Page 47 of Special Agent Anastacia

Ana said goodbye to Dave and then wondered if they shouldn’t have accepted his offer for a ride into town. Wanting some time alone with Hanna, she’d refused his suggestion that he take them with him, saying, “We can walk to the lake and then along the road to get to you if need be. For now, I think we’re safe here, waiting for Nash. You go ahead.”

“Okay, if you say so. There’s a fuck of a lot of things I need to take care of back at the office.”

“I know. Don’t worry about us. If things get really bad, I have Dad’s ATV here that we can use.” She walked him to the door and opened it.

“As long as you’re fine with me leaving.” He stopped to look around. “It’s getting smoky outside, but we’ve been smelling that stink for the last few days. Every time the wind changes to be exact.”

“I know. It’s a shame.”

“Like I said, with the warning just issued, you and I both know that the fire’s heading our way, eating up a football field of land every fifteen seconds. At that speed, it won’t be long before it’s crawling up our asses.”

“Yeah. Thank goodness I tied the boat up on the lake. If things get too scary, we can make our way in that direction. I’m thinking we’d be safe out there.”

“Sounds like a move. Look, we’ve been told to clear residents from all the outlying cabins. So tell Nash he needs to call me with instructions for the folks in town. I’m thinking the sooner we begin evacuations there, the better.”

When Nash did call Ana, he was full of instructions. “Hey darling, get outside with Hanna and use the hoses you have on the property. Water down the grounds nearest the house, the roof and outbuildings as far as you can. Hopefully, it’ll deter the flames from lighting up your land.”

“I think the creek in the back might help a bit too. There’s not much water left but the ground is still damp.”

“Good. That will help.”

“Things are serious then?”

“You bet your sweet ass. My crew just contacted me that they’ll be arriving very soon, hopefully ahead of the fire. They need to set up a camp nearby and begin operations to stop the flames from crossing the lake. It’s the best form of defense in this area.”

“There’re a lot of homes on the other side, plus the hospital and the town.”

“Yep. And a serial killer on the loose. When it rains it pours.”

“Then bring on the rain.”

Nash chuckled. “Just a saying darling, but I know what you mean. Be there soon.”

“Yeah. Soon.” She hesitated. Affectionate words choked her. But so did shyness. “Bye…” The words love you followed but not until he’d hung up.

Shaking off her sudden worry, she rounded up Hanna. “Nash wants us to go outside and water everything in the vicinity. In the meantime, I’ll get Dad’s ATV out of the garage and have it ready in case we need a quick escape. If you have anything that you want to be sure to take with you, get it ready now and put it on the front stoop. We’ll pack light but it might be our last chance to save our stuff.”

Running through the rooms, Ana went straight for the photograph of her parents the last year they spent at the cabin together. The selfie she’d snuck had turned into a great picture, a keeper she never wanted to lose. Then she grabbed her own and her mother’s jewelry boxes, filled with presents from her dad, and dumped them into her backpack. Spinning around, she had no idea of what else to take. In the end, it was all just replaceable stuff. Thinking a change of clothes might be needed, she rolled together some and stashed them in her backpack too. On the stairs she met Hanna coming from her room with a huge suitcase.

“No, baby. We can’t take that on the ATV. Just grab what you really need for a night or two and whatever is precious.”

Soon, they had organized their belongings and were hard at work watering down the property as per Nash’s instructions. First, Ana headed for the shed, thinking about the last time they had been there and found cigarette butts they now suspected had been Vlad’s.

Since hearing Beth’s story, she’d determined her to be their break-in artist, trying to hide from Boris and the monster. Suddenly a thought entered, and she had a strong feeling her suspicions were right… something to put in the back of her mind and bring out when she had more time.

Once she felt the grounds were well saturated, she moved her water toward the house, aiming high to reach to the roof.Changing from the back of the property to the front was when she noticed the glow in the distance.

Shit!

What scared the bejesus out of her… it came from the direction of the lake but still seemed a long ways away.

Not ten minutes later, Hanna came towards her, waving her arms wildly. “Look behind us. Do you see it? There’s flames heading this way. We have to leave.”

“Yeah. You’re right.” Christ, they were being surrounded. “Have you got everything you need?”

“Yes.” Hanna gripped her hands together, her face pale, and eyes pleading to be understood. “I’m really scared, Ana.”

“Don’t be. We’ll be fine. But we need to leave now.” Again, she turned the hose switch on and watered both herself and Hanna down good, then the machine, before tossing it away. Handing the better helmet to Hanna, she took the smaller one for herself. Then she climbed on the four-wheeler and gestured for Hanna to do the same. Wheeling around, they turned in the direction of the road that led from their cabin. Within a few minutes of their ride, they could see flames overhead, leaping from one treetop to another.

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