by Mark Tufo
Pheebz was sitting on the couch watching the television, and she and Herbert exchanged a look without a word. Once again, Darlene knew the important information had been passed between the married couple.
“We need to shut all the windows and lock the doors tonight,” Herbert said.
“I made some coffee,” Pheebz said without getting up. She looked at Darlene and smiled. “Help yourself.”
“Thanks,” Darlene said, but she helped Herbert shut the house down first.
Herbert went into his bedroom and came out with three rifles. He propped one near the front door, one by the back door in the kitchen, and the last by the door to the garage.
“Rosemary called,” Pheebz said when Herbert walked back into the living room.
Herbert made a face like he’d sucked on a lemon. “What did she want?”
Pheebz frowned. “She’s coming over tomorrow and bringing the boys. She doesn’t feel safe at her house.”
“Please tell me you’re joking,” Herbert said.
Pheebz shook her head.
“I’m going to call and tell her not to come.”
“Dear, she’s family. What if this is really as bad as they’re saying?”
Herbert stopped and glanced at Darlene. “My sister is a mess, to be nice about it.” He touched the side of his head and spun his finger. “She’s loopy. Not the sharpest pencil in the box, and she sees things. Weird things. Her kids, on the other hand, are just two little animals.”
“Be nice,” Pheebz said then clucked her tongue. “They’re rambunctious twins. Rosemary was nearly fifty when she had them. No one knows who the father is, either. She’s had a heck of a time raising them with all of her problems.”
“I don’t want them here,” Herbert said.
“You don’t have a real choice. I told her to bring all of the food and supplies she could put into her car and be over early, before people got on the road again,” Pheebz said.
“I’m going to call her just the same. Knowing my sister, she’ll bring a bunch of loud toys for the kids and nothing else,” Herbert said. He stared at Pheebz. “As if this wasn’t bad enough.”
“She’s family,” Pheebz said, but Darlene could tell she was saying it without believing what the words really meant. Pheebz was just as mad as Herbert was, but she’d probably dealt with his sister for a while today when he was gone and had resigned herself to the fact that the woman and her brats were coming tomorrow.
Darlene didn’t want to get in the middle of a family squabble. She silently hoped they were just exaggerating about his sister and the kids.
“I’m shutting down the lights tonight,” Herbert said.
“What for?” Pheebz asked.
“If the Sawyer boys are going to come around it will be tonight. They have no patience. I’m sure the gas station burning down wasn’t an accident. They’ve wanted that spot since before I was born,” Herbert said.
Pheebz sighed and looked at Darlene. “Herbert’s father and the Sawyer’s grandfather were rivals in high school. They had a idiotic feud over a girl. No one even remembers what her name was, but this stupid war has been raging for over sixty years.” She watched as Herbert walked out of the kitchen before continuing. “We tried to be civil but that didn’t stop the Sawyer kids from doing everything in their power to mess with Herbert over the years. As they’ve gotten older, they’ve gotten more bold and vicious. Last year, Buck Sawyer was arrested in Chico for drunk driving. He swears Herbert set him up because he was in the gas station buying snacks a few hours before and he might have had a few at that point. He said Herbert tipped off the State Police to have him arrested, which is a lie.”
“No it isn’t. I called them as soon as he left the parking lot,” Herbert said as he walked back into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee.
Pheebz put her hands on her hips. “What?”
Herbert shrugged and winked at Darlene before sitting at the table. “Why wouldn’t I? The boy was drunk as a skunk. He was going to kill someone. I’m surprised he got as far as he did.”
“You never told me you called them.”
“You never asked. What difference does it make? He has no way to prove it was me that called, and he would blame me either way, so I’m glad I tipped them off,” Herbert said.
Darlene smiled. She was at least having an amusing night seeing the couple talk and spar back and forth, just like her parents had done when she was little.
“I’ll take first watch,” Herbert said.
“I’ll take second,” Darlene answered.
Herbert nodded. “I’ll set us up with a hard chair and a table on the porch and place some steel covered with dark sheets to block any shots.”
“Please tell me it won’t come to that,” Pheebz said.
“It might. I’d rather be on the cautious side. If it isn’t the Sawyer clan, it will be someone else soon enough. Everyone knows I’m the crazy old man on the big farm who hoards everything I can get my hands on. They know I have three barns on the property and they’re not filled with horses,” Herbert said. “Tomorrow at first light, I’ll drive the property and make sure the fences are still up. It won’t keep anyone out who wants to get in, but it might deter or slow them down some.”
Pheebz shook her head and poured herself a cup of coffee.
“I’ll go to sleep now. Wake me for my shift,” Darlene said.
“I will. We can go over everything then. If you hear shooting, kindly come out guns blazing. Ask questions later,” Herbert said.
“I’ll sleep with my Desert Eagle loaded on the nightstand.”
“You saw where I placed the rifles. Tomorrow, we’ll put the rest of the guns out and boxes of ammo.” Herbert took a sip of his coffee.
“How many weapons do you own?” Darlene asked.
Herbert shrugged. “More than enough. And I’ve been buying ammo for years. I’ll need to get down to the cellar in the green barn and pull the crates. There are a few surprises down there for anyone stupid enough to come onto my property.”
Darlene wanted a cup of coffee but knew it was going to be hard enough to get to sleep. She said goodnight and left the couple to talk for a while, knowing Herbert would be at his post in a bit.
She wondered, if push came to shove, whether or not she’d be able to kill another person. What if they walked up the drive to talk? What if they were asking for help? She’d only caught a glimpse of the two Sawyer brothers. They sounded dangerous but they were also charming. She was sure they weren’t going to give up easily, especially if they really had torched the gas station.
Darlene left her clothes on since she had nothing clean. Her sneakers, placed near the bed, were tied but loose so she could slip them on easily.
The Desert Eagle was loaded and within reach.
She sighed and plopped down onto the bed. It was warm in the home, so she didn’t need to get under the covers and lose precious seconds in the event something happened.
Darlene didn’t think she’d fall asleep. Her mind was racing with thoughts of her dad. She missed Maine and saw what a stupid, selfish mistake it had been to run away from her life and what she thought were her problems. She had problems now, real ones.
While she liked Herbert and Pheebz, she really didn’t know them. Sure, they were a cute older couple, but a few minor things about Herbert were starting to gnaw at her. His reluctance to share the gasoline with people in need weighed on her mind.
Herbert seemed to be quick to the trigger, another thing she was worried about. And with his wild card sister and nephews on the way, what would happen tomorrow? Darlene didn’t want to think of the change in the house once they arrived. It was already tense with the thought of looters entering the property, but adding to the conflict right in his face might set Herbert off the deep end.
Darlene, deep in thought, must’ve finally dozed off, because at first, the sound of gunfire felt like it was in her dream.
When Pheebz swung open the bedroom door and s
creamed for Darlene to hurry and help Herbert on the porch, Darlene was immediately awake and glad she’d prepared.
Now she hoped she wouldn’t have to test her resolve to kill or be killed.
Chapter Ten
Day 2 I-70
Darlene heard another gunshot as she ran through the house and neared the front door, which was wide open. She tried to relax her breathing and crouched, gun drawn, waiting for more shots.
“Tell your family to stay off my property,” Herbert yelled from the front porch.
Darlene peeked across the threshold and saw headlights down the driveway.
Herbert, ducking behind the makeshift blockade on the porch, was aiming his rifle. He shot, and Darlene saw the front left headlight explode on the pickup truck before it turned and drove away, kicking up dust in the moonlight.
“Next time we might not be so lucky,” Herbert said. He stood slowly but kept the rifle pointed at where the truck had been. “They didn’t come to do anything tonight. Just trying to scare us old folks into giving them our farm and supplies. But the Sawyers will be back and with more kin than I can muster. We’ll need more help than my sister and her brats, too. This is going to get ugly, and fast.”
“Let me know what I need to do,” Darlene said. She didn’t know how much help she could possibly be, but she knew she had to try. She also knew she was on the verge of panic. Instead of being safe until everything blew over, she was now in the middle of a clan war. She needed to keep her cool.
“Right now, I think you just need to get some sleep. I’ll wake you early, and we can ride the property. Maybe you’ll see a few things I missed and offer suggestions that will help save us,” Herbert said.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Darlene looked down the now-dark driveway. “What if they come back tonight?”
“They won’t. I didn’t shoot any of them, but I did do some damage. They’ll spend the next few hours getting all fired up and try to rope in a few distant cousins and tell them I tried to kill one of the boys. It’s happened before, although now with the law and the rules out the window, they’ll do more than bitch about me while they get drunk and smoke drugs,” Herbert said.
“Call me if you need my help,” Darlene said. She went back inside. She was worried, and as she passed Pheebz, she could see the older woman felt the same way. Pheebz was sitting in the kitchen in the dark, clutching a small firearm in her hand. If it wasn’t for the soft glow of the clock over the stove, Darlene would’ve missed her completely.
Darlene crawled back into bed but knew there was no way she would fall asleep. Her mind was racing and she cradled the Desert Eagle in her hand before placing it within reach on the nightstand again.
She stared at the ceiling for half an hour before giving up and going to the window, looking out at the vast property. She could see one of the barns from her room. There were so many shadows where an army could hide, and she wouldn’t see them coming.
The Sawyer family probably knew the area and this farm pretty well, and they would use it to their advantage when they came back for a fight.
Now more than ever, Darlene wished she’d never left Maine. Why had she been so selfish and impulsive? Right now, she’d be safe in her own bed and in her own home.
She hoped.
What if this craziness was happening in New England? Pheebz had watched the news on and off but didn’t offer a play by play to Herbert. It was all so depressing, and they had their own problems close to home right now. No use in worrying about Los Angeles or New York when they were in danger right here.
Darlene went back to the bed, but she couldn’t get comfortable, She was restless. She felt like she was being watched and found herself at the window again.
She decided she’d slip to the kitchen and get something to drink. Maybe take over guarding the house or walk the property in case they came back. She needed something to do besides stare at the ceiling. Her mind was racing with so many thoughts.
When she opened the bedroom door, she wasn’t surprised to hear the television on and the couple talking quietly in the living room with the lights out.
Darlene made sure she made enough noise as she walked through the hall so Herbert didn’t shoot her. When she cleared her throat and walked into the living room, both Herbert and Pheebz had pistols drawn.
“Am I interrupting?” she asked.
“Turn it off,” Herbert said to Pheebz.
Darlene looked at the television but only caught a brief glimpse of something burning before the picture blinked off.
Only the small nightlight near the end table gave them anything to see by now.
“We need to tell her,” Pheebz said, then turned on the lamp next to her. She looked at Darlene and frowned. “Come sit down.”
“This is not a good idea,” Herbert said.
“Tell me what’s going on,” Darlene said as she sat down on the couch. She was exhausted but knew she’d get no sleep tonight. Especially if there was more bad news. “You can’t keep bad news from me.”
Herbert nodded. “I’m sorry, Darlene. It’s just...I consider you like our daughter. I want to protect you, even though we just met. I know you’re good people, and to be honest, I don’t want you to break down when you see what we’ve been watching. Can you understand that?”
Darlene smiled. “I thank you for the concern. I’m quite fond of both of you, and it isn’t just the situation we’re in right now. But I’m not a little girl, and I’m really not happy to know you’re keeping stuff from me.” She remained calm because she was really pissed off right now. Who did they think they were? She wasn’t their daughter. She had a dad—well, she’d had one—and now she wanted to leave. Maybe she’d take off at first light and try to get back to Maine. She didn’t want to feel like a prisoner or have them keep information from her like she was a child.
“I told you,” Pheebz yelled. She waved a finger at her husband. “She’s not a little kid. She isn’t Susie.” Pheebz began to cry and rushed out of the room.
Darlene stared at Herbert as she heard a bedroom door slam.
Herbert looked like he was going to cry. He picked up the rifle near his chair and pointed at the couch with his free hand. “There’s the remote control for the television. It doesn’t matter what channel, they’re all running it.”
Darlene didn’t move. She watched him walk back outside onto the porch.
She felt horrible. She’d walked into their private conversation. Now Pheebz was upset at Herbert, and he was probably mad at Darlene.
Her first reaction was to get up and slink back into the bedroom to try once again to sleep. As she stood, she saw the remote control and picked it up.
Darlene glanced at the television and back to the remote. If she turned on the TV, what would she see? Whatever it was, she wouldn’t be able to un-see it and it was obviously something the couple thought would upset her.
She sighed and sat back down on the couch, aiming the remote control at the television, praying things weren’t as horrible as the couple led her to suspect. As soon as the picture came on, she saw a shot from above, a news chopper filming live over a large metropolitan area. A city was burning.
Tall buildings threatened to topple, and she could see abandoned cars and even bodies on the streets below. Every third structure seemed to be ablaze.
The news scrolling underneath the live shot talked about another terrorist attack on Boston, but details were sketchy.
Boston had been attacked.
Darlene put her hand to her mouth. She had so much family in and around Boston. Was this possible? Were they all dead? Was her aunt gone?
She tried to use her cell phone to call, not caring what time it was, but she couldn’t get a signal. Darlene went into the other room and found the house phone. She dialed her aunt’s number, but it wouldn’t connect.
Darlene dialed every number she could remember in Massachusetts and Maine, but the lines were all down. She guessed with the attack the cell phone towe
rs had been compromised or destroyed, and all calls to New England would be unable to connect.
This isn’t happening, she thought.
She went back to the couch and surfed through the channels, trying to find more news about New England. She needed to know if Maine had been part of the offensive. No one seemed to know who’d been behind these attacks on America.
Too many people were taking credit for it, and the news anchors were spewing forth unfounded facts at an alarming rate. No matter which channel she stopped on, everyone had their own opinion. When had the news become a game of ratings and one-upping the other channel? Every news agency had Exclusive and Seen Here First scrolling across every spot they could jam it on the screen.
Now Darlene was getting mad. From the looks of more than a few stations, it seemed like there hadn’t been an actual new story in hours. Boston had been attacked ten hours ago, but there was nothing else to report.
Every channel had live talking heads holding microphones with a burning or ruined building behind them, but none of them could say how the attack had come in or anything useful.
Frustrated, Darlene turned off the television and cried.
Life as she knew it had changed. There was no more home to go back to, was there? If Boston had been attacked, maybe parts of Maine had been as well. One of the newscasters had briefly touched on unconfirmed reports of a small invasion force landing near the Canadian border. Was it even possible?
Darlene stood and wiped her tears, but she couldn’t stop crying.
She went to the front door and was about to join Herbert when she heard the man sobbing on the porch. It made Darlene cry even more. She walked away quickly so she didn’t embarrass him.
When she got down the hallway and was about to enter her bedroom, she could hear Pheebz crying as well.
The three of them were a mess right now, and Darlene was glad they all had a private space and were away from one another to mourn for whatever they were crying about in peace.