Heckel Casey

by James Hoch

  "Heckel, I think my dad has been hit!"

  "Keep going," I yelled to her as I raced ahead. "The more distance between us and that mob, the better."

  Slowly, the angry taunts as well as the random rifle shots diminished as we left the cult behind. After about a half hour, I told Missy to stop. I reached up to take Jack down from the horse.

  "Is he all right?" Missy asked, jumping down.

  "I don't know. He's lost a lot of blood."

  I set Jack on the ground and felt for a pulse. It was weak.

  Missy screamed when she saw the three bloodstained mountain lions walk into the clearing.

  "It's okay. They won't hurt you," I said as I checked Jack over. There was a big hole in the middle of Jack's back, close to his spine. Hell, the damn bullet is dangerously close to his heart or his spine. What the hell do I do now?

  "Take it out," I heard Missy say as she stood looking down at her father. "You have to try. You have to save him. We can't lose him. Please."

  I felt like I was in shock. My insides were shaking.

  "Please, hurry before it's too late."

  Suddenly, I felt like someone slapped me in the face. I was sure it was Sela giving me her usual pep talk and my head was as clear as a cloudless sky. I dictated a list of things for Missy to do. The mountain lions studied us as if they knew what their job was. All three cats paced around a perimeter keeping guard.

  After we made a good-sized fire, I set my old boy scout knife on a rock to sterilize it. I pulled off my T-shirt and handed it to Missy. "Rip this up into small bandages."

  She eagerly complied.

  "I wish we had some water," I said softly as I cleaned the area around the wound.

  "Wait," Missy said grabbing a handful of wanna-be bandages and running off into the surrounding dark. One of the mountain lions followed her. She came back a few minutes later with wet bandages.

  "I remembered there was a small brook over there when we rode into this clearing," she said out of breath.

  "Excellent," I said as I picked up the glowing knife. I used one of the wet bandages to wipe the blade. "Okay, you try to soak up the blood as much as possible. We are going in fast and get that bullet. Ready?" Missy nodded her head and had a determined look on her face.

  For some odd reason or feeling, I knew exactly what to do. It felt as if the world's finest surgeon was expertly guiding my hand.

  "I feel the bullet. I…think…I can pry it out. No, wait a minute." The hole was big enough for me to reach in and grab the slug. "There! I got it," I said, holding up the offensive near-fatal projectile.

  Missy had an enormous smile of relief on her face and released a huge breath of tension. She took one of the bandages and applied pressure on the wound. I wiped off the bullet and put it in my pocket, thinking that Jack might like it as a souvenir.

  "Missy, you need to go back to camp and bring a cart to transport your Dad. We need to get him back so we can better clean that wound. Hurry. I don't know if those people are still looking for us or not. At any rate-"

  "What happened?" Jack mumbled softly.

  "Daddy!" Missy said loudly, leaning down to kiss his cheek.

  "Don't move, Jack. You've been hit," I said.

  "Holy shit, you got that right," Jack said, drifting in and out of consciousness.

  "Go now, Missy, and hurry. Bring one of the doctors with you."

  Missy got on Jack's horse and rode off. One of the mountain lions raced after her. The other two continued to circle the campfire.

  "Thanks," I whispered as I flashed a smile at the two big cats.

  Jack's pulse was improving and he continued to regain consciousness. While waiting for Missy and the others, I kept myself busy maintaining the fire and monitoring Jack's condition. At one point, one of the large mountain lions walked up to Jack and licked his face, making him grin. The big cat sat down next to him and purred loudly.

  "I'm thirsty," Jack said.

  "I'll be right back," I said running off to find the small brook. I tripped on a rock and landed a few feet from the water. "Clumsy," I muttered as I soaked the cloth.

  "Open your mouth, Jack," I said turning his head slightly. I drizzled the water into his mouth and he drank eagerly.

  "Thanks, Heckel. I could drink a gallon," he said weakly.

  "I think the troops are here," I reported as several horses rode into the campfire's light.

  One of the doctors quickly checked Jack over. I got up and out of the way. The big cat remained next to Jack.

  Vonnie and Missy came running up to Jack and knelt down beside him.

  "He's going to be fine," the doctor said. "Heckel, you did great. We'll get him bandaged up and loaded onto the cart."

  Vonnie hugged me until I thought I was going to pop. "Thank you so much, Heckel, for saving my family."

  As we rode into our camp, we were met by thunderous applause. Sela ran up to take Hope's reins.

  "Well, done," Sela said as I slid off Hope. She quickly hugged and kissed me as if I had just won the Kentucky Derby.

  "No problem. Well, actually…" Before I could explain what happened, I heard Jack call my name. I went over to the cart where he was lying.

  "Save your strength," I said, peering down at Jack.

  "About those mountain lions," he said softly.

  "Yeah, I'll tell you tomorrow. You'll be…um…wowed, I'm sure. You get a good night's rest."

  "Thanks, Heckel…for…saving my little girl," Jack said reaching up to shake my hand.

  His hand was cold. I held it for a long time to warm it up. The doctor instructed three other men to lift Jack out of the cart carefully and put him in his tent. After we got Jack settled, I said good night to Vonnie. Both she and Missy kissed my cheeks at the same time. I blushed.

  "Take good care of Jack. See you in the morning."

  As I walked back to my camp, I saw the three mountain lions lying in the field twitching their big fluffy tails. Gradually, their size was reduced to that of a normal house cat. They played with each other for a few minutes and then two of them took off in the direction of Jack's campsite. Jerky came running toward me and leaped into my arms.

  "Thanks, buddy. You were awesome tonight!"

  Chapter 30

  The Nevada landscape is boring. I just don't see the attraction. Why in the world would anyone want to live out here? Too many stupid rocks, Madeline thought as the RV sped down I-80, leaving Winnemucca.

  A loud banging sound came from the back of the motor home and broke her concentration.

  "Damn! Son of a bitch," she heard Quincy utter as the RV slowed to a crawl.

  "What's wrong?" Madeline asked, coming up behind the driver.

  "I think we have a problem," Quincy said as he turned off the engine. He took out a small laptop computer and attached a cable to a port at the bottom of the steering wheel. After several minutes, he knew what was wrong.

  "Looks like it's the fuel lift pump. That's why we have no power. That bang must have been it falling off or something."

  "Well, get a new one." Madeline ordered as if the local garage over the next hill would have one readily available.

  Quincy smiled nervously and said he'd take one of the support vehicles back to Winnemucca to look for the part.

  "Please hurry. It's hot out here and creepy," she whined.

  Quincy reached over to one of the switches on the dash and a generator roared to life. "There's plenty of fuel to run that generator for hours. Turn on the AC. You'll be fine," Quincy said as he descended the stairs.

  "Just hurry," Madeline said sternly.

  As the hours passed by, she plotted her little visit to Heckel. "He won't know what hit him," she mumbled, stretched out on the sofa. "I hope he likes unexpected company." Gradually, her eyes got heavy and she fell asleep.

  Her dreams drifted from motor homes to dark storms to dead bodies to snakes and finally to seeing Heckel dismembered. That last dream was especially enjoyable and illuminating. It started wi
th how she planned to get close to him and ended with her slowly dismembering him in front of all his followers. She was sitting on a large boulder and Heckel was suspended in midair by invisible chains. She flicked her long, highly manicured finger and his arm was twisted out of its socket. Blood spewed out like a burst water pipe. His followers were on their knees praying for her to stop. She flicked another finger and his leg was ripped out of his hip. She lifted Heckel high into the air so that his blood sprayed across his followers. One by one she ripped, twisted and yanked body parts from Heckel. Giggling, she flew his blood-soaked body out across his followers as if she had a remote-controlled helicopter toy. Madeline turned his blood into a caustic acid that when it hit the faces of his followers, it instantly dissolved their skin.

  She awoke suddenly to noise coming from the engine compartment. It was dark in the motor home and chilly. She turned on several lights and then turned off the air conditioner. Her two dogs were at the door waiting to go out.

  "Okay, guys. Let's go see what's up," Madeline said as she opened the door. The two dogs went tearing outside, barking.

  The crisp Nevada air washed over Madeline, causing her to shiver. She looked up and was struck by the array of stars.

  "That's the Milky Way right above us," Quincy said as he wiped his hands.

  "You found the part," she said, walking to the back of the motor home as if she could tell what he was doing.

  "By sheer dumb luck. There was a Cummins shop there and the parts department was well stocked. I should have it installed in about another half hour."

  "Great. I suppose we should just stay the night here."

  "Sounds good to me. I'm pooped. Would it be all right then to finish installing the part in the morning when I have better light?"

  Madeline shrugged, waved her hand dismissively and went back into the tenement on wheels.

  The next morning, Quincy finished installing the part, started the engine and did a diagnostic with his laptop.

  "We are good to go," he reported proudly.

  An hour later, Madeline's caravan was back on the road. The group made the border to California by early afternoon. It became evident to everyone that Madeline was getting more anxious to be done with, as she put it, the road trip from hell.

  "Looks like we have company," Quincy reported, pointing to an ATV making its way toward the motor home.

  "I think it's one of my scouts. I asked to have a report when we got to the California border and he's right on time."

  Quincy stopped the rig, got out and helped Madeline down the steps. Several of her other guards approached from behind the motor home.

  The ATV was spewing black smoke and had a rattle sound coming from its engine.

  "Hello, Ms. Madeline. You asked to have a report," the dirty, toothless man said as he knelt down in front of her. The individual clearly had not been in the vicinity of a bath in a very long time.

  "Please get up and stand downwind from me," Madeline said loudly. The men behind her all snickered.

  "What news do you have of Heckel?" she asked, putting a hand in front of her nose.

  "He's getting close to Sacramento," he said, wringing his hat nervously in his hands.

  "Can you be a bit more exact?"

  "He's in Stockton. He should be at the intersection of I-5 and I-80 in a day or two."

  "Excellent," Madeline said pacing in front of the man. "Go back and keep following him," she said, turning to walk up the stairs into the motor home. "And for crying out loud, go take a bath somewhere. The next time I see you, you better be presentable, or I'll clean you myself…with fire. Go!" The scrawny man jumped onto his ATV, started the engine and raced off.

  "I know a nice campground up the road a ways where we could spend the night. It's on the top of Donner's pass," Quincy reported. "It'll be cooler there and in the trees. It's a pretty area."

  "Fine. Whatever. Trees sound like a welcome relief from all this boring dirt and rocky landscape. I hate Nevada. Remind me not to come back here again. Let's go," she whined, walking up the motor home's steps.

  The entourage stayed two nights at the campground. Everyone was glad to rest and enjoy the mountains, especially the cooler air.

  At one point, Madeline met with all her support people and Quincy. She instructed them to leave her alone on the outskirts of Sacramento. She planned to walk to the intersection of I-5 and I-80, and get there before Heckel's party arrived. Quincy sat in silence with a disapproving glare. She further explained that after her drop-off, everyone had orders to head north and join her forces in Oregon just in case she was not successful with the little side trip.

  When everyone dispersed, Quincy remained with a sullen face as if he just lost his favorite puppy.

  "What's wrong?" Madeline asked standing in front of him.

  "I don't like the idea of leaving you alone."

  "How gentlemanly," she said, stroking his cheek. "I'll be fine. Remember, I have my little blue friends in the palms of my hands with me at all times." He looked at her hands and flinched.

  He took her hand and said, "I'm serious. I just think it's a…"

  Madeline interrupted him with a kiss on the lips. He stood, picked her up in his arms and walked to the motor home. After several hours of lovemaking, they both fell asleep.

  The next morning Madeline assured him that her power would easily end Heckel's short-lived reign.

  "Let me go with you?" Quincy asked timidly as he lay stretched out on the king-size bed.

  Madeline had just come out of the shower. His perfect muscled body was like a magnet and she wanted to jump on top of him. No, I need to find Heckel and finish this annoying business, her inner voice dictated. There will be lots of time for jumping his bones.

  "You take this motor home, head north up I-5 and wait for me. After I'm done with Mr. Heckel, I'll grab one of their miserable horses and find you."

  Quincy remained silent and glowered at her. Madeline kissed him and told him to get the flophouse on wheels moving.

  They left the campground by midmorning and made it to the edge of Sacramento by early afternoon. Madeline dressed in ragged clothes, put dirt on her face and carried an old tattered backpack.

  After all the support vehicles left, she kissed her two dogs, told Quincy to take good care of them and that she would see him in a couple of days.

  "Be careful," Quincy said, hugging Madeline. "I just don't see why you have to do this." She noticed a tear forming in the side of his eye.

  "Because I'm Madeline and my power will end this insurrection. Darkness and my domination will rule. A new world will be born."

  Now Quincy looked scared and she wasn't sure why. He kissed her gently on the cheek and went into the motor home. The engine roared to life and he slowly drove off.

  Madeline covered her head with the hood from the long dirty raincoat and started walking west on I-80. She could feel the swirls of energy form in her palms, ready to strike. "Here I come, Heckel. Prepare to meet your worst nightmare."

  Chapter 31

  After a few days recuperating, Jack was able to be transported in his wagon, and we resumed our journey north. Several men wanted to go back and deal with the cult that had taken Missy, but I persuaded them to leave well enough alone.

  We continued to pick up supporters along the route. A large group in Fresno and Stockton joined us. Our ranks had now gotten close to a thousand. I kept wondering if that was going to be enough. Sela assured me that, with all the guardian angels helping, we would be victorious. Would we? Yes! I answered myself each time I let doubt try to creep in.

  After we left Stockton, I began to get fidgety and nervous. I felt like something dreadful was waiting ahead for me. Sela sensed that I was worrying.

  "You all right?" she asked after we started heading north on the interstate.

  "Sure, just fine."

  "You seem preoccupied. Talk to me. What's on your mind?"

  "Well, I just have this niggling feeling that something i
s…um…waiting up ahead."

  "Well there is…in Oregon," she stated matter-of-factly.

  "No, sooner than that."

  "Maybe we need to have a small group of men ride ahead. Scout things out a bit," she offered.

  I told her it was probably just me being overly sensitive and cautious. Nonetheless, she rode back and enlisted a few men to ride ahead. They took off and raced past me. As they crested a small hill, I saw three enormous wolves join them.

  The day wore on. The sun blistered down on us. Luckily, there were several spots to get water. We stopped frequently to water the horses.

  As we were getting close to Sacramento, one of the horses from the scout group came running back. It was covered in blood. Sela jumped off Tempest and caught the horse's reigns.

  A barrage of questions, speculation, and emotions raced through the entire group.

  Sela finally suggested, "Maybe we should go around Sacramento? Go over to the coast. Obviously, there's something bad there."

  Quietly, I said, "It's Madeline."

  Everyone turned and stared at me as I examined the horse. Along with all the blood splattered on the saddle, the horse had scorch marks on its back.

  "Clearly, our scouts encountered her. I know it. I can feel it. She's waiting for us."

  Someone took the horse away. Fear, confusion and grief hung in the air like unwelcome visitors.

  "As I said, maybe we should go around Sacramento," Sela said determinedly.

  I turned facing north. A sign said I-80 was only two miles away. "Okay, Madeline, if it's a one-on-one match you want, you got it," I muttered.

  Sela heard me and was about to protest when I said, "Everyone stay put. Find a campsite for the night somewhere around here. I think there's a fairground nearby. I'm going up ahead by myself and will return when the way is clear. If I don't come back, turn around and find a place to hide." I mounted Hope and was about to ride off when Sela grabbed the reins.

  "I won't leave your side. If you dare to battle Madeline alone, I will be there to-"

  I cut her off and said sternly, "No, you won't. You have our child to protect. That's your number-one job. If Madeline wants to pay us a little surprise ambush, I will more than oblige her and hurt her badly. I will destroy her."