Ashley said, “Wait, just a minute.” She went over to the wagon and dug around in a plastic tote. She went back to the sign post, rubbed one of the towels with a few drops of oil over the faded surface. The numbers were much more visible and they were the right ones for the road to Gus's ranch. Cody checked the map with the directions that Jack's daughters had marked. They moved down the black top road which was now narrowed to just a path. It was nearly a tunnel, the overhead canopy of trees was so thick. They moved along slowly, the horses in single file and the wagon being brushed by limbs and undergrowth. David was in the lead. After nearly an hour on the shaded trail they came to a rusty metal pipe gate. A tall pipe arch stretched overhead. From the top of the arch, metal letters read Bar G Ranch. There was a heavy chain on the gate but no lock. A long drive wound to a large two-story weathered farm house.
It was against Cody's better judgment but he removed the chain and swung back the heavy gate. He motioned David to the wagon, grabbed one of the white towels and got on the horse. He told them to wait here by the gate. He started easing up the drive, waving the towel. He was about half way to the house when a booming shot whizzed over his head, “Get-the-hell-outta-here!” said a gravely voice.
“Sir, my name is Cody. Are you Gus?” shouted Cody.
The voice yelled back, “Yeah, I'm Gus. What the devil do you want?”
“Gus, I am a friend of Jack's. His daughters told me to come here. You remember Jack and Beth?”
From behind the big house, a tall thin man in boots and cowboy hat, stepped out. His gray hair was pulled back in a pony tail and he was wearing a long sleeve shirt. “Did you say Jack? Come closer, son,” he motioned for Cody to move in. Cody rode up and dismounted, he reached out his hand to the old man.
“I am Cody. I have been with Jack and his family since the big event happened. Jack was like a father to me.” He was talking fast, hoping the old guy would remember and accept him.
The old man studied the younger man's face for a moment. “Is Jack still alive? And Beth and the girls?”
Cody's eyes felt wet, “Jack died back in the winter and Beth died a little while before him. The girls, Lynn and Dianne and Trish and their husbands are living in their house. My uncle Lee married Lynn. The daughters and all of their children are alive. There is a small town there and about 100 survivors. They call it Unity.”
Gus looked very weary. He was more or less leaning on the rifle at his side. A blonde woman, not much older than Cody walked around the corner of the house. She took the arm of the older man and said, “Daddy...daddy, come sit down.” She looked past Cody, “I am Cissy. Tell your friends to come on up.” Cody motioned for the others to pull up. The horses and the wagon pulled around to the back of the big house where a tall porch spanned the length. Cissy had taken her father to the back porch and settled him in a rocking chair. In another chair sat an elderly woman, who nodded to him. Standing by a porch post, a rifle at his side, Cissy's husband reached out his hand to Cody. A girl and a boy, probably in their late teens sat on a wide swing, Cissy's children.
The elderly lady rose and moved very slowly through the back screen door. She returned in a little while with a pitcher of tea and then returned for some glasses. Gus asked several more questions about Jack and Beth. He got the whole story of how Cody had met Jack and the events of the last fifteen years. His mind was sharp but his voice was shaky. He asked, “Son, why have you come here to the ranch?”
Cody explained that Jack had told him stories of Colorado and the cabin. He said, “I think there is a chance that the cabin is there and I want to find it.”
The elderly wife smiled and placed her hand on Gus's shoulder, “Oh Gus, we had such good times at that place. Do you remember, Gus?”
Gus said, “Well, of course I remember woman. I ain't lost my whole mind yet.” She just laughed and pinched his wrinkled cheek. He looked out at the horses and wagon. “Are you planning on riding there, pullin' that wagon?”
Cody answered, “Yes. You know there's no fuel and cars are just about useless. The people of Unity had lots of horses and we learned to be fairly good riders. We had another horse but we had a run in with a mountain lion yesterday and we lost one.”
Cissy said, “Mountain Lion? There aren't any real mountain lions around here. Are you sure?”
“It was definitely a mountain lion. We had to kill it when it attacked the horse. They may be moving up into these territories. We even found the remains of a person. We have no idea whether the cat actually killed the person,” said David.
Gus said, “Well, could be true, girl. I have heard tales of some sightings over the years, in these parts.” He said to Cody, “I don't have many horses anymore. I do have one that you could take. It wouldn't pull the wagon but it would be a spare saddle horse. You are going to need a better harness rig for that wagon. I can already see that it has rubbed one of the horses. We have some salve for that. Cissy and the son-in-law can take you out to the barn and help you out with that.”
The wife said, “You will stay for supper and the night. You stay as long as it takes to get in good shape to move on, as a matter of fact. Any family of Jack and Beth are welcome here.”
Cody reached to shake Gus's hand again. It was two days later when the hand shakes were exchanged again, as well as hugs and a few tears. It had taken a day to rig up the new harnesses. They had long talks with Gus and took all of his advice to heart. Tips about the horses and traveling day after day with them. He and his family also told them what they had heard about the conditions on the road, these days. The four friends traveled out of the long drive with a new pony and a new harness rig for the wagon. They left full of the wizened old man's knowledge and his advice. The wagon was loaded with all of the canned and dried food that Cissy and Gus's wife could squeeze in. There were dozens and dozens of acres of land, also trees, ponds and streams on the ranch. That had kept the family alive and secure. Just like Jack and Beth, the old friends survived the life ending event. They still believed in the good and in the dreams. The small caravan moved away from the secluded ranch and turned westward.
Chapter Four
ROAD RAGE
They would travel for about two days on the Interstate highway. Cody did not like these major highways, he really believed that the rural roads were safer. But the quickest way to reach Jack's country road that headed north was down this Interstate. With Gus's help and the new harness rig they felt good about pulling the wagon. They had headed out with the mules pulling and Ashley guiding the wagon. The new spare saddle horse was tied, trailing behind the wagon. Cody was in the lead, David and Shawna loped along at the wagon's pace.
David stole a glance over at Shawna. He thought that he had probably fell in love with her the first time he saw her. She stood with her brother, in the front yard of their house and had just shot the attackers that invaded the neighbor's house. They had been left to survive alone in that home. Shawna had protected herself and her brother until his death. He had died from an undetermined weakening illness, before age twenty. David remembered the deep sadness of everyone in his family at the loss. Brother's grave was still clearly marked in the front yard of the family compound. Shawna was only about five feet tall with a strong and lean athletic build. Her creamy tan skin, the gift of mixed parentage, was framed by dark soft curls. She often kept those curls pulled up on top of her pretty head or under a cap. Now they fluffed out from the cowboy hat.
She knew, what he did not take notice of. David, only a few inches taller than her with an athletic stocky build himself and dark hair, matched her well. They made a very attractive couple. Shawna loved David equally but she was much more reserved in expressing her feelings. They had been together for nearly fifteen years. They did not know why they had never had children, something perhaps, with one or the other. They accepted the loss and were content with each other.
It was late in the first day out from the ranch. They had been looking for a campsite for the past hour or so
. Up ahead, a sign towered high above the Interstate. It read, RV Park. As they got closer, they saw what had been a lit sign down lower. Big chunks of the plastic cracked and broken away, you could still make out Full hook-ups...$25 a nite. There were about half a dozen weathered travel trailers and one motor home in the camp. They looked mostly deserted, only two of the trailers and the motor home looked lived in. The riders and wagon pulled up to a chain that was draped across the entrance. Two men with rifles stepped from the trailers. Cody leaned forward in his saddle and said, “Hello, we are just moving through. We are looking for a place to camp for the night.” They talked back and forth for a few minutes.
When both parties were satisfied that no harm was intended, one of the men said, “Not much here, I am afraid. If you go to the back of the park, behind that line of trees there is a creek. The rains have it running pretty full. You could camp there and have some water for the horses. Sorry, our supplies are awfully lean but we will be cooking up some soup on the fire. You are welcome to share.”
From the wagon seat, Ashley noticed a woman and a dirty faced little girl come out of one of the travel trailers. Another woman came from the motor home. She was carrying a small baby. Oh my god, she thought. In Unity, they had established a small hospital. They had a nurse and some other people with medical training. They even had some medicines. How could you give birth, how could you and a baby survive out here. She knew that women had been having babies without help for eternity, it was still a scary thought. She clicked her tongue for the horses to pull the wagon in behind the riders and they moved through the trees to the creek. Climbing down, she said to Shawna, “Did you see that? Those poor women. It's sad, isn't it?”
Shawna said, “Yeah, I noticed. If we are going back over there, let's take some of our rice and beans, maybe a few other things.” The women tied up about three pounds of beans and of rice in flour sack towels. They took a jar of preserves and there were still some cookies in an old coffee can.
Ashley thought of the little girl. She picked up the coffee can and looked at Cody, “You mind?”
He nodded, “No, give 'em to the girl.”
The four friends went back to the camp spaces and joined the folks around the fire. The woman with the baby sat in a raggedy old lawn chair. One woman was stirring a large pot, something smelled very good. Another woman spread a faded cloth on a wobbly picnic table and sat out some bowls and spoons. The little girl squatted near the fire, dragging a stick through the dirt. Ashley bent down and gave her a couple of cookies from the can. Her face had been wiped clean and a sweet smile broke across it. Shawna took the rice, beans and preserves to the table. She said to the woman, “We had some extra supplies and thought you might could use them. It's just some rice and beans and a jar of preserves that we were given.”
The woman looked at the small bundles, her eyes swimming, “Thanks, that is nice of you.”
The men brought up some more firewood. There was no sign of a third man. They all exchanged names. The soup was dipped up into the bowls and they sat on long benches on each side of the rickety table. David said, “This soup is delicious.”
The woman said, “Well, the men got a couple of rabbits yesterday. Makes pretty good stew. We do have a small garden down by the creek. We get some decent vegetables. I didn't really have much salt, though.”
Cody said, “We have an extra box of salt you can have. It's hard as a rock but it's still salt.”
The woman reached for the can of cookies and offered them to all. Cody and David lied and said, “Oh, no thanks...full. You folks have the cookies.”
After supper, sitting around the fire, Cody told them where they had come from and where they were going. The RV folks listened with interest. The two men at the camp were actually brothers. They had been on the road with their wives for a long time when they came up on the RV Park and the trailers. They had been surviving there for about five years. The woman with the baby had came stumbling up about six months earlier, only about a month away from her baby being born. She had escaped from a very bad group of survivors. The two families had taken her in and the women had helped her birth her baby.
Ashley was so painfully aware of what it was like to be raped and abused. She had been fortunate that there was not a pregnancy from her ordeal, fifteen years ago. Her heart went out to the woman. The baby seemed to be doing fine. The woman discreetly nursed the baby as they sat at the fire later.
Cody asked, “Where is this encampment that you escaped from? Do you know how far away it is?”
The woman said in a quiet voice, “I was just barely on my feet when I made it here. I think that it might be about ten more miles down the Interstate. If the day is still, we see some faint smoke from fires in that direction.” She cradled her baby close to her, “I am telling you, there are some mean people there. When I managed to sneak away from the place, I really did not think that I could survive for long. Death was a better option than being there.” The baby was fretful and she got up and went into the motor home.
One of the men said, “If you think that you have to move in that direction, I would be extremely careful of the camp. This is just from things that she has told us, mind you. She had the bruises and cigarette burns to back up her stories. I wouldn't take the women any where near the camp. She said that they do like to barter. It seems that the people that trade with them, especially men, usually move along unharmed. Maybe they think that they will continue to have things brought in to trade.”
“We really don't know because we have never taken a chance on going there. Anyways...” the other man laughed, “We don't have a damn thing to trade with.”
Cody said, “We really appreciate the information. We'll have to think on it. We are not familiar enough with the terrain to take off away from the roads. Backtracking is not really an option. I don't know how far back we would have to go to find another route north. We have a little of bartering supplies. What do you think they would consider good trading items?”
“Can't say,” said the man. “Lot's of things are scarce or gone these days. I haven't seen a cigarette or real whiskey in years. Anybody these days will barter for food.” Cody got up and said he would be back. The others sat and talked of things they remembered from the past and things they missed. In a while, Cody returned. He sat cross legged and opened a small cloth bag. In the light of the flames, an amber liquid shimmered in a half pint bottle. The eyes of the men grew wide.
He said, “Get some cups gentlemen,” and he unscrewed a cap with a cork on it. One of the men rose and went to the table where some cups sat.
The other said, “That's more than tempting, son. But you better keep that for yourself and your friends.”
“I can share a bit. Years ago, my uh-h grandfather and I found quite a cache in a liquor store. We raided it more than once and it has been hoarded all these years. We were very stingy with our treasure. When we left for this journey, the family insisted that we take some with us. I never learned to be much of a drinker of the hard liquor but the man I was so fond of, loved to have just “two fingers”. So, let's have a little toast in his honor.” The women all declined, Cody poured all four of the men two fingers of the very well aged and strong liquor.
Back at their own campsite, the four checked on the horses and rolled out their sleeping bags. Cody said he would take the first watch. He needed some time to think about a way to get them past the bad survivors group that was in their path. There was a half moon tonight, he leaned up against a tree with his rifle beside him. They needed a plan.
By the time his early watch was over, he got a good sleep the rest of the night. He already had ideas in his mind to tell the friends the next morning. With their input, he thought they could deal with this obstacle. Over morning coffee the friends ironed out Cody's loose plan.
They would move down the Interstate towards the rural road that turned north. Watching for signs of the dangerous camp, such as smoke, they would stop well short of approachin
g. Cody and David would continue. They would do some reconnaissance, trying to see if there was a way to circle around the camp. They needed to know how big the camp was, how well guarded, etc.
The goodbyes and good lucks were done. The caravan left the RV Park early, Shawna driving the wagon and the mules pulling. It was late in the afternoon before they spotted the first faint spiral of smoke up ahead. The new mother at the RV camp had told them that the encampment was at the crossroads of the Interstate and a rural road. They were fairly certain it was the road they were looking for. She had said that long before you had sight of the survivors, you would see several billboards that rose high. Huge messages that had been stretched up into the sky to attract the attention of the traffic that used to fly by on the highway. Traveling for another hour or so, they still did not see the signs but they were seeing more puffs of smoke from campfires. The smoke was getting darker and sharper. David spotted an old barn set back a ways off of the highway. It was partly falling down, there was a corral connected to it. “Look ya'll, lets check out that barn.” There was a winding dirt road that led up to ruins of an old house. The back part of the barn, which had really just been a shed added on, had fallen in. The rest of the barn looked decently stable and there was the fenced pen attached. The wooden rails were mostly standing, though grown over with vines. They had stopped earlier in the day, rested the horses and watered them, they could just give them a little water.
Cody said, “I don't see any pond or water. I think we could make it for tonight. It's getting too late to move in towards the encampment. We could go early in the morning.” They moved the horses and mules into the corral and pulled the wagon through a wide doorway into the barn. The old door had rotted away.
No Normal Day III (West) Page 3