Fuel (Best Laid Plans Book 1) (36 page)

Once they were well behind the hill and out of sight Lewis cut across the sparse grass and around a few scrubby sage plants to the woodpile, dragging his wagon behind it in case Ferris or one of his soldiers climbed to the top of the hill searching for them. Trev followed, glad the wood was stacked high enough to block them from sight. He hoped the soldiers didn't come sniffing around, but he had a feeling they were too busy looting the shelter and celebrating their find.

While Trev busied himself digging down to the cache so they could start pulling out enough food to fill the wagons he couldn't help but notice with some uneasiness that his cousin had retrieved his rifle and pistol. With almost chilling methodicalness Lewis put down a spare winter coat and began field stripping both weapons to make sure they were ready for use.

He did it quickly, showing the familiarity of long practice, and once he was done he did several magazine and chamber checks with each, then began doing carry and aiming drills starting with his G3.

Trev watched it a bit nervously. “Uh, Lewis?”

“Just making sure there's no problems with my equipment,” his cousin said shortly.

“Okay. It just, um, kind of looks like you're getting ready to go start shooting things. Things wearing body armor.”

Lewis had been doing drills that entire time, but at that he finally paused, glanced at Trev, then sighed and set his rifle back down on his coat and slumped to a sitting position with his back against the woodpile. After a second he hit the ground, then his leg, and swore quietly to himself.

Trev was glad that at least his cousin kept his head enough to keep it down so the people just over a hundred yards away on the other side of the hill wouldn't hear. “I know man, it sucks.”

“Three years, Trev. Installing security systems all day and cramming into an apartment with 5 other people to save money, all to earn enough to pay for everything I needed. And every second of extra time I wasn't doing that I sunk into the shelter. Endless hours researching, purchasing, building, improving, learning, and practicing. That's my life.”

“I know,” Trev said quietly. “I barely did a tenth of what you did, and most of it was thanks to the time you'd already spent researching and finding places to buy things, and I still feel like I've had my gut ripped out through my mouth. I can't even imagine how it is for you.”

“It's not just the time we spent,” Lewis said through gritted teeth. “That shelter was our future, our short term survival and longterm thriving. It's literally life and death. And that smug little weasel just comes and takes it all away from us to give a whole bunch of unprepared entitled parasites meals for another few days.”

Trev slumped down next to his cousin, resting his head back against an uncomfortable chunk of wood. “This is all my fault,” he said miserably. “I lost us everything.”

His cousin shook his head and sighed. “They would've found out about this place eventually. They're thieves, they wouldn't leave us alone as long as they knew we had supplies they could steal. Plenty of people in town knew we had those supplies who might've eventually let them know, or they could've discovered the place while scouting around town.”

“But if Mandy hadn't ratted us out we would've had time to get everything safely cached.”

Lewis looked over at their wagons piled with winter gear. “We managed to get as much as we could out of there. It could be worse. At least Turner decided not to mention our guns even though he knows we have some. Maybe he's not a complete tool even if he is helping Ferris.”

Trev wasn't sure he believed that, and he didn't think Lewis did either. In spite of his calm words his cousin was practically grinding his teeth as he continued. “In a way there's a small silver lining. After Mandy ratted us out, if we'd managed to cache everything Ferris would've taken one look at our empty shelter and known we had. He would've forced us to show him the caches. Maybe this way he'll leave us alone now that he's taken what's in there.”

That made Trev feel even worse, and he was about to apologize again when his cousin stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “You took pity on a starving woman and helped her. You couldn't have known she was a terrible human being who'd try to destroy your life for self-serving reasons.”

Trev nodded, although the reassurance didn't make him feel any better. “So what now? The Larsons would probably take us in.”

“No,” Lewis said immediately. “Between FETF and the refugees this place his going to be full of starving people before winter even arrives. If we stay we'll only have to worry about more thieves, including those wearing FETF uniforms. I'd rather spend the winter where we can be sure we'll be alone, and where we might be able to hunt and trap ourselves some meat and even forage, since I snagged my book with all the information on edible plants in the area. A place we know well and have spent plenty of time exploring.”

His cousin was staring straight ahead, and Trev followed his gaze to the Manti-La Sal range looming over them to the west. “You're joking,” he said, immediately hating the idea.

“I'm dead serious,” Lewis shot back.

“Our hideout? It's barely a lean-to! We'll be dead in a month if we last that long.”

While growing up he and Lewis had spent a lot of summers up in the mountains near Electric Lake and following the Huntington River. They'd fished, explored, camped, and swam. They even had a little inflatable raft they'd used on both lake and river.

But they'd only been up there during the warmest months of the year in June, July, and August, since at that high elevation the snows came early, fell deep, and stayed late. Of course there was also plenty of water and game, the entire area was blanketed with forests full of deadfall they could use for firewood, and Trev had even found patches of wild raspberries and golden currants. But at the same time . . .

The hideout really was just a lean-to, dug out of the side of the mountain and crudely made of deadfall and tarps. Sometimes it wasn't even good shelter on summer nights, especially when it rained, and he didn't see it as an option at all for winter.

But Lewis just smiled at his protest. “It's not as bad as you remember. I was up there this summer cutting firewood to bring down, both for personal use and to sell, and I spent some time making the place a proper shelter, including installing a small wood stove. It still leaves a little to be desired, but nothing we can't improve on when we get there.” His smile widened. “More importantly the price of fuel started to really skyrocket halfway through the project, so I decided the firewood I'd already brought down would have to be enough. I never bothered to get back up there and haul the rest down, which means there's still enough up there to last us the entire winter.”

Trev shook his head doubtfully. “We were already worried about how difficult winter is going to be. Now you want to head to the place with the most vicious and long lasting winter you can possibly experience in this area and stay there? Even camping out right here would be better!”

“Would it, though?” Lewis shot back, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at where they could still hear the distant shouts of FETF goons going through their stuff. “We were worried about how difficult the winter would be for the
town
, not us, and we've got the best winter gear possible.
Because
conditions are so brutal up there we wouldn't have to worry about being bothered by other people.”

There was a long, strained silence as Trev thought that over. To be honest he wasn't nearly as keen to stick around in Aspen Hill after everything Mandy had done to trash his reputation. Hard as he knew it was going to be there was also a certain appeal to heading up to the hideout. “We'd have another long hike ahead of us,” he finally said with a sigh.

It wasn't an exaggeration. To get there they could either go directly over the mountains or travel south to Huntington and follow Highway 31 up to Candland Mountain for around 75 miles, uphill most of the way. That was the long, long way around since their hideout was basically on the other side of the mountains about 15 miles to the west of them. Yet even so the long way was the easy way to go, since the alternative was taking the poor, rock-strewn, brutally steep road of gravel transitioning to dirt up Aspen Hill Canyon just behind town, then following other dirt and gravel roads that weren't much better to meet up with 31. A much more direct path but over much rougher terrain.

There was no question which route they'd take, since not only was it shorter but it was almost guaranteed they wouldn't meet many people along the way, if any at all. There was also the added bonus that their shelter was northwest of town which put them slightly closer to their destination, and they could follow the dirt road next to them right to the Aspen Hill Canyon road.

At his capitulation his cousin nodded and actually managed a strained smile. “You've been having all the fun road trips lately. My turn to go on one with you.” He shrugged. “Either way we'll need to wait until tonight to load things from the cache. I don't want to do it with Ferris just on the other side of the hill.”

Trev nodded. “While we wait I'll go say goodbye to Matt. Think it's okay to let him know where we're going?”

His cousin hesitated. “I'd say no, but if we can't trust him we can't trust anyone. It's probably good to have at least one friend down here anyway. Go on, I'll try to hide the cache better and keep watch over it. The mood I'm in I almost hope someone comes to steal it.”

The words were said half jokingly, but from the way Lewis glanced towards the home they'd just been kicked out of Trev wasn't completely sure. He hoped for all their sakes that Ferris was too busy cataloguing his newest score to go poking around.

Trev left his weapons behind with Lewis and went straight south to avoid the shelter and prying FETF eyes, then headed east for town and made his way along the smaller streets. To his surprise he met Matt leaving the Larsons' house with a plastic bag in one hand.

When his friend saw him coming he immediately made a beeline over. “Trev!” he said, clapping his shoulder. “I was just heading over to find you. I heard how my parents treated you and felt terrible about it, especially after everything you've done for us.”

It was a bit difficult to shrug that off after they'd taken Mandy's side against him, but Trev managed to. “It's fine.”

“From the sound of things it really wasn't. They'd had to put up with Mandy for almost two weeks listening to her slander you so they weren't in the best of moods when you arrived.” Matt lifted the plastic bag. “Listen, me and April explained the trip and everything that happened and they wanted me to apologize to you on their behalf and thank you as well. We also wanted to give you these cans of bear spray. I realize it's a pathetic gift compared to what you've done for us, but I felt like I had to give you something.”

Trev took the bag, trying to smile in spite of his foul mood. “Thanks, man, but you know I'd help you any time. I'm just glad we all made it safely.”

His friend's smile faded. “Although things aren't as good as they could be, are they? I heard about Ferris, and I know you and Lewis really need to worry about FETF poking their noses where they don't belong since you've got your shelter and all the stuff you've prepa-”

“He's already there,” Trev interrupted. “Kicked us out and stole everything.”

Matt flinched and slowly went white. “Holy cow, already? And they took everything? You had supplies to last you for years, and beds and a stove and bathroom and everything else. A perfect setup.”

Trev could only shrug, still too raw about it to say anything, but after an uncomfortable silence he cleared his throat. “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about the cache we left behind on the way down. I'd have a bad time trying to get it on my own, so if you and your family can think of a way to bring it back here you can have it all.”

Matt gaped. “Seriously? We can't take that, especially not after you just lost so much.” But even as he said it he stared longingly north as if envisioning all the supplies they'd reburied. That food could make a huge difference for the Larsons this winter, which was why Trev had decided to give it to them if they could manage to get it.

“We're not as bad off as you think even after losing our place,” Trev assured him. “We'll be okay. And I wanted to do something to make it up to your family for putting up with Mandy for me. Not to mention being such good friends for as long as our families have known each other.”

“Thanks, man,” his friend said sincerely. “That could be the difference between life and death.”

Trev nodded, although he felt he had to give a word of caution. “It's a lot of food, yeah, but between you, Sam, April and her family, and your parents that cache might run out quicker than you think. Even if you go to half rations this winter, which you'll probably have to do.”

He glanced back towards the shelter, feeling his jaw tighten in spite of his efforts. “Word of advice, though. Keep it a secret from everyone, and when you do bring it down bury it where Ferris can't find it and don't take it out until you really need it. He's taking the big stuff now and holding to his “regulation” about 2 weeks of food storage, but I've got a feeling in the future he'll start robbing you guys of anything he can lay his hands on.”

“Right,” Matt said somewhat dazedly. Then he blinked and focused on Trev's face. “Hold on a second, “you guys”? You're talking like you're leaving.”