That was the one saving grace in all this, and she took some comfort in knowing that Jackie was a good kid. And after spending the day with her, she was sure of that. Dalton was resistant to conversation and was hesitant about learning things around the motel, but Jackie dove in headfirst.
Mary had paired her up for part of the day with Reese, who had her help out with making the rounds and giving the animals checkups. Afterward, she joined in without being asked and helped clean up the yard and the nesting boxes. When Reese reported back in with Mary, she had nothing but good things to say about Jackie. She said that Jackie asked a lot of questions and genuinely seemed interested in how they ran things here.
Mary wished she could say the same for her brother, Dalton, but he seemed preoccupied today. And while he did his share of the work without complaining, for the most part, Mary found it unnerving that he was reluctant to make eye contact with anyone. Of course, now it all made sense. Why would you make friends with people you were about to rob or maybe even hurt? A wave of chills ran down her spine as she thought about it. She was starving and hadn’t had anything substantial to eat since breakfast, but the thought of those two living among them was enough to sour her appetite. Were they in danger?
Dalton might be a thief, but a killer he was not. He was only a kid and couldn’t have been much older than nineteen or twenty. She could tell he was torn between what was right and what was wrong. She was sure he knew better; otherwise, his conscience wouldn’t be bothering him this much.
Travis, on the other hand, seemed very comfortable operating on the shady side of things. He was certainly no stranger to trouble. Mary didn’t like when people were judged by the way they looked, but Travis’s appearance invited scrutiny. Having a four-letter word tattooed on your knuckles wasn’t a great icebreaker when you shook hands with someone. It wasn’t just the tattoos, either; it was their nature. They were a little on the dark side and poorly done, in her opinion. He was either trying to be edgy or he was a truly troubled person. She knew it was the latter of the two.
She pegged Travis for a drifter the minute she laid eyes on him, but she wanted to give all three the benefit of the doubt. This was a new world, after all, and everyone was just doing their best to survive. She didn’t think he would stick around too long, anyway, once he saw what they were trying to do in Cloverdale. That was way too much responsibility for a do-nothing like him. Some folks were happiest when they were unhappy. Travis was one of those people.
But none of that excused what he was planning, and for that, she hated the fact that she’d given him a chance for even half a second. She’d be more careful in the future. It hurt her to think that. Mary prided herself on being open-minded and accepting of others, even if their beliefs or opinions differed from her own. She had a big heart, which was probably the reason why she had more animals on her farm than she had ever intended on keeping.
She couldn’t help herself, and the animals just seemed to multiply, especially after her husband passed. But for her, it was an escape and a worthwhile mission. Truth be told, she was more sympathetic to the plight of a needy goat or pig or whatever animal needed a home. Animals were blameless victims in the grand scheme of things, unlike humans, who were sometimes their own worst enemy. The current situation was the perfect example of that.
Mary looked over at Nugget sleeping in the corner of the kitchen. She was lucky to have the little dog. They were all lucky that her other animals had survived as well, even though she knew that if it came down to the group’s survival, the animals would have to be…used. Just the thought of it made her uncomfortable. But she was a realist, and that was the cold, hard truth of it. If they didn’t get help soon and things didn’t return to some kind of normal, they would most assuredly see tougher days ahead.
She tried not to think of it and focused on the large pot of rice and beans in front of her. They had bigger issues to deal with now. Vince and John wanted to confront Travis and Dalton before dinner. They planned to call dinner and then surprise them with an escort out of town.
Mary suggested that they send them with as much water as they could carry and a couple of protein bars for their efforts today. They didn’t deserve it, but putting them back on the road with nothing seemed cruel and made Mary feel less than human. She also worried that the two would try to exact revenge on the town for banishing them to what was basically a wasteland without supplies. The people of Cloverdale already had one gang out to get them; they didn’t need any more enemies.
Vince grumbled something when she suggested the food and water, but she couldn’t understand him. Fortunately, he was in a hurry to go and tell the others about what was going on and didn’t have time to argue with her. He finally agreed with her idea of putting together a small bag of food for them.
It wasn’t much: four protein bars and four packs of peanut butter crackers from their grocery store haul. Travis and Dalton had their own water containers, but she filled a large plastic jug from the recycling pile anyway.
Recycling was something that had taken on a new meaning. It was no longer a thing you did for the environment; it was what you did to survive. As they went through containers from the grocery store find, Mary had been saving them, washing them, and storing them neatly in the corner of the pantry.
The containers came in handy for lots of things, like being used as scoops, to store things, or, like today, when she was sending two thieves with water back onto the road so she didn’t feel like an evil person. Mary shook her head as she gave the container a quick rinse and began to fill it from the tap.
She stared at the steady stream of water filling the jug and felt oddly guilty about having the luxury of using the faucet. Water was one thing they had plenty of, thankfully, but that probably wasn’t the case everywhere. She imagined there were people who would kill for the water their animals received daily. Actually, she didn’t have to imagine; she knew of such people, and they killed Jim in cold blood and then kidnapped a boy to use as leverage.
The world outside Cloverdale was something she hadn’t really thought about much. Not because she didn’t want to but because she wouldn’t allow herself to. There was too much misery out there, and if she wasn’t careful, she’d lose herself. That was the type of person she was, though: always worried about others more than herself. Her daughter used to tell her that she didn’t know how to say no to people.
Mary snapped back to reality when the cool water hit her hand. She wasn’t paying attention and had overfilled the container. She found herself daydreaming more and more lately. It seemed hard to focus on the task at hand without drifting off to your thoughts anymore, probably because of the long days and hard work they’d been putting in, but also because no one had the energy to talk that much. She didn’t.
As it was, she was consumed with thoughts of her daughter, Meghan, and her husband, Ian, in Florida. The not-knowing was the hardest part for her. Had they even been hit in Florida? Mary wondered if they would try to come for her in Cloverdale or if they would stay put. She half-expected to see Meghan and Ian drive up in their old Land Cruiser any day now. She envisioned Boone, their hound dog, hanging out of the rear window. Mary stopped herself; her wishful thinking and overactive imagination would only lead to disappointment.
Besides, if having a solar electric system played a role in what properties survived the EMP surge, her daughter should be in good shape. Their house and farm ran off a huge land-based system of solar panels. They shouldn’t have any trouble remaining operational. The mother in her would prefer that they stay put and be safe. Mary didn’t want them risking their safety on her account.
Fred Morgan stuck his head in through the kitchen door. “Mary, it’s time.” He didn’t need to say anything else; she knew what that meant. Mary wasn’t a big fan of confrontation and avoided it whenever possible. After gathering the bag of food and the jug of water, she headed for the dining room. This wouldn’t be pleasant, but it was necessary. They had to stand up fo
r themselves, and sometimes, that required doing unpleasant things.
Before Fred had the chance to get away, she handed him the jug of water and grabbed her shotgun. She was careful to lean the gun on the wall just inside the kitchen doorframe, where she could reach it in a hurry if things took a turn for the worst. Just because she didn’t like what they were about to do didn’t mean she wasn’t willing to fight for what they had.
Chapter Twenty
Vince watched Travis for a reaction as Mary and Fred placed the sack of food and the jug of water on the table. Everyone was there except for those on watch and a few of the ladies who were staying with the kids in one of the other rooms until this was sorted out. Everyone in attendance knew what was about to happen—everyone but Trevor, Dalton, and Jackie.
Vince glanced at John and waited for his signal before pulling his .45 from its holster. The look of confusion on Travis’s and Dalton’s faces told Vince they had succeeded in keeping their plan a secret in the short amount of time they had to come up with one.
“What’s going on?” Travis asked as he glanced around the room and realized they weren’t there to eat dinner.
John spoke up. “We know about your plan to steal supplies and take off during the night.”
Travis glared at Jackie. The contempt in his eyes was clear. Vince tightened his grip on the pistol and realigned the sights enough to get Travis’s attention. It worked, and Travis turned back toward Vince and John.
“That’s crazy. We weren’t gonna do that!” Travis said, raising his voice. Vince kept one eye on Dalton. He didn’t think the kid would try anything, but he wasn’t taking any chances with these two.
Jackie backed away from Travis and Dalton until she was standing closer to Mary than she was to them. She looked like she was on the verge of tears again, and Vince felt bad for the girl. The world was hard enough these days, and now she was about to lose her brother.
“You,” Travis growled through clenched teeth. For a tense couple of moments, Vince half-expected Travis to lunge at Jackie, but he didn’t. He wasn’t that stupid. Thankfully, He was outnumbered and unarmed. The hateful stare and brooding scowl were all he dared to do.
“What are you going to do with us?” Dalton’s voice was timid and apologetic. Vince wanted to take pity on the boy, but it was hard. Knowing that he was in on the plan to steal from them made it difficult to feel any sympathy; Jackie had been the one to volunteer the information. Maybe Dalton would have come around eventually, but there was no time to find that out, and they would never know. Vince was sure that leaving his sister would prove to be a tough break for the kid, but this post-EMP world didn’t allow for second chances.
“We’re taking you down the interstate a few miles in whichever direction you want to go and dropping you off with more food and water than you came here with,” John said sternly, showing no emotion whatsoever. “Go on, take the bag and the water. We’ll escort you back to your room so you two can gather your things.”
He motioned with his pistol for Travis and Dalton to take the items from the table, and then he led them outside. Cy and Vince followed them to their room and supervised as they hastily stuffed their belongings into backpacks. In the parking lot, the others gathered in a small group and talked among themselves. Jackie hung toward the back of the group near Reese and Mary.
John pulled the confiscated black Ford pickup alongside the walkway near the room and left it running. He hopped out and made his way around back, where he dropped the tailgate with a bang. Travis was refusing to make eye contact with anyone. Vince wasn’t sure if it was guilt or hatred that was eating him up. Most likely the latter. Guys like Travis didn’t feel guilty about taking from others.
“What about my gun?” Travis demanded.
John laughed at him. “You’ll get it back when it’s time. Maybe.”
Vince and John would run the two out at least ten miles, maybe more, far enough away from town that they couldn’t walk back tonight if they wanted to. There was nothing keeping Travis or Dalton from returning to Cloverdale and seeking revenge, but if they knew what was good for them, they wouldn’t return.
The two were lucky that they were being treated so kindly. Vince wondered if they were being too lenient and asking for trouble by not doing something more drastic, but what else could they do? They couldn’t just keep them locked up somewhere. What purpose would that serve? They’d still have to feed them and take care of them. It made Vince wonder if building a jail was such a good idea.
John would drive and Vince would ride shotgun, where he could keep an eye on Travis and Dalton in the bed of the truck. Now Dalton looked like he was about to cry. It was too much for his sister to bear, and she broke away from the group and ran to the truck. The two embraced over the bed and held on to each other for a few seconds until Dalton broke it up.
“All right, it’s time to get going,” John said.
“Can my brother stay if he promises not to cause any trouble?” Jackie pleaded.
Vince was afraid this would happen.
“You don’t want to stay here, Dalton. Trust me,” Travis interjected.
“There’s nothing here for me,” Dalton answered through a clenched jaw.
“What about me? I’m your sister. We’re family,” she cried.
Dalton looked away from her. “I can’t stay here. If you want to stay together, then come with us.”
“I can’t do that, Dalton. We’ll die out there,” Jackie sobbed. “I’m not living like that anymore.”
Reese and Mary gently pulled Jackie toward the group and away from the truck. Dalton still refused to make eye contact with his sister and instead focused his attention on the truck bed. A part of Vince had hoped that Dalton would come to his senses when he and Travis were confronted by the group, but it wasn’t happening. He didn’t know what kind of lies Travis had told the kid, but apparently, they were enough to convince him to leave his sister behind. It was sad, really, but there was nothing more they could do.
Mary approached Vince on the passenger side of the truck. “How far are you going?”
“Far enough. Don’t wait on us to eat. Get everyone fed and cleaned up. Tom knows how to turn the power off when it’s time.”
Mary put her hand on Vince’s arm. “Please be careful.”
“We’ll be back as soon as we can.” Vince barely had time to finish speaking before the truck started to roll forward. As they left the small gathering of people behind in the parking lot, Jackie broke down again, sobbing loudly enough that Vince heard her over the old Ford’s leaky exhaust. Vince eyed Dalton in the side mirror. He seemed unfazed by his sister’s emotions. It was just as well, though, as far as Vince was concerned, because it made what they were doing a little easier.
If the kid couldn’t be brought to his senses by the pleadings of his own sister, then what chance did the rest of them have of breaking through to him? Seeing him follow Travis so blindly was disappointing. There were going to be tough times ahead for both of them, and Vince wondered how long they would survive out there on their own. But that wasn’t his problem. He wasn’t being callous; he was being real. That was just the way things were now. The people on this side of the wall came first.
Bill moved the suburban out of the way by giving the large SUV a push with his Dodge until the opening was wide enough for John to squeeze the Ford out. Bill waved them through, and Vince nodded as they passed. He hated to be heading out at this hour, but he wanted this to be done and over with tonight, and he knew the others felt the same. It would have been better to take his wagon so that if they did encounter any trouble, they could at least outrun it. But the pickup was a safer bet when it came to keeping an eye on Travis and Dalton.
Vince watched the suburban ease back across the opening and then stop. It felt strange to be on this side of the wall as the last traces of sunlight disappeared over the horizon. The realization that they were alone and vulnerable hit him like a ton of bricks. It was different durin
g the day when they were out working in a small group. There was safety in numbers, or at least there was confidence.
The interstate was dark and unwelcoming, and for a road that Vince had driven countless times before, it felt foreign. John veered right and took the onramp to pick up the eastbound lanes of the highway that led to Indianapolis. That was the direction Travis wanted to be taken when he was asked. It wasn’t a smart choice, but Vince couldn’t be bothered to give either one of them advice.
The shotgun and the AR slid toward his leg as John accelerated through the ramp and took the curve. Vince moved the guns back to the center. Apparently John was in just as much of a hurry to be done with all this as Vince was.
Within minutes, they were snaking their way east on the interstate, dodging wrecks and overturned trucks. The cluttered roadway made it impossible to maintain a decent speed, and Vince wondered if John wasn’t already pushing it. The sunlight was completely gone now, and the old truck’s dim headlights were far from adequate. This was going to take longer than he hoped, and in hindsight, they should have taken Bill’s Dodge.
They rode in silence for most of the trip. They were both tired and ready for the day to be over. Vince’s stomach growled and churned, and he wished they had eaten something small before they left. It would be a good hour or more before they would be back, and all he’d brought with them was a jug of water. Occasionally, he checked back on the two passengers in the bed of the truck, but they remained unmoving, and he was glad for that.
John lifted his hand from the wheel and looked at the instrument cluster. “We’ve gone about fifteen miles so far. I think that’s plenty. They could walk all night and they wouldn’t make it back.”
Vince glanced back at the truck bed. “I don’t think they have it in them anyway.”
Dalton was slouched down and using his backpack as a cushion for his head against the side of the truck bed. Travis hadn’t moved much, either, and remained focused on the road behind them.
Cloverdale (Book 4): Confrontation Page 10