Chapter 92- Waterlogged

I stepped inside the small entryway of the cabin and shook my shoulders. The rain poured from my jacket and slashed to the floor in great drops. I turned to my left and saw Tracy smiling up at me, her eyes gleaming in a mix of joy and tears. She removed a thick black coat and hung it on a sturdy peg to the left of the door, and lifted a shotgun into place on a rack above the door. 

I dropped my bag on the floor and leaned my rifle against the wall. "I brought supplies. I said, turning toward the door.  "I'll go get the rest of them." She grabbed my arm as I turned. "No, not now." She said, her eyes fixed on mine. "Get them tomorrow." I nodded and took my coat off, hanging it on the hook next to hers. 

The fire roared in the hearth, and I could see steam rising off my denim-covered knees as I rubbed my hands together to get warm.  The wooden rocking chair was handcrafted from the same wood as the floor and walls, and I glanced around the tiny room to admire the crafsmanship.  "My grandfather built this." She said. "Our family would come up every summer for a month and spend days just exploring and playing. She looked around the room with a satisfied smile. "I always wanted to live here, to retire here with my..." She looked at me, her voice cutting off and her cheeks flushing. I smiled at her. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you" I said. "When I came upstairs from that bunker and you weren't there, I didn't know what to do." She listened intently, her magnificent eyes fixed on mine. "I knew you had to be alive, because the jeep was gone. So I made my way to the storage unit as fast as I could." I stared into the fire for a moment, remembering poor little Oliver.  "I found a little boy whose parents tried to..." I choked, the guilt of my inability to keep him safe weighing on my heart. "We saw your jeep on the freeway, but when I couldn't find you I feared the worst.  It's crazy out there.  The whole world is gone."  

Tracy stood and walked to the small kitchen area, opening a cupboard and retrieving two thick ceramic mugs. "Sounds like you need hot chocolate." She said with a smile. How did she do it?  How could she face such horrible circumstances with such a positive outlook?  Her confidence was inspiring and attractive, and I wanted to taste her lips again. She glanced at me from the kitchen as she poured water from a water bottle into a black kettle.  Her smile teased me and I felt my skin buckle as goose bumps raced across my arms to the back of my neck. 

She put on a pair of thick red oven mitts and grabbed a long metal pole that sat in the tools next to the fireplace.  As she ran it through the ring of the kettle it made a grating, scraping sound and she positioned it in the middle, adjusting it for perfect balance. Using two hands she squatted in front of the fireplace and leaned over the flames, hooking the bar on two metal y-shapes poles on either side of the firebox. It sat perfectly and I immediately heard the rushing sound of water reacting to the intense heat. 

"Would you throw another log on?" She asked, pointing to the stack of wood piled high in the corner. I stood and walked around behind the chair, retrieving a triangular section from the pile and joining her at the hearth. As I laid it gently on the fire I could feel her looking at me. The fire was warm and my wet clothes were drying rapidly. I turned to face her and placed my hand on her elbow, guiding her to a standing position in front of the fire. I pulled her close and kissed her, the goosebumps flashing across my entire body as wave after wave of anticipation was fulfilled between our lips.

"You must be exhausted." She said, pulling away and blushing a bit. "Let's go to sleep, I can give you the tour in the morning." I felt a wave of nervous excitement and she looked at me and punched my arm. "You're sleeping on the couch of course." I shrugged, smiling.  

Chapter 91- Pine

The tires spun and slid as I declined into the small valley. Shaped like a bowl, the rim rose rockily around the edge and disappeared into the dark grey sky. In the center sat a small cabin, the familiar orange of firelight flickering in the window. My heart leapt in my chest, was this truly the end of my journey?  I drove steadily downward, carefully gauging my speed to keep from sliding into a tree or off the edge of the sodden road. I flashed my brights back and forth, hoping to get her attention as I approached. 

What defenses, if any, had she prepared?  Would there be a fence?  A trench? A row of pikes surrounding the cabin like the compound of some military compound in medieval days?  Had the infected even made their way to this point, and if so, we're they wandering outside the cabin now?  More scenarios raced through my brain as the road leveled out. I didn't want to place her in more danger but also wanted to avoid it myself if I could. 

The trees were more sparse as J got nearer, probably from being felled to build the walls and roof of the solid structure. I could see the cabin ahead, and the silhouette of a person appeared in front of a window. It watched for a moment and I flashed my headlights twice, hoping that was enough of a signal to show I was not only friendly, but expected. The figure disappeared but the front door did not open.  

I slowed to a stop about ten feet from the door.  The walls were made from thick pine trunks, and a window was fashioned from glass bricks, enough to let light in but impossible to see clearly from within. To the right an old jeep Cherokee sat parked, a tarp covering the roof and windshield. A makeshift car port covered it but holes throughout poured water onto the car, pooling in great puddles and running off the edge as it overflowed. 

I turned the van off and reached for my gun. Would I need it?  I debated for a moment and then left it propped against the seat. Opening the door I stood up in the doorway, breathing in the fresh rain and the clean mountain air. "Tracy!" I called out as loud as I dared. If there were walkers nearby I didn't want to attract them.  "Tracy it's me!" I felt my excitement rise as I stared at the doorway, but a feeling of dread creeped in as it remained closed.  "Tracy, are you there?" I called out, this time my voice softer and less sure. 

I felt a hard tug on the back of my jacket and was pulled from my perch and onto my back in the mud. Something leapt on me forcefully and I was about to fight back when I smelled the familiar scent of the woman I loved. Her hair was wet and I could hear her sobbing. "It's you!" She called out in the rain.  "It's really you!"  She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me, her lips wet from rain and tears. I pulled her close and we held each other tightly.  Mud seeped down my collar and chilled my back, it filled my shoes and soaked my jacket but I didn't care. In this whole horrible world I had finally found the only thing I cared about.