The Quiet

by Vince Byrd

  “I have to go get my stuff out of my car,” Makayla said.

  “Ethan, why don’t you go with her? David and I can ride up to the fire station. Is that okay, Emily? Unless you wanted to ride with him?” Paige suggested.

  David and Emily looked at each other. “No, that’s fine. I’ll stay here with Betty,” Emily agreed. “But we’ll need some clothes from the van too, if we’re staying here for the night.”

  “I’ll get them, Mom,” Ethan offered, unsure of Paige’s motives by suggesting he go with Makayla. They pushed all the bikes to the street. Ethan sat down on the smallest one and tried to pedal around without his knees knocking into the handlebars. It took him a minute, but he adjusted his legs and feet and was able to figure it out. Makayla got on Tim’s bike which was a little bigger dirt bike than Levi’s. She positioned her heels on the pedals and pulled her skirt up mid-thigh to get her legs wide enough for the pedaling motion. Ethan’s eyes widened as he watched and then Paige stepped between them, obstructing his view. She leaned in, kissed him on the mouth, and whispered, “Be careful, and put your eyes back in your head.”

  “What are you talking about?” he whispered back.

  “I see the way you look at her,” Paige revealed.

  “Oh, and how’s that?”

  “Like a kid in a candy store for the first time.”

  Ethan’s face and ears reddened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just trying to be helpful to her.”

  “That’s fine, just as long as you don’t help yourself,” she warned. “Remember, we haven’t broken up yet.”

  Betty ran into the house and returned quickly with a pair of gray sweat pants. She handed them to Makayla, “Try these.”

  “Thanks,” she said, as she stood up and stepped into them, pulling them up under her dress. “These will do the trick.”

  “Meet back here, son. Maybe we can find a ride,” David said. Ethan nodded before he and Makayla rode off on the small bikes.

  “Are you ready, David?” Paige asked.

  David kissed Emily on the head and said, “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

  “Be careful. You haven’t ridden a bicycle in years. You know how those brakes work?” she asked.

  “I got it. It’s like riding a bike,” he bragged.

  Paige and David mounted the single-speed, cruiser bikes and pedaled toward the fire station. “The fire chief’s name is Mark Henley!” Bud shouted after them.

  “Do you think you should have gone with Ethan and Makayla?” David asked, as they pedaled up a long, slight incline.

  “Are you asking me why I sent him alone with a beautiful, attractive woman when he was all goo-goo-eyed over her?”

  “Well, yes. I warned him that you noticed that.”

  “Of course, I noticed. He could hardly take his eyes off her. It’s a test. If he really loves me like he claims, he’ll be true to me. If he slips, then it’s on him and we’re over.”

  “You kids today really like to test the waters. I would have protected what’s mine. That’s how we did it,” David admitted.

  “That’s just it, David, if he’s mine I shouldn’t have to protect that. He will have the strength in the love for me to control whatever temptation he comes under. I can’t be with him twenty-four seven. I have to be able to trust him, even alone with an attractive woman.”

  “If you say so, but Ethan gets distracted easily. He’s been that way since he was little. He’s been so focused since he met you. I just want you guys to work out.”

  “Thank you David, that means a lot to me. But I think Ethan still has some growing up to do.”

  “Oh, I know he does. Maybe I was too soft on him, or maybe I didn’t let him make his own mistakes,” he pondered. They didn’t speak for a while as they were both focused on their destination. Paige pulled ahead of David. He was beginning to huff and puff and become out of breath. His legs were burning from the strain. “Stop! I have to stop a minute and catch my breath.”

  Paige stopped and waited for David to catch up. He had dismounted his bike and was pushing it to her. “I’m sorry, but I guess I’m not in as good of shape as I thought.”

  “That’s okay. But just think, it’s all downhill on the way back.”

  “Yeah, you’re right; that is good,” he noticed, as he tried to slow his breathing.

  “Do you need to sit down? We can sit awhile if you want.”

  “No, I’m fine. I’m almost ready to ride again.” His breathing slowed to normal, “You know, we shouldn’t have let Makayla come with us.”

  “What else were we going to do? We couldn’t just leave her there, not after she asked to come with us.”

  “No, I guess not, but now she’s come between you and Ethan. I feel bad about that.”

  “Don’t worry about it; it’s our mess. We’ll figure it out.”

  “You know, Paige, I’ve been impressed by you since we met. If I had a daughter, I would want her to be like you.”

  “I’m flattered, David. Do you want to adopt me and disown Ethan?”

  “If it were only that simple,” he grunted. “You know I love Ethan; he’s my son, but sometimes he gets in his own way.”

  “That’s exactly what I told him,” she marveled.

  They rode further up the road and noticed a couple of cars were stranded on the sides with no one around. As they crested the hill and the highway leveled out, the Dollar Bin came into view. The sign was yellow and white with red dollar bills across the front. The words ‘Dollar Bin’ stood out in bold red letters. The building wasn’t that big and the parking lot would hold about twenty cars or so, and there were a few parked. One was stalled in the entrance of the lot partly blocking it with its hood propped open, and people were gathered at the front door.

  They rode up, leaned their bikes against the side of the building, and walked to the crowd. As they approached, David asked, “What’s going on?”

  A man turned and looked at David and said, “They’re only letting us in a couple at a time and locking the door behind them. The power’s off. I need to get in there and get some medicine. My wife is sick with the flu.”

  The people at the front of the crowd started pounding on the door. A man inside pointed back at them and shouted threatening words, telling them to calm down. David suggested to Paige, “We don’t have time for this. Let’s go on to the fire station.” They turned to walk back to get their bikes, but saw a man riding off on one, and a young boy pushing the other, struggling to get it going. “Hey! Hey! Those are our bikes! Stop!” They both ran toward them, but David’s legs were aching, and he slowed down.

  Paige ran faster and was getting close to the young boy. The boy looked back at Paige and saw he was about to get busted, so he dropped the bike and ran off. “You better run, thief!” she shouted, picking up the bike and leaning it against her body.

  The commotion drew some attention from the crowd. A couple of men at the back of the line stepped out and asked, “Are you okay, Miss?”

  “I’m fine. Do you know who they were? They stole one of our bikes,” she asked.

  “Nah, never seen them before.”

  “I guess we’re on foot for now,” David said, as he walked up to Paige. David took the bike and pushed it to the four-way, saw the fire station, and pointed, “There it is.” They walked over to the station after crossing the road. The doors were open, but there were no fire trucks in the bays. They entered and approached the main door. David leaned the bike against the wall in the bay, and Paige opened the door.

  “Hello? Anyone here?” she called out.

  “Hey, back here!” A voice answered.

  Ten

  Jesse Day 6

  Thomas had his .30-06 rifle lying across his lap as he drove down the road, and Jesse had his Sig Sauer p229 on his belt. They had removed an undamaged
alternator and belt from the station wagon and strapped them onto Jesse’s go-cart. The two of them made several turns off the main highway, and Jesse made mental notes of every street and direction. After ten minutes of driving, Thomas turned up a dirt road as Jesse followed, leaving a cloud of dust behind them. At the end sat a nice single-story brick house with an attached four-car garage that they drove up to and stopped.

  One of the garage doors rolled open and a stocky, tall, bearded man stood there in his bay looking at them. “Hey, Landric,” Thomas greeted, shutting off his go-cart and dismounting.

  “Thomas, what are you doing here? Did you finally get tired of hauling all those people around on your tractor?” Landric joked.

  “This is Jesse; he helped us fight off some thieves. His truck was shot up, and Stan was killed in the process,” Thomas explained, ignoring Landric’s questions. Jesse nodded toward the man.

  “Thom, I’m so sorry. Anyone else get hurt?” Landric asked.

  “No, but Brian and his family are taking it hard. We all are, really. Stan was the man around here.”

  “I can’t even imagine. What can I do to help?”

  “Jesse needs a radiator for his Chevy truck, and I think you have one in that old ’63 back there,” Thomas pointed out.

  “You have anything to trade for it? I take trade and cash.”

  “I have an alternator and a belt off of what I believe was a ’69 Oldsmobile wagon,” Jesse offered.

  “Was it charging?” Landric asked.

  “I assume so. The car was driving until we shot it up,” Jesse speculated.

  “Alright, I’ll take it, plus fifty bucks,” he pitched.

  Jesse took out his wallet, looked in it, and said, “I have two twenties.”

  “Sold!” Landric agreed. The truck is out back and down the hill.”

  “I know where it is,” Thomas stated, as he unstrapped the alternator and belt.

  They made their transaction, giving the money and parts to Landric. After reaching the truck, Jesse asked Thomas, “What’s the deal with that guy and the parts trading?”

  “That’s how he makes his living. If you buy from him, you have to have another part for him to sell, plus cash. I know it’s weird, but that’s how he does business. Landric owns the biggest junk yard in the state. ‘A Part Plus Cash’ is the name of his business. This is his personal junkyard that he only lets his friends and family come to.”

  “I guess you can’t go wrong that way. You’ll always have something to sale. There’s always an old car part lying around. It’s kind of smart if you think about it,” Jesse said, as he loosened the bolts on the radiator.

  “Yeah, he seems to do pretty well for himself,” Thomas agreed. “We used to do a lot of fishing together.”

  “You don’t anymore?”

  “We go some, but the farm keeps me busy, and since we have all the horses, it’s even more so. Now that Stan’s gone and what’s happened out west, fishing may become a priority.”

  “For food or recreation?”

  “Both,” Thomas pondered.

  After they removed the radiator and secured it to Jesse’s go-cart, they left Landric’s place. Turning onto the highway for the final stretch back, they were stopped by a green 1970 Ford Bronco with a flashing blue light on top, and a star on the side that read, “Campbell County Sheriff’s Office”. Three officers exited the vehicle and approached them. “I’m Sheriff Ted Fitzhugh, and we’re going to have to commandeer those go-carts for the safety of the Campbell County residents,” one of the officers said.

  “Ted, its Thomas. You remember me? We worked at the Kako plant together.”

  “Thomas, I didn’t recognize you. It’s been a few years.”

  “More than a few, I’d say. What is this about, Ted?”

  “People are looting and breaking into places and stealing things all over the county. We are trying to get more transportation and help throughout the county to prevent these things from happening. We’ve had several deputies quit, because we couldn’t issue their paycheck this week due to the power outage. It’s chaos, Thomas. We’re starting to lose control; people have gone nuts since the blackout.”

  “I’m sorry, Ted, but you’re not taking my nieces’ go-carts,” Thomas defended, as he wrapped his hand around his .30-06.

  “Officers, please…,” Jesse held up his hands and his jacket exposed his Sig Sauer. The other two officers drew their pistols on them.

  Ted held up his hand, motioning to the officers not to fire on them. “There’s no need to be that way, Thomas,” Ted argued, reaching back for his own pistol. “I need you both to lay your guns on the ground and get up off those go-carts.”

  Jesse looked at Thomas. He tilted his head as he slowly pulled his pistol out and gently laid it down on the ground. “This could go all wrong, Thomas.”

  “You’re right. Ted, it’s so nice to see you again,” Thomas said sarcastically, as he slowly laid his rifle down.

  Ted picked up the weapons, removed the bullets from each chamber, and placed the safeties on. He told one of the officers, “Cuff them.”

  “Wait a minute! You’re arresting us? For what?” Thomas demanded.

  “I can’t have you doing something stupid for commandeering your go-carts. If I remember correctly, you have a bad temper when something doesn’t go your way,” Ted explained.

  “That was years ago, Ted. I was drunk, and I’m not that man anymore,” Thomas argued.

  “You put that boy in the hospital with a broken jaw and knocked out two of his teeth,” Ted recalled.

  “I haven’t been in trouble since. I’m just trying to help Jesse get back home. His truck was shot up, and he needed a new radiator. Just let us have the parts, and we’ll walk.”

  “Come on, Sheriff, I have some friends that are counting on me for these parts so we can get back on the road,” Jesse implored.

  “Shot up? How’d your truck get shot up?” Ted asked

  “We had some thieves come through. Like you said, ‘people have gone nuts,’” Thomas replied. “Jesse helped us deal with them.”

  “Now, I know I’m going to have to take you in until I can investigate this shooting.” One of the officers cuffed them and walked them to the Bronco. He had Jesse climb into the back and made Thomas sit in the front. The other officer placed the radiator and hoses on the floor by Jesse’s feet. “Take the go-carts by Parks and Rec and fill them up with gas. Maybe grab an extra can if they have one, then get over to the McMillian’s place. His store was broken into this morning. I’ll take these two to the station.”

  The officers drove off in the go-carts, and Ted sat down in his Bronco. He secured Thomas’ and Jesse’s guns between his seat and the door, “So, tell me about this shooting.”

  Thomas and Jesse proceeded to inform Sheriff Ted Fitzhugh of everything that had conspired that morning at the plane and what happened to Stan. Jesse explained his altercation with Junior and the heinous crimes Junior and his thugs committed against the people of Amherst and his friends Shu and Hugo. He continued to inform him of flight 829, that had crashed and where to find the wreckage.

  “That’s quite a story, fellas. Jesse, yours is a little over the top, but for some reason, I might believe a little of it,” Ted admitted, pulling into the station parking lot.

  “So, you’re going to let us go?” Thomas asked.

  “Oh no. I’ll go corroborate your stories and then come back and let you know what I find out. Let’s go, climb out,” Ted ordered, grabbing their guns and marching them into the station. “Brenda! Brenda! Where’d that woman get off to now? Did she quit too? Right here, boys, into the holding cell.”

  “Come on, Ted, please!” Thomas pleaded.

  He laid their guns down on a desk. “There’s just too much going on. I’ll be back later this evening with my verdict,” he offered. His k
eys jingled as he removed them from his belt. He shoved a key into the lock, and it clanked as he turned it. The door squeaked as it opened, and he nudged them into the holding cell. He slammed the door shut and then removed their handcuffs through the bars. The light was very dim, and a couple of candles were burning on the officer’s desks, the melted wax puddled around them.

  Ted disappeared for a minute and returned with some bottled water, a note pad, pen, and a box of Cheerios. He gave it all to them through the bars. He picked up a candle off the closest desk, set it down on the floor out of their reach, and said, “Write it all down. Don’t drink all the water; leave some for your cellmate. I’ll be back.”

  “Come on, Ted! This ain’t right! Let us go!” Thomas shouted, as he watched Ted walk out the door. “Jesse, I’m sorry about this.”

  “It’s not your fault. We would do the same thing if we were in his shoes,” Jesse admitted.

  “Maybe, but…”

  “Jesse, is that you?” a man said, stepping into the light.

  “Henry! What? How? What are you doing here?”

  Eleven

  Kat Day 6

  Ginger set her chin down on her hands. She was leaning against the wooden fence as she watched Ava and Kat brush down a horse. “What’s on your mind, G?” Larry asked.

  “Oh, you know, the usual. Who’s going to be shooting at us next? Will all five of us make it home? Will we ever feel safe again?” she responded.

  “Nothing major then, huh?” he said facetiously.

  She lifted her head and looked at him, smiling at his windblown hair and the goofy grin on his face. “Nothing major.”

  “They both seem to know what they’re doing,” he said, watching Ava and Kat.

  “Yeah, they do,” she agreed. “Kat told me she used to race horses when she was younger, and that she would even ride in the rodeo.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “No, I just made that up.”

  “Why are you messing with my head? Why don’t you tell me something about yourself that I don’t know yet,” he inquired, “Something true?”