Forsaken World (Book 5): Homecoming

by Watson, Thomas A.

  “But the cabin isn’t that far away,” Chris mumbled in awe at Sandy.

  “Baby, if we could fly it would be, but is the land flat?” she asked. “No, we have to go over hills and through valleys, around lakes and rivers, so we have to travel over two hundred miles to get one hundred and forty. And we don’t travel in straight lines. That’s why I stressed ‘If’,” she told them. “I’m hoping to be there in a week, but I think it will take us nine days.”

  “Will you show us on the map today?” Tyler asked.

  “No,” Sandy replied instantly. “Boys, if you touch a map, others can see it if they find it. If we lose that map, someone could find us. We’ve shown you the town it’s close to. If you two continue learning how to read maps, then we can talk about it.”

  “How did you get so smart?” Chris asked in awe. Sandy turned to Tyler and found he was just speechless.

  “I wish I was smart,” Sandy sighed. “If I was, we would be home by now.”

  “You didn’t even use your fingers doing math in the dirt,” Chris pointed out with wide eyes.

  Grinning at the two, Sandy leaned over and saw the bowl was empty. “Wash the bowl out, so we can pack up and leave,” she told them. They grabbed bottles of water and washed the bowl out as Mary came over.

  “Sandy, we will get to teach them,” Mary almost cheered softly. “Lance and Ian were doing homework and Ian came to me the week before we left for Hawaii, wanting help on analytic geometry equations. I had no idea what the hell he was talking about. All I could do was look at the problem, hoping it would solve itself. I told Ian I couldn’t work it out and told him to ask Bill, who then called Johnathan at work.”

  Sandy grinned, nodding. “And Johnathan promptly called a tutor that came over. Remember the tutor’s face when he realized the boys were in Junior High but taking college courses?”

  “Yes, and if I would’ve had to take analytic geometry in college, I would’ve failed. I’m kind of excited that we actually get to teach,” Mary grinned.

  Watching the two washing the bowl, “Hey, you had Allie and Jason to help with. Lance pretty much made me feel useless after he turned five,” Sandy admitted. “I love my baby boy, but shit, why did he have to be born old?”

  “Well, we are the envy of many parents,” Mary sighed, shaking her head as the boys dropped the clean bowl in the dirt. “Can I wash the bowl for them yet?”

  “No, they have to learn this, then they will refill the bottles.”

  “It took them six bottles to wash the pot this morning,” Mary reminded her. “Can I show them again?”

  “Mary, we’ve shown them four times each day, they have to learn,” Sandy explained. “Did you see how Chris was straining to work out multiplication? I thought his head was going to explode. As hard as he was straining, I’m surprised he didn’t take a dump and bust a blood vessel in his head.”

  “I’ll start on that tonight,” Mary smiled. “We can do that while we keep an eye out.”

  Shaking her head, “I want to find this nana and the parents, and kill them with my bare hands. The boys are bright, but haven’t been given the chance to do anything,” Sandy sighed. “Want some advice? Don’t go to multiplication, start with basic math. These aren’t our kids yet.”

  When the boys finally had the bowl clean, Sandy let them refill the water bottles, and they let the boys walk through camp to check it over. The sun was down when they climbed up on the horses. “Just like last night, Tyler,” Sandy told him, adjusting her bow and rifle.

  Kicking her horse, Sandy moved out of the oxbow and across the field into the trees. Sitting in front of her, Tyler’s little head was like a sweeping radar dish traversing back and forth slowly. Sandy felt Tyler tense up and leaned down. “What?”

  “There’s a big road ahead through the trees,” he told her in a low voice.

  Hearing a growl below her, Sandy patted her leg. “Dan,” she called out softly, and the growl stopped. “You see stinkers on the road?”

  “No, but I see one hiding behind a bush,” Tyler replied, lifting his hand and pointing to the right. Turning to where Tyler was pointing, Sandy only saw the forest in her NV monocular.

  Glancing down at Dan, Sandy saw he was looking to the right. “Tyler, let me see,” Sandy said, taking the thermal binoculars from him. Flipping up the monocular, Sandy lifted the thermals and instantly saw the cool shape of a stinker crouched behind a bush. “That is bullshit,” Sandy gasped in a normal voice.

  Using the thermal monocular, “Are you seeing this?” Mary asked, moving up beside Sandy.

  “That fucker is really hiding. I didn’t see him in my night vision,” Sandy said, lowering the thermal and flipping her monocular back down. Staring at the bush with the monocular, Sandy could see small movements, but nothing to tell her a stinker was hiding there. “The thermals stay on,” Sandy announced.

  “Can we kill it, so he can’t teach other stinkers?” Mary asked, lowering the thermal monocular.

  Shoving her bow in the scabbard, Sandy pulled out the 10/22. “We are traveling through woods most of the way. Let’s stay on the .22s,” Sandy suggested.

  “Good idea,” Mary nodded, grabbing hers. “Can I kill it now? Because we aren’t going to test what it will do, like our husbands would?”

  Thinking that was actually a good idea, Sandy stopped that train of thought and nodded. “Kill it,” she said and Mary moved ahead, aiming at the bush. When Mary was ten yards away, the stinker stood up before heading straight for her, not making a sound. Mary pulled the trigger and a muffled bark with a small sonic crack sounded in the woods, and Sandy watched the stinker drop.

  “That’s bullshit. It acted like it could see in the dark better than a human could.”

  “I didn’t even see it with my eyes, and there is a big moon out tonight,” Tyler said, already scanning around them with the thermals again. “They usually don’t see good in dark shadows. And I’ve never seen one hide that good before.”

  “Yeah, I’m not liking this,” Sandy mumbled to herself. Moving past Mary, Sandy fought off the desire to burn the dead stinker. “Can you see stinkers on the road ahead?”

  “Some, and it’s two roads side by side,” Tyler corrected.

  Patting Tyler’s leg, “Yes, Highway 231,” Sandy told him. Stopping back from the tree line, Sandy could see a few forms walking slowly along the highway. Some were going north and others, south.

  Gunshots sounded to the north and everyone jumped. “That was loud,” Tyler informed Sandy, in case she didn’t know.

  “That wasn’t even half a mile,” Sandy replied.

  “I’m thinking that came near the town Halfway, it’s not half a mile away,” Mary said in a low voice, and they watched all the stinkers on the road turn as one and stumble toward the gunshots. Then another burst of shots sounded out.

  “We’re leaving,” Sandy said, kicking her horse and steering it towards the gaps between the stinkers. Tyler tensed up, but never stopped swiveling his head as they crossed the four lane highway. “I hate fucking fences,” Sandy snarled, climbing off quickly and grabbing the bolt cutters.

  Cutting the three strands, the gunfire opened up again and didn’t stop. Climbing back in the saddle, Sandy was barely down when her horse walked through the gap. “You want your name to stay Asshole?” Sandy hissed at the horse, then glanced back and only saw a few stinkers even trying to follow them. Most of the stinkers were heading for the gunfire.

  When they entered the trees, Sandy expected to feel Tyler relax, but his body was as taut as a coiled spring. “What’s wrong?”

  “They are still shooting,” Tyler told her.

  “Behind us, and that’s where we want them to stay,” Sandy informed him.

  Coming out of the trees and into fields, Sandy kept them near the fence rows and steered wide of any house. “There’s a bunch of stinkers at that house,” Tyler pointed ahead.

  Looking where he was pointing, Sandy couldn’t even see the house. Taking t
he thermal, Sandy found the house nearly a mile away. “Yeah, that’s a lot of stinkers around that house,” she admitted, handing the thermals back. “As long as they stay there, we don’t care.”

  After two hours of constant scanning, Tyler finally lowered the thermals to blink his eyes as they rode across a field. “Are we going over that bridge you and Ms. Mary were talking about?”

  “No, we only take bridges we have to. We will swing north of Barren River Lake,” Sandy told him. “We don’t like bridges or barns.”

  Nearing more trees ahead, the thermals seemed to levitate to Tyler’s eyes. He scanned the trees and then continued side to side. “Ms. Sandy, do you hear that?” he asked.

  Cocking her head to the side, all Sandy could hear were insects. “What do you hear?”

  “Thumping,” Tyler answered.

  Hearing Mary’s horse moving close, Sandy turned. “Chris hears a helicopter ahead,” Mary said.

  “Tyler heard it, but didn’t know what it was,” Sandy nodded. “We will go through these trees slowly.”

  Guiding her horse around trees, it was ten minutes later that Sandy finally heard the faint sound of a helicopter. “Too much loud rock and roll,” Sandy huffed. She pulled her horse to a stop as the helicopter seemed to linger just to the east.

  Hearing Mary digging around, Sandy turned to see Mary pull out the scanner. “What’s the helicopter doing?” Tyler asked, lowering the thermals.

  “I don’t know, baby,” Sandy admitted and watched Tyler lift his finger up, pointing east. Then he would move his arm slowly south and then slowly back north. “Baby, what are you doing?”

  “Tracking the helicopter,” Tyler answered. Watching Tyler’s finger, every time it stopped at the north or south end of his arc, Sandy could tell the noise was getting louder.

  Jerking her head up, Sandy saw a thick canopy over them and gave a sigh of relief. “What?” Mary asked.

  “That helicopter is flying back and forth, going north and south and getting closer. I think it’s flying a search pattern,” Sandy suggested. “Tyler, good boy, but get back on the thermal.”

  Lifting the thermals, Tyler scanned back and forth. Ten minutes later, there was no denying the sound was getting closer each time the chopper flew north and south. After sitting in the trees for half an hour, they finally saw the chopper to the east. It didn’t seem high as it flew at a leisurely pace north. When they saw it again heading south, it was only a few miles away.

  When it returned from the south, the chopper nearly flew over them and Sandy fought the urge to shoot at it. She knew it was a military helicopter, but that was it. Watching it head north, Sandy thought it was flying pretty low. “What do you think that was about?” Mary asked.

  “I think they are looking for survivors to feed to stinkers,” Sandy shrugged and felt Tyler tense up, and cursed herself for saying that. “That’s why we waited, so they couldn’t see us,” she told him, and Tyler relaxed some. “Flying like that, they could only be looking for people, maybe someone in particular but either way, it’s not good and we will avoid them like always.”

  Listening to the chopper pass behind them, “They damn sure don’t need to fly like that to find stinkers,” Mary grunted. “You ready?”

  As the chopper headed south, Sandy nodded as she kicked her horse and moved out into the pasture. “Tyler, what is five plus three?” Sandy asked, and Tyler went to lower the thermals and Sandy stopped him. “No, I want you to think as you keep watch. Use your brain and not your fingers, now count three numbers up from five.”

  “Okay,” he mumbled. “Eight,” he said hesitantly.

  “Very good,” Sandy told him. “Seven plus five?” she asked, glancing around as they continued on.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The Cabin, Kentucky

  The sun was just over the horizon when Ian pulled around to the back of the cabin. Neither was surprised to see Jennifer and Lilly waiting on them. “Should we tell them now or later?” Ian asked.

  “I say now, because they stay bitchy if we don’t tell them shit right away,” Lance suggested.

  Giving a nod, “Okay,” Ian nodded as Lance jumped to the ground. Jennifer and Lilly started moving over to hug them and stopped when Ian and Lance held out their left hands palm up and smacked their right fist down on their palm three times. Both held out two gloved fingers on their right hand and started beating their right hands into their palms.

  “Why are they playing rock, paper, scissors?” Lilly mumbled. “The schedule for today is already laid out.”

  Shrugging as both held out rock, “Beats me,” Jennifer said.

  “Fuck!” Lance screamed out, holding paper and Ian held scissors.

  “Okay, now I’m worried,” Lilly admitted, and walked over to the boys.

  As both took off their helmets and masks, Lance glared at Ian. “Pecker junkie,” Lance snarled at Ian, as Lilly and Jennifer walked up. Softening his glare, Lance turned to the girls. “We met the people David and his group told us about,” he said curtly.

  Stopping abruptly five feet from them, Lilly and Jennifer glanced at each other and then turned back to the boys. “So, were they assholes?” Lilly asked.

  Shaking his head, “No,” Lance replied, now totally relaxed. “To be honest, they are the best group, intelligence wise, we’ve come across.”

  Both girls smiled hearing that. “So, what were you two playing rock, paper, scissors to decide?” Jennifer asked.

  Taking a deep breath, “The house they were in was surrounded by stinkers, and we had to thin the pack just so they could get out,” Lance answered.

  “Um, okay,” Lilly said cautiously. “I see both of you are fine, so did some of that group get bit making a break?”

  “No,” Lance said, looking Lilly in the eyes. “When I say surrounded, there were over a thousand plus stinkers packed in that draw.”

  Not showing any reaction, Lilly and Jennifer just stared, waiting for the rest of the story for over a minute. “And?!” Jennifer finally cried out.

  Surprised neither had blown up, Lance turning to Ian who just shrugged. Turning back to the girls, “That’s it. We had to engage the stinkers, so they could make a break for it,” Lance stated slowly.

  Studying Lance the entire time, Lilly stepped closer to him. “Sweetness, are you expecting me to be mad?” she asked very hesitantly.

  Shocked, Lance nodded. “Yeah, we were expecting both of you to be pissed.”

  “Why?” Jennifer asked, stepping over to Ian.

  “We engaged over a thousand stinkers,” Ian answered.

  Rolling her eyes, “Please, after the shit we’ve seen you two do?” Jennifer chuckled.

  “Not to say we haven’t been worried, but Lance, we know you two think out your actions and don’t just charge in without a plan,” Lilly grinned.

  “We used over fifty magazines to take out the stinkers,” Ian said numbly.

  Hearing that, both girls did give a startle, “Well we aren’t saving bullets, as both of you keep telling everyone,” Jennifer laughed. “Really? You thought we would be mad?”

  Both nodded and Jennifer reached out, caressing Ian’s face. “It has taken me some time, but I know you two never do anything without planning out several different scenarios. If both of you thought this group was worth the risk, I want to meet them,” Jennifer told them.

  Never taking his eyes off the girls, Lance leaned over to Ian and whispered, “They really look like Lilly and Jennifer.”

  Laughing as she grabbed Lance’s left hand, “It’s us, Lance,” Lilly assured him. “Did you have a backup plan?” she asked.

  “Yeah, two,” Lance mumbled, and he felt cheated that neither was remotely mad.

  Shrugging, “Like I said, you two don’t go off halfcocked,” Lilly laughed.

  “Unless a stinker shows up wearing a hockey mask,” Jennifer howled out, slapping her thigh.

  Very confused as Lilly laughed with Jennifer, “I was really expecting a figh
t,” Lance told Ian.

  “Hell, I would’ve told them if I knew this was going to be the reaction,” Ian admitted.

  Wiping her eyes, “Did you get what you needed from the pirates?” Lilly asked as her laughter died down.

  “Yeah,” Lance nodded. “They are dumb, but not complete idiots. We should be ready soon.”

  “How many do they have?” Jennifer asked, moving beside Ian and hugging his left arm.

  “Couldn’t really get an accurate count, but no more than a hundred fighters,” Ian replied.

  Wrapping her arms around Lance, “Where is the group you rescued?” Lilly asked.

  “Told them to hold up in a house on the perimeter,” Lance told her. “I’m going to call Heath and have him and Rhonda bring them to the meeting house.”

  “We are still going to Stone’s to get the stuff from the barn?” Lilly asked, and Lance nodded. “Will you two take a nap and let us go with Heath and them?”

  “Hell, no,” Lance snapped, coming to a stop. “For one, there is still an active bomb on the porch and second, it is outside of our perimeter.”

  Glancing over at Jennifer, “Told ya,” Lilly huffed.

  “Fine,” Jennifer sighed. “But will you two at least just guard and let the others move the stuff?”

  “And look like punk ass dickheads?!” Ian cried out.

  Pulling away with a scowl on her face, “The first person that even suggests it, I’ll skin them alive and roll them in salt,” Jennifer snarled.

  Taking several steps and backing away from Jennifer, “Yeah, that sounds good, Lance and I will cover as others load,” Ian said quickly.

  Like a switch was flipped, the scowl dropped off Jennifer’s face and was replaced with a big smile. “Thank you,” she sang out joyously.

  Popping Lance on the butt, “Go in, call Heath, and eat. Jennifer and I will get the buggy ready,” Lilly smirked.

  Flabbergasted, Lance and Ian headed inside the cabin. When the door closed, Jennifer turned to Lilly. “Okay, give and take, but we don’t say shit about them taking on an army of stinkers,” Jennifer said, shaking her head in disbelief.