Buried Flames (8 page)

Brenna placed her nose and mouth against the crook of her elbow, doing her best to breathe in and out through the fabric of her shirt. The ash was thickening, but she was still able to see through the debris. How did Mason think it would be possible to ride the horses through this thick residue? Her heart dropped a beat at the sound of someone’s screams through the now darkening area.

Mason had pulled the trailer and truck inside the barn and was at her side just as quickly. His strength helped draw the door closed and both of them leaned against the decaying wood to catch their breaths now that they’d managed to shut much of the ash outside. The blinding lights from the headlights of the truck made it impossible to see their surroundings, but she didn’t care. She was able to inhale enough oxygen and she did so now as deeply as she could. He caught her by surprise when he wrapped his warm fingers around her arm, the heat searing through her shirt. She hadn’t realized the temperature had dropped. He led her back to the truck, opening up the driver’s side door.

“Inside. When I tell you something, you do it.”

Mason slammed the door after shutting off the headlights, but the dome light had been enough to illuminate his worried features. He didn’t appear angry so much as…frightened? Brenna would never have guessed he was capable of fear, but then she was relatively sure that no military training could have prepared a person for what was now on top of them.

Brenna was left in the dark, only this time Sam jumped over the console to comfort her. They ended up reassuring each other as they listened to the sounds of Mason opening up the trailer and allowing the horses their release. She strained to hear anything else, but it was her eyes that were suddenly gifted with sight. Mason had lit some type of lantern to the right of the truck, taking time to indicate it was safe to exit the truck.

“Come on, Sam,” Brenna whispered encouragingly, slowly pulling on the door handle. She never took her eyes off of Mason, but she did catch sight of floating flakes of ash here and there from the few holes in the walls. The air would only become worse, but at least they had the time to rig whatever Mason had designed in his head. “Go and calm down the horses, Sam.”

Her companion needed no encouragement, having grown up around ranch animals. Sam made his way to the back of the barn while Brenna took in her surroundings. She spotted a couple of old musty haystacks, but nothing much else to be found. It was once again quiet, making her wonder what happened to all the traffic they’d seen outside.

“I saved us time by getting out of the truck to open the barn door,” Brenna explained somewhat unenthusiastically, not wanting to hear another speech from Mason. She wasn’t a recruit in boot camp. She had common sense and knew when to use it. “I—”

“I know,” Mason said quietly, the deep richness of his voice carrying through the empty barn. He ran a hand through his short black hair before resting his elbows against his knees as he sat on one of the old hay bales scattered about. “We should have had at least another thirty miles or so before that ash cloud hit us like it did. It’s falling heavier than I thought it would be.”

“We needed to make it as far as we could before stopping though.” Brenna slowly sat down next to him, glad she’d held on to her rifle. His holster was unclipped, as if he were ready for something to happen. Did he expect some of those people to make their way off the road and over here? She cast a worried glance toward the door. “Are the horses okay?”

“Sergeant and General are fine—just a little spooked.” Mason zeroed in on Brenna with his dark brown eyes, letting her know he was about to say something she wasn’t going to like. “This is where we leave the truck. I’d hoped to make it farther, like midway across Montana, but that’s not going to happen.”

“Well,” Brenna said, forcing a little lightheartedness in her voice when she wasn’t even close to feeling that way, “show me what we need to do for Sergeant, General, and Sam. I’ll help and then we can get out of this place before it collapses.”

“Wishing you’d gone east?” Mason said, not making an attempt to move quite yet. “I’d give you Major if I thought you stood half a chance of making it to the coast by yourself.”

Brenna noticed he omitted that
they
would stand a hell of a lot better chance if that were the route they chose, but she’d already accepted that he was determined to get to Washington. After hearing about Tank and his bunker, Brenna believed he was making the right decision. They just had to get there in one piece.

“I could have easily gone that route when I was still in Harpersfield, but I didn’t get the chance.”

“I didn’t give you much of a choice.”

And that’s the heart of the matter. Mason was now experiencing a bit of guilt over bringing her with him, but Brenna had said numerous times she was a woman with her own mind. If she hadn’t wanted to be with him, here and now, she wouldn’t have gotten into his truck back then. Couldn’t he see there wasn’t a right or wrong answer to this messed up dilemma?

“We need to get moving.” Mason stood and turned away from her, but not before she saw a flash of pain cross his features. It wasn’t emotional pain either. Brenna watched him carefully as he walked back to where the horses were still quite skittish, Sam doing his best to keep them calm. “Why don’t you get the animals some water while I—”

The screeching sound of the entry to the barn ricocheted jarringly throughout the empty space, causing Sam to immediately guard those he loved by giving a growl in warning. He even placed himself in between the door and them.

Mason had Brenna behind the trailer before she even realized what was happening, but the weapon in his hand told her it wasn’t good. She looked up at him to find that he’d placed his finger to his lips, indicating she shouldn’t say a word. Frantic people were making their way inside and only time would tell if their intentions were to seek shelter or if they wanted to take what Mason and Brenna had by force. The noise of the large door closing told her they were about to find out one way or the other.

“H
ello?” called out
a masculine voice, followed by low murmurs from several people with him. “Is anyone here?”

“Yes,” Mason answered, stepping out from behind the horse trailer while holding up a hand for Brenna to stay right where she was. Sam had immediately taken up position by his leg and the horses somehow intuitively sensed the cautionary air around them. They no longer shifted their large frames on the dirt beneath them. He gritted his teeth when she couldn’t help but peer around the trailer. “We’re just using this barn for temporary shelter. It’s all yours after we leave.”

“We won’t need it for long either.” The man took a few steps closer, but Mason didn’t seem to deem him a threat. At least not yet. “My name is Tim. This here is Mary, Jay, Barb, and Lindsey.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Mason ever so slowly holstered his weapon, not bothering to give out his name or that of Brenna’s. She no doubt thought he was being rude, but he wasn’t about to divulge any personal information about their plight to a total stranger. “I’m sorry it has to be under these circumstances.”

“This is unbelievable. When we heard…”

Mason indicated that Brenna should give water to the animals while he opened the trailer and took out the necessary items he’d need in order to makeshift some masks for the horses and Sam. Tim continued describing what he and his friends or family had done upon hearing about the natural disaster. He paused in his storytelling when he finally spotted Brenna. The other people with him sat behind him on the old haystacks. They all had backpacks and Mason’s curiosity about why they were on foot was satisfied when Tim finally got to the end of his tale.

“So my wife and I had parked my truck in front of the gas station to pick up my brother, his wife, and her sister when some bastard ended up stealing it. Everything we had was in that truck, but at least Jay and Barb have their supplies.” Tim was pacing back and forth, looking up at the darkness above them. Mason had already noticed the ash was getting heavier. More residue was sneaking through the holes and cracks in the walls and ceiling. It wouldn’t be long before he and Brenna had to put on their gasmasks. “We started out on foot, hoping someone would pick us up along the way.”

“You can have this truck once we get it unloaded.” Mason had been using his knife on the cheesecloth and other items he’d brought with him to rig the horses’ harnesses. He held the articles in one hand as he fished out the keys from his front pocket and tossed them in the air. Tim caught them, a surprised look on his face. “We won’t be needing it.”

“I don’t understand…”

“We need to reach the rest of our party, so we’re going in a different direction.” Mason hadn’t lied, but he could tell from Brenna’s expression she wasn’t happy with his explanation. “I assume you’re heading east?”

“Absolutely,” Tim answered, sharing a look of disbelief with his family members. “But we can’t—”

“The truck’s engine won’t last very long out there, but it will at least give you something until you come across another vehicle or mode of transportation. It has plenty of fuel and the auxiliary tank is nearly full.” Mason handed Brenna the cheesecloth and knife before getting to work on unhitching the trailer. “You should go soon before it’s impossible to travel.”

“You’re going to die if you stay here,” Mary said with a shake of her head. “I don’t know where your family is, but I’m sure they’re headed for the coast as well. Maybe we can all ride together and—”

“Ma’am, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but we’ll be fine. We know what we’re doing.”

Mason glanced over at Brenna, actually considering sending her with these people. The fact that the ash cloud had hit them like a sledgehammer had come as quite a shock. It had appeared miles and miles away and he’d already been scouting for an area to stop so that they could get organized, but Mother Nature had certainly had other ideas. He figured they were roughly six hundred miles from their destination, which was a hell of a lot closer than the two thousand miles needed to reach the coast. It would be rougher conditions, but the possibility of survival was greater. Which meant it was a chance he was willing to take for himself and Brenna, but not with other people.

“Do they have water?” Brenna whispered, her blue gaze resting on Lindsey, the youngest of the group. Mason guessed their ages to be mid-twenties, but they all appeared to be keeping it together under the duress of the situation. “Do we have anything we can give them?”

Mason mentally calculated what he and Brenna would need, along with the horses and Sam. It was going to be a close call as it was, especially knowing the horses could only carry so much weight. He’d already whittled it down in his mind what they would need.

“We have a case of MREs that you should take with you in case the engine gives out in a deserted area with no supplies.” Mason walked past Brenna and around to the back of the trailer, hoisting a medium-sized box and carrying it to Tim. “If you need to start walking, cover your faces. You don’t want to breathe any of that shit in. It will kill you slowly but surely. One thing to remember is the weight of this ash will eventually collapse the roofs of wooden structures, especially if it gets wet. Be mindful of where you take shelter.”

Mason made sure everything was out of the truck before stepping back and allowing Tim to place the MREs inside. His group stood up, still looking at Tim for guidance and if they should actually take the vehicle they were being offered. They were wasting precious time, but Mason had done everything he could for them. The rest was up to Tim and the others.

“Here,” Mason said to Brenna as he held out his hand for the makeshift harness. “Go ahead and start pulling the wool fibers apart. We need to get as far as we can before we stop to rest.”

Mason wished they could ride straight through to Lost Summit and avoid any further encounters, but that wasn’t going to happen. He didn’t need Brenna falling asleep and then slipping out of her saddle. She would cause harm to herself while possibly delaying any attempt at reaching safety before their supplies ran thin. They were both exhausted from the emotional toll this was taking on each of them. He still hadn’t quite figured out how he was going to ride with Sam, but the dog wouldn’t make it if he were to walk on the ground.

“Okay, Major,” Mason spoke in a soothing tone while stroking the horse’s face. He ignored the fact that Tim and the rest of his group were still in the barn. Either they were still wary of leaving Mason and Brenna behind, or they were just plain scared to go outside in these dire conditions. “I know you’re not going to like this much, but I promise you that it will get you to where we need to go.”

“What will you do with their eyes?” one of the women asked, but Mason didn’t turn around to see which one. He grit his teeth to prevent himself from snapping a reply. Couldn’t she see he was trying to lull Major into something that would normally cause anxiety within an animal? “There’s no way you—”

“We have it covered. He’ll put goggles on the harnesses,” Brenna answered with reassurance, taking away the need for Mason to answer. Tank and the guys had said on more than one occasion that he was an ass to work with. He didn’t see it that way. There was a task to do and it didn’t involve pleasantries or explanations. “Seriously, we appreciate your concern, but we need to make sure his folks are okay. You guys should get going and don’t stop until either the engine quits or you actually make it somewhere safe. Guard what you have. Others will take advantage if you give them half a chance.”