by Payne, T. L.
“Ew—soup again?!” complained Will.
“The soldiers gave me an MRE, Dad. It wasn’t all that bad. It had a chocolate bar.”
“That does sound much better than room temperature soup,” Isabella said.
“I’m sorry. I should have saved you some.”
“No. Don’t be.”
“Are you ready, sir?” the female asked. Will hadn’t even been aware of her standing there.
“We’re ready.”
Just as they were loading back into the Humvee, Cayden turned and ran back to the door. He and the soldier fist-bumped, and then Cayden handed him something.
Two soldiers rode in the front and one in the turret. Will glanced past the gunner’s legs to Isabella. Cayden would have to ride in his lap but it wasn’t that far and he wasn’t too heavy.
The gunner standing in the turret spun to his left and then right as the Humvee pulled from the parking lot. Cayden leaned and looked up at the soldier. “I bet that thing is loud.”
“It is from out there. I don’t want to hear it from in here,” Isabella said.
“Let’s all hope we never do,” Will replied.
Thirty
Savanah
Day Six
Of the twenty or so houses along her road, they’d only made it to four of them by nightfall. What Savanah had seen so far had angered her and ripped her heart out at the same time. Two of the houses had already been thoroughly looted. There’d been no sign of their residents and Savanah hoped they had fled before Spring Hill’s posse had descended on their homes. She’d been encouraged when Pete Ashby and his three sons had agreed to join them. They’d heard about the trouble at the other farms and had taken steps to secure their place.
The Ashbys’ was more like a family compound with several generations occupying the one-hundred-and-twenty-acre farm. It had been in their family for over a hundred years and the Louisiana Century Farm sign hung proudly above the gate as she entered. Thick woods stood between the road and houses, obscuring them from view. The Ashbys were obviously very private people.
Ashby’s son, Beau, recognized Savanah as soon as they approached the pipe gate spanning the entrance of the gravel drive. He was Kendra’s age, and fortunately, they’d been on co-ed soccer teams together since they were three. If they hadn’t, they likely wouldn’t have made it close enough to reach the gate.
“How can I help you, Mrs. Fontenot?” Savanah thought she saw a hint of facial hair growing above his lip. Gone was the babyface that she remembered watching kick the ball around the field every weekend.
“Is your daddy around, Beau? We’ve got a problem that I’d like to discuss with him.”
Beau crawled off his all-terrain vehicle, stuck two fingers into his mouth, and whistled loud enough to wake the dead. “Hey, Pops. Will you let Dad know Kendra’s mom and some dudes are at the gate and want to talk to him?”
Jason hung back behind Rod and Luca, making Savanah wonder if there might be an issue between him and the Ashbys. She hoped not. They really needed their help. Beau approached and leaned against the large pipe gate, throwing his hands over it and resting his chin on his arms. “Is this about those old boys looting farms?” he asked.
“Yeah. Have they been by here?” Savanah asked.
“Hell no!” He covered his mouth. “I’m sorry.”
Savanah gave a dismissive wave.
“I mean, no, they haven’t come around here. They wouldn’t. My uncle gave Robbie Thompson a beatdown two nights before the lights went out. He and that brother of his stole stereo equipment out of my cousin’s car. He caught them red-handed. Of course, they threatened to call the police with them being underage and all, but he told them to go right ahead because my cousin is a deputy.”
“Beau, go on up to the house and help your momma carry out that wash water,” Pete said as he walked up. He was a big guy, standing at least six-five and nearly three hundred pounds. But it was the way he pointed the shotgun at them that had Savanah concerned.
“What do you folks want?”
Savanah stared at his massive forearms as she tried to speak, feeling her tongue cleave to the roof of her mouth. She swallowed hard and was about to explain when Jason spoke up.
“The Blanchards set themselves up over at Spring Hill. They’re running a crew of kids around out here causing trouble.”
“I heard about that already. What the hell does that have to do with me and mine?”
“Nothing if you don’t want it to,” Jason replied.
Savanah shot him a dirty look. That wasn’t how Savanah wanted this to go. Jason was making out like it was no big deal. It was a damn huge deal. They needed Pete’s help. She wanted to plead with him to help them. “They killed Mr. Johnson and others. They came after Mr. and Mrs. Bertrand. Jason and I intervened and brought them to my place. They’re not going to stop until they kill us all and take everything we have,” Savanah said.
Pete looked back over his shoulder.
“We’re ready for them. Let the bastards try to take what’s mine and I’ll blow their asses back to Blanchardville.” He glared at Jason. Savanah was right, there was some history there, but at that moment, they didn’t have time for old grudges.
Savanah thought she’d try a different approach. “I understand. I’m glad. We were hoping that you might have some idea as to how we might block the roads and stop them from coming around.”
Pete pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, tapped it on the back of his hand, pulled one out, and lit it. Luca huffed and took two steps back as if afraid of being poisoned by second-hand smoke.
“Well,” Pete said, rubbing a stubble chin. “First off, you need some firepower. Hunting rifles and pistols ain’t gonna do a whole lot against the ARs those guys have. Then you need a few well-placed claymores and some—”
“We need a roadblock and someone to man checkpoints,” Luca interrupted. “Do you think you could help with that?”
Pete scoffed. “Roadblocks ain’t gonna do shit. They’ll just walk around them. They ain’t driving down the middle of the road. They’re coming in on the back roads and trails on quads and UTVs. Hell, I took a shot at one on a horse just yesterday. The boy had an armload of live chickens. That horse reared back and dumped his ass on the ground. Ole boy’s eyes got big as saucers. Well, he dropped those chickens and took off, kicking up dirt as he ran.”
Savanah felt all the life drain from her as overwhelming hopelessness hit her. She couldn’t sit back and wait for them to come for her and her children. But where on earth could they go? How were they to survive this mess without the farm?
“You need to take the fight to them,” a male voice said.
Savanah scanned the area behind Pete to see who’d spoken. His father suddenly appeared through the bushes and stood beside him. “Only way to deal with a bully is to fight back. Can’t wait for them to catch you alone and pick you off. You need to roll right up in there and confront them. Either kick their asses and send them packing or wipe them off the face of the earth.” His eyes moved to Jason.
“We can’t do that. We don’t have the people or weapons.”
“Well then, I guess you’ll have to tuck tail and run,” Pete said.
“Pete,” his wife, Kathy said, stepping out, and Savanah strained to see who else might be hiding behind the bushes. “Pete, you two have been talking for days about going over there and taking care of those old boys. High time you two stop talking and partner up with these folks to do something about it.”
Pete’s forehead furrowed, and his father hung his head.
“We got plenty of weapons and enough ammo to fight an army. You go round up some of those drinking buddies of yours, Pete, and go wipe ass. Lord knows you can talk a good game, now prove you ain’t just a blowhard.”
Savanah covered her mouth to conceal an ear-to-ear grin. Kathy had spunk, and Savanah was getting the picture of who ran their household. Kathy held her hand out to Luca. “You that new couple that m
oved in the Cliftons’ old place. “
“We bought it from their son,” Luca said.
“Did you rip down all that hideous wallpaper yet?”
“Working on it.” Luca grinned.
She turned to Savanah. “Don’t you worry. We’ll gather up some folks to help get rid of those vermin.” She turned and stepped back through the bushes. “Tell Mrs. B that I said hi, will you?”
Pete stood with his arms crossed while his father made circles in the dirt with the toe of his boot. An uncomfortable silence settled over them.
“Okay, well, we’re going to stop and visit with the Masters and Herberts before it gets too dark to find our way home,” Savanah said.
“We’ll be over your way at first light. We can figure out a plan to take those boys on,” Pete said. He turned to Jason. “You gotta problem with that?”
Jason shook his head.
“They’re your kin.”
“They stopped being family when I walked away,” Jason said flatly.
Savanah couldn’t imagine how much it hurt him to say that. Blood was thick in southwest Louisiana. You didn’t just walk away from family like that. She wondered if he ever had second thoughts. How did he handle Mother’s Day and Christmas? She’d lost most of her family. Will and Cayden were all she had left. She couldn’t imagine willingly walking away like Jason had done. Her thoughts drifted to her brother and nephew so far away in Houston. She prayed they’d somehow made it to the lake house and that they weren’t running into the violence she’d witnessed since the lights went out.
With Pete’s commitment to help, Savanah assumed that getting the rest of the neighbors on board would be easier. It wasn’t. No one wanted to go to war with the Blanchards. By the time they’d made it back to Savanah’s, even Luca was having second thoughts.
Savanah kicked her boots off and lowered herself down onto her grandmother’s porch swing. She missed those simpler times, snapping green beans, and listening to the frogs croaking. Her grandparents had been the first ‘homesteader’ type people Savanah had ever met. Their goal to live off the land and be self-sufficient here on their little acreage had inspired her to do the same. The lifestyle was filled with hard work, but she loved it here. She wasn’t ready to give it up and hated the thought of being run off by thugs.
Luca and June leaned against the porch railing. They too had been pursuing a self-sufficient lifestyle. They knew what she’d invested with blood, sweat, and tears.
“I’m not willing to go in there guns blazing and kill people. That’s not what I’m about. June and I have discussed it. We’re going to load up what we can carry and head to my mother-in-law’s. Maybe we’ll be back when all this dies down.”
“You mean with the rest of us taking care of the problem that you don’t want to get your hands dirty with?” Rod asked.
Frankly, Savanah was surprised that Rod was contemplating the plan himself. He’d never struck Savanah as being all that brave but Luca and June leaving did concern her. If Pete didn’t show, she and her children might just be packing up and following them, except she didn’t have a mother-in-law to run to. Well, she had one, but she’d never go there. That woman was as evil as her husband and son.
Savanah was struck by how absolutely rotten people could be and the depth of depravity they were capable of without law enforcement to keep them in check. She pictured the kid they’d buried out in her pasture. She didn’t feel guiltless, but they’d come after her family. She was grateful Jason had been the one to the deed. She wasn’t sure if she could have. That would need to change if they were going to survive this. She would have to change.
“If you leave, can we come to get your animals?” Kendra asked.
Savanah smiled. Her daughter was so intelligent and pragmatic.
“Yeah, can I have your rabbits?” Kylie squealed, jumping up and down.
June picked her up and swung her around. “If we go, you can have them all.”
Savanah noticed that she’d said, “if.” Maybe the issue wasn’t as settled as Luca made out. Maybe there was still hope for them to build a strong community—one family at a time.
Savanah wasn’t going to give up on her homestead so easily. She had too much invested in the place. It could very well be the only hope her children had to outlast this mess. She had to give them a fighting chance.
“Dinner’s ready,” Mrs. B called, and all the children took off toward the back of the house.
“You coming?” Savanah said, turning to Jason.
“I’ll be along in a minute.”
Savanah lingered a moment before joining her children. Jason had things to work out in his own mind. She dreaded what they faced if they did indeed have to go up against the Blanchards. But no matter what, she was grateful to him for sticking by her and helping protect her children.
Thirty-One
Will
Day Six
The Humvee pulled into the parking lot and stopped in front of Isabella’s building. They were back where they’d started that morning. So much had happened in such a short time. The reality of it all was so much worse than he’d imagined. He was still determined to leave the city as fast as possible, but at the moment, he was just too exhausted. He feared he wouldn’t be able to make it two miles before collapsing. Fighting for his life had taken everything out of him. He had nothing left, and the likelihood of encountering trouble out on the road was high.
“Jaz!” Isabella squealed, throwing open the door.
Jaz met her at the bottom of the stairs. “I thought you guys would be gone by now.” The women embraced.
“Gus went with Lloyd and Stuart to find a working car.”
“And he left you here all by yourself?”
“No. Raul came to babysit me.” Jaz pointed toward her apartment.
A man and woman stepped forward, both armed with AR-15 rifles. The man waved. Isabella waved back then turned to the Humvee.
“We have to go, miss,” the soldier driving said.
“Thank you for bringing us home,” she replied.
Will and Cayden exited the Humvee and stood beside Isabella and Jaz.
“You both did great out there today,” the soldier said before rolling up his window and driving away.
“We did do good, didn’t we? We made it out battered and bruised, but alive,” Isabella said.
“Yes, we did,” Will replied.
“You guys look like you’ve been through a war. What the hell happened?” Jaz asked.
“Not much. I just had a building collapse on top of me, shot a few bad guys, and came home.” Isabella chuckled.
Will was glad that she could make light of it now. He knew that what they’d been through might break some people and was pleased to see that Isabella wasn’t one of them. When shit got real, she stepped up to the plate and wouldn’t back down. She’d done that for Cayden, and Will was enormously grateful as well as greatly relieved that she’d finally agreed to go with them to Louisiana. He knew she and Savanah would get along great.
“What’s the plan now?” Jaz asked.
Isabella grimaced as she raised her arm slightly. She sniffed her pits and screwed up her face. “First, I’m going to strip off these clothes and use every wet wipe I have to get clean. Second, I’m going to find a way to make a good pot of coffee.”
“You might want to lay off the caffeine so you can sleep. We’ll need to be fully rested if we’re going to head out tomorrow,” Will said.
“Are we still leaving in the morning?” Cayden asked. “Shouldn’t we wait a day or two and let everyone heal some?”
In the best of worlds, that would be a prudent plan. But they’d need much longer than a few days. Will still had bruised or cracked ribs and the bruises on his stomach had merged, turning nearly his entire abdomen purple. Isabella was still fighting off infection from her burn and now had a broken hand, along with who knows what injuries from being buried in the rubble back at the base. Will’s gaze turned to Cayden. Other
than his hair sticking up every which way, he looked great. The fact that his son wasn’t injured or killed brought tears to Will’s eyes. A wave of panic shot through his gut at the thought of what could have happened and what they still faced in the days ahead. He prayed that his luck would hold, and he’d be able to get Cayden safely to Savanah’s. He knew he could not do that alone and Cayden was right. They needed to be in better shape to take on the challenges ahead of them.
“Maybe we should take the day tomorrow to rest and resupply,” Will said.
“Are you sure? Don’t do that on my account. I can handle it,” Isabella said.
“I know you can, but these old bones of mine could use a little more time,” he said, patting his ribs.
“I’ll come up and let you know when we head out then, Izzy,” Jaz said, turning to go.
“Okay, Jaz.”
Isabella waved to Jaz as they began their climb toward the third-floor landing. At the top, Isabella stopped and looked out over the parking lot. “We should go out tomorrow and try to find a car,” she said.
“That might be risky. People with running vehicles might be willing to fight to keep them,” Will said, joining her at the railing.
“You’re right, but we aren’t going to make it far on bicycles, Will.”
She reached down and pulled up her pants leg. Cayden gasped. Will bent and examined the four-inch gash to the side of her calf. She had tied some type of cloth around it. Dried blood trailed down to her ankle. He hadn’t noticed that she was limping more than usual. They were all moving rather slow. She was right. There was no way she could ride a bike one hundred and fifty miles.
“Isabella, why didn’t you say something? We could have had the military docs treat that,” Will said.
“You need stitches,” Cayden added.
She shrugged one shoulder.
“I just wanted away from there before any more trouble popped up.”