by Paul Kirk
“Hey Mac. John,” said Marty. His makeshift fishing rod bounced in hand as did BB’s larger version made from a tiny maple sapling.
“Hey.”
“Everything copasetic?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“For real? ‘Cause I'm thinking you two are talking some shit, John.”
“I guess we are, Marty,” said John.
“Uh, huh.”
“Well?”
Connor stepped into the conversation. “We’ll be leaving in four hours, Surf Boy. Alert the crew. Right now, we’re heading to the ‘Burgh."
"Pittsburgh?" asked BB.
"Yeah, Pittsburgh. We’ll need to take a route that avoids making that Geiger counter jump, but we need to move. We spent enough time here waiting.” Connor was all business.
“But, Amanda?”
Connor slipped from the steel billet, standing before Marty and BB. Almost wistfully, he glanced northwest toward Cleveland before his voice became soft. “She didn’t make it, Marty...she's not coming.”
“Hmm...but—”
“We have to face facts.”
“Aww, man. Don’t do this! Not yet. Let’s wait another day. We have the time—”
“No, Marty. Not that don’t I want to. For real.”
“Aww...man.”
“But we gotta move on from here. No good’s being done. BB?”
“Yeah, sir?”
“Help ‘im out for me would you? Take him fishing for a few hours. He’ll need some attention for a bit.”
“Yep.”
“McLeod...let the rest know.”
McLeod slid off the steel to stand near BB, Marty and Connor. Concerned, he looked at each. BB and Marty headed off toward the pond. McLeod began to leave but after a few steps, he stopped and turned. “What about you?’
“Me? What about me, John? I’ll make it. Got no choice at this point. Go on. Let’s leave this mill.”
“Let me know if you need anything.” John turned and walked toward the farmhouse
“Yep.”
CHAPTER 7.7-Finding a Wife
In the early dawn, Terry gently touched the tanned bearskin strung out, curing on the wire frame near the fire pit. Caressing the fur stretched tight, she acknowledged the exceptional softness of the treated fur, noticing that the leather hide was taking on a nice suppleness as it cured. Clearly, Liam was having some expert help in preparing the hide, since it was turning out perfectly, as if a man with twenty or more years experience gave the bearskin an expert treatment. Sipping her spearmint and honey tea, Terry strolled the grounds near the cottage, as was her morning ritual when she had time. Not too far out and not breaching the first perimeter, she enjoyed moving about while most of her clan peacefully slept. Here in the mountains, early autumn came quickly and she already noticed leaves taking on fall colors while the ground cover slowly died off to brown.
“Ahh, fall is coming fast,” she thought. Slipping her Kimber into her gray hoodie pocket, she settled onto her favorite large boulder and, once again, was pleased with the view such access permitted. Taking a full scan of the property near the cottage, she took another sip of tea. And, after a few minutes of contemplation she caught Toby and Kristen coming in from nightwatch. Strolling by, Toby tossed a small, tired wave her way. Kristen, close by his side, seemed almost as exhausted.
“Hey Toby? You happen to know who’s helping Liam prep the bearskin?”
“Nope,” said Toby. He continued toward the cottage, clearly in need of sleep.
“Talk to your new man about that, T,” said Kristen. Not breaking stride, she barely hid a small grin while cruising past.
“Alright.” A pulse of joy seeped into Terry's thoughts. Maybe Liam was letting go a bit concerning his father. Maybe Connor Mac was shifting more into the past for Liam. And maybe, a future with Andy was feasible. He was certainly the one helping Liam in preparing the bear fur. A wave of pleasure ran freely in her thoughts while she considered the future. Catching movement near the cottage, she found Kevin exiting the back door onto the large deck. He lit his pipe and looked around, spotting Terry. After a moment to fully stoke the pipe, he took an easy stroll in her direction.
“Morning, T.”
“Kev.”
“Are there any big plans for today?”
“Nope. Nothing more than bringing in the rest of the September kale harvest. Should probably start thinking about bringing in some of the squash and early pumpkin.”
“Right.”
“Why’d you ask? Is something else on your mind?”
“Umm, well, yeah, I guess.”
“And that is?”
“Mark has that big fall festival going on today at Nemacolin. People from all around will be coming to see the fireworks and do some serious trading.”
“Uh huh.”
“We should sell some of our Jasmine soap. Fetch a good price. We should send a few of our own people and trade what we can.”
“Yeah, we talked about this already last week, remember? Jessie and Ryan are going.”
“Yep, that’s right. But...I’d like to go, too.”
“Well, plan on it then. What’s keeping you?”
“I was assigned to help with lunch and dinner.”
“Oh. Well, in that case, I’ll have Christy pitch in and take your assignment.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.” Kevin turned and walked toward the cottage.
“Kev?”
“Yeah?”
“You got someone at Nemacolin you’re looking at?”
“T?”
“C'mon, Kev.”
“Umm...”
“Kev? It’s not like you’ve kept it a secret. Is it that Aldonza girl?”
Kevin puffed hard on his pipe and studied the two-lane blacktop evaporating a light fog in the distance. Smiling, he found it difficult to hide his affection. “Yeah, maybe.”
“What do you know about her?”
“A little. She comes from Miami. Has a kid named Carlos, fifteen or so years old. And, she used to work at a bank as a mortgage broker.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“Lost her husband to the Sickness and traveled to Pittsburgh to see about her parents, both dead. They didn’t make it, so she started back south and ended up here. Nothing surprising.”
“How’d you meet up with her, again?”
“Umm, last month. I went to see about those deep-cycle batteries we wanted to trade on for our solar array. Aldonza was passing by as Todd and I traded.”
“And?”
“Ahh, she was something special...I felt it.”
“You felt it, did you?” Terry chuckled and Kevin noticed.
“No question.”
“Uh, huh.”
Kevin smiled, thinking back to that day. Terry did not want to keep him from exploring this new aspect of his life.
“Kev?”
“Yeah?”
“Go to Nemacolin and see what you might have going on with Aldonza. Okay? If things work out, bring her in—everyone wants to meet her.”
“Oh. Yeah, sure.”
“I’m serious.”
“Ahh, okay. If she’s interested, I sure will.”
“And, Kev?”
“Yeah?”
“Take 200 of our Nemacolin trade credits from the main account.”
“Umm...”
“Use it to impress her. Buy her something nice. No payback required.”
Stunned, Kevin stared, flabbergasted.
“200 Nemacolin, wow!”
“Uh, huh”
“But...that’s two month’s—”
“Aww, c’mon, Kev. You’re essential to this clan. You know that.”
“Okay, sure, but…”
“The least we can do is give you 200 chits so you can make an impression on a potential future wife. One that might end up a contributing member.”
“Ahh, oh, well, T, that’s...more than I planned for.”
“I know. That’s why I did it.”
“Thank you.”
“Hmm, now don’t go tellin' the rest of the clan about my generosity…or I’ll have your ass.”
“No, course not.”
Kevin headed back toward the cottage with a spring in his step, but already, he was caught up in thoughts of Aldonza and her boy. Confident, he was pretty sure that they would be a good fit with the clan.
CHAPTER 7.8-On the Move
“Phoenix is on the move, ma’am.”
Colonel Starkes sat on a bench in the open yard of Allegheny college, sipping a cup of coffee. She had heard the return of the helicopter, but was immersed in reading a book on the rise and fall of the Roman Empire she had found in one of the classrooms. The major's approach and comment made her mind spin to face him with interest.
“What strength? What direction? How’s he supplied? He using motorized vehicles and all those horses he has?”
“Umm...”
Colonel Starkes forced herself to relax, tempering her intensity. “Sorry...welcome back, major.”
“Thank you, ma'am.”
“Set it up and bring the rest of the team in to hear your report. Meet in twenty in command.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You and your men need any more time to get situated beforehand?”
“No, that’d be fine.”
Twenty minutes later, the entire contingent crowded into the command center, a makeshift room on the second floor that used to be the Teacher's Lounge. With no fanfare, Colonel Starkes entered, making her way to the main table up front with a fresh cup of coffee in her left hand and a batch of papers in her right. At her entrance, most stopped talking. Within a few seconds, she had their undivided attention.
“As you know, the major ran recon into Cleveland today. This will be his report. And, I wanted each of you to hear this to keep us all on the same page. This will be the first I’m hearing of it as well. Major?”
“Thank you, ma'am. Okay, so we ran up to Cleveland and found out a few items of interest. Number one, Phoenix is on the move traveling south east.”
“Phoenix, the damn bastard.”
“Maggot piece of shit.”
“Puke damn traitor.”
“Let me shoot the prick.”
“Nah, he’s mine when I—”
“Guys, quiet up. Save it,” said Colonel Starkes.
The grumbling stopped, though the fierce looks of her men conveyed an intense desire to settle the score from the recent debacle that they’d left. To a man, no one relished the idea of vacating the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame under the cover of night with their tails between their legs. Retreat was not in their blood. They would not forget.
“Major? Go on…”
“Right. Anyway, number one, Phoenix is on the move and about twenty miles out from the city, so he may have only started out very early today or late yesterday. Number two, this is not a scouting mission. We counted nearly 250 cavalry, 60 white pickups with driver and passenger and around 250 or so men packed in tight in the pickups or on twenty quads and twenty bikes. They were traveling with purpose in tight units on the move.”
“That's around 620 men total, sir?” said captain Daubney.
“At least. And, from what we know, that’d likely be a good portion of Phoenix’s highly trained ‘Pride Brigades’, the DPs and cavalry. Based on our time in the city, he's probably kept on a hundred or so men sitting back in Cleveland. Well, that is, after our firefight trimmed off more than a few when they tried to take us down.”
“Damn right,” said GT to the man next to him. Many men grumbled in agreement, but were hesitant to be the first to dismiss Colonel Starke’s command to stay silent. Major O’Malley continued.
“We’ve all seen that cavalry those brigade guys, they’re not something to take lightly.”
“Piece of cake.”
“Like squashing bugs.”
“Shooting fish in a barrel.”
“Taking candy—”
“Silence,” said Colonel Starkes.
All comments ceased, despite a rising anger in their blood. Clearly, many would’ve liked to have stayed and fought to the death if not given specific orders to evacuate. Major O’Malley decided to nip the macho display in the bud.
“Listen men, we know they’re no match for us even if we’re outnumbered and outgunned, but let’s not ignore the fact that these are highly trained men, okay? Anyway, number three, they’re using all those white pickups they have along with a good deal of horses and some quads. There's a few dirt bikes. Projected hard counts of all equipment will be provided on the board up here for review. Any questions so far?”
“Sir. They’re heading somewhere fast with at least five brigades, trucks and cavalry only four days after their assault of the Hall of Fame?”
“Seems like it, Mickey.”
“Hmm…”
“Yeah, and I'll add a number four. I believe Phoenix was there, in person.”
“He was on the taskforce, major? You’re sure?”
“Yeah, pretty sure, colonel.”
“How so?”
“Well, ma'am, we were spotted fairly quickly, since we didn’t expect to come up on anything like that that far out of Cleveland.”
“Understood,” said Colonel Starkes.
“So we decided to run with what we got. And, Phoenix jumped out of one of the front pickups, pointing. Seemed pretty focused on us once we came around. Both Timmy and Phillip confirmed it was him.”
“It was him. I know it,” said Lieutenant Tim McDonald. He stood at the back of the room, anger etching his young face as he thought back on recent events.
“Yeah, the arrogant bastard,” said Lieutenant Phillip Ziter, standing beside him.
Major O’Malley interrupted the testosterone surge. “We had a good portion of Phoenix’s men firing on us as we slid outta harm’s way.”
“One asswipe ran to a pickup and reached into a long case. I'm pretty sure it was an RPG,” said Lieutenant McDonald.
“Yeah, when Timmy yelled out we scooted fast out of range, conducting a more careful surveillance. After an hour, we headed back. They never did launch at us.”
“Where do you think they’re headin’?” asked Captain Daubney.
“I dunno, Akron’s that way.”
“Who they going after? Connor MacMillen?”
“Maybe, Mickey and his team did confirm Phoenix’s men were dropping dead like flies outside the front doors when that woman come crashing in. Johnny, Rob, you both were on the roof. It was you confirmed the fast cycling sniper fire coming from the warehouse.”
“Yep,” said Second Lieutenant Johnny Robertson.
“Oh, yeah. It was something to see. Truly…like to meet the man doing that dance,” said Sergeant Robby Bernstein.
“In fact, each of you said it might’ve been two men in that sniper nest given the fast delivery cycle.”
“Go on...major,” said Colonel Starkes.
“Phoenix musta caught wind of Connor MacMillen. I’m thinkin’ they musta found his trail or the trail of anybody else that was with him.”
“Uh, huh.”
“The way I figure it, Phoenix’s probably pretty pissed this Connor MacMillen ruined his ‘surprise’ assault plans.”
“Sniveling prick bastard,” said Colonel Starkes, growling. Embarrassed by her own furious outburst, she had the grace to blush in front of her men. “Sorry, men.”
The men let her off easy for disregarding her own orders, since she was speaking in terms they undoubtedly understood. Taking a moment to compose herself, she studied the room, seeing many men holding onto anger, barely contained. Taking this opportunity, she slammed her papers down onto the table. Startled, everyone froze. “You. Will. Get. Your chance with that man. If, and only if, it coincides with our mission objective to return Nicole and CJ safely back to Mt. Storm.”
The room became silent.
“Are we clear?” In unison, she received affirmation. She shifted to a more friendl
y tone. “Now then, major. Do you have anything else you’d like to add that we need to know about?”
“Well, if Connor MacMillen and any of his friends are in that area, they better be able to hide small in a very tight crevice.”
CHAPTER 7.9-Rejoin the Living
"How long? Huh? Huh?”
“Please, stay calm, please.”
“What day is it? How long was I out?”
“Ma’am, can you tell me your name? What’s your name?” asked Scott.
Cassie stood close, but quickly went to the window, opening curtains to a bright September sixteenth morning.
“Amanda. My name’s Amanda Abbington, please...how long have I been...umm, unconscious?”
“Eight days since we scooped you up at the front door of—”
“Eight days? Shit!” Amanda tensed at the news and slumped into her pillow. Exceptionally weak, she tried lifting her hand, only to be gently stopped by Scott. Thinking hard, she let the concerned man brush her forehead with a cool, wet cloth. Drifting back into unconsciousness, she struggled to stay focused. Opening her eyes with supreme effort, she stared at the man with the soft, bright green eyes and easy smile. Turning her head, she glanced at a woman nearby who she’d only now noticed.
“Where...am I?’
“You’re in a hospital bed on the third floor of a college campus called Allegheny College.”
“Where’s that?”
“We’re in Meadville, Pennsylvania.”
“Not Cleveland? How...far’s Cleveland?”
“Maybe seventy or eighty miles. You're safe here, Amanda. Just lay still and relax. You’re in good hands.”
“No—”
“Yes, you’re safe. We’re taking care of you.”
“Okay. Okay...yeah, how far’s...Meadville from Youngstown?” Amanda struggled to concentrate, finding it difficult to maintain focus. The hard, seductive pull of sleep beckoned.
“Youngstown?”
“Youngstown, Ohio!”
“Umm, I’m not sure. Cassie?” asked Scott.
“Youngstown’s south and west across the border. I dunno, maybe sixty-five miles.”
“The...I need to talk to the president.”
“Okay. Sure,” said Scott, “She was here to check on you an hour ago.”