* * *
They use the horses to help unload the caskets and drag them into the holes Cowboy and Poker Jack had dug the day before. It must have been tough digging because both men have layers of bandages covering their palms and fingers. Chris wishes he could have helped them more. While they dug, he started bringing over large rocks to place atop the burial mounds. He’d lasted about thirty minutes before having to give up because of his leg.
He really couldn’t thank Jack and Cowboy enough.
It was a quiet funeral. Nobody said a word—the only noise was the sounds of the earth around them and the quiet sniffles as Karen cried.
By the time the horizon swallowed the sun, Bob and Quincy were resting in peace.
Karen insisted on helping place the stones on top. They were heavy, but she did her fair share of the work with not so much as a complaint. Despite the pain, Chris worked slowly, right along beside her, feeding off her strength to keep himself going.
* * *
“Wow…ya’ll sure did a lot in a week.”
Between the three men, they’d been able to find everything they needed to build a more suitable wagon to take long distances. It was light, well balanced, and only required two horses—which was good, Jack and Cowboy planned on leaving Harvey’s horse with Karen and Chris. Cowboy loved sitting in the saddle and Jack had no qualms about driving the wagon, so it all worked out for everyone. The couple might not want the horse, and they said as much, but when they decide to finally leave this place, they’ll be they kept it.
Karen walks around the wagon, taking a special interest in the drab-green canvas covering the back. She turns to Cowboy, “From the military supply store?”
He nods, “Yes…there are three spools of it in the back of the building near the large loading door. The first five or six feet was unusable, but the stuff toward the center of the roll was just about perfect.” He rubs his fingers over his handiwork. “There’s still a lot left if you ever need it.”
Chris stands by the horses, rubbing each on the nose. The wagon creaks and groans as Jack climbs onto the bench seat toward the front. Cowboy mounts his horse and the mare prances with excitement, somehow knowing they are about to go for a ride.
* * *
“You ready, Jack?”
“Yup…ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
From atop the horse, Cowboy looks down at the couple. There’s not much difference between their ages, but he can’t help but feel they are too young to leave alone. However, he also knows that people grow up a lot quicker in this new world than they did in the old one.
He asks, “Plan on staying here a while?”
“For a while,” Chris says, taking Karen’s hand. “She’s never traveled before so we’ll probably start with short trips. There’s a lot to learn out there and Quincy kept her pretty isolated here.”
“I’m looking forward to it though,” says Karen. Her voice goes quiet. “Too many memories here now.”
Cowboy nods in understanding. “Well, when you decide to leave, Jack and I will be heading North-West…toward the mountains.” He reaches into the duffle bag attached to the saddle and pulls out some folded paper. “I almost forgot,” he says, handing it down to Chris who unfolds it and examines all the squiggly lines and names. “I’ve marked where we’ll be headed. If you’re so inclined to follow and want to see a couple of friendly faces; you’ll find us somewhere along that trail.”
Chris folds the map back up. “Thanks, Cowboy. We’ll keep it in mind.”
Poker Jack speaks up then, “Here’s another word of unsolicited advice: don’t go south. The big city is nothing to mess with. In fact, I’d just about avoid every big city on that map.”
“I’ll keep that in mind too.”
* * *
Karen steps forward and takes Cowboy's hand in hers. “You both be careful, okay?” He nods, and she pats his hand for emphasis. “Thank you…thank you for your kindness to my grandfather.”
She turns loose and Cowboy trots Gage to the front of the wagon. “Ready, Jack?”
“Yup.” Cowboy nudges Gage and the horse begins its clop-clopping trot down the broken roadway. Before he gets too far, Jack turns back and addresses Chris. “You watch out for her, okay?”
Chris nods, puts his arm around Karen, and pulls her close.
Karen says, “We’ll watch out for each other.”
“Good enough,” Jack says loudly. “Good enough.” And with that, he clicks his tongue and shakes the reins. The wagon moves forward, following Cowboy out of town.
Cowboy turns in his saddle, settles his piercing eyes on Jack, and says, “You know…you really need to work on your volume. You’re too fucking loud.”
“Yeah, yeah,” says Jack, winking at Chris and Karen. “And you’re too bossy.”
The couple can’t help but laugh.
Once the laughter fades, they stand there, arm in arm, watching until Cowboy and Poker Jack are out of sight.
Karen asks, “Do you think we’ll see them again?”
He squeezes her, but remains silent. He doesn’t know the answer to her question, but he hopes so—he really hopes so.
The End
Tainted Mind – Book Two
T. J. Christian
October 25, 2019
I hope you enjoyed Tainted Mind, book two of The Tainted Chronicles. If you enjoyed Tainted Mind, I would like to ask if you would please take a few minutes to visit your favorite online book retailer and leave a review. Like all independent, self-published authors, we depend on word of mouth and reviews to help spread the word about our publications. We also rely on our wonderful followers for editing, content, and plot suggestions. If you’ve found errors within these covers (and I know you probably have), please email me and let me know. I want to strive to make my work the best they can be and I appreciate your participation.
Again, thank you.
T.J. Christian
[email protected]
Other Books by
T.J. Christian
The Tainted Chronicles
Tainted
Tainted Mind
Tainted Soul (Coming Soon)
Tainted Heart (Coming Later)
Short Stories & Poetry
Casual Encounters
Novels
Accidental Assassins (Coming Soon)
Follow me on social media:
Instagram: @author_t.j.christian
Twitter: @AuthT.J.Christian
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorTJChristian/
Tainted Mind Page 13