Amitola: The Making of a Tribe

by A. Grant Richard

  After they had finished talking, Junior came down. They took a few minutes to rest, huddled up together, and let their wet clothes partially dry before packing them up. He looked over at his dad who was still pondering over everything his friend had laid on him, “We both like her, you know. And mom, Troy, and Lanie did too. Me and Sadie kind of thought the two of you were already together, so…”

  Tye couldn’t help the quick burst of laughter that bolted out. “Really?” His face lit up from ear to ear. “Well dad, you keep sleeping in her bed, and you’re always flirting with her.”

  Caleb laughed and pointed at the two of them as though he’d just won the big stuffed unicorn at the fair. To him, this was better than “I told you so.” With a smile ear to ear, he opened the door, “Well, that cost us almost three hours we didn’t have. It’s a quarter to one. We’ll have to walk fast, make it up somewhere. Y’all ready?”

  The clothes they took off didn’t have time to dry completely, so they wrapped them around their waists and allowed them to air dry as they walked. Except for Maia and Sadie’s undergarments. They tucked those away. Tye made it a point to steer clear of the dark wooded area and block the kid's view of the carnage in the shopping center. Thankfully the Chick-fil-A blocked it for the most part.

  Caleb told himself he wasn’t going to look, but he knew he would. He regretted it as soon as he did. It instantly altered his perspective on humanity. He understood survival instinct but not at the unnecessary expense of another person’s life, especially not as brutal as that. That’s what was incomprehensible.

  It was a grisly scene. People squashed each other to death, trampling those at the bottom of piles. Men, women, children and even babies all formed a mound several feet from the door. Other bodies scattered all around looked as though they’d been pulled from the crowds or murdered where the lay. Glass was broken out of the store windows, and the dead were stacked three and four high inside of them. People had been shot, stabbed, beaten and left for the animals to gorge on, all for a few groceries. The weather-worn sign still swung in the breeze. It read, “Few groceries are left, but we’re willing to sell what we have. First come, first serve. God bless.”

  The crew felt themselves getting cold again, so they raced to raise their body heat. They walked into a neighborhood where every home had been burned to the ground. Dead men and boys lay scattered on the lawns. As they traipsed through the remains, Caleb started up a conversation in an attempt to avoid the images the massacre planted in his head.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Caleb put his arm around Maia. “You okay? You had me worried back there.”

  “I can’t lie. I was a little scared too, but you can’t get rid of me that easily.” She smiled then she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled Caleb’s notebook out. “I started reading through this while you guys were outside. We think so much alike it’s scary. We even use some of the same symbols.”

  “Really? Huh. How far did you get?”

  “I made it to month two after Judgement Day.” She flipped through the pages.

  “Dang, you’re fast.” He reached out his hand, and she gave him the notebook. “So, you understood this then?” He pointed to a page dated after Christmas but before Judgement Day.

  “Yes, I did. I was going to ask you about that.” She turned to see where the rest of the crew were. They were cutting up a few yards behind them. “You were separated from your wife?”

  Caleb tugged at his jacket and opened his mouth to speak but hesitated. He looked down at her then down at the ground. “I’m no saint. To my mom’s credit, she taught me better.” The regret was evident in his tone. “I screwed up.”

  “How many times did you screw up?”

  “Boy, you just get right to it, huh? No dinner, no dancing.” He started to smile, but he cleared his throat instead. “How horrible would you think I am if I said a few?” He stared straight ahead.

  She didn’t say anything. She didn’t know what to say. It seemed the opposite of who she believed him to be as a person. It didn’t make sense to her. She took a deep breath.

  He kicked at the trash on the road. “I get it if you’re pissed. I would be. I…I just wanted you to know. We promised each other no secrets.”

  “I’m not. I mean, I don’t understand—at all—but I’m not mad at you. That’s not my place to be.”

  “I’m not making excuses but, that’s just the way it is where I come from. The business, I mean. Of course, no one talked about it, but it was understood. Too many marriages end in divorce because somebody cheated, but the truth is, monogamy can be overrated. So, where I come from, most couples opt for an open relationship."

  Maia's raised her eyebrows and slowed her pace. "One thing I don't understand, your tattoo. You said it was to choose each other over and over again. How are you choosing your wife if you're with other women?"

  "No one holds a candle to her. No matter who I'm with or how they make me feel, I choose her. I always go home to her. I married her."

  "So then what happened?"

  He took a deep breath. "She was with other guys for a while. When she quit messing around, she expected me to stop too, but I didn’t get that memo. She got jealous of one woman in particular. I've had the same assistant for years, and there was always something between us that we couldn't quite let go of. Kerri asked me if I loved her, so I told her the truth. I did. Or at least I thought so.” He touched his lip as though he were contemplating then he said, “Look, people may not want to admit it, but it's entirely possible to believe you're in love with more than one person at a time. But, I was married to Kerri so I would have chosen her.” He rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat again. “I did choose her. I ended it with my assistant, for good. She even got a new job. I didn't do it before because Kerri and I had an understanding. It's just the way things were.”

  She quickly turned her head and eyeballed him as though he’d just said he was from Mars. She poked her finger in his chest and said, “First, that's an excuse. That’s like saying you’re going to own women now since that is the new norm. I can’t see you doing that. Nobody put a gun to your head. You did what you wanted to do. Own it, change it, and get over it.”

  “You go right for the gut.” He grabbed his stomach like he’d been hit. “That’s okay. I deserve it.”

  “So, that begs the question: why now? Why are you faithful now?”

  “It was the last promise I made to her. I didn’t realize how much I loved her until she wasn’t there anymore, so I was willing to do anything to prove myself. She was on her way to meet me here. We were getting back together. We had plans to spend the weekend in New Orleans then fly out to Bora Bora for a second honeymoon. I swore to her that I was done with other women. Anyway, now that there are so few of you, it isn’t that difficult to stick to.” He smiled, and she punched him in the arm. “Shut up. You can be such a butt,” she said.

  “We were in different cities on Valentine’s Day, so we sent each other packages. That's where the ridiculous boxers came from. I guess I have this fantasy where I find her, and I take her in my arms and right before we make love she sees them and I’m all like, see baby, I never gave up on us, and she just falls into my arms then we live happily ever after.”

  “That’s so sweet. Look at you. That’s the Caleb I adore.”

  “Besides, I have to be faithful. It's the only thing that keeps her alive, inside.” He put his fist to his chest. “After seeing what Tye went through losing Beth…I can’t go through that. I wouldn’t make it.”

  She reached over and put her arm around his waist, under his backpack. “You could, but I understand not wanting to. And I hope you don’t have to.”

  She looked back at Tye and the kids. They were several yards behind them. She stopped and pulled her backpack off. Caleb waited for her. She removed her notebook and handed it to him, “No secrets.”

  He hugged her back and grinned. “So this means you ripped out, scratched through, wrot
e over, and erased the stuff you don’t want me to see?”

  She looked at him cross-eyed but still smiling. “Whatever…” Feeling hungry, she ripped open a bag of popcorn and opened a bottle of water. She offered the bottle to Caleb. He poured half the liquid down his throat and handed it back. She held the bag of popcorn up in front of him. He shook his head no.

  “The other thing in there…he doesn’t know, and I think it’s best if it stays that way. He’s lost enough.”

  She took a piece of popcorn out the bag then said, “He doesn’t talk too much about it. He honestly had no idea why they were going to celebrate that day?”

  “I doubt it. I talked to him that morning, and he didn’t say anything. He is the quintessential family man. He would’ve been shouting that from the rooftops if he’d known.”

  Tye ran up in between them and placed his hands on their shoulders. “What are we doing?”

  “Waiting for you slowpokes,” Caleb said.

  Wanting to breathe some unrestricted air, she pulled the bandana from her face. She wrinkled her nose and hacked. “Ugh. There’s nothing like the smell of sewage. We’re getting close.”

  “How far are we from this next shelter?” Caleb asked.

  “Not far at all,” Maia said. “Maybe thirty minutes?”

  Tye stopped and stood in the middle of the road. Trees surrounded them on both sides. “You hear that?”

  They stood still. “You mean the crickets or the frogs?” Caleb asked.

  Tye paced trying to determine where the noise was coming from. “Yeah, but crickets don’t usually chirp when it’s cold out.”

  Maia listened. A look of excitement flashed across her face. She dropped her popcorn and pulled her bag off of her back then dug through it. She pulled out a Japanese pellet drum. She moved it back and forth between her palms, causing the pellets to strike the heads rhythmically. She paused, then she did it again. She repeated the process three times.

  Caleb stared at her with his eyebrows raised. “What are you—“

  “Shhh…” she said.

  The crickets and the frogs started again. She jumped up and down. “It’s my boys!” She hugged Tye and then Caleb. “Where are you?” she yelled, turning to look around.

  A young man came out of the woods holding a rifle. He wore a skull and crossbones bandana and sported a Geaux Tigers cap. He crept toward them.

  Caleb and Tye pulled their weapons, but Maia wasn’t even paying attention. “Rodney?” She ran to him. Only when she reached him and could look into his dark brown eyes did she finally feel relief. He wore earrings and even all bundled up it was obvious from the art exposed on his neck that he sported a variety of tattoos on his brown skin. From a distance, he appeared to be this tough, rugged, mean guy but up close, he was a gentle lion.

  He grabbed her, and he picked her up off of her feet and spun her around. She could sense that although he was relieved to see her, he was upset. She released her grip, and he put her down. “Where have you been? We’ve been looking all over for you. We thought we’d lost you this time.” He brought his hands up to his mouth, and the sound of a Barred Owl signaled for the others to come out.

  “It’s a long story,” she said. One by one her boys came out of the woods, and she greeted them. They were relieved to see her finally. Tye and Caleb approached with the kids. She noticed Rodney and Chad touch their weapons. “No,” she said. “These guys are good friends of mine.”

  “Are these the guys Charlie was telling us about?” Rodney asked.

  “Yes, wait…when did you see Charlie?”

  “He’s waiting at the camp. He showed up last night. He thought you’d be there too. He’s got something to talk to us about.”

  “Mom!” Jaxon squealed as he threw his arms around his mama. She kissed his forehead and told him how much she missed him.

  Caleb, Tye, and Junior removed their glasses and bandana so the boys could see them. “Mr. Tye? Junior?”

  “What’s up, Jax?” Junior said. Jaxon greeted them both and introduced them to the rest of the guys. “This is Rodney, Lincoln, Joaquín, and Tomas. I think you’ve met a couple of them before.”

  “Where’s your brother? And the rest of the guys?” Maia asked.

  Jaxon pointed down the road. Two figures were bouncing as they made their way to them. As soon as she saw them, the boys took off running. “Carsten!”

  Carsten ran up to his mama. He picked her up and kept walking with her. He finally put her down, but he didn’t want to let her go. Maia reached over and gave Trey a hug while she was still being held excruciatingly tight by her firstborn.

  He looked over her shoulder, “Is that Mr. Tye?”

  “And Junior,” Maia replied.

  They spent a few minutes chatting it up then Rodney pulled Maia to the side and asked, “Are they coming with us?”

  “Yes,” she said, noting the concern in his eyes. “They’re good men. They saved me more times than I can count. They can help us. Tye and Lance were close friends, and the boys know them. I trust them.”

  Rodney faced them all and spoke with authority. “The boss is back, people. We’re five heavy, and we got to get moving. Report then listen up.”

  Carsten looked at his mom, “The road is clear all the way to the trail. There are a couple of groups we noticed setting up camp, but we haven’t figured out what they’re doing there yet. Me and Trey can spot in the trees if you want.”

  Joaquín spoke next. “The hybrids are out hunting again. We have a few squirrels, but we should probably get more and get through the woods ASAP.”

  Maia looked at her number one. “What do you want to do Rod?”

  “Car and Jimmy hit the trees. Joaquín and Tomas flank the road.” He pointed to Caleb. “You walk with me up front. Trey, Parker, and Jaxon walk in the back. Mr. Tye, you walk with the kids. We need to march double time to get to the shelter. Rabbits, squirrels, nutria, birds, cats, whatever you see, kill it and carry it. Understood?” He looked at Maia for approval. She nodded and smiled.

  She put her bandana and protective glasses back on and had Sadie do the same. “Ready? Let’s go, boys.”

  Along the two-mile stretch of road to get to the trail, Rodney and Maia shared with each other everything that happened during the days she was gone. He let her know that things had mostly been uneventful, but they hadn’t been back to Amitola in three days because they’d been out looking for her. Two of the guys were sent back the night before to report in.

  She told him all the things that Caleb and Tye would be able to do for them. Even though he was still upset about her running off again, Rodney smiled. He hadn’t seen her express hope in months. He had to believe in everything she was saying. They needed to. There was much work to be done, and though Rodney did his best, he was still young and inexperienced, but he was mature enough to know they could use the help.

  “Wait, stop,” Rodney said holding up his hand.

  Maia looked around. The crickets and frogs started up again. They listened intently. Another sound resembling a bird started up. Rodney stood tall, pushed Maia towards Tye, and yelled, “Draw your weapons.” He looked at Tye then pointed at Maia and Sadie. “Hide them.”

  They waited, tormented by the silence. Ducking behind an abandoned SUV, Maia hugged Sadie tight in an attempt to prevent her from shaking so furiously. Tye stood guard just inches away. The crickets started up again. Rodney’s posture relaxed. He turned and told everyone to keep moving.

  Tye helped them up, and Maia pushed Sadie’s hair back under her beanie. “See, it’s okay. The boys checked it out, and it’s okay.”

  The moved along, and a few minutes later the boys who had been on the left side of the road came out of the woods and joined them. They veered to the right and ducked under hanging limbs into a ditch. Jaxon and Junior were the last ones on the other side. They straggled behind, laughing and joking. They weren’t paying attention to anything else so when Carsten and Jimmy jumped out of the trees, nearly on
top of them; both were startled.

  “What the—?” Junior said.

  Carsten laughed. “I get to swing from the trees, man. Just call me Tarzan,” he said as he strutted away.

  With a strong nose, full bottom lip, thick hair and dark eyes he was the perfect combination of his mother and father. The boy wasn’t yet seventeen, but there he was, geared up, hair on his face, taking charge, and his eyes, they’d aged years. Tye couldn’t help but remember how young and immature he’d been the last time he’d seen him. His mind filled with emotion thinking of how proud his buddy would be if he could only see the man his son became.

  Patting the boy on the back, he pushed the thoughts away. There was no leisure time to process that situation now. He looked around and watched as some of the guys reached for their bows and knives. Still others, including Maia, pulled out slingshots. Tye grinned realizing that’s why he’d seen her picking up rocks and acorns. “You know how to use that thing?” he asked.

  She threw her hand on her hip and looked at him like he was crazy. “Do I know how to use this thing? Watch me.” She whistled softly, and everyone stopped and looked at her. She had three rocks in her hand, and she positioned one of them in the slingshot and pulled it back, then pointed it towards an area of brush. They waited, and soon a small fluffy bunny stuck his head out under the limbs. It looked up, and she released the rock. It hit the rabbit on the back right behind its head. It seemed stunned but before it had a chance to react, Maia slung another stone, and it landed right between the ears. The cute smacking of rabbit jowls ceased, and a couple of sighs of sadness escaped the mouths of the chubby bunny fan club. She picked up her prize and handed it to Chad.