by Steven Bird
Chapter 25: Rendering Honors
Once Sabrina and her mother were aboard the ATVs, Jason took up the point position and took along one of the handheld radios; Evan took the rear position and carried the other, while Nate and Ed took the left and right flanks respectively. Sabrina rode on the back of Jimmy’s ATV, bundled up in a few of the cleaner blankets they were able to find in the house, while her mother was loaded onto the wooden door, attached across the rear cargo rack of Charlie’s.
Jason led the way and began walking down the hill to get a comfortable distance in front of the lead ATV. He could communicate with the rear of the convoy via the radio to Evan, while he could simply use hand signals with Jimmy up front. Once Jason got into position, he signaled Jimmy and off they went. Nate and Ed walked alongside, pacing with the idling ATVs, while Evan waited until they were far enough ahead and started marching along behind.
Being ever on guard, the men led the slow convoy west on Highway 70, towards the location where they left their tractor and trailer, watching for threats along the way. As Jimmy watched Jason up ahead, barely visible in the darkness of the night and almost out of reach of the illumination of his ATV’s headlights, he saw Jason stop abruptly and raise his rifle. Jimmy slammed on the brakes, bringing the convoy to a halt. Nate and Ed both took up defensive positions to cover the ATVs. Just as Evan started to key the mic to ask Jason what was going on up ahead, he heard the loud crack of his .300 Win Mag’s muzzle report, and saw the flash of light in the distance.
He immediately dropped to a knee and spun around to cover them from the rear when he heard Jason say over the radio, “Hot damn! Dinner is served, gentlemen.”
“What? What the hell are you talking about?” Evan asked in an excited voice over the radio in reply.
“A mature doe just walked right out in front of me. I guess it was the headlights from the four-wheelers. I popped her. I couldn’t resist.”
“You jerk; you scared me to death,” replied Evan.
“Sorry, man, but if I would have keyed up the mic to talk, she would have bolted. I had to take the shot.”
“Okay, just toss her on Jimmy’s front rack and we’ll gut and dress her out at the trailer,” Evan replied.
“Roger Roger!” Jason replied with a rejuvenated spring in his step.
Evan just chuckled to himself and thought, It’s the small things in this new world that keep people going.
As they neared the small, dirt side road, where they left the tractor and trailer, Jason signaled for the group to halt. He then motioned for Ed and Nate to rally on him out front while the ATVs and Evan remained in position. As Ed and Nate arrived at Jason’s position, Jason said, “Ed, come with me to make sure everything is still secure before we get Sabrina in the area. Nate, go back and tell Evan and the others what we’re doing. He’s got the other radio. Tell him we’ll call when we’ve secured the area.”
“Roger that,” Nate replied as he turned to join back up with the others.
Jason then looked at Ed and asked, “Point or rear?”
“I’ll take point.”
“Alright then, let’s get on it,” said Jason as he and Ed proceeded towards the dirt road.
As they crept up the road, Ed in the front and on the left shoulder, with Jason bringing up the rear and off to the right, they could see the sun about to come up over the eastern horizon. Damn, it’s morning already, Jason thought to himself. After being hit with that realization, the fatigue began to set in and rear its ugly head. Jason forced himself to stay alert, however, as the last thing they needed was to be caught off guard and have their plans derailed.
As they arrived at the tractor, he and Ed both cleared the area and set up an overwatch before calling in the others. Once everyone had arrived, the first order of business was to get Sabrina taken care of and get her some rest. Evan dug around in the supplies they brought along and gave her a fresh pair of clean clothes, “They’ll be a bit big, but you can roll up the sleeves and legs for now. Here are a couple pairs of socks as well. We don’t have any extra shoes, but these will at least keep you warm. I’m sure the church can get you some shoes in Del Rio. Oh, and here are some alcohol wipes from our first aid kit. You can use them to clean up a little if you like.”
“Thank you,” she said with a quick smile as he led her into the trailer to change. Evan closed all of the windows on the trailer for her privacy. Just before he closed the door, he asked her, “Is there anything else we can get you for now?”
“No, sir. Thank you so much,” she said quietly. Although she was happy and relieved to be free of her captors, she knew it would be a long time before she would feel normal again. She had a lot of suffering, yet, to do inside before she could begin the healing process.
~~~~
The birds were chirping and the beautiful sounds of nature were all around. The light of the day was shining brightly through the gaps around the windows of the trailer. She yawned and looked around, flinching at first, from her unfamiliar surroundings, though she quickly remembered that she was in the safekeeping of her rescuers.
She could smell something delicious cooking. She hadn’t had a true meal in at least a week, making the scents of freshly grilled meat overpowering. She gained her composure, she went to the door of the trailer, cracking it slightly, and peeked outside. She could see Evan, Jason, Jimmy, and Nate sitting around a campfire, grilling some kind of meat directly over the fire on a skewer.
Jimmy looked over at the trailer, saw her peeking out, stood up, and waved her over with a smile. She slowly opened the door and nervously walked over to the men. She knew she could trust them, yet just couldn’t shake the feeling that it was all too good to be true. She felt as if her newfound freedom was just a dream and she would awaken in her previous hell at any moment. As she approached the campfire, all of the men stood up and took their hats off as Evan said, “Good morning, ma’am, or rather good evening. You slept pretty well.”
Charlie brought her a small folding camp chair and said, “Here you go, young lady. Have a seat and we’ll get you a plate of food.”
She complied with a nervous smile as Jason handed her a plate of freshly grilled venison, green beans, and some cornbread they had brought along from the homesteads. It was a feast for her, as her captors had barely even taken efforts to keep her alive, but even before that, she and her parents often had to scavenge for food.
“Are you doing okay today?” asked Evan. “If there is anything at all you need, or if you have any concerns, please just let us know. We can’t even begin to imagine what you must have gone through and what you might need because of it…” Evan said with a loss for words. He assumed she may have some health concerns or feminine needs but didn’t know how to approach the situation, after what she had been through.
Sabrina just nodded that she understood him, looked around, and then asked, “Where are the other two men… and my mother?”
“Ed and Charlie are standing watch right now. That’s why we are able to sit here and cook and eat without the stress of looking over our shoulders. There is no better security than friends you trust,” he said. “We’ve got a place prepared for your mother. We just wanted to let you get some sleep today, as well as a bite to eat, so that you would feel up to seeing her off properly. We also wanted to get your blessing on the location we found for her resting place. She’s your mother, so you have the final say.”
Sabrina didn’t know how to feel about what was going on around her. For as long as she could remember since the attacks triggered the collapse, she knew the world to be an ugly and unforgiving place. With the exceptions of a few rare instances, people only seemed to be out to take from you, to hurt you, to use you, or simply disregard your needs. Yet, there she was with a group of men who risked their lives to save her from her unspeakable hell. They were feeding her, caring for her, helping her with her mother, and promised to reunite her with the Gibbs family—the closest thing left on earth that she could consider family. The
y did all of this for what gain? She simply wanted to mourn her mother and lay her to rest so that she could move on, but she didn’t know what to accept as real. The actions of these men, who were total strangers, just didn’t make sense to her.
She finished her plate of food and in a quiet, sheepish voice said, “Thank you all so much.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I don’t know what to say or what to believe anymore, but thank you for everything.” She paused for a moment to regain her composure. “Thank you for not hurting me like the other men,” she said as she broke down into an inconsolable cry.
Evan wanted to hold her and comfort her as if she was one of his own daughters, but after what she had gone through, he was afraid to make any physical contact with her. Trying to console the girl, he said in a gentle voice, “It’s okay to cry. You’ve got a lot of pain that you need to deal with. Everyone here knows that.”
Then, unexpectedly, she got up out of her chair and ran straight into his arms, breaking down into a gut-wrenching cry. She was having a total release, finally giving in to all of the pent-up emotions from her terrible struggles and from the loss of both of her parents. Evan hugged her and began to cry with her. In that moment, he saw her as if she was his very own little girl and would have done anything to be able to take the pain away.
Jason, Jimmy, and Nate quietly got up and walked away to give them the privacy in the moment. Jason whispered to Evan as they passed, “We will be at the site… for when you two are ready, of course,” referring to the grave they had prepared for her mother while she slept.
Evan just nodded in reply and off they went. After about another ten minutes, Sabrina began to regain her composure. “I’m sorry,” she said as she wiped her eyes in an attempt to dry them of her tears.
“Don’t be. No one could have gone through what you did without feeling a mountain of pain.”
“So what are you going to do with my mother?” she asked.
“With your blessing, we’ve prepared a grave for her with a beautiful view of the river. It’s in a place that will be easy to find after the country gets itself sorted out, if you want to come back and visit. It’s on a hill facing west, with what should be a beautiful view of the sunset each day.”
“Okay, I’m ready. I would like to see it,” she said.
Evan led Sabrina to her mother’s grave, where all of the men were gathered; even those currently on watch were there so that proper respects could be paid. Evan led them all in a prayer while Sabrina clung to his arm and cried. She then said goodbye to her mother and they lowered her into the grave. Once the grave was covered, Sabrina laid a bouquet of wild spring flowers that she had gathered from the area and said her final goodbyes. In that moment, she knew deep down inside, her days as a young girl were officially over. She must find the resolve to carry on the family torch so that her mother and father’s legacy did not die, but would live on forever, and their memory be passed on to their future generations.
Chapter 26: Keeping Watch
Back at the Thomas farm, Griff awoke to the smell of fresh, hot coffee. For a moment, he was lost in his memories of a wonderful spring morning. Still in bed from a hard day’s work the day before, his wife, Judy, would surely be making breakfast, he thought. He opened his eyes and found the harsh reality of his injuries and the memory of what happened to Beth Lewis. He looked over and saw Judy sitting in a recliner that they had moved down to the basement so she could stay with him in a little more comfort. Once she saw that he was awake, she quickly got up and came over to his bedside. “Good morning, handsome,” she said as she pushed his hair back out of his face. She chuckled and smiled.
Griff looked at her with scrunched up eyebrows and said, “What’s so funny?”
“Your hair,” she replied with a giggle. “I thought I would be stuck with that Marine Corps ‘high and tight’ forever, but now you’re all shaggy.”
“Yeah, well… the barbershops are still all closed.”
“We’ve got our own clippers, you know,” she replied in jest.
“No need to start a generator and burn fuel just to power a set of hair clippers,” he said defensively.
“You must be feeling better. You’re getting your grumpy bulldog back.”
“That’s me, baby,” he said with a proud smile. “So has anyone heard from Evan and the guys?”
“No. Nothing yet. Judith has been keeping her ears glued to the radio. She’s been worried sick since her son, Nate, is out there with them. That and I think Peggy is driving her nuts asking her for updates.”
Griff just chuckled and then winced in pain. “Damn… laughing still hurts.”
Rachel entered the room, smiled, and said, “Glad to see your chatting away. You must be feeling better.”
“I sure am, Doc,” he replied smartly, never wanting to be seen as weak. “Where’s Daryl?”
“Luke’s leg is feeling better so he is out doing a patrol on horseback today. Daryl didn’t stop by and we couldn’t reach him on the CB radio, so he went to check on the families at the Homefront and then is going to head out Daryl’s way to check on him.”
“By himself?” Griff said in a concerned voice. “He really shouldn’t have gone by himself.”
“We’re spread a little thin right now with so many out on the run and you down and out. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover. It’s came to that point, at least until the others get back.”
“Damn it. How long till I can get back out there?”
“It takes at least six weeks for broken ribs to heal. The head injury should be behind you soon, but you’re gonna have to take it easy physically for at least the next month. Your shoulder still remains to be seen, but it looks like the swelling has gone down, and you are able to put weight on it, so I think you’ll be fine there.”
“Can I at least get out of here so I can stand watch at the Homefront? There are no men over there without me,” he said, trying to sit up.
“No men?” exclaimed Judy. “What about Greg and Jake? They’ve been holding down the fort just fine. Either one of those boys are more fit to defend the Homefront than you are right now, so put your pride away and just get better. We’ll get you back over there in a few days. Besides, once we are in our new place, it will always just be you and Greg, so you had better get used to it now.”
Griff just laid his head back on the pillow and huffed and puffed at Judy’s statement, unable to disagree. “What’s for lunch?” he asked, changing the subject.
“That’s more like it,” said Rachel with a smile. “I was looking for an appetite.”
~~~~
Luke passed by the Homefront to check on Molly, Peggy, Sarah and the kids to find all was well. Greg and Jake had both stepped up to the plate and were pulling alternating twelve-hour shifts in Griff’s absence. He knew this news would be welcome to Griff who was really taking being down and out to heart.
After leaving the Homefront, Luke rode on out to Daryl’s place to find out why he hadn’t stopped by, as was his routine of late. He proceeded with caution, not knowing exactly what may have held him up. As he arrived at Daryl’s house, he rang the bell as Daryl’s sign requested. He did not want to be accidentally shot as an intruder by the very man he had come to check on. After a few moments of silence, he rang the bell once again. Damn it, Daryl. Where are you? Don’t shoot my ass out here, he thought to himself.
Ten more minutes passed and nothing, so he once again rang the bell. If he doesn’t come out this time, I’m gonna have to risk it and just walk up to the house. He thought for a moment, trying to come up with what to do next. After adequate time had passed, he decided it was time to violate Daryl’s own rule for visitors and proceeded to the home to check on his dear friend.
He climbed back on his horse and slowly proceeded up the gravel and dirt driveway. Looking at the freshest horse tracks he could see on the ground, it appeared that Daryl may have ridden away from the house and had yet to return. This was just a guess, as Luke, admittedly, was no skil
led tracker. As he approached the house, he shouted, “Daryl! It’s Luke! Don’t shoot!” He stopped his horse and waited for signs of noise or movement, but nothing. He shouted again, and still received no reply. He dismounted his horse and slowly walked it by the lead up the drive to the house, where he noticed there was no smoke in the chimney and no sign of Daryl’s horse anywhere.
He tied his horse up to the porch railing and walked up to the door, listening inside before knocking. After three consecutive knocks, he reached up and attempted to turn the knob and found it locked. Where the hell are you, Daryl? He thought as he stepped off the porch and began to look around the property. Walking out to Daryl’s goat lot, he noticed the animals were nearly out of water. That’s not like Daryl to leave his animals inadequately cared for. Assuming he must be away, he filled all of the drinking troughs and gave the goats and chickens some grain to help tide them over until their owner returned.
Concerned about Daryl at this point, Luke decided to ride to the other homesteads in an attempt to find someone who may have seen or heard from him. Following a hunch, he rode to the Lewis home first.
Upon arrival, he found Daryl’s horse tied to a shade tree in the front yard. Luke tied his horse up alongside Daryl’s, looked around the property, and then limped to the front door of the home. His gunshot, although healing nicely, was beginning to cause him pain from overuse. As he reached up with his right hand to knock on the door, it pulled open, causing his heart to skip a beat. To his relief, he quickly found it was Daryl on the other side.