by E. E. Borton
“Don’t give me that chance, son,” said Parker, breaking my trance.
“You’ve already got Bruce,” I said over my shoulder. “Don’t get greedy, old-timer.”
Returning to the table, I noticed Doc was no longer sitting alone. Perry and his family, along with Pastor Rick and his wife, had joined him. The company of friends seemed to have broken the spell of sadness over him. For the next hour it was nothing but cutting up and laughter.
This new world didn’t let you laugh for long.
It stopped when Joey rose from his seat with a scowl on his face. I turned to see six men walking up behind us out of the dark and into the circle. All had rifles slung across their backs and pistols on their belts. I had no idea who they were, but everyone else did.
A gentle hand reached up, pulling Joey back to his seat. His girl smiled at him, leaning over to whisper in his ear. He leaned back, putting his arm around her, but he didn’t take his eyes off of them.
“Glad you boys could make it,” greeted Rick, standing. He walked around the table, extending his hand. “Good to see you, Tucker.”
“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world, Pastor.”
“Plenty of food, drink, and music for everyone,” said Perry. “No need for those guns out in the open. Parker and Bruce will hold them for you after they pour you a cup of their best batch.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’ll keep it on me,” said a man, stepping up beside Tucker. “Don’t want anybody running off with it.”
“It’s not all the same to me,” said Perry. “Leave those rifles or leave. You know I don’t ask anything twice, J.D.”
Shit.
“Easy, Perry. I’ll leave it if this pretty lady dances with me,” said J.D., putting his hand on Kelly’s shoulder. “We don’t want no trouble.”
“Do what Perry asks and I’ll give you that dance,” said Kelly.
“You don’t have to –”
She glared at me while she stood.
“Uh-oh,” said J.D. “Kelly’s got herself a new boyfriend. I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure.”
“Didn’t have an old boyfriend, J.D. That makes it hard to have a new one. You want to dance with me or talk to him?”
“I love the sassy ones,” said J.D. “I’ll be gentle with her.”
He handed his rifle to Tucker and walked Kelly to the dance floor. The other five headed for the booze, leaving their guns with Parker. Rick took Kelly’s seat beside me.
“Tucker and Joey have been at each other’s throats since they were in high school,” said Rick, leaning in closer to me. “J.D. is Tucker’s older brother. They don’t have very much to do with our plan here. They chose to stay on the family property about three miles from town. They don’t contribute, but they don’t take anything from us either. Those other four are just friends of their family. I guess you could call them a splinter group. But if we really needed their help, I think they’d give it. They’re not bad people, they just don’t like our rules.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.
“Because you’re staring at J.D. right now.”
I cut my eyes over to Rick and smiled. “That obvious, huh?”
“Trust me, nobody blames you,” said Rick, returning the smile. “But don’t make the mistake of thinking she needs someone to take care of her. That macho crap won’t fly with that one. The only reason she’s dancing with him is to keep you out of trouble.”
“Keep me out of trouble?”
“Yes, sir,” said Rick, standing. “That’s even more obvious. If you’ll excuse me, I need to dance with my wife now.”
It wasn’t easy sitting there watching J.D. with his arms around her. I did my best to make small talk with Doc, but he knew my mind was elsewhere. He slid a full cup in front of me and grinned. I think he was enjoying the show.
When the song was over J.D. headed for the food table. Kelly headed straight for me. There was a certain disturbing determination in her walk. When she was close enough for me to see her face, I knew a different kind of trouble was coming.
“Come with me,” said Kelly, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the circle of light.
“Look, I –”
“Stop talking.”
I nodded.
“I don’t need anyone to defend my honor. That’s already been taken away from me. Those guys came down here looking for an idiot to start a fight with and they almost found one. If I ever need your help, I’ll ask for it. I was attacked by four men in the dark. That doesn’t mean I’m weak or broken.”
“I don’t think of you as either,” I said, risking my life by talking. “If that’s what I put out there, I’m sorry. I only see you as strong and unbreakable. If I wasn’t such an idiot, I would’ve already been dancing with you.”
“Keep talking.”
“Look, I’m at a bit of a loss here,” I said. “I’m finding things I didn’t think existed anymore. One day I’m in the middle of nowhere with strangers trying to take my life, and the next day I’m with strangers who saved it. I came here with nothing, Kelly. Now I’m surrounded by family and friends. Now I’m standing on a street corner at a festival, talking to the woman who takes my breath away every time I see her.”
“Stop talking,” said Kelly, wrapping her arms around my neck, pulling me into her kiss.
Chapter 42
(Day 43)
Six-Pack
When my bedroom door flew open, Uncle Perry froze in his tracks. It took a second for my eyes to catch up with my ears. It wasn’t an easy lesson for him to learn. He wasn’t looking wide-eyed at me; he was looking down the barrel of my shotgun.
“Take it easy, son,” said Perry, raising his empty hands.
“I’m sorry, Uncle,” I said, lowering the weapon. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Ditto. Dumb thing to do, I know. You sleep with that thing?”
“You don’t?”
“River’s on the rise again,” said Perry, putting down his hands. “Rising fast. Joey says it’s less than a mile from town and raging. We got dark clouds rolling in from the west. It may already be too late, but we’re taking the train all the way up to Nickajack Dam. The Kramer boys are waiting for us at the station.”
“Where do you need me?”
“Downstairs for right now,” said Perry, breathing heavily. “Help River and Donna pack everything up and move it into the attic. We’re on high ground, but I don’t want to take any chances. When you’re done, I need you to head into town and help Doc assemble the folks that’ll be moving up into the hills.”
“You okay, Uncle?”
“I just don’t like leaving my girls behind,” said Perry. “But we don’t know what we’re going to come up against on the line. We’ve never taken the iron horse that far north. We need every gun hand we can muster on that train. We lose that thing and we’re knocked back into the Stone Age. I have to go, and I have to take Joey with me.”
“I won’t let anything happen to them,” I said, trying to calm him.
“I know you don’t want it to happen,” said Perry. “But you’re still banged up and have a cast on your shooting hand.”
Grabbing a folding knife from my pack, I sliced through the thin strip of plaster that wrapped around my thumb and down my palm. Flexing my fingers, I looked up at Perry and smiled. “That feels good.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” said Perry, grinning.
“I know,” I replied. “I’m a lefty. But it made you feel better, didn’t it?”
“I know you can be a serious man when you need to be. That’s what makes me feel a little better about leaving them to you.”
Perry and Joey said their goodbyes, putting their loved ones in my hands. If all went well, I hoped to see them later in the evening. If it didn’t, I had no idea when I’d see them again. They’d be on the wrong side of the flooded river.
After stuffing the attic with anything of value, Donna, River, and I made our way into t
own. The decorations were still hanging from the night before. So was the fresh memory of being with Kelly. As we passed the clinic, seeing her face inside made all the trouble go away.
Assembled in front of the stage with whatever they could carry, about sixty people were listening to instructions being given by Bruce. The plan was to stay in a group downtown. Several locals would be sent to the river’s edge as a flood watch. If it looked as if it were going to overtake Stevenson, they’d sound the alert to head for the hills.
River was right. Every able bodied man had either returned to Scottsboro or was on the train that left an hour before. If the cowards in the hills came for us, they’d be fighting old men, women, children, and me. My plan was to avoid that fight. Bruce headed my way after his speech.
“Good morning,” greeted Bruce. “Glad to see you’ll be joining us. We can use all the help we can get.”
“Whatever you need, I’m yours.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like for you to move up ahead of the group,” said Bruce. “If we need to evacuate, we’re going to assemble at Thunder Hills Campground about two miles west of here. You can’t miss it. It has two large open picnic shelters that’ll hold all of us. From what I’ve been told, there are several abandoned campers still there. We’ll need those for the sick folks and the young ones.”
“And when I get there?”
“I sure do hate to ask this of you, but I have to,” said Bruce, lowering his head. “Pastor put me in charge of the safety of these here children.”
“I understand,” I said. “I’ll clean up any trash I find.”
A light rain started falling, motivating everyone to grab their bags and assemble in the museum. There wasn’t much talking as the locals mentally prepared to be forced away from their homes and into the hills. We all knew it was just a matter of time. I imagined most were saying silent prayers for the men heading to Nickajack Dam.
River and Donna stood when they saw me gathering lanterns and strapping on my pack. Neither one of them were happy with my assignment. After long hugs, I went to tell Doc and Kelly I was leaving. She grabbed my arm again, pulling me out into the rain.
“I knew they were going to ask,” said Kelly, clenching her teeth. “We’re not incapable of defending ourselves, goddammit. They have no problem risking your life instead of their own.”
“No, Kelly, it’s not like that,” I said. “It’s a good idea. I’m faster and have more experience with this kind of work. This time I can take care of the problem before it happens.”
“What does that mean?”
“Stop talking,” I said, kissing her. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Promise me.”
Smiling at her, I turned the corner heading up the road that would take me west. I wasn’t about to make a promise to her when there was a chance I couldn’t keep it. Pulling the AR off my shoulder, I chambered a round. I pushed Kelly and every other distraction – living or dead – out of my mind. It was time to go to work.
Mother Nature dimmed the lights and sent down a heavy rain. Being on the move, it was to my advantage. Soggy ground meant wet leaves wouldn’t rustle, and twigs would be pushed into the mud instead of snapping under my feet. The cascade of water and sound – limiting a coward’s ability to detect me – allowed me to move faster. It was all uphill, but I made it to the campground entrance in good time.
A few hundred yards past the sign, structures came into view, letting me know I was near the picnic shelters. I moved into the ditch alongside the dirt drive, crouching as I approached. The layout of the campground seemed to be in a semi-circle around the twin shelters. Most of the spaces were empty. Four weren’t. All four were campers that had to be towed behind vehicles. All four vehicles were next to them. Not a good sign at all.
Crawling into a depression with a fallen tree in front of it, I scanned the area with the scope. Checking my pocket watch, I stayed motionless in that position for thirty minutes before moving forward. It took me another forty-five to inch my way around, coming up behind the campers. After burning another hour clearing each and finding no trouble, I decided to move up to the ridgeline. From there I’d have a clear view of the surrounding area and entire campground. It’s where I planned on staying until dark. As with most of mine, the plan changed.
Two hours after concealing myself in a nest of rocks, I caught movement through my scope. As if they were strolling through a park on a sunny day, the two men made no effort to hide their positions. They had large packs on their backs and large rifles in their hands. With dangerous arrogance, they entered a camper.
With the heavy rain falling constant since my arrival, I knew the river was probably overtaking Stevenson. The group would be moving slow, but I had no idea when they’d be coming up the road. It could be hours or minutes.
I held off breaking cover as long as possible, scanning for more trash. When I was confident there would be only one camper to clean, I moved into a position that would allow me to approach its blind spot. With the wet ground and white noise from the rain, I was moving down with speed when the door opened.
I dropped to a knee, raising the AR. Lining up the crosshairs, I watched them both turn in my direction. Sliding my finger from the guard to the trigger, I didn’t squeeze. They didn’t spot me and they didn’t have their rifles. I knew them. But I didn’t lower my weapon. It was J.D. and Tucker.
Having no idea how close to death they were, both men entered another camper. Familiarity prevented me from dropping them where they stood, but it wouldn’t stop me again. I was also familiar with their kind.
From the moment I looked them in the eyes at the dance, I saw trouble. Neither one had scars on their necks from Kelly’s defiance, but it didn’t mean they weren’t there when it happened. And if they weren’t there, they were the kind of men who’d associate with the ones that were.
With the assault rifle leading the way, I stood, moving down to the corner of the occupied camper. As I put my shoulder against it, I could feel the movement inside. They were scavenging, which meant they’d be coming out soon and moving on to the next. All I had to do was crouch down around the corner and wait for them to stroll by.
I listened to their muffled voices for five minutes before I heard the door open and their boots hit the metal step. As I predicted, they walked past me without a care in the world. I rose from my crouch, sliding in behind them less than twenty feet away. They took several more steps before sensing something was very wrong. When they stopped dead in their tracks, it was far beyond too late.
“How about a dance, J.D.?” I asked, taking a knee, aiming at the back of his head.
Tucker was the first to slowly raise his hands. I pegged him for the smarter one. His older brother was more reluctant, keeping his in front of him. “You can’t beat me, J.D. You know that. Show me your hands.”
He complied.
“Turn around slowly,” I said. “Do everything slowly.”
As we made eye contact, I could see their confusion. Our initial meeting meant nothing to them. I was just a stranger sitting by what they really wanted. This meeting meant a lot more to them. I had their undivided attention.
“You know me, but I don’t know you,” said J.D.
“I’m the guy that asks the questions,” I said. “Whoever doesn’t answer dies first.”
“Wait a minute,” said Tucker. “You were at the dance last night, right? You were sitting by Doc.”
“Oh, no, brother,” said J.D. “He was sitting by Kelly. That’s her new guy.”
“You’re both right,” I said. “I was sitting between them. Gold star, fellas.”
“This because I danced with her?” asked J.D. “Because if it is, my brother got nothin’ to do with this. You go ahead and shoot me, but he got nothin’ to do with it. Please, mister.”
“Why do the assholes always turn into the most polite people on the planet when they’re not in control?” I asked. “When you were in a six-pack of assholes with guns, yo
u looked me dead in the eye and smiled when you took her away. Where’s that smile now, J.D.? I’m guessing it’s mixed in with that piss running down the side of your leg.”
“Looks like you’re the asshole with the gun now,” said Tucker, flexing his jaw. “Drop it and come at me like a man. I’ll bury you in this mud.”
“Shut the fuck up, Tucker,” said J.D., understanding the seriousness of their problem. “I’m sorry, mister. He doesn’t get it, but I do. I really do. I can’t ask you for shit, but our momma needs one of us to come home today, and it needs to be him.”
“How sweet,” I said. “Now ease those pistols out with two fingers. Toss them to the side and then tie your brother to that tree.”
Chapter 43
Waterfall
“‘I’ll be gentle with her,’” I said, securing him to a tree beside his brother. “Do you remember telling me that, J.D.?”
“I do. I was just kidding around, man. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Cutting on her face wasn’t being gentle, was it?” I asked, pulling my knife, holding it in front of his eyes.
“What?”
“The scar on Kelly’s face,” I said. “Are you the one who gave it to her? Or was it Tucker? She fought for her life, remember? She tore into one of their necks with her fingernails. I don’t see scars on either of you, but that doesn’t mean you weren’t there.”
“You’re out of your mind,” said Tucker.
I drew one of my pistols, jamming it into his mouth. His eyes became less defiant and fear started doing its job. It had the same effect on J.D.
“I’m going to ask you some questions,” I said. “If I’m not happy with your answers, I will kill him. Do you believe me?”
“Yes, I do, mister.”
“Who and where are your buddies that attacked Kelly and River?”
“If I knew, I’d have them tied to this tree,” said J.D., staring me in the eyes. “They’re not my friends. Whoever did that to them needs to die. It wasn’t us. Shoot us, but don’t stand there and accuse us of something like that.”