Quietly, Erika moved to get her backpack and slid out her 9mm, placing it on the bunk beside her. She jumped at the sound of another loud 'Pop' of an acorn hitting the roof and rolling down, then another. "It's just the wind," she told herself. To the others she suggested, "Let's get some rest, tomorrow is going to be a long day. We still must unload the rest of the stuff from the boats. Then if we have time, I would like to go to the Professor's place to check on the livestock. Hopefully we can bring some back." She shifted in the cot. Hoping no one noticed that there was not a breeze.
Erika was almost asleep when she heard children laughing coming from the swamp. She lay there in the dark with her eyes open trying to gain focus as she gathered her thoughts. Realistically, she knew there was no way there was a group of children playing in the swamp at this time of night, but it sounded so real. But that was not what concerned her. She was more worried about whether she could swear that she heard someone, or something, walking around the structure. Holding her breath, she caught herself listening for the wood porch's squeaking as it adjusted to someone's weight. Thankfully that never came.
Erika lay awake for the rest of the night. It was not until the first birds began to chirp that she finally relaxed enough to get a few minutes of sleep.
It seemed to Erika like she had just closed her eyes when the smell of coffee brewing woke her. Yawning, she sat up and watched as the others stirred around. None of them look like they had slept any better than she had. With a grunt, she rolled out of bed and began to pull on her boots. Stretching, she stumbled over and got bottled water out of the pack, and dug around for her toothbrush. As she walked under the dogtrot's breezeway, she noticed that someone had left something on the porch. Walking over to investigate, she was surprised to see some mason jars, coated in mud and dirt, lined up on the rotting porch. Upon close inspection, she felt herself go numb. Unable to help herself, she screamed at Millie, half falling as she ran to the jars and began to turn them upside down as though trying to see something inside the glass. The others found her in a half-crouch, looking like some rabid animal with the toothpaste froth around her mouth.
"Erika! What is wrong? Are you ok?" Millie and Hermit rushed while Tanna caught her by the arm to check her eyes to see if she was ok.
Clutching one of the bottles, she tried frantically to get the lid off. Excitedly she tried to talk, but her words came in an unintelligible mix of sounds and laughter. Brushing off the dirt of one of the jars revealed a glowing ember of brilliant light that pulsated in rhythm with the beating of her own heart. The light was surrounded by what could only be described as a gossamer spider web of translucent crystalline feathers in the shape of a tiny raven.
Laughing like the lunatic she must look like she thrust one of the other bottles at Millie. Millie dusted off the dirt too, revealing a glowing amber of cat eyes blinking back at her. Within the golden orbs, there was what could only be described as a bright burst of stardust that seemed to pulsate with her breathing. Recognizing her fylgja, she began to squeal. Her hands worked hard to get the dirt off the jar to get a better look at the magic contained within the glass. Hermit looked on, confused, before having an a-ha moment. Taking a bite out of his smores flavored pop-tart, he looked at Tanna, shrugged his shoulders, and turned to go inside to get another cup of coffee. Tanna followed, paused, looked like she was going to say something, decided against it, and shaking her head, followed Hermit.
Millie scrunched up her nose at the foul swampy smell the bottles seemed to have, Turning her bottle upside down, "Should we open them?"
Turning the soul jar around in her hands, Erika spoke lovingly to the little raven peering back at her from inside. "I am not sure," Erika told Millie a scowl playing on her pretty face. "I definitely think we should wait before doing anything to them. It just seems too easy. I mean, who left them for us?" Millie's eyes locked on Erika's before they both turned to look towards the swamp.
Chapter 20
The morning had been spent discussing the soul jars and how to release their fylgja. “All of the materials we need are in Papa Doc's books and journals, but they are gone," Erika grumped.
"Don't despair Little Bird," Hermit consoled her, putting his arms around Millie and her shoulders conspiratorially. "Yes, the books were taken, but I have backed up Papa Doc's journals and the tome for years."
Millie looked at him, dumbfounded, "What are you saying?"
"Ah love," he teased in a faux Scottish brogue, "I am saying that I have digital copies of everything the Professor ever wrote or read—all on thumb drives. We just need to go to my apartment and get them and a laptop. I have all that stuff."
Squealing, "Our nerdy hero!" Erika kissed him on the cheek. She grabbed her backpack and tossed it over her shoulder before pulling Ransom's cap down over her black hair. She stopped in the doorway and turned around to look at Hermit. Narrowing her eyes, she asked, "Hermit, does anyone else know about these backups? Maybe Wren?"
He scratched his head before shaking it, "Maybe, but I don't think so."
She nodded her head, "Good." Walking away, she felt a sinking in the pit of her stomach. She did not know why, but her heart was very conflicted over Wren's role in all of this. Hell, she was confused, period.
✽✽✽
After they had finished unloading the rest of the supplies, Hermit told the girls that he thought there was still plenty of time to hike to the farm and make it back before nightfall with the horses. Now the handsome blonde man accompanied by Gretel was scouting up ahead of the girls. Together they were trying to locate the safest path for Millie and Erika to follow. Tanna had decided to stay behind and keep an eye on their campsite with Hansel as her guard and Millie’s cat, Harry for company. They had noticed that the goods they had left in the boats overnight had looked tampered with, but nothing was taken. Hermit had explained it away as raccoons, but everyone felt leaving someone behind was smart. They had walkie talkies for emergencies and had left a map for Tanna to take the airboat to the farm if they needed assistance. It was good to be prepared for the worst - after all, they were living in dangerous times.
Erika had gathered that Tanna was not comfortable with the supernatural aspects of their circle and did not necessarily believe in the flows. She had told Erika that it was not necessarily that she did not believe in it. Her great grandmother was a full-blooded Cherokee and had told her things. But she said that she had also raised her not to speak of such things because to do so was to draw its attention to you. Erika had agreed but sadly wondered if Tanna would be finding her way out of their little group soon. Because she was caught in the middle of a supernatural gumbo with this group.
Erika followed Millie through the thick undergrowth as they followed Hermit's path through the woods towards the back pasture of Papa Doc's farm. Slapping a mosquito on her neck, she wondered if the little bloodsuckers could spread the virus. A branch snapped behind her, and she had a flash of a giant hairy creature watching them, but that could not be right. "Millie,” she whispered calmly, "Millie…" her voice was more urgent now, her eyes searching through the trees and thick overgrowth trying to get a glimpse of it again. "Mil-," her voice cut off as she ran into Millie's back.
"Erika!" Millie exclaimed, "What the hell? Don’t walk so close."
"Millie, I just saw a bear," she whispered, wondering why the hell she was whispering, it was just a bear.
"You know the Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says that there are no bears around here," Millie calmly explained to Erika like she was a child.
"Screw that - I just saw one. It was HUGE. Tall, black, hairy. Standing upright," she explained, her breath coming in short, panicked bursts.
"Calm down. If you DID see one, and I am not saying you did, Black bears are not that big."
"Yeah, neither are snakes, but we saw one yesterday that was sixteen to twenty feet long."
"Chill girly, we are close to the Professor's land now. I figure we got another twenty minutes,
and we will be at the back gate," Millie comforted her as she put her long reddish-brown hair into a bun. Wrapping a scrunchy on top, she gave Erika a smile, "Come on."
A shooting pain in her head stopped Erika in her tracks right as a low growl seemed to vibrate the wood. Millie turned to look over Erika's shoulder and went white. "Bear!" And with that turned and ran.
Catching her breath, Erika watched as Millie ran through the high, dense foliage. Fear overcame her, and for a moment, Erika was frozen. All the forest sounds had ceased, and all she could hear was the beating of her heart. She was terrified to look over her shoulder, but something compelled her to do it. In the middle of the trail where they had cut through the underbrush stood a giant, hairy man. "No f-ing way," she breathed. Why the hell not, she chastised herself. Really Erika? So far this year there had been a global pandemic, cults are hunting the police, and the government has admitted there are UFOs - did you not think Bigfoot was a possibility?
Whatever it was threw a rock zipping by her head. With that, her fight or flight kicked in and Erika ran. And Ran. First passing Millie, then Hermit. Gretel was the only one able to stay with her, and the sable shepherd thought it was great fun for her Mom to be playing chase with her. Erika made it over the pasture gate and was halfway up the hill to the front pasture before she ran out of steam. Pacing back and forth, she pulled the cap off her head and tried to catch her breath. She slapped at a mosquito on her neck and waited as a bewildered Hermit and frightened Millie caught up to her.
She was not going to argue with Millie about whether that was a bear, especially when the woods surrounding the pasture were still silent. She did her best to suppress the feeling she was being watched. Holding her breath, she scanned the wood line for anything that might look out of place. She could not see it, but she knew someone or something was out there.
"I sense it too," Hermit whispered to her as he took a drink from his water bottle and tried to catch his breath," and it's not a bear." Surprised, Erika studied the man standing beside her and gave him a nod that it was better not to tell Millie.
The gate to the front pasture was flanked on either side by woods. They would have to go through it to get to the barn. Gauging the distance, she figured if pushed they could jog the distance in ten minutes. Once they went through the gate it was an open field to the barn. It could not hide but by the gods that thing was big - she figured it was a good 8' ft tall and she guessed with legs that long it could run fast. Stopping for just one moment, she rested her leg on a log, taking another drink from her bottled water before quickening her step. Screwing the top back on her bottled water, Erika was struck by the surrealness of the moment. The silence of the woods, the beating of her heart, the awareness now that there was a predator in the forest watching them. She made up for the short distance between her, Hermit, and Millie, sliding the water bottle back down into her backpack. Stepping up, she asked Millie and Hermit lightly, "How fast can you get to the gate?"
Millie blinked at her for a moment, assessing the terrain they would have to cover. The shortest path was thick with blackberry bushes, but they could go around it. The ground was wet, which might give them some trouble with traction, but the blackberry bushes were full of sharp thorns and might have snakes burrowed up hidden within the thick branches.
"Ten minutes in a hurry," Millie told her, taking the wet bandana from around her neck and using it to mop her brow. A tree limb snapping close by increased the tension, making Erika jump with a start. The three friends were walking single file now. Erika in the lead followed by Millie with Hermit bringing up the rear. Wide-eyed- Millie gave her a thumbs up indicating on her go - she was ready.
As if on cue, a tree came crashing down thirty feet away. “Go, go, go, go, go," Erika screamed and cut for the pasture gate. When she got there, she did not bother trying to open the gate and instead stepped on the low bar, throwing her body over the top rung she came down hard on the other side. Getting her balance, she waited to help Millie over and then Hermit. The three ran blindly until they were underneath the lone oak tree in the middle of the pasture. With their backs to the tree, each had their pistol ready when the horses came running through the field and halted. Over their backs, Erika thought she saw a large figure slink off into the woods.
Overcome with relief, Erika burst out laughing as a big blue roan walked over to her and nuzzled her hair. "Indigo!" Stroking his velvety nose, she cooed in his big ears, "How have you been buddy?"
She gave Millie a look of relief while Hermit took his backpack off his shoulder and pulled out one of the dog's leather leashes to clip to the horse's halter. Handing the makeshift lead to Erika, he then did the same to two of Indigo's companions, a spirited liver chestnut gelding and a showy appaloosa mare. He told the girls, "The others will follow these guys back to the barn if we lead them. Man, I bet these guys are craving some feed." He and Erika were both still watching the tree line, but the horses were not nervous, which was a good sign.
In one fluid motion, Erika hopped up on Indigo's back. She gave her friends a tight smile but stopped when she noticed Gretel was still watching the woods. The three were about halfway to the workshop when the mare Hermit was riding started acting up. The mare was tossing her head and rolling her eyes, she shied away from the two other horses and ran a full pace towards the herd before Hermit could get her in hand. Erika quietly watched the horses lift their heads in curiosity at the newcomers. Something sure had them spooked, the little herd of horses had formed a tight group close to the barn far away from the woods.
"We aren't cowboys, and there is no way we can take these guys back through the woods with a bear out there," Millie said matter-of-factly. Erika gave Hermit a look and agreed with her without hesitance.
"Let us plan on loading the trailer. We can drive to Ransom's place, and either leave the livestock trailer there or drive the horses down the levy."
Nudging Indigo forward, Erika headed for the barn. She dismounted and with Hermit's help fed the horses and other animals. It has been two weeks since the little farmyard crew had been fed on anything other than grass or what they could catch. Despite a few ducks and chickens missing, the goats, goose, alpaca, and horses seemed hungry but fine. Looking around, Hermit scratched his head, commenting on the crime scene tape at the barn, "I guess the deputies came by - the body has been removed."
The three looked at one another, curious and skeptical, but the body was gone. Hermit went to get the thumb drives and his laptop while Erika and Millie walked to the farmhouse for the keys to the work truck and trailer ball for the livestock trailer. By the time they walked back, Hermit had a stack of equipment, books, a generator, and some solar panels ready to load into the truck bed. The girls looked from it to him and back again as he asked good-naturedly, "Any trouble?" Erika tossed him the trailer ball as she and Millie started loading the diesel work truck's back.
Out of the corner of her eye, Erika thought she saw a canine shadow running along the wood line, and immediately searched for Gretel. She found the dog in the barnyard annoying the goose. "Gretel, come on load up and leave Mr. Goose alone," she said briskly as she opened the cab door to the truck. Millie looked at her, questioningly, "She will probably make it harder to load everyone up."
Hermit frowned at Erika when she did not provide additional information. Instead, she changed her attention to do the work in hand and stated flatly, "We can only take about half the horses in the trailer. What are we going to do with the rest of them?"
Frowning, he narrowed his blue eyes, "I will leave some food out for them. If we take the trailer, we can come back for them later this week. They will be fine in the meantime. I need to get some feed and stuff for them all as well, but I figure our first business will be to get a barn of sorts built for them. I figured we need some laying hens, probably some guinea hens too since they eat ticks and fleas. That nanny goat and her kids… I can come back and get some ducks and geese later when I am getting farm equipment."
&n
bsp; Adjusting her cap, Erika looked at the horse trailer long and hard, her cold eyes narrowed shrewdly, "The trailer will hold five horses. We can put the goats, alpaca, and chickens in the living quarters. Chicken wire, nails, tools, can you think of anything else we may have an immediate need for? I do think we need to come back for the others. At the very least, we can sell them or maybe trade for some cows."
Stunned, Millie stared at the two of them. "You two are acting like we are going to be out here forever. It's all going to settle down in a few months."
"Millie, babe, there is a storm coming," Erika said, reminding her of Wren's prophecy. Sighing, Erika could not help but notice Millie blinking back tears before standing up a little straighter, "What about the Rhino and four-wheelers?"
Shifting back and forth on her feet, Erika pulled her hat down over her eyes, "I don't think that's a good idea. On them, we would not have any element of surprise. They make a lot of noise, and people would hear us coming long before we got somewhere. At least on horseback, we can be mistaken for a deer or another animal."
Hermit added, "Not to mention the issue of gas. I thought it might be a good idea to leave the Tahoe at Ransom's place, but it's just one more thing for someone to steal.” Millie just nodded and excused herself. The two friends shared a look, knowing she was upset and giving her some space to collect herself.
Giving Erika a smile, Hermit told her, "If I haven't mentioned it, I think that man of yours laid a great foundation for keeping us safe little sister." Swinging a saddle into the back of the truck, he added with a wink. "If we are cut off from the outside world during this quarantine, gas will be hard to come by, so it is better not to be dependent on it. And you are right - being able to sell horses or trade them is a good idea. Once we have staked out the land around the ruins, we will need to plant some stuff."
Tapestry of Worlds : Part One - The White Raven Awakens Page 13