by Ison, S. A.
“I got food. I just saw yours and it smelled good. Sorry.” She said.
“It’s okay, we were finished eating, I’m glad you ate it. We didn’t want to waste it. Would you like something else?” He asked.
“Yeah, I got food.” She said.
Zoe opened the child’s backpack and pulled out a bag of trail mix. She also pulled out a bottle of water. Zoe handed Christy the bag and water.
“How old are you Christy?” Zoe asked, smoothing the child’s hair back over her ears.
“I’m nine. I was hiking with my parents. I went to use the bathroom, you know behind a tree. I got my shovel. But when I came back, I couldn’t find them. I called and called. But they weren’t there. They said they were going to go sit on the benches. But I couldn’t find the benches. I think I got lost.” She began crying again.
The women fussed over her and Beckett smiled. He looked up and Wyatt walked over, carrying Rhena’s backpack.
“Who’s our guest?” Wyatt asked, sitting down with the group. Though an air of sadness was with him, he’d pulled himself together.
“This is Christy, it seems she was separated from her parents. We have a new member to our group.” Beckett smiled.
“Welcome Christy, don’t worry, there are a lot of nice people here in our group. Have you been walking all day?”
“Yes sir. I slept in the woods last night. I was scared. My mom has my tent. So, I didn’t have it. I slept under a tree.” She said, her mouth wobbling and another bout of crying threatened.
“Christy, I’m a doctor. Did you drink any water that wasn’t in the bottle? And did you eat any plants you found?” He asked softly, a gentle smile on his face. Beckett was amazed at the man’s kindness, only hours after his own wife’s death, he had the wherewithal to be kind to another.
“No, I just drank from my bottle. I got a straw, but mommy said to save that for an emergency.” She said.
“Well, your mommy was right about that. Good girl. Beckett, I want to give you Rhena’s pack, it has everything you need. I figure we can’t waste a thing now. There’s plenty of food.”
“Are you sure Wyatt? I don’t want you to do without, you know if you need something.” Beckett protested.
“No, please and you can share with this little one as well.” Wyatt smiled sadly. Beckett reached over and shook the man’s hand. Wyatt got up and patted the girl on her head and went back over to his side of the fire.
Beckett watched him and then looked at Zoe, Carter and Evie, shaking his head.
“Wyatt’s right Beckett, nothing can go to waste, if what you think is correct. Nothing can be wasted. When do you think we might be?” Zoe asked.
“If it’s what I think, that Cherokee had a stone knife, not a metal one, so I’m thinking 1600s or 1700s. Though I can’t be sure. I don’t really know when metal knives made it this far west, or this far north.” Beckett said.
“I’m sorry, I don’t buy it.” Milo said, walking over.
“I don’t care Milo, one way or the other, we’re on our own. I think tomorrow, I’ll see about getting more meat, to make our food last. Also, we need to see if anyone knows about edible plants.” Beckett said, getting Rhena’s tent out and setting it up.
“Christy, I want you to sleep in this tent from now on, it will keep you safe and covered, okay sweetheart?”
“Thank you, Mr. Beck.” She said, her large blue eyes looking around the small group. Beckett smiled at her and then found the sleeping bag, from Christy’s backpack. He set it up for the girl, and put it inside the tent.
“Do you need to go potty? Zoe or Evie can take you.” When she nodded her head, he looked over at Zoe and she smiled and nodded. They stood, and Zoe got toilet paper out of the child’s backpack. Beckett stood as well, he’d guard them. They wove around the settling hikers. Zoe held a solar lantern and Beckett held one as well, Christy in the middle.
They walked about thirty feet from the camp, and Beckett took up position and looked out into the dense dark forest. The night was cooling rapidly, and the night creatures began their secret conversations. He heard the murmurings of the group back in camp. It had been a rough day for them all, but especially for Wyatt. Zoe and Christy came back out and they all went back to their spot. The camp was growing quiet and Zoe and Beckett tucked Christy into her tent and Beckett made his bed by the tent.
“You her guardian angel?” Milo asked as he walked by. Beckett didn’t answer, keeping his eyes closed. Milo was a pot stirrer, a troublemaker from the word go. They were in a hell of a bind, and up against a rock and a hard place and this jackass was spouting bullshit. He’d come across his kind plenty of times. Shit-heel.
XX
Mister Goddamn goody two shoes, that’s what Beckett was. He constantly put Milo off-kilter and made him say shit. Milo knew better, but couldn’t seem to help himself. The whole group was giving him the stink eye now. Fuck. Now that brat comes into the group. She’d be sucking up their food. He knew, sure as shit. He hated kids. Which was funny, because he worked at Disney. But behind the scenes. Maybe because of Disney, he’d seen all the brats, crying and querulous. Jesus.
Guess he didn’t have to worry about working there any more, he’d never see Florida again. Hell, even if they did find his truck, and it really was an EMP, he’d not go down there without air-conditioning. Hell no. And Beckett was so full of shit. Christ. Maybe the man just needed attention. Fucking time travel? Please. The guy was delusional. Maybe Beckett needed the attention. Since Rhena died, all attention was on her. He shrugged. Christ, back in time, my ass, he thought.
It was just too much. Ever since he’d met Beckett, his world had gone into the shitter. He knew it wasn’t Beckett personally, but still, the man was something of a drama queen. He snorted softly, everyone had gone to their tents and sleeping bags. It was quiet. Milo laid on his back, looking into the sky. It looked the same as it had every night on this trip. He really was having a hard time believing that they’d traveled back in time. It wasn’t the goddamn Syfy channel here. He yawned. Christ, he was tired. He was tired of this vacation and he was tired of Beckett. Beckett was a pain in his balls.
XX
Evie didn’t bother turning her lantern on, inside the tent. She wiped at the tears coming from her swollen eyes. She was torn between great sadness for Rhena and Wyatt, and now that little girl and the fear that was eating her up. She was so glad she had Carter and Zoe with her. Beckett was also wonderful, though the news he brought about time travel was a little crazy. But even Carter believed something was going on.
She was so afraid, because they were all in an unforgiving place. She’d been hiking this trail for years; she’d never heard of someone getting snake bit. She was sure it happened, but still. If they were back in time, there was no way to get food, other than meat. There weren’t any farms, or if there were, they were owned by white colonial people. She was Korean. Would they try to kill her? Or make her a slave? Jesus. And Indians, would the Cherokee hunt the group down and kill them off one by one? Would she be taken prisoner? Made a slave?
She’d seen movies, but those were movies and Hollywood. Beckett said he spoke to the man. Would Beckett have the ability to keep them safe? He did have that gun. She hated guns, but now, she was profoundly grateful he had it. Jesus. It seemed like each day was getting worse. And that asshole, Milo. What a jerk. Beckett was trying to be kind. What was Milo’s problem anyway? She thought Milo might be jealous of Beckett. She’d gotten a creep vibe from Milo, so did Zoe. She was glad that Carter and Beckett were there to protect them. She was pretty sure Milo wouldn’t.
She’d hate to have her life depend on that man. He’d throw her to the wolves and save himself she was sure. And he was probably thinking of two Asian chicks at once. Ewww, she thought. Once more she wiped at her eyes and listened to the breathing and snoring of the others, outside her tent. She sent up a prayer for Rhena and hoped she was in heaven now. Evie hoped she wouldn’t be joining her any time soon.
The next morning, Beckett woke, and listened to blue jays that squabbled in the trees. They were all going to have to make a decision today. To go forward, or go back and try to get back to his car and maybe back to the future or present, or whatever the hell was out there. He looked at Zoe, she was still asleep, as was Christy. Carter and Milo were snoring away. He got up quietly and stretched, it was just dawn and low light filtered through the trees.
He made his way out of the camp and took his new backpack and walked his way to the streamlet, following the marks on the tree. He’d also taken the empty water bottles; he wanted those refilled. It was peaceful and he needed time alone. He’d also been given Rhena’s walking stick, and this he used to move around his path. He’d not want to be bitten. Christ, watching Rhena die had been horrendous and her agony apparent. He’d not wish to die that way. He wasn’t worried about being alone, he had his weapon and was profoundly thankful he had it.
Again, he didn’t know which was worse, here or an EMP world. Both, for they were all equally unprepared. He got to the stream and began to fill his water bottles. He set those aside and began to pull the contents of Rhena’s bag out to inventory. At least now he had a sleeping bag, and sadly he’d have rather not, if it meant Rhena would have lived.
He found the first aid kit, that had been pulled out in order to help her. In a zip top bag, he found a small bottle of powder, tooth paste, toothbrush holder, a smaller zip bag with a bar of soap, a bottle of shampoo, and small packets of wipes. He thought that would be great when he ran out of his paper towels. He saw floss, a few tampons, he’d give those to Zoe. Three small bottles of hand sanitizers. He’d save those for injuries. There was a small plastic box of bandages, a small bottle of sunscreen, bug repellent and two sticks of lip balm and a bottle of crazy glue.
He set that and the first aid kit aside. He pulled out a winter cap, with a pair of mittens inside. He also found several pairs of socks, and saw they were the wicking kind. He also saw boxer shorts, and he pulled them out. They were men’s underwear, but it seemed that Rhena liked wearing them. He smiled at that and then was sad. He swallowed back the sorrow.
He found a Sawyer squeeze filter, a smart water bottle, a lighter, a plastic box of matches, rain gear and sewing kit. He smiled when he found a folded hammock, along with two bundles of paracord. He found a solar lantern with a USB plug and wondered at that, until he found an mp3 player. He’d have music of some kind. He pulled out long underwear and was glad to see it wasn’t pink like Zoe’s. He looked at the size and he thought it would just about fit him.
He laid those aside and began to pull out food. There were numerous zip bags. Rice, beans, dried vegetables, dried fruits, spices, two small bottles of olive oil, a small zip bag of dark chocolate. He pulled up a bag of energy chews, honey packets, chia seeds, pasta, oatmeal, and coffee. He smiled at that, thank god for the coffee. There was quite a bit of food, it would last a long time with the meat. He planned on hunting more, for not only himself, but for the whole group. The less they ate from their packs, the longer it would last. Christ, he had no clue what to do.
He figured they’d all be losing a little weight if they couldn’t find enough food to supplement what they had. He looked around the outside of the backpack and found more packets of wipes, a Life straw, a zip bag of trail mix, filled with nuts and dried fruit and the same granola that Zoe had. Rhena didn’t have a cooking stove, but that was okay, Zoe did. They’d have to inventory the child’s bag and combine her food with their own.
From the way she’d inhaled the rice and rabbit, he figured she carried food that needed cooking. It was one thing to care and worry for themselves, but a child put a heavy burden on them. A child was something special and you guarded them with your very life. Christy would eat before he ever took a bite. He’d known hunger when he was a kid. His family had been poor. His father had made it seem like an adventure, hunting. But in truth, it was because they didn’t have a lot of food.
He smiled at the memories of his granny cooking up squirrel and rabbit. She’d make a big fuss about it. He remembered that she always let him eat first, petting his head. It wasn’t until later, when kids teased him about being poor white trash or breed trash that he began to get a clue. His granny told him never to be ashamed, poor wasn’t a thing to be ashamed of, it was something to become victorious over. He’d never understood that until he was a man. He dealt with a lot of poor people in his job. Rich as well. One thing he’d learned, rich or poor, you had good guys and you had bad guys. It was a choice on which you wanted to be. He grunted, Milo coming to mind. He got the straw and squatted at the streamlet and drank heavily. He heard a snap of a twig and froze.
five
Noland and Astrid sat at their tent drinking their morning coffee. Astrid had wept a long time into the night and Noland had held his wife. He didn’t know what to make of Beckett’s claims about EMP or time travel. It just seemed too bizarre. Then Rhena dying like that, that horrible way and her leg just splitting open. He shivered and Astrid looked at him. He shook his head.
“Just thinking about Rhena, and how she died.” He said gently.
“Me too. It was horrible Noland. What are we going to do?” Astrid whispered, her eyes tearing up once more.
“I don’t know, maybe go back the way we came, see if we can get to our car. Or maybe find one of the stations. Maybe really see if we are back in time or if Beckett is full of bullshit.”
“But that guy, Carter, said he saw the Indian too.” Astrid argued softly.
“Maybe they just thought the guy was old timey. You know, maybe a real Native American, but you know, like us. Maybe just dressing up to screw with folks on the trail.”
“God, I hope so. I hope that’s just it and not for real. I hope he is wrong about the EMP too. I just want to go home, and if it isn’t an EMP and we go home, I want to start prepping.” She whispered and Noland pulled her over into his arms. He was as terrified as she was. How were they going to survive? If they found a settlement, they’d be treated like shit. If they found a place that would take them, anyone who wasn’t white would be treated like dogshit. If he knew anything about the old days. Both he and Astrid had dark skin, mostly from the summer sun, but still. Christ. He shuddered again. He remembered reading about this crap in history books. It never bothered him, because it was a long time ago. Now, maybe they were a long time ago.
It wouldn’t matter that he and his wife were intelligent people and talented. No, and what if there were no farms or settlements? How would they survive? Jesus. It made him want to go screaming into the woods and tear his hair out. He had to be brave for Astrid. She was terrified, but so was he.
Once more, the thoughts sifted through his confused mind, which was worse. EMP or being back in time. And, if there were no settlements, how would they survive? Could they survive? With no seeds to grow a garden, Christ, they were hikers, not survivalists. The only plants he knew about was what he used in his cooking at work and that, they got from the local grocer. He wanted to throw himself on the ground and weep, but that wouldn’t help him, nor his wife. Christ, he was a fucking chef for Christ sakes. He knew how to cook food, he didn’t know how to find it and kill it.
At least Beckett did, he’d brought down that rabbit. He was glad, that might be their only hope. He sighed heavily, Beckett had been gone for a while now, and Noland saw that others were beginning to wake. He got up and grabbed a pot, he was going to heat water and make breakfast, though an abbreviated one. He heard gasps and turned around, Beckett was coming back into camp, but was followed by the Indian, he’d claimed he’d seen.
Noland had no idea what to expect, but this man was wild, he was no modern man, he was antient. The hair stood on his body; the primitive part of his brain recognized something about the man. Something in the way the man walked, it was primitive, as in a predator, who was symbiotic with his surroundings. The man was from this land, so much so, that it made Noland feel like a blund
ering fool among the forest and the rocks.
xx
Dustu, his name meant Spring Frog, followed the between man toward the camp and its people. He saw all the between ghost people, who looked up in surprise at his arrival. It was usually like this, he’d been warned. Every seven years, the between ghost people came to his land. Stories had been told, and the old ones sent out two of The People to guide them out of the between worlds. Inola, Black Fox, would be his backup for this trip, should Dustu be killed, or unable to finish. Inola was to kill the between people if they didn’t leave. Dustu was to kill them as well, but his primary task was to guide them out. Both men had traveled three days to get to the point where they were to meet these strange people. Dustu had waited two days and he thought that perhaps it had all been a joke of some kind. But then he’d seen the woman.
When he’d been chosen, he’d been told it was a great honor and only the bravest of the People would be sent on this dangerous journey. And so he’d gone and waited. Inola had gone as well, but they stayed separated. It was said that the between people held diseases that could kill The People, and so Inola was only to intervene if necessary and as a last resort. Dustu had not really believed some of the stories, but after following these people and watching them, he’d been shocked to find that the stories were true.
People of different colors, dark brown, black, amber and white. This man in front of him was one of the People, but he was also a between. He’d seen the man’s eyes, that were the color of the sky. The woman Dustu had frightened had the hair of yellow snow, but she’d not been old. He’d seen that she’d also been killed by the inadu, or snake.
His eyes found the child, she must have come during the night, he’d not seen her before. She too had the light hair. It looked very soft, like the other woman’s hair. Her clothing was a peculiar color, like some of the blossoms of the flowers. He knew the women of his tribe would love to have that color. These ghost betweens seemed to have mastered the clothing, he’d seen nothing like it. He wondered if it were some kind of animal, he was unaware of, or perhaps a bark or plant? He knew his people could make the color of ochre, and deep crimsons and of course black. But he’d never seen these brilliant colors before. He’d been told of course, but he’d not believed it. He wondered what Inola thought of all this? He knew his friend was near enough to watch and see all that was going on.