Snowbound - Blake Crouch [77]
Kalyn said, “I think these guys may come wearing bulletproof vests, which is why I want you to aim either below the waist or at the head. You have to pump it after every shot.” She pumped her shotgun. “The kick is strong, so remember to lean into it.”
“Is it loud?” Suzanne asked. “When you pull the trigger?”
“Loud as hell. All right, let me show you how to load.”
It took both Kalyn and Will to pull the grizzly traps off the wall, the monstrous contraptions weighing in at forty-eight pounds of rusted cast iron apiece, with jaw spreads of seventeen inches. Will stepped on the release, and they strained to force the jaws open.
Although barely legible, American Fur and Trade Company, HBC No. 6 had been engraved into the iron of the pan. When Kalyn popped it with one of the pitchforks, the snare jumped, the giant teeth chomping together, snapping the wooden handle in two.
The sun hung low in the sky, sitting just over the horizon at the end of the lake, turning clouds and snow pink, the water scarlet. Devlin watched from a window on the third floor, thought it was the most striking end of day she’d ever seen, the sky at war with itself.
Kalyn stood at the window in Rachael’s old room on the fourth floor, glassing what she could see of the surrounding grounds and forest behind the lodge.
“Light’s getting bad,” she said. “I thought maybe I’d see tracks or something.”
“You think they’re out in the woods somewhere?” Will asked.
“I would imagine, but the trees are too loaded with snow to see that far into them.”
“What if we went ahead and cut the power? Might give us an advantage, since we know the lodge better than they do.”
“Not if they have night-vision goggles. One of the things the Alphas are known for is using state-of-the-art equipment. I mean, we might as well have a Force Recon team coming after us.” She lowered the binoculars. “What’s my role from here on out? I’ve helped you prepare. Will you trust me? Let me fight when the time comes?”
“You mean am I going to give you a gun?”
“Will, no one here is as proficient as—”
“I understand that, but what you need to know is that part of me is more afraid of you than of what’s coming.”
“Will, you don’t under—”
“I understand plenty. Come on. Let’s go check the other side.”
Will found Rachael and Devlin eating leftovers with the others in the kitchen.
He asked them to walk with him, and they followed, going back up the passage, then out into the lobby, where he finally pulled them into the library and shut the door.
“Come here, guys.”
The Innises sat down in a corner by the French doors, protected from the view of anyone who might be watching from outside.
Above the skyline of firs, evening faded from pink into purple.
“It’s gonna be dark soon,” Will said, and already he could feel the sadness rising in his throat. He looked at his long-lost wife. His teenage daughter. “It’s gonna be a long, long night, and the truth is, we don’t know what’s going to happen. If we’re gonna be together in the morning. Or if this is the last . . .” He ground his molars together, fighting the surge of emotion. Be strong for them. He reached out, touched his daughter’s face. “I’m so proud of you, Devlin. The courage, the nerve you’ve shown.”
“But I’m afraid, Dad.”
“I know. We all are, and that’s okay. What matters is how you handle it. That you don’t let it handle you.” They all embraced, held on to one another for nearly a minute.
When they came apart, Will grabbed Rachael’s hands. “I want you to see the little farmhouse we have in Colorado. There are mountains, aspen trees. There’s a river nearby, and sometimes you can hear it from our bedroom. I want to be there with you and Devi and this little guy.” He touched Rachael’s rounded belly. “I’m gonna do everything I can tonight to make that possible. You both know what you have to do?” His girls nodded. “No matter what happens, I love you, Rachael. I love you, Devlin.” Rachael was crying,