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Since I wasn’t even supposed to know it was there, I tried to forget the little room beneath my feet. For a few minutes at a time, it actually worked. Then, I’d remember with a shudder that I was living on top of some kind of arsenal and hadn’t even known it.
Had the guns already been there when I’d moved in? There was no way to know. I told myself that they’d been there the whole time without me knowing, so it shouldn’t be such a big deal now that Iknewthey were there. Unfortunately, that didn’t help my peace of mind. The cabin justfeltdifferent now. Someone had been in my space.
I got dressed and in a small show of defiance, rolled the dress and tights Aunt Lacy had given me into the fireplace. The thought of ever putting them on again, even if I was freezing, made me feel sick. I wanted to forget the day before had ever happened.
Shoving my boots on, I trudged outside. It was cold and getting colder but oddly, we hadn’t had any snow yet. I dreaded the thought of it, not knowing if the roads would be passable if the weather got worse. Pulling up the hood on my jacket, I ignored the rain and made three trips outside to gather more firewood. The thought of staying inside all day with those guns right beneath my feet sounded horrible, but going outside every few hours for more wood sounded worse.
I’d just brought in the last load, pulling the door closed behind me when I thought I caught the sound of a vehicle on the gravel outside. Every once in a while, if things were very quiet, I could catch the sound of cars on the road—but this was different. It was closer. Slower.
Fighting the urge to panic, I dropped the firewood and took off my jacket before walking over to the window. The rain was letting up but I still couldn’t see anyone. The sound seemed to be getting louder though. As I watched, two motorcycles came around the curve and everything inside me froze.
Then, a truck came into view and an SUV after that.
My hands shook as I strode toward the kitchen, wondering for a split second what to do. The phone and pistol were both sitting on the table.
How would a phone help you, Esther? Whoever those people are, they’re already here.
With a deep breath, I picked the pistol up from the table and checked the cylinder. Fully loaded. I’d never been so grateful for the one time my dad had paid attention to me, years ago showing me the different parts of the new revolver he’d bought,explaining how everything worked. Cocking the hammer back, I carried it with me as I threw open the door.
There were so many of them that I wasn’t sure where to point the pistol. A couple of men my dad’s age seemed to be leading the group so I pointed it at the one closest to me.
“Drop it,” the other older man ordered.
“What the fuck?” The man I was aiming at yelped, raising his hands in the air.
“Whoa,” one of the younger guys further away said in surprise, coming into view from the side of the cabin.
“Who the hell are you?” a huge guy only a few years older than me barked. He looked kind of familiar.
“Who the heck are you?” I snapped back, my bravado completely obliterated by the way my voice shook. My stomach was churning with fear. There were too many of them. Even if I shot one, I wouldn’t have time to shoot again before they reached me. They were all carrying guns. There was a good chance that if I started shooting, they would too. I couldn’t take the chance.
“Esther?”
For a split second, I thought I was seeing things as a man in the driveway rose to his feet and turned toward me, his familiar face coming into view. As soon as he’d said my name, though, my entire body started to shake.
I stared at him, wide-eyed. What in the world was happening?
The gun was surprisingly heavy, and my arms wobbled.
“Otto?” I croaked. “What are you doing here?”
“Honey, you wanna drop that?” the man closest to me said, startling me. I swung the pistol in his direction.
The big guy that looked familiar yelled, “Whoa!”
“A little help here?” someone else bellowed, making me jerk in fear. God, I wished they’d all just stoptalking.
“Esther,” Otto called, getting my attention again. “Could you stop pointin’ that at my dad, sugar?”
“Your dad?” I asked in confusion, looking at the man closest to me. There was no way that guy was his dad. Otto was practically twice his size.
In a split second, I realized that I’d been beaten. There was no way I’d be able to protect myself from so many of them and once I realized that, my only option became perfectly clear. I gingerly lowered the gun back down as I shoved the hammer forward again.
My heart was racing as Otto strode toward me and without thought, I put one hand on my stomach, instinctively making sure the person in there was okay.
Someone said something to Otto, but I didn’t pay attention because he was still moving toward me and I couldn’t believe he was actually there.
“Did you come to get me?” I asked in disbelief, the words hoarse and broken. How had he found me? My throat tightened.Finally.
