by Donnie Light
Like many alcoholics, Paxon denied that he was one. The bottle had befriended him and had also stolen his career. It was easy to come home after work and drink himself silly while grading papers. He was able to function all these years as an alcoholic, but not to succeed. He had thought about writing many times, but again, it was one of those things he never got around to. It was always just around the corner. Greatness lay just ahead. He would get started next week. Put away the bottle and buckle down. One week turned to the next and the next week turned to another.
Now, in the twilight of his career, he may have a breakthrough. Something worthwhile; something that mattered. He would do it up right. Get the thing published and get down the road—that road that led great men to great places.
No longer would he be overlooked. Never again would he be passed by, ignored by his fellow scholars and the publishing world. All of the schools that had foolishly let him go would drown in the sorrow of knowing they had let him slip through their hands. Fools. They should have treated him better. They should have given him more time. They should have recognized him as the accomplished teacher and scholar that he was, published or not. They would be sorry, very sorry.
Albert Gaston would make it all possible. They had been close once, working together and had actually become friends. Then, Gaston became so famous, so distinguished, that they had lost touch until a few months ago. He could have helped his ol’ buddy John years ago. Now, ol’ John would help himself.
Only two things stood in his way—Galen Morris and some woman.
§ § §
Galen waited a while before waking Audra. She drowsily came around and put her feet on the floor.
“What time is it?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.
“Quarter after seven,” Galen said.
Audra looked at him, her face a blank. “You cheated me out of fifteen minutes,” she said flatly as she fell back onto the couch.
Galen drug one of the kitchen chairs over to the couch. “I talked to Paxon a little while ago.”
Audra turned to face him and opened one eye.
“He thinks he knows how to stop the thing,” Galen said with an air of confidence in his voice. “He wants us to go to Georgia.”
Audra opened both eyes now and twisted around to put her feet back on the floor. “Georgia?” she asked, thinking she hadn’t heard him correctly. “He wants us to go to Georgia?”
Galen nodded.
“What’s he gonna do?” she asked.
“I don’t know yet,” Galen responded.” He wants me to call him from the road. He also wants me to bring all of Al’s papers so he can compare notes.”
Audra considered what he was saying. “When do we leave?”
“As soon as we can get our stuff together,” Galen said. “I want to get this thing over with.”
“Of course you do,” Audra said. “And so do I. But do you think it’s wise to just take off?”
“What else can we do?” Galen asked. “I want to stop this thing. The longer I wait, the longer it’s around to do damage.” Galen rubbed his freshly shaved chin.
“What about work?” Audra asked. “Aren’t you on duty at midnight tonight?”
“Yeah, I am,” Galen said. “I’ll call in and have someone else take my shift for awhile.” He saw the concern in Audra’s face. “If Paxon thinks he can stop this damned thing, I’m gonna give him a shot.”
“I guess I can try to get some time off too,” Audra said. “I can call the hospital and try to schedule some vacation time.” Galen looked at her knowing what he wanted to say but not how to say it. “Audra,” he finally said. “You don’t have to go.”
Audra’s eyes grew wide in disbelief of what Galen said.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “Don’t you want me to go?”
“It’s not that,” Galen said. “It’s just that…” Galen fumbled for the words, “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“What if it comes after me here?” Audra asked.
“It won’t,” Galen responded.
“How do you know?”
“Because I just do—it’s after me.”
Audra was quiet for a moment. The look on her face showed that she was already hurt. Hurt by Galen not wanting her at his side during this whole ordeal. She felt betrayed and at the same time happy that he was thinking of her safety.
“I thought we made a pretty good team,” she said sadly. “I thought I would be a big help.”
“You would Audra,” Galen said. “I couldn’t have gotten this far without you. But I’m the one that got you into this mess and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“But I want to go Galen. I want to be with you. Can’t you see that?”
Galen looked deeply into her eyes. He saw that she was serious; she really wanted to be with him. A tear rolled from the corner of her eye.
Galen struggled with his thoughts for a moment. He could not bear to hurt Audra. After a long pause, he spoke. “Alright, let’s get packing. I want you to come with me,” he said. “I want you to be there for the whole thing.” Her eyes brightened and Galen pulled her toward him and kissed her on the forehead. “You’ve been with me so far and I’m glad you were—as long as you want to go.”
They embraced in a long kiss. Galen tasted the tears that had rolled to her lips.
She looked up to his eyes and hugged him tight. Her lips quivered as she said, “I’m glad you changed your mind.”
“And I’m glad you’re with me for this. I don’t know what I’d do without you right now.”
Within thirty minutes, the Mustang was packed for the trip to Georgia. Galen took the first leg of the drive and Audra continued to read the files. The day was sunny and warm, but cool air flowed into the car from the partially opened windows.
They would never know how close the Eater of Hearts was to them when they left The Willows that Sunday morning. While they left the town driving east, the Eater of Hearts was approaching the diesel fuel distribution center on the west side of town. While they drove with the cool breeze caressing their hair, one of the two security workers at the complex was being hideously deformed by raging flames. The other died in the explosion.
The fire roared with intensity, sparked by the ball as it bore through one of the storage tanks. Before the fire department would reach the scene, another tank would explode from the heat, spewing its cloud high enough to be seen more than thirty miles away.
– Chapter 17 –
Tobias struggled along for a couple of miles before resting again. He could no longer focus his eyes. The world was a colorful blur before them. He could make out shapes and the lightness of the road in contrast with the surrounding woods.
He had unknowingly lost the bandaging from his arm stump. The ends of the bones stuck out slightly, covered with dust from the road.
He managed to walk most of the way since the swamp but now dizziness again forced him into his three-point crawl.
Tobias put his head down and crawled along. He took his chances with being captured now, because he did not have the energy to travel through the woods.
The sun had been up just a short while and he hoped that no early-morning travelers were on the road.
He looked up after what seemed hours of crawling and spotted a large white house, set back from the road. Through his feverish eyes, he saw only the general shape, but knew it was the house where Miss Mary now lived. He could smell the fresh cut wood mixed with the smell of paint.
An axe could be heard splitting firewood behind the large house and Tobias began to crawl toward it.
A hound was awakened from his lair under the new house and howled an alarm that an intruder was nearby. The dog came from beneath the house’s front porch and cautiously approached Tobias. The smell of sickness was heavy in Tobias’ scent and the dog knew he would not have to give chase to this slave.
Tobias lay still, now his only defense. He attempted to cover his head with his arms in case he was attacked. He co
uld hear the dog nearby, still letting loose with an occasional howl. The sound of the axe had stopped. The dog was carefully trying to sort out the various smells emanating from him.
“Jasper!” a young voice yelled out, “you git ova here!”
A sigh of joy escaped Tobias, sounding more like a whimper. He knew the voice belonged to Titus.
“Get on back to the house!” Titus said to the dog.
The dog quieted and Tobias heard cautious footsteps approaching. He attempted to lift his head but weakness had paralyzed him.
“Hey, Mista,” Titus said. “Y’all be alright?”
“No,” Tobias croaked.
Titus spotted the gruesome looking amputation.
“Good Lawd Mista,” he said. “You look like you done been eat up!” He reached over and helped Tobias to roll over.
Tobias saw the shape of his son’s face against the sky but could make out no details. It took Titus a few seconds to recognize his own father.
“Papa!” he cried. “What done happened to ya’ Papa?” Titus turned toward the house and screamed. “Gabe! Come fast! Papa’s here and he’s hurtin’ real bad!”
Titus began to cry at the sight of his father. The scabs and open sores on his swollen face made him hard to recognize. Titus could not bear to look at the stump of his wrist. His pants were just rags hanging loosely about his waist. The shirt that Tobias had taken from Luke had held up well but was covered with mud, blood and dirt. His feet were cut and blistered and deep cracks opened up on their soles.
Titus looked into his father’s glassy eyes and saw all sorts of horrors there. The look was far away and Titus suspected his father was already peeking into the lands of his ancestors, seeking them out for his long journey on earth was nearly over.
The twins sat their father upright and dragged to a tree stump. He leaned back against it still unable to focus his eyes. He heard the slave catcher’s hounds howling in the distance but paid them no heed. He turned toward one of the boys and tried to make out which one it was. “I been missin’ y’all,” he said. “I wanted to see y’all before I go.”
The twins were crying and put their heads upon his shoulders. The feel of their arms around him was a much warmer feeling than the pouch could have ever given him. The love that flowed through him was much more powerful than energy from the pouch. “Y’all boys stop yo’ cryin’ now,” Tobias said. “Y’all is all growed up and it’s time I told y’all somethin’.”
The twins slowed their tears, still sniffling. Tobias told them a story about his childhood in Africa. The boys had always loved to hear these stories and had often begged for them. Tobias realized he could no longer tell stories to his children, because his children were now young, strong men. He needed to tell them one final story, about his amazing journey and the wonder that his gods had sent to Earth in the name of justice. He had to tell them, so they could believe and pass on the story to their children someday. Miss Mary and Ralph quietly ate breakfast in the kitchen and weren’t even aware of Tobias’ presence.
Tobias finished his story and turned to Titus.
“You gonna make me proud and remember ’bout Africa?”
Titus nodded, “Yes Papa, I’ll ’member.”
He turned to Gabriel. “You boys gonna tell yo’ children ’bout Africa, and ’bout me and yo’ Mama?”
Gabriel nodded and began to cry again.
Tobias shook his head as if to clear it. “Y’all are good boys,” he said, “and I’ll always love ya’.” He looked at each one in turn and pulled them close. He kissed the boys again, each on the forehead, as they sat beside him. His dizziness was worse now. The world swam in his view. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began to sing.
It’s a long ol’ row to be hoein’
It’s a long ol’ row to be plowin’
It’s a long, long, way to the big house…
Tobias did not join the twins for the last part of the chorus for his body refused to draw the breath that it required for singing. The boys finished however, a tribute to their fallen father, the father they would never forget. They both looked toward the sky, trying to catch a glimpse of their father’s soul as it drifted upward, toward a better place.
The wailing hounds were closing in on him but would not find him alive. They would however, find his body in the embrace of his sons. They would grow up to fight for his people and maybe, if the gods were just, freedom would come to them someday.
– Chapter 18 –
Galen and Audra took turns driving until they reached Louisville, Kentucky. They filled the car with gas and stopped for a couple of sandwiches.
Galen figured they were about twelve hours ahead of the ball, giving them the first chance to get some real sleep since this whole thing started. They checked into a local hotel.
“I better give Paxon another call,” Galen said, reaching for the phone.
Audra pulled the blankets back from the large bed and crawled between the sheets.
Galen dialed the number. After five rings, Paxon’s deep voice answered.
“Paxon, here,” he said.
“John. It’s me, Galen.”
“Galen, where are you?” he asked.
“We’re in Louisville. We had to stop for a while and get some sleep.”
“I see,” Paxon said. “How long do you think it will take you to get here?”
Galen took the Atlas from the nightstand and looked up the mileage log. “It’s about four-hundred miles to Atlanta,” Galen said. “That’s roughly an eight-hour drive.”
“Another three-and-a-half to Savannah,” Paxon added. “When do you think you’ll be leaving Louisville?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Galen said. “We need to sleep for a while.” Galen looked at his watch. “We should be there by noon tomorrow.”
“How much of a lead will you have on the… thing, by then?” Paxon asked.
“By that time we should have at least…” Galen looked to the ceiling in thought, “sixteen, eighteen hours or so.”
“Good,” Paxon said. “Give me a call when you get to Atlanta. In the meantime I’ll be preparing things here.”
“Okay,” Galen said, “see ya’ tomorrow.” Galen had almost hung up the phone when he jerked the handset back to his ear and tried to catch Paxon before he hung up. “Paxon, you still there?” He heard the sound of the receiver on the other end of the connection being placed back into its cradle. “Damn,” Galen said as he hung up the phone.
“What’s the matter?” Audra asked sleepily, stretching her arms out with a yawn.
“I wanted to ask him what he had planned,” Galen said. “I hope we’re not making this trip for nothing.”
Galen sat on the edge of the bed closest to the nightstand and untied his shoes.
“Galen,” Audra said, “You better call the Department and I’ve got to call the Hospital.”
“I completely forgot!” Galen said, slapping the palm of his hand against his forehead.
He let Audra call the Hospital first. He then got an outside line and dialed the Willow River Fire Department number from memory.
“Fire Department,” the voice said.
Galen did not recognize the voice. “Hi. Who’s this?” he asked, trying to place the voice.
“This is Charlie,” a gruff voice answered.
“Oh, Charlie, I didn’t recognize your voice,” Galen said.
Charlie Boomgarden was a retired volunteer who still occasionally helped out at the station.
“What are you doing there?” Galen asked.
“Big fire,” Charlie said. “Who’s this?” he asked.
“This is Galen. What’s on fire?”
“The fuel depot out there on Martin road,” Charlie said. “Big fire, already one guy dead, maybe more. Where are you?”
“I, uh, got called away on a personal emergency,” Galen said. “I may be gone for a couple of days and wanted to let the chief know.”
“I see,” Charlie said. “W
ell, I’m sure he’s pretty busy right now but I can tell him for you.”
“Thanks, Charlie. Please let him know.” Galen did not feel right about not talking to the chief himself. He was afraid Charlie might forget his message. “You won’t forget to give him my message?”
“Nope,” Charlie stated. “I’m writin’ it down now.”
“Good,” Galen said. “How long they been out at the fire?”
“Most all the day,” Charlie said. “They figure it’ll burn for a good while. Got a black cloud driftin’ east of town, makes it look like night.” Charlie hesitated for a minute then spoke again. “They had to evacuate most of the people east and south of town.”
“How many departments are there?” Galen asked, feeling guilty for his absence.
“Let’s see,” Charlie said. “Got Winnebago, Pecatonica, Seward, German Valley,” he paused again as he tried to remember who else was there. “Oh, and Leaf River and Byron are here. Freeport and Rockford are gonna send crews to relieve our guys, and the Haz-Mat guys are here too.”
“Sounds like you guys have your hands full,” Galen said. “Sorry I’m not there.” Audra had propped her head up on her arm and was listening. “I’ll let ya’ go Charlie. Don’t forget my message.”
“Yeah, okay Galen,” Charlie said. “I better get back and help fill air tanks.”
Galen said goodbye and hung up the phone. Audra looked at him, anxious to know what was going on. He explained about the fire.
“My God, that’s terrible,” she said. She could see Galen felt bad about not being there to help. “They can take care of it,” she assured him. “It’s not your fault that you can’t be there right now.”
“I know,” Galen said. “But I can’t help feeling like I’m letting them down.”
She reached over and began to massage his shoulders. “You’re not letting them down,” she said. “You’re facing something here a lot worse than that fire. This is a matter of life and death. I’m sure if they knew what you were up against they wouldn’t blame you for what you’re doing.”
Galen nodded his head and turned to her. She was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed. She wore a yellow t-shirt and a pair of sweat-pants. Her ponytail curved around the side of her neck and fell over the front of her shoulder covering her right breast. She smiled at him, showing her bright, straight teeth.
