Chapter Six: Structural Damage
The Outpost
The cabin smelled of pine needles, woodsmoke, and fifty years of emotionally stunted men avoiding their feelings. It was the scent of Garrett’s grandfather’s cigars, his father’s bourbon, and his own simmering resentment, all baked into the log walls.
Garrett unlocked the heavy padlocks with a key that felt cold and greasy, like a bone pulled from wet earth. The door swung inward with a groan of rusted hinges, a sound that seemed to sw