by D A Carey
The route to Williamsburg took them through Cumberland Falls State Park. Vince was aware there were cabins in the woods near the falls and decided it would be a good idea to stay in one of the more remote cabins for a day or two to recuperate and fish to add to their food.
That night, he asked Liz to take a walk with him. “There’s something I want to show you. I think you’ll like it, especially if we’re in luck.”
“Should we ask any of the others if they want to see it too?” she asked.
“No, this is a quiet and reverent thing. Let me show you first. Besides, if it’s not the right day, it won’t be that special, so don’t get your hopes up.”
“How can I not have my hopes up with all this mystery and intrigue?”
It only took twenty minutes or so to make it to Cumberland Falls. They could hear the falls long before seeing them. Vince took Liz past the gift shop near the falls and out to a stone viewing area over the falls where they found an iron bench with a view of the falls.
“This is beautiful,” Liz said, snuggling close to him for warmth.
Oblivious to her snuggles, Vince shared the history of the falls. “I suppose this isn’t the right day,” he said dejectedly. “A few times a year, there is a moonbow in the mist at night over the falls. I had hoped with the full moon, we might see one. I guess it’s not the right time of year.”
“What’s a moonbow?”
“My goodness! It’s one of the coolest things in nature. It’s a rainbow at night. This is the only place in the whole northern half of the world in which you can see a moonbow. Heck, you’d probably have to go to South Africa or some place to see another one,” Vince poured out in a rush. “There is even an old superstition that if you kiss your sweetheart at the moonbow, your union will be blessed. People have been kissing their sweethearts here for hundreds of years. Probably more if you count the Indians!”
“Is that why you brought me here?” Liz teased.
“Uh, well, uh, Liz, uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I didn’t mean to lead you on. I’m older than you and scarred inside and out. You’re so beautiful,” Vince spluttered.
Liz stood. “Well there’s no moonbow.” She hung her head. “We better head back.”
Vince stood too and grabbed Liz’s arm excitedly. “Wait, look, there it is! Isn’t it gorgeous?” He directed her gaze to the most perfect rainbow hovering over the falls, glistening in the moonlight like some magical thing from the land of fairies.
“Yes, it’s wonderful. Thank you, Vince.” She had tears in her eyes. While they could have been from the mist or the joy at the moonbow, Vince suspected he’d hurt her feelings.
At that moment, all the feelings he’d been tamping down for Liz came rushing forward, his love for her in a way that was deeper than infatuation, his protectiveness for her and her feelings, and yes, his passion for her as a man wants a beautiful woman. He took her in his arms and kissed her passionately, making time stop for them. Then the sound of the falls got much louder, or perhaps it was the blood in their veins pumping harder than it had a few minutes before.
Finally, they broke apart, and Liz gasped. “I’ve wanted that since the night things went to hell in Hollywood at the nightclub.”
“Me too. If truth be told, longer than that,” Vince said huskily.
She punched him in the arm. “Then why didn’t you…? Never mind. Kiss me again, then I want to show this moonbow to the others before it goes away. They deserve to see it too.”
<< Junior >>
At Cumberland Falls, Junior studied the map and found an alternate route that saved a few days of travel by not forcing them to go all the way south to Williamsburg. The route would take them toward Corbin, Kentucky, and then through more of the Daniel Boone National Forest. While the forest didn’t offer much in the way of towns or people, it did offer safety, solitude, and the ability to hunt or set snares at night.
The next major settlement they had to worry about was Berea, Kentucky. Junior offered to do the scout, both because he was close to being back at full strength and because he was worried Vince wasn’t. This strip was taking it out of him.
Berea appeared to be okay. People were wary, and as a stranger, he was eyed suspiciously, yet no one approached or did anything. He actually fit in to a certain degree because the town appeared to be stable and running fairly normal despite the fact that there was no electricity, very few running cars, and many people were riding horses like Junior. While the EMP hadn’t hit this part of the nation, the terrorist attacks had. Trucks carrying fuel and groceries had stopped running, and the power was usually out.
After Berea, the next large town they had to contend with was Richmond. Vince suggested they find back roads to bypass Richmond. It was a college town. Considering all the liberal faculty and students with nothing to do now and a few decades of elitist teaching about how society owed them something for free, Vince cringed at what he told Junior they might find there. He fully expected a whole city of people like the man Liz had been forced to kill at Charit Creek.
They made it around Richmond and took a wide berth around Lexington, Kentucky. Lexington was not only a good-sized city in its own right, it was another college town with thousands of hungry students and professors, out of work and low on moral resources.
<< Aditi >>
Around Gratz, Kentucky, Vince told the group they were getting close and almost everyone got excited. Aditi became more quiet and apprehensive. For the others, it was a homecoming. For Aditi and her family, it was another group of strangers that may hate her. She was scarred by what happened to her husband in Memphis. Vince, who was more attuned to people’s emotions than a man so accustomed to violence should be, observed her hesitation.
“Aditi, I know you may be apprehensive about our community. Just know, everyone will love you. I expect you’ll be welcomed as a hero.”
“That’s kind of you to say,” Aditi said, unconvinced.
“You’ll have a home if you want. If you prefer to leave, we’ll help you. You must know that a doctor is always in high demand, and on top of all that, I count you as a friend. We all do.”
Aditi looked up and noticed the others were smiling and nodding. For the first time in a while, she felt hopeful. She held her daughter Sheetal closer and could only say, “Thank you.”
“Besides,” Vince added, “we have some other doctors there that you can spend time with. My daughter’s boyfriend’s parents are doctors. Between the three of you, we can keep a lot of people healthy and happy.”
<< Vince >>
The next morning, they passed not far from Perry Park, Kentucky. Vince told Junior about the gated golf course community there and made a mental note to check on it later. If there was any place in this area that could create a safe community, that would be it. They had obscurity, gates, lakes, and community buildings. If they were surviving as a group, then C-Town could trade with them.
Soon after they passed under the expressway and were sure they would arrive at C-Town in the next hour, Vince halted their group. Liz and the other women wanted to clean up and get presentable before they entered the gates. Junior, Vince, and Anoop did the same.
When they resumed the trip, Liz asked Vince if she could ride double on the horse with him. To their surprise, the road with the Kentucky River on the right was well travelled, most people intent on their destination. It wasn’t long before they came around the bend and sighted the chartertown on the hill to the left looking as gorgeous as Camelot to Vince. He also noticed the greatly expanded farmers market directly in front of them at the crux of the rivers where most of the other travelers on the road were headed.
The market was bustling with activity that aroused Vince’s curiosity yet not enough to deter him from his mission to get inside the walls of C-Town. He ignored the market, took the left hand turn up the hill to the community, and began to gallop, Liz holding on tight around his waist, her head against his back, leaving the cart and the rest of the group a half
mile behind.
On entering the gate, all felt right with the world to Vince. They’d made it through an EMP strike and fought their way from California to Kentucky. It felt like birds singing in his head, and he was sure his face was plastered with a silly grin.
Through it all, he noticed Dwight and Don busily getting five military vehicles loaded for a trip. One of the vehicles was a fuel tanker. He barely had time to ask questions before he was surrounded by people. Someone took his horse, and he and Liz were inundated by questions and hugs. Even Don Allen, who normally didn’t express emotion, embraced him warmly.
Malcolm nearly picked him up off the ground with a bear hug. “Vince, you sure are a sight for sore eyes! We haven’t heard hide nor hair of you in months and months, and here you come strolling up pretty as you please, hand in hand with a movie star.”
“I am pretty, ain’t I?” Vince teased.
Ellie came up and hugged Vince then hugged Liz tighter. She had a haggard look in her eyes that Vince chose to wait until later to ask about. Life was hard everywhere these days.
Some of Liz’s family was there, and she was welcomed home enthusiastically.
Don Allen yelled to Dwight and the rest of the men loud enough for all to hear, “Hold with the trucks! Unload the perishables! We’ll leave in the morning. We’re going to have one humdinger of a party tonight after Vince gets off the satellite with SOP-Town and his uncle.”
“What’s going on? Where were you all going?” Vince asked.
“I’ll explain later,” said Don. “Right now, let’s get you to the communication building. Your uncle, and especially Levi, will kill me if they don’t hear from you the moment you got here.”
“Okay, one moment, though.” Vince gripped Ellie’s arm. “Where’s Kate?”
It seemed such a simple question yet it completely changed the mood around him. A cloud passed in front of the sun. The birds stopped singing in his head and all those around him that were wishing him well a moment ago now wouldn’t make eye contact with him.
Vince gulped. “Ellie, is she…?”
Ellie clutched his hand, anguish plain on her face. “She’s alive and safe, but Vince, we need to talk.”
About the Author
D.A. Carey lives in Kentucky near Louisville. He comes from a family of Army veterans on both sides of the family and was in the Army himself. His lineage includes distant relations to the American Indians and more recently soldiers in “The Big Red One,” one of Patton’s Tankers, and an Air Cav helicopter pilot, giving a unique view to this country’s history. Add to that growing up with a step-family of Kentucky do-it-yourself country people who made the discussion of history and “Foxfire” skills a regular part of dinner conversation and you have a perspective that not everyone does.
D.A. has a day job in the white collar world and still finds time to hunt, ride horses, hike, and camp. One of the highlights of his year is an annual trip into the more wild woods of Tennessee on horseback for several days with 10-15 men carrying only what they can fit in the saddle bags.
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