by Jeff Beeman
“Daddy had mentioned those before. It’s really going to get cold isn’t it?”
“Here took a look at it with the binoculars”
It even looked more impressive through the binoculars. It seemed alive as the dark clouds rolled onward with occasional bolts of lightning flashing down to the earth so far away.
“The old timers say the darker the blue, the colder it will be. From the looks of it, we are in for a cold day tomorrow.” Advised Mr. Kevins with is deep voice.
For a moment we both look at the bluish black northern horizon grow against the blue sky before Mr. Kevins turned his attention back to me.
“Buckie, I would like you to stay with Amanda more. She worries a lot about you, especially since you are hurt and have been through so much just in the time we have known you. Also she proudly tells me that you and B.B. make good baby sitters of Mike.”
Smiling due to the compliment, I reply, “Don’t forget about Bouncy Bouncy.”
Mr. Kevins’ smiles also, “Of course not, can’t forget that little trooper”
Both of us are caught unaware when there is a truck horn blast.
Looking at the street that leads straight to the house, the new truck is coming back.
“Wonder what Dean ran into that caused him to come back with the truck instead of through the mouse hole?” wondered Mr. Kevins.
Like last time he slows down and raise his arm high and out of the truck. From this advantage point, I see that his is making hand signals.
“What’s he doing that for?” It is my turn to wonder out loud.
“It is a simple signal we came up at the Fortress to indicate how many are coming back, if there are any injuries, and to indicate the overall status. Why is he giving us the same signal as earlier?”
The truck instead of pulling up directly into the driveway like last time, moves like Mr. Anderson is going to park on the street.
I can hear the front door open at the same time Mr. Kevins reluctantly raises the rifle and looks into the scope. I follow his actions by looking at the truck with the binoculars. I can’t see Mr. Anderson since the truck is parking with the passenger side facing the house but something seems wrong. He is still signaling.
I now hear Mr. Nguyen yelling what the H.E. double hockey sticks is Mr. Anderson doing, when it dawns on me that Mr. Anderson forearm tattoo is missing.
At that instant the middle passenger side window rolls down and what looks like one of the rifles used by Mr. Oliver and Bates uses appears and opens fire.
It seems that at the same moment, Mr. Kevins fires the rifle which makes my ears ring again, as there is a flash on the top of the middle passenger door frame.
All at once the truck peels out and begins to fish tail but not before Mr. Kevins gets another shot off. I see a mist of red flow out of the passenger side window as the rifle barrel acts like the rifle has been dropped.
Without taking his eye of the retreating vehicle that has the back windshield explode thanks to his third shot, Mr. Kevins yells over the painful ringing in my ears to get down to the ground and find out what happened.
Sliding as fast as I can down on the roof, which begins to burn my bottom, I head towards the ladder. It seems the riders have found us.
Chapter Eighteen
Riders before the Storm
Daylight still lights the room but I can feel the darkness of the Blue Northerner coming and hear the wind begin to pick up as if to announce its arrival. I sit on the floor with my back in the corner of the room with Mr. Nguyen who is still breathing but may be asleep. B.B. is asleep with his head on my lap. I am resting Bouncy Bouncy on his head, who is helping keep watch of Mr. Nguyen with me.
So much seems to have happened since the attack. The house we are in has been turned into a defensive position. The refrigerator has been moved and put on its side in the living room. Fertilizer that was going to be given to the survivors living on Lake Roberts, was put in the fridge to act like sandbags. The couch was moved to act like a barrier to the shot-up front door. The grandfather clock, which has a bullet hole in the face, was put on the couch and so were four bags of fertilizer. They drained the medical vehicle of its water and put it in everything that could hold water in case True Sons of Texas try to use fire to burn down the house. All the window curtains have been drawn so that they make the room shadowy so it will be harder to see details inside the house. Also a tarp that was to act like a tent was put up near the entrance of the kitchen to eliminate any background light. The kitchen table was moved to act like a barrier in the kitchen. Stuff was moved to reinforce that barrier, like the last of the bags of fertilizer, books, and the upstairs television. The rider has been moved from the garage to a broom closet that is just big enough for him to fit. He is still farting but not giggling about it like he did when I went to see him.
And now we each wait in our own way. Officer Salazar is on the roof right now with the rifle. Mr. Kevins has helped his daughter and grandson make a space in the attic for them to hide in. I am supposed to go up there when things go south. Mr. Oliver is working on something to bring comfort to Mr. Bates. With everything going on, he hasn’t had time to test Mr. Bates or Mr. Wilson’s blood to see if The Bad is there. Sergeant Kasprzak is doing what they call, “walking the battlements” or what I would call checking the defenses.
And then there is Mr. Nguyen and me. He was hit twice from the initial attack. A “flesh wound” which means the bullet went along the outside of the ribs under the skin before coming out. The other was in his right shoulder. It is that wound that has everyone worried. Though he was treated as best as everyone could manage, Mr. Kevins and Oliver think he may be losing blood slowly. Without the proper equipment, they can’t remove it. If we could go back to the animal hospital, we could get the stuff we would need for such an operation which would require collecting blood from the others, but since we have to wait to see what the Riders from the True Sons are going to do, we can’t risk going there. They say we can’t leave here because of the sick and injured and no one is going to leave them behind. So at the moment, Mr. Nguyen is trying not to die and I am supposed to monitor his breathing.
I want so badly to run away from here. I’m scared like when Daddy and I were together the last time. I also want to cry because I am so ashamed of myself for wanting to leave the people who have helped me. Daddy and Momma wouldn’t leave, so neither will I.
The room’s door slowly opens to let Sergeant Kasprzak enter the room. Mr. Nguyen doesn’t seem to notice by the way he is breathing but the wind is now howling mercilessly outside as if it is being tortured by the soon-arriving Blue Northern and the room has defiantly begun to darken as if to match the environmental attitude. Though she seems a little unsteady the way she is walking, she never makes a sound until she sits down next to him and says softly, “Frank?”
First he seems to have trouble speaking then after a couple of dry coughs, he is able to answer with “Still here”.
Without another word, she helps prop him up on the pillows, then she passes a canteen to him. He takes a quick sip then makes a not-so-funny face that can be seen even in the growing gloom of the room.
“Is this from Solomon’s stash?”
I can see the broad grin form on the Sergeant’s face before she laughs out loud.
“No, from Amos’s reserve”
“No wonder my teeth feel like they’re melting.”
“You’re too soft, Frank. This (holds up her canteen) will put fire back in your belly!”
“Or burn your guts to coal” he sarcastically responds before taking the canteen back for another sip.
They both sit in silence looking, not at each other, but at the opposite wall as they share the canteen. Mr. Nguyen makes the weird face less and less as they continue.
“Joyce, while I can, I want to apologize for being part of the group that pushed for the salvage mission at the hospital. I am not going to ask you to forgive me but I want you to know how truly sorry I am
especially for all the lives lost on that foolish undertaking.”
The Sergeant is very still for a moment. From what I can see of her face, she is somewhere else and haunted by what she is seeing. Her eyes look wet before she takes back the canteen and takes a furious gulp of its contents.
“You’re right, I will never be able to forgive you” she answered back as she gives him the canteen again. “But you can pay back part of your debt to those who died”. With that said, she turns to face him while reaching into her large outside pocket of her camo pants and brings out some sort of device.
“I think in the end, we are going to need to use the Betty option.” She said in a strange but calm way.
“Dear God, Joyce are you sure!?”
Still turned to look at him, she softly smiles and replies smoothly and confidently,” It is the only way for some to see tomorrow. You’re the perfect person to hold the key because they won’t expect anything from you”
“But..but (licks his lips) what about Tony? He is more trained for this kind of situation, isn’t he?”
“He’s feverish and might not be able to do it or do it at the wrong time. Everyone else will be suspect and in the end, you...owe...the...others, Frank!” She said the last part still calmly but there was something in her voice that made me shiver.
For long moments, he sits still and just breathes with his eyes closed. Finally, he nods reluctantly and holds out his left hand, where she places the device. He flinches as if it is alive and holds it like a weapon.
Once again they sit facing the opposite wall but this time they are not drinking, only lost in their own thoughts.
Without warning, the Sergeant turns her chair so she can face Mr. Nguyen better. Then she simply says, “Dean said that the water hose was sabotaged”
Turning his head so he can face her with his wide eyes, he spurts out an astonished, “What!”
Her facial expression never changes as she continues, “He said the two hoses were cut from the inside so no one would notice it during a visual inspection, which was all the time we had when we received the go order.” She stops for a moment as if to see what facial expression Mr. Nguyen has before she continues. “I know there is a group who opposed this mission and I have always suspected some of them belong to the rumored isolationist following Dan Vorjeck.”
“All they want is to settle down and wait for the military to return like what Lieutenant Fellows said would happen sometime next year. They’re not some cabal like you’re indicating” he responds defensibly.
“Frank...Don’t you find it strange how rushed we were to get this mission going after nothing being down or even seriously debated among the council? “ Suddenly she barked a laugh which replaced her calm expression with disgust. “Vorjeck knows that if we start reaching out to other survivors, his little power base will topple. Come on Frank, you can’t help see what type of little and petty “man” he is!” she snorted.
“He just doesn’t believe in risking what we have on fantasy and foolish dreams that will lose what little we have!” Mr. Nguyen heatedly responded.
“So were he and his brainless minions hoping we would simply turn back when the hoses blew? That way he could comfort the rest of counsel by saying we tried! Was that the plan, Frank?!”
For a moment, his angry expression seemed to gather more intensity but then like a light bulb going off, it suddenly changed to shock, “Are you implying I was part of some plan to get us killed??”
“You never supported this mission and you were the first to “suggest” we go back early on” the Sergeant craftily reminded him.
“You idiot! Do I need to remind you that we are in the middle of an Apocalypse or have you forgotten! We’ve lost one vehicle and it had already taken us a couple of hours to get to a place in what normally took thirty minutes with bad traffic. No one and I mean no one has heard from that group of survivors after the radio started working again but here we are, two dying from the Vegas Virus, I’m shot, Dean is captured, and the rest are waiting to be killed by some wetbacks! What do we have to show for it other than a little girl and her dog! You tell me, was it worth it?!”
“Yes Frank, I truly think it is worth it. Even If we can’t help those survivors on the lake, we have found a survivor and if you had gotten to see how she handles herself, you would feel it is worth it for that alone.” She calmly said.
His face softened as he stated, “Joyce, I’m only here because I wanted to help you after what I caused to happen to you. After Arlington Memorial, you have never been the same. Don’t think no one knows how much you drink just to handle day to day and not considering the horrors you have seen since then. Please believe me when I say, I had no idea that this mission was being sabotaged”.
She looks him in the eyes for a moment and then gently places her hand on his left hand before saying, “I believe you Frank”.
So things are not so Bueno at the Fortress I think to myself, Should have expected that since the living don’t follow the rules.
Turning to look at me, Sergeant Kasprzak says, “Little sister, why don’t you go on break and let me watch over Frank for a while”.
“Okay” is all I can think to say as I have Bouncy Bouncy tap B.B. on the end of his nose to wake him up. B.B. in turn shows he could put all of Bouncy Bouncy in his mouth when he yawns. Luckily they are friends because I don’t need the two males in my life fussing with each other, especially not right now.
With B.B.’s help, I get up and we leave the darkening room. The house already feels cooler than earlier today. I need to go get more clothes on. All that I have brought has been put somewhere else because they need to be clean and I don’t exactly know where they are. I may need to see if there is anything in the house I can use. I head towards the living room by first going past the first flap of the tarp and making sure no light makes it past it. Once in the dark, I can move past the second flap to enter the living room. As I work around the fridge and couch, B.B. pushes me from behind using his nose. This makes me misstep and allows him to block me again from going up the stairs. Stubborn dog. This time though, I know Mr. Oliver is up there resting in the room that I woke up this morning. Weird to think so much has happened in only a day.
“Hello!” I call up. “Mr. Oliver, hellooo!”
In a moment, I can see his shadowy form appear at the top of the stairs.
“What’s wrong Buckie? Is everything all right with Frank?”
“The Sergeant is with him right now and I was just wondering if there are any clothes in the closet up there that I can use. I’m sorry to bother you but I’m starting to get cold and Mr. B.B. still won’t let me upstairs.”
“Well until it is time for you to join Amanda, it might be better for you down there. Let me go check for you.” And with that he went back to the room.
With nothing else to do, I decided it was time to show B.B. how much Bouncy Bouncy and I loved and appreciated him. He of course tried to drown me and the bunny with his happy doggie spit in return.
In time Mr. Oliver came down with a bundle of assorted clothes. He helped me sort through them and try on the different shirts to see what would fit and would go around my injured arm. This gave me a chance to teach him about children and clothes such as you always get bigger than needed so they can grow into them, which he said he didn’t know as he was an only child and a bachelor. I reassured him it was okay because it took Momma a while to get Daddy to understand that rule no matter how cute it looked on me.
We had to use a thick sheet to make a sort of skirt to help my legs. The pants I had on were just not enough and the boy whose stuff I was now wearing was bigger than me. After all that, Mr. Oliver held something out in his hand. It looked like a necklace with some sort of pendent in the growing twilight.
“What is this?” I ask him.
“Well it is a gift Tony and I wanted to give you as a memento of our first meeting”. After saying that he took his little flash light and turned so its light would
n’t be seen from outside. The light reveals a tooth shaped pendent that looked kind of odd. It took me a moment before I blurted out the obvious, “It’s B.B.’s missing tooth!”
Even though I marveled at the pendent, I could see Mr. Oliver’s face break out in a big smile. “That’s right, it was embedded in Tony’s rifle stock. We decided to make it into a necklace using the stuff in the med van. I wish we could have given it in a more celebrative time but with things as it is, we wanted you to have it now.”
As best as I could, I and Bouncy Bouncy hugged his neck and kissed on his stubbly cheek.
“Thank you both so much. It is the nicest present I have gotten in a long time.”
Being careful he hugged me back and said, “You’re more than welcome, Buckie.”
We broke the hug so I could turn around and Mr. Oliver could put the necklace on me.
As he was fastening it, I asked “How is Mr. Bates?”
“The stuff I was able to put together seems to have eased his pain and he is more alert but he still has a fever. With all that has been going on since we got back, I haven’t been able to do much more for either him or John. Now please turn around to make sure I put that on you right” To which I did. From what I could see in the aura of light cast by the little flashlight, he must have done it right because he was grinning again and this time we were about at the same height.
Since he was kneeling, B.B. had no problem showing his feelings for Mr. Oliver in the form of an amazingly foamy wet doggie kiss right on the side of his head. That caused Mr. Oliver to lose his balance and land on his side, to which B.B. started covering him with wet kisses. When Mr. Oliver tried to get up, B.B. just pushed him down and then went back to kissing him for B.B. would not be denied his kissing. It took me a moment to try to get B.B. to let him up because I was laughing so hard, especially after Mr. Oliver rolled up into a ball to hide his face, which made B.B. turn his head to the right before trying to figure out how to kiss Mr. Oliver’s face.