“A little,” Tess replied, “but he doesn’t talk much in either language. He’s kind of shy. At home my mother and father encouraged us to speak English so we would fit in with the other American school children. They said it would help us a-sim-i-late,” she said slowly pronouncing each syllable, “whatever that is.”
“Well, I think you’ve done beautifully,” Jessie assured her. A bond was quickly developing between the two girls.
Once on the ATVs they rode slowly, avoiding the roughest terrain when they could, and it took half again as much time to get to the top of the trail as it had to get to the children’s hiding place.
When they reached Tara, she was talking excitedly with Tanner, but stopped when the ATVs arrived. Colby introduced the children to Tara, who as a teacher was immediately drawn to the three. Tara and Jessie talked quietly with the children and Colby and Tanner stepped aside.
“They came back,” Tanner said.
“Who?” asked Colby.
“I think it was the Scorpions,” replied Tanner. “Tara spotted them approaching the bridge in a pickup truck. It was after you had already started back. A couple of big guys got out of the truck and stood by the bridge railing pointing up the creek. It’s hard to say whether or not they had a glimpse of you or were indicating that was the direction someone had fled earlier. At any rate, they appeared to put three bodies in the back of the pickup and then one of them started the motorcycle Bud had said was left behind, and followed the pickup back to the south. I assume they were headed back toward Rimrock.”
“Well, even if they saw us, they wouldn’t know where we were headed. They might try to track us later but they’ll have to do it on foot because the terrain is way too difficult for those hogs they ride. Let’s get the children back to the village and get them something to eat,” Colby said.◘
Chapter 23
Tess’s Story
When the ATVs arrived at the village they were met by Bishop and Mel, who put a blanket around each child, welcomed them and then led them to the Meeting Hall. The children were wide-eyed at the size of the village in the valley and the ruins above. When they reached the Meeting Hall Michael had prepared some hot chocolate and Ritz crackers with peanut butter for them. For the children it was like Christmas.
The entire village was now there, the children out of curiosity, and the adults to make sure the new arrivals felt welcome. Jessie introduced the children by name as they quickly consumed the crackers and hot chocolate. They soon dropped their blankets.
The Duwanians were seated in couches and stuffed chairs that had been left in no particular order at the far end of the tent. Those not seated in them used the cushioned stack chairs or just stood.
Kiera was seated on one couch with her legs curled under her, holding Chloe. Little Javi spotted the cat and instinctively moved over to the chair and began petting her. Kiera, at first, drew back, but when she saw that Chloe welcomed Javi’s petting she patted the seat next to her, indicating that Javi should sit there, which he did.
Manny stayed close to Jessie, holding her hand, not sure what to think of this group of strangers but already attached to Jessie.
Bishop asked Jessie if she knew yet what had happened at the bridge, to which she shook her head “no.”
Jessie asked Tess if she could tell them what happened. Tess was not the least bit shy and said, “Yes.”
Tess was seated in a folding chair. She appeared confident and used to talking with adults. In a clear voice she began her narrative.
“We have been living down by the Verde River in Camp Verde where my parents worked the cotton and corn fields for a nice farmer, Mr. Hauptman. He let us camp on his land and provided us a small, old trailer to stay in when it was cold and raining. He provided us propane for the stove so my mother could cook on it. In the winter sometimes we used the oven for heat. But most of the time we lived outside. We slept under a canvas cover attached to the trailer.
“There were other migrant families working on the farm and camping nearby. We felt lucky to have our own community and a place to stay. And, we felt lucky to have money to buy food and some clothing at the Dollar Store.
“A week ago, Mr. Hauptman did not come down to check on the progress of his corn so my father, who was a leader in our community, went up to the farmer’s house to see if he was ill. The farmer’s wife, Mrs. Hauptman, told us the power had gone off and the phone wasn’t working, so her husband had taken his truck and gone into town to see what the problem was. He hadn’t returned yet and she was worried because he’d been gone several hours already.
“After four days, he still hadn’t returned and Mrs. Hauptman took her old car and drove into town to try to find him. We did not see her again. During these days my father kept the men and women working in the fields. He knew there must be a serious problem because it was time to begin harvesting.
“The next morning, two days ago, some very rough men came to the farm riding motorcycles and with several pickups. When they saw no one was at the farmhouse they came down to the fields. They told us they had work for us and would pay us, but we needed to go with them now. They said we could take some of our things but would only be gone a couple of days and could then return. We needed the money, so we all loaded into the trucks and went with them. There were 20 adults and six children.
“When we got to their farm they put us to work hand-harvesting their corn and working in their large garden pulling weeds and repairing their irrigation trenches. They didn’t give us any lunch but kept us working. They even put two guards with guns to keep an eye on us.
“That night they put us in a big barn and fed us some watery stew that was mostly potatoes and carrots, with small bits of meat. And they gave us water. To go to the bathroom they had a portable toilet outside the barn and the guard, who was now a different one, let us go one at a time. We had to sleep on the ground, on some hay that had been scattered on the floor.
“That night some of the men came and took some of our women to work in the big house, but I don’t think they had any work for them. When they returned to the barn they were crying. My father talked to them and learned what they had done in the big house.
“My father is not a violent man nor quick to anger, but he was very angry. He talked with some of the men, especially his closest friend, Miguel, and then he went to talk to the guard.
“This guard had only a pistol but was big and mean looking. He had a bushy beard, a red bandana around his head, and wore a black leather vest with a large red scorpion on the back. When my father tried to talk to him he hit my father in the face with the pistol and, as my father fell to the ground, Miguel hit the man in the head with a shovel handle. The man was not moving and my father and Miguel thought maybe he was dead.
“At my father’s insistence, we gathered up our meager things in our bundles and backpacks and slipped out of the barn into the night.
“My father said we could not go back to our camp because they would look for us there first. He knew we were near the little town of Rimrock, just east of Camp Verde, but was afraid that the people in either town might not want to help us because most of us were illegal and they might not want a conflict with this gang of men.
“So my father led us toward the Highway and when we came to the Beaver Creek we left the highway and followed the creek toward the north. We were all tired from our work that day, we had no food, but could take water from the creek. We slept in a cottonwood grove that night. The next day we followed the creek again, always looking over our shoulders, but the bad men did not come. We came across another farm with no one there, so we ate food from the house and put more into our packs. And then we kept walking.
“We spent another night along the creek bank. It was cold and we had no blankets. My father said we should not be too far from the Highway 179 that we could follow into the Village of Oak Creek and Sedona. He felt sure we could find help and work there. We huddled together for warmth because we felt a fire might tell
the bad men where we were. My father and Miguel felt certain they were looking for us because we had killed one of them. My father’s face was cut, bruised, and swollen. One eye was swollen closed, but he did not complain.
“The next morning we awoke with the first light, ate some of the food we had taken, and began walking again. It was hard walking along the creek because there were big boulders and broken trees that were in and alongside the creek. By afternoon we reached the Highway 179 my father had spoken of and the bridge where we stopped to get water, wash our faces, and rest. We were very happy because we were getting closer to our destination.
“Some of the people were splashing in the creek next to the bridge but Javi, Manny, and I walked up the creek a short way to go to the bathroom. Momma and Poppa held our packs and were watching us.
“Then we heard the motorcycles. It was like thunder. Everyone began yelling and the people in the creek ran back up to the roadway, but Momma and Poppa yelled at us to run and hide. They dropped our packs over the side of the bridge and faced the men on the motorcycles.
“We hid behind some big rocks. I made Javi and Manny crouch down and not look. I peeked around the corner of the rock and saw the man Poppa and Miguel thought they had killed come forward. When Poppa stepped forward, the man shot him, and when Momma ran to Poppa, he shot her too. Then Miguel, who had taken the pistol from the man two nights ago, shot him and then someone else shot Miguel. I crouched back down, hoping they had not seen us. When I looked again, they had put all our people in the trucks and they were all driving away.
“I was afraid they would send someone to look for us so we started walking up the creek, trying to hide behind the rocks as we went. Then we saw the car come from the other direction and stop at the bridge. Again, we hid behind the big rocks until we heard the car drive away. We were very tired from fright and all the walking we had already done that day. Much of the time I had to carry Javi. We sat down to rest and Javi and Manny fell asleep for a short time. Then I heard the sound of the big-wheeled bikes coming toward us and heard Mr. Colby and Jessie calling out. And, the rest you know.
“Thank you for helping us. You have been very kind,” she finished.
“How old are you?” Bishop asked Tess.
“I’m almost 13,” she replied.
“Well, you are a very mature and brave young lady,” said Bishop.
“How old are your brothers?”
“Manny is nine and Javi is only eighteen months.”
“I think we have something that belongs to you,” Bud said, as he handed her the three packs he had claimed from the creek by the bridge.”
“Yes, they’re ours,” Tess replied. “Thank you. Did you see our parents? Are they all right?”
“From your description of what happened,” Bud said solemnly, “I’m afraid not. I think the bodies we found on the bridge were those of your mother and father and the man you called Miguel. I’m so sorry.”
Tess sat there stoically, tears welling in her eyes. “I was afraid that was so when I heard the shots and saw them fall. Please, may my brothers and I spend the night here with you?”
“Absolutely,” replied Bishop. “In fact, we’d like you to stay with us and become part of our community, our family, if you’d like.”
With that Tess began crying and Mannie and Javi came over to comfort her, as did Jessie.
Bishop hadn’t discussed this with the others but he knew instinctively that everyone would agree; no one would want to send these children out on their own.
◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘
The ladies determined that, at least for the time being, Tess, Manny, and Javi would stay in Carly’s tent because they would feel more comfortable with Jessie, Tina, and Jaime, and the Bishops had extra room to accommodate them. Carly and Jessie took them to the tent that would become their home and brought in cots, blankets, and pillows from the supply tent to make them as comfortable as they could. They offered to let Javi have his own room or a double room with Tess but she would not hear of it. She wanted Javi’s cot right next to hers so she could reach over to him to comfort him at night. It was obvious she had always watched out for him and now saw herself as something of a surrogate mother. Carly and Jessie understood.
Meanwhile, Michael, Maria, and Tina went back to the food storage tent, where they had been working when Colby and Jessie had brought the Amado children into the village, and resumed stacking and storing their food supplies in some semblance of order: canned vegetables in one location, spices and condiments in another, soups in another, dry goods in another, drinks and drink mixes in yet another, and so on. Once everything was properly placed, Michael and Maria determined what they would fix that evening for dinner and began making preparations. Their next job would be to prepare a computerized inventory of everything and then lay out some general plans for each day’s meals. But, that would have to wait until tomorrow.
Bishop gathered the men in the Meeting Hall.
“I don’t want to be an alarmist,” Bishop stated, “but we have to consider the real possibility that the Scorpions will come back looking for the children. By now they must have found out from the other migrants how many children were missing and who they were. Since it appears they treat the migrants as slave labor, losing three children would be like leaving treasure behind. They’ll also think that the children will be easy pickings after having spent a night without food, in the dark and cold. They won’t suspect we, or someone, have helped them unless they find the ATV tracks. We have to be ready for that possibility.”
“What do you suggest we do?” Bud asked. “I wouldn’t mind in the least ambushing those sons-of-a-bitches and giving them a taste of their own medicine.”
“I don’t think you’d be getting any disagreement with that,” responded Bishop, “but we have to remember that once they know we’re here our level of risk will increase exponentially. It’s better, in my opinion, if we take precautions to keep our existence and location a secret, if we can, if for no other reason than to protect the women and children we’re responsible for. Losing some of us in a gun battle will not in any way improve our village’s lot.”
“I think we can all agree with that,” Travis said. “So what do you suggest?”
“Well, first of all, I don’t think they’ll come back tonight and try searching for the children in the dark. So, we have the rest of today’s daylight to prepare. And, who knows, maybe they won’t come back at all; but at least we can safely assume, I think, that it won’t be tonight.”
There was murmured agreement and the nodding of heads.
“So, I propose four things, not necessarily in order. We need to make sure everything has been moved up here from the trailhead, then we need to move the motorhome, large trailers, and all the other vehicles to the Ranger Station yard and store them in the buildings, if possible.
“We should pull the chain link fence back across the opening we cut and wire it so it looks like it hasn’t been cut, at least without close inspection. Remember, we want to be able to open it up later so don’t make it too difficult for us. Then park the big ford truck in front of the patched fence to help shield the fence, and lock up the truck. Make sure the chains on the entrance gates are secure and take some extra loops of chain around the gate to the yard. Unless they bring chain cutters with them, they won’t get in. And, if they don’t see any other obvious exit from the yard they won’t waste any more time there.
“Take some rakes and also cut some willow branches to take with you. Use them to disturb the tire tracks we’ve made from the fence to the first hill going into Woods Canyon. That’s only about 200 yards. You can use the willows to cover your tracks coming back here, as well. Oh, and don’t forget to take up the steel planks across the creek.
“Colby, you will need to do the same. Take someone with you on an ATV and go all the way back to where you found the children. Try not to leave any footprints or tire tracks for anyone to follow.
“We’ll all need to cl
ean up the area around the trailhead so it’s not obvious if someone should come in that far. If anyone should find the trailhead and start up the mesa there’s nothing we can do to hide that roadway. But, starting tomorrow morning and for at least the next week, we’ll post a guard at the same place Tara and Jessie were this morning, where the guard can see anyone approaching from the bridge or coming up the roadway.
“I think that’s the best we can do for proactive protection. If that doesn’t work, then Bud, we’ll have your gun battle. Anyone else have any suggestions?”
“I’ll go with Colby,” said Tanner. “As you know Dad, I have some trail-covering skills. Little did I know after all these years that my Boy Scout skills would come in handy,” he chuckled.
“And I’ll take charge of the yard group,” offered Bud. “I’ll take Tate and Matt with me, but we’ll need some help driving the rest of the vehicles and trailers to the yard, then y’all can leave. Just leave us a truck beyond the hill so we can get back here without having to hoof it.”
“Okay, it sounds like we have it covered,” Bishop responded. “Everyone who isn’t already committed can help move the vehicles and then join me cleaning up the trailhead. We only have about two hours of daylight left to get this done, so we’ll need to hurry. Then we’ll have some dinner. I’ll tell the ladies what we’re doing and let Michael know when we expect to be back for dinner. Okay, let’s get to it.”
As the men broke up, Jason approached Bishop. “I’d like to take the guard responsibilities starting tomorrow morning,” he said.
“I think that’s a great idea,” Bishop responded. “I can’t think of anyone else I’d trust more with that job. You can take one of the ATVs and a radio…”
“And a rifle,” Jason added.
“…and a rifle,” Bishop acknowledged. “It could get lonely up there but you’ll have to stay alert and check in with me regularly. At meal times we’ll send someone up to give you a break. In fact, we’ll do that at mid-morning and mid-afternoon, as well,” he added. “Now let’s get to work.”
Sinagua Rising: A story of survival after a worldwide catastrophe Page 26