Scouting out the Location

Clara checked the starry night. She sighed. Of course, of the constellations she could see, not one looked like the ones she was familiar with. She was dangerously off course. She did not have her equipment with her. She was doubtful they would allow her to listen on the wireless to figure out what was on the up and up. Good information was scarce to nonexistent.

She checks below her. No voices, no lights, a wisp of breeze coming from the lake. Nothing to worry about there. Her eyes glanced up to the manor. It looks pretty picturesque, looming over the lake.

What did she know? These woods are strange. After that show, she headed straight away to the forest. After half an hour of walking between the trees, she was impossibly walking towards that manor. She diverted to walk around the lake. Unfortunately, no source of the lake was found. It was a pity as she would have followed it out of here.

About the people? Two clear hostiles. That Chinese woman and man. Definitely in charge of the area. They were also hard to read. They definitely had some tricks up their sleeves, such as vanishing and other tricks. Conclusion? Do what they say. At the very least, she was sure they would not kill her. Not soon at any point.

The rest were a mixed bag. All here against their will. What strange clothes some of them were wearing. And what was one of them wearing on their head? It looked like an oversized pair of glasses without a frame. So, that begged the question. When were these folks from? The future? It seemed the best explanation.

The only man in the group seemed to know something. She would need to talk to him. However the ‘host’ had made that man disappear. It was indicated that he would return tomorrow.

What should she do in the meantime? She started her descent to the ground. Not going into the manor. She might yet find something out here.

She checked the sky. There’s no indication that it would rain. Still, better to construct a shelter. She rooted around the area till she saw a good site. Twenty paces off the lake between two grand trees that were close enough. She checked the undergrowth for branches. She gathered any that were longer than a meter. There were three that were close enough to what she had in mind. One long branch and two shorter branches with a fork at one end.

She created an arch by putting the long branch into the forks of the smaller branches. She leaned it towards the trees. The arch settled at about forty degrees. She pulled her boot knife to notch the trees to hedge her bets that it would stay like that. She went around, found some heavy stones, and piled them onto the bases of the arch.

The last thing was to find coverings for the shelter. She stacked the other branches on the arch, so one end met the top bar and the other end was on the ground. Making sure there were no gaps in the roof, she took the litter of the undergrowth and piled it thinly on the roof. She also took some of the leaves and put them under the lean-to.

Stepping back to check her work, Clara heard a rustling noise. She spun around with her knife in her hand. She had the lake to her right and more forest on the left. Where was that creature that made the noise? A meow sounds out and out steps a cat. She laughed and bent down, tucking the knife back into its sheath. She motioned the cat to come closer.

The cat stared at her for a long time. She decided that it would come in its own time. It’s not as if she needs it right now. The cat must belong to the commanders of the area.

She lay on the leaves she gathered. Not the worst bed she had made.

Right shelter secured. Nothing of note during her building of the shelter. Back to the others, finish determining who is useful, and a plan of attack.

The commanders/hosts and the man were categorized. Who to start with next? Might as well start with the Asians. Two different kettles of fish. One worked at a hotel, the other in an unknown uniform. The hotel one seemed to be docile, whether that was true needed answering. However, certainly, she would not be that big a problem. However, the uniform one required caution. She could be military. That was unlikely from her drinking, but it demanded close attention. Everyone should be in the same boat. It did not mean everyone would get along or form a cohesive whole to get out of here.

The redhead and now the triplets. Strong Irish or expressed Irishiness in the redhead. Temper too. Might make a good ally. Triplets. That was a strange demonstration. One into three. Something funny there. Command would be interested in this. If she could get back. Maybe she is stuck here. Anyway, the triplets, if true on the sharing memories could be useful for keeping an eye on someone.

Bartender and Jew. The bartender seems useless for a break out unless those drinks of hers can magically make someone Superman strong. Doubtful. The Jew was interesting. She directly chatted with her the moment the host had disappeared. Such direct and blunt questions too. She had shaken her off to scout the area, but the Jew might figure things out about the hosts and their procedures.

Plan for tomorrow? Locate hosts and see if the man, Thomas, is with them. Find the others, Julie, Mia, Agatha, Popovs, Rita, and Alexa have to say about the inside of the manor. Devise a way to get out of here.

Satisfied with herself, she closed her eyes. A moment later, she felt a warm presence curling on her belly. Smiling slightly, she drifted off.