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“Thank you, Dean.” I was relieved by his support. As Dean left the tavern to find Jaxon, Clawson turned to me, his expression solemn.
“Ridge, I’ve been thinking…” He leaned forward. “If the hunters are going to attack soon, and we have humans in town, they could get caught in the crossfire. We should come up with some kind of plan to make sure we can get all the humans out of Blackwood Creek quickly when things go south.”
I rubbed my jaw. He was right. The last thing I wanted was for the innocent people of Blackwood Creek to suffer because of our fight.
“We need a solid reason for the humans to leave town temporarily,” I said. “Something that won’t arouse suspicion.”
“Yeah, it needs to be something believable. Perhaps a natural disaster or some kind of accident?” Clawson suggested.
“An accident might work,” I agreed. “We have to come up with something quickly. We have the patrols in place now, and we’ll get some warning when the hunters are coming, but time isn’t on our side.”
“Let’s take this out of here. If we have a walk around town, it might give us some ideas,” Clawson said.
We left The Tipsy Tavern, our minds set on protecting not only our supernatural brethren but also the humans who shared our home. It wouldn’t be easy.
As we walked through the streets of Blackwood Creek, we brainstormed ideas back and forth. “An earthquake won’t work,“ Clawson mused. “We’re not on any of the fault lines.”
“We could put out an evacuation order for a forest fire?” I suggested, but then reality crashed back in. “Difficult to explain the lack of smoke and damage, though.”
“Not to mention everyone would want to volunteer their time to help with putting the fire out.”
He was right. No one who lived in Blackwood Creek would want to see it burn down. Everyone who lived here, human and shifter alike, cared about this town. They’d do everything they could to volunteer, either with the firefighters or by creating firebreaks to stop the spread of the flames. A forest fire was definitely out.
The sound of a train echoed in the distance, and it was like a lightbulb went on in my head.
I turned to Clawson. “What if we staged a train accident? We could say it was transporting radioactive materials, but it derailed and now there’s a risk of radiation exposure.”
Clawson’s eyes narrowed. “It would certainly give us a legitimate reason to evacuate the town.”
“Exactly, and unlike a forest fire, no one would be able to volunteer. It would have to be specialized crews who came in to clear out the materials. Once the humans are safely out of the way, we can focus on fighting off the hunters without jeopardizing their safety,” I said in a rush.
“It could work.” Clawson nodded, thinking it through some more. “I think you’re onto something, but we have to make sure it’s believable and get a plan in place.”
“We can’t do this alone. We’re going to need help. I think we need to talk to Mateo, explain our reasoning to him and get him on board. As one of the few humans who knows about shifters and the ongoing tension with the hunters, he’s invaluable.” Withthat, we decided to turn around and retrace our steps back to The Tipsy Tavern.
Inside, the familiar scent of alcohol and old wood greeted us. My eyes quickly scanned the room until they landed on Mateo, the owner of the tavern and a trusted confidant.
“Ridge, Clawson, back so soon? Is everything okay,mes amis?” Mateo greeted us with his lilting French accent as we found him wiping down the counter with a rag.
“Actually, Mateo, can we go through the back? We need to discuss something important with you.” I glanced around to ensure no one was close enough to overhear our conversation.
“But of course.” Mateo indicated to the other barman he would be in the back, and lifted the counter, leading us through a narrow corridor past the rear emergency entrance and into a small office. Mateo sat behind an untidy desk, giving us his full attention.
“You’re aware of the imminent threat to the shifters in town from the hunters?” I asked.
Matteo nodded.
“Our priority is to protect the humans who live here from getting hurt in the crossfire,” I said, my voice low and somber. “The hunters are out for war, and I don’t think they care who gets hurt or whether shifters are exposed to humans. Clawson and I have come up with a plan to have the humans evacuated from Blackwood Creek until this fight is over. We intend to stage a train accident involving radioactive materials. It would explain the need for an immediate evacuation.”
Mateo’s expression grew thoughtful as he considered our proposal. “Your idea has merit, but it’ll require some careful planning and execution.”
“Of course.” I nodded in agreement. “We’re determined to get the humans out of here quickly and safely when the time comes.”
“What about the expense?” Mateo asked. “Some residents have relatives living in other towns they could stay with, but the short notice and distance may make it difficult for them to do so. There are others who have their entire families living here in Blackwood Creek. They would have to stay in hotels. Paying to do so may be difficult for many, especially with the recent influx of shifters to Blackwood Creek pushing up the prices of hotels in the surrounding area. And there would be food expenses on top.”He moved some paperwork from one side of the desk to another. “I’d hate for any of these unsuspecting people to find themselves in financial hardship, or worse, end up sleeping in tents, especially when we have so many young families and elderly residents.”
Clawson looked at Mateo. “What is that supposed to mean? We have shifters living in tents all over the woods here.”
“He’s right, Clawson,” I cut my friend off. “The shifters moving here knew they might have to camp out. We did what we could to ensure those with children were prioritized for lodgings and hotels, and they are the first in line for the new houses. However, because we are evacuating the humans, the responsibility falls on us, not them. We’re the ones deciding they have to leave for their own safety.” I turned my attention to Mateo. “You’re absolutely right. I hadn’t even considered the cost of relocating the humans,” I admitted. “I will cover any expenses. I won’t have the humans paying for something when it’s been brought on by this situation with the hunters.”
