Consequences

chapter 39: The Duckblind

"It's a Duckblind."

"Stop saying that." Jared hauled the body bag out of the back seat. "It's not a duckblind."

"Jared. Look at it. Tell me it's not a duckblind one more time. I mean really look."

He sighed and looked at the small, tent like structure that sat before us slightly covered with dirt and leaves.

"Okay so it is kind of like a duckblind. I mean it looks like one. But that's not what it is." He started toward it with purpose in his stride.

I had quite a few snide remarks up my sleeve but let's be honest, the situation could be worse. It'll just be like camping, right? I've done that.

I bowed to get through the opening. "You're in the way." Jared said flatly.

"What way. There's nowhere else to go."
He shoved me to the corner of the room and bent down to pull a weed in the middle of the ground.

Landscaping.. How nice.

My thoughts were silenced, however, when instead of pulling up the weed, a significant patch of dirt came up with it. It formed a sort of trap door, revealing muddy, makeshift stairs. "Whoa. Where does this lead?"

"Be my guest." He gestured for me to lead the way into the pit.

A smile shrugged onto my lips as I slowly stepped into the hole in the ground. "Cool." I muttered as I walked down the steep decline.

The bottom met my feet suddenly. It was dark and hard to see so at first I was a bit nervous. "Jared?"

"One sec." He plopped down next to me and lit a match. As he made his way into the dark, I stood as still as a statue watching.

I saw him reach out and pull a thick, metal switch. And that's when I was suddenly blinded by a very bright light.

After blinking multiple times, I moved my arms away and looked around. "Whoa. How did you do this?"

A sizable room stood before me. It held a small desk with a computer, two beds, a rickety looking shelf system full of food, mostly canned goods, and a couple extra chairs. The walls, ceiling, and floor were a mixture of mud and concrete.

"Sorry there's no flooring. It took Colton and I a long time to get this far."

"You made this together?"

"Yeah.."

"It's impressive." It was simple and crude but it somehow felt cozy. "So you made this as a sort of safehouse?"

"Yeah. When we started this we didn't have enough money to build an actual structure. So we dug it out. When we finally did have the money, we didn't have time to take on such a big project."

"Wow." I turned slowly as I once again studied the room. "I call the corner bed."

"I get the corner bed."

"Why?"

"Because it'll be warmer in the other bed."

"Why couldn't you have been this considerate before?"

"I didn't have to be." I looked at him. Not expecting that answer but at the same time not surprised. "And I didnt feel like it."

"The truth comes out." I scoffed and plopped down on my bed. "Who all knows about this place?"

"Just you, now."

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I've been sitting in my bed, staring into the darkness for the past hour. The same nightmare made an appearance after days of me thinking I was free from it. I woke up screaming, though it somehow didn't wake my Brother who was still sound asleep.