you would look for it?”
Carl thought about it and after a moment his eyes lit up. He rushed out of the room and up the stairs, and Taylor and Tina heard a door being thrown open.
“Found it!” Carl had a yellow sheet of paper in his hand when he came down the stairs. “She left it in my old bedroom, stuck to the desk. I didn’t go all the way in when I looked before, so I missed it.”
“Well,” Taylor said, “what does it say?”
“There’s not much. She must have been in a hurry. All it says is ‘Your dad said we’re going to the mountains. He says you will know what that means.’ That’s it. Oh, and ‘Love, Angie.’”
“Do you know what she’s talking about?” Tina asked. “What mountains?”
After some thought, Carl snapped his fingers and threw his head back, chuckling to himself.
“What?”
“No wonder she wasn’t more specific. She probably didn’t know what the hell Dad was talking about when he said they were going to the mountains. You remember where we used to go camping when we were younger? It’s been seven or eight years, but do you remember? Dad would pack us up some weekends and tell us we were heading to the mountains. Thing is, they’re not really mountains. He just called them that. They’re just big rocks, but when we were kids, they looked like mountains to us.”
“Wouldn’t that be dangerous? Being out in the open like that. There wouldn’t be any way to protect ourselves.”
“Those dumb fuckers can’t even figure out how to open a door without breaking it down,” Carl said. “Dollars to donuts they wouldn’t be able to climb up a big rock.”
Taylor and Carl exchanged glances. Taylor led them into the dining room where a large safe stood in the corner. The safe was large enough that it could have housed a grown man comfortably, maybe two if they didn’t mind rubbing up against each other, and when Taylor grabbed the handle he was surprised to find it unlocked.
“For our sake, I’ll bet,” Carl said.
“He left the Glock. There’s a 12-gauge, and another one of the Ruger’s.” He spoke directly to Tina now. “See, normally this thing’s full, which means they packed up the rest and took them with them. You asked why they would head into the mountains. My dad’s kind of a wilderness junkie. Not one of those paranoid survivalist-types or anything, but he liked to spend his free time hunting and being in the woods. He’s never lived in a big city, so it wouldn’t make sense for him to head for one now. He’s familiar with that place. Maybe for somebody else it would be the worst mistake in the world. For him, it’s probably the best place he could have picked. Loaded the van with food and guns and ammo and went on their merry way. Plus it’s isolated. If those things out there are only out to fuck up other people, they’ll stick to the places where the people are. That’ just an educated guess, but it sounds about right.”
“How big is this place?”
“Big enough to get lost in if you don’t know where you’re going. But there are quite a few trails in there. Usually you follow one of the trails and sooner or later you’ll find your way out.”
“If it’s that big, how do we find them?”
Taylor reached into the safe. He checked the magazine in the Glock, made sure it was loaded, and then tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. He handed the shotgun to Carl. Pulling out the rifle, he handed it to Tina and said, “Let’s worry about that when we get there.”
Chapter 7: Hell Out of Coldwater
They didn’t waste a lot of time gathering supplies. Most of the non-perishables had been taken, so the selection was sparse. The important things were the guns and ammunition their father had left for them to find. They also packed anything that would provide warmth; blankets, flannel shirts, some of their father’s thermal underwear.
Carl thought about it and after a moment his eyes lit up. He rushed out of the room and up the stairs, and Taylor and Tina heard a door being thrown open.
“Found it!” Carl had a yellow sheet of paper in his hand when he came down the stairs. “She left it in my old bedroom, stuck to the desk. I didn’t go all the way in when I looked before, so I missed it.”
“Well,” Taylor said, “what does it say?”
“There’s not much. She must have been in a hurry. All it says is ‘Your dad said we’re going to the mountains. He says you will know what that means.’ That’s it. Oh, and ‘Love, Angie.’”
“Do you know what she’s talking about?” Tina asked. “What mountains?”
After some thought, Carl snapped his fingers and threw his head back, chuckling to himself.
“What?”
“No wonder she wasn’t more specific. She probably didn’t know what the hell Dad was talking about when he said they were going to the mountains. You remember where we used to go camping when we were younger? It’s been seven or eight years, but do you remember? Dad would pack us up some weekends and tell us we were heading to the mountains. Thing is, they’re not really mountains. He just called them that. They’re just big rocks, but when we were kids, they looked like mountains to us.”
“Wouldn’t that be dangerous? Being out in the open like that. There wouldn’t be any way to protect ourselves.”
“Those dumb fuckers can’t even figure out how to open a door without breaking it down,” Carl said. “Dollars to donuts they wouldn’t be able to climb up a big rock.”
Taylor and Carl exchanged glances. Taylor led them into the dining room where a large safe stood in the corner. The safe was large enough that it could have housed a grown man comfortably, maybe two if they didn’t mind rubbing up against each other, and when Taylor grabbed the handle he was surprised to find it unlocked.
“For our sake, I’ll bet,” Carl said.
“He left the Glock. There’s a 12-gauge, and another one of the Ruger’s.” He spoke directly to Tina now. “See, normally this thing’s full, which means they packed up the rest and took them with them. You asked why they would head into the mountains. My dad’s kind of a wilderness junkie. Not one of those paranoid survivalist-types or anything, but he liked to spend his free time hunting and being in the woods. He’s never lived in a big city, so it wouldn’t make sense for him to head for one now. He’s familiar with that place. Maybe for somebody else it would be the worst mistake in the world. For him, it’s probably the best place he could have picked. Loaded the van with food and guns and ammo and went on their merry way. Plus it’s isolated. If those things out there are only out to fuck up other people, they’ll stick to the places where the people are. That’ just an educated guess, but it sounds about right.”
“How big is this place?”
“Big enough to get lost in if you don’t know where you’re going. But there are quite a few trails in there. Usually you follow one of the trails and sooner or later you’ll find your way out.”
“If it’s that big, how do we find them?”
Taylor reached into the safe. He checked the magazine in the Glock, made sure it was loaded, and then tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. He handed the shotgun to Carl. Pulling out the rifle, he handed it to Tina and said, “Let’s worry about that when we get there.”
Chapter 7: Hell Out of Coldwater
They didn’t waste a lot of time gathering supplies. Most of the non-perishables had been taken, so the selection was sparse. The important things were the guns and ammunition their father had left for them to find. They also packed anything that would provide warmth; blankets, flannel shirts, some of their father’s thermal underwear.
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