It took Alden a few minutes to open his jaws and pull not only a partial arm but lodged in the dogs throat was the remains of an adam’s apple.
Carefully tying the blanket closed he lifted it and placed it back across the saddle and mounted back up.
Charlie and Colt both looked up from the fire pit as Alden approached; Charlie squinted, “What the hell does he have now?”
Colt shook his head. As Alden road up to them it was Colt who figured it out. “Holy shit Charlie, I think he has Max.”
The two men ran up to him taking the blanket from him. Alden looked down, “I want you to place him at Heath’s feet, while I put my horse up, and then gather the others.”
Colt and Charlie did as he asked, and put the finishing touches on the wood for the fire. Charlie looked at how high the wood was stacked in a tepee form. “You think this will work?”
Colt looked at the wood then to Charlie, “How the hell should I know. I’ve only seen these in movies. If it isn’t right, I’m sure Alden would have let us know.” As the two men stepped back, Tonto walked forward to the end where Maximus lay.
Putting his front paws on the frame, he stood on his back legs and sniffed then dropped to all fours and walked back a little. He stopped, turned, sat on his haunches, raised his head, and let out ghostly howl that none had ever heard from him before. Tonto then lay down with his head on his paws, looking off towards the house waiting for Alden to come out.
Alden walked in the house and found Beth sitting in the living room, “It’s time, where are Tabitha and Ceara?”
Beth shook her head, “I had hoped working through their issues, but I think Tabitha is in the kitchen and Ceara went back outside.”
Alden headed for the kitchen, “Tabitha, it’s time.” He continued on out the back door and found Ceara standing at the corral, “It’s time, but we need to talk before we go around there.”
Ceara thought he was about to get on to her about talking to Tabitha, “Alden, I did try…”
Alden held up his hand, “Not about that, I went back to the battle.”
Ceara knew what he had done, “Did you find him?” She said it in a very quiet tone; she wasn’t sure if she wanted a yes or no. She also knew Alden, and knew he wouldn’t have bothered to tell her he went if he came back empty handed.
Alden nodded, “He will be give the same respect that Heath is receiving, we will send them to the other side together. They will have each other forever. It was Maximus who wished to protect us, and it was Heath who wished to protect him”
Ceara just step around him and whispered, “Thank you.”
Everyone stood around the pyre; both Ceara and Tabitha looked lost and confused as to why they were doing the funeral this way.
Alden stepped up, “This is called a pyre, this is the way Indians use to, and as far as I know still do, send their warriors to the next land. Heath and I had a talk weeks ago and this was his request. Any of you wanting to say anything, you can say it now.”
Colt stepped away from the group, “Give me a minute.” He walked around the back of the house and brought back a length of rope and reached up and set in on top. Charlie gave him a questioning look.
Colt rejoined Beth, “Good-bye Heath, travel well and far into the next land. I hope it is a lot better than what we got here. Thank you for your friendship and your knowledge. You took the time over and over to teach me, and the rest of us how to better survive this shit. I am sending you with the rope you taught me how to tight knots with, Thank you and travel well.”
Ceara laid her head on Charlie’s shoulder, “I’m sorry Heath, I’m sorry for so much… I caused this with my choices and now I live with that. Please forgive me, and take care of Maximus.”
Tears were streaming down her face, “Good-bye Maximus, you were the best dog I could have ever had. You were my friend, my protector and my heart. Watch over Heath and do the same for him. I love you and will never ever forget you.”
Beth looked to Tabitha and she knew she wasn’t ready yet. Beth cleared her throat, “Heath and Maximus have not left us, they will travel forever in our hearts, so I am not going to say good-bye but simply say until we meet on the next travels. I will miss you both.”
Charlie began next looking out at the sun, “I was taught all my life to believe there is a heaven and hell, well if this isn’t hell, I don’t know what is! They have left to go to whatever is out there. I told Heath one time that my beliefs were changing. He told me that beliefs are always changing as you see what is in your own heart. I believe that Heath and Maximus are now with us, but are both at peace.”
He looked around to each member of the group, “Both are in each of us, how we choose to handle it is up to us. I will be listening, just a little closer, because now we will be given signs when there is danger. It will be Heath and Maximus watching over us. Good-bye and please enjoy the new travels you are now on.”
Tabitha licked her lips and swallowed back the tears, “Heath, you left me when you told me over and over that you wouldn’t. I know you couldn’t help it. I guess it wasn’t in you to let things just play out, that wasn’t who you were or are. Please prove Charlie right and come back to me in some way.” In a small voice, “I can’t do this without some help from you.”
Alden stepped up and lit the fire, “I said my good-byes already, travel well and go find your young’un. Maximus you follow Heath and chase anything that moves now.”
The fire enveloped the stand driving everyone back several steps, no one was willing to leave the area.
Chapter 30 - Future
A little over an hour passed and the first to walk away was Alden, “They are free now, we need to live our lives, in that we will honor both their memories.”
Ceara allowed Charlie to turn her away, Beth and Colt followed. Tabitha blew a kiss to the skies, then turned to everyone, “Alden where is another bottle? I plan on getting good and fucked up by tonight.”
Beth turned around when she had heard Tabitha’s statement. Pausing for a moment, she grabbed onto Colt hand tightly. “They say time heals all wounds….. I just would love to be able to hit a fast forward button and blow past all of this pain and agony.”
Nodding his head, Colt began guiding her in the direction back to the house. He didn’t want to add anything to the pain. He just wanted to relax and somehow forget the events of the past few hours.
Beth made her way back inside the house and instead of stopping at the kitchen like Beth had so often done; she went right into their bedroom and lay down on the bed. Colt stood there in the living room and looked out the window, memories of Jessica flooding his mind. He watch dust particles dance in the sun rays. He knew that in time both ladies would be alright. He knew firsthand what it was like to lose someone you are in love with. He knew this was different, he had planned and prepared himself for Jessica. Tabitha had no preparation, no time to decide, no waiting or watching the one you loved die right before your eyes. He wasn’t sure which was better. He did know that Heath would have preferred this way.”
Sitting down on the couch Colt took in a deep breath and laid back waiting for the others to come in. He thought about going in to be with Beth, but he felt that right now he just needed to be around for anyone, just in case they needed him. Down deep inside he knew that Heath meant so much to Tabitha, but Colt wasn’t sure that everyone saw what he meant to Alden. Colt had never seen anyone get that close to Alden since he had known him.
Charlie and Ceara walked in the house, Charlie turned her around to face him, “Do you need to go for another ride, I’ll go with you if you do.” Ceara nodded but collapsed in his arms crying, Charlie just held her until she could get back her composure. Charlie looked over at Colt and mouthed, “Beth?”
Colt motioned to the back letting him know Beth was in the bedroom. Charlie nodded, “Let Alden know we went for a ride. We shouldn’t be gone too long.”
Charlie and Ceara walked through the kitchen out to the barn.
&
nbsp; Tabitha retrieved a bottle of Jack Daniels from Alden with the warning of not drinking away problems. Tabitha may have heard one in every four words; she had every intention of drinking away the problems for the rest of the day. By the time she stepped into the living room the bottle was open and she had two deep swallows gone. She stopped just over the threshold looking at Colt, “Why aren’t you with Beth?”
Colt rose to his feet and took the bottle from her hand, “May I?” then took a hard swig. Handing the bottle back to Tabitha, he guided her to sit beside him on the couch. At first she was reluctant but she followed him. “Beth just needed a little time and I just am here… just in case. I haven’t had a drink of Jack in a hell of a long time and since you had one I thought that taking a drink would start in honoring the memory of our friend.
Tabitha hung her head while looking hard at the bottle, took another big drink. “Colt, you know about some of my past and well,” she paused and handed him the bottle then continued, “I never had gotten close to a man before in my life. Sure I had one night stands before, but really didn’t need those kinds of pleasures. Heath had dreams, Colt. Down deep inside he hoped and longed to see his son again, maybe now he can. When he and I had talks, they were so interesting and he never sugar coated anything. Not once did he ever talk to me like a girlie girl or make me feel like a so called Princess. We had serious discussions sometimes without even saying words at all.”
Colt took another hard drink and this time instead of handing the bottle back to her, he sat the bottle on the table next to him.
The silence between the two was deafening and after several moments, Tabitha laid her head on his shoulder and began to cry. Colt put his arm around her and comforted her the best way he knew how.
After several minutes Colt leaned back, pulling her with him, “So do you want to know…. how long does it hurt…. when will you trust again… how you go on? All those questions you have running through you mind right now. How about the one of if you even want to stay with us anymore?”
Tabitha reached across Colt and grabbed the bottle, “Yeah, I could use a few answers.”
Colt took the bottle back away, “The answers aren’t in there, and you can’t deal with problems like that.” He set it aside again, “The pain never goes away; you never stop missing them. God, I wish that wasn’t true, but it is. I don’t go a day without some little something reminding me of Jessica. Trust is something that only you will be able to answer, and not something that is easily returned. The worst of it is the mistrust you have in yourself. What could I have done that I didn’t? That will be what you have to get through and was the hardest for me to deal with.”
Colt reached over with just one finger, he turned Tabitha’s face to his, “You are not leaving. I can’t tell you that you will never have to go through this again, but alone is a death sentence. That may sound good right now, but in time you will know I’m right. The last thing in the world I want is to go through what I did with Jessica again. But if I hadn’t accepted the friendship that Beth offered when I met her, I would never have met you guys. I would probably be dead.”
Alden walked out into the desert with Tonto at his side. After a couple of miles, he sat down on a rock next to a cactus and took out his knife. Cutting the top of the cactus off he proceeded to slice it up into bite size chunks popping on in his mouth. He looked off into the west watching the sun and knowing that he had maybe an hour before it set.
Reaching down he rubbed Tonto’s neck, “I don’t know boy? I don’t know if these kids are ever going to get the discipline they’re going to need to get through this shit. They’re not soldiers. Hell they ain’t even wanna be soldiers, they’re the fucking cupcakes fresh from the oven.”
Tonto looked up at him, then off to the south. Alden took another bite and chewed the sweet cactus meat slowly. “I miss Heath already; he was the one I was counting on to be the buffer between me and the kids. I know I’m a tough old bastard at times, Heath was a great help keeping me from being too hard on them. Of course, if I’d been a little tougher maybe both he and Max would be alive today.”
Tonto turned and looked at Alden when he mentioned Max’s name. Laying his head on Alden’s lap, he looked up at him, then nuzzled his head under Alden’s hand and flipped it up. Alden petted him, “So what you think, buddy? You think we can do this?”
Tonto turned and started to walk back to the house. He stopped turned and barked. Alden got up, cut a few more slices of cactus off and started to follow him, “Well I guess I know what you want to do, so we’ll do it your way. You’ve never been wrong before.”
Tonto took off at a fast trot heading back his head going back and forth sniffing the ground and the air as they went.
Charlie walked Ceara out to the barn. As they entered, he shut the door behind them. Taking her hand he led her to the bales of hay. “So you want to ride or just sit for a bit?”
Ceara shook her head, “I don’t know, Charlie. I don’t know what I want to do anymore. Tabitha seems so all alone now and I know she blames me. Alden lost the only one of us that was closest to his age and I think he blames me too. I fucked up Charlie. I fucked up bad and I don’t think they’ll ever forgive me.”
She turned buried her head in his shoulder sobbing and crying very hard. Charlie held her tight.
“Shhh Shhh.” He whispered as he gently rubbed her back. “It’s going to be okay.”
Ceara pulled back away, “HOW THE HELL DO YOU FIGURE THAT, CHARLIE? HOW THE HELL DO I MAKE UP FOR GETTING TWO OF OUR GROUP KILLED?”
Pulling away she stormed to the door and flung it opened then turned and threw her saddle on Spirit. Charlie stood there not knowing what to do or say. He knew she was feeling guilty. “Ceara I don’t know how or when Tabitha will forgive you, but I know Alden, and he doesn’t blame you.”
Ceara mounted spirit looking down at him. “Yeah well you believe what you want, but I know better.” She kicked Spirit and took off at a full gallop out of the barn.
Charlie saddled his horse quickly and made sure he had a loaded rifle in the saddle holder then grabbed a small hand axe and stuck it in his belt, riding out of the barn trying to catch up to Ceara.
Alden and Tonto were half way back when Tonto suddenly stopped and turned to his right. The hair on his back went up and low growl came forth. Alden turned to look but with the sun setting quickly he was losing his light with a moonless night coming on. Kneeling next to Tonto he placed his hand on Tonto’s collar, “What is it boy? What you got?”
Tonto took a step forward and growled again quietly. The wind shifted a little and though Alden couldn’t see them he could now smell them and he knew it was more than a couple from the stink of rotting flesh. Alden reached for his knife at the same time cursing that he had walked out without his 45.
“Damn it, dog. Well at least we got half a chance; stay close. We’ll try to sneak our way past them.”
Moving carefully, taking small quiet steps the two moved closer to the Wanderers and tried to figure a way around them.
Suddenly there was loud moan from behind. Tonto turned and lunged at the wanderer who had suddenly appeared out of know where. Alden slipped to his left just in time; Tonto hit the man and took him to the ground. Rolling and then scrambling on his hands and knees, Alden moved to where Tonto had the man down and drove his knife into its ear.
Getting up he realized that the commotion had blown their cover, and now he and Tonto were under full attack once more.
Alden turned towards the direction of the house, “C’MON BOY WE GOTTA SCOOT”
Both took off running with a small herd of Wanderers following. The two had run about quarter mile when Alden turned to look back. He caught his boot between two rocks and heard the snap as his ankle twisted and he went sprawling across a large patch of small cactus.
“Oh shit! Fuck! Goddamn it!”
Tonto stopped and then came running back to Alden. Alden quickly looked around a saw a formation of rocks he cou
ld climb up to give him a little advantage. As he reached the top he looked at Tonto and point to the house saying one word quietly hoping the Wanderers were still far enough away they wouldn’t see Tonto take off, “Charlie”
Tonto had run full speed for about five minutes when he saw Ceara off to his left riding hard and fast with Charlie coming up behind her. Turning Tonto ran straight for them. He cut right in front of Ceara’s horse causing Spirit to turn quickly and rear up.
Tonto was barking wildly at her as Spirit kept dancing around twisting and turning in circles. Charlie slowed his horse as he neared them. Tonto turned towards him and barked then turned once more and started to run. He stopped quickly, turned again, started to bark wildly, and then took off.
Charlie simply turned his horse and screamed at Ceara, “IT’S ALDEN!” He took off at full gallop after Tonto.
Ceara calmed spirit down then without thinking took off following Charlie, ‘WAIT FOR ME!”
Laying back on the bed, Beth began having flashbacks of everyone she had lost. Tears pooled in her eyes and then fell down the sides of her face onto the quilt. Just then she noticed that the room was beginning to get a little darker which told her that evening was drawing near. Slowly she got up and made her way into the bathroom, quickly taking a shower. After finishing she put on a pair of comfy sweat pants and her CDC shirt.
Beth made her way out into the front room where she saw only Tabitha and Colt. Colt was sitting on the couch with over half of the bottle of Jack empty. Tabitha was curled up with Colt, still holding onto the stuffed animal that Beth had given to her earlier.
Beth looked around the living room again, then checked the kitchen. Beth asked with a very concerned tone, “Guys….. It’s getting kind of late and I know that Alden and Tonto have been gone since the funeral. Ceara and Charlie probably went out for a horseback ride.”
Colt looked over his shoulder to see if there was anything outside. The sun had set and the red, yellow and orange hues had begun to slowly start to fade. Tabitha lifted her head, look around and sat up on the couch, still holding onto her pet tightly. “This isn’t right”, she said as she shook her head frantically.
Surviving Day By Day (Book 2): Fears, Flames, and Future Page 57