“Thanks, I will do that,” said Cody. “I am taking Jack's maps that he marked and showed me the roads to Colorado. You could mark the Texas map with the way to the ranch.” He left to go tell his fellow adventurers it was time to start gathering their supplies. None of the three women let him see the tears that filled their eyes.
***
Cody, Ashley, Shawna and David chose their horses, they also picked two mules. The old horsemen advisers approved of the pulling harness, although they said it was not the best. Perhaps they would get some help with that, if they could reach the ranch of Gus. They would have to include some bags of oats in their supplies. One of the old timers explained to them, “When the horses are working hard they'll hold up a lot better if you supplement their grazing with oats or grains, and you're going to need to rest them about every four hours.” They would not be able to take up all of their wagon space with feed bags, they would take about four bags and hope to find more on the road. Further following the suggestions they began to work with each mule and horse. They gave them at least some training with the harness and pulling the wagon. They began with the wearing of the harness and then pulling a small load.
It was deep into the first week of April and there had been a couple of days of rain. The wagon was being kept in the old fire station and community center. That building was near the property where the livestock and community garden of Unity still existed. The citizens had managed to spread out about five more acres from the original five. They had taken down some housing to open up more land. The pond stayed full of water, most of the year. Chickens and goats still ran around the property and the cattle herd was about twenty. The garden was now approximately two acres. In one corner, the cemetery had unfortunately grown. The garden and livestock was still a community effort and the whole community shared in what was produced. The horses and mules were being readied, here on the property. The wagon nearby was filling with supplies.
They would take several gallons of water. More importantly, they would take bleach and filtering devices. They would need to be instantly and constantly alert for water, for the horses and for themselves. They would take all of the non perishable foods that they could haul and vessels to cook with, utensils to eat on and with. They would have to think of getting basic calories each day, the meals would be for nutrition, not for enjoyment. Medical and first aid supplies were packed. The best sleeping bags that they could find were included and also a tent. They would not always have to use the tent but could use it in bad weather. They would have extra weapons and ammo in a hard plastic footlocker, under the bags of feed. Each of them would have their side arms and a rifle scabbard on their mounts. The extra tires and wheels were loaded. Three large tarps would be included, one to cover the supplies and two extras.
Everything except the last minute items were loaded on the wagon. Cody said to David, “We should give the mules and pairs of horses a trial of pulling the wagon.” It took all of a day. They hooked up each team and pulled the wagon from one end of the three square mile town to the other. The draw teams seemed to pull the wagon easily.
Trailing along on one of the trial runs, David said, “Gonna be a pretty slow pace.” Shawna and Ashley agreed. Still, their excitement was building and the time for them to leave Unity was on them.
The small caravan was standing ready at the edge of the woods. The well worn and traveled dirt road stretched in front of them. Once the main entries to the township had been barricaded to prepare for the War on the Border, they had started using the old utility road to come in and out. The decaying, now vintage automobiles still lined the paved entrances to Unity. The utility road and another one or two paths continued to be used, these fifteen years later. The mules were harnessed to the wagon, it's mounded load covered with a plastic tarp. The horses pawed at the ground impatiently in the Spring warmth.
The four friends were saying the last of their farewells. All of the original family of Jack and Beth and several of the other residents of the town had come to see them off. Like horsemen learn, the four were wearing jeans and boots with western hats on their heads. There is a purpose for this clothing when you are riding a horse in the open countryside. Wide brimmed hats are protection from the hot sun for your face and neck, a kerchief will shield from the dust. Jeans and boots will repel sticky growths and snakes. Each of the adventurers had a pair of tennis shoes thrown in the supply wagon but they were outfitted to ride.
The pain of the leaving cut through the traveler's excitement like a hot knife. This was not easy for them or for any of the family. The hugs were lingering and the smiles were forced. Cody looked across the faces. There was his uncle Lee and Lynn, the two other daughters and their spouses Jason and Eric. There was Kat and Tate and BJ, the great grand son who was no longer a child. The grandchildren, Nicky, Brook, Mindy and Michelle were openly sobbing. His eyes locked with Matt and Dane, his and David's brothers. He said, with no embarrassment, “I love each one of you. You will be in my heart every day. I promise to find ways to contact you or let you know where we are and what is happening, we will tell you what is going on out there. You have made us strong and we will be safe. We will see you all again.”
The mules were harnessed to the wagon, David was on the wagon seat, the spare horse tied to the back. Cody, Ashley and Shawna mounted up. Cody had his saddle bags with the maps, their destination shown in Jack's faded markings. The four friends moved through the woods to the main road. The family stood and watched until they were out of sight. As they reached the end of the dirt road, Cody dismounted and pulled back the vine covered gate. The town kept this somewhat camouflaged passageway, after the horses and wagon were clear he pushed the gate back, letting it disappear into the surrounding forest. All of the friends turned in their saddles and gave one last look towards Unity. The caravan turned north and headed towards the location of Gus's ranch and whatever lay ahead.
Chapter Three
THE RANCH
Even if all went smooth they wouldn't likely make it to the ranch this first day, it was between fifteen and twenty miles away. Over a half a century before, there was a “loop”, a road that completely encircled the city. The city grew and the road that was intended to take you around the city quickly was sucked right into the booming expansion. With stop lights, heavy traffic and businesses crowding each side, the loop had been as congested as any part of the city. Still, this wide roadway would take you from one side of the city to the other. The horses clopped along on the broken pavement. The wagon moved pretty smoothly and sang a slight creaking tune as the wheels turned.
They weaved their way among the disintegrating cars. The grasses and vines grew up through the cracked pavement. It crept right into parking lots, snaking over everything and up the sides of long deserted buildings. Small pine trees popped up where acres of concrete used to cook in the Texas sun. This part of Texas had originally been a thick pine forest., the forest was reclaiming it's territory. The city had been a lush and heavily landscaped garden town, famous for it's roses and beautiful azaleas. The medians, the islands that separated the multiple lanes of roadway, had been planted with thousands of roses and azaleas. Being April, there were beautiful blooms sprouting high and wild and growing out into the streets. In the quiet that had settled on this world, only the horses hoofs and the song of the wheels filled the air.
The friends had been silent since leaving Unity. They were all trying to get their excitement back and rid themselves of the sadness. Ashley pulled her horse up, stopping in front of a sprawling lot full of trucks and cars. Tall arching lights hung around the lot, providing no illumination for the past fifteen years. A long low building stretched behind, enough large letters were still visible on it, to know that it had once been the Dodge dealership. Cody rode up beside her, “What is it? Did you see something?”
Ashley said, “No, nothing. It's just that my dad used to work there.” She pointed a slim finger and Cody's eyes followed.
David brought the wa
gon to a stop and Shawna pulled up. Cody said, “Oh, when did you lose your parents?”
Ashley took a deep breath and said, “My parents were divorced and I was living with my dad. When things went to s---t, we could not contact my mother. She had been living in Dallas. Then, one day when my dad had gone out to find food, the scum bags found us. Dad came home while they were taking me. He tried to stop them and they shot him.”
Cody slid his hand over hers that were stacked tightly on the saddle horn. “I am sorry, Ashley.” He thought of what a nightmare that must have been for her. His experiences had been good, compared to the real horror stories that had happened in the world after the big event. He pushed down a tiny doubt that bubbled up in his head. Was he leading himself and these good friends into that dangerous world? David and Shawna exchanged a look but kept their frightened thoughts to themselves.
Ashley pulled the front of her hat down a bit, sat up straight and said, “We need to keep moving. Lead out, Cody.” Cody remembered the rural road that branched off from the loop and would take them towards the ranch. He knew that there was a small private lake just off of the country road, they would make it to there and rest the horses. In the next five miles they passed businesses that he thought, there's probably things we need, left in there. He resisted the temptation, knowing that they could not overload the wagon. They would have to be very smart about what opportunities they took for supplies. In the decaying buildings that were being devoured by the vegetation, they saw no signs of life. Once or twice, they caught a flash of something moving through the growth, yet they had no contact with man or animal. The weather was mild but they were ready for a break when they came up on the lake.
The lake shimmered, the surface calm. The shoreline was grown up thick with tall cattails and reedy grasses. The riders dismounted and led the horses to the edge of the water. David removed two five gallon plastic pails that were tied on the side of the wagon, he and Cody filled them and brought them back for the mules. David had pulled the wagon into the shade of a sprawling old oak tree. The four sat on the ground, leaning against the wagon. They were letting the horses graze a bit on the grassy area that led up to the reeds. Cody had found dozens of watch batteries, years ago in a Walmart. He had his pick of watches and actually wore an expensive watch that had a compass and calender and lit up in the dark. It was about two o'clock. They had been on the move for nearly four hours. It would help that they had reached the rural road, there would be fewer obstacles. It still was at least ten miles, probably more to the ranch. They would not want to move in the dark over unknown terrain. They would definitely not reach the ranch today and would need to camp later.
Ashley got them all some drinking water. Today, they would actually have some fresh cooked food that the family had prepared for them. They put some pieces of slow cooked venison on slices of homemade bread and there were boiled eggs. Cody smiled when he saw the cookies that the daughters of Beth had included. The familiar recipe of their mother. After a day or so, they would be into eating smoked meat jerky and trying to sparingly eat the canned and preserved foods that they brought. As they rested and ate, they looked at the map. They would have to pay attention to the landmarks and hope that some road number signs were still readable. For the afternoon they only needed to move as far as they could down this country byway.
A very slight breeze moved the reeds. A crow screeched a very loud caw-caw-caw-w! The horses seemed to be getting nervous, pawing at the ground and the mules were snorting and shuffling around. David noticed this and stood up, listening. A high shrieking noise echoed across the water, followed by a deeper rolling growl. They were all standing now, “What the hell was that?” said Shawna.
Ashley said, “Sounded like a real big cat.”
Shawna tilted her head to the side and whispered, “How big?”
David said, “Sh-sh-sh.” The very low growl came again.
The women were moving to calm the horses when a blur of mountain lion sprang from the tall grasses and landed on the spare horse's bare back. The horse reared and bucked and the cat was slung off. Cody fired at the animal with his sidearm and was running for his AR rifle on his horse. The cat was hit but still running. David pulled his rifle from behind the wagon seat, he aimed and fired twice, the mountain lion fell to the marshy ground. The horse was no where in sight.
Securing the horses, they cautiously moved towards the kill. They all stood looking down at the beautiful tawny feline. It stretched out at least five feet, powerful and heavy. They moved around a bit closer to the tall grass and spotted the edge of an area splattered with blood. Closer inspection showed the ravaged remains of a person, sex not really identifiable. The clothes were shredded and filthy. The person might have even already been dead when the cat attacked. They would prefer to think so, they had heard no human screams.
Ashley said, “I didn't know there were mountain lions around here.”
“There have been some occasional sightings in this part of Texas. They are definitely in the more southern areas and in Mexico. And I guess there could have been some escapees from zoos. It's more likely though, that they have just moved into new territories,” said David. He had always been very interested in animals. He even thought about becoming a vet. He had actually been about a year away from graduating high school when the world went haywire. Over the last few years he had studied all of the books and resources on Jack and Beth's book shelves. The couple had always enjoyed and studied wildlife. Wherever they were, they studied the native animals and birds and bought books.
“I am not sure what is more frightening, the mountain lion or the fact that humans are still out here,” said Ashley.
Cody looked at his watch, “We have to get moving, we need to find a camp before dark. We can't take time to look for the horse, no telling when it will stop running.”
Shawna said, “Maybe there will be horses at the ranch.”
“That is, if we find the ranch and there is anything there” said Cody. Obviously, Cody was not a pessimist, he was the one who came up with this bug out idea. He had, however, learned from Jack to be very cautious and think of the down side. Jack believed in thinking ahead and trying to be prepared for trouble. They mounted up, minus one ride and moved down the country road. About an hour before sundown they stopped in a big open field. There was an old stock tank that the Spring rains had filled about half way. It would do for the night. Somehow, he didn't want to be huddled up in the woods, he felt better out in the open. They would make camp and take turns with a watch. The watch was second nature to them all. In Unity, even after fifteen years there were always guards on duty at night.
They took the saddles from the horses and removed the mules from the harness. Checking out the surroundings they saw stretches of barb wire fencing in the distance, much of it down. They would let the horses and mules graze and water for a while and then tie them for the night. The light was just about gone. David and Cody were getting a campfire started. Shawna and Ashley went to the old galvanized stock tank. They both removed their blouses and laid them over the side. Leaning over, they dipped the chilly water with a saucepan and let it run over their heads and arms. They had brought about a dozen flour sack type towels that would serve several purposes on the journey, the cloths washed out easy and dried quickly. The women were rubbing and drying their hair as they moved to the fire.
Cody was stoking the fire as they walked up. He and Ashley were the taller of the four friends, she stood about six inches above Shawna. Her strawberry blonde hair was loose to below her shoulders and wet, looking darker in the fire glow. Cody couldn't help but notice that the blouse clung to her damp skin and soft curves. Ashley wasn't a voluptuous lady, just pleasingly curved. She caught him looking at her and flashed him a smile. He quickly looked down, poking at the fire. He pushed his straw colored hair behind his ear, as had been his nervous habit since boyhood.
“Hey, David. Let's go get rid of some of this dirt,” he said.
Dav
id said, “Sure. I am starved, what's to eat?” The girls said they would get something together. At the water tank they heard another shrieking cry very far away. They listened for a moment but didn't hear the sound again. “There are lots of wild animals that make a noise like that,” said David. “Even rabbits make a creepy screaming sound.” The two men stood in the dark for a while and heard only the chirping noises of the night.
The stars scattered across a clear sky and there was no moon. Cody pulled out a small flashlight, it was smart to watch where you were stepping. They moved towards the glow of the fire. “Gonna be an interesting trip, huh?” he said.
They could see the silhouettes of the two women moving around the campfire. David laughed, “Yeah, I think so.”
Cody finished the last watch at dawn, he lay down on the sleeping bag for just another hour or so. The full morning found them all stiffly rising with moans and groans. They were fit but not accustomed to riding all day long and sleeping on the ground. They dispersed quickly to some private places. Ashley was back and sat a beat up coffee pot on the last of the fire, adding just a few sticks. After a cup of not so great coffee and a piece of bread with preserves, they were loading up to get on their way. They would alternate the horses to the wagon today, Cody would drive it. He and David wanted to see how the horses and the mules held up to pulling all day before the women took their turns at guiding the cart.
The caravan had been moving for a little more than an hour when they spotted one of the landmarks they were looking for. The very top of a wooden church steeple lay at an angle on the ground, the building underneath completely collapsed in. The old cast iron bell hung cock eyed to one side of the top. Cody pulled up the wagon, got down and went to a metal road sign on the corner near the church. The faded green of the sign made it hard to read the number.
No Normal Day III (West) Page 2