Granite
After settling Amber into bed at Tom and Lana’s house, I really don’t want to leave her there. But I also know that I need to go back to keep on building. The sooner that I can get our cabin done, the sooner there will be a comfortable and safe home for us to be inside of. Regardless of whether or not Amber is pregnant; she is definitely not feeling well, and I can’t take the chance of her getting worse. As much as I don’t like it, Tom and Lana are right. It’s better for her to stay here with them in a warm house with a bed and home-cooked food.
“I’ll be back soon,” I say to Lana as I lean down to kiss Amber on the forehead. She hadn’t woken up in a while now and I know that she just needs to rest.
“Take your time, get all the work done that you need,” Lana says with a smile. “She’ll be fine here. When she wakes up, I’ll make her some tea and soup. Maybe a bone broth too; looks like she could use the protein.”
“Thank you,” I say as I head back out.
I turn around to look over my shoulder at Amber once before walking out and closing the door behind me. Amber was right, there definitely is a strange vibe around these people, especially Lana.
I try not to think about it as I make the trek back up to our cabin site. It’s difficult not to be consumed with worry, even though I try not to let myself go into that headspace. It doesn’t do either of us any good for me to be unfocused now. I need to get the cabin built as quickly as possible. While I walk, I think about the possibility of Amber being pregnant. I had never before thought about having a child. Not even with my late wife, Anna. I suppose that at some point in our lives we might have given it more thought, but we had still been too enraptured with enjoying each other to entertain thoughts of wanting to bring another little human into our world. And then, our time was cut short and the chance to talk about whether Anna and I would ever have a child never came. It worries me to think about what kind of father I would be. After Anna died, I resigned to the fact that I would always be alone and the chance of ever being a father wasn’t something that I needed to consider. But now that the possibility has arisen, I am worried beyond measure. How could a man who has murdered someone, is running from the police, and has been through more agony than most bodies would be able to handle; ever be capable of being a stable and loving father? I don’t have the answer to those questions, all that I know is that I am so in love with Amber that no matter what, I am just happy that we will be together. The rest of it we can figure out along the way.
The afternoon is long and even though the air is cold, I am sweating with all of the work that I am doing on the cabin. I don’t stop for even a minute, unless it is to take a quick sip of water before getting right back to work. I want to make as much progress as I can before I lose the light of day. Then, I will head back to Tom and Lana’s home to check on Amber.
I jump a mile and nearly drop the ax in my hand when I turn around and am surprised to see Pete standing there.
“Pete, shit you surprised me. What are you doing here all alone?” I ask.
This kid is nice, but he has an eerie habit of showing up unexpected and freaking the crap out of me. And right now especially, he seems more nervous than usual. I look at him for a few minutes waiting for him to answer but not too excited to hear what he has to say, considering his expression looks so foreboding.
“You shouldn’t have left Amber there alone at our house,” Pete says.
I couldn’t have imagined any kid more perfect for a role in a horror movie than the way this boy looked right now. I don’t even wait to hear what else he has to say; the tone of his voice that ominously hangs around his warning, is enough to send me running back toward Amber. I sprint down the side of the mountain, stumbling several times along the way when I lose my footing and try to get ahead of myself. Images of various horrific scenarios flash in my head as I try not to think about what I might find when I get back to their cabin.
Please, please, please let Amber be okay.
As soon as their home comes into view, I push myself to run even harder until I am able to jump the steps up to the house and push through their front door without knocking. Tom is sitting at the table by the fireplace enjoying what looks like a glass of early-evening whisky, and Lana is sitting by the bed next to Amber with a teapot in her hand that is pouring a refill into a mismatched teacup and saucer. Both of them look surprised to see me burst through the door, and surprisingly everything seems to be fine. With the exception. That Amber is visibly uneasy and wanting to leave. Her eyes dart between me and the open door behind me and I can immediately read her expression.She wants to go out.
I apologize for my brash entrance and thank the both of them for looking over Amber. There is a nice fire in the hearth and the cabin is warm and cozy, with a hearty smell of stew wafting through the air. It seems weird of me to want to remove Amber from such an amicable situation that is obviously better for her health than the floor of a cold and damp tent on the ground, but I insist on taking Amber with me anyway. The most important thing is that she and I stay together. We’ve been through too much to know that being separated, especially overnight, is not a good idea. Despite their protests, I manage to get Amber and I both out of the house and take her back to our tent and half-finished cabin.
