Stormbound - pt 12 - by Gun Brooke

"But the car won't be reported stolen until weeks from now,” Tiffany said, trying to wrap her brain around Izzy's reasoning. I rented it for a month.”

"Money buys a lot of information, Tiff.” Izzy drove the jeep up the hill to the gravel road turning toward Farlow's Creek. "Anyone could be persuaded to provide information, it's just a matter of having enough cash, or possibly a compelling story.”

"Oh, goodness.” Tiffany grabbed the armrests. ”I'm so sorry.”

"No, I'm sorry.” Izzy sounded cold, but beneath the layers of cool professionalism, Tiffany thought she detected hurt and anxiety.

"Okay, we're both sorry.” Tiffany sighed. "So where are we going? I saw you put a ton of equipment in the back.”

"We're going off the grid.”

"Meaning?”

"Out into the wilderness. We're on the edge of Cascade Mountains. There is a lot of empty space in the national park areas where we can literally just disappear because they are so remote and that it’s exactly what we are going to do. Disappear. ”

"That is hardly a long-term solution,” Tiffany said carefully.

”I know, but it will give us some time to regroup and come up with a viable solution.. The situation back at the cabin was just too risky. Too many unknowns. We have to have some distance between us and that damn car so we can sort things out and not worry about who the hell will come through the door.”

"You're right.” Shuddering, Tiffany wanted to reach out and hold Izzy's hand, but the stern profile of the woman she'd spent one amazing night making love with, didn't encourage her.

"You okay?” Izzy suddenly turned her head and glanced at Tiffany for a moment.

"Yes. I'm fine.” Tiffany wished that were true, but she wasn't about to let Izzy see her weakness.

"It's all right to be afraid you know.” Izzy's voice softened marginally. "In fact it's a normal when you’re in an unfamiliar environment and you don't know who or where the enemy is. Hell, I'm afraid too."

Tiffany doubted it, the last statement especially. She didn't think anything could really rattle Izzy. She had stepped into soldier-mode instantly and taken command. Tiffany felt something nudge her arm and jumped. Looking down she saw Izzy's hand reach for her. She took the proffered hand and clung to it.

"You know, fear's not a bad thing. It keeps you sharp. The secret is to channel it."

"How? asked Tiffany as she stared at her and Izzy's hands.

"Use it as a motivator. Feed off the adrenaline. Don't let it control you, you control it."

"Easy for you to say, you've had a lot of practice."

"Tiff, you can do this. I’ll help you.”

Izzy suddenly withdrew her hand from Tiffany's and grabbed the steering wheel making a hard right turn. "We're not going to go through Farlow's Creek,” Izzy said. ”We'll take this road and head north. Once we hit the national forest we'll be safe.”

Tiffany nodded. It sounded doable. She shifted in her seat, curling up in the too-big Gore-Tex jacket that held Izzy's scent. She looked out in the dark night, wishing they were back in the cabin, safely tucked away under the blankets. I'm not cut out to be on the run. Glancing over at Izzy's austere profile, she suddenly realized that even if she wasn't, Izzy were. She simply just knows what to do and I believe her when she says we'll be all right.

***

Izzy rubbed her aching eyes. The jeep's headlights slashed through the darkness, lighting up the narrow road. So far they hadn't passed any other cars, which was hardly surprising at the early hour. She glanced at the dashboard clock. Six am. Yawning, she tried to gauge how much farther it was before they reached their initial destination. Perhaps an hour. She hated not being able to accelerate, but the risk of hitting wild animals or missing cracks or potholes in the road made by the rainstorm, was too big.

Tiffany was dosing off next to her, her golden head resting against the seat belt. It was almost impossible to fathom that only a few days ago, Izzy didn't even know Tiffany existed. She had just packed the jeep with all her camping equipment, survival gear, and a hunting rifle and some other weapons she was licensed to carry, and all for this elfin girl.

”No, I can't,” Tiffany murmured and squirmed.

”Shh. You're okay.” Izzy patted Tiffany's leg and she calmed down.

The pressure in Izzy's chest, which had increased ever since they'd left the cabin, was hard to figure out. It came and went, and since Izzy knew for sure her heart was entirely healthy, it had to be emotional. Tenderness. The thought struck her out of nowhere. Overwhelming, all-consuming tenderness. Izzy blinked. That was it. As much as she tried to stay in a mission focused mode, a persistent part of Izzy's brain only thought of how she wanted to protect Tiffany. Not only physically, but from the fear she could see in Tiffany's eyes whenever they talked about her reason for fleeing. Why does her wellbeing, her happiness, mean so much to me? The answer lay just a whisper away from being obvious, but Izzy couldn't brave that last hurdle, which would bring her feelings out in the open.

A bump in the road shook the jeep and Izzy gripped the wheel harder. A faint light in the east showed that the sun was about to come up. Izzy had mixed feelings about that as well. Driving and navigating in the rough terrain was easier during daytime, but Tiffany was less safe for being more visible.

Soon, Izzy turned the jeep off the hardened two lane road and onto an old gravel road that was used for harvesting and hauling lumber. Tiffany woke up, blinking against the light and rubbing her eyes.

"We there yet?” she asked sleepily, and Izzy had to smile.

"Almost. We still have a ways to go. There's an old lumber camp up near a lake that I used to go hunting and fishing with my family. Only the locals are familiar with it because it's been abandoned since the 50's. The road gets a little dicey in spots but nothing a four wheel drive can't handle.

"So it’s unlikely we'll run into anyone?" Tiffany asked

Izzy nodded, not taking her eyes off the road ahead. "The areas is pretty secluded and other than the locals, no one is likely to stumble on it, especially this time of year."

"Good.” Tiffany pushed her hair back and tied it together with a pink scrunchy. The contrast between the camouflage jacket and the hair band was endearing.

They continued to drive along the gravel road for quite some time. There were several times that it Tiffany felt they would fall off the side of the mountain. The road was so narrow, when she looked out all she could see was the distant valley below and it terrified her.

"Have I mentioned how fond I am of heights?" she asked as she griped the dash of the jeep trying to steady herself as they bounced along.

"Hang in there, Tiffany. I promise we're almost there."

Ten minutes later they pulled into an area where Tiffany could see the remnants of old wooden buildings and through the trees she spotted a lake.

Izzy parked the car well tucked in under the trees and jumped out. She rounded the vehicle and helped Tiffany out. They walked through the deserted camp down to the water's edge.

"Oh, my goodness, it's beautiful,” Tiffany sighed. ”It's absolutely stunning. Just look at the water. It reflects the sunrise...it looks like melted gold.”

"I love this place,” Izzy said. "It's always been special to me. My grandfather and I would come here for days at a time to 'get out of grandma's hair' as he'd put it. My grandma was a true artist, and when she needed space in the cabin to do her crafts and stuff, granddad and I would escape here.”

”And now you have to take me here. I'm sorry.” Tiffany crossed her arms over her chest, biting her lower lip. ”I'm sorry that my situation interferes with the fun memories of your granddad.”

”No, no.” Appalled at how Tiffany had misunderstood, Izzy wrapped her arms around her, burying her face in the abundant curls. ”That's not it at all. I'm happy to bring you hear, no matter what. I'd wish it was just for a fun weekend or something, but I know my granddad would approve of us seeking shelter here. Don't think you're interfering or destroying anything, because that's not true?”

”Really?”

”Really.”

”Izzy...” Tiffany looked up, teardrops clinging to her lashes. ”Anyway.”

”Shh.” Izzy couldn't resist Tiffany's soft, pink lips. She kissed Tiffany with all the passion she felt, mixed with anxiety. She wanted to convey how important Tiffany's safety and wellbeing were to her. Tiffany, as always, seemed to put her heart and soul into her kisses, and managed to make Izzy feel like she was the only person in the world that mattered right then and there. Eventually they just stood there, hugging, until Izzy pulled back a little and wiped a single left-over tear from Tiffany's cheek.

"How about we set up camp and get our gear sorted out. I brought enough food and water to last us several days and as you can see, Mother Nature's market is always open.

"What do you mean?"

"There is plenty of fish and game in the area. We won't go hungry. We can take our time to regroup and figure out a way ahead.

"So, nobody knows where we are, right?”

"Right.”

"Good.” Tiffany started to look more relaxed, the spark Izzy was so entranced by showing up in her eyes again. "There's just one little problem then."

"And what would that be?"

"Its ages since I went camping," Tiffany confessed, looking sheepishly up at Izzy.

"Well, then, let me reintroduce you to the great outdoors. Have you ever eaten a pine tree? Many parts are edible."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Girl scout honor," Izzy said holding three fingers up in the girl scout sign.

"And while we’re laying it all out here, I flunked out of Brownies too, so you're going to have to be very specific."

"It's easy. Come on."

They made their way back to the jeep. "Hop in" Izzy said.

"Aren’t we staying here?"

"No, we're going up along the lake a little further. Just to be safe."

Izzy threw the jeep into four wheel drive and went off road along the edge of the lake. The jeep made its way through the rough terrain. They finally came to a halt at what appeared to be a sheltered cove.

"This is where we'll be making camp. It's secluded and no one can approach us without being seen. The rock provide us shelter from the winds and good cover and the trees provide us nice canopy too. We'll pitch or tent over there, " Izzy said as unloaded the jeep and pointed at a clearing not far from the water but still sheltered by the trees.

"Oh, yes, what a romantic spot.” Tiffany reached in and grabbed the backpack and looked completely baffled when she couldn't lift it. "What's in this things? Bricks?”

"No, but it's pretty heavy. It's everything we need.” Izzy had to chuckle at Tiffany's scowl when she lifted the backpack without much effort. "You can bring the sleeping bags, if you want.”

"If I can manage to lift them,” Tiffany muttered.

"Ah, don't pout. But then again, I don't mind if you pout. Makes you look awfully cute.” Izzy winked at Tiffany, happy that they were finding their way back to a more light-hearted way of talking.

"Cute, huh?” Tiffany placed her hands on her hips and did her best to look sardonic, which only made her look even sweeter.

"Come on, Tiff. Time to get the tent up. We need to rest some since we didn't get much sleep last night, or we won't be able to think straight and make plans.”

"All right. Lead the way.” Tiffany picked up the sleeping bags from the back seat and followed Izzy in among the trees.

Izzy inhaled the clear air, scented by the pine trees and the lake. She loved it here, and no matter what, a small part of her was secretly delighted that she was to share this with Tiffany. Izzy pulled the drawstring open and extracted the tent. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed it onto the ground where it writhed like an entity in pain before assuming the intended shape, a dome with sleeping space for two. Izzy repeated the performance with two self-inflating air mattresses, and Tiffany's wide-eyed expression showed that she hadn't witnessed anything like this before.

"Pretty neat, huh?” Izzy asked.

"Amazing.” Tiffany looked down at the sleeping bags under her arms. "And what do I do with these?”

"Easy.” Izzy struggled to keep a straight face. ”You crawl into the tent and...roll them out!”

"Oh, you brat!” Tiffany wrinkled her nose at Izzy. ”I'll get you for that.”

"Can't wait.”

Tiffany crawled into the tent and rolled out the sleeping bags while Izzy fetched the rest of their gear. She stowed it just inside the opening to the left, where there was a small area for that purpose. Tiffany was smoothing out the second sleeping bag.

"Don't these connect?”

"What?” Izzy asked as she continued to unload the jeep of the essentials they would need immediately.

"The sleeping bags, they can be hooked up to each other like one big sleeping bag, right?” Tiffany asked.

"Yes. I believe so.” Izzy called out as she looked at her rifle and debated whether to leave it in the jeep or keep it at her side. She reached out and grabbed it and a box of shells. Making sure it was on safe she slung it over her shoulder with a sling and moved back towards the tent with some food."

"Tiffany, can you come out here for a bit?"

Tiffany crawled out of the tent chatting the entire time, "It's okay, right? You don't mind?” She blushed faintly and shrugged, obviously trying to look casual. "It's just...I think I'd sleep much better with your arm around me and...Izzy, is that a riffle on your shoulder?”

"It is. Other than for hunting I have no intention of using it, but it's good to have near. Are you familiar with firearms at all?

Tiffany shook her head.

Izzy handed her the food she had carried from the jeep. "Let's go over to the outcrop over there, sit down, and eat something while I explain to you about firearm safety."

"Izzy, is that really necessary? I don't want to touch the thing."

"And you may never have to, but you need to know the basics Tiffany so in an emergency you'll know what to do and if you do ever have to handle it you'll do so safely."

For the next thirty minutes as Tiffany ate the sandwich that Izzy had handed her she listened and watched as Izzy explained the basic safety procedures for the rifle, how to clear the weapon, how to load it and how to ensure that the safety was on. Once she finished instructing Tiffany and asking her to repeat what she had just learned, Izzy handed the rifle to her.

"Honest Izzy, I don't know if this is a good idea."

"All I want you to do is clear the weapon and put it on safe. Go ahead. I know you can do this."

Tiffany took the weapons and slowly went about reenacting the procedures that Izzy had just taught her. Several times she had to stop and remind herself to breath because she her hands were shaking so hard but Izzy gently talked her through it.

"OK, I did it. Now will you please take this thing back?"

Tiffany handed the riffle to Izzy.

Izzy slung the riffle back onto her shoulder once she checked to make sure the weapon was on safe. "Are you still hungry?" Izzy asked.

"No, I'm just tired. "

"Go crawl in the tent. I’ll be right behind you."

Tiffany went back to the tent and crawled in followed shortly by Izzy who placed the riffle just inside the door of the tent along with a few provisions. Pulling the zipper down, she registered dazedly how tired she was now and she wondered how much of the exhaustion was physical and how much was emotional.

"Do you mind that I zipped them together?" Tiffany asked, indicating the sleeping bags.

Izzy smiled tiredly. "Not at all." She began taking off her boots and outer clothes.

"What are you doing?" Tiffany followed her movements.

"Getting ready to crawl in the sleeping bag an get some sleep. You weren't planning to sleep in your clothes were you?"

"Well, I..."

Izzy laughed, "You'll sweat to death. Get undressed."

"Yes, ma'am."Tiffany laughed and gave Izzy a mock salute. She undressed and crept into the sleeping bag, snuggling close to Izzy. "It’s okay, right? You really don't mind? It's just...I sleep much better with your arms around me."

”You do?” Izzy's eyes snapped open.

”I love how you spoon me. I feel so safe and cared for.”

”Good.” Izzy hoped she'd be able to live up to Tiff's words. She wrapped her arms tightly around her and buried her face in Tiffany's hair. Getting comfortable, Izzy closed her eyes and murmured inwardly as a prayer. I've got to keep her safe. I couldn't take it if anything bad happened to her. Failure is not an option.

Continued in part 13