Brushfire Plague: Reckoning

by R. P. Ruggiero

  “Hitch a ride, we will go and get Angela to come help the wounded at your place.”

  Miles looked at him, and nodded. Cooper could tell he was in shock by the hazy look in his eyes. Miles was the last man from their group out the door and he promptly dropped to his knees and spewed vomit that splashed across the asphalt. As Cooper left the building, he saw a half dozen other colorful pools of puke that marked another common reaction to being involved in a violent, and deadly, encounter. The stench of it immediately assaulted him; the sour smell of bile mixing potently with the coppery smell of blood.

  He lifted Miles up by the armpit, and pushed him onward.

  Miles called out to the group, “Those with wounded, back to my place. Those without, gather medical supplies and join us there.” He then jumped into a pickup truck, driven by the man with the gruff voice, Frank. There were several wounded cloistered in the pickup’s bed. Dranko and Cooper ran to the Jeep, got in, and tires squealed as they raced back to Dranko’s place.

  **********

  The drive to the cabin was a blur because of the adrenaline coursing through their veins. Neither man spoke a word and it seemed like they arrived there in a matter of seconds. They spilled out of the Jeep and were met by an avalanche of questions from Angela, Buck, Jake, and Calvin.

  Cooper let Dranko handle the adults, while he pulled Jake aside. He knelt down next to him, so he could look at him in the eye.

  “One at a time, son.”

  “What happened?”

  “There was a shootout at the marketplace between Hodges and our men,” he responded, holding onto his son’s shoulders.

  “Who was killed?” Jake’s eyes were heavy with worry, deep lines forming at the corners of his eyes.

  “About a dozen men. No one you knew,” he offered as comfort.

  Jake transformed before his eyes. The worry was replaced by a boiling anger, his jaw grew tight, and his eyes went sharp, “I asked who?” His voice went flat, with a stiff edge.

  Cooper looked at him confused, “I don’t know their names, son. But, no one you knew died there.”

  Jake’s voice rose to a high pitched squeal, “I want to know who! Names matter. They can’t be nameless!” Jake tried to wrestle out of Cooper’s grasp, but he held on more firmly.

  “What’s the matter, son? I don’t know these people well enough yet to know their names.”

  Jake continued squirming to get free, “Don’t you get it? The dead can’t be without a name. It’s wrong!” He yelled into his father’s face.

  Jake’s irrationality suddenly made sense to him. He released the grip on his son. “You’re right, son. It’s wrong.”

  His rant continued, “The names matter. I won’t forget Antonio. Or, Leroy. Or, Peter. We need to know their names so we remember.” He dissolved into a wash of tears as the last words came out. Cooper pulled him into a tight hug.

  His son sobbed into his chest, “We can’t forget. I don’t want to be forgotten.”

  Cooper pulled him back, so he could look him into his read and tear-stained eyes, “Jake. You won’t ever be forgotten. No matter what. You hear me?”

  Jake nodded meekly and sought the refuge of his father’s chest again. It pained Cooper to see his son like this. Grief and stress come out in all ways. Cooper knew that, but it still tore at his heart to see Jake like this. No eleven year-old should have to go through this.

  He answered a debate he had been having in his head, “You want to come with me to Miles’? We’ll be tending the wounded.”

  Jake nodded, “Yeah. Better than sitting here and wondering what’s going on and if you’re okay.” He wiped his sleeve across his face and breathed deeply, collecting himself.

  “Let’s help Angela and Dranko collect what medical supplies we can spare.”

  Jake nodded and they moved off. Within minutes, they had piled back into the Jeep and drove to the Stott’s. Calvin and Buck remained behind.

  **********

  They were forced to park on the roadway next to the Stott’s entrance, given the pile up of vehicles along his driveway. Seeing two guards posted made Cooper inwardly praise Miles’ foresight. They rushed past, carrying the supplies they had brought in two small duffle bags. People were dashing up and down the gravel driveway. When they crested the small rise and reached the opening in the trees where Miles’ house and small farm lay, the scene that greeted them was little more than organized chaos.

  They quickly spotted Miles, who was besieged by questioners pleading for his attention. Cooper quickly saw that half the people were relatives of the dead or wounded pleading to find out what had happened to their loved ones. The other half were people trying to organize things.

  “Where’s the triage area?” Angela’s clear, firm voice cut through the din.

  Miles looked at her blankly.

  “Where do you have the critical patients situated?”

  He shook his head, “Adam is over there; he got one in the chest,” he said while pointing to a pickup under a tree. “Jerry is inside the house, he got it…”

  Angela grabbed him by his shoulders, “Look. This needs to get put together. And, now.”

  Miles looked at her with a vacant look, nodding.

  “You know where the critical patients are?”

  He nodded.

  “Good, round them up. Move them all into the house. Now.” As Miles moved off to comply, she called after him. “We have any other medical personnel here?”

  “Not really. Couple EMTs. Doc Jones is supposed to be on his way.”

  Angela shook her head.

  “Cooper, find those EMTs and get them to me.” He nodded and moved off to move through the crowd to find them. He heard her barking orders as he left, Jake following in his wake. It didn’t take him long to find the EMTs and get them to report to Angela. He also found a practical nurse who was wailing over her dead husband’s body. Cooper was able to get her up and ambling towards Angela. He sent Jake with her to make sure she got there. He continued surveying the people there for medical skills or supplies that could be mustered. The last person he saw was a man wearing a white coat. He was sitting on the passenger side of a Jeep Cherokee, staring at the ground and rubbing his legs furiously.

  He approached slowly, “How goes it?”

  The man, gray hair glimpsing from underneath a ball cap, looked up.

  “I said, how are you?”

  The man nodded, shallowly and in a flurry, “Ah. Good, I guess.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Raymond. Raymond Harrison.” The man’s voice was reedy, unsteady.

  “I’m CJ. What do you do?” He continued, pointing at his coat.

  “I’m a vet. Jimmy asked me to get over here. But, I…I can’t help.”

  Cooper moved in and pulled Raymond to his feet. He brought his face in close. “Yes! Yes, you can!”

  Raymond tried backing away, “No. Too much. I’m not trained for this!”

  Cooper grabbed him by the collar, “You can. Just do what you can. You will save lives.”

  “I’m not trained. Not ready for this. I take care of dogs and horses for God’s sake!” Raymond yelled at him, fear shredding his voice to a raspy, thin wail.

  Cooper burst into laughter, “Yeah. And, I was a travelling salesman before I had to become a damned combat leader!”

  “Huh? What do you mean?”

  “It doesn’t matter. The point is, you gotta get in there and help. However you can. Right now!” He threw Raymond in the general direction of where Angela was. He stumbled and fell to one knee. He looked back at Cooper, incredulous. But, he rose to his feet and began ambling off in the right direction. Cooper’s hope grew when he saw him straighten up and begin to tug at this white coat as he walked. His gait became more firm with each passing step. Damn, fear is an evil thing. He collapsed into the car seat that Raymond had just vacated, he folded his hands around his head and breathed heavily. He counted to ten and then rose up to rejoin Angela.


  **********

  Upon returning, Cooper was surprised at how quickly Angela had brought order from chaos. The EMTs were triaging the wounded in an area to the left of the house. Angela and Raymond were, apparently, inside the house tending to the most critically wounded. Doctor Jones, a man in his sixties with a mane of white hair draped to his shoulders, showed up just as Cooper arrived. He was quickly directed inside by one of the EMTs.

  Cooper approached the other one, “I have some training in Wilderness first aid. It ain’t much, but do you guys need help?”

  The EMT, a woman in her thirties with chestnut brown hair that fell to her shoulders, shook her head, “Thanks, but we got it under control.”

  Cooper nodded, “Alright, but give a shout if things change.” She answered him with a quick nod and went back to work.

  Cooper drifted a few paces away and leaned up against a Chevy Bronco. Jake soon joined him, as did Dranko and Miles. They milled about, breathing in a collective sigh of relief, as they watched the medical personnel work.

  “Thank God for Angela, eh,” Miles asked.

  “You can say that again,” Cooper answered.

  “I wasn’t up to this,” Miles commented, shame clouding his voice.

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s a long way from farmer to running a MASH unit!” Cooper offered in support.

  “But, still…”

  “Ah, shut it, will you? You done what you could. What man can do more than that?” Dranko lashed out at him.

  Miles recoiled, taking a step back, “Well…thanks…I guess?”

  “Sorry. It’s been a long day. But, you know what I mean, right?”

  Miles nodded, “Yeah. I do. Thanks.”

  “You ready to talk about our 3pm appointment with Hodges?”

  Miles exhaled loudly, “If I have to.”

  “’Fraid so.”

  “I’m hoping you can join me. I was thinking you and Frank.”

  Cooper shook his head, “I think it’s best if I keep my distance. I don’t think Hodges knows yet that I’m linked to you. That element of surprise is something we should keep in our back pocket.”

  Miles thought for a moment, “Yeah, that makes sense. What do you think is the play?”

  Cooper shrugged his shoulders, “I think your leverage is stronger than it was this morning. He knows this town will stand up to him now. His nose is bloodied. So, I think it is to stick with the demands.”

  Miles folded his arms across his chest, “Sure. I was thinking the same. I’m damn proud of these guys. We paid a price. I need to make it worth something.”

  “I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade…” Dranko began.

  “But, you will,” Cooper interrupted.

  Dranko raised his eyebrows, “Yeah, well. Someone has to. The wild card in all this is whether Junior was wounded or killed. If he’s dead, you might be dealing with one pissed of Hodges. He may not be rational. We best hope that he’s only wounded.”

  “Good point,” Miles said.

  “You could find out before the meeting,” Cooper offered, a sober look in his eyes.

  “What do you mean?” Miles asked, with furrowed eyebrows.

  “Bethany,” Cooper’s one word answer was ripe with risk. He knew he was almost saying what Miles most likely knew already. But, there was a big difference between a man suspecting, or knowing of, his wife’s infidelity and him admitting it out loud. A long, tense pregnant pause hung in the air.

  Miles shuffled his feet and dropped his eyes to the ground, “Yup. She could find out.” Miles drew a deep breathe, pausing for another long moment. “Can one of you guys ask her to?”

  “I will,” Cooper offered, softening his voice to a whisper.

  “You all set, then?” Dranko asked, adroitly changing the subject.

  Miles looked up at them again, “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Let’s get everything ready and meet back up at one?”

  Miles and Cooper nodded in response. Miles drifted off and the other men watched him with sympathetic eyes.

  “That’s gotta be rough,” Cooper mused.

  “At least he’s being smart about it and not being an emotional moron.”

  “Yeah. I just wouldn’t want to be facing something like that during the apocalypse.”

  “Would there ever be a good time for something like that?”

  “Nope, I guess you’re right,” Cooper responded, chuckling morosely.

  “What are you guys talking about,” Jake asked.

  “Nothing, son. Nothing.”

  “Oh, I hate it when you do that!” Jake groaned.

  “What?” Dranko asked, knowing already.

  His eyes grew sullen, “Nothing. Forget it.”

  Before all of this, Jake would whine about not being included in adult conversations and he never gave up this easily. His resignation today disturbed Cooper.

  He began with an apologetic tone, “It’s just that Miles and…”

  “I said forget it,” barked Jake before he turned and walked away. His tone lacked any whine and was instead as flat as the Nebraska plains.

  “Just one more symptom,” Cooper mumbled just barely loud enough for Dranko to hear.

  “Of what?”

  “That he’s using anger to keep away the pain,” Cooper’s voice drifted.

  “He’ll be alright,” Dranko lamely offered, not a shred of confidence in his voice.

  “Yeah, thanks. Let’s go do what we gotta do,” Cooper said unenthusiastically.

  **********

  Cooper found Bethany boiling some sheets in the kitchen, making bandages no doubt. A man Cooper didn’t recognize was helping her. She looked up as he came into the room. He inclined his head, indicating he wanted to talk to her alone. She paused for a moment, and then nodded. She untied her apron strings and addressed her assistant.

  “I’ll be back in five.”

  The man nodded and moved into position to tend the boiling cauldron of sheets. Cooper moved aside as Bethany whisked past him. She was digging furiously in her front jacket pocket as she passed. He followed in her wake as she exited the front door.

  They moved to the side of the house. The cigarette was already lit and the first burst of smoke was blowing out as she turned, combative.

  “Whatcha want? I’m pretty busy.” Her feet were splayed wide, her posture matching her aggressive tone.

  “We need your help,” Cooper said, attempting to soften the mood.

  Curiosity gripped her face, “Really?”

  “Yeah. In the firefight today, we’re pretty sure that Junior Hodges was hit.”

  Her hand made it halfway to her mouth before she stayed it. She awkwardly tried to conceal the reflex by switching the cigarette to a new hand. Her face went slack in surprise for an instant, as well. Then, she forced it back to a devil-may-care look. She didn’t say a word, but kept staring at him.

  “We don’t know if he was wounded or killed. And, we need to know.” He looked at her intently, awaiting her response.

  “Why m…” She started to ask the question, but stopped herself. She doesn’t really want me to answer that. She stared at the ground, took two long drags on her cigarette before answering.

  “So, you want me to go find out?”

  “That’s about it. Miles needs to know before the three o’clock meeting. It’s very important for him to know Sheriff Hodges’ mental state right now.”

  “So, Miles knows?” Her tone told him how her question had more than the obvious meaning.

  “Yes,” he responded. He paused before look into her eyes, his own narrowing, “I’m pretty sure he does.”

  Her eyes glistened and she blinked back tears. “That’s too bad. I never wanted that.”

  Cooper just looked at her. Something in her eyes weighed on him.

  She looked again at the ground and lit another cigarette. Her feet shuffled and she folded her arms. “Why’s it all so complicated?”

  “I’m not here
to judge you,” Cooper said, hoping to stifle the conversation. They stood in silence for a long while. What was bothering him finally hit him. This is what a lost soul looks like. She’s lost, involved in an affair during the apocalypse. He shook his head, weighing what that must be like.

  “So, will you do it?”

  She looked up at him with sad, weary eyes. Cooper understood her reluctance. Saying yes will peel back one of the last veils of deniability between her and Miles. Cooper guessed that eventually those layers would get so thin that they would have to face it.

  “Yes, of course I’ll do it,” she finally said, forced firmness lacing her words. “Tell Miles I’ll be back soon, will you?”

  He nodded, “Sure. And, thank you. I know this isn’t easy.”

  She laughed, exhaling nervous tension, “You can say that again!” She blew out the last puff of smoke, crushed the butt under her heel, and walked off. Cooper watched her walk away. The way her shoulders drooped and how her steps plodded, he could see she carried a heavy load.

  **********

  “So, she gonna do it?” Mile’s words dripped with heavy meaning.

  “Yeah. She said she would find out for us.” Cooper answered, not knowing how he’d react.

  Miles squinted. His eyes drifted to the tree line, and he fixated there for several seconds. “At least some good may come of it all.” His words hung in the air, unanswered for a long moment, then he turned and walked away.

  When he was safely out of earshot, Dranko spoke up, “I feel for him. He has a heavy load to carry.”

  Cooper nodded. Suddenly, he felt wearied by the events of the morning. “I’m going to try and catch some sleep. Can you keep an eye on Jake for me?”

  “Sure. The seats in the Jeep are pretty comfortable.”

  Cooper smiled, “Nice to hear your optimistic side. Wake me when Bethany gets back, alright?”

  Dranko grinned and nodded. Cooper walked off and found the Jeep. Within minutes, he was asleep.

  **********

  Knuckles rapping on glass startled him awake. His body jerked and a hand went to the pistol laying in its holster on the seat next to him. He wrenched his neck, finding the source of the noise.