Layla deftly maneuvered Samantha up and over, but instead of letting go, she hung on to Sam’s shoulder. The momentum carried them both into the ditch. The two tumbled to the ground, but not before Layla made sure to land on top of Samantha.
No sooner had they landed safely as the order pierced through the darkness.
“FIRE!” Josh boomed.
The cool night air came alive and crackled like lightning. The assailant was cut down where he stood. All of the shots hit their target center mass. When the rounds pounded against his torso in rapid succession, the repeated waves of energy flung him backward as if he were a discarded ragdoll. He landed several feet from where he had previously stood.
Seconds passed for an eternity until her father said the magic word, “Clear.”
Layla had never been so glad to hear that one little syllable in all her life. She and Samantha climbed out of the drainage ditch and surveyed the scene. Unknowingly, they approached Toombs’ contorted body hand in hand. Layla stood over Toombs, not really feeling any emotion except gratitude for her family, her unofficial security detail, and the Martinez’s. Oddly, she didn’t feel anything for the dead man. He got what he deserved.
The still night air was broken one last time when a final shot rang out. Samantha had picked up Toombs’ gun and put a round through his head. “That’s for my father. Bastard.”
Josh and the others approached, announcing themselves as they appeared from the darkness. He removed the smoking pistol from Samantha’s hand, grabbed them both with his powerful arms, and wrapped them in a protective bear hug.
Josh began spouting regret and questions in a flurry. “Are you guys okay? Scared me half to death. I thought I lost you. This is entirely my fault. I should have never let you come up here without me.”
“You can’t be everywhere,” Samantha replied from the comforting safety of his chest.
“Scared you,” Layla said incredulously.
Josh chuckled and held them tighter.
As he began to release them from his embrace, he looked down at the two of them and said, “I think it’s time to ride the rails.”
Chapter 14
March 2nd, 2022 – March 5th, 202
The click-clack of the steel wheels on the rails was hypnotic. Most of the passengers were fading in and out of consciousness. Only Josh was alert. In the early morning light he had loaded his daughters and Samantha into his railroad truck and started heading toward his friend Dallas’ house in southwest Virginia. Given the previous night’s activities, most everyone was sleep deprived. They had all received a good jolt shortly after entering West Virginia though. An on-coming freight train headed to Cincinnati or Columbus and points unknown forced them into a hasty exit off of the tracks.
Josh knew the route by heart, but handed Samantha a GPS device and the rail network maps so she could follow along. What he loved most about ‘riding the rails’, as he called it, was that he very rarely had to steer. Growing up, he had always been fascinated by the thought of Knight Rider and figured it would be cool to have a car drive itself. The closest thing he found to that was the utility trucks used by the railroads. He could just set the cruise control, lean back, and enjoy the ride.
The group had worked its way through southeastern Ohio, crossed the river into West Virginia, and was currently paralleling Interstate-77 through the mountains. The location of his friend’s remote survival school would be ideal until Samantha needed to be in D.C.
Dallas McKutcheon, together with James Rooney, had used some seed money from Josh’s father to start the Southwestern Virginia Survival and Wilderness School. Dallas and Josh were childhood friends while James was one of his platoon sergeants from the Corps.
For years, the three met on their leased hunting grounds. They would reconnect and hunt whatever was in season. On occasion, Josh would have Dallas swing by his family home and pick up his father before he too had passed. It was no surprise when Josh’s father bequeathed a sum of money to buy the land out right.
Over time, Dallas and James were able to save up and build their own cabins on the property in addition to the bunk house for the patrons.
“You awake,” Josh said as he glanced over at Samantha.
“Yeah,” she answered in an exhausted reply.
“Are we there yet?” he said jokingly and annoyingly.
“Very funny, Josh,” Sam replied.
She sat more upright and began trying to determine their location. Josh gave her the instrument and rail line maps in the hopes that it would take her mind off of Toombs. He knew from experience that riding rails for long stretches, without a distraction, was a good place to drive you insane.
“According to our coordinates, we have three hours to go. Where are we headed anyway? The GPS says our destination is in the middle of nowhere.”
“Why don’t you lean into the backseat and tell the girls we are headed to see ‘JD’ and see what happens,” he replied.
Samantha put down the papers and turned in her seat. Layla was out cold, but Katherine was blankly staring out the window and looked as if she too might pass out.
“Hey, you awake?” she said as she gently shook her leg.
“Barely. What’s up?” came the replied.
“Your dad says we’re going to see some guy named JD? Does that mean anything to you?” Samantha asked.
She immediately perked up and was now fully in control of her mental faculties. “Really!” she said excitedly.
“Yeah, who’s that?” Sam said confused.
“That’s James and Dallas! They’re like the greatest uncles a girl could have!
“How do you guys know them?”
“James is a Marine buddy, but Dallas grew up with Daddy. He came and lived with us after the trial for a while. They are so much fun! You’re gonna love those guys,” she replied excitedly.
Samantha turned back to Josh and said, “Well, that woke her right up. So we’re headed to see some friends, I take it?”
“It was on the way. Besides, the southern route to D.C. is faster. It has less traffic and is far more rural. We could have always gone north through Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Baltimore. I hear the sightseeing through there is lovely this time of year,” he concluded sarcastically.
“No, thank you,” she replied curtly. “This route is fine by me. It’s absolutely beautiful out here.”
“You should see it when the trees are full and the moonlight dances through the canopy. There’s jasmine, lilac, lavender, and honeysuckle all along this route. When you come through here in late summer, it’s like driving through a different bouquet every five miles. No one really saw it until everyone was forced to travel by train. Kind of reminds me of that perfume you were wearing the night you fell into my life. Pun intended.”
“My God, Josh. You remember that?” Sam replied clearly taken aback.
“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I? I hadn’t smelled anything that expensive since my honeymoon. We stayed a few days in Paris before making our way to Provence.”
“I had no idea you were so cultured,” she said playfully.
Doing an impression, Josh replied, “Life is like a box of chocolates.”
From the backseat, Katherine offered, “Get a room.”
The two just chuckled.
The group continued on its journey as far as it could on the rails. They had come over the continental divide and the signal lights had alerted them to another oncoming train a few miles before they needed to exit the rails. Fortunately, none of the encounters occurred when they were on one of the twenty plus trestles that inundated the mountain rail lines.
When they exited the tracks in Wytheville, Virginia, Josh stopped in Independence so the group could stretch their legs and use the restroom. While the girls were doing their thing, Josh removed a stowed SAT phone from his pack and dialed Dallas’ number.
Dallas answered in his customary manner, “Go for Dallas.”
Chuckling, Josh said in his worst New E
ngland accent, “Hey buddy. You’s guys gots room fer some Yankees?”
James and Dallas had long held the belief that any man born and raised in the south, who willingly chose to marry a Yankee, was no longer a Southerner, let alone a man. The joke had played itself out numerous times during their hunting trips until, eventually, Josh learned to play along.
“Well, I’ll be? Did you remember to turn the light off when you left cause I know you’re the last person out of Ohio!”
“That one never gets old, Dallas,” Josh replied with a smile.
“How many you got? Just the three?”
“I’m actually a plus one this time.” he responded.
“You bring one of the Martinez boys?” Dallas asked inquisitively.
“Nope. You’ll see when we get there.”
“Well, all right then. Let me call the jarhead. How far out are you?” his friend wondered.
“’Bout forty-five minutes. Stopped in Independence to stretch and use the facilities. You guys need anything?”
“Nah, we bagged our limit of goose on the last day of the season ‘n we have a whole slew of stuff still in the cellar. Just come on,” Dallas replied.
“Roger that. See you soon,” Josh replied.
Josh and the group navigated the remaining distance with ease. Once the gate to the property was closed behind them, they started heading toward Dallas’ house down in the valley next to the river. As they rounded the last corner, before starting their descent to his friend’s home, Josh slammed on his brakes and brought his vehicle to an abrupt stop.
In front of him was a pair of individuals wearing stark white HAZMAT suits complete with gasmasks, yellow rubber boots, and gloves. Each of them was totting a large caliber semi-automatic weapon.
Laughing uncontrollably, Josh stumbled out of the car.
“Halt! This is a restricted area!” came the booming command from the larger of the two. Josh knew that had to be James. That man was built like a brick house.
Samantha was still half asleep when Josh slammed on the brakes. Once she caught sight of the men standing in the road, she immediately exited her seat and drew her sidearm.
The HAZMAT wearing patrol saw her exiting the vehicle with her pistol drawn. In a lame Aussie accent, one of them shouted, “Oi! Who’s the gun tottin’ Sheila?”
Josh glanced to his right in time to see Samantha raising it into a firing position. He quickly took two steps toward her and clamped his hand on top of the barrel to prevent it from coming level.
“Relax, Sam. They’re friends.”
Taking the weapon from her, Josh turned toward the pair and explained, “Sorry. We’ve had an interesting twenty-four hours.”
James removed his hood and gas mask and replied, “So we see.”
* * *
At 6:30, Josh pulled the large roasted goose out of the oven. He proudly declared that dinner was ready. Dallas had purposefully not frozen one of his geese so that he and James could pick at it for the next few days. J.D., as Layla and Katherine referred to the pair, had operated the school on the mountain property for over a dozen years. James, as a former Marine, taught combat and fighting techniques as well as marksmanship. Dallas, seemingly born and raised in the woods, instructed their customers on the basics of tracking, dressing, and storing game. He also provided classes on identifying edible and medicinal plants and herbs.
James, the resident chef for the owners, had prepared all the trimmings that would typically accompany a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Everything he made was homemade, from scratch. He was an even bigger proponent of fresh and organic than Josh.
As the group began to take their seats, James said, “All right, Josh, you told us we had to wait until dinner to find out what was going on. Spill it already.”
“After grace,” Dallas chided him.
“Can someone explain to me how a backwoods hillbilly can be more religious than a brother?” James exclaimed.
“I don’t know, James, but I’ll be sure to ask Him,” Dallas quickly replied to laughter from the group.
Once everyone was seated, Dallas reached out and took Layla and Katherine’s hand as a signal to the group that it was time for grace.
Katherine leaned over and quietly said, “Hey, Uncle Dallas?”
Leaning to reply, Dallas whispered, “Yeah, hun?”
“Can you make it a quick one? I’m starving!”
Smiling, he answered, “I’ll see what I can do.”
Dallas looked around the table and began, “Let us pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for this bounty for which we are about to receive. We ask that you bless this food so that it may strengthen our bodies and give it the nourishment it needs so that we may exact your will in all facets of our life. We thank you for safely reuniting us with old friends and providing us with the opportunity for new friends. We humbly ask that you keep and protect us all in these times of growing need.”
Dallas paused before quickly finishing with, “And Lord, we ask that you aid our friend James so that he may come to better know you and your Son, Jesus Christ. In your name we pray. Amen.”
Through chuckles, the rest of the table responded in unison, “Amen.” James then picked up a roll and threw it at Dallas.
The weary travelers had arrived at the mountain a little after noon. Between showers, naps, snacks, and drinks, the combined group had only exchanged small talk. Samantha was new. She danced around certain subjects fairly well, but when that had proved difficult, Josh had interceded and asked that they wait until dinner. It was apparent to Samantha that J.D. looked upon Josh as their leader. As a result, his wishes were respected. It didn’t hurt that one of them was a former NCO under Josh in the Marine Corps. Dallas had not served, but the bonds of friendship had been forged long ago.
James sat at the head of the table and deftly worked the carving knife. Without breaking his concentration, he asked, “So what’s this all about? What had this little lady so scared that she’d pull a gun on a six-foot-five black man holding an AR-15?”
Samantha immediately turned her eyes toward her plate and demurred, “I said I was sorry about that.”
“Oh, don’t mind him Sam,” Dallas said. “He’s just giving you some grief.”
“Yeah, I’m messin’ with you,” James said and then asked, “So what’s going on?”
“Sam,” Josh said turning the floor over to her.
Samantha swallowed and began explaining to Josh’s oldest living friends the hard truth about who she was and how she came to be in their lives. She told them of her father’s misgivings’ regarding the GMO seeds the companies had been peddling and his dying wishes. Shocked silence permeated the table as she spoke. She went on to state very matter-of-factly how she secretly reached out and contacted Secretary McInerney. She described being shot out of the sky, the attempted kidnapping by Mr. Toombs, all of it.
“So where is that guy now,” Dallas asked.
“I had Juan put him in a pine box and ship him back to Tomason at his Montana ranch. He should be there in a few days,” Josh answered. “We’ll have to answer for that in the future, I’m sure, but for right now all that matters is that she gets to D.C. to testify.”
“It was self-defense, Daddy,” Layla added. “He had a gun on the two of us and all but admitted he was going to kill me and kidnap her. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing to explain.”
“That may be, but it isn’t for us to decide. This country has laws. Right, wrong, or indifferent, and we all have to abide by them.”
“Oh, and I suppose the erosion of the Constitution and our Second Amendment rights falls under that statement too then, huh?” Dallas interjected.
“Not now, Dallas,” Josh warned. “Right now we need to come up with a plan to get her in and out of D.C.”
“I used to date a local hair dresser over in Elk Creek. She might be able to help,” James said as he began looking Samantha over. “I don’t know what she can do for white folk, but it’ll be better
than nothing. Maybe change the hair color or style. She probably knows some folks that can play around with other things like make-up, perhaps a wig.”
“Thank you James. I’m sure whatever they come up with will be just fine... but I wasn’t finished.”
“There’s more than that?” Dallas asked.
“A lot more,” Samantha replied.
“Well, let’s have it then,” James inserted.
“I’ll be right back. I have to get something from my bag,” Samantha answered as she excused herself from the table and headed to her room.
“Girls, do you know what she’s talking about,” Josh asked his daughters.
Layla answered first, “She’s already said everything I knew.”
“Katherine?”
Doing her best Sergeant Shultz impersonation, Katherine replied, “I know nothing!”
Samantha re-emerged and placed a thumb drive on the table.
“What is this, Sam?” Josh questioned.
“Well, before I headed off to Montana, Secretary McInerney and I decided that we didn’t want it to come down to their word versus mine in a Congressional hearing or a court of law so...”
James picked up the little device and said, “So you recorded the whole thing?”
“Yup,” Samantha answered.
“Why didn’t I know about this?” Josh asked.
“I assumed you did since you were the one that undressed me and put me in the bed after I passed out on the kitchen table. I found this in the drawer in my bedroom.”
“Daddy!” Katherine exclaimed.
“Your father was a complete gentlemen, girls. I’m sure he covered his eyes. Right, Josh?”
“Absolutely,” Josh said with a devilish grin on his face.
“To answer your question more thoroughly, James, I planted several wireless devices around the house. Then I used Edward’s wifi to send the audio to my laptop. The idiot didn’t have the network secured. Once we were airborne, I transferred it on to this drive. I couldn’t very well jump out of a plane with a computer.”
When Rome Stumbles Page 18