The Journal: Raging Tide: (The Journal Book 4)

by Deborah D. Moore

  “Jim?” I asked, afraid of the answer.

  “Get in the vehicle, Allex. We’re leaving.” He pulled around the barricades and sped west on M-28.

  *

  We drove in silence, making really good time. M-28 was cleared of any trees or debris, likely from the regular patrolling, and the broken pavement was minimal. In the small town of Antenborough, Jim turned south and stopped near a small clearing. He got out of the Hummer and walked down the road a short ways. I sat on the bumper, waiting for him.

  I stood as he came back.

  “It was Andrea, Allex. Andrea had hacked fifteen people to death.” He took a couple of deep breaths. “Patsy is fine. She told the sergeant that Andrea just snapped. She slashed Patsy’s husband - don’t worry, he’s okay. When Patsy stepped in between them, Andrea ran. She attacked every man she saw plus a few women who tried to stop her.”

  The sun was starting to set. It would still be an hour or two before dark, but we made camp anyway.

  I opened the cooler to find bags of ice, ham and cheese sandwiches, and a container of carrot and orange jello, one of my favorite salads. There would be no need to cook tonight. Jim was building a fire when I handed him a tin cup filled with ice and vodka. He looked up at me and thanked me. I set the bottle down beside him, returning a moment later with my bottle.

  “It must have been difficult to identify her,” I said softly.

  “Patsy had already ID’d her. I didn’t let on that I knew who she was.” He looked over at me sitting on an adjacent log. “I’m glad you didn’t have to see that. She was a gory mess. Not a good way to remember someone.”

  “Thank you for keeping me from that. I really didn’t know her very well though. During my captivity, our time together in the food tent was limited, and we were discouraged from talking to each other.” I took a long sip from my cup and let it burn all the way down. “It’s just so sad.”

  We sat by the fire drinking, watching the woods grow dark. Clouds had moved in again and obscured the stars and that was okay. It fit the mood.

  CHAPTER 17

  JOURNAL ENTRY: May 1

  The clouds from last night hung around all morning while we both nursed a hangover. Early afternoon they opened up, dousing the campfire and saturating everything else. We spent the day talking, playing cribbage, and trying to stay dry in the tent. Dinner was cold Spam sandwiches and two bottles of wine.

  ~~~

  “Allex, wake up!” Jim barked in my ear from a distance. I could feel I was being shaken and all I could see was Tat pushing me around the small cabin. I stumbled on my bruised and swollen feet and I pushed him back. “Allex, wake up!”

  I jerked awake sitting up, disoriented.

  “You were thrashing about and moaning in pain. Are you hurt or were you having a nightmare?” Jim asked, concern filled his voice in the dark.

  I was still breathing hard. “Yes, a nightmare. Tat was beating me again and stepping on my feet. It hurts so much, Jim.” I shuddered.

  “He’s gone, Allex. He will never hurt you again,” Jim said, soothing my jangled nerves. “The nightmares may continue for a while though.” He pulled me close and we fell back asleep.

  May 2

  Sometime around midnight the rain stopped and a warm southern breeze picked up. By daybreak the tent was dry enough to pack. We headed north on this back road until we came to M-28 and once again turned west and toward the rift.

  “We’ve made such good time Jim, even with the rain day, what do you say we stop in to see Annie and the kids?”

  “That’s a good idea. I know they mean a lot to you. I got kind of fond of them myself,” he said. East of Munising he turned off onto 94 that would lead us to the new road along the rift and away from the first access bridge. The gravel and dirt road that paralleled the rift was muddy and slippery and slowed us down.

  “Do you notice anything different about the new river? It doesn’t look as high as it did two weeks ago,” I observed. I had the chance to watch it more intensely than Jim, since he was concentrating on driving and avoiding water filled potholes.

  There was a high spot in the road and grass was growing on the shoulder where Jim brought the Hummer to a stop. We both got out to look closer at the river. Jim hooked his fingers into the back of my belt, and I laughed.

  “You’re right, it does look lower. With all the rain we had yesterday, one would think the river would be higher. I wonder if they’ve managed to finally slow the flow some.”

  “It will be worth checking out after we cross back over,” I said. He let go of my belt when we backed away from the river’s edge.

  The first pass we missed the narrow dirt road where Annie and Glenn lived and we had to backtrack. Pulling into the familiar driveway was a shock. The house was a smoldering pile of rubble with only the brick chimney standing. The lovely porch had half a charred railing and the front shrubs were scorched black.

  As soon as Jim stopped, I jumped out of the Hummer. “Annie! Glenn!” I turned in a circle. “Jared! Jodie!” I started shaking.

  “Annie! Glenn!” Jim bellowed. If they were anywhere around they would hear him. The only sound came from the chickens clucking inside the coop. By some miracle that building was spared and the chickens wanted out.

  As we neared the coop, the door opened and a little redhead peeked out. “Allex?” said a tiny voice.

  “Jared!” I almost wept with relief. Jodie rushed past him and threw herself at my legs. I bent down and picked her up. Her tiny arms circled my neck in a death grip. Jared looked up at Jim, his lip quivering, and raised his arms. Jim quickly picked up the little boy who started sobbing.

  We set them down on the back bumper of the Hummer, facing away from the ruins, and got them some cool water to drink.

  “Jared, can you tell us what happened?” I asked gently. It occurred to me that I had never heard Jodie utter a single word.

  “Yesterday we were playing upstairs because it was raining. Annie called us down and told us to go hide in the chicken’s house. She was really scared and worried. I thought maybe the bad men came back. After we were in the coop, Annie came carrying the burpy and told me to keep it safe. She was showing me how to use it to make clean water since you left last time.”

  “Oh, the Berkey,” I said aloud, not meaning to interrupt him. That she was teaching him young meant she learned that lesson well.

  “Yeah. Annie said there was a fire in the wood stove and Glenn was putting it out and she had to go help him. She said we were to stay here until she came for us,” his little lip quivered again. “She never came back.”

  I looked up at Jim, pleading with my eyes. He nodded and stood. While I stayed with the twins, he went to look through the still hot rubble. By the time he came back, the twins had wolfed down a half sandwich each and another cup of water.

  “I have to talk with the colonel for a minute. You two stay right here, okay?” I stepped away from the Hummer and met Jim halfway to the house.

  He put his arms around me and said, “You don’t want to go any further. It’s still hot, but it looks like Glenn died right at the woodstove. Annie was near the back door, and may have been trying to get out.” I leaned my forehead against his chest.

  “What are we going to do, Jim? We can’t leave the twins here, they’re just babies!”

  “Why don’t we all go to the Goshens’? It will get the kids away from here and maybe Lee and Kora can help us decide what to do.”

  *

  “We’re going to visit some friends, okay?” I told the twins, trying to smile even though it was hard.

  “We have to take the burpy. Annie said I had to keep it safe,” Jared protested. Jim retrieved the water filtration unit from the coop and left the chickens penned up.

  Jared sat on the empty radio console and Jodie stayed on my lap. The trip took less a half hour and she had fallen asleep almost immediately.

  When Jim drove the Hummer up the drive and close to the log house, Lee and Kora c
ame out immediately, happy to see us return. That changed to concern when they saw the children.

  “Who are these little angels?” Kora asked, getting down on one knee while I set a now awake Jodi down.

  The little girl eyed Kora, then reached out and stroked her loose blonde hair. “You look like my mommy. Annie said she’s in heaven now. I think Annie’s in heaven now too.”

  Kora flashed her eyes up at me

  “We need to talk,” I said to the Goshens.

  *

  Inside the big house, Kora led the children to the living room and gave them a puzzle to play with, while the adults went to the kitchen out of earshot. As quickly as we could, we explained what we had come upon. A tear ran down Kora’s pale cheek.

  “They have no one now and I don’t know what to do with them,” I said. “We’re not going straight back to Moose Creek so we can’t take them with us.”

  Lee was the first one to speak. “They can stay here. We’ve always wanted children, right, Kora?”

  She smiled then, and said, “Looks like we have a pair of them now.” I could see the relief on Jim’s face and I closed my eyes and sighed in gratitude.

  “They have nothing, Kora, only what they’re wearing,” I said.

  “I’ll make them some clothes!”

  “Jared insisted on bringing the Berkey,” Jim said. “Even if you don’t need it, he won’t part with it. It’s the one thing he has of his big sister.”

  “Jim, what are we going to do about… Annie and Glenn?” I asked.

  “Lee, you have a couple of shovels and maybe a cage for the chickens?” Jim asked. “No sense in letting the birds starve to death.” Lee nodded and they left the kitchen. Soon we saw them pull out in Lee’s pickup truck. When they returned two hours later, Annie’s chickens were turned loose in the yard, much to the pleasure and excitement of the twins. It was a familiar thing for the twins to hold on to.

  *

  “You will stay the night, won’t you?” Lee asked.

  “Thank you, I think we should. We can’t just drop a couple of kids on you and leave,” I said, smiling at the absurdity of my statement.

  “Good,” Kora said. She turned to the twins. “Come on you two let’s go see your new bedrooms!” Jodi grabbed Kora’s hand; she had made the transition very quickly, perhaps because Kora had blonde hair like her mother. Jared took my hand and the four of us climbed the wide wooden steps to the upper level of the big log house.

  *

  We had dinner early so the twins could get a bath and go to bed.

  “They sure fell asleep quickly,” Kora noted.

  “It’s been a very traumatic couple of days for them,” I said sadly. “They do seem to be resilient, though, which is in your favor – and theirs.” I paused, thinking. “They are really sweet kids and very well behaved. I want to thank you for taking them in.”

  “It’s us that should be thanking you!” Lee said. “We’ve said before that we always wanted children, now this house can be a real home for all of us.”

  The four of us took our drinks out to the large, wide porch to enjoy the evening breeze. The peepers set up a chorus to compete with our casual chatter as we talked into the night. A few early mosquitoes finally drove us in. We said our goodnights and went to our rooms.

  “Okay, now comes the awkward moment,” Jim said, running his fingers through his short gray hair. “Would you prefer I sleep on the floor?”

  “It’s a big bed, Jim, I think we can share it like adults.”

  “Like adults,” he repeated with a sigh.

  CHAPTER 18

  JOURNAL ENTRY: May 4

  The bright morning sun coming through the lacey curtains woke me early. Jim was still sleeping, breathing steady and deep, with his back to me. At least he didn’t snore. I slipped quietly out of the big bed and went into the attached bathroom. We would be doing a lot of traveling today.

  ~~~

  “Good morning,” he said when I came back into the room, showered and fully dressed.

  “Good morning. Sleep well?” I asked. When he gave me a look that said I shouldn’t ask, I turned away.

  “I slept, thinking about those points B and C that we’ve missed,” he replied with a slow smile.

  Yeah, me too, I thought.

  *

  I helped Kora clear away and wash the breakfast dishes. Lee and the children were playing catch out in the dusty yard, and Jim was packing the Hummer.

  “You know you’re always welcome to stay as long as you want, Allex,” Kora said.

  “I know, and I appreciate that. It’s been four weeks we’ve been on the road, though, and I’m anxious to see my family again. And we still have a stop to make at Sawyer. Jim hasn’t said how long that will take us.” I put the last dish away in the cupboard. “I’ve been meaning to thank you for those steaks you put in our cooler. I fixed them with morels,” I said, smiling to hide my discomfort at remembering what else happened at that time.

  She smiled back brightly at me. “Then you won’t mind if I give you two more?”

  “That’s very generous, Kora. Beef is a very rare treat for us. Ever since that first quake eighteen months ago, nothing has been the same. My family has had more fresh venison than anything else. My boys don’t mind though, they enjoy the hunt.”

  Jim came in right then and said we were ready to leave.

  *

  “I promise to bring Allex back another time for a longer visit. For now, though, we really do have to go,” Jim said. He turned to the children. “I know you two will be safe here. We wouldn’t leave you if we had any doubts. And Jared, you take care of your little sister, okay?”

  “Yes, sir, I will,” the little redhead stated. Hugs and handshakes went all around and we left them behind, one more time.

  *

  As we once more approached the dirt road that followed along the river, Jim said, “Which way, Allex?”

  I looked at him in question.

  “This may be our last time for adventure,” he stated. “I vote for us going south and taking the lower bridge across. It’s only a different route.”

  “That’s a really good idea. It will give us a new view,” I agreed. “And quite honestly, Jim, I’ve had enough adventure these past three weeks to last me awhile.”

  Jim scowled. “I had hoped this trip would bring you happier, more pleasant experiences, Allex. I never should have let my guard down before. I honestly thought we were beyond the danger zone. It never occurred to me we would walk right into it. I’m sorry, Allex, I really am.”

  I reached over and put my hand on his arm. “Jim, we can’t anticipate everything. And let’s face it, my capture could have turned out worse, a lot worse. Instead of being brutalized by an impotent sadist, he could have given me to his men. As it was, I was only beaten and not raped.” I sat in silence for a minute. “Which also brings up something else. When we get back home, I don’t want this discussed. Eric and Jason are never to know about this incident. No one is to know. Promise me.”

  Jim stopped the vehicle and turned to me. “I promise, Allex.”

  He brushed a lock of hair away from my face and gently kissed me, then put the Hummer back in gear and followed the road.

  *

  “I can see the bridge ahead, Jim, it’s maybe a half mile,” I said excitedly. Crossing back to the other side put us that much closer to home.

  The Hummer skittered in the mud and Jim slowed to keep control. We were almost at the bridge when it became obvious we were having another earthquake! I know that aftershocks can continue for quite some time when there is a major quake such as the one that opened this rift, or was this a new one?

  Jim swerved hard and put us onto the now swaying structure. “Hang on, Allex!”

  This bridge wasn’t built as strongly as the one further north. I guess that would make sense, since this was for local traffic only and not heavy equipment. The massive wooden boards that extended from side to side were rippling as Jim sped up
. The Hummer bounced over the unevenness with ease and Jim delivered us safely to the other side just as the tremor stopped. I gasped for breath.

  “I never thought I would have to cross another bridge during another earthquake,” Jim said, emerging from the Hummer. “I really am getting too old for this shit.” He was breathing hard and seemed a bit shaky. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. That was scary…” I said. “I never doubted that you wouldn’t get us across though.”

  “I couldn’t let us get stranded on the wrong side, Allex. I’m sure in time we would have gotten across, though, even if we had to get a chopper! I didn’t want to wait for a ride,” he laughed. “Hopefully, there’s no damage to the roads on this side.”

  We drove north on the uneven gravel service road for almost an hour. Another time that hour would have put us all the way to the dam construction, however, we were only about halfway there. The recent rain had washed away some of the gravel, leaving patches of slick mud. Even though it wasn’t anything the Hummer couldn’t traverse, it did slow us down.

  “What in the world?” Jim hit the brakes and brought us to a stop. There, at the beginning of what appeared to be a long driveway, was a “yard sale” sign with colorful balloons dancing beside it in the breeze.

  “Those balloons are new,” I said quietly. “Someone is having a yard sale. I bet they don’t have many takers.” During my online research at the Soo, I found out that out of the three hundred thousand residents of the Upper Peninsula, there were fewer than a hundred thousand left. For being one third the land mass of the state of Michigan, we now had fewer people than a medium sized city. Losing two-thirds of our population to the flu, violence, and the natural disasters sat heavy on my heart.