Nice. We get to have a honeymoon period. I wonder how long this luxury will last—
Mercy caught Rose’s eye. Rose stifled a yawn.
Yeah, me too sister—
Travis took the horses over to the enclosure leaving Mercy and the others to explore the inspection station. Barnes and Flynn did a sweep of the outside before they entered the building. Tawny and Rose checked the inside before they all piled in. The station was divided into small offices, and an open plan, shared work area.
Mercy lay on the hard floor and stretched her back. She closed her eyes as pain surged through her muscles.
You’ve been here before, suck it up. It’ll pass—
“I could do with some bourbon and painkillers,” Barnes said, his voice a growl.
“Yeah, me too. The body’s recovery time takes longer the older you get,” Rose said, rubbing her thighs.
Mercy opened her eyes.
Get out of here Rose. You’re what? Fourteen now?
“Hey, there’s a gas stove here, and some coffee. There’s bread and some dried meat too, who wants some?” Flynn said.
“Yeah, works for me. So long as the stove’s not visible from outside we’re good,” Jade answered.
Ten minutes later Flynn poured fresh coffee for everyone. Bread and beef jerky was shared out. Everyone ate in silence, too tired to make conversation.
Finally Annalise spoke, “Coffee; it’s the best smell in the world.”
“Yeah, probably, although fresh baked bread is awesome too,” Jade countered.
“Lavender, I love lavender… and cinnamon,” Tawny said.
“Cigar smoke and leather seats in new cars get my vote,” Flynn added.
The door opened. Travis walked in and locked the door behind him, “Horses are fed and watered. I see you found the supplies. Sorry about the limited selection but the short notice and logistics had something to do with it.”
This is luxury—
Mercy poured a coffee for Travis and handed it to him, “Here, sit down Travis. We’re just shooting the breeze. Let me introduce everyone, you’ll not see everyone’s faces properly but you’ll hear their voices.”
Mercy went around the group introducing everyone to Travis. She encouraged them to say a few words about themselves. Travis remained silent, listening. Finally, once everyone had finished, the room fell into silence.
“What about you Travis? Tell us a bit about yourself,” Jade spoke up.
Travis leant back against the wall and nodded, “Yeah, why not? Thanks for sharing your stories. Normally I would have preferred to be out under the stars with a camp fire but because we’re so close to the river we could attract attention from the other side. Those bandits have boats and they’d come to investigate. Anyhow, yeah, the name’s Travis and before the Fall I was… a bit lost you might say—”
Travis paused, poured himself another coffee then continued, “I come from a bad neighbourhood, my mom did her best raising me and my brother. She held down three jobs and ran herself ragged. My father walked out on us when we were kids, he never came back. Shit happens. I was a Park Ranger for San Diego County… seems like such a long time ago now. Fast forwards to the Fall… I left San Diego to get away from the meltdown. My mother and brother… well, they didn’t make it. I figured I’d go walkabout and ended up in Joshua Tree National Park. Stayed there for a few weeks but the stiffs kept coming out of the cities, looking for food. So, I moved up to Sheephole Valley Wilderness. Then, a few weeks later the stiffs started showing up again… so I headed east to the Chemehuevi lands. That’s when I met Baja Joe and his people. Those guys saved my life. Without them I wouldn’t be here. They know the land and they knew how to outfox the stiffs. I saw them lead a large group of dead to a cliff edge, must’ve been a few hundred strong. Baja Joe and his guys were roped up, they jumped off the cliff. The stiffs followed, and fell over seven hundred feet. Baja Joe and his buddies climbed back up, cool as you like. Never seen anything like it—”
Mercy nodded.
I’m getting the pictures dude. I can see it—
Tawny’s voice came out of the darkness, “So, you’ve been surviving out here for over a year?”
“Don’t know how long really,” Travis answered. “You tend to lose track of time in the desert. There’s no clock time out here, not much use for Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays in the desert. There’s just morning, afternoon, and evening. Then night and sleep, life’s simpler than it was before. Which is kind of beautiful if you ask me. Don’t fight it, go with it.”
Mercy checked the luminous hands on her watch. “It’s only 9:40 pm guys, but I’m wasted. I’m gonna get some sleep. Wake me up when it’s my turn to take watch.”
“I’ll take first watch,” Travis replied. “I know this place, we’re good. You guys get your sleep. I’ll wake one of you when it’s time to hand over.”
He seems to know what he’s doing—
Grateful nods and grunts followed Travis’s offer and people drifted off to their corners to sleep. Flynn lay down beside Mercy. They were both asleep in minutes.
Mercy woke up some time later. She checked her watch; 2:47 am.
Must be my turn to take watch—
She sat up and rubbed her eyes.
Tawny’s voice broke the silence, “Go back to sleep Mercy. We’ve got this—”
Mercy glanced across the room. Moonlight spilled in through the skylight. Tawny was sitting by the window with Travis, looking out onto the monochrome desert.
“You sure?” Mercy said.
“Yeah, we’re good,” Tawny answered.
“OK then,” Mercy replied. She lay back down beside Flynn, who was still asleep.
I hope you know what you’re doing Tawny—
Mercy woke to the smell of bacon.
You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve died and gone to heaven. Bacon? Really?
She opened her eyes and looked out across the room. Tawny was crouched over the camping stove next to Travis. They were deep in conversation. Mercy frowned.
OK, I get it—
Mercy glanced at Flynn who was still sleeping. She smiled.
He looks so innocent when he’s asleep. Butter wouldn’t melt—
Rose came in from outside. “Horses are fine, there’s dew on the ground, and the desert is… calm,” she announced to the room.
Mercy rubbed her face and tied her hair back, “That bacon smells fantastic. Where the hell did you get it from?”
Travis looked up from the stove, “Just luck and timing. You were in the right place at the right time. The people I stay with are north of here, in the Whipple Mountains. They slaughtered a pig before I left. I took some of the meat and was going to use it on our journey west but it seemed like a good idea to use it now.” He gazed into Tawny’s eyes.
Tawny turned to Mercy, a smile on her face, “I found out he was holding back on us and I convinced him to release the goods.”
Tawny’s smiling. My god, that’s probably only the second time I’ve seen her smile. This must be serious—
Mercy smiled back, “Nice one Tawny. We can’t have anyone holding out on us when it comes to bacon, can we? That would be a crime against humanity—”
The early morning desert light shone through the windows. Annalise and Jade were outside stretching their legs, and brushing their teeth. The sky was liquid blue without a cloud in sight. Barnes was cleaning his rifle, a steaming mug of coffee by his side. Mercy looked around, her face hardened.
Don’t get complacent. Don’t get soft. You’ve had a rest with Baja Joe’s people and now you’ve got a guide. Well, guides are people and people make mistakes, especially when their mind is elsewhere—
Mercy grabbed her rifle and went outside. She checked on the horses and walked around the building. She spotted a faded poster through one of the windows and peered in. The poster read: COME VISIT WYATT EARP’S COTTAGE IN VIDAL, SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. THE FAMOUS LAWMAN, GUN-FIGHTER, GAMBLER, BUSINESSMAN AN
D MINER & HIS WIFE, JOSEPHINE, LIVED IN THIS COTTAGE FROM 1925-1928.
The poster showed a blurred photograph of a modest cottage set back from the road. Mercy shook her head and straightened up.
How about that? We’re surrounded by history. Wyatt Earp… he survived the gunfight at the OK Corral. Well then, we’re in good company. Vidal’s a short distance south of here. Much as I’d like to pay my respects to Wyatt’s old home, I think we’ll have to give it a miss this time. Better not tell Rose, she’d be champing at the bit to go and hang out there—
Mercy made a last loop around the inspection station then went indoors. Rose waved her over to the cooking area.
“There’s a coffee and bacon roll ready for you there,” Rose said, pointing at the table.
“I rarely use the word Rose, but that’s awesome,” Mercy replied. She went over to the table.
“Did you see what I saw out there?” Rose said, her mouth still half full of food.
“What?” Mercy replied.
“About Wyatt Earp’s place?” Rose said. “We were talking about him when you were outside.”
Uh oh—
“Yeah, now there was a guy that lived. That’s what I want to do, live… not just exist. I feel that’s all I’ve been doing as long as I can remember. Surviving and existing,” Tawny interjected.
“Tombstone, Arizona. The OK Corral. Doc Holliday. Wyatt, Morgan, and Virgil Earp. Those were the days. Life was hard just like now, just like… always,” Travis said. “It’s how you live your life that matters. If you can live your life in peace alongside nature, with people who care for you, that’s about as good as it gets in my opinion.”
Mercy nodded and finished the last of her food, “Sun’s up, food’s down. I’m ready to go. We all good?”
Travis nodded, “Yeah, let’s hit the trail. Reckon we can get thirty miles done today. The going’s good along the aqueduct. There’s fresh water, navigation’s not a problem, and we’re away from Route 62, so no prying eyes. There’s a ghost town called Rice about eighteen miles west of here. We’ll leave the aqueduct shortly after Rice and follow Route 62 to Twentynine Palms Highway. That way we avoid Iron Mountain. If we keep to the highway it’ll take us through Joshua Tree and the Yucca Valley. There’s settlements along the way so there’ll be water, and I’ve got enough food for four days. After that we’ll need to search for food. We’ll be near Palm Springs by then so we should find something—”
As good a plan as any, although—
“I thought we were going to try and stick to the aqueduct more?” Jade asked.
Just what I was going to say Jade—
“We will, it’s just we need to avoid the mountainous bits, the aqueduct has long sections through tunnels and underground siphons which are no use to us. We’ll be averaging three to four miles an hour. I don’t want to push the horses too much,” Travis answered.
Jade nodded, “OK, we’ll just need to keep our eyes open—”
They set off twenty minutes later and headed northwest along US Route 95 until they met the Colorado River Aqueduct. Travis led the way along the dirt road beside the aqueduct, and they soon fell into an easy rhythm. They stopped every hour to allow the horses to drink. Travis inspected the horses at every stop, checking their legs and hooves. Tawny shadowed him, observing and asking questions.
Mercy watched as Tawny and Travis interacted, and found herself smiling. Rose caught Mercy’s eye and pulled a face.
“Reckon we’ve lost another sister to the dark side,” Rose whispered.
Mercy gave Rose a sidelong glance, “Give them a chance Rose. He seems to be good with her. Tawny’s not the easiest person to get along with. Let them have some fun, so long as she doesn’t get hurt. What harm can it do?”
Rose sniffed, “I suppose. He’s certainly taken her mind off those burns she got on her face. They’re healing up pretty good, don’t you think?”
Mercy shrugged, “Still quite streaky, like tears. Makes her look quite badass actually. Why? Are you a bit jealous Rose?”
Rose was indignant, “Jealous? Me? I ooze badassness 24/7. I don’t need any enhancements to broadcast the fact.”
Mercy smiled, “Methinks the lady doth protest too much—”
Rose sighed, “You talk weird sometimes Dawes.”
The day wore on, the miles passed by. Mercy’s mind wandered, she became more aware of the sights and smells of the desert around her. The minutes grew into hours, and the hours into more miles.
The Sonoran Desert is actually very beautiful. The smells are fresh, especially in the morning or after the rain. The night sky is a riot of stars. My senses have exploded since I’ve come out here. It’s so different to the east coast. It feels timeless, ancient. It feels wonderful. Well, there’s no pollution any more is there? No pollution, no light pollution. Everything’s how it should be—
Travis brought his horse to an abrupt stop. He looked south, through his binoculars. A second later his shoulders stiffened.
What is it?
Mercy reached for her binoculars. She brought them to her eyes and focused on the southern horizon. The landscape came into sharp focus. She froze.
Jesus Christ—
Chapter 26
Plague
“Insect swarm,” Travis yelled. “Looks like locusts, they’ll spook the horses. We’ve got to try and outrun them. They’re coming north, we’re going west. They’re still some ways off. We need to step on the gas, you guys OK to go faster?”
I don’t believe it. Locusts? Where have they come from?
“Yes, go, just go. We’ll follow you?” Tawny replied.
Travis nodded and set off at a canter. A few seconds later he glanced over his shoulder at the others and seemed satisfied. He tensed his shoulders and pushed his horse into a gallop. Mercy frowned.
Oh my god—
She followed Travis’s example and was relieved when her grey mare responded, eagerly following the others. Mercy’s eyes strayed to the approaching insect swarm.
They’re coming from the south. They can travel across vast distances right? So… what? Mexico?
After ten minutes Travis slowed down and came to a halt, he patted his horse and whispered into its ear. The mare’s flanks were shining with sweat, it whisked its tail and shook its head. Travis took out his binoculars and examined the southern horizon. Mercy looked back. The massive insect cloud had closed in on their previous location. A few stray locusts flew around them but the main bulk of the swarm was behind them, continuing its way north.
Travis swung his horse around to face the others, “Everyone OK?”
He was met with exhausted grunts and nods.
“Good. We were lucky. We must’ve just brushed against the outward edge of that swarm. I’ve never seen anything like it, not in the US. Some of the old timers I’ve met on my travels spoke about locusts being a huge problem in the US in the nineteenth century, but there’s not been any locust plagues up here for well over a hundred years,” Travis said, his face serious.
“Until now,” Tawny said.
“Yeah, until now,” Travis answered. “My guess is now that people aren’t doing all the usual farming and pest control stuff these critters have had a resurgence.”
“Yeah, and we rode right through them,” Rose said, her face pale.
“We galloped away from them,” Mercy corrected.
“OK, I think we should keep going in case there’s a second wave,” Travis said. “We’ll canter for a bit longer then we’ll stop to rest the horses.”
They continued for another thirty minutes then stopped for a break. Travis went around all the mares, inspecting them carefully. Tawny followed him, watching and learning.
“She seems genuinely interested,” Rose said, chewing her fingernail.
Mercy nodded, “Yeah, who would’ve thought? A city girl like our Tawny falling for an outdoorsy, Mr Bushcraft, weirdy beardy, hippy-go-lucky type.”
Rose squinted against the overhead sun, �
�He ain’t got no beard… but apart from that you pretty much nailed it.”
“I’m just glad none of us disgraced ourselves on the horses. I was convinced I was gonna fall off at one point but mine seemed to know what it was doing. I just let it follow the others,” Mercy said.
“Yeah, me too,” Rose said. “Reckon we’re getting good at this horse stuff. All I need is a rope to lasso everything in sight, then I’ll feel the experience is complete.”
A black and orange butterfly landed on Rose’s leg and extended its wings in the sun. Rose stared at it then glanced at Mercy.
“You must be in for some good luck Rose,” Mercy said.
Don’t tempt fate you idiot—
They set off after their break and resumed their earlier, more measured pace. The rest of the afternoon passed without incident. They rode past the ghost town of Rice and its railway siding, giving the abandoned railway cars a wide berth. Travis pushed on to avoid the risk of running into more locusts, and they kept moving until nightfall. Eventually the railway swung away to the north-west, towards the mountains. The aqueduct turned south-west, away from Route 62.
Travis stopped in the fading light and jumped down from his horse, “We’ll camp here for the night. We’re in the middle of nowhere. We’ve got the stars and road for company. It should be OK, we’ll post watches. Be vigilant. Our lives depend on these horses so we don’t want anything to happen to them. We’ve got plenty of water from the aqueduct. I’ve got oats for them, and they have scrub to eat too, so they’ll be OK. I’ll need some help tethering them—”
Tawny, Barnes, and Flynn volunteered to help Travis with the horses. Travis produced nosebags for the oats. Next he showed them how to tie and hobble the horses to prevent them from wandering away from camp. Meanwhile, Jade and Annalise boiled water on the stove and made coffee. Mercy and Rose cleared the ground for the sleeping mats. Finally, when all the chores were done, everyone sat down for a meal under the stars.
The Survival Chronicles | Book 8 | Final Mercy Page 16
