the local wildlife wouldn’t have come looking for a meal later, scattering their remains all around.
Around the west corner Sasha came, her rifle at the ready. Seeing her mother staring, she asked, “What is it?”
“That’s where they died.”
Sasha looked.
“Like I mentioned, I watched them fall. He crawled over to her right there,” Lexi said pointing at the spot she remembered them last.
Not that she didn’t care to listen, Sasha was more focused on going inside and seeing the room where she’d been born. She pushed the already cracked door until it was fully open. With the roof at the back end of the house caved in, the light of day spilled in. She took a few steps inside and paused to look around.
“To your left,” Lexi said, coming up behind Sasha.
“It’s down there?” Sasha asked.
“Yeah, you were born down there,” Lexi answered.
A strong odor of mold and rot filled their nostrils.
“It stinks in here,” Sasha complained as she covered her nose with her sleeve. Slowly she took the few steps down the narrow hall to the first room she saw and stopped. “Is this it?”
“That’s it,” Lexi replied.
A bit timid, Sasha pushed the door and peeked her head in as if expecting some sort of ghost might jump out at her.
“It’s perfectly safe,” Lexi said. “Go ahead.”
Sasha entered but only went a couple of feet. To her left was the bed and a bassinet, and to the right was the dresser and crib.
Looking in herself, Lexi said, “Looks like it did the day I left.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Lexi said, walking up to the bassinet. “You loved sleeping in this.”
Making her way to the crib, Sasha looked in, saw something of interest and pulled it out. “The blanket has my name on it.”
“I regretted never grabbing that,” Lexi said, walking up and looking down at the once soft blanket. “Anna didn’t want you to have then quickly changed her mind. I think I told you that I named you after their daughter. I thought it was the best way to say thank you.”
Sasha stripped off her pack, unzipped the top, and shoved the blanket inside.
“You’re taking it?”
“Yeah.”
“This is all so sad,” Lexi said, looking around. Thick black mold covered parts of the walls and ceiling. “I was thinking we could stay here, but there’s no way. We’ll have to camp somewhere close; then we’ll head back.”
“We can stay here,” Sasha said, walking over to the bed and sitting down.
“You don’t understand, that’s black mold. We don’t want to be in here as long as we have been already; that’ll make you sick.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive,” Lexi said. “Come, let’s see if there’s anything of value we could use.” Lexi exited the room and went towards the kitchen.
Filled with fascination, Sasha looked around. It was nice to finally have a real connection to another time in her life. However, seeing it in such decay made her sad like her mother. She too wanted to sleep in the house where she was born, but alas, it would not be.
After spending about twenty minutes inside the cabin, Lexi was done. The fumes from the mold were giving her a headache. She exited the house with a few items she thought they could use, but it was apparent the place had been ransacked before.
Also unable to stay inside was Sasha. She spilled out the back, coughing and complaining about feeling nauseous.
“Well, kid, what do you think?” Lexi asked.
“I think I’m sick,” Sasha hacked.
“Seeing where you were born, how do you feel about it?”
Standing tall and taking in several deep breaths, Sasha finally got around to answering, “It’s neat. Thank you for holding up your end of the bargain. Any chance we can go farther, maybe see town?”
“Not a chance,” Lexi shot back.
“Oh, c’mon, Mom, I’ve never let my hovel in the woods. Can I please see more?”
“No, and that’s the last we’ll talk about it. Maybe in a couple of years.”
“Couple of years?” Sasha gasped.
“You’re still too young. Look at what happened—”
“You’re really going to start talking about that again, huh?”
“Yes, I’m going to…” Lexi had interrupted Sasha but stopped herself when she noticed the expression on Sasha’s face indicated she saw something. She spun around to see movement in the trees. Acting out of pure instinct, Lexi brought her rifle up and cried out. “Come on out.”
The branches of the bushes parted and out came Ava. “Don’t shoot.”
“Are you alone?” Lexi asked.
“Put the rifle down,” Sasha said. She walked up to Lexi and gently pushed the muzzle towards the ground. “She’s armed with a pair of clippers and a bag of flowers. Unless we’re going to die from pollen.”
“But…”
Ignoring Lexi, Sasha called out to Ava, “Do you live around here?”
“Yes.”
“We don’t. We’re just passing through. Came up on this place,” Sasha lied.
“I live just up there about a mile away, got a great big house,” Ava said. “Where are you two from?”
“San Diego,” Lexi blurted out.
“Really? How is it?” Ava asked.
“Not good, hence why we’re up here,” Lexi answered. “Are you alone?”
“You two look nice and you are armed, so I’ll just have to trust you,” Ava said. “But to answer your question, I am alone. I was just out hiking around to find flowers and other things to decorate my house.”
Sasha couldn’t stop staring at Ava. She’d never seen a girl about her age.
“The people who lived there were killed,” Ava said.
“You don’t say,” Lexi said. “How far is town?”
“Oh, about five miles away. We’ve got a nice coffee shop now. Do you drink coffee?” Ava asked.
Sasha shot Lexi a look, then turned back towards Ava. “No, I’ve never had it. Is it good?”
“Is it good? How is it that you’ve never had coffee before?” Ava chuckled.
“Well, that’s sort of a long story.” Sasha chuckled back.
“Psst, be careful,” Lexi said under her breath her tone scolding.
“I’d love to try it,” Sasha said.
“I’m being rude,” Ava said and marched towards them, her hand stretched out.
Lexi grew tense, and readied herself to fight, while Sasha felt nothing but curiosity and fascination. She met Ava halfway, took her hand and said, “Hi.”
“Hello, nice to meet you. Would you like to come to my house and have some coffee?”
“Yes.”
“No, we can’t,” Lexi snapped. “We’re just passing through.”
Sasha shot Lexi a harsh look and again said, “Yes, we can.”
“No, we can’t.”
“You two sound like me and my uncle, always bickering,” Ava said with a laugh. “If you change your mind, I live just up a trail on the other side on those bushes. Take it that way about a mile, you’ll run directly into my house. I’ve got coffee, food and a running refrigerator and hot water.”
“Mom, she has hot water!” Sasha practically squealed. “I’ve never taken a hot-water bath.”
With a furrowed brow, Ava asked, “Where are you from again?”
Lexi marched over to Sasha, leaned down and said, “This isn’t happening.”
Cutting her a look, Sasha said, “I want to have some coffee, please.”
“I don’t bite, I promise. I just live up there, and you’re more than welcome to stop by. I don’t see new people, especially people from outside of town.”
“Me either,” Sasha said.
Lexi began to ponder if going to this girl’s house was dangerous, but she couldn’t get a bad vibe from her. “Do you live with your family?”
“No, just me,” Ava replied. “You look like I can trust you, and again if you wanted to, you could just shoot me. But I get a sense you’re not like that.”
“We’re not,” Sasha said.
“Then please come back, have some coffee, and maybe take a hot bath. I would like some company,” Ava said sincerely.
“Please, Mom, can we?”
With a heavy sigh, Lexi relented. “Fine, but just a coffee and then we go.”
◆◆◆
Steam rose from the mug of coffee in front of Sasha. She admired its rich dark color and the aroma.
“Milk and sugar?” Ava asked.
“Um, how do you drink it?” Sasha asked.
“With both, my uncle like it black; maybe that’s why he’s so bitter,” Ava quipped.
Returning from the bathroom, Lexi marveled at the fact she had working plumbing, “It was nice to sit on a toilet.”
Ava poured a bit of milk and a scoop of sugar into Sasha’s mug and handed her a spoon. “Just stir.”
“Oh, the milk makes it look creamy. Does milk taste good?” Sasha asked as she watched the coffee swirl with each turn of the spoon.
“You’ve never had milk?” Ava asked, her face showing the shock.
“No, never,” Sasha answered.
“Well, you know how hard milk is to come by,” Lexi said, taking a seat at the dining table.
The dining room was large with tall windows along the exterior wall. A majestic view of the valley to the east gave it a special feel.
“Milk’s not hard to come by. We get regular shipments weekly, along with a bunch of other stuff,” Ava said. “Didn’t you get stuff in San Diego?”
“We’ve been gone a while,” Lexi said with a fake smile. She pulled her mug towards herself then picked it up. She first inhaled the steam before taking a long sip. “That’s good.”
“It’s a French roast, all the way from Perth Australia,” Ava bragged. “My uncle gets all the good stuff.”
“What does your uncle do?” Lexi asked.
“He runs an import business, you could say,” Ava replied. She sat down, gave a sweet smile to Sasha, and asked, “Can I interest you in a muffin or something?”
Sasha’s head whipped towards Lexi then back to Ava. “A real muffin?”
“Are there anything else?”
“I’ve—”
Interrupting her, Ava said, “Let me guess, you’ve never had a muffin before?”
“No.”
Lexi nudged Sasha and gave a stern look.
Sasha picked up on what Lexi was saying. “It’s been a while, that’s all,” Sasha said.
“I have blueberry. How does that sound?” Ava said, getting back up and rushing to the kitchen.
With Ava gone, Lexi leaned in and growled, “Stop making a scene. You’re going to have her asking too many questions. Just remember that the men who hunted me years ago are probably still here. We need to just lie low.”
Hanging her head low, Sasha said, “Sorry, I’m—”
“No more excuses or apologies, just stop it.”
Ava came back with a plate heaping with muffins. She set it in the center of the table and handed out smaller plates. “Help yourself.”
Sasha’s mouth watered when she picked up a muffin. She set it on the plate in front of her and stared at it for an awkward moment before tearing a piece off and eating it. “That is so good.”
“A woman in town makes them. They’re really good. She also makes really good scones too,” Ava said.
Sasha didn’t say a word about the scones, which of course she’d never had before.
“How is it that you live here by yourself?” Lexi asked.
“This was my family’s house. They’re dead now so I have it,” Ava answered, giving Lexi a long look. “You look very familiar.”
“I do?” Lexi asked.
“Yeah, you do, but I’m thinking it must be because you have a familiar face or something.”
Sasha grimaced when she took a sip of the coffee.
“You don’t like it?” Ava asked.
“I do, it’s just, I don’t know, I guess I need to get used to it.”
“How old are you?” Ava asked Sasha.
“I’m thirteen and you?”
“Eighteen, almost.”
“You’re very pretty,” Sasha said nervously.
Tucking some of her hair behind her ear, Ava said, “Thank you. And I might say you’re pretty too.”
Lexi resisted taking a muffin but finally gave in. She pulled off the top and ate that first then worked on the bottom half. The sugary moist treat was a bit of a shock to her taste buds.
