Wildfire - A Fanfiction

Chapter Nine

"Get off here," Georgia pointed to an exit after two of "With A Little Help From My Friends" and three of "Yellow Submarine".

Kami mock saluted before trying to drift through the curved road.

"What are we doing here?" Alex asked while prying his hand from the door handle.

"Sun's going down soon. Saw a brochure for this campground in the glovebox and thought this could be a good place to stay the night."

Alex didn't look convinced.

Following Georgia's directions, Kami turned into a dusty parking lot. Empty cars sat in front of some cabins and a small store.

Kami turned off the engine and they got out. Alex grabbed the key from her hand. "First of all, you're not driving anymore. Not ever."

She rolled her eyes. "We're still alive, aren't we?"

A rabbit ran across the path in front of them, causing them all to turn suddenly as they started at the sound of paws on gravel.

"Should we really be staying the night here? What if they are still-" Kami tilted her head in the direction of the cabins, "-campers around?"

Georgia rolled out her shoulders as she began walking towards the store. "We can check here for supplies, and if it's secure, we can stay. Otherwise, we'll keep going. But I agree with Alex, you probably should let us drive." She tugged on the door. It swung open with some resistance.

Alex picked up a stray board on the porch and headed inside first, armed with a prybar from the toolbox. "Clear," he called.

Georgia and Kami hurried inside. Alex closed the door, bracing the handle with the board of wood.

Inside was a normal camp store, with a few shelves of basic food, a pile of firewood, and a wall lined with various camp supplies. Georgia guessed that one room on the far side of the shop was another storeroom, but she was surprised when another door was open to a stairwell leading to another level she hadn't noticed from outside.

She headed up the stairs.

It was a tiny apartment, even smaller than the shop, just one room with a stove and a small table in one corner, a small bed in the other, and a little bathroom that looked more like a closet. Georgia ducked inside and saw the room was more of a shower, with a small sink and toilet and no shower curtain to keep everything from getting wet. "Weird." She tried the tap. A steady stream flowed through it.

She ducked out of the bathroom. "I think they must have had a private water supply. There's still water in the bathroom."

Alex was fiddling with the stove. "I've never seen a real woodstove before, let alone used one."

"We'll figure it out," she assured him.

A small window overlooked the campground. Georgia looked outside for a moment before noticing a small pocketknife and a tiny wooden carving. She picked it up and examined it. Despite its diminutive size and stylized design, the carving was distinct. It was clearly a detailed bear, resting on its hind legs.

She set it down, turning it towards the window to keep watch. She slipped the pocketknife in her pocket.

Back downstairs, Kami had found some cots. She pulled them off the shelf and handed them to Georgia and Alex. "We only need two," Georgia said. "There's already a bed up there."

"Really?" Kami dropped the cot in her hands and darted up the stairs.

When Georgia and Alex got back upstairs, Kami was sprawled out on the bed in the corner. "I call dibs," she grinned.

Georgia st up her cot by the window and dropped her bag.

"Do you guys want spaghetti tonight? I think I saw some in the store," said Kami.

"I'll get some firewood," Alex said. They all went back downstairs to the shop.

Georgia knew that she should have felt at least a little unsettled, rooting through shelves in a dark store, but she didn't. That itself was eerie. How could she accept the end of the world so easily?

"Here it is!" Kami held up a few boxes of pasta. "And here's some tomato sauce."

Georgia smirked as she watched Kami try to walk without dropping anything. She emptied a half-full basket of penlights on a counter and handed it to Kami to put her new groceries in. She also picked up some canned fruit cocktail, a box of protein bars, and styrofoam dishes. They headed upstairs, where Alex was struggling with the stove.

"It never catches and I don't know why!" Alex stood up furiously.

Georgia stepped forward. "I'll give it a try. We need water to boil the spaghetti and I saw some cases of water bottles downstairs, could you get them please?"

Alex grumbled as he left the room.

Georgia peered inside the stove and started pulling out several pieces of wood until only a few small pieces still sat inside. She stuffed some newspapers from downstairs inside and got up to get the matches from the counter. "To start a fire, you need three things," she explained. "Oxygen, heat, and fuel. If there's the wrong amount of any of those, it won't work."

Kami leaned off the edge of the bed to watch. "How do you know this stuff?"

"I went camping with my brother and grandpa a lot. Usually, he would make us pitch a tent in the rain. I remember we actually stayed in an actual cabin once, with a wood stove. And if I'm right, this opens airflow through the bottom." Georgia spun a round dial on the bottom of the stove and struck a match, setting it to the paper. It began to burn where it caught on the arrangement of sticks. Georgia closed the door tightly and they watched the flames blossom. "Also if I remember correctly, this is only the first part. We're supposed to add more logs later after the fire is established."

Alex entered with two cases of water. "How is it going?"

"Good. Thanks for getting the water, now we can start dinner."

While they waited for the stove to heat and for the water to boil, they divided the large can of fruit. When the water was ready, they ended up preparing two large boxes. There were no leftovers. As soon as they washed their plates, Alex sat down on his cot and Kami immediately collapsed on the bed. Georgia could almost forget they weren't just on some vacation.

But they weren't. "I can take the first watch," Georgia said as she finished cleaning up.

Georgia leaned on the windowsill, looking outside while the others drifted to sleep. It was quiet. Moonlight washed over her and the little bear as they kept watch together.