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Lydia and Penny heaved the last box into place. Using Penny's original ziggurat formation, combined with Lydia's tabletop design, they formed a makeshift staircase. It wobbled but was sturdy enough for one of them to climb and make it to the surface.
Lydia was determined Penny would be the first one out. It gave the girl a chance to run and hide if things went wrong. Before anyone squeezed through the window, Lydia was going to try one more thing.
"Get me the sleeping bag," she commanded Penny.
Using the fading beam of the flashlight, Penny hustled across the room and retrieved the bag. She handed it up the crate stairwell to Lydia.
"And the flashlight," Lydia said.
Penny hesitated. With night falling and the storm continuing to rage, darkness would completely overwhelm the cellar without the manually charged torch. The young woman felt her breath snag and cease. She deliberately blew out a long soft exhale. It sounded like a distant ocean tide as it smoothed out the shoreline. Penny focused on that mental picture and refused to let fear get a foothold.
Lydia watched her. She knew this entire ordeal was trying for Penny Nicols. Until a few minutes ago, she hadn't realized Penny blamed herself for their dangerous situation. The shame and condemnation of her self-accusations increased the panic within the girl. It swirled more treacherous than the storm outside.
Lydia couldn't help but grin with pride as the barista silenced her anxiety, if only for a moment. It was a big personal step for her.
Penny held out the light for Lydia, who exchanged it with a tender smile. "It's the only thing sturdy enough to break the glass," Lydia explained, regretfully.
She wasn't certain the light would even do that. All she had was hope and a whole lot of pent up aggression to use in her attack against the window. Wrapping her arm in the sleeping bag and shielding her face, Lydia waited until Penny had backed away from her. Then, whispering a plea to God, she assailed the single frame cellar window with all of her might. She stabbed at it like Norman Bates attacking Janet Leigh in the shower.
Penny cowered in the shadows taking cover under the cot. The sound of the busting glass remained hidden beneath the screaming of the wind outside. Rain water drenched Lydia the instant the flashlight handle made it through to the other side. Banging and clattering against the barn, the clanking of the windchimes echoed down into the cellar.
Lydia backed away from the window. She’d knocked out as much of the glass as she could and gathered it in the sleeping bag. “I’m not sure if that was the smartest way to go about it, but it’s done.”
The flashlight dropped heavily to the dirt along with the glass covered sleeping bag. Lydia shrugged out of her coat before digging into its pockets. She blindly went to Penny, who was already shuffling her way to Lydia.
“Here,” Lydia said, placing her car keys into Penny’s hands. “When you get out, run for the car. It’s right beside the big house.”
“I remember seeing it,” Penny said.
“Good.”
“What about you?”
Lydia smiled, confidently, though she felt no such thing “I’ll be right behind you. But don’t take time to turn back. Run to the car and start it. If I’m not beside you, after you back out, then I’ve found someplace to hide. Go get help.”
“But I don’t know where I am. How will I find my way back?”
Lydia had thought of that already. GPS could be as spotty as cell reception in the weather. She had a backup plan. “The road heads in only two directions. Head in the direction of the yellow house.” Penny nodded. “Then keep going. In about a mile, you’ll reach another farm,” Lydia pulled out her cell phone. She turned it on, happy it still held a tiny charge. She flipped through her photos and showed Penny the picture of a white house with brown trim. “This one,” she said. “Pull into the driveway and knock on the door. Tell them to call Ethan Everett. Tell them Lydia sent you. Then call Hobo Joe. One of them will find you. Then you can tell them where I am.”
“I don't want to go without you.” Penny rubbed at her face.
“I’ll be right behind you,” Lydia repeated.
Lydia shivered. The wet air from outside amplified the cold air from inside the cellar. With her jacket off, it was nearly unbearable.
Penny took another look at the white and brown house, trying to memorize it. “Lydia,” she hooted. “You’ve got bars.”
“What?” Lydia spun the phone to face her. Sure enough, two tiny bars flickered on the phone screen. “The lighting stopped,” she reasoned.
“Call for help,” Penny said.
Lydia nodded before scampering back up the box tower, in hopes of getting at least one more bar.