As they moved out and away from the big city, moving north, Cody wondered how many of these hard leavings would he have in his life. He understood more each day what had made Jack and Beth risk everything to bring their family together. Growing attached to people, loving them made it so hard to be separated from them. A thought of Ashley, a soft vision of her smile crossed his mind. He stole a look backwards to the wagon where she was riding. She was still looking behind them, quiet. He couldn't see her face, only the swirls of hair falling from under her hat where she had tucked it up. More and more, he did not want to be apart from her. Beth used to say that her grandmother told her, don't put all your eggs in one basket. She would just laugh and say that she was always carrying around a big old basket of eggs. Cody smiled to himself. He too, was putting his eggs in one basket. He was determined to make it to that Colorado cabin and make a life with David and Shawna...and yes, Ashley.
Chapter Ten
NORTH
Cody was distracted from his thoughts as he began to see how much the landscape was changing. Here, moving north out of Amarillo was the same Caprock escarpment that formed the beautiful Palo Duro Canyon. The flat topped plateaus striped in shades of red and tan stretched as far as the eye could see, sometimes dipping into mini canyons and dotted with scrubby bushes. The map showed that there would be nothing other than this deserted scenery until the next town, which was likely three days travel for them. At that town, they would turn west again for a day or so. For the most part, the rest of the way to the cabin they would be moving north and continuously higher. Trying not to let his mind get too far ahead, he concentrated on the New Mexico border. His calculations said they would reach the Texas and New Mexico border in about ten days. As always, Jack's words played in his brain, “You know son, it is not a bit unusual for the first snow to come at Labor Day...'course it's not big or long lasting but sure is a site to see.” The older man would flip through old photograph albums and point to a picture of snow covered mountain tops, “See, that was September 1st, first snow of the season.” It was now past the middle of August as the four traveled through the changing views.
The second night, they were getting camp made and giving the horses their ration of water. It was the biggest sky that any of them had ever seen. An enormous dome of dark with millions of twinkling lights. As the four of them huddled around the camp, they felt as tiny as one of those stars. Shawna said, “This is pretty amazing country. Have you ever seen anything like it?”
Ashley looked up at the sparkling canopy overhead, “We took a vacation once out this way, when I was just a little girl. I don't remember a lot of it. I always remembered though, the sky was huge and the stars so bright.”
David said, “Well, there are no city or highway lights anymore to dull the night sky.” He looked up just as a shooting star shot across. As his eyes followed it down, he caught a glimpse of something skittering away in the scrubby growth. In the dark, he could only see that it was low and long. He thought of that strange skeleton in the lab and moved his hand to his pistol. In a moment, a large and long jack rabbit sprung up and away. He laughed at his own imagination. Still, that was no rabbit skeleton back at the college, he knew that.
They finished a little supper and sat around the flickering fire. Cody was going to take the first watch but the other three were not quite ready to bed down. Ashley, sitting with her knees pulled up, her arms wrapped around them, said, “I sure miss Pat and old Bull.”
Yeah, said the others. “It's definitely quiet without those two,” said Cody. “I kinda liked knowing the dog would bark if any boogers were around.”
Shawna said, “How do you think we are doing, Cody? Do you think we can make it to the cabin before the bad weather sets in?”
“I think that we can still make it before the true winter weather comes. I am afraid it is looking more likely that we will start encountering spells of cold and even snow before we can finish the journey,” he answered. “I am real glad we found those coats, I am thinking we are going to need them.”
They sat and talked for an hour or so longer. Cody telling them that they should reach the upcoming town by tomorrow afternoon. They also talked about the route that the next approximately two hundred and fifty miles would take them. David said, “Better get some sleep so I can relieve Cody later.” The girls agreed and started rolling out their sleeping bags. Finding a clear place without big rocks and prickly growths was a bit of a challenge.
David was very close to asleep when he heard the shrill scream that he was pretty certain was a rabbit's cry. He lay still and listened, no one else stirred. It came again, this time louder and more frantic and then what sounded like a scuffling and growling nearby in the scrub.
Cody, in a forced whisper, “David...David, wake up. Did'ja hear that?”
David was already on his feet, rifle in hand, “I'm awake. I think it was right over there.”
The two moved cautiously in the direction of the noise. The women were up, alert by the fire. A cloud of dirt boiled up, there was screeching and groans and rolling thumping sounds. The women came up behind the two men and Ashley flashed a beam from a flashlight at the blurred struggle. Two animals of some sort were in a life and death battle. They weren't very large and one looked like a rabbit. Cody and David both shot off about six shots. It became quiet and the dust was settling. Cody took the flashlight from Ashley and they eased up to the blobs on the ground. A mangled jack rabbit stretched out. “Rabbit,” said David.
Cody swung the light to the other animal and they all moved a little closer. Shawna breathed in a bit and touched David's arm, “What is it?”
David took the light and squatted down. It was about twice as long as the rabbit, had dark thick fur, the body long with short legs and a nearly bobbed looking tail. The ears were small and pointed. Big round eyes were above a stubby snout and the mouth was full of sharp teeth, the two front ones longer. He swept the beam up and down the body, studying the animal.
Ashley said, “It's like at the lab, isn't it?”
“I'll be damned if I know. It's some kind of mix breed or mutation. I don't know all the animals in this part of the country...I haven't a clue what it is.” said David.
Cody said, “Is it some kind of cat or a coyote?”
David said, “No, too small. I don't see how any kind of experiment could survive all these years. Unless it has adapted or inter bred with other animals. Maybe it is just something that we are not familiar with.”
They all looked around at their unknown surroundings, not convinced. “Well it wasn't so big, but pretty vicious,” said Shawna. “We better be on the lookout. I would say that if there are more out here, they are not people friendly.”
Laughing, David said, “Well, at least it didn't take a silver bullet to kill it.”
The friends went back, made sure the fire was built up with the scrubby fuel. They got through the night with no more incidents. Morning and a look at the gory remains of the animals didn't give them any better idea what the mystery animal was.
The days were still hot, the nights cool and the environment desolate. By the end of the day before, they had started seeing the forms of giant wind turbines in the hazy distance. This morning, each mile that they walked, brought the towering white columns more into view. There were rows and rows of the modern windmills reaching into the sky, much resembling an alien invasion. As they drew closer, they were astounded at the size of these turbines. A long deserted truck at the base of one of the towers looked no bigger than a toy. Some of the elegant shaped fins were gently turning. The line of monoliths stretched away until they were tiny sticks on the horizon, an optimistic dream in the Before world of freeing ourselves from evil oil dependency.
They made it into the town. At a farm and ranch supply there was a few inches of water left in several galvanized stock tanks that sat in front. They were able to fill a few containers and let the horses drink from one. With filtering, bleach and boiling they had been ab
le, so far, to avoid getting sick from tainted water. The next day of walking brought them through vast fields that had been verdant with crops and into a smaller western town. There had been no more strange animals, at least not any that they had spotted. Matter of fact, there was not any signs of life in these deserted towns and miles of emptiness. Railroad tracks ran through this town and a long string of loaded coal cars squatted for blocks. Investigating the train, they actually found a locomotive behind the lead engine that had been a living quarters car. This made a good place to spend the night under cover. It was a luxury to have the long narrow table and a chair to sit in. There were some bunks and though the coverings had rotted away, the mattresses beat the heck out of the rocky ground. They spread their sleeping bags on them and got their best night's rest in a while.
***
Cody looked at his watch. It read 1:00 p.m., Sept. 1, the compass was pointing NW. The four friends sat on the ground, leaning against the side of the wagon. Above the wagon, a large and very faded sign read Welcome to New Mexico...Land of Enchantment. They looked back at the direction they had traveled from. The four travelers from Unity in East Texas had had trekked miles and miles across the state and they finally stood at the entrance to another state and more unknown territories. Cody said, “Well, we made it across Texas.” Four sets of eyes looked backwards at their home, was this reason for celebration or were they sad? They were definitely weary, their clothes dirty, their western hats circled with sweat stains. The hot summer sun that had burned their skin had left them with tanned faces and they bore a few scars. They were well over half way to their mountain destination and they had been gone from home four and a half months. One mountain loomed in the far distance, the map said Rabbit Ear Mountain, elevation 6,062 ft. It was near the first town in New Mexico and that town was more or less the only one for the next one hundred miles.
Cody took off his hat and beat off the dust on his bent leg, he pushed his hair that had grown much longer than he liked, behind his ear. Looking at David's long dark hair that was pulled back in a ponytail and at both of their stubbly beards, he had to laugh. Why would these women want anything to do with these raggedy road warriors? Once again the doubts...what had he gotten them all into, crept into his head. This time, Ashley provided the surprise. She rose to her knees, put her hands on the side of Cody's face and planted a big kiss on his chapped lips. “Let's hit the road folks, more adventure ahead.”
The uncertain mood was lifted. Shawna jumped up on the wagon seat and clicked to the horses. David who had walked with Shawna all morning, ran to catch up and dove in the back. Ashley and Cody would walk for a while. Would that “enchantment” lie ahead? Rested for now, they left Texas soil with new hope.
They reached the first and last town, by late in the afternoon and camped there for the night. A brief shower left some puddles around that the horses slurped out of and they collected about a couple of gallons here and there, going through the town. As they moved through miles and miles of open range, the late afternoon showers came every two or three days. Always short in duration but hard, the big drops would pound down, cold globs of liquid. This helped them worry much less about their water supply. New worries plagued them though. The strong winds blew frequently, blasting the dry stinging dirt against them and the horses. Even with many very warm days, there was a cooling of the air that hinted of future colder climes.
They had traveled about another week. Large herds of antelope often glided by and sprinted away from the caravan. Cody recalled that Jack had called these deer like animals speed goats. For the last two days or more the landscape next to the highway had been heavily dotted with outcroppings of coal black colored rocks. Cody spread his map during a break to rest the horses, weighing it down with rocks against the whipping wind. “Here,” he said, “Up ahead is an ancient volcano. That was obviously what created all this lava like rock, thousands of years ago. Looks like there might have been a small tourist stop where you leave the highway to go up on the volcanic mountain.”
Shawna stood, holding her hat on. They had been forced to find something to tie the hats on and under their chins, they still had to hold on in the stiff gusts, “Well, maybe there will be a little shelter there. This wind is brutal.”
David said, “Look, you can already see the mountain.”
As the horses clomped into the little stop in the road, they were disappointed to find the short string of buildings completely dilapidated. There was a RV park, the Camp sign laying on the ground. Then there was a stucco walled building, the roof was gone but four walls were still standing with holes where windows and doors had been.
Ashley pointed to the building, “That will be better than nothing, let's set up camp inside the walls.” Behind the building, the rains had made a small amount of wild grass spring up. They unharnessed the horses and tied them where they could graze. They had been very conservative with some grains that the school house people had given them. They gave the horses just a little. They were very aware that they needed the horses to be as strong as they could keep them. The wind beaten travelers found the corner of the four walls where the wind seemed to be the least and cleared away a spot to make camp. When they had spent the time with the generous folks at the school house, Cody had found an old metal bucket and managed to make them another “rocket stove”. They had not even used it until the last few days. It worked so much better with very little fuel and the wind did not interfere with it like an open campfire. They drug it out of the wagon, got a fire going and were surprised that the warmth actually felt good. They didn't realize how cool they had gotten as the sun got lower.
Cody had stood the first watch and then got a few hours sleep. It was just at dawn when he was awakened by what felt like needle being jabbed into his hand that lay outside the sleeping bag. He sat straight up and brushed at his hand, a small curly tailed scorpion tumbled off and scurried away. “Damn, he cursed...a scorpion bit me.” The others roused., the light was still not good inside the adobe walls. Ashley found a flashlight and lit up Cody's hand. It was already red and swollen.
David said, “Are you sure it was a scorpion?”
Cody gave a slight moan, “Yeah, I saw it...hell, that hurts.”
“Was it very big? Did it look like the ones back home?” questioned David.
“Looked like the ones at home, not very big, sort of sandy colored.” said Cody.
David said, “Whew! I got bit by one on my back once. Hurt like a son-of-a-b—tch. Let's see what we got to make it feel a bit better.” He went to the wagon and dug out some antibiotic cream and some pain meds. He soaked a towel in some cool water and told Cody to hold that on for a bit.
Ashley said, “I'll make some coffee. Can I get you something else, Cody?”
“No thanks, I feel a little queasy, to be honest,” he said.
“Well, we could all stand a little extra rest anyway. I think we better hang in here today. Appears that it was just a typical scorpion bite. Still, I don't think Cody should be moving around that much for just a few hours. He should feel better by tomorrow and we can head out again.” said David.
Ashley came back with the coffee. They had a little breakfast, talked about the road ahead. It wasn't long before Cody was asleep again. Shawna and David took care of the horses and decided to check around the ruins and see what they could find. Ashley stayed beside Cody, she pushed his hair away just because she really wanted to touch him. She sighed, leaned back against the wall and sipped the last of some cold coffee.
Shawna and David dug around in the few fallen down buildings all morning. Nothing was there, everything literally had dried up and blown away. They were glad to see that by the afternoon, Cody was already feeling a little better, though there was still a dull throbbing in the bitten hand. He said he felt like they could move on the next day, even if he had to ride in the wagon. The wind had not been quite as strong today. When they heard a rattling clanging noise, David moved to the opening in the front of the
wall. He scanned the road that could nearly be seen from when it entered the burg until it left. There was something rolling through in a squeaking and rolling cloud of dust.
Two donkeys and the contraption that they were pulling came to a stop near the friend's shelter and the dust slowly settled. A wagon similar to theirs yet different, sat in the middle of the street. It wasn't a covered wagon like old but a tent canopy was covering it and secured down. In the rear it looked like wheels and tires, in the front it had steel rimmed spoked wooden wheels. Hanging from the sides, a multitude of various bags and sacks dangled. Everything from duffle bags to various sizes of suit cases and drawstring cloth bags, even a few soft insulated cooler bags. A lot of the noise had come from assorted buckets, tools and utensils that also hung in between the bags.
A man and a young boy bounced down from the wagon seat. Both were wearing baseball caps, jeans, tennis shoes and colorful tropical print shirts. The boy, perhaps nine years old, caught a glimpse of David in the opening. “Dad, watch out! Someone is there,” he said. He ducked behind the wagon with a .22 rifle at the ready. The man motioned him down and reached for a pistol at his waist.
He yelled out, “We mean no harm...who is there? Come on out.”
David stepped out of the open doorway, a few feet away, his pistol drawn. Ashley and Shawna stayed back and covered him. “We wish no harm, either. We are traveling on north in the morning.”
The man relaxed a bit. “We are headed in the opposite direction. Is there any water here?”
David said, “We found a little in some old cast iron bathtubs over there. It wouldn't be safe for drinking, unless you have something for treating it.”
“That's no problem,” said the man. David looked over the loaded wagon. It had more junk hanging on it than Beth's Christmas trees used to have. He had to smile. The others, Cody with his wrapped hand, walked up behind him.
No Normal Day III (West) Page 11