by Chris Pike
“Not at all. Is there someplace where I can put my things?”
“Since we have a full house, use Kate’s room.”
“Mom!”
“Oh, don’t give me that,” Tatiana protested. “You’re not going to do anything here you haven’t already done.”
The heat rose in Kate’s cheeks and all she wanted to do was shrink away and hide somewhere.
“Uncle Billy, while I’m catching up with Kate, would you show Nico around, and also let John and Luke know Kate’s back?”
“Sure,” Uncle Billy said. “Come on, Nico. I’ll show you around.”
Tatiana whisked Kate into the kitchen and prepared her a snack. They had a lot of catching up to do, and, while the big elephant in the room wouldn’t go away regarding how long Kate would be staying, Tatiana decided to keep the conversation light. Serious issues would have to wait.
Without making their survival dramatic, nor retelling Nico’s near escape with death the previous day, Kate gave a capsulized version of the time she had been gone, strategically leaving out the part about Ben. Like most children, even grown ones, Kate preferred to keep her mother on a need to know basis. As of now, she didn’t need to know all the particulars.
Uncle Billy took Nico to the backyard and offered him a can of Buckhorn beer. “It’s not as cold as I’d like it to be, but it’s better than no beer at all.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Nico said. “How has the family been getting along?”
“Okay enough. About a week ago, an old couple who lived a few houses up the street committed suicide when their prescriptions ran out. That’s what the note said. The neighbors got together and we buried them in the backyard. While I was there I heard talk of some rumors coming from East Texas.”
“What kind of rumors?” Nico took a swallow of beer.
“One of our neighbors who just made it back home from Louisiana said he saw big government trucks carrying drill pipe in East Texas.”
“Interesting.”
“Chandler – that’s Kate’s oldest brother, said before the EMP struck, he had gone back to East Texas to work on a drilling rig where his former boss said a job would be waiting when his tour was over. Apparently, he had some girl trouble, so instead of coming home, he got stuck in East Texas. That’s where he met Amanda.”
“Who’s Amanda?” Nico asked.
“Chandler’s girlfriend. I’ll explain later.” Uncle Billy shrugged. “It appears the government is drilling for oil while the people starve. That’s not right.”
Nico cast a disbelieving look. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t know what to think of it,” Uncle Billy said. “Something is going on though, that’s for sure. Let’s take a walk and find Kate’s dad and brother.”
“Luke’s his name, right?”
“Yes, Luke is the middle brother and Chandler is the oldest of the three.” Uncle Billy paused long enough to take the last swig of beer. “We all call him Chandler instead of Chris.”
“Why is that?”
“When he was in school, there were four other kids in his class named Chris, including one girl. There was so much confusion, he made everyone call him by his last name. It stuck and we’ve been calling him Chandler ever since. Anyway, he left last week with his girlfriend to go back to her grandpa’s place in East Texas.”
“It’s too bad I missed him. From what Kate said, he’s a great guy.”
“He is,” Uncle Billy confirmed. He crumpled the beer can then tossed it into a barrel.
“So why’d they go back to East Texas?”
“Amanda inherited her grandfather’s ranch.” Uncle Billy waved off any questions. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. Want to see my best fishing spot?”
“Sure.”
Uncle Billy guided Nico to an unusual feature in the river where the water had eroded a small cave in the bank. He said the catfish liked that shady spot the best. “I’ve tried noodling, but those fish are smart and fast. Besides, I don’t like putting my hands where I can’t see them.” Afterwards, he gave Nico a tour around the place, including the tool shed, the garden, and the pecan tree where Amanda rescued Chandler from the python.
“A python? Here? You gotta be kidding me.” Nico stifled a laugh. “I thought those things only lived in Florida.”
“Not anymore. Amanda killed the python right where we’re standing. Chandler skinned the snake and decided to have a pair of boots made from the skin. Then we grilled the son-of-a bitch. It was tasty too. Like chicken, only better. Tatiana served it with picante sauce. Let me tell you it was delicious. The menu lately has consisted of a lot of canned tuna. You can have my portion tonight if you want. I still have some extra padding so it won’t hurt me if I skip a meal.” Uncle Billy grabbed a handful of fat on each side of his waistline to make his point. “I knew my spare tire would come in handy one day.”
Nico wasn’t sure what to say other than, “Is that your car?”
Uncle Billy scratched his chin, stalling and wondering how to dodge the question without lying. “For the time being it is. Wanna see it?”
“Of course.”
Parked under the shade of a pecan tree, Uncle Billy’s prized possession sat idle.
“Is this the same kind of car that was in the Clint Eastwood movie?” Nico snapped his fingers trying to remember the name of the movie. “Gran Torino was the name, right?”
“Sure was,” Uncle Billy. “This one’s not as shiny and clean as the beauty in the movie, but she’s still purdy.”
“Is she for sale?”
Uncle Billy coughed two pathetic fake coughs. “Uh, well, I’m only borrowing it for the time being.”
“Right.” Nico understood the subtlety of what Uncle Billy was trying to convey, and decided not to press the matter any further.
“Several months ago we took possession of a bright red Chevy, but decided Chandler could use it to haul Cowboy back to East Texas.”
“Cowboy? Who’s he?”
“A horse Chandler and Amanda borrowed to get here.”
A perplexed frown spread across Nico’s face.
“The long and short of it is, they borrowed the horse from Holly and Dillon, who are in East Texas, rode him here, and since Chandler had promised to return the horse, we decided the fastest and safest way was to use a trailer.” Uncle Billy took a breath. “When the weather became warm enough, we hooked up a horse trailer to the Chevy.”
“Why didn’t you just let Amanda take the Chevy to drive there herself?”
“Chandler didn’t want her traveling by herself. Besides, they are a couple. He said he also wanted to try to find his old boss at the drilling site where he had been working before his military tour.”
“There’s a lot of oil in East Texas,” Nico said.
“Right, and Chandler wanted to make sure when the grid boots back up he’d be one of the first to start working again. It’s also possible Amanda’s ranch is sitting atop a big oil and gas field. Before the grid went down, some landmen from a big oil company stopped by to talk to her grandfather about extending a lease on the place. In case they come back, Chandler wanted to be there for her to make sure she got fair treatment and didn’t sign anything she didn’t want to. She’s very young and a little naïve from what Chandler has told us. Amanda mentioned there had been a lot of seismic activity the previous year. We’re guessing there’s the possibility of a huge oil or gas field under all that pasture land and pine trees.”
“Interesting.” Nico mulled over what he had learned. “From everything I’ve heard about Chandler, he’s a solid guy. I’d like to meet him some day.”
Uncle Billy spotted two men walking down the road. “Speaking of meeting, here comes John and Luke.”
After a round of handshakes and standard greetings, and upon learning his only daughter had come home, John excused himself and headed to the house. He had been worried sick about Kate as much as his wife had been. Hugs and more tears followed and Jo
hn listened to every word Kate was saying. She provided the same rendition of her time in San Antonio to her father as she did to her mother. John sat silent as Kate told him about Nico, how they met, and about her dog Reload, who had already made friends with Tatiana, understanding the kitchen was where the food was and that she was in charge of the kitchen.
While John and Tatiana were captivated by their daughter’s travails, reveling in the sound of her voice, Luke and Nico were out back talking. They exchanged tales of hardship from lack of food to sanitation issues, then the conversation naturally turned to guns – a topic each was enthusiastic about.
“I hear you and your brother are excellent snipers. What do you use?” Nico was genuinely interested in the answer since he did not have long range training because his bosses had felt it was unnecessary.
“I use a .338 Lapua with either 250 or 300 grain bullets,” Luke replied. “Chandler is a formally trained sniper who still uses a .308 and has had combat experience with everything up to and including a .50 caliber Browning machine gun. How about you?”
“My long range shooting has been limited to three hundred yards, mostly with M-4 carbines. Every once in a while someone would show up with a LaRue loaded with Black Hills MK 262 MOD 1, and we would take turns shooting it out to six hundred yards. We never did any formal sniper training, so I couldn’t tell you how many windage clicks are required for a fifteen mile per hour crosswind,” Nico said.
“Chandler is a true Marine sniper who will share his expertise with serious students. He has a set of range cards that will take you out to incredible distances. We are talking two thousand yards plus for some calibers.”
“Luke, how did you learn?” Nico had a feeling Luke was being too modest.
“My mother. She was taught by her mother, a Soviet sniper from WWII. Her mother ran a gun shop at a shooting range, and Mom did test targets for customized guns. She taught me when I showed an interest, and Chandler brought home tips from his time in the service.” Luke was clearly proud of the story. “How did you learn about shooting?”
“I was in law enforcement and volunteered to take the Glock Armorer’s course when no one else stepped forward. I would do an undercover assignment and then work in the armory in between trials. When the department was testing a new gun, I was always front and center. I got to shoot a full auto FN P90 equipped with a suppressor and a brass bag that could take up to seventy-five rounds. The P90’s fifty round magazines really impressed the SWAT guys, but the department only bought a few. It was great fun playing with all sorts of exotic guns.” Nico was grinning ear to ear, recalling the memories.
Luke and Nico had hit it off immediately and before they knew it, Tatiana was calling them in for dinner.
Chapter 6
East Texas
Holly Hudson’s Ranch
The Double H Ranch, a five hundred acre spread in East Texas owned by Holly Hudson, was now home to Dillon Stockdale, his daughter Cassie, her fiancé Ryan Manning, Dillon’s dog Buster, one horse, and one cat who spent most of its waking time hiding in various places in the house, while avoiding the mountain lion rug near the front door. Considering the other cat had met its demise in the jaws of a mountain lion, it was decided the cat could stay in the house.
Cowboy was Holly’s horse, and was in a pen near the barn. After the shootout at the University of Texas Tower, Chandler had confiscated Zack’s car, a cherry red Chevy. With Uncle Billy’s help, they hooked up a trailer assembly, and, keeping to his word, Chandler returned Cowboy to Holly. Amanda had come with him, and after they delivered Cowboy to Holly’s ranch, they set up house at the property she had inherited from her grandfather.
The previous day at the Double H there had been a flurry of activity as Dillon and Ryan set up tables and chairs outside under the shade of towering pines. Several rows of chairs were placed on either side of a short walkway which led to the base of a large pine tree.
Due to the shortage of chairs, Dillon had improvised and used as many canvas hunting stools he could find in the garage. Paper pinwheels hung from strings attached to the lower branches of the pine tree, and a swing attached to an oak tree was decorated with wild flowers and greenery. A few old barrels had been donated, turned upside down to be used as rustic cocktail tables. Mason jars used for canning had been filled with water, and right before the ceremony was to begin, wildflowers would be placed in the jars.
A wedding was about to get underway, and though Ryan couldn’t give Cassie all the bells and whistles of a church wedding and reception, he thought this one would be more memorable.
“How are you doing?” Dillon asked.
“Nervous,” Ryan said. “Weren’t you when you got married?”
“It was a long time ago. I’ve forgotten what it was like.”
“Aren’t you and Holly going to tie the knot?”
“We haven’t discussed it.”
“Considering what you’ve been through, I just thought you’d want to—”
“It’s different when you’re older. Young love is different. Everything is new. You want to make it official, throw a big party, go on a honeymoon. I’ve already been through all that with my first wife, God rest her soul. Holly and I don’t need a piece of paper for confirmation of our commitment to each other. Don’t get me wrong, I want you and Cassie to get married, and I couldn’t ask for a better son-in-law.”
“Thanks,” Ryan said. He was about to say something else when the sound of tires on gravel commanded his attention.
Larry Monroe and his wife Sarah arrived in style riding their dirt bikes. Larry owned property behind the Double H Ranch, and a hardware store in town. Dillon strolled over to Larry and Sarah. Larry hopped off his dirt bike and dropped the kickstand into the dirt. He removed his helmet and set it on the seat.
“You’re the first to arrive,” Dillon said extending a hand to shake. “I wasn’t sure you’d be able to make it.”
Larry nervously glanced around, his gaze bouncing from the house to the barn then back to Dillon, like something from a pinball machine.
“You okay?” Dillon asked as he too looked around, thinking he had missed something Larry had spotted. “Is something wrong?”
There was no reply.
“Larry? Are you okay?”
“Oh, sure, yeah.” Larry scratched the side of his nose and diverted his eyes.
Dillon chalked up Larry’s odd behavior and lack of eye contact to possibly too much imbibing, because Larry was known to drink a lot. Some people were obviously nervous in social settings, so Dillon figured it would account for his skittishness. Holly had warned Dillon that Larry was one of those neighbors, meaning he was known to be somewhat eccentric. His wife was quite normal, though, so nobody could figure how those two had stayed together.
“I hope we didn’t get here too early,” Sarah said. “It’s kinda hard to tell time these days. The invitation said to come before sunset.”
“It’s fine, Sarah,” Dillon said. “You’re right on time. Larry, can I get you anything?”
“Not at the moment.” Larry had his hands in his pocket, jiggling something.
Dillon came within a cat’s whisker of asking Larry if he was playing pocket pool, then decided not to in front of his wife. Some people weren’t the joking kind.
“Honey,” Larry said. “You should probably go on in the house. I’m sure Cassie and Holly are in there.”
“Oh, I get the hint. I’ll head on in and let you men talk in private.” She patted Larry on the shoulder.
After Sarah was out of earshot, Dillon asked, “Is something bothering you, Larry. Anything you need to talk about?”
“What? No.”
“I thought since you asked your wife to leave—”
“Nothing like that. I thought Sarah might like to see Cassie get ready. You know how women are before weddings.” Larry poked Dillon in the side.
“I guess so.” Dillon flashed a perplexed expression toward Larry, and wanted to know what was goin
g on, but he had other things on his mind, so he let it go for now.
While the men talked outside, Sarah went over to the house. The steps leading to the porch creaked as she walked up them. Opening the screen door, she peeked inside and glanced around. A sofa with a colorful quilt draped over it sat to the side. Two chairs were placed on each end of the sofa. Several fashion magazines dating to when the world was still normal were open on a coffee table. A light breeze ruffled the curtains.
Sarah stepped inside, taking care to avoid the rug made from a mountain lion. Larry had told her Dillon killed a mountain lion some months back and had made a rug out of the skin. Fortunately, the head was gone. She guessed a taxidermist was unavailable to make the eyes and tongue presentable. Just as well.
“Holly? Cassie? It’s me, Sarah Monroe.”
“We’re up here,” Holly called out. “Come on upstairs.”
Sarah placed her backpack near the front door then proceeded to the second floor. Cassie and Holly were talking in one of the bedrooms while getting ready.
“Everyone,” Holly said, “this is Sarah Monroe. I think you already know Cassie and Amanda.” They nodded in Sarah’s direction. “But I don’t think you know Dorothy and her daughter, Anna.”
“Nice to meet you,” Sarah said.
“You too.” Dorothy smiled pleasantly.
Sarah stepped over to Cassie. “You are absolutely lovely. Your make-up and hair are perfect. But why are you still in jeans and a T-shirt?”
“Holly is making a last minute alteration to the dress. Apparently I’ve gained a few pounds since I tried it on last.” Cassie patted her belly. Sarah understood the subtle gesture.
“You’re expecting, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“Does your father know?”
Holly put down the sewing needle. “He knows and he’s very happy. Morning sickness is a dead giveaway. That, and the fact Ryan has been hovering over Cassie and making sure she gets enough sleep and plenty to eat.”
“I guess I should have told him,” Cassie said. “It’s kinda embarrassing. I didn’t want him to be disappointed in me.”