Forsaken World (Book 3): Rite of Passage

by Watson, Thomas A.

  “Why did you let them get so close?” Jennifer asked when Lance climbed in. Keeping her NVG turned away from the fire so they wouldn’t shut down, Jennifer pressed the accelerator.

  “Wanted to know when they spotted me and they didn’t,” Lance answered as Jennifer drove along the fence to the curved chute they had to go through the diversion fence.

  Driving slowly through the switchbacks, Jennifer just mumbled. When she pulled inside Jennifer felt the tension around her decrease. It wouldn’t go away until they were inside the cabin fences.

  “Away team is returning,” Jennifer called over the radio.

  “Copy, away team. Kitties are in their house,” Lilly called back.

  Glancing over his shoulder at Ian, “I had my doubts when Lilly requested that tree house for the kitty cats, but I love the damn thing now,” Lance said, then looked ahead.

  On the west side small clearing, they had built a platform around an oak tree. The platform was eight feet off the ground, but had a four-foot column in front of it so the tigers could use it to jump in easier. Working fast, the treehouse had only taken an hour to build and then, they had put a deer they had shot on the platform. The tigers had taken up residence in a few hours.

  “If I had known they wanted a house, I would’ve built them one when they first showed up,” Ian huffed as Jennifer weaved around a covered pit. “I remember when we had to tell you where every trap was,” Ian chuckled.

  “And she was with us when we put them in,” Lance added.

  Not taking her eyes away from where she was driving, “As many times as I’ve been out, it just reinforces where they are,” Jennifer said. “I like doing the sweeps now since only one stinker has made it past the diversion fence, but I still don’t like the fact the tigers are so close.”

  “Nobody likes mean pussy,” Ian empathized in a serious tone and Lance and Jennifer snorted before they stopped their laughter. Ian still had more fears than anyone about the tigers and was being serious, but one strict rule was to be followed always. No jokes, no laughter, and all business anytime outside the cabin fence.

  Turning on the dirt track to the cabin, Jennifer sped up and almost went airborne coming over the rise. Pulling to a stop as Lilly opened the outer gate, Lance jumped out to cover. Speeding through the gate, Jennifer stopped when Lance grabbed the inner gate as Lilly locked the outer.

  When the inner gate was closed, everyone loaded up and Jennifer pulled around the cabin. Since the buggy only had four seats, Lilly had jumped in Lance’s lap. Lance didn’t complain, even though Lilly could’ve sat beside Carrie in the backseat.

  Climbing out Jennifer laughed, seeing Dino and Judy already at the backdoor and waiting. “Guys, there is no way you’re hungry,” Jennifer laughed and turned as Lance picked Carrie up to carry her into the cabin. “I’ve never found her that loveable and she’s my sister.”

  Grabbing Jennifer’s hand, “I say the same thing about Allie all the time,” Ian chuckled.

  Walking into the cabin, they saw Allie setting the table and took off running as Lance walked in carrying Carrie. Dropping down to his knees, Allie hugged both, as Lance wrapped his arm around her. “Smells good,” Lance said, letting her go and putting Carrie down.

  “Get clean so we can eat, I’m starving,” Allie cheered and spun around, running to the table.

  After stowing their gear and cleaning up, everyone sat down at the table. “I take it your toys are up?” Lilly asked after grace.

  “Yep,” Lance said grinning. “Just want to see who’s roaming around out there. That one camera we put on the Hwy 25E has only shown stinkers.”

  “I would be surprised if anyone tried to use a big road anymore,” Lilly said.

  “Can we watch Snow White tonight?” Carrie asked.

  Wiping his mouth, “Yes, but ladybugs, I really need to work on some programming,” Lance said. “Can I work on my laptop during the movie without getting sad eyes?”

  “Will you read a book to us on Sunday?” Allie asked, but it sounded much more like an offer.

  Smiling, Lance nodded. “How about when we go to bed, I’ll read to you?”

  “Okay,” the ladybugs said together.

  Leaning over to Jennifer, “If you don’t mind, I need to do some computer work tonight,” Ian said in a low voice.

  Putting her fork down, Jennifer grabbed his wrist softly. “Ian, you don’t have to ask,” Jennifer said. “What you and Lance are doing is for everyone.”

  Leaning over, Ian kissed her cheek and continued eating. When supper was done, Jennifer told the boys to go start and they would clean the kitchen. When they had grabbed their laptops and headed to the sectional, Allie grabbed Lilly’s arm and pulled her down.

  Putting her mouth close to Lilly’s ear, “When Lance is working on a computer, leave him alone. Just bring him food and something to drink,” Allie instructed in a low voice.

  “Okay,” Lilly whispered back with a smile. Loading the dishwasher, Jennifer heard Allie and filed that information away. If it worked on Lance, then it worked on Ian.

  When the girls piled on the couch, Lance and Ian were typing away on their laptops. Sitting down beside Lance, Lilly glanced at the screen and fought not to gape. Lance was typing in computer code like she would type up lecture notes. Stretching her neck and peering over to Ian’s laptop screen, Lilly saw Ian was building some 3D design in computer graphics that looked like a small tank.

  Allie and Carrie grabbed the remotes. Normally they both jumped up on the sectional but this time, they carefully sat down beside Lance, not disturbing his typing. Starting the movie, they put the remotes down and leaned back.

  Twenty minutes into the movie, Allie and Carrie went into the kitchen and each came back with a glass of tea and some food. Allie put a straw in the glass and held the straw to Lance’s lips and he drank half the glass. When he stopped drinking, Allie took the glass away and Carrie put some food in Lance’s mouth.

  Stunned, Lilly watched Lance’s eyes never leave the laptop screen or his hands the keyboard as he chewed the food and Allie put the straw back to his lips, draining the glass. Then the ladybugs climbed back on the couch, watching the movie again.

  Watching the ladybugs, Jennifer headed to the kitchen and came back and did the same for Ian. When Ian had finished the glass of tea, unlike Lance, he mumbled, “Thank you.”

  Intrigued by the ladybugs and Lance’s typing, Lilly just watched them. The ladybugs would sit staring and sometimes talking or singing with the movie. Seemingly without rhyme or reason, and at random intervals, the ladybugs would get tea or food for Lance. Every time they did for Lance, Jennifer copied for Ian.

  When the first movie had ended, Allie tapped Lance’s shoulder and Lilly jumped. “Lance, go pee,” Allie said in a low voice.

  “Okay,” Lance said, typing for a few more seconds and then set his computer down on the coffee table.

  Jennifer told Ian to go as Lilly leaned over to Allie and Carrie. “How do you know?” Lilly asked in utter amazement.

  “How fast he’s typing,” Allie answered with a smile.

  “When he gets slower, Lance is thirsty,” Carrie said. “You can tell he’s hungry because he licks his lips.”

  Nodding, “Sometimes he wants something sweet and other times, he wants something salty. We can’t tell that,” Allie confessed with a serious expression.

  “And the bathroom?” Lilly asked.

  “Oh, that’s easy. When he needs to pee, Lance makes more mistakes typing and keeps hitting the back button to erase,” Allie beamed. “He just holds it and holds it.”

  During the second movie, Lilly listened to the tempo of Lance’s typing and sure enough, when the tempo changed she could tell, and one or both of the ladybugs would scurry off. Even she could tell when the next time was that Lance had to go to the bathroom, halfway through the movie.

  After the second movie, the boys grabbed their laptops and transferred their work onto their desktop computers. “Lady
bugs, brush your teeth,” Lilly said, getting off the couch. “I’ll help you floss.”

  “Aw,” Allie and Carrie moaned, getting up.

  “I hate the string,” Carrie whined.

  Lilly hugged both. “Well, you don’t have to. We can just let your teeth rot out and you can use your gums to chew your food,” she told them and they looked up at her in horror.

  “We can floss,” they said in unison.

  As the ladybugs ran to the bathroom, Jennifer walked over to Ian as he transferred his work and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Hey, you can do the computer work, but I want smooches before bed,” Jennifer said and Ian turned around to kiss her.

  Lilly walked over to Lance and tapped his shoulder. Lance turned around and Lilly jerked her head toward Jennifer. “What she said,” Lilly grinned and Lance wrapped his arms around her, then kissed her.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  May 31

  With two cups of coffee, Mary moved up the draw to where Bill was keeping watch. “Here ya go,” she said, smiling.

  Taking the cup with a grin, “I love that coffee pot,” Bill said, sniffing the coffee.

  Nodding as she looked down the draw at the horses, “First time I’ve had coffee from a true coffee pot,” Mary said.

  Blowing gently before he took a sip, “Instant coffee sucks,” Bill groaned and Mary chuckled.

  “Yes, it does,” she said. “You realize we’ve been on horses now as long as we were on bikes? The difference is on bikes, we didn’t even make it four hundred miles. With these horses, we’ve made it over eight hundred.”

  Cradling the coffee cup in his hands, Bill smiled down at the horses. “Yeah, and I’m not worn to the bone. That bicycle seat had my ass so sore, I was ready to cut my ass off,” Bill admitted.

  “I thought I hated that boat,” Mary grinned. “Is there any way we can keep the horses when we get home?”

  Thinking for a second, Bill slowly nodded. “They have sure earned it,” Bill said. “Yeah, I think we can.”

  Leaning back against the tree, Mary patted Ann. “I didn’t think I would sleep seven hours,” she said, lifting her cup.

  “I slept so hard, I’m surprised I didn’t wet my pants,” Bill chuckled.

  Scooting closer to Bill, Mary rested her head on his shoulder. “I love you, baby,” she said and Bill put his arm around her, hugging her to his side.

  “Love you, too,” he said, kissing the top of her head.

  Looking at the wedding and engagement rings on her hand, “You realize the only things we have left of ours are our rings?” Mary sighed. “I can’t wait to wear underwear that is mine, much less a bra.”

  “I want real boots that fit,” Bill confessed, looking down at the hiking boots he had liberated from the store in California. “These cheap things are made like crap.”

  Hearing movement below, they looked down to see Sandy and Johnathan pouring coffee. Glancing at her watch, “They had another half hour,” Mary said, then took a sip.

  Coming out of the draw, Sandy raised the camera and took a picture of Mary with Bill’s arm over her shoulders. “Sandy, I look like shit. Why pictures now?” Mary asked, shaking her head.

  Walking to the tree, Johnathan straightened his tool belt as Sandy smiled at Mary and sat down beside her. “To let the kids know we hauled ass as fast as we could to get to them,” Sandy told her. “You used my camera to take mine and Johnathan’s picture, so I can do the same.”

  Bill laughed, “You have more than one picture of us.”

  “Just don’t take pictures of me without pants, I have more hair on my legs than Bill does,” Mary said and everyone laughed.

  “I have fur on mine,” Sandy chuckled. “No, I’m also taking pictures so Johnathan can remember he had a beard, because it stays off when we get home.”

  Pausing before she took a sip, “Take more of Bill then, because I’m shaving his face before my legs,” Mary said and then took a sip, finishing her cup. Getting up, she pulled the camera from Sandy’s lap and turned around, raising it. Johnathan leaned over, putting his arm around Sandy and they both smiled as Mary took a picture.

  As Mary handed the camera back, Johnathan sucked the coffee from the hair hanging over his lip. “Don’t like the fact my facial hair stores food and liquid,” he commented, reaching up and parting the hair over his upper lip.

  Bill stood up, finishing his coffee and pointed down at the interstate. “Stinkers have slacked off, but we aren’t going to get a clear place to cross,” he said.

  “I say, let’s hit a gap and just let them follow us out onto the plain,” Johnathan said. “By the time we stop, we’ll have fifty to sixty miles covered. Hell, even if they trot, the best they could do is thirty miles.”

  Turning to the draw, “That’s what I think. Take your time, I’m going to start packing,” Bill said, moving down the draw.

  Turning to the west, Sandy saw the bottom of the sun near the horizon. “Let’s pack up and get the hell away from these mountains,” Sandy said, then drained her cup.

  Getting up, Johnathan held out his hand and helped Sandy up. “Won’t get an argument from me. I’m tired of moving up and down, covering fifty miles but only moving thirty miles closer to our goal,” he admitted, holding Sandy’s hand and leading her down the draw.

  As they saddled the horses, everyone noticed the horses seemed edgy, like they were ready to leave. Situating his tool belt, Johnathan saw the pouch he’d put his hand grenade in had come unbuttoned. “Bill, check that tape measure pocket we put the grenades in. That’s the second time mine has come unbuttoned,” Johnathan said over his shoulder.

  Checking his belt, “Mine’s only come undone once,” Bill replied with a grunt, putting on his pack.

  Picking up his backpack, Johnathan slid his arms in and tightened down the straps. “We’re leaving,” Johnathan said, moving to his horse as it pranced in place.

  “Whoa,” Sandy said, climbing on her horse as it pulled back. Hanging on to the saddle, Sandy pulled herself up and yanked the reins. “Stop,” she snapped. When the horse stood still, Sandy looked at the others, “We need to leave,” she said calmly.

  Guiding his horse up the draw, Johnathan let his bow hang from the saddle horn. Looking at the interstate and only seeing a few stinkers, Johnathan looked north and south, not seeing any changes. Small clusters of stinkers were moving north, like they’d seen yesterday.

  Steering his horse down the slope and weaving around the trees, Johnathan kept an eye out for any place a stinker could hide, just in case. Glancing down, he saw Dan looking ahead toward the interstate. Coming out of the trees, he saw the interstate a thousand yards away. “Shit,” he said, patting his tool belt until he felt the handles of wire cutters.

  Pulling the wire cutters out, Johnathan kicked his horse into a trot. “Sandy, pull up beside me and hold my horse, so I can get off and cut a section of this fence,” Johnathan called over his shoulder.

  Moving up beside Johnathan, Sandy saw that a group of the stinkers half a mile north had seen them and were turning around. Pulling their reins back, Johnathan handed Sandy his reins and jumped off the horse. Landing flat footed, Johnathan winced as he ran to the fence and snapped the top wire, then worked down.

  Hearing Dan growl, Johnathan snapped the last one and climbed back up on his horse. “Don’t remember one on the other side,” he said, taking his reins. “But stay close in case there is one.”

  Sandy kicked her horse, following Johnathan over the interstate. Crossing over the northbound lanes, Sandy felt the reins from her pack horse she had wrapped around the saddle horn get tight against her leg. Glancing back, she saw her pack horse pulling back, trying to stop.

  “I will shoot your ass!” Sandy snapped, jerking the reins to the pack horse and it picked up speed. Turning forward, Sandy saw Johnathan was ten yards ahead, but there wasn’t a fence to deal with.

  Riding across the plain in a gallop until the sun dropped below the horizon, Johnathan p
ulled back on the reins and slowed his horse to a walk. Patting the horse’s sweaty neck, Johnathan took off his sunglasses and glanced back.

  Only the shadowy outline of the mountains was visible and Johnathan put his sunglasses up, turning his cap around backwards. “Stinkers are back there, boy,” Johnathan told his horse.

  “The horses didn’t act that bad when we ran into that large group of stinkers,” Sandy said, adjusting her cap backwards.

  After riding for an hour, Johnathan jerked his reins back and stopped the horse fast. Off in the distance, he heard something he had never heard on this continent. Everyone behind him had jerked their horses to a stop as a baying laugh sounded in the distance.

  “Um, did anyone else just hear a hyena?” Johnathan asked, turning his head south toward the laughing.

  “If I don’t answer, will it go away?” Bill asked, looking to the south but couldn’t make out anything.

  Gripping her AR, Sandy looked around. “So, dealing with stinkers isn’t enough for some people? They have to let other predators roam loose?” Sandy mumbled, scanning around and the laughing stopped.

  Pivoting in her saddle and scanning around, “Sandy already took pictures of hyenas when we went on safari, so we can move,” Mary announced.

  Kicking his horse, Johnathan continued on while shoving his bow in a case he’d made that hung off his saddle. Resting his AR across the saddle, Johnathan’s head never stopped moving side to side. Quickly looking down at Dan and seeing he was looking south but seemed relaxed, Johnathan felt better, but didn’t stop his scanning.

  Moving through a wide ravine but that was only ten feet deep, Johnathan was kicking his horse to climb the bank when he heard Ann barking and a muffled shot behind him. Not able to stop, Johnathan kicked his horse hard, climbing out of the ravine and moved further so his pack horse was out before steering his horse around to see dark forms charging Bill at the back.

  Raising his rifle as Bill shot three more times, Johnathan heard a dog yelp and all the shadowy forms stopped. Holding his rifle steady on a shadow sixty yards away, Johnathan squeezed the trigger and saw a shadow buckle letting out a yelp, and the shadows took off running.