Whispers in the Night

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

Sky

After leaving the shop I hit the back roads out of town. I need to find a place to wait until tonight. I head towards the foothills thinking there might be a place around there. After about a 20 minute drive I came to a cut in off the road. It doesn’t look like it’s used a lot. I took a chance and drove down it a bit and hid the truck in the brush. I scouted out the area and came upon a natural spring on the side of the hills. I climbed down a small riverine to get a better look at it. There is a cave of some sort behind the small waterfall above the deep pool and it flows back  down into the rocks. I cling to the side of the wall moving to the cave. 

I get a little wet entering the cave. I expected it to be damp inside. It is only at the entrance farther back it is bone dry and you can feel the heat coming from the rocks being warmed by the sun. I take a closer look, looking for any signs of people being here. There are no tracks, trash or anything else to indicate people being here. I look to see how the entrance can be secured and look to see if that's the only way in or out.  Being satisfied with what I see I decide to use this as a dugout. I can leave a stash of weapons here or worse case use it as a campsite, I will just have to be careful not to be followed or being noticed coming and going. 

I go back to the truck and bring what I want to keep in the cave as a dugout. I make sure there are no tracks but my own around the truck and to the road. This time I will use the small back entrance I found. I shove everything through the hole and shimmy in myself, good thing I’m small and a grown man will not be able to fit. I can always use it in emergencies and not be able to be followed out. I check my stash of handguns, ammo and a bow and arrow. I left my rifle in the truck with some other handguns and Stan’s other toys. I also brought a bed roll and small bag of clothes and soap, I’m gonna have to wash up before going back to work. Right now I lay out my bed roll and stretch out, I need some rest. 

I wake up a while later, checking the time I have a few hours left. As I put my roll behind some rocks with my other bag I realized I didn’t have a nightmare.  I don’t know if I was just that exhausted or the sound of the water rushing past the cave but I feel better than I have in a long time. I wash in the deep pool below the waterfall and get dressed. By the time I made it back to the truck it was time to get to the shop. I ignore the hunger pains, nothing I can do about it now anyway. 

I roll in the lot and park as far back as I can to keep it from street view. I walk in the front lobby and see that guy Josh there. We give each other a nod and he starts showing me around. There's not much here to clean, it won't take me long at all. As he’s about finished Devon and Shane come out the back office, that is off limits to my duties. This morning I was caught off guard at their beauty. They are very handsome men. They are identical twins but there are some slight differences, I’m sure no one notices but I do. Devon had a twinkle in his eye that says wild wild Shane has a more cautious look to him. 

“Hey there Sky, how was your day?” Devon asks, I know he's trying to be friendly and all but that is not something I need. “ Well ok then umm can we talk to you in the office before you get started?” I look at them up and  down then nod. It doesn’t look like anything is off. Maybe they want to ask some questions that I don’t want to answer. As we walk back I know I have to give them something. We sat down,me closest to the door. They blink and cover their surprised looks up, maybe they didn’t expect me to sit. 

Devon starts off “ I know we agreed  to no questions but we do have a few.” I knew it! He clears his throat looking more uncomfortable than me. “ You don’t have to answer anything you don’t feel comfortable with but we do need to know something. Who or what are you running from?” I blink then sigh yup have to tell them something, here it goes. “ I’m not a criminal. I’m not running from the law from being a criminal.” They glance at each other. Shane steps in “ Are you a missing person?”  “No” “Does your family know you're in trouble?” I don't answer that one. Blaine is technically my family but he’s the cause of my trouble, so I’m not seeing him as a family. Josh then asks after a tense moment “ Do you have any family?”  blink fast to keep the tears at bay “No” I croak out. 

I guess that was a sign to change the subject, Devon continues “ There is a loft above the back garage you can stay in. It has electric running hot water, a small kitchen fully stocked for you and a bed. You can pull your truck in it if you like. We don’t know your money situation but thought this would be better for you then staying in the only motel in town. As you can see this is a pretty small town and people notice newcomers. Staying here will keep you out of  the limelight for a bit but we can’t guarantee no one will ever see you. The guys have been instructed to leave you alone and keep to themselves if you chose to. Now With that being said you are gonna need a cover story, Josh is willing to adopt you if you will as a distinct cousin needing a change of pace. Is that ok with you? Or we can come up with something else.” 

I’m so shocked I look from Devon to Josh. I think my mouth drops a bit too. I still don’t know if I can trust them or not but this is way more than I expected. I give a short nod “ that’s, that’s fine with me” after a small pause “ Thank you”.  

No one says anything but I do see the caution in their eyes soften a bit. They show me the old garage in the back. I walk in and see enough room for my truck among piles of things with tarps over them. I’m guessing old bike parts. It’s dust and dirty down here, evidence of it not being used anymore. In the far back corner is a set of steps going up. 

We enter the loft with me bringing up the rear. They have figured out I don’t like anyone behind me. I enter the kitchen area, it’s an open concept space I can see clearly to the other door. “ It goes to a fire escape that can be brought up from the ground if you want.” Shane says, like he can read my mind. “ It’s not much but it’s clean” Devon adds. I nod my head as I’m looking around, venturing in more. It’s great, it is clean and bright, almost cheery, all it needs is a splash of color here and there then it will be homey. After the kitchen is a small sitting area and no t.v but that’s ok, I haven’t used one in so long then a small bed in the far corner. 

A small smile was starting to creep on my face until I heard footsteps coming up. I spun to the door and set my feet. “ It’s Josh don’t worry” Shane rumbles out. The twins have deep voices but Shane's is slightly deeper than Devon’s.  Josh comes popping through the door. “ Do you need any help drinking your things in?” He asks. I shake my head no. “Ok if you need anything just let us know, I left our numbers on the board in the kitchen. If anything doesn’t work or you need more food or different food. I just got the basics. Everything should be fine but no one has used this place in a while.” 

“ Thank you, I should be fine.”  They excused themselves and I went to pull my truck in. I lock the big doors with my alarm and the small door on the side. I take everything upstairs. I lock the kitchen door and go to the door at the back and check out this fire escape. I am on the top step when I see Josh by the back of the shop. We make eye contact and say “ Don’t worry about work tonight and get settled. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I nod in return and pull up the fire escape all the way. From the top landing to the ground looks like about two and a half stories.  I go in and shut the door and lock it. I keep all the locks on the alarm until I go to sleep then I’ll switch it to armed. 

I unpack and find places to stash my weapons. The rifle is too big so it stays in the truck. I shower and make myself something small to eat. I’m beyond starving but now my stomach can only handle so much. I feel the tiredness setting in and do one last security sweep. I use my small light and switch the locks. I hope the old man warned them. Satisfied I lay down on the small bed and sink in, sleep takes me soon enough. 

I have settled into a nice routine over the past month. I go on what everyone thinks is a hike every few days,but I’m really scouting  the area and checking the cave twice a week. Going a different route every time. I sent an encrypted message to Stan letting him know I’m ok but not where I’m at. When I get back I shower, eat, then go to work. Work only takes me a few hours every night. I know they don't need me cleaning, they keep things pretty tight for being a bunch of men. I have caught some of them leaving a small mess for me. I think they are starting to feel sorry for the lack of work. 

The times I still struggle with are the afternoons I don’t hike and especially at night. Night is the worst, that's when the whispering in my head starts when things are quiet and nothing to do to occupy my mind. I’ve tried reading, playing cards, working out, just about anything  I can think of. Nothing works, I miss my garage and working on my bike. 

Tonight I’m cleaning in the shop taking my time trying  to drag it out. One Of the guys is working late Tony I think is his name. He gives a small wave and puts his head down working again. Looks like he is having a small issue installing a part. All the guys have been true to their word so far. No one has bothered me and kept to themselves. Not only do I have room and board but also get a few bucks every night. They leave it on the counter in an envelope for me. The first few nights I didn’t touch it not knowing it was for me. Since then they put my name on it. I text Josh from my disposable phone with my grocery list every week. It seems it works out fine for him, he just leaves the bags by the side door.  I think the old man warned them, no one has tried to open any doors. 

As I’m getting ready to leave a bang comes from the shop. I go to  the window and see Tony fuming mad. He must have thrown a tool, he sees me and just waves and leaves the shop. Curious, I went into the shop to his station. I look around, see the tool he threw and picked it up. Walking back I see the part on the bench. I take that to the bike and see what the problem is. The casing to the part is a hair too big for the space it’s going into. Back at the bench I take the casing off, I find the file and take a sliver off. Put the casing back together and install the part for poor Tony. 

I cleaned his area and shut down all the lights. I walk across the yard to my place with a small smile on my face. It’s been a long time since I’ve smiled, my face almost hurts from the action. It’s strange, just that small bit makes me feel lighter, almost happy. In the garage instead of going up right away I start poking around. I want to see what's under the tarps. I found frames and rusted old parts. I have to ask Josh about this stuff. Back by the work tables are old tools. I take inventory of what’s on the board and tool chest. Almost everything is here, just missing a few tools, nothing major, nothing that can’t be done without. I feel like I struck gold. 

I can't wait any longer and shoot off a text to Josh.

S- Hey what’s happening with the old parts in the garage?

J- Nothing, just old parts from the old shop. Not gonna use them. Are they in your way? I can have them removed. 

S- Oh no no just wondering. Thanks 

That’s my go ahead. YES!!! I’m starting tonight. Before I turn on the lights I cover the small windows with cardboard. I don't want anyone knowing I’m working down here. I keep my locks on the doors, I learned from last time then turned on the lights. I start by separating and organizing the parts. Taking stock of what is still good, what can be fixed and what is truly trash. The trash pile is not as big as I thought it would be. 

Then I start to organize the good stuff, putting each part in its own section and do the same with the “need to fix” pile right next to the good pile. By the time I’m finished with all that I’m exhausted. I look at my phone and see it’s early morning, yeah time for bed. As I climb the stairs to the loft I feel almost like my old self again, almost.