by Gerri Hill
“What do you mean?” Butch asked with a frown.
“Said they saw a helicopter fly over, then go down. Heard the crash too. They headed out on horseback.”
“Close to town?” Corey asked as nonchalantly as she could.
Anna Gail shook her head. “No. We didn’t hear anything around here. Squaw Valley is up to the north, other side of the creek.”
Corey looked over at Dana and Butch. “Is that where you came from?”
“No. We live southeast of town where the creek flows through the valley,” Butch said.
“You didn’t hear it from where you were camping?” Dana asked.
Corey shook her head, wishing she’d had more time to study the maps Duncan had given her. She didn’t even know what creek they were talking about.
“Did they say what kind of helicopter?” Butch asked.
“Military was all they said.”
“Then someone must know we’re without power then,” Dana said.
“But they said it crashed,” Holly said. “What good does that do us?”
“Then that means somebody will be looking for it,” Butch said.
“Maybe it lost power too,” Corey said, wanting to add something to the conversation. These people were strangers to her, and she felt no need to offer them hope that someone—like her—was out looking for the aircraft. And she was a stranger to them as well. But Dana and Butch hadn’t left her out on the road to fend for herself, they’d offered help. Still, she had to bite her lip to keep from assuring them that yes, someone did know they were without power. They just didn’t know what had caused the outage in the first place.
“That would be such a tragedy,” Anna Gail said. “Sending someone out to help us and then they crash. You wouldn’t think someone could survive that.”
A freefall from the sky without any power at all? No, Corey doubted the crew survived. She did wonder if the men from Squaw Valley had any luck with their search, though. The locals would know the terrain, know which route to take. Sutter’s squad would be hard-pressed to find the aircraft without knowing where it went down. Duncan only said they had a “best guess” based on satellite images, but that still left a lot of miles to cover on foot.
“I guess we need to think about what we’re going to do,” Butch said. “Somebody’s got power somewhere. We just need to find them so that they can let the authorities know what’s going on around here.”
“Maybe head south toward the highway, but that’s a good ride,” Anna Gail said. “No water for the horses on that route, not until you reach the La Sal Creek.”
“I was thinking we could follow Paradox Creek, east, all the way to where it hits the Delores River,” Butch said. “That’d be up near the saline plant. We’d be sure to find help there.”
“Oh, Lordy, Butch,” Anna Gail said. “That’s a long way. The creek goes through the canyon. Not sure your horses could make it.”
“We’ve got to try something,” Dana said. “I feel like we’re totally cut off from the world.”
Corey smiled. “That’s because we are.”
Dana glared at her. “You’re not helping.”
Anna Gail looked past them, out toward the street. “Oh, good. Here comes my husband. He and Leland left yesterday, looking for fuel,” she said.
“What about Gilbert?” Butch asked. “His pumps aren’t working?”
The man who entered the store was big and tall with bushy brown hair sticking out from an old dirty John Deere cap. Several days’ worth of stubble darkened his face. It was the rifle he held, though, that drew her attention.
“Butch,” he said with a curt nod. “Who are these people with you?”
“Oh, Richard, where are your manners?” Anna Gail said.
“My manners disappeared when we lost power on Saturday, and now three more days have passed and still not one word from the outside,” he said gruffly as his eyes narrowed. “So who are you two?”
Butch stepped forward. “This is my cousin, Dana,” he said. “She’s Louis and Barbara’s daughter. From Seattle.”
Richard nodded. “Okay. I know Louis, of course.” He turned his gaze solely on her. “And you?”
Corey wondered if he was always this rude or if it was as he said, the power situation had put him on edge. She gave a friendly smile and held her hand out in greeting.
“Corey Conaway,” she said. “I’m displaced, I’m afraid. I was camping, on my way to the San Juans when my car wouldn’t start.” She shrugged when he ignored her handshake. “No phone either, so I started hiking. Butch and Dana found me, oh, I don’t know…four or five miles from town, I guess.”
“That’s about right,” Butch agreed. “We were hoping you had power here in Paradox, but I guess the outage goes farther than anyone thought.”
“If I were you, I’d get back to your place and secure it. If this goes on much longer, people will get crazy,” Richard warned, holding his rifle up. “Once the fuel runs out and no one has generators, that’s when you’ll need to worry. I can already imagine a pack of them coming to loot out the store.”
“Oh, Richard, these are our neighbors, our friends. Our customers,” Anna Gail said. “No one is going to come looting. If they need food, they’ll buy it.”
“With what?” he asked loudly. “Half the town lives on credit as it is. We got no power to run cards.”
“I think you’re overreacting,” Anna Gail said, and Corey was inclined to agree with her.
“You think so? I already heard that Mac Woodson was out of fuel for his generator. Won’t be long, the others will be too.”
“And so will we,” Anna Gail said. “Unless you found some up at the old shop.”
“Nothing but empty barrels,” he said.
“What about Gilbert?” Butch asked.
Richard shook his head. “He put in those new pumps not two months ago. They’re all computerized,” he said with disgust. “As if the old ones weren’t good enough for Paradox, he has to go and get upgraded. Now they’re useless.”
“Have you tried to siphon from the holding tanks?” Corey asked.
“Siphon with what? The pumps are buried with the tanks, and Gilbert says there’s some sort of safety valve around the cap,” he said.
“What about—”
“Look, lady…we’re not stupid. Don’t you think we’ve already talked about how to get the fuel out?”
She held her hands up and flashed a quick smile. “Hey, you’re right. What do I know about it?”
“She’s just trying to help, Richard,” Anna Gail said.
“I don’t need help from her kind,” he said as he walked away to the back of the store.
Corey glanced at Dana. “Her kind?” she whispered. “Is he saying what I think he’s saying?”
Dana sighed. “I believe so.”
“Don’t pay him any mind,” Anna Gail apologized. “He’s been on edge. Everyone is.”
“Maybe we should take our leave then,” Dana said.
“Oh, no. It’s late. You can stay up at the house with us tonight,” she offered.
“I don’t know,” Dana said hesitantly, looking over at Corey with raised eyebrows.
“I’ve got to find some hay for the horses anyway,” Butch said. “I think I’ll ride on up to Tommy’s and see if he’s got the feed store open.”
Anna Gail turned to Holly. “Why don’t you take these ladies up to the house,” she said. “I’m sure after being out all day they’d love to clean up.”
Corey saw Holly’s shoulders sag, but she nodded.
“I’ve got a chicken out thawing,” Anna Gail said. “I’ll make us up a nice stew for dinner.”
Corey saw Dana’s indecision so she stepped forward. “We’d appreciate that, Anna Gail. Thanks for your hospitality.” She glanced in the direction of where her husband had gone. “Are you sure he’s going to be okay with that, though?”
“Knowing Richard, he’ll stay here at the store tonight.” She smiled quickly.
“To ward off all those looters, you know. Holly can sleep with me and you two can take her room,” she said. She looked over at Butch. “I’m afraid the spare room has turned into nothing more than storage. I hope you don’t mind the sofa.”
“I’m sure it’ll beat the hard ground we slept on last night,” he said. “Thank you.”
“I should get my pack,” Corey said.
“Yeah. I’ll let you take mine too,” Butch said. “Give me more room to haul some hay back.”
Chapter Fifteen
Dana splashed water on her face and let out an audible sigh as the cool liquid touched her skin. She assumed everyone’s first objective had been to run a line from the generator to the well house, like her father had done. Even without power, it was still comforting to turn on the faucet and have running water.
She looked at herself in the mirror, not even caring that her hair looked a frightful, windblown mess. She had no clue as to what time it was. She wasn’t even sure what day it was. Tuesday? As she took her clothes off, she thought of her mother and wondered how they were faring. Her mother had said that they had enough fuel for a month. Was that really true? What if others didn’t, though? Was Mr. Filmore right? Would people come with guns, wanting to take what they needed?
No. The farms and ranches may be separated by distance, but it was still a close community. Everyone knew their neighbors, and most everyone had lived here their whole lives. She couldn’t imagine them turning on one another over fuel. Maybe food. But then, everyone was pretty self-sufficient out here. Of course, surely the power would come back on before it came to that.
Surely.
She let out a weary sigh and stepped into the shower, hugging the wall as cold water sprayed around her. She’d been prepared. While some people used propane to heat their water, the Filmores were not one of them. But a shower was a shower, and she finally stepped in, dousing her head with water before letting it run down her back. She was hot and dirty enough not to mind the cold, and she grabbed the soap, lathering herself. The water pressure wasn’t much, but it was enough to clean her and rinse off. After washing her hair, she turned the faucet off and stepped out, grabbing one of the towels that Holly had left out for them.
She tried not to think of the Filmores as strangers. When she was younger and still lived here, she’d come into town with her parents. She’d been to the store before. Holly was younger and they’d never been in school together. She may have met her before, here at the store, but she couldn’t recall. Regardless, Anna Gail had been kind enough to open her home up to them and she was grateful. Even if her husband scared the shit out of her with his rifle and dire predictions of rampant looting by the townspeople. She figured if there was anyone around here to fear, it was him.
“And he obviously doesn’t like lesbians,” she said to her reflection in the mirror. Of course, she doubted the Filmores knew of her sexual orientation. While she wouldn’t consider herself overly feminine, she was no longer the uninhibited tomboy she’d been growing up. Although, with her jeans and hiking boots, all she needed was a baseball cap to bring her back around to those days.
That brought a smile to her face as memories of her childhood flashed through her mind. Maybe because she and Butch had been so close, but she’d always been more comfortable in boys clothes, stealing his on occasion. Her mother tried her best to get her into dresses, but on the few instances that she’d give in and wear one, she inevitably would end up tearing it or soiling it so badly that her mother wouldn’t mention a dress again for months. By high school, though, she understood why she wasn’t drawn to girls clothes and makeup and boys. The enormous crush she had on Susie Perkins confirmed her suspicions—and fears. Telling Butch that she was gay had been easy…he was her best friend. Telling her mother, not so much. She’d worked herself into a nervous wreck over it, only to find out her mother had suspected long before Dana herself had.
Well, she’d grown up since then. She no longer shunned makeup and girls clothes, although she still felt more comfortable in a pair of jeans than she did dress pants or the suits she wore to the office.
She shook her head. How did her train of thought get her there? Oh, yeah. Mr. Filmore didn’t like lesbians. While she felt she could hide it if need be, Corey could not. It wasn’t just her very short hair—which Dana thought looked sensational on her—or how she was dressed. It was the way she carried herself, the way she walked. She appeared to be capable and confident, and she had yet to make any statement that would indicate she was afraid or even worried about the situation they found themselves in.
Which made her wonder why. If she felt like a stranger here among the folks in Paradox, how must Corey feel? Corey had known her and Butch all of five hours, yet she’d blended in and gone with the flow as if she had not a care in the world. Why wasn’t she more concerned?
Dana jerked her head around as a light tapping sounded on the door. She clutched the towel tighter around her.
“You okay in there?”
“Yeah. I’ll be out in a minute.” She paused. “Sorry. I was…daydreaming,” she said truthfully. “I know you want to shower too.”
“No problem,” Corey said from behind the door. “I’ve got Gretchen tied up in back. Didn’t know what to do with her.”
Dana frowned. “Who is Gretchen?”
“Your horse.”
“Oh.” Dana smiled as she finished drying herself off. She hadn’t even thought to ask her name. “Who names a horse Gretchen?”
“Apparently your cousin.”
* * *
Corey found Dana sitting outside on a bench and she snuck up behind her.
“Psst.”
Dana turned, eyebrows raised. Corey had both hands behind her back, and she wiggled her eyebrows teasingly.
“Look what I found,” she said as she showed Dana her prize.
“Oh, my God! You stole beer from Mr. Filmore? The man with the rifle?” Dana reached for one of the cans with a grin. “Are you crazy?”
“Yeah. Living dangerously, I know.” She sat down beside her. “What’s up?”
Dana took a swallow of the beer before answering. “Just trying to put some semblance of normalcy in my day.”
“I see. Catching the sunset?”
Dana nodded, then fixed a stare on her. “Where are you from?”
Ah. Corey had been wondering when the questions would come. She anticipated them coming from Butch, though, not Dana. Well, some things she could be truthful about. She stretched her legs out and leaned back comfortably.
“Over in Utah,” she said.
“Really? If you were camping along the road, why didn’t you hike back toward Utah instead of coming this way to Paradox?”
Corey shrugged. “I was hoping to come upon a house or something,” she said. “I already knew there was nothing back toward the border.”
Dana studied her intently. “Why were you camping here anyway? Utah’s got a lot of wilderness to camp in.”
“Yeah, you know, but I was heading down toward Silverton and the San Juans,” she said.
“Paradox isn’t really a direct route to Silverton,” Dana said. “A little out of the way, isn’t it?”
Corey arched an eyebrow. “Why all the questions?” She met her gaze and smiled, trying to keep things light between them. “What? Are you getting paranoid like Richard Filmore?”
Dana blew out her breath. “Oh, God…I am, aren’t I? Sorry.”
“It’s okay. But I’m harmless. Really. No need to worry about me.”
This time it was Dana who met her gaze. “I’m scared.”
Corey frowned. “Why? I think we’re safe enough.”
Dana looked away and stared out toward the west. “I got a bad feeling,” she said. “I don’t know what it is, but I can’t shake it. Even when it first happened and everyone thought the power would come back on in a few hours…I had this feeling.” Dana turned to look at her again. “And when the power didn’t come back, well, I just feel
like something’s going on that’s really, really bad.”
“Like?”
Dana leaned closer, her voice low. “You don’t think we’re like…under attack or something, do you?”
“Like who? The Russians?” Corey shook her head and offered another small smile. “I think if another country was going to attack, they wouldn’t pick Paradox, do you?”
“No. But maybe it’s not only Paradox. Maybe it’s all over. Maybe no one has power. Maybe that’s why we haven’t had any help. Maybe—”
“Dana…you’re overreacting a bit, I think.”
“Am I? Then why haven’t we had help?”
Corey shrugged, wondering if she should divulge anything to her. She decided against it. Even though her instincts told her she could trust Dana and Butch, she really didn’t know them at all. And the state of mind that Dana was currently in, telling her that something landed out here near Paradox that may or may not be radioactive might send her over the edge.
“Maybe they can’t get to us,” she said. “None of our vehicles work. Maybe they get close and they lose power to their vehicles too.”
“Why? What could be causing it? The earthquake?”
“I don’t know. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll work itself out.” She leaned closer and nudged her shoulder. “Despite what Mr. Filmore says, I don’t think the end of the world is near.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Chapter Sixteen
As Hal nibbled on the elk jerky that Dusty had brought, he wondered what Jean was having for supper. His stomach rumbled just thinking about the meal she’d have fixed up on his plate. Maybe one of those tender cutlets she’d fry up and then smother in gravy. That would hit the spot about now.
“I got another boiled egg here,” Graham said. “Anybody want it?”
“I’ll eat it if nobody else wants it,” Jim said.
“I don’t even have an appetite,” Dusty said as he got up from the circle and walked over to the creek.
Hal noted that was the third time he’d done that. Walked over and gazed upstream like he was looking for something. He turned and glanced at Curtis, who shrugged and went back to his own meal.