Next World Series (Vol. 2): Families First [The Road]

by Ewing, Lance K.

  “Yes, ma’am,” they both replied, nearly crawling upstairs.

  James was up early, with little feet jammed into his rib cage. “Who needs an alarm clock when you have a five-year-old sleeping sideways?” he whispered to no one.

  He met an already-awake Jason downstairs and suited up.

  “It looks like you’re ready to go,” said James. “Give me just a few minutes, and we’ll head out. If we are early enough, breakfast will be on me today.”

  * * * *

  Heading to town, they placed a one silver dime bet on the town clock.

  “I pick 4:53,” said James, while Jason picked 5:27. The clock read 5:15, with Jason being the clear winner of a silver dime.

  “Plenty of time for breakfast,” announced James.

  Steak and Eggs was the Breakfast Special. Jason was uneasy about ordering it, knowing where the beef had originated. “Just thank the steer for his sacrifice so that we may soldier on,” suggested James.

  “Not bad,” replied Jason after his first bite. “Not bad at all!”

  Arriving at the Sheriff’s station just before 7 a.m., both James and Jason heard loud banging, sounding like hammers, just beyond the station.

  “What’s all the racket?” James asked the Sheriff.

  “We’re reinforcing the gallows for the hangings today,” the Sheriff announced.

  “Today?” James asked, surprised. “It’s voting day.”

  The Sheriff continued. “The Judge ruled late last night on the three we have in custody.”

  “Do you mean the Judge who was drunk last night?” asked Jason.

  “Excuse us just a minute, Sheriff,” said James, leading Jason out of the office.

  “That’s bullshit!” said an angry Jason when they were outside.

  “Yes, it is, so what are you going to do about it?” asked James. “Are you going to bust them out of jail or appeal to the Sheriff’s sensible side?”

  “I see your point, James, but I don’t like it, not a bit.”

  “Neither do I, Jason, but our focus hasn’t changed. We have children that need raising, and that’s our business. This is not.”

  Sheriff Johnson rounded up some men to spread the word of the hangings at noon today.

  The town was bustling this morning, with many out-of-town folks pouring in early and everyone wondering who would be hanged.

  James and Jason spoke with everyone they could, not addressing any questions about the noon happenings. Many asked about Mr. Grimes and if he would be here for the election.

  James reminded Jason not to talk about it, keeping the focus only on the election.

  Janice, Lauren and the girls rode the tractor into town, with Billy helping Janice drive. The town was bustling for the first time since the last trade days.

  The large crowd gathered just behind the Sheriff’s station, starting around 10 a.m.

  Next-world vendors made their way through the crowd, peddling mostly lunches out of a can. By 11:30 the crowd had swelled to nearly two times the group for the last hanging.

  “We’ve got a voting bunch for sure today!” the Sheriff excitedly told James.

  Jason found Lauren, Janice and the kids as the children were being dropped off at the schoolhouse. The girls promised Janice they wouldn’t leave Billy’s side, even for a minute.

  “Who’s up on the hanging block today?” Lauren asked Jason.

  Jason realized that he had not spoken to his wife about Mr. Grimes. It wasn’t intentional with everything happening in the last few days. He pulled James aside, asking if Janice knew about him.

  “She does not,” James confessed, “but I thought we had more time. I had planned to tell her right after the election. It’s going to be an interesting night after all this,” he added.

  Just before noon, with the crowd both anxious and curious, the Sheriff’s deputies led the three convicted people to the gallows. The large crowd gasped, realizing that the second in line was a woman. The third figure was the only one with a hood already on their head.

  The gathering citizens from both in and out of town were ablaze with comments and questions about the unlikely trio climbing the wooden stairs before them. Most wondered who the masked figure was, with a few joking that it was the sitting Sheriff’s challenger.

  “That’s one way to win an election!” shouted a large man in a white tank top streaked with sweat and sauce from his canned ravioli lunch.

  Sheriff Johnson overheard the comment and smiled, slightly pursing his lips. “I’ll make an extra-long drop for you, big boy, at our next hanging,” he said under his breath.

  As the three people reached the top of the gallows, Judge Lowry spoke loudly to the crowd.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for being here today to cast your votes in the elections of Town Sheriff, Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and City Council.

  “We shall take care of the official business before us, having criminals convicted in my court after all evidence has been weighed. The charges they face range from thievery to participation in violent acts, where there is zero-tolerance for such behavior in our town.

  “Each of the convicted will be given ample time to speak with their Maker, if they so choose.”

  The man and woman Jason knew as the vegetable thieves were mostly quiet. They were both weeping, with trembling legs. Jason could only assume that Mr. Grimes was under the black hood and trying to speak. His hands and legs were shackled, and loud inaudible sounds came from under his hood.

  The Sheriff asked James to stand by him, just to the back and right of the gallows.

  “Do you want to do the honors?” asked the Sheriff, pointing at the drop lever.

  “No, sir,” replied James firmly.

  “Don’t forget,” added the Sheriff, “I ensured a win for both of us today.”

  “I know, but I didn’t need it,” replied James, walking back into the crowd.

  Judge Lowry gave his speech, mentioning again about the criminals being tried in his court and only convicted after all the evidence had been presented.

  What a load of crap, thought Jason, pretty sure that none of the three had stepped foot in the courthouse, let alone ever speaking with the Judge.

  On Judge Lowry’s orders, one couple was executed for stealing vegetables, and the opponent of the Sheriff murdered in front of the entire town, and many of his supporters.

  Lowering the bodies of the man and woman, the town doctor declared them dead. The good doctor was turned away by Sheriff’s deputies, as he tried to check the third.

  Sensing the large crowd was agitated and hot, the Judge announced early voting and gestured where to start the line.

  Votes were cast on a quarter sheet of printing paper, preprinted with choices of Sheriff, Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and City Council. Each vote was dropped into a large wooden box, both locked and secured to an outdoor picnic table, and lines formed in front of the three boxes available.

  Town volunteers ensured that each voter only cast one vote. There was no checking of IDs or voter cards today. Voting started around 12:30, with the last one cast at 3:15.

  Votes were to be tallied under the watchful eye of Judge Lowry in his courtroom, having a neutral stance in the outcome, with his position unopposed. He would have the final say when all the votes were tallied.

  The Judge declared that each box would be tallied separately, starting with the first. Nearly 40 minutes later, the votes from box one were counted. One hundred sixty-seven votes were broken down to candidates.

  James received 134 votes, or about 80% over his running mates.

  Sheriff Johnson received 75 votes, or nearly 45% compared to Mr. Grimes.

  The second box was nearly the same.

  Judge Lowry called for a mandatory 15-minute break before the final box was tallied.

  Soliciting a popcorn vendor, he ordered everyone out of his courtroom.

  Pulling 30 votes for Sheriff Johnson out of each of the previously counted boxes, he added them to the final box
, shaking it back and forth to mix them.

  He made a mental note to remember that James needed no help in getting elected.

  Forty-five minutes later, with the last box accounted for, the results were handed to Judge Lowry.

  Standing on the gallows and without announcing the percentage, as Fox News and CNN would have done in the previous world, Judge Lowry declared Sheriff Johnson, James VanFleet, Jason Davis, and the new town council as victors to serve in the interest of the town for the coming term.

  Many cheered, amongst some boos from the now-dwindling crowd.

  James and Jason congratulated Sheriff Johnson and the new town council on the win.

  James could barely hear the conversation but overheard the Sheriff asking Judge Lowry how close the count was for his position. “It wasn’t close at all,” replied the Judge, patting him on the shoulder and saying, “Congratulations, Sheriff, on a solid victory today.”

  James and Jason saw their families off, vowing not to be late for dinner.

  “Interesting happenings at the hangings today,” said Janice. “Let’s talk about it later,” she added, with Lauren agreeing.

  Janice had brought them both a change of clothes, opting for jeans with button-down shirts and cowboy boots. “Wear these, boys, so the Judge and Sheriff know right away that you’re done with the suits.”

  They did as they were asked and stuck around the main square, talking with their new constituents for the next two hours.

  * * * *

  “How are we going to tell them?” Jason asked, as they headed home just after 6 p.m.

  “You mean about Mr. Grimes, I’m assuming,” replied James, as Jason nodded his head up and down.

  “Well, my friend, they already know, but we will get an earful for sure since we didn’t tell them about the arrest earlier,” James continued. “The hanging part we didn’t learn about until just this morning, so we might get a pass on that.”

  “Let’s tell them both together and get it out in the open first thing when we get home. It’s been bothering me all day, if I’m honest,” said Jason.

  “Yes, I would certainly agree with that,” said James.

  * * * *

  Janice, having some quiet time with Billy, was able to learn that his home was hours away by car, in southern New Mexico, near Albuquerque. He had been driving with his dad for a few days when they landed here.

  Janice considered taking the car they had left to town today, but thought it was too soon for Billy and left it in the barn where James had parked it yesterday.

  Arriving home, James and Jason ate dinner and played with the kids. It was monopoly night and the teams were fierce, with Jason and Carla, James and Candice, Lauren with Jenna, and Janice with Billy.

  Nothing about the new world could change this game, thought Janice, smiling, with Billy on her lap. James smiled back, never before seeing his wife look so happy. He hoped she would understand about Mr. Grimes.

  With the children in bed and Billy fast asleep on the couch, they had the talk.

  When James was done explaining how they forgot to mention it, with everything going on, and Jason nodding in agreement, Janice had no expression.

  “Well?” asked James as he finished.

  “Well,” replied Janice, “it doesn’t take a genius to assume the hooded person was Mr. Grimes. I’m guessing we weren’t the only ones to notice.

  “I’m worried about you, both of you,” she added. “I’m starting to wonder if we should’ve just packed up and moved up the mountain when we had the chance.”

  “We always have that option,” replied James to all three. “It’s just a last resort.

  “Jason and I will do our best to keep the town under control and make our mark on the people.

  “Those in charge who have the people behind them can defeat anyone, or two men, if it comes down to it.”

  * * * * * * *

  Chapter Twenty-One ~ Near Amarillo, Texas

  Lonnie stopped the group an hour later to look at the map.

  “We made great time,” he announced, “and got ahead of the marchers, but we don’t want to be in their way if we can help it. It’s been slow going so far, and we need to make up some time.”

  Vlad had been studying the map for the last hour and came up with a few alternative routes for travel around Amarillo.

  “Let’s stick to the side roads and look for campsites near water, if possible,” said Vlad, looking pale. “We will need to make another gas run in the next day or two also.”

  “You all right, buddy?” I asked him. “You’re looking a little gray.”

  “Look! Look!” said Danny and Hudson, as they pointed to the sky.

  “Great! More helos,” said Mike, shaking his head.

  Three helicopters flew high overhead in the direction our group had just come from.

  “This is getting interesting,” said Mike, grinning like a 6-year-old boy with his first BB gun.

  “That’s not quite the word I would use,” said Jake to Vlad and me.

  “What would you use, Jake?” asked Mike, his grin now turned into stone.

  “I would say it’s troublesome,” replied Jake, “seeing as I have a wife and kid to protect.”

  “So, you think I don’t care about our group?” asked Mike, appearing agitated.

  “All right, guys,” I said, trying to bring the tension down just a bit. “We don’t know what this means, but this is not the place I want to be when…”

  “Boom!” came the sound from at least 15 miles to the south, followed by rapid-fire, appearing to come from the helicopters.

  “What the hell is going on?” asked Steve. “I thought they were all working together.”

  “I don’t believe what I’m seeing,” said Lonnie, as we watched a rocket arc up from the ground, taking out one of the birds. More rapid-fire from the other two copters, as another missile was launched, just missing its intended target. The two helicopters headed north and over our group, flying fast.

  ‘So, a couple days ago we meet with a coffee guy named Harry, who was short on firepower, and today his group fends off three military helicopters with automatic weapons?” Lonnie said out loud. “I’m usually pretty good at figuring this kind of stuff out, but I’m stumped,” he added.

  “Me too,” I said aloud.

  “One thing we know for sure,” said Jake. “There’s about to be another shootout in the OK Corral soon enough, and we don’t want to be anywhere near it.”

  We all agreed on that point and headed straight west.

  “Look,” said Jax, pointing to the side of the road.

  “It looks like a raccoon or possum curled up,” said Jake. The animal was in a ball but appeared to be alive.

  “Can we stop?” asked Jax.

  “Now is not a good time,” I told him, as the animal raised his head.

  “Daddy! Daddy! It’s a puppy!” screamed Jax.

  I sighed and called to Lonnie on the radio to stop for just a minute. Jumping off the trailer, I scooped up the silver brown dog in my arms and put it on the trailer.

  “Can we keep him, Daddy?” all three of my boys asked.

  “We’ll see,” I replied, turning the dog over. “And by the way, he is a she.”

  “That ain’t no mutt,” announced Steve. “That there is a Silver Labrador Retriever. They’re hard to find and crazy as they come.”

  “She looks okay to me,” said Hendrix, petting her on the head. “I’ll call her Mini, since she looks tiny next to Ringo.”

  Mini drank half a bowl of water and fell asleep on the trailer.

  It was now late morning, and the heat intense.

  “It’s not so bad, as long as we’re moving!” Jake yelled to me and Vlad, who was laying down.

  “How’s your leg doing?” I asked Vlad, as he lay on the trailer. “Hey, buddy, how’s your leg?” I asked again, shaking him just a bit.

  There was no response. I shuffled over to take a closer look and Vlad looked pale, wi
th sweat pouring from his forehead.

  I called Lonnie on the radio to stop and told Nancy we needed her on the trailer now.

  Climbing on the trailer, she called Tina and Joy for help. “We need something to shade him. And Joy, please bring my other kit,” she said, pointing to the far end of the trailer. “It’s the one secured by the bungee cords.”