The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 23

The tension that filled the cabin, having finally evaporated, gave way to the desire for order and naturally, Maya took the wheel. Looking over what Nathan and Jackson returned with, she immediately saw that there were items that could have been procured, but she was not about to ask them to return.

“Did you guys run into any problems out there?” she asked.

They looked at each other as the terror of previous events came back to haunt them.

“You guys might want to sit down,” Jackson said. Assuming the worst, everyone found a place to sit and no one asked questions. Trying to find a way to begin, Jackson turned to Nathan. “Do you want to tell them?” he asked. “You’re a little better with words than I am.” Of course, Jackson was right, knowing Nathan had previously been studying journalism.

“Sure,” he said.

He tuned his voice and mannerisms for the drama he thought the story deserved, beginning with a bit of humor.

“Well,” he began. “It was a dark and stormy night.”

Annoyed by his dramatics, Eli spoke up in protest. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, just get on with it.” The story was as dark and foreboding as the experience that birthed it and Nathan, having taken a few classes in creative writing and drama, told it with all the suspense it deserved. With most of the lights of the cabin turned down, the story began. He gave a frightening description of every detail—from the outset of their walk along the road to the terror of facing hungry wolves and their return to the cabin. Nathan’s presentation was ghostly, to say the least, and sitting on the floor around him, everyone felt the tension carried by his voice and the fear it transmitted. But the story was soon over, and the only question to arise from it came from Aurora.

“So, what you’re saying is there are wolves out here, right?”

After their mention, not much more of the story got through to her and as Maya sat next to her, she could see her visibly trembling.

“Aurora,” she began. “It’s going to be okay. We’re in here; the wolves are out there somewhere. There’s nothing to worry about.” Just then, a distant howl echoed through the night. No one in the cabin had ever experienced such a sound before, as all eyes turned toward the direction of that nocturnal lamentation. Soon, other voices joined in a chorus of demonic cackling as every member of the pack called out to one another. A palpable fear quickly spread over the group, leaving Aurora in tears while the rest ran to the windows, searching the night for glowing eyes and the sound of angry growls. But the air had gone silent, and silence can be far more terrifying with its unpredictable nature and vast emptiness.

Save for the small flashlight Nathan found at the store, the lights of the cabin were turned off in fear that even the faintest illumination would gain the attraction of any nearby predators. The group positioned themselves near the windows, peeking out into the night. But as quickly as the chaotic howls began, they suddenly stopped, raising everyone’s suspicions.

“Where did they go?” Aurora asked. Her words had been nothing more than a whisper and breaking the silence, everyone spoke just as quietly.

“I don’t know,” Maya replied. “As long as they don’t come here.”

“But what if they do?” Eli asked. “If they get in here, we’re going to be screwed.” Aurora regained not only a sense of calm but her wits as well. Now, her knowledge of the outdoors and its wildlife flooded her mind. “They probably won’t be coming here,” she said. “How do you know that?” Jackson asked. “I mean, they’re supposed to be more afraid of us than we are of them, right?”

Drawing from recent experience, Nathan expressed a doubtful response.

“You wouldn’t think so, considering what happened back at that store.”

Still looking out the window, Jackson elaborated. “Yeah,” he said. “I thought those fuckers were going to kill us.”

Not missing a beat, Nathan offered an explanation.

“They weren’t after us,” he said. “They just wanted our food.”

Everyone seemed relieved, knowing that it was unlikely they would become human game for a hungry pack of wolves. Seeing this issue resolve itself, Maya asked everyone to move away from the windows. Not that there wasn’t anything to see, but she knew that people are always afraid of the unknown—the things that hide from one’s sight.

“I think we should try to get some sleep, guys, okay? Things will be better in the morning.”

As soon as the word ‘sleep’ was spoken, everyone became drowsy and, making their way to their respective beds, opened the covers and climbed in. Aurora, of course, found it necessary to use the cabin’s bathroom to change into her night clothes. Reappearing, she fumbled through the dark until she bumped into the frame of her bed, bruising her shin.

“Fuck,” she whispered.

Having heard her frustrated response, Maya inquired.

“What’s going on?”

Aurora hobbled to the side of her bed and climbed in. Still frustrated, she briefly informed Maya about her uncoordinated mishap.

“I bashed my shin into the bed frame,” she said. “God, damn it, that fucking hurts.” Maya offered to get a bag of ice for her, but she declined, stating that she just wanted to sleep. By morning, her injury was the size of a softball and the pain was unbearable. Accepting Maya’s previous offer, Aurora asked for a bag of ice. It might not reduce the swelling, but it did lessen the pain. Getting out of bed, she discovered that walking was nearly pain-free, but she chose to be careful about where she walked, trying to avoid aggravating it.