She dropped the child and stood up. Roaches, mice, and other creepy crawlers scattered on the makeshift bed. Before she could walk up to them, they dodged her and picked up their pace knowing she was too weak to chase after them.
Maia wore a blank stare. The rest of the crew walked in silence alongside her. Another blockade came into view. They saw one of the guards arguing with a group of men while another guard dragged a woman away. One of the men yelled out to the woman and attempted to run to her. Two guards caught him and restrained him. His hand broke free, and he struck one of them.
As soon as they heard the gunshots, Caleb and his crew stopped in their tracks. Two men lay lifeless on the ground. The woman wailed with her arms stretched out towards them. The remaining men walked through the barricade dragging the bodies of their friends. Jason turned to them, “It’s okay. Keep moving. I’ll handle this.”
As they approached, several armed guards walked out to meet them. The man who appeared to be in charge ignored everyone else and walked straight to Maia and Sadie.
She dropped her head and muttered under her breath, “Dang, are we that obvious?”
The man had a cell phone loaded with photos. “Take off your hats, glasses, and masks.”
Caleb stepped in front of them. “What’s this about?”
Jason walked over to them. “It’s okay. Just do it.”
As calm as he could be, Caleb said, “I just think we should know what this is about.”
“They’re looking for someone specific. Just let them do what they need to do so we can go,” Jason said.
Maia and Sadie pulled their disguises off and stood there. She watched as he flipped past her photo. Then he flipped back and examined it closer. He showed it to the man standing beside him. He grunted.
“What’s your name?”
She looked at Jason. He tilted his head and blinked twice.
“Can you hear? I said what’s your name, woman?”
“Stevie. Stevie Hebert”
“Most of the damn population is gone, and every other person’s last name is still frickin’ Hebert or Landry.” He held the photo next to her face. “What you think?” he asked the man beside him.
“Eyes are different.” He pointed to the picture. “She got bigger lips and nose. That ain’t her. I doubt we’ll find this woman. She's either dead or chained up somewhere,” he replied.
“You got ID?” he asked her.
“C’mon, man. Who carries ID anymore?” Tye said.
The guard’s face tensed up. “If you want to leave here with her you’ll produce some ID. Otherwise,” he said, pointing to dog cages full of women. “We’ll hold her here until the guys come back and say she ain’t who they’re looking for. Got it?”
“Fine,” Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He sorted through the stack of cards and pulled out a driver’s license. “Here. Would you leave my bitch alone now?”
Maia tried not to be obvious, but she was slightly baffled by what he’d done.
The guard compared Maia to the picture on the ID then handed it back to Jason. He turned to look at Maia. “Stevie, huh?”
“My parents were Stevie Nicks fans. I don’t know what else you want me to say.”
He laughed and shook Jason’s hand. “Be safe,” he told them.
Maia let out the breath she’d been holding. When he demanded an ID, she thought it was over. She tucked her hair back under her knit beanie then put the glasses and bandana back on. Tye helped Sadie and made sure she was ready to go. They stepped back into formation and walked through the gate. They were that much closer to Amitola.
Once she heard the gate close behind them, Maia increased her pace until she was beside Jason. “Why do you still have my ID?”
He smirked. “I figured we might need it one day. I was right.”
Still confused, she slowed her pace again until she was walking in unison with Sadie and Tye. From behind her, she heard Caleb ask, “So, Stevie Hebert was an undercover name or something?”
Jason turned and looked at them and smiled. “I can tell you lots of stories about Stevie.”
“But you won’t,” she replied.
Jason and Tony leaned into each other to talk. They stopped and looked around. “Let’s go this way,” Jason said, motioning for them to take a detour.
“Why? If we go that way, we’ll have to walk around the bridge. It’s faster this way,” Maia said.
Tony walked up to her and Tye. “Some stuff went down not too far from here. You might not want the kids to see it. It’s better if we go this way.”
“My kids have seen stuff that will require a lifetime of therapy already. One more thing isn’t going to change that. The faster I get them to Amitola the better.” Tye said.
“No, we need to go this way.” Jason started walking in the direction of the collapsed bridge.
Maia and Tye stared at each other in disbelief. Caleb stepped up in front of the group. “No, they want to go this way. We’re going this way. If you want to part ways here that’s fine by me. I got a map, and we got guns.”
Jason shook his head and stared at Tony. When Tony turned to go back with the group, Maia saw his eyes. Something was wrong. Before she could ask him about it, Jason was by his side. She waited to see if he would challenge Caleb to lead but he didn’t. He followed just like everyone else.
This particular area was well traveled before Judgement Day though it was usually on four-wheelers and other ATVs. It was a path that was used to get back and forth between several hunting camps, but now it served as a central location for travel on foot. As they approached the crossroads, the revolting aroma attacked them. All dead bodies smelled different, but there was a distinct odor that indicated a person had a gut injury. The closer they got to the old Back Barros Oak Tree, the stronger the smell became.
Barros is one of the oldest towns in Louisiana, and the oak tree is said to be more advanced in age than that. According to the plaque that sits at the site, the tree is at least 350 years old. For centuries it was the community place to meet. Lovers met under the tree mid-day when the men would come out of the woods from their hunt, and their girl would be waiting with a picnic lunch. Politicians and businessmen would meet there too, but the most common group of people to meet under the tree were the gossips. They would meet so often to spread the latest news that eventually the town put up a board where flyers and news items could be displayed. Before Judgement Day it advertised garage sales, child care and sales of body wraps but today, it served as a board much like the one in Bottleneck.
Stepping into the clearing still a few yards away from the tree, Maia gazed at the splendor of the majestic sight before her. She recalled hearing the folklore about the old tree as a child. As they walked, she shared the story with her companions. “One story was about these high school sweethearts who met under the tree before he was shipped off in WWI. He got down on one knee, and because he was so nervous, he dropped the ring. They looked all over for it but couldn’t find it. They got married anyway then he went off to war.”
She hung her head in a moment of silence. “Legend has it; he died in battle leaving behind his wife and a son. His son joined the army too, and when he received orders to fight in WWII, he decided to marry his girl first. Knowing his parent’s story, he met her under this same tree and promised her that as soon as he earned enough money, he would buy her a ring, but he wanted them to be married before he left. So, he got down on his knee, and he happened to look at the root beside him and noticed what looked like a diamond. He dug it out of the root, and his aunt confirmed that it was the ring his father had bought for his mother twenty-some years prior. He gave it to his girl, and they got married.”
“That’s wild.” Tye smiled at her. “Some things can’t be coincidences, can they?”
They finally stood in the span of the oak. Caleb walked up closer. “What’s that?”
Jason rushed them along. “Let’s go. Daylight’s wasting.”<
br />
Maia ignored him and walked up to the tree with Caleb. The source of the smell swayed before them. A man hung from one of the thick branches of the oak. His skin was barely glistening so he couldn’t have been dead more than a day. He was nude, his privates mutilated, and a sign hung around his neck read, “Real men don’t rape.”
Maia’s eyes widened when she saw his face. She turned away and covered her mouth. Her mind rapidly connected the dots, and suddenly she understood what happened. “No coincidences,” she said. She looked at Jason. He dropped his shoulders and tilted his head. She tossed her belongings and rushed him. Her fists pummeled his chest, “What did you do? What did you do?”
He kept his already injured face down, his hands up to block her and didn’t say a word. She turned to Tony. She removed her mask and dropped her glasses so he could see her anger. “Yesterday, you two left. Is this where you came? Is this what you did? Answer me, Tony!”
Tony walked up to her and held her by shoulders. “There was no way in hell we were going to let him get away with doing that to you. Nobody gets away with doing that.”
She moaned and jerked away from him. “What he did?” She shook her head and put her hand on her stomach. “He didn’t do anything but try to help me.” She looked at Jason, “You should’ve paid closer attention. He got him off of me. He helped me!”
He held up his hand. “No, no, I know how you code. You said the woman who ran the bait store, her grandson—” he gave thought to what he was going to say. “You said her grandson attacked you. You mentioned his name.”
“Yeah, you idiot.” She pointed to the dead man in the tree. “You think he was her only grandchild? His cousin did it, not him. I mentioned his name because he helped me. You are such a jerk.” She picked up her stuff and turned to them. “We got it from here. Y’all need to go back.”
Jason grabbed her hand. “No.”
She jerked her hand then forced him away. “You had no right to read my notes. None!” She slapped his face and the sound resonated. He tried to grab her again but Caleb was already in his face, and Tye stood in front of her.
Caleb was within inches of his nose. His nostrils flared. “Here’s what gonna go down. You and your boys are gonna head back to Allen’s. We are going to continue our journey. You,” he said pointing in his face, “are going to leave her alone. Forever. Got it?”
Jason’s legs were planted wide, and he was sweating. He stood toe to toe with him. He didn’t budge until Caleb did. When Caleb finally backed away from him, he grabbed his stuff and looked at Maia then looked at Tye and Caleb. “Take a good look at him because I’ll do worse than that if y’all so much as hurt a hair on her head,” he said as they turned and headed back.
Maia watched Tony walk away. Her heart, torn. “You know they’re gonna kill you now, don’t you? Tony?” He turned back, and their eyes met. “Come with us, please. I don’t wanna lose you.”
Tony walked back and hugged her. “I didn’t know,” he said. “I thought it was him. I have your flyers for Rob. I’ll put them out, and I’ll find you, okay?” He directed his attention to Caleb and Tye. “Take care of her.”
She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream out to God and ask him why this was happening. She wanted to be mad at someone or something. She wanted to beat Jason and go back and burn that town to the ground and put those people out of their misery. But there was no time for freaking out. She marched on. They had to get to Amitola. She adjusted her backpack and walked toward the cane field. She didn’t even look to see if anyone followed. All she could think about was how she had to push through. She couldn’t dwell here. She’d never escape if she did.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
They were at the other end of the cane field before they finally caught up to her. Tye was nearly out of breath. “We need to stop. Sadie has to go to the bathroom, and we need to eat and drink something.”
She finally slowed her pace. “Okay,” she said, “but I don’t want to talk about what happened back there.”
“Got it.” Tye scanned the area and found a small clearing where they could rest for a minute. He took Sadie to a nearby cluster of trees. The guys munched on snacks while Caleb examined the map. He looked up at Maia. She was staring off into space. “I need you to eat something…and drink some water.”
“I’m good,” she replied to Caleb.
He walked over and reached out to hand her some snacks. “No, you’re not good. Cold weather tricks you into thinking you’re hydrated when you’re not. You haven’t had anything all day. I’ve watched you.”
She took the jerky and the protein bar from his hand. He sat down, but he kept an eye on her. He was aware that she wouldn’t eat it. He knew she’d put it in her bag when she thought he wasn’t looking. They heard a twig break and saw Tye and Sadie coming back.
Caleb looked back at Maia. She was busted. He walked over and sat beside her. “Why?” he asked.
She didn’t dare look at him. “Why what?” She kicked at the dirt.
“Why did you put it in your bag instead of eating it?”
She stared at the ground. “I don’t know.” He looked at her with one eyebrow hiked. “Honestly, I don’t know,” she said. “If I knew I would tell you.”
“I think you’re scared something else might happen and we’ll be delayed again. You don’t want to go hungry. I saw all the food you stashed in that bag. You have enough for a few days. I assure you we’d find more food before you run out. We need you healthy. Your boys need you healthy. Eat.”
She dug the protein bar out of her bag and ate it. She turned up the bottle of water and before she knew it the whole thing was gone. She hadn't realized she was thirsty. A few minutes later when they packed up to move on Caleb noticed the change in her mood. Her glow was back, and she even smiled at Elex when he joked with her.
They trekked through the woods trying to avoid the quickdust. Maia commented that the grass and weeds had grown taller and thicker since the last time she passed through. “The smell is much worse than it was too.” Looking around, it seemed to be the same, or so she thought. A fat toad jumped out in front of them. He hopped as they walked. Elex played alongside him. The rest of the crew laughed as they watched the two of them.
Just then they heard a loud thunk, and a splash followed.
“Whoa,” Caleb said, holding up his hand in a fist. “We got water, at least four inches deep, several yards across. Is this supposed to be here?”
Maia replied, “No, I don’t ever remember walking through water here, but everything is subject to change without notice nowadays.”
“Remind me to tell Mother Nature she needs that disclaimer,” Tye said.
“Y’all poked fun, but this is why we packed the tape and bags,” she said while pulling three rolls of duct tape and the roll of lawn and leaf bags from Junior’s backpack.
Everyone got two trash bags, one for each leg. They put their foot inside the trash bag then wrapped the bag in duct tape from top to bottom covering as much of the bag as possible. The plastic bag would keep the water off of their clothes and shoes. The duct tape prevented sharp objects in the water from tearing holes in the bag. It was a good bit of work, but it was easier to carry the duct tape and bags than to tote rubber boots around.
Tye had the most experience with wetlands, so he walked ahead testing the water depth with a stick. As far ahead as he could see, it appeared as though the water was only a few inches deep, but to their right, it was several feet deep. The last thing they wanted was to walk right into several feet of water unexpectedly. The days were getting colder, not to mention the chafing that came with walking long distances in wet clothes.
Carefully placing the stick in the water, left to right, and securing his footing each step, he grabbed his binoculars and looked around at the sight mere blocks from him; houses on top of each other, cars resting on treetops, and the bloated, foul-smelling bodies of dead people and animals.
He had the fleeting thought th
at it was unbelievable that no one would try to bury or burn the bodies. Then he remembered the hundreds of grave markers they’d passed. People were burying their dead. He thought of how great a task it would be to bury them all considering the number of deceased. Eventually, they would have to do something about it though.
“What the —?” he said looking down what used to be the main road.
They all got close to him so they could see what he saw. It was barely visible but about a half a mile away, trees, cars, debris, and homes, all seemed to be disappearing into the ground. The water swirled rapidly, alluring everything near its edge to lean into it. The instant it did, it was trapped.
They watched, helplessly, as a beautiful pine that appeared to be fifty feet tall was slowly swallowed up by the pit. Within minutes it was gone: the whole thing. Next, a shed, part of a house that was pulled off of its foundation, and an ice cream truck all fell victim to nature’s wrath.
“Unbelievable. There used to be a bunch of homes out there, and a school. It’s all gone. Where’d it go?” Maia asked.
Caleb looked through the binoculars. “It seems like the water is crushing it or eating it up then it gets dispersed in the water.”
“No,” Tye corrected them, “It’s a sinkhole, and it’s getting bigger. We gotta move. Fast.”
Tye recruited Caleb to help test the waters. They found another stick and moved double time, checking the water depth with even more caution than before. They were halfway through, but the water was deeper than they expected. Caleb put the stick in the water, and it just kept going. He finally found a spot where he could reach the bottom, but when he stepped into it, he dropped.
Caleb was about 5”10’, and his makeshift boots went up to his behind. The depth of the water he walked into was about ten inches away from the top of his boots. Tye and Junior were roughly 5”8’, but the girls and Elex were much shorter.
Amitola: The Making of a Tribe Page 28