by N. C. Reed
“We can make a copy of the road maps and use them for annotation,” Leanne nodded. “We should be able to have something for you this afternoon, late.”
“Good deal,” Clay nodded. “Meanwhile-”
“Vehicle approaching,” Heath Kelly whispered through the radio. “Appears to be the Hummer returning.”
“Meanwhile I need to go to the pad, I guess,” Clay amended. “Good job, Millie,” he told the young woman. “You guys were right, she fits right in to your little circus,” he added to the twins.
“At this point our being right should not surprise you,” Leanne huffed.
“And your modesty is truly moving,” Jose added with a grin.
“It's not conceit if you're actually that good,” Deuce retorted, though with a grin.
“Welcome to the Brain Trust,” JJ offered a hand to Millie. “We've got cookies.”
“That sounds like I'm being seduced by the Dark Side,” Millie said hesitantly, taking the hand.
“We prefer 'absence of light side',” Deuce grinned. “You know; under the circumstances and all.”
***
Gordy stopped directly in front of Building Two, allowing Shane to emerge from the back seat with Mattie Simmons still wrapped in a blanket. While no longer sobbing uncontrollably, she was still crying and was obviously suffering from shock onset. Clay arrived just as Shane approached the door with Mattie.
“What happened?” he asked, holding the door open so they could enter.
“Talk to them,” Shane nodded toward the Hummer. “I've got to get her some kind of care.”
“Got it,” Clay hurried to get the clinic door. Shane nodded his thanks as he and Mattie disappeared inside. Clay walked outside to see Xavier on the pad, Zach clearing the MG and Gordy checking the Hummer over.
“So I take it the parents weren't home?” he asked.
“Whole place is burned to the ground,” Gordy told him without looking up. “Everything on that side of the Interstate is burned over.”
“No game, no nothing,” Zach agreed. He secured the gun, which would stay mounted, then covered it with a form fitting canvas cover. “It's a wasteland in places.”
“Her parents were nowhere to be seen and there was nothing to indicate they were even there when the event happened,” Gordy went on. “Both vehicles missing, but probably new enough to have been knocked out by the wave.”
“The damage was total as near as we could tell,” he concluded, sliding down the outside of the Hummer to land on the ground. “Not just there but the whole neighborhood, such as it was.”
“They both conveniently failed to mention that Miss Tall Girl places the blame for the loss of her childhood home squarely upon the shoulders of your family,” Xavier said mildly, a raised eyebrow the only sign of any emotional reaction. “Both handled it quite well despite some rather hateful rhetoric on her part.”
“Good,” Clay nodded, pleased. “I'm proud of you both,” he told the teens.
“I'm still mad,” Gordy told him, shaking his head. “Just because I didn't say or do anything doesn't mean I'm over it.”
“I'm not over it and don't plan to be,” Zach added. “But Gordy said let Shane deal, so that's what we did. It ain't like she's the only one who lost everything to a fire.”
“Speaking from experience?” Xavier asked.
“Yes,” was Zach's simple reply. “Need help getting the rig put away?” He asked Gordy, changing the subject.
“Sure,” Gordy nodded, mounting up again. “We’ll fuel it up first. C'mon.” When they were gone, Xavier turned to Clay.
“Most interesting young man, that Zachary,” he said calmly.
“He is that,” Clay admitted warily.
“He lost his family?” Xavier asked.
“All of them did,” Clay nodded. “Zach, Kade, Corey, Titus and Heath. Gone fishing when the wave hit, got back to town to find it in flames, their homes burned down and their families gone. They don't know if they're alive or not. We've looked, but nothing so far.”
“All of them,” Xavier mused. “No wonder he reacted so poorly. It's fortunate you found them.”
“For both sides,” Clay agreed. “We were in a bad way for manpower and all of them stepped up, Gordy included. We've trained them up to our standards and they've come through for us more than once. All of them were athletes so that helped, but they still worked hard. And they've all seen action multiple times. They're done well.”
“We have a young man that made the trip with us that you may want to add to their number,” Xavier told him. “Young Mister Montana is a very rugged individual and a very able shot, at least with a rifle. He is tough and stronger than he looks. Has good stamina and follows orders well. You may want to think about it.”
“Think he'd be interested?” Clay asked.
“I think he is always interested in room and board, yes,” Xavier replied.
“Orphan?” Clay asked, recognizing what Xavier meant.
“In every sense of the word,” Xavier confirmed.
***
“What's wrong?” Patricia looked up and saw Shane Golden walking Mattie Simmons into the clinic. She was wrapped in a blanket, shivering, her face pale and her brow sweaty.
“She's in shock I'm pretty sure,” Shane replied gently. He guided Mattie to the exam table and when she just stood there he lifted her off the floor and sat her carefully on the bed. Mattie never reacted.
“What triggered it?” Patricia asked even as Kaitlin Caudell began to check Mattie over, talking to her softly, soothingly.
“Her home is gone, burned to ash, and her parents are missing,” Shane whispered. “She had a bad few minutes and . . . look, she said some pretty bad stuff to your son and Zach about how you left her family and everyone on their side of the highway to burn. I'm sure your son and his friend are mad as hell and I don't blame them, but . . . it was after that when . . . when she just shut down. It wasn't that she wasn't listening to me, it was more that she couldn't hear me anymore. Know what I mean?”
“Yes,” Patricia nodded grimly. “Gordy is rather even tempered and I don't think Zachary even has a temper to speak of. If she angered the two of them then she must have really mouthed off.”
“She's grieving and the strain is catching up to her,” Shane defended Mattie slightly. “All that's kept her together was the hope of getting home. When she found it destroyed . . . it was like everything she went through and did was for nothing. I think all that came crashing down on her at once and she just . . . switched off.”
“I'm not judging her,” Patricia assured him. “It will probably be better for me to allow Kait to do most of the work,” she looked back where Kaitlin had managed to get Mattie to lie down and had covered her with another blanket. “Seeing me might be a bad thing if she's blaming us for her family's misfortune. Not the first time that has happened,” she muttered darkly. “No matter how much we try to help, we pay for it in the end. Always.”
“Is it ever any different?” Shane asked her. “If you need me any more just give a shout. All we could do was try to keep her calm and wrapped up. Where we been . . . something like this, you either recover or you die. I don't know what else to do for her until her brain starts processing again.”
“You did exactly the right thing,” Patricia assured him. “Keeping her calm and warm is about the best treatment available in the field. If we have to we can give her something but . . . honestly it would be better if she could process it on her own. We’ll have to see.”
***
“Yeah,” Kurtis Montana nodded slowly. “I'd be willing to do that. Assuming I can,” he shrugged. “Doesn't sound too difficult. Can't be worse than hunting man eaters in high country.”
“Man eaters?” Clay didn't like the sound of that.
“Cougars, bears and such,” the younger man shrugged. “Fish and Wildlife use people like me sometimes to hunt down predators that are killing stock or that have killed people. Trap and relocate the st
ock eaters and kill the man eaters. Good bounty money sometimes. Good way to make extra money. Well, it was,” he shrugged again.
“How old are you, Kurtis?” Clay asked.
“No idea,” came the easy reply. “Got found on the doorstep of a church in Kurtis, Montana, about nineteen years ago. Where I got my name in case you missed it,” he grinned. “I'm probably twenty or twenty-one, but . . . got no way of knowing for sure. Don't have a birthday. When I was a kid they used the day I was found. Good as any I suppose.”
Clay truly didn't know what to say to that. What could he say? Nothing he had ever been through could compare to what this young man had lived with.
“When did you run away?” he asked carefully.
“Been on my own since I was fourteen, using the day they found me as a birthday,” Kurtis showed no surprise at Clay's question and didn't bother to deny it. “Foster care sucks, at least in Montana. Mostly just looking for free labor it seemed. I was tall for my age and could pass for eighteen so I started drifting. Most places out there have bunkhouses and provide meals as part of your salary. Good way to make ends meet. Hunting the predators was better paying but sporadic at times. Firefighting was seasonal and hit or miss, but it was hard work, too. Most that tried couldn't hack it. I had to work to get in because I didn't have any documents at all. I started when I was about seventeen, lying about my age to get in. I had three years of experience when the lights went out. Had just wrapped up the third, in fact.”
“Parachuting?” Clay asked.
“No, helicopters,” Kurtis shook his head. “My team was dropped by chopper. They don't have as many jumpers as you might think. Helicopters make it less needful, plus it eliminates the need for training to jump. Just fast rope into the bush and they lower your gear to you and . . . there you are.”
“I have done that, though not to fight brush fires,” Clay nodded. “Well, if you're game, then we’ll set up a time to start you through the training. If you want to do it full time, assuming you pass, then that's doable. Meanwhile, you said you could handle cattle?”
“Yes sir,” the younger man nodded. “I've rode many a mile working cattle. I can handle that or horses. Brought my own saddle, but I ain't got a horse.”
“We've got horses,” Clay assured him. “We've got saddles for now, but one day we're gonna have to find someone who can make new ones. I dread that time.”
“I can sorta make saddlery,” Kurtis offered carefully. “I learned from an old man where I was working for a big outfit outside Hamilton. It was big enough they had him on full time to take care of their gear and he kinda let me learn from him. Even got a few tools, but only a few. I could maybe take a stab at it if someone here could help me make the tools I need and maybe take an old saddle to tear apart for a pattern.”
“You're hired.”
CHAPTER NINE
“So most everything across the highway is burnt,” Leon sighed, sitting back in his chair.
“At least between here and where Mattie Simmons lived,” Clay nodded. “No idea how far back it goes to the north. We don't know where it crossed the highway or how far south it went before the rain got it put out.”
“Your friends didn't notice?” Leon asked him.
“With all the mess on the Interstate, I doubt it,” Clay shook his head. “They didn't mention seeing the burned over territory until they got to our exit. They did have other things on their mind of course,” he added. “Like being followed.”
“Yeah, that's true,” Leon mused. “Well, that's gonna put us in a worse bind than before, ain't it.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Yes sir, it is,” Clay agreed. “The group that our prisoner if part of is probably our greatest threat at the moment, known threat at least,” he amended. “I'm expecting her to break soon, so maybe we can get some useful information out of her.”
“Yeah, I got an earful about her from Marla and again from Malitha,” Leon smirked. “Didn't know they knew such words.”
“Yeah, well, I'm tired of their interference and told them so. Mom was with them. If all they want to do is cook and watch kids, that's what they should stick with.”
“Agreed,” Leon nodded. “Told 'em that. Amongst some other choice passages,” his smirk grew in size. “I figure no longer 'n I probably got left, they won't have enough time to get even.”
“I wish you'd stop saying shit like that,” Clay complained. “If something happens to you this place may fall apart, Old Man. You're the only one who is keeping things together at the moment.”
“Don't sell yourself short, boy,” Leon snorted. “You're doing a fine job. The fact that the Cackling Hen Brigade came to me is proof of that. They expected me to side with them and make you knuckle under. Since they hadn't managed to do it,” he added when Clay didn't seem to understand.
“So me standing up to them was all it took?”
“Pretty much,” Leon nodded. “I told you to get them used to you giving orders,” he reminded his grandson. “I've worked too hard to leave it be ruined by your father. That's no disrespect to him, but he just ain't got what it takes to make a hard call, son. He works hard and been good to Ange and all you kids, but . . . in this kind of life,” he shook his head slowly as he paused. “Well, let’s just say it's better if your father stays a farmer. That's all.”
Clay nodded silently in agreement.
***
“May I speak with you, Miss Jackson?”
Beverly looked up to see the one person she never wanted to see again standing right in front of her.
“What can I do for you, Mister Adair?” she forced herself to be neutral.
“I should like to avail myself of your services, perhaps,” Xavier almost looked uncomfortable, she thought to herself. She was sure she imagined it.
“In what way?” she all but demanded.
“It has been brought to my attention that I need to try and open a dialogue with that . . . with my brother,” he caught himself. “Even if it begins with an intermediary. That perhaps our issues are the result of misunderstandings and miscommunications and if so, then might be settled by clearing the air. However . . . ” he trailed off, clearing thinking of how to put it.
“You two can't trust yourselves to be in the same room with each other?” Beverly fought down a smirk.
“It could be problematic, yes,” Xavier agreed. “Our history is . . . unfortunate, for this kind of thing.”
“So why me?” she asked. “Why not use Clay for instance?”
“Clayton is busy, for one,” Xavier replied. “Which is not to insinuate that you do not have better ways of spending your time than to assist myself and my oafi . . . my brother,” he corrected himself again. “Secondly, he lacks the patience for this kind of thing, to be honest, as well as the objectivity. Additionally, assuming that it is the case that our . . . situation can be rectified, there are years of very bad relations that will need to be aired at some point, I suspect. It would be foolish to assume that he and I can do so without the aid of a professional.”
All good arguments, Beverly admitted. And well presented, too. She didn't know who these two really were or where they were from, but both had obviously received first rate educations.
“Very well,” Beverly nodded slowly. “I will try to assist you, so long as both of you are willing and cooperative. The first time I sense that isn't the case, then we're done, or at least I am.”
“That is completely agreeable,” Xavier nodded.
“And it will have to wait a few days,” she continued. “I will need time to help Mattie deal with her issues, which I'm sure you know about already.”
“Yes, and also quite agreeable,” he continued to nod. “She was in a bad way by the time we had returned her here. And I must warn you-,” He stopped at her upraised hand.
“No. Nothing. I’ll get it out of her, one way or another. Assuming she doesn't tell me, then you can share what you saw or heard. Don't give me any preconceptions.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
***
“What happened with Mattie?” Abby demanded as soon as Gordy walked into the house.
“She lost her damn mind,” Gordy replied. “Oh, and it's your fault,” he added, cutting his sister off at the knees.
“What's my fault?” Abby was caught flatfooted.
“Mattie blames us, you in particular, for not abandoning our own homes to go save hers,” Gordy snorted. “The Webbs all over again. We help someone and then they blame us when things don't go their way when they strike out on their own.”
“What happened?” Sam asked quietly.
“When we crossed the highway there were obvious signs of the fire having made it over there. It got progressively worse as we skirted around Jordan to get to her road. She started mouthing even then about how we Sanders had owed it to the rest of humanity to let our place burn while we saved everyone else and their homes. The closer we got to her place the worse it got.
“When we got her home, the place was in ashes. Nothing left but ruins and no sign of her parents. She jumped out while the truck was still moving and ran to the house, I guess thinking that once she was on the ground it would look better, right? She ran around for a few minutes wondering why her parents weren't there and then when Shane told her she needed to come back with us, she hit the roof. First she screamed at me and Zach, saying it was our fault that her parents weren't there and the house was gone, then screamed at me in particular because I had family around me.
“Shane kept trying to talk to her and finally decided she was going into shock. He managed to get her back in the truck and we brought her stupid, ungrateful ass back here so she could be pampered and petted some more. And now you're all caught up.” With that Gordy went straight to his room and slammed the door behind him, obviously angry.