Black Sun by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 66

Seeing the need for privacy, Emma insisted Ryan and Abby have their own room and with the three of them working together, they were able to quickly construct it. It wasn’t anything close to palatial, but it would serve its purpose. During its making, Abby noticed a considerable supply of lumber behind the cabin and out of curiosity inquired to Emma about it. “Where do get all this stuff?”

Emma pointed through the woods.

“Maria Lake is a couple of miles that way and there’s lots of houses around the lake, so I go there for what I need but not very often,” she replied.

Thinking it was somewhat odd not to take advantage of the ample housing of the lake, Abby asked why she had not done so. Emma was quick with a response.

“Well, I like to be alone, and I don’t know who’s still down there. I guess it’s a matter of personal choice and safety.” Abby understood and expressed her own need for solitude in the wake of the events that drove her and Ryan away from the threat posed by a civilization gone mad. But Abby found herself feeling the need to see the lake and perhaps take a swim, but certainly not during the day, when she might be seen by the wrong people. “Can we go down to the lake some time?” she asked.

As many times as Emma had been there for food and other necessities, she did so with a great deal of caution and was not fond of being there during the day.

“I don’t know,” she began. “It’s really not a good idea to go there--all those houses. You never know who going to be watching. And I’d rather not get into something I can’t get out of.” Abby knew exactly what she meant but the idea of a swim was far too tempting, and she proposed a compromise. “You know,” she said. “I really want to go swimming. Why don’t we go there in late afternoon? We can find an isolated place and go for a short swim. What do you think?” Emma had considered it a few days before but seeing the houses surrounding the lake made her think that she might not be alone and exposing herself in the light of day could bring trouble. But there may be another way. About two miles east of Maria Lake was a pond. This time of year, the water was clear and warm. And there were no houses. Their privacy was nearly guaranteed. “I’ve got an idea,” Emma said. “I think we can catch a swim, but we’d have to go to the pond.”

Pointing in another direction, she continued to describe the area. “It’s about a mile and a half that way. But there’s no one there. If we can get there around three, the water will be warm enough to swim in. I’m guessing you two don’t have bathing suits, do you?” Knowing what the alternative was, Abby felt the flush of embarrassment. And she would definitely have to talk to Ryan about it. Although he would certainly be in favor of a swim and likely a bath.

The next morning, all three discussed going to Maria Lake to look for resources. Emma was running out of lumber and wanted to add some final touches on Ryan and Abby’s room, as she saw the need for a bit of structural reinforcement. As a precaution, she always went to the lake carrying her deer rifle. Like every other weapon she had, it was acquired from one of the houses at the lake and with it slung over her shoulder she led Ryan and Abby through the woods towards the lake. She took a different way there every time she went, so as not to leave a visible trail. This would lessen the chances of being followed or having unwanted guests show up. They walked the two miles in silence until they saw the distant shimmer of sunlight reflecting off the lake. One might say that silence is golden. But silence can sometimes be a way of avoiding trouble. If you can’t be heard, chances are you won’t be seen either. Emma had mastered the art of silence and had sharpened her senses in an amazingly short period of time. Ryan and Abby, however, had yet to acquire this skill and as they made their way through the woods seemed to step on every branch they encountered. Frustrated with their lack of woodland grace, Emma occasionally stopped to coach them, stressing the importance of walking over the things that would crackle underfoot.

Finally reaching the lake, Emma instructed Ryan and Abby to crouch down just behind the tree line, remaining as still as possible. Studying the lake for any movement, Emma decided it was safe enough to explore. Walking to the house nearest them, Emma put an ear to the door and, hearing nothing, slowly opened it. Its bottom edge ground against the floor, creating a loud scraping sound that would have woken the dead. In an attempt to make a silent entry, Emma pulled up on the doorknob, lifting the door’s edge slightly—enough to keep it from grinding across the floor. Ryan and Abby followed as she walked into the lake house. The first order of business was to see if there were survivors and if there were, she would have to be ready for a hasty escape or to defend herself. At this point, she had assumed personal responsibility for Ryan and Abby’s safety. Through conversation, she knew that Ryan had killed at least one person while defending Abby. But in the woods, things were a bit different. Anyone using trees and undergrowth as cover could be watching, perhaps preparing for an assault.

Making their way through the house, the trio searched for anyone still occupying it—alive or dead. Finding the house unoccupied, Emma thought the easiest way to gather lumber was to remove as many doors as possible. These would be used for shoring up the walls of Ryan and Abby’s room. However, getting several doors would be difficult to move, and Emma needed to get them back to the cabin as quickly as possible. Searching the house again, Abby found a bundle of rope and assumed it was used on the homeowner’s boat. Out of curiosity, she went to a nearby window and looking out at the shore line discovered that if the residents had a boat, it was no longer at the dock. Assuming it was on the lake somewhere, Abby suspected that its owners were likely dead and still aboard the boat.

Able to recover only three doors, Emma stacked them and, tying a rope around them, dragged the heavy load outside. Now, with the help of Ryan and Abby, the three dragged the tied bundle through the woods, a task that seemed to take forever. But several hours later, the cabin came into view, and soon the group found themselves sitting within the protection of its walls. They were exhausted and, collapsing onto the chairs, vowed that it would be quite some time before they attempted such a feat again. As they rested their weary bodies, a conversation arose regarding further construction of the bedroom.

“So,” Abby began. “When do we get started on that room?” Emma looked up with a startled expression. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” she said. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m fucking beat and I don’t think we’re going to get to that for a few days.”

Snapping himself back from the doorway of sleep, Ryan spoke up. “I have to agree. I don’t feel like doing shit.” As the arms of Morpheus began to slip their arms around them, Emma was struck with an idea, one that Ryan and Abby might find quite beneficial.

“Hey,” she said. “What do you guys about going swimming?” Abby sat up and enthusiastically expressed her interest. “Oh hell yeah,” she said. “I could absolutely go for a swim.” Ryan was not so eager, but he didn’t want the girls going alone and, as insistent as they were, decided to go.