The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 22

No longer needing to see through the dark, Nathan and Jackson walked towards the highway and onto the access road leading to the cabin. With the weight of the food they carried, walking uphill was especially arduous. Holding a flashlight made the walk that much more difficult. The air continued in its silence, with the only sound being the crackling of the dirt road underfoot. They tried to forget their encounter with the wolves, but occasionally found themselves glancing back for any sign of the predators. Relieved at their absence, the two decided to speed their pace, mostly out of paranoia. It seems that sometimes the way out is far longer than the way back, and this was certainly the case for Nathan and Jackson. And as the road leveled out, they saw the faint light shining from a side window of the cabin. Overcome with relief, they ran as quickly as the weight of the food allowed, and approaching the cabin door they were met by Maya. Her expression was of deep concern as she took the bags from Nathan. Aurora walked to the door and, relieving Jackson of the load he’d carried, set them on the table. Happy that Nathan had safely returned, she pushed her way past Maya and Jackson and, throwing her arms around him, kissed him passionately. Feeling the warmth of her lips, Nathan quickly reciprocated, and the two became locked in a passionate embrace. The single-room cabin fell silent as their souls intertwined. At the moment that time seemed to slip away, their eyes met as they released each other’s hold. With flushed faces, they glanced around the cabin as everyone watched with warm expressions—everyone but Eli.

“Aw,” he began. “Isn’t that sweet?” With one arm still around Nathan, she extended her other arm and, with her middle finger standing tall, spoke her mind.

“Fuck you, Eli!”

Seeing Aurora’s anger, Eli persisted in his taunting.

“Look,” he said. “All I’m saying is that you two should probably step out into the woods, so we don’t have to deal with this.”

Everyone found his remark disturbing, but Aurora was especially disgusted, and what she said next surprised everyone.

“You asshole,” she began. “You must have been conceived rectally because you’re a piece of shit.” Having been steamrolled by her insult, Eli was rendered silent as everyone else, as if on cue, loudly proclaimed the same word. “Damn!”

Now, standing away from Nathan, she faced Eli for a parting shot. Raising both hands, Aurora extended both middle fingers, offering a final remark.

“You like that? Yeah, that’s right. Suck my ass, bitch.”

Eli stood frozen and, with eyes wide in surprise, realized that Aurora was not someone he should tease. And while she may have overreacted, it was clear to all that she was tougher than they thought.