by Payne, T. L.
Chapter 4
The Henson Farm
Texas County, Missouri
July 11th
“Why can’t I come, Harmony?” Emma whined.
She pushed a mass of red curls from her face as she plopped down on a stool in the corner of the supply room. Deep shelves that once held the Henson family’s jars of garden vegetables and canning supplies now lay bare except for the group's tactical gear. With such a shortage these days, everyone shared equipment used for security duty and trips away from the farm.
“Because, Em. We’ve discussed this already. It’s too dangerous down there. We only have a few weapons, and we need to travel quickly. This isn’t a camping trip,” Harmony said as she stuffed a sleeping bag into her rucksack.
“But it’s not fair. I’ve never seen wild horses before.”
“You’ll see them if we get to bring some home,” Zach said.
Zach removed his ballcap and ran a hand across his brown, close-cropped hair. Due to the sweltering heat, he’d asked his mother to cut it short, but her definition of short was a high and tight military-style cut. Zach swung his pack over his shoulder and ran his arms through its straps.
Maria’s head appeared in the doorway.
“You two ready yet?”
“Just about,” Harmony replied.
Grabbing a hand-crank flashlight from the shelf, Harmony clipped it to her pack and turned. “Emma, you make sure to check on Pablo and Duckie for me. Okay?” Harmony asked.
Emma hung her head and stood.
“I will,” Emma said. “Can I go next time?”
Harmony ran her hand down the length of Emma’s hair, pulled it into a ponytail, and wrapped it into a bun.
“I’m not supposed to tell you, but there’s going to be a party at John David’s next week,” Harmony whispered.
Emma danced from foot to foot.
“Can I go? Can I?”
“From what I hear, we’re all going,” Harmony said.
“Yippy!” Emma said, running toward the door.
“But, Em, it’s a secret. You can’t tell the others yet,” Harmony called after her.
Emma slumped her shoulders.
“Why?”
“I think it’s a surprise party for Little David.”
“Oh, I see. I won’t tell,” Emma said as she began humming and disappeared down the hall.
“I hope we make it back in time. John David said they were making cherry cobbler,” Zach said, strapping his tactical knife to his left thigh.
“Oh, my God. Are you kidding me? I love cherries,” Harmony said. “I so hope we make it back in time.”
“We better get on the road, then. Aaron and the others are already in the wagon,” Zach said, reaching out for Harmony. He pulled her close and placed her hand on his chest. “Don’t take unnecessary chances out there, okay? There’s enough of us going that we’ll be able to bring a few of the mares back with us.”
“But the stallion is the one we really need,” Harmony said.
Zach kissed her on the forehead and backed away.
“I know. We’ll get him. If not today, the next time.”
“But someone else could get him if we don’t catch him this trip,” Harmony said, frowning.
“We’ll do our best. Just, please, don’t do anything risky,” Zach said.
“Everything we do these days carries with it risks. Just pulling out of the driveway could be dangerous,” she said.
“Just lie to me then and tell me you will be careful,” Zach said.
“You’ll be right by my side to keep an eye on me, so what choice will I have.” Harmony laughed. Harmony had rarely left the farm since they’d arrived. When she did, Zach hovered over her like she was a fragile porcelain doll. At first, she thought it was sweet, but she was starting to resent it.
Erick Wynn poked his head into the door.
“Do you have an extra water bottle? It’s a long, dusty ride down to Shannon County. I don’t want to stop much if we can manage without it,” Erick said.
Harmony and Zach had become fast friends with Erick and his wife, Amy. Harmony loved hearing their story about the day their daughter was born and how they’d made it to Larry’s farm in Peoria, Illinois. Harmony adored their nine-month-old baby, Honey, and sat with her every chance she got. Of course, she had to compete with Emma for the baby’s attention.
Harmony handed Erick the water bottle and stepped toward the door. Zach, always the gentlemen, held his hand out, gesturing for Harmony to go first.
As they walked into the kitchen, she asked, “Is Erick still jumpy from being ambushed last week?”
“We all are. If it wasn’t for Fred’s weak bladder, we would have been robbed and left for dead,” Zach said.
“It was a good thing he had that slingshot with him,” Harmony said.
With as dangerous as the roads had become, the threat of being attacked was an ever-growing concern. The latest attack happened just past the city limits of Licking. The sheriff had extended their patrols, but they hadn’t caught all of those involved yet.
“Yeah, and he’s such a good shot with it. He knocked that one old boy out cold,” Zach said, holding the screen door open for Harmony.
She stepped onto the back porch and turned.
“Did you get new arrows for your crossbow?”
“Dave made me half a dozen or so. I’d like to save those for deer, though,” Zach said.
Since joining them after the flood, Dave Henderson had spent months making tools for the group. He agreed to teach Zach how to make his own arrows this winter when life slowed down a bit.
“A deer would be nice,” Harmony said.
“Are you two coming sometime today?” Aaron called.
Aaron had experience with horses. He’d grown up on a farm. Most of Larry’s group had farming and animal husbandry backgrounds. Those were some of the most useful skills to have these days.
Four of their best horses were hitched to the wagon. Erick and Larry’s nephew, John, sat up front on the buckboard. Maria sat on a square bale of hay just behind them, her rifle resting on her knees.
Zach removed his pack and threw it up to Aaron, then turned to take Harmony’s pack. He spotted Emma standing with Larry’s granddaughter in the barn door. Her shoulders were slumped and head low.
“Don’t be sad, Em. We’ll be back in a few days,” Zach said.
“Everyone is leaving me,” Emma said.
“Not everyone. You’ll have Maddie, my mom, Ms. Ella, Amy, and you’ll still have the baby to play with,” Aaron said as he climbed up into the wagon.
“Maddie went with Mr. Gene and Larry,” Emma said.
“You look after things here, and we’ll see you in a few days,” Harmony said, waving good-bye.
“I’m surprised Jacob agreed to Maddie going after the incident at the last trade fair,” Aaron said as he leaned back on his pack and settled in for the ride to Shannon County.
Maria tipped her head back. “You really think Maddie gave him an option?”
“Nah,” Aaron said. “I’m just surprised Lugnut didn’t say something.”
“Maddie can handle herself,” Maria said.
“I know. I just…” Aaron said.
“She’ll be fine,” Maria said, cutting him off and turning to Zach. “Keep your head on a swivel.”
Zach nodded.
Harmony didn’t exactly share Maria’s confidence. She wanted to believe Maddie would be fine, but there had been rumors that women had been taken from the fairs by one of the gangs operating in Crawford County to trade for weapons. There was talk that the women were being sent to St. Louis and taken upriver somewhere. Some of the local men had discussed mounting a rescue mission after one of their nieces turned up missing, but without food and weapons, going any distance to rescue them would be futile. She just couldn’t think about that happening to any of them.
Harmony, Zach, and the others rode in silence for several miles. The only noise was th
e sound of hooves on pavement. Riding in the back of a horse-drawn wagon was far from comfortable, and the heat bearing down on them was relentless and exhausting. How badly Harmony missed air-conditioned cars.
“Did you speak to Tim Berrier about where he thought the herd would be right now?” Maria asked, nudging Zach with the toe of her boot.
Tim Berrier had been a cattleman and outdoorsman all his life. Growing up on a large spread in Texas, he’d settled in the area after retiring from the military. He and his family once raised four hundred head of cattle on over a thousand acres between them. His two sons had returned to the county after college to help him expand. Jacob had reached out to them to help with their cows. They had been willing to do some trading, and the Langston group’s herd had grown to four cows and a bull. It had been a blessing and a curse. It was great to have meat and milk, but the danger of thieves attacking them for the cattle was concerning.
“I did. He thought they’d be at Round Springs or Rocky Creek,” Zach said.
“I thought he was coming with us,” Aaron said.
“His wife is ill. He thought he should stick close to home for now,” Zach said.
“Darla is sick? I didn’t know that. Has Ms. Ella and Beth been to look at her?” Harmony asked.
Zach lowered his head. “Yes, but it’s not good.”
“But she was so strong and healthy when I saw her last.”
“She tripped on a rake someone left on the ground and fell. She broke her ankle and wrist. There’s an infection, and it has spread to her blood. It’s only a matter of time now.” Zach said with his head lowered.
“That’s awful. I feel so bad for them,” Harmony said.
“That could happen to any of us. That’s why we have to be so careful all the time. There just isn’t any room for mistakes these days,” Maria said.
A shadow fell over the wagon, and Harmony looked up. The sky had darkened, and it looked like rain. A pained look crossed her face. She still suffered nightmares from the tornado that had leveled the cabin and killed Zach’s stepfather. Most of the survivors from that day were still uneasy when they saw black clouds forming. But the rain would provide some relief from the oppressive heat.
Zach reached out and took Harmony’s hand. He gave it a squeeze as he leaned over and whispered in her ear. “I’m right here. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
Harmony looked into his eyes, pecked him on the cheek, and whispered in his ear, “I won’t let anything happen to you, either.”
Zach leaned over and nudged Maria as they approached the checkpoint entering the city of Licking.
“They have another new deputy,” Zach said.
Maria raised her head and studied the man. “I wonder who defected this time?”
“My bet is on McRoy. He has four kids to feed. Although the new sheriff is offering the best pay in the county, he can’t compete with old man Nelson.”
“Yeah, but what Nelson makes you do for your pay should be a deterrent to most decent folks,” Maria said.
Harmony agreed.
Clark Nelson had owned a car dealership prior to the lights going out. He’d wasted no time in hiring people to ensure his survival. Early on, he’d offered large sums of cash to help secure his two-hundred-acre cattle farm. When the workers realized money was worthless, he’d paid them in beef. Now, he was thriving with more than one thousand acres and three hundred head of cattle. He had prospered despite the times, but he had done so by being ruthless. He pushed people off their land and stole what he needed to maintain his ranch. Harmony feared if someone didn’t stand up to him soon, he’d control the whole region.
Chapter 5
Highway 63
Liking, Missouri
July 11th
Maddie’s usual wariness about leaving the safety of their well-guarded community was amplified by not only the discovery of the dead man with high-tech gear but with Larry’s revelation of slave traders reaching their area. She kept her head on a swivel as they rode toward Highway 32.
They stopped briefly in the city of Licking to drop off some tools for repair at the new blacksmith shop before heading north on Highway 63. The city of Licking’s population had grown in recent weeks with the installment of a new sheriff and his deputies. Lack of security was one of the biggest problems that communities faced now. It was hard to tend crops, take care of the animals, and keep a watch over your shoulder for people aiming to steal it all from you. It was hard enough getting food to grow and keeping animals healthy and producing, but having to keep constant vigilance to make sure no one took it from you was exhausting.
A little boy stood next to one of the new deputies at the checkpoint as they left town. As the wagon rolled by, the boy waved, and Maddie waved back. Other than the few kids on their farm, Maddie rarely saw children anymore. So many had succumbed to starvation and disease over the winter. The flu epidemic that had swept through the area had killed so many of the young and the elderly.
Larry steered the wagon around potholes in the pavement as they continued north. There were a couple of hills the horses struggled to climb with their heavy burden, and everyone was forced to walk alongside to lighten the load for them. It was exhausting in the summer heat.
After camping near a creek north of Licking for the night, they set out just after dawn. Maddie preferred traveling in the early morning. As the day began to heat up, she thought about ways they could rig headlights on the wagon to travel at night. She’d rather deal with mosquitoes than heat.
At the top of the hill before Yancy Mills, Larry pulled the wagon over onto the shoulder of the road under the first shade Maddie had seen all day.
“As much as I hate winter, I’m finding myself looking forward to snow,” Maddie said, wiping sweat from her brow. As she sat on the back of the wagon swinging her legs, she gulped down her lukewarm water. Dustin and Larry fanned out to secure the area while Jacob watered the horses.
Maddie jumped down and walked around to the front of the wagon.
“I had a thought, Jacob. What if we ask around at the trade fair and see if we can gather support for some sort of group to go after those slave traders. We really can’t spare everyone running off to do it. But if we could convince others to join us, I think we could rid this area of the threat. At least until after fall harvest and the cabins are completed. We could spare even more people after that.”
“Larry and I spoke about that. If we could join forces, that would be best.”
Maddie smiled and nodded. She felt hopeful they could gather a group and root out those vile bastards.
Maddie heard hard footfalls on the pavement behind her and spun to see Larry and Dustin running back toward the wagon.
“What is it?” she called out.
“Three men on horseback, riding up fast,” Larry yelled back.
“You recognize any of them?” Aims asked.
“No. Never seen them before,” Larry called back.
Strangers mostly meant trouble. Anyone could be a threat these days. You could never be too careful. Maddie dropped down by the rear tire of the wagon while Larry and Dustin took a defensive position behind some nearby trees.
“Maddie, drop down in that ditch and keep your head down,” Aims said as he crouched by the front tire where he rested his rifle.
Maddie crouched and slid into the ditch. She squatted and rested her rifle on a rock at the top of the ditch. She could hear the clomping of hooves now. It echoed as the sound bounced through the hills, making it difficult to determine how close the riders were.
“See them yet?” Maddie asked.
“No. Stay down, Maddie,” Harding said.
It was torturous waiting for the riders to arrive, not knowing if they were friend or foe. They generally knew everyone in the area. They did get the occasional traveler passing through, but not many these days. Travel was so cumbersome and dangerous that few people risked it. Whoever these folks were, they were in a hurry from the sound of it.
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“I see them. Two men and what looks like a woman,” Larry called out.
Maddie bit her lower lip. Traffickers? It could also be the dead man’s group or the ones who shot him? She pulled the rifle tight into her shoulder and peered through her scope. A moment later, the riders crested the top of the hill. The first man rode a quarter horse and wore a black cowboy hat. He sat tall in his saddle and looked like an experienced rider. The second man was short, wore a baseball cap, and could barely stay on his horse—clearly a city boy. The woman riding in the middle was no captive. She sat erect on her palomino and held the reins in her left hand. Her right hand rested on a holster on her right thigh.
“You can stop right there!” Larry yelled as the trio topped the hill.
The riders pulled on their reins and slowed their horses. The man in the cowboy hat dismounted and stood behind his horse. The man and woman remained mounted. The man in the ballcap looked terrified, but the woman, although she sat straighter in her saddle, looked perfectly calm.
“State your business in these parts,” Larry yelled.
“That ain’t none of your business,” the cowboy replied.
“We’re making it our business,” Dustin said.
The woman held her hand out toward the man and said, “We’re on our way to a trade fair in Phelps County.”
“Really? It doesn’t look like you brought anything to trade,” Larry said.
“I’m looking for someone,” the woman said.
“And who might that be?” Larry asked.
Maddie stood.“Are you bounty hunters?”
Nelson sometimes hired bounty hunters to track down horse and cattle thieves. Maddie had never seen them before. With so much work being required just to survive, Maddie wondered how anyone had the resources to pay people to look for thieves.
“No,” the cowboy said from behind his horse.
