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Great. We’ll either have to sit tight or head south and hike out through the woods. Neither option is particularly appealing, but I’m pretty sure option one is the only way to go, because there is no way I can see my mother hiking down this mountain.
One thing is clear though, I should probably head up to the quarry. From the way this fire is moving, we might be better off simply staying at the house. Unless…
“Is there an alternate route for us to get down to the highway from the quarry? A faster way across the Levy property?”
That would be less of a hike than coming back here and then cutting down the mountain.
“Unsure, but I can find out for you.”
“Please do. I’m gonna head up to the quarry in the meantime, and will bring my mother and Dana back to the house unless there’s another way down. Radio me right away with any updates you have.”
“10-4. Be careful.”
Tucking the radio back in my pocket, I glance over at the felled maple tree. I’d planned to cut it in chunks and haul it away from the barn piece by piece—the only way for me to move it by myself—but the need to get up that mountain feels more urgent after talking with Tess. Sending Dana and Ma up there seemed like the smart move at the time but, in hindsight, that might have been a mistake.
I turn my back on the barn and start running.
Dana
* * *
“It’s okay. We’ll be okay.”
I’m not sure if I’m repeating my whisper over and over again to convince myself or Theresa, whose narrow shoulders are shaking under my arm.
We’re leaning against the hood of my car, where he told us to stand, while he is pacing back and forth, muttering at himself. He’s tried using his cell phone a few times, even asked me for mine, but has had no luck making any calls. It only seems to agitate him more.
The way he ordered us out of the car, I thought he might shoot us there and then, but now I get the sense he doesn’t really know what he’s doing. In fact, he’s mumbled something to that effect, angry at someone for getting him into this mess. I’m not sure who, but it appears that person is in charge of whatever the hell is going on here.
Suddenly he stops in front of us and pins me with a look.
“What the hell are you doing up here anyway?” he barks.
“We’re just trying to get away from the fire. The road was blocked. We thought we’d be safer here,” I add nervously.
“Who knows you’re up here?”
I glance over at Theresa, whose eyes are wide, but her lips are tightly pressed together.
“Nobody. It was just us.”
Rick is the only one who knows we’re up here, the only help we can hope for getting out of this, and don’t want to let on he’s back at the house.
“You didn’t call anyone to report the fire?” he pushes suspiciously.
“No. I don’t have a landline at the house and the cell reception was already down before I even noticed the fire.”
He stares me down for a moment, likely gauging whether or not I’m telling the truth, before he abruptly starts pacing again.
If I didn’t already know Merrick is as crooked as they come and possibly involved in a murder, I might’ve been inclined to ask him questions. But as it is, I’d rather not chance agitating the man even more than he obviously is. Rick’s mother has chosen to stay quiet as well, whether from fear or out of caution.
But I can feel her jerk when he suddenly barks, “Okay, let’s go, move it,” gesturing with the gun in his hand.
“Go where?”
“The office building.”
He points at the lower, single-story structure to the left of the gate. I avoided it when we got here because of its proximity to the tree line.
