Brandy Creek (Book One Completed)

(Part 40)

After refueling twice we were just south of Rockford Illinois, I find a nice farm with a giant open area to land. We take one of the newer pick-ups parked at the farm and start driving. I'm driving of course with Mato on the map, instructing me around Rockford. We had given Chicago a wide berth, I could still see the smoke in the far distance. Rockford, I couldn't see smoke but I had no doubt people flocked there too. A few hours driving Mato leads me down a road towards a large blue farm house. We park near it and he takes off around the back of it, I get out of the truck and follow as fast as I can with my much shorter legs.

I follow the long dark braid flying behind him, the broad shoulders with a dark red bag on his back. He leads me to the side of the house where a cellar door lays against the house, he opens it and I follow him into the darkness of it. Everything once under ground level is all cement, it goes a little deeper with no lights on its almost pure darkness until Mato turns on a flashlight. At the bottom of the steps it tunnels in about five feet then there's a large door that looks like a actual steel bunker door. Mato runs his hands around the outside of it, when he comes back with a key I let out a snort.

"That's not very safe."

"Its temporary just so I can get in." Mato says then shine the light onto the door so he can put the key in, it ends up going into two other locks. I mean, what is the point? One key for three locks?

The door opens and we are greeted with the barrel end of a shot gun, until the tall lankier women sees who is taking up the frame of the door. I can just see past Mato's side, she drops the gun and he takes her into his arms. I inch my way inside as Mato half carry's and half drags the crying women into the room. I close the door and lock it back up, trying to keep far away from the crying women and the next women and man to come into the small room.

All are Native with beautiful deep skin tones, the second women that came in is a younger version of the first one. The man is much older or at least looks like it. Mato hugs as many bodies to him as he can get, then asks. "Momma why are you manning the shotgun?"

"Your grandpa is making dinner, your father was in the bathroom and I'm not letting Cassie be the first one at the door." That's from the first women, slightly older looking then Mato and the second one. That was his mom?

"Momma, dad this is my girlfriend Natalie." Mato says after a moment of them just taking each other in.

What I wanted to do was whip my head towards him and say 'your fucking what?' I didn't. I was hugged by his mother, his dad looked me over in a questioning way and it looked like his sister was holding back some teasing comments by the smile she's biting back. Shes the one to pull her mom back, and offers me a hand to shake. "I'm Cassidy, Mato's little sister."

I take her hand in a shake, she doesn't let go after the shake she just pulls me along by the hand. "Dinner should be ready but I'll show you where the bathroom is and Mato's room. You're probably wanting to clean up, I know I would be from that trip."

"We took a helicopter for most of the way." I say as she drags me along. We pass what looks like a smaller living room, there's a TV on the wall with a kids movie playing. Two smaller boy's sit on the couch, they had to be younger then Wyatt's brothers. A man who I'm guessing is their dad is sitting with them, all of them stare at Cassidy pulling me along with confusion on their faces. None of them seem to want to jump in to help.

"I didn't know Mato could fly." She ponders.

"He can't." I say back, she turns her head back to me just as we get to a large open hallway and gives me another considering once over.

"Military?" She asks me.

"Noooope." I pop the p at the end and she shakes her head at me. She finishes dragging me along to the left where another hall starts, at the back wall she opens up the end door.

"This is Mato's room, the next door." She points to the left where we had come from. "Is the bathroom, I assume Mato will be in here soon to clean up so I would hurry to get in there first."

She gives me a mischievous smile, ahh. So she was doing this so I could have first dibs on the bathroom, I smile back at her. "Thanks for that."

"No problem." She says and starts off back down the hall. "Look forward to chatting soon."

Entering the room I find a full sized bed, smaller then the one in my trailer. Maybe the one in the trailer is a queen or bigger. This one seemed tiny, thinking about how Mato would fit in it let alone with me in it too. There's a chest of drawers off to the left wall, the bed pushed into the back right corner, and a night stand near the bed with a lamp that I go to turn on. My backpack is off and I toss it too the floor at the foot of the bed, I had decided to bring my bug out bag. It had everything I would need in a emergency, plus we each had another bag out in the truck with clothes and other mundane things. Mato would let me know when we could go grab them or maybe he would.

For now I lean my 300 against the dresser, I take off the light jacket and halter with all my weapons keeping on my belt and small guns on my hips. I would never give up all my weapons unless I had too. The long sleeve shirt I had on gets thrown off to the dresser, I didn't really have thick clothing so I just layered as many things as I could. The room is chilly but not cold so I keep on the baggy t-shirt and jeans on that are over my leggings. I do take off my shoes though, even though this is basically a bomb shelter it looked like a cramped house, minus the windows. After a quick trip to the bathroom I meet Mato in the bedroom after he uses it. He walks me out with a hand on my back, and introduces me to everyone formally.

Cassidy his sister of course, her husband Charles and her two sons Sam and Elijah. His mom Pala, his dad Gerry and his grandpa Edward. His grandpa had finished up dinner, I had to school my features at the fact that he looks like he's Gloria's age but he's making a large meal for everyone. Some type of spiced and roasted chicken cut into its pieces, leg, thigh, breast etc. Roasted veggies, mashed potatoes and dinner rolls.

"Not a vegetarian are you?" Mato's grandfather asks me, it didn't sound like it was a bad thing, just curious.

"Nah. I grew up eating what I was given, now I still eat what ever."

Mato huffs walking into the small kitchen, he picks up one of the empty plates. His grandfather and parents have already gotten their food, Cassidy was wrangling the two boys into the bathroom to wash their hands. Mato starts piling food onto the plate, more chicken then what he would eat by himself. "She eats more meat and carbs then anything else."

That was true, and I was a little shocked he noticed that. If I have the option I would eat more meat, add on some potatoes or bread or sometimes pasta I loved it. Really I only ate veggies and fruit for the nutrition rather then to enjoy the food.

Mato sits at the table, with his grandpa, parents and sister and brother to come the table would be full. If the boys didn't sit with us. The six person table took up all of what would be the dinning room and a little chunk of the kitchen, I give Mato a look and he scoots out from the table at a angle.

The look on his face.. a cocky challenging look. And then I understood, the thing is he had no idea what game he was playing. I had done much worse things then sit in someones lap in front of other people. So I move over and sit right in his lap sideways, I have to un-clip my pistol from my side so I can fit better against him without falling. Mato settles us on the chair until he's comfortable with me on his lap, he reaches for a chicken leg and I take that as a queue that it was safe to eat. His parents looked between each other, his grandfather didn't seem to care about much as he ate.

"So when's the interrogation starting?" Mato asks in general.

"Were waiting for your sister." Mato's mother says and gives me a sympathetic smile. Oh great. I've never been in a relationship, never had to schmooze family members of someone I was planning to be with. It was going to be weird, at least for me.