Chapter 9

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The black smoke billowed into the clear sky but pinpointing a location was difficult. Al led the way into the forest while Glenn tagged along, still feeling uncomfortable that the lead was someone other than him. They were walking on the path they came from and the boulder wall hadn't reappeared. Al would occasionally look back at him, pass a nervous smile, and then resume her walking pace.

She was going off unknown markings on the ground trying to inch closer to the source of the smoke.

It was clear she didn't know where to go but Glenn didn't say a word.

He tied his lips together and sucked up any urges to take over.

From small gaps in the trees, they were probably heading in the right direction. Noon came by pretty quick and they took a break near the riverbed to snack on a ham sandwich they made with supplies from the kitchen in the lodge. The smoke was coming from somewhere upstream. Glenn once again found himself following a few meters behind. They marched up the sides of the riverbed and must've walked for another twenty minutes before coming across a log cabin in a clearing next to the stream.

From the chimney came the familiar black puffs of smoke and by the front door were pots of daisies. The soil looked to be freshly watered. Al gave Glenn a "what do I do" look and he responded with a shrug.

It was the first time he'd been aware that a cabin existed in the forest. There weren't any paths that easily connected it to the town.

She finally found some confidence and sneaked up to a small circular window. She signalled for him to go to the other.

Peering in, Glenn couldn't find anyone inside. The inside of the cabin was nicely designed, with an overarching ceiling supported by thick cedar logs. There was a kitchen area in the furthest corner, a corridor that led to other rooms on the other side and the living room with several cozy looking armchairs facing the fireplace.

The two peeked through the small windows for a time but no one came into view. It seemed the fireplace had magically sparked itself to life, warming whatever was left inside.

"A random cabin doesn't help our case, now does it?" Al crouched under the window and looked in his direction.

Glenn shrugged again.

"It's a suspicious cabin in the forest. Keep that in mind. If anything were to have a lead, it would probably be from here."

He gave several hard knocks on the wooden door, the kind mailmen gave when they are annoyed and waited patiently.

He kept a small pocket knife close to him just in case.

Things were looking grim until Al spotted a man approaching from even further up the stream.

He was carrying a plastic bag in both hands and wore a fisherman's hat that obscured his face. The two hid behind the trees and waited for the man to arrive at the doorsteps and unlock the door.

He disappeared into the lodge, not bothering to look around him.

It was an old man, probably in his sixties.

He had a slight slouch as he walked forward and dressed in well-worn but clean looking clothes. He wore a thick turtleneck, a cotton vest, and topped it off with an olive windbreaker. Trousers and rain boots made him look ready for any weather. It was a refined look.

He probably had some process to decide what to wear for the day.

Glenn let a few minutes pass before he knocked on the door again.

This time, the door creaked open.

"Hello." The man asked without a questioning tone. His voice was raspy and reminded Glenn of the guys at the market. They were all heavy smokers.

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