“There is a bit of a story behind that”, Irma continued.
After hearing the story of how George came to be in the house, Tony looked troubled.
“I wish you had told us that before Jason and Adnan went off with him.” He said. “How do we know there are a wife and son, and not a plot to separate us?”
“Oh, I’m sure he’s telling the truth.” Irma tried to convince him. Now she was beginning to have her own doubts. “The gun wasn’t even loaded.”
“Gun?” Monica leaped to her feet. “He had a gun?”
“He doesn’t have it now.” Stella went and retrieved the handgun from where they had hidden it in the china cabinet. “See, it’s still here and it’s not loaded.”
“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have another one.” Monica began to pull on her boots. “I’m going after them. Jason needs to know about this so he can be alert.”
“They’ve been gone for almost an hour.” Irma protested.
“I don’t care. They will have left a trail in the snow and if I hurry I can catch up to them.” She fumbled in her pockets. “Do we have another flashlight? I gave mine to Jason.”
Silently Irma handed her the one she kept in the kitchen.
Just before she wrapped her scarf around her face, Monica tried to reassure them. “I’ll only go for an hour. If I don’t catch up to them by then, I’ll come back. In the meantime, you lock the doors and don’t let any more vagabonds in.”
She hated to leave them. Three elderly people and one baby weren’t much defence if someone really wanted in. However, and involuntarily she smiled, those two old ladies had done quite a number on George. “And the guitar”, she almost laughed out loud as she left the driveway.
Thankfully, the men had left a clear trail for her and she could move much faster than they would have, breaking a new trail through the snow and carrying supplies. She hurried forward.
From the window, Irma, Stella and Tony watched until she was out of sight. It was three o’clock and already the light was fading.
“I’m going to bring in some more wood.” Tony turned away from the window.
Irma put her arm around Stella’s thin shoulders. “You did good.” She told her. “You’re stronger than you think.”
“Am I?” Stella hugged her back. “I’ve heard for years how stupid and weak I am. I don’t even know how I managed to hit a man.”
“You are not stupid, and definitely not weak. I was standing there like an idiot and you just barrelled in and saved the day. Now let’s go get some blankets and figure out where George and his family are going to sleep.”
It was full dark when Monica returned. Jack was in his pyjamas and sleeping soundly after a supper of mashed vegetables.
“Did you catch them?” Irma asked anxiously as she helped her daughter-in-law remove her coat and scarf.
“No,” Monica shook her head. “I thought I heard voices at one point, but I never saw anybody. It was getting dark, so I turned around.” She gave Irma a quick hug. “I’m sure they are okay, Mom. I thought about it while I was walking and if anything was going to happen, it would probably be close to here. There would be no sense in walking that far if he only wanted to steal something.”
“Do you have any of that stew left? I’m starving.”
“Of course.” Irma bustled into the kitchen to get a bowl, then spooned a generous helping from the pot that was simmering on top of the barrel heater.
“Sam and Tom should be back soon too.” She looked at Stella who was knitting in the corner.
Stella smiled back. “I hope they can bring us some good news”, she said.
“The only good news is that someone is fixing this electrical outage.” Monica glumly chewed a particularly tough piece of meat. “This is only going to get worse in the spring. I’m afraid George and the motorcycle gang are only the beginning. Right now the cold and snow are keeping most people in one place, but come spring they’ll be on the move looking for food.”
“No sense coming here, then,” Tony answered. “We won’t have anything left by then either. Now our propane is gone we’ll really be in the dark. How many candles do we have left, Mom?”
“Not many. I think there might be one or two in the storage closet upstairs. Tomorrow we should do a complete inventory of what we have left.”
“Don’t forget,” Stella spoke up from her corner. “We have a whole herd of cows. We might as well eat them as have them freeze or starve to death.” Her voice caught. They had worked so hard to keep the farm going, and now it would be all lost.
Tony nodded. “Yeah, we’ll have to discuss that when Sam comes back.”
Wearily he stood. They hadn’t bothered with any candles and only the flickering firelight lit the room. Outside the darkness pressed against the windows. He peered out, hoping to see the travellers coming down the driveway. Nobody. He sank back down into his easy chair.
“I’m getting too old for this adventure.” He thought, even as he gave a reassuring smile to the women. Monica finished her stew and quietly pushed her bowl aside. Irma poured them each a cup of hot water from the kettle on the heater. Nobody wanted to talk anymore so the only sound was the clicking of the knitting needles.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
They were all dozing in their respective chairs when a banging on the door made them leap up in alarm.
“Don’t open the door!” Tony gasped. “See who it is first.”
Stella’s hand paused just before she released the deadbolt. “Who is it?”
“It’s us!” Quickly she flung the door open and to his apparent surprise, threw her arms around her husband.
“Oh, Sam. Come in, quick. You must be frozen. Where’s Tom?”
“We need to put the horse inside first.” Sam’s eyes barely showed over a frost-covered scarf. “The poor girl is exhausted.”
Tony was shaking his hand enthusiastically. “You are a sight for sore eyes.”
“Of course, of course. You can put the horse in the old barn. But we have nothing to feed her.”
“I have a few oats I took from the barn this morning. Tom is putting her in now. It’s cold in there, but at least it’s out of the wind”.
Catching sight of Irma standing behind her husband, Sam asked. “Do you have a basin or tub or something that would hold water?”
Her forehead puckered. “There should be an old washtub in the shed. Tony, you could go and dig it out.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m already dressed. I’ll find it.” And Sam turned, shouting over his shoulder to be heard above the wind that had risen in the night. “You go in and keep warm. We’ll be in as soon as we get Star settled.”
The horse had been rubbed down and covered with an old blanket, and the returning adventurers were enjoying a bowl of hot stew.
Tom looked around the dim room. “Where’s Adnan?”
“There’s quite a story there.” Monica glanced at her mother-in-law. “Suffice it to say, he and Jason have gone on a rescue mission.”
After the story had been told, Sam looked at his meek wife. “I wouldn’t have thought you had the guts to do that.”
She glanced up from her knitting. “Neither did I.” She answered. “Turns out you can do anything if you’re pushed hard enough.”
“So, what did you find out?” Tony asked impatiently.
“Nobody was there,” Sam said quietly. He spooned a mouthful of stew into his mouth. “The town looks all boarded up and the police station was deserted. If anybody was hiding in the houses they didn’t come out even though we knocked on a few doors and stood in the street and hollered.”
Tom added, “Poor Star was cold and exhausted but we had no place to put her so we had to bring her home with us.”
“I wonder where everybody was,” Irma said. “They can’t all have left and we haven’t seen many people passing by here.”
“Maybe they all went to a bigger place, thinking there would be more resources.” Sam shrugged. “Remember we had a couple of months
in the fall when it would have made sense to move south if you didn’t have what we have here…gardens, animals and heat.”
“Not to mention water”, Monica added. “Even if the tap quits, most old farms have a well on the property, and there’s the creek here.”
“Speaking of farms”, Stella spoke up. “How are things at our farm? We were thinking today that we need to butcher a cow or two before they all freeze to death.”
Sam, pushed back his chair. “Now that was a surprise,” he said. “Tom and I went sneaking into the barn to saddle Star and it’s all neat and tidy in there. The horses had hay and even the couple of chickens we left are still alive. While we were leading the horse out, one of the guys saw us and came out. He didn’t look quite so fierce as when we saw him here. Turns out under that beard there was a nice young man who thanked us for turning our home over to them.”
Tom interrupted, “He said the cows are pretty cold out in the field and of course all the grass is under snow, but they have been keeping an eye on the animals. One of them knows about butchering, so they won’t starve.”
“I think they’re fine over there,” Sam added. “They poked a hole in a wall for a stovepipe and set up the old airtight heater we had in the chicken house. They’re warm and fed, and that’s all they wanted.”
“I’m so glad,” Stella said. “I was afraid they would destroy everything. And now we know we don’t have to sneak around over there.”
“Now all we have to worry about is Jason and Adnan getting home safe.” Irma got up and poured more hot water into their cups. “We should probably go to bed and get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow we have to decide what to do about accommodating a possible new family. I don’t know where we will put them. We’re bursting at the seams now.”
“Well, if we have to, we can put beds in here.” Tony waved around the dark living room. “It’s really the only place left in the house except for the kitchen.”
“At least the upstairs stays sort of warm from the chimney. But you’re right, we might have to turn the living room into a “living” room until spring.”
Monica picked up her sleeping baby and began to move towards the stairs. “I probably won’t sleep a wink, wondering if Jason is being hit over the head,” she said. “But let’s go to bed anyway.”
“I’ll build up the fire,” Tony said, moving to do just that. “Sam and Tom must be exhausted, and we have to take the horse back in the morning, too.”
It was nearly noon the next day when Monica opened the door to five cold and hungry people. She threw her arms around her husband, then stepped back quickly.
“You’re freezing,” she exclaimed. “Get in here.”
She started undressing the small boy who accompanied the group, crooning the whole time. “Oh, you poor thing. I’ll bet you’re hungry.” Rufus woofed softly and ambled over to investigate the newcomers.
“It’s okay,” Monica patted the dog when she noticed the boy draw back. “Rufus is just a big teddy bear. He wants to say hi to you.”
Shyly the child reached out and petted the furry back. He smiled slightly.
“Come in here.” She led the group into the living room where another pot of stew was simmering alongside the kettle of water.
“Sit down.” The group sat obediently. So far none of them had spoken, just rubbing their hands together and enjoying the heat.
Monica prattled on while dishing up stew and pouring water into mugs.
“We were so worried”, she said. “It’s getting colder and we thought it might snow. How far did you have to walk?” She glanced at the silent woman spooning up vegetables. “How old is your boy? What’s his name? You must be exhausted. Eat up and we’ll find you a bed.”
Then she laughed. “I’m sorry. Listen to me. I’ll stop talking now.”
Jason leaned back in his chair and looked at her smiling. “Where is everybody?” he asked. “I thought there would be a welcoming committee.”
“Mom and Dad are lying down with Jack.” She answered him. “I don’t think they slept much last night. Sam and Stella and Tom went to the farm to return the horse and check on the cattle.”
“They didn’t get back until late last night – Sam and Tom I mean. The police station and the whole town are deserted and locked up tight, so they didn’t find out anything. But they did meet one of the guys at the farm and were pleasantly surprised.”
She laughed again. “There I go again. I’m just so glad to see you. I should save some of the news for later.”
“Are you done?” she asked the boy.
He nodded shyly.
His mother finally spoke. “He’s tired.” She said quietly. “Aren’t you Ty?”
“It was a long walk,” she continued. “And we were already exhausted. I’m Melanie, by the way. I think you met my husband, George, yesterday.”
George nodded sheepishly. “Yeah, not under the best circumstances,” he said.
“I heard,” Monica spoke curtly. Then she turned towards the woman. “We are crowded in here like peas in a pod, but for now you can have a nap in our room. Don’t worry about anything until you have slept for ten or twelve hours. You’re safe now.”
“Come on, Ty.” Melanie held out her hand to her son. “Let’s go have a sleep.”
“I’ll find you a nightie.” The two women and the boy left the room, leaving the men at the table.
“You need to sleep too, George”, said Jason kindly. “We’ll give them a few minutes and then you can join them upstairs.”
“You’re just as tired,” George protested. “Sleeping on the floor of an old house isn’t exactly relaxing. And then we had the hike back, basically carrying Melanie and Ty.”
“Yes, but we hadn’t been starving for a month before.” Jason answered. “I need to look around and make sure everything is okay here, then Adnan and I will definitely have a lie down too.”
Adnan yawned loudly. “I’d be happy to go to bed for a while.”
“Not yet.” Jason shook his head. “We are going to carry in some more wood and then bring in some more vegetables from the root cellar.”
After George had followed his family up the stairs, Monica joined them as they put on boots and coats once more.
“You don’t need to come out,” Jason told her.
“No, but I need some fresh air.” She continued to wrap a scarf around her head until only her dark eyes showed.
Once outside they linked hands and sent Adnan ahead to the woodpile.
“Did you hear about the gun?” she asked quietly.
He looked at her in surprise. “No, what gun?”
“The gun that George used to threaten Mom and Stella with. I came after you yesterday to warn you, but couldn’t catch up.”
“He doesn’t seem the type to use a gun, or to threaten elderly women.”
“No, they didn’t think so either.” She answered. “but your guitar has a big hole in it where Stella bonked him on the head with it.”
“Really?” He laughed. “Sounds like they can take care of themselves.”
“It’s not funny.” She rebuked him. “We don’t know him and now he’s in our house. Who knows what he’ll do if he decides we have what he wants?”
“I think what he wanted was food for his wife and kid.”
He pulled at the wooden door and they descended into the darkness of the root cellar he had prepared in the fall. Sunlight brightened the first few feet, but the back was in perpetual darkness.
“Let’s go and see what we have for food left. I hope it didn’t all freeze.” He worried. “I didn’t have time to dig it very deep.”
He cursed as he kicked a rock that lay half buried in the floor. “should’ve brought the flashlight”, he muttered. “what do you see, Monica.”
“We’re in pretty good shape.” She answered. The potatoes and carrots don’t seem any the worse for wear. Mom’s garden is serving us well.”
He rummaged in the dark. “Yeah and I think we have s
ome cabbages back here. It’s probably safer in here than in the house. All the stuff in the pantry is freezing.”
Monica laughed. “And don’t forget the jars of sauerkraut she has hiding under her bed. If we have beef and these vegetables, we should be okay for another couple of months, and we can always hope the lights come back on.”
They both filled their arms with vegetables and vowed to bring a flashlight and a box on the next visit. Thankfully, they climbed back into the daylight. They could see Adnan carrying armloads of wood into the house, and down the drive came Stella, Sam and Tom. Now everybody was home, and for the moment, safe.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Christmas was here. A tree stood in the corner of the crowded living room, not too near the makeshift heater. Tinsel glittered on every branch, brightening the room and making Jack laugh with delight.
The old ornaments had been brought down from the attic. Tony had untangled the lights, grumbling as he was expected to. “Kind of silly,” he added to the general complaint, “to put electric lights on a tree when there is no power.”
“Now, now,” Irma chided him. “Maybe they’ll come on and it’ll be the best gift of all.”
“Yeh, sure.” He mumbled. “We can always hope.”
Irma smiled at her small grandson who had been permanently confined to the playpen and its pile of blankets. “Kids need Christmas. Don’t you sweetheart?”. She looked up as Monica came down the narrow stairs and into the living room.
“Did you look up in the attic for some kind of toys for Christmas morning?”
“I did”, Monica said cheerfully. “And I found some other things that we can use for Christmas surprises too.”
“Like what?”
“Ah, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, would it?”
They all laughed and Jack, seeing their smiles, returned them with a wide, toothless grin. He held his arms up at his mother, and she lifted him up.
“He’s the reason we need a good Christmas,” she agreed with her mother-in-law. They both knew that Tony only grumbled because it was expected. He smiled too and tickled his grandson under the chin.
The Incident | Book 1 | They Called It The Incident Page 7