Page 6 of Dark Flame

Nat jumped from the truck and strode toward the small wooden building, where a teenage boy stood smiling at them from the front porch. He didn’t look to be more than seventeen, but he had an air of authority and a shirt that said he was the assistant manager.

“How can I help you, folks?” he asked.

“We need a campsite that will hold two tents,” said Spook, his head casually turning in all directions, no doubt scanning for communications.

“Yes, sir,” he said. “Twenty-five bucks for the night. There’s electric and water on all the sites, but we also have a bathhouse right back there. It’s co-ed, so just be careful.” He grinned at the couple, and Nat could feel herself blush.

“Don’t worry about us,” said Spook. “We just need a good night’s rest, and then we’ll be on our way.”

He looked around the small campground and noted a few other campers, mostly pickup trucks with campers on the back. There were three tents and two trailers, but the rest of the park was empty.

“Kind of quiet here,” said Nat under her breath, suddenly feeling unsure and nervous.

“Yes, ma’am. My parents own this place, and this time of year, we don’t have many tourists. Mostly hunters or fellas heading towards a hunting trip. First snow will be coming on fast up here at this elevation, so it gets pretty cold at night. Summer is our big season. We’ll be closing up here in about three weeks. When the snow hits, nobody comes this way.”

“I see,” said Nat, feeling suddenly on high alert.

“What’s wrong?” asked Flip from behind her.

“I-I don’t know. It just feels strange.”

Spook turned his head from one side to the other and then pulled out his phone.

“Oh, there’s no service here, sir. We’re too far out,” the young boy punched the ticket for their windshields and gave them the number for their lot. “You’ll be right back there by the bathhouse. I thought the lady might want to be close. Be careful of coyotes and wolves. We get a few bears now and then, but they mostly stay away. There’s an emergency phone right here on the outside of the building if you need something in the middle of the night. It’s a direct line to my parents’ house. You won’t get cell reception or Wi-Fi at all. It just doesn’t exist out here. Otherwise, I’ll see you folks in the morning if you don’t leave before I get here.”

“Thank you,” said Spook, watching the boy begin to shut things down and lock the office door. He was probably just a high school kid, but he appeared mature and responsible, helping his parents out.

“You hear anything?” whispered Flip in his ear.

“Nothing. He’s right. There is no signal here, and I gotta tell you, it’s both eerie and welcome. I haven’t had silence in my head for as long as I can remember. We’re not even anywhere close to air traffic, which makes this the most silence I’ve had in my head in, well, ever! I hear a few conversations of some of the campers who must be on walkies or sat phones, but it’s really just about hunting or fishing, nothing gruesome.”

“Should we leave?” asked Nat in a hopeful tone.

“No, we have no reason to believe anything is wrong other than no signal. I haven’t felt anyone’s presence and didn’t sense anyone following us,” said Spook. “I think it’s as safe as we’re going to get until we get home.”

“Okay, let’s get settled. Nat? If you’ll start a fire, I’ll pull out something to cook,” said Flip.

“It’s what I do,” she said, smiling as she rubbed her palms together. Wiggling her fingers in a display of showiness, she lit the fire and watched the flames lick the sky. Realizing she didn’t check her surroundings beforehand, she looked behind her and then to each side, noting that no one was paying them the slightest bit of attention.

It took Spook and Flip only minutes to set up the two tents. When they set out over a week ago to retrieve their belongings from their homes, they could hardly believe the turn of events in their lives. Aislinn and Kane, now married, and Adam and Fiona, as good as married, decided they would build their business and a safe compound in Wyoming.

Colonel Moore was dead, but his accomplice, and most likely the person behind all of the attacks and the pink dust, was still on the loose.

Thanks to Uri Bellum and his generous donation of land, the team would build a safe compound for all who wanted to live there. So far, Aislinn, Kane, Adam, Fiona, Spook, Flip, and Nat would be building homes.

Defected from Moore’s team, Tom Cullen, Dan Henry, and Norris Fredericks were also joining the team but needed time to settle their personal matters and families first.

Ben Rollins and Juan Smith, called out as additional security, also decided to stay. Both had previous military or police experience but had no family to speak of other than one another. Ben adopted Juan when he rescued him from the streets of Mexico, so he was the closest thing to a father Juan had.

Ben’s large presence and menacing frown made everyone stand back a bit, but Juan’s presence was harder to get a handle on. He was very quiet, perhaps even shy, yet possessed amazing abilities to gather intel. He was superbly physically fit and unbelievably loyal.

Flip sold his precious motorhome, which gave him so much solace from the outside world. He was surprised how easy the decision was for him. Somehow, the thought of spending time with Nadine in a real home was much more appealing than a cramped motorhome. The only problem was he hadn’t even asked her on a date!

“Hey! Yoohoo! I’m talking to you, big guy,” said Nadine, waving at him, the brightness of her smile seeping into his dark soul, lighting it for just a fraction of a second.

“Oh, ah, sorry, I was thinking about something that I might have left in the motorhome.” He looked down at his feet, avoiding her eyes and the certain giveaway that he was thinking about her.

“Uh huh, well, it’s gone now, so move on. Can you get me the burgers from the cooler?”

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