by Joel Baker
Sarah turned as Mark came into the room.
“Mark, go get your brother and sister,” Sara said. “It’s time for dinner.”
“Hey!” Mark yelled. “You guys! Come and get it!”
“Thanks, Mark, I could have done that,” she said shaking her head.
She had to remind herself that Mark was only fifteen. So tall, and asked to do so much, she thought.
Two minutes later Paul and Lily thumped down the stairs and raced for the table. Paul had turned thirteen in December and Lily was eight. Sarah placed the food dishes on the table and sat next to Jesse.
Sarah thought dinner went well. Mark seemed quiet. The complaints about having to eat canned stewed tomatoes every night were the same. Jesse and Mark had found cases and cases of cans in the basement of Shamrock Supermarket.
They’d salvaged what they could from abandoned houses. Everything from cans of corn, vegetables, coffee, tomatoes, and green beans to jars of pickles. Tonight she’d added a can of mushroom soup to the green beans for flavor. Sarah had three cans of Spam stashed away for special occasions.
After dinner, Mark and Paul disappeared upstairs. Sarah looked up at the ceiling. Judging from the thumping coming through the ceiling, a wrestling match had just broken out. Lily sat at one end of the table, worrying over a book.
“Lily?” Jesse said. “Honey, why don’t you run upstairs and do your reading? Your mom and I want to talk.”
“Okay, Daddy,” Lily said.
Sarah wondered what this was about. Jesse had seemed deep in thought during dinner. She watched Lily thump her way up the stairs and waited for the inevitable yell.
“Will you guys cut it out?” Lily asked. “I’m trying to read!”
The thumping slowed, but only marginally.
“I’ll get us some coffee”, Sarah said, walking into the kitchen and picking up the coffee pot from the wood stove.
“Damn!” Sarah muttered. “The pot’s almost empty. You can have this and I’ll make some more.”
She emptied the dregs of the coffee pot into Jesse’s cup and sat down next to him. Jesse took a sip and looked up at her. He thought for a few moments before breaking the silence.
“I think it’s time to make some plans for what we’re going to do this spring,” he started.
“OK. I’m listening,” Sarah said as she stood and walked towards the kitchen.
She felt Jesse watching her. She glanced back over her shoulder and with a flirty smile.
“What you looking at, mister?” Sarah asked.
“I never get tired of watching you walk away,” Jesse said, grinning.
Sarah stuck her tongue out at him, and disappeared through the kitchen door with an exaggerated swing of her hips.
She first poured the water from the stove kettle over the dishes and left them to soak. Then Sarah filled the coffee pot and set it on the burner. She dried her hands and went back and sat by Jesse.
“What plans Jesse?” Sarah asked.
“I think it’s time for us to leave Liberty,” Jesse said.
“Where would we go?” Sarah asked a worried look on her face.
“Haven,” Jesse said.
A flood of memories clouded Sarah’s mind. It had been some time since they’d visited Jesse’s childhood home. It was a beautiful little valley just northwest of Chattanooga. Haven was abandoned after Jesse’s parents were killed in a car crash. It was left to Jesse in the parents will, once he came of age.
She and Jesse had visited Haven several times over the past ten years. The buildings were always the same. The same narrow road led back to the valley. Now everything was so overgrown. It had been getting more and more difficult just to find it.
Jesse and Sarah had gone through all the buildings, the house, the barn, and sheds. Everything was covered with dust. The tools still hung on the walls. It had a really odd, almost creepy feeling of abandonment about it.
Sarah hadn’t been impressed with the nearby town of Eagle Rock either. A rough crowd had stood around and stared at them. She’d felt uneasy the whole time they were there.
A few years ago, Jesse managed to locate Franklin and Hattie Pierce. They were the couple who took care of Jesse after his parents’ accident. Franklin and Hattie had worked for Jesse’s father on the farm. Both seemed to have aged well.
Franklin had told Jesse that he and Hattie were thinking of moving. They’d had some trouble with some of the local toughs. They kept to themselves as much as possible now.
Jesse had suggested they move out to Haven and look after the place. Everyone seemed pleased with the offer. They’d spent the next couple of days helping them move and cleaning the homestead.
“Haven, Jesse?” Sarah asked. “Are you sure? It’s such a long way away. I know it’s bad here, but Tennessee seems so far away.”
Jesse took another sip of coffee and appeared in deep thought. There was silence for several moments except for the occasional soft thud coming through the dining room ceiling.
“I don’t think we have a choice,” Jesse said. “We’ve waited over a year for someone to show up and fix things. Well, I don’t think anyone is coming.”
“If I thought we had half a chance of getting away from this hell hole,” Sarah said. “We could leave tomorrow. It’s got to be three hundred miles. How can we take the children that far? What makes you think it’s safer in Tennessee? I mean, we don’t know what’s waiting for us there.”
“This whole part of the country is dying Sarah,” Jesse said. “Scavengers, sickness, everything has changed around here. We need to change too. I think we have to pick a spot. Find someplace with land to grow food. We need to make a decent place where our kids and our grandkids can grow up.”
“But why move to Tennessee?”
“I think the people down there came through this in better shape,” Jesse said. “Certainly, the area around Haven would have. That part of the country didn’t even get electricity until the TVA came through in the thirties and forties. We didn’t get phone lines at Haven until the fifties. Besides, we know people there. People like Hattie and Franklin who will welcome us.”
Sarah sat silent, thinking. The sound of the grandfather clock ticked away. The silence from upstairs indicated the wrestling match was over.
“Okay, Jesse,” Sarah said. “I think you’re right about it being time to leave. But there’s something else.”
“What?” Jesse asked looking concerned.
“I know what you and Mark have to do out there,” Sarah said. “We don’t talk about it, but I know. I’m worried about Paul now. He’s beginning to feel left out. Every time you and Mark head out the door, Paul just mopes around. He feels he’s old enough to go with you. I’m afraid it’s just a matter of time before you’ll need him to help as well.”
“Oh Sarah, I don’t think…" Jesse said.
“Just promise me you won’t get Paul involved in all this,” Sarah said. “At least try and avoid it. Maybe you could teach him some things that aren’t quite as dangerous. Spend more time with him. Promise me?”
“I promise, sweetheart,” Jesse replied.
The clock ticked and the house was silent as Sarah and Jesse both sat thinking about what lay ahead.
“Honey, do you really think we can do this?” Sarah asked after several moments.
“Sure we can,” Jesse said. “We love each other and that’s a really good place to start. I think we need to dig down deep. But we can do it. You know why?”
“Why?”
“Cause we have to,” Jesse said. “That’s why.”
Sarah got up, came around the table in the flickering lamplight, put her arms around Jesse’s head and hugged him tightly. She felt the back of Jesse’s head press against her body.
“Let’s do it, Jesse,” Sarah whispered in his ear. “I’ve always trusted you to do the right thing. We’ve been sitting here hoping someone else would make things right. Suddenly the lights would magically come back on. Maybe the government w
ould finally show up and arrest all the bad guys. Well, it’s not going to happen. It’s time for us to look out for our family.”
“I love you, Sarah,” Jesse whispered back.
Sarah smiled down at Jesse and kissed him deeply. She sensed a rising interest in Jesse, but still had some questions.
“When do we leave?” Sarah asked. “How are we going to get to Haven?”
Jesse seemed distracted, but came back to the topic.
“I think we have to wait until spring,” Jesse said. “The company truck still works, I’ve got enough diesel fuel stashed away to get us there. I’m just not sure what the roads are like. Worse case, if the truck breaks down, we’ll have to walk. I think you and the boys can do it, but I worry about Lily, especially in the winter.”
“It’s over three hundred miles isn’t it?” Sarah asked.
“More like three hundred and sixty,” Jesse said. “The main roads will be impassable. We’ll have to stick to the back roads. Hopefully the bridges over the Ohio are intact and open.”
“How long do you think it will take?” Sarah asked.
“We should plan on making ten miles a day,” Jesse said. “I figure thirty days.”
“Are you sure it will take a whole month, Jesse?” Sarah asked.
“No,” Jesse said. “I’m not sure. But I think we should plan for the worst. As long as we stick together, we’ll be all right. I just hope Franklin and Hattie are still looking after the place and are ready for some company.”
Sarah sat watching Jesse make lists of things they would need to take with them. She knew this was Jesse’s way of organizing his thoughts. Later, after she made sure the kids were in bed, she began to feel sleepy.
“I’m going to get ready for bed,” Sarah said. “Don’t be too long okay?”
“I’ll be right up, sweetheart,” Jessie replied.
Sarah went into the kitchen to wash up. After she put on her nightgown, she went upstairs and crawled into bed. A short time later she heard Jesse on the stairs. As he entered their bedroom she heard Jesse kick something.
“Damn, that hurt!” Jesse said as he got under the blankets.
“What happened?” Sarah asked.
“I tripped over that stupid rocking chair again.” Jesse said.
“Aw… That’s too bad,” Sarah said, “Want me to kiss it and make it all better?”
Later that night, Sarah lay in bed still feeling the serenity of having made love. She shuddered with the spasm of remembrance. In the back of her mind she thought about a baby and what that would mean. She knew it was in God’s hands, but worried about it none the less.
Sarah also thought about Jacob Warner. Jesse had told her about that nice old man now dead by the side of the road. She thought poor old Jacob deserved better. But then, so did her parents and everybody else. Even the scavengers deserved better. It just wasn’t right. People were killing each other over a pack of matches or a can of soup.
Sarah rolled over and drifted into sleep.
Chapter 3
Jesse bolted upright in bed. The muscles and cords in his neck stretched taut. All he could remember from the nightmare that woke him were images of the bodies by the road outside of town.
They looked dead, but were sitting upright in the snow. As he approached, they all turned and stared at him. There was a metal pot sitting in front of them. The girl was slowly stirring whatever was in the pot. She smiled up at Jesse.
It was morning. Sarah had already gone downstairs. Still unnerved from the dream, Jesse tried to gather his thoughts. It had seemed so real, even though he knew it was a dream. Jesse was anxious to get the body of Jacob back to town and get rid of the scavengers.
Downstairs, everything was normal. Jesse kissed Sarah and checked on the kids. They were already hard at their studies. He headed out to the enclosed back porch, shrugged into his white and brown camouflaged coat and insulated boots. He grabbed a coil of rope and looped it through his belt. His British made rifle with a mounted sniper scope stood next to the back door.
The rifle had been stuffed way in the back of the counter of Bud McCann’s gun store. Jesse had wondered at the time what Bud had wanted with a high powered weapon. It was curious.
He checked to make sure that the thirty round ammo clip was full and snapped it into to the breech. As he stepped outside, he moved the safety to off, chambered a round, and headed into the bitter wind blowing up the driveway.
Every day Jesse walked the perimeter of the town. Some days Mark went with him. Most times nothing happened. Occasionally, like yesterday, something did.
Initially, the town had organized patrols and checkpoints. But as people ran away or died, the people left lost interest in everything but surviving. Jesse kept at it because he thought it was important. He wasn’t sure it how much good it did.
Jesse saw smoke coming from the Palmer place. Larry Palmer wasn’t someone he would have picked as a likely survivor. Larry seemed like a decent sort. He was a bit on the lazy side and badly out of shape. Jesse walked up the driveway.
“Larry!” Jesse called. “It’s me, Jesse!”
A minute went by and the house appeared to wink as a curtain quickly opened and closed. Larry Palmer walked out on his porch and waved.
“How’s it going, big guy?” Larry asked.
“Pretty good,” Jesse said. “How are you doing?”
Jesse recalled Larry saying he and his wife Estelle had retired to Liberty to enjoy the peace and quiet.
“We’re thinking about moving on next spring,” Larry said. “What about you?”
“We’re not sure yet,” Jesse said. “What direction are you heading?”
“West, I think,” Jerry said. “We were thinking about looking up the in-laws, over near Hudson in Illinois. We heard from them about six months ago and they were doing alright.”
“Sounds good,” Jesse said.
Jesse wasn’t sure if either Larry or Estelle could make it to the county line, let alone Illinois.
“By the way, we came across some scavengers yesterday,” Jesse said. “I thought you ought to know.”
“Did you take care of them?” Larry asked.
“I didn’t have much of a choice,” Jesse said. “They were sick and seemed like a crazy bunch.”
“You don’t have to explain to me,” Jerry said. “No one has done more for the people around here than you.”
“There’s bad news too, Larry,” Jesse said. They got Jacob Warner.”
“Damn! I really liked the old guy,” Jerry said.
“I know,” Jesse said. “He kept to himself, but Jacob was a good guy. Listen, I’m going to head back out by the water plant road and bring Jacob back to town. I thought I’d put him in City Hall until the spring thaw with the rest of them.”
“You want me to go with you?” Larry asked.
He was sounding less than enthusiastic. Jesse thought if Larry went with him, he’d have to drag both Jacob and Larry back.
“No thanks, I can get him,” Jesse said. “He’s been out there all night, so he should be frozen stiff as a board. I’ll just tie a rope on his ankles and drag him back.”
“Well, let me know if you want help,” Jerry said.
“Good luck with finding the in-laws in Illinois,” Jesse said, as he walked back down the drive.
A half hour later he spotted the turnoff they’d used yesterday. As Jesse neared the top of the rise, the sun came out cold in the January sky. Most of the tracks from yesterday were gone, covered by blowing snow and drifts. Jesse lowered himself and crawled to a point where he could see the scene below.
Something was different.
Jesse waited a few minutes and walked down to where Jacob’s body lay covered with a dusting of snow.
The bodies of the three scavengers were gone.
He walked in a circle looking for signs of who had taken them. The pot and bent knife still lay by Jacob. Jesse dropped the coil of rope. Ten feet from Jacob’s corpse, he saw faint tire
tracks nearly covered up by drifting snow. They led west, away from town. He decided he better follow them.
The wind was blowing snow in Jesse’s face, and covering his tracks as soon as he made them. Jesse approached a curve in the road and heard voices coming in his direction.
He jumped quickly to the right side of the road, doing his best to cover his tracks as he went. Jesse couched in the brush with a clear view. He brought his rifle forward and waited.
Three men carrying shotguns came into view walking side by side. They were huddled over with the cold, and appeared more concerned with keeping warm then watching where they were going. Soon they were close enough for Jesse to overhear their conversation.
“Boy, the Chief is pissed big time!” man one said.
“He’s always pissed about one thing or another,” man two replied.
“Do you think he’s going to have us take out that little town up ahead?” man three asked.
“The way those three gimps we found yesterday bought it? No way. That was stone cold. All three shot right between the eyes,” man two replied.
“Chief thinks it’s too risky,” man one said.
All three men stopped, and then turned and headed back to where Jesse lay hidden in the brush.
“Chief’s a pussy. He sits in that warm house with all his god damn buddies while we’re out here freezing,” man two said.
“He told me we might be heading back west. Thinks there might still be easy pickings that way,” man three said.
“There damn well better be. I’m coming down with a bad case of blue balls, and not just from the cold!” man two said.
The men disappeared back around the curve, laughing.
Jesse waited a few more minutes as the laughter receded. He returned to the road and stood for a minute or two listening. That was way too close. He made a mental note to keep an eye on this bunch for the next few days. In fact, he should send Cole out just to make sure.
Jesse left Jacob's body in the jury box of the main court room in City Hall. He would sit with the others waiting for the spring thaw or judgment day, whichever came first.
It was a short three blocks to his old garage. He walked up to the front door, turned the key, and entered the dark, musty-smelling building. It seemed odd to be here alone. He imagined he could still hear his work crew laughing and talking in the back areas.