by A J Newman
Joe saw a wastebasket with some bandages and empty medicine bottles. He also saw an empty tube of antiseptic on the floor. Then he saw something that caught his eye. It was a green and black flannel shirt. There were millions like it in the world, but he knew that Cobie had worn his the night she followed him to find Bennie.
Joe picked up the shirt and placed it on his face hoping to smell Cobie on the cloth. The shirt smelled like wood smoke. Joe felt something in the pocket and found a piece of paper.
The paper read, “Dear Joe.”
Joe shouted, “Cloe come here quick!”
Cloe ran into the room and said, “Joe what did you see? Hey, that looks like your shirt. Mom wore that the night we lost her. She was here.”
They hugged each other, crying too much to speak until Joe said. “This means your mom made it here because the shirt plus the bandages match what we should have expected to see. Baby Girl, I’m afraid that Mal or someone like him killed these men and took all of the women. We have to find your mom in the next couple of days, or we will never find her.”
“How do we find her?”
“That’s what I’m trying to come to grips with now. We don’t have a lot of time, so I think we only stop at the houses or cabins that have a view of the road. There aren’t that many so we should be able to hit them all before dark. We stop at the outskirts of Ashland, and I take you back home. I …” Joe said before Cloe interrupted.
“But Joe I need to find my mom. I ….” Cloe responded before Joe stopped her.
“Cloe taking you into the city would prevent us from finding your mom. I would spend most of my time trying to protect you and none searching for your mom,” Joe warned.
“But Joe who will watch your back?” Cloe answered.
“I’ll have to be very careful and only contact people that I can trust. I’ll also talk to some of the bad guys and get info from them,” Joe said.
“Joe the bad guys won’t give you information,” Cloe said.
“They will if they want to live. Cloe I don’t want to torture people to get info on your mom, but I will if needed. Let’s stop looking past today and hope we find your mom today,” Joe said.
“I don’t like it one bit, but I do understand. Who will I stay with?” Cloe asked.
“Jane and her boys. I don’t want Butch sniffing around at night,” he replied.
“Charlie is awful cute also,” Cloe said with a grin.
“If any of them touches you I’ll cut off … well, I’ll cut off something,” Joe replied.
“Joe you’re starting to sound like my dad.”
“Don’t sass me girl or I’ll have to spank you,” Joe laughed.
They stopped at the first three cabins, and two were abandoned. The people living in the third didn’t want to talk but finally told Joe a truck sped past them the day before. The man told Joe there were two women and a man driving. This was the same story from the next eight cabins.
“Cloe we’re back at Ben’s place. If Ben saw the truck then I’m sure the truck was heading into Ashland,” Joe said.
Ben and Sarah came out to greet them when Joe drove the Jeep up to their cabin. Ben had his AR and Sarah had a deer rifle in her arms. They shook hands and exchanged hugs. Sarah tried to take Cloe into the cabin so the men could talk but Cloe dug in her heels and stayed outside to listen to the conversation.
“Ben, we’re following a pickup that came through here yesterday. It had two women and a man. We think one might have been Cobie. Did you see them?” Joe asked.
“We saw the truck yesterday afternoon. There were two blonde women, and a man was driving. They were arguing, and one woman yelled for help. I stepped out into the road, and the man backed up to confront me but saw my AR and drove off. Joe, there was no black haired women in the truck,” Ben said.
“What about in the bed of the truck. Could she have been there?” Cloe asked.
“I don’t know. I guess it’s possible,” Ben said.
“Ben, I’m going on down to Ashland to find Cobie. Keep an eye out for any strangers,” Joe said.
Sarah looked at Cloe and wanted to help. “Cloe, you can stay here if you want.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be staying with Jane and the boys while Joe brings my mom back.”
“Joe, I guess you know the gangs have taken over all of the cities from Ashland to Grants Pass,” Ben said.
“I know. I’ll be okay. I’ll see you in a few days,” Joe replied then turned and left with Cloe.
Butch saw the Jeep heading his way and took cover until he recognized Joe and Cloe. “Dad, Joe and Cloe are back!”
Joe and Cloe got out of the Jeep and walked to Butch and saw the others running to greet them.
“Hello, Cloe. Are you okay? Did you find your mom?” Butch asked.
Cloe began sobbing and reached for Joe to hold her. “No, but we think we know where she might be. Joe is going down to Ashland to bring her back.”
“Joe, I’m glad to see both of you back in one piece,” Ginny said as she hugged Cloe and Joe.
“Cloe, if anyone can find your mom it’s Joe. Come on in and join us in some lunch,” Jane said as she hugged Cloe and smiled at Joe.
“Cloe go on in and eat. I need to talk with Joe a bit, and then we’ll join you,” Dan said.
Ginny and the kids went into the house, but Jane stayed behind to join the conversation. Dan said, “Jane, please go in. This is something Joe needs to hear in private.”
“Dan, I’m a big girl. You don’t have to tell me that the chances of finding Cobie are slim and none. Joe knows that but has to do his best to find her and won’t stop until he finds her or knows he will never find her. That’s what I’d want him to do if it were me or one of my kids that got kidnapped,” Jane said with tears in her eyes.
Joe hugged her and said, “Dan, she can stay. Just say what you need to say.”
“Joe, Ben, and I saw a pickup speed past here yesterday. The man had two women captives. Neither were Cobie. Joe don’t shoot the messenger, but you will not find Cobie. She is gone and either dead or a sex slave to one of these gangs. Stay here with us, and you have a good chance of living. Cloe adores you and needs a good father. Don’t go and get yourself killed just to find a woman that is already dead,” Dan told Joe.
Joe gave Dan a bear hug. “Dan, Ben told me about the truck. I know I might be chasing my tail and never find Cobie, but what kind of person doesn’t lay their life on the line for the person they love. I have to live with myself and couldn’t look myself in the eye if I didn’t give everything I have into finding Cobie for Cloe and me.”
“Well, your mind is made up. Let’s go eat,” Dan said.
“Joe, stay with me for a minute,” Jane said.
“Jane, I have to go. Please don’t try to talk me out of going,” Joe pleaded.
“Joe, you have to go. My door is open if you want to stay, but you’ll hate yourself and me if you don’t go and do your best to find her. Hell, if it were me out there I’d like to think that you would search for me with the same passion. Go find her or exhaust all possibilities. If you come back without her we’ll see where life takes us,” Jane said.
“Jane, you are a good woman and need to move on. I care for you as a friend. I love Cobie. Don’t wait for me with false hopes. I will find Cobie and bring her home,” Joe replied with as much tenderness as he could muster.
***
Sarah enjoyed the short walk down the mountain to Dan’s home. Even though it was only a few miles, she was exhausted and had to rest several times. Ben was a wonderful husband and very protective of his 34 year-old-wife who had been dealt a bad hand in life. They met three years ago at a company picnic for his sister’s company. She talked Ben into going so she could play matchmaker. Of course, Ben and Sarah hit it off and six months later, they were married.
Ben and Sarah both loved camping and fishing, but Sarah was not into hunting. She didn’t mind Ben hunting but wasn’t going out to kill animals
when meat was much better and cheaper in the long run at the grocery.
After over two years of trying to start a family, they went to see their doctor to see if there was a medical reason for infertility. Joe’s guys were good swimmers and in good health. The test on Sarah came back with bad news. She had a malignant tumor on her uterus that had metastasized. Her doctor wanted to send her to a surgeon, have her female parts removed, and determine how far the cancer had spread and if it could be removed. The surgeon determined that with surgery and aggressive chemotherapy that she could live five to six years and a small miracle could give her a much longer lifetime. Without the treatments, she had six months at best to live.
Unfortunately, for the couple, the shit hit the fan, and there would be no surgery or chemo for Sarah. A month after coming to grips with her fate she began planning Ben’s future because she knew he would wallow in pity if he didn’t have someone to help him through his grief.
During their walk, Sarah carefully discussed the benefits of working for the new group but avoided mentioning the single lady in the neighbor’s camp. They arrived, and Jane immediately challenged them with a big gun.
“Hello, you must be Ben and Sarah,” Jane said.
“Yes, and you are?” Sarah asked.
“I’m Jane, and you’ll meet Cole and Charlie, my two boys when we get to the houses. I was so glad to hear that we had more neighbors. It will be nice to have another woman to talk to around here,” Jane replied.
“We don’t have any children. I couldn’t. I’m keen to meet the others,” Said Sarah.
“Let’s go. One of my boys can take over my watch,” Jane said.
Sarah watched the rather shapely brown-haired woman lead the way. She had a great smile and was attractive in a tomboy manner. She would fit in very well.
Ginny and Dan were very cordial hosts as they met in their kitchen. Ben and Dan enjoyed each other’s company and soon went outside to look at the bunny pens and the various traps they used. The women stayed in the house and sent the kids out to run traps and go fishing.
“Aren’t you afraid to send the kids out alone? There are so many bad people out there,” Sarah said.
“It scares me to death, but Joe and Dan have trained them and armed them with pistols and rifles. I am not as much scared they will be harmed as I am that they might have to kill people,” Ginny said.
“On the other hand, I’m teaching my boys how to make sure they shoot the bad guys with two bullets to the body and one in the head. I stress that killing thugs is no different from shooting rats in a corncrib. We don’t have jails and couldn’t feed the bastards anyway. Eliminating them the first time we encounter them saves other people from being attacked. What we need more of are single men,” Jane coolly said.
Sarah and Ginny laughed, and Ginny said, “Well, Cobie didn’t appreciate Joe very much, and now she’s gone. Joe will come around and start courting you one day.”
Sarah frowned when suddenly Jane replied, “I wish he would, but he is madly deeply in love with her. I like her a lot and hope they get together, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t very jealous of her. This may sound cold and calculating, but a man or a woman won’t last long out here without a mate. I told Joe that if he wasn’t going to knock on my door, he could at least bring a single man home from one of his trips for me,” Jane replied.
“Isn’t Cobie jealous of your relationship with Joe?” Sarah probed.
“Yes, she is but that doesn’t keep Joe warm in bed at night. I think she had a bad marriage and can’t get close to men. She is Joe’s best friend, but that’s about it. You can see his frustration rising,” Jane laughed.
“That’s too bad. I’ll bet Cobie doesn’t realize there are two women for every man left in this world,” Sarah replied.
That was the day Sarah thought of her long-range plan. She really liked Jane, and she would fit perfectly into Sarah’s plan.
☆
Chapter 4
The two captive women decided to find a cabin deep in the woods and hide. They didn’t want to go searching for Gail and Lyn. Emily thought they were ungrateful but didn’t make a fuss when they peeled off and went their own way. Cobie and Emily walked on down the mountain looking in driveways for the pickup. They stopped and asked several times if anyone had seen the women, but no one had. Two men followed them until Cobie shot a tree they hid behind like thieves. The men ran off and disappeared.
They walked for an hour and rested for ten minutes most of the day to keep up a good pace. They were both sure that Mal went down to Ashland but checked for the truck and women along the way just in case.
Emily insisted they take East Hyatt Lake Road down to Highway 66 to avoid the more traveled roads. The route was longer but not as much up and down hills. The total distance to Ashland going that way was actually 22 miles versus 16 miles through the mountains.
They talked as they traveled and Emily took it upon herself to help Cobie get her memory back.
“Jane, repeat what I say and quickly fill in the blank.”
“My name is …”
“My name is … damn, I don’t know,” Cobie replied.
“Damn I Don’t Know, say this. My favorite cake is …”
“My favorite cake is Carrot Cake,” Cobie replied.
“Great, say this, I live in.”
“I live in a cabin,” Cobie said.
“Say, the city I live in is called …”
“The city I live in is called Ashland,” Cobie replied.
“Say, my daughter’s name is …”
“My daughter’s name is Cloe. Hey, I have a daughter named Cloe, live in Ashland in a cabin, and love Carrot Cake,” Cobie said with a grin.
Cobie took over and said, “My name is … Oh, fuck, I still don’t know. I have a husband, and his name is shit head,” Cobie said.
“Take a break for a while and try again,” suggested Emily.
“Yeah, let’s keep walking before I remember my shithead husband. I hope I divorced the bastard,” Cobie said.
Cobie stopped to check out all of the older vehicles to see if any would run and none would. She explained to Emily why older vehicles might run, but Emily didn’t understand. She was the typical teenager who had been spoiled by her parents. She just expected a car to run and water to flow from a faucet. If it was an App on a computer, she was a wiz at using them but nothing mechanical or old school. Cobie knew a car would help speed up the search but wouldn’t be necessary inside the city.
They kept walking downhill until they arrived at the Highway 66 junction. They were both exhausted from the nine-mile walk downhill all the way, their calves hurt, and their legs were wobbly. There was an Inn across the road at the intersection, so they decided to see if it was occupied.
“I’ll get closer, and you watch my butt. Shoot anyone who attempts to hurt us. Don’t think just pull the trigger. Here I go,” Cobie said.
Cobie made it to the Inn without seeing anyone and waved at Emily to follow her. Next, she pushed the front door open and walked into the lobby and then the adjoining restaurant. The place had been looted but not trashed. Cobie went to the front desk, took all of the keys to the rooms, and stuck them in her jean’s pocket. The rooms were in a larger building behind the restaurant, and then there were additional cabins along a private road that ended at a lake.
“Hey, Emily, look. Someone must have left in a hurry. They left some camping gear. This backpack has a sleeping bag, hammock, and a bunch of other stuff. Check the kitchen for food and water,” Cobie cried out.
Emily searched the kitchen and found half a case of bottled water, a box of Clif Bars, and a few cans of food.
“There’s not much here, but we can eat for a couple of days and keep our food for later,” Emily said.
“Emily, let’s take the cabin down by the lake in case someone else shows up tonight,” Cobie said.
“That sounds great. I wish it were warmer. I’d like a dip in the lake,” Emily said.
>
“I’m afraid it will have to be a sponge bath tonight. Maybe we can heat some water by the fireplace once it gets dark. I’m hungry,” Cobie replied.
The cabin was a modern structure with all of the latest conveniences and had a fireplace. The building looked like a cabin on the outside but had painted and wallpapered walls on the inside. The faucet didn’t work, but the stove was gas and lit the first time, so Cobie asked Emily to prepare their supper.
“I’m tired of jerky and beans. Could you try to make soup out of what we have and what you can find in the kitchen while I fetch some water and firewood?” Cobie asked.
“I’ll get right to it. I’ll also put some water on for our baths if you bring some extra water,” Emily replied.
Emily used a bottle of their drinking water to start the concoction that would pass as soup, while Cobie took two buckets down to the lake and back several times. She brought back enough water to fill the tub to three inches deep. She then brought two more buckets of water to heat for their baths. Cobie then brought in two arms full of firewood from a stack behind the cabin.
Unfortunately, the women’s presence didn’t go unnoticed. Two men watched Cobie from the third cabin down from the restaurant. The men snuck closer to the cabin after the sun went down and the shadows hid them. The men watched the women through the open window and waited for them to go to sleep before they would attack.
“Emily the soup was magnificent, and I can’t eat another delicious spoon full. Now some wine, a book, and my bath,” Cobie jested.
“I’ll flip you for the first bath,” Emily said.
“Okay, here’s a nickel; I’ll flip. You call it.”
“Heads,” Emily said.