by N. C. Reed
“Want to check on it?” Billy asked from behind the wheel. “We’re still about three, maybe five miles from Columbia.” George weighed the decision, then nodded.
“Let’s get near, and then we can do some recon. Running up there in a truck, and jumping out armed and ready is asking to be shot.” Billy nodded, and started easing the truck along. It took ten minutes to get within what Billy deemed earshot of the fire, and he found a seldom used trail, by the look of it anyway, nearby. He pulled the truck safely off the road, where it would be hard to spot, and the four of them dismounted.
“Me and Billy will go have a look,” George ordered. “You two stand a watch. Keep your radios on,” he added. “Quietly, though.” With that, he headed into the woods, and Billy followed him, silent as a ghost. Two Bears watched Billy heading into the trees, and nodded in approval of Billy’s skills.
“He get’s ten feet in there, you won’t never find him,” Toby said softly, looking back toward the road. “Billy’s a ghost in the woods.”
“Looks like it,” Pete nodded, glancing at the boy. When he looked back, Billy was nowhere to be seen. He grunted, scanning the woods.
“Told ya,” Toby didn’t gloat, just spoke. Pete looked at him.
“You like him a lot, don’t you?”
“Used to didn’t,” the boy admitted, never taking his eyes off the road. “Didn’t know him. Never bothered to. But yeah, I do. First one to treat me like a man.”
“Means a lot,” Pete agreed.
“So, what about you and my sister?”
*****
George led the way. Billy watched their flanks, allowing George to concentrate on their trail. Every so often he stopped and made an arrow on a tree with a large white grease marker. It never pointed in the direction they took.
“Move it ninety degrees clockwise,” George whispered. “Pete knows.” Billy nodded. Smart.
They continued on. Some five minutes careful walk from the truck they began to hear indistinct voices. Some loud, others not as much. Moving more carefully, the two came to the tree line near the source of the smoke, and went prone, crawling the last few feet.
It was, as George predicted, a house fire. The house was engulfed in flames. Billy counted four women and seven children in the small group standing in the yard. And he counted three men holding guns, surrounding them.
“You had no right!” one of the women yelled, only to be back handed by one of the men. Billy growled deep in his throat, but George laid a hand on his arm, shaking his head. Billy looked at him, about to challenge, when two more men came stalking around the house, pulling small wagons.
“Look at all these goodies!” one crowed in triumph. Billy looked at George, and nodded his thanks. George winked at him, and pulled his radio.
“Leave Toby to watch the truck, and tell him to take a good hide. Then make your way up here. We got a little business here, it looks like.” Two clicks answered him, and George put the small radio away.
“We’ll wait for Pete. Meantime, let’s see what we learn,” he whispered.
Another woman in the group had gone to help the fallen one, while the two remaining tried to shield the children, especially the girls, from the other men.
“Figured you was out here,” a wiry man armed with only a handgun grinned unpleasantly. “Been watching you for a spell, sneakin’ into town, stealin’ from us. Started once to take you, but I thought you was haulin’ too much for one person. See now I was right.” Billy frowned at that.
“We weren’t taking anything you needed,” the oldest woman in the group all but snarled. “Just enough to take care of these kids. And now you’ve burned up everything we’ve worked for!”
“You ain’t gonna need it,” the man sneered. “You’re all comin’ with us, back to the house. Figure ya’ll can wait on us. And provide some much needed entertainment.”
“Hell will freeze, first!” the older woman snapped back.
“Well, then I’ll just have to kill one o’ these little ones, to convince you I mean business, then, won’t I?” He aimed his pistol at the nearest boy.
“Don’t you dare!” the woman moved to cover the child. “What you want is me. Harm these kids, and I’ll kill both of us, first chance I get. Leave them be and. . .” she swallowed hard, “and I’ll do what you want.” Her voice was bitter with defeat. Billy admired her courage.
“See, you can be reasonable, now, can’t you?” Billy heard a quiet whistle, and turned to see Pete crawling silently up to them.
“Well, what do we have here?” he asked.
“A pack of hyenas,” George snarled. “You take the two on the right,” he ordered without preamble. “Billy, the two center. I’ll get the tough guy, and provide overwatch.”
Both men nodded, and sighted their rifles. Billy’s targets were armed with a shotgun, and an SKS. He decided the shotgun was the bigger threat to the women and children, and took aim at him.
“On three,” George whispered. “One. . .two. . .three!”
The rifle sounded as one, and three of the five men fell. Billy and Peter looked their second shots, but their targets were already moving, and Billy had to hold his fire as his target took off, placing the women and children between them. Billy stood, and watched as the man ran for the woods. Sighting carefully, Billy led him just a little, and shot. The man tumbled to the ground, and stayed there.
Peter Two Bears took a snap shot at his second man, but missed. The man ran for the house, and escaped behind it as a round from George’s rifle tore wood from the burning building near his head.
“Get’im!” George ordered, and Two Bears was on his feet. George grabbed his radio. “Toby, one of’em is moving! He may double back and come your way, so be alert!” Two clicks were his answer, and George nodded in approval. He moved out of the woods to where the women stood, still placing themselves between the children and any threats. Billy took a flanking position, and watched in case the runner came back around.
“Ladies, my name is George Purdy. Can we be of assistance?”
*****
The man Two Bears was chasing headed straight into the woods, once he got the house between him and his attackers. Glancing back over his shoulder, he saw the young Apache pursuing him, alone, and made a mistake. He stopped, turned, and raised his rifle.
Peter hit the ground rolling, bringing his rifle to bear as he did. A three round burst from his M4 cut the legs from under his target, and left him screaming in agony on the ground. Two Bears walked carefully up to the man, and stood looking down at him.
“Now you, my friend, are in a pickle,” he smiled nastily, and drew his knife.
*****
“Pete, was that you?” George asked over the radio. “He dead?”
“Not yet, but I’m about to fix that,” came the calm reply.
“You nick him?” George asked.
“Yep. I’ll be along after we talk a bit.”
“No! I want him able to talk. I got questions I want answered.”
“Aw, George!”
“Bring him around,” George ordered.
“On the way,” came the exasperated reply. George shook his head.
“Danged injun,” he chuckled. Billy just looked at him, then went back to scanning the woods.
“Toby, you can bring the truck up. We’re in the yard at the fire, all secure.”
“On the way,” Toby replied. George had to smile at that. The boy sounded as calm as he had the day they had all moved to the Farm. He turned his attention to the woman again.
“As I was saying, I’m George Purdy. This is Billy Todd,” he pointed to Billy, who nodded. “Our young friend in back is Peter Two Bears, and the young one bringing up our truck,” he nodded to where the Ford was making it’s way into the drive, “is Toby Silvers. Can we help?”
“I’d say you already have,” the older woman replied. She was in her late thirties, George decided. The others were younger, one looked like she might still be a teenager.
“I’m Regina Townsend,” the woman told him. “This is, was, my home,” she sighed, looking at the still burning house, tears welling in her eyes.
“These are my friends, Sissy and Barbara Pinson, and my niece, Ruth Townsend,” she pointed first to the two older woman, and then to the teenager. “These children are orphans we’ve been trying to care for. This used to be a day care center,” she sighed again. “No one came for them,” she explained softly. George nodded.
“They were lucky to have you,” he said. “All of you,” he added, looking at the other women. “Is there anyone else?” She shook her head.
“Not here. Well, except the rest of these idiots,” she pointed to the dead men in her yard. “There’s plenty more of them, but I’m not sure how many.”
“And he was the boss?” George pointed to the man he killed.
“Oh, no,” Regina shook her head. “He was just a piss ant,” she snorted. “No, I don’t know who their boss is. I’ve seen him once, from a distance, when they attacked some townspeople, not long after things went to hell. He’s huge. I mean, professional wrestler huge, at that. Never seen him around here.”
“Are there any other children in town?” Billy asked. Regina looked at him closely.
“Why?”
“Because I’m lookin’ for any kids that may need help,” Billy told her. “We set up a house for just that purpose. Two kids wound up stumblin’ on to us, all alone and needful. Starvin’, and sick. I don’t aim to leave no kids like that if I can help it.” She studied Billy closely for a minute, apparently weighing his words to his actions. Finally she nodded.
“There may be some children in town,” she said slowly. “But. . .you can’t help them,” she added sadly.
“And why is that?” Billy asked.
“They’ll have them,” she pointed again to the men on the ground. Just then they heard a loud groan as the man Two Bears had captured came crawling around the house, dragging his useless legs behind him.
“Go on,” Peter kicked him slightly, and the man screamed.
“Ain’t so tough, now, is that it?” Peter kicked him again. “Funny, you looked like a real bad man while ago, when you was helping beat up the women and children, burn them out, and the like. What happened to all that?”
“Pete, that’s enough,” George ordered.
“Aw, I ain’t hurtin’im,” the younger man complained. Seeing George nod his head, Peter followed the nod, and saw all the children watching him.
“Sorry,” he murmured. George walked over to the wounded man, and knelt down.
“So, how about this house of yours, yeah? And your boss? You just lie back, and tell me all about that, why don’t you?”
*****
It was a tight squeeze, but somehow, they managed to get all of them into the Ford, with Toby behind the wheel.
“You go straight back, hear?” George ordered. “You don’t stop, no matter what. When you get there, put them in at the Clifton Place,” he handed over the keys. “And then go get Terry, and bring him back with you. Tell him he needs his party favors. Got that? He’ll know what it means.”
“Yes, sir,” Toby nodded.
“Toby, you go by the house,” Billy said next. “Tell Rhonda I want the red box. You may have to help her get it, but let her ask for help. And bring Rommel with you. Oh, and tell her we need the green ammo crate, too.”
“Okay, Billy,” Toby nodded again. He looked at the three men. They had taken their own personal gear from the truck, and loaded the food and other items that the not so dearly departed thugs had taken from the house in the back.
“Get going,” George ordered. Toby eased the truck down the drive, and was gone. George waited until the truck was out of sight, and they could no longer hear it, either. Then he looked at Two Bears.
“He’s all yours.”
*****
The three of them walked two miles down the road, toward Columbia. George hadn't planned on this being part of the outing, but there was no way he was going to leave a pack of thugs like this anywhere he could help it. He looked over at Billy. In addition to his pack, Billy had a large soft case over his shoulder.
“You any good with that?” he asked. Billy looked at him, shrugging.
“Reckon,” was all he said.
“When we make our move, I want you on over watch. Toby can spot for you, and we’ll need him to feed us information. Think you can do that?”
“If you’re askin’ can I kill these people, I reckon I can,” Billy nodded. “Reckon it needs doin’.”
“It does,” George nodded. “You can’t hesitate, Billy,” he added.
“Reckon I won’t,” Billy nodded, still watching his surroundings.
“It’s important,” George stressed. Billy stopped walking then, and looked at the older man.
“George, I done took your orders, seein’ as how this was your trip. You fellas, you was soldiers, fought in the war together. I know that. Ain’t never been a soldier. Army ain’t got no room for such as me. But I reckon I done killed a man, and can do it again. Don’t take no special pride in it, mind you, but it don’t keep me up nights neither.”
“I’ll get it done.”
“Damn, Billy,” Pete grinned. “I think that’s the most I’ve heard you say at one time since I’ve known you.” Billy shrugged.
“Usually ain’t got nothin’ to say.”
“Ain’t no harm in silence,” Pete nodded. He had been taught silence and stillness since before he’d been out of diapers. It was habit for him.
“All right, then,” George nodded, satisfied. “Let’s see what we can see.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Toby didn’t waste any time. He drove carefully, for all that he drove fast. His eyes were on the sun. It was already after noon, and he had a ways to go. Regina Townsend was sitting next to him, holding a two year old baby girl.
“Where is it we’re going?”
“Place outside Cedar Bend,” he said absently. “Just a farming community, really,” he shrugged.
“And there’s room for all of us?” she asked, not exactly suspicious, but far from sold.
“Yep,” Toby nodded. “Clifton house is a big place. Reckon there’s eight, maybe ten bedrooms, all told. And that ain’t counting the basement. Probably room for two more down there. Nice place. Built back when they made houses big, ya know?”
“Sounds nice,” she admitted.
“It is,” he assured her. “We worked hard to get it cleaned up. Got electricity, hot water, all the comforts.”
“Hot water?” the Pinson’s asked in unison. They were fraternal, rather than identical twins, but they were still twins.
“Yeah,” Toby nodded, glancing in the mirror at the women. “It’s a good place. Plenty o’ room. And you guys need it, looks like,” he added.
“We do,” Regina sighed. “We’ve been taking care of all of these children since the plague. My house is, was, fine for a day care center, but it was never meant to be home to so many.”
“You’ll like it fine at the Clifton’s, then,” Toby promised.
“Is it very far?”
“Not too much.”
*****
“Holy cow,” Rhonda said softly as Toby drove into the yard. The truck was absolutely packed. Toby was out almost before the truck had stopped.
“Rhonda, I got a whole passel o’ folks here. George said to take’em to the Clifton house. This here is Regina Townsend,” he introduced, as the woman climbed out of the cab. “This is Rhonda Todd.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Regina offered her hand.
“Same,” Rhonda smiled. “You look like you got your hands full.”
“That we do,” Regina managed to smile. She was still a bit overwhelmed by all that had happened today. And the day wasn’t over, either.
“Miss Rhonda, I need. . .I mean Billy needs, the red box,” Toby cut in. “And the green ammo crate, too, he said. Said you’d know what he meant. I
got to carry them on to the house, then I’ll come right back. And I got to take Rommel too. And go get Terry.”
“Hold on, Toby,” Rhonda held up a hand. “Let’s see to them before. . . .”
“No, ma’am,” Toby shook his head. “I’ll leave that to all o’ ya’ll. I need to get back ‘fore dark.” Rhonda frowned at that.
“I ain’t got the time,” Toby shook his head, heading back to the truck. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, if you need help. I got to hurry.” Regina sighed.
“It was nice to meet you,” she told Rhonda.
“I’ll be up there in a few minutes,” Rhonda promised. “Soon as I’ve got Toby squared away. I’ll bring our nurse up, too. Anything you need right away?”
“Diapers,” Regina sighed. “And food for the children.” Her voice made it plain she didn’t expect Rhonda to have it.
“We’ll bring it up,” Rhonda surprised her. “You better hurry. I’ll see you in a little bit.” Regina had to hurry back to the cab, as Toby already had it in gear. As the truck pulled out of sight, Rhonda called for Mary and Danny. She had a lot of work to do, and not much time.
*****
Toby left the women and children at the Clifton house, showing Regina quickly where the bathroom was, and turning the heat up.
“Rhonda and them’ll get you squared away, ma’am,” he promised, heading for the door. “I’m sorry, but I gotta go.”
“Thank you, Toby,” Regina said to his back.
“Welcome!” he threw over his shoulder. Then he was gone. Regina watched the truck for a moment, then turned around to examine her new home.
*****
“Party favors, huh?” Terry grunted. “Run into a hornet’s nest?”
“More like a skunk’s nest,” Toby snorted. “I got to go and pick up some stuff from Billy’s place. Be back in just a few minutes. How long you need?”
“I’ll be ready when you get here,” Terry promised, already heading for the house.