Shades of Home

Posted on Fri Jul 5th, 2024 @ 4:42pm by Hale Stratton & Timothy Reynolds & René Rouen & Vienna Quinn & Serena Reynolds M.D. & Thea Matthews
Edited on on Sat Jul 13th, 2024 @ 11:21pm

2,847 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Winter is Coming
Location: Quinn Hunting Cabin, Augusta, Maine
Timeline: 6 September 2010 - 4:00 p.m.

They had reached the turnoff when Hale tapped his brake lights twice and put his hand out the window, the agreed upon signal that the convoy should pull off the road. They had been lucky so far. Abandoned vehicles littered the road but not so many that it became impassable. That kind of luck worried Hale, though he made no mention of it, because luck gave out.

Vienna was sitting quietly hoping that they would reach her family’s hunting lodge without incident. At the same time she was also dreading it, there were so many memories of family life there and with her parents being gone it wasn’t going to be easy.

René, despite his wounded leg, had insisted on driving for the first leg of the journey. He glanced at the quiet Vienna in the passenger seat as the convoy of vehicles pulled off the main road onto a fire road that led into the forest. He came to a stop when the convoy came to a small break in the trees. He glanced at her once again after shutting down the engine. "You going to be okay to do this?"

Vienna looked towards René offering a nod of her head. “I have to, I can’t avoid facing the fact that my parents are...gone.” She paused. “We need the supplies and I need my bow too.”

René could only imagine how Vienna felt. While he expected to never see his family again, he still held out hope they were still alive. He placed a hand atop hers and gave a gentle squeeze.

Hale shut the vehicle down but left the keys in the ignition and wasn't that difficult to do. He walked back to where the group was forming and spoke quietly, because sound carried in their new reality. "I think we ought to scout the place before we go any further. Tim, you up for taking a walk?"

Glancing over at Serena, whom he nodded slightly to, he then looked back at Hale as he grabbed his bow and quiver. As their ammo supply was dangerously low, it had been agreed to use only those weapons that could be easily replaced, and quiet, unless the situation deemed the plan useless. "Sure. I'll be back once I finish a circuit." He then turned and melted silently into the forest that surrounded them.

Serena stood outside the blazer, her eyes darting around. She was not feeling safe here, but she was not about to say a word about it.

Because leaving the group without protection wasn't an option, Hale chose to stay with the vehicle. Seeing Serena's reaction, he made a mental note to switch roles next time. See how she did with Tim being closer to hand.

About ten minutes later, Hale heard the bird warble signal, stating all was clear. It was something that most combat soldiers were taught, though the Rangers had built upon it, learning more than just simply whistles, but how to imitate various wildlife to be able to send simple messages back and forth without notice to the untrained ear.

"Alright," Hale said as he heard the signal. "We're clear. Let's go. And remember, find a place to park where you aren't visible from the road. No sense issuing an invitation to anyone wandering by."

Tim suddenly stepped back into view, just as quietly as he left. He moved over to his wife, and gently assured her that they were, for now at least, safe.

Hale got back into his vehicle, waiting until Alonzo and Ethan were settled, and drove the mile stretch back to the Quinn cabin. The road was somewhat narrow and lined with trees on both sides. An attempt had been made to clear the road, even going to the expense of laying down gravel, but that had been a long while back judging from the bumps and pot holes.

A mile in, the road opened up into a small clearing; the cabin, like the road, showed signs of age as well; weathered and worn, with encroaching vegetation, there was room enough to park several of the vehicles at least. Hale revered into a parking spot off to the side and shut the engine down. And while he was doing that, he was scanning the cabin. The windows were all closed as was the front door. There was a pair of rubber boots sitting to the right of the door but otherwise, no signs of habitation.

As he climbed out of the vehicle, he spotted a stone-lined path that curved away to the right where an outhouse had been placed. Not something a person could miss if you'd grown up as he had in a dry cabin. He smiled as he stretched because this, as rustic and as worn as it was, felt more natural to him than half the places they'd been. To the left ,was a wooden stump with an axe embedded in the top and a pile of scattered firewood. He figured, while Vienna was going through the cabin, he could stack the firewood and maybe add to it.

René parked the vehicle and got out. He was supposed to limit his moving around, but he wasn't going to let Vienna go into the cabin without him with her. He came around the vehicle and opened the passenger door. He offered his hand to Vienna.

Vienna took a deep breath and took hold of René’s hand. Getting out of the car she stood looking at the Cabin with a sense of dread.

Ed carefully maneuvered his work truck around the property, finally parking it like Hale did his vehicle. He then shut off the diesel engine and got out. H closed the door as quietly as he could, though he had to hip check the old door closed. He then grabbed his prybar and, seeing how René was limping, moved over to help him, giving him a gentle smile as he did so. "Doctor Reynlds sad to go easy on your leg, René," he said quietly.

René glanced at Ed and nodded. "I'm just going inside with Vienna. I'll sit down as soon as we're inside."

As Tim and Serena brought up the rear, he moved the truck into position. He had taken over driving when they got back in the truck after his recon, as he was better offlroad driving than his wife was, in case of emergency. He backed the Blazer up to the side of the house and put it in park, then shut off the engine. Before they got out, he looked at Serena. "We need to either eat or salt the rest of our deer meat. It won't last much longer in the cooler."

"Okay, let Hale know. We do not want him to wonder what we are doing. IF there is the ability to cook, a hot meal would be good for the night..." Serena replied.

Tim nodded, then helped Serena unpack a few quick things, mostly to take care of young Patrick. Once the two of them were settled, he pulled out the cooler of thawed meat. He took the cooler inside and placed it in the kitchen. He then went back outside to find Hale.

[Inside the Cabin]

Walking slowly to the cabin with René, Vienna paused to dig out the hidden key from underneath the edge of the porch. “Here we go...” she unlocked the door, as it creaked open she stepped inside. The dust had gathered, memories of taking time to clean and dust made her smile for a moment. “There’s err...something in the closet you might find useful.” She walked over opening the door, before pulling out a set of wooden crutches. “These were mine, I had an accident and broke my ankle, ended up using those for weeks!” She sighed as she reached back in pulling out her bow and quiver of arrows. “There’s a hidden trap door in dad’s bedroom, it’s where he kept the rest of the weapons and emergency food supplies.”

René nodded. He would inform Hale about the trapdoor and weapons, equipment and supplies in the cellar later. He was grateful for the crutches and hoped that he would only need them for a few days.

[Outside the Quinn Cabin]

Hale, wanting to give Vienna time alone in the house, walked around to the side and started chopping wood. It felt good to be doing something active especially since he missed the workout routines that had become so much a part of his life. And too, this was something that felt like home. Home. A place he wasn't likely to see again especially with all of his ... responsibilities. Alaska was just too much of a trip to ask of the group. Nothing he could do about that but he could chop wood, build up a supply for whomever came next and for the group when they started thinking about cooking and warmth and all of that.

Hearing the wood chopping, Timothy moved around to the other side of the cabin. "Hale," he said as he approached. "While we are here, we should use the kitchen to prep any perishable food we may have. Serena and I have a cooler full of deer meat from our cabin. It's nearly fully thawed. If we don't cook or salt it now, it'll all spoil. So, until we get to your cabin, we should try to enjoy a heavy meal tonight. Might be the last one for a while."

"Sounds good," Hale said as he set another log vertically on the stump. "Been awhile since I had some." He flashed a look at Tim, part frustration and part longing. "Been longer since I've been on my workout routine and it's getting to me. Life is changing but my brain? It's resisting some of it."

Despite the current situation, Tim grinned as he gave Hale an odd look. "Ya know? I thought you were looking a bit fluffy around the midsection. What happened? Got on leave and enjoyed a few too many of those damn whoppers you never seem to get enough of?" His eyes filled with humor as he teased his old friend.

"Me," Hale said, eyes going wide with feigned shock, "what about you? I wasn't the one who held the record for the most whoppers consumed in a single sitting." He chuckled warmly. "Two ahead of me."

The sound of chopping wood had brought back memories for Vienna as she took a few moments alone in her own room. Wiping her eyes she pulled a photo out of a frame and tucked it away for safe keeping before she changed into some more suitable fresh clothing.

[Meanwhile, Inside the Cabin]

Serena set PJ down on the floor of the living area with his small bag of toys and then moved into the kitchen area. A quick glance showed the stove would not be a viable option but, she could work on an open fire. Living with Tim meant she could do that. She opened the cooler and looked at the hunks of meat. She considered for a moment then she opened up another cooler and pulled out a roll of foil. She began then to work as if by rote. She spread out four large sheets of the aluminum foil and on each she put a cut of the deer meat and then she got out what vegetables she had brought from their cabin, several onions, potatoes and carrots and cut them up and evenly spread them across the four pieces of meet. Seasoned with salt and pepper and then wrapped up the meet and veg in the foil. She put them on a counter. Once they got a fire going, she could, put them in the coals to cook, or she could put them onto a grate above the fire.

Then she brought out more meat and began cutting up more meat and veg and putting it in a large pot she found. She dug out her stock cubes and put two in the pot and added water from the bottles they had brought with them. This would be actual dinner. The other stuff they could cut up and carry and eat cold while on the road.

When Tim got back inside she would ask him to build a fire so they could cook.

Once Edward finished helping everyone bring in their things, he heard the foil being ripped and folded in the kitchen. The big man stepped through the small cabin and smiled and innocent smile to Serena. "Is there anything I can do to help you, Doctor Reynolds?"

Serena looked at him. "Can you light a fire in the fire place? Its not much but we should be able to use it to cook and boil some water. I think some of us could use cleaning up."

She looked past Ed and to the teenagers. "Ethan! Can you help me by finding pots to fill with water? If we can find enough we may all be able to get a bit cleaner. And If there is enough and people get changed we may be able to wash some clothes for us to dry over night."
Tag Ethan

Edward nodded, happy to be helpful. He moved over to the fireplace and set about to cleaning it out of old scraps, then ensured the flue was open. He went outside and grabbed an harmful of cut logs, then carried them back inside. A few moments later, he had a fire going.

René stepped out onto the porch and moved down to where Hale was splitting wood for the fireplace. He told him of the trapdoor in the master bedroom and what he would find in the cellar. "I haven't checked yet Monsieur due to my leg."

"Thanks, I'll check," Hale said. "Best you get off that leg. Rest up while you can."

Tim looked at René and dipped his head toward the kid. Then, after hearing what was said, he looked over at Hale and asked, "What me to go take a look?"

"Let's go together," Hale said, eyeing the woodpile which was now neatly organized and significantly increased.

[Meanwhile, inside the cabin]

Once the fire was going, Edward made his way back to the kitchen. "I got the fire going, Doctor Reynolds! What next?"

Serena handed him the grate she found in a cupboard. "It fits over the fire place so we can cook things." She instructed Ed with a smile. "And please call me Serena."

Vienna joined the others placing her things by the door. “There’s spare clothing in my parents room, a few things of my mum’s, more of my dad’s they might as well be used. There’s extra food supplies & weapons via the trapdoor in my parents room as well.”

Serena nodded at Vienna. "Sounds good. You should collect your family's personal items." She said gently. "Vienna, take your time ok?"

Vienna nodded as she looked at Serena, it was difficult being in the cabin but they all needed a break.

Serena brought the stew she had prepared to the fireplace and placed it on the grate that Ed had put in the fireplace to cook.

While it began to cook Serena turned to Thea. "Thea, after we eat, if it's okay with you, I want to speak with you and give you a quick check over."

Thea smiled and nodded. “That’s fine, any chance to check on my daughter is fine with me.”

Serena nodded. "Everyone, I will put water on to boil and we can use one of the rooms to wash okay? It will be a bucket wash but it's better than nothing, and if we can I will wash our clothes and hang them to dry over night."

“There is a small outdoor shower around the back, but I’ll warm you now it’s far from warm, and the water pressure is practically non existent.” Vienna offered a brief smile. “It would probably do for swilling through dirty clothing.”

Serena smiled. "If you could watch PJ for two minutes I need to get stuff from the Blazer that will help with cleaning clothes." She waved to where her son was playing a safe distance from the fireplace and the main door. "And someone make sure Rene sits down."

Thea offered a warm smile. “I’ll watch PJ for you, it’s all good practice.” She grinned as she moved across closer to PJ.

“I’ll get René” Vienna offered a smile and headed outside to find René.

René was sitting on the front steps of the porch looking at wallet size photos of his family when Vienna stepped out onto the porch.

Serena went out to the Blazer and opened the back and pulled out a small bag which held laundry detergent. She looked around and closed the back door to the Blazer then headed back inside quickly.

 

RSS Feed