by N A Broadley
“I’m fine too,” he said then chuckled.
Everything was wet, their tent, their sleeping bags, clothes, everything. Slowly she sat down on a log Brian placed near the fire. Pulling her backpack toward her, she ruffled through the pockets and pulled out a bag of herbal tea. Licorice root, cinnamon, Echinacea, elecampane and ginger, a cold and flu mixture she’d premade many months ago and stashed in her backpack. Throwing a generous handful into a pot of water she then set the pot on the edge of the coals and let it steep while she laid out the contents of her backpack in a sunny spot to dry.
She inventoried her food bag and her herbal supplies along with another bag that held a variety of medicines and medical supplies. She let her hands move over each container, feeling its weight, opening it and sniffing it for signs of spoilage. She drew out several bottles and choosing one, she uncapped it and gave both Sarah and Brian, a low dose of antibiotic in case their colds were more than just colds. She pulled another plastic bottle from her medicine stash and dropped two white pills into her own hand. Tylenol for pain.
Brian’s cough was deep in his chest, wracking, and wet sounding. Sarah’s, on the other hand, sounded dry and raspy. Either way, between the herbal tea and the antibiotic dose, she knew she should see some improvement in them both within twenty-four hours.
“Ummm, this stuff tastes like ass!” Brian complained as he took another sip. She scowled in an attempt to look mean then laughed, finding she was unable to pull it off.
“Just drink it.”
“But it tastes horrible!”
Rolling her eyes, she sighed deeply. For someone so tough, he was acting like a big baby. The man could push through four days of rain and mud, through black flies chewing on him with not one word of complaint but give him something good for him? He acted like it would kill him to finish drinking it.
“Drink it, ya big baby!” she hissed then laughed. It felt good to laugh even though doing so sent her ribs singing with pain. She watched as Brian tipped the mug up to his lips, grimace and then take another swallow. She looked over at Sarah and saw a smirk touch her mouth and shot her a warning glare.
“You too! Finish it!” she said.
Turning back to Brian, she broached the subject of staying put for the day. They needed to rest, and now that the sun had finally made an appearance, it would give them a good day to dry out their clothes, sleeping bags, and tent.
“I don’t know Beth,” he replied. “I’m not trying to be a hard ass here but, if what the man you killed, what he said is true, then moving on might be our wiser bet. Hell, the Bobby guy he talked about might very well be on our trail already.”
He was worried. He understood what Beth wanted to do. His body screamed for a day of rest. They’d been pushing hard. But, taking even one day might be a mistake. And yes, he could set up the camp so that if this creep snuck up on them he’d have a few nasty surprises waiting but why take the chance when they didn’t have to?
She sighed. She understood Brian’s worry. She’d done nothing but worry these past four days. She was waiting for some boogeyman named Bobby to jump out and attack them. But she was also tired. Bone achingly tired. And she hurt. There wasn’t a spot on her body that wasn’t screaming with pain.
“I’m tired, Brian; you’re tired, Sarah is about dead on her feet. We need to rest,” she replied. She expected more of an argument from him and was surprised when he nodded.
“Okay, then. A rest day, you shall have. And if that’s the plan, I’m gonna go and see if I can scrounge us up some fresh meat,” he said as he downed the last of his tea.
They hadn’t eaten a hot meal in days. He knew Beth’s food supply was running low as well as his own. But first, before hunting, he had a few things that needed doing.
It took him only an hour or so to set up the perimeter of the camp in such a way that he felt safe, leaving the women to go hunting. Sarah did her part with the punji holes and spiked spears placed strategically into heavy thick brush cover. He’d laid a few nasty surprises of his own and showed Beth and Sarah each location so that they would get caught up in them.
While he and Sarah worked, Beth foraged in the woods for plants that she knew would be growing there. Plantain, fiddleheads, a patch of violets near a mossy tree and lastly dandelion. The greens of the dandelion would be bitter tasting but with the violet flowers, the fiddleheads and young plantain shoot to cut down on the bitterness; they would make a nice meal.
The plantain leaves she would use as a poultice for Brian’s wound and the swelling and bruising on her own face and ribs. It would help to soothe the ache as well as speed the healing. She also collected white pine needles to make a tea later. White pine had a mild and soothing flavor as well as containing vitamin-C to help boost their immunity.
She took a few minutes to enjoy the quiet before she headed back to camp. She hoped Brian would get something, a rabbit, partridge or wild turkey. As hungry as she was, anything would do.
When she got back to camp, she was surprised to see Brian working with Sarah on some defensive fighting moves, and she sat on a log to watch them.
“Remember Sarah, balance. Keep moving so that you are not a static target,” Brian said as he moved in on her. Beth laughed out loud as Sarah sidestepped his lunge and with a quick snap of her foot to his midsection, knocked him to the ground. He got up and brushed himself off, laughing.
“Good girl. You are getting faster,” he chuckled. Turning, he dug in his pack and brought out a sharp, curved knife and handed it to Sarah. Beth’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Okay, now here, here and here, “ he said as he pointed to various areas on Sarah’s body, “are where you want to aim for. These are areas that hold vital organs. The heart, kidney, and liver.”
Sarah grinned and nodded. Beth could tell she liked this training. She watched holding her breath as Brian moved in for the attack. If Sarah slipped up and stabbed him, if he wasn’t quick enough, this could end very badly.
She watched as Sarah planted her feet for balance and lashed out with the knife as Brian got closer. With a quick sidestep, he avoided the stabbing motion and moved around behind her. Sarah spun with him, not allowing him to get close enough to grab her. Brian grinned and moved quickly to the right, and Sarah once again matched him move for move.
“That is good, Sarah,” he said, smiling, “you are a quick learner.”
Beth was glad Brian was taking the time and interest in teaching Sarah. She thought with these little training sessions the girl's confidence would grow and perhaps even help to pull her out of the shell she’d closed herself in for far too long. After an hour or so of training, Brian finally called a halt.
“The hunting ain’t gonna do itself,” he said as he slung his rifle up over his shoulder. “And I don’t know about you ladies, but I am getting kind’a hungry.”
While he was gone, she and Sarah spent the time resting while Jessie scavenged through the woods, making crashing noises as she chased one squirrel after another. Beth noticed she didn’t wander far though, coming back to the campsite panting and huffing with her tongue lolling out every few minutes as if checking on them.
Sarah was sitting near her and leaning heavily on a log dozing in the sunshine. This was just what they’d needed. This warmth, this rest. She understood Brian’s concern, but he had to understand hers as well. Sometimes you need to take the time you needed, no matter if there was some kook named Bobby who might be chasing you.
Her thoughts slipped and slid through the past few weeks. The turn her life had taken and the event that landed her inside this shit show of a nightmare. She wondered if she’d bitten off more than she could chew undertaking this journey. There was no safety net under her. It was about as real and raw and dangerous as it could get.
She kept thinking about her choices, staying in New Hampshire and trying to ride it out was an option. Staying at the house filled with nothing but death was an option. She thought if she did, she too would be dead by n
ow. Either by her hand or someone else’s. No, she’d made the right decision, but would she be strong enough to stay the course was the question.
She was tired of being tired, worn out by being scared all the time. She was hungrier than she’d ever been. And her body hurt all the time, from the cold, from the pounding of her feet on the dirt and rocky trail. She was just tired of life and could see no end to this misery. Would things be better in the south? She chewed on this question over and over.
Her long and dark thoughts were interrupted by Jessie’s barking, and she jumped up as she saw Brian coming up the trail toward camp. He was carrying two rabbits.
“Rabbit stew?” he said grinning as he handed her the skinned and cleaned carcasses. She was so excited that she was tempted to hug him but instead smiled and squealed happily.
“Oh my gosh! You bet!” She watched as he sat down beside Sarah and rested, his breathing sounding more labored than she liked.
“You sound worse.”
“No, I feel a bit better. Must’ve been that horrible witch’s brew you concocted,” he teased. “I’m just a bit winded from the climb. I got these up on the high ridge.”
She nodded, not quite believing him. Turning, she set a pot of water on to boil and threw a handful of herbs in it.
“Sorry, you’re just going to have to have some more medicine,” she insisted. She grinned as she heard him groan.
“Stop! It’s not that bad tasting!”
He crinkled his nose and shook his head in resignation.
“Yes, dear.”
She quickly set to work with her knife. Cutting the rabbits up into portions that would fit in her camp pot, she covered them with water. Adding more wood to the fire, she set the pot to boil. Once it began bubbling, she added the greens she’d collected and moved the pot to the side of the fire to simmer. She felt Brian’s eyes on her as she worked, and she turned and gave him a shy smile. She saw that he’d drank the cup of tea she’d made him.
“What’cha looking at?”
“Just you. You seem comfortable cooking over an open fire. Where did you learn to do that?”
“Camping. I used to love camping.” She replied. She grew up camping with her parents, then later after she was married, she and Mitch would take long weekends away and head for the state parks. That was before her daughter was born.
“Mmmm…I camped a lot as a kid too. With my father,” Brian murmured then changing the subject he asked her about Webster.
“Are we still going to try and make it there or are we moving onward up the trail?” She thought for a moment before answering and looked at Sarah. She could not see any benefit to going to town; however, they might they be able to scavenge some supplies. They might just be asking for trouble if they did. She’d seen what Hillsboro, her own town, had turned into after the event. She could only assume that all towns also imploded as Hillsboro had. Shaking her head, she grimaced. It would be too dangerous.
“Sarah, what do you think?”
Sarah shrugged her shoulders, and Beth sighed.
“No, I think we’d better just stay the course.”
Brian nodded. He thought so too.
∞
The food settled in his stomach, and for the first time in days, he felt content. Relaxed, he watched Beth and Sarah as they moved about cleaning up the few dishes. Something about Beth captured his curiosity. To him, she was an oddity. At once fragile and graceful and at the same time, he could sense an underlying toughness in this woman.
He thought about how fierce she was. Shit! The woman was beaten to a bloody mess by the men that attacked her and Sarah, and yet she hadn’t given up. Each time she was knocked down by her attacker, she’d jump back up and fight some more. And yet, he’d watched her cry and sob like a child at the life she was now forced to endure. Filled with self-doubt and fear, she still forced herself day in and day out to do her very best at what life handed her.
He let his gaze set on her as she moved about the campsite. The curve of her hip, the way she held her shoulders, the movement of her hand as she gently reached over and stroked Sarah’s cheek. His heart gave a strange tug, and he sighed.
Chapter Eighteen
Spike spent a wet night up on the ridge and watched as the clouds dispersed and the stars lit up the early morning sky. The air smelled of wet leaves and earth. He drew in a deep breath and settled his back against a tree. His thoughts, his anger, his pain, plagued him so that sleep eluded him. There was a deep sadness in his heart that made it difficult to catch a breath.
As darkness surrounded him, he caught himself time and time again rehashing the last few days. The blood, the carnage that greeted him as he walked through the door of his home to find his family, slaughtered. The way his beautiful wife’s hair was matted with blood making it appear darker. The odd twist to her neck as she laid dead on the floor, her eyes open and staring, vacant. An ache, biting and clawing, settled deep into his soul. If hell had a word to describe it, it would be this feeling of ache and emptiness. Of a hollowness that defied tears.
Pulling himself up, he brushed the wet pine needles from the back of his pants. The first light of dawn saw him on the trail even before the sun rose. Yesterday he’d avoided the main trail on the AT, choosing to walk the ridge instead, staying high for better visibility. This morning though he made his way down to reconnect with the AT.
He knew the men used the main trail, and he’d followed their tracks for the past two days. He’d climbed the ridge to get above them and get a better view of the landscape. The men took the easiest and quickest route between towns. And they’d left plenty of evidence behind for him to follow, empty beer cans, cigarette butts, candy wrappers. Stealth he guessed was not their strong suit. Either that or they were just plain reckless and stupid. He opted for the latter.
When he came upon their dead bodies a few hours later, he cursed loudly into the silent forest. His shouts of agony and anger echoing off of the mountains. Someone had gotten to them before he could! Sinking to his knees, he hit the ground with his fists as the disappointment rocked him.
After a few minutes, he got to his feet and walked over to the first man who lay at the base of a huge Pine tree. He looked down at the bullet hole that had caved in his head. The second, a large, rotund man, sported a knife wound deep into the center of his chest and the third man, well, a hole in his gut and a deep, ragged slice across his throat made short work of his sorry ass.
Whoever killed these men did a right fine job of it. He thought of the group he’d seen earlier yesterday, the man with the two women. Could they have been the ones to put these scumbags down? He pondered the question intently.
Standing up, he gazed around and noticed a fire ring. It looked like a campsite. Slowly he puzzled the pieces together of what he thought happened. The group of three, the man and the two women, were probably camping here. These guys came upon them. There was a fight, and the scumbags lost. It was simple enough to make sense. At least to him.
Their deaths didn’t bring him any comfort, though. He felt robbed of the revenge he so desperately needed. With sickening nausea churning in his gut, he kicked out angrily at one of the dead men and felt his boot sink into the man’s flesh. A putrid odor rose up, and he gagged as he turned his head away.
The strike of a horse’s shoed hoof on a rock alerted him to movement. With his eyes on the trail, he backed silently into the thick woods and crouched down behind a thick stand of prickly brush. He brushed a mosquito from his face as he peeked through the heavy brush and waited. The campsite and the dead men were about to have some company.
He watched in morbid curiosity as four horses with riders stopped not twenty yards from where he hid. And he listened intently to their conversation.
“That’s Billy ain’t it Bobby?” one of the men said as he jumped down from his horse and walked over to one of the bodies. Another man, the one he called Bobby, followed behind him.
“Yup. That’s him,” he said, his voic
e breaking with anger and pain as he gazed down upon his baby brother. His eyes filled with the sting of tears and with a dirty hand, he brushed them away and turned his face.
“Looks kinda like someone slit his throat,” the first man squeaked. “And there’s Tim and Elroy!”
Another of the men jumped down off of his horse and joined the first two. He stood with his hands buried deep in his pockets and a scowl on his face.
“Tim’s been stabbed. Elroy was shot right between his eyes,” he stated factually.
The man named Bobby bent down and examined the other two dead men and then nodded.
“Yup. Sure enough,” he replied,
then coughed against the hard lump in his throat.
“Who done this?” the first man muttered. Spike watched as the man named Bobby turned to the other man, his face red with anger.
“How the hell should I know! But I will tell you this, whoever did it is gonna pay! They are gonna pay hard for killing my baby brother!” he screamed. “Mount up! We’re heading back and getting the guys together. Whoever did this can’t be that far ahead. We will find them!” Bobby yelled angrily. Spike watched as the men climbed back onto the horses and followed their leader back down the trail. His stomach flipped sickly with dread.
After they left and he felt safe enough to come out of hiding, he adjusted his pack and took off down the trail heading south. His heart beat loudly in his chest, and he worked to steady his breath. He was about a day and a half behind the group he’d seen, the man and the two women. He had to warn them. Whoever Bobby was, he meant business, and he was gunning for them.
Chapter Nineteen
He traveled long into the night, cutting across deer paths, fighting thick brush and up over rough terrain, saving miles of AT under his feet. He knew this area like the back of his hand. Every side trail, every mountain, every ridge. He should; he hunted it all his life. He hunkered down for a rest beneath a scrub of dense brush beside a fallen log. Stretching his legs straight out, he eased into the darkness that cloaked him like a heavy blanket.