by Bobby Akart
“I also know that you keep your own stash back in the safe for your best customers.”
Allen appeared nervous and looked past the Boones toward the front door. He rushed around the counter and peered through the blinds before closing them. He turned to address Sarah, who stood leaning against the counter, locking her eyes on his.
“Sarah, you’re asking me to sell you three thousand rounds of ammo. I’m not even gonna try to explain what that could do to my business, but just as important, I have to know what’s goin’ on.” He hesitated before adding, “And, Sarah, our families go way back, so please don’t blow smoke up my ass, pardon my French.”
Sarah stood firm under the pressure. She knew she was asking a lot, but her gut told her it was necessary to call in this favor. Allen, by referencing the fact that their families had a history, understood he owed the Boones. He was just concerned.
“Allen, I’ve come to see you tonight for a couple of reasons. First, Riverfront Farms needs to restock its ammunition. Just the other day Carly was attacked by a wild pig. We’ve had other instances of coyotes coming down out of the state lands to harass our livestock. Second, we’ve never asked you for a favor, and now I am. We’ll be square after this.”
Allen, who was also the Boones’ nearby neighbor up Indian Creek, didn’t want to say no. “Well, I get it, so I’m gonna help you out. I’m glad you came in late when the store was empty.”
He turned and went to the back office. He returned with a Rubbermaid push cart containing the three thousand rounds of ammunition.
“Looks heavy,” commented Carly.
“It is and bulky, too. I’m gonna have to figure out how to get it to your truck without puttin’ on a show for one of Clark’s deputies drivin’ by.”
Edmunds sighed and began to process their firearms application. While he did, Carly pulled Sarah aside and pretended to show her the new shotguns hanging on the wall.
“Mom, he’s the only gun dealer in town besides Walmart and the feed store, and they don’t carry much. Maybe we should give him a heads-up?”
“Tell him about Chapman’s warning?”
“Yeah. If things get awful, his inventory will be far more useful to those of us who live in the south end of the county than a few extra dollars in his pocket, don’t you think?”
Sarah leaned back and studied her daughter-in-law. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
Carly took a deep breath and exhaled. “Maybe I watch too much television, or it could’ve been that run-in with Wanda earlier. I don’t know which, but I do know that some people really suck. Look at how people treat one another sometimes. Imagine how desperate they’ll be if the power goes out and Walmart trucks stop delivering food and a man’s kids are starving to death. Where do you think they’ll come lookin’ for food?”
“The farms,” Sarah quickly replied.
“Exactly, they’re gonna come for our food that we need to feed our family and the people who work for us. At first, we might politely give ’em a little, or even turn ’em away. But they’ll keep comin’ back out of desperation. When we say no, they’ll get angry, and things could escalate. Do you know what I mean?”
Sarah rolled her eyes and emitted a long, deep breath. “You’re right. We’re gonna need allies and who better than the guy with the most guns.”
“Whadya gonna do?” asked Carly.
“It’s time to recruit some like-minded thinkers, starting with Allen.”
Chapter 15
Northwest Ontario
Canada
Wolves howl for a variety of reasons. Members of the pack will chorus howl, a ritual used to defend their territory and rally the pack together. It will begin with a single howl, which is relatively simple in structure. After a second or two, a second wolf joins, followed by one or two more until the rest of the pack follows en masse.
The gradually accelerating start to the chorus howl makes it possible to pick out the first three or four members of the pack, the leaders, but after that, there will be too many to count. Once the entire pack is howling, the sound becomes more modulated, changing pitch rapidly in what the human ear might assume to be chaotic disorder. That would be an incorrect assumption, as the members of the pack are very much attuned to one another.
Wolves are social creatures and therefore recognize the voices of others. The howl of a packmate, a neighboring pack, or a complete stranger to their territory will all solicit different responses.
Levi was not used to the howls of wolves. There were no known wolf populations in the state of Indiana except, on occasion, areas bordering the northern part of the state near Michigan. There was an urban legend in the state that coywolves, a coyote-wolf hybrid, inhabited areas southwest of Indianapolis, although Levi had never seen or heard of one.
Karl raced back to the clearing created by the wreckage. He’d slung Levi’s backpack over his shoulder and was toting a gun case under each arm. “Did you guys hear that?” he asked apprehensively.
“Yeah, but I think they’re a ways off,” replied Levi. He reached out for his backpack, which Karl happily unloaded off his shoulders.
“That damn thing’s heavy. Whadya have in there, Levi?”
“Lots, but most importantly, something that’ll keep the one-armed bandit alive.”
Levi rummaged through his pack and found his first aid kit. Anytime he traveled, he carried certain essentials in his gear regardless of where he was headed. His grandpa and Squire had instilled in him that he should always be prepared for anything. Levi was no Boy Scout, literally or figuratively, but he was a Boone. Boones were explorers and wilderness wanderers. They knew better than to leave home without the means of getting back there under any circumstances, including walking.
Karl set Levi’s gun case by the airplane seat and set the other one next to Eddie. “How ya doin’, compadre?”
“Muy bueno,” said Eddie with a chuckle. “Say, um, Karl, do you reckon ya should get one of those rifles loaded in case the wolves decide to come around?”
Karl stood and shook his head. “We had to keep the ammo separate from the weapons, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Use mine,” said Levi. “But y’all don’t forget, we only packed fifty rounds per rifle. It was too heavy otherwise.”
“Crap, that’s right,” remembered Karl. “Smoky Falls had plenty for us to purchase.”
Levi found his first aid kit and unzipped it. He added, “Right, so don’t be shooting at ghosts, but be ready in case the neighbors decide to come for supper.”
“Should I go look for Eddie’s guns and our backpacks?” asked Karl.
“Hang tight,” said Levi. “Let me get our boy cleaned up, and I need to get some dry clothes on.”
Karl slowly walked in a circle around the bench seat while Levi got down to business. He shared what was troubling him. “Levi, we’ll freeze to death in this weather.”
“That’s a nice thought,” quipped Eddie. “Let’s see, I’ve got about five ways to die tonight. I could freeze, bleed out, or get eaten by wolves. Then there’s always sasquatch.”
“That’s only four,” interrupted Karl.
“The fifth way is death by bacteria or plague or whatever Levi has on his underwear.”
“Huh?” Karl was perplexed.
“Never mind,” interjected Levi. He applied Polysporin ointment to Eddie’s gash and covered it with gauze. Then he used a camouflage ballcap to cover Eddie’s scalp. “There, keep that on.”
“Better than your underwear,” said Eddie with a chuckle. Levi gently wiped his friend’s face off, and then Eddie muttered, “Thank you.”
“No worries, brother,” said Levi. He took a deep breath and looked at the sky. He was capable of navigating by the stars, but he wasn’t familiar with Canada and not sure which way led to civilization. His instincts were to head south, back the way they came, and away from the inclement weather. Plus, Hudson Bay lay to the north, and the shores were sparsely popu
lated, from his recollection.
“We need to hunker down,” said Karl, interrupting Levi’s thoughts.
“I agree,” said Levi. “It would be nice to have your sleeping bag. Do you wanna try searching again?”
“Sure. I haven’t been in this direction yet, or the area where you came from.”
Eddie interrupted them. “Guys, I’m really getting cold, and this arm is starting to ache.”
Levi furrowed his brow. Eddie was right. Shelter was the first priority in any survival situation. In extreme conditions like these, they could die of exposure in a matter of hours.
“I have an idea,” he began. “My seat and the tail section are still intact. It’ll be like squeezing ourselves in a drain culvert, but at least we can use our body heat to stay warm.”
“Oh, sure, nice and snug,” said Eddie with a sarcastic moan. “I’ve already had to sniff your undies, now you think you’re gonna hold me? I can’t wait to tell Carly about this.”
“Shhh!” admonished Karl.
“You know I’m just—” said Eddie before Karl repeated himself.
“Shhh! I hear something out there,” he whispered.
Levi scrambled to his gun case and loaded his other rifle. He and Karl immediately dropped to a knee, flanking the bench seat, where Eddie curled up to stay out of their way. The guys listened as the sounds of crunching snow could be heard over the ever-present wind.
“I hear it, too,” whispered Levi. “We’ve got to get to cover before it’s too late.”
“Whadya think it is?” asked Karl. “It sounds too heavy to be a wolf.”
“I don’t plan on waiting for it to show itself. Let’s go!”
Chapter 16
Northwest Ontario
Canada
The guys followed Levi through the woods. First, they stopped by the part of the wreckage where the pilot had died. Karl showed remarkable intestinal fortitude as he approached the pilot’s body and rummaged through his pockets, looking for anything of use. He found a lighter, a Victorinox Swiss Army multi-tool, and a pocket compass.
Karl could feel an inscription engraved on the back of the brass compass. He cupped the device in the palm of his hand and flicked the Bic lighter to illuminate the words.
“Every adventure requires a first step.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” commented Levi. “So let’s get to steppin’ before the wolves chase us down for supper.”
Levi’s rifle led the way as he did his best to locate his previous footsteps in the snow. Between the additional accumulation and the wind blowing the frozen moisture across the forest landscape, it was slow going.
“I think I see it up ahead,” he announced as they entered a small clearing created by the wreckage. The guys picked up the pace, and a minute later, they were surveying their options.
Karl shouldered his rifle and stood in front of the opening with his hands on his hips. “Well, the first thing we have to do is scoop out the snow. He held his arms wide to gauge the width of the tail section. “I’m guessing six feet. If we lay on our sides, we can all squeeze in there.”
“Like freakin’ sardines,” complained Eddie. He reached down and made a snowball and shoved it into his mouth.
“Eddie! No!” Levi said in a loud whisper. “Spit that out.”
“Why? I’m thirsty.”
“I know, but you can’t melt snow that way. Your body has to use a lot of heat to melt it into water, which will make your body temp drop a bunch. We need to keep you warm.”
“Levi, I’m parched, dude.”
“I’ve got this, trust me. I’ve got two squeeze bottles in my pack. We’ll fill them with snow and use our body heat to melt it into water.”
“Makes sense,” said Karl. Although there was never a particular hierarchy among the three friends, Levi was always looked up to when it came to matters regarding the outdoors. Whether it was his Boone lineage or practical experience learned from his father and grandfathers, Levi always seemed to know what to do when the guys were hunting or camping in the woods. “What’s next?”
“First, let’s clear this thing out, and then we’ll squeeze in together. We’ll use my backpack to shield us from the wind and snow.”
“What about the wolves?” asked Eddie.
“We’ll point our barrels out and shoot ’em if we have to,” replied Levi.
“Dude, that’ll blow our eardrums out!” Eddie warned.
“Maybe, or maybe not,” Levi shot back. “At least we won’t be some wolf’s puppy chow.”
Karl and Levi worked together to clear the tail section, and then they dried it using a fleece sweatshirt in Levi’s backpack.
“Okay, before we go in, let me try to splint Eddie’s arm,” Levi said as he rummaged through his backpack again. “First, take these Advil.”
“All four of them?” asked Eddie.
“Yeah. That’s eight hundred milligrams, the same as a hospital would give you. We need to reduce your inflammation.”
Eddie swallowed the pills and then asked, “What else?”
“Obviously, lie on your right side and keep your left arm tucked against your body. Karl and I will do our best not to bump you.”
“Do your best? How ’bout don’t?”
“I’m gonna make a splint for you,” continued Levi, ignoring his questions. He looked around the wreckage and found a pine tree limb that was two inches in diameter. “Karl, up ahead is my row of seats. Take that pocketknife and cut loose the seat belts. We’ll use the tree limb to keep his forearm immobilized and the seat belt webbing to hold it in place.”
Karl quickly retrieved the seat belts, and Levi began to splint Eddie’s broken forearm. “Now, please don’t cry or I’ll stop.”
“Shut up, dude.”
When Levi was finished, he gave Eddie some instructions. “In a perfect world, I would have included your elbow to immobilize the whole lower part of your arm. We just don’t have the supplies for that, so it’s gonna be up to you to hold your arm as still as possible until we can get you to a hospital.”
Eddie was humbler than earlier. His moods tended to swing like that. “Thanks, Levi. I can do that.”
The guys talked about how to shimmy into the tail section together without causing any more trauma to Eddie’s battered body. After a few jokes about passing gas, you know, guy stuff, the three of them entered their temporary shelter.
Levi had removed the largest articles of clothing from his backpack to be used as makeshift pillows and blankets to lie on top of. The metal tail section was lying on top of the snow and quickly cooling marsh of the Hudson Bay Lowlands. Insulating them from the ground was more important than covering their bodies.
When they were finally settled, and after some moanin’ and groanin’ from Eddie, the guys were able to relax. The silence lasted about ten minutes until there was a complication.
Eddie said, “I gotta pee.”
“I’m gonna kill him.”
“No, I am.”
Chapter 17
American Airlines Flight
Atlantic Ocean
A pair of flight attendants stopped by their aisle, and Chapman gave them their drink orders. They were also given a light snack of brie cheese coupled with a package of crispy French waffle crackers made by Tresors Gourmands. While they waited for their drinks, Isabella made a suggestion.
“The blonde woman was giving you the look.”
“What look?”
Isabella playfully slugged his arm, causing his brie to fall off the cracker and into his crotch. She picked up the plastic knife that came with their snack. Twirling it in her hand, she asked, “Would you like me to get that for you?”
Chapman quickly reached down and plucked the morsel of cheese off his pants. He set it on the tray and shook his head rapidly from side to side. “Um, no, thanks,” he replied, and then he admitted he’d noticed the blonde girl was unashamedly giving him the once-over.
“Here is what I am offering you, Monsieu
r Boone. It is a onetime pass to flirt in my presence. Only, I am going to leave you for the lavatory. This will allow you a few moments alone with your blonde admirer.”
“Why would you do that? Is this a setup so you can use that knife?”
Isabella enjoyed watching Chapman squirm. “No, this is not a ruse. She will be more open with you while I am away. I know blonde women all too well. They have no shame.”
Chapman laughed at her statement. “What am I supposed to do while you’re away?”
“Ask her about the internet and what she knows about the power outage. She will open up to you because you are cute.”
“I am?”
“No,” she said teasingly. She picked up his snack tray and shoved it in his chest. Then she raised his tray table and slowly pushed her way past him to enter the aisle of the wide-body jet. She flipped her long hair over her shoulder and marched off to the lavatory.
The two flight attendants who’d taken their drink orders immediately descended upon his seat with an extra snack tray and their drinks. After some playful banter between them, Chapman tried to garner some information.
“Hey, guys, I really need to check my emails. Why won’t they let us have the internet?”
The blonde shrugged, but her fellow flight attendant replied, “Other transatlantic flights have reported difficulties connecting with the new Ka-band satellites. The older Ku band like Panasonic are too slow, and passengers just complain about it.”
“Wow, I’m impressed,” said Chapman, flashing his signature smile bracketed by his dimples. “You know, I’d be okay connecting to the slow satellite. Can you guys help me with that?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m sorry, Mr. Boone. Only the pilot can do that and, well, you know, if I tell him that you’re on the flight, he might allow it. Shall I ask him for you?”