by Russ Watts
“I’m Michele. We’re vacationing from LA. Just need a few days out of the city, you know? That’s my husband Myles up there with Alyce.” The man who had been singing in the bus was introducing the young girl to Akecheta.
“Laurel Brown, and that’s my husband, Mac,” said Laurel. She leaned in to Michele and winked conspiratorially. “For now. Any more complaining about the bus, and he’s going to find himself spending a lot more time in the desert than he planned for.”
They laughed and began walking after the others as Mr. Stepper closed up the bus.
“You stop in Baker last night?” asked Michele. She was wearing a cotton blue dress with thin white stripes and sandals. Laurel looked at her enviously, wishing she hadn’t worn jeans on what was clearly going to be a hot day. The dress was slimming too and she guessed the couple were still the right side of thirty.
“Yeah, just on vacation too. We came over from Vegas yesterday.”
Michele looked surprised. “Vegas? You don’t sound like you’re from Vegas.”
Laurel smiled. “Milwaukee.”
Michele nodded, as if that explained everything.
“How old is your daughter?” asked Laurel. “Alyce, was it?”
“Yeah, she turned seven last month,” said Michele proudly. “Want to guess what her birthday present was?”
“Let me see,” said Laurel innocently. “Something cute and furry that likes going for long walks?”
They watched as Myles tried to take the leash from Alyce, but she refused to let the puppy go. Alyce picked her new pet up and held it tightly as Myles gave up trying to take the dog from her.
“She called it Beers. Lord knows why. I tried to convince her that there were far better names she could pick. I personally wanted to go with Pup.”
Laurel laughed.
“Okay I know, not very original. But Beers?” Michele shrugged. “Don’t ask me what goes through my child’s head.”
They joined the rest of the group and began to listen to Akecheta talking about the native flora of the region.
“Now this tree here is somewhere between fifty to seventy-five years old. It is very difficult to determine exactly how old they are, and they often live for hundreds of years. Later on, we’ll take you to a forest where you’re going to see a lot more. Some of you probably passed some on your way here without even realizing it. Wherever you’ve come from, you won’t find one growing in your back garden. These trees are exclusively—”
Akecheta was interrupted by an eagle crying out high overhead. He turned to look up at it and was surprised to find there were two more flying side by side, not far from the leader. He pointed up into the brightening sky with one hand whilst shielding his eyes with the other.
“Folks, that is most likely a family of Desert Eagles. It’s rare you will see them out in the open like that all together. In fact, I don’t—”
“Look,” said Alyce tugging at her father’s trousers. “More eagles, Daddy.”
Everyone was squinting up into the sky, marvelling at the eagles that soared high above them and didn’t see the frown spreading across Akecheta’s face. There were two more eagles, and then another cluster of four. Following the direction of the first, all the birds were headed inland in a direct path.
“I didn’t think we’d get shots like this,” said Laurel to her husband as she snapped away with her camera. “I didn’t think we’d be lucky enough to even see one eagle.”
Mackenzie looked down and rubbed his eyes. The sun was wickedly hot and so bright he was tearing up. “Get some good ones, honey. We can get some blown up at K-mart when we get home. Maybe we can put one up in the garage? It’d look cool on the wall, wouldn’t it? Be something to talk about to the customers?”
Laurel looked at her husband as the birds flew out of sight. Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement. “Can we really? Oh Amy is going to be kicking herself. She’s missing out.”
“Yeah, but somehow I think cruising the malls in San Diego is preferable to sitting on a hot bus in the desert with us,” said Mackenzie. Whilst Laurel looked back over her photos on the viewfinder, and the others chatted about the eagles, he noticed Akecheta and Mr. Stepper in conversation. Neither looked happy and they were keeping their voices low so as not to be heard. Mackenzie wondered what wrong. He hoped there wasn’t a problem with the bus already. The nearest garage was in Baker which was a long way back.
“Jesus!”
An exclamation broke the party up and everybody looked to see who had said it. A thin man dressed in tight jeans jumped up in the air and scrambled behind his partner. “Jesus fucking Christ, look at that!”
Mackenzie recognised him as one of the two men who had been laughing together at the back of the bus. His accent was undeniably English and Mackenzie saw the man’s face was contorted into a mask of fear. He was pointing at the ground near the Joshua tree.
“Now wait up,” said Myles. “My daughter does not need to hear language like that. Think about where you are.”
“All right, calm down,” said Mr. Stepper. The driver could see the anger in Myles’ eyes and needed to calm the situation down before it boiled over. He approached the young English man. “Calm down and tell us what you saw.”
“A snake! Right there, I saw it. Vic, tell them, you saw it too.”
The other young man, confusion written across his spotty face, licked his lips before his spoke hesitantly. “Well, there was definitely something, but I’m not sure exactly what it was. James, are you sure it was a snake? I mean, it might’ve been a branch or something.”
“A fucking branch? Please Vic, I know a fucking snake when I see one.”
“James, stop pulling on my arm. What are you going to do, rip it off and the beat the snake with it?” Vic tried to shrug off the excitable James who was clinging on to him and using his friend as a barrier between him and the snake.
“Okay, boys, that’s enough horsing around. James, just relax,” said Mr. Stepper. “You’re in the desert so there’s a chance you did see a snake. There’s more than a few out here. But there’s no need to react like that, and in case you hadn’t noticed, we have a seven-year-old girl with us today. Keep your voice and the language down or the tour will be over for you and your friend very soon.” Mr. Stepper spoke with authority and both James and Vic immediately quietened down.
“Everyone, step back slowly toward the bus,” said Akecheta. He was looking at the Joshua tree and walking backwards himself. “Just a few feet please. I think it’s time to go. No need to run or panic.”
Mr. Stepper opened his palms and began ushering the tour group back slowly. He didn’t need to see what was going on behind him. The tone in Akecheta’s voice told him that James hadn’t just seen a branch.
Everyone obeyed Akecheta and no one spoke. They stopped walking and an uncomfortable silence spread amongst them. After a few feet Myles stopped, and one by one the rest of the group did the same. Curious, they all looked at the base of the tree, trying to spot the snake. Laurel had her camera poised and Mackenzie assumed a position beside Akecheta so he could find out what was going on.
“Sidewinder?” asked Mackenzie quietly. He had no idea what a Sidewinder actually looked like, but he wanted to get some information out of their guide.
Akecheta shook his head slowly whilst staring at some scrub a few feet to the left of the Joshua tree. “Kingsnake.”
Mackenzie couldn’t see it and assumed it must be dangerous if Akecheta had made them back off. “It is poisonous? Should we get back to the bus?”
“I can’t see anything,” said Myles. “Maybe it’s gone?”
“A bite would hurt, but it’s not venomous,” said Akecheta to Mackenzie.
“Honey, I can’t see it either,” said Laurel. “I think it’s gone.”
“Is it?” asked Mackenzie. Their guide seemed overly worried about a non-venomous snake. Surely there was no need to get everyone worried like this. Mackenzie glanced at the little girl next to Myles.
Her face was a mixture of excitement and concern.
Akecheta slowly shook his head and then lifted his gaze from the scrub. He turned around to face everyone, ignoring Mackenzie’s question. “I want everyone to listen to me. You need to stand completely still. Do not move. Do not run. Trust me. It will be over soon.”
Mackenzie shivered in the heat as he felt the sand shift by his feet. He looked down and saw a snake about three feet long pass within inches of his left foot. His eyes widened as he looked across to his wife and saw the terror on her face. A snake, beige in color and twice as long as the one at his feet was winding its way through her legs. Her eyes were fixed on the creature and he willed her not to move. Scanning the rest of the desert around the group, Mackenzie saw more snakes, all making their way east, the same direction as the eagles. He counted six or seven and then gave up. He looked around the tour group and saw the same mix of fear and panic on everyone’s faces. To their credit, they were all doing just as Akecheta had told them to. Not a single person was moving. Even the excitable James, who had panicked when he’d seen the first one, was standing still. His eyes were screwed up tight and his hand firmly holding Vic’s. As soon as the snakes appeared, Myles rapidly swept Alyce up into his arms, telling her not to worry and to just close her eyes for a minute. Mackenzie locked eyes with Myles, yet neither man knew what to say. They were both amazed as the swarm of snakes, long and short, dark and light, all literally snaked past them. After two minutes that felt like two hours, the snakes disappeared. Mr. Stepper let out an audible sigh and nervous chatter broke out amongst the group once more.
Mackenzie was still standing beside Akecheta and spoke first. “Akecheta, what the hell was that?”
Laurel ran to her husband’s side and he could feel her trembling. “You’re not going to tell me that’s normal. Did you see how they were all going in the same direction? It was like they were all running to something.”
“Or away from something…” Akecheta glanced up into the sky and then began walking back toward the bus. He raised his voice so everyone could hear him. “We should go now. Back on the bus, please. Now.”
Mackenzie took his wife’s hand and marched toward the bus, frightened. The look on Akecheta’s face was as alarming as the swarm of snakes they had just experienced.
“Daddy?” Alyce tugged on her father’s trousers again. “Beers is sick.”
“Alyce, I told you…” Myles saw their puppy lying on his side as urine began to pool into the sand. The little Labrador was trembling and whining. He picked the dog up as Michele grabbed Alyce’s hand. “Let’s do what Akecheta said and get back to the bus. Beers will be okay.”
“Very interesting, eh?”
As they made their way back to the bus, the old man who looked like Indiana Jones passed Mackenzie. Until now he had not said a word.
“You could say that,” replied Mackenzie. “Any idea what’s going on? Mr…”
“Chris Olsen. Pleased to meet you.” He held out a thin hand which Mackenzie awkwardly shook as they hurried back down the dirt path toward the bus. “And no, I haven’t the faintest idea what’s happ—”
It was then that the ground started shaking. What started as a gentle rolling soon turned into a violent shaking as the group tried to get back to the bus. The ground around them opened up with a booming, cracking sound and clouds of sand and dust billowed up into the air.
“Mac!”
Mackenzie felt his wife’s hand pulled sharply from his and he found himself alone, suddenly showered by blinding sand. “Laurel? Laurel!”
He was unable to stay on his feet as the ground bucked and rocked beneath them, and he fell down in a heap. He heard his wife scream and then more shouts from up ahead, which he assumed to be the others. It was like a bomb had gone off. Even though it was daylight, the swirling sand puffed around in the air, making visibility almost non-existent.
“Laurel, where are you?” Mackenzie crawled around on the ground, but found it impossible to get anywhere as it constantly moved and shifted beneath his body. It was like trying to surf a wave and he was not able to control where he went. He banged his head suddenly against a sharp rock and a terrible moaning sound filled the air; he heard a low boom echo across the desert that could not have come from any human being. Mackenzie called out frantically, “Laurel, please, where are you? Laurel!”
CHAPTER 4
“Can’t you go any faster?” shouted James. He clung to Vic in the back of the bus, willing the bus to go faster. He kept trying to text his friends back home, but couldn’t find any signal. There was no Wi-Fi on the old bus they rode, and his cell was as much use out in the desert as jelly in a sandstorm.
“I got nothing either—looks like there’s no reception out here,” said Vic as he nervously tried to access the internet. He had hoped he would be able to access the news sites and found out what had happened. It felt like a bomb had exploded, but the nearest army testing range was miles away. The tour brochure had said they would be completely safe. The brochure had said they would enjoy a relaxing day out in the desert. It hadn’t mentioned anything about swarms of snakes or bombs going off.
Akecheta stood at the front holding onto the seats for support as Mr. Stepper drove as fast as he dared. The bus was speeding down the rough road and Akecheta was being thrown from side to side. He wanted to stand though so he could keep an eye on the tour group, in particular the Browns.
Myles and Michele Connell sheltered in their seats, trying to quieten their crying daughter and whining dog. Alyce had her face buried into her mother’s chest which muffled her sobs. None of them had sustained serious injury, but they were all terrified. Myles was forcing himself to calm down, knowing that whatever had happened out there in the desert hadn’t just happened to them. Whatever eruption or event had taken place had to have been felt for miles away. The sooner they got back to Baker, the sooner he could make arrangements to get home.
Chris Olsen had sprained his ankle when running blindly through the desert, but had eventually found his way back to the bus, its metallic exterior now coated in a fine layer of sand. Gleaming in the sun, the bus had shone out like a beacon and he had limped back on to find he was the last on board. He sat in his seat now, tenderly rubbing his ankle and willing the swelling to go down. He glanced up at Mackenzie and Laurel, and was thankful he only had a sprained ankle.
Mackenzie suffered a sharp blow to his temple and the deep bleeding cut on the side of his head was testament to that. He was holding a bandage to it now, grabbed from the first-aid kit by Mr. Stepper and thrust into his hands as he’d boarded the bus. Laurel had been thrown into a crevice in the ground and suffered several cuts to her arms and legs. Rolling around in the desert, she had suffered severe scratches to both hands, and now back in the safety of the bus, she was resting on her husband. They had come off the worst in the group and Akecheta wanted to keep an eye on them to make sure they didn’t go into shock or pass out.
Mackenzie felt sick. He had lost sight of his wife back there and for a moment wondered if he would find her again. The thought of losing her was too much to bear and he felt himself welling up. He cast aside his thoughts and decided to focus on the here and now. “Akecheta, how long before we get back to Baker? My wife needs medical attention.”
“Yeah, I need to get my family home,” said Myles. “I don’t know what that was, but we want off this bus ASAP.”
“Seriously, can we not go any faster in this piece of shit?” James got to his feet, ducking to avoid hitting his head on the low roof. “If I was driving, we’d be in Baker already.”
Akecheta pointed at James. “You. Sit down. Now.” He leant back and whispered something to Mr. Stepper then turned to face the group again. This was not going to go down well, and he braced himself for the barrage of complaints that was about to come when he told them the plan. “Here’s the situation. Baker is too far away, so we are going to the Kelso Depot. It’s much closer and we will be there in a few minutes. We can g
et much better medical attention for Mrs. Brown there.”
“Hey Akecheta, the tour is over. We don’t want to go to Kelso anymore,” said Myles, frustrated. “We just want to go home. All our stuff is back at Baker.” He lowered his voice. “My daughter is upset, you can understand that, can’t you? She just wants to go home.”
Akecheta nodded as the protestations amongst the tour group rose. Everyone wanted to go back to Baker, to go back home. It was only natural to head for home given how scared they all were. He could understand what they were thinking, of course. His own family were at home too, at the Fort. He hoped that they were safe. At this time on a Saturday morning, the kids would probably be playing games around the house whilst his wife would usually be baking or cooking up something for dinner. He longed to go home, but he knew he couldn’t just leave these people to fend for themselves. They were his guests and his responsibility.
“Listen up,” said Akecheta as he waved down the voice of protest. “Mackenzie and Laurel need medical attention, more than what we can offer from our small first-aid kit. Chris Olsen too. I know you’re all shaken up right now, we all are, but there’s a store next to the Depot where we would usually stop for some morning tea. Maria is the owner and she is a trained nurse. I know her well, and she’ll look after us. There’s a landline there, so we can find out what’s going on. With the cells not working, you can all use it and call whoever you need from there.”
It had been a full two minutes before the ground had stopped shaking. Once the dust and sand had settled, Mr. Stepper had made sure everyone was back on the bus, bleeding or not, and started them off as quick as he could toward Kelso Depot. It was the next stop on the tour, but today was going to be a little different. He didn’t want to push the bus too much or it was liable to overheat. The roads were dangerous too, and if they had a blow out here, they could end up stuck for hours. He’d agreed quickly with Akecheta that instead of making the long journey back to Baker they should head to Maria’s first. She could help the walking wounded and hopefully know what was going on. A rest, some cold drinks, and then they could start thinking about getting back to Baker.