Stormbound - pt 7 - by Gun Brooke

Tiffany blinked against new tears. “I want to call my mom.” She swallowed. “I haven't talked to her for days. She and my grandma must be so worried by now.” Rubbing her forehead, she looked up at Izzy. “Boy, I have been nothing but trouble since I got here, have I? Not your lucky day, yesterday.”

“Don't worry about that. I just don't want you to do anything rash that will get you deeper in trouble. Trust me, there are ways to handle these things. We need to take care of the car, and then go into Farlow's Creek. They sell disposable cell phones at the gas station. You can call your mom, but don't let it slip where you are.”

“As you could tell before, I hardly know where I am.” Tiffany managed to make a funny face. “Perhaps a good thing. I've been known to chat away without thinking sometimes.”

Izzy smiled, which pulled at her scar tissue on her cheek, but to Tiffany it was still a beautiful smile. There was something dark and sinister about Izzy, almost a little frightening, but when she smiled, her green eyes warmed to an emerald shine and she became so much more approachable.

“The weather seems to be improving,” Izzy said, glancing out the window. She put lids on her bowls, and attached labels to them. “What do you say we go take a look at your car, and get your bag? If you're up for it?”

“Oh, sure. I'm fine.” Energized by the thought of actually doing something, rather than being passive. “What state's my jacket in?”

“Pretty ruined, unfortunately. I have something you can borrow. Just fold the arms up.”

Just fold the arms up? Tiffany regarded her image in the mirror next to the front door. She looked hilarious, and she had to giggle. The camouflage GOR-TEX jacket was probably perfect for someone Izzy's size, but on Tiffany, it ended just above her knees.

“At least it'll protect you from the elements. It's still quite stormy outside.” Izzy had donned a black fleece jacket. “Why don't you unlock the car and I'll grab some shovels and the toolbox.”

“Toolbox?” Tiffany frowned, but then she remembered that Izzy had thought of removing the plates. What she was going to do with the shovels, Tiffany had no clue. She took the car keys and went out to Izzy's jeep. She didn't remember it being so tall, but after a few attempts she managed to climb up on the footrest and reach the door handle. Unlocking the door, she climbed inside and waited for Izzy.

It didn't take Izzy long to return with the equipment. She turned the key and the four-wheeler came alive with a roar. Skillfully she turned it around and drove up the steep slope, which the rain had made nearly invisible. Fortunately the jeep easily made its way to the road, and it didn't take them long to drive to the site of Tiffany's accident.

“It's down there. Good, hardly visible at all from the road.” Izzy pointed toward the shrubbery down the slope as she pulled the vehicle over.

Tiffany squinted but could hardly make out anything at all.

“When the sun comes out, it will be more visible, though,” Izzy said and jumped out. She came around the jeep and helped Tiffany down. Tiffany slipped on the footrest and ended up in Izzy's arms, something that made her flustered. Izzy raised an eyebrow, which didn't help, instead it made Tiffany blush even more. She felt her cheeks burn.

“You okay?” Izzy let go of her went to the back of the vehicle and pulled the shovels and a large toolbox from the jeep. “Can you carry the shovels, do you think?”

“Absolutely.” Tiffany hoped she could. They were longer and heavier than she'd thought, but she grabbed them determinedly and followed Izzy down the slope. She felt herself slip a couple of times, her designer sneakers hardly the best footwear to use in this terrain. The ground was muddy and soggy after the constant raining, and soon Tiffany felt how the wet filtered through and drenched her socks. “Oh, wonderful,” she muttered, but didn't say anything to Izzy. She didn't want Izzy to think she was completely useless.

“There it is. God, you were lucky.” Izzy stared at the demolished car. The Nissan crashed into a tree, which was now sitting completely enveloped by the Nissan's hood. The whole left side of the car was ripped open by the boulders and tree branches she had hit on the way down.

“My bag's in the trunk,” Tiffany said, her voice a little shaky.

Izzy felt for the handle and popped the trunk open without a problem. “Your bag doesn't look damaged,” she said and lifted it out. She placed it on a big boulder just behind Tiffany. “We'll bring that up to the jeep in a bit.” She dug around the toolbox and produced two screwdrivers. “I thought we'd bury these somewhere, to make it harder for anyone who might stumble upon the car. Can you unscrew the front one?”

Tiffany looked hesitantly at the front of the car, which was one big mess. She bent down and saw the license plate, bent and scratched, now only attached by two screws a few feet underneath the car. Was it safe to lean in beneath the sharp, broken metal, she wondered. Not wanting to disappoint Izzy, she knelt and felt the knees of her pants get damp instantly. “Oh, darn,” she muttered and leaned in under the car, the screwdriver feeling alien in her hand. She wasn't used to tools, but how hard could it be to unscrew two screws? Tiffany hadn't counted on the screws being damaged, or whatever the reason was for them not wanting to budge. She leaned in further, and pressed with all her strength, twisting the screwdriver. The screw turned slowly, and several minutes later, Tiffany held it in her aching hand. She didn't care, but went after the second one, which was even farther in. She crawled in, twisted her upper body to the left and managed to find the screw. Turning it was easier this time, but the angle was murder on her back.

“What the hell...?” Izzy's voice made Tiffany flinch and she lost her grip of the screwdriver. She picked it up, and struggled to find the head of the screw again.

“I'll be done in a little bit.”

“I didn't mean for you to crawl under the car.” Izzy sounded worried. “It's not safe, Tiffany.

“Now you tell me,” Tiffany replied, trying to sound more cheerful than she felt. “Ah. There we go. It's off. Whew.” She took a hold of the plate and pulled. It wouldn't budge at first, but eventually she managed to pry it out of the bent fender. Triumphant she backed out and Izzy helped her to her feet.

“Look at you.” Izzy's eyes roamed all over Tiffany. “You're all wet and muddy.”

“It doesn't matter, but check this out! My first screwdriver job. Believe it or not, I've actually never screwed before.” Tiffany's stopped talking, realizing what she just said. “Oh, my goodness. I mean, with a screwdriver.”

Izzy stared at her, and then her mouth twitched. “You don't say. Thanks for sharing.” She chuckled and Tiffany couldn't keep from giggling.

“All right, let's find a good place to dig. Not too close to the car.” Izzy took one of the shovels and began walking. Tiffany followed her, carrying the other shovel, and her feet were beginning to feel really cold. She wondered if she risked damaging them, but she didn't think they'd be out here for very long, so she decided not to bother Izzy just yet.

About ten minutes from the car, they came to an area with less stony ground. Izzy tried it out by pushing her shovel into it a few times until she found the right spot. She began digging a hole and Tiffany joined her, but found to her dismay that she was simply not strong enough to handle the tall shovel.

“It's all right,” Izzy said, efficiently digging a hole about two feet deep. She took the plates and placed them in the hole and began refilling it. “Can you find some branches and leaves, perhaps a rock, to camouflage this with?”

“Sure.” Tiffany gathered a few branches where the dead leaves where still attached and five smaller rocks. “That enough?”

“Perfect.” Izzy worked with the items until the ground looked completely undisturbed. “There. Not too shabby, huh?”

“Not shabby at all. Thank you.”

“You have got to stop thanking me every two seconds.” Izzy made a face, but her eyes were warm as they gazed at Tiffany. “I'm not doing anything I don't want to do. I don't mind helping you out.” For some reason she looked a little embarrassed.

“Than—Oh, my goodness. I nearly said it again.” Tiffany giggled at Izzy's exasperated expression.

“Let's get back and cover the car a bit with branches. I want to get rid of anything that's too reflective. We also want to make sure we've concealed it not only from the road but from aerial observation. I don't think we can push it any further in than it already is.” Izzy grabbed both shovels and started walking. Tiffany joined her.

“I guess I shoved it pretty far in among the trees as it is.”

“True. Okay, let's do some house cleaning.” Opening the tool box, Izzy handed Tiffany a rag. “I need you to wipe down anything you may have touched, the steering wheel, the dashboard, anything you can think of. If you can't remember, just start from the right and work your way to the left.”

“What for?”

“I don't want any of your prints left behind. I also want you to pass me everything in the glove compartment and any papers, wrappers, or receipts. I don't want anything left that can be traced back to you, understood?”

“Yes. I wasn't thinking.”

“This is going to work Tiffany. Trust me,” Izzy said.

Tiffany looked at her and smiled, “Of course I trust you. Now, would you mind giving a girl a lift?”

“What?”

“Into the car, of course.” The vehicle was at an angle that made entering it nearly impossible.

Izzy easily help Tiffany into the car wreck. “Just be careful in there and be thorough.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Tiffany said with a little salute.

Izzy looked stunned for a moment, then quickly turned and began gathering the items she would need.

Tiffany had noticed the pained look that crossed Izzy's face when she'd made the joking gesture. She was about to ask her what was wrong, but Izzy had already turned away and ran off into the woods to do something. What in the world was that all about? The more time she spent with this woman the more of an enigma she became. There was no denying there was this strength about Izzy. Not just physical, which was obvious, seeing how she'd carried Tiffany and handled the shovel, but a sort of inner strength. She was so logical, so smart, and also possessed a certain kind of vulnerability. Who are you Izzy and why are you hiding in this godforsaken place?

***

Izzy had found enough foliage and pine boughs to begin the process of camouflage the car. She had also overcome the initial shock of seeing Tiffany salute her and call her ma'am. For God sakes, it was a joke. Get a grip. That girl has enough on her plate. She doesn't need any of my baggage.

It had been a long time since Izzy had thought of anyone else but herself. Somehow this girl managed to crumble her defenses. “Just focus on what needs to be done and get on with it,” Izzy muttered to herself.

When she returned to the car Tiffany was there waiting for a hand to climb out of the car.

“I wiped down every surface I could touch, and I did both the inside and outside of the glove compartment, and here's everything that was in the car, and are you OK?” she said, all in one breath.

Izzy had never heard anyone talk so fast in her life. She reached out and took the items Tiffany had handed her and stuffed them into the pocket of her jacket. “I'm fine. Would you like another lift?”

“Yes, please.”

Izzy reached into the wreck and helped Tiffany out of the car away from the jagged metal.

Tiffany held Izzy tightly and looked into her green eyes. "I have no idea what I said or did to hurt or offend you, but I'm truly sorry."

“Tiff, you didn't do anything wrong. It's complicated and this isn't the place or time to get into it. So let's wipe down the outside of the car and the trunk and make this Nissan disappear.”

“Like magic!”

“Yeah, like magic.” Izzy groaned inwardly at Tiffany's exuberance, yet she couldn't help but smile. “Let's get to work.”

After carefully wiping the car down for prints and stripping what remained in trunk, Izzy and Tiffany worked in tandem for the next hour and a half. Izzy would send Tiffany off for branches and material while she did her best to conceal the car.

“There, that should do it,” said Izzy. Glancing over she saw that Tiffany had perched herself on the boulder next to her bag, looking exhausted. Izzy frowned. It was obvious the girl had never done much physical labor in her life, but she had pitched in, constantly chatting as she did so, until she didn't have the energy to speak. Damn it. I should have kept an eye on her. What the hell was I thinking?

“Wow,” uttered a very tired Tiffany. “It's...amazing. Where did you learn to do that?”

Izzy gave her a look and Tiffany quickly said, "Never mind. I get it. Off -limits."

Now Izzy felt like an oaf. It was a simple question, but the nerve endings around her scars were on fire and she had overdone it. It was wrong to take it out on Tiffany.

“I'll tell you what, when we get back to the cabin you can ask me anything you want, but for now can you just hand me one of those shovels?”

“I thought you we were done?”

“Not quite. We need to clean up the area a little bit.” Izzy wanted to make sure there was nothing left behind. If by some blind chance someone stumbled on this site, she did not want any clues left behind about whose handy work this was.

Tiffany stiffly got up and handed Izzy a shovel. “What now?”

Izzy took the shovel and began to hit the soil, the flat side down.

“What in the world...?”

“I'm getting rid of our footprints. We've left too many in the mud, see?”

“Oh, yes, I see.”

“Hey.” Izzy stopped temporarily and looked at Tiffany. “Why don't you take one of the shovels and start heading up the slope.”

“I know, you're just trying to get rid of me so I'll stop asking dumb questions. Can't I help you with this?”

“That's not true. Tiffany, you can hardly stand up. Tell you what, you can gather some leaves and pine needles and we'll scatter them on top after I'm done with this. All right?”

“Absolutely.”

***

Tiffany went about gathering leaves even though every muscle in her body was screaming in pain. I can do this. Goodness, Izzy has done most of the heavy work and she hasn't complained. She shook her head ruefully. She had noticed several times Izzy grimacing in pain. Tiffany tried to ask her what was wrong, but Izzy's negative reaction every time had made her stop. Instead she'd begun observing Izzy closely. Izzy's laser focus on her tasks had allowed Tiffany to study the woman uninterrupted. There was an energy about her that drew Tiffany in. When Izzy had taken off her jacket and started working in her t-shirt, Tiffany had gone from observing to staring. Izzy was...beautiful.

Something else Tiffany picked on was that Izzy didn't seem self conscious when she worked. On several occasions since they had met, Tiffany had noticed that Izzy would sometimes deliberately turn her head away from her to hide the scar. Tiffany wanted to do was reassure her that there was no need to, but she was intuitive enough to know that such a comment would be unwelcome.

Tiffany returned several times with her arms full of leaves. Izzy in turn reached over and spread them, covering the ground so it looked as though the earth hadn't been disturbed.

Once, her hand had touched Tiffany's as she received the leaves. It was like electricity between them and Tiffany drew her breath hastily at the sensation. Izzy's strong features didn't betray anything, but she moved her hands quickly away from Tiffany's.

“That's it. We're ready to head out.” Izzy said as she had surveyed the area.

“Do you think this'll work?” Tiffany asked as she followed Izzy's gaze.

“Life's full of uncertainties, but if you want my professional opinion, I do,” Izzy said in a reassuring manner. “So are ready to climb up that hill?”

“You mean that small mountain?” Tiffany pouted jokingly. “Lead the way-"

Izzy laughed. “Do you think you can handle your bag?”

“Oh, that's right. My bag. “Tiffany looked over and wondered if she could get it up the hill without dropping it. “I can try.”

“Let's go, then.” Izzy collected the shovels and tool kit. “Take your time. We need to make sure we cover our tracks as we go.”

Slowly and methodically the two made it up the slope with only one slight mishap along the way when Tiffany slid and fell a short distance. Every now and then, Izzy stopped to mask their footprints like she'd done before. By the time they arrived back at the jeep Tiffany felt lightheaded with exhaustion and Izzy looked pale and as if she was in pain. Throwing the shovels, tool box and bag in the back of the jeep, they leaned against the vehicle for a moment and Tiffany struggled to catch her breath.

“Amazing, I can't see it from here.” Tiffany squinted through the shrubbery.

“Just like magic, eh?” Izzy looked down at her. “Let's skip town and get cleaned up a bit. If we go in looking like this we'll scare the natives and attract unnecessary attention.”

Tiffany looked down at herself. She was covered in mud and heard Izzy starting to chuckle. “Hey, what's so funny?”

Izzy burst into laughter. “You are.”

“What?” Tiffany inquired with a little smirk on her face. “Since when does brown not go with green?”

“I have to say, all things considered, you look quite cute.” Izzy looked like she regretted her words immediately. “Hm. Well. Come on, let's get out of here. I know a place where we can wash up.”

Continued in part 7