The Sleeper Cells: A Terrorism Story

Chapter 3: First Blood

Some of us are worried. Some of us are ready. I shake Lindsey off of my arm and say, "let's do this. I'm not gonna just hide. We're going to get some answers."

Titus steps forward, "we can do this. For everyone we had to leave back there. I'm not letting them take something away from us. These evil..."

Kennedy clears her throat, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared," she takes a deep breath, "but, I'm in."

Rosemary looks at the sky, "Yeah." She lets out a huff of hot air as she slams her hands to her hips. She's acting like she's the only one stuck in this mess. The endless eye-rolls are getting annoying. It's time to stop acting like a diva and more like a soldier. She needs a wake-up call, but there are greater battles to fight.

Lindsey remains silent as we walk towards the cabin. She slumps her arms down as if they weighed twenty pounds.

"Grab a thick branch to use as a weapon. It's better than nothing," Kris tells us. As usual, we do what he tells us to. We all give him the authority. He deserves it, too.

As we take every step closer and closer to the cabin, I surprisingly feel safer. There aren't any signs of people breaking in or trying to inhabit the place. I think it's just us. The logs stacked on top of each other create the high walls. The only protection is the foliage of limbs and leaves scattered around it. A few stray vines wrap around the poles at the corners of the porch and back balcony.

Rosemary breaks the silence, "I don't wanna do this. I'm too scared."

"Then stay back," Kris tells her.

Rose comes to a halt in the woods, grabbing onto the closest skinny tree. No one misses a beat as we step closer and closer, temporarily leaving Rose behind without any consideration. Lindsey grabs my arm again.

"Stop. We don't have time for this. We can't be so afraid. Poke your chest out. Open your eyes. Be confident. We have to do this," I whisper.

Kris leads us behind a tree. He points at the ground and mouths 'stay here'. He quickly flips around the tree and runs to the back door of the cabin. Under the back balcony, he stops at the wooden wall and slowly opens the door. The wider he opens it, the more it creates a soft scratching noise. He steps into the first floor. Just like the tree stand, we all sit and wait for his return. Listening for the slightest noise.

It's quiet. I suppose that's a good sign. If there's anyone inside, it would be loud in there... and messy.

A figure slides by the window on the interior. The quick glimpse wasn't long enough to piece together an identity. Just a shadow hurrying past the dusty curtains. It could be Kris...or one of those people with guns. Please be Kris. Please be Kris.

Then, someone walks onto the back balcony with loose muscles—unlike the rest of us. Kris leans over the railing and waves at us. "Come on in, guys."

We drop the tension in our muscles. Titus leans back and says, "Rose, come on. It's safe."

I look over at Lindsey. I can tell she's upset with me, but honestly... I don't care. I want Lindsey to stay safe, but I'm just not interested in staying in a relationship with her. I'm also not interested in telling her the truth right now. Survival is more important than emotion. We have enough on our hands...

We walk to the front door. It's a beautiful log cabin. Two stories high with designed windows running through both stories. The back has a wooden balcony branching off for a beautiful view into the woods. Its deep-brown coloring is genuine, and so are the old spider webs between the logs.