by Victor Cruz
“Well. We found out who the pendejos are,” Inez said to Catalina.
“We sure did,” Catalina nodded and looked over to him. “Maxson?”
Maxson nodded as he watched the three goons walk off, “I’m on it, but Catalina?”
“Yes?” She responded.
“We’re not through talking about leaving before winter,” Maxson replied.
“Yes, we are,” Catalina patted him on the back of the arm before she walked off, leaving Maxson to stew with Reggie at his side.
“Psh,” Reggie stepped next to him. “Those sisters are something, aren’t they?”
“That’s about the nicest way you could say that, but yeah, a real something alright,” Maxson agreed with a sigh of defeat.
konrad trail
Days had passed and Maxson had been unable to catch anyone sneaking out at night even with the help of Scott who was supposed to be on patrol at night. Catalina, impatient with the lack of Maxson’s results, devised a plan. She always had a way of taking control and Maxson was becoming more accustomed and even more comfortable with her assertiveness. Tonight, Catalina planned to stay awake with Scott and watch over the house for the night ever since they were ambushed at night. It may have been slightly overboard to not fill Scott in on their plan, but they decided that it was better to keep everyone in the dark until they had evidence. No reason to accuse members of the group and cause conflict when it was unnecessary. Catalina was planning on Scott’s attraction for her in a harmless plot to distract him.
Maxson had dressed warm so that he could post up outside on the fall night and used an old hunting stand to perch in. Slung over his shoulder was the .22 rifle with the scope attached to it that was worth almost as much as the low caliber rifle itself.
Maxson climbed up the stand that Colton and Diego built after one of their first hunting trips. It made it a lot easier to bring in game when there was a place to perch like a bird to get a better view of the flat land surrounding the farm. The stand was aade of wood and the ground of the stand covered with a cheap carpet that was peeling at the edges. Located approximately a a quarter of a mile away from the home and high enough to give a good view of the entire farm. It wasn’t close enough to protect the house itself, but luckily Catalina and Scott were on the premise of the house.
Maxson wait an hour while missing the smell of burning of dead leaves and branches that fall used to bring before everything fell. If it weren’t for the light that a high-flames produced, they would have had plenty of bonfires to raise morale. Unfortunately, it was too risky and any fire they had burning would always have to be put out at sunset. The dead were known to have decent eyesight and hearing, but it was just as possible for them to smell something and begin investigating.
An hour had passed and the house was still completely dark. Catalina told him she would light a candle in the window to get his attention if she noticed anything. The moon looked abnormally closer than usual, touting overhead its size and glow. Cascading its glimmering reflective light caught by the sun and throwing it back down onto the landscape below. Maxson could see much farther than usual due to the illuminated night. Off into the distance he could see something walking, but it wasn’t human.
From the way it moved at first Maxson thought it was a cat, since nine out of ten times it was. However, when he raised his rifle to peer through the scope, he realized that it was a raccoon. There was a larger one walking out in front of the entire group that Maxson identified as the mother of the ones trailing behind it. He had known raccoons to travel in packs together with mother and its babies, especially during the fall. Four little ones walked behind the mama raccoon looking ignorant to the decaying world around them. Maxson was jealous of them for a moment as he eyed them in his scope.
The rustling leaves blown by the breeze was the only sound other than the wind itself. There was a rustling at the base of the tree itself at one point. A scraping that could only be something small like a squirrel or even a feral cat, which were scattered all over the place. Either way it was too small to be any real concern to him.
There was movement from the home from Scott and Catalina. The two of them were outside and had taken a lap around the home that looked leisurely. Scott was responsibly and safely holding a shotgun; years of proper training while working for law enforcement made him less of a risk than someone like Dustin. Catalina held a rifle slung over her shoulder and even if she hadn’t had proper firearms training, she was smart enough to have some sense to her. They strolled around and Maxson followed them with his eyes, intently. He could see that Scott was talking Catalina’s ear off, but she either was a good actress or was actually enjoying what he was saying. A small pang of jealousy ran over him, but he continued to watch Scott presumedly and relentlessly hit on Catalina until they walked out of view.
Another hour had passed and Maxson wondered if he should pack it in. Scott and Catalina were now inside the two-story farmhouse that didn’t have much time in it before it toppled over. No signal came from Catalina signal that any suspicious activity was occurring. He could see both Catalina and Belle’s bedroom windows from the stand he was nested in and it made him contemplate his actions.
Will I be able to look my brother in the face when I see him again? The thought made Maxson’s become anxious. I’m sorry if I’m letting you guys down.
He thought about Belle and Catalina. Belle felt like a symbol of hope in his sails and Catalina was the guiding wind that pushed him in the right direction. Serving different parts of him in ways outside of their intimate actions and he knew he would be unable to choose which need was most important. There was no logical reason to believe that things could continue this way for the three of them, but for now it served each party a distraction of the world outside.
One man. Two women. I’m outclassed and outnumbered.
Catalina’s candle flickered in her window.
What a pro, Thought Maxson of Catalina who was still able to notice something awry, even with Scott probably still talking her ear off in his light Irish accent. Sitting up in the stand, Maxson’s eyes scanned the field of dark green in between him and the home. A small breeze gave the illusion of waves rippling through the tall strands of grass.
He couldn’t see anything and brought the scope to his eye and scanned the horizon once again. A shadow moved off in the opposite direction and Maxson realized he needed to move fast. Hopping down from the stand he sprinted across the field and towards the home. The moon above made it difficult to stick in the shadows, but following a row of trees helped keep him undetected. Passing the home, he looked around and saw nothing.
“Shit,” Maxson said under his breath worried that he missed his opportunity to spot something. Raising the scope to his eye while standing, he looked again. It gave him time to catch his breath anyway as he used his towering height to observe the surroundings through the ocular lens. Height and range proved to be the tool necessary as he saw the shadows. There was two of them and they were in the shape of humans. Maxson could instantly tell they were humans, by how coordinated their walking was. The height difference of the two forms moving down the road ensured one was Konrad, but Maxson was uncertain by the other one. Or at least that was the assumption.
Where the hell could they be going? Maxson wondered. Suzie said they had a camp in Greenbrook, so they must have some way to get there without tipping off the rest of us. A car? A motorcycle? Greenbrook is too far to reach by a bicycle.
Unable to stalk too close behind them, Maxson kept his distance. The moonlight casted upon them from above was bright enough to force him to stay far enough back and remain in the shadows.
It took him five minutes to grab the dirt bike from the garage and wheel it down the road to where he had last seen them. They were nowhere to be found, but could only head in that same direction for another quarter mile. Reaching the end, they would have to choose to go left or right unless they chose to go off-road.
The two of them had chos
en a direction and by the time Maxson reached the end too, he realized he had lost them.
Shit. Did they turn left or right off this road?
Once he reached the end, Maxson realized he had lost them. Trying to use the scope was useless and didn’t uncover anything like last time. Maxson’s embarrassment for losing them so early on the trail soon became self-deprecating.
You fucking lost them you idiot. Maxson knew he shouldn’t have grabbed the dirt bike.
He thought about starting the bike up and seeing if he could find some sort of lead, but that would be too loud. The house was too close and Scott was still guarding the home. Sure, he was “sanctioned” by Catalina, but he didn’t want anyone he was also sneaking around to give anyone else bad ideas. It was too risky to have everyone freely roaming around at night.
At the end of the entry road, Maxson looked right, which lead to Rockport and left, which lead to Greenbrook. Flipping an imaginary coin, Maxson went towards Greenbrook. Walking for ten minutes, the house started to go out of view and cloaked by the surrounding trees.
The bike became more of a bearing, rather than an unutilized asset. He was far enough away from the home that he knew he would not alarm them if he started the bike, now, but he struggled to find a reason to start its motor. Maxson reluctantly decided that he would just have to follow them another night.
Maxson began to turn the bike around and would begin walking back. It was then that he heard the wispiness of air and crunching of broken concrete under something heavy’s rubber tires.
A car. Maxson knew the sound clearly. Before he could form another thought he could see it approaching him in the distance. He crouched down and jogged away with his hands still on the handlebars to bring the transport with him. He had only seconds to hide and would need to lay the bike down against the grass and hope it was dark enough to not be seen. Maxson quickly hopped on the bike’s seat and let it roll down the bank off the side of the road. Laying the bike down and lying next to it, he could only pray the car didn’t see him. Doing his best to keep himself concealed, he slowly peaked his head above the tall grass to watch the traveler’s roll by.
The car was a small Japanese vehicle that had four doors, but not a lot of room. Maxson could see Konrad at the helm of the steering wheel as they drove by looking cramped inside. Without their headlights on, the inside of the car was quite easy to see into. The hooded figure in the passenger seat looked to be a male that wasn’t scrawny enough to be Dustin. Though, they were sitting and it was hard to conclude either of the two assertions.
Eddie. Maxson assumed.
They drove by and Maxson waited for them to pass for a few miles before hopping on the bike’s seat, kickstarting it and pursuing them. The bike was not built for speed and he knew it would be impossible for him to keep up with the foreign car, but he would still be able to meet them at Greenbrook. At least that’s where he believed they were heading based on Suzie’s information.
Maxson rode the dirt bike cautiously after seeing one dead lunging out at him from the road. There was enough time to dodge it, but it still bothered him traveling in such a vulnerable vehicle especially when the walking corpses had no concept of fear of injury. They would risk ripping off their own arms to grab him and not even wince in pain while they tried to feast on his unconscious body with one arm. The ride took a little over a half hour on the dirt bike and he ended up parking on the outskirts of town to avoid being seen.
He reached the small town and noticed that there was something illuminating within it. It wasn’t bright, but it was enough for Maxson to determine that Suzie information was accurate and he made the right choice. As she approached Greenbrook’s storefronts he found a spot on the stoop of one of them to look around with his scope.
They’re here. Maxson spotted the car that forced him into hiding, from earlier.
The streets were empty though and he couldn’t see any movement. The humming coming from the construction pit was much softer than it was the very first time he heard it. Colton and Diego had told them that they were still eating one another so it came as no surprise to him.
The rap music was no longer playing, but was replaced with screaming falsettos, guitars and drums. He wondered how that was possible since the music inserted was supposed to repeat, but he soon realized that the sound wasn’t coming from the construction pit anymore. Slowly leaving his hiding spot, Maxson kept himself close to the buildings keeping his large form in the shadows. He crossed the roundabout in the center of town, where the flag still hung limply, before he started to hear the noise of talking.
They’re on the roof. Maxson suspected they were on the tallest building that had the clock on it. The same roof that he had been on already twice.
Maxson was able to use a dumpster to reach a small roof was overhanging the sidewalk and common in older small towns. Using the roof, he climbed on top of the building’s ledge to lead him to the roof of the building. Unslinging his rifle from his shoulder he used his scope to ensure there was nobody watching him before he continued towards the building that heard voices.
In closer proximity, he could hear multiple people speaking now. One, two, three, he wasn’t sure how many, but there seemed to be an entire party. Men were cheering and there were at least two different females amongst the voices.
Maxson searched for a way to get a visual on the group to see who he was dealing with here. He wouldn’t be able to use the ladder that was too close to them, but there was a ventilation duct of the side. Slowly he pulled himself up the rectangular steel frame, worried that it wouldn’t support his size. It wasn’t built to be hung off of and it felt like it could break at any given moment, but luckily didn’t.
Unable to use his leg to swing himself up by risking of making noise, Maxson relied entirely on his arms to pull his frame up, in order to be silent. Using all of his upper body strength, he silently scaled the side of the wall and reached the fourth story. An aroma of something delicious hit him and made his stomach react by growling, but this was no time to worry about feeding himself. Keeping crouched he kept himself hidden and listened to his surroundings to make sure nobody was nearby before peering out. Only after the coast sounded clear, did he finally slowly peer out and only far enough for one of his eyes to see anything.
Maxson could see on the other side of the building the entire group. They had set up a circle of tents and there were over a dozen individuals. Instantly recognizable was Konrad, who was standing by the grill with six slabs of meat on it. Assuming it was the deer meat that Colton had hunted infuriated him, knowing that he stole it from their group for these strangers. The men walking around all looked rough and a everyone one of them were armed whether their weapons were holstered or not. A couple of them carried Russian automatics and it was clear that even if these guys were not prepared, they were at least armed for a fight. His semi-automatic .22 was completely outmatched, and the revolver in his waist might as well have not existed against that type of artillery.
They must have parked their bikes somewhere else. I wonder if it was the same bikes I saw earlier from the roof. Maxson thought to himself.
Maxson looked for Eddie, but couldn’t find his face amongst the crowd of beards, scars and ugly faces. His smooth-shaven face would have stuck out like a sore thumb amongst them. Even the two that Maxson thought were female were in question now as they were as unattractive as their male counterparts.
A black man suddenly exited one of the tents. He had a big belly, but broad shoulders and an overall burly form. Buckling his belt, Maxson could only assume that there was a woman inside the tent. A tall skinny bearded man and a scrawny bald man both fought for a second, before the tall man threw the scrawnier one aside. The tall man began to unbuckle his belt and enter the tent leaving the scrawny man scowling out in front. Maxson presumed that they were taking turns with a woman in that tent.
Out of the crowd came an older man who was tall and lean, but a little shorter than Konrad. He had a short
gray beard that was peppered black and a head that was nearly shaven. His face was leathery and burnt from the wind and sun, covered under the scruffiness of his beard. His jawline was sharp and cheekbones were prominent with cheeks that sunk slightly in. For an older man, he was in great shape and could have been considered handsome. Something about the way he carried himself made Maxson immediately recognize him as the leader. The two of them left the grill and began to walk away from the others and towards Maxson. He ducked, but tried to keep his ear out to eavesdrop.
“Fifty pounds, you said. The best damn meat you’ve ever tasted, you said,” The older man said to Konrad as they approached Maxson in hiding.
“I know, I know, but I can only cut off so much at a time. Otherwise people will notice,” Konrad explained.
“I thought you were the one hunting this game,” The old man asked confrontationally.
“I am, I mean, a guy I know is,” Konrad said.
The old man stared right at him, as though he had just caught him in a lie and was waiting for a confession. When he didn’t hear one, the older man groaned out, “That’s great. Just fucking great. I knew we should have killed you the first time we ran into you boys.”
“What’s the fuss, Jack? Ya’ll have a place to lay low and just go on, business as usual.” Konrad persuasively suggested while telling unintentionally telling Maxson his new business partner’s friend.
What kind of business? Maxson wondered. It couldn’t have been anything too complicated since the law wasn’t around anymore to keep a watchful eye on them. Most likely just a buy or barter sort of situation.
“Yeah. But for how long?” Jack asked.
“Long enough to keep your men stocked up on food and fuel until next year. At least,” Konrad assured the older man confidently, even though Maxson knew he was lying.
How? Even we don’t have enough supplies for something like that. Wondered Maxson. They had just enough for them to make the trek to Paradise Falls in Henry’s new custom cruiser.