Page 10 of The Fragile Ones
“You okay?” Katie asked as she fought against the slippery roadway, gripping tightly to the steering wheel.
“Uh, yeah,” he replied.
“We’re almost there,” she said. “In fact, there it is.” Katie was relieved to finally see the small compound surrounded by chain-link fencing tucked back in the heavily wooded area. There were two wooden structures inside, along with several parking places and a large metal building. Heavy tarps covered some of the county’s equipment.
At the entrance, she jammed her Jeep into park and dared to open the driver’s door—erratic wind and heavy rain instantly battering her—but she pushed forward and slammed the car door with all her weight.
Pulling her hood tightly around her face, she fought to keep her eyes open as the rain pummeled her. The temperature had dropped at least ten degrees, making it feel like ice needles were stabbing her eyes and cheeks.
She grabbed at the gate in relief, only to realize it was securely locked with a bulky chain and two padlocks. She didn’t have any keys or way to get inside. Razor wire lined the top of the barrier for extra security, so jumping over wasn’t an option.
Katie turned around in despair, blinded by the headlights of her Jeep and the film crew’s large SUV. The ground beneath her feet was sodden as the rain was pooling fast, she felt like it could collapse beneath her at any moment.
Chapter Five
Thursday 1045 hours
Rattling the gate hard out of pure frustration, Katie knew that there was no getting in without a key. The storm was ruthless, but as she pushed water out of her eyes she suddenly realized that she had a pair of bolt cutters in the trunk. It was smaller than the average set, about eight inches, but would hopefully do the trick.
She ran back to her Jeep and rummaged furiously through her tool kit until she found what she was looking for. Returning to the gate, her feet dragging through the rising water levels, she opened the bolt cutters wide and clamped down on the first lock with all her strength. It wasn’t enough. She continued to struggle as gusts of wind forced her body back and forth, making it difficult to hold her balance.
She thought she heard Cisco barking over the wind and rain.
“Let me try!” yelled Matt as he reached her. Emir had jumped into the driver’s seat.
Katie backed up and let Matt take over. He struggled too, but eventually the first lock dropped to the ground. It only took a few moments for the second lock to free the heavy chain. Both Katie and Matt wrestled with the gate until they opened it wide enough for the vehicles to enter.
“Get back into your Jeep!” he yelled over the storm, holding one side of the entrance open. “I’ll get the garage open.”
Katie nodded and fought the wind and rain to get behind the wheel again, breathing hard.
“You alright?” asked Ty.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” she said, though she wasn’t so sure as the soft, snow-like pelts that hit her windshield got larger and larger, until they were the size of golf balls.
Katie shoved the SUV into first gear and edged her way through the tight entrance that was made for quad vehicles. She kept moving, keeping an eye on the terrain and watching Matt grapple with the garage door. Battling to stay centered, he didn’t let the storm knock him off his feet. To her relief, he was able to get the large door open and she drove in as quickly as she dared, followed closely by the SUV.
Inside the shelter Katie cut the engine and jumped out. The sound of the hail hitting the metal roof was deafening—no one could talk. Out of the vehicles, the group wanted to see first-hand the storm and stood awkwardly amidst the ear-shattering sound.
Katie rubbed her hands together in an effort to warm them, and to give herself something to do as they waited the hail storm out. Emir had one of the smaller cameras in his hand and was recording. He appeared to be enjoying the opportunity to film something so wild and unexpected—even if it was a close call that saw them nearly stranded.
After fifteen minutes the hail subsided, to Katie’s relief, but the rain continued. She could hear it rushing outside and draining into specially designed channels for water shedding—for just this type of event.
“Everybody doing okay?” she said.
The film crew nodded. Most appeared relieved, except Butch who openly glared at Katie.
“Is there a problem?” asked Katie, taking a step toward Butch.
“If you’re such an experienced hiker and have lived here all your life, why did you nearly get us stranded up here in this insane weather?” he seethed, his hands clenched in tight fists.
“I’m sorry. The weather can be unpredictable at this time of year. But a storm like this isveryunusual for Pine Valley. And the weather channels didn’t see it coming. I checked just before we set out.”
“We could’ve been killed,” he pushed.
Sensing the tension, Cisco jumped from the Jeep, his eyes alert to any change in tone and body language from everyone in the crew—especially Butch.
“C’mon, Butch, lighten up. Everything turned out fine,” said Matt, shedding his jacket and hanging it on the SUV to dry.
