by Mark Goodwin
Ichabod
Seven Cows, Ugly and Gaunt:
Book Two
Mark Goodwin
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Technical information in the book is included to convey realism. The author shall not have liability or responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or allegedly caused, directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.
All of the characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by Deranged Doctor Design
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Copyright © 2016 Goodwin America Corp.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote short passages in a review.
ISBN: 1530704677
ISBN-13: 978-1530704675
DEDICATION
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Psalm 100
To the real Miss Jennie, a woman who, in all things, remained grateful to her Creator, and endured the hardships of the great depression by learning to barter, produce her own food, and make do with what she had; all of which are the essence of the modern preparedness movement. Thank you for being an inspiration to us all by showing us how to persevere to the end while always having a song of joy in your heart.
1913-2016
AKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to my wonderful wife, best friend and editor-in-chief, Catherine Goodwin.
Thanks to Claudine Allison, Ken and Jen Elswick, and Dutch Perry for their assistance with editing.
CHAPTER 1
Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 5:24
Danny Walker opened his eyes.
“Daniel. Daniel. Wake up, Daniel.” Nana’s voice grew louder from the other side of the bedroom door.
Danny looked at Alisa, his young wife, lying next to him in the bed.
Alisa was awake also. “So much for letting us sleep in, huh?”
“Better see what she wants.” Danny rolled out of bed. It was so cold, he could see his breath. He grabbed his jacket and opened the door.
“Daniel, something has the cows all stirred up down at the barn; might be a coyote. You best go see what it is.” Nana held out a kerosene lantern and the shotgun for him to take.
“Okay, let me get my shoes on.” He tied his shoes then bundled up with a jacket, gloves and a toboggan. Danny considered getting his AK-47 rather than taking the shotgun, but took the weapon Nana handed him. It was too early to argue.
He kissed Alisa. “Be right back.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” She was completely covered by the quilts and blankets, except for her face.
He smiled. “I think I can handle it.”
Danny followed Nana who held the front door open.
“If it’s a coyote, take a shot at him, even if you can’t hit him. That’ll keep him scared off for a spell.” Nana closed the door behind him.
“Sure.” Danny headed toward the barn cautiously. The long bellowing sounds from the cattle confirmed that something was not right at the barn. Nana hadn’t lost any calves to coyotes yet, but other farmers in the area had. Losing a cow was bad enough when it was a source of extra income, but since the EMP the loss would be a much more serious hit. That thought motivated Danny to find and destroy the predator.
When he reached the barn door, he leaned the shotgun against the wall so he could raise the wooden latch. Once inside, he hung the lantern on a high nail and picked up the gun to hold at a low-ready position. The cattle had an opening which allowed them to come in and out of the barn at will. Most of them were inside, huddled together to conserve body heat.
Danny looked around. “If there was a coyote in here, I think the cows would have run.”
He continued examining all the areas that could provide visual cover for a coyote or any other harassing animal. He saw nothing. As he peered around the next stall, he noticed that the light coming from the lantern behind him was much brighter than it should have been.
His heart stopped. “Fire!”
Danny turned around and saw flames shooting up the post where the lantern had been hanging. “Oh, no!”
He looked quickly to locate a bucket. Once he found it, he ran to the cattle trough to get some water. The water level in the trough was much too shallow and he would never get back to the pump at the house in time to quench the blaze. He looked for a blanket to smother the flames. He turned back toward the flames which had now engulfed the entire side of the barn. “It’s no use. How did it spread so quickly?”
He grabbed the shotgun and began herding the cattle out the doorway. “Get! Hya! Go on! Get! Hya!”
Suddenly, with a light creak, then a loud crash, the wall collapsed and the roof above the exit gave way. Most of the cattle were out by the time the doorway was blocked, but Danny was trapped inside.
Smoke and ash began to swirl around him. He frantically looked for another way out, but it was a hopeless endeavor. The ash burned his eyes and his throat. He coughed and knelt low to the ground pulling off his toboggan to use as a filter to breathe through.
He closed his eyes and strained to keep from panicking and the painful lowing of a cow trapped in the inferno did nothing to calm his nerves. “God, help me, please. I don’t want to die.”
He opened his eyes and the flames flickered softly, gently, as if in slow motion. He looked around as the floating embers and bits of soot hung suspended in the air above him. He dropped the hat and took a deep breath of clean, fresh air. Danny stood to his feet and stared at the blazing beams and siding from the collapsed wall. The trapped cow fell silent and slowly turned to face him.
Every hair on his arm stood up and a chill raced up his spine, through his neck and down both legs. Those familiar hollow eyes, the protruding ribs, skinny legs, thin skin and lifeless stare. But this cow looked right at him. It wasn’t blind, it wasn’t grazing on money, it was furious and it was blood red. Red! The cow standing in the midst of the flames was bright red, like a stop sign or a fire truck.
Horror and fear overtook Danny. “Another dream.” He knew it wasn’t real, which meant he wasn’t going to die, but the evil beast standing before him was more frightening than death itself.
Then it spoke in a low angry tone, pouring over each syllable without hurrying. “Ichabod.”
Danny tried to look away, but couldn’t. Had the hideous creature actually spoken to him? He wasn’t sure. As crazy as it seemed, he looked the animal in the eye and asked, “What?”
Again, the lips of the blighted bovine moved as if it were chewing its cud, and again, it repeated the singular utterance. “Ichabod.”
Danny’s heart felt sorrow and fear as h
e heard the pronouncement once more. His stomach felt sour and unsettled. Misery was overtaking him and he felt as if he might actually die. The smoke and ash continued to swirl about his head in a fantastic display. “Ichabod?” Despite the fire, he felt cold, freezing inside immediately after he had said the word, as if he’d been banished to the dark side of the moon which had never felt the warmth of the sun. He could feel cold sweat breaking out and it sent shivers all through his body.
“Danny! Danny, wake up!” Alisa’s voice grew sharper and clearer. “Danny, are you awake? Danny!”
He felt her shaking him and opened his eyes. His heart was pounding, and he could taste the salt from the sweat running off his head and into his mouth. He sat up and clamored for his flashlight on the night stand, knocking his watch onto the floor. He clicked on the flashlight, took a deep breath and let it back out. “I’m awake.”
The flashlight showed that her face was full of fear as she clasped his free hand in hers. “Another dream?”
He took off his damp tee-shirt and wiped the perspiration from his face. “Yeah.
CHAPTER 2
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Isaiah 43:2
Danny’s heart rate regulated and he took a deep breath.
“Do you want me to get you some water?” Alisa asked.
“I do, but we’ll wake up Nana.”
Alisa smirked. “It might be your only chance to do that. What time is it? She’s probably up anyway.”
Danny shined the flashlight at the floor, reached down and retrieved his watch. “Five. You’re right, there’s a good chance she’s already up.”
Alisa got out of bed and quickly put on her hooded sweatshirt. She took the flashlight from Danny’s hand. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”
Danny lay motionless in the bed as he waited for her to return. He couldn’t help replaying the dream in his head and wondering what it foretold.
Minutes later, Alisa returned with a glass of water. “Here. I’m going to put on another pair of socks. It’s freezing!”
Danny took the water and laid the flashlight on the night stand so the light still illuminated the room. “Thanks.” He took a sip. “The water tastes like it just came out of the fridge.”
Alisa put on her extra socks. “No. If it were in the fridge, it would be much warmer than that.”
Danny took another sip. “I meant a fridge from the time before the lights went out.”
“So did I.” Alisa got back under the covers. “Think you’ll be able to go back to sleep?”
“Not a chance. The one day Nana was going to let us sleep in—wasted.”
“Then you might as well tell me about the dream. It’s fresh in your mind right now. You won’t forget any details.”
“I never forget the details. I wish I could, sometimes.” Danny proceeded to tell Alisa everything he remembered about the dream.
Right away, Alisa began explaining what she thought the dream meant. “The fire, the collapse of the barn, that represents the destruction and the collapse of America. The fact that you were trapped and the smoke and ash were all around, suffocating you, means that the destruction is going to directly affect you. Then, you prayed and you were miraculously able to breathe fresh air from an unknown source. That means God is going to walk you through it and protect you. That’s all obvious, right?”
“It wasn’t obvious to me, but it sounds like a sensible interpretation. What about the cow? What do you think that means? And what about the word Ichabod?” Danny looked at her curiously.
Alisa wiggled deeper under the covers. Her muffled voice came back. “I don’t know.”
“I thought you were supposed to have the gift of interpretation.”
“That was Pastor Earl, I never said that.” She stuck her head out from beneath the covers. “I hope he’s okay.”
“He had a plan. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“We had a plan, and we barely made it.”
“But God brought us home. He’ll take care of Pastor Earl.”
“What about Cami and Nick? Are you worried?”
“A little. Nick had a good plan and knew how to execute it, but they should have been here by now. If anyone can adapt and overcome, it’s Nick, but we’ll keep praying for them.”
“A lot of people had no plan. They’re definitely not going to be okay.” Alisa hid her head back under the covers.
Danny figured she was referring to her parents, but it wouldn’t do any good to make her articulate it. Of course, it was a broad statement and most likely included everyone from work, all of her friends from school, and the larger percentage of the country. “So, are you going back to sleep?”
“No, but this is the warmest place in the house.”
“I think I hear Nana. Maybe I’ll get up and stoke the fire.”
“Okay, come get me when spring arrives.”
Danny got out of the bed, put on a dry tee-shirt, and grabbed a sweater. He lit the candle on the night stand and clicked off the flashlight. He could see his breath in the cold air, just like in the dream. Danny made his way down the stairs, being careful not to make them creak, but there was only so much he could do about the creaking in such an old house.
He slowly opened the door of the potbelly stove. The fire was out and only a few small embers were glowing. “No wonder it’s so cold,” he said, below a whisper. Danny selected the smallest of the logs that he’d brought in the house the night before, and placed it in the stove. Next, he closed the door and opened the vent, hoping the flow of air against the embers would ignite the log.
Steven turned over on the couch behind Danny.
Danny looked back to see Steven’s eyes open. “Did I wake you?”
“No. Every time I roll over, my leg hurts like heck. The pain has done a pretty good job of waking me.”
“So, you didn’t sleep at all?”
“Some; off and on. More off than on, since the whiskey started to wear off. I can’t believe Nana got me drunk. I hope I didn’t say anything stupid.”
“Your leg looked like a pound of ground chuck. You needed the whiskey. And no, you didn’t say anything that was more stupid than usual.” Danny looked in the vent of the stove. The log was catching fire, but he would give it some time before adding a larger log.
“Why are you up so early? I figured you’d be out till at least noon.”
“Bad dream.” Danny held his hands close to the stove.
“I don’t think I can survive another one of your bad dreams. Do I even want to hear about it?”
“Probably not.”
“I don’t want to hear it, or you don’t want to tell it?”
“Both.”
Steven was silent for a while, then said, “You know the suspense is killing me. Come on, what was it about?”
Danny looked at the flames flickering through the vent of the stove and thought about the awful barn fire that had trapped him in the vision. Reluctantly, he relived the horror through words, as he described the dreadful nightmare to Steven. Once he’d relayed the dream, he added Alisa’s interpretation. He then asked, “What do you think the red cow could be?”
Steven scratched his head. “I’m not sure. Can you drag my bug-out bag over here?”
“Sure.” Danny complied.
Steven retrieved his Bible from his bag and turned to Revelation 6. “One of the four horsemen is riding a red horse. He represents war. Your red cow could mean war is coming. Five down, two to go.”
Danny took the Bible from Steven to read the chapter. “What do you mean?”
“If it’s going to be seven cows, you’ve dreamed about five, which means we’ve got two to go.”
Danny read the section of scripture. “There’s no guarantee. This could be the last cow or there could be ten more. No one said it has to
be seven. Look right here; it’s four horses.”
“Good argument if you’re dreaming about horses.” Steven winked. “But since it’s cows, I’m banking on seven.”
Nana slipped into the room without announcing her presence. “Steven, did you live through the night?” Her voice was loud and a major contrast to the soft spoken tones the two young men had been using. Both were startled.
Danny regained his composure quickly. He was used to such surprises from her. “Good morning, Nana. Did we wake you?”
“No, I was awake before Lisa got up to get a drink of water. If you run out there and grab a bucket of water from the pump, I’ll get some coffee and biscuits going.”
“Sure thing.” Danny went back upstairs to get his coat and hat.
Alisa was awake, reading her Bible by candlelight. “Listen to this, Revelation 6.”
“The red horse? It means war. The red cow probably means a war is coming,” Danny said as he put on his jacket and hat, and then grabbed his shoes.
“When did you figure that out?”
“Steven figured it out. Is that what you think it means?”
“Yeah.” She looked surprised that Danny already knew. “I guess the fact that Steven thought the same thing is confirmation.”
Danny smiled. “I’ve got to go get some water so Nana can make breakfast. We’ll get ready for the war after we’ve had a cup of coffee.”
CHAPTER 3
I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.