by Newman, AJ
They left Ann and her team and made the trek back up into the hills after the sun went down for the day. The sun setting above the mountains gave a great show worthy of a painting. The reds mixed in with the deep blue sky above were almost magical in nature. Tom loved this time of day. Tom kept the wagon in the woods as long as possible before pulling out of the cover and on to the trail up to their canyon.
Luke rode alongside Cristy the entire way back as they caught each other up on what had happened since they were separated. The time passed quickly, and they were soon challenged by Sally who manned the far end of the canyon. Sally was shocked to see Luke alive. “Luke is that you? Boy is your mom going to be happy.”
“Yes, it’s me, and I’m glad to be back with this motley crew of survivors. Please take me to my mom.”
Meg spoke up and grabbed Luke by the hand. “Follow me. I want to see the look on her face when she sees you for the first time. She should be in Roy’s cabin working on supper for the crew.”
Meg pointed out their tent home as she marched Luke from the barn to the cabin. She stopped and knocked on the door. Roy greeted them and Meg placed her finger over her lips and then whispered. This is Luke. Where is Lisa?”
Roy whispered, “She’s in the kitchen. Let me call her to the front room, so she doesn’t drop supper on the floor. “Lisa, Meg needs you at the front door.”
“Tell Meg to come on back here. I’m busy.”
Roy raised his voice a bit. “Babe, it’s important. Please come on.”
They heard pots and pans rattle and then Lisa came storming into the room from the kitchen. “Meg, what do you want that couldn’t be said or done in the kitchen?”
Meg pulled Luke out of the shadows. “I think this young man is a good enough reason to run you out of the kitchen.”
Lisa dropped to her knees and bawled like a baby. Luke bent down and hugged his mom as she continued to cry. Lisa finally stopped crying and smothered Luke in kisses. Lisa clung tightly to the lad. Son, I knew you were alive, but I had no hope of ever seeing you again. I just didn’t think our paths would cross.”
“Mom, I’ve been searching for you ever since I saw Fox’s men chase you from Clarkdale. I was just lucky to stumble across Cristy. We’ll tell you that story later after we are caught up. Don’t you need to introduce me to Roy?”
☆
Chapter 12
Tom and Meg had begun sleeping in the barn’s loft to gain a bit of privacy. The privacy was great, but the aroma emanating from below was quite intense at times. The weather was warming up as spring ran its course, and sleeping or other activities were more endurance than they could stand. Meg broached the topic one night. “Tom, we need a place of our own where no one is beside us, and cow shit isn’t below us. Can’t we build something or maybe tow some trailers up here?”
Tom quickly nixed the trailers. “Babe, while trailers would be the quickest and best solution to our housing needs, everyone and their uncle could follow the trailers to our camp. We need to either move into the mine or build cabins.”
“Oh hell no, on moving into the mineshaft. If one medium size meteor struck close by, we’d be buried alive. I ain’t living in no cave.”
Tom knew she was right. “Okay then, we have to haul some wood and tent material into the valley from below without being followed. The risk of being caught goes up but I … err … can’t concentrate on …. Well damn, you know with this horrible stench.”
The next morning over breakfast Meg nudged Tom’s arm, and Tom addressed the group. “We have to work on our housing arrangements. To put it bluntly …”
Walt interrupted. “You can’t fart without everyone knowing it. Roy, you and Lisa have it made with the cabin, and I don’t begrudge it, but the rest of us need more permanent sleeping arrangements. One day I hope to have a woman in my life and well, sleeping on a bale of hay next to Ann and Mattie won’t cut it.”
Everyone broke out laughing except Luke and Mattie who had continued to grow closer over the past several days. Meg saw the blush in Mattie’s cheeks. “Tom tells me that we can’t drag trailers up here, so it looks like we have to make discrete runs into town to gather building material for some type of wood and tent structure.”
Luke spoke up. “We have almost everything we need right here to build sod and mud-brick homes. We even have an inexhaustible supply of rocks that can be secured with that clay-like mud down by the spring. We could even make cabins from bales of hay if we had enough hay bales.”
Mattie, who sat close to Luke, asked, “Do you know something about building these houses?”
Luke pointed to his mom. “Mom, do you remember when I spent the summer at that archeological site outside of Mobile? I worked with a crew building typical houses built by the various Indians in the southeast. We built mud huts, sod huts, teepees, and huge wooden structures without nails or machined wood. It will be backbreaking work, but we can do it. It will be quicker if we build the huts with one wall against a hillside.”
Meg was already shaking her head. “Nope. I don’t want rocks and boulders falling in bed with me every time a meteor strikes.”
Luke laughed, “Good point. We’ll build them out in the open. I just need saws, shovels, rope, and something to mix the dirt and water in to get started on a mud-brick home. Or we could build a sod home much faster.”
Tom was pleased with Luke’s enthusiasm. “Luke, you are in charge of home construction. The only thing I’d like to add is that we need to make the roofs as thick as possible to keep the small meteors from penetrating. Nothing will stop the large ones.”
Luke scratched his chin for a second. “I just had a thought. When you look up and see a meteor streak across the sky what exactly do you see as far as its direction of travel?”
Walt spoke up. “West to east with a low flat trajectory. Walt paused for a few seconds. Oh shit, we have been looking at this wrong. We should build close to the western hills to use them to block all of the meteors. Think back, we’ve only suffered damage from rocks blasted loose from the hills on the west side of the valley.”
Luke clapped his hands. “Now you have it. We only build about 30 feet from the western side of the mountains, so rocks falling down the sides don’t hit the houses, and the meteors are blocked from making direct hits on our new homes.”
Sally spoke up surprising the rest of the group because she had been very silent since Bob’s death. “Luke that was a brilliant observation. All along, we have been thinking meteors fall straight down like rocks.”
Walt then added something to their to-do list. “We will need to make some runs to some of the damaged buildings to scrounge some doors and windows. I’d even like to build a greenhouse before next spring so we can start some plants early.”
Tom replied, “That’s a great idea. I’ll take a scavenging party into town tomorrow night. One thing we haven’t covered is that we need a way to block the entrance to the canyon. One guard could easily man the entrance if it had a gate with some trip wires, but right now someone could sneak past in the night if our one guard nods off for a minute.”
Everyone agreed and volunteered Ann to design and manufacture some trip wires with Sally and Walt’s assistance. Ann showed them some simple string and cans with pebbles inside for their first effort. Then she taught them how to make some clatter devises using rubber bands, spoons, and cooking pans. They placed two of each about 25 feet apart heading down the canyon trail.
Ann and Walt met with Tom and received his permission to arm the guards with ¼ sticks of dynamite to heave at intruders. This would surely scare the asshats away while waking up the entire camp. Roy thought that was a great use of the old dynamite.
The group spent the next several days sketching out the plans for the new cabins on the ground. The cottages would be two deep, stretch out along the western rock face, and share walls with the adjoining cabins. The shared roof would be the highest between the running length of the cabin complex. This cut down the work t
remendously. With the plans completed, they began cutting and laying sod to build the first cabin. They quickly found that they had to make some cutters that would cut the sod. Luke remembered what they looked like and Roy built several prototypes until they arrived at one that worked the best.
The first cabin was eight feet deep by twelve feet wide. It was made of one foot wide by two-foot long strips of four-inch think sod bricks. The side toward the hill was about three feet lower than the side away from the hillside, which was the back. The roof was made from pine poles laid on the walls and anchored with sticks driven into the sod. Then the poles were thatched together, and living sod was placed on top of the thatch work roof in an attempt to repel water. They left openings for the door and one window.
Tom took Meg and Walt with him to the suburbs of Sedona to search for doors and windows. Tom brought hammers and pry bars so they could take the entire window and door casings from the homes. This would save them a lot of effort and red neck engineering later when they installed their new doors and windows.
They stopped at the first subdivision on the north end of town. For the first time, they were met by a group of armed people. Their leader asked, “What do you want?”
Tom replied, “We need a few windows and doors from abandoned homes to repair ours. Those damned meteors destroyed a bunch of ours.”
“You need to move on and find another place to salvage. This subdivision belongs to the Sedona Social Society, and they will kill you for stealing. Head west and check the houses on 89A out past the water plant. The Club hasn’t expanded that far yet.”
Tom asked, “What kind of club are they?”
“The mean kind. The gang took over the eastern half of Sedona a couple of weeks ago and you either pay them to live here, or you disappear, and they take your home, wife, and kids. Don’t let them find you.”
Tom didn’t want to pry much but asked anyway. “Do you know a woman named Alice? We ran into her and her group a couple of days ago, and they didn’t mention this club.”
“I don’t know any Alice. Sorry.”
Neither Tom nor the others noticed the stranger stalking them from afar. Missy watched them gather the construction material and worked on a plan to allow them to find her. She had Meg in her sights several times but wanted her to know who killed her and why. She waited until they were deep into their work on the first home to leapfrog around them and set up her ruse.
Tom took their advice seriously, and they moved on west along 89A until they found several abandoned homes. Sure enough, all of the doors and windows on the west side of the homes were blown out, and most of the others were damaged. They found one window and a door that were useable at the first house and then moved on to the second house.
“Tom, look! There is a horse tied up in the garage. Someone is here.”
Tom and Walt walked past the horse. Walt said, “The horse has only been here for a short time.”
Tom cautiously opened the door from the garage into the mudroom and Walt followed. Tom abruptly turned and motioned for Walt to join him. There was a young woman seated at the kitchen table with her back to them. She was trying to tie a bandage around her left forearm using her right hand and teeth. Tom saw an automatic pistol on the table. He motioned for Walt to grab the gun when he seized the girl’s arm.
Tom wrapped his arms around the woman, and Walt snatched up the weapon. Tom spoke as the woman struggled. “We don’t want to hurt you, and I’m going to let you go. Don’t try anything and we’ll be okay.”
Walt walked around to face the woman and recognized her. “Missy is that you?”
“Yes, Walt it’s me. Now tell your friend to let me go. My arm is throbbing and your friend manhandling me isn’t helping.”
Tom let her go and walked around the table to confront her. “Missy, I’m Tom Horn, and I believe I met you once at The Golden Nugget. Sorry for grabbing you, but one has to be careful these days. Hey Meg, come on in. It’s an old friend.
Meg entered, and her face turned white when she recognized Missy. Missy’s father had tried to take over Stony Creek a few months back. He double crossed Meg and Tom and was killed by the escaped convicts he attempted to double cross. Meg knew that half the town thought she had had him killed. She wondered what Missy knew or had heard since coming back to the area. Meg hugged Missy. “I’m so glad to have you back home. Have you heard about your dad?”
“No, where is he? Is he with you?”
Meg replied, “I’m sorry, but a group of convicts took over Stony Creek, and they killed your dad. I’m so sorry you missed him.”
Missy faked the tears very well and pretended to withdraw into herself. Tom and Walt proceeded to harvest several more windows and doors while Meg tended to Missy. They were only able to recover three doors and four windows because they had decided to place mattresses between the pieces to keep the glass from breaking. That was all the wagon could hold. Tom tied several head and footboards for beds on the side of the wagon. At least a few of them would sleep better in the future.
They were ready to find a place in the woods north of town to hide until after sundown. Tom didn’t want to stay in the house since the strangers had told them to go in that direction. Tom told Meg and Walt to prepare to leave and then went to Missy. “Missy, I’m sorry about the bad news about your father. Do you want to stay with us until you decide what to do?”
Missy acted as if she was in a daze. “I don’t know what to do, and I hate to impose on you.”
“You won’t be imposing. We need all of the help we can get. You can ride in the wagon to rest, and I’ll tie your horse to the back. We always stop in a stand of woods before heading home in the dark to keep from being noticed.”
Meg and Missy chatted away as old friends do after not seeing each other for a long time. They were once very close until Missy went off to college and then started working. Missy told the truth about everything she had experienced up to the time she arrived in Clarkdale. Meg had a bunch of questions about the rest of the country.
“Everywhere I’ve traveled getting here has been reduced to rubble by the meteors. In fact, this area actually got off better than most of the other cities. Criminals and crooked politicians have taken over most towns and their food supplies. A few people fight back but always seem to lose.”
“Missy, I wish you would settle down and stay with us.”
Missy glared at Meg behind her back. “I don’t know about that. I think I might go on up to the northwest, find a good man, and have some kids. Just live off the grid and stay away from the ongoing conflict.”
Meg asked, “Aren’t you afraid to travel alone. A beautiful young girl is a target for those animals.”
Missy snapped back. “Remember, I’m a US Marshal. I can take care of myself. Crap, I’m sorry. I’m just overwhelmed by the news of my father’s death.
Meg sensed something was wrong but didn’t push it any further. She did wonder why Missy didn’t cry very long when she first heard about her father’s death. Missy seemed to get over the death too soon.
They arrived back at the valley an hour and a half after sundown and Meg introduced Missy to the rest of the camp. Sally and Mattie were the only others that knew Missy. They stayed up later than normal listening to Missy’s story and then most went to bed.
Meg caught Lisa and Roy on their way to their cabin. “What do you think about Missy? Can we trust her?”
Lisa was surprised. “I thought she was an old friend of the family.”
“Missy and I were close before she went off to college because her dad was always chasing after me; however, when Tom and I began dating, Missy became very cold toward me. Mattie and Missy never got along but weren’t what you’d call enemies. There’s just something about her that I don’t like and I can’t put my finger on it.”
Roy nodded. “We’ll keep an eye on her.”
***
The next day Missy rested while the others installed a door and a window to each of the f
irst two sod cabins. Luke had kept his team working from dawn to dusk constructing the first two cabins. They weren’t much to look at, but Luke swore that a coating of the gooey clay-like mud on the inside and outside walls would make them look much better.
Tom, Meg, and Cristy took the first cabin while the second was occupied by Sally, Ann, and Missy. Walt told everyone that he was okay with being the last to get a cabin. The goal was for everyone to have their own cabin plus a couple extra for storage when the project was done. Mattie had already moved in with Luke in Roy’s cabin with Lisa and Meg’s blessing.
The beds were distributed by drawing straws for the first ones, but everyone soon had a bed thanks to two more trips to town. They even brought back some folding lawn chairs, small cabinets, and a couple of kitchen tables. Life was slowly getting better as they finished the rest of the sod cabins.
Meg had a great idea to build a common dining room with a kitchen attached beside the other cabins. The dining room was small but had room to seat 10 to 12 people, if they were friendly as Tom told them. The kitchen had a clay oven, and a homemade wood fired cook stove. They also strung up a tarp to block the sun so they could eat outside when weather permitted.
☆
Chapter 13
A few weeks later, while out on a scavenging trip, Missy wandered away from Meg and returned to Roy’s place. She saw him go past the barn and followed behind him. Roy felt something behind him when a strange voice said, “Drop your gun belt slowly to the ground and stick your hands behind your back.”
Roy thought the voice was from a young boy or girl made to sound gruff. He wanted to kick the person’s ass, but the person stayed far enough away that any move could be disastrous. He unfastened his belt, and it fell to the floor with his pistol. He felt the large zip tie close about his wrists and then a bag was placed over his head.