The Complete Crimson Forest series

Bryxx: Chapter 11

Our plane lands on a small runway in what appears to be the middle of nowhere. The land is flat and barren. I can see for what feels like miles. Kade thanks the pilot and hands him a wad of cash before helping me off the plane. A car waits for us off to the side of the runway and we head for it quickly.

Kade opens the passenger door for me and then hops in the driver's side. He hammers on the gas, leaving skid marks behind us. He keeps the radio down as he whips a U-turn and one handedly fiddles with the gps. He types in longitude and latitude to my surprise and the gps chimes that we are sixty miles away. I grab onto the handle on the roof, a bit scared of his reckless driving even though I know he'd never hurt me.

We drive the sixty miles without incident and in total silence the air seems thick with tension the entire ride. Why is he acting this way? Could he have heard Jane I's conversation? Yes, but he was acting strange before that. Is he just being completely professional and in tune with our surroundings in order to keep me safe? I hope so.

We drive through a small town or village as the sign states. "Welcome to Village of Green Lake". Population is stated as 418 people. My god, we are in the middle of nowhere. He wasn't exaggerating. We don't stop in Green Lake. We keep driving. For a while, there are bodies of water on each side of the road and then we cross over a river and turn left onto a gravel road which we follow for at least ten minutes before we pull into a yard surrounded by evergreen trees. The property looks out of place when considering the barren land around us. Although empty, the area seems to have its own sense of beauty, the land so untouched by mankind.

We stop in front of small, grey house, a barn off to one side. Kade gets out first and grabs our bags, before opening my door for me. I manage to get out all on my own. The silence here is deafening and reminds me of where I grew up in Montana. Birds chirp and the wind rustles the trees. In the distance, I hear cows mooing.

"This is it," he breathes as if relieved to finally be here. I know I am.

The house is dainty but larger than my apartment. It has two bedrooms and the entire house is furnished. There are even groceries stocked.

"Who did all this?" I ask while digging through the fridge.

Kade comes up behind me to inspect the fridge. "I'm paying someone to pick up groceries and whatever else we need once a week from a nearby town."

I frown. "Why? I think a little social interaction would be nice once a week."

He grimaces. "Maybe in a couple weeks. I want to make sure the area is safe first."

I nod. I guess that makes sense.

"What are we going to do with ourselves out here?" I ask.

"We have four cows and three chickens," he offers, a grin playing at his lips for the first time in too long.

I can't tell if he's joking or not.

He points out the kitchen window to where four cows stand in a small pasture and a little chicken coop sits.

"Can I name them?" I ask excitedly. I love animals and he knows it.

His grin gains strength. "They're cows, May."

"They still deserve names!" I argue and race out the door to see them.

When he doesn't stop me, I speed up in excitement. This is the most freedom I've had in days or even weeks.

"Jane." I point to the plain brown cow. "Betty." The black one. "Georgia." The brown one with the white nose. "And Violet." The white one.

Kade nods, impressed. "You going to name the chickens too?"