“I thought you said it was stronger?”
“It is, but it still looks like hell. I play it up with the doc and she signs off on giving us more time.”
“And how does that help us?”
“It gives us more time to schmooze these idiots.” He lowered his voice again and leaned in close. “We prove to them that protecting their wellbeing is in all of our interests.”
She shook her head. “They’ve been alone up here this whole time. You really think another asshole like Trent is just going to show up and make trouble?”
Simon smiled. “No. But that doesn’t mean that another guy up here can’t lose his shit and become a threat.”
“I’m not following you.”
“Trailer Park Barbie’s old man? He wasn’t too pleased to find out that she’s been stepping out on him.”
Lana shrugged. “He’s too big a pussy to do anything.”
“Is he?” Simon crossed his arms and gave her a knowing look. “How many men…even mousy men, have you seen pushed past their limits by a woman?”
She slowly smiled. “Too many.”
“Exactly.” Simon wrapped his arm around her shoulder and began to walk her back to the camp. “So we plant little bugs in people’s ears. Make it sound like old Jody is about to go on a rampage.”
Lana grinned at him. “They’ll be begging you to intervene.”
Simon shrugged. “They might.” He wiped his fingers across his lapel. “And I might help them…if I’m not too busy packing to leave.”
“You really are devious,” she purred.
“What can I say, babe? You’re rubbing off on me.”
8
Hatcher lowered the cards and slowly shook his head. “That wasn’t them.” He moved to the window and drew the curtain back, bringing his flashlight to bear. “That sounded more like a cat.”
Missy’s voice cracked as she spoke. “Cats don’t scream.”
Hatcher nodded slowly. “Panthers do.”
“There are no panthers in Yellowstone,” Missy stated flatly.
“Not officially.” Hatcher lowered the curtain and stepped toward the door. “But for the longest time, mountain lions weren’t thought to live here either.”
“What are you doing?” Her voice cracked again as she watched him reach for the board sealing the door shut.
He lifted the blockade and set it aside. “I’m taking a look.”
“Like hell!” She moved toward the door, her face a mask of fear and anger. “Put that back!”
He held a hand up to stop her. “If it’s a cat, it won’t approach.”
“How can you say that?” She tugged at the wooden beam in his hand. “You can’t know that for certain.”
“Yes. I can.” He laid the beam beside the door and unbolted it. “I’ll just be a moment.”
“Hatcher!” she hissed as he stepped out and flicked the light on.
“Here kitty kitty kitty…” he called into the darkness. He froze when the beam reflected a pair of green glowing eyes in the brush. “There you are.”
“Please come back inside,” Missy whispered from behind him.
“It’s just a cat.”
“You mean, you HOPE.”
Hatcher slowly backed towards the station and stepped back over the threshold. The eyes disappeared and he slowly shut the door. “I told you.” He reached for the beam as Missy fell into the chair, her hands shaking.
“You’re certain it was a cat?”
Hatcher bolted the door then placed the beam back into place. “All I saw were eyes reflecting back at me, but yeah. Pretty sure.”
“Not a brown bear?”
“Well…”
She turned and glared at him. “Don’t tease me.”
He shrugged again. “I suppose it could have been a Sasquatch.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “You’re not funny.”
“I wasn’t trying to be.” He sat at the couch again and leaned back. “You haven’t been here as long as I have. I’ve seen things that…”
“Still not funny.”
He sat up and gave her a deadpan look. “I’m not joking. I’ve seen tracks that couldn’t be explained. I’ve see large, bipedal, hair covered creatures walking through the woods. I firmly believe there are Sasquatches up in these woods.”
“Ha. Ha. Ha,” she pouted, slouching in the chair.
“Look, I’m not—” His words were interrupted by another scream that sounded distinctly different from the previous one. Missy’s head snapped around and she watched as the color drained from Hatcher’s face and the hair on his arms stood on end. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
The pair shot up from the furniture and Hatcher climbed atop the table. “Boost up.”
Missy scrambled to the table and pressed her foot into his folded hands. He lifted and she pressed against the plywood square in the ceiling. “Ugh! It’s not budging.”
Hatcher groaned and let her back down. “Hand me a chair.”
She hopped to the floor then placed one of the wooden chairs onto the table just as something began pounding on the front door. “Hurry!”
He climbed atop the chair and pressed both hands to the plywood square. With a quick thrust of his legs, the plywood popped inward and he fell forward, grabbing the edge of the wood. He barely had time to step off of the chair as Missy practically climbed over his body, scrambling for the narrow opening.
He pressed both hands against her butt and shoved her head first into the access. Hatcher paused when he heard an unusually loud boom and the beam across the door crack. His head snapped around and he stared at the door, expecting it to give at any moment.
Without thinking, he jumped, kicking the chair away from the table and gripping the wood framing of the access. He didn’t even feel Missy’s hands clutching his wrists and pulling.
Hatcher tried in vain to pull himself up into the small hole and only realized that he was too wide to fit when his shoulders caught either end of the framing.
“Shit!”
“I’m pulling!” Missy yelled.
“I’m too big to fit.” Hatcher let go and fell back to the table, his head snapping up and seeing Missy’s eyes widen. “Seal the hatch!”
“No!” She fought to
