by N. C. Reed
“Piano wire,” Brick said softly. “About the smallest they make,” he stood again, pulling his rifle around from where it had fallen against his hip. He looked at Jose and grinned slightly.
“I'd say someone doesn't want you in here,” he said quietly. “Makes me wonder why.”
“Me too,” Jose agreed, still eyeing the bigger man warily. It rattled him that Brick had spotted something that he hadn't. And it hadn't passed his notice that Brick had identified the trigger so readily either. As he watched, Brick cut the wire from the eye it was tied to with a multi-tool and rolled what was left of it into a coil, tying it off with a wire tie from his vest pocket. He slipped the bundle into his pocket with a fluid motion, and Jose decided he didn't really want to ask if Brick had a piano.
“Let’s see what the fuss is about,” he said simply and stepped inside. Brick followed him inside and as Jose stood watch forced the sliding doors open to allow sunlight to flood the dark interior.
“Well, there it is,” Jose said as the truck was finally illuminated.
The truck had started life as a Dodge 3500 quad-cab pickup. A utility bed had been placed on the truck and a small water tank added atop that. The heavy framed 4x4 sat low on two flat tires and a puddle of anti-freeze was beneath the front end.
“I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say this thing ain't gonna run,” Brick drawled out.
“I imagine you'd win that bet,” Jose sighed. “Still…” he trailed off as he circled the truck. He stopped at the rear of the vehicle.
“Well, it may not run, but it was grounded,” he announced. “Steel rod run into the ground beneath the floor, chain wrapped around the frame and then around the rod. That and being inside may have protected it. And even if it didn't, all we really need is the pump and the hoses and stuff. We can always put this stuff on another rig. I wonder why no one took it if it was still running.”
“Cause there's no key,” a third voice sent both men spinning in place, rifles leveled.
“Don't shoot!” the voice wasn't as calm as it had been. Jose's flashlight revealed the speaker, standing near the trashed vending machine, hands raised. As the lights hit the figure it ducked for the dubious protection of the vending machine before he could get a good look.
“Come out where we can see you,” Jose ordered tersely.
“So, you can shoot me?” the voice asked. “No thanks. You want the truck then just take it and go. We already drank the water anyway, and otherwise it's useless.”
The speaker looked to a be a young woman, Jose guessed she was anywhere from sixteen to nineteen, but it was dark and she was fairly dirty so he didn't know for sure. He estimated her to be around five feet six, tall for her age probably, but very thin. Not quite to the point of emaciation, but dangerously close perhaps, her ragged clothing hanging loosely about her.
“We?” Brick asked for him, forcing Jose back on point. The woman grimaced as she realized she had given something away she hadn't meant to.
“Yeah, we,” she sounded despondent. “My little sisters and me. We're not a threat to you so just take the truck and go, alright? We couldn't stop you if we wanted to, and we don't.”
“How long have you been here?” Jose asked her.
“Since the sky caught fire. My mom died that day and my dad didn't come home from work. We stayed in our house until things turned bad, but we couldn't heat it. This place,” she waved around her, “has propane heating, and it still worked. I had to turn the thermostat by hand, but it works. So, we stayed warm, ran it only when it was really cold and then hung blankets around the heater so we didn't have to heat the whole place. Ran out of propane just as winter ended.”
“How in the world did you survive?” Brick asked.
“We ate whatever we could,” the girl replied. “Lot of houses were empty, I guess from people who were out and away when whatever went wrong happened. We took food from there after what we had ran out. Lately we been eating what was in this thing,” she indicated the broken vending machine.
“What did you do for water?” Jose asked.
“We drank what was in there first,” she pointed to the truck. “Then we melted snow. Finally, I started taking water from the creek behind the building a little ways. I strained it through towels and then heated it on the heater, boiling it. I think it worked since we ain't been sick, but, propane's all gone, now. I been using a fire in the grill out back where they used to cook here once in a while. It doesn't work like the heater did but it's better than nothing.”
“Are your sisters okay?” Jose asked. “What's your name, anyway?”
“What do you care?” the teen suddenly looked wary. “My sisters are too small for whatever you're thinking about.”
“I'm thinking about trying to help you, kid,” Jose didn't take offense. “That's all. We did come here for the truck, you're right about that. There's a hell of a forest fire a few miles from here and we were hoping this thing would help fight it. But we didn't count on finding anyone living here, much less three kids.”
“I'm not a kid,” she shot back. “I'm a grown woman.”
“You're not, really,” Brick sounded amused rather than patient like Jose. “And that's okay. You've done really well taking care of yourself. Where did you learn that trick with the hammers?” he pointed to the door.
“Read it in a book,” she told him, eyeing the big man warily. While the soldier looked hardy and able, this one reeked of danger. Just being around him made her nervous, and yet she didn't sense any threat from him. It was confusing.
“It was well done,” Brick nodded in admiration. “But did you really learn it in a book?” he pressed. “Using piano wire like that?”
“I learned it from my grandfather, a long time ago,” she finally admitted, seeing that the hulking giant wasn't going to let it go. “When I was a kid.”
“You're still a kid, aren't you,” Brick stated rather than asked. “It's okay that you are,” he raised a hand in supplication to cut off the coming complaint. “You've done good. I imagine your grandfather would be proud.” He looked at Jose.
“May I assume there would be no objections to them coming with us?” he asked.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Jose nodded even as the girl objected.
“Hey, we ain't going nowhere with you!”
“Hush,” Brick told her, though not unkindly. “Whatever you're thinking about us is likely wrong, and we can prove it to you if you 'll but let us. You can stay there, and let your sisters stay wherever they are. You 'll see what we mean.” He looked again to Jose.
“We're burning daylight,” was all he said.
“Yeah,” Jose decided to try and take back control. He reached for his radio.
“Doc, bring the Beast up and back her in. Truck almost certainly won't run but it's in good enough shape otherwise. Chip, pull in to cover the front and then take the gun. I need Vee in here.”
“Copy that,” Tandi said even as the Beast could be heard revving.
“Roger,” Chip called afterward.
“I 'll check the outside and help stand guard until you need me to help with the truck,” Brick told Jose, who nodded. The big man gave the scraggly teenager one final smile and stepped outside.
“He's not dressed like you,” she said to Jose once Brick was gone.
“No, he isn't,” Jose agreed. “Some of us used to be soldiers. Together I mean. I don't know what he used to do before things fell apart,” he added, forgetting that he knew at least that Brick had once been a bouncer.
“He's okay,” the girl said firmly, shocking Jose once more. He should be used to it by now, he decided. He was saved from replying by the Beast turning in sight of the door and beginning to back into the station door. The girl watched, her curiosity winning out over her fear. The trailer stopped just the right distance from the door to allow the ramps down and pull the fire truck up onto the trailer.
Jose watched the girl's reaction as she saw Ellen Kargay climb down
from the truck and start moving toward the rear of the trailer, pulling on sturdy leather gloves as she walked. Without a word she pulled the ramps into place, paying special attention to the pins after their adventure at the forestry station. Finally, she turned to look at Jose and noticed the girl for the first time.
“Hello,” she smiled at the girl she saw standing just at the edge of the lit area. “I'm Ellen. What's your name?”
“You wanted to see me?” Victoria Tully's voice asked before the girl could think about answering. The teen looked from Ellen to Vicki and back again. Tully noticed her and smiled as well.
“Hi,” she waved with her left hand, her right still clutching her rifle. “How's it going?”
Jose watched in mild amusement as the girl's face went through a series of emotions, all warring with one another for pride of place. Stunned won out over the others finally as she simply stood there, looking at the two rather formidable women.
“You got a name, kid?” Vicki asked, trying to sound friendly.
“Yes, I've got a name!” the girl finally found her voice, sounded a bit ticked off.
“Well, I assumed you did,” Vicki laughed. “That was me asking what your name is. I'm Victoria.”
“Vee?” the girl asked, comprehension finally appearing to dawn.
“That's what my friends and coworkers call me,” Vicki grinned. “Among other things,” she laughed. “So, what are you doing here?”
“If she comes with us there 'll be plenty of time for you to hear her story on the trip back,” Jose interrupted. “Right now, we have work to do. We need to get this truck onto that trailer and get back. We still have a major fire threatening our homes.”
“You were serious about that?” the girl looked at him, confused.
“Uh, yeah?” Jose looked puzzled. “Why would I lie about a fire?”
“Some people lie just to hear themselves talk,” the girl replied.
“He doesn't,” Ellen spoke before Jose could. “None of them do,” she added. “They tell you something, you can bank on it.” With that she started back to her truck, disconnecting the trailer and putting it on it's stand to keep it level. Tully followed her and started pulling straps from the storage areas on the truck.
“Make sure and don't get in the way,” Jose told her. “And be thinking about whether you want better for you and your sisters than living here like this.”
-
Abigail stopped moving long enough to drain half of her water in one go, gasping as she finally came up for air. Closing her water bottle, she pulled her mask back into place and pulled her goggles back down before putting her rig in gear and starting again.
She had fought wild fires for three years, having started as soon as she was eighteen based on the experience she had gained operating heavy equipment by virtue of having Ronny Tillman as her uncle. Always a tomboy, she had constantly been helping him around the farm and learning how to operate not only the farm machinery but also her uncle's dozer. Before that she had worked through two summers as a seasonal employee of the forestry department, learning by watching as others fought fires, culled trees to fight disease and managed nurseries.
None of that experience had prepared her for what she was facing now. With no one to battle the blaze when it started, it had become a true monster of a fire. A perfect combination of dry conditions, plentiful fuel and inaction due to the breakdown caused by the Storm had let what had probably started as a simple blaze, or maybe a house fire, reach a point where it dwarfed anything she'd ever seen excepting the massive blaze in the Smoky Mountains she and her crew had been sent to help with two summers before.
There however she had just been a single cog in a massive commitment of manpower and equipment, following orders and directions given by someone else and responsible only for what was immediately in front of her. Now, thanks to Leon, she was supposed to be in charge of their efforts to keep the fire away from the ranch. Instead of taking orders, she was now responsible for giving them.
It wasn't that she doubted her own ability to fight fire, because she didn't. She might not be able to storm a town and save her friend, but here, on this bulldozer, Abigail Sanders knew exactly what she was doing and was good at it.
Her doubts came from wondering if she could manage a fire as well as she could fight one. Especially one that threatened her own home and her family's very survival. Preventing this fire from destroying their home was a sure matter of life and death, now. There wouldn't be any insurance claims after the fire passed through. No outpouring of support, no FEMA loans to help rebuild. They were quite literally on their own, with everyone looking to her to know what to do to keep them from being homeless in a new world where that meant death was literally at the door.
She shook her head, almost as if to clear it of such thoughts. She had told everyone what needed doing, and how to get it done. She was working herself now, helping. It would have to be enough.
There wasn't anything else.
-
“Easy now, easy!” Jose called as Ellen moved forward, pulling the fire truck onto the ramps. He had sent Vicki back to the Cougar and its gun so he could bring Gordy to help with the truck. He had then sent Tandi to relive Kade so he could so the same. Between the two former football players, the former bouncer and himself, Jose was pretty sure they could push the truck up the ramp with even the slightest help from the semi, should it be necessary. He glanced at his watch and frowned. This was taking a lot longer than he had meant for it to.
“Have no fear, Kade is here!” Kade pronounced as he strode into the building. “You wanted me?”
“No, I needed you,” Jose replied straight faced. “Not the same thing at all.”
“Aw, man,” Kade let out an exaggerated exhale. “That's just cold, boss. Why would you mistreat-”
“Kade?”
Kade went from fun loving goofball back to teen soldier in a heartbeat, spinning on his heel and bringing his rifle to bear in one fluid move.
“Don't!” Jose shouted, cursing himself for not warning the teen they weren't alone. “It's-”
“Olivia?” Kade's voice was a mixture of relief and incredulity.
“Ar-are you with them?” the girl, now known as 'Olivia' Jose noted, stammered a bit. “Kade, are you with them?” her voice held both hope and fear at the same time and Jose felt an enormous surge of pity for the young woman.
“Olivia, what are you doing here?” Kade asked, allowing his rifle to fall to his side and hang from its sling.
“Kade, why are you here?” Olivia backed up a bit as Kade stepped forward. “And why are you dressed like that?”
“Well, we came here to get a fire truck,” Kade told her, stopping where he was and lifting his hands in a sign of supplication. “And, well, I'm dressed like this because it's pretty much all the clothes I have after the fire in town last fall,” he admitted. “These are my work clothes, actually,” he shrugged.
“Why do you look like a soldier?” Olivia asked.
“I guess cause I sorta am one, now?” Kade unintentionally made the statement sound like a question.
“Not sorta,” Jose spoke up. “You've had your trial, Kade, you and the others. You're not 'sorta' a soldier.”
“Thanks, Pancho,” Kade said, turning his head slightly to address his boss but without taking his eyes off the girl in front of him.
“So, what are you doing here?” he asked Olivia.
“Can we please do this after the truck is loaded and we're on our way home?” Jose resisted the urge to sight. “Assuming she wants to give up all this,” he waved his arms around the station, “and come with us to-”
“You called for me, Oh Great and Wise-, Olivia?” Gordy chose that moment to arrive, interrupting Jose yet again. “What are you doing here?”
“For Christ's sake can we forget about that for a minute!” Jose finally did snap, causing the girl to flinch and the two boys to look at him, Kade with a raised eyebrow and Gordy just looking.
“Sorry,” Jose held his hands out flat in a 'hold it' motion. “Sorry,” he added to the girl still slinking back into the shadows. “We've been gone a long time and we need to hurry the hell up and get this done,” he told Kade and Gordy.
“Gordy?” Olivia said as she crept back into the light. “Are you sorta' a soldier now, too?”
“Ah. . .” Gordy hesitated, looking to Jose who sighed as he massaged the bridge of his nose to try and ward off an oncoming headache.
“Yes,” was all he said.
“Then yes,” Gordy nodded. “Olivia, what the hell are you doing here? It's like. . .what, five, maybe six miles to your house from here?”
“Please, let’s do this after we're done,” Jose exercised the most patience he had used in years.
“Sure thing,” Gordy said at once. “Olivia, are your sisters here too?” he asked. “You guys need to come with us,” he said before she could answer. “We can provide for you way better than this and you guys need to see my mom, anyway.”
Before she could answer, Gordy turned his attention to the fire truck, believing the matter to be settled.
“Yeah,” Kade nodded, moving to where Gordy was already examining the truck. “What he said.”
“Does this change your mind?” Jose asked softly as he watched the girl, Olivia, watch the two teens.
“What?” she jerked around to face him, startled.
“Does this change your mind about going with us?” he asked again. “We don't have it as good as we used to but we do okay. Assuming the fire doesn't burn us out,” he qualified. “Which is why we're in a hurry. There are other children there-”
“Where is 'there',” she suddenly demanded.
“The Sanders ranch,” he took the interruption in stride. “Gordy's grandparent's pla-”
“I know them,” Olivia said softly. “I know the Sanders. I…I know them.”
“I assumed you did since you know these two,” he nodded toward the two teen 'sorta' soldiers. Brick had entered while they were talking and put his large shoulder to the truck. There shouldn't have been a problem, the semi being more than powerful enough to yank the firetruck out of the station. The problem arose from the tires having been setting on concrete for so long that they had developed a flat side. As a result, they didn't want to roll properly. With the steering locked and no key available, muscle was required to keep the truck straight as it was pulled toward the trailer.
