The question did receive a bitter reaction. She rolled her eyes and turned up her nose. "This place is dirty and it smells. I can't wait to get going again. Where did Martin go?"
"Is he still in the restroom?" Did the man need to do more than just urinate? Roden wanted to get a move on, as well. "I'll go check on him while the gas is pumping. Keep your eye on it. Don't let it go over twelve gallons. It's an old pump and I don't know if it stops automatically."
"Right, right." Manda rolled her eyes again. She did that a lot. Roden was surprised she didn't pull any of her eye muscles.
He turned and headed in the direction of the restroom. On the side of the building was a wooden door stained a brownish yellow with age. The doorknob was completely rusted, but the dead bolt looked new. A plastic sign on the door, though chipped and coated with an oily dirt, appeared to indicate that it was a restroom. It read: 'Gotta pee? Get the key'.
Roden knocked on the door, and waited. No reply. He knocked again. Still no answer. So, he knocked harder and shouted Martin's name. He didn't hear a stir. It was strange. If there was something wrong with Martin in there, Roden would be livid. He didn't need any more complications.
Again, he pounded on the door and shouted "Martin! You in there?" Before he finished his pounding, Martin appeared out of the dark, coming around the corner from the backside of the building.
"Jeez, I'm right here. Cool it, will you?" He tossed the butt of a cigarette on the ground before Roden, and extinguished the cherry with a twist of his foot.
"What?" Roden was getting fed up with this guy. "Where have you been? You said you were going to the restroom? We need to get going." He turned and headed back towards the car.
Martin caught up with him. "Man, I'm sorry." He nudged Roden in the arm with his elbow and whispered, "Listen. Don't tell Manda what I was doing, okay?"
"Huh? Why not?"
"Well," Martin's whisper was tinged with guilt, "I told Manda I was a non-smoker. I'd hate for her to know that I lied."
Roden had to hold his breath to keep from laughing out loud. The only reply he was able to give by the time they reached Manda, was an amused glance and a nod. What a fascinating pair Manda and Martin made.
* * *
The cold was biting in the middle of the woods. There weren't any tall building walls and pavement to hold in the heat like in the city. The numbness that Ess felt earlier in the night crept back into her feet, and the hand that was wrapped around the flashlight ached with icy stiffness while the other grasped the remaining napkins in her coat pocket.
Max was too busy balancing Ess's suitcase, his duffle bag and several sacks of supplies while watching their footing to make any further attempts at conversation. He wanted to, he ached to earn her trust, but his concentration was more important elsewhere at the moment. They would have plenty of time to learn about each other when they made it to the cabin. He had a feeling that they would be there together for awhile.
By the time the dark shape of the cabin was in view - complete with a chimney that must be connected to a fireplace - they were both grateful. In covering the last several yards, they alternately dragged and pushed themselves forward, resolute towards crossing the threshold. Ess felt so thankful when she pulled herself up on the single cement stair at the cabin entrance, that she breathed her relief heavily and sighed aloud, "Finally."
Max gave her a sheepish smile, feeling the fault again for putting her through this trial. She didn't see his expression in the dark. It was just as well. She had told him to stop being sorry so much. He really should work on that.
Since he didn't actually reserve the cabin at the ranger station, he had no key, nor had he been certain that the cabin wouldn't already be occupied. There were no signs of occupation now. That was one plus tonight. How would he explain it to Ess if their hideaway was already inhabited? He'd lose any ground he had gained with her. That was, if he had gained any ground in the first place, which he wasn't certain he had.
"Hmm," Max hummed as he patted his pockets, "Uh oh."
"Uh oh?" Ess wasn't stupid. She knew what that meant.
"I, ah, seemed to have mislaid the key." He realized that this search of his clothing was a bit over the top, but he never was a very good liar.
"Oh, really?" If Ess wasn't cold and with a crazy stranger, she would have been amused.
"Why don't I just try to break in for now?" Max finally determined.
"Good idea." Ess didn't care at this point. She was cold and tired. Besides she wasn't an accomplice in this. She was a victim. Let him break more laws. It was his jail time he was racking up.
Max jiggled the lock and pushed against the door to see how much give it had. The doorframe seemed fairly sturdy. Glancing at Ess, he could tell from her posture that she was eager to get inside. He knew she was tired, and it made him half tempted to break one of the cabin's small windows so that he could crawl in and open the door from the inside. It was only the reasoning that he wanted to keep any vandalism of the property to a minimum that kept him in check on that score.
Ess realized his hesitation. He didn't know what to do at this point. He was a very strange criminal. He kidnapped her, but he helped her instead of harming her; he was invading property, but he didn't want to literally 'break-in'. What a contradiction he was. She didn't know what to make of him.
Rather than appearing to care about his predicament, Ess decided to distract herself by trying to peer into the window. All was dark inside, and she couldn't make out any forms or furniture or even walls - and no visible fireplace. From the size of the exterior walls, the entire cabin couldn't be more than four hundred square feet. It would be crowded in there, and she preferred not to be cramped in with an obsessed kidnapper. Still, at the moment she would give up almost any secure feelings for an opportunity to sit by a warm fire.
It was at that instant that they heard a sharp noise. It sounded like the snapping of a large branch in the distance. Ess shined the flashlight on Max to ascertain if he had heard it, too. She saw the startled look on his face, and her own nerves shuddered. Something was out there . . . and she preferred not to find out what it was.
Frantically she pushed against the window. It seemed a bit loose. When she looked down, she noticed that it had lifted a crack from the sill. Pushing the window up a little more, she saw that it gave way about an inch.
Max was right there in a moment. He used his strength to lift the window higher. Soon it was almost high enough for a small body to slide through. The old solid wood frame was rather heavy, however, so Ess had to leverage her hands beneath the pane to keep the window propped open. Another crack in the woods (wow, it was a lot closer) caused Ess and Max to make another frantic pull and push together. It was enough. Without a word between them, Max took over keeping the window propped up while Ess squeezed through the opening. Once inside, she shined the flashlight around the interior. The light was enough to illuminate the entire modest little room.
As she headed towards the locked door, she hesitated. Should she really let her kidnapper in? That seemed a bit crazy on her part.
Through the window that Max continued to hold open, she heard the rustle of leaves nearby. Damn. She couldn't leave him out there with some wild who-knows-what. Ess continued to the door, fiddled with the lock, and opened it to allow Max inside.