Page 38 of Enraged

I took the stairs two at a time, silently thanking the Lord for keeping me from breaking my neck.

This house is so damn dark.

I found her upstairs, sound asleep across her bed. She was laying on her stomach with her feet dangling off, her long hair partially covering her face. As quietly as I could, I pulled my Great Grandmama’s quilt off the rocker, draping it across her gently.

Wanting to make sure she was as comfortable as possible, I grabbed a few pieces of wood from the rack, setting them up neatly inside the fireplace.

Where did I put the matches?

I spied them sitting up on the dresser.

I better strike it on the brick, so she doesn’t come up from a sound sleep to tell me I’m doing it wrong.

The idea made me smile.

Her way worked like a charm, the jagged brick igniting the match flame at once.

I built her a healthy fire, guaranteed to keep her and the room warm.

I’ll keep checking on it to make sure it doesn’t go out.

Back downstairs, I set out to find a weather radio, some flashlights and some candles.

I didn’t take me long to find the radio but that’s where my luck ran out.

How are there no flashlights or candles of any kind mixed in with hundreds of years’ worth of shit?

Frustrated, I poured myself a glass of Jack Daniels.

We have plenty of wood, a fuck ton of food, and a perfect view of the mountains. We’ll be okay.

“I cannot believe this is my fuckin’ life,” I muttered softly to myself. “The insane part is that it’s all real.”

I took another sip of my whiskey.

I might better head to the liquor store before this shit starts.

I put the glass down. Two decent swallows were nowhere near the level it would take to impair my driving, but I was never the type to take the risk. As I waited for those sips to leave my system, I busied myself with bringing more wood up on the back deck.

Jolene

Where the fuck is he?

As I looked around the yard, I felt my pulse quicken.

“Dakota!” My voice rippled through the trees.

I was starting to panic. I never meant to fall asleep when I went upstairs, but when I woke up and came down, he was gone.

“You should have stayed on the deck and kept an eye on him, Lena,” I lectured myself.

Now, he’s probably gone and gotten himself eaten by a bear.

“Fuck!” I shouted. “I’m scarin’ my fuckin’ self!”

I climbed the stairs on the back deck.

Maybe he is inside. He could have come through the front door.

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