Chapter 1 - Get Away
“You know … we are out in the middle of nowhere,” Rachel suggested impishly. “No one would find her if we …” She made a shoving motion toward the edge of the cliff.
The sun shone down upon the lush trees, illuminating nature in all her splendid glory. The cool breeze made goosebumps join the explosion of freckles brought about by skin that refused to tan. Though she was breathing a little heavily, she had gotten there first. The petite woman grounded her oversized pack with all of her hiking gear and reveled in the lack of civilizing sounds.
The roar of proper city life had driven her deep into the woods and now she was able to remember why she had wanted to return to nature. Corporate life had generated the type of income which granted her the power to control her destiny, but it required little slices of one's soul. Weekly excursions to secluded hiking trails stopped her from going mad, but from time to time they went extra deep into the wild. Here, she could be herself. Here, she could be free.
The footfalls of her husband were easy to separate from the sounds of wind and birds. When her leonine nerd slammed his hiking pack onto the ground, he let out a long sigh of relief.
“You made it," Rachel said, amusement in her voice.
“Oh my God, what a view," Zachary said as he stretched his arms and back. He began running his fingers through his coarse blond beard, a habit that soothed his nerves when he was putting his head in order.
“Me, or the horizon?" Rachel asked, adjusting her round wire-rimmed glasses to the tip of her nose so she could appear strict.
“Yes," Zachary said with the wisdom husbands sometimes showed. The pair of them shared a chuckle and then stood together as they gazed out at the horizon. Holding hands, they thought about the future and allowed the wilderness to revitalize them.
“Did you abandon your brother again?" Rachel eventually asked.
“He made a noble sacrifice and bought us some time with his life," Zachary said in mock eulogy.
“How long do you think we have?" Rachel asked.
“Not too much longer," Zachary admitted. “Lori was pretty pissed when she figured out the path went all the way around the mountain."
“God … why did your brother have to marry that bitch?" Rachel asked.
“He was thinking with his dick," Zachary said honestly, throwing his brother completely under the bus.
“And you weren't?" Rachel teased.
“My dick has better taste," Zachary said without hesitating. “Besides, I vowed to never stick my dick in crazy. Dave thinks crazy is hot … but now he's at the regret phase of this marriage."
“How many is it now?" Rachel asked with a shake of her head.
“Lori is number three," Zachary said.
“Well, they already made it past six months, so I guess I'm out," Rachel said. “Dale's wager is only good for another two months, but if they make it one more year you can claim the victory."
“My winnings will go to the divorce lawyer," Zachary said with a shake of his head. “Dave hasn't protected any of his personal finances from that bitch." He fell silent, but Rachel could see the impotent rage under the surface.
“You know what she's going to do to him," Rachel said gently.
“Yeah … I know," Zachary said, and then he let out a deep sigh. “That's why I'm prepping. I've put some special protections in place to protect the company. Dave will be financially fucked but … no sense letting the harpy eat all of us."
“You know … we are out in the middle of nowhere," Rachel suggested impishly. “No one would find her if we …" She made a shoving motion toward the edge of the cliff.
“Don't tempt me," Zachary said as he looked up to the heavens for strength. “I keep hoping a bear will eat her or something."
“The sound of her bitching would drive them away," Rachel half-joked.
“If only," Zachary said with a chuckle. “Look, the Summer Solstice festival will give us a crowd that we can disappear into. With any luck, she'll get trampled to death by tourists or kidnapped by a sex cult. Either way, we'll get some time away from her."
“I know," Rachel said with a pout. “I just—"
“Oh, my Gawd!" They flinched. “Are we finally here?"
“Yes, dear," Dave replied, his tone implying the pair of them had not stopped fighting since they began their walk. A little taller and thinner than his brother, Dave's black hair and beard made him look like an exhausted poet. While this disaster was of his choosing, Rachel could not help but notice just how sunken his dark blue eyes had become.
“Is bitchiness a fuel source?" Rachel asked quietly.
“In this case … I think it's spite," Zachary lamented. “Break time over."
The happy couple made room for the incoming train wreck. Tall, curvy, and wearing the hell out of her black yoga pants, Lori stomped into the clearing and threw her pack contemptuously to the ground. Her long black hair had escaped its fox tail and her sports bra held the girls so firmly that they displayed goddess level cleavage.
“Jealous, Shortcake?" Lori growled at her.
“Hey, that's Strawberry Shortcake to you," Rachel replied, tousling her frizzy red hair in a manner that would annoy the appearance-obsessed woman. “Are those crappy shoes killing your feet yet?"
“Some of us prefer civilization to all of … this!" Lori replied with her trademark a sneer.
Rachel was impressed by how much venom her brother-in-law's wife could pour into such simple words. Several replies were brewing in her chest, but her intentions must have shown on her face because the men cleared their throats and began speaking loudly.
“Oh, gee, look at those clouds!" Dave announced, stepping between his wife and Rachel. “Someone should look at the map and figure out the fastest way to that town we were looking for!"
“Honey, can you look at this map with me?" Zachary announced in exactly the same voice as his brother, putting both hands upon Rachel's shoulders and turning her around to face away from Lori. He made a show of opening the map and putting it in front of them.
“Pussy," Rachel muttered to him.
“You are what you eat," Zachary replied quietly.
“Dick," Rachel said smoothly.
“Look upon yonder horizon and see the smoke of civilizing folk!" Zachary suddenly announced a little too loudly for Rachel's comfort.
“Thar be a shower in those hills!" Dave stated in his bad pirate voice.
“And coffee!" Zachary added.
“And nachos!" Dave agreed.
“Ooohhh … nachos," Zachary said in an exaggerated tone. “Well, we got to get over there right away, then."
“Wonderful," Lori said in an acid tone. “If we can find a shorter path this time? I don't want to amputate my feet."
Rachel took a breath but Zachary was ready.
“Yep! There's a shorter path in this direction here!" He made a sharp knife-hand gesture to indicate the direction. “Do you need to rest your feet or should—"
“I want to be there as soon as possible!" Lori stated, cutting him off effortlessly. “Get moving!"
The hesitation was short-lived, but Rachel could tell her husband was stuffing a bucket full of snark back into the blackest corner of his soul. When he took a meditative breath, it gave him time to think. Eventually, he put his smile back on and nodded. Then there was a rumble of thunder … and it began to rain.