Dad whipped the wheel left, sending the SUV and trailer teetering off its center of gravity. Matt was sure two of the wheels left the pavement briefly and the trailer had unhitched and was careening toward the ditch, but when Dad straightened the wheel, both were intact.
The details of the armored vehicles were becoming more visible as they neared. The SUV and trailer barreled perpendicular toward the intersection, just slightly ahead of the caravan. They were going to make it, but only barely.
Flashing blue and red lights appeared in the rear view camera monitor.
“Police.” Mom breathed, her voice shallow after the last turn.
Dad peered ahead, pushing the gas pedal. “They won’t pass the edge of town.”
The last few moments were excruciating, watching the armored vehicles close in as they raced toward the intersection. Seconds felt like years, as if the whole thing was happening in slow motion. Jenna continued to grip his hand, her palms sweaty. His were too.
Dad pressed the gas pedal to the floor. The SUV’s engine whined as it strained with the extra weight behind it. They were almost at the intersection. Five hundred yards. Then four hundred. Then three.
The giant beetle vehicles closed in, large caliber weapons adorning the tops and side of each. Dad ignored the closing vehicles and sped the SUV and trailer through the intersection seconds before the caravans converged, forced to slow down and let the vehicle go.
“Will they follow us, Dad?” Jenna sputtered as Dad slowed the SUV briefly while mom strained to look out the side mirrors.
The screen of the rear camera showed no pursuit.
“I don’t think so,” He said skeptically, “They have their orders to secure the town. I think we got out just in time.”
“Yeah, no thanks to Matt.” Jenna sat up straight, her face still white.
Matt yanked his hand out of hers. “At least my hands don’t feel like a swamp.” He made a face at her.
She returned the gesture, but then softened as she realized she was left without her brother’s reassuring hand. “But, I guess we did make it.” She added.
Mom whipped around in her seat. “Matt, that was incredibly foolish. And selfish. We have practiced this for nearly a year, and you knew the boundaries. You were too far from the house and wasn’t watching your communicator. We talked about how crucial adhering to the plan was, and you ignored those warnings.”
Matt slunk into his seat. His mom glared at him, then glanced at Jenna. “Now, I will hear nothing else about this, from either of you.”
They drove for hours, the orange sun finally settling over the Western hills. There was not much conversation after the scolding, with the exception of Mom giving Dad directions and the bag of snacks she passed back to he and Jenna. An apple, a few oranges, and some crackers to alleviate the growling stomachs from missed dinner. Other than that, it was a silent, painful ride of shame.
There were only a few other cars on the road, but that was normal for that region of Idaho. Mountains, forests, and farms were pretty much the prevailing landscape feature in the panhandle. Matt watched as the stretching farms become a darkened blur of trees out the window.
He felt foolish for listening to Luca. Luca was always the one talking him into things. Matt was the level-headed one that would rather follow the rules than let someone down. Somehow, however, Luca never seemed to get in trouble, and Matt always did. Luca was the risk taker, why should he have to take the blame for Luca’s dumb ideas?
“Four-two, ETA one hour.” The radio crackled to life in the front seat.
Dad picked up the microphone. “Seven-one, ETA one hour thirty.”
“Six-thr—, ETA three —urs.” A garbled voice came over the radio.
“—eight, ET—four—.” Still another voice broke through the airwaves.
The SUV began a slow ascent into the mountains. Dad fiddled with the radio dial. “That had to be the Simmons and the Butlers.” He said to mom.
Bennet and Nolan’s families were meeting them at the mansion as well. All four families had been good friends for years, so naturally the four boys had become fast friends. It was tough to see them move away a year ago and break up the group, but at least they would soon be together again. Too bad it wasn’t the best circumstances for a reunion.
Matt laid his head back, watching the long shadows of the trees mesh together in the growing darkness. Jenna leaned her pillow over toward the middle of the seat, leaning against his shoulder. Matt brushed her gold-colored hair out of his face. She could be such a pain sometimes, always getting him in trouble. Why did she continue to want to be near him?
Closing his eyes, he thought about what they would be leaving behind. Only a few years ago, life had seemed normal. He went to school, went exploring with Luca and the others on the weekends, and played video games. When he could, he would visit the library to study and trace maps. Maps of all kinds. Treasure maps, historical maps, political maps. He loved looking at the various geological features of the world, mountains and jungles—the hundreds of tiny uninhabited islands spread across the world.
But everything had changed in such a short period of time. Now, the school had reduced classes to two days a week, with the other two online. Shopping, entertainment venues, and most social interaction had nearly disappeared, and just leaving the house was potentially life-threatening, especially for adventuring. Food shortages were everywhere, and if it weren’t the local farms in the area there would be even more violence. The only thing that seemed to be left was the drone races. With no other entertainment to speak of, it became the most popular thing to do in town.
The SUV hummed softly as it worked its way up the long inclines. Matt had really no idea what to expect at the property. He only knew that if it had been owned by his grandfather, it was probably going to be interesting—and perhaps even mysterious. One thing would certain, however, and that would be that life would be very different…
***********************
“Matt, hun, wake up.” He heard his mom’s voice saying. His eyes fluttered open. “We’re here.”
Dad and Jenna were already gone. He looked out the window, but the dome light from the SUV only allowed him to see darkness. Opening the door, he grabbed his backpack and slid out into the cool air. Letting his eyes adjust, he looked around. Stars poked through the night sky brightly, and the large dark shape of an enormous building loomed before them. There was a single orange glow emanating from one of the lower level windows.
“Grab those suitcases and let’s get inside.” Mom told him.
Matt complied.
They walked toward the mansion steps, which fanned out from the thick wooden door at the top nearly thirty feet. The building was brick with at least three stories, showing several gables and fireplaces on its steeply-pitched roof. The silhouettes of two turrets winged each side of the mansion, their coned tops pointing skyward.
Luca met him outside the door, grabbing one of his suitcases. From his expression, he had also received a bit of a scolding. “Your room is pretty stellar,” He told him quietly, “I’ll show you where it is.”
Matt didn’t respond back, partly because he was still half-asleep, and partly because he was still frustrated with Luca. Instead, he followed his friend in silence into the massive foyer. It was cold and dark, but even in the dim light of the single torch on the wall he could see the magnificent iron chandelier that hung from the cathedral ceiling. Among its numerous candelabras and intricate designs, four iron statues of creatures stood on each of the four sides. While Matt couldn’t see the details of the others, he could make out a bear and a wolf on the two sides that faced the light.
The rest of the room was just as opulent, with large chunky framed portraits adorning the walls, and several dusty pieces of ornate furniture set in various parts. Another set of wide stairs with a carved banister led up to a balcony overlooking the foyer, where on either side flanked hallways that no doubt led to bedrooms.
Luca led Matt across the soft stone floor to the left of the stairway. “Your family is in this wing,” He told him. “Three bedrooms and three huge bathrooms in this wing. Your bedroom looks like a library.”
Matt nodded, taking in the sights as they walked down the hall. He had never been in a castle before, but this is exactly what he would expect it to look like. “No electricity here?” He muttered in the dark hallway.
“There’s one or two outlets in the entire house I think. We will have to explore more tomorrow to see. Here’s your room.” Luca said.
He led Matt to a heavy walnut colored door. Strange battle scenes were carved into the wood. Luca opened the door, revealing a large room with a stone fireplace, a giant bed with iron bed posts, and bookshelves from floor to ceiling on three of the walls. Two large red velvet chairs and a coffee table were situated in front of the dormant fire.
Luca pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit the two lamp stands on either side of the room. “My room isn’t quite this over-the-top, but it’s still pretty fetching,” He told him, yawning, “Enjoy sleeping in Antarctica. There’s no wood for the fires until tomorrow. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He set the suitcase down and left the room, closing the door behind him. Not long after, Matt’s mom came into the room. She immediately got to work shaking the dust out of the comforter and patting the pillows. “I know it’s a bit dusty, but it’s going to have to do for tonight,” She said, “We will wash the sheets and linens tomorrow and find some wood for the fireplaces. It’s going to be a chilly night, if you need more blankets I can bring some—“
“I’ll be fine, mom.” Matt told her.
She dropped a pillow and hugged him. “I’m sorry I was so angry earlier.”
“It’s okay. It was my fault. I deserved it. Actually, I deserved way worse.” He responded.
She squeezed him then let him go. “I am just glad we made it. We need to pray that the other two families make it in okay tonight.”
“Okay,” Matt told her, “Dad will be monitoring the radio, won’t he?”
“Of course. I can’t get him off that thing,” She told him, “Sleep well. Maybe we can make some biscuits in the morning.”
“Good night.” He said, climbing into the luxuriously soft sheets. Even dusty they were incredibly comfortable.
She closed the door behind her.
Laying his head back, Matt stared at the ceiling. Even it had intricate designs in the copper-colored tiles. The soft glow of the candelabra his mom left on near the bed cast odd shadows on the books on the shelves. He wondered how much interesting history would be in them. And maps. Lots of maps…
He closed his eyes, the low whistle of the breeze coming through the chimney fading into a symphony of unearthly music as he let his body slip off to sleep…
——————————————————————————————
Something startled him awake early. His eyes shot open, his face hot. What did he just hear? A strange howl, or scream? It was nearly inaudible, somewhere outside in the distance.
He listened for a long time, waiting for it to happen again. But he only heard silence. Fighting sleep, he let one eye close. Then another…
Another howl-scream broke the silence.
His eyes shot open a second time. It couldn’t be real. His mind was playing tricks on him. Slipping out of bed, he padded over to the large window that was shared with the bathroom. The moon splayed an eerie white glow over the expansive yard and onto the distant tree line. The wind had picked up, and the tops of the pines nearest the house were swaying softly back and forth.
Then a gust whipped suddenly down the chimney and blew out the candles, leaving him with only the eerie white glow of the moon in the room.
A chill ran up his spine as another howling scream followed the gust.
It had to be a bear, or wolf, or something. They made those noises, right?
He forced himself back to bed after a few minutes. Slipping under the covers, he waited for another noise. When there was none, he began to nod off once again. The last thing that went through his mind was Luca’s drone crossing the finish line…
