by Brian Quest
“Stop! You’re hurting me!” Amy cried.
“I’m sorry, but we have to hurry!”
Thomas and Andrew grabbed the buckets out of the tack room in the barn and hurried to the well. “We have to do an old fashioned bucket brigade. There’s no other way!” Andrew shouted to the others.
Everyone lined up, spread apart just enough to still reach the buckets as they were passed to each other; Keith was at the well, followed by Debbie and Connie, then Stewart and Thomas, and finally Andrew closest to the house. They passed buckets one by one, first up to Andrew, and then back down to Keith. After only a few buckets, they had a strong pace going and it looked like they might be making headway. The brigade kept on for about fifteen minutes, but it was soon obvious that to stop the fire they would need way more people and way more buckets.
“This is not doing a darned thing!” Andrew shouted as he passed back an empty bucket.
“Then we’re just going to have to move faster!” Debbie said, picking up the pace.
After they passed along about twenty more buckets, Andrew stopped and just stared at the big old house. He remembered a time when the windows were filled with the yellow glow of the light bulbs in each room. He couldn’t believe the glow now was from a fire that had taken over the entire house.
Beth and Amy stood at the window of the bunkhouse, terrified at the sight of the flames breaking through the roof of the only home they ever had known. They watched their family trying so hard to save the house, and watched them struggle with each bucket. They held each other tight as they saw the fire spread to the shed behind the house.
“It’s spreading! The shed is on fire!” Connie shouted.
Andrew didn’t know what to do. He did, however, know the house fire couldn’t be stopped. “We need to shift our focus to the shed. We can’t let this spread too far! Everyone move!”
Everyone moved to the other side of the well and continued to pull bucket after bucket of water in hopes of at least getting the fire to die out in the shed. Beth and Amy saw the change they made and Amy cried, “Why are they stopping? Why aren’t they putting the fire out in the house?”
“It’s too late, Amy. The house is too far gone. They are just keeping it from spreading too far.”
“But we just fixed it up! We were gonna paint our rooms! There’s stuff inside!”
“I know, but there’s nothing more they can do for it. Look, the fire is coming out of the roof and all of the windows.”
“But it’s our home!” Amy fell to the floor sobbing. She couldn’t control her emotions any more. She was scared and sad and angry and she didn’t know how to handle that kind of feeling. Beth sat beside her, comforting her and whispering in her ear. Soon she started to sing soft lullabies that their mother used to sing, hoping it would calm her little sister.
Out in the chilly, drizzling rain, the other six worked frantically to put out the fire in the shed. “I can’t believe this is happening!” Debbie shouted. “Why our house?
The rain stopped, but the wind picked up speed. It became increasingly harder to keep the fire at bay. The grass around the house began to burn along with a number of trees, making it impossible to fight the flames any longer. Everyone moved back and then took a look around. They could see in the glow of the fire that the other buildings were still intact and not burning. So they turned their attention back to the house.
Andrew stood with Connie on one side of him and Debbie on the other, arms all linked together. They stood in somber spirits as they watched the family home slowly burn to the ground. Andrew remembered the feeling he had had the day before and wondered to himself if this was the something bad that he thought was going to happen. It was almost as if Thomas was reading his mind, because the next thing Andrew knew, the older man was right behind him.
“I can’t help but wonder if this is what made you feel so uneasy yesterday. I know it sounds crazy, but you did say you felt like something bad was going to happen.”
“I was just thinking the same thing, old man.”
Thomas could hear the anguish in his friend’s voice and offered him the only comfort he could at the moment by placing his hand on Andrew’s shoulder. From behind his friend, Thomas could hear Debbie and Connie softly crying and felt it was time to back off a little bit and give them a little family time to absorb what was happening in front of them. Just as he was about to turn back toward Stewart and Keith at the well, they all heard someone yelling.
“You’ve got a fire out here!” The stranger’s voice yelled.
Everyone turned and looked in the direction of the voice. They only could see the figure from behind because he already had turned and started moving in the direction of the bunkhouse. “Oh, my God! Beth and Amy are in there!” Andrew yelled and rushed off after the stranger. By the time everyone made it to the bunkhouse, the stranger was walking out of the bunkhouse, one girl over each shoulder.
Amy and Beth were coughing and crying when the man set them down on the ground just out of harm’s way. “Daddy!” They cried as they ran to Andrew.
“Oh, my sweeties! Are you okay?”
“It was really smoky in there, Dad! The fire flew all the way here from the house!” Amy said through her tears, her voice a bit hoarse.
Andrew couldn’t tell if his daughter sounded frightened or excited, so he asked, “I bet you were really scared, huh?”
“I was. But then that man came and got us. He picked us both up at one time, Dad! He’s so strong!”
“Yes, yes he is.” Andrew turned and looked at the stranger. In the glow of the fire he could tell the man was younger than he, but bigger. He was dressed in a denim jacket, jeans and a flannel shirt. He wasn’t wearing the customary cowboy boots. Instead he was wearing work boots you would find on a construction worker. On top of his head, he donned a baseball cap with the letter “M” on it.
“Sir, I think we should move away from the fire,” the man said, urging Andrew to bring the girls to a safer area.
“I think that’s a good idea.” Andrew’s mind seemed to be moving in slow motion, but finally he led the girls closer to the barn and everyone followed. Andrew looked at the young man and said, “Thank you so much for saving my girls.”
“It’s no problem, sir. I was just doing what anyone would do.” He sounded so sure of himself, as if saving small children from burning buildings was something he did on a regular basis.
“Well, I’m not so sure anyone would risk their own life to go into a burning building. Thank you again.”
“It’s really not a problem, sir.”
“My name is Andrew and I own this ranch,” Andrew said, holding out his hand for the stranger.
The young man shook his hand and said, “I’m Daniel. I’ve heard a lot about you and your family.”
“You have? May I ask how?” Andrew couldn’t imagine why this stranger would have heard a lot about their family. So there was definitely a hint of confusion in his voice.
Daniel shook his head and laughed slightly. “I’m sorry, I should have mentioned I’m Emma’s grandson.”
It took a moment for it to register, but Andrew finally responded. “Of course! Emma has talked about you. I guess it didn’t sound familiar because she usually calls you Danny.”
Daniel could see the confused look on Andrew’s face. So he explained, “I was on my way to see my grandma, you know, to check in on her? Well, I was out about four miles or so and I saw a glow up in the hills in front of me. As I got closer I realized it was a fire so I hurried my horse. When I got to the gate, my horse wouldn’t go any farther because of the fire. So I tied her off and rushed to see if I could be of any help. That’s when I saw the fire start on the roof of the bunkhouse.”
“It’s kind of late for traveling, son,” Andrew pointed out.
“I prefer to travel at night. During the day there is too much risk of running into people…if you know what I mean.”
Andrew could tell he was hinting at the people bein
g horrible men, so he nodded. “Well, welcome to Smith Ranch! It used to be quite a spread, but as you can see, we’ve lost a bit of it tonight.”
“It’s just horrible, sir. Do you know what happened?”
“It could have been a number of things, but likely it was lightning.”
Everyone gathered together, just inside the pasture, and watched as the fire jumped from building to building. At that point, everyone was more shocked than anything else, and nobody knew what to say. They stood in silence, each dealing with the destruction in their own minds. Once it was obvious there was no longer a threat of the fire spreading, Andrew turned toward Daniel.
“I guess we should get you to Emma’s. Come on, let’s get the horses. We’ll grab yours on the way to your grandma’s place.”
Because the barn was far enough out, and away from any of the other buildings, it was spared. It was just one small blessing the family received that night. The horses were a bit on the skittish side, but they fared pretty well. The night’s other blessing was Daniel. What couldn’t be saved from fire was made tolerable by the fact that one stranger’s kindness saved two very important members of the family. Andrew wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Andrew noticed that Debbie was sticking very close to Daniel…
Chapter Five
After retrieving Daniel’s horse from the front gate, Andrew led the way to Emma’s cabin. Beth found it quite odd that he had a female horse. So she asked the only question she could, “Why do you have a girl horse and not a boy horse?”
“It was my mom’s horse,” he answered in much the same tone that she had asked the question.
“Where’s your horse?”
“I didn’t have one. My mom boarded Annabell in a barn at the edge of our town and rode her on the weekends.”
“Oh. She’s pretty.”
“Thank you, Beth.”
“You’re welcome.” And, just as fast as the conversation had started, it came to an end.
As they neared the tree line, Andrew saw a figure stepping out of the shadows. He stopped his horse and all of the others followed suit. He dismounted, hand on his revolver and stepped forward, dreading any confrontation. On a good day a confrontation with a stranger was stressful, but on a night like the one he was having, he had no patience for any more drama. After a few steps forward, the figure moved out of the tree line and into the full light of the moon that finally had peeked out from the clouds.
“Emma? What in the world…” Andrew said when he saw the older woman standing in front of him.
“I saw the fire from the cabin. It lit up the whole sky!” Emma went to Andrew and hugged him, whispering softly, “I’m so sorry, Honey. I know how much that place means to you and the girls.”
She didn’t notice Daniel at first…probably because he was standing back behind everyone else. He stepped forward with a smile and said, “Hi, Grandma! You look pretty.” For as long as he could remember, that was his greeting for her. He had a soft spot for his grandmother.
“Daniel! What in the world are you doing here?”
“I came to check in on you.”
Andrew jumped into the conversation and said, “Well, he did more than just come to check on you…isn’t that right, Daniel?”
Emma looked worried and said, “What did you do, Daniel?” She always knew he was a good boy, but the EMP had managed to change good men into criminals. So she worried.
“Oh, he didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, he did just the opposite.”
“I was so worried the drifters were responsible for setting the fire in your house. That’s why I waited here to talk to you.”
Andrew could see the woman shiver and until that moment hadn’t realized just how chilly and damp it was outside; he had been so focused on the radiant heat of the fire. “Come on, button up your cabin and the two of you are coming to stay with us in the shelter.”
“Oh, no, Dear,” Emma started, “We wouldn’t want to intrude. You and your family have a lot on your plate right now.”
“Nonsense! You’d be a welcome distraction. Besides, I want to tell you all about what your grandson did for us tonight and there just simply isn’t enough room for all of us in your cabin.”
“Well, then, let me get my horse.” It was the first time Andrew didn’t have to ask the woman for anything a third time…it kind of caught him off guard.
Daniel laughed, “Gramma, you still ride?”
“Oh, dear, no! I’m talking about my four-wheeler. She and I get along really well. I still have the strength to ride her, and I don’t have to climb too far to get on!”
For the first time since the family left the shelter that night, everyone broke out in laughter. They went to Emma’s cabin and watched as she pulled her four-wheeler out of the shed. The rain had stopped falling, but was replaced by a wet blanket of cold air. The group moved ahead of the noisy machine and Thomas followed behind, making sure that Emma made it to the shelter safely.
Once inside the comfort of the shelter, Debbie and Connie went into the kitchen to make coffee and hot chocolate while Amy and Beth showed Emma around. “Oh, this is so nice! You can’t even tell that it’s underground!” Emma couldn’t believe how nicely the shelter turned out. She had watched Andrew trod back and forth for what seemed like an eternity and was curious as to how it had turned out.
When they got done with the tour, everyone gathered in the living room and talked about the fire and how it may have started. Emma reiterated the fact that she was afraid it was land pirates, but Thomas and Andrew both agreed that it was probably the lightning. Andrew wasn’t sure why he assumed the storm was the cause, but the more he thought about it, the more he began suspecting it really had been caused by people.
“While we were standing there watching the house burn down, we heard this voice alerting us that one of the bunkhouses was on fire,” Andrew said. “It was Daniel. By the time we got to the bunkhouse, he had both Beth and Amy over his shoulders and was bringing them to safety. Your grandson is a hero, Emma.”
“Jeez, would you stop saying stuff like that? All I did was get them out of the building.”
“Yeah,” Emma said, “While it was on fire! That had to be one heck of an ordeal!”
“The fire had just hit the roof. It was no big deal.”
Thomas butted in and said, “It was more than just the roof, and the whole thing was filled with smoke.”
“I just did what anyone else would do, Grandma. Can you please tell them that?”
Debbie looked into Daniel’s big blue eyes and said, “Well, to us, you’re a hero.” She was smiling, and despite the smudges of soot and smoke all over her face, Andrew could tell she was flirting with the young man.
Daniel blushed and then Debbie and the girls excused themselves so they could get cleaned up. It was apparent none of them would get any sleep since the sun already was about to rise. They also knew that with the sunrise came the daunting task of heading back to the ranch to see what was left behind. While the girls got into warm, dry clothes, everyone else talked about the fire.
“I heard someone out by my cabin earlier in the evening, before the fire started,” Emma said, when she knew the girls were out of earshot.
“Why didn’t you say anything earlier? You were out there all by yourself. Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?” Thomas asked.
“I didn’t want to scare the girls. They already had gone through enough. Besides, I know you guys all carry enough firepower to deal with anyone who comes your way.”
“You should have said something, Grandma.”
“I know, Daniel, but like I said, after all these fine people have gone through, I didn’t want to add to the girls’ concern.”
“I want you both to stay here for the time being. We need to make sure your place is safe.”
“No way, Andrew. I have Daniel now. We will be just fine.” Emma was really good at putting her foot down, but Andrew was even better.
“You’re
staying, and I won’t hear another word about it.”
Like a kid, Emma pouted and said, “Fine, but I think it’s silly.”
“Silly or not, it’s safer,” Andrew said, happy that he won that argument…and in record time.
Debbie came in the living room and said, “Emma, for tonight you can sleep in my and Connie’s room.”
“That would be lovely, dear. Just like last time…only now it will be the three of us and not just two. I am a bit tired. Maybe I could lay down for a little bit.”
“Come on, I am going to try to get some rest, too.” Debbie took Emma’s hand and led her to the bedroom to get her settled in. Before she climbed into bed, Debbie went back out into the living room to say her goodnights.
“Thank you for taking such good care of my grandma, Debbie. She always spoke so highly of you,” Daniel said, finally getting a good look at her face, free of soot.
Blushing, Debbie responded, “She’s like a grandmother to me. It’s my pleasure.” She turned back to the others and said, “You all should get some rest. It was a long night.”
“We’ll get there, Deb. Just winding down. Girls, why don’t you head to bed for a little bit, too?” Andrew urged the girls to hit the sack and they obliged.
“So, Daniel, what line of work were you in?” Thomas asked their new friend.
“I was just finishing up college when the EMP hit. So at the time I was just a student working parttime at the local coffee shop to pay for books and food.”
“What were you studying? If you don’t mind me asking,” Andrew asked.
“I was torn between going to medical school and business administration. So I just went for general education and was going to be a teacher.”
“Well, that’s a far cry from being a doctor or running a business, but still a noble profession. I’m sure your mother was proud.”
“My mother was proud. She died about six months ago. She didn’t have access to the medications they needed and slowly died.”
