They were up to something. He wondered what it was. But wondering wouldn’t do him any good. He’d find out soon enough.
“Okay, ten-four. Thirty minutes, but not a minute longer.”
He slowed Bonnie to a walk. As he turned off Highway 83 and onto the gravel road that led to his ranch and the compound, he paused long enough to gaze at the bodies of Tony Pike and his gang. They were still there, lined up on the dirt berm that blocked the road, just as they’d left them almost a month before.
They were little more than skeletons now. Most of the meat had been picked away by buzzards or beetles. Tom noticed that some of the limbs were missing. Carried away by coyotes or wild dogs, he supposed.
When he was young, there were black bears in these hills. He saw one on a boy scout camping trip when he was twelve. Officially, according to the local game wardens, they were long gone.
But occasionally he’d still hear rumors of a bear sighting.
He had mixed feelings. In a way he’d like to see the bears make a comeback. He tended to root for the underdog in most situations, and never thought it fair man killed them all off when they were doing nothing more than being bears.
But then again, little Chris would be out there in these hills before long, learning how to ride a horse and how to hunt and fish. He didn’t want anyone he cared about being mauled by a black.
It was at that moment that Tom realized how much the people at the compound really meant to him. He no longer considered them just friendly strangers. They were now family. He considered Jordan and Sara his children, and little Chris his grandson.
He looked forward to putting Chris on horseback and going riding with him. And he hoped that Chris had some brothers and sisters someday, so he could teach them too.
It was quite a transformation for an old cowboy who, two years before, was all alone in the world except for a horse named Mollie and a dog named Blue.
And who’d liked it that way.
Sara’s voice came over the radio.
“Okay, Tom, we’re opening the gate. You can come home now.”
Her voice was almost giddy. He could hear the little girl giggle.
And it sounded sweet to the old man’s ears.
He and Bonnie galloped down the gravel road and bore right into the driveway of the compound.
And there he saw what the kids had been up to.
And he couldn’t help but smile.
There, parked in the front yard of the house, was his 1963 Ford Galaxy 500, decked out like a police car.
Or, more specifically, a sheriff’s car.
Linda greeted him with a kiss as he dismounted and let Bonnie go to graze.
“It was the kids’ idea,” she said. “But I thought it was a great tribute to you. They really love you, Tom, or they wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble for you.”
And their work was quite impressive. Tom’s jaw dropped as he walked completely around the vehicle, admiring their handiwork.
On the front driver’s and passenger doors, Sara had hand painted large five pointed stars, in gold with black trim. Above the stars were the word “Kerr County,” below the word “Sheriff.”
Across the back of the trunk, she’d repeated the same words.
Although she had no formal art training, she was a talented girl, and from ten feet away her work rivaled a professional painter’s.
“Sorry for having to delay your arrival. They were having trouble getting the driver’s side door back on.”
“They took the doors off?”
“Yes. Sara needed a flat surface to get the detail just right. When the doors were on the car, it was just too awkward to sit on the ground for several hours, and would have been hard on her back. So Jordan and Zach took the doors off and laid them across saw horses for her.
“But they found out that doors are a lot easier taking off than putting back on. They had a hard time getting the hinges to line up perfectly to get the pins back into place. It took four of us trying to maneuver the door into just the right position.”
Tom smiled.
He hugged Sara, and kissed her on top of the head.
“But where on earth did you get the paint? And how did you do all this? I was only gone for three hours.”
“I used the paint we saved from the Walmart truck. Remember all those model cars you found, that Zachary’s been putting together one at a time? Well, there was a case of model paint also. I must have gone through a hundred little bottles, and thought I was going to run out of the gold, but I barely had enough. Do you like it?”
She looked up at him and noticed for the first time his eyes were moist. For a very long time he’d considered the younger generation to be full of themselves, and a bit selfish. He had a hard time believing that these people put so much time and effort into doing something so special for him.
“No, honey,” he said. “I love it.”
Linda answered his second question.
“They’ve worked hard for the last three days to keep you out of the feed barn. That’s where they put the car when you weren’t paying attention. You didn’t even notice it was gone.
“They went on high alert anytime you went outside. They were using code words on the radio. ‘Sunny day’ meant you were outside and that somebody needed to get out there and head you off.”
She laughed.
“For the last three days they were telling you there was no need to take Bonnie from the barn to the pasture, that they’d already done it. That you didn’t have to feed the livestock, because they’d already done it. That you didn’t have to give Bonnie her daily apple, because they’d already done it. And then this morning, when Jordan saddled Bonnie and brought her around to the front of the house for you, because he said he wanted to teach Zachary how to saddle a horse? You didn’t even notice that Zachary was nowhere around. Because he still had his lazy butt in bed.”
Tom fought hard to hold back his tears.
“I just thought they were being sweet kids. It never dawned on me they were up to no good.”
Jordan said, “Come on. You haven’t seen the inside yet.”
Tom opened up the driver’s side door and peeked inside.
“I got the domed light off the top of the Bobcat. We’ve never used it anyway, so I didn’t figure we’d miss it much. It flashes yellow instead of red, but I’m thinking maybe you can find a red globe to replace it with at one of the auto parts places in town. In the meantime, a flashing yellow light is better than nothing.
“I installed the switch for the light right there on the dash, next to the radio. Now, look in the back seat.”
Tom turned and saw a heavy metal bar that ran across the back of the front bench seat, and was bolted to each side of the car’s door frames.
“That’s so you can handcuff your prisoners to the bar so they don’t get away or try to attack you. I used heavy duty bolts, and it’s sturdy. I almost pulled out the arc welder and welded it into place, but I didn’t want to set your car on fire.”
“Thank you, Jordan. Thank you both. Gosh, I feel like Sheriff Andy.”
Linda and Hannah burst out laughing. The reference was lost on everyone else.
Tom explained.
“Back in the 1960s, when I was a pup, one of my favorite TV programs was the Andy Griffith show. He played a small town sheriff in North Carolina. They used several different cars during the years the show was on, and one of them was exactly like this one. A 1963 Galaxy 500. It even had the five point star on the doors. If you changed ‘Kerr County’ to ‘Mayberry’ this would look just like Sheriff Andy’s car.”
Sara hugged him and asked, “So, you approve?”
“Yes, sweetheart. I definitely approve. Thank you all for your kindness. It does my old heart good to know that your mamas raised you to be so nice to others.”
He looked around and suddenly looked mildly panicked. All the adults were outside with him now, as well as the older children. The mesquite tree had been move
d out of the way and bandits could easily come into the compound.
“Wait a minute,” Tom said. “Who’s working the security desk?”
Hannah, ever the proud mother, beamed.
“Misty. She’s working her very first shift today. And if I must say, she’s doing an outstanding job. Of course, I trained her myself.”
Linda looked at her watch.
“Jordan, would you put the tree back into place? Everybody come inside. I’ve got a fresh baked apple pie in the oven that’ll be ready in exactly three minutes.”
Jordan sprinted for the Bobcat, yelling behind him, “Don’t let my butthead little brother eat my piece before I get in there.”
-41-
Tom made a point to visit the control center when he walked into the house.
“Well, lookie there. Look who’s all grown up now.”
“Hi Tom. This is kinda fun!”
“It’s not after you do it for awhile. Enjoy it while it’s all new to you. Hey, did you see my sheriff’s car?”
“Yep. Sara let me paint a little bit of it. Are you going to take me for a ride, with the siren blaring and everything?”
“Well, it doesn’t have a siren. Maybe I can find one and put it on there. And of course I’ll take you for a ride, Sunshine. But give me a little bit of time to get rid of all the rest of the bad guys first, okay?”
“Okay. Just don’t forget, you promised.”
For the next half hour most of the group sat around, drinking coffee and eating apple pie. Then Tom had a thought.
“Linda, dear, do you happen to have a recipe for old fashioned vanilla ice cream? This sure would taste good with a big ole pile if ice cream on top.”
Hannah smiled and said, “Ohhh, yeah it would.”
“Yes, honey. The ice cream recipe is easy. But I’m afraid we have no ice cream maker. It happened to be plugged into the wall when the EMP hit, and it shorted out. Scott looked at it and said it was completely shot, and threw it on the burn pile.”
“That’s not a problem. I have an old crank model in my storage shed. It’s been there gathering dust for years. I’ll stop by the old house on my way back from town tomorrow and get it.”
“Oh, that would be way cool.” I’ll check and make sure we have all the ingredients.”
Rachel asked, “What’s a crank version?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. It doesn’t plug into the wall. It had a big crank on it, and you churn the ice cream by turning the crank.”
Hannah interjected.
“Yes. It’s officially called a ‘kid crank.’ That’s because it’s just the right size for a kid to sit on top of it and turn the crank.”
“Is it hard?”
“Not until the end, when the ice cream starts getting real thick. But you kids can switch off. The rule at my house when I was a kid was if you didn’t help crank it, you couldn’t help eat it.”
Tom smiled and said, “That’s funny. It was the same rule at my house too. Maybe it’s a universal rule.”
At that moment, Scott’s voice came rumbling across the ham radio.
“Linda, Hannah, Tom… whoever’s on duty, this is Scott. Please come in.”
Misty picked up the microphone, just like her mom had showed her. She answered, “Go ahead, Scott.”
“Hey, peanut! Is that you? What are you doing on the radio? Who’s working the console?”
“Me. I’m working it. It’s my first day and Mom says that means I’m in charge.”
“Well, then, good for you. I’m glad you’re all grown up. I guess I’ll have to stop calling you peanut pretty soon, huh?”
“No, you can still call me peanut. It’s funny. Just don’t call me little peanut anymore. Is my dad around?”
“No, honey. He went to get a shower. He said he’d be out by the time I finished talking.”
“Would you not tell him I’m in charge of everything today? I want to tell him that myself.”
“Sure, honey. I promise. I won’t say a word. Now, is Linda or Tom or your Mom around?”
Hannah was closest and took the microphone first.
“Hi, Scott. How are you guys doing down there?”
“Oh, we’re doing well. Trying our best to stay busy. The only casualty among us lately is me, I stepped on a rusty nail and have an infected foot. So I’m hobbling around and wearing a funny boot. But other than that we’re all okay.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Are you getting it treated?”
“Yes. I’m going by the hospital every day to get it cleaned and the bandage changed. Hey, I’m impressed about Misty being put in charge. I guess you’re pretty proud of her, huh?”
“Yep. Pretty proud indeed.”
She looked at Misty and winked. Misty grinned from ear to ear.
“Who do you want to talk to next, Scott?”
“Oh, it doesn’t matter. Just whoever is available and wants to say hello.”
“Well, Tom’s here chomping at the bits. He’s got lots of news to tell you about…”
-42-
The sun rose on Baker Street, awakening a million twinkling stars in the morning dew. That was on the one front yard that still had grass. It was the same lawn with the huge tree in the front yard, and the picnic tables gathered beneath it.
Andy and Gloria arrived first, coffee cups in hand. Scarlett walked up a few minutes later, still trying to get the sleep from her eyes.
“Rhett will be along in a few minutes. The lazy jerk went back to sleep and I had to roll him out of bed.”
Andy was aghast.
“Hey, last time I called Rhett a jerk you went off on me.”
“Yeah, well, he’s my lazy jerk, so I can call him that. When you call my husband names, them’s fightin’ words.”
She said it with a smile.
Gloria added, “Okay you two, stop it with the nonsense so early in the morning. At least until I finish my coffee.”
“Hey, I’m nonsensical all day long. It’s who I am. It’s how I roll. It’s the very essence of my being.”
They’d been working hard for two weeks now, clearing the trees and grass from the front yards and making them ready for planting.
Their first step was to clear the block of cars. All of them, even the ones in the garages. One by one, they put the cars into neutral and pushed them to the end of the block, around the corner, and into the grass of a neighborhood park. Now the only cars left on the block were the ones at the end of the street, blocking its access from unwelcome visitors.
Baker Street was a dead end street. The other end of the block was covered with houses. Rhett and Scarlett’s house just happened to be at the very end. From their front door they could see the long street stretched out in front of them.
And at this particular moment in time, the street was a mess. It was littered with almost two dozen trees that had been cut down, but not cut up.
They figured there would be plenty of time to cut the trees up later, after the crops were planted. After all, winter time was a very long time away. Firewood wasn’t very high on their list of priorities at the moment.
They called their new meeting place simply, “the tree.”
It was where they now gathered every morning at sunrise, to come up with a game plan for the day’s work. And in the late afternoon, gathered there again, in the two car garage of the abandoned house behind the tree, to reward themselves for successfully completing another hard day’s work.
Bill Bennett, who along with his wife Mary and their three grandchildren were the original residents of Baker Street, was curious.
“Scarlett, I still find it amazing that you and Rhett found each other, of all the other people in the world. He’s told us about how he got his name because his mother was a huge Gone With the Wind fan. But how about you? Were your parents fans too? Is that where you got your name as well?”
“No, actually, I don’t even know if they ever saw the movie. Well, I’m sure they did. It was a classic. But I never had
the sense it meant any more to them than any other movie.
“They told me that I always had my fiery red hair. I was born with a head full of it. And my dad said the first time they saw me, the name Scarlett popped into their heads and it was official.
“Later they told me that I developed a fiery red temper to match my hair, and that made my name doubly fitting.”
Rhett walked up to join the group, adding, “Well, I can certainly attest to that. She does have a fiery temper.”
“Oh, shut up, sleepy head, before I throw something at you.”
But instead of throwing things, she kissed him. Then she held his hand. They’d been together for four years now, and their relationship had never gotten past the honeymoon stage.
“Funny thing about the word ‘fiery,’” added Mike. “It’s a variation of the word fire. Yet in the word fire, the r comes before the e. In the word fiery, they’re reversed. Does that bother anybody else besides me?”
Rhett studied his friend for a moment, and then said, “Funny thing about the word ‘fiery,’ Mike. Nobody really cares.”
Scarlett stepped in, mostly for the benefit of Bill and Mary, who’d only known the others for a short time.
“That’s only interesting for a former school teacher. Mike taught high school English back when the world still had such a thing.”
“Hey, the world will have high schools again. And it’ll be normal again someday. I just hope it’s in our lifetimes.”
Bill said, “I doubt it. But I hope my grandchildren have an easier time of it. Perhaps in their lifetimes they’ll find a way to bring power back to the cities.
“Mike, you and Scarlett are teachers. Perhaps you can advise me on what to do with them. The grandchildren, that is. They haven’t had any schooling in a year now, and I afraid that’s going to hurt them later on. Should I be trying to teach them about reading and writing and math and stuff like that?”
Scarlett interjected.
“I guess I forgot to tell you they’re opening up the old Sanders Elementary School in a couple of weeks. Initially there will be only one class for each grade level, but it’ll expand as they find more teachers. I’m going to teach Kindergarten. They can walk back and forth with me.”
An Undeclared War (Countdown to Armageddon Book 4) Page 15