HARD ROAD: Heaven Bound

by Terry McDonald

  Jake shifted into four-wheel drive and eased off the roadway into the creek. The truck had no trouble with traction in the gravel bed of the shallow waters. He proceeded until they were out of sight from the road, before once again stopping and climbing out. The water only came to mid-calf.

  “Wait while I check to make sure we didn’t leave signs we came this way.”

  He used his hands to smooth the shallow marks the truck tires made in the gravel, working backwards from the road to the creek. As he returned, Agnes leaned over the tailgate to get his attention.

  “This boy’s leg needs to be set soon,” she said.

  “We’ll stop when we find a place to shelter and do what we can for him. Are you okay back here?”

  “We’re fine,” she said.

  He returned to the cab and continued along the creek bed.

  “I’m hungry,” Janie said.

  “I know you are, honey,” Jake responded. “We’ll be eating soon. This area’s pretty flat,” he continued, speaking to Beth, “if the creek stays like this we should be at the cut in a few minutes.”

  Luck was with them. There was only one spot the water got deep enough to worry the engine could drown out. He kept the RPM’s high, so water couldn’t enter the tailpipe and they made it through.

  Abruptly the woods on each side of the creek ended to reveal a wide, relatively clear area.

  The massive steel towers supporting transmission lines validated Jake’s guess that the area shown on the map was an electrical right-of-way. The weeds and brush had grown thick, but the only tree growth was sapling pine.

  Jake turned left, leaving the creek bed. The truck with its four-wheel drive had no trouble crushing a path. He continued for several more minutes before stopping to climb onto the truck’s cab. After climbing down, he returned to the driver’s seat and twisted around to speak through the blown out rear window.

  “We’re on a utility right-of-way that leads to another road further north,” he said to Agnes. “I can’t see the road we were on, so we should be safe for a while. We’re going to get a little further away. When I see a good place, we’ll stop to eat, and set Al’s leg. It’s going to be a rough ride back there. Before we move out would, you mind rummaging through the big backpack? There’s a red plastic container with a bit of jerky in it. Just pass it through the window, the little one is hungry. A couple bottles of water too. Help yourself to anything you need.”

  The rough terrain made for a bumpy, noisy ride. Jake kept the pace slow because the brush might hide big potholes or washouts that could damage the truck.

  “Is Al going to be all right?” Beth asked.

  “Breaking a femur is very traumatic,” he replied, “but if we get it set and immobilized he should be okay.

  They rode in silence as Jake fought the steering wheel. Somehow, Janie managed to fall asleep.

  She woke about an hour later and immediately stated she was ‘really’ hungry. Jake told her they would stop as soon as they found a place. A minute later she said, “What about there?” pointing toward a low rise off to the right.

  Jake stopped and looked in the direction she’d pointed. He could barely make out some kind of structure tucked in the trees about a hundred yards off the right of way.

  “You do have good eyes girl,” he praised her. “This is the second time you’ve spotted something we didn’t see.”

  He drove to the edge where the forest began and had the others wait while he went on foot to check out the structure. He found a single story building much longer than it was wide with an elevated covered porch across the entire front. The fact the leaves and other debris covering the steps weren’t disturbed told him no one had entered it in a long time.

  The structure Janie had spotted was the pointed cover of a stainless steel water tank mounted on a tower behind the building. Near the tower was a windmill, the blades slowly turning on its own slender tower. At one end of the cabin, a huge propane tank rested on a concrete pad. The only road leading to the building was a badly rutted and overgrown dirt trail.

  There was a sign attached to the door stating it was the property of the US Forest Service. On a nail beneath it was a crudely painted and weathered sign warning that anyone breaking in “would be shot.” The locked door opened after several hard kicks.

  Inside, he found it to be a shelter, furnished like a barracks with a dozen sturdy cots lined along both sides, each with a footlocker. There was a combination cooking and dining area at the right end near the entrance door. At the other end were several doors, two bearing signs to indicate bathrooms. Jake was satisfied with what he saw and returned to the truck.

  “The place is perfect,” he informed them. “I’m going to try to drive there. I'll have to crush though some thickets close to the edge and shove over a few small trees but I think this truck can handle it.”

  A couple of the pines blocking the way were big enough that he had to caution Agnes to brace Al as he plowed through them. He backed the truck up to the front porch beside the steps.

  Jake, with Agnes helping, used brute force to remove a section of the wood railing. When opened, the tailgate lay almost flat on the wooden surface of the porch. They made quick work unloading their backpacks and bags.

  Beth found sheets and blankets in a footlocker and prepared one of the cots for Al. Jake and Agnes carried the cot into the truck bed and lifted the still unconscious boy onto it.

  “He doesn’t have much weight,” Agnes said.

  Beth and Janie were in the kitchen section heating water. Jake noticed the flame coming from the small range, again amazed a propane tank still held pressure after the years it sat without service.

  “We need to get the boys’ leg set and splinted,” Agnes said.

  “No better time than the present,” Jake agreed. “What do we need to get it done?”

  “First thing we need is something to serve as splints,” she replied. “What he needs is a real cast.”

  “I’ll see what I can find,” Jake said.

  “Best would be something at least three feet or longer and rounded a bit to match the curve of his thigh,” she elaborated, “otherwise three narrow flat pieces of wood will do.”

  Jake searched the cabin for a few minutes. Nothing useful caught his eye so he went outside. He saw something he thought would do and called for Agnes. She joined him on the porch.

  “How about the plastic armrests,” he asked, pointing to two oversized folding chairs, “will they work?”

  Agnes lifted a chair to inspect the rounded armrests. “Someone huge must have planned on being here. This is the biggest lawn chair I've ever seen. The armrests are wide enough, and they look like they’ll go from his crotch to his foot. Do you think we could use heat to bend them open a little further and maybe flatten one end so I can immobilize his foot too?”

  “As long as we take it slow,” Jake replied.

  “Two of these would be perfect. If you can open them, they will almost encase his skinny little leg... I have to ask you. How come you’re so much healthier than them?”

  “They’ve only been with me a few days.”

  “That’s good to know. If they were in their condition because of your neglect, I’d have to kill you. You have any pliers in your pack?”

  “You could have mitigated that with a smile,” Jake responded, “but I respect your position. I’ve got a folding tool pouch.”

  “Not a smiling subject,” she told him without a smile.

  He returned with the tool pouch and Agnes began removing the armrests from the chair. This was the first real chance he had to look at her. What he saw was impressive. She was strongly built, not fat, just well muscled. Her reddish brown hair, graying at the temples, was cut short and parted as a man would. She was a bit shorter than his five feet eleven inches. Her face, peppered with freckles, while not unappealing, held a hard quality that didn’t attract him.

  There was bruising on the left side of her face and neck, and she had a
large lump on her forehead just above her right eye. The tissues around the eye were already darkening and swelling with the promise of a black eye.

  She glanced from her work and noticed him staring at her. “How old are you Jake? That is your name, right?”

  “Yes it is. To answer your question I’m forty-six. Why do you ask?”

  “Just asking,” she replied. “You seem younger. I would have guessed less than forty. You’re not too old to be interested in women, are you?”

  He chuckled at the question. “I’m a little too involved with staying alive to be thinking about sex.”

  “Good,” she said, “but so you know, I don’t go for men. I swing the other way.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind,” Jake said.

  “I like being up front about things.” She finished removing the second armrest from the chair. “You need to cut the end caps off these. I’m going to see what other damage those bastards did to the boy.”

  “I’ll take care of the ends,” he agreed, glad she changed the subject.

  Agnes went in while Jake remained to cut the end caps from the armrests. He didn’t have a saw, and it took some time using a knife, scoring his cuts repeatedly.

  When he returned inside, Agnes and Beth were in deep conversation by the gas range. Janie was in a chair beside Al’s cot. Al was awake and sitting, his back propped with several pillows against the metal headboard. Jake moved a chair and sat on the other side.

  “How are you feeling champ?” he asked as he leaned over to place a hand to his forehead.

  “Okay I guess, the medicine makes me feel better,” Al replied, his swollen lips distorting his words. “Agnes said they knocked some of my teeth loose, but they’re not broke. My lip’s cut from them hitting me. Funny thing is I know my leg still hurts. I can sort of feel it hurting in my mind.”

  “You don’t seem to be running a fever,” Jake said. “I think you’re going to live a while yet. After we eat, Agnes and I are going to set your leg.”

  “How long do you think it will be until I can walk?” Al asked. “I don’t want to slow us down getting to Heaven.”

  “It’s going to take at least thirty, maybe forty days for your leg to heal, maybe longer.

  “That’s a long time,” Janie said. “Are we going to stay here?”

  “We’re still too close to the Saints, aren’t we?” Al asked.

  “We just got here,” Jake said, responding to both questions. “Let’s eat and get your leg set, and then we’ll have time to consider our options.” He went to join Beth and Agnes seated at a table in the kitchen area.

  Jake leaned over the pot simmering on the range.

  “This smells good. What are we having?”

  “The last package of spaghetti mixed with two packages of macaroni and cheese with some of your rice thrown in,” Beth replied. “We’re hungry.”

  “There’s an unopened jar of instant coffee in one of the cabinets,” Agnes said. “I think I’d like a cup, how about you Jake?”

  “You have no idea how good that sounds. If you don’t mind, I’ll take it on the porch and my supper too. I need to keep watch for anything happening out there.”

  “No problem,” Agnes said. “After we eat, Beth can spell you while we set the boy’s leg. I’ll bring the coffee out. The food’s almost ready.”

  Jake went out and sat in the chair they hadn’t dismantled. The sky was still overcast with low grey clouds, but the morning chill had given way to nice pervading warmth and he instantly felt like nodding off. He stood and took some deep breaths, trying to energize himself. The woods around the cabin cut off much of a view, all he could do was watch the immediate area and listen for voices or vehicles. Thankfully, Agnes appeared within minutes with his food and a steaming cup of coffee.

  “Bless you,” he said, reaching for the coffee, “you have no idea how badly I need this.”

  “Oh, I think I do,” she replied, setting his plate on the porch rail. “Beth has been telling me about your adventures over the past few days. That’s a bad pack of animals in the neighborhood.”

  “You know it.”

  “Give me a minute Jake, I’ll grab my plate and cup and join you.”

  Agnes returned and sat on the floor of the porch. Jake took his plate and cup from the porch rail and joined her.

  “Where did you meet with those men?” Jake asked.

  “You want the long story or short?”

  “You’re the one telling it.”

  “Annie and I, that was my wife’s name, we had a small place about six miles west of Colquitt. She loved growing things. She turned our three acres into the prettiest place you ever saw. She had a way with plants.”

  Agnes paused to gingerly wipe away a tear forming in the corner of her damaged eye. She took a deep breath before continuing.

  “Sorry about that, you people are the first I’ve talked to in over a year and telling this hurts. Anyway, I thought I was being careful. We had a run in with two men, an Asian and a black man. This was about two years ago. They thought we’d be easy pickings.

  “The Asian had some martial training and he slowed me down. I killed him with my hands. The other bastard was holding Annie with a gun at her head. When he saw me break the Asian’s neck, he shot her. He should have shot me first. My ankle was sprained from the fight with the Asian and that slowed me, but I got to him and managed to disarm the son of a bitch. I know I hurt him as he was running away. I threw a rock and caught him in the back of his head but he didn’t go down. Annie was hurt bad... bleeding...” Agnes voice broke but she still held her tears. “I did everything I knew, but she died three days later.”

  “I’m sorry that happened to you,” Jake said with a catch in his voice. “It hurts so much when you lose someone you love. I wish you could have killed the other one. I hate it when vermin get away.”

  “Thank you Jake, but as I was saying, that taught me to keep a low profile, but I guess it wasn’t low enough. I woke last night with those four men in the house. I fought, but in the end, they got me. They beat and raped me, and then beat me some more because I kept spitting on them.”

  “You’re a feisty son of a bitch aren’t you?” Jake said, laughing.

  Agnes gave Jake a look, and couldn’t help laughing herself.

  “I guess I am closer to a son of a bitch than I am a daughter, even though Mom wasn’t a bitch. You’re kind of easy aren’t you? You didn’t blink an eye when I mentioned my wife and I’ve noticed you don’t let things that happen get in the way of your common sense. You don’t panic.”

  “That's not true. I've been kicking myself since were drove away from the place where they attacked Al. We should have loaded those men's weapons and ammo so you'd be armed too. Believe me I panic as much as the next person.”

  “Not so it shows. I was prepared to not like you, and not because I’m gay. Since the plague, men in general have dropped to animal status, plain out brutes. I made the mistake of lumping you in there with them. Beth told me about the last few days since you rescued them. She thinks you’re the best thing on two feet. You’re a blessing for these kids.”

  “It may be the other way around, Agnes.”

  “Be that as it may, I respect you for what you’ve done for them and for me too. Janie told me, please forgive me if I smile, you’re taking them to Heaven. If you wouldn’t mind a middle-aged lesbian along, I think I’d like to go to Heaven too.” She gave up and burst out laughing. “Oh, Jesus, laughing makes my face hurt.”

  “It is kind of funny when you say it like that,” Jake said. The real name of the place we’re going is Haven. Janie has the others calling it Heaven, but seriously, you’re more than welcome to travel with us. It can’t hurt to have a nurse handy.”

  Agnes stopped laughing. “Speaking of nursing, we need to get to work on the boy’s leg. The modern way, with a break like this would be to operate and insert a pin. The old-fashioned way was a cast from the hip to the foot to totally immobilize the leg
and keep the muscles and tendons from pulling the leg out of alignment. We’re doing it the primitive way, and it’s going to take constant attention with the padding and bindings to keep his leg straight, and not cause sores to form. I’m telling you this so you can take those facts into account with any plans you’re making.”

  “Thank you. That is something I need to keep in mind.”

  “Let’s get at it then. The sooner we set it the sooner it can start healing. I’ll send Beth out to relieve you.”

  It took almost an hour to gently warm the plastic armrests over the flame of the range to make them pliable. Eventually Jake was satisfied the sides were opened properly to fit the curves of Al’s leg. Agnes double-checked and had him flare the knee sections a little further.

  Agnes used the time to get Al prepped. When Jake joined her, Al was almost nodding off. Janie was sitting in the chair watching everything. She stood as Jake came over.

  “I think I’m old enough to watch for bad guys. Beth should be in here to help ya’ll.”

  “You know what, I think you are old enough,” Jake agreed, “and besides, you have the best eyes.”

  “I got good ears too,” she said as she rose to leave.

  Beth joined them, and Agnes got down to business.

  “Jake, there’s a rope by the back door. You need to tie it around Al’s chest and to the head rail of the cot. Tie it so you can brace against the foot of the bed and pull his leg without being able to drag him. Beth, he’ll need your help moving him.”

  While they were doing that, Agnes ripped several bed sheets into strips. After they secured Al to the metal head frame, she had them remove his pants. The upper part of his leg was swollen and bruised and his thigh was bent slightly inward.

  “It’s a good thing you had morphine,” Agnes said. “Otherwise this boy would be in a world of pain in a few minutes. I gave him as much as I’m comfortable with.”

  “What do you need us to do?” Jake asked.

  “He has a simple clean break of the femur bone,” she replied. “He’s so skinny I can feel the bone easily enough. The break’s offset, but thankfully, the ends are still sitting on each other, so there won’t be a lot of damage to the surrounding tissue. What I need you to do Jake, when we’re ready, is to provide a steady straight pull to the leg while I force the ends of the break into each other.”