Forsaken World (Book 1): Innocence Lost (31 page)

As Ian was stocking the pantry, he heard the security system beeping. “If it’s those damn deer again, I’m going hunting,” he mumbled, walking out of the pantry over to the monitors by the projection screen. A motion detector on the other side and near the top of the draw had been tripped.

“Think it’s those deer?” Jennifer asked, coming up behind him.

Shrugging, he huffed, “Don’t know, but if it is, I’m going hunting.” They watched another motion detector go off near the creek that ran down the draw. Ian cocked his head. “That’s not the way that trail runs from the first detector.”

“Let’s go to master control,” Jennifer said, taking off.

They ran to the basement to find Lance already at the desk. “That trail doesn’t run to the second detector,” he said when they came in.

“Why do you think we are down here?” Ian said, getting in the second chair. Pointing at the screen below the last alarm at the triangle that represented a camera, he asked, “Is that the camera that moves?”

Using the mouse, Lance moved one more camera down. “No, this one is. But we should still see what it is,” he said, clicking the camera. A window opened on the massive primary screen, and the three sat, watching it. With the sun setting, the camera’s image was turning from color to black and white.

Jennifer leaned over between the two chairs, pointing at the screen. “How far away was that first motion detector?”

“I don’t know,” Ian shrugged. “Pretty damn far. What do you think, Lance, a mile?”

“That’s close.”

Studying the screen with the map of the camera and detector symbols, Jennifer asked, “So they have to move a quarter of a mile closer before we can see them with a camera?”

“About that,” Lance said, watching the screen. “What, you think we need more?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m happy with what we got.”

“Whew,” Lance sighed. “I’m glad because there is no way I would’ve laid out that much cable.”

“Yeah,” Ian grunted. “It’s real spooky out there in daytime, even carrying guns.”

Nodding in agreement, Lance played with the contrast to clear the image up as Jennifer rested her arms on the back of the chairs. “We had cameras at our house that were wireless. Why didn’t they use those?”

“They put out radio waves that can be picked up,” Lance said, smiling at the improved image. “Uncle Doug goes over that. He said the only radio transmissions that need to come from the cabin are the radios we use. The ones he has for working around the cabin only have a three-watt transmitter, and that doesn’t go far.”

Jennifer turned to look at the stack of Ham radios. “What about those?”

“We aren’t allowed to transmit; only receive,” Ian said then pointed at the bottom shelf at six radios plugged into a recharger. “Those are radios we use when we scout out further. They have a five-watt transmitter.”

“So we have big radios to talk to people, but we can’t?” Jennifer asked, turning back to the main monitor.

“Having a secret hiding place does no good if you call out, letting everyone know where you are,” Ian said, glancing over his shoulder at her. “Uncle Doug said that.”

“Company,” Lance said, making the other two jerk their eyes to the screen. In the far upper corner, they saw six figures come out of the tree line. The figures cautiously moved across the small, rocky creek and out of the camera’s view before they entered the tree line on the other side of the creek.

“Those weren’t stinkers,” Jennifer said breathlessly, getting scared.

“Not unless stinkers are carrying guns now,” Lance said, looking up at the map screen. “Whoever it is knows about the cabin. They are following the easiest slope line to us.”

“Huh?” Jennifer asked, looking at the map.

“That just means they are walking on the flattest part of the sloping hills to get here,” Ian explained, looking at the map, then turned to Lance. “Did you rearm the powerhouse?”

“Shit,” Lance said and started opening the folder. He clicked the ARM button, and they watched the cabin systems screen, seeing a ten-thousand-volt increase in power. “Sorry, bro.”

“No harm, no foul,” Ian said, turning to the map screen. “It looks like they are going to pass right by it.”

“On Uncle Doug’s video, he said they never showed that to anyone, and I asked Dad, and he confirmed it,” Lance said, clicking to open a window for another camera. “If they are going there, they should pass close to this camera.”

“But they will hit this motion detector first.” Ian pointed just as the symbol started blinking. “Seems someone has been snooping around.”

“Where’s the intercom for the front gate?” Lance asked.

“By the front door,” Jennifer said. “Why? They could come at the cabin from anywhere.”

“That they could, but that fence is there for a reason. If they just try going through the fence, we know they are here to take. They may just be looking for a safe place,” Lance said.

“We going to shoot them if they try going through the fence?” Ian asked.

“You’re goddamn right we are,” Lance snapped. “We didn’t fuck with razor and barbwire just so someone could cut their way through.”

“What if they just want a place to hide?” Jennifer asked.

“Tough shit,” Lance said, getting up. “You saw the rules for new people, and I’m not in a trusting mood today.”

“I’m not saying we let them in, but what are we going to do if they just want a place to stay?” Jennifer asked as Lance walked to the door, and Ian jumped up to follow.

“Tell them to move on,” Lance said, walking out.

“And if they don’t?”

Stopping at the door, Ian turned around. “We shoot their ass,” he said then took off upstairs.

Jennifer dropped down in a chair, watching the monitors. She watched the two leave the house, run toward the gate, set down a box, and run back to the house. Another motion detector went off as the two came back inside.

Sitting at the desk, Jennifer waited for the sound of feet coming downstairs but didn’t hear them. “You guys coming back?” she hollered out.

A few seconds later, she heard feet thumping down the stairs. Both came in carrying all their gear, putting it on. “You’re going outside after them?” she cried out, jumping up.

“Bullshit,” Lance said, putting on his harness. “We can shoot their ass from the cabin if we have to.”

Feeling much better, Jennifer sat back down. “Another detector went off.”

“Yeah, saw it upstairs,” Ian said, chambering a round in his AR. He glanced at the map. “They are moving real cautious.”

“Well, stinkers are everywhere,” Jennifer said.

Racking the charging handle, Lance shook his head. “No, they are moving like they know they are sneaking up on a group of armed people.”

“So how should they sneak up on armed people?” Jennifer asked. “I would think you would want to be careful.”

“If you had no ill intentions, just walk up, keeping your hands away from weapons,” Lance said.

“What if the ones you’re walking up on have ill intentions?” Jennifer said.

“Leave them alone,” Ian said as a motion detector went off near the powerhouse.

Using the mouse, Jennifer clicked one of the cameras near the powerhouse. “They don’t know who’s here, so I think they are just being cautious.”

“No, I think they know who should be here,” Lance said, seeing movement at the extreme edge of the camera’s view. From the top of the field of view, he watched the group walk slowly toward the camera, moving very stealthily through the woods. “I think we should expect them to use force.”

“So we just shoot them?” Jennifer asked, looking at the screen. As the group got closer, she could tell it was four men and two women, all of them carrying what looked like hunting rifles and shotguns.

“If they even act like they are going to use force, we are,” Lance said. “Ian, put your earbud in. When we set up, get upstairs in the loft. Use one of the sliding air vents—whichever side they come at. I’ll take downstairs. Jen, you will stay here and tell us where they are.”

When the group filed past the camera’s field of view, Jennifer clicked the camera over the powerhouse. “Can’t they see the cameras?”

“Not unless they are looking real hard for them,” Ian said. “The housing blends in with the tree trunk very good, and they are higher than eyesight level.”

They watched the group ease up into a little group in front of the powerhouse door. From the way they were acting, Lance knew they were talking. “Be nice to know what they were saying.”

“Shit, we can see them; that’s all that matters to me,” Ian said, watching a man point at the powerhouse door.

“If they touch that door, they will die, won’t they?” Jennifer asked.

“Yep,” Lance said with a shiver, remembering the burnt body of Glen they had dragged off the front porch.

“Is there a warning there like the one you said was here at the house?” Jennifer asked as several of the group were now pointing at the powerhouse door.

“Nope,” Ian said, watching the monitor. “There’s a sign on the door that says, ‘Danger: Do Not Open.’”

Glancing over her shoulder at him, she asked, “It’s always been there, right?” Ian nodded. “So they have no idea that the door will kill them?”

Ian shook his head. “Kind of defeats a booby trap if you come out and say that. Then, they could short it out or knock a hole in the cinderblock wall.”

Jennifer turned around, not liking that. “It just doesn’t seem right.”

“Well, we could let them destroy our powerhouse,” Lance offered. “Then see what they would do.”

Throwing her hands up, she groaned, “I’m just saying.”

“Jen, there are more of them than us. We need every advantage,” Lance said, seeing the group circle around one man. “Ian, is that Mr. Donald?”

Leaning over Jennifer, Ian stared at the screen. “I’ll be damned. I think it is.”

“Who?” Jennifer asked.

“Mr. Donald. Our dads and Uncle Doug let him cut hay out of the small field in the valley,” Lance told her.

“So you know him?”

“We’ve met him once or twice.” Ian shrugged as he straightened up. “It was his brother’s son that was fried on the front porch.”

Letting out a gasp, Jennifer’s eyes went wide. “Oh shit, we killed his nephew.”

“Fucker shouldn’t have tried to break in. That’s on his stupid ass,” Lance huffed. “Shit, the Borg Queen even gave him a warning.”

“What are we going to tell him?”

“I’m not telling him shit. The only thing we’re going to say is, ‘Go Away,’” Lance told her.

Watching the screen, Jennifer sighed with relief when the group left the powerhouse. “They didn’t touch it,” she said, flopping back in the chair.

“Just means if this goes bad, we have more to shoot,” Lance said.

“Lance,” Ian said, turning to face him. “Should we let them go? They know the layout around here, and if they do enough scouting, they will find the cameras and motion detectors. It wouldn’t take much for them to just lay in wait till we are outside working and pick us off. They are right where we pulled Glen’s UTV from. They knew where he parked it, I’m betting.”

“We don’t know if they would do that,” Jennifer said, sitting up and clicking another camera to watch the group angle up the slope toward the steppe the cabin was sitting on.

Giving a grunt, Ian said, “Damned if I want to find out.”

Lance nodded. “Yeah, if they don’t just leave, let’s just shoot them.”

“They haven’t shown any aggression,” Jennifer said, watching the group ease past the camera’s field of view, and she clicked on another camera.

“Jennifer, there is no running from here,” Lance said. “We have nowhere to go. We either live or die here. Now, are you with us?”

She whipped her head around so fast her blond hair wrapped around her neck. “Of course,” she snapped. “I just want us to be sure. But even Doug said material things weren’t worth dying for.”

“That was at home in a place that wasn’t safe. This one is,” Lance said, looking at Ian. “We need the ones with rifles first. Try to wait for me to take out Donald. He seems to be the one leading them. But if you have to start before me, radio me if you can.”

Ian nodded as Lance turned back to the monitors. Jennifer clicked on another camera. The group stopped at the bottom of the steppe just out of view of the cabin. Several in the group pointed at the fence they could see through the trees. Ian looked at the original cameras that were already up and couldn’t see the group. “I know it isn’t my imagination. They stopped out of the field of view of the original cameras. I really think they knew about them.”

“The fence could’ve made them stop that far down,” Jennifer offered but didn’t really believe it.

“They are like a hundred yards from the fence,” Ian said, watching the group circle around the man he could now tell for certain was Mr. Donald.

“Yeah,” Jennifer said in a low voice. “Remember, I sat down here watching you two put up that fence. I know the view from each camera by heart. They don’t want to be seen.”

“Seems they don’t like our work, Ian.” Lance grinned, seeing the group’s looks of frustration as they pointed at the fence.