The Road North

by Phillip D Granath

  “I could have killed you anytime Juan, you know that right? I could have cut your throat in the middle of the night or let that Black Jacket beat you senseless, but that wasn’t my mission. The Chief just wanted information and you, even with all your suspicions, you made it just so easy.”

  Allen punched Juan in the side and before the boy could even double over in pain Allen hit him again. Juan pressed his face against the wall of the shack, he could feel his own blood now running down from his forehead and mixing with the tears on his face. Allen was right he realized. Miles had left him in charge of everything that he cared about, the pump, the tower, and the town. In the span of just a few days, Juan had managed to ruin all three. Then over the sounds of his own ragged breathing, Juan heard something else, the sound of running horses. For the briefest of moments, the boy allowed himself to hope.

  “Ahhh, the cavalry is here,” Allen said behind him, “Let’s have a look shall we?”

  Grabbing Juan by the hair, the older boy yanked him back from the wall. Juan stumbled and fell to his knees, but Allen still held tight, forcing Juan to look towards the compound’s gate.

  “What do you think? Is it more Black Jackets coming to die? Or perhaps someone else?”

  As the boys watched, the sound of pounding hooves grew louder and louder and as they did Juan’s heart sank. There weren’t that many horses in the entire town he realized. A moment later six horses came charging through the gate, but only the lead horse carried a rider while the rest wore harnesses. The lone rider guided the animals across the compound to the far side of the water tower, but he wasn’t the only one. Behind him out of the darkness came another team of horses and then another, five in total. Juan turned his head trying to look up at the older boy. The light of the fire reflecting off of Allen’s smile in the darkness.

  “No one is coming Juan. All across this shitty little town, my brothers are keeping your Black Jacketed friends much too busy.”

  Juan had heard enough, being down on his knees gave the smaller boy just one advantage, his elbow was just about at the same level as Allen’s groin. Juan yanked his head hard to the side pulling Allen’s hand away and taking a handful of his hair with it. Allen began to laugh, but at that moment Juan threw out his right elbow and Allen abruptly stopped laughing. Seizing the moment Juan tried to stand but his legs failed him. He collapsed to the dirt and began to crawl ahead as fast as he could, while behind him Allen choked out a curse.

  As Juan scrambled for his life through the darkness he knew he was living on borrowed time, he was no match for Allen, none, his only chance was to try and hide. Then Juan’s smacked into the shack wall head first. For a moment the boy was stunned and then quickly turned to his left and began crawling down the wall as fast as he could. Behind him, Allen staggered back to his feet in the dark coughing and then shouted, “This is it Juan, nowhere to hide anymore and no one here to protect you.”

  With his blade in hand, Allen stalked behind the boy, enjoying the moment. “If it helps Juan, think about it like this. Tonight we’re going to put your town out of its misery, we’re going to end what nature started all those years ago.”

  Juan desperately scrambled ahead, but he knew Allen could kill him any moment, the boy was just toying with him. Then Juan’s hand found the edge of the wall, and he realized he was at the corner of the shack. Juan rolled to his back if he was going to die; he was determined to at least see his killer.

  “If anything, my Chief is doing your people a favor. You should thank me for this.”

  Allen grinned and pulled back his blade ready to strike when a figure stepped around the corner of the shack.

  “Thank you Allen!” Anna said.

  Then the woman swung the two-foot long wrench she was holding around like it was a baseball bat. Allen had just enough time to raise a hand to try and protect himself and when the wrench connected Juan heard every bone in the boy’s arm break. Allen let out a scream of pain then he slumped to the side, now propped up against the wall as his ruined arm flailed about uselessly.

  “And be sure to thank your Chief!”

  Anna swung again and this time the blow connected with the boy’s head. Juan heard a wet crack as Allen’s head was caught between the wrench and the shack wall. The boy didn’t make another sound, he just collapsed, leaving a bloody smear along the wall as he fell.

  No Other Way

  If Kyle had known about the meal that Zebadiah’s wives had prepared for supper, he would never have eaten as much at mid-day. On the farmer’s word, Claire had butchered a young goat, and while the men had been busy digging the buggy out of the sand, she spent the afternoon preparing a feast in their honor. Roasted goat ribs, seasoned with salt and wild herbs. Mashed potatoes, whipped smooth with goat’s milk and drizzled with butter. And a small salad made from a selection of leafy greens that Kyle couldn’t identify. Then men ate alone, Coal and Kyle seated side by side, while Zebadiah sat at the head of the table just as they had at lunch, but the farmer’s wives were nowhere to be found. When Kyle pointed out as much, Zebadiah replied.

  “Becky is still seeing to your friend, and Margaret is lying down, she was feeling a bit tired after the transfusion.”

  “And what about our lovely cook?” Coal asked between bites.

  “She’s seeing to the animals, but don’t worry, they’ll eat later.”

  Kyle glanced over at Zebadiah’s plate and realized that the man had barely touched his food. It wasn’t hard to see that the family didn’t have that much to share, but the farmer was doing everything he could to keep their guests happy. The scraps on Zeb’s plate was probably all that his wives would get to eat today. Kyle nodded and then patting his stomach pushed his own plate forward.

  “This was a great meal Zeb, but I’m awfully full. How about you Coal?”

  The bounty-hunter looked up as he was sucking the last of the gristle from a rib, “I could stand to have another if you’re done,” he said.

  Coal’s hand reached for Kyle’s plate, but the scavenger reached out slapping it away. The bounty hunter's eyes narrowed, and for a moment he looked like a dog ready to fight over a bone.

  “I imagine,” Kyle said, emphasizing the words, “that you must be done too.”

  Coal’s eyes looked down at the plate in front of him and then over to Zebadiah’s, then the bounty-hunter abruptly opened his mouth and let the rib fall onto his plate before pushing it away.

  “Yeah…I guess.”

  The farmer smiled, and standing began to collect the plates, “How about a nice after dinner tea then? Margaret has mixed up a special blend that I find quite relaxing after a long day.”

  “Tea, fucking outstanding,” Coal said, taking the bottle from his pocket.

  As the farmer carried the plates away and began to prepare a kettle, Becky came into the room.

  “He’s awake, and he’s asking for you,” she said.

  Both Coal and Kyle were on their feet in a moment, “Is he ready to be moved?” Kyle asked.

  Becky shook her head, “I wouldn’t recommend it, at least not tonight. Let him get a good night’s rest and give his body a chance to heal, right now he’s terribly weak.”

  Kyle nodded slowly, “Okay and thank you Becky.”

  “One more thing, he needs to get to a doctor, a real doctor and soon. That little trick with the arrow is keeping him breathing, but he’s still slowly bleeding on the inside. The transfusion has bought him another day, maybe two, but he needs to be stitched up on the inside, by somebody that knows what they’re doing and given a healthy round of antibiotics as well. Since your headed north, I assume that means you’re already headed for the Castle, the doctors there should be able to patch him up, just don’t lollygag along the way.”

  Kyle nodded slowly, trying his best to make it look like he knew what she was talking about and finally replied, “We will and we won’t, thank you.”

  The two men turned and moved down the hallway towards Miles’ room.


  “Castle?” Coal asked.

  “The hell if I know.”

  Coal and Kyle found Miles sitting up in bed and waiting for them, upon seeing them he demanded, “How long have we been here?”

  “A week,” Coal replied with a grin.

  “What?” the old man began pulling the blankets back and trying to crawl out of bed.

  “It’s only been a day Miles, now lay back down,” Kyle corrected.

  “A day or a week, we’re still behind schedule. The town is already expecting us back by now!” Miles objected.

  “And if you drop dead before we can find the parts that we need, then none of this even matters. Becky says you need a night’s sleep to get your strength back, so we’ll leave first thing in the morning.” Kyle replied pushing the old man back down into the bed.

  “I can sleep in the car, I did it yesterday.”

  “No, you were unconscious in the car, there is a difference.”

  “I could knock you out Miles if that helps,” Coal offered.

  Miles glanced between the two men as if calculating an escape and though the old man seemed eager, Kyle could tell he was exhausted.

  “We should be able to make Salt Lake tomorrow,” Miles said.

  “We should, it’s a long run, but from what Zebadiah has told us about this Protectorate or whatever it is, I have a feeling that the road will be clear and we shouldn’t run across much trouble.”

  “Protectorate?” Miles asked.

  “We have no idea, but we can talk more on that tomorrow.”

  Coal and Kyle turned to leave the room, but Miles spoke again, “Kyle, you know what is going to be right along the way don’t you?”

  Kyle slowly nodded, “That company, Space whatever, the one that made the buggy. Yeah, I know.”

  “We need to stop.”

  “Miles I don’t think we have time for that.”

  “Bullshit! You want to waste a whole night here so I can get a little sleep, fine. But that means you owe me at least an hour tomorrow. That’s all I want, one hour.”

  Kyle was ready to tell his friend no, flat out, but something in Miles’ voice gave him pause. A slight tremble that had nothing to do with the old man’s injuries.

  “Why is this so important to you Miles?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s happened to the world. I don’t know what that thing was that attacked us. I don’t know if there is anything we can do about it. But I do know that this place may be our only chance to find some answers and maybe along with it some kind of technology that still works and that can help us. All I want is an hour.”

  “Good night Miles,” Kyle said shutting the door.

  Coal and Kyle moved down the hallway, “All I want is an hour too,” Coal said with a grin.

  “What?” Kyle looked over and realized that the bounty-hunter was peering into each doorway they passed, undoubtedly trying to figure out where Zeb’s wives slept.

  “Hell no, we’re sleeping outside and guarding the buggy tonight.”

  “What?” Coal replied, “How will that pretty little dark-haired girl find me out there.”

  “No,” Kyle replied flatly.

  “Fine, fine, you can have Claire. I’ll take that old battle-ax. I bet she’s a real hellion in the sack.”

  “We’re not having this conversation.”

  “Oh come on, I thought you white people were all about this kinda stuff! What’s the term for it? Sliding or swinging or something like that?”

  Even in the darkness, Juan’s eyes kept going back to Allen’s body, now a motionless tangle of arms and legs laying in the shadows. Juan knew that the boy had tried to kill him, there was no doubting that, but some part of Juan still wished his only friend was still alive. Friend? When did he start thinking of Allen as a friend? Was any of it more than just an act? As Juan considered this, he began to realize that Anna was standing over him and wiping away the blood from his forehead.

  “Juan!” she whispered, “Are you alright?”

  From the tone of her voice, the boy guessed it wasn’t the first time that she had asked the question. Juan looked up at her, she was still wearing her faded blue scrubs from the day before. Oddly enough, even with the scrubs stretched over her stomach, seeing her splattered in blood didn’t seem unusual at all. The doctor, apparently tired of waiting for Juan to answer grabbed the boy by the shirt and hoisted him up to his feet.

  “We have to go Juan! So snap out of it!”

  Some part of Juan knew that she was right and the boy began to nod his head. Taking him by the arm and still carrying her bloody wrench Anna began to guide him around the shack and towards the compound gates. Juan hesitated for just a moment as he reached down and scooped up Allen’s knife, before following after her. As they left the shack behind Juan realized that the base of the tower was crisscrossed in odd shadows. It seemed their attackers were no longer trying to conceal themselves and lit several lanterns as they worked on the far side of the tower. Between the tower’s legs, Juan could see and hear the dozens of horses the Indians had led into the compound. Juan slowed as he tried to make out what they were doing.

  “Come on Juan, there is no time for that.”

  Juan pulled his arm out of the doctor’s grasp and then pointed at the tower.

  “There is too many of them Juan, you’ll just get yourself killed. If they want the water that badly let them take it!”

  Even as Anna spoke, Juan was shaking his head. She hadn’t heard Allen’s words, she didn’t know the boy like Juan did. When Allen said that he was putting the town out of its misery, Juan knew he meant something more permanent than just stealing water. The boy had no idea why the Indian Nation suddenly considered them enemies or what the warriors working on the other side of the compound were doing, but Juan knew he had to find out. Pushing away Anna’s outstretched hand Juan pointed at her and then towards the gate.

  “Juan no! We are both leaving!”

  Instead, the boy turned and ran into the darkness, heading straight for the base of the tower.

  Anna hesitated for just a moment and then through clenched teeth she hissed, “Fuck! I better be having a girl!”

  The doctor trailed after Juan and found the boy kneeling behind one of the tower’s four legs. She joined him, and together they peered through the steel legs and maze of support cables. Not 40 feet away a dozen Braves were moving back and forth across the entire length of the compound wall. They carried an odd assortment of tools, and Anna could make out more than a few pry bars, hammers, and wrenches.

  “What are they doing?” she whispered.

  Juan shrugged and then pointed upward. There Anna saw more boys had climbed up the tower’s legs and were now hauling ropes up into the shadows. Suddenly the entire compound was rocked by a thunderous noise, and for a fleeting moment, Anna was convinced the tower had been struck by lightning. She ducked down and a split second later grabbed Juan by the shirt and dragged him down as well. The mute boy immediately pulled free, and Anna saw that he was pointing again. Across the compound a section of wall had fallen away, the scrap steel and metal roofing now lay flat on the ground creating a huge opening to the street beyond.

  “What are they doing? Are they bringing in more warriors?”

  Juan shook his head slowly, he didn’t know what the small army of boys was up to, but somehow that didn’t seem right. Why bother to knock down a wall when you already controlled the only gate? Across the compound, the mounted warriors began to move their teams of horses into place as if getting ready to race them through the new opening and down the street.

  “I don’t understand,” Anna whispered.

  Then out of the darkness, a thick coil of rope landed on the ground at the base of one of the tower legs, followed quickly by a second. The Braves began scooping up the coils of rope and running the lines back towards the waiting teams of horses. Juan’s mouth suddenly dropped open, and he began shaking his head.

  “Juan? Juan? They’re not going
to do what I think, are they? They can’t really be trying to pull the tower, are they?”

  At that moment every terrifying detail clicked into place for the boy. The Indian’s had already cut the new lines that Juan had put up. The Braves were working on the far side of the tower, the direction the supports were already starting to deform and buckle. The warriors tying the lines high up on each of the damaged legs. This was it Juan realized, this was Allen’s plan. The boy had known the pump would fail in a matter of days, if not hours. The water that remained in the tower would be the town’s only hope then. Juan’s eyes looked down at the base of the tower and then followed the imaginary line the massive structure would take when it fell. The tower would also crush the pump. Allen was right, in one night he would deal the town a death blow from which it would never recover. He would take away every drop of water they had and their ability to pump anymore. Then all the Indian Nation had to do was sit back and watch the town tear itself apart.

  “Juan, we have to go, we have to go now!” Anna begged, pulling at the boy’s arms.

  Juan looked up into the shadows above them, he could hear the Indian boys moving around up there at the moment, it seemed, still too busy to notice them. Juan nodded his consent and turning, he followed Anna out from beneath the tower. The doctor began to head towards the main gate again, but Juan held her back. If the tower fell, there was a good chance it would fall in that direction. Juan did his best to communicate this with Anna and then guided her back past the shack. There, next to the base of the wall, right where Juan knew it would be sat a heavy wooden crate. He climbed on top of it and then helped Anna up after him. Standing on top of the crate Juan was just high enough to reach out and grab the top of the wall.