Miracles

by Thomas A. Watson

  Shifting his eyes from LL to Jason, “Think of me as a piece of shit, but I would’ve mowed those kids down and never batted an eyelash,” Arthur stated.

  “Oh, we had already agreed to do that,” LL said, then continued. “After seeing that, some of us wanted blood,” LL accused, cutting his eyes to Jason.

  “Eat me, bitch,” Jason snapped.

  With a smirk, “The next day, we found three on patrol and took them,” LL went on. “And Mister Propane Torch over there had them talking in an hour. It seems the preacher had taken, ‘the children will lead’, in a new direction. On all planned attacks or ambushes, they used kids as shields. But we finally had an answer to why more kids weren’t joining up in numbers like the adults. Some kids had escaped and word had spread. Adults didn’t know, but the kids were telling other kids.”

  Feeling a thousand years old, Arthur just felt sick, pissed off, tired, frustrated, and in the need to strangle something. “Several times you’ve mentioned you had to leave the scouting mission. Were you compromised?” he asked.

  “Yep. They have patrols inside the compound to watch for people trying to escape, but one patrol with dogs crossed one of our trails and we don’t know which one. But they found where we were going over the wall and started searching the area, so we left. We headed back down to my place and found it had been burnt down. That’s when I suggested we try for Wendy, and see if we could just stay for a few days before heading further west,” LL explained.

  Not sure what to do or ask, “I’m glad you’re here,” Arthur told both of them. Before LL or Jason could reply, Wendy walked out with Samantha.

  Walking over, Wendy knew from Arthur’s expression he’d heard stuff he didn’t like but she could still tell, Arthur enjoyed being around Jason and LL. Stopping beside Arthur, Wendy shoved her thumbs in her pockets. “Arthur, we’re taking today off,” she very clearly told him, and wasn’t asking. “We haven’t stopped for more than half a day. I want everyone to just relax.”

  Setting her jaw and getting ready for a fight, Wendy kept her body relaxed when Arthur looked up at her with tired eyes. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard in a long time,” he replied, and Wendy nearly fainted.

  Wendy was tempted to tell Arthur that she should’ve found him some buddies sooner, but wisely didn’t. “Glad you agree,” she smiled, and pulled out a bar stool and sat down.

  Grabbing another stool, Samantha sat beside Jason but was staring intently at him. “What the fuck has you on edge?” she finally asked.

  “Catching Arthur up on what we’ve been through till now,” Jason told her.

  Suppressing a shiver, “Glad I missed it. I lived through it and have no desire to hear about it,” Samantha told him.

  “Since we’re taking today off, I’m going to get the kids who are ready to test ‘to carry’ up to the firing range,” Arthur said, gripping the armrests of the barstool to push off, but Wendy reached over grabbing his forearm.

  “Just wait till after lunch,” Wendy told him.

  Confused, Arthur lifted his wrist up and saw it was almost eleven. “So, you informed everyone else before me that we’re taking today off?” Arthur teased.

  Taking her hand off his arm, “Yep,” she chirped. “I had the big TV moved to the dorm living area and told Skannish to play Mario. Everyone’s over there rolling on the floor and laughing when he yells at the screen.”

  “I’ve never laughed so hard in my life,” Arthur confessed.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  What did you say

  The group sat talking for just a few minutes before LL stood up, “I’m going to get dressed.”

  “Why? The day’s half over,” Samantha informed him.

  “Keep on and I’ll make you take a plug of chewing tobacco,” LL warned.

  “I would sooner cut my tits off with a butter knife before that shit got near my mouth!” Samantha shouted. Spinning around, LL jogged to the house before Samantha got up, and ran inside.

  From the front of the house, the four heard shouting. When Arthur and Wendy gave simultaneous long sighs, Samantha and Jason turned to them. “Go and make them shut the fuck up!” Wendy demanded.

  “I’m tired of talking to them! Robin listens better about wearing clothes!” Arthur cried out, and Samantha started giggling.

  “That child hates clothes,” she laughed.

  “I did it yesterday. You deal with it today,” Wendy told him.

  “All you did was join in the screaming with those two,” Arthur replied, and heard the shouting moving around the house.

  Getting up, “I’m showing Samantha the greenhouses and textile barn. Deal with them and make them shut up,” Wendy commanded, then spun on her heel. As Wendy walked off, Samantha kissed Jason on the cheek and took off after her.

  Joseph came around the corner of the house with Sarah right behind him shouting. Stopping on the patio, he turned and started shouting back but Sarah had already started walking off, so Joseph just followed and yelled at her. Walking through the parked UTVs and buggies, Sarah spun around to scream but Joseph had already turned around, walking back to the patio.

  Taking three quick steps to catch up, Sarah started shrieking. For ten minutes, Arthur and Jason watched the two. One was always moving away with the other trailing behind and yelling, but the argument never really left the patio.

  “Arthur, how long have they been dating?” Jason asked.

  “Dating?!” Arthur cried out. “Jason, last Tuesday, Wendy tried to get me to disarm both of them. They hate each other.”

  Never taking his eyes off the two, very slowly, Jason shook his head in disagreement. “Arthur, those two are in love,” Jason stated with conviction.

  Turning back to Joseph and Sarah screaming at each other, “Um, we seem to have two different ideas of love,” Arthur concluded.

  “No, love is love and they love each other, but they’re both stubborn as hell. I can see it in their faces, neither wants to be seen as weak by the other,” Jason explained.

  Not moving back and forth chasing each other anymore, Sarah and Joseph were standing toe-to-toe yelling. Any minute, Arthur was expecting fists to start flying. “Jason, if that’s your idea of love, I really don’t want to piss you off,” Arthur sighed, preparing to get up and break the two apart.

  “Why don’t you just make them go fuck and get it over with?” Jason asked, and Arthur slid out of the barstool laughing.

  Never turning to Arthur and still watching the fight, Jason saw Sarah push Joseph and then he pushed her back. “They’re acting like ten-year-olds who have a crush on each other,” he observed as Arthur climbed back up on his barstool, still laughing. “I acted that way in fifth grade to the girl I liked. Maybe we need to let them pass notes.”

  “Dude, they’ll send letter bombs to each other,” Arthur said, wiping tears from his eyes.

  “No, they won’t,” Jason stated confidently as the two pushed each other again. He finally turned away to Arthur. “They love each other,” he stated again with conviction, “a lot. Otherwise, blood would be flowing by now.”

  Hearing the certainty in Jason’s voice, Arthur stopped grinning to watch the two, and gave a startle to see both were wearing their pistols. Turning to find Jason staring at him, “Jason, I’m sorry, but you’re wrong,” Arthur informed him.

  Reaching down and pulling his AR to his lap, “This is my pride and joy of my collection,” Jason stated with pride. “It can shoot three-inch groups at four hundred yards. It has a mated bolt group for the barrel and the best trigger group you’ll ever shoot.” Looking at the AR, Arthur had to agree, it was a nice piece of iron.

  Taking his eyes off the AR and turning to Arthur, “If I’m wrong, I’ll give you this AR,” Jason asserted.

  With wide eyes, Arthur looked back down at the AR. Arthur loved guns, but not like Jason. Where Arthur viewed his guns as tools, Jason looked at his guns as works of art to use as tools. Just the care with how Jason treated his weapons with spoke
of that. When he wanted a gun for patrol, Arthur just grabbed an AR or M4 from his rack. He treated his weapons nice, keeping them clean and doing maintenance, but it was a tool he was keeping ready.

  To Jason, he was maintaining his work of art when he did maintenance.

  The only weapons Arthur had that he saw as different were the M16 he’d stolen and the folded steel 1911 he’d made. Now the 1911, Arthur didn’t know anyone he even liked enough to shoot with it. The fact Jason had put up his proud work of art, made Arthur take pause in his certainty.

  Shifting his eyes back to the fight, all Arthur could see was two people ready to kill. “You’re that certain?”

  Glad Arthur understood the significance of the bet, “If I’m wrong, this gun is yours,” Jason told him.

  “Then how do I make them move forward from the ‘I want to kill you’ stage? A stage I never knew existed,” Arthur wondered.

  “Now that, I have no idea,” Jason confessed.

  Taking a deep breath as he stood up, Arthur took his pistol off and set it on the bar. “If you’re wrong and this goes bad, I’ll take down Joseph, but you’ll have to take down Sarah. I wouldn’t ask, but you seem confident and I’m sick of listening to them.”

  Elated that Arthur believed him, Jason set his AR on the bar but didn’t get up. “I got your back,” Jason told him.

  “You remember that bitch has a pistol,” Arthur said, never taking his eyes off the two. Shaking his hands out, Arthur took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he headed into the fray.

  Standing at the greenhouse with Samantha just to make sure Arthur did something, “About fucking time he went to break it up,” Wendy growled.

  “Fucking stop!” Arthur shouted, making both jump up in the air. They both landed looking at him with fists raised. “Oh, you two want a piece of me?” Arthur challenged, bowing up and they quickly dropped their hands to their sides.

  With both staring at him but still panting hard and ready to tear into each other, Arthur looked back and forth from Sarah to Joseph. “You know,” he started in a nice calm voice. “I’ve seen this before, but not until recently. You two are acting like kids. You know who you’re acting like?” he asked, but didn’t wait for acknowledgement. “You’re acting like Jim and Jodi,” Arthur told them, and the scowls fell off each one’s face in shock.

  Kirk snickered, remembering his brother fighting with Jodi a few weeks ago. It took a second for Wendy to remember Jodi was at the daycare with Little Momma. She knew the kid, but had to think how they’d got here.

  Clearly hurt that they had been accused of acting like a six and seven-year-old, Sarah and Joseph started to formulate their responses as Arthur continued. “Two weeks ago in the mud pile, those two fought like cats and dogs. Do either of you remember?” Arthur asked, raising his eyebrows as each racked their brains.

  “Of course you don’t, because you two were fighting in front of the shop,” Arthur reminded them, but neither remembered that either. “I’m going to do to you what Vicki did to Jim and Jodi.” Both glanced at each other nervously, not understanding or remembering anything about the incident.

  “First, let me remind you, I can stomp both your asses in the ground without breaking a sweat. If you run or try to run, I’ll catch and continue until you do what I say. Do each of you understand?” he asked in a very calm and soothing voice.

  Starting to get worried, “But-,” Sarah began, but Arthur cut her off.

  “Young lady,” he popped off, making Sarah snap her mouth closed. Joseph was just nodding. He’d had his ass kicked by Mom, he didn’t want any part of a beatdown by Dad. “Are we understood?” Arthur asked again.

  “Yes, sir,” Joseph said, and Sarah nearly called him an ass kisser but thankfully, kept her mouth shut.

  “Yes-,” Sarah paused for a second and saw Arthur’s eyes start to harden, “sir,” she added and his eyes softened up, making her relax.

  “I want both of you to face each other,” Arthur told them and they did, but as soon as they locked eyes, both clenched their jaws like two bulldogs ready to attack. “Tell each other you’re sorry. Joseph, you go first.”

  For the first time in his life, Joseph thought about not obeying his dad, but just couldn’t do it. “I’m sorry,” Joseph said through gritted teeth.

  Very happy she didn’t have to go first, “I’m sorry,” Sarah responded in kind.

  “Very good, you two,” Arthur praised. “Now, kiss and make up.”

  If Arthur had told them to kill a baby, he would’ve gotten the same reaction. Both turned to him in abstract horror. “Are you serious?” Joseph whined.

  Stomping her foot, “I would rather kiss a cow’s ass,” Sarah pouted.

  “Shut it!” Arthur barked, and both stopped but were still looking at him. “Now, kiss and make up and I’d better believe it. You two are causing way too much turmoil here. Everyone loves each of you, but sides are starting to be taken. This ends today, and you two are going to kiss and make up. The kiss better look genuine enough to fool me, I’m warning you,” Arthur told them.

  As she turned to Joseph, Sarah really thought of just loading up and leaving, but she knew Arthur could find her. He would bring her back and probably make her kiss Joseph in front of everyone here. Giving a depressed sigh, “Fine,” Sarah mumbled, dropping her shoulders and accepting her fate.

  Going to complain to Wendy later, Joseph just nodded. Each closed their eyes as they leaned forward, puckering their lips like the little kids they were acting like. Their lips barely met and they stopped moving. “I’m not convinced,” Arthur told them blandly.

  Both leaned forward more, pressing their lips together harder and both opened their eyes to see their archrival kissing them. “Very good,” Arthur praised just like he did to Robin for wearing her panties, and they both caught it.

  Breaking the kiss slowly and leaning back while still staring hard at each other. “I’m sorry,” Sarah said in a small voice, but it sounded very sincere.

  Nearly stumbling back, Arthur turned as Joseph spoke. “It was my fault this time. I’m sorry.”

  For the first time, Arthur saw the two looking at each other without death in their eyes, and he started making plans to put Vicki over all internal disputes between family members with Jason as the family counselor. With a tiny shrug of her shoulder, “Well, I did chase you down and kept on,” Sarah offered with a hint of a smile.

  “I kind of asked for it, though,” Joseph grinned.

  Feeling weak in the knees, Arthur could now see what Jason had spotted through the hate-spewing screaming match. These two loved each other. In complete shock, Arthur just gawked as the two smiled at each other. “I’m very proud of you two,” he mumbled in utter disbelief.

  Suddenly, the two lunged at each other, catching Arthur by surprise. Sarah leapt in the air to wrap her legs around Joseph’s waist and her arms around his neck. Catching her, Joseph wrapped his arms tight around her and their mouths locked in a passionate kiss.

  Rooted to the same spot watching the passion, Arthur felt he wasn’t certain of anything in life anymore. Unable to think of anything, he just turned away. Looking back at the greenhouse, he saw Samantha kneeling beside Wendy who was sprawled out on the ground.

  Seeing Wendy on the ground broke his stupor and Arthur broke into a sprint, skidding to a halt behind Samantha. “She fainted,” Samantha said, patting Wendy’s face. “I told you those two were in love.”

  Blinking her eyes and realizing she was on the ground, Wendy sat up and leaned to look past Samantha. Sarah was still stuck to Joseph’s chest and the kiss was still going, but it looked to be getting hotter as the two weaved their heads side to side. “After what they put us through with that fighting, we’d better get a dozen grandkids,” Wendy proclaimed, and slowly looked up at Arthur. “How in the fuck did you do that?”

  “Um, just made them do what Vicki did to Jim and Jodi,” Arthur confessed.

  Holding out her hand for Arthur to help her up, “
We need to get Vicki something nice for that,” Wendy told Arthur as he pulled her up.

  “Hey, I wouldn’t have tried it if Jason hadn’t said they were in love,” Arthur admitted.

  Slowly, Wendy cut her eyes to Samantha and found her blushing. “Um, yeah,” Samantha stuttered. “We met at a bar. I was at a bachelorette party and Jason was at a bachelor party. We locked up within ten minutes of making eye contact. The bouncers came over and separated us after I punched him and he poured a pitcher of beer over me. We locked up two more times and were thrown out…” Samantha told them with her blush turning a deep red and running down her neck.

  “The bouncers grabbed Jason first and it pissed me off, so I jumped on one’s back and bit a chunk from his shoulder. Another bouncer ran over and grabbed me by the hair and Jason broke his arm. We looked at each other and bolted for the door. I told him I didn’t have a car there and Jason picked me up and ran for his truck when bouncers started pouring out of the door to the bar. We sped out of town and have been together ever since,” she ended with a smile, but was still blushing.

  Patting Samantha’s arm, “Well, I’m glad Jason was a gentleman and took you straight home,” Wendy said with a grin.

  Giving a snorting cough to keep from busting out laughing, “Yeah, he sure did. We sat on the porch swing holding hands,” Samantha forced out quickly, then fought not to laugh.

  “What?” Jason asked, walking over.

  “Samantha was telling us how you met,” Wendy said, and Jason’s face turned instantly red. “How you took her home like a knight in shining armor and sat on the porch swing holding hands.”

  Glancing at Samantha biting the inside of her cheek, “Sure did,” Jason replied hesitantly, not remembering the night ending that way.