by Mark Goodwin
“Nope. This quit being about me helping you when you lied. Now it’s about me not getting angry and hurting you even more.” She pointed to the corpses strewn about. “I shot a lot of your friends here. Don’t think I won’t hurt you. Anyway, we’re not getting anywhere. I’m done dealing with you.”
“Okay, two males, two females. We’re all at a farm on the west side of Woodstock.”
“I said we’re done.” Courtney led the way into the barn.
Sarah cracked a faint smile as she passed Courtney. “You’re good,” she whispered.
Everett followed Courtney back toward the stall where he’d shot the two women. Knowing guilt and regret were lying in wait for him, Everett steeled himself for the grisly sight.
The older woman lay face down in a pool of her own blood. She was the one who’d fired at Everett. The other woman, much younger, twenty or twenty-one, Everett guessed, was propped up against the side of the barn stall.
Courtney squatted next to her. “Hey.”
The girl’s breathing sounded shallow, but her eyes appeared fully alert. She looked at Courtney, but said nothing.
“Have some water.” Courtney unscrewed the top of the canteen and held it to the girl’s lips.
She sipped the water. The girl was in bad shape. Her blood-soaked hand covered the side of her stomach. The lower half of her shirt was red and wet.
“Was that your mom?” Courtney asked.
The girl shook her head slightly. “No. That was Bobby’s mom. My mom disappeared.”
“Who’s Bobby?”
“My boyfriend.” Her voice was faint.
“Did Bobby come here with you?”
She licked her lips. “Yeah.”
“Where are you guys from?”
“Woodstock.” The girl looked at the canteen.
“And you’re all staying together?” Courtney gave her another sip.
Water dripped down the girl’s mouth. “Yes.”
Courtney wiped the girl's chin with her shirt sleeve. “I’m Courtney. What’s your name?”
“Crystal.”
“How many other people from your group stayed behind?”
“Are you going to hurt them?”
“No. We just need to know if they’re going to come back to hurt us. We would have never shot you, not in a million years, but Bobby’s mom shot at my husband. He had no choice.”
“He didn’t have to shoot me.” Crystal glanced up at Everett.
He looked away.
Courtney said, “You know; the Bible says the companion of fools will be destroyed. When you chose to associate with people of poor character, you have to accept the consequences. I’m sorry this had to happen to you, but you made a choice to come up here with this group. It’s not fair to blame my husband.
“I notice that you don’t have the Mark. Are you a Christian?”
“I guess not,” Crystal replied. “I’m still here, ain’t I?”
“We’re still here. We’re Christians.”
“Yeah, right. Some Christians. Killing everybody. You’re going to hell, just like Jacob Rolston and just like me. Rolston had that big mega church, and he’s still here. My mom used to drag me to church every Sunday. I went down front. I said the prayer. It didn’t do me a bit of good.”
“Crystal, we’re defending our lives. We won’t survive if we let people steal our food. And judging from the way your group was armed, they weren’t going to give our goats back if we’d asked nicely.
“But forget about that for a moment. You know it’s not a magic prayer, right? We don’t say abracadabra, Jesus, don’t let me go to hell, and expect an enchanted fire insurance policy. Being saved means accepting the blood of Christ, but it also means repenting of your sins.”
“My mom told me all of that. Why don’t you just let me die?”
“Crystal, it’s not too late. You can sincerely ask God to forgive you. Tell him that you repent of your sins and mean it this time. Jesus wants to forgive you so bad.”
“I won’t be around long enough to live a life of repentance.”
“Then it should be easy,” Courtney said matter-of-factly.
“Maybe he can forgive me, but I can’t forgive him.”
“What does that even mean?”
“I was eight months pregnant when the disappearances happened. I woke up that morning, and my baby was gone. Gone. My belly had shrunk down to normal size. My baby just disappeared. You have no idea what that’s like, so you can’t even begin to understand how I feel.”
Courtney’s eyes were wide. “You’re right. I can’t. But you can’t blame God. Part of repentance is accepting responsibility for your actions. If you’d been right with God, Jesus would have taken you too. We missed the rapture. We figured it all out the day of the disappearances, but we had no one to blame but ourselves. So, we repented, and God forgave us.”
Crystal shook her head. “I’ll tell you what you want to know. But promise you’ll leave me alone to die in peace.”
Courtney swallowed hard as if she was fighting not to get emotional. “Okay. I promise. How many people from your group stayed behind?”
“Four. Greg, his girlfriend, and another couple they’re friends with. It’s Greg’s farm where we stay. He runs the place, like some kind of a boss. When the Global Republic quit supplying us with what we needed, Greg offered people food and security in exchange for working on his farm, running raiding missions, or whatever. He probably won’t come up here himself, but he might bring in others to take our place. We had to keep going further and further from the farm to find food. My guess is that he’ll eventually send somebody back up here. Especially if anyone got away to tell him what happened. It’s not the first time he’s lost a raiding team. He’ll definitely want his guns, bikes, and quads back. The roads are so shot out; that’s the only way anyone can get around.
“He says it’s share and share alike, but he has his own private stash of food and supplies. He sure doesn’t share in the risk when we go out on raids.”
Courtney nodded and looked up at Everett. “Sounds like a real nice guy.”
“So can you just leave me alone now?”
Courtney gave the girl another drink of water. “Sure. But think about what I said. You still have a chance to get right with God.”
“I’ll think about it.” Crystal’s eyes closed, maybe for the last time.
Everett walked outside, with Courtney trailing behind. He glanced at the man near Sarah’s feet. “How’s he doing?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think he needs a guard anymore. What about the girl?”
“She’s on her way out.” Everett looked at the ATVs. “We need to find those goats before they get too far away. Do you two know how to operate a quadrunner?”
Sarah nodded. “I do.”
Courtney inspected the handlebars. “Sort of like a jet ski?”
“More like a motorcycle.” Everett walked her through the basic operations of the controls.
“Okay. Let me try.” Courtney got on the ATV, squeezed the clutch, and started the engine.
“Give it some gas and ease off the clutch,” Everett instructed.
Courtney complied. “Okay.” The quadrunner jerked forward and stalled.
“A little slower letting off the clutch. Wait till you’ve gone a few feet before you take your hand all the way off.” Everett watched with his arms crossed as she tried again.
Courtney took off without a hitch, driving the quad out to the road and coming back. “How was that?”
Everett nodded. “Much better. Now try switching gears, but wait until you have some speed built up.”
Courtney zoomed up the tattered pavement over the hill and returned to Everett. He selected a dirt bike and started the engine. “I think the goats headed over the hill. Hopefully, they stayed together.” He led the way across the forest floor which was green with new growth, picking a path between the burned-out stumps of the trees which had been consumed by the fi
re. He looked across the hollow as he crested the first hill but saw nothing. Everett continued to ride over the next hill, and there they were, grazing on the tender shoots scattered about the ground. Everett cut his engine and waited for Courtney and Sarah to arrive on the two quadrunners. The girls pulled up and cut their engines as well.
Everett pointed toward the ravine to the right. “We’ll circle around them and drive them back the way we came. Courtney, you take the middle. Sarah, you ride on her right, and I’ll take the left. Keep it in first gear, nice and slow. If we push ‘em too hard, they might scatter, which will make our job even harder. Besides, we don’t want to stress them out. They’ve had enough to deal with today.”
“I didn’t see the chickens.” Courtney started her ATV.
“Probably went the other way.” Sarah nodded over her shoulder, toward the barn.
The three of them drove in single file, around the small herd of goats. Once they were in position, they spread out and began moving the goats back to the barn.
By the time they came over the last hill, the goats had become less wary of the vehicles and required a gentle nudge with a foot from time to time.
“We’ve still got to clear these bodies.” Sarah looked tired.
“And find the chickens.” Courtney sounded as if she had very little energy as well.
Everett hated the thought of moving the corpses. He was exhausted also, but he knew the job had to be done. “You two go look for the chickens. I doubt they’re very far. I’ll take care of the corpses.”
“Where are you going to put them?” Courtney asked.
Everett stared blankly down the hill. “I’ll haul them to the downed tree blocking the road. It will be a sign to others, warning them, come no further.”
Sarah nodded. “That sounds good. We can’t bury all these people. It would take us two days to scavenge enough material to burn them.”
“Is the fallen tree far enough? Won’t we smell them?” Courtney crinkled her nose.
“Not at the cave.” Everett began hoisting one of the dead hostiles onto the rear of the quadrunner.
“What about from here? We’re going to have to guard the barn around the clock.” Courtney helped him lift the body.
Everett secured the corpse with a bungee cord which was attached to the back rack. “I don’t know. We’ll have to talk that over as a group. We may have to accelerate our plan and slaughter all the goats now. Trying to hold a barn is risky. This Greg guy could send a team up here at night and take us out easily.”
“We’ve got night vision. We could set up an overwatch position. Up there, near that rock.” Courtney pointed across the road. “You’d be able to see them coming up the road. We could take them out before they ever get into position to attack the barn.”
“Assuming they come that way.” Everett mounted the quad.
“They’d be coming from Woodstock. How else would they come?” She inquired.
“You’ve got a point. Still, we have to discuss it with Kevin and Elijah before we make a decision. Worry about finding the chickens for now.” Everett rode the ATV down the tattered pavement toward the giant tree which blocked the mountain road. When he arrived, he backed up to the downed tree and pushed the corpse over the trunk, making no particular fuss about the way the body fell.
He wasted no time getting back on the quad and going to collect the next corpse. He murmured to himself, “I’ll check to see if the girl is dead yet. We’ve got to get the goats back in the barn before they wander off.” Everett looked at Crystal. She could be passed out or she could be dead. He didn’t know. He decided to first drag the body of the older woman to the ATV. She felt light compared to the man he’d just left draped over the fallen tree trunk. He hoisted her onto the back. The rack still had space for Crystal’s body, and Everett couldn’t afford to be wasting trips. He knelt beside her. “Crystal. Are you awake?”
She didn’t respond.
He pulled her away from the wall, put his arms beneath her armpits and lifted her up. He carried her to the quadrunner and placed her gently beside the woman. He pulled the bungee cord tightly across their bodies to keep them from shifting or falling off on the bumpy ride and started back down the hill. Once more, he backed up to the tree and unhooked the cord from the rack. Everett grabbed Crystal around the waist and laid her across the tree. Next, he repeated the process for the older woman. He mounted the quad and prepared to return to the barn.
“Uhhhh. Help.” A faint sound came from behind him, sending chills up his spine.
He turned to see Crystal pushing herself off the tree and sliding down onto the asphalt. “Oh no. God, please give me strength.” He stepped off the ATV and walked over to the girl. “Crystal?”
She rolled over onto her back and lifted a hand. “It hurts so bad. Please help me. Please.”
Everett shook his head. “I don’t have any medicine. I’m sorry. I can’t help.” Guilt rushed through his veins to his core, turning his stomach sour.
“I’m cold.” She lowered her arm and wrapped it around her shoulder.
Everett watched the pitiful display of a young woman dying in agony. Dying, because he’d shot her.
Crystal’s breath was labored, revealing her pain.
Everett walked back toward the quadrunner. “Lord, give me wisdom.” He slowly loosened the sling which held his rifle tightly on his back. He removed the weapon and slowly turned around. He looked on silently as Crystal’s chest raised and lowered, fighting to breathe.
His lip quivered as he raised the rifle to his shoulder. He swallowed hard and took up the slack in the trigger. He blinked repeatedly to clear the tears welling up in his eyes so he could see clearly. He lined up the sight with the side of Crystal’s head and squeezed the trigger.
The shot echoed off the surrounding hills and continued to ring out for what seemed like an eternity to Everett. The sound lingered in the air like a beacon of shame, letting the world know that he’d killed yet another woman. He lowered his eyes in despair and humiliation, wondering if he’d just lost the last ounce of his humanity. For the next few moments, he stood motionless, wallowing in his self-hatred and anger.
Minutes later, Courtney and Sarah raced down the hill on the other quadrunner.
“Everett!” Courtney’s voice called out.
He forced himself to turn around.
“Are you okay?” Sarah jumped off the bike with her weapon drawn. “We heard gunfire.”
“Crystal was still alive. She was suffering.” Everett motioned toward the corpse with the barrel of his gun. His voice was dry and lifeless. He returned to his quad.
Courtney looked into his hurting eyes. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah. Did you find the chickens?”
“We found them,” she replied. “We were working them back toward the barn when we heard the gunshot. We’ve got to get back and finish up. Why don’t you head on back over to the cave and get cleaned up? Sarah and I can move the rest of the bodies once the chickens are back in the coop.”
“I’ll be fine.” He started the engine and raced back up the hill, leaving the girls behind.
Two hours later, the three of them arrived back at the cave.
“What took you guys so long?” Kevin looked Sarah over. “I was gearing up to come looking for you.”
“Long story.” Sarah plopped down near the entrance to the cave. “Could you bring us some MREs and water? We’ve had a pretty rough day.”
Kevin eyeballed the bundle of weapons Everett held. “Okay, but I need to hear what happened.”
“Can we tell you while we eat? We’re famished.” Courtney sat on the ground.
“Sure.” Kevin disappeared into the cave. Minutes later, he returned with three MREs.
Elijah followed him with two canteens of water. “Good heavens, are you alright?”
Everett, Courtney, and Sarah told the story of their experience as they ate.
“We can’t keep the vehicles here,” Ke
vin said.
“We left them down by the creek. Mainly, because we didn’t want to spook you coming up the trail.” Everett sipped his water.
Kevin shook his head. “We can’t even keep them by the creek. We can’t do anything that would lead them back to the cave. They could smoke us out or trap us inside until they think we’re dead. The cave is great for natural disasters, but tactically, it’s a death trap. Only one way in and one way out.”
Courtney nodded. “So what do you think? Keep the vehicles back at the barn?”
Kevin rubbed his beard. “I don’t know.”
“The ATVs can get us around where the truck won’t go.” Sarah continued eating. “They might come in handy.”
Kevin nodded. “And they might bring us a heap of trouble. We’ve got enough of that as it is. If this guy thinks we have them, he’s not going to stop looking until he finds them.”
Sarah took a drink. “We can’t let him get them back. He’ll be a persistent source of danger if he has his transportation.”
Kevin said, “Then we torch them. Drive them down to where you stacked the bodies and torch them.”
“Maybe it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. What if we keep one quadrunner and one dirt bike? He probably isn’t going to risk losing another raiding team and more guns over two vehicles.” Everett opened the last pouch in his MRE.
“Hmm.” Kevin glanced toward the sky and scratched his chin.
“Two dirt bikes. Let’s keep one quad and two dirt bikes. Who votes for that plan?” Sarah held her hand up and gestured for Courtney to cast her ballot by raising her hand also.
Courtney continued chewing and put her hand up.
“Come on, Everett. It was your idea. At least vote for your own idea,” Sarah chided.
Everett placed his hand in the air.
“I didn’t know we were voting on it.” Kevin furrowed his brow. “Okay. Two bikes and one ATV. We’ll strip the spare parts, drain the gas, and use the tires to ignite the fire. We’ll keep the quad at the barn and stash the bikes up on the landslide. We’ll figure out a way to camouflage them.”
“Were any of the goats taken or injured?” Elijah asked.