“You’re going to introduce yourself to Geronimo, the young man tending our horses, and you will ride with him. You will learn everything he knows about horses. You will learn everything the wolf pack knows about hunting. And you will act like a decent human being. Do you understand me?” Char growled into Kiwidinok’s face.
She put the girl down. “Go,” she commanded and the girl ran in a straight line toward the horses.
“We thank you very much for your courtesy and hospitality. We will see you again.” Char held up one hand. “Peace.”
They walked away together. Terry held Char’s hand, but he could feel the tension.
“Am I going to get my ass chewed?” he asked. She didn’t reply. “You did great back there. You’re going to be a wonderful mother.”
Char finally stopped walking. Ted, Timmons, James, and Lacy were talking with the children as they separated the wolf pack and sent them on their way out of the village. As the pack ran, the new friends waved goodbye.
She spoke, “Main squeeze? I really ought to kick your ass for just thinking thoughts like that…”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Billy sat at the table, listening to the reports from each of the farmers on what they’d need to take and how much room was available in their carts. Sue documented everything to build a long list, make sure that they didn’t duplicate one thing while failing to bring something else.
The mayor listened attentively but he wasn’t completely in the game. He didn’t want to admit that he’d never killed a man before. And when he finally did the deed, drive a man to his death, it was one he used to call his friend. He always had someone like John to do his dirty work.
It didn’t make him any less guilty or his hands any cleaner. He thought he’d left that life behind when Terry Henry Walton arrived.
Maybe not. The fire burned within. His patience was minimal. Why had he snapped? They were just words, an old man’s fixation on one thing that in the end, there would have been no room in the carts. They could have held him off until that point when he realized the futility of his demands.
Felicity thanked the farmers for stopping by and reporting on their status. Sue gave them the thumbs up to show she had everything she needed for the exodus plan.
Felicity walked them out, then casually shut the door. She returned to the office and asked Sue if she would take Marcie so Felicity and Billy could have a real talk, like adults.
Sue wasn’t sure what that meant, but it wasn’t just anyone who would hand their baby to a Werewolf who considered a coonhound to be her best friend.
After Sue, Marcie, and Clyde went outside, Felicity unbuttoned her shirt, letting it hang open as she slowly approached Billy. He wouldn’t look at her. She straddled his lap and sat facing him. “Billy dear, get your head out of your ass, do you hear me? I need the old Billy to come back, be a father to our daughter, be the leader of this town, be my lover.”
Billy looked at her, narrowing his eyes. “You said you hated the old Billy. What you saw? That was the real Billy.”
“That is some serious bullshit, Billy dear,” Felicity drawled. “The man backed you into a corner, gave you no option, and still you didn’t strike him. You didn’t order anyone to beat him. You pushed him away. That’s kind of candy ass for a bad man, don’t you think?”
Billy tried to think back, but he’d been so angry, the images in his mind’s eye were blurred. He hadn’t punched the man. He hadn’t used a weapon. Maybe Billy was a candy ass, or more likely, maybe Billy had become more civilized.
Felicity removed her shirt. Billy had to look, her skin was soft and smooth. “It’s so hot in here,” she said as she started to unbutton his shirt. He stayed her hand.
“Terry called you the power behind the throne. What do you think he meant by that?” Billy asked, his mind clear for the first time since the death of the engineer.
“I’m sure that I don’t know.” Felicity leaned back, sucking her stomach in and pushing her chest out.
“The one who makes the man great. Am I a great man?”
“You are to me, Billy,” Felicity replied. “And these people count on you. Look at the people who were just here to see you. They came to see you and tell you that they understood that we have to move. If what we heard was correct, they were less than enamored by the idea when they first heard it. But you’ve convinced them of its necessity. Because you’ve sold it to them. You’ve gotten people to buy in to your vision. It’s what good leaders do.”
Billy felt the surge of pride within. From bringing power back to sharing food to make sure that no one went hungry, he’d taken care of the people.
Billy Spires. A true leader.
“We’ll start that restaurant when we get where we’re going,” Billy told Felicity as he buried his face in her neck. He lifted her and set her on the table as he started to undress.
She bit her lip in anticipation.
***
They ran the horses away from the native village and back toward the bridge, but decided to stay on the southern side of the river. In North Dakota, the Missouri River swung far to the north, and if they could, they would cut straight across, saving themselves a hundred miles, as long as it wasn’t one hundred miles of waste that they had to cross.
Kiwi, as they called her, rode behind Gerry. She was smaller than he was which made them a good pair to ride double. James and Lacy constantly giggled watching how uncomfortable the two were together.
Terry and Char agreed to not share the information that she was given to Gerry as his bride.
Until she opened up to them, Kiwi would remain an enigma, but to Terry, it was business as usual.
Why not? They had a wolf pack running with them. He thought it odd that they’d be given a person, but not strange that it happened to him. Everything different came his way.
It was like the universe stood back, looked at Terry Henry Walton, and said, “Hold my beer and watch this.”
Char caught him looking at her. “What’s up, horn dog?’
“What? I’m the two-year guy, remember?” he countered. She chuckled at how easily she could get his goat.
“Ten days,” she offered.
“Sounds about right. I expect that’s how long it will take before Gerry works up the courage to talk with her,” Terry said as he looked into the distance. The air was so much cooler than New Boulder, but was it cool out? He still didn’t have a thermometer and didn’t know, but everything was relative. A thermometer would measure the old standard. Was cool sixty-eight degrees or eighty-five?
“Ten days until we get to the north side of Chicago,” Char clarified.
“Yup,” Terry said noncommittally. “Do you sense anything?”
“Just us girls out on a Sunday evening stroll, that’s all. Why do you ask?” Terry always had reasons for his questions.
“I was hoping that there’d be big game nearby, the buffalo. We’re coming up on the moment of truth. Do we follow the interstate and make a run across the waste, or do we take the safe route and follow the river?” He continued to scan the horizon as they approached the abandoned town of Glendive. “Two days to the east. The map shows rivers and lakes. Four days if we go north. I’d like to take the shortcut.”
He looked to Char for an answer.
She studied the path ahead of them, lost in concentration for a moment. “Thanks for asking, but on this one, I don’t think I can be of any help.”
“Ok,” he looked around, “Let’s camp here for the rest of the day, fish, hunt, fill our bellies with water. Tomorrow before dawn, we head for North Dakota.”
“There’s something else?” Char asked, catching on that he had multiple concerns.
He nodded, “Are we going to run through an area that’s still glowing from the nukes? There used to be a lot of silos north of here, Minot. Maybe the shortcut keeps us far enough away, assuming the enemy missiles were accurate.”
“Who was the enemy, TH? The one who fired first or the on
e who fired last?” Char challenged.
“That’s a good question. You see where Akio came from. He preferred space, wanting nothing to do with countries haphazardly throwing around nukes. I can’t believe anyone thought a nuclear war was a viable option. As a ground pounder, I’m a fan of conflict that’s a little more in your face, up close and personal.” He squirmed in his seat. If only Terry had been in charge, none of this shit would have happened.
But he wasn’t. It did happen, and he survived. Finally, he was in charge of something and had the opportunity to make a difference.
“Akio,” Terry said aloud.
“What’s he have to do with anything, TH?” Char looked sideways at her husband. His mind always took twists and turns that she couldn’t follow, but she was studying him. She wondered if she’d ever figure him out, knowing that they had time. They had a lot of time.
“What are you smiling at?” Terry asked.
“My glistening hunk of man meat,” she said, licking her lips. “Now answer the question. What’s Akio got to do with anything?
“I couldn’t do anything last time, but as we rebuild, we have to make sure people can’t press a button and fight a war. Akio supports us and the Force. There will be one military here and eventually, only one for the entire planet. That’s what I see and how we can prevent the end of the world, round two.”
“Maybe we just make sure there is no button to push. No toys for the bad boys?”
“I couldn’t agree more, Char.” He pulled her close for a long kiss, then in a deep voice, he said, “Make it so, number one.”
***
“What’s with those two?” Kiwi asked Gerry as they stood in the ankle deep water and brushed the horses. The wolf pack wasn’t far away, frolicking or fishing, they couldn’t tell which.
“They saved our lives, all kinds of times. They’re married, but it’s not like that,” he tried to explain.
“If they’re married, how can it not be like they’re married?” she asked skeptically.
“It’s an equal partnership, like together, their two parts are more than what they are individually. I haven’t seen too many married couples in my life and none of them are like those two. I hope to love someone someday as much as they love each other,” Gerry said as he watched the way Terry looked at Char and her returned glances.
Kiwi grunted. Too much touchy-feely stuff for her. “When do we get to go fishing?”
Gerry waved her toward where Timmons was stalking the shallows. She finished brushing the horse and strolled down the riverbank and watched him until he offered her one of his spears. She slowly stepped back into the water and found a spot by a patch of river grass where she thought a fish may swim by. She said a prayer to Mother Earth, thanking her for the bounty of the land. When Kiwi opened her eyes, the fish was there and she trapped it in the V fork of her spear.
She tossed the wriggling fish ashore, splashed out of the water, and brained it on a rock. Timmons raised his spear in a salute.
Gerry watched as Kiwi walked away. Saw her spear a fish and dance ashore triumphantly.
She is magnificent, he thought.
***
Sue watched Felicity carefully, but couldn’t figure her out. She thought she was older than she looked, but couldn’t nail her down. Felicity never talked about her past.
Billy Spires was completely smitten once again. The adult talk snapped him out of his funk, and he was going one hundred miles an hour.
If Sue hadn’t been a Werewolf, she wouldn’t have been able to keep up.
When the Force conducted weapons training, they invited all the pack to attend, although they didn’t admit that they knew the beautiful people were Werewolves. Merrit and Shonna declined because they worked harder and harder to keep the power plant functioning and feared if they took their eyes off it for a moment, it would die. They didn’t want that burden on their shoulders. They only needed it to run for another month, they hoped, and then they could shut it down, seal it up, and walk away.
Adams and Xandrie took a day off hunting to work with the AK-47. It wasn’t their weapon of choice, but it’s what they had the most ammunition for.
The platoon dry-fired all morning as they usually did, then each member of the Force received five rounds. Everyone fired once, then checked their targets, reviewed their sight picture and sight alignment, and then went back for round two. Each shooter had their own personal target that they used to see their groupings.
Some were naturals and others were hard-pressed to keep their shots on the paper, let alone in a small grouping at center mass.
Adams and Xandrie fired, saw where their bullets hit, and immediately asked for the sight adjustment tool. They tweaked their front sight posts and prepared for round two. Mark gave each of them an extra bullet. Adams fired and yelled, “Ha!” Xandrie smoothly pulled her trigger, then looked up, smiling. Both shots were in the X ring, the exact center of the target.
Mark walked the Force through the steps, not letting anyone else change their sight posts until the second shot. He asked Adams and Xandrie to help those who were the worst shots to find the center of the paper, so they took four people aside and worked with them.
Left eye dominant trying to aim using the right eye. They helped them better position themselves behind the rifle. A flincher. They snapped and yelled at him until his only respite was pulling the trigger. Little things that added up to ruin a perfectly good shot.
When the four returned, they weren’t quite center mass, but they were at least within the inscribed circles. They pulled the four aside and dry-fired for two more hours before they let them use real ammunition again.
One of the four hit the bullseye, the X ring.
Progress, no matter how small, was still progress.
Sue was a good shot, but didn’t care to use the rifle. She handed it back and went on her way before the day at the range was completed. Mark thought about it, but then decided that the Force could use two snipers. He issued Adams and Xandrie AK-47s and told them to keep the rifles with them at all times. He also issued them two magazines and forty rounds each, to be used only in defense of New Boulder or as ordered by Colonel Walton or Major Charumati.
They had the hunting rifle that Billy had given them, and they’d continue to use that to provide meat for the townsfolk, but these were military rifles. “Does this mean we’ve been drafted?” Adams asked.
“It means welcome to the Force de Guerre, the FDG.” Mark held out his hand and they both shook it.
Mark ordered a wrap to the day’s range training, including policing the brass, which was picking up the spent rounds.
“You reload your ammunition?” Adams asked.
“We keep the brass just in case we ever get the ability to reload, but we don’t have any gunpowder,” Mark told them.
“As long as you have bullets and primers,” Adam replied, “I think we may be able to help with that.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
The first day into the waste of North Dakota was uneventful. The highlight was when Terry said that he didn’t think it looked any different than before the fall. He was joking, of course, but none of the others had been in North Dakota before.
It was desolate. They ran across no people, but saw some buffalo, although they were too far off their track to hunt. The buildings were falling down, the elements of a harsh climate having taken a toll. Most of all, Terry looked for signs of radioactivity.
The buffalo were a relief. They wouldn’t be there if their grazing land had been irradiated.
The ponds contained frogs and fish. The wolf pack chased the frogs into the water. Terry yelled at them to stop, unsure if a wolf could eat a frog. “Aren’t they poisonous?” he asked the group. No one knew.
They tried fishing but nothing was big enough. They ate some of the dried meat they had left over. Ted confirmed that the wolves could go another couple days without eating, but things would be dicey after that.
“Explain di
cey,” Terry said slowly.
“We look less like their masters and more like pork chops,” Ted replied.
“I was afraid of that. Then it’s settled! We don’t stop tomorrow until we can kill something or we are back at the Missouri River in Bismarck.”
Terry estimated it would be about one hundred miles they’d have to cover. At least the horses were eating well, grazing around the ponds.
Kiwi had taken to the horses right away. She didn’t find her job of taking care of them to be a job, like Gerry didn’t. They checked hooves and brushed them. Without their horses, the trip would stretch out for far too long, making it impossible for them to get back to New Boulder and travel in the relative cool of the winter.
“Are you plotting out distances for townsfolk traveling on foot?” Char asked as they sat around a small campfire they set up behind a concrete wall that blocked the wind. “Did you arrive at infinity for a timeframe?”
“No. Three months, maybe four,” he said, watching the fire snap and pop.
“Twenty to twenty-five miles a day? Margie Rose, Mrs. Grimes, the engineer, and people like that will walk twenty-five miles a day?” Char was beyond skeptical.
“I’ll be with you every step of the way, lover, and I don’t see it. Six months to a year and I’m not trying to be a wet blanket, just realistic. Some days, you may only make five miles.” She poked something in the fire with her stick. They all had sticks and poked at things in the fire, which was how they wound down from each day’s travels. “What if a sickness runs through the group? We may go nowhere for a week. I think you are going to learn a whole new level of frustration. The famous Terry Henry Walton’s lack of patience will get tested at the highest level!”
“You know me. I have the patience of Methuselah,” Terry snickered.
He had the patience of a two-year old whose mother was holding a piece of candy.
“Your job is to make sure that my head doesn’t explode,” he told her.
Nomad Unleashed: A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Terry Henry Walton Chronicles Book 3) Page 24