“Ah, now I see. It was you, your group of wanderers, who fought off Baker’s hoard yesterday— with some help from the skies, of course.”
“Yes, and we heard he had done the same for you not long before that, with air support and even tanks.”
There was a long pause, and I hoped I hadn’t taken it too far.
“How exactly did you become privileged to know that information?”
“We heard it over the radio is all. All I’m saying is that we have a mutual friend that has helped us both out recently. I’m just asking for you to move along on your path and leave our friends to follow a safe distance behind until they can meet up with us here.”
There was another long pause, with Adan now back on the line.
“I think it worked!” he said excitedly.
“How do you know?” asked Joy.
“Well, he just walked out and pointed his finger towards their caravan. Then everyone just went that way. Nobody ever said a word. It looks like they’re packing up and heading out.”
“That’s great,” I said. “Stay far enough behind them not to piss them off, but close enough to not be assaulted by someone else. Once you hit the top of the pass, we’ll guide you in.”
* * * *
Mike led a recon group of five back across the river from the main fighting yesterday.
“We’re looking for weapons and anything useful—not burned, of course,” he told them.
The landscape across the river was a hodgepodge of scorched earth, with clumps of trees and bushes somehow unscathed and others a pile of thick dark ash and still warm.
Bodies lay across the blackened earth, with most inside the former tree line. Most were burned badly, with a smaller number avoiding the flames.
“Grab the weapons and anything else we can use,” called out Mike.
“Listen,” said one of Nate’s guys helping Mike. They stopped and listened. At first, it was just the wind, but the sounds came from different directions… Moaning sounds and stifled cries for help became louder as they were spotted laying across the landscape.
“We should help them,” said one.
“No,” said another. “Let’s just go; it’s not our problem now.”
Mike didn’t say a word but just kept gathering the weapons he would give to David’s group for hosting him, which hopefully would help them repel another attack down the road. He instructed each man to carry them to the edge of the river, with some making more than one trip.
“Take these across the river,” he instructed, as the last one was retrieved, “and I’ll meet you back at camp.”
“Why is he staying back?” asked one of Nate’s men.
“He doesn’t want them to suffer,” replied another.
Crack, crack! followed by another, each spaced out by one to several minutes, with seven total shots fired.
“May they rest in peace,” I said, hearing the shots from camp.
David was thrilled with the weapons recovered and gave Nate’s group enough to defend themselves, should they move on after this.
* * * *
I asked my old friend to walk with me.
“I’m happy for you,” I told David. “You have a new family, and those beautiful little girls have a mom and a protector once again. If we had come up the other side of the freeway that first night, we never would have heard them. Now they get to start a brand-new life with loving parents again, and they are going to thrive, I just know it. Half of me just wants to say we made it, and this will be our final destination,” I added, with a sigh.
“We would love to have you, brother,” he said. “You know that.”
“I do. And between us, I hope I’m making the right decision for our group. I mean, what if we get halfway to Loveland and get into a scrape we can’t get out of? I’ll regret not staying here and settling for the safe route. And, on the other hand, I always knew this would be the halfway point, and we did stay much longer than I anticipated.”
“You have to follow your heart and stay strong as you work for good and battle evil,” David replied. “Let’s come up with some alternate routes, in case just following behind the groups is harder than it sounds. There are a few ways to get to where you’re headed that stay off the main Interstate, if it comes to that.”
We pulled out the Rand McNally laminated maps and looked up alternate routes.
“Here’s something to look at while the weather is still good. You can cut up into the mountains past Colorado Springs and go through the old mining towns of Colorado City and Blackhawk. It’s not a direct shot but it will get you there eventually. I wouldn’t even attempt it if it were closer to fall, but you’ve got a good shot if you can get through the small towns along the way.
“Most will be looking to trade something for safe passage, I imagine, but you’re all used to that already, I hear.”
“Yeah, we may know a thing or two about that,” I said. “And, along with Joy and a few others, your Tina has been a top-notch negotiator the whole way here.”
“That’s good to know. I’m going to miss you, my brother.”
“Yeah, me too, David.”
I had a flashback, as I often did when talking with him about my best friend growing up, also with the name David. He was tragically killed in a car accident in his early twenties, but if I had to sum him up in one word, it would be the same for this David. Adventurous would be the word to describe each of them to a tee.
We got back with the group, where some were still talking about the shots fired earlier. I didn’t weigh in. I had nothing to say.
* * * * * * *
Chapter Twenty-seven
Raton Pass, New Mexico
The children were given enough room in the middle of camp to run around and play games. Even Katie joined in, helping her brother play with other kids besides Javi.
Talk amongst the adults turned to preparing for the next leg of the journey.
David and Mel met with Lonnie, Jake, Mike, Vlad and me for a trade powwow.
We were able to supply their group with some gasoline, medical supplies, clothing from the outlet stores, heirloom vegetable seeds, and of course ammunition for their newly acquired weapons.
In turn, they supplied us with various types of freeze-dried foods, several cases of wine from Mel’s stash, one fully functioning drone, and a more-than-generous amount of coffee beans, both raw and roasted.
A few in our group complained quietly that David’s group had gotten the better deal.
“I would have traded it all just for the coffee,” I told Jake, getting an affirmative nod.
* * * *
It was now time for a pre-pack. I was always amazed at how much crap one can accumulate and spread out, once you have settled somewhere, even for just a short time.
It was clear this would take the remainder of the day to complete.
“Is everyone okay across the river?” I asked Mike once we were out of earshot of the others.
“They are now,” he replied. “Most of them were just doing what they were told and not necessarily bad guys. You wouldn’t leave an animal suffering on the side of the road, too injured to recover, would you?”
“No, I guess I wouldn’t,” I responded. “So, all of them were too far gone to save?” I asked, wondering at the same time why it mattered to me now.
“It’s the damnedest thing,” he replied. “There wasn’t one of them that could have survived, even with the best of medical intervention. It’s all quiet over there now, though.”
* * * *
“Lance, Mike!” called out Lonnie. “Meet me, Jake and the others up at the radio. Jim has an update.”
I wasn’t sure what to expect anymore. Every time we met for an update, the news could range from almost boring to hair-raising, pit-in-your-gut type news.
Today, at least for now, the news was good and I hoped it was a new pattern forming.
Word from other ham radio operators that Jim and Mark had worked with over the past
week were all relaying the same basic message. The group marching through Raton now was not veering off the main route, like the previous ones had.
They appeared to be heading in a straight line, minding their own business and not actively recruiting others along the way.
“That’s good news so far,” I said aloud. “They will pick up a few here and there just by default, but we may get lucky and have them pass right on by.
“They are held up on the Interstate for the night, just north of town at the base of the Pass, it looks like,” came more than one radio operator account.
* * * *
We took the afternoon to bathe in the lake. The swimming lessons had been put on hold and would need to be resumed another time.
With nearly everybody pitching in, we got the last of the greenhouse materials in place for the assembly of the outer walls and roof. David decided to complete one at a time in order to get the planting started right away.
“We’ll get one up before we head out,” I promised him. “Like an old-fashioned barn raising.”
“Tom took a deer this morning, a nice 8-point buck,” David told the kids.
“He just came right up on me in front of the house,” said Tom. “I nearly tripped over my own daughter, trying to reach for my rifle. Maybe he got spooked by the fire yesterday…or it could have been the helicopter. Either way, he has provided for us all, and that rack is going on the front of the house.”
* * * *
Guard duty was cut by a third, with short sticks being used to pick shifts, just like when we were kids.
As kids, we played “long stick, short stick” for most major decisions, and all others not as important were settled with the “rock, paper, scissors” game.
Joy was paired up with Mike. She and I both thought their conversation would be interesting. Their shift was from 10 to midnight, and it was performed as all would be this night, from a raised platform in the middle of the camp.
Each two-person team would sit back-to-back, Forest-Gump style, and cover 180 degrees of the property.
It wasn’t as much fun for Mike, as he liked to walk around, but it was effective security, he would later admit.
Joy was happy to be off her ankle and took the opportunity to talk with Mike.
“I wanted to say thank you for helping save not just one, but now all three, of our kids.”
“It’s nothing,” he replied. “I like that sort of thing.”
“Are you nervous? I mean, about our group heading out again into the unknown?” she asked.
“Nah, I like to be on the move. It’s the staying in one place that gets me anxious. The only thing I’m not sure of is being around a whole bunch more people when we get to Colorado. It’s taken long enough just to get along with everyone here. Then I have to start all over?”
“What does Sheila think?”
“She’s got the same mindset, and she would probably disappear into the woods with me, never to be seen again, but now we have Javi to think about. It’s not a bad thing, and he’s growing on me more every day, but he needs to be around kids his own age, like he is now.”
“Yes, there are a lot of people there. We were just up to visit last Christmas with the boys. But there are a lot of houses spread out, and I’m sure we can find something suitable for your family. It’s the rules, though; they are not the same as here. Now we all make decisions together, since it’s the way it’s always been. But there it’s done like any established community to ensure things get done. There is a council, as well as a leader, with others in positions of authority who help to keep things working for the benefit of everyone.”
“What are you saying exactly, Joy?”
“Well, Mike,” she replied, never being one to hold her tongue. “Your particular brand of justice, while needed in certain circumstances, is unconventional. Would you agree?”
“I’ll give you that,” he replied.
“You get along well with David and their group. I’m sure they could use a man like you to help them survive up here long-term.”
“Are you asking me not to go north with you all?” Mike asked.
“No, I’m not saying that. You have been invaluable to our group, and we wouldn’t all be here without your help. I wouldn’t want to head back out into hostile territory without you in the group. I just want to make sure you and your family end up in the right place is all. The Ranch may be filled with more than a few people who you don’t get along with, but you won’t have the freedom there to take situations into your own hands. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, I see your point. I’ll talk with Sheila about it.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Joy asked.
“Sure, I’ll give you two.”
“Okay. How do you feel about having a family now?”
“That’s a good question. It’s different, for sure. I have to check in more and watch out for being too adult all the time.”
“Well, we’ve all got that issue,” Joy said, laughing. “Wait until little Javi pulls out a swear jar. Then you will really be careful! Does Sheila know what happened to her old boyfriend, Dan?”
“No, I don’t think so. She’s never asked.”
“Would you tell her the truth if she did?”
“That’s three questions,” Mike replied. “Now my turn.”
“Are you concerned about a guy like me, with my particular brand of justice, as you call it, caring for a family?”
“No, not in the way some others might. I’ve seen you firsthand with my husband and every one of our kids. You’re loyal—maybe to a fault, I don’t know. What I am worried about is you getting yourself killed doing something over the top and leaving Sheila and Javi without their protector.”
“And maybe you and the rest of the group as well?” he asked.
“Yes, there is that too.”
“Last question. How does your husband get people to open up so much?”
“What do you mean?” Joy asked.
“Well, I’m not one to talk about my feelings or my past, and I’ve told him more about me than everyone else I have ever known combined.”
“It’s funny really,” she replied. “He’s always been like that, at least since we met back in 2000. I guess it’s pretty simple. He just listens and then keeps things confidential. Not confidential like I’m only going to tell one or two people and ask them to not say anything, but confidential like he would take it to his grave and only intervene if it was absolutely necessary to help somebody else.”
“So, you don’t know about me, Joy?”
“Only what I’ve seen, and that’s enough to make me not concerned about being on a shift with you.”
They ended their shift, both agreeing to talk again about his decision, after talking with Sheila and Javi.
* * * * * * *
Chapter Twenty-eight
Raton Pass, New Mexico
“How did it go?” I asked Joy before falling back asleep.
“We had a good talk,” Joy replied. “I’ll tell you all about it in the morning.”
With no disturbances in the night, Mel got his drones up early to scout out as close to the Interstate as he could view.
Jim called over the walkie-talkies. “Vlad, the Colonel is on the line.”
“I’ll be right up,” Vlad responded, with the rest of us scrambling to get up there as well.
Jake picked me up on the four-wheeler, and we listened in.
“Vlad,” said the Colonel, “what did you think about our little display the other day?”
“I don’t recall anything out of the ordinary recently, sir,” he responded with a serious tone and heavy accent. “Perhaps you have dialed the wrong number.”
There was laughing by several men on the other end of the line.
“You see, he’s such a smart ass, that Russian,” said the Colonel.
“Yes, yes. Okay, sir, it was pretty crazy to see you coming over the trees—like Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! And then the fir
e planes! Sir, putting all joking aside, you saved us. All of us. We only lost two, and that was before you even got here. Well…maybe one more who ran away into the woods before it all started. Thank you to you and your soldiers, Colonel,” Vlad added, with sincere clarity.
“You’re welcome, my friend,” replied the Colonel. “Now, let’s get down to business. Ronna and his group will pass by your place this afternoon early, probably so they can get down the backside to camp. They won’t cause you any trouble if you do the same.”
Families First: A Post Apocalyptic Next-World Series Volume 4 Hard Roads Page 18