Stay Together Chapter 19 by Maira Dawn
Chapter 19
(COPYRIGHT©2024 MAIRA DAWN)
Emily walked a bit ahead of the group, her feet crunching the loose gravel on the road. Her mind raced, replaying Andrew’s wintry smile and predatory gaze. A chill ran down her spine despite the warm afternoon sun.
When she glanced back at her family, her stomach twisted. Her mom and dad chatted with Andrew. Emily’s little brother trailed behind, kicking stones.
“You okay up there, Em?” her dad called.
Emily forced a smile. “Yeah, just stretching my legs.”
For a moment, Andrew’s eyes met hers. He sent her that same unsettling smirk. She quickly looked away.
Should she tell her parents? Perhaps even the entire group? She bit her lip. What if they didn’t believe her?
Footsteps slapped the pavement behind her as someone caught up with her.
“Nice day for a walk”, Andrew remarked cheerfully.
Emily clenched her fists. How could he act normal after what he’d done? The memory of his rough hands, his threatening whisper, flashed through her mind.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her racing thoughts.
“Emily, honey, slow down a bit,” her mom yelled up to her. “We need to stick together.”
Emily nodded, realizing that in her efforts to distance herself from Andrew, she’d moved farther away from the group than she’d intended. She stopped and waited to fall back in step with the others.
Andrew flashed her a friendly smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Getting tired?” he asked innocently.
“I’m fine,” Emily muttered, skin crawling at his false concern.
She had the urge to do something, say something, at least to him. But doubt gnawed at her. What if she was overreacting? What if it was all a misunderstanding? Sure, Andrew was weird, but perhaps he’d just gotten caught up in the emotions of the crowd and hadn’t really meant what he’d said.
But that didn’t seem right either. The world itself had turned filled upside-down, and it seemed, her judgement with it. Everything was different since the crash. And while her gut told her not to trust Andrew, she also didn’t want to put more on him than he deserved. Once she accused him of something, it would be out there and she’d never be able to take it back.
She knew what she had seen. She knew what she had felt. Now she just had to make heads or tails out of it before she made a move she regretted. Was Andrew actually dangerous?
Only time would tell.
As the others caught up with her and Andrew, Emily noticed her father’s questioning stare and tense shoulders. He sensed something was off.
Emily relaxed her stiff march into something more like her usual easy stride and let the frown slid from her face.
“Hey, kiddo,” James called to her as he quickened his pace to catch up with her. “Wait up a sec.”
Emily tried to act nonchalant as she glanced over her shoulder at her father. “Oh, hey Dad.”
He matched her stride as he studied her face. “You okay? You seem a million miles away.”
Emily shrugged. “Just... thinking.”
“About what?” James probed gently, his tone a mix of concern and authority. “If anything is wrong, you know you can talk to me.”
She hesitated, chewing her lip. “It’s nothing, really. Just . . . worried about the road ahead, I guess.”
James nodded, but seemed unconvinced. “I’m aware that this is a lot for you kids. It’s a lot for me and I halfway expected it at some point in my lifetime. But you know I’m here for you, right?”
Emily smiled. “Yeah. I know, Dad.”
“So . . . nothing?” James glanced between her and Andrew.
Her father must have noticed something when she was caught in the crowd with Andrew. Emily opened her mouth, then closed it again, sure that her internal struggle played out on her face.
“I’m just . . . ” she started, then faltered. “It’s probably nothing. I don’t want to cause trouble.”
James’s frown deepened. “Trouble? What kind of trouble?”
Before Emily could respond, a twig snapped sharply somewhere in the woods behind them. They both whirled around, James’s hand instinctively reaching for his daughter’s shoulder.
Emily’s heart raced as she scanned the thick grove of trees.
“Did you see anything?” James whispered, his hand reaching for the weapon at his side.
Emily shook her head. “No, I didn’t see anything. But I heard it.”
James nodded, his eyes searching the forest of trees beside them. “We need to tell the others that there might be someone else out here with us.”
Together, father and daughter waited for the rest of the group. James kept his voice low as he explained, “We need to pick up the pace. We heard someone in the woods. I’m not sure why they are not showing themselves.”
Ian scowled. “That’s suspicious.”
His wife shook her head. “Not necessarily. With everything going on, maybe they are frightened.”
“But we won’t know that if they don’t show themselves,” Ian said. “We have to assume the worst in this situation.”
James scanned the woods again. “I agree. They have to be aware we’re suspicious of them. Let’s pick up the pace and see what happens. Perhaps they will feel better if we move out of their area.”
The others nodded in agreement and they jogged on down the road. Still, Emily couldn’t shake off the fear of being watched. From the worried glances the others gave the large group of trees, it was clear they felt it, too.
For a while, their breathing and their feet hitting the ground were the only sounds they that reached their ears, until Andrew, slightly out of breath, asked, “Do you think someone followed us from the town?”
“Anything is possible,” James replied.
Emily’s gaze tracked the thick woods on either side of them. The tall trees not only made it difficult to see around the slight curve in the road ahead of them, they were also blocking the setting sun.
Her heart pounded with each step, half expecting someone or something to jump out at them.
Finally, she had a clear view of the road and heaved a sigh of relief. And they had heard nothing else from the woods. Maybe they were in the clear.
Her relief was short-lived. Without warning, what sounded like heavy boots tromped across the forest floor, trampling twigs and dry leaves.
Emily hauled in a raggedy breath. They were back. They? Yes, it definitely sounded like more than one person.
Panic swirled through the group. Even some who had slowed now quickened their pace again.
Her heart raced. She didn’t believe Nancy’s reasoning. Someone who was frightened of them wouldn’t be following them. Thier little group did not intimate these people.
What did they want?
As their small group continued down the road, the footsteps in the woods kept pace.
Just as she was about to kick it into high gear, Andrew called out from the front of the group. “Look! A building!” he exclaimed, pointing to a structure off to the side of the road.
James glanced at the others, quickly getting their opinion by a nod or shake of their head.
The long sprint had left most of them breathless. In a secure building, they would have protection. The open road lacked it.
And if need be, a building was somewhere they could make a stand.
Without hesitation, the entire group hurried toward the building. As they drew closer, Emily examined the old, abandoned-looking cabin. It was still solid.
“It’ll do,” her father said in a low whisper. “Go!”
As a group, they increased their speed to an all-out run, hoping to make it into the building before the unknown people in the woods caught up with them.
“Once we enter, each one of us needs to secure a door or window,” James added. “Stay with it and keep watch. It’s crucial that we understand their intentions.”
James reached the front door first and yanked it open, giving a grunt of satisfaction that it was unlocked.
Emily ran through the door and let out a burst of air, then hauled in another deep breath. The cabin filled up as the others followed her.
After the bright light of day, the inside of the cabin seemed dark, cavernous. She blinked a few times, encouraging her eyes to adjust to the lower light. She could only make out vague shapes at first, but her vision quickly sharpened. Finally, she could make out one big room with a loft and a ladder leading up to it, a fireplace against the far wall with some logs beside it, and a few damaged pieces of furniture. The rest seemed bare.
James started barking orders. “Emily, here!” He pointed to the livingroom window. “Stay down and use the bottom corner to look out the window.” He patted her on the back as she rushed to her assigned spot. “I’ve got the front door. Ian, back door. Andrew, check for any other doors. Micheal, kitchen window. Liz with Micheal. Everyone else double up at any door or window.”
“We should barricade the doors,” Andrew suggested, looking around for a sturdy object to use.
James walked over to the pile of wood and pulled out an ax from behind it. Moving to a broken couch, he flipped it over and started hacking at the bottom frame. Once done, her father had two long, sturdy pieces of wood which could be used like a Doorstopper. He had also made smaller wedges to shove under the bottom of the doors.
He handed the items to Andrew. “Here, put these on both doors. It’s not much, but it’s something.”
James swept the room before saying, “Now, we wait.”
Continued . . .
Please remember this is a developing story and in a rawer state than what I publish. As such, it has only been self-edited and you will see some errors.
In addition, some changes may occur between now and publishing, including major storylines. I try to avoid this, but it sometimes happens.
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