Turners | Book 3 | Junction

by Thomas, Ellis

  She caught up to Jon and Joshua, and they made their way to the edge of town, to a modest two-story colonial-style home. Six steps led up to a full porch at the front of the house.

  “Krissy was running a nice bed and breakfast here before things changed,” Jon told Sydney. “She’s a sweetheart. When she found out that you’ve been sleeping on a cot since you got here, she was mortified. Insisted that you come stay with her.”

  “That was very considerate, especially since she doesn’t even know me,” Sydney replied.

  The screen door opened and out came a woman in her early forties, with a golden retriever at her heels. She was petite and blond, with an infectious smile. She walked straight up to Sydney and gave her a big hug.

  “No sense in formalities. I’m Krissy Stewart, and this is Captain Jack,” she said as the dog sat down next to her and held up his right paw. “I know we’re going to be friends, and these days, time is something you don’t waste!”

  Sydney laughed and shook Captain Jack’s paw. “It’s nice to meet you both. This is Joshua Delgado,” she said, thinking it best not to mention the word fiancé, since they hadn’t made things public yet. “Thank you for your generous offer to put me up. Believe me, the clinic is one of the nicer places I’ve stayed in, but this would definitely be a step up.”

  “Come on in, then, and I’ll give you the tour.”

  Jon lightly touched Sydney’s arm as she turned to follow Krissy. “You’re in good hands, Sydney. We’ll catch up with you later.” Joshua gave Sydney a hug and a quick kiss, along with a look that said I’m not sure you should be this far away from us!

  Sydney thoroughly enjoyed her tour of Krissy’s place. Krissy turned out to be pretty funny, and Sydney knew even before she saw her room that she was going to take Krissy up on her offer. She couldn’t recall ever being in a home that felt so warm and inviting.

  “Pretty much everyone eats at Vic’s as often as they can, but I also like to keep things here and prepare my own meals from time to time. If you enjoy cooking, you’re welcome to help yourself to the kitchen.”

  A light bulb suddenly went on in Sydney’s head.

  “You know, Jason just asked me if Joshua and I would care to do a double date with him and Leandra, the girl who came here with us. Seems he’s had her in his scope. So, I suggested that we have dinner and maybe play some games afterward, to break the ice. Would you mind if we had our get-together here?” Had Krissy not been so friendly, Sydney would never have even thought of it.

  “That’s a great idea, Sydney. I’ll cook and have George over, too. The more the merrier, I always say.”

  “George?” Sydney asked with her eyebrow raised.

  “Sure. George and I have been friends for a long time. We both lost our families early on, and we’ve kind of looked after each other ever since. It’s a comfortable friendship, and it works well.” As she spoke, Sydney knew they would be friends. “Okay. Are you ready to see your room?” Krissy’s eyes practically sparkled, and Sydney could tell her spirit of hospitality went straight to the core.

  “You know I am!” Sydney said with a laugh. With that, they headed upstairs, where Krissy showed Sydney into a room that looked like it was right out of Gone With the Wind. It was filled with sunshine, and the beautiful, frilly curtains matched the bedspread. Sydney had never been in such a feminine place, and she liked it.

  “I’ll take it!” Sydney said with unabashed enthusiasm, and they hugged each other to seal the deal. Sydney was acutely aware of how huggee she was becoming, and it didn’t bother her one bit!

  11 The Orphans

  Laughter erupted from a room down the hall, followed in short order by the sound of running feet. In through the door skipped two little girls.

  Putting her arms out to invite them in, Krissy said to Sydney, “This is Shawna and Kiley. I’m taking care of them for a bit until my friend Kim can set up a room for them.”

  Kiley, the younger of the two, had crazy curly hair and a personality that seemed to match. Shawna, on the other hand, was thoughtful and quiet. She stood there, sizing Sydney up.

  “Are you staying here too?” she finally asked Sydney.

  “Yes, for a little while. Long enough for us to be friends, I hope,” Sydney told her, wanting to make them feel comfortable around her. The girls giggled and ran back down the hallway.

  “It’s so sad about their mother, but they seem to be dealing pretty well with it. Only time will tell. Meanwhile, Kim stepped up and agreed to take them in permanently. She lost her husband in a tractor accident a few weeks after they moved here. I know she’s been lonely, and the girls adore her. She’ll make a good home for them.”

  “How many rooms do you have available?” Sydney asked.

  “I have five.” Reading into Sydney’s question, she added, “When the girls are resettled, maybe we can get your friends over here too.”

  Her words were music to Sydney’s ears!

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  That afternoon Sydney talked to Joshua about the dinner date. Although he had barely met Krissy, he respected George and Jason, so Sydney didn’t have to work too hard to get him to go along with the idea. Once that had been settled, he asked Sydney how she liked her new room.

  “It’s the nicest I’ve ever had. I feel like one of the princesses I used to read about,” she told him.

  He smiled at that, but there was concern in his eyes.

  “I’m glad you like it … but are you going to feel safe out there on the edge of town? I mean, you’ll be a good distance from us.”

  “I asked Krissy the same thing. She locks up everything tightly at night. And, George seems to keep close tabs on her, so I’m sure he checks everything out pretty frequently.”

  “Promise me that the minute you start feeling uneasy, you’ll move back to the clinic?”

  “Promise. Now, we’ve got to earn our keep.” Sydney gave him a kiss, took his hand, and led him out to the area where the fences were going up.

  “Do you want to pound posts or wrap the wire?”

  “Guess I’d better be the pounder.”

  Mason, Christian, and Austin were up ahead of them. Dirty angels, Sydney thought, hammering and wrapping. And joking. Always joking.

  “Hi, guys,” Sydney called out.

  “Finally, some real help!” Christian said.

  “Where do you want us to start?”

  “Right here is good. I’ll pound and you wrap.”

  Sydney smiled at Joshua. “Guess you have to find another partner,” she teased.

  Christian picked up the posthole digger and started pounding. “How do you like your new home?” he asked. That was Christian, always concerned with how she was getting along.

  “I love it. The room is so beautiful, and Krissy couldn’t be more gracious and fun. You guys are going to have to take turns spending the night. She has extra rooms, and I think she would be okay with it.”

  “I’ll be the first,” Mason volunteered. “How about tonight?”

  Sydney chuckled. “Sounds good to me. I’ll check with Krissy to make sure. We’ll break her in easy, one at a time,” she told him, and they all laughed.

  Austin walked over and gave Sydney a hug. “Are you safe enough over there?” His big brown eyes showed so much concern, Sydney felt a little bad about being separated from him and the others.

  “Oh yeah. It’s so comfortable there. It’s a two-story, so if things were to get really bad, we could always go upstairs. You look worried, Austin. What’s up?” Now Sydney’s eyes were full of concern.

  “I’ve been smelling things. It’s not like Turners to hide, but my olfactory has never failed me.” Austin loved using that term for his nose. “Just be careful, and don’t let your guard down. Can I come over later too?”

  “I can’t imagine Krissy saying no! You know you’d be by my side twenty-four/seven if I had my way.”

  12 A Place to Call Home

  When the work was done, Sydney left the guys and head
ed “home.” She felt strange not being with the boys and Joshua.

  Krissy greeted her with a big smile when she walked into the kitchen. Krissy had been baking, and the aromas were amazing. Sydney suddenly wanted this to be her home. A home where she and Joshua lived as a married couple, and where the boys had a place to stay. A place where they could be a real family. She jumped slightly as she realized that Krissy had been talking to her while she’d been off in dreamland.

  “I’m sorry, Krissy. What did you just say?”

  “I saw Jason today, so I mentioned our conversation and told him I would be happy to host the evening here. Poor guy. He looked so relieved. I don’t think he’s much of a cook, and the offer of having someone else do it seemed to take a weight off his shoulders.”

  “He’s not the only one looking forward to dinner,” Sydney replied. “I’ve never had an opportunity to learn to really cook, and if you’ll be patient with me, I’d be happy to help you out in the kitchen.”

  “Well, you’ve come to the right place.” Krissy was scheming. “We’re planning for tomorrow night, ‘cause we’re pretty sure if Leandra goes for it, she’ll be free then.”

  Shawna and Kiley were sitting at the table, and Krissy served up warm cookies for them with goat’s milk.

  “Yeah, no one has heavy social schedules these days,” Sydney said with a laugh. “By the way, if you don’t mind, the boys want to come over later. Would that be all right?”

  “This is your home now, for as long as you like, Sydney,” Krissy said, offering her a cookie. “Treat it like such.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Later that evening Sydney saw the boys coming up the road, so, with Krissy’s permission, she let Captain Jack out to greet them. The girls ran out at the same time, and Kiley made everyone laugh as she started chasing Captain Jack around in big circles. The dog was eating up all the attention, and the boys were thrilled to have a dog around that they didn’t have to be wary of. Sydney sat down on the porch swing and watched them play with joyful innocence. In a bit, Krissy came out and joined her.

  “Captain Jack sure looks like he’s having a great time. He‘s never had this many children to play with,” Krissy said as she brushed her hair back away from her face. “I found him as a little pup, wandering around. Miracle he wasn’t nabbed early on by Turners. I named him after an old salt I had known when I was young.” Interested, Sydney turned her attention to Krissy as she began to reminisce.

  “I grew up in a small fishing town near San Diego. My father was a tuna fisherman, and he loved to cook during his down time. His passion must’ve rubbed off on me. We spent hours in the kitchen together. Then I met my husband, Sam. We had only been married a year when he saw an opportunity for a business here. So, we packed up and headed to the desert. We did quite well for such a sleepy little town. It was just off a well-traveled route, so people were always pulling in for a break. More people started spending the night, and before you knew it, we had a regular flow of customers. Those were such happy times. Then the plague hit, and I lost my Sam.” Sydney reached over and softly squeezed Krissy’s hand to let her know that she was sorry. With so much death around, she thought that sometimes actually saying you were sorry seemed kind of hollow.

  Gently swinging back and forth, the two women treasured the peace and normalcy of the moment. Sydney wished Joshua could have shared this time with them, but he was working on a couple of projects with Aaron, Jeremy, Jon, and George.

  After the kids had been playing awhile with Captain Jack, they came up to the porch and sat down on the rail to catch their breath. Krissy got up and went inside for a few minutes, returning with a pie she had baked earlier and several plates and forks.

  “My guess is you’ve all worked up an appetite. How does a piece of pie sound?” she asked. Shawna and Kiley already knew how delicious Krissy’s pies were, and once the boys got a taste, she had three new friends for life!

  They all spent the rest of the evening talking and playing games. When things started winding down, the conversation grew more serious.

  “Have you had many problems with Turners on this end of town, Krissy?” Austin asked.

  “Well, to be honest, Austin, there isn’t a spot in Junction that hasn’t felt a Turner’s foot,” she told him. “We deal with each event as it comes and always keep an ear and an eye open. I think this house is safer than most because of the porch steps and having an upstairs.”

  “We’ve been seeing turned animals lately,” Mason said. “At least a human turned is usually easy to spot, but animals are small and can get into places humans can’t.”

  “I haven’t seen any,” Krissy assured him, “but I’ll be extra watchful. I’d hate for something to happen to Captain Jack. I would think for the most part he’d be wary of them, but you can’t know an animal’s mind every moment.”

  Austin furrowed his brow. “I’ve been getting whiffs all over the place but can’t figure out where they are.”

  Christian stood up. “We’d better get over to the clinic. It’s getting late. You still spending the night, Mason?”

  Krissy glanced at Mason and then Sydney, who looked a little embarrassed.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Krissy,” Sydney said. “With all the fun we were having, I completely forgot to ask you if it would be okay.” Mason looked at Krissy expectantly.

  Krissy chuckled softly and said, “Now how could I turn down the chance to have a strong man in the house protecting us while we sleep? You boys are welcome any time you feel like it. And, if you let me know ahead, maybe I’ll get something special cooked up!”

  They all brightened at that prospect, and Sydney knew that Krissy was looking forward to all the life it would bring into her home. As they stepped onto the porch, George was walking toward the steps.

  “So, how did your evening go?” he asked.

  “Well, I think all my spare rooms are taken!” Krissy replied with a broad smile. Sydney could see that George was pleased.

  “The boys were just heading back to the clinic. Do you mind walking with them?” Sydney asked him.

  “Not at all,” he said. “I just came by to check and make sure everything was all right.”

  After a round of goodnights, Christian, Austin, and George headed back into town.

  Back in the house, Krissy told the girls to go get ready for bed and then she put her arm around Mason.

  “I’ll show you your room for the night,” she said. “We do have hot running water, but try to keep your shower short, okay?” They headed upstairs, and she led Mason to the room across from Sydney’s. It was tastefully decorated in a country theme, and the bed looked mighty inviting. Mason gave Krissy a hug and thanked her. After another round of goodnights, everyone headed to bed.

  13 Midnight Visitors

  What had been soft breezes earlier in the evening had turned into a hard wind that was causing the windowpanes to rattle, and there was a banging noise coming from out behind the house. It was around midnight when Mason knocked at Sydney’s door. Opening it, she asked him if he was okay.

  “I’m good but I’m hearing a lot of rustling outside, and it kinda sounds like something more than the wind. I think we should go check it out.”

  They learned a long time ago always to team up in situations like this, what with four eyes being better than two and all that.

  Sydney grabbed a self-charging flashlight and her gun. Mason had his gun in hand, and as they started toward the hallway stairs, she knocked on Krissy’s door. When Sydney explained what was going on, Krissy grabbed her flashlight and gun and joined them, checking in on the girls as they passed by their room. “Fast asleep,” Krissy said with relief.

  Downstairs, Captain Jack was hunched in front of the door, growling, with his hackles raised. Mason looked through the door window but didn’t see anything unusual. Cautiously stepping outside, they surveyed the front yard and beyond. Everything seemed normal, so they proceeded to check under the porch and then headed toward the backya
rd.

  Mason was leading the way, and as he turned the corner of the house, he reeled backward, tripping over a hose that had been stretched across the yard and dropping his gun as he fell. He had walked right into two Turners! The larger of the two, an elegantly dressed male, grabbed hold of Mason’s leg and leaned in for a bite. It was no match for Mason’s youthful reflexes, though. Reaching out and grabbing an old ax that was leaning against the house, he brought it down cleanly in the middle of the Turner’s head.

  While Mason was chopping into the head of that Turner, the one closest to Sydney, a female with an armless torso, threw itself toward her. Sydney fired at it, but the shot went low and missed its head. Krissy’s shot didn’t.

  Krissy reached down and helped Mason pull the Turner off of Sydney. Mason and Sydney were both covered in nasty slime, but they were too grateful to be alive to be grossed out. As eager as they were to wash off the muck and the stench, they had questions that needed to be answered first. How had these Turners gotten this close? Where were the patrols?

  Looking around them to make sure there were no more Turners to fend off, they ran to Jon’s house, since it was closest, and told him what had happened. Because of the high wind knocking things around, he hadn’t distinguished the shots from other loud noises.

  “Okay. Sydney and Mason, you two go get Joshua and then have Jason take a look at you. Krissy, come with me to get George,” he said. “Where are the girls?”

  “They’re upstairs, asleep. They’ll be fine for a little bit.”

  Mason and Sydney hurried to the clinic. It was dark inside, but seconds after they opened the door and flipped on the lights, Joshua tore out of his room, gun in hand. He was horror stricken when he saw the shape they were in. Sydney knew this didn’t bode well in terms of her living away from him, but she would deal with that later.

  They hurriedly filled him in on what had happened. Meanwhile, the commotion had awakened Austin and Christian, who rushed in to see what was going on. Joshua told them to go get dressed and grab their weapons so they could all go meet up with the others.