Page 12 of Burning Escape (Chasing Fire: Alaska #3)

SIX

Orion would’ve preferred more time to prepare, but with Jeremiah nowhere to be found, their window of opportunity to leave before Amos got back was closing quickly.

With Mara’s help, they found a length of canvas and some old sleeping bags in case they had to spend more time out in the middle of nowhere. Once back in Hiram’s cabin, Mara had her brother John draw a map and explain it to Orion while she and Tori packed their one backpack.

“Thanks,” Orion told him. “You better go before the others return. And keep an eye out for Jeremiah. When I went back to find him, he was gone. So look after your sister and the other girls.”

Mara’s brother stood tall. “I will.”

“If you ever need anything, have the Brinks call the Midnight Sun base camp out of Copper Mountain,” Tori told Mara.

“I’ll be praying for you,” she said.

Tori nodded, but the smile she gave didn’t reach her eyes at all.

As far as Orion was concerned, it was all for the best that nothing had happened with Tori the night they met. Her discomfort with anything spiritual would’ve been a big point of contention.

But he couldn’t deny the ache that she didn’t share his faith.

That was the main thing he appreciated about the Refuge.

Their prayer time this morning had fed his soul.

He hadn’t realized how parched he had been for fellowship, worship, and truth until Amos had gathered them all in the chapel this morning.

But with the militia hunting Tori and him down, every minute they stayed was another minute they put these people in danger. And most of them didn’t deserve it.

Jeremiah was one he wouldn’t mind leaving in the hands of the militia. Then again, the man would probably fit right in with them.

Heck, he could be one of them to begin with since he’d only shown up last year so mysteriously.

“Let’s go.” He held the back door open for Tori while Mara and John left by the front door.

They skirted behind the main building and found the trail they needed. The cedars and spruces they passed were scrappy but dense. Patches of sun trickled down through the canopy and lit the packed-down dirt path. Ferns grew plentifully along the way.

With as many times as the trail branched off through the thick forest, Orion was grateful for John’s map. A couple hours later, they stopped for a water break.

“We must be getting close.” Tori swallowed another long draw.

“I would think so. How’s the ankle?”

“Sore, but okay. Mara wrapped it tight for me.”

The sound of mewling stilled them. “Did you hear that?” Orion asked Tori.

“I was hoping I was just hearing things. What is it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe an animal?”

“If it’s a baby animal, there’s probably a mama somewhere, and I don’t want to get between them.”

A crack sounded, like footsteps on branches.

“What if it’s Jeremiah?” Tori whispered.

“Let’s get out of here.” He held out a hand to help her up from the fallen log she was sitting on. They jogged down the trail.

Footsteps and the strange sound followed them. Orion led Tori off the trail and behind a stand of spruce. “Stay down. We need to see who or what this is and if they’re following us.” He pulled out his gun and crouched beside Tori, watching the trail.

The sound grew louder. “It sounds like a baby crying,” Tori said, her voice low.

She was right. But it wasn’t the loud, lusty cry of an upset newborn. This cry was weak.

And another sound accompanied it. A soft lullaby being sung.

Orion put the gun in the back waistband of his pants. Anyone singing a lullaby couldn’t be too scary, but if this was some kind of trap, he wanted his gun accessible.

Coming down the trail was a woman dressed like all the others at the Refuge and a man Orion had seen a few times but hadn’t met.

She was unfamiliar and wore a bundle in a sling, bouncing it gently as she sang.

Orion watched a minute more. The couple looked worried.

The man kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings, but they didn’t seem threatening at all.

“Should we see what they’re doing?” Tori whispered.

“Let’s wait.”

But the man must’ve heard them. He stopped and called out, “We don’t want any trouble. You can come out from behind the trees.”

Orion approached them, Tori right by his side. He said, “What are you doing?”

“We came looking for you,” the man said. “We need your help.”

“We can’t stay at the Refuge. We need to get back to our home.” Orion stood, arms crossed, facing the man.

“I know. And that’s why we’re here.” The man put his arm around the woman’s shoulders. “I’m Abraham, and this is my wife, Joann.”

“You’re the ones with the baby. Josiah, right?” Tori walked over to the woman and smiled.

Joann nodded. “Mara said there’s help for babies like him. Is that true?”

“Yes. Would you like us to order those special bottles I told Mara about when we get home, and then find a way to get them to you?”

Tears ran down the woman’s cheeks. “I don’t think we have that long. He’s gotten more and more lethargic. He barely eats now.”

Abraham drew her closer. “We’ve tried for a long time to have children. Josiah is our first. We can’t lose him.” His voice faltered.

“You’re the answer to our prayers.” Joann’s wobbly smile among the tears tugged at Orion’s heart.

“How are we the answer?” Tori asked her.

“I wanted to talk to you, but Mara told us you’d left. We followed.” Joann swayed, holding on to the baby, rocking him back and forth.

“I need you to take Joann and Josiah and get the medical help he needs.” Abraham held out a wad of cash.

“I’ve made and sold furniture and Joann’s quilts.

If this isn’t enough, I’ll get more. But it will be easier to find food and lodging for Joann and the baby alone.

And I’m needed at the Refuge if we’re going to make it through the winter. Take them. Please.”

Tori’s eyes widened. She looked to Orion.

Baby Josiah cried again. A pitiful cry at that. It did sound more like a weak kitten than a baby. Joann pulled out a bottle and tried feeding him.

Orion didn’t take the cash. “Why not ask the Brinks? It’s not that we don’t want to help. It’s just…there’s a militia group that we’ve run across. They aren’t friendly. I would hate to put your family in danger.”

“The Brinks are pretty removed from society too. They do what’s necessary, but I don’t know who they know in town.

” Abraham looked at Tori. “But Mara said you know someone with a child like Josiah. And like Joann said, we’ve prayed about this.

God answered. I’m trusting Him and you to lead them and bring them back home to me. Please.”

“Even though it could be dangerous? If the Brinks don’t have a vehicle, we have a couple days’ hike before we reach town.” Orion needed to know they understood the risks.

“‘Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.’ Psalm 34:19.”

Well, how could Orion refuse that? But it wasn’t just up to him. “Tori? You okay with this?”

She looked down at Josiah, his tiny face peeking out of the sling as Joann fed him. His eyes were closed. Milk dribbled out of the side of his mouth. Was he getting any of it down? “I am. But we should get going.”

After a tearful goodbye between Abraham and Joann, the father kissed his son’s forehead and prayed over the group. “Lord, bless them. Protect them. Keep them strong for the journey, and bring Joann and Josiah back home.”

The baby settled down. Tori took a pack from Abraham. “I’ve got this.”

“I’d better get back. Amos won’t be happy about this, but I need to do what’s best for my family. Make sure you stay on the trail. There’s lots of snares and traps,” Abraham said before he turned and jogged away.

Joann wiped the tears and pulled back her shoulders. “Let’s go.”

It wasn’t long before they spotted the brown metal roof of a building peeking out above the trees ahead. The path widened to an actual dirt road.

“Looks promising.” Orion looked down at the map. “This must be it.”

“Now we just have to hope the Brinks are here and have a way to get us to Copper Mountain.” Tori shifted the backpack straps on her shoulders.

“Maybe you two should wait here, and I can run up ahead and check to make sure everything is safe.” Orion didn’t want to walk into another dangerous situation.

“I don’t know why it wouldn’t be safe. People from the Refuge often come here, and there’s never been a problem before,” Joann said.

“We should stay together,” Tori agreed.

They walked into a clearing with a log house, a couple metal-sided sheds, and a little barn.

Tori spun in a slow circle, looking around. “It’s a nice place. Let’s just hope they’re nice people too.”

Goats bleated in a corral off the barn, but beyond that, it was eerily quiet. The three adults spread out as they moved toward the house.

“Oh no.” Joann, her mouth agape, stared into the distance. Three chickens lay dead in the dirt outside what looked like an open coop.

“Look!” Tori pointed to the porch of the log house.

A woman lay on the wooden planks, passed out.

* * *

Tori made to rush to the woman.

“Wait!” Orion stopped her with his arm out. “We don’t know what we’re walking into. Joann, stay right here. Don’t get any closer to those chickens.”

Joann backed away, but Tori pushed against him. “We can’t just leave the?—”

The woman on the porch moaned.

“She’s alive. She needs our help.” And Tori couldn’t stand to see anyone in pain and not help.

“We go together, then.” Orion dropped his arm. “And try not to touch anything.”

By the time they made it to the steps, the woman was rousing. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a braid, her flannel shirt and jeans dusty as she sat up, holding her head.

“Are you okay?” Tori asked her, sinking down to sit on the top step.

The woman blinked, scratched at a cluster of red spots on her forearm. “I don’t know.” She coughed.

“Did something happen?” Orion stayed standing and scanned the yard.

“Who are you?” the woman asked.