Youngblood

by H. Peter Alesso

  She shook her head. “This is a sad way to live.”

  “You can stay with Lorrie and me in Jamestown,” offered Ben.

  “Thanks.”

  When they reached Jamestown, they faced the challenge of starting over. Mack and William and a few others gathered in the saloon, out of sight of prying eyes, or alert ears, and listened to Kira’s story. They understood the new level of threat and what it meant.

  Ben said, “We must band together and form a militia to protect ourselves and fight Jarod.”

  William said, “Our chance of fighting that gang is so slim that we have to reach true desperation before attempting it.”

  “We can’t let Jarod defeat us before we begin,” said Youngblood. Tapping his head, he said, “We must build our resistance here, first.”

  William said, “The gang doesn’t come into Jamestown except to collect taxes, but they have sentries posted on the roads throughout the valley.”

  Mack said, “They have opportunities to harm us on any given day. We have to avoid those rats before they kill us all.”

  “Defeating them will take a brave and talented team,” said William.

  Youngblood stood up and swung his arms wide. “Look around—this place has courageous men. We can train them to fight. All we need do is give them an opportunity.”

  William said, “I know a few who might be willing to take a chance, but none of us have weapons.”

  “I know where I can get a few, or maybe make a few.”

  William’s eyes widened. “But even if we were able to get weapons, we’d soon be detected.”

  Youngblood said, “If we’re discreet, we can recruit men without alerting Jarod. We’ll need to protect the town with some technological innovations. I have hidden assets. It only remains to be bold.”

  William said, “We already have the goodwill among those who heard the story of Kira’s homestead. We can only approach those we trust not to betray us, or they might start dangerous rumors.”

  “Caution is essential,” said Youngblood. “We’ll put together a militia that can resist Jarod’s gang. If you gather more people, I’ll explain my plan and try to win their trust.”

  ◆◆◆

  A few days later, true to his word, William had gathered people from Jamestown and the surrounding farm and ranches.

  Men and women stood in the saloon with restless troubled frowns.

  Ben and William went throughout the crowd and shook each hand to welcome them.

  Ben spoke first, “We live in a land that is a throwback to past centuries without electricity or modern technology. We suffer under a gang’s tyranny, run by a ruthless leader, Jarod.”

  There was a murmur of agreement throughout the crowd.

  William added, “You’ve all heard how Jarod burned out Kira. That fire nearly killed her and Lorrie.”

  Again, the crowd murmured their anger and reassured each other.

  One woman said, “We know, but what can we do? We have no weapons or training to fight Jarod.”

  Another person said, “I see only forty or fifty people here. Jarod has several hundred men scattered across the valley. If we tried anything, he would gather them and . . . well, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”

  A rumbling groan rippled through the assembly.

  “We can change that,” said Youngblood, stepping forward. “We only asked the people we could trust to come here. That was so we could keep this meeting a secret and prevent word from reaching Jarod, but many more will join us once we get organized and become a viable force.”

  “Who are you?” asked one man.

  “He’s Youngblood, the one who’s been rebuilding the generators,” said Ben.

  “I thought that was you and Pyro?”

  “The three of us have been working together, but it’s was Youngblood who had the knowhow that got us started.”

  Youngblood said, “The stable has a forge and basic tools to start manufacturing the things we need. Soon we will be able to make the weapons to defend ourselves.”

  The man shook his head, “That’s not possible.”

  “It is possible,” said Youngblood firmly.

  Shaking his head, the man added, “If we attempt to fight, there’s no going back. Jarod’s gang will descend upon us like locus.”

  There was a universal moan.

  “Even if you could scrape together some crude weapons, it would take time and Jarod would never let that happen.”

  “We need to try,” said Ben.

  Someone said, “It’s a lost cause.”

  Youngblood reminded them, “There’s an old saying, ‘Lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for.’”

  Mack said, “You all know me, and I’m willing to take a gamble,” he turned to Youngblood, “Can you give me a weapon?”

  Youngblood nodded and extended his hand.

  Mack’s giant paw closed around it. “I want you to know, that I’m with you,” his voice filled with emotion. “I’m going to change this place.”

  “Change? How?” asked a man.

  “Anyway I can,” said Mack.

  “Alone?” said the man his sullen frown.

  “Alone, or not, I’m going to try.”

  He was the kind of man Youngblood wanted. “Who else is with us?”

  William, Ben, and two others raised a tentative hand, but the rest were blank faces and the meeting dissolved when one a man said, “I’m not ready to jump into a dangerous and uncertain situation. Come back to us with real weapons, instead of words, and then we may take you seriously.”

  Chapter 11

  Suspicion

  Two days later, Kira stomped into the stable, anger and dread mingled together on her face.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Pyro. “I thought you were going to be gone all day talking to the ranchers.”

  “I was. But when I got to the first ranch, I discovered that people wanted to know more about Youngblood and his wild claims that he could get weapons.”

  “Are they upset?”

  “I don’t know. I mean . . . well, I’m not sure what I mean.”

  “How’s that again?”

  Kira held out her arms. “I found brand-new circuit boards and computer tools behind a cabinet yesterday. I don’t know how they got there.”

  “You think Youngblood has a cache?” asked Pyro. “Is that even possible? Could it be someone else?”

  “I stuffed these into my bag.”

  “You didn’t give it back to him?”

  “No.”

  “Let me see them.”

  Kira rummaged in the bag and produced the tools and boards, holding them at arm’s length as if they would explode.

  Pyro examined the items. He said, “There’s no identification or anything, but he’s had a lot of parts and stuff that he’s used for repairs in the past that I have no idea where they came from. When I asked about them, he said he salvaged them or stripped them out of existing equipment.”

  “These are brand new, not salvaged or stripped from other devices.”

  “You have to confront him,” said Pyro.

  “How can I? We’re supposed to be working together.”

  “How we can we work together if he’s not upfront with us?”

  “He could have his reasons.”

  “But how would he get access to these types of components?”

  Kira fished in her bag and flourished another item. “Check this out?”

  “Wow! It’s a working computer tablet. I’ve never seen one that works.”

  Kira hesitated, her face turning pink. “He . . . was in my room. He left it and I took it when he wasn’t looking.”

  “He was in your room?” Pyro’s eyes went wide. “Tell me about that.”

  “Not now. This is important.”

  “And that isn’t?”

  “Shut up!”

  Kira paced around the small room.

  Pyro mused, “You need to ask about this tablet.”

  “Ask him
what? ‘I stole this from you, how did you get it?’”

  “Stop yelling.”

  “You stop first.”

  “I’ll ask.”

  “No. Absolutely not.”

  “This is a computer that no one else has had access to in my lifetime. No one’s been killed over it—have they?”

  Kira took a deep breath to calm herself and shook her head. Then she said, “He spent the last few days off by himself. I don’t know what he’s doing.”

  “What could he be doing?”

  “I don’t know. He’s clever. He could’ve found a way to get things and keep it quiet.”

  But her voice quivered when she said, “It’s no big deal. We must trust him. It’s no big deal.”

  Realizing she was misstating the situation, she heaved a sigh, hanging her head.

  Pyro asked, “Why would Youngblood get these devices?”

  “To prove he’s right about Jarod.”

  “Why keep it quiet?”

  “I guess he wouldn’t want any clues for Jarod to find.”

  “Well, guess again,” said Pyro. “This is a big deal.”

  She stood up and paced the room. “How could he keep this secret from us?”

  Pyro shook his head.

  Kira said, “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry about what? Trusting him?”

  “It’s not like that . . .”

  “What’s it like?”

  “He’s important to me.”

  “Oh, that’s great. So, now you’re hooked on him?” asked Pyro

  “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know?”

  “It’s how I feel.”

  Pyro shook his head.

  Kira said, “It’s obvious—he has secrets and he’s keeping us out.”

  “We need to change that.”

  She said, “He’s different now. He’s no longer the lost fawn who fell into my life. Now he’s getting things done. He never shirks a task or quits before it’s done. At times, he stops and stares at the mountains as if yearning for something impossible and then he comes right back to his task and tackles it anew. He’s stronger and healthier now; rugged, quick, and decisive.”

  Pyro nodded, “Yeah, I know what you mean. Some men have dynamite inside them and you need them on your side. He’s like that.”

  She understood and was satisfied that there were somethings she wouldn’t understand about Youngblood. These things puzzled her. “He’s like a slow-burning fuse. Everything is silent until . . .”

  Pyro said, “Yeah, but we’re going to need him. There’s been trouble brewing here for some time. He might be the catalyst to blow the lid off the whole valley.”

  “What puzzles me most is he is fearless about wanting to confront the gang. Almost daring them to attack him. Like he doesn’t care what happens to him.”

  Chapter 12

  Hunting

  As Kira handed Youngblood her father’s old camouflage hunting jacket and his bow and quiver, she said, “Hunting skills take a lifetime to master, but I’ll show you how to stalk prey and shoot a bow and arrow.”

  She said, “You need to develop hunting skills if you’re to survive here.” She demonstrated how to set snares for small game by rigging a sapling to jerk the kill high up, out of reach of predators.

  Over the next few days, she showed him how to shoot, but his arrows rarely hit the target, let alone the bullseye.

  “I’ll never hit anything,” he moaned.

  Maybe a rabbit, if I can get close and it stays very still.

  Otherwise, dinner was going to be on Kira. He had offered to try one of the rifles they took from the gang, but Kira gave him a look that questioned his manhood.

  “You must improve your aim, so you can get a kill shot so the animal doesn’t suffer.

  I’ll show her.

  After a few more lessons, he improved enough for her to say they’d go for a hunt the next day.

  When she woke him the following day it was not quite dawn. He sat motionless gazing at a pale hint of gray showing between the clouds and faint pink glow growing on the horizon.

  She said, “Come on, time to get moving.”

  He splashed cold water on his face and downed a cup of coffee before she herded him along a game trail several miles from Jamestown. He stepped into the early morning grey light as a cool breeze blew over him. There was barely enough light to see Kira’s face as something better defined than a blur, but he knew he could place implicit trust in her hunting skills.

  You can’t rush the sun.

  The day promised so much; what would it deliver?

  Kira was in the lead. She held up her fist up and pointed to a deer rub on a pine tree.

  “They rub their antlers and leave these marks,” she said.

  They walked through the forest as branches crunched beneath their feet. Wind gusts blew leaves in their faces. He saw more tree rubs farther down the trail.

  “Keep an eye out for snakes,” she said.

  Youngblood flinched and did a hasty turnaround.

  She whispered, “Don’t make a sound.”

  He stopped, alert and loaded his bow.

  There was a deer, but it spooked and ran into the brush before he could get a shot.

  As the sun rose, the cool wind swept through the hillside; fine weather for hunting.

  Kira wore a rawhide vest and skirt with her bow draped over her shoulder. Youngblood’s gaze wandered from looking for game to staring at her figure.

  I’ll enjoy today.

  “Kira,” he said, pointing to a flock of birds taking off.

  “Enjoying yourself?” she asked.

  “Yes, it’s delightful.”

  They changed location and approached a secluded stretch of forest along a cliff face. She showed him how to build a deer blind and sat in it watching squirrels and rabbits run by.

  She asked, “Tell me more about yourself.”

  “I grew up far from here.”

  She nodded encouragingly.

  “I come from a traditional family. I’m an only child. My mother was a nurse, but my father was an engineer.”

  He relaxed a bit and said, “Everyone said I favored my mother. She always fawned over me.”

  “Hungry?” she asked.

  He nodded enthusiastically, “Hunting is hungry work.”

  They sat on a rock outcropping and Kira handed him jerky and a flask of water. As they chewed, their conversation drifted from basic questions to more personal inquiries.

  She nudged him, “Won’t you tell me your personal story?”

  He held the silence a moment longer. “It’s a sad story.”

  “Let me decide. Tell me.”

  Lawrence kept his eyes on the hills. “I was at odds with my father. My father blamed me for the family’s misfortunes.”

  . . . in that instant, he was a child again; listening to his mother beg him to stay home; hearing his father demand that he work harder.

  He became quiet and she did likewise.

  After a while, he asked, “Are you cold?”

  “No.” A shiver belied her words. “Should we try a little higher in the mountains before we lose the light?”

  But at that moment, they caught sight of a deer prancing into the clearing.

  She nodded for him to take the shot.

  Youngblood gripped the bow—white-knuckled. He held his breath and pulled back on the sting. He let the arrow fly and watched its flight. It missed by a wide margin. The spooked animal dashed for cover, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

  No dinner tonight.

  There was no word of condemnation. Instead, she said—laughing and mocking all at once, “Don’t fret. They’ll be another.”

  A confused set of emotions—embarrassment and awkwardness—left him speechless.

  “Relax,” she said.

  “OK.”

  She seems happy.

  The day wore on pleasantly. But uneventfully she said, “We’d better head bac
k.”

  He regretted the day’s end.

  The sun hung low and heavy in the sky when they reached home.

  Youngblood brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes and glanced at Kira. He said, “Thanks for today. I had a great time.”

  She didn’t protest when he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips.

  To his surprise, she said, “We’ll go hunting again. Soon.”

  Chapter 13

  Confession

  The next day, Youngblood was hunched over a generator in a secluded corner of the Jamestown stable. Kira sat nearby while Pyro had his feet propped on top of a barrel examining a rotor.

  Their concentration masked a restless anxiety.

  Youngblood glanced at Kira who turned away.

  Pyro began drumming a hammer on the generator trying to force the rotor into place.

  Kira threw a scowl in his direction.

  “Fine,” said Pyro, stopping the racket.

  Kira reached into a bag and pulled out something which she kept behind her back. She approached Youngblood with a frown.

  She whispered, “We need to talk.”

  He didn’t answer at first pretending to be absorbed in his work, but after a minute he faced her.

  She leaned close and he reached for her hand, but she pulled it back.

  “What have you been doing?”

  He shrugged, “What?”

  Exasperated, Kira held out the tablet and said, “I found this. Where have you been getting this brand-new equipment?”

  Pyro said, “Keep your voice down.”

  He looked around, but there was no one nearby.

  “I know this is a concern,” said Youngblood. Then shifting his eyes from Kira to Pyro, he decided that it was time to trust them wholeheartedly.

  He said, “I guess, it’s time I confess.”

  “Confess?” asked Kira with a bewildered stare.

  “Confess what?” asked Pyro.

  Youngblood swallowing hard. “Last month, I woke up in a hibernation chamber in a bunker west of here. I had been in it for a century. My father put me there because I have a disease. He wanted me to wait for a cure. But I guess the war changed all that and I was forgotten. I’ve gone back to the bunker several times to learn more about technology by disassembling hibernation equipment for spare parts as well as salvaging equipment left in storage. I found that functioning tablet. It has lots of useful information and instructions for equipment repair. I’ve been using it to fix things.”