Chapter 4: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

A few days later, Arabella felt well enough to resume traveling. Simon was still deeply entangled with the council negotiating the care of the refugees, so he couldn't leave. In vain, he tried to get Arabella to wait a little while longer before she left for Monterey but she was adamant about finding Granny and bringing her back to Staunton. Although Simon tried once more to dissuade her, she reminded him of his deal and prepared to leave to find Granny.

Once again, Arabella loaded up her vehicle. Strapping herself into the compact station wagon, she accelerated west along State Route 250. Civilization quickly faded behind her as she rode into the forest. The winding road was in bad shape and it took her almost two hours to cover the twenty miles to West Augusta. Hungry, she stopped by a roadside diner hoping to pick up lunch and some local news. Sitting at one of the picnic tables, she shared a table with a tall lean, black man who called himself Wolfe. With an 'e' he kidded her.

Arabella and Wolfe traded small talk during their meal.

"Where you headed?" he asked around a mouthful of hamburger.

"Out to Monterey."

"I heard that things were getting rough out in the mountains."

"I hope not." Arabella wiped her mouth with the paper napkin. "Last time I spoke with Granny, everything was quiet. I don't think that anyone has even thought about going that far west yet."

They chatted for a few more minutes while Arabella finished her drink. Wolfe, asked more questions than he answered, skillfully interrogated Arabella about Monterey without divulging any information about himself. He tried to get Arabella to accompany him, insisting that he could provide protection from whatever bandits were in the forest but Arabella, thinking of her argument with Simon, declined. She cheerfully bade Wolfe farewell as she walked back to her car and continued down the forest road.

Wolfe watched her leave and then motioned for some of the other patrons to follow him. He led them across the highway and into the wood line, where their HUMMV sat under a camouflage net. Sitting in the front seat, Wolfe looked at a map and smiled. Monterey would be perfect for his plans. And now, thanks to little Arabella Hood, they knew that it was likely to be undefended.

Picking up the radio handset, LTC Wolfe ordered his troops to wait until night and then begin their move on Monterey. Consulting the scout platoon leader about the condition of the back roads, he plotted the route that they would use to approach the town.

Arabella, meanwhile, continued on. It had been a beautiful morning but by early afternoon fog and rain had closed in and made the forest dark and foreboding. She drove on and on, until she realized that she must have taken a wrong turn. Her map was useless without road signs to guide her and Arabella, unused to being along on the back roads, searched desperately for some shelter. The rain begun falling harder, overwhelming her windshield wipers and forcing her to drive at a snail's pace down the pitch black road.

Finally she saw a small building ahead in the gloom. It wasn't much, just a cinder block barn or garage, but there was smoke coming from the chimney. Grateful for the chance to get in out of the weather, she parked and knocked on the door.

The door swung open at her touch. She called inside but there was no answer. Remembering Simon's warnings, Arabella drew her weapon and warily walked into the room. Everything was silent except from the sound of the rain as it fell against the roof. The house smelt of cooking food and Arabella's stomach rumbled. Searching for any inhabitants, she took a quick tour of the house, noting the spartan interior. Woven mats had been hung from bare rafters to divide the old cinder block garage into rooms.

Weary from her journey, Arabella sat on one of the chairs by the fire, choosing the most comfortable one. Unfortunately one of the legs broke, spilling her onto the floor. Remarking on how that made her day, Arabella got up and searched for something to eat.

She looked into the bubbling pot that sat on the wood stove and was excited to find some delicious stew. Quickly finding a bowl, she ate her fill. Once sated she took stock of her situation and, feeling tired from her day's travels, walked to the back of the house to find a place to sleep. The beds were low wooden platforms covered in animal skins and worn, tattered quilts. Choosing the largest one, Arabella collapsed, still dressed, into a dead sleep.

The house was quiet except for the redhead's soft snores. The rain had stopped during the night. Suddenly, Arabella was roughly awakened as shadowy assailants grabbed her and bound her wrists and ankles together. A light shined in her face and a rough voice demanded her name. Blinded, Arabella made out three hulking forms arrayed around the bed.

Arabella struggled against the thin bonds, which cut her wrists. She tried to tell the shadowy figures that she was just a lost traveler and had meant no harm. The flashlight moved and dim lamps were lit, illuminating the scene in the soft yellow light of a candle lantern. Arabella saw two men, one older than the other, and a woman standing over her. Their clothes were patched but clean. Their hands were red and chapped from hard labor. She guessed that they were scared farmers ready to defend what little they had left.

"She done broke my chair." The young man was large, definitely big enough to play high school football, but his whiney voice made him sound like a small child.

"And she's eating all the food t'was made for dinner." The woman standing between them was tall, but not as tall as the men, and broadly built.

The elder male looked down at Arabella and a sly smile creased his brown face. "So ya broke our furniture. Et' all our food. And now you's laying in my bed within wet clothes." He chuckled softly, melodramatically shaking his head from side to side. "Well Mother. I jist don't know what we're a gunna do."

He reached down and roughly groped Arabella's small, firm breasts. "But I jist been thinking that we've been looking for a wommun for Eddie here." The woman's face lit up as she caught on to what her husband was leading up to. "What say we let this little redhead work off her night's stay?"