by Bruno Miller
“We better catch up to the others.” He looked up and down the interstate one more time and then headed for the truck. The dogs were plenty excited about the prospect of setting up camp, but Emma was absent from the commotion in the truck. “You think Em’s all right?”
“She is quiet today, but I can’t say I blame her. I’m mean, we’re not exactly on vacation here, are we?” Sandy laughed. “Plus, she’s not feeling well. I can see it.”
“No, I guess you’re right, and it’s been a pretty rough day. No tougher than the last few, but that isn’t much of a consolation,” Ben agreed.
“You know she’s also at that age, Ben. This can be a tough time for girls, and that’s without all this going on. Add in the fact that she doesn’t have her mother here to talk to. That’s got to be hard on her.” Sandy spoke softly as they paused near the back of the truck.
“Yeah, it does. I worry about all of them in that regard,” Ben said.
“The same for me with Allie’s dad. I feel bad for all of them. I’ll try to get her alone later. Maybe she’ll open up a little for me,” Sandy offered.
“Thanks. I’m gonna do the same after we get camp set up. Maybe between us we can figure out what’s going on.” It eased Ben’s mind a little to know that Sandy was willing to help out in that way. Not that he expected anything less, but it was reassuring.
“Dad, come in. Over.” Joel’s voice came over the radio again, and Ben rushed to answer the call this time.
“Go ahead. Sorry, just finishing up here. Over.”
“The creek looks good. The water is nice and clean. I just wanted to let you know I think this place is gonna work out. Over,” Joel reported.
“Great. We’ll join you guys shortly. Over.” Ben waited for Sandy to close her door before putting the truck in gear and heading down the hill. For the first time today, he didn’t feel like he was in a hurry. He was also relieved to hear that the water quality was good; the chances of discovering a polluted stream when they arrived here had plagued his thoughts all day.
He looked at Sandy and then back at Emma with a smile on his face. “Sounds like we found a good spot.”
Sandy smiled back, but Emma was once again under the sleeping bag with just her head sticking out far enough to look out the window.
“That’s good,” she said flatly. At least she had responded. That was more than he’d heard from her during his many other attempts to converse with her today.
Ben tried not to dwell on it too long and put his efforts into smoothly transitioning from the steep grassy slope to the trail running along the creek. He glanced to his left and followed the dirt road with his eyes until it disappeared under the bridge. Then he steered to the right and headed upstream after the others, following the nearly overgrown trail down to a point where it paralleled the creek. Joel was right: the water looked good. Colorado good. Even the dogs were excited, and both of them had migrated to the far side of the rear seat on Ben’s side of the truck. Sam and Bajer jockeyed for position in the open window, and Ben could hear their heavy sniffing as they took in the new smells.
“This is really nice down here.” Sandy admired their surroundings.
“It is. I’m looking forward to setting up camp,” Ben replied. He was, too; this was one of the nicer places they had stopped so far, and it reminded him of Hermosa creek back home, minus the occasional beaver dam. It didn’t hurt that the trees and vegetation along the twenty- to thirty-foot-wide creek were green and lush. Compared to the half-dead trees and weeds growing along the interstate, it felt like a small slice of paradise far removed from the world they left back on the highway.
After a few minutes of bumping along the rock-strewn trail, they caught sight of the others. The vehicles were parked in a semicircle around the perimeter of a small clearing near the water’s edge. It had obviously been used as a campsite before, but from the looks of things, it had been some time since the place had seen any activity. The trail continued farther into the woods, but it was in worse shape than the section they had just driven, and it veered to the right, away from the water.
Joel, Allie, and Brad met them as they pulled in behind the Scout and completed the horseshoe-shaped string of trucks. Brad had Gunner by the collar and was doing his best to hold him back from greeting the Blazer before Ben had a chance to park.
“What do you think?” Joel asked.
“It’s a good spot. We’re far enough from the road, I think.” Ben looked back in the direction of the interstate. From here, you’d never know the four-lane highway was even there. But it was close enough that Ben thought he could hear a passing car cross the bridge if someone came by during the night.
Martin came stomping out of the woods. “So we’re staying here? We can unload our stuff?”
“Well, I guess that’s the bathroom over there,” Brad joked.
“Sorry, I couldn’t hold it anymore,” Martin confessed.
“Yeah, we’re staying. Let’s set up camp and get settled in. Good job getting us here, Joel.” Ben patted his son on the shoulder on his way to the creek.
Joel followed him. “It looks pretty good. I’m sure there are trout in there. The water feels nice and cool.”
Ben stopped at the water’s edge and studied the brisk current for a moment. He knew that was Joel’s way of asking if they could go fishing. “After you and your brother set up your tents, help unpack the supplies we need. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.” Joel smiled as he turned toward the truck.
“Hey, try to include your sister, will ya? I think she’s having a hard time dealing with things right now. Plus, she’s had a rough day. Motion sickness, I think,” Ben said.
Joel kept walking. “I’ll try, but she probably won’t want to come.”
“Maybe if Allie asked her,” Ben added.
“Okay.” Joel quickened his pace.
Ben turned back toward the creek and took it in for a minute. The current was swift, and the sounds of it weaving through the rocks would make for good sleeping tonight. It would also impair the dogs’ ability to pick up on approaching footsteps to some degree, but that was the price they had to pay for the convenience of camping near water. They would be able to leave here tomorrow with their water containers full and cold, and that was worth a lot.
The water was knee-deep at most, at least through the section of stream that ran past the campsite. Ben noticed a large riffle above the camp and figured the trucks could ford the creek there if they had to. He wasn’t planning on having to do that, but it never hurt to have options when it came to leaving a place. Their experiences had been proven on more than one occasion in their travels.
His solitude didn’t last long. Rita and Carlos approached him. It was hard to tell which one of them was helping the other maneuver over the loose rocks along the bank.
“How are you guys doing?” Ben asked.
“Oh, we’re great, Ben. This looks like a lovely place,” Rita answered.
“Yeah, I think it’ll work out well for us.”
Carlos let go of his wife and stood up straight. “Listen, Ben, we just wanted to thank you again for helping us get out of that place and get to our daughter’s. I know you guys have your own places to go, so we really appreciate it. And we want you to know there is room for you there at her place in Fort Wayne if you want to join us for a day or two and rest up.”
“Well, I appreciate the offer. It’s tempting, and we might take you up on it if things don’t work out for us in Cloverdale. But there’s a guy there I owe for saving our butts on the way east.”
“We understand. Just know the offer stands.” Carlos took his wife’s elbow and led her back toward the camp. “We’re going to get our tent set up. We’ll talk later.”
“All right.” Ben waved at the couple. The offer to join them at their daughter’s was a generous one, for sure, and a good backup. He wasn’t sure what gave them the confidence to think that their daughter’s place was still there or that she was still
alive. But due to their unwavering certainty that all was well in Fort Wayne, he’d started to believe it, too.
Part of him wondered if the offer to travel with them to Fort Wayne was an attempt to ensure they had an escort there. He didn’t believe it was, though, based on what he knew of the couple, and he thought it was a genuine gesture of kindness. That made it even harder to stomach the thought of sending them off on their own tomorrow.
Left to fend for themselves, Rita and Carlos wouldn’t stand a chance against the likes of the trouble they’d faced today. The only encouraging thing was that they’d be sent on their way with a full tank of gas, and in the Toyota, they’d be able to get to their daughter’s without having to stop. But that was poor consolation for the guilt he was starting to feel. It would have been much easier on his conscience if they weren’t so nice.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ben forced himself to walk away from the creek. He could have stayed there for much longer, lost in his thoughts and the rushing water. He was tired, and although it wouldn’t be dark for a while, the sun was already casting a shadow over the campsite. There’d be plenty of time to feel guilty tomorrow.
Right now, he was going to set up his tent and start a small fire. With any luck, he could talk Emma into helping him, assuming she didn’t tag along with her brothers on their attempt to catch fish. He was hoping she would join them, but if not, he’d keep her busy. Too much sitting and thinking was no good. And if he could spend some time alone with her, maybe he could figure out what was bothering her the most. He wasn’t sure if he could help, but he had to try. It hurt him to see his daughter so troubled.
After the day they’d had, Ben wouldn’t normally be up to making a fire and taking the added risk of giving away their location, but there was no denying the morale it would generate. He also didn’t want to risk any more animal encounters. A campfire didn’t guarantee being left alone by any late-night four-legged visitors, but it was a good deterrent. And with the amount of dry wood available in the woods beyond the creek, the fire should burn fairly cleanly using the two-hole method.
“We’re done with the tents and we even helped Rita and Carlos set up theirs.” Joel didn’t have to ask; Ben knew what they wanted permission to do.
“Go ahead. Take the radio and flashlights.” Ben wanted to add about ten more warnings to his instructions but stopped himself. They knew the rest, anyway: be careful, don’t take chances, take your weapons.
“We’ll try to be back before it gets dark.” Joel began setting up the rods.
“Anyone else going with you?” Ben asked.
“Allie might.”
“What about your sister?” Ben was afraid he knew the answer to that question already.
“She said she didn’t feel like it.” Joel handed one of the rods to his brother. “I’m not going to beg her. Besides, she said she’d keep the dogs here. That way, we can actually catch something.”
“All right, go ahead.” Ben sighed. “And good luck.” It wasn’t the boy’s fault Emma didn’t want to join him and Allie, and it wasn’t their responsibility, either. It was equally important for Joel, Allie, and Brad to have a little fun. They had more than earned it today.
“Do you mind, Mom?” Allie asked.
“No, have fun. Rita and I can handle dinner.” Sandy dragged one of the five-gallon water containers to the edge of the tailgate.
“I’ll give you a hand after I get the fire going,” Ben offered. “Hey, Em, want to help me gather some wood?”
“I’ll help with that,” Martin said. That wasn’t what Ben wanted, but at least the guy was willing to help.
“I kind of have a headache.” Emma was sitting half in, half out of her tent with the flap thrown back. Her legs stuck out onto a blanket she was sharing with all three of the dogs.
“I’ll get you something for that.” Sandy started rummaging through the back of the Blazer. “You two go ahead. Us girls will be fine.” She winked at Ben and returned to her search for the first-aid bag. Maybe she could get through to Emma. Ben stuck the shovel in the ground and stood up to brush the dirt off his knees.
“All right then. We’ll be right back. Come on, Martin.” Ben grabbed the hatchet from the Blazer. “Thanks,” he whispered to Sandy. She nodded, and he and Martin headed for a section of woods away from the creek, where they would have more luck finding dry wood to burn. They hauled several loads of firewood into the camp until they had what Ben thought was enough to last them through the night. He finished digging out the firepit and within minutes had a nice little fire crackling away.
Joel, Brad, and Allie returned from fishing sooner than expected with a stringer full of rainbow trout and one brown trout. Brad eagerly let everyone know he’d caught the largest rainbow. Ben helped Sandy and Rita prepare the fish, and they all sat down for a good meal around the fire. The topic of conversation varied, but no one mentioned any of the problems they encountered today. It seemed as though they were all eager to forget about life beyond the flickering light of the fire, or at least ignore it for the time being.
As they all prepared for bed, Ben was able to have a word with Sandy and see if she’d had any luck talking to Emma. Unfortunately, she hadn’t, and it was too late for Ben to try now. Emma had been quick to wash up after dinner so she could go to bed early. She said she still wasn’t feeling well, and after feeding Bajer her leftovers, the two of them disappeared into her tent.
The others were fading fast as well, and they started slowly disappearing from around the campfire. Ben loaded the firepit with wood and asked Joel to do the same before calling it a night. He cautioned them about staying up too late and bid them goodnight before brushing his teeth and climbing into his tent. The kids were welcome to stay up longer if they wanted, but he was anxious to get off his feet.
It was going to feel good to lie down, and as he zipped the fly closed, he felt his eyes growing heavy. Sleep would come quickly for him tonight, and he figured it was a good idea to take the time now and make sure the KSG was handy and ready for use. Once that was done and his pistol was tucked under his pillow, it wasn’t hard to tune the world out and drift off to the rhythm of the rushing water.
Ben woke up once during the night, but he only stayed awake long enough to take a quick look around the camp and throw a few logs on the fire before crawling back into his sleeping bag. Morning arrived well before it seemed possible, and coffee became Ben’s main priority after he worked the kinks out of his back. The night was uneventful, and he was thankful for that.
The woods were quiet in the early moments of dawn, and with everyone still sleeping, he did his best not to make any noise when he moved about the camp. As soon as the coffee was ready, he poured a cup and slipped away to the water’s edge, where he found a suitable rock to sit on and enjoy the stillness of the morning.
His peace and quiet was short-lived, though, and either the smell of the coffee or the light of the rising sun prompted the others from their tents one by one.
“Good morning.” Sandy sat on a nearby rock.
“Morning.” Ben watched as Gunner waded into the creek just far enough to take in a few sloppy mouthfuls of water. Joel and Allie were up and moving around the Blazer, while Brad struggled to fight his desire to go back to bed.
“It was a good spot after all.” Sandy held up her cup.
Ben nodded. “Yes, a welcome change.”
“Should I make more?” Martin appeared out of nowhere, shaking the empty coffee pot in front of him.
“Yes, please. Would you? I’d really like some more,” Sandy said, sending Martin straight back toward the camp. “You don’t look like you’re ready for him yet. “She laughed.
“Thanks.” Ben tipped his cup back at her. She was right; the morning was too nice to ruin with empty, pointless chatter. Maybe he’d feel differently after another cup of coffee, but he doubted that very much. Looking back toward the camp, he swept from right to left in search of his daughter. She wasn’t up yet,
or at least not among those walking around and making breakfast. Even Rita and Carlos were outside their tent and tidying up.
“Go ahead,” Sandy said.
“Is it that obvious?” Ben smiled.
“Yes. Now go check on your daughter,” she joked.
Ben swallowed the last of his coffee and headed for Emma’s tent. But before he could get there, he heard the zipper slide. Bajer darted out of the opening and relieved herself in some nearby bushes. He froze for a second and debated whether he should try to sneak away or greet his daughter. He didn’t want her to know he was about to check on her and wake her up. That wasn’t how he wanted to start the day with her. It was hard enough to get her to talk to him without her feeling like he didn’t trust her enough to get up on her own.
“Good morning.” Ben had no choice but to stay put and greet her when her head popped out of the opening and she spotted him.
“Hey.” Emma rubbed her eyes as she struggled to adjust to the sunlight in her face.
“How are you feeling?” Ben asked.
“Hot.” She cleared her throat and started to stand up. “Ow, oh…oh…that hurts.” She winced and dropped back to the ground.
“What is it?” Ben asked.
Emma held up her left foot and inspected it, but Ben could see the puffy red cut on her heel from where he was standing. All of a sudden, Rita was by his side and then just as quickly kneeling next to his daughter.
“Can I take a look at that?” She took Emma’s foot in her hand and held it up in the sun.
“Ah, that hurts.” Emma sucked in air sharply through her teeth.
“I’m sorry, honey. We need to get this cleaned out. Where did you get this?”
“Back at the motel yesterday morning when we were loading the trucks in the water. I thought it was just a little cut…and there was so much going on. I guess I forgot to say anything about it.” Emma winced again as Rita turned her foot and inspected the other side.