Her Temporary Bodyguard

(Part 16) Chapter Fifteen

Rustic was one way to describe the log cabin that sat in a small clearing, surrounded by thick forest. Dilapidated was another word that Tara wanted to use. If Jason said anything about an outhouse, she was going to run into the trees and pray for a bear to eat her.

Her brother was already out of the car, walking up to the front door, seeming to move with a purpose. Tara followed at a much slower pace. The steps that led up to the front porch dipped in the middle, as thought they had almost given up on the thought of bearing any more weight. Wary that the porch might be rotted, she stepped gingerly up to the front door. Jason had left it open behind him, but the screen door was closed. Sort of. The screen part had a gaping slash in the centre of it that simply defeated the purpose of the door in the first place. Swallowing past the dread that was rising up inside of her, she stepped inside the tiny, two-storey cabin. The main floor was fairly open, with only a partial wall to divide the dining and living rooms from the kitchen.

"The stairs are around here," Jason told her, pointing behind the wall that sectioned off the kitchen.

"All right," she said slowly, continuing to survey the area around her.

"I'm going to get the stuff. Why don't you go check this place out?" Jason suggested, not waiting for her to respond before he walked past her to the door.

With a deep, shaky breath, she set out to see what she was in for. The furniture in the living room was dusty and moth-eaten and a scarred table with four chairs -two of which were broken-designated an eating area. There was no sign of a washing machine but Tara was no stranger to hand-washing her clothes to save money. As long as the kitchen appliances were fully functional, they should manage just fine. For a little while, at least.

Up the stairs, she found two small bedrooms and the tiniest bathroom she had ever seen. It made her want to hyperventilate. There was room enough to fit and old claw-foot tub, a toilet and a pedestal sink, so as long as only one person were inside at a time it could be manageable. She turned the tap in the sink. A glugging, gurgling sound preceded an orangey-brown sludge that made Tara gag to see it. After several moments, the water began to clear and look almost normal. With a sharp flick of a wrist, she turned the water off and went into the first bedroom. It faced the trees at the back of the cabin, but as she tried to open the window to air the room out, she found that it was stuck in place. Even after checking to see if there was a lock somewhere that she hadn't seen, she still had no luck getting it open. Giving up, she walked to the other bedroom and froze in the doorway when she heard a horrible rattling sound coming from below her. Tara's breath caught in her chest as fear trickled down along her nerves. Then she heard the gurgle of water in the bathroom. The pipes. Her heart was still pounding fiercely in her chest but it was just the sound of water in the old pipes in the walls that was making the noise. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down and then walk into the bedroom at the front of the cabin. This time, when she tried the window, it opened. She still had to struggle with it, but it opened a good two inches before getting stuck again. She would make Jason take the other room. He could wrestle with the window himself. There was a single bed in the corner, the mattress bare on the metal frame just like in the other bedroom. With a sigh, she turned and walked back down the creaking stairs to the main floor.

"There's enough food to keep you fed for a couple of weeks," Jason said as he appeared from behind the wall, catching her off guard. She jumped, startled and unable to hide it. Jason frowned at her.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she lied.

"I brought in your clothes and there's a pillow and sleeping bag as well. I know this place isn't exactly the Ritz, but it'll do for a couple of weeks."