Into the Woods

Chapter Sixteen

For two days we follow that stupid yellow line, and I think Gale even got tired of it telling us what to do after a while. As our third day of hiking began, it started telling us we were close. It looked like we were on top of our blinking target for hours, I was getting ready to give up and tell Gale we needed to stop, when we see a column of smoke rising ahead in the distance. We both agree that this could be from the chimney of the safe house, but we also agree that it could be something far more dangerous, so we approached carefully.

As we crept towards the smoke, a stone cabin came into view. It looked well maintained, with an open porch and small vegetable garden to one side. Gale looked down at his map, and the pulsing point grew larger and larger, blinking fast and faster with every step we took.

"I guess this is it," I tell him.

He nods. "I hope they know we're coming."

Crap. I didn't think of that.

We continue at our slow and steady pace, cautiously approaching when I hear a strange click behind me and stop. I'm about to turn around when a strange voice addresses me.

"Don't even think about it." I'm not entirely sure what I'm not supposed to be thinking about doing, but he then commands, "now, both of ya, turn around slowly." Gale and I exchange worried looks as we swivel around and face the man behind us. He's a thin man with patchy, short hair and yellowing teeth. He's pointing a large weapon at us. It's old, made from metal, and the word rifle jumps in my mind, though I've never seen one like this before. I wonder if it's some antique, some remnant from the Dark Days…a weapon from the first war. He clicks it again, and I realize I should be more concerned with how much damage it can do than where it came from. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he says roughly.

"We…we were told to come here…" Gale begins shakily. I wish I could help him, but I don't know anything better to say.

The man, who is rather skinny and wearing clothes that don't really fit him, pushes Gale with the butt of his gun. I start to worry things may get out of hand soon, when a slam from behind us catches all of our attention.

"Oh, get off it, Teek. You know it's them…" A gruff old man says as he comes hobbling out of the cabin. He had a full, gray beard that hangs down to his rather round belly. He is wearing overalls, and a red shirt beneath, but most noticeable of all, is his wooden, peg leg which is mostly responsible for the hobble. He limps down the porch and comes over to us.

"You can never be too careful, boss," the scrawny man asserts, keeping his weapon on us.

"Pshaw," he dismisses as he comes walking around and gets in between us and the gun. He's clearly not afraid. "You'd be the two runaways from District, Nine, was it?" He says, eyeing us, not suspiciously, but seriously.

"No," Gale says, "we're from Twelve." And I'm thankful I have Gale with me, because that was probably a test, and I would have failed it, agreeing to whatever the man thought to get him to take me in.

The younger man, whose name I think is Teek, backs up a few paces, but he's still got his gun on us though a bit shakily. I don't think he's got a very good aim with that thing, and I'm thinking I could probably take him out if I needed to…at least, I could distract him long enough to give Gale the advantage…

"From Twelve," he repeats, "that's right…well, they'd told us yous were comin'," and his voice isn't quite yet friendly, like he's still figuring things out.

"Didn't say they was sendin' a boy and a girl though…" Teek interrupts, as he looks me up and down with a strange expression on his face. "She your wife?"