The three stood, catching their breath and said nothing. Kevin suddenly threw his arms around Emily's waist and said, “You were great Em! We all were, what a plan. We kicked their asses.” He reached for his dad's hand.
Jeff pulled the boy to him, “We sure did son, we kicked their asses.” He laughed and they all joined in, in relief. He looked over his son's head to the dripping wet woman. She had taken a big risk and scared him more than he wanted to admit. He wished that he could pull her into his arms.
It had been cloudy all day, there was a distant flash and a rumble of thunder, big drops of rain began to fall. Emily said, “Well now we are all going to be wet.”
“Let's try to move a little farther down the road and find a place to camp. Looks like a wet afternoon.” said Jeff. The moved slowly, the donkeys had gotten a real good work-out and they did not want to push them. After about two miles, they spotted an old double carport next to a collapsed house. With the donkeys un-harnessed they were able to get the wagon and the animals under some cover. They spent the afternoon, with the rain pouring off the sides of the metal roof, relayed the bags and cases and tools back out to the sides of the wagon and secured them. Finally, the wagon was clear again for the sleeping bags.
Emily found her little hibachi and they would make a small fire in it for cooking. First, Jeff pulled out his hoarded bottle of bourbon, he poured he and Emily a small shot of the liquid. Kevin poured himself a cup of Kool-aid. They toasted, “To victory”. Emily coughed and sputtered as the warm liquid slid into her stomach but she felt relaxed and happy. Little rivulets ran across the ground, even under the carport, so everyone spread their sleeping bags inside for the night.
When there had been a threat or if Jeff felt like they were not in a safe area, many nights as a matter of fact, he lay awake and kept a watch. This had been quite a day, he should be exhausted, instead he was awake and restless. He flipped and turned, he could hear Kevin's deep breathing in sleep. The rain still peppered down on the metal carport roof, he shifted to his side and his hand touched the cool slim fingers of the woman across from him. He could not see her face in the dark, her hand did not pull away. The hand actually turned palm up and she softly stroked the tops of his fingers with her thumb. Nothing but the sound of their breathing, his eyes finally closed, their arms still stretched across to touch hands. Emily was not asleep and the touch of Jeff's hand had her heart beating too fast. She could be in trouble, she had to admit to herself that she did not want to leave this man.
Chapter Four
A Visit to Unity
Jeff studied the two letters that he had dug out of the mail bag. One was addressed to Lee and Lynn, Jack's family compound, Unity and the other, in the neat handwriting of a woman was addressed to The Family, Church Group compound, Unity. The location of Unity, marked on his worn map with an “X”, was over a hundred miles to the west. If they encountered no trouble or bad weather, it would take them a week, maybe longer to reach the community. East Texas was thickly forested with tall pines and fewer hardwoods, the game and water would be plentiful. It was May, and unfortunately, Mother Nature was storing up her hot breath and she soon would blow it out like an old bitch dragon. That stifling heat would not relent until sometime in the Fall.
The travelers rolled along over the next ten days. Each day seemed to be hotter than the day before, although there was still some relief at night. During an occasional rainy night, father and son slept in the wagon, most nights outside. No discussion of the soft contact between Emily and Jeff, the night of the river crossing and no talk of her leaving. Emily had been with them for about two months now. At the fray on the river, she had proved her competence. More nights than not, the rabbit or squirrel that became supper, was from her very skillful shot. The three of them were a good team. There was an ease and comfort between them and they seemed to fall into a natural routine of surviving. The bond and affection was growing but the victims of deep loss are reluctant to open their hearts. This woman, man and boy had lived through those hurts and were not quite ready to risk the pain again.
It had been a brief encounter with the two couples from Unity, Cody and Ashley, David and Shawna. They had been traveling on to Colorado. He and Kevin had been heading southward. It was clear to him that they were good people, just trying to find a place for a new life. They were not embarrassed to express their great sadness at the leaving of family and friends, back in the east Texas new town of Unity. Jeff hoped they would find a welcome there.
***
They came up from the south. Jeff judged that they should not be far from the large city near the suburb of Unity. With it's typical loud announcement of arrival, the wagon jangled along and the passengers scanned their surroundings for signs of a community. They passed many falling down and decaying buldings and homes but saw no sign of an inhabited area. From a line of trees a growling, smoking tank of a vehicle burst forth. It seemed to materialize from nothing but woods. It roared along and the three travelers saw three hazy figures bounced in the front seat.
The loud vehicle was making the donkeys dance around as it pulled up beside the wagon. A small pretty face, with a few freckles across the nose and round blue eyes poked out the window. She appeared barely tall enough to be driving the big truck. A wheat colored ponytail flipped around and the young girl said, “Hey, where ya'll going?”
Jeff said, “We are looking for a place called Unity.” He looked past the girl, next to her sat a young woman with golden blonde hair to her shoulders pulled back with a band, next to her was a young man. Both had rifles resting on the dash of the truck. Jeff held up the two envelopes and said, “We have letters for some of the people of Unity.”
“Really!” the small face smiled, “Who are the letters from?”
Jeff looked in the corner of the letters, “Well, this one is from Cody and this one is from Ash...”
The heavy truck door swung open and the petite girl jumped to the ground, her small booted feet rushed towards the wagon, a rifle swinging from her shoulder, “Are you sure...Cody? A letter from Cody!”
The blonde woman leaned across the truck seat, yelled, “Brook...damn-it Brook! be careful.” She shouted above the truck that was still rumbled.
The young man reached across and killed the truck, he said, “Stay here, Nicky.” He exited on his side and went to the wagon, “Who are you?”
He stuck his hand out and said, “I am Jeff. This is my son Kevin and this is Emily. A few months ago, my son and I crossed paths with two couples who were traveling to Colorado. When we meet people, we sometimes take letters from them and if we are able, we deliver them as we travel. They asked us to take letters for Unity. They told us about the community and how to get here.”
The young man relaxed a little, he said, “Okay. We are headed out to make a water haul, but we will take you back to Unity first. Just follow us.” He turned, “I am driving this time, Brook get your little butt in the truck.” The small woman flounced around and climbed up in the truck and ignored the disapproving look from her sister.
The truck moved towards the tree line, the donkeys pulled the wagon behind it. Jeff had to drop back a bit, whatever the truck was using for fuel was like a smoke bomb. At the edge of the trees, Brook jumped out again and Jeff saw that there was actually a gate, covered in brush. She swung it open and let the truck and wagon through and closed it back. They were on a well worn dirt trail, with tall pines on each side. The trees opened up and they rolled across a field. On one side of them, a sign read Unity Cemetery, various markers stretched out behind it. Beyond that, they could see livestock behind fences and stables. Chickens and goats roamed freely around the area, plowed fields and fresh green crops spread out. They hit a cracked and crumbling paved road, in the distance to the south, the outline of old cars lined up across the highway.
The truck crossed the road, pulled up and stopped in front of an old fire station. The three passengers got out and came back to the wagon. The blonde said, “Hi, I
am Nicky and this is my husband, Brent. This is Brook.”
Brook clapped her hands, “We are going to Momma n' thems first. Is there room for us to ride in the wagon?”
“Sure,” said Emily, “Kevin, why don't you let Brent ride up front and tell your dad where to go.” The boy rolled over into the wagon and they boosted the women up in the back.
Brent climbed up on the seat. “Behind us is the Church Group compound. I am from there. We will take the letter from Ashley to them, later. Go straight ahead,” he pointed north. They passed a few horses and riders, lots of abandoned houses but a few that were obviously lived in. Sweeping off the porch of a house near the road, a woman waved. Brent said, “Pull up a minute.” He spoke to the woman, “Hey, Lacey. This is Jeff, he has his wife and son with him. He has brought letters from Cody and Ashley.”
“That's exciting, Mac and I will see you later” said the woman.
Brent turned back to Jeff and said, “That's our school teacher, nice lady.” Jeff didn't correct the “wife” remark and they moved on. When they passed a group of houses on the east side of the road, Brent explained that the Lake Group compound was in that area. A little farther along, he directed the wagon into a street lined with brick houses. Most were grown over with weeds, the tall hardwoods shading once landscaped yards. Old cars dotted drives and the sides of the street. There was a house here and there that was maintained neatly and looked lived in. About half a dozen horses grazed in some of yards.
The donkeys pulled the wagon up a steep driveway, a twenty year old SUV sat in front of garage doors on the right. Directly in front of them, two wide garage doors stood. Brook bounded out of the wagon, yelling, “Momma, Momma...let us in.” Shortly, one of the doors raised and she grabbed the man behind it around the waist in a hug. Beside him was a thin and pretty woman with wheat colored hair pulled up in a ponytail like her daughter's. “Momma, guess what? There is a letter from Cody! Can you believe it?”
Trish pulled the girl to her, got a kiss on the cheek from Nicky and said, “Hi Brent.” The three travelers stood a bit self conscious in the open doorway. Eric, a touch of gray in his close cut hair, was wearing faded jeans and t-shirt. He motioned them inside and closed the door down. Their eyes adjusting to the light, they looked around at the shop full of tools and parts. On one side of the double garage, a hulking old station wagon was parked. Jeff thought, that thing has got to be seventy five years old.
Brook led everyone out through the garage door to the back covered patio. The screen door on the entrance to the house opened, Dianne and Jason came out. Dianne's nearly black hair now had some streaks of gray around her face, it was pushed back with her reading glasses on top of her head. Small crinkles formed at the corner of her dark eyes when she smiled her still beautiful smile. Jason, lean and standing tall above her, placed his hand on her shoulder. Across the large combined yard, Lee and Lynn walked towards them from the house next door, Casa Dos. They held hands and moved with ease, though each had a very slight limp. Lynn's shiny brown hair had it's natural frosting, her hazel eyes were clear through tiny gold framed glasses.
Introductions were made and Jeff handed the letter to Lee, “I believe this is addressed to you and Lynn.” They all sat down on the patio, a small fan stirred a bit of air around. Cody's letter was not very long. At the time of the writing, the two couples had not made it to Colorado. He spoke in the letter about how close they were now and that in spite of a long and hard journey, their goal was within reach. He mentioned every single family member's name and out beside each name was a short personal note. Just a few words like...Brook, do you still have those cute freckles? Are you being a good girl? Ha,ha. Nicky, my beautiful blonde cousin, stay smart. He said how much he missed them all and that he had not forgotten his promise to see them again someday. The tears that flowed freely told Emily how much love there was in this family.
Jason said, “David is my son and Dianne's. We did get to communicate with the four of them, back in the Fall and another time about two months ago. They made it to Colorado and the cabin of Jack and Beth. Another couple that they met along the way has joined them there.” He wiped the sweat from his brow, “They talk about the wonderful cool weather,” he smiled, “Sounds good, huh?”
“I really think they are building a life there. As much as we miss them, we are happy for all of them,” said Dianne. She stood up, “Well, we will have supper here later and we'll let all the children know. They will want to read Cody's letter.”
Trish said, “Let's see. Emily, you and Jeff can take the bedroom out in the garage. Kevin, there is a small room off of the kitchen that you and the dog can have.” She turned and started talking with Lynn about bed clothes and the three sisters discussed supper as they trailed into the original home of Jack and Beth, the parents they had lost over the last three years. Nicky and Brook hooked arms, followed the older women. Brook turned and said, “C'mon Emily, they'll work us like mules if you don't come help.”
Jeff started to protest and looked at Emily, who smiled at him and shrugged her shoulders. She joined the women. He did say to the men left standing around on the patio, “Are you sure that...I mean, we don't want to put you out. You know, we have the wagon. And the donkeys, we will have to do something with them.”
All the men, including Brent the new young son-in-law laughed. Eric said, “Look bud, if you are thinking of getting away, you better move fast. The sisters are already making plans, I would say ya'll have a meal and a bed for tonight whether you like it or not.”
Lee said, “He's right. You can un-harness your donkeys and stake them out next door. That grass gets so high, sometimes we bring some of the goats up here and let them eat it down.”
“We rarely have any trouble anymore, I think your wagon will be fine up in the drive. The front bushes are tall and it won't be very easily seen,” said Jason. “We still have a watch every night from dusk till dawn. It's not as needed as it once was,” they all looked out at the tall wooden fence, with barb wire around the top that encircled the back yards of two houses.
Lee stood up and rubbed his leg a bit, he said, “Jack and Beth gathered us all together and turned their home into a family compound. They kept us safe and they taught us to survive, we and our families are all still here. Jack insisted on the watches, old habits die hard.”
“I understand,” said Jeff. “After Kevin's mother died, we just started traveling. It's a rare night that I feel safe enough to lay down and get a full night's sleep. There's some mighty weird things going on out in the world.”
Once the children had moved out into the community, Trish and Eric, Lynn and Lee had divided the Casa Dos into an area for each couple. Dianne and Jason had taken over the parents large bedroom and part of the original home. The three sisters and their husbands still cooked all their meals on the covered back patio, they ate together and gathered, sometimes the six of them but more often at least some of the children and grand-children in the common room. The former living area of Jack and Beth had been used for a common room for all these years. In the backyard of the family compound, four long wooden picnic tables stretched. As the afternoon drifted towards supper time, the descendants of Jack and Beth begin to populate the back yard and the tables.
The food supplies these days were totally from the crops and the livestock that the community shared responsibility for. They still bartered and traded with other survivors in the near vicinity, but mostly Unity and it's residents were self sufficient. The sisters had prepared and spread numerous dishes on the table and counters inside and everyone who came would bring something to contribute to the meal.
As the family arrived, Jeff, Kevin and Emily were introduced to each new arrival. All the names would not be remembered but the connections were made. Dianne and Jason had three children that had stayed in Unity. The oldest son, Dane lived in the neighborhood with his partner, Sean. The daughter, Kat and husband, Tate had an eighteen year old son BJ. Matt had married a woman from the Lake g
roup and the couple had a twelve year old son. David, the youngest son had gone to Colorado with Cody.
They had met Trish and Eric's children, the feisty little Brook, Nicky and her husband, Brent. Lynn's twin daughters, Michelle and Mindy had not married and lived in the duplex opposite to BJ and his young friends. The large family connected by both blood and extreme life experiences, now scattered around inside the very familiar boundaries of the compound, they ate and visited.
Emily sat next to Kat, who told her about the hospital that had been created years before and that she was a nurse there. She explained, “I had just began my nursing training when the big event happened. There was a veterinarian here at the Church group compound and a nurse. With their experience and the skills of a few with first aid and emergency skills, we have formed a pretty good medical team.”
“Well, what about medicines and supplies, how do you get them?” said Emily.
Matt, who had also become one of the hospital crew, said, “For as long as we could, we scavenged and scrounged. We searched the clinics, the veterinarian hospitals, and the pharmacies, until nothing was to be found we gathered and stored.”
“We have used the more potent meds and antibiotics very sparingly,” said Kat. “We save them for true emergencies and serious illnesses. We raided the library in the city and got every book we could find on the chemistry of the medicines, the ingredients. We have herbal remedy books, quite a library of our own at the hospital. BJ and Dane's partner Sean are really smart and interested in studying the medicines and what we can grow, etc. They have helped a lot and we have had some success over the past three years or so, with creating some beneficial medicines.
No Normal Day IV (Travelers) Page 7