The Damaged Climate Series (Book 2): Drought Warning

by J. R. Tate

  Chief Rayburn’s plan of gathering up things for battle was good but did he really think it would stand when the attack happened? There were more women and children in town than men and going off the hope that they outnumbered the looters was nothing solid in making sure they would come out on top.

  Steve didn’t doubt that the women could pull their weight. Mindy was a fighter, proving she could overcome the worst of situations when she managed to escape. And Cecilia spoke for herself – wife of a firefighter, mother to a boy who had lost an arm – she had already been through hell and back. She was pissed and she wasn’t going to let anyone harm what was left of her family.

  Pulling his handgun from his boot, he double checked it again. It was a constant habit to make sure the chambers were full and ready to go. He also had a large knife and hoped he wouldn’t have to use it. If he was close enough to the intruders to have to, that would mean that things were likely not going well for their small town.

  “Have you found out anything about our enemies?”

  Steve glanced to his side and saw Mindy scoot in beside him, squinting into the distance. The sun was bright but starting to go down behind the mountains in the west. Night would fall on them soon, making them even more vulnerable.

  “Not really. They’re just sort of hanging out and made camp.”

  “They know that we’ve seen them,” she replied, taking the binoculars from him.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “This is what they do, Steve. They play mind games. They get people all wigged out so when it does come time to attack, they are so focused on what could happen that they don’t pay attention to what is really happening around them.” She adjusted the knob on the binoculars and looked through them again. “They’re probably staring right back at us with their own binoculars, laughing their asses off.”

  “Do you think they know it’s you? Won’t they be pissed?” He was concerned for her. He wanted to make sure she was taken care of and if he had to be the one to do it, he’d gladly accept the challenge.

  “It’s no mystery I got away. It’ll just be another part of their plan of attack. If they catch me and take me back into the group, I’m in for it. They’ll probably torture me until I die.” She continued to look through the binoculars, any signs of fear wavering as she spoke of the group she once lived among.

  “You’re not scared?” She was good at hiding how she was really feeling. How could she not be a little spooked about the possibilities of the near future?

  She finally put the binoculars down and glanced at Steve from the corner of her eye. Brushing some hair from her face, she rolled on her side, propping her head up with her arm.

  “Of course I am. But there comes a time when you have to think about exactly what you’re fighting for. Is this all worth it?” She spread her hands around them, motioning toward the wasteland around them, parched for rain, barely surviving under the baking sun. “Do I want to fight for a lost cause?”

  “Of course, Mindy. What’s the point if we don’t try?”

  “What’s the point if we do? We’ll eventually starve, Steve. The river levels are already down. We are living off of small food rations.” She focused back on the camp. “I don’t want to be tortured. I’d rather they just kill me immediately.”

  “It’s the human condition. We are made to survive. And we will. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” Steve leaned in toward her, skimming his fingers down her cheek. Surprisingly, she leaned into his touch, her eyes looking deep into his.

  “I’ve never had anyone care as much as you have, Steve.” Whispering, she rested her forehead on his, the skin on skin contact invigorating. It was what Steve had been missing since his divorce.

  “Well now you do, Mindy. We have to fight. We are going to fight.”

  She scooted closer, her body up against his. Brushing her lips over his, it was all the invitation he needed to plant a much deeper kiss on her, a low murmur escaping from deep in her throat. Cupping the back of her head, he didn’t want to pull away but the gravity of the situation made him.

  Neither spoke at first and he grabbed the binoculars from her, taking another glance at the looters. He thought she would get up and leave but she stayed by his side, holding his free hand in hers as they scouted for Chief Rayburn. Having her close gave him even more of a will to come through all of this on top.

  Smiling, Steve squeezed her hand. “To be continued.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Night had fallen on Harper Springs and there had been no move against the town. Cecilia was nervous and she could feel the angst in the air. Everyone was left to wonder what the group of looters was up to. Were they even aware that the town was there? Did they have plans to attack or leave them be? She wondered if it would be better to just attack them and prevent anything from happening but Chief Rayburn and the other men made no indication what they wanted to do.

  She had gotten Ty ready for bed and to her surprise, he fell asleep almost instantly. He was aware of the situation – there was no way to hide it from him. It was the talk among everyone and he had asked her many questions about what was going to happen.

  Sipping on some tea, she hooked her lantern up to a bottle of propane and turned it on, keeping it on the dimmest setting so she could read. Other people were going to sleep and she didn’t want to keep them awake but she couldn’t sleep. There were too many things left open and she couldn’t get her mind to shut down.

  Flipping through the pages, she found the chapter she had finished a few nights before. The chances of comprehending anything would be minimal but she had to try. Staring at the words, she immediately thought about Ryan and how things would feel completely different if he were there by her side. How she longed to feel his arms around her, comforting her, and making her feel safe. She would worry about him going into battle but just his presence would calm her down.

  After about a half hour of trying to read, she sat up and finished her tea. Other people were sleeping, some reading, some sitting up and staring off into space, all of them probably thinking about the same things she was.

  Kicking her legs off the side of the bed, she stood up and paced. She had too much energy she needed to burn off before she could even think about sleeping.

  “You okay?”

  Mindy approached her, placing her hand on Cecilia’s arm.

  “Yeah. No. Hell, I don’t know,” Cecilia whispered, raking her hands through her hair. “How are you doing?”

  “Doing as good as can be expected, I guess.”

  “Where’s Steve?”

  “They’re rotating being on lookout. I think he’s out there right now. With it being nighttime, they are really trying to keep an eye on things.”

  “You know these people. Was it common for them to attack at night?”

  Mindy sat on the cot and looked at the cover of the book that Cecilia was reading, tossing it aside. “They really didn’t have a pattern. Sometimes they would. Sometimes they’d do it during the day. Just depended on their mood.”

  Cecilia approached the steps to go to ground-level. “I need to get some fresh air.”

  “They don’t want us going out there.”

  “It’s just for a second. Keep an eye on Ty for me?”

  Mindy nodded. “Yeah, if you come right back. I’d hate for something to happen to you.”

  Cecilia climbed up the steps. Opening the door, she was immediately greeted by one of the firemen on Ryan’s crew.

  “Cecilia, you shouldn’t be up here.”

  “I just need some fresh air. I feel like I’m suffocating down there.”

  “It’s not safe. Please, go back down there.” His eyes widened like he had seen a ghost. “They won’t get you down there.”

  “Are they...” Before Cecilia could get the question out, she saw fiery torches in the distance coming toward Harper Springs. There were enough to completely illuminate the night sky, appearing like something out of a horror movie. />
  “Get down there! Now! Get your guns ready!” The man pushed her down the steps and the door slammed behind her with a loud thud, echoing against the shelter walls.

  She fell backward a few steps and got her balance. Everyone was awake, lanterns popping on. Everyone was ready. This is what Chief Rayburn had prepared them for. Staring back at the others, Cecilia tried to find the words to get them ready but the image she had just seen was etched in her brain, her pulse racing as the reality of the situation set in. This was definitely happening. It wasn’t just town talk that they speculated about. The fears were true. It was time to stand their ground and fight for what they had worked so hard for.

  Taking a deep breath, Cecilia’s eyes scanned the room. “We are under attack.”

  ***

  Steve saw them coming but he had to make sure he was seeing things right. Retreating toward Harper Springs, he stayed low, crouching next to bushes and trees so he wouldn’t be spotted. He was dressed in black pants and a black shirt to help with hiding but by the number of torches approaching, it would be lit up like daytime soon.

  Staying in the shrubbery, he pulled his gun out. When would be the right time to do something? There was no way to tell, no way to allow the others to throw the first punch. He trusted Mindy’s assessment of how these people were. Their intent was to harm them, which meant he would have to shoot first and they could ask questions later.

  Making a wide perimeter around town, he hustled back. Gunshots rang out, which meant it was time to take immediate action. Taking a deep breath, he ran toward the chaos. He had to find Mindy and Cecilia. He had to make sure they were okay. It was the least thing he could do for Ryan and he had to keep his promise to Mindy.

  “Look who we have here!”

  Steve turned to face a man who had just gotten off of his horse, approaching him with a long blade knife, his mouth practically watering.

  “Am I supposed to know you?” Steve asked, his hand tightening around the handle of the gun.

  “We kidnapped you and that bastard shot one of our men and saved you. And now we meet again.”

  He wasn’t familiar to Steve but he had the details down correctly. “Is that what all of this is about?”

  “Partly. I hope y’all are ready to die tonight.”

  It was all Steve needed to pull the trigger, shooting the looter right between the eyes. It took him a second to fall – his head bobbed up and down, his eyes rolled back, and he finally crashed to the hard earth at their feet. Steve took the knife from his hand and also took the shotgun holstered in the saddle on the horse.

  Not able to take much more time to gather supplies, he continued his trek toward the fight – one man down, too many to go. He sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him, working off of adrenaline and the need to protect everything they had rebuilt. No one was going to take it from them. He wasn’t going to let it happen.

  ***

  “We’re almost to Harper Springs,” Ryan replied, glad that they made the decision to ride through the night. Margaret was exhausted and had fallen asleep a few times and he had allowed her doze against his back. He was tired too but his sheer desire to get home to his family kept him awake. They had been out in the balance for too long and he’d sleep when they got back.

  “I never thought I’d say this but I sure can’t wait to get back to a cot and sleep for a few days,” Doug said, breaking the silence. “Sure beats the hell out of sleeping on the hard ground.”

  “I can’t wait to see my wife and my kid. And I’m sure she will be ecstatic to see you, Margaret.”

  “I just wish Charlie would’ve made it with us. That is going to be hard on her.”

  Ryan was ready to see how much Steve was able to get done. He had lots of questions about farming and he was anxious about how much they were able to plant and salvage. The orange hue on the horizon made him stop his horse and watch. What was that?

  “Is that another wildfire?” Darryl asked, all of them watching on in amazement.

  “How far are we from town now?” Doug asked, his voice shaking.

  “Just over these foothills. About a mile,” Ryan replied. Something didn’t seem right. That couldn’t be a wildfire. Were they able to come up with a way to make lights for the night time?

  “Is the town burning?”

  Ryan dug the heel of his boot in the side of the horse, urging it to move forward. Enough speculation. They weren’t far now and with was playing out on the horizon, he had to get there to find out. They could be in trouble. Or they could stumble across a thriving new town, built up by the men they had left behind. They wouldn’t know until they got there.

  He wanted to run the horse the rest of the way but with Margaret riding along and the supplies on the travois, he had to continue a steady pace. It was hard to keep it slow. His gut was telling him that his family was in immediate danger and needed his help.

  As they got closer the bright orange got brighter. If it was a wildfire, wouldn’t they smell the smoke from the dry grass and trees being burned up? It wasn’t strong enough for that. Coming over the top of the foothill, Ryan stopped again, getting a good vantage point from above. Harper Springs was under attack and the orange hue were torches, arrows, and fire being used against his friends and family.

  “Holy shit...” he trailed off, gripping the reins so tight that his knuckles ached. How long had they been going through this?

  “We gotta get down there!”

  Darryl started down the hill, leaving Ryan behind. He had Margaret with him and had to be careful. Glancing over his shoulder, he said, “Margaret...” What was he going to do about her? He couldn’t run right in the middle of things and allow her to get hurt.

  “Do what you have to do, Ryan. You have to protect what is yours.”

  “What is ours, Margaret. This is your town now too.”

  He could find the shelter and drop her off, barring it was still a safe haven for people. Nodding toward Doug, they followed in the trail of his father. They had to try, or at least go down fighting. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. This couldn’t be real.

  He rode the horse as far as he could but being up that high was going to make him a target. Pulling the supplies, his legs ached and burned. He wasn’t willing to leave it unattended for them to pluck whatever they could from it. With the help of Doug, they lifted it off the ground and tried to get as far as the shelter. It took a couple of trips to get all of the supplies – with only he and Doug lugging it all it took a lot of time to get it all to safety.

  Gunshots rang out around them. Along with arrows, the looters seemed to be well stocked up on ammunition and weapons to use against the people of Harper Springs. The torches helped them see but Ryan feared looking behind them. Where were the men he knew? They could be hiding out and making the attackers guess where they were. The shelter wasn’t far away and he checked to make sure Margaret was still with them. They were unable to run but he wanted to make sure that she was able to keep up, and to his surprise she was matching them step for step. With his wounded leg he wasn’t able to move like he wanted but it helped in them not splitting up.

  When they got to the shelter it was clamped shut. Damn it! They must have had it closed to keep people safe underneath. He knocked a couple of times but no one came to answer, making him wonder if anyone was even down there. Had the looters already completely taken over? Were they too late?

  Knocking again, he decided to not waste any more time. Aside from a few distant gunshots, it got quiet. Burning torches were left on the ground, some starting small fires where the dry grass was and Ryan tried to stomp a few of those out. It was like the calm in the middle of the storm – things died down fast and the eerie stillness made the hair on the back of Ryan’s neck stand up.

  “Where is everyone?” Doug asked, looking around.

  “I don’t know.” Though he figured it was a lost cause, Ryan knocked again, and since it wasn’t as loud, he yelled through the door, identifying hi
mself. “Open up! It’s Ryan!”

  Loud footsteps came up and he prepared himself for what he might see on the other side. A woman he didn’t recognize swung it open, motioning toward Margaret and the travois. “Here, we’ll take her. I’ve heard a lot about you, Ryan.”

  “And you are?”

  “Mindy.”

  She took the netting and slid it down. Ryan tried to get a good view inside but the light of the lanterns wasn’t enough to tell who was in there. Where was Cecilia and Ty? He wanted to get down there but when more shooting erupted, his desire to stay at ground-level and help the fight made his protective side come out in full force. He saw a few familiar faces, easing his worry that the cellar had been taken over by the looters.

  “Are they...”

  Mindy cut him off and in the midst of the action, her calm expression confirmed that Ryan’s family was fine. “They’re safe, Ryan. And we’ll take care of this woman too.” A man on a horse raced past but didn’t stop. Noticing, Mindy went to shut the door. “I gotta get this shut. We’ll reunite again. I will tell Cecilia that you are back!”

  “We gotta find your dad,” Doug said. “I don’t think he realized we didn’t follow him.”

  “We gotta find everyone. We need to figure out what their plan is.”

  “One thing is for certain,” Doug replied, looking around. “We can’t stay here. They’re going to pick us off.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Cecilia tried to see who Mindy was talking to. She could have sworn the person knocking said their name was Ryan but the entrance was blocked and she couldn’t tell. The sound of gunfire and explosions were loud even underground, rumbling the walls of the cellar. Mindy came down the stairs with another person and as they approached, she finally got a good look at who it was.

  “Mom!” She didn’t care that she yelled or possibly could’ve woken someone up. At this point, with the attack going on, no one was really sleeping anyway. “Oh my God, Mom! Are you okay?”