Page 88 of Trapped: Until The Darkest Of Night

My eyes fall on the small brown bottle with the emergency drops. A special cocktail I mixed together in Los Angeles, especially for Lou as a precaution if I ever needed to sedate her quickly in the wild. A dose for cases like this. I quickly put the bottle in my pocket and then glare at Lou again. I’ll give you the drops if necessary. That’s a promise, too! I slam the door shut and storm outside.

At the firepit, I force myself to just get on with what I started earlier. Shaking, I light the fire, charring my thumbnail when the wind blows the flame toward me. I curse under my breath. Tinder flies away in the gusts, but somehow I get the fire going. After that, I stir the chili as if on autopilot and can no longer think straight.

Did she take the lighter or not? Her reaction can only mean yes. What is she going to do with it?

Should I give her the drops to search her? Or should I incapacitate her to consider how to proceed? I toss the spoon into the pot and clench my hands. I stare into the chili for minutes until it starts bubbling. Wind ruffles my hair.

I don’t like what I am thinking. At least, not the new Brendan. I’ll have to chain Lou up again during the day until I find out the truth, maybe even longer. This is the only way. I can’t trust her anymore. She lied to me, I am almost certain of it. She didn’t respond to my question about the lighter, she trembled, her voice was full of fear, and she pulled down of her blouse. Also: I had the lighter in my top pocket, which is quite deep. I didn’t lose the zip tie either. No, Lou took it.

I breathe in. The feeling of falling has dissipated, but my mind keeps spinning like it’s on hold.

Maybe Lou will give back the lighter. She knows that I know. She may abandon her plan, whatever it may be.

Suddenly, I hear footfalls on the steps.

“I’ll make the milk for Grey,” Lou calls over to me. Go ahead, I think with a snort and consider chaining her up right away. I glance over my shoulder. She’s changed into a green-gray sweater and long jeans, and bends down for her hiking boots.

If I chain her up now, I will be angry and it will seem to her like an act of revenge. I have to wait until I’m calmer to explain it to her. Naturally, I don’t want to punish her, it’s just the logical consequence of her lie.

Who are you trying to fool, Bren? She hurt you. You almost believed she had feelings for you. And now—bam—everything is the same as before. You are starting over from scratch. Of course you want to punish her!

Lou disappears into the RV again and I hear her puttering around in the kitchen. Familiar sounds accompany the blustery wind and crackling fire. Eventually, she calls for Grey and that’s when I realize he’s been romping around right next to me. Like an arrow, he heads toward the RV and almost rolls over when he jumps up the steps. Lou picks him up, hugs him, and whispers to him. I turn abruptly and numbly poke around in the logs with a branch. Red sparks fly into the air, but the wind extinguishes them within seconds. I’m contemplating how to proceed when a piercing beeping rips through the air.

It is coming from the RV and is so shrill that it pierces my bones. That’s not the fire alarm. I automatically throw the stick into the embers. In my mind, I see the RV exploding into a thousand pieces. Suddenly, I forget everything that came before.

I have to get Lou to safety.

I run to the door in a fury, yelling wild things I barely understand myself and trip over Grey in the process. He rushes toward the forest as if a bull moose is chasing him.

“Out. You have to get out now!” I yell as Lou appears at the side door. “Anything on inside?” I rush up the steps, grabbing her arm in my panic, and shoving her down hard.

Her eyes shine feverishly. “The stove,” she whispers, frozen.

“Okay.” I nod briefly and point to the tree line bordering the lake. “Go over there! All the way to the right. I want to be able to see you from the other side!” I give her a good shove to make her run, then rush around the RV and unhook the key from my belt. Maybe Lou will get sick after all. Maybe she was shaking because she has a fever. The lake was cold.

“Where’s Grey?” I hear her asking over the deafening noise. “Grey?”

She was probably afraid of me and merely wanted to clean up as soon as possible. My fingers are sweaty and clumsy and it takes forever to unlock the hatch. Then the flap slips out of my hands and I pinch my finger. Angry, I punch the wall and curse out loud. On the second try, I am calmer and manage to hook the flap to the provided clip. Access to the gas tap. I glance around for Lou and spot her at the spruce tree line. She’s still looking for Grey.

Okay, Brendan, everything is under control. Now close that fucking tap or Lou can scrape you and what’s left of the RV off the forest floor.

I turn the bronze knob, but it won’t move. Sweat pools in my palm, making it slippery.

“Shit!” I yell into the endless beeping. It’s like a knife on my nerves. I frantically wipe my hand on my pants and try again. This time the knob turns, although it is noticeably stiff.

Eventually, I make it. A sigh of relief escapes my lips, but in the next moment, I remember the stove. Without closing the hatch, I jump up and rush around the RV.

The kettle sits atop the high flame, which shrivels like a stunted blue flower, apparently fueled by the last bits of propane. With trembling fingers, I flip the switch, take the kettle off the stove, and toss it in the sink. Hastily, I study the four old burners. Does the stove have a leak that set off the alarm? There has to be one somewhere or else it wouldn’t have gone off. At that moment, I notice it is still beeping. I squat down and flip the switch.

It’s quiet for the moment, but it’s a strange silence. Almost spooky. Like in a grave.

A strange feeling spreads through me. I don’t pay any attention to it, instead, I rip open all the windows to ventilate the interior.

I can take care of the leak later. It’s a good thing I screwed the tripod together yesterday so Lou and I can cook over an open fire instead.

Lou!

The strange feeling inside me condenses into a hard lump. I jump down the steps and my gaze darts to the edge of the forest.

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