A deep voice spoke behind Jeff, “Wouldn't mess with her, she is pretty cuckoo. Cute little piece though.” The voice laughed a hyena sound.
Jeff rubbed his hand through his hair, stood up and smiled his biggest fake grin, “Well, women can be nutsy, huh?” He stuck his hand out.
The stocky man of average height didn't accept his hand, he moved to the big chair and plopped down on the furry seat, slung one leg over a chair arm. He was surprisingly dapper and clean, shiny shoes, long sleeve shirt and jeans. He had long hair pulled back slickly in a ponytail. Kevin had stood, the man pointed to the chairs and said, “Have a seat. My men say you have some things to trade.”
Jeff sat and placed the backpack down in front of him. “I do have a thing or two. Do you have things to trade?” he asked very directly.
The man grinned, “Oh, this old place is full of goodies. I have lots of women. Want me to line some up, so you can shop?”
“Don't know, women are lots of trouble, probably not interested. You got any food?” said Jeff.
“We got a bunch of old canned goods. Some of it is still good. Got blankets, dishes and silverware. We do have a garden in season, the women that aren't good for anything else, work it and put some food up. Getting a little low but we might have a jar or two.” said the important man.
Jeff opened up the backpack and pulled out a small pistol and ammo. He displayed three packs of cigarettes, the packages faded and crushed but seals intact, a pocket knife, a man's ring with a black center holding a small diamond and some argyle socks, clean and new.
“Put it on the table,” said the man. He picked up and handled all the items. “We have plenty of guns. Perhaps you need a gun?”
“My rifle is enough,” said Jeff. He looked over at the woman, she appeared to not be really paying attention. He had tried to become hardened to the cruelties of the world, but this woman so beaten and hopeless, he just couldn't seem to ignore her. “What about her?”
The man narrowed his eyes, “Thought you didn't want a woman. Anyway, she is crazy.” He turned to Emily, her head drooped down, hands in her lap, “She's fresh, don't think I want to give her up.” He looked at Kevin, “Unless, you would like to get rid of the boy.” Right on cue, the boy coughed and slumped a bit, there were dark circles under his eyes.
Jeff's stomach lurched but he followed the strategy they had used before. “He ain't my boy. He was my brother's son, that's why I am dragging him around. He's pretty sick, as you can see. I don't figure I'll have to bother with him much longer.” Kevin gave a gagging cough, and looked over thick clear glasses that he wore, giving his Dad a what the heck are you doing? look.
The man sighed, “Think I'll just keep her then.” He pushed the pistol aside and gathered the other items into a little pile, slid the ring on his finger and held it out to admire.
Jeff stole another glance at Emily, who still sat in a daze, he opened a side pocket on the bag and pulled out a pint bottle of amber liquid. The bottle had a crown shaped cap, an unbroken seal and a familiar blue label. There was a day when he had much enjoyed a good drink of bourbon. Not only had liquor become practically obsolete, but he had to keep his senses about him at all times and be responsible for his son. He had a large bottle of the precious liquid that he had found years ago and on rare occasions he took a shot. He sat the decorative bottle on the table, the hand with the ring shining reached out and took it with reverence.
“All of this...for the woman and safe passage out of town,” said Jeff with a sweep of his hand.
The man studied the sullen woman again. Real liquor was a rarity, and this was damn good booze. He had plenty of women at his disposal. He stood up and said, “Deal.” Jeff stuck his hand out again but the man still refused to shake. He spoke to a curvy full figure across the room, “Lou, take the woman and put her back in the clothes we found her in, and take those clips out of her hair. Bring her out to the pool.” He moved towards the hot springs and waved his hand in the air above his head for Jeff and Kevin to follow.
The wagon with the pack still sat near the pool. “That's hers... mine now, you just get the woman,” said the man. “I'll give you one hour to be out of the town. If any of my men spot you, you will be shot on sight.” Emily was brought in to the pool. She was wearing the blood stained t-shirt and polka dot boxer shorts, her curls loose around her face.
“Is that what she was wearing? That's not much, man.” Jeff spotted a pair of jeans laying across the pack on the wagon, he picked them up and a pair of tennis shoes were underneath. “She needs these. I can't drag her around with no shoes.” Emily stared at the water, he shook her gently and said, “Here, put on your jeans and shoes.” She stepped into the legs and pulled the jeans up and sat down to put on the tennis shoes. From the corner of the domed enclosure a furry yapping blur, came flying up to the woman. It jumped and licked and made whining sounds. A beautiful smile crossed Emily's face and she hugged the little dog to her.
The man backed up a step or two. Kevin knelt down and Emily nodded to him it was okay to pet the squirming animal. “Girl, Girl is her name,” said Emily.
Jeff looked over at little scene and then back to the man, “The dog goes with us.”
The man snorted, “Get the hell out of here, all of you. You have one hour.”
A man with a gun accompanied them to the edge of the hotel area, stood and watched them leave. Emily was not moving very fast, Girl bounced along beside Kevin. The three of them made it about four blocks, the hotel shrank away behind them. Jeff looked back and said, “Hold up a minute.”
She was definitely going to be sore for a long time, she hoped that nothing was actually broken. She gingerly sat down on short wall beside the street, looked up at her rescuer and said, “Thanks.”
“We don't have time for the whole story, I pretty much get it. Was the old man your father?” said Jeff.
“No. I was staying at a campground up north of town, just for the bad weather months. He was there, a sweet old man and in bad shape. He warned me but I was stupid. I wanted to take him down to the hot springs. He was enjoying it and we were too relaxed...although, I probably could not have fought off the gang. He shot one of the men, another kicked him in the head. In his frail condition, that finished him off.” Tears streamed down her cheeks again. “They kicked lil' girl and she ran off and hid.” She looked down at her colorful arms, “Obviously, I didn't win the battle that followed.”
She let her breath out in a long exhale, “If you could just help me get to the campground. I know you have already done a lot and...” the blue eyes sent him a pained and scared look, “you didn't really want me, did you? I mean, you didn't intend for me to stay with you?”
Jeff was a little bit offended, he tried to remember how much the woman had been through. “Well, I didn't buy you, if that 's what you are saying. I am not going to force you to do anything.” He looked over at Kevin, he had removed the fake glasses and now played with the dog. The boy was not ignorant of worldly things but he wasn't quite ready to really explain what the woman might fear being forced on her. “I just thought you were in trouble. I don't like to see a woman or anyone treated like that. You are not in tip top shape right now. If that campground is very close, I don't know if you will be safe there. You could travel with us for a while, only if you want to.”
“I am sorry,” Emily said in a weary voice. “I was with my parents for a long time, I am just now getting out into the world. I have already proven that I am stupid, don't know what to expect. I would appreciate traveling with you, at least until I get stronger.” She added, “If we could get to the campground, I have a few things there. Caleb had another gun or two, we might need some of the things that are there.
“We can do that. When we leave the campground, we will have to take a long way around to keep us away from the city. To the west, we have a wagon and donkeys hidden. When we reach it, we will head south for a while, we will not come back through the town.” He remembered the man's war
ning, “We better get moving.”
It was a gradual climb all the way out of town to the campground. It was slow and about half way there, it was obvious that Emily was not going to be able to make the walk. Jeff gave Kevin his pack and put the woman on his back, ignoring her protests. They arrived at the high RV park about an hour later. They first went to Caleb's trailer and she had to hold herself together as Girl ran around looking for the old man. They did find a pistol and a rifle and some ammo, just a few odds and ends that would be useful to them or to trade. The failing man had very little. They moved on to Emily's petite camper. She gathered her clothes and personal items, there was her sleeping bag, blankets, some sparse food supplies, the dutch oven. It dawned on her that she had not even been able to walk up to the campground and she had lost her backpack and wagon. She sat down on the bench, frustration crept over her.
Jeff stood in the doorway of the camper, he saw the very few possessions that the woman owned and guessed from her expression, that she didn't know what she was going to do. He said, “Look, there's all kinds of stuff around this campground. We will rig up something, you know something like a litter or...” he rubbed his head, thinking, “We can figure out a way to get you and your stuff to the wagon. Once we are there, we have it made. The donkeys pull and we ride. You will get better, you will get over this.”
Kevin dodged the little dog's licks of his chin, he said, “Yeah, Emily, we can figure it out. Dad is smart. We can do it.”
“Oh-my-god,” she noticed the dog and said, “Girl must be starved. She got a plastic container from the cabinet and shook out some dry food, which the tiny pup promptly gobbled up.
The optimistic, lets get to work attitude was so familiar to her. A tiny bit of hope edged into her mind. She stood up, gathered everything that she would try to take with her on the table. “Okay, let's see what we can find. I am ready to get away from here,” her voice was already just a bit stronger.
What the scavenging travelers found, turned out to be a garden cart. Near the office and maintenance shed for the campground, a flat bed cart on four small wheels sat. It was rusted, an old oil can loosened the wheels and got the long handle moving. It would work, Emily could ride and her things which she had put in two pillowcases would pile on. When she packed her things, she had found a foil package with four Ibuprofen tablets in it. She had taken a couple and her aching body felt somewhat eased by the time they were ready to hit the road.
Jeff had looked at the heavy dutch oven and said, “You don't have to tote that, we have plenty of pots and pans to cook in.”
Emily had trashed the soiled t-shirt and wore one of Caleb's flannel shirts and a clean t-shirt. A band controlled her curls again. The pills had perked her up a little, she put her hands on her hips and said, “Do you have a big dutch oven with a lid like this?”
The father and son nodded their heads negative. She looked at the two like they were not so smart, “Well then, we will have to take this. How would we cook biscuits?”
“I haven't had a biscuit in years,” was the wistful reply from Jeff. “If you have magic that will make biscuits in that piece of lead, I will gladly carry it for you.” He looked over at Kevin, realized that the boy most likely did not know what a biscuit was.
Jeff said, “I'm not sure how far around to the wagon it will be. We might not make it today. We better get going.”
They piled the supplies on the cart, Jeff pulled and Emily started the trip insisting she could walk. Kevin, already with a prancing shadow, walked behind. They were traveling a rural road that the map showed would take them to the hiding place of the donkeys and wagon. There was a thick ceiling of tree limbs and the shade made the air pleasant. They had walked about an hour and one look at the woman told Jeff that she had already pushed too hard. He stopped and said, “Emily, get on the cart. You will only make it longer to heal if you over do it.” She was relieved, pushed the supplies to the back, folded her legs up in front of them and leaned back. Kevin dug around in his Dad's pack and found a long colorful scarf that they had brought for trading. He tied the ends in a knot behind his neck, spread the loop out and put Girl in the sling. The tired dog snuggled down, her little head covered with tufts of spiky hair was poking out.
Even with the rough ride of the cart, Emily had fell into an exhausted sleep. Rustling grass awakened her, she opened her eyes to see only tall winter brown sheaves on each side of the path the cart was being pulled along. Jeff had been relieved that it was not so far as he feared around the town, to their hiding place. They pulled up in front of the tilted barn and Kevin went to the back where the donkeys were staked out. The dog began to bark and Emily heard Kevin say, “S-s-s-t” and the dog quietened. Then she heard the braying of the donkeys. She unfolded and stood beside the cart, her aches had found her again.
Jeff motioned for her to follow and pulled the cart into the barn. It was late in the day now and the old structure was dark. Emily took the pillowcases of supplies down, found a flashlight and routed around for the last two Ibuprofen pills and some water. Placing a lantern on the flat metal cart, Jeff lit it and a dim glow spread. He went back to his wagon and lit another lantern that hung from a long hook extended out about a foot.
Emily gawked in amazement at the wagon with dozens and dozens of bags and things hanging from it. Kevin came into the barn with Girl right on his heels. “How do you like it, Emily? That's our home.”
She had to laugh, even though it hurt. “Well, that is the most interesting wagon...or u-h-h, home that I have ever seen.”
The boy grabbed her hand and gently led her closer to the wagon. He gave her a very enthusiastic tour. “See, we try not to keep much inside, so we can have our sleeping bags. Or if the weather is bad, we can sit inside and play games. 'Course, I have to let Dad win Gin Rummy sometimes.” The woman looked at Jeff, he lowered his eyes and grinned. Kevin pulled her around the wagon that dripped with goods. “These are all of our supplies and our things to trade with,” he winked at her, “and we have some secret places, too.”
Emily's hand went to her cheek, “Oh my goodness, what do you pull this with, an Ox?”
They all laughed and Kevin said, “We have two good donkeys and they pull it great. I checked on them, they are good. Boy, Dad I am starved. Can we find something to eat?”
Jeff said, “Yeah, me too. I can't get those biscuits out of my mind. If you feel like it, do you think you could fix some?” He asked Emily.
“Yeah, I am fine to do that. Do you know how to make gravy?” she said.
“Sure,” said Jeff. The evening air was taking on a chill. He went to pull the rickety barn door closed and cleared a place on the dirt floor for a fire.
Kevin was busy, he rummaged through bags, he didn't know what a biscuit was but it was worth a try and he darn sure knew what gravy was.
Sometimes the baking soda or powder for the biscuits had lost all of it's leavening, they didn't always get big and fluffy like Emily would prefer. Jeff and Kevin thought they were the most wonderful thing they had in a while. Jeff had made gravy from a packaged mix and water. Kevin had found a MRE pack of chipped beef and they added that to the gravy. The meal was hot and definitely stuck to the ribs. Jeff had three and Kevin and Emily two each, that left enough for breakfast. The baker promised she would make more the next day.
Since they had shelter, the two guys slept out in the barn and let Emily put her sleeping bag in the wagon. Jeff said he would like to keep the fire going but actually he felt like he should keep a watch. He didn't think they had been followed, his experiences had taught him that you could not be too careful.
Emily was feeling better by morning, though her bruises and marks would turn a few more shades of purple before they faded. She had actually slept hard and was really stiff. It was early, she could see some light coming in through the multitude of cracks in the barn walls. In the very back corner of the barn where lots of hay had rotted down and some was still in loose stacks, she found a bit of privacy. Sh
e was out of sight and alone except for the two mice that scurried away. Jeff had actually been awake much of the night, so he still slept huddled down in his sleeping bag. Kevin was bunked out nearby with Girl curled up near his feet.
She found a few pieces of hay and wood to add to the fire. Trying to be quiet, she dug around in one of the food bags she had seen Kevin pilfer in for spices. She found some cinnamon and a jar of honey, in her fresh batch of biscuits she would add the spice and drizzle the honey on top. They could save the ones from the night before for later. The smell of cinnamon awakened the guys. While they ate the fresh warm rolls, Jeff spread out a map and explained the route that he thought they should follow when they left. The courtesy was extended to Emily of saying what she thought. She said, “I had no idea where I would be headed, I appreciate tagging along wherever you are going.”
There had been some time the evening before to exchange some stories of how each of them ended up where they were. Kevin told how he had lost his mother, how his father had put together the wagon and they had started traveling. The decision to leave California and travel, the odd way they had become postmen of sorts was told by Jeff. Emily told them she had been a teen when the world changed and stayed with her parents until about a year before, how she had made the decision to leave her home and find out what was out in the After world. There would be plenty of time on the road ahead for more stories of their lives of survival.
She moved with a careful walk, Jeff knew that the woman was hurting, “Emily, let me see what we have in our medical supplies. I am sure we have some pain relief meds of some kind. We will fix you a comfy place in the wagon to ride. I wish we could stay a day or two here for you to heal. This shelter is a good one, however, I am just not real comfortable with being near the city. I had rather move on out.”
No Normal Day IV (Travelers) Page 4