Luke's Trek (America Falls Book 5)

by Scott Medbury

  “Don’t say that!” yelled the little girl.

  He pointed at Cathy.

  “You’ll die.”

  Then he pointed at Jacob.

  “You’ll die.”

  Diana stepped forward and pushed his hand down.

  “Enough! You’ve made your point, Luke.”

  Luke, feeling like a low-down dog for the second time that morning, stood his ground.

  “Okay,” he said, holding up his hands. “I want you to know it doesn’t have to be that way. My people are in Manchester. It’s only a few days walk, and they’ll take you in. All of you. You’ll have a much bigger and safer community to settle into, and I guarantee the Brotherhood will never bother you again. I’m leaving this morning, and I’d like you all to come with me. That’s all, I guess. Thanks for listening.”

  Luke stepped back as Diana turned to them.

  “Well you heard it. I’m not going to make the decision for you. We’ll have a vote. Kids included.”

  “The kids are voting?” asked Cathy.

  “Yes, it’s their lives too. All those who think we should abandon Willatan Green and go with Luke to live with his people, raise your hands.”

  For a horrible moment, Luke didn’t think anyone was going to raise their hands. He saw Jacob resolutely fold his arms across his chest along with most of the other boys. The others looked as if they were waiting for someone else to go first.

  Finally, Cathy stepped forward.

  “I for one, don’t want to die or see any of you die.” She waved her hand at the buildings around them. “This place isn’t what makes us who we are, it’s just a bunch of buildings and if we leave it behind we’re still us, we are Willatan Green! I vote for going with Luke.”

  There was another pause, then the mother whose child he had pointed at raised her arm. The little girl followed suit. Suddenly, it was if the floodgates had opened and hands started to go up everywhere. It was a near thing, but in the end, it looked like he would lose by just a couple of votes.

  Then a most surprising thing happened. To the gasps of surprise, Diana raised her hand, and so did Samuel. Others followed suit. A clear majority.

  Diana avoided his gaze but finished the vote for fairness sake.

  “All those for staying and fighting, raise your hands.”

  By Luke’s estimation, only a third voted to stay in the end.

  Jacob looked betrayed.

  “Why did you change your vote, Diana?” he asked.

  “Because Luke’s right. They’ll kill us all. Yesterday I was angry. Beyond angry. I wanted to fight so bad. But it’s not about me. It’s about all of us. The vote is done. We’re going and we’re going to do it quick. Now gather close and I’ll tell you how it’s going to work.”

  Part Four: Exodus

  28

  As it turned out, they weren’t ready to leave until well past midday. There had been some toing and froing over whether they should take the carts. In the end, Diana had overruled him.

  “The carts are already loaded, and with the horses pulling them we’ll be able to move just as quick with or without them, so I say we take them. At least then we’re not going to your people empty-handed. That’s final.”

  “Okay, okay. Honestly, they wouldn’t mind, but you’re the boss.” He had a thought. “Hey, maybe we can sit the smaller kids on them? It might even mean we go faster.”

  “There you go,” said Diana, smiling and shaking her head at the time they had wasted arguing over it. “Now, if you’d just listened in the first place…”

  He laughed. There was a buzz of excitement in the town and it had infected them both. He didn’t want to think about his homecoming. Not yet. There were a lot of miles to tread, not to mention the Brotherhood probably being hot on their tails.

  How long before they came back? Given that the two Brothers were on foot and they would need time to gather a force and travel back, he was pretty sure they would arrive some time tomorrow afternoon. It could be quicker though, and he wanted to put as many miles between them and Willatan Green as possible before nightfall.

  By the time the horses were hooked up to the carts, nearly everybody had gathered and lined up on the road by the fire. They had been told to bring only what they could carry comfortably and for the most part had done that.

  “Do you think they’ll come after us when they see we’ve gone?” he asked Diana, as she headed to her house to grab her own backpack.

  “Yes,” she said, without a shred of hesitation. “There’ll be a lot of them, and they’ll have that damn truck of theirs. And guns.”

  “I thought they’d sworn off guns? But I remember you saying they used them when they killed Stephen.”

  “Well, they seem to pick and choose when that rule applies, usually they use them when they’ve been defied. They’ll bring them this time, you can take that to the bank.”

  More concerning to Luke than the guns at this point, was the fact they would have the truck. Even with 24 hours start, the Brotherhood would catch them before they got anywhere near safety.

  “You look worried,” said Diana, as they stepped inside her house for the last time.

  “I am. Listen, I know there is no vehicle, but is there a bicycle in town? One that works?”

  “Sure, a couple. Tommy has…” she paused and took a deep breath. “Had one. It’s out back. Why?”

  “Insurance,” he said. “I’ll explain as we’re leaving.”

  Diana watched him head purposefully for the back door, and shrugged.

  “Samuel! It’s time to go,” she called.

  ***

  When she headed back outside with Samuel in tow and a small backpack over her shoulder, Diana found Luke at the front of the column talking to Jacob and pointing to a dog-eared map. The teenager was sitting on Tommy’s BMX bike with his bow slung over his shoulder.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “I’m gonna ride on ahead, and get help in case we need it,” said Jacob, clearly proud of the responsibility Luke had bestowed upon him.

  “No, it’s too dangerous.”

  “What?! Please Diana. Luke said…”

  Before she could answer, Luke took her by the elbow and led her away from the group.

  “Sorry I didn’t clear it with you before. But we need this. At best we’re going to have 24 hours start on the Brotherhood. With their truck they’ll catch us before we get anywhere near Manchester. I want to send Jacob on ahead, so he can get us back up. Isaac will come, I know he will.”

  Diana looked unsure.

  “Look,” said Luke. “It’s a long shot, but we have to try it. Otherwise we may as well just stay here.”

  “Fine,” she said, still not happy but understanding the need. She went over to Jacob. “Have you got water?”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” he said, and patted the hessian bag on his handlebar. “And bread. I’ll be fine. Can I go?”

  Diana put her arm around him and kissed his cheek. The kid blushed.

  “Go on. Ride as fast as you can, but be careful and rest when you need to, okay?”

  “Sure thing, Di,” he said, looking the happiest she’d seen him since Tommy had died.

  “Okay, kid. Go! Remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and don’t lose the map.”

  Jacob gave a wave and took off like a rocket.

  “A road bike would have been better,” said Luke, as they watched him ride off. “But it’ll do the trick.”

  Diana looked worried as he disappeared through the gate at the end of the road.

  Luke put his arm around her shoulders.

  “Does he know where to go?”

  “Yep, I showed him the exact roads we’ll be taking. He’ll be fine.”

  He wished he was as certain of that as he tried to sound.

  Ten minutes after Jacob had cycled away, Diana did a rough head count as Luke lifted the three kids under the age of five onto the laden carts. They squealed in delight as their mothers clucked and
worried beside the carts.

  “Okay, that’s everyone,” said Cathy, coming up beside her.

  Diana turned to the column of thirty-four souls that were her people.

  “Let’s roll!” she called and grabbed the reins of the horse she would be leading and gave it a gentle tug. Samuel sat upon it bareback, carrying the shotgun. The Glock was in Diana’s belt and she had spare shells for the shotgun in her jacket pockets.

  Two guns. One handgun and one shotgun. He wondered how many they would face if… when the Brotherhood caught them.

  Luke grabbed the other horse’s rope and clicked his tongue.

  The people of Willatan Green set off for their new life with the sun high overhead.

  29

  The two guards on duty on the steps of the Brotherhood’s headquarters gripped their staffs and came forward as a limping figure approached along what used to be known as Congress Street.

  In its previous life, the impressive building had been City Hall. Now it was the center of the Brotherhood’s world.

  “Senior Brother Jarryd!”

  There could be no doubt it was the Senior Brother, his hawkish features were unmistakable, even with his face covered in blood.

  Jarryd held out a weak hand, then promptly fell to the ground.

  The guards rushed forward to help the injured man to his feet.

  “Bless you, Brothers,” he said weakly as they each put a shoulder under his arms and walked him up the steps and into the main hall.

  Jarryd let his head slump, pleased his ruse had worked. A self-inflicted cut on the scalp and some method acting was all it took and Jarryd, the wounded warrior monk, had returned.

  The two guards called for help and soon there was a gaggle of clucking Brothers around him.

  “Let him breathe!” called a Senior Brother, pushing through and followed by a fresh-faced novice. The others scattered, lest they be knocked aside by the sheer girth of Senior Brother Rex. He knelt next to Jarryd with an agility that belied his size and lifted Jarryd’s chin with his rough fingers.

  “Jarryd, what happened?”

  Jarryd kept up his act. He knew it needed to be good to fool Rex. Undisciplined with his eating he might be, but the big man was dangerously smart.

  Breathlessly, Jarryd told of the unprovoked attack by the people of Willatan Green and the red-haired outlaw.

  “All dead?”

  Jarryd nodded, allowing tears to spring to his eyes.

  “I barely escaped with my life, but not before staving a head or two. Brother Taylor fought bravely to the end, imploring me to save myself and bring God’s justice down upon the people of that town. It was his stand that allowed me to escape… ”

  He made the sign of the cross on his chest and the men around him did the same.

  “This was the same red-headed heathen that caused so much trouble in Old Orchard Beach?” asked Senior Brother Rex.

  “The very same,” said Jarryd, holding up his hand with his index finger curled. “Hook hand and all.”

  Rex nodded.

  “Take Brother Jarryd to his quarters, wash and tend to his wounds. I must speak to the Council. Ring the bell, Dennis.”

  The wide-eyed young novice who had followed Brother Rex into the hall ran off and tugged a rope by the door.

  The bell pealed three times, then the novice turned around and hurried after his master.

  ***

  Jarryd sat on the hard bench with the other Senior Brothers. He’d let Rex take the lead on telling his story, preferring to sit quietly, ever the stoic. He couldn’t have pulled off the story as theatrically as the bigger man anyway. The faces of the three bishops on the council were equal parts rapt and outraged as Senior Brother Rex told them of the disastrous mission to Willatan Green as passed onto him by Jarryd.

  “I’m sure you’ll agree this outrage must be met on the strongest terms, my good Sirs,” he ended.

  The three bishops, all dressed in white habits to set them apart from their brethren, put their heads together and conferred. Jarryd watched them, thoughtful. These three men governed the church as a triumvirate. Their terms were three years with one bishop retiring and replaced each year so there were always two experienced men on the council. Cranston’s tenure would expire on Christmas day later that very year.

  The Council members were elected from their own number by the twenty Senior Brothers, and Jarryd planned to put his own name forward in the next ballot. ‘Bishop’ Jarryd had a nice ring to it, and he planned to make the most of the opportunity if it came to him.

  Unfortunately, his chief rival would be the popular Senior Brother Rex.

  After less than a minute, the middle bishop, Cranston, stood up. Being the longest serving member, Cranston was the spokesperson for the three. Jarryd hadn’t voted for him three years before when he was new to the black robe himself, but the man seemed competent enough.

  “Senior Brother Rex. We on the Council agree. Swift justice will be meted to these murderous ingrates. You will lead the attack party.”

  Jarryd’s jaw tightened. He had been expecting to lead the attack party. A successful mission would only be another feather in Rex’s cap. He nearly interrupted but decided it was smarter to let Cranston finish.

  “Take the truck, and twenty of our best men first thing in the morning. Leave none alive but the red-headed barbarian. He is to be brought back here and crucified in the town square of Old Orchard Beach. A lesson to those who helped him escape.”

  There were small gasps from the men around him.

  A crucifixion? There hadn’t been one in years. Jarryd had planned to deal with the Captain Hook himself, but it would be just as satisfying watching the bastard nailed to a cross. Besides, he had other fish to fry. Fish much bigger and closer to home.

  “Yes, Bishop Cranston,” said Rex, smoothly. “It shall be done. Guns?”

  The bishop pursed his lips.

  “Of course,” he said and quickly conferred with the other bishops. “You may take four automatics.”

  The other bishops stood, indicating the meeting was at an end, and the Senior Brothers around Jarryd also began to stand.

  “Pardon, if I may?” he called, pushing up next to Rex.

  The bishops paused and looked around.

  “Yes, Senior Brother?” asked Cranston.

  “I’d like to go along, if you will it? I have some unfinished business with these people.”

  Cranston’s eyes locked onto his then glanced at the bandage on his head.

  “Are you not feeling the ill-effects of your last encounter?”

  “It is but a scalp wound, Sir. I will be fine after a night’s rest.”

  “Senior Brother Rex?”

  “I have no objections, Sir.”

  “Very well then. But Rex is in command, do you understand?”

  “Yes, Sir,” said Jarryd, seething that Cranston had spoken to him in such a way in front of the other Senior Brothers.

  We’ll see about that.

  30

  Luke had advised Jacob to ride until just before sunset and then find a house to sleep in. He didn’t say anything to Luke, but the thought of sleeping in an old abandoned house freaked him out. Besides, it was a reasonably balmy night, so he decided to stop and bed down in the trees beside a heavily wooded part of the 202 instead.

  His thighs felt heavy as he climbed off the bike and wheeled it into the trees. He pulled out his map and had some bread and the last of his water as he examined it. Just over the next rise he would cross the border into New Hampshire and then hit the outer suburbs of East Rochester not long after.

  He would leave at first light and skirt the city as per Luke’s instructions, then turn onto the 125. Just past a town called Epping, he would take a turn onto the 101 which would lead him all the way into Manchester. He estimated it would take him about two hours to ride from Rochester to Epping, then another hour and a bit to get to the outskirts of Manchester. That would put him there before midday.
/>   He folded the map and put it away as dusk fell. He was asleep within minutes.

  ***

  The rest of the group only made it half the distance Jacob did before Luke and Diana called them to a halt. There were whispers and sighs of relief right along the column.

  They veered off the 202 a little way and found a large two-story house to spend the night in. Luke had his doubts they would all fit comfortably, but most were so exhausted it wouldn’t matter as long as they had enough floor space to lay down.