“I don’t see any trouble yet, but that harvester has been doing more than cutting crops,” Nicole said.
Sam sat upright and sniffed the air. “I think I smell brownies,” he said.
Nicole was about to berate Sam for his olfactoral delusions when she was interrupted by the blaring from Walt’s horn. Nicole stopped the car and looked behind her at Walt. She could see him behind the wheel, jumping up and down and pointing at something ahead. She grabbed her radio and turned to look out across the fields but saw nothing.
“I don’t see anything, Walt. What do you see?!” she screamed into the radio.
“On the porch, man!” Walt called back.
Nicole turned to look at the house and her mouth fell open. Leaning on her cane was an old woman frantically waving her arms. Nicole leaned her head out the window.
“Hello there! You’re just in time, I made brownies!” Rubetta cried.
Nicole slumped back in her seat, her mouth agape. Beside her, Sam looked at her smugly.
“Told you I smelled ‘em,” he said.
Nicole eased the car up and parked in front of the house. Walt brought the bus up and parked closer to the barn. Everyone got out, and with shocked and bewildered faces approached the porch and Rubetta Pryde. They formed a line in the yard as Rubetta beamed at them.
“Welcome! My name’s Rubetta Pryde. Welcome to my farm! Are ya hungry?” she asked.
Walt beamed at her. “Hey momma! My name’s Walt, Those brownies sure smell good!” he said.
“Momma, huh? Well, child, the good Lord never saw fit to bless me with that title, but it sounds good when you say it, so alright. Yes, yes, come get some brownies,” Rubetta said.
This was all it took for Walt, who trotted up the steps and grabbed one. The others shuffled their feet in the yard. Nicole approached and extended her hand.
“Mrs Pryde, my name’s Nicole Bennett, this here is-” Paul stepped forward and extended his hand.
“My name is Paul. This is my daughter, Jordan,” he said.
“My, what a pretty girl she is, but mind ya, please just call me Ruby, my friends and loving man all did,” Ruby said.
Sam shook her hand. “My name is Sam. Pleased to meet you, Ruby,” he said.
“Pleased to meet you, young sir. Who’s that strapping young man behind you there? Step forward lively now, let me see you,” Ruby said.
Billy came forward. “Hello, ma’am. My name’s Billy,” he said.
Ruby smiled and looked them over several seconds before coming to herself.
“Well, come on in, rest awhile,” Ruby said. As they came up onto the porch, Ruby smiled and patted Walt’s back.
“Are they good, honey?” she asked. Smiling, Walt turned to her with a mouth full of brownies.
“Yes ma’am,” he said.
“I wish I had the fresh milk to make them, but times being what they are, one has to make do,” Ruby said.
She turned and opened the screen door as everyone filed by and grabbed a brownie before going inside.
“This calls for celebration. I hope you all like canned goods,” she said as Walt grabbed another brownie and brought up the rear.
Ruby went in last, letting the screen door slam behind her. The .38 lay forgotten in her rocking chair.
Thirty-Eight
Jordan sprayed down the blades on the harvester with the hose, while Sam and Billy scrubbed them with long handled bristle brushes they had found in the barn. They had all just finished up a large meal, provided by Rubetta’s canning skills. Walt, Nicole, Paul, and Rubetta sat on the porch and enjoyed the contentment of full bellies and a quiet evening in the country. Everyone swayed slowly in rocking chairs that they drug from the other side of the porch. Walt had the plate of brownies on his lap, the pitcher of milk and a full glass sat on the table next to him. Despite the large dinner he had just eaten, Walt ate the brownies with an appetite. Next to him, Paul leaned over and whispered in Walt’s ear.
“You know, those probably aren’t special brownies, right, Walt?”
Walt looked up at Paul with a full mouth.
“Oh, yeah, man. I know. I just love brownies,” he replied.
Paul nodded and smiled and went back to looking out across the land.
Nicole looked over and watched Sam, Jordan, and Billy cleaning the harvester. She cast her gaze across the land before settling on Ruby. Turning, she broached the subject that had been on her mind since before dinner.
“Ruby, how have you made it all this time out here alone?”
Ruby continued to gaze out at her land. “Not smart enough to do anything else, I guess,” she said.
Nicole smiled but kept looking at Ruby. Ruby met her gaze.
“My man, Orland and I worked and sweat over this land for sixty years. Through good times and bad. When the world turned, I guess it wasn’t as much as an adjustment for me as it was for some others,” Ruby said.
Nicole nodded and turned away. “Well, I think it’s just amazing what you’ve done, here, how you’ve managed. When the world turned, as you say, I had a considerable period of adjustment,” Nicole said.
Ruby patted her leg and gave it a loving squeeze. The gesture comforted Nicole more than she would have thought and almost brought her to tears.
“I’d say you have adjusted quite well, indeed, little lady. All your friends hear really look up to you,” Ruby said.
Nicole looked at her, confused. “Oh, I don’t think… that is to say, we’re all just traveling together to Colorado. I mean I’m not their leader or anything,” Nicole said.
Ruby smiled at that. “Listen, my dear, you may not see it, or think of yourself in that way, but I watch how everyone always defers to you when any decision has to be made, like they trust you. You may not think it honey, but they look to you and not in a begrudging way either, like they need you.”
Nicole gazed at Ruby for several long seconds. She never set out to be a leader, never wanted to be. She’d be lying to herself if she said she didn’t feel responsible for those that followed her, but it was not something she asked for. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ruby.
“What did you do before all this, sweetie? Were you military?” Ruby asked.
This time Nicole smiled. “No, ma’am. That’s my father. I rebelled against that, you might say, pretty early. I was a veterinarian. I always seemed to have more use for animals than most people,” Nicole said.
Ruby smiled knowingly. “So you were already used to picking up strays and them that needed help. Seems like you didn’t have to adapt all that much after all,” Ruby said.
Nicole looked at her and smiled. “I don’t know. If my father could see me now…” Nicole’s words trailed off.
Ruby patted her on the leg and looked back out across her land, smiling. “You may have had things important to you that weren’t as important to him, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t stronger because of him,” Ruby said.
Nicole smirked. “Yeah, there’s probably a whole plate of crow I’m gonna have to eat when we get to Colorado,” Nicole said.
Ruby laughed. “Honey, I have eaten a flock of ‘em in my lifetime.”
They all sat in silence, rocking, and enjoying the serene respite from what was out just beyond the borders of Ruby’s land. Sam, Jordan, and Billy tossed an old football around in the yard. Paul joined them as Walt snoozed in the rocker. They made small talk and reminisced about times now past, until one by one they excused themselves and went inside, where Ruby had made places of comfort for them to sleep. In the star filled darkness, Nicole and Ruby sat and rocked. Nicole cleared her throat, breaking the preternatural silence.
“Listen, Ruby. I’ve been thinking. I think-”
Ruby cut her off. “You’ve been thinking that I need to come to Colorado with you. That I’m one more stray that needs picking up and caring for,” Ruby said.
Nicole sat up and was about to speak but Ruby continued
“Don’t worry, sweetie, I’m not offended.
If you weren’t a good person, you would have just eaten and hoped to get gone before I asked if I could come. You offering reveals your heart, and don’t think I take offense at that, not ever,” She said.
Nicole settled back in her chair as Ruby continued.
“It’s just that this land is more than dirt and crops. It’s where I made a life and where I always thought my life would end.”
Nicole looked at her in the darkness. “The choice is yours to make, but maybe my offer means you have a little bit more adjusting to the way things are left in you,” Nicole said.
Ruby smiled in the darkness. She was taken aback by the thought and surprised within herself to be at a loss for words. She didn’t say anything and Nicole didn’t press the issue. The two women enjoyed the night a few minutes more before Nicole stood up and squeezed Ruby on the shoulder. Ruby placed her hand on Nicole’s and squeezed back.
Long after Nicole had gone to sleep, Rubetta Pryde sat and looked at the stars in awe, both of them, and the changes that may yet be written in them.
Thirty-Nine
The smell wafted through the house. It was strong and woke Nicole up from a dead sleep. She didn’t need to wake the others, she could see it was having the same effect on them. She sat up quickly and looked around, even as the others began to do the same. It was a smell she knew well.
Pancakes.
She rubbed the tangled mess of her hair and watched as Walt and the others hurried from their makeshift beds and scrambled down the hall towards the kitchen. Nicole smiled and closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply. The sweet, rich, melted buttery smell filled her senses, seemed to wrap around her. After last night’s feast, she wasn’t hungry when she woke, but she could practically taste the pancakes and her stomach responded with loud rumbles anyway. She threw back the covers and shuffled down the hall after the others.
When she got to the kitchen, she saw Ruby at her stove, which was set in an island in the middle of the floor. Everybody hovered around her with expectant faces and empty plates. Ruby laughed as she filled them all with stacks of pancakes, each one as wide around as the plate itself. No sooner had she filled each one’s plate then they scurried away and plopped down at the table. A flurry of arms passed around the soft butter and syrup. Within seconds, the only sounds were metal forks on glass plates and sounds of ecstasy as the food hit their tongues. Nicole took in the scene a moment before smiling and approaching. Ruby looked up.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” she said.
Nicole looked at the stove and the fresh batch of dough Ruby had poured. The aroma was even stronger in the kitchen and Nicole’s stomach again let its desire be known. Ruby heard it and laughed.
“You’re the late bird, darling, but not to worry. It’ll be just a minute and we’ll get you taken care of,” Ruby assured her as she handed Nicole a plate.
Nicole looked around and noticed suitcases sitting by the door. She looked back at Ruby, who looked up at her knowingly.
“What I said last night was true. This place is more than dirt and crops, but it was more, because of what me and Orland brought to it. Orland’s gone now, spared of all of this unpleasantness. Until you folks came along I thought I knew how my story would end, but I guess I don’t know as much as I think I do and that’s a lesson I keep learning,” Ruby said.
She smoothed down her apron and took a breath before continuing.
“I guess what I’m saying is, if you will have me, I would like to come along with you.”
Setting down her plate, Nicole smiled and gave Ruby a big hug. Ruby chuckled and put an arm around Nicole.
“Awww, aren’t you just the sweet one, baby,” Ruby said, patting Nicole’s back.
From the table, Sam looked up. “What’s wrong, Nicole?” he asked.
Nicole pulled away from Ruby and looked at the group.
“Nothing’s wrong. Ruby’s coming with us,” she said. The news was met with smiles all around.
“Well, alright, momma,” Walt said.
Jordan bounced in her chair and gave a little clap.
“Can she bring her griddle with her?” She asked.
Everyone laughed as they attacked their plates anew. Nicole wiped a tear from her eye.
“No more tears, my sweetness. Hold out your plate now,” she said.
Nicole eagerly grabbed her plate and watched it disappear under two of the biggest pancakes she had ever seen. Everything was forgotten as Nicole took a seat at the table and devoured them. Ruby gazed across the room at the full table and watched them eat.
“We’ll, Orland. I guess it’ll be a might longer till I come see ya. With some new stories to boot, I imagine.”
Ruby and Nicole stood on the front porch while the others helped load Ruby’s things into the back of Walt’s bus. Ruby watched them, a mix of sadness and anticipation on her face. Walt came out of the house carrying her large steamer trunk.
“Mind you don’t hurt your back with that one, hippie,” Ruby said.
Walt stopped and smiled at her.
“Not to worry, momma. Lift with your legs, that’s the rule,” he said.
He stepped off the porch and heaved the trunk over towards the bus. Halfway across the yard, Walt turned back and looked at Ruby.
“Say, momma. Which vehicle were you planning on riding in when we head out?”
Ruby beamed at Walt. “Well I was kinda hoping you would let me ride along in your fancy bus there with you,” Ruby called out to him.
Walt’s smile broadened as he turned and shoved the big trunk in the back of the bus.
“That one there has an old soul and a good heart. He needs watchin’ over. I think that’s part of the reason I was meant to come along with you folks,” Ruby said.
Nicole looked at Ruby questioningly and Ruby saw it.
“Now don’t go thinking I’m some sorta doomsday nut or one that has to see an ordered plan in everything. I just have lived long enough to know that the plans we pitiful mortals make don’t always comply with the way things turn out. There can be bitter disappointment in that, but mighty wonder too,” Ruby said.
Walt jumped down from the bus and ran back into the house. A few seconds later he came out, pushing Ruby’s wheel chair. He eased it down the steps and over to the bus.
Nicole was about to speak when Walt jumped down out of the bus.
“We got you all packed, momma! We’re ready to go when you are!” he said.
Ruby waved at him. She spoke softly to herself.
“Ready, I am. For whatever the good Lord has in mind, I reckon,” Ruby said.
Ruby started down the steps. Nicole looked at her.
“That’s it? Don’t you want to say goodbye to the place or lock up, Ruby?” Nicole said.
From the bottom of the steps, Ruby looked up at Nicole and smiled, then gazed at her house and land for a second.
“Goodbye, house. You were more comfort than trouble most days,” she said.
Nicole laughed as Ruby turned and shuffled across the yard towards Walt’s bus. Walt rushed up and took her hand.
“Ain’t you the gentleman, hippie,” Ruby said as she leaned on him.
Nicole stood there watching them go.
“Come on, Nicole! We’ve got miles to make!” Ruby called, bringing Nicole out of her reverie.
She hurried off the porch and over to the GTO where Sam waited in the passenger seat. As the midmorning sun rose in the sky, they headed down the dirt road and back to the highway.
☣
As the day wore on, Nicole and Walt picked their way down the highway. The stretch they were on was the worst Nicole had seen since she set out. Where before, she was able to reach a good speed, here on what she knew was essentially the last leg of her journey before reaching her father’s base, the roads were jammed with vehicles of all types on both sides of the highway. For the last several hours they had not been able to get their vehicles much above fifteen miles an hour, and that for only short stretches. What was most disconcerti
ng was the fact that the vehicles jamming the road weren’t just abandoned. They were burned and torn. The ground all around the highway was pockmarked with small craters and upturned earth. As Nicole weaved the GTO around the charred remains of what looked to be a Honda civic and a Winnebago, Sam pointed out the windshield.
“There,” he said. Nicole looked up to where Sam pointed as she cleared the wreckage. By the side of the road was a large sign that read
Welcome to Colorado.
Beyond it, down the highway for as far as the eye could see, was more of the same. Wrecked and burned cars and torn up earth on both sides of the highway. As Walt edged passed the Winnebago behind her, the radio crackled to life.
“Hey Nicole, Walt here. Some kind of welcome, huh? What happened here, man?”
Nicole picked up the radio.
“Hey, Walt. I don’t know. It almost looks like somebody bombed all these cars along the highway,” Nicole said.
“Yeah, that’s what we were thinking. But why would someone do that, though? I mean the dead can’t drive so why would someone wipe out a bunch of civilians, man?” Walt said.
“I don’t know that either, Walt. I know things were really crazy at the end, but this doesn’t make any sense to me,” Nicole said.
Nicole pushed slowly down the highway, weaving in and around the carnage. Behind her, the bigger bus came to a stop and Walt had to nudge a mangled pick-up truck out of the way.
Walt cleared the pick-up and caught up with Nicole, as she edged around a flattened Tahoe.
“Jordan wants me to ask you how much further it is to your Dad’s place, man?” Walt said.
Nicole keyed the mic. “We could make it by this evening if it weren’t for all this wreckage on the road. At this rate, I’d say maybe tomorrow afternoon, maybe,” she said.
“That’s cool, man. Hey what is it, anyway, where your Dad works?” Walt asked.
“I’ve only ever been there once and not inside. As far as I know, it’s the undisclosed location. You know, whenever some major event happens and the news says the Vice President has gone to an undisclosed location? Well, this is that place. It’s like Norad, in a mountain, only nobody outside of the military really knows about it,” Nicole said.
Nicole's Odyssey (Human Extinction Level Loss Book 1) Page 19