Without

by E. E. Borton

  I believed him.

  “Then why are you here scavenging the campers and setting up an ambush?” I asked, pulling the gun out of Tucker’s mouth.

  “Ambush?” asked Tucker. “Buddy, you really have this all wrong.”

  “What do I have wrong?”

  “Our family’s home is just over that ridge,” said J.D. “Our momma asked us to bring supplies and clear anybody out who was staying here on account the townfolk need it. We knew they were coming because Bruce told us last night. Why would he tell us if he thought we were gonna ambush them? He should’ve told you we might be up here.”

  “So you’re trying to tell me you’re here out of the kindness of your hearts? You want to help them, not hurt them? Come on, J.D., I know your kind.”

  “Mister, you know nothing about us,” said Tucker. “For all I know you’re here to steal from them.”

  “He’s right,” said J.D. “You don’t know a thing about us. Go look in that camper. We brought everything we could spare. We’re not looking to take anything from them. My family has lived in these hills for five generations. Just because we think Pastor Jenkins is full of shit doesn’t mean we don’t care about our town. We’re more a part of this place that you are, stranger.”

  I walked into the camper where they had dropped off their packs. Both were jammed with food and supplies. I sat for a moment, trying to figure out what the hell was happening. My gut told me they were being honest. My brain told me to stay alert in case they weren’t. I returned to the men tied to the trees.

  “When you and your crew walked up on the table, Joey was ready to come over it,” I said. “Why?”

  “A girl,” said Tucker. “He liked her. I banged her. Simple as that. We were in high school the first time it happened. The last time was ten years ago. Joey just won’t let that grudge go. She moved away and he’s been with his girl for years, but he’s still holding that grudge. Stupid, ain’t it?”

  “So you’re doing this ‘cause you think we’re the ones that raped Kelly and River, and we were gonna ambush the folks coming up here?”

  “Yep.”

  “What do you think now?”

  “I think I owe you an apology,” I said, pulling my knife, but this time to cut their restraints. “Play nice, Tucker. It was a mistake.”

  “He will,” said J.D., rubbing his wrists. “This was just a misunderstanding.”

  “Who are you?” asked Tucker. “I mean, I’ve never seen you before last night. Now you’re tying me to a tree and putting a gun in my mouth.”

  “Perry’s my uncle,” I said. “I used to come up with my folks when I was a teenager.”

  “Perry’s a good man,” said J.D. “Of course he’s gonna look out for his son, but he’s always been fair to us. When I found out what happened to River, I came down to see how she was doing. I think that helped ease some of the tension between our families. I’m telling you the truth when I say Joey is the one who needs to let this damn thing go.”

  “Sounds like it,” I said. “Let’s get out of the rain.”

  We moved under one of the shelters to continue our conversation. I was apprehensive, but handed them back their weapons. I was wrong about them. We sat on a picnic table, waiting for the group to arrive.

  “Pastor Jenkins told me your family doesn’t like the rules,” I said. “He said you chose to stay in the hills instead of joining them.”

  “Because he’s an asshole,” said Tucker. “He’s brainwashed everyone in town.”

  “Damn it, boy. Keep that mouth shut,” said J.D. “He and the pastor are friends. He don’t know nothin’ about what he is.”

  “What is he?” I asked. “He seems like a good enough guy. Everybody in town looks up to him, including Kelly.”

  “He ain’t from Stevenson,” said J.D. “He came to town about six years ago after Pastor Wilkins died. It’s hard to explain, but the way he talks to folks during his sermons make them follow him instead of the Lord. Have you ever met someone that tries too hard to be your buddy?”

  “Sure.”

  “That’s him,” said J.D. “But if you cross him, he turns dark. I mean real dark.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Our daddy, gone two years now, didn’t like the way he’d talk to women. Giving them too much attention and stuff like that. He’d stop by their homes while their men were at work. I have a younger sister. When my daddy came home early and found him sitting next to her on a bench, he had a few words with the new pastor. After that, we didn’t go to that church anymore.”

  “Because he was sitting next to your sister?” I asked. “Seems a little harsh, doesn’t it?”

  “He was real close with his arm around her,” said Tucker. “He told her she could come by his house anytime to swim in his pool. She was sixteen then.”

  “A few other ladies felt uncomfortable around him as well,” said J.D. “He’s a young, good-lookin’ man, so everybody else figured it was the ladies having crushes on him. Anyway, we’re not the only people that stopped going to his church.”

  “I’m not being an asshole here, but there’s just something about that guy,” said Tucker. “He’s a manipulator. His congregation would do just about anything he asked. They’re more like a cult than a church, if you ask me. Have you been to Fort God?”

  “No. What’s Fort God?” I asked, smiling.

  “The pastor’s church,” said J.D. “It’s one of the biggest buildings in the county. It’s surrounded by smaller living quarters for the most devout of his flock. It really does look more like a fort now than a church.”

  “Someone’s coming,” said Tucker, pointing toward the entrance to the campground.

  Raising the AR, I looked through the scope. I lowered it, shaking my head in disbelief. It was Kelly walking up alone.

  “That woman is fearless,” said J.D. “Crazy, but fearless.”

  “Gentlemen,” said Kelly, walking into the shelter.

  “Probably won’t do me any good telling you how dangerous that was,” I said.

  “Nope,” said Kelly. “Who else was going to come up here and get you? Parker?”

  “Is everything okay down there?” asked J.D.

  “So far, so good. We think maybe they made it to the dam. We were getting everyone ready to move when the water started receding as fast as it rose.”

  “Sounds like they closed the floodgates,” said Tucker. “That’s good news.”

  “It is,” said Kelly. “What are you guys doing up here?”

  “We were dropping off supplies,” said J.D. “You know how our momma likes to take care of everybody.”

  “Yes, she does,” said Kelly, taking off her pack and propping her shotgun against the table. “You be sure to thank her from all of us, but it doesn’t look like we’ll be needing them.”

  “It’s gonna be dark soon,” said Tucker. “You guys wanna stay with us tonight? We’ve got plenty of room.”

  “No, thank you,” said Kelly, cutting me off before I could answer. “I brought all the comforts of home. We’re going to stay here tonight in case the river rises again and the group needs to move up.”

  “You are the new boyfriend,” said J.D., grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

  “You’re never going to grow up, are you?”

  “Probably not,” said J.D. “Don’t want to anyway.”

  “We’ll leave the supplies here,” said Tucker. “You know, just in case. We’ll come back in the morning to retrieve the packs. You two have a good evening.”

  “Guys,” I said, stopping them before they walked away. “Thank you. And, again, I’m sorry about everything.”

  “Well, at least we know she’ll be safe,” said J.D. “It ain’t easy getting the drop on us.”

  “What was that all about?” asked Kelly, watching them leave.

  “A misunderstanding,” I said. “It’s all good now.”

  “Okay. Come with me, I want to show you why this campground is here.”

 
Taking me by the hand, she led me down a path into the woods. A short walk later we were standing at the edge of a lagoon under a twenty foot waterfall. As the light was fading she started to undress, shedding everything down to a bikini. Grabbing a bottle of shampoo and a bar of soap, she stepped into the water. I think I set a world record undressing and following her lead.

  “This is my favorite place on the planet,” yelled Kelly, wading over to wash her hair under the falls.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said, raising my voice over the cascading water. “It takes the edge off me being angry that you walked up here alone.”

  “I’m not going to live my life being afraid,” said Kelly. “It’s important that I feel like I can take care of myself.”

  “That, I understand,” I said. “But I never want anything bad happening to you again.”

  When we finished bathing, she swam to me, wrapping her arms – and legs – around me. It was impossible for me to hide my intent. I didn’t want the kiss to end. And of course her hair smelled like strawberries.

  “Enjoy the water for a few more minutes while I set up the camper,” said Kelly, pulling away from me, stepping onto the bank.

  When I returned to the shelter, she had already built a fire in the pit and strung a line to dry our clothes. She placed a pair of shorts and a T-shirt on the table for me. After dressing I turned to see the largest of the four campers glowing with warm light from within. I opened the door to see her sitting at the table. We were separated for only thirty minutes, but she had completely transformed the dark and dreary camper.

  I sat across from her as we enjoyed our candlelight dinner. She opened a second bottle of wine and poured two glasses. Giving me mine, she reached out for my hand. We stood and walked the short distance to the bedroom. Somehow she had managed to pack clean sheets and two pillows.

  In the warm glow of the candles placed on every flat surface, she stood in front of me, undressing slowly. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest when she lifted the T-shirt over my head, pressing her naked chest into mine. With her warm lips tasting like wine, she kissed me, pulling me down onto the bed.

  “Are you still mad at me?” asked Kelly, rolling on top.

  “No, ma’am,” I said, running my hands down her toned back.

  “It’s okay to be a little mad. It’ll make this more fun.”

  She lifted herself up to her knees, reaching down for me. When she lowered herself again, I knew I wasn’t going to last long. As the low moan drifted into heavy breathing, she started bouncing faster. It was impossible for me to tell her to slow down.

  Grabbing her waist, I threw her down onto the bed. Pushing into her again, the camper started creaking and swaying with each thrust. For a moment, I thought we were going to break through the wall and end up outside. In spite of my best effort to prolong it, I felt it coming. When I did, there was only one thought on my mind after.

  “We get to do that again, right?” I asked, falling over, trying to catch my breath.

  “Yes, we do,” said Kelly, draping her arm across me. “We’re going to be doing that a lot.”

  Chapter 44

  (Day 44)

  Fastball

  I can’t confirm it, but I’m pretty sure I slept with a smile. I can confirm it was there when I awoke. Turning to see that face on the pillow beside me, I knew I’d have no problem staying in bed all day.

  She woke shortly after with no intention of staying. Kelly moved with purpose, gathering our gear to head back to town. True to their word, J.D. and Tucker returned to recover their packs. I wanted to make them breakfast, but she was ready to go. There were few words spoken between us as we headed out of the campground. There were none spoken the first mile of our hike down. I stopped walking.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Kelly after taking several more steps before noticing.

  “Why do I have the feeling you’re not going to call me later?” I asked. “You’re distant this morning. Is it regret?”

  Dropping her head, she walked back to me. After staring at me for a moment, she took my face in her hands, kissing me. There was concern in her eyes.

  “Doc’s probably having a heart attack wondering where I am,” said Kelly. “I’m having a heart attack wondering if everyone is okay. As soon as I see that train on the rails and everyone going about their business, I’ll be fine.”

  “Nice try, but there’s something else,” I said. “Talk to me.”

  “It’s nothing,” said Kelly. “Let’s keep moving, okay?”

  “No. Talk to me now.”

  Turning away from me, she sighed. “This is ridiculous.”

  “What is?”

  “This,” said Kelly. “You and me. I mean, I feel like a teenager sneaking off into the woods to get laid. What do we do now? You want to make reservations at a restaurant and then go see a movie? Better yet, let’s go make out in the backseat at a drive-in. We’ll call that our first date. Sound good?”

  My timing sucked, but I couldn’t help laughing. I knew I was in trouble when the head cocked, the brow furrowed, and the hand went to the hip. She was still beautiful.

  “I think we’re a bit beyond our first date,” I said, ending my laugh. “Look, Kelly, we’ve both been living in a world of shit for over a month. Everything has changed, and the bad moments are kicking the crap out of the good ones. Yesterday, last night, were amazing moments. Will you give me that?”

  “They were,” said Kelly. “It was amazing.”

  “Good. Then let’s leave it at that. But I’m going try like hell to have as many of those with you as possible until you decide to stop giving them to me. We’re going back to town, and you can put your eyes on everyone and go about your day. And when you’re done, you and I are going to have dinner at the best restaurant in town. I don’t need to make reservations. I know the owners. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  I could feel the tension escape her body as we turned the corner onto Main Street. Bruce and Parker were inspecting the train that was stopped in front of the museum. Doc was in a group to the side that included Uncle Perry, Joey, and Rick. Everyone had smiles. Kelly dropped her pack and shotgun in the street, running over to them and giving hugs.

  “Hey, cousin,” greeted Joey, extending his hand. “Where have you two been?”

  “Setting up the campground that we didn’t need,” I said. “I take it everything went well.”

  “Town’s not underwater, is it?”

  “No, it isn’t.”

  “It only took the Kramers about an hour to close the gates,” said Perry. “Didn’t see a soul on the way up, but we had to fight like hell on our way back.”

  “It was awesome,” said Joey, smiling. “They must have seen us going up and knew we were probably coming back. They dropped a couple huge trees across the tracks, forcing us to stop. About twenty or so started shooting from the woods, and a few of them rushed the train. It was like something out of an old western movie.”

  “They saw us going up, but they obviously didn’t see the twin 50s on top,” said Perry. “When we all opened up on them, it was over in thirty seconds. Those guns are something else. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”

  “I’m not kidding when I say there wasn’t much left of them,” said Joey. “When the shooting stopped we went into the woods as the other guys started removing the barricade. It cut most of those bastards that attacked us in half.”

  “I’m not proud of what we had to do,” said Perry. “But we had to do it. They didn’t give us a choice.”

  “Everybody’s okay?” I asked.

  “Minor injuries,” said Doc. “Worst one was a fella who broke his ankle jumping from the train. He’s resting over in the clinic now. He’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll go check on him,” said Kelly, walking away.

  “You guys spent the night up there together?” asked Rick.

  I thought it was an odd question to ask in light of their successful mission to save
the town. “We did. We didn’t want to walk back in the dark. J.D. and Tucker came to visit.”

  Using it as a diversion from his next question, I saw Joey’s reaction when I mentioned their names. I thought it was as good a time as any to have a few words with him. “Joey, can I borrow you for a minute?”

  “Sure.”

  “This hard-on you have for Tucker,” I said, lowering my voice so the others couldn’t hear us, “it’s about a girl, isn’t it?”

  “Is that what that asshole said?”

  “Joey, I’m an only child,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. “You’re my cousin, but if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to think of you as my brother. Would that be okay?”

  “Of course,” said Joey, smiling. “I think of you in the same way.”

  “Good,” I said, looking him in the eyes. “I had them tied to a tree and I was going to shoot them. I was going to shoot them because I thought they were pieces of shit looking to cause trouble. The truth is that they aren’t. Right?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say they –”

  “They were bringing all the spare food they had for the people evacuating Stevenson,” I said. “That sounds more like kindness that being pieces of shit. They’re trying to survive this thing just like we are. Let that crap go, brother. I know they want to. Tucker wants this to end.”

  “It wasn’t just about a girl, but okay,” said Joey. “I’ll make it right. It is pretty childish holding a stupid grudge with everything else going on around here. We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “I also want you to invite your girl over for dinner tonight. I’ll be asking Kelly and Doc to join us. We have a reason to celebrate. You guys kicked ass and came home safe.”

  “Wait a minute,” said Joey, narrowing his eyes. “You spent the night with her, didn’t you? You hit that, didn’t you, bro?”

  “Okay, maybe we’re taking this brother thing a bit fast,” I said.

  “You did,” said Joey, lighting up. “You are the man. My girl is hot, but Kelly…damn. Do you have any idea how many guys have…”