Stealing Second (The Amendments Book One 1)

by Nicholas Antinozzi

  “Welcome to my humble abode,” said Todd to Cathy, completely ignoring me. “I know it isn’t much, but it beats the hell out of a FEMA camp or being shot by a drone. I’d leave the door open, but the mosquitoes would eat us alive. Did you know those people in the truck?”

  “We had just met them,” said Cathy, who had released her grip on Violet. “Why don’t you go sit down by Gary,” she whispered. “Don’t worry, we’re safe here.”

  “That’s right,” said Todd as Violet sat next to me. “But I’ve got to ask you something: what in the hell were you doing out there? Are you nuts? In case nobody told you, we’re at war, man. President Brown declared martial law. Anyone caught out of their homes is either being shot on sight or if they’re lucky, they’re being arrested and hauled out to a FEMA camp.”

  “We hadn’t heard that,” I said.

  Todd turned to look at me and he shook his head. “Well, now you know what we’re up against. Do you mind if I ask where you were going?”

  “Gary is going to Pine City,” said Cathy. “Violet and I were just following him. We don’t have anywhere to go.”

  I felt my face flush as she said that. Until Todd had kissed Cathy’s hand, I hadn’t given much thought to how I felt about Cathy. I now realized that I was starting to have feelings for her. I felt that what she had just said to our host was a betrayal of those feelings. I turned away and thought about the gold and cash I had buried back at the campground. Thinking about my treasure helped me survive the moment. I looked around and thought if Cathy preferred staying with Todd, I wasn’t about to stand in the way. Once things returned to normal, I wouldn’t have any trouble finding a date.

  “Pine City,” said Todd, scratching his chin. “I don’t know, that’s pretty risky, I wouldn’t advise it. I don’t have a lot, but you people are welcome to stay. To be honest with you, I could really use the company.”

  I shook my head. “My family is there,” I said. “I’ve got to make it out there. How many miles are we from there?”

  Todd stared up at the ceiling and scratched his head. “I’m guessing it’s about forty miles. That may not sound like much, but it’s a pretty good piece of road with those damn drones flying around. You’d be safer here.”

  “Thanks,” I said, “but no thanks. I promised my folks that I’d make it out there.”

  Todd turned to Cathy. “I hope you don’t plan on following him. Do you want to get your daughter killed?”

  Violet rose from the table and rushed back into her mother’s arms. She buried her head in her shoulder and shook her head. “I don’t want to die, mommy,” she whimpered.

  Cathy stoked the back of her head, but she was looking at me. “I’m sorry, Gary,” she said. “Todd is right, we’ll be safer here. Maybe you should wait it out for a few days? What could it hurt?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I promised.”

  Todd held up his hands. “Look,” he said. “You can do whatever you like. I’m not going to stop you, but I won’t let you leave until dark. The roads aren’t safe, not even for bicycles. I’m going back out there and drag your bikes up into the woods. You guys can hash things out. I’ll be back in two minutes.”

  I looked at Cathy, but her gaze was fixated on Todd. “There’s nothing to hash out,” she said. “Hold on, I’ll join you,” she turned to me. “Would you mind keeping an eye on Violet?” she asked. “We’ll be right back.”

  I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head. Inwardly, I was madder than a hornet at being tossed over for someone she had only known for five minutes. Cathy smiled and raced after Todd. Daylight spilled inside the dugout, but all too soon we were plunged back into the dim light of the lantern.

  “You should stay with us,” said Violet.

  I looked at her as she returned to the table. She had barely spoken to me since we’d met and I wondered if was starting to come out of her shell. “What would you do if your mom was waiting for you to come home?” I asked.

  Violet stared at me with green eyes that matched her mother’s. I was relieved to see that there was finally a spark of life in them. “I would keep going,” she said, “but I’m just a kid. You’re a grownup. You can do whatever you want.”

  I shook my head and smiled. “Not really,” I said. “My mom worries just as much about me as your mom does about you. That doesn’t change when you become a grownup. Sorry to bust your bubble, kid.”

  Violet smiled at that and it warmed my heart. I wanted to reach over and give her a hug. “Then you have to keep going,” she said. “I understand, but I wish you didn’t have to go. You’re a nice man and I think my mom really likes you.”

  I pointed to the door. “I think your mom likes Todd a little better.”

  “I don’t. I think he’s being too nice, don’t you?”

  I stared at her for a long moment as I thought about that. I honestly didn’t know what to think. I was already starting to make plans inside my head that didn’t include Cathy or Violet. I thought of how much easier it would be for me to cross the interstate and make it out to the farm, alone. Did I really care what happened to Cathy after I was gone? I hadn’t even known her for a full day. I didn’t know, but I did care for the girl seated next to me. “Maybe,” I said, “but some people are just overly friendly. That man has been out here all by himself. Maybe he is just lonely.”

  Violet shook her head. “Did you see the way he looked at my mom? He looked hungry. I don’t think I like him.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. You shouldn’t jump to conclusions like that. We should give everyone a chance, don’t you think?” I couldn’t bring myself to say Todd’s name and thought about that. Come to think about it, I didn’t like him, either.

  Violet shrugged and it seemed as if the light behind her eyes went out. She got up from the table and she walked over to the bed and sat down. She looked very small sitting there and I couldn’t help imagining how she felt. How would I have felt at eleven or twelve years old, at the gloomy prospect of living in a hovel? I thought about the big white house on the farm, with its big windows spilling in sunshine and the huge barn with the horses and livestock. There was no comparing here to there, especially not to a girl of Violet’s age. There was no question where she would be happier. I didn’t know Todd, but I knew my parents and more importantly, I knew myself.

  I got up and walked over to the bed and I squatted down in front of her. “You don’t want to stay here, do you?” I asked.

  Violet shook her head, vigorously.

  “Okay,” I said, slapping her lightly on her knee. “I’ll talk to your mom. I promise I will. I think you’d both be much happier out at the farm. Do you like animals? My folks have horses and cows and pigs and all kinds of animals. You’re going to love it.”

  Violet shot to her feet and wrapped her arms around me. “Don’t leave us here,” she pleaded. “Please, don’t let him keep us.”

  I hadn’t thought of it that way, but once I did I began to understand. To Violet, this shelter was a cell and what child wants to spend their days inside a hole in the ground. The novelty would wear off soon. And perhaps for Violet, I thought, it already had. I took her by the hand and led her back to the table. “I won’t,” I said. “I’ll talk to your mom. Don’t worry, honey, we’ll all leave together.”

  “Not him,” she said. “I don’t like him.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Todd can stay here in his hole.”

  Violet’s eyes lit up and she giggled. I suddenly felt as if she were my own. There was a rattle and then the trapdoor opened. Cathy came down first, smiling as if she and Todd had just shared a very funny joke. Todd followed a second later. He said nothing, but gave Cathy a stern look that erased the smile from her face. She walked over to her bags and began rummaging around in them.

  “I’m going to take Cathy and her kid over to the stream,” said Todd. “We’ve got a small swimming hole there in case you want to get cleaned up.”

  “I don’t want to go,” sai
d Violet, flatly.

  “That isn’t up to you,” said Cathy. “We’re going to put on our swimsuits here and walk over there with Todd. We’ve been out on the road for two days. We need to get cleaned up. I’m bringing soap and shampoo. It’ll be fun.”

  “I’ll pass,” I said. “I think I’ll stretch out on the floor and try to take a nap. I might as well take advantage of the break. I’m going to ride out at dark.”

  “That’s probably a good idea,” agreed Todd. “But you’ll need to step outside. Cathy and her girl are going to change into their suits.”

  “Violet,” I said. “Her name is Violet. And you didn’t need to ask me to step outside. I would have done it when Cathy had said they were ready.”

  “No need to get testy, Gary,” replied Todd.

  “We’re ready,” said Cathy to Todd. “Thank you.”

  Todd lifted the hatch and motioned for me to follow him up. I looked at Cathy and she quickly turned away. I knew at that moment, I was going to have an uphill battle to fight. She wanted to stay and she wanted me to leave. I could see that. I followed Todd up the stairs, and he urged me to follow him away from the door. I did and we walked about a hundred feet away from the brush pile that hid the entrance to his dugout. Todd still carried his shotgun and held it over a beefy shoulder. When he figured we were out of earshot, he turned to face me. “Tell me about your parents’ place,” he said. “What kind of people are they?”

  I was thrown off by his question and immediately went on the defensive. “What kind of people are my parents?” I asked, incredulously. “They’re the best parents a guy could hope for. My dad was born and raised on the farm and he farms a hundred and sixty acres of corn. He and my mom are very involved with their church and as far as I know, nobody has ever said a bad word about either of them. Why do you ask?”

  “Calm down, man,” Gary said. “I’m on your side, remember? Look, Cathy is worried about her kid… I mean Violet. She’s worried about Violet,” he chuckled. “I’m sorry, it isn’t a common name and I keep forgetting it. Anyhow, she’s going to ask you to take Violet along with you. She’d be safer there.”

  “What kind of a woman does that?” I asked. “Are you kidding me?”

  Todd lost his smile and pointed at another pile of brush about a hundred yards through the woods. “Do you see that over there?” he asked.

  “What about it?”

  “A buddy of mine is in there. Beyond him is another friend. There are eight of us out here. We belong to the Rush Lake Militia. We have over a hundred men and women scattered between here and Mason, maybe more, because we’re constantly recruiting. Cathy is a soldier and wants to fight these bastards. You can’t blame her for wanting to get her daughter out of the line of fire.”

  “Why didn’t you try to recruit me?”

  “Have you ever served in the military?”

  “No.”

  “Do you have any special skills that might make you valuable to us? Are you a good marksman?”

  “No, not really. I manage a dairy department at a grocery store.”

  Todd shook his head. “I’m not going to sugarcoat this, dude. We’re looking for people who can fight. You’d be dead your first time out in the field. To us, you’re much more valuable taking Violet out of here and out of harm’s way. If they get a lock on our position, they’ll level this area. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  I took a deep breath and thought about that. I had wondered what Todd was doing out here so close to the road. What he was saying made perfect sense. I still didn’t think much of Cathy’s decision to pawn Violet off on me, but I had to respect her decision to stay behind with her own kind and fight the enemy. Todd was also right in his assumption that I would make a poor soldier. I didn’t know the first thing about fighting; not with my fists or feet, and certainly not with guns. I nodded my head. “Violet isn’t going to like it,” I said. “I’m not her dad.”

  “That’s a good thing,” said Gary, nodding his head. “Her old man used to beat on her and Cathy, pretty good. At least, that’s what she told me. I guess he’s in the Guard. With any luck, I’ll get a shot at the miserable son of a bitch. There’s nothing I hate worse than a man who hits a woman.”

  “She never told me any of that,” I said.

  “I know, she told me that, too. Look, don’t take it personally. She said there wasn’t time. She didn’t want her daughter to hear.”

  “Violet.”

  “Yeah, she didn’t want Violet to hear. You can quit repeating her name to me, Gary. I know what it is. They ought to be done by now. The swimming hole is pretty safe. I’ll try to keep them away for a few hours so you can catch some shut-eye. You’ll need your rest. So, I have your word on that? You’ll take Violet along with you? Cathy will want the address. We’ll be coming for her as soon as this thing is over. The way we see it, the government will give up when they see what they’re up against. I doubt this will last more than a week or two.”

  “She’s welcome to tag along. Like I said, I’m not the one who needs to be sweet-talked. I doubt Violet is going to want to leave her mother here.”

  Todd clapped me on the back and nodded. “Thanks,” he said. “We’re all in this, together.”

  I didn’t like him touching me, but I pretended it didn’t bother me. He reminded me of an action hero from the late 80s. As hard as it was to admit to myself, I could see what Cathy saw in him. He was part Rambo and part Chuck Norris, and I was the Pillsbury Doughboy. I followed him back to the trapdoor just as Cathy and Violet climbed out of the dugout. I had to catch my breath when I caught sight of Cathy. She wasn’t fat, like I had imagined. Dressed in a bikini, I could see she had an athletic build, and there wasn’t a dimple on her tanned skin. The clothes she had been wearing gave her the appearance of being frumpy, but she had a terrific body. Violet followed in a one-piece suit and shorts. She looked younger and frail dressed in her swimming attire. I gave her a warm smile, but she just stared at me like a zombie.

  “You can unroll your sleeping bag wherever you like,” said Todd. “But I’d appreciate it if you stayed off of my bed. I just washed my bedding.”

  “No problem,” I said. “I understand.”

  Todd clapped me on the back again. “Are you gals ready? You’re going to love this place. The water is clean and it’s really warm. You’re not going to want to get out of it.”

  “Did you ask him?” Cathy asked.

  “We’re good,” replied Todd. “No worries.”

  “Thank you,” said Cathy, finally turning to face me.

  “Ask him what?” asked Violet, perceptively.

  “I’ll tell you after we take our swim,” said Cathy. “Come on, Todd. Let’s go see this swimming hole of yours. This is going to be fun, and Lord knows we need a bath.”

  “Follow me,” said Todd.

  I watched them walk away in their tennis shoes, towels draped around their necks. Cathy held a small bag of what I assumed to be her toiletries and which I hoped contained her gun. I didn’t like Todd. I was angry that he had asked me to sleep on the floor, but I was angrier that he had asked me to run off with Violet. That request should have come from the girl’s mother. I narrowed my eyes and stepped down into the dugout. As mad as I was, I was also tired. I thought about snooping through Todd’s gear, but I didn’t want to waste precious minutes where I could be sleeping. I spread my sleeping bag out next to the bed and used one of Cathy’s duffel bags for a pillow. A few minutes later, I was fast asleep.

  Chapter 7

  I was disorientated when the hatch popped open, but I sat up and gathered myself as the three of them stepped back down into the dugout. Violet and Cathy were dressed in fresh clothes, and I couldn’t help but notice that Cathy’s new jeans were tight and her blouse was low-cut. Violet wore jeans and a baggy blue t-shirt. She walked over to me and sat down cross-legged on my sleeping bag. “My mom says that you’re taking me to the farm and that she’ll join us in a couple of days. Are you sure
that’s okay with you?”

  I smiled and nodded my head. “You’ll love it there,” I said. I wasn’t going to lie about her mother joining us in a few days. I couldn’t be sure if she would ever see her mother again. I looked up at Cathy. “What time is it?”

  “Almost eight o’clock,” she said. “You slept for five hours.”

  “Wow,” I said. “I had no idea.”

  “Violet had a two-hour nap,” continued Cathy. “So, the two of you should be ready to go when it gets dark. You’ve got about an hour and a half.”

  I nodded. I was anxious to see my parents and suddenly felt uncomfortable around Cathy. My mind began to wander as to what Cathy and Todd had been doing to stay occupied while Violet was taking her nap. Let’s just say that it didn’t wander far. As silly as it sounds, I felt she had cheated on me. By this time, I wished it were already dark. I excused myself and walked up into the daylight. “Don’t go too far away,” advised Todd on my way out. I assured him that I wouldn’t and closed the trapdoor. I walked about a hundred feet in the opposite direction Todd had taken me earlier. I took care of some pressing personal business and was immediately swarmed by hungry mosquitoes. I fought them off and reluctantly returned to the dugout. I rummaged inside my pack and found a new bottle of military grade insect repellant. I stuck it into my pocket, knowing that we’d need it soon enough.

  A few minutes later, I was eating an energy bar on my sleeping bag while Cathy and Violet sat at the table watching Todd busy himself in the kitchen, when there was a rhythmic rap on the trapdoor. Todd looked up and smiled. “That’s Steve-O,” he said. “I wonder what he wants; we’re not supposed to hook up for another hour.”

  Todd went to the door and opened it and a young couple in their early twenties walked down the stairs; they made me think of Ken and Barbie. The woman was a tall, leggy blonde, with bright blue eyes and huge breasts. She wore a tight t-shirt over short shorts and running shoes. Her boyfriend, if that was indeed what he was, looked like a young Tom Selleck without the mustache. Todd introduced us, but I quickly returned my attention to my energy bar. They visited for a few minutes before leaving with Todd and Cathy, leaving me with Violet.