“Holy shit!” I gasped.
I’d never seen anything even remotely close to Badger’s bunker. I was expecting it to be similar to a storm shelter, but it looked more like a studio apartment. The place even had a shower and toilet.
“Not what you were expecting?”
“Not at all. You could live in here.”
“Yeah, that was the idea—to be able to live in here for at least a year if necessary. Though I don’t think Badger keeps it stocked with a year’s worth of supplies anymore.”
I looked around the bunker a little more before we climbed out. Jonah covered the door with leaves and used the keypad to lock it before we ventured off into the woods.
After walking for a while, we came to a fairly decent sized creek. The water didn’t appear to be moving fast and I didn’t see any rapids, but I could clearly hear the sound of rushing water.
“Do you hear that? The water?” I asked.
“Yeah, there’s a waterfall a little ways down,” Jonah said.
“Can we go? I want to see it,” I said excitedly.
He grinned and reached for my hand. “Let’s go.”
The waterfall was gorgeous. The creek spilled down over several layers of rocks into a much wider creek at the bottom. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a waterfall from the top.”
“I’ve never really thought about it, but I guess you’re right; most of the time people view them from the bottom.”
“Are there any other—” I started, but Jonah cut me off.
“River, do not move. I mean it. Do. Not. Move,” he said so sternly that I obeyed him without thought.
“Wh-why?” I whispered.
“Just keep your eyes on me. Everything will be okay if you stay calm and stay focused on me.”
“Jonah, you’re really freaking me out.”
“I know, baby; I know, and I’m sorry. Just stay still for a little bit longer and keep looking at me.”
My heart was pounding in my chest and it felt like I couldn’t breathe. It was taking every ounce of my inner strength to stay still when all I wanted to do was jump into the safety of Jonah’s arms.
I was on the verge of having a good old-fashioned meltdown when Jonah said, “Slowly, and I meanslowly, start walking to me.”
I tentatively took one step and stopped. When he motioned for me to keep going, I took another step. “Good. Keep coming,” he said.
Finally, I reached him and jumped into his arms. “What the hell was that all about?”
He placed me on my feet and turned me around. “Look right there,” he said and pointed to the edge of the water. “That copperhead was slithering along and stopped right by your feet. He took his sweet ass time deciding to keep going.”
“Holy shit! Those things are poisonous!” I shrieked.
“No, they’re venomous.”
“What?”
“Snakes are not poisonous; they’re venomous. Same with spiders and bees. Poison is ingested. Venom is injected. Didn’t they teach you that in nursing school?”
“No, they didn’t. But I did know that some snake bites require antivenom, so what you said makes sense. Can we go now? I think I’ve had enough of the great outdoors for the time being.”
Jonah chuckled and took my hand. “Yeah, we can head back now.”