by James Hoch
As I turned to smile at Sela, the rain started. First, it was a gentle drizzle, but it wasn't long before it turned into a steady downpour. I looked up at the sky. Was this Madeline's doing or plain old Mother Nature's spring-cleaning?
"Okay God, here we go," I muttered. "Oh, and a little help with the sun coming out would be great, if it's not too much to ask."
Sela heard me. She had the most incredible hearing, I swear. "It will."
Jack turned to look at the long line of people out in the street. He smiled at me and shouted, "Wagons ho!"
Everyone within earshot laughed. It was a good start in spite of the cold rain. No one's spirits were dampened in the least.
Around ten thirty in the morning the rain stopped and the sun started to come out. A cheer erupted from everyone. Jack stopped us all at a nearby stream, taking the opportunity to water the horses.
Sela looked up and let the sun hit her face. "Looks like God listened," she whispered in my ear.
"Let's hope He continues to listen. We need all the help we can get," I said softly. "And then some."
Later that afternoon, the first person got sick. No one thought much of it at the time. The doctor who examined the young woman indicated that it was most likely the flu. She had all the usual symptoms.
By the time we made Abilene, a third of the group was sick and the weird thing about it was that only the women got sick. Jack decided that we would rest up for a while in Abilene and try to get people well again. The first task we undertook was to set up a makeshift hospital using several large tarps.
"Do you think it's Madeline's handiwork?" Jack asked me quietly as I visited some of the sick women.
"I'm beginning to think so. It's not normal for just the women to get sick. The way I see it, Madeline is trying to hit us where we are the most vulnerable, trying to hurt us emotionally. Have the doctors figured anything out yet?" I asked.
"No. They still think it's a strain of flu," Jack offered.
"Well, at least no one has died from it." That statement didn't hold up for very long. The first young woman who got sick passed away later that afternoon. Now people were getting panicky. As the sun was setting, I took a long walk away from the camp to think things over. Okay, yes, I thought a little praying was in order. I still didn't do very well in that department, but thought I'd better try harder.
There were no burning bushes or other spiritual connections. I did have a couple of roadrunners visit me. When I got back to camp, Jack met me. He had a grim look on his face. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"It's Sela," he mumbled.
I knew immediately what was wrong. Jack took me to the hospital where Sela was lying on the ground. Her face was covered in sweat and she was shaking. I glanced around the hospital and saw other women in various stages of the disease. One woman had large red oozing sores on her face. Another woman was losing chunks of her hair. Some women had gushing nosebleeds. The minute Sela saw me, she tried to sit up.
"No you don't," I commanded. "You stay right where you are." I knelt down next to her and redid her covers. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better," she said with a scratchy voice. "How was your walk?"
"The conversation was one sided and now I'm a bit pissed," I said, my voice tinged with anger.
Sela coughed violently and spit up a large glob of green phlegm. I went over to a basin and wet a towel to put on her forehead.
"It'll get better," Sela said softly. "Remember, it's all about faith and hope."
"At the moment, all I want is for you to get better. I'll deal with the other stuff later."
"No," she said sternly. "You can't turn those things on and off."
"I know, but-"
"There is no…but…Heckel. You have to…" she said getting more agitated. Her coughing resumed with a vengeance and chills racked her body.
Jack whispered in my ear, "She should get some rest."
I felt horrible that I had upset her. I wiped her forehead and put my hand on her chest. Her coughing stopped immediately.
"See," she said. "The power is in you. Rely on your faith to help us."
I nodded my head slowly and smiled at her. I bent down, kissed her on the cheek and said, "I will."
Sela fell into a fitful asleep. I stayed at the hospital and kept vigil over her. When I woke, I looked over at Sela. She was sitting up and the color had returned to her face. She was eating a bowl of oatmeal.
"Good morning," she said cheerily.
I jumped off the ground and stood in front of her with my mouth open.
"Close your mouth or a fly will find its way in. You should have some oatmeal. It's really good."
I closed my mouth and stood frozen in front of her.
"Other women are improving as well. Looks like your one-sided talk paid off."
I still couldn't say anything.
"Maybe a word of thanks would be in order," she suggested, taking another large spoonful of the warm oatmeal.
I nodded my head up and down quickly and then bent down and kissed Sela on the head.
I took that same walk away from camp. More roadrunners ran across my path. When I got to a small hill, I hiked up it and turned to look down at the camp. Smiling and feeling a bit humbled, I softly said, "Thank You."
A few days later, the wagon train mounted up and resumed the trek down I-40. Most of the women were back to feeling normal. It was very depressing that we lost one of our soldiers to Madeline's evil. The funeral for her was touching. Again, I thought people would despair, but instead it only confirmed our resolve to stop Madeline.
The next couple of weeks went well. There were no further attacks from Madeline. When we made the border of Texas and New Mexico, we had a small celebration and settled in for a week of rest, repairs and recreation.
Sela and I always camped near Jack and his family. That night after dinner, Jack made a large campfire. The warmth from the fire took the chill out of the air. It was a clear evening and the stars filled the sky. After a while, Missy, Vonnie and Sela fell asleep. Jack reached into his jacket and pulled out a small flask.
"Care for a little nip?" he asked, holding out the flask. "It's Pendleton. I only have a few bottles left. It's nice to have a little adult beverage once and a while…and with all the 'whiles' we've gone through lately, I'd say we deserve it."
Beaming from ear to ear, I took the flask, took a sip and smacked my lips. "Excellent. Thank you."
We discussed the finer points of various adult beverages for a while until our conversation turned back to Madeline. It seemed that Madeline always had a way of creeping into one's thoughts and discussions.
"Do you remember when we had that horrible small pox epidemic?"
"Yes. Yes, I do. I think it was close to ten years ago or so. I was in college, I think. I'm sure it was Madeline's handiwork again. There were a lot of people who died during that time," I said, sticking another log on the fire.
"I lost some relatives to that horrible epidemic. I was always under the impression that small pox had been eradicated," Jack said, taking a sip from his flask.
"Well, it was supposed to have been eradicated. The World Health Organization officially declared the disease…dead and buried…so to speak in…um…I think it was 1979. Hey, I'm sure it was a simple task for Madeline to bring it back to life. Bad puns intended," I said, taking another hit from Jack's Pendleton.
"Thank God things got turned around and the disease got put down again," Jack said.
"Yup, that nasty thing could have been the end right there."
After recounting stories of the epidemic for a while longer, Jack asked, "So, if all our women got sick from Madeline, how come more didn't die? I mean, she could have given them the Ebola virus or something even more devastating."
"Madeline likes playing the game. She's messing with us. Maybe she's hoping we'll all just give up. That would make it easier for her, I guess."
Suddenly, a burst of flame erupted high into the air. A fie
ry apparition of Madeline stood in the center of our fire pit hovering over the burning logs.
We all jumped up and away from the fire ring. Sela stood next to my side and gripped my hand.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm hoping for," the burning apparition bellowed.
"Hello, Madeline. The flaming red is a nice touch to your color. However, I don't really see you as a redhead."
The fiery figure laughed heartily, the sound mixing with the crackling of the fire. The heat increased, causing us all to take a few steps backward. Several people came running up behind us. Madeline rose higher in the air, hoping to cause more fear, I'm sure. Flames danced in a playful fashion, weaving in and out of her long, windswept hair. She lifted one hand and played with a ball of fire.
"Hope we weren't too hard on your little squirmy serpent friends," I said with my best sarcastic tone. "They made for a good barbecue."
"Snakes. I tell you…you just can't depend on them. Well, at least it kept you entertained for a while," the apparition commented, playing with her hair.
"What do you want?" I asked defiantly.
Laughing again, all she did for the longest time was glower at me.
"Well?" I said.
"Disband and I might spare your lives. Stop this futile, silly journey." The heat from the fire intensified further.
"Are you getting nervous perhaps?" I asked in a taunting tone.
Madeline tossed the small ball of fire at my feet. I stood my ground, knowing that she couldn't harm me. At least, I was counting on that power inside of me to put up a barrier or something.
"Now that's no way to have a civilized conversation, but then again who ever said you were civilized."
More laughter bellowed from Madeline that slowly modulated into a low, guttural sound. "I destroyed civilization and I will destroy you. You puny man…you can't stop me."
The power inside me began to make its appearance. A calm spread throughout my body. "I can and I will," I said, taking a step forward. Sela let go of my hand and stood to one side. My fists clenched tightly.
Madeline emitted a piercing screech and flung a large sphere of flame at Sela.
I immediately stood in front of her. The fire went out inches from my chest.
Madeline's blazing specter flew up into the night sky. Our campfire instantly went out as if a wet blanket had been thrown on top of it. The dark enveloped us. Everyone stood in silence for the longest time. Finally, I turned to whisper to Sela, "Could you see my knees shaking?"
"A rock. You looked like a rock."
Jack inched his way over to me, nudged my arm and held out his flask. "Here, you might need this."
After taking a long swallow, I returned the flask. "Thanks. How many bottles did you say you had left?"
That night, I wondered if anyone slept very well.
For some reason, I felt a sense of relief when we left Texas. However, on the other hand, what the hell did New Mexico have in store for us? I could only imagine.
It took us about a week or so to travel through the eastern part of New Mexico. Thankfully, it was uneventful and everyone was in good spirits.
"We should be in Albuquerque the day after next," Jack said as we sat around the campfire.
"Great," I said. It took us a few nights to feel at ease sitting around a campfire again after our little visit from the Madeline wraith.
"Maybe there are some people in Albuquerque who will join us," Sela said.
"That'd be-" Jack started to say until I interrupted him.
I jumped up and started pacing around the fire. Sela shot me a worried look.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked.
"I don't know. Maybe it's a panic attack."
Jack and Sela just stared at me as I continued to pace around the fire. Jerky stood up and started pacing with me as if she were concerned about the same thing I was.
"Ya know, I have this bad feeling about Albuquerque," I said, picking up Jerky.
No one said anything. Jerky's hair bristled.
Vonnie and Missy came back from visiting friends. "Everything all right?" Vonnie asked. Missy sat down next to Sela.
"No, I…um…"
"Sit down," Sela said patting the ground next to her. "Let's think this through. You too Jerky."
I picked up the cat and plopped us both down next to her. Jerky walked in circles around my lap and finally, finding just the right spot, curled up and settled in.
"Maybe you and I should ride up ahead and take a look. There's a spot off I-40 on the eastern edge of Albuquerque where we can see out across the whole city. I've got some good binos. If there's a problem, maybe we can plot a course around it," Jack offered.
"Yeah, I think you have a good idea. Only, I think I should go alone. Jack, you need to look after the troops."
"I don't think so," Sela said determinedly, grabbing my hand. "I'll go with you."
The look she gave me clearly indicated that there was no chance of arguing with her.
"We'll be back in two days. If we aren't, turn around and go back to McKinney," I said to Jack as he held onto Hope's reins.
"That won't be necessary. I'm sure everything will be fine. You be careful," Jack said guardedly.
It felt good to ride fast for a change. Both horses seemed to really enjoy the pace. We got to Tijeras by lunchtime. Sela spotted a small creek near the road.
"Let's have some lunch and let the horses rest," Sela said as we neared the stream.
"Sounds good to me." Jerky jumped off my shoulders and ran toward the bushes. I knew the cat would find her own lunch.
"Do you have any idea where we are?" Sela asked.
"Yes. We just passed Tijeras which means we should be able to see down into Albuquerque soon. I think we'll get off the highway as we get closer just to be safe. I want to get up high enough to have a good vantage point," I said, taking a bite of some beef jerky. "Hmm…did you make this?"
"No, Vonnie did. It's pretty good, huh?" Sela said, ripping off a big chunk and handing me another piece. "Any thoughts on your premonition about Albuquerque?"
"Oh…nothing I can put my finger on," I said. "I just have a bad feeling."
"And here I always thought that women had the market on intuition," she said, wrapping her arms around my waist.
In a flash, she pushed me aside, drew her pistol and yelled, "Freeze or I'll shoot."
I spun around to see a man crouched behind a large boulder. I slowly slid my gun out of my waist.
"Don't shoot. I mean you no harm," he yelled as he slowly stood up with his hands held high in the air. He walked gingerly toward us.
"That's far enough," Sela commanded sternly. "Where are you from?"
"Albuquerque. I'm a lookout."
"A lookout for who?" I asked.
"Our group," the man answered nervously.
I put my gun down and eased Sela's arm down as well. "It's all right. I think he's one of the good guys," I whispered into Sela's ear. "Besides, Jerky doesn't seem the least bit concerned and she's been pretty good about warning us. Look at her. She's just munching away on…whatever."
Sela relaxed and asked the man a barrage of questions. Before he could answer, I interrupted and asked, "What's your name?"
"Justin. Justin Blake."
"Well, Justin, I'm Heckel and this is Sela." He approached us with an outstretched hand. I could tell Sela was nervous about the introductions.
After a few pleasantries, she asked, "So, who are you a lookout for?"
Justin explained that there was a group of about 250 good people camping in an old KOA campground on the eastern edge of Albuquerque. He recounted how they had been living together for about a year and turned the old campground into, for all practical purposes, a fort.
"We started calling it Fort Albuquerque," Justin said proudly.
"Have you had any encounters?" I asked.
"Oh yeah…most of them with Madeline."
Sela and I looked at each other with big eyes.
"You know about Madeline?" Sela asked, looking around the area as if we'd have a visit from one of her avatars.
"Sure do. We've had all sorts of attacks from the little bitch. Excuse the language."
"No problem. We're in full agreement on that account," Sela said.
We spent the next hour swapping stories about Madeline. Sela recounted the attacks in McKinney and just as she was about to reveal my special talents, I interrupted her.
"I still want to know why you are a lookout? Was something about to happen?" I asked.
"Yes. We'd been getting reports from other scouts of a large band of Madeline's Marauders approaching from the North. I was sent in this direction to scout for any potential problems from the east. Where are you folks going?"
Hmm…Madeline's Marauders. I like that…catchy.
"Albuquerque," Sela answered.
"You might want to go south of the city to avoid any conflict," Justin suggested. Jerky came up from behind him and curled around his leg. He bent down to pet the cat.
At that point, I explained to Justin that we were leading a group of about two hundred people to Oregon. Sela interjected that we were planning to confront Madeline.
"That's nuts," Justin said.
Sela explained everything about me. I held my head down, kicked the dirt and felt very embarrassed.
Justin didn't laugh or make any judgments. He simply looked at me, sizing me up and down.
"Huh, I'll be. There was an old woman who kept saying that there'd be someone to come and save us."
"I am not anyone's savior," I said with a deliberate tone, feeling very self-conscious.
Sela gave me that look which sent me into withdrawal mode. "Heckel, we don't need to get into that discussion again. Savior or not, we have a job to do and let's get on with it."
"Fine with me. Let's go up to that vantage point and have a look."
Justin decided to go with us. When it came time to mount the horses, Sela told Justin to ride on Tempest with her. As he mounted the horse, I suddenly got concerned. We really didn't know this guy. Sela saw me staring at her.