Page 16 of Worth the Ruin
“The Lodge?” I read as we pass below it.
“I prefer FOS,” he says with a smirk. I shrug as if I couldn’t possibly care less, but why he calls this place FOS is a mystery that I would love to solve.Just like the man himself.I scowl to myself.Why the hell does it matter if I figure him out? Why do I even care? I shouldn’t. I don’t. I may not know everything about him, but I know enough, so I tell myself to just fucking drop it.
The woods are thick on either side of us, dense green foliage and chunks of dark gray rock scattered between the towering pines. Are we close to the mountains? The terrain reminds me a bit of hikes we’d taken on vacation in the Smokies way back when. We cross a wooden bridge over a small stream and I have to admit that it’s idyllic. I lean forward in my seat when something finally comes into view: a small gatehouse in the middle of the road. At one point, those flimsy arm-type gates that raised and lowered stood on either side for the entrance and exit, but those had been replaced by giant sheets of metal that roll to the side to allow entry. They’re waiting open for us now and as we drive through, I see that a tall wrought iron fence branches off from either side of the road, and, I assume, surrounds the entire place.
Though I prefer the solid stone wall of The Cove, the spaces between the bars aren’t nearly large enough for anyone to squeeze through, Bloody or otherwise, and it’s too high for anyone to easily climb—not to mention the barbed wire andsharpened spikes on the tops of the posts would be good deterrents for climbing anyway. An entire herd of Bloodies could probably knock the fence down with enough force, but they wouldn’t have to worry about anyone slipping through undetected here. A decent outer defense system, I’ll give them that.
The Lodge finally comes into view and I raise my brows in surprise.
“Whoa,” I whisper. I hadn’t actually meant to say it out loud, but I’m too tired and keyed up to give a shit.
“Home sweet home,” Traeger drawls.
It’s a giant—and I meangiant—log cabin with two long wings branching out from the main building. Five floors in the center, three on the outer wings. Who in the hell lived here? A billionaire by the looks of it…Then I realize we’re driving through a parking lot and everything clicks into place: it’s ahotel. Or, used to be anyway. It probably has at least two hundred rooms, maybe more, depending on how big they are. A second large building connects to the main one by a wooden breezeway and the sign over the door readsThe Cast Iron Skillet. On-site restaurant and bar, I assume. Half of the parking lot is full of vehicles and mismatched storage buildings of various sizes, and a handful of people are milling about in what appears to be a large garden off to the left. A greenhouse stands on the other side where tennis or pickleball courts may have been once upon a time, tall fences still surrounding the structure. Beyond the hotel, a large lake stretches out as far as I can see, trees surrounding the entire thing, and mountains in the distance behind that. Small cabins dot the edge of the lake, and there’s a small beach area and dock on one end, a stack of kayaks and paddle boats still sitting nearby.
It's beautiful.Gorgeous, really.
I study everything, taking in as many details as I can. I cock my head as I look at the cars in the lot again: on one side, they’re all utility vehicles and beat up trucks, but on the other, they’re nice. Like,reallynice. Jags and Bentleys, and I even spy an Aston Martin that I want to slide into so badly I nearly moan. I’d, uh,borrowedone once in Nepal and dear God it had ridden like a dream. I have a thing for sleek, fast cars—they’re just plain sexy. Bikes too. Anything that can make me feel like I’m flying.
I keep scanning and see that a handful of electric cars and hybrids are thrown in the mix too, but even those are high-end brands.
Now I look at everything with a new eye: the guardhouse, the ornate iron fencing, the high-end cars and ample amenities. This place wasn’t just a hotel, it was a luxury resort.Rustic elegance. I guess if you’re riding out the apocalypse, this is a pretty nice spot to do it. Or at least it looks that way on the surface. I remind myself that plenty of the people here are being held against their will, probably tortured and used as slaves and God knew what else. It might be heaven on earth for Traeger and his right hands, but for everyone else? Who the hell knows.
The caravan parks and I get out of the truck, not sure if I’m about to be tied up or thrown in the stockades. I spy what looks like a whipping post on a platform by the lake, dark stains marring the light wood, and I barely suppress a shudder. I take a deep breath and shoulder my pack, tugging at the straps and trying to fight off the nerves.For Jonah, for Jonah, for Jonah, I chant in my head over and over, reminding myself that I can survive anything for him.
My duffle had been thrown in one of the other vehicles and I assume I’ll get it back if and when Traeger sees fit. I’d honestly been surprised that he let me keep my backpack. He searched it and confiscated all the weapons, of course, but still—he handed it back afterwards and I decided not to look that gift horse in themouth. Where I go, this pack goes. Simple as that. I would have gone down fighting if I had to in order to hold on to it.
I eye the group wearily as I wait. Traeger is having a low conversation with a tall, skinny man that came running up as soon as we’d parked. Traeger’s little silence game may have actually worked a little bit: the anticipation is nearly killing me. No one has been outright cruel to me or harmed me so far, but again, that could just be part of the game too. Lull me into thinking I’m relatively safe and then BAM—I’m beaten within an inch of my life…or worse. I glance to Jett and find him leering at me, and it makes my skin crawl.
Traeger finally makes his way over to me and I note that Jett quickly schools his features and busies himself with something on his jacket.Scared of the boss, then?I wonder what Traeger had done to make him that way? Maybe just his reputation was enough to keep Jett in check. Whatever the reason, I’m reluctantly thankful for it. If he’s able to keep the worst of Jett under lock-and-key, then that’s a good thing. The other men from the caravan begin unloading the trucks as more people come out to help. Some of them give me looks of interest, but they quickly go back to their jobs, averting their gazes.
“This way, pound of flesh,” Traeger says with a sly grin, gesturing for me to walk with him.
“What? No cuffs?” I ask with maybe too much bite.
“Into bondage then? Good to know.” I give him a dry look, refusing to admit that it was a good one, and he chuckles easily. I clench my jaw but fall into step beside him as we walk across the parking lot. We stop just before the oversized front doors, each carved with a bear standing on its hind legs. I wonder if there are really bears out here? I glance back towards the forest and mountains in the distance and figure the answer is probably yes.
Traeger turns to me, crossing his arms over his chest and giving me a serious look.
“You’re about to be inducted into a very exclusive club, Melody. You’re going to learn things that no one outside of this compound knows.”What the hell is he talking about?“These secrets are held in the strictest confidences. We’re talking the highest level of top secret here. Should these secrets be revealed, the consequences would besevere. Do you understand?”Not really, I think, but I nod. Who the hell am I going to tell anyway? I’m stuck here for the rest of my life.
He studies me for another minute before nodding.
“Alright then.”
He pulls open one of the doors and ushers me inside, whistlingPure Imagination. I quirk a brow but don’t say a word.
The lobby is huge, but somehow cozy, with a towering stone fireplace in the center that soars up three of the five stories. Balconies from each floor form a large square, overlooking the main floor. We’re quite a few months away from needing a fire yet, but I imagine that one roaring in that grate would heat the entire space easily when the time comes. People mill about and I’m relieved to see that none of them look too worse for the wear. They’re in clean clothes, no obvious injuries, not starving. Hell, they’re evensmiling. I honestly expected much, much worse. Of course, there could still be plenty of people suffering here, rooms turned into dungeons or torture chambers for all I know. I’d learned long ago never to trust outward appearances. Too many secrets lurk beneath the surface of almost everyone and everything, usually dark ones.
A plaque hanging beside the reception desk boasts that The Lodge had been built green as hell. Sustainable materials used in construction, closed-system, echo-friendly plumbing and electricity, completely powered by a nearby solar farm and water energy from the river that runs along the north of the property.Pretty cool, I think.Kudos to whoever created this place. Wonder if they’re a mindless undead corpse now.
A woman approaches, looking me up and down. She’s on the shorter side, only coming up to my chest, with pale blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She looks like she might be a few years younger than me, early thirties maybe. It’s hard to tell in this world though—fighting for your life can age a person beyond their years pretty fucking quickly.
“Sir, I have two rooms in C block available, six in D block, and of course almost all of E is still open.” C block?God, part of this place really is a prison.I keep my face passive. If I’m thrown in a cell, fine. If I’m thrown in a dog cage, fine. If I’m tied up outside and whipped bloody, fucking fine.
I. Will. Endure.
“I want her in A block, in the adjourning suite,” Traeger says.
