by Ison, S. A.
It seemed these people were magical, from a world that was magical. He was tempted to go with them to that between world, but did he dare? Beckett was of his own people and yet, different. He hunted like the People, he had the longbow, but it was different, he had a knife, but it was different. So many things the same, but such big differences.
These people bled like him, they died. They cried and they laughed, just like him. Yet, they had water that closed open wounds. They had thunder weapons that made a small hole and then a large hole. Was it lightning that the thunder weapon used? Was that, what had killed those men? Lightning? Did the weapon possess lightning?
And when he felt the presence of the large cat, Beckett had felt it too. He’d frozen at the same time, so the man had the same instincts. Yet they were separated by a vast chasm, something he understood only vaguely. He wondered if he and Beckett were brothers perhaps, separated by years and time? He didn’t know and he didn’t understand.
He could smell the cooking food and his stomach growled. The women made a food that looked like the white maggots in carrion he’d found from time to time. He’d not eaten it, afraid that it was so. But, the people around him seemed to enjoy it. He thought perhaps tonight, he might try it. He wanted to experience as much as he could from these people. He now realized that this would be a once in a lifetime event for him. Now, when he went and told stories with the other warriors who’d been on this trip, they could laugh and understand these strangers better.
He was now glad that he’d been chosen to come. The more he got to know these people, the more he liked them, and the similarities and also the differences. He especially liked Beckett. He had a quiet way about him, like his own people. He noticed the coward had offered to carry the injured man’s things. He wondered at the man and his motives. He did not trust that man, and he could tell the others did not either. These were peculiar people.
The little girl had trusted him to carry her down the side of the mountain. She’d been light as a feather. The clothing she wore had been very soft on his back. It had not felt like hide. He wondered at it once more and the bright color of it. The child had smelled like a child, with the odd floral scent of flowers. It was something they all used. He mentally shook his head. Well, at least they didn’t stink.
He’d been able to touch her hair, patting her on the head as he’d seen the others do. Her hair had been so silky and soft. His wife and child’s hair were soft as well, but not like the little girl’s hair. He had so many things to tell his people, that he felt as though he might burst. He was sure they would not believe him, but he understood. Many of the things he’d been told, he’d not believed. He laughed inside. Things were not as they seemed.
EIGHT
“Thanks for making such an amazing meal.” Beckett said, eating the rabbit, beans and rice.
“Don’t think anything of it, I’m just glad I thought to soak beans last night. I don’t think it would have gone as far.” Zoe laughed.
“You have to soak beans?”
“Only if you don’t want to break a tooth while eating them.” Evie sniggered.
Beckett grinned and looked over at Dustu, he was eating the mixture, though he’d been very hesitant at first. But he’d seemed to catch on and ate his fill. The rabbits were shared with everyone, and Beckett noticed that Milo was now sitting within the group. He was quiet, but not withdrawn.
“We saw a massive mountain lion, about two miles up toward the west. It was sitting in a large tree. It scared the hell out of me. I’ve never seen one so big.” Beckett said.
“Should we be worried?” Wyatt asked, from across the fire.
“I’d say not to go alone when you go to the bathroom and don’t go too far either.” Beckett suggested.
The group nodded. It would not do to push their luck with such a predator. Beckett hoped that the smoke and fire would keep the big cat away and maybe hunt easier prey. He’d been a beautiful creature and deadly and a shiver went through him. He was on the bottom of the food chain here, as were they all. Puny and weak for a stealthy hunter. He’d be that way in Alaska as well, but he’d be armed to the teeth there as well. He also planned to get a dog, as an early warning system for bears. He didn’t want to end up as bear poop, fertilizing Alaska.
“Dustu said we are heading down and into the lowlands, or at least I think that’s what he said, we are now heading due south. Just a warning, I saw rain clouds over the mountain. If you want to have cooking fires tomorrow night, put away some kindling and twigs for a fire.” Beckett suggested.
Everyone nodded. He looked over to JP and Lucas. Lucas seemed to be doing pretty good, and seemed relaxed. He hoped it was just a small fracture and not a break. The sky was now full on dark and everyone began to shift to their tents and sleeping bags or mats. Beckett wondered how Dustu could stand the night chill, but the man seemed impervious to it.
Beckett settled Christy into her tent, Evie disappeared into her tent and he grinned when her light came on inside. He grinned bigger when Carter went in as well. So, a little romance blooming, he thought. He was glad, he liked them both. He heard their soft conversation. He saw Dustu watching, his head cocking in curiosity. He knew the man didn’t understand how the solar lanterns worked. He decided to pull out Rhena’s mp3 and turned it on. He put in the ear buds. It was Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. He turned the volume down and waved Dustu to him. He couldn’t help but grin and wanted to see the look on the man’s face.
He held up the device and then he put the ear buds into Dustu’s ears. The man jerked as though electrocuted. His eyes grew enormous. A slow smile spread across the man’s face. His teeth were white and even and Beckett wondered how they were so, with no dentist. And, he guessed, no sugar or coffee either.
“Should you be showing him that stuff?” Milo asked.
Beckett shrugged, “why not, it isn’t like he can really understand. It’s like the solar lanterns. He sees it, but he doesn’t really understand it. For him, it’s magic.”
“What’s he listening to?” Milo asked.
“Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.”
Milo grunted and shook his head. He pulled his sleeping bag up to his shoulder and turned over, his back to the fire. Soon, everyone was sleeping except him and Dustu, who continued to listen to the mp3 player. The night air was filled with peeping frogs and crickets. He saw small lights darting in and out of the trees and knew it was lightening bugs. He could feel the temperature dropping and also the dampness.
Reaching over, he added a few more branches to the fire. The heat radiating off of it was pleasant. He smiled as he saw Dustu rocking slightly to the music. He was sure the Cherokee had music for their ceremonial dances, but he was equally sure that it was nothing like that. And then it hit him, was Vivaldi even alive right now? Was this man listing to his contemporary’s music?
He didn’t know what year he was in, he could be off a hundred years or better. But he was sure he might be in the very same century as Vivaldi. He was struck by the incongruity of it all. He shifted and got down into his sleeping bag. He looked over to see Christy passed out, and so far, no nightmares. Good. Zoe’s face was soft in slumber and he smiled softly. This had been hard on them all, but Zoe was proving to be extremely strong and brave.
She seemed interested in Alaska. Maybe, once they got back, he could talk her into going up there with him. He was coming to care for Zoe a great deal. He was drawn to her and he’d not deny that. It wasn’t just the situation they were in either. They seemed to click, and both shared a common bond and sense of humor. That was so important. It didn’t hurt that she was cute as hell and so damned smart. He’d never met anyone like her and so, he let himself be drawn closer to her.
XX
There was a violent argument brewing over the mountains. Angry clouds, titans were the color of slate and bruised yellow. Beckett could see lightning moving around within and the thunder that shook the world around them. He could smell ozone, it stung his nostrils. It was l
ate afternoon and Dustu was searching for a likely place to camp. It was going to be a downpour. Beckett didn’t look forward to sleeping in the rain. He liked the thought of walking in wet clothing even less. He wasn’t sure if they could build some kind of cover, for it might well get blown away.
The winds had picked up and were whipping at them, pushing and pulling them along. He was glad they were not up on the ridge, it would have ended badly for all of them. They were in a new forest, the charred remnants of the old forest quite evident around them. The lightning cracked and they jerked, it was coming closer and getting louder.
They were now walking along the lower part of an escarpment. Beckett looked up, it was about eighty feet to the top. He heard the rush of water but couldn’t see it. It was so loud that it made his head ache. Dustu was running now, ahead of them. Beckett wondered if they should all run, but the terrain was rocky and there were a lot of charred stubs of trees, which could trip them up.
He figured Dustu was going ahead to find a suitable camping spot. The sound of the rushing water now nearly obliterated the thunder. He saw it then, a waterfall. It was coming down from the high cliff. This place was ripe with waterfalls of all sizes. He’d lost sight of Dustu but when he came within fifty feet of the falls, Dustu stepped out, grinning at him.
The man had stepped out from a cave and Beckett laughed and turned and waved everyone over. Zoe and Evie popped open their solar lanterns lighting the interior of the cave. It wasn’t huge, but it would hold them all, though they’d not have the room for their tents. It was okay, the cave was one large tent. They dumped their packs and Beckett headed back out to look for firewood before the rains came. He wanted a bright and warm cave.
Carter, Milo and JP followed and the men began gathering deadfall. They got several armfuls before the rains started pounding down. Settled once more in the cave, Beckett saw that they’d made it just in time. There was a heavy curtain of rain at the mouth of the cave and it was deafening. The group moved as far back as they could, away from the mouth.
A small fire was quickly built. There would be no meat tonight. He dug around in his bag and found packs of ramen noodles. He handed several to Zoe and grinned. She boiled water from her Kelly Kettle and added some seaweed and dried veggies to the mix. He saw her add soy sauce from small packets. It would be a filling meal and he’d like Dustu to enjoy it as well.
It was the only way he could think of, to thank the man for guiding them out of this place. He knew Dustu had a bag of compressed food, Beckett thought it was some kind of jerky. He kept it in a pouch at his hip. He’d seen him pull small strips and chew on them through their journey. He’d also seen the man eat mushrooms and other fungi as well as plants. He was sure this was something quite different.
When the noodles were cooked, he placed the pot between himself and Dustu. He handed the man Rhena’s spork and he had his own plastic one. He showed the man how to eat the noodles and he slurped them up. His cheek bulged with the noodles and he grinned as he ate it. Dustu carefully copied the same method and sucked the noodles into his mouth. He grunted and smiled a little and then nodded.
Everyone ate their meal in silence. It was hard to talk, the rain coming down so heavy, in sheets in front of the mouth of the cave. After dinner, Zoe pulled out a deck of cards. Beckett laughed. Zoe tended to get a little crazy when she played cards. She laughed and hooted and trashed talked everyone. She, Evie and Carter joined in to play Spades.
Everyone settled in for the evening and slowly, the rain began to ease. When they could, Beckett took the women out to use the bathroom. The men also exited the cave. Beckett didn’t know what time it was, perhaps near nine. When he got out of here and back to his own time, he planned to get a watch that was EMP proof. He could have asked Wyatt, but it didn’t really matter what time it was.
Once everyone got back into the cave, they all settled down for the night. Evie had pulled her lantern into her sleeping bag, so she could read without disturbing everyone around her. Carter had followed in and Zoe grinned at Beckett, her brows bouncing up and down. She sniggered silently. Dustu had requested the mp3 once more and Beckett had grinned.
“You’re going to spoil that man.” Zoe laughed, she was laying on her side, facing Beckett.
Beckett shrugged. “I just wanted to share with him. He’s doing so much for us. I thought I’d repay him with that.”
“Well, I think it is something that he’ll remember for the rest of his life. Do you know how much farther we have to go?”
“Dustu said perhaps three more days. I’ll be hunting more tomorrow. Hopefully, we’ll have enough food to last us. He said we have to go past a big river. At least I think that is what he said.”
“It’s a damn good thing you speak Cherokee.” She said, yawning.
“I think he’d have been clear enough with the words he told me, we’d have just had to follow him. It is nice to use the words my grandmother taught me.” He yawned in reflex and caught her grin. She’d done it on purpose and he laughed.
“You’re really kind of a smartass, aren’t you?” He grinned.
“Yeah, just a little. I can’t help it. My father was so strict, I had to lash out some way.”
“My dad was pretty mellow. My mom died when I was young, that’s why my grandmother helped raise me and my older brother and taught us the language.”
“I’m sorry. Both my parents live in New York. It was just too big there and I like Boston, smaller and not as cold.” Zoe said.
“My dad passed last year. Drunk driver.”
“Oh Beckett, I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks. It was hard. The guy who did it, walked away without a scratch. I made sure he went to jail.” He said with satisfaction.
“Good.”
Both were quiet and Beckett yawned again.
“Guess we’d better sleep. Morning comes way too fast.” Zoe said and yawned and laughed when Beckett waggled his dark eyebrows, he’d gotten her this time. He sniggered and laid down. She scooted her bag closer to him.
“I know this has been hard, really hard in fact. But I’m so glad I met you Beckett. I really am.” She said softly, her hand patted his own. He smiled at her.
“Same here. Maybe once we are out of all this, we can really relax and have a good laugh. I’m honestly so stressed and afraid of something else happening. I’m usually a mellow kind of guy.” He laughed softly and shrugged.
“I feel the same way. Goodnight.” She smiled and closed her eyes.
XX
Milo awoke, it was near pitch black in the cave. He wondered what had woken him and then his stomach gripped. Shit, not now, he thought. He rolled over and his hand blindly searched inside his pack for the roll of TP. He gritted his teeth and grabbed his stomach.
Must have been the gook food, he thought and got up. He pulled out his small flashlight and cupped his hand over it, then turned it on. It gave him enough light to allow him to step around the sleeping bodies. He gritted his teeth once more and clinched his butt. He stepped more quickly. Thank Christ it wasn’t raining.
He hated shitting in the woods, give him a toilet any day of the week. He removed his hand from the light and illuminated his way. He quickly walked away from the cave, shining his light on the ground. The ground was wet, but not saturated. It had been a fast, hard rain. He shivered, it was cold out. How in the hell could it be cold in June? He’d be glad to get back down to Orlando.
For the life of him, he didn’t know why he came up here. Easy pussy, his brain whispered. That was true, but still. He had always enjoyed the chase, the hunt. He enjoyed using his charm and getting what he wanted. Two years ago, he’d banged five women on the trail. It had been fandamtastic. His gut gripped again and he bent forward, a soft moan hissing out between his teeth.
He found what he was looking for, a downed log, and he hurriedly unbuckled and unzipped his pants. He sat down on the log, with his ass hanging well over the other side. It wasn’t a toilet, but at least he cou
ld sit. “Fucking chink food.” He hissed out as his stomach clinched again.
He held the toilet paper clutched between his hands, bent forward. Then, the hair stood erect all over his body.
XX
Beckett woke to the smell of coffee, he groaned softly and looked up and saw Zoe at her kettle. Dustu was beside her, a wide smile on his face. He sniggered softly. She’d given him a cup of coffee. She was as bad as he was. He shifted and both looked up.
“Good morning.” She said softly. He looked around, everyone was still asleep.
“Good morning. Corrupting our friend?” He asked, his eyes crinkled in humor. He scratched at his face. It itched badly, he’d not shaven in over a week. Had it really been a week? Christ it seemed like some kind of a lifetime. Zoe poured hot water into a cup and she handed it to him. He took a drink and groaned softly.
“God, I’m going to order this stuff when I get home,” he said, handing her the cup, “it’s some of the best instant coffee I’ve ever had.”
Zoe drank and Beckett looked at Dustu, who was now clearly feeling the buzz of the caffeine. The man sat up ramrod straight.
“Nihi alihelisdi? You like?” He grinned at Dustu.
“Vv ostu! Yes yes, good!” he nodded, and then wagged his head from side to side. Beckett cut his eyes to Zoe and laughed.
“This poor boy is going to be one corrupted mofo by the time we leave.”
“Yeah, but I’m thinking he’ll have fond memories of us.” Zoe said softly, a warm smile lighting her face. Beckett reached over and picked up several pieces of wood. He set them on the fire and began to build up the fire. The grunts and groans from others waking filled the space. Christy’s head came up, her hair fogged from sleep.
She grinned sleepily at them and Dustu reached over and patted her head. She sat up and reached over and patted his nearly bald head.
“You want some nice warm oatmeal with raisins, Christy?” Zoe asked, digging down in her pack. The child nodded sleepily and pulled the sleeping bag up around her shoulders, her head peeking out. Beckett dug around in his own bag and pulled out several bags, he’d share his with Dustu. It would be a long day. Each day had pushed them all, most of it was mental, he was sure, but the physical was just as hard now, in the steep mountains.