by C. A. Henry
They’d gone about a quarter of a mile when Stevie gave Helen a questioning look. Helen nodded, and they turned east, leaving as little evidence behind as possible. Putting several yards between them, they made their way through the forest, until Stevie noticed that they were coming to the edge of a farm. She angled over to Helen.
“We’re almost at the end of the trees. Time to head north again. We’ve been gone a long time. I hope our guest is okay.”
“He won’t go anywhere. I bet he’s still asleep when we get back.”
~~~~
That prediction was wrong. They arrived at their camp to find the man awake and trying to sit up. He smiled a little when he saw them.
“I thought I must have dreamed you, but I knew someone made this tent over me. I figured you’d be back, since you left this nice tarp and paracord behind.”
“We went to get water, which needs to be filtered, then we’ll see about getting you rehydrated. And we need to talk. How are you feeling?” Helen placed the back of her hand on his brow as she spoke.
“Better. What did you do to me?”
“You passed out, which was good, because I cleaned your wound. I’m sure it would have made you scream if you’d been conscious. It’s badly infected, but I got a lot of the crud and corruption out and put some oils on it. Tea tree and lavender, to help with the infection and the pain.”
“Thank you. Not many people these days would help a stranger. I’m Jeff, by the way. Jeff Brackett.”
Helen smiled and answered, “I’m Harry, and that’s Steve. Where were you headed, and what caused that gash across your side?”
“I’m going west. I was thinking that the best place to ride out all the chaos is in the hills, and there’s a lot of forest in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. I have family there, if I make it that far. I had a nice pack, an Ascend Trail Pack, that I bought for a camping and hiking trip with some friends. I had it loaded with gear and supplies, but traveling alone leaves anyone vulnerable.
“Three guys jumped me. I think they were ex-military, from the fighting skills they had. Anyway, one of them had a knife. They took my pack and left me bleeding on the ground. I’m not sure how long ago, but I was trailing them when I ran into you.”
“It’s a good thing you didn’t catch up with them. In the shape you were in, you couldn’t have done anything to get your stuff back. We’re headed west, too, into Oklahoma. I’ve got family there. At least, I hope I still have family.”
“So, Harry, how did a pretty lady like you get a man’s name?”
Helen and Stevie exchanged a quick glance, both sighing. Then Helen shook her head.
“Stevie had some trouble with a gang in her hometown. They killed her little brother and raped her mom. Stevie escaped, and we ran into each other a few days later. We were trying to avoid attracting attention from men.”
“It worked, until just now,” Jeff assured them. “From a distance, it’ll still work, but I’ve noticed that both of you have certain expressions and gestures that are purely feminine. Really, you had me fooled until just now, and then it hit me. It’s a good plan, though. Very smart. Women aren’t safe these days.”
“Tell us about it. We just had a run-in with two guys at the river. They were ‘lookin’ fer wimmin’ and I had to kill one of them,” Helen admitted.
“Whoa! Are you serious?”
Stevie moved closer and joined the conversation. “It was him or us. He tried to grab her rifle, so she shot him. If she hadn’t, I would have. He was an idiot to try that when both of us were pointing guns at him.”
Helen stood suddenly. “I’ll get you some water; you need to take a pill. The day has gone by fast, and as soon as it gets dark, I’ll make some broth so we can start getting you back on your feet. Stevie has a Dakota hole dug, so you just rest.”
She moved to her pack and returned with a cup of water and some pills. “Are you allergic to any medicines? she asked.
When he shook his head, she gave him the pills. “This is amoxicillin. You need to take it 3 times a day for a week.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Prepper, huh? I bet these were marketed for fish.”
She chuckled. “Guilty as charged. I grew up with prepping. My in-laws, too, and one of their best friends was Ernie Miller. I knew him for years and learned a lot from him. And in case you’re wondering, you just gave yourself away as a fellow prepper.”
Jeff chuckled. “A lot of good it did me. I confess. I’ve been prepping for years, going to survival camps, stockpiling supplies, and learning everything I can. We can plan and prepare, but sometimes, things happen that we didn’t foresee. My cabin, which was where I stored my supplies, was in the path of a wildfire. I lost everything except what I had in my pack. Then I lost that, too. Life has a way of reminding us to stay humble.”
~~~~
Jeff slept for a couple of hours. When he woke, it was almost dark, and Helen was stirring something in a pot. Whatever it was smelled wonderful. He glanced around, but didn’t see Stevie.
Pushing himself up to a sitting position, he grimaced. The pain was bearable now, but moving still hurt.
He cleared his throat and smiled at Helen when she turned toward him.
“Ah, you’re awake,” she said quietly. “I need to change the bandages and put more oils on that gash.”
Grabbing her first aid kit, she knelt beside him and gently removed the gauze. There was less redness, and the edges of the wound didn’t look as puffy as they had. She used a gauze pad to clean it, then dropped tea tree oil directly into the wound and rubbed lavender around it.
“I’m sure tea tree is okay to put into an open wound, and since it worked earlier just rubbing it around the edges, I think it’ll work faster applied directly on the cut. It’s definitely better. How do you feel?” she asked as she put a fresh bandage on the gash.
“Good, considering. I’m hungry. Do you think it’s really necessary to start out with broth?”
“Yes, just to see if you keep it down. If you do, you can have a bite or two of the squirrel and veggies in a little while. Uh, I hate to mention it, but do you need to relieve yourself? I can help you get up and over into the trees, then leave you to it. When you’re done, I’ll help you get back and lie down.”
He nodded, and she pulled up some of the stakes holding the tarp to the ground, then shoved the tarp back, sliding it on the paracord until it was out of the way. He leaned on her a little until he could grab hold of a tree.
When he was through, he hobbled, without help, back to the blanket. Helen held his arm as he lowered himself to a sitting position.
She sat down nearby and looked at him for a long moment before speaking.
“Stevie and I talked earlier. We think we need some real shelter for a few days. We’ve been lucky so far, but rain this time of year isn’t unusual, and all three of us can’t fit under that tarp. Besides, water would run in at the ends and we’d be trying to sleep on the wet ground.
“There’s a small barn or shed a mile or so from here. We could go there, see if it’s occupied, and if not, we can sleep indoors for a few nights. You need to recuperate, and we need rest. Stevie and I have been on foot across half the state, and most of that, we traveled at night. We haven’t really adjusted to days yet.”
“And you’re wondering,” Jeff interjected, “whether I am up to walking to that barn.”
“Right,” Helen agreed. “We can help you, but we can’t carry you. What do you think?”
“I think I’ll be improved enough by morning to manage it. I can’t tell you how much better I feel already.”
“Getting all that pus out of there made the difference. Your body was fighting a losing battle. I almost gagged while I was cleaning it out, and Stevie couldn’t watch. Her face turned green and she suddenly had things to do elsewhere. I felt sorry for her, but it was also kinda funny. Poor kid.”
“I’m glad I wasn’t awake at the time. Thanks for doing that for me, and for everything el
se. You probably saved my life.”
“I’m going to get you a cup of broth, and your next dose of amoxicillin. We’ll save some soup for you.”
Jeff looked around. “Where is Stevie?”
“She’s around. She likes to listen. That kid has the best ears of anyone I’ve ever met. She’ll be back in a bit. She never goes far, but it helps her focus.”
At that moment, Stevie stepped into the clearing, startling the others. “See, Jeff? I can move quietly when I’m not in a rush. I need to work on that, though. Lately, rushing seems to happen more often.”
“Are we ready for dinner?” Helen asked. “Eat it fast and we’ll clean the dishes as best we can. I’ll keep a lid on the leftovers until we see if Jeff thinks he can eat solids. We don’t want the aroma to draw any attention.”
“Speaking of dinner, you mentioned squirrel a couple of times. Where’d you get the meat?” Jeff inquired.
Stevie grinned. “Helen’s Choctaw, in case you hadn’t noticed. She has skills, man. Skills.”
Helen shook her head, grinning. “I set snares. We have to find food as we go, because our supplies are running low. We’ve had rabbit and squirrel several times lately. Today, I caught three squirrels with peanut butter as bait. They love peanut butter!”
Jeff nodded. “I’m pretty good at catching fish. You wouldn’t happen to have fishing gear stashed in that pack, would you?”
“Well, I couldn’t fit my rod and reel in there, but I have hooks and some line. We’d love some fish for a change, but we haven’t found a safe place to catch any. There seems to be a lot of people moving along the river. If we find a good spot, you can be our designated fisherman.”
Chapter Thirteen
January 7, Mississippi
A few mornings later, Jeff awoke to an aroma he almost didn’t recognize, it had been so long. Bacon? Surely not. It can’t be bacon, he told himself.
It was bacon. Helen explained that they were having freeze-dried eggs and bacon that morning. The eggs had peppers, onions, mushrooms, and small bits of bacon mixed in. She just added a bit of hot water and stirred it.
“This is a mix I freeze-dried myself. I trimmed almost all the fat off the bacon so it would last longer. A lot of what we started out with was homemade packets, not commercial. I wanted to have things we liked. Kind of a morale booster, you know?”
“We? I thought you just met Stevie on the road.” Jeff looked confused.
“To make a long, sad story short, my husband and I left the Florida panhandle in a motorhome. He got sick suddenly and passed away. I think it was his appendix. I continued since it wasn’t safe to turn back. I met Stevie, and not long after that, the motorhome ran out of gas. We left a lot of supplies behind because we couldn’t carry everything.
“Now, who’s ready for some breakfast?”
She and Stevie had mess kits. Helen dished up a serving for each of them, then handed Jeff what was left in the little pan.
“Sorry, we’re fresh out of china dishes, but if you’ll just put a bit of salt and pepper on there, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised,” she urged.
They ate quickly, cleaned up the pan and mess kits, and Helen gave Jeff his medicine.
“Before you ask, I feel really good this morning. I’m up for a hike if you are,” he told them. “Where’s this barn or whatever we’re going to?”
Stevie answered before Helen could say a word. “It’s at the north end of a farm, on the east side of this forest. I think it’s about a mile, but Helen thinks it’s closer to two. The plan is that we’ll get close and watch for a while. If we don’t see anyone, I’ll sneak around and check it out. If it’s okay, I’ll wave you in.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Jeff replied. “What can I do to help?”
“Not much,” Helen ordered. “You aren’t going to be carrying any weight for a few days. I guess you can get the tarp folded and the paracord wound up. Stevie is going to fill in the Dakota hole, and I’ll pack up the cooking stuff. We can stop to rest when you need to, so don’t try to tough it out. Speak up if you need to stop, and don’t push yourself.”
Within ten minutes, they were ready to head out. They took a last look around to make sure they hadn’t left anything, then Helen stepped over to Jeff.
“Think you can handle this?” she asked, holding out a Glock.
Jeff looked directly into her eyes. “I can, if you want to trust me with it. Are you sure?”
“Stevie and I talked about it. We think you’re okay. If you mind your manners, we might even let you come with us across Arkansas.”
“I’m honored. I think we’d all benefit from that. With three, we have a better chance of making it. Thank you, Helen. As of this moment, we are a team.”
From her position across the clearing, Stevie piped up, “It remains to be seen whether we’re the Three Musketeers or the Three Stooges.”
Shaking with silent laughter, they set off. Stevie took the lead, with Helen bringing up the rear. Jeff tucked the Glock into his belt and tried to keep up.
Chapter Fourteen
January 7, a farm near the Mississippi River
Stevie stepped over and crouched at the edge of the forest, waiting for Helen and Jeff to catch up. She scanned the field to the east and studied the terrain around the little barn or shed. It was hard to tell exactly what use the building had been put to, and its location seemed a bit odd.
Who puts a building out at the edge of a field? she thought. It’s probably not a barn, because this field was obviously not used for pasture. It’s been plowed, and not too long ago, either. It’s not a convenient place for a tool or storage shed. Why would anyone want to store things so far from the house? This is weird. A hunting cabin? That would be nice, if it’s got furniture and stuff, but somehow, that doesn’t fit very well, either. I guess we’ll know soon enough.
Helen and Jeff crept nearer, and Jeff leaned against a tree, obviously tired and weak from the walk. He stared at the small building, then grinned.
“It’s actually a lot bigger than I pictured,” he commented. “That’s one of those multi-purpose buildings you can get. Double doors on the front, a window on this end, and I’d guess there’s one on the other end, too. I bet it’s about twelve feet wide and twenty-four or so feet long. It might even be a tiny house, but somehow, I don’t think it was used as a barn.”
Nodding, Helen suggested, “Let’s stay in the trees and get around on another side. It’s not far from the woods on the north, and we’ll be able to see that side before Stevie has to step out in the open.”
They went a little further back into the forest, then circled around to the north. On that side, they saw that the building had what looked like thick wood shutters.
Stevie frowned. “That looks like maybe there are windows on this side. How odd. Why would someone have a building with big windows on the north side? Wouldn’t it get cold in the winter?”
Helen glanced at her, grinning. “That’s why those shutters are there. I bet there’s some type of insulation in those, and I bet they have rubber seals around the edges. If I’m right, that’s not a storage shed, or a cabin, either, but I could be wrong.”
“Well, whatever it is, I’m headed out to take a look. Y’all keep an eye out, okay?” Stevie adjusted the strap on her rifle and took a deep breath.
“We’ve got your back, Stevie. We’ll be watching,” Jeff assured her.
Stevie nodded, then darted from her hiding place. At the rear of the building, she examined the shutters, looked back at her friends and shrugged, then slipped around to the east side, out of sight.
Moments later, she reappeared from the front of the building, smiling and waving at them. Helen looked at Jeff, who shrugged, and they joined Stevie at the front doors.
Stevie bowed, and announced, “Welcome to the studio,” at which Jeff looked confused and Helen laughed.
“I was right! A friend of my brother’s was an artist, and he had one of these. Can we go in? Is it loc
ked?” Helen asked.
“Nope. There’s a lock, but whoever it belongs to didn’t bother. And when I peeked in the east window, what I saw made me want to dance my happy dance. C’mon! You gotta see this.”
Stevie stepped onto a low porch, opened the right side of the double doors, and made a grand bow, gesturing for them to enter. Helen went in first and was speechless as she looked around.
At the back, on the right side, was a small, cast-iron, woodburning stove. It was the kind that could be used not only to heat the room, but also to cook. An old-fashioned metal percolator for coffee sat on the top.
There was a mechanism for opening the shutters, an artist’s easel, a tall stool with a padded seat, some paints and brushes, a palette, and several canvases. In the southeast corner, there was a small cabinet, painted a pale sage green, with colorful flowers painted on the doors. In the northwest corner, there was a larger cabinet, similarly decorated. Completed paintings leaned against the west wall, and a coffee cup sat on a small table beside a daybed with a trundle.
Helen looked into the cup and made a face. “Gross. This has been sitting here long enough to grow some new lifeforms. And whoever the artist is, he or she left in a hurry.”
“Ah. You’re right,” Jeff agreed. “A brush still loaded with paint, paints mixed on the palette, and a rag on the floor. Brushes are expensive, and no artist would leave a brush without cleaning it, unless there was a very good reason. We’ll probably never know what it was, though.”
Helen lifted the dirty brush and felt the glob of paint on the bristles. It was hard and dry. Then she picked up a tube of ultramarine blue. “Well, we can’t tell how long from the dried paint. This artist used acrylics, which dry really fast. The coffee cup, though, has been there for at least a few weeks, I’d guess.”
Stevie held up a finished painting. “Look at this. I love it. I wish I could keep it, but it’s too big to fit in my pack. This person was talented.”