Dead Center by G. Michael Hopf

Author:G. Michael Hopf [Hopf, G. Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-09-25T16:00:00+00:00

SEPTEMBER 23, 2016

“One is not exposed to danger who, even when in safety is always on their guard.” – Publilius Syrus

TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST, CALIFORNIA

Nestled in the trees with a creek bubbling just below sat the old hunting cabin. The weathered oak planks were grayed from years of exposure and the harsh elements of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Cautiously, Lexi advanced, her rifle at the ready and Sasha now positioned on her back in the carrier.

Sasha cooed.

“I know, I’m being careful,” Lexi said as if answering a warning from Sasha. The five-day trek across the rugged mountains had been arduous, but Joe was right, she was in the middle of nowhere. This little cabin just happened to be in one of the most isolated and remote areas of the mountains imaginable. This gave her peace of mind, but until she knew for sure the cabin was secure, she wouldn’t let her hair down just yet.

She cleared the short distance and was now a foot from the front door. A small window sat to the left of it. She leaned over and peered inside but couldn’t see anything in the darkened space.

Sasha cooed.

“I know it looks empty, but you can never be too sure,” Lexi replied. She reached down with her left hand, pressed the latch and pushed. The door creaked open. The midday light chased the dark away to expose a single room. A rectangular table sat in the middle, surrounded by four chairs; to the far right was a cot, the mattress rolled up; to the far left a wood-burning stove sat in the corner, a stack of wood piled next to it. She crossed the threshold and got a closer look to find a small sink with a wooden counter tucked up against the wall, but what was missing was a faucet. Upon closer examination she saw a bucket positioned under the sink and then it made sense. The sink was there simply to wash things, there was no plumbing, and any water was captured in the bucket and tossed outside. But where did the water come from?

Sasha cooed.

“Yep, looks empty to me too. I hope you like tight spaces, kid,” Lexi replied.

Sasha again cooed, as if responding.

“Yeah, well, I know it’s dirty, but we can clean it up,” Lexi said. “How about we look around outside?” She exited the cabin and walked the perimeter to find a shack with a tin roof. She tossed open the door to find tools and gear, including axes, shovels, chains, rope, wood hand saws and an assortment of small hand tools like hammers, screwdrivers, channel locks and the like. Stacked to the ceiling was wood, cut and split. The wood gave her an idea. Was there a chain saw in there? She looked but couldn’t find one.

“A lot of this will come in handy,” she said.

Sasha vocalized as she sucked on her fingers.

The sound of cracking branches sounded from outside. Lexi stiffened and peeked her head just enough to get a glimpse around the side of the shack to see a mule deer standing not forty feet from her.

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