Starting Over. A Bam Brown story

Starting Over. Part Two

You could smell smoke. Opening your eyes and looking around, you realized you were lying on a small cot. The room was shadowy and warm. The pervasive odor of wood smoke was strong but it was somehow comforting and you weren't afraid. Letting your eyes adjust to the dark, you gingerly slid your hand down to feel your injured leg. It still hurt, but not as much as before. Turning your head on the pillow, you could make out the vague image of a half-barrel drum that glowed with heat. So that explained the smoke. But there was nothing familiar in your surroundings and you knew it was too dark in the room for you to be a hospital.

You sat up slowly, your head pounding. Reaching under the covers and grabbing your injured right leg, you drug it toward the side of the bed and gently placed your foot on the ground. The damp ground chilled your foot immediately and you realized you were not wearing any shoes or socks.

"Don't." Came the deep male voice from a few feet away.
"Who's there?" You squinted into the darkness trying to make out the figure.
"It's me." You didn't see who spoke but you recognized the voice of the man from the street.
"You say that like we've known each other forever." You mumbled crossly, grimacing from the sharp pain as you pulled your leg back onto the bed and under the covers.

Bam pushed himself up from where he had been sitting on the floor. He picked up the wool poncho that he had placed on the ground underneath him and hung it on a hook on the wall. You could dimly see that the walls were covered in what looked like white plastic. Where in the world had he taken you?

"So, let's get to know each other." Bam pulled a thick block of cut wood over to the side of the bed and sitting down, he leaned close to you.
"I'm Bam Brown. And you are a guest in my house. So be nice."
"Wow. So, you are caring, but with an attitude."

You didn't know if he could see your smile or not but you could see his. It was a sweet, open smile. His eyes behind his glasses were gentle, but his voice was firm. He was definitely a complicated man. But you didn't have time for that. You needed to get back and finish what you started.
"Thanks for everything. I mean that. But I really need to get going."
"It's the middle of the night." He spoke the words simply and without emotion so you couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"Well, even so, I'm sure they have cabs here in Hoonah, so I'll just get one to take me where I need to go."
"You're not in Hoonah." His direct manner of speaking was starting to make you a little uneasy. That and the fact that you now had no idea where you were or what his intentions were in bringing you to this place.

Your mind reeled trying to reconstruct your meeting with him and the other, big, beefy guy with the curly hair. But you couldn't remember much more after telling him to leave you alone. Which clearly, he didn't obey.
"OK." You tried to keep your voice calm as you began to plan your getaway. "Where am I, exactly?" You leaned back on the lumpy pillow and looked around you for a weapon of some kind. If you had to fight your way out, you would. Your backpack was nowhere in sight, but you weren't too surprised that he had kept that out of your reach. It didn't even matter that he may have searched through it and found the documents. You didn't have to explain anything to him. A sweep of the room netted a rifle hanging on a hook on the wall, a huge bush knife hanging right next to it, and finally a wooden bow. None of them were within easy reach for you. Bam's eyes followed the direction of your eyes and he smiled again as he watched your gaze fall on each weapon.
"If I was going to kill you, I would've done it by now." His smile and tone were teasing and you looked back at him. You didn't know why, but you started to relax. A little.
"That's true." You answered slowly. "But you didn't answer my question. Where am I, exactly?"

You looked closely at Bam as you asked your question and noticed how long his hair was. It had been pulled back from his forehead earlier so you had assumed it was short. But with the flickering light from the barrel fire, you could now see the long, loose curls spilling over his shoulders. Your eyes jerked back up to his when you realized you had been staring.
"What?" You stammered as he laughed at you. You had been so caught up in looking at his hair that you hadn't heard his answer.
"I said you're in Brown Town." He placed his hands on his thighs and pushed himself up to stand. "Get some sleep. We'll talk more in the morning."

Bam added a few small branches to the fire and checked to make sure the smoke was escaping upwards through the flue.
"By the way." He spoke without turning around. "I washed your clothes after I gave you a bath." He laid down on a small cot on the other side of the room and rolled over, away from you.

Your eyes flew open wide in the darkness. Your heart began to pound and your mouth was suddenly dry. Lifting up the heavy blanket that covered you, you looked underneath and gasped. You were completely naked.