I lost this chapter more than once, it has been written and rewritten more times than I could count. Glad you're still around to read it.
Stick with me my loves,
X
Miranda knew she needed to act soon. She had not slept at all that night; she stayed up watching the local news coverage on the small boxy television. Every channel was blank but for a couple of stations out of Denver. How could she sleep? She felt completely sick with anxiety.
A young woman had been reporting through the night and she looked just as tired as she felt. Her features reminded her of Emily. She cringed to think what state she was in now, if in any at all. She was sickened to think of the state of any of the people she left behind in the city. The reporter had been relating the increasingly horrible news. New York was completely dark, as was DC and other major cities as far as Tampa.
There were several cell phone videos of the bombs falling from the sky and onto New York from several miles away. The giant fiery cloud knocked down several buildings instantly and she could see the shock wave travel until it shook the camera. It didn't look real, it didn't seem possible that this was finally happening. For as long as she's been in the council they've been planning this day. Now that it was here, it was like a dream, a terrible nightmare that she knew was real but couldn't believe it.
Although Miranda had helped plan this horrible day, had played her part in subduing the public, making them complacent in their misery up until it was far too late to fight, seeing it play out now was nearly unbearable. Their lives would be completely different. The world would change forever. This country would never be the same. This day was no longer a conversation in a dark room; it was finally, after twenty years of planning and preparing, a horrible reality.
She hated herself, there was no escaping the feeling. She knew she would carry this wieght on her shoulders for the rest of her days. That thought alone made her more miserable than she ever remembered feeling. She thought about going into the cabin owners study to put an end to it all, once and for all. As selfish as she's always been, she could never do that. Her punishment would be to live, and bare this weight shes brought upon herself and her family. Her stomach was ever sinking with fear and anxiety. She knew she had a great responsibility to protect her family and she feared so much that she would fail.
Footage of people being treated for burns and other horrible injuries were being flashed across the TV screen. The bombs breadth of destruction was much larger than their targets. The chaos and mystery surrounding the attacks had reportedly caused panic and unrest in many cities. The people were angry and scared and in desperate need of someone to blame for this atrocity. The council will tell them who to blame soon enough.
The reporter has a script, every reporter around the country has one. This would be blamed on Russia, China, and Iran. The federal government will step in, along with top council members to bring 'order' back to the cities.. Miranda knew every step they would take. The next step would be to eradicate any dissent. It would be imperative to the plan that the population believe they need the council's protection from the world.
Soon every city would be under the strict control of the military, and that the council would have eyes and ears everywhere at that point. Miranda knew everything was falling right into plan and what was next was going to be just as ugly. Citizens with a history of anti-social behavior or any anti-government sentiments will be assed for their ability to 'adapt' to the new world. If they are unable, or unwilling, there was a special place for them.
They will either be admitted to 'reeducation camps' very similar to where they took Andrea or they will be taken to another facility where they're forced into slavery if they're lucky. Most will simply be executed. These facilities were the places that haunted Miranda the most.
The military would be going house to house soon enough. She knew they couldn't stay here much longer. She wished that wasn't the case. She could get used to living in this quaint cabin high up on the mountain side, away from the world she had taken such advantage of. She could see the entire town from the windows in the front of the house.
She felt in her bones how exhausted she truly was. Her eyes were sunken and her face was guilt she felt was not only keeping her from sleep, it was physically making her sick. Her intestines burned with all of the regret and grief she felt over it, all the fear she felt for her own family now that they no longer had the protection of the council. She couldn't stand the feeling but knew she was helpless against it.
She thought of the woman she shot in metropolis, the prisoners who only wanted her help. She wished she could make everything right but she knew it had been impossible. She tried her hardest to push the memory from her mind but the shot rang in her ears, and the look on the woman's face was forever burned into her mind. She knew even if she would have left the council a decade ago, nothing would be different, only that their deaths would have been guaranteed.
All she could do now was protect her own family. She knew their only hope would be to find Alexander White. He had tried to stop the council before the bombs had even been dropped. If he is still alive, he is the only hope she or anyone else has of fighting back. She hoped to God or whatever deity that truly existed that he was alive. She knew it wouldn't be long before Metropolis was up and running again and they would be coming out to rule their cities soon enough.
Miranda watched with a dead stare at the television in the eerie quiet of the morning. The sun beamed through the cabin and lit its rooms with pale sunshine. The piles of mattresses and blankets in the floor held the most precious things in the world to Miranda.
She nearly fell over where she sat against the wall when the TV made an annoying screech. It was the same sound that it made when there was an Amber alert. She sat up quickly and rubbed her eyes of their fatigue.
"The federal government has declared Martial Law for the following areas. State and federal agents will be working together to ensure the safety of every American. Curfew in these cities begin at 11pm and lift at 5am. Anyone caught outside their homes between these hours will be arrested. Law enforcement also asks that citizens carry identification on them at all times as you can expect to be stopped for any reason and you must identify yourself. Officials urge that during this dire time the public cooperate completely with authorities."
Miranda stood up. She could not think of a better queue than martial law to set off into the woods. She knew the military would be knocking on doors looking for people soon. She hated to think what they would do to her family if they ever found her. She went back into the owner's study and unlocked his gun cabinet. She took a long rifle and pulled open the drawer and grabbed the box of ammunition.
She gently shook Caroline and Cassidy from their sleep. Their heavy blue eyes met hers and they did not complain once as they rose from their comfortable place on the mattresses.
Miranda cleared out the house of nearly every food item she could carry on their backs. She found several old backpacks and sleeping bags. It would be enough for a while. When Andrea was finished putting their bags together, she began helping Caroline put new bandages on her cuts.
'Bobsey, I think I saw hiking poles in the garage, do you want me to grab them" Miranda asked, as she watched her daughter wince when Andrea touched her abdomen. Caroline looked up at her in thought and nodded after a moment.
Miranda walked back into the garage, she saw the hiking poles at the far corner of the crowded space near the outside garage door. As she walked toward it she heard voices. She dropped to her knees and stared at the four squared window on the garage door. Hoping to god she wouldn't see a face staring back at her in the next few seconds. She heard the voice of two men and from what it sounded like they were getting things out of a car.
'Yeah, Rob. I'm telling you. They knew this shit was coming" She heard a man say seriously and then jingle some keys.'For the past couple weeks the military has been coming in and out of the town, you can't go anywhere anymore without getting stopped. Denver is the worst possible place to be in this state right now" she heard a deeper but similar voice say. She figured this voice to belong to Rob.
'Then yesterday those nukes drop...' A deep voice came again. 'What are you sayin" The man had asked nervously. 'I'm saying those assholes knew it was coming and didn't stop it, or they did this, all of it" He answered the man in an angry tone. "Why would they do that?" she heard him reply, before she managed to run back through the garage door into the house.
She guessed this was the owner of the cabin and he was about to come inside. She is quick as she runs for the door leading back into the house. Forget the hiking poles, there would be plenty of damned sticks in the forest. She ran into the kitchen and picked up her pack, throwing it violently onto her back, buckling it in the front. She picked up Caroline's and put it on her back.
"The owner is here" Miranda whispered harshly in near panic as she spun her daughter around and helps her buckle the front of her backpack.
They hear the garage door open and they grab the rest of their things and slide as quietly out the back door as possible. Miranda stuffed the long rifle into her pack and breaks out into a run, her hands gripping tight to the straps of her pack as she gulped the thin mountain air and ran for the tree line. Her pack made her feel the force of gravity tenfold but she pumped her legs as hard as she could.
She glanced back and her girls were doing the same. Caroline's face was red with pain but they all knew they couldn't stop for anything. Miranda glanced back at the house as she stopped at the tree line to let Andrea get in front of her. She glanced back at the cabin and the man was standing at his window and looking back out at her.
Miranda knew that he could see her. He didn't move as she stood and watched him for a moment. He ran out of the door and toward them. Miranda told them to move, but she stayed where she was. She waited for the man to approach her.
He was a tall husky man, a full beard and dark brown eyes. His hair was covered by a white ball cap. He pulled his pistol from his side and pointed it at her. "What the hell are you doing on my property" He yelled at her, his eyes fierce as he stared down the barrel of his gun at her. He saw the rifle sticking out of her pack. "What the hell are you doing with my grandfather's rifle?" He asked, his face becoming red and scrunched with anger.
"Look, I just needed some supplies" She told him. Her hands raised above her head. She saw the other man come walking out of the house too. "Give me my damn rifle back" He said, holding his hand out and motioning for her to hand it to him. She nodded and slowly pulled it from her pack and handed it to him. He lowered his pistol and straightened up.
"Where did you even come from" He asked, stuffing the pistol back into his holster, looking into the forest behind her. She hoped he didnt see Andrea and her girls somewhere behind her. If anything must happen, she wanted it to only be to her.
"I've been walking through the forest for a couple of days, I needed shelter and food. I'm sorry, I didnt think anyone would be home… not after everything thats happened" She explained, trying to make herself sound small and innocent. She could see on his face his guard was beginning to lower. "Are you with anyone else" he asked her. She hesitated to answer but she decided it wouldnt be smart to say she had been alone.
" I was with a couple, once they heard about the bombs we got into a disagreement about where to go or what to do next. They wanted to go into the city…. I wanted to stay away from it" She explained, and he seemed to believe her. "Im sorry, I just needed a warm place to stay for the night and some food. You can have it all back if you want" She told him, unbuckling her pack but he raised his hand, telling her to stop.
"Well, you were right about the cities. Theres nothing good there, not anymore" He eyed her suspiciously but seemed to relax after a moment. "Listen, I've got plenty of supplies and water, you dont have to go back into the wilderness" he offered. She was surprised but she knew she would have to decline. "I can't do that. The Military will be here in the next couple days. I'll take my chances out here" she told him.
He looked at her crookedly but sighed. He reluctantly handed the long rifle back to her. "Take it, you're gonna need it more than we will. If you change your mind. We'll be here" He said to her, slowly turning away from her and heading back toward his house. "hey... If I were you, I would play along with authorities. We dont live in a free place anymore" She told him nervously, feeling she owed the man something for his kindness. He smiled to himself. "If those assholes want a fight, they just might find one with me" he said to her. "Please… they're taking people away. If you value your freedom or your life… take my advice" she told him finally.
"Well thanks for the heads up... What was your name" He asked her. She hesitated but answered him anyway. "Miranda" she said honestly. "Well, be careful out there, you and the other women with you seem to have alot more to worry about than us" he said to her before returning into his home.
She sighed a breath of relief and headed back into the forest. She looked nervously through the trees. She had hoped the girls had gone far enough to not be seen but he saw them. He seemed like a nice enough man but she couldn't trust anyone now. She walked forward for several hundred yards before she heard rustling in an area of foliage ahead of her.
"Miranda?" Andrea asked from ahead, her breathing rapid and panicked.
They came out from their hiding place and Andrea walked over to her, her face confused and frightened. "What happened" she asked. "He gave me his rifle and let me go" she told her. Andrea looked surprised but relieved. "We need to get moving, we have to find a place to camp tonight, far far away from here".
After a few minutes of walking as fast as they could without Caroline fainting from the pain, Miranda stopped them and they moved toward a messy part of the forest where they were sure not to meet anyone. They sat on a broken cedar log that was mostly covered by a large hanging evergreen branch.
They sat under the fragrant green limbs and caught their breath. Miranda knelt next to Caroline and lifted up her shirt to look at her wound. There were spots of blood but it looked okay. The young twin was out of breath and wincing in pain but she appeared to be okay.
"Drink some water, Care, okay?" Miranda said as she stroked her daughter's red head.
"You're doing great kid" Andrea said beside her with a supportive pat on her thigh.
Caroline smiled and took a big gulp of her water. Cassidy was sitting up against the log instead of on top of it. The heavy backpack on her shoulders was killing her. She laid there and took several deep breaths and sipped at her water while she did.
"Where are we going, Miranda?" Andrea asked as she looked over at her older wife, her body coated with sweat.
"We're going north. We need to find Alexander if we have any hope of having a normal life again" she said as she tucked her silver hair behind her ears.
She knew what she wanted to do was going to be incredibly difficult for all of them. It was still a bit cold here and it gets even colder at night. They would not be able to find a nice warm empty cabin to stay in again.
"What if we can't find him? Then what do we do?" Andrea asked
"Then we'll have to figure out something else" Miranda said firmly.
"Everything is going to be okay. alright?"
Andrea looked at her, her stare was not confident but it was trusting, she wanted to believe that it would be okay. She wasn't sure it was though. She had never done anything like this before and she couldn't help but feel massively unprepared for this task.
"We need to get going. We've still got about five miles to hike."
The girls all looked at their mother like she just told them they were going to die. It would be a rigorous hike even without their luggage.
"Oh don't look at me like that. It'll be beautiful. We'll be passing through some of the most beautiful places in the entire country" Miranda said enthusiastically, trying to encourage the girls to muster up the energy to make the hike. Cassidy rolled her eyes but didnt say anything.
"It is pretty here" Caroline said hopefully, eyeing the majestic stone and trees around her. She huffed and began following in line behind them again.
Miranda smiled and led the way, pushing deeper into the forest. The girls filed obediently behind her in tired but determined strides.
It was several hours later when they came to a meadow. Wild flowers and insects of different shapes and sizes buzzed happily through the place. A small brook cut through the tall grass and big boulders littered the ground.
From here it seemed they were in an amphitheater of mountains. Everywhere they looked their eyes met majestic ancient rock. It looked like a little slice of heaven. Suddenly staying out here didn't seem all so bad.
Miranda decided that this place would be good enough to set up camp. She sat down her bag under a large hanging oak tree near the brook. She thought it would provide well enough cover from any aircraft up above and extra shelter from potential snow or rain. For now the sky looked clear but the air was beginning to chill. She knew night time would come soon and she debated as to whether or not she should build a fire. Surely it would be cold tonight but a fire would give away their location.
"What are we eating for dinner?" Caroline asked.
"I don't think we should build a fire, I'm afraid it's going to be peanut butter" Miranda said regretfully.
"Why can't we build a fire?" Cassidy asked, looking at her mother like she was crazy.
"I'm already freezing!" she added annoyed.
"If we light a fire, who knows who could see it"
"Do you see where we are, mom? We might as well be on the moon" the girl threw her arms up in the air in frustration. She thought her mom was being unreasonable.
"We wouldn't even be here if it weren't for you" the girl said angrily.
"Cassidy..."
"You were a part of the council. You got us here; this is all your fault!" She screeched.
"Cass, if it weren't for your mom, we wouldn't be anywhere" Andrea interjected.
"It is no one's fault. Okay? They tried to kill us. We had no choice and now this is what we're forced to do" Miranda stood and wiped off her hands, facing her daughter at full height.
"Now I will have none of this bickering, Cassidy, we've got enough to deal with and I don't have it in me to tolerate your attitude" Miranda said.
Cassidy was beyond angry now. She loathed her mother for bringing her here and now trying to control her too.
"You should have just left me there in London, I'd rather have died there. I fucking hate this and I hate you" She stormed off into the tree line.
Miranda watched, speechless but visibly affected as her daughter walked into the woods. Andrea stood from her task of putting the tent together and walked toward the trees as well, determined to talk to the girl and calm her down.
The older and very tired woman began to tear up. She was emotional and this argument just brought the rest of her feelings of failure to the surface. The weight of the world and all that she had done was beginning to settle onto her consciousness.
Tears poured from her eyes and she wept like a child. She covered her face and tried to sob quietly. She did not want Caroline to notice but she heard her stop what she was doing and began walking over to her.
"Mom, are you crying?" Caroline asked in disbelief as she knelt next to her and rested her palm on her mother's back.
"She's just upset, mom. You know how she gets" she offered.
" She's right. If I had never gotten involved with these people in the first place-"
"You would be particles of nuclear dust floating around New York- mom- its like you said, they tried to kill us and you got us out of there. Now... we just move forward."
Miranda's tears ceased as she allowed what her daughter said to sink in. She smiled up at her, hugging her close. Caroline was such a gentle soul. She was always closer to her than Cassidy was.
"I'm sorry, bobsey. I truly am." Miranda said as one last tear fell from her eyes.
"I know, mom. You'll get us out of this, though. I know you will" Caroline smiled.
She hugged her mother back and then stood, helping Miranda to stand as well. The two of them, together helped set up their tents.
Later that night, Miranda was so exhausted that she almost immediately fell asleep as soon as she laid down inside of an old sleeping bag. Andrea was lying beside her and quickly drifting off as well.
The next morning, Miranda woke early. She felt damp and achy. She sat up and stretched her limbs out, her jaw cracking as she yawned. Andrea stirred next to her and reached out her hand to feel for her older wife.
Miranda saw a smile spread of Andreas tired face. She laid down again but closer to her wife. She held her close and kissed her sweetly on her lips.
"So we've completed day one of our nomadic life. What's on today's agenda?" Andrea joked.
"Well, I figured we could stay here for a couple of days. Maybe explore the surroundings, see what we can do about some more food and supplies."
"How long do you think we'll have to do this, Miranda?"
"As long as it takes" she answered as she sat up and pulled on a fresh t shirt from her backpack and exited the tent. She didn't want to start that conversation again because she did not have any real answers.
Later Miranda and Caroline began to hike around the surrounding forest. Miranda wanted to get to get an understanding of their surroundings. She mentally noted the best routes out of camp and the best places to hide if they need to. Andrea had stayed back and camp with Cassidy. Caroline had not been alone with her mother in years. It was a strange feeling.
"How did you get on the council, mom?" Caroline asked curiously as they made their way through the forest.
Miranda's first instinct was to avoid the question, even outright refuse to answer but she knew that wouldn't be fair. She owed her daughter an explanation. Just like she had on the plane with Andrea, she took a deep breath and just allowed the truth to decompress.
She told her everything. She revealed her past, the truth behind her starting Runway magazine and why she had joined such a terrible organization like the council.
"Jesus christ...mom…" Caroline said, slowly picking up her feet again and walking ahead of her mother, processing her confession.
"Do you regret it?" she asked her, thinking she already knew the answer but now knowing that she didnt really seem to know her mother at all, she wasnt sure.
"They gave me everything they ever promised. It was not until everything started to unravel that I regretted anything. For a long time I didn't care that I was hurting anyone else. I just cared that my magazine continued, that I continued to make money and that I had the life i had always dreamed for myself and you girls"
Caroline didn't say anything but walked silently next to her mother for a while. She couldn't help the new twinge of disgust she felt for her. She was her mother, she loved her but she was astounded by her confession. She knew she could be cold, but not like this. She didn't want to hear anymore. She changed the subject.
"Where do you think we'll find Mr. White?" Caroline finally spoke again, breaking the tension built up between them.
"The only information I have to go on is that he was last seen in Denver a week ago and that he is from Wyoming. I imagine he is staked out somewhere near here in these ranges, but if not, then I imagine he's working his way north. Toward his family"
They came across a bush bearing tons of bright red berries. Miranda examined it closely. Looking at its leaves and picking a berry to smoosh between her fingers. She recognized them from her experience with a grandmother in England. She grew these bushy plants tall in her garden every year.
"These are currants. We should pick as many of these as we can" Miranda said, popping one into her mouth, her cheeks tingled with the sourness of the fruit but her mouth felt refreshed by the juice.
"If their looking for him like they are for us, then he might not come out of hiding at all" Caroline suggested as she started to help her mother pick the bright red berries, she ate one as well and spat it back out immediately. "These taste awful" she said as she watched her mom eat another.
Miranda smiled at Caroline as she watched her hesitate to pick the berries she had not admired the taste of."Their not quite ripe but they aren't that bad" she teased."What are the odds that we'll even find him?" Caroline asked. "I'll be honest they aren't good but I imagine he won't want to stay hidden too much longer" Miranda sighed.
"White was trying to start a rebellion before all this happened and now his recruitment pool just turned into an ocean. He knows if there's any chance of fighting back, he's going to have to start getting people on his side."
"Is that what this is all going to come to, a war?" Caroline asked, her voice cracking with emotion. "I don't see any other way. We're going to have to pick a side, and its clear which one its going to have to be" Miranda said as a matter of fact.
They filled their shirts with ripe currants and they walked back toward camp with their harvest. Caroline was still speechless. She has never felt this particular way before. It feels like grief and guilt mixed into one shitty feeling. She couldn't help but associate it with her new found knowledge of her mother. It explained so much that she didn't really want to know.
They got back to camp and poured the berries into another shirt. Andrea volunteered to take them down to the stream to wash them and collect water for lunch. Miranda had agreed that they could start a fire but it would have to be put out immediately after they were finished preparing their meals.
Miranda sent Cassidy and Caroline to collect firewood while she started to gather stones to put around it. An hour or so later, they had a small fire built and burning healthily next to a a small simmering pot of water.
"Whats on the menu?" Caroline joked, as she threw the last bundle of dry twigs next to them and sat down next to her mother. "I'm making Andrea and I oatmeal. There's a can of ravioli in my bag if you and your sister would rather eat that" Miranda said, picking up a spear shaped leaf of wild mint that she had found near the stream and offering it to Caroline.
"This place is amazing. It has so many things we can eat." Miranda said with a hopeful smile. They all ate together in peace. Cassidy's mood was even lighter with food in her stomach and a soothing fire to sit by. Once they finished though, as promised, Miranda killed the fire. They all sat around the smoldering ash for a while until Cassidy got up and went to her tent. Caroline shortly followed after her.
Miranda and Andrea sat together on a laid out green blanket, protecting them from the itchy grass and tiny bugs that crawl beneath it. They both enjoyed the silence of this place, the peaceful feeling of being away from the rest of the world. The sky was beginning to darken and they could see just beyond the mountains a storm was forming. Miranda's heart dropped. She later heard the rumble of thunder and it was not long after that the rain began.
The rain fell in giant drops and quickly flooded the area. Miranda and Andrea had managed to get everything inside of their tents before they zipped themselves inside their tent and listened to the torrential rains beat down on them from above. It wasn't long before their tent was being unzipped from the outside and two soaking wet redheads entered with blankets over their head.
"Jesus, it's really bad out there! I can't even see the mountains" Caroline said loudly over the pattering rain drops. They all scrunched into the tiny two person tent and the two girls laid down next to their mothers. They listened to the slightly terrifying sound of the rain pouring outside and the cracks of thunder splitting the sky. Somehow amidst all of the chaos of the storm each of them drifted off to sleep one by one.
Later Miranda was woken by a loud crack of thunder. She sat up and noticed that everyone else was still sound asleep. She couldn't hear the rain anymore. Her bladder felt full. She slowly maneuvered around the tent until she was able to unzip the entrance and step out.
The ground was soggy and muddy, she felt the grass and mud squish between her toes. She stepped away out from under the large dripping oak tree to a group of boulders. She pulled down her pants, squatting behind the rocks.
It was still dark but now eerily quiet as the storm was in the distance now. Clouds above still flashed with pulses of lightning though, lighting the sky like daylight in areas that were completely dark before.
She tried to relax and leaned against the boulder. In the distance, through the trees she thought she saw movement. It made her heart race immediately. She kept completely still and continued to watch the area for movement. She wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Then there was a flash of lightning, illuminating the area she had suspected and she saw them. There were clearly at least two people walking through the forest on the far side of the meadow. One was wearing a deep brown raincoat and the other was wearing green. They didn't stand out through the trees but she could certainly see them now.
Miranda was nervous about them. She figured they were likely just backpackers who were passing through after the storm had ended but she hoped they had not spotted their tents.
She sat there for a long while. Until the meadow began to lighten with the morning sun. The hikers were long gone but she was now curious as to what kind of traffic was coming through this area. If she was as far off the map as she had thought she was. This place was perfect and perhaps it was too perfect. The moment they started getting comfortable again was when she should start to worry.
Andrea eventually emerged from the tent and came to sit next to Miranda. She examined her face and saw that her eyes were sunken again and she looked like she rested poorly the night before.
"Did you sleep okay, Miranda?" She asked, hooking her arm in her wifes and leaning into her affectionately.
"Yeah, I slept alright" she said, and it was the truth. She had slept decently enough while she had but now she couldn't even think about rest. She felt like she should be on guard, like she had been truly neglecting that responsibility that past couple of nights here.
"Is there something bothering you?" She inquired further.
"I'm worried that I won't be able to protect you" she said softly, almost afraid to speak the words.
"Sometimes you can't, Miranda. All of us, were going to have to learn to protect ourselves" Andrea told her, placing a calming hand on her back.
Miranda looked at her, her expression said that she knew she was right. It had not yet registered in either of their minds but a steady echoing chopping sound could be heard far in the distance to the east. Miranda furrowed her brow in confusion, listening closely to it.
Her heart sunk, she recognized the sound as the steady chopping of helicopter blades. She pulled Andrea to the ground and looked in panic back at the red colored tents under the oak tree. She hoped the helicopters would not see their tents from where they were. She scanned the skies around her and couldn't find the source. It seemed to get louder. Then she spotted them. Three military helicopters were just appearing over the far side of the eastern forest line.
Her chest ached with stress. If they landed and decided to see what they were up to, she knew they would likely execute them right here. Her body couldn't take this much stress, adrenalin began to pour into her system.
She held her breath as she watched them fly over the forest on the far side of the meadow. It seemed to take forever for them to disappear but they finally did over the ridge of a mountain. Once they did she got up and ran over the tents, frantically throwing everything into their bags and ordering Andrea to tear down the twin's tent.
"Get everything together, we have to move right now" Miranda urged.
She wanted to get out of this meadow. If those helicopters had noticed the tents then she wanted to be moving. She registered calm on the outside but was nearly panicking on the inside. Where were those helicopters going? What were they doing? There shouldn't be a base around here for another twenty or so miles north.
She felt she was being careless these last couple of days, too confident in their isolation but it had been proven twice to her today that she was still not completely alone out here.
Not twenty minutes later, they were packed and heading back into the forest. Miranda wanted to get as far away from that old oak tree as possible. She wouldn't let her girls stop for the first couple of hours of hiking. She was more than afraid that the helicopters would come back. She wanted to put serious distance between her and that clearing.
