Chapter 5 - The Road That Was Never Blocked
By late afternoon, the smoke had thickened.
Ash fell across the cabin roof. The sun became a dim red circle above the trees.
Natalie carried bottled water to the porch while Tessa loaded blankets into the SUV.
“Did Brett tell you why he borrowed money?” Natalie asked.
Tessa kept her voice low.
“He and Mom invested in Hartwell Ridge.”
“The company buying my land?”
Tessa nodded.
Natalie understood.
If Hartwell Ridge acquired the property, Brett and Eleanor would not merely recover their losses. They would profit from the sale.
“How long have they planned this?”
“I found out last month.”
“And you said nothing.”
“I was afraid.”
“Of Brett?”
“Of Mom.”
Tessa closed the rear door.
“She controls everything. My rent, my job, even my phone plan. Whenever I disagree with her, she reminds me how much I owe her.”
“You are twenty-eight.”
“I know.”
“Then start acting like your life belongs to you.”
Tessa flinched.
Natalie immediately regretted the harshness in her voice.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “But this is bigger than family pressure. They put all of us in danger.”
“I know.”
“Will you tell the truth if I need you to?”
Tessa looked toward the cabin.
Brett was watching them through the window.
“I don’t know.”
At six in the evening, the mandatory evacuation order arrived.
Natalie was in the bedroom when the emergency siren sounded from her phone.
Leave immediately.
Use Route 18 east.
Do not delay.
She rushed into the main room.
Brett was holding the car keys.
“Everyone outside,” Natalie said.
“The road is blocked.”
“The alert says Route 18 east is open.”
“I heard from a neighbor that trees came down.”
“What neighbor?”
“Someone at the fuel station.”
Natalie looked through the window.
The SUV engine was already running.
Eleanor stood beside the passenger door holding her purse.
Tessa was in the back seat.
Natalie grabbed the property folder and headed toward the entrance.
Her emergency bag was gone.
“Where is my bag?”
“It’s in the vehicle,” Brett said.
“My shoes were beside the door.”
“No time. Come on.”
Natalie stepped onto the porch in her socks.
Smoke pushed across the clearing, making her cough.
She walked toward the SUV.
Brett opened the driver’s door.
Then Eleanor called his name.
He paused.
Mother and son exchanged a look.
Natalie stopped several feet away.
“What are you doing?”
Eleanor got into the passenger seat.
Brett slid behind the wheel.
Natalie reached for the rear door, but it was locked.
“Tessa, unlock it.”
Tessa stared at her.
“Unlock the door!”
Tessa reached toward the handle.
Eleanor turned around.
“Do not.”
Tessa froze.
Natalie moved to the driver’s window.
“Brett, open the door.”
He kept both hands on the steering wheel.
“You need to calm down.”
“We are under a mandatory evacuation order.”
“You have been attacking me all weekend.”
“What does that have to do with the fire?”
“I will return when you are reasonable.”
Natalie stared at him in disbelief.
“You’re leaving me here?”
“Sign the authorization.”
The words were almost lost beneath the wind.
Natalie pulled out her phone and dialed emergency services.
Brett saw the screen.
His face changed.
He looked toward Eleanor.
“Drive,” Eleanor said.
Natalie ran toward the cabin steps because the dispatcher was asking for the property address. As she turned back, her sock caught on a splintered board. She pulled it off, then removed the other sock so she would not slip.
Her phone lay on the step beside her.
She shouted the address toward it.
When she looked up, the SUV was moving.
She ran after it barefoot.
The scene unfolded exactly as the emergency call recorded it.
Brett told her to call someone.
Natalie reminded him that he was taking the only car.
He accused her of making everything worse than it was.
Then he drove east on Route 18.
May you like
The road was not blocked.
It remained open for another forty-seven minutes.
