“I’ll be sure to ask her about it when we get back.”
“Do you want to eat now or go explore first?” he asked.
I chose to eat first because I knew I wouldn’t want to stop whatever we were doing to come back and eat; plus, I was starving since I hadn’t eaten much before we left.
Once we were finished eating, I sprayed any exposed skin with bug spray I found in one of the bathrooms. I don’t know what it was about me, but mosquitos loved me. Had I known we were going to a cabin in the woods, I would’ve brought my own.
Jonah was standing by the back door waiting for me with a shotgun strapped to his back. “What’re you doing with that?”
“There’s a lot of wild animals up here, and technically, we’re in their territory. I’d rather be prepared if we happen to run into anything.”
“Hold up. What kind of wild animals?” I asked, thinking that maybe we should stay inside and explore the cabin. I had no interest in becoming bear poop.
“Cougars, black bears, boars, elk, and coyotes to name a few.”
I was already shaking my head and backing away from the door. “Nope. No thank you. I’ll be perfectly fine staying right here in the animal-free zone.”
Jonah laughed. “There’s nothing to worry about. If we happen to come up on any animals, chances are they’ll run away when they see or hear us. If they don’t and it comes down to it, I’ll shoot them.”
“Has anyone ever been attacked up here?” I asked.
Jonah grimaced and reluctantly nodded. “Yes, it’s happened one time, but the circumstances were very different and she didn’t have a gun or any other kind of weapon to scare them off.”
I placed my hands on my hips. “She? Them? Explain.”
He sighed. “Two wild boars chased after Layla and one of them got her leg before she could get away. She was unarmed and didn’t even know she needed to be watching for them. Copper heard her screaming and came to her rescue. But, in all the years we’ve been coming to this cabin, that’s the only time anyone’s had a problem,” he reassured me.
“You know how to use that thing?” I asked and pointed to the shotgun.
Jonah threw his head back and laughed. “My dad taught me how to shoot when I was five years old. Not only do I know how to use it, I can hit what I’m aiming for. Hang on a sec,” he said and turned to open the closet behind him. After rummaging around for a moment, he handed me something that looked like a mini fire extinguisher. “That’s bear spray. It’s like pepper spray, but meant for animals.”
“Do you have boar spray and cougar spray in there?” I asked as I studied the can in my hand.
“That works on other animals, too. If it doesn’t, I have a gun, remember. We’ll be fine,” he insisted.
I wasn’t so sure, but I sucked it up and followed him outside. “Which way do you want to go?” he asked.
I surveyed the area and started in the direction I wanted to go. Jonah snorted behind me and mumbled, “I should’ve known.”
“Known what?”
“You’ll see.”
After walking a bit more, I turned and asked, “What’s wrong with that rock?”
Instead of answering me, Jonah walked over to the rock and flipped open a hidden panel to reveal a keypad. He punched in some numbers and motioned for me to follow him to the other side of the rock. With his foot, he swept away a pile of leaves and uncovered a door. “Open it.”
“Do I have stupid written on my face?” I trusted Jonah, but everything within me said opening a random door in the ground was not a wise decision.
“It leads to an underground bunker. Badger’s uncle was a prepper and had it installed years before Badger inherited the place. It’s come in handy a time or two in recent years, so Badger keeps it stocked just in case it’s needed.”
I wasn’t sure how a bunker could come in handy, especially more than once, but decided not to ask. Knowing Jonah, he wouldn’t tell me anyway.
“Do you want me to go first?” he asked when I continued to stare at the door.
“Yes, please.”
Surprisingly, he didn’t give me shit about it. He just opened the door and climbed down the ladder. Against my better judgment, I climbed down after him.