The Long Walk Home

by Ison, S. A.

  “It is a possibility, but again, I’ve no clue, I’ve never been on any of these trails. I guess we just keep going until we find some kind of station or map or something that shows us where we are.” Beckett said, smoothing back his hair.

  “I thought cops had to have short hair?” Carter grinned.

  “I’m a detective. Sometimes they use me for stings.” Beckett grinned and flipped his long hair an exaggerated movement, causing Carter to snigger and to roll his eyes.

  Zoe and Evie walked up; Beckett shifted the bigger backpack. Zoe had the pink one on and he motioned for her to turn around. He dug around inside and pulled out a bottle of water and his LifeStraw. He used the straw to drink the stream water he’d gotten the night before. Zoe had wanted to wear her pack, but he’d insisted on carrying it. Beckett didn’t feel right, eating her food and not doing something in return.

  “I think I’m going to get my longbow ready and if I see anything that is worth eating, I’ll kill it. I think after this walk today, I’m going to need meat.” He said to Zoe. She cocked her head sideways.

  “Okay, but I have plenty.”

  “I know, but I could really use a rabbit or fat squirrel.” He grinned, his dark brows bouncing over his eyes.

  “Here, have a handful of trail mix.” She said, digging around in her pack as he stood still for her. She pulled out a plastic storage bag and it was filled with dried fruits, nuts and oat clusters. She dumped some in his hand and she shoved a bit into her mouth and she looked like a chipmunk. He laughed at her and she grinned at him, bits of food all over her teeth, which made him laugh harder.

  Shaking his head, he nibbled on the trail mix and then he took another bottle of water and stuck the straw into it. He’d have to make sure he refilled the empty bottle, he’d just finished. He drank deeply, feeling satisfied and he noticed that others were also pulling out things to nibble on. After eating, he poured a little water in his hands, to get the crumbs off and then strung his bow. He pulled an arrow and nocked it. Zoe carried the quiver with the arrows.

  Wyatt began walking again and everyone settled into place. Milo was behind everyone, bringing up the rear. He hoped that Milo was right about his truck just being up the trail. He could see no exit from the trail where they were now. In fact, he’d not seen an exit in a long time. He didn’t know how the trail worked as to where there was parking or not. He only knew that there were some places that people parked and left their vehicles while they walked the trail.

  They’d gone along, walking for well over an hour and Beckett suspected that they were lost, he looked back at Milo, and the man was looking everywhere. He suspected that the man had no clue as to where his truck was and that they were in fact lost. He grounded his teeth. His eyes scanned the deeper forests, its shadows heavy. He almost froze, he saw a large fat hare and he stopped. He brought the longbow up quickly and nocked the arrow.

  He sighted the hare along the shaft and let the arrow fly. It was silent on its fast trajectory, and hit the hare, pinning it to the ground. Zoe stood opened mouthed, as did Milo and he grinned at them. He walked into the woods and picked up the arrow with the hare attached. He pulled the arrow out of the animal and walked back to the group.

  “Holy shit dude, that was friggen amazing!” Milo crowed. His eyes were wide and he was shaking his head. He’d lost that constant mocking expression.

  Beckett grinned and shrugged. He cleaned the arrow with some dead leaves, then put it back into the quiver. Several of the others ahead were now looking back and he could see some smiles and some frowns. He mentally shrugged, he was the one with the empty stomach. If they wanted to give up their own food, and feed him, then he’d not hunt, but he wasn’t going to keep taking Zoe’s food. It wasn’t right. His grandmother had taught him to share, she’d also raised him to be self sufficient along with his father.

  XX

  Carter watched with amusement. Milo was a turd, if ever he saw one. He’d caught onto his game from the very first and had watched the man try to insinuate himself on Zoe and Evie. No luck there, asshole, he thought. Carter liked Evie and they were getting along well. They’d hit it off the very first day. He liked the younger woman, though she was only a few years junior to himself. She was smart and funny and he thought it amazing that they’d never met in Boston, since they liked the same things. Life had turned on a dime when they’d heard Beckett’s scream. He shivered, it had been a horrible scream and the truth of it was even more bleak.

  He was still trying to wrap his head around the world, or rather the United States, coming to an end. Was it possible? He kept vacillating back and forth. He knew Beckett could be wrong, but he knew the man could be correct. Beckett was a good man and Milo rode his ass. Carter knew why, Zoe. He snorted softly. Milo thought he was smooth, but the man had no couth and was transparent. He’d met a lot of those kinds of men in Boston. He worried for the women; he knew this was going to be hard on all of them. If they could reach Beckett’s place, they might have a chance. Carter wondered what awaited them as they drew closer to civilization?

  He’d seen documentaries and such. It wasn’t a pleasant thought. A huge part of him hoped that Beckett was wrong, but that tiny voice deep inside said that Beckett was right. Their group had grown and there were enough competent people, he thought they’d be okay. Having a doctor was a very good thing. Beckett was used to law enforcement and had a weapon, so that was good. The two military men also knew something, he supposed, about law enforcement, or maybe they didn’t. He wasn’t sure. The only odd duck was Milo. That boy better step up to the plate, he thought.

  XX

  Up ahead, someone screamed, it sounded like Rhena again and he wondered if she’d seen someone. He, Carter, Zoe and Evie ran ahead. Milo hung back, and Beckett looked back, over his shoulder, at the man. Something just wasn’t right about him. When they reached the front, Rhena was laying on the ground, crying hysterically, Astrid was behind her, holding her up, in a sitting position. Her hands were on Rhena’s shoulder’s patting the woman, trying to calm her. Wyatt was looking at her leg and Lucas had the enormous body of a timber rattler; it was over six feet in length and fat. Christ, Rhena had been bitten.

  Wyatt was cutting the pant leg of her jeans and exposed her ankle. Rhena’s ankle had two punctures which were beginning to swell. Beckett took off his belt and knelt down beside Wyatt and put a tourniquet above her calf, but below the knee. He felt someone, Carter, he thought, take the backpack from his back. Wyatt nodded to him and hikers were digging in their packs for their first aid kits. JP handed Wyatt several sterile wash packets and Wyatt began to clean the puncture marks. Astrid shifted behind Rhena and leaned her body against her, trying to keep Rhena’s upper torso elevated. Rhena was trying to lay down, but Wyatt cautioned her to stay up.

  “Honey, you can’t lay down. We need to keep your upper body elevated above your leg.”

  Rhena was nearly hyperventilating and sobbing hysterically.

  “Honey, you have to calm down, you have to get your heart rate down. The more hysterical you are, the faster the venom works its way through your body. Take deep breaths. That’s it.” Wyatt said, his voice calm, but Beckett saw that his hands were trembling. This was not good, and there was help nowhere near.

  Wyatt wiped at the wounds, cleaning them as the blood oozed out.

  “Are you going to suck the venom out?” Evie asked anxiously.

  “No, those methods don’t work. If you can start a fire and get me some water boiling, that would be helpful. Make sure you use your sticks, there may well be more rattlesnakes around.” Wyatt warned. All around people were using their walking sticks and trekking poles to move the brush around and scare off any potential rattlers. Rhena whimpered, and shook. Beckett saw that she was trying to be brave. He felt completely helpless. Nothing, nothing he could do and he didn’t like that feeling one bit.

  Zoe set up her kettle and used her bottled water to boil. It didn’t take long and she brought the hot water o
ver to Wyatt. He pulled out a packet of gauze from his pack and had Zoe pour the hot water on it. He then applied the hot water to clean Rhena’s wound and she cried out. The area around the puncture was swelling quickly. He broke open a cold Medi-Pak and applied. Alternating, ensuring the wound was clean. Then pressed the cold pack, to slow the blood flow. They were miles from nowhere and now that everything was gone from the EMP and the fact that they might damned well be lost, Beckett was afraid that Rhena wouldn’t make it. Because of her initial hysteria and hyperventilation, he was sure she’d moved that venom all through her body.

  He’d not voice his thoughts however, Wyatt was a doctor, but they didn’t have any anti-venom. Everyone began to set up tents, they were going nowhere for now. He helped Wyatt carry Rhena over to the makeshift camp, Noland and Astrid were building a fire and the others were picking up deadfall around their area, everyone using their sticks ahead of them. Fear in the group was palpable. Their eyes kept going back to Wyatt and Rhena, fear and sympathy. Beckett was sure they all felt as helpless as he.

  Zoe made a cup of tea and took it to Rhena, who was now propped up against the tree. She was moaning now and still whimpering. Wyatt loosened the belt from time to time, and Rhena’s leg was almost bloodless. Wyatt kept applying a Medi-Pak cold compresses to the wound. It would seem there was nothing they could do.

  Beckett left the group, taking the rabbit with him. He borrowed one of JP’s trekking poles and went deeper into the woods. He was hoping to find a small streamlet or water source. He had his knife and notched the trees every ten feet at eye level. He sure as hell didn’t want to get lost. He could still hear the murmurings of the camp behind him. He heard branches braking and turned and saw Carter coming up.

  “Hey, I figured I’d go with you, you know, buddy up.”

  “Sure, no problem, I’m looking for water, so I can clean this rabbit and also so we can refill our water supplies. Do you know anything about snakebites?” Beckett asked, watching his footing. He moved the trekking pole back and forth and shook it beneath bushes. The forest was fairly dense and so there wasn’t a lot of undergrowth here. It made traversing the woods easier.

  “No, I’m a wannabe outdoorsman, this is the most I do. Christ, I hope she’ll be okay. I’ve never seen anything like that snake. It was huge.”

  “I do too. When I was a kid, I saw them in the zoo, you know, in the reptile exhibit. I don’t remember seeing one that big, though I’m sure they are in the wild. Jesus.” He said and notched another tree. Both men walked in silence, listening for any telltale sign of other rattlesnakes. Beckett guessed they’d been lucky until this point. It had never once occurred to him, to be worried. Christ, what an ignorant fool he was and shook his head.

  The forest floor was covered with a thick carpet of dead leaves and the canopy above became dense and blotted out the sky completely. Beckett knew it was only around noon, but it seemed later, darker in this forest. He shivered. He wasn’t sure if it was because of Rhena, the thought of snakes all around him, or the darkness of the forest. It had lost that magical quality and was now, somehow sinister. He knew that was only his imagination. It hadn’t changed, only his perception of it.

  He and Carter had walked twenty minutes and finally found a small streamlet, only about two feet across, but the water was running fairly rapidly. Becket pulled out the straw from his pink backpack and squatted at the stream. He drank the cold water and it was wonderful. He looked over and Carter was doing the same. After a few more minutes he’d sated his thirst and filled the empty water bottles in his pink backpack.

  Setting that aside, then he began to skin the rabbit of its dark grayish fir thick. He set the pelt aside and then cut the carcass open. He used his knife and he was once more, glad that he habitually carried the knife. Even at work. He carefully cut the membrane and pulled the gut sack out and set it away from the streamlet. He decapitated the animal as well and set that aside. He took the carcass over to the water and washed any residual blood and hair off of it.

  “You do a pretty damned good job of that. I take it you hunt quite a bit?” Carter asked, smiling. He was sitting on the ground, leaning up against the trunk of a large tree. It was cool in the forest and the heat of the day didn’t seem to reach in this far.

  “Yeah, me, my older brother and my dad used to go hunting. We’d go hunting for deer, turkey and the occasional rabbit. My grandmother was fond of eating rabbit. That’s when I first started using a longbow. I was given my great grandfather’s bow. I don’t use it now; I don’t want to break it. So, I’ve got the composite one. I really enjoy it, but don’t get to do it much anymore. Between work and trying to get my pilot’s license, I’ve not really had the time.” He shrugged and smiled. He liked Carter and even though the man was a lawyer, he seemed a decent sort of person. Beckett wasn’t very fond of lawyers; a lot of assholes he investigated were let go because of lawyers. He mentally shrugged the thought away, there wouldn’t be any more lawyers, now.

  “Hey, if you don’t mind waiting a bit, I’m going to take a quick bath, it’s been a day or two and man, I’m stinking myself out.” Beckett laughed.

  “Sure, take your time. I’ll go sit over here and keep watch. For what, I don’t know, but give you a little space.” And Carter walked off.

  Quickly stripping, Beckett got into the frigid water, sucking in his breath. His hands shook as he splashed the water on him and rubbed the gritty sand and pebbles from the bottom of the streamlet under his arms and then his head. He’d read somewhere that using the sand helps take the oils out of the hair and helped clean it. He also scrubbed his privates, though that was very uncomfortable. He rinsed quickly and got out of the water. It wasn’t deep, only up to his shins. He took the towel out of the backpack and toweled off. The towel wasn’t the cleanest, but it would get the cold water off of him.

  He shivered and began to put his clothing back on. He had a hell of a time getting his jeans on, but finally did. He redressed and took a few minutes to wash out the other three pairs of socks that were dirty. He shrugged and then washed out the towel. Might as well, he thought. He wished he’d had a bugout bag. He could have at least had a change of underwear. Another notch against himself. Christ, he’d screwed up the prepping and bugout bag, so badly.

  He squeezed the socks out as best he could and tied them to the straps of the backpack, he’d dry them back at camp, but didn’t want to put them inside the backpack. It was dirty in there. He twisted the towel as hard as he could. That, he’d have to hang by the fire. Or on a limb of some kind. He gritted his teeth as he twisted the thick and now heavy beach towel.

  He turned and saw Carter coming toward him.

  “That water is cold as hell. Can you help me wring out this towel? I want to get as much water out of it as I can.” Beckett laughed.

  “Yeah, I prefer wet wipes.” Carter laughed and took one end of the towel and began twisting it in the opposite direction that Beckett was twisting. More water leached from the long towel. Good, the more water out, the faster it will dry, he thought.

  “Great, thanks man, that should do it. I’ll hang it near the fire if I can.”

  “Sure, no problem. Hopefully, it’ll dry overnight. I sure hope Wyatt can help his wife. My god. We’re out in the middle of God knows where and even with a doctor at hand, I think her chances aren’t good.” Carter said and picked up the rabbit carcass as Beckett rolled the towel for easy carrying.

  “I know. I feel completely helpless and out of my depth. It’s a shitty situation all the way around. Depending on how much venom got into her system, will determine if she survives. I hope Wyatt can help her.” Beckett said softly, shaking his head. His heart twisted, what a terrible thing to happen.

  Both men headed back, and moved around the trees and large boulders that littered the forest. There were very few birds that called deep in the woods. They heard the resonant drumming of a woodpecker, somewhere in the trees. It seemed to bounce around them. They followed the notched t
rees back. Coming around a large stand of rocks, a small rock bounced down and bounced in front of them. Both men whirled around and stood open mouthed in paralyzed shock.

  Standing at the top of the rocks was a half-naked man. A small part of Beckett’s brain told him it was more than likely the one Rhena had seen. Both he and Carter stared at him opened mouthed. The man looked down at them, his dark eyes taking them in. The man before them was bald, except for a shock of jet-black hair at the top of his head. There, he had a feather affixed to it. Like a topknot.

  He was clearly an American Indian, and Beckett’s brain whispered, Cherokee. The man wore a breech clout of some kind of soft and supple leather. He had a long staff in one hand that ended in a wide blade like edge and a longbow in the other. Across his chest was a leather strap that was decorated in an ochre dot pattern. It was attached to a leather quiver and he could see a good dozen arrows sticking out, from behind the man’s back. The man was lean and muscular. Beckett could see every muscle etched on the man.

  There was no expression on the man’s face and a frisson of fear skittered through him. Not from the man he saw before him, but the implications of the man who stood before him. Slowly, he lifted his hand, palm open.

  “Siyo.” He said gently.

  The man’s eyes widened and he nodded and Beckett returned the nod. No one moved. Beckett’s eyes roamed over the man. He was doing the same to Beckett and Carter. Beckett took note of the knife that was at the man’s hip. Then the man turned and he was gone.

  “Fuck me.” Carter breathed softly.

  “Fuck me too.” Beckett said softly, his voice shaking badly.

  four

  Beckett wasn’t sure how long he and Carter stood there, staring at the rocks.

  “What did you say to him?” Carter asked, looking now at Beckett.

  “I said siyo, it’s Cherokee for hello.”

  “How the hell do you know Cherokee and how did you know he was Cherokee?” Carter asked, his eyes large and the color was now coming back.