Ada returned, saw Max had brought their cups to the table, and took her seat.
“I heard gunfire. It’s definitely coming from your farm. I don’t think its anything other than hicks shooting to be shooting. We will have to find another base though. If we can hear them shooting, we’re too close.”
“I was thinking the same.”
“Max, after I left Jean’s to return here, I did some thinking too.”
“That’s right. You didn’t finish the story last night. How’d you get away from town? From Ruben.”
“No story at all really, I just left. Ruben was so sure of himself, it didn’t cross his mind I wouldn’t come running back to his charms.” Ada paused to shudder. “Just the thought of him makes my skin crawl.
“Jean helped me with as many supplies as she could spare. She still had some of her ex’s clothing left over from her divorce... You can try them on.
“When I left her house, the guy who escorted me was gone. I stayed to the back streets and hid if I saw anyone. I made it to the forest without running into trouble.”
“What about Jean?”
“I helped her pack a bag. She’s going to sneak out of town and hike to her uncle’s place further north. He raised chickens for one of the processing plants.
“Max, after we kill the Dobbs and Simpson men, I wouldn’t mind us having a go at Ruben and his gang.”
“So you see us as ruthless killers.”
“Oh yeah. Revenge is my chosen path for the near future. That’s part of what I want to tell you. When I walk in the forest, it feels like I’m free from the world. It’s easy to clear my mind. That’s why I roamed so much growing up, and was the main reason I didn’t leave the farm after I finished college over in Demorest.
“While I was walking, I thought about Daddy’s words. To tell the truth, I didn’t want to make the promise to stay with you, but he was dying and pleading, so I agreed. I lied. I didn’t think I’d be hanging around you very long.
“When I left to go to Jean’s, you asked if I’d be coming back. You had reason to worry, because I was thinking of going my own way. Please know this about me. If I had made a decision not to come back, I would have told you before I left.”
“I appreciate that. I was worried, but I believed you when you told me you’d return.”
Ada said, “Trust is a good thing. Trust is what this is about. I was thinking about Daddy’s request. He wouldn’t pawn me off the just any old body that was around. He had to have a reason to want me to be with you. He could have just asked you to take care of me.”
“I wondered about that too,” Max, said.
“He saw something in you, that you are a good person. He knew a person alone has half the chance of surviving as two people working together.
“I’ve only known you for four days, but I see some things I like. You don’t come on all macho. Despite what you said about being an actor in a play, grief for your loved ones is real and painful for you to bear. You have a sense of humor, a weird one, but funny.
“I also know you’re kind and considerate. Max, you’re the antithesis of Ruben. You’re a gentleman.”
“Oh Lordy. You’re using big words. Your college days stuck with you.”
“Yeah, well you don’t do country very good.”
“So I’ve been told,”
“Okay Max, where are we? We have no one but ourselves to rely on. How do we stand? It’s looks as though we’ll be together for the long term. Hattie always said love can grow from the poorest start.”
Max said, “We’ll each get as far as we get. Like your grandmother told you. Love has to grow. It begins with roots. Depends of the weather and the viability of the seed if it blossoms or not.”
Ada chuckled. “That almost sounded deep.”
Max smiled. “I was going for intelligent. Ada, I don’t know where this is going. The loss of..., I’m sorry. Time will tell.”
“Beyond the maudlin way you put it, what you said is true. We’ll see what the roots produce. Let’s talk about Daddy’s other words. He called upon us for vengeance. That was an easy one for me.
“On my long walk home, I thought about the Billy Ray’s and the Ruben’s of the world. Most people are decent. Desperation will make even good people do bad things, but yellow, red, black, or white, there is that certain portion of a group that preys on others. I want to kill those people. I know we spoke of this already, but do you stand with me on that?”
Max responded. “I want to bury my family and yours. The Dobbs and Simpson’s stand in our way. We need to make plans and get it done. Let’s talk afterwards about how far we go in an attempt to rid the rest of the world of evil.”
Ada nodded. “Fair enough. Jacob and Otis stashed ammunition and other supplies in waterproof containers at several locations on our property. Let’s sneak in tonight, get those supplies, and scout both our places. Tomorrow we’ll move to another location and plan our attack.”
“Sound’s like a plan to me. Coffee or not, I feel like a nap. We should rest for tonight’s raid.”
“The cot won’t hold two,” Ada said.
“You can have it. I was comfortable on the floor.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of putting another log in the stove and curling with you on a pad. It gets cold when the fire burns down. As sore as I am, if I get chilled I’ll be too stiff to move tomorrow.”
Max hadn’t noticed how tired he was until his head hit the roll of clothing he and Ada were sharing as a pillow.
CHAPTER TEN
Ada warmed the bacon and scrambled another batch of eggs. Their nap had turned into several hours of sleep. The sun dipped below the tops of the pines by the time Max cleaned the cooking utensils and plates.
They left the cabin carrying their rifles with two spare magazines each. Ada led the way through the forest. Max carried a small canvas bag Ada found under the cot. Their first destination was her family’s farm. Filling the empty mags had left them with scant ammunition and she wanted to raid the supply caches her brothers had established.
The sky was clear, but moonless. It was so dark beneath the canopy of pines Max could barely discern the narrow path Ada followed. A few rough slaps by small limbs that sprang back from Ada pushing through, taught him to stay off her heels.
It took over two hours to reach the edge of the trees at the back of the O’Donnell’s fields. Ada stopped a hundred feet short and whispered instructions.
“Stay behind me and be careful about noise. When we get to the edge of the field, we’ll hunker and watch. What we want to see is if any of them are outside guarding.”
They moved quietly to the edge. The groundcover was still wet from the previous rain and prevented the usual rustling sounds people make walking in the forest, but they both stepped on their share of fallen twigs and limbs that snapped alarmingly loud in the crisp evening air.
Ada found a spot that gave a clear view of the rear of King’s house. Otis and her father’s homes were not visible, being lower on the other side of the hill toward the front of the acreage.
Ada whispered more instructions in Max’s ear. “We’ll be here a few minutes. How’s your night vision?” She turned her head so he could put his mouth to her ear. He was beginning to feel like they were on a commando mission, and then realized that was exactly what they were doing.
“My vision is good, but not excellent.”
She whispered again. “You scope the fields and the bottom of the hill and I’ll concentrate on the hill and the house. We’ll swap in five minutes so we have two sets of eyes checking the areas. We don’t have watches, so we’ll guess time.”
Max began surveying the fields. At first, he let his eyes flit from place to place to get a feel for what he could see. After a minute of that, he let his eyes linger on any places where a human could hide. Places like fence posts and shallow depressions in the plowed earth.
When Ada called time, he told her, unless there were some special forces w
ith Billy Ray’s gang, the fields were clear.
She said, “I don’t see anyone near the steps going up. I don’t hear the generators running and there aren’t any lights on. It’s impossible to tell if someone’s hiding in the trees on either side of the hill by the stairs, but I think there aren’t. It’s still early in the evening, too early for gangbangers to be asleep, but I don’t hear a sound from up there.”
“I think I heard a car door slam over toward my place, but I’m not sure,” Max whispered back. “You want me to put my eyes on the hill and house before we grab the supplies?”
“Yeah, let’s stick to the plan.”
Five minutes later, still at the tree line, but forty feet to the right of where they’d been standing, Max was kneeling with Ada beside a small, low pile of stones. She removed the top layer and used two hands to wiggle first one and then another, red plastic coffee container from the stones surrounding them. She opened one and then passed it to him.
“Ammo for our rifles. Put can and all in the bag.”
The other coffee container held shotgun shells.
“Should we take these?” she asked.
“Yeah. We may liberate a shotgun from someone.”
“Okay. Let’s try one more place. I want more ammo for the rifles.” The next place was hundred feet farther along the forest edge; another pile of stones near one of the imitation rocks Jacob and Otis made to hide a listening device. This time, they liberated a five-gallon bucket. Ada enlisted his aid to lift it free.
The plastic bucket had a screw top lid. Ada had a tough time getting to lid to turn, but wouldn’t let Max attempt because of his fractured arm. Straining, it finally loosened, almost throwing her to the ground.
“There’re more magazines and boxes of rounds for the 15s, but what’s this.”
Max took the black metal object from her. “I’ll be damned, it’s the night vision scope we bought in Toccoa. They must have brought it down here the same day.”
Ada handed him a heavy package of D cell batteries. “These must go with it.” A moment later, she handed him a small metal case.
“Radiation detector, bought the same day.” Max put the two devices and batteries into the bag along with another ten boxes of ammo.”
Ada said, “That’s probably all we should put in the bag. I’ll carry the bucket with what’s left.”
Max hefted the bag, testing the weight and nodded agreement. “Let’s take the stairs to the top of the hill. I think King’s home is empty. I’d like to see if anyone’s camped out in the other two houses.”
“Let’s do it,” Ada said.
“You take lead and I’ll keep watch behind us.” Max gripped his rifle and shrugged the sling from his shoulder. “Take your safety off and set it for three round burst. If you see anyone, we’ll hide. If we’re spotted, shoot ‘em if you can, but then we run like hell.”
Max left the loaded bag beside the bucket at the foot of the rough made steps and followed Ada. He watched behind them as they ascended, cradling the front grip of the rifle in the crook of his injured arm. She stopped shy of the top and waited for him to join her. “Let’s finish side by side. You cover the left.”
They climbed the next five steps, then paused as the second floor windows came into view. “Nothing,” Max whispered.
They reached the top and stopped to look and listen.
“I don’t think anyone’s here,” Ada said. Should we check the house?”
“Let’s go for it,” Max said.
“Slow. Grandpa’s back porch is old and creaky.”
Approaching the rear steps, Max noticed, at the corner of the house, the bucket end of a tractor with a frontend loader attached. He motioned for Ada to follow and turned in that direction. Twenty feet beyond the tractor, they saw a large mounded area of freshly turned dirt.
Ada leaned against him, gripping his good arm tight with her hands.
She spoke, her angst muted, her whispered agony sounding like a scream in his ear. “They’re all under there. I know they are. My mother, Hattie, Lanni, Otis’s wife, my brothers and sisters, my cousins…, Oh God, baby Jerry, Otis’s youngest, they’re all in that fucking hole, dumped like garbage.”
Max touched her hand and whispered. “Strength, Ada. Let this make us stronger. Let every despicable action they do deepen our resolve for revenge. No doubt, those sorry bastards shoved my family into a hole too. Our people deserve a proper burial.”
Ada released his arm.
“Like you said, they’re in our way. Let’s check inside the house. Maybe we’ll find somebody to kill.”
King’s house was empty. Ada checked the gun locker where he kept his weapons, hoping to find a shotgun or pistol. The locker was empty. It was very dark inside the house, but Ada left Max to guard downstairs while she checked all the upstairs rooms on the chance Hattie’s body was there. She rejoined Max who was standing by the front picture window in the living room.
“She’s dead. She hid in her bedroom closet when the shooting started. Her blood’s splattered on the walls and floor.”
Max said, “I’ve been watching your dad’s and Otis’s homes. I don’t think anyone’s on the property. The night of the attack, I saw a glow from over here. I thought they burned the houses down.”
“No. They burned an outbuilding. I saw the ruins from a window. The gang is at your place. I saw light shining in the trees. They must have a generator running.”
Max said, “Stuff some of your clothing in a bag. Let’s go back to the forest and approach my farm from the rear. We’ll have to be careful. There’s no field to provide a clear area like here.”
It only took her a few moments to stuff items from her room into a pillowcase and rejoin him.
“I filled a bag for you too. No pants though, Gramps is smaller in the waist. Sweaters and socks. I’ll take lead again. I spent almost as much time at Maggie’s as I did at home.
“I used to call her Mawmaw Maggie? She knew the name of every tree and plant in the woods. All the edible plants too, and the one’s good for medicine. There’s nobody left for us Max. All the good folk in the world are dead or dying.”
Max said nothing. They gathered the supplies at the foot of the steps. Following her back into the forest, her words echoed in his mind and he rejected them. There were good people left in the world, but they were hiding from the savage animals.
An hour later, they had a bird’s-eye view of the beasts in action. Ada led him to a huge oak tree on the left side of his house only a hundred-fifty feet from his front yard. They had to crawl the last fifty feet to get to the base of the tree because his front yard was lit with the sort of cheap floodlights contractors use. At least twenty men were in the yard, hooting, and dancing, around a high, blazing fire.
Nailed to the back of the tree were boards leading up to an old tree house Max wasn’t even aware was on his property.
Following Ada’s lead, he clumsily climbed the make shift ladder, amazed the boards supported his weight.
The tree house was simply a four-by-eight platform with a roof so low, that Max knew children had built it.
“Is it safe to be on this?” he asked. The floor didn’t feel very stable, but Ada whispered it was just the limbs bending under their weight. He cautiously eased onto the platform, sat beside her, and looked at the gangbangers cavorting in his yard.
“Do you see Billy Ray in the bunch?”
“No, but Jud Simpson is there. He’s the older man on the far side of the fire with two other men. Blue jacket and he’s holding a bottle of liquor.”
“I see him.”
“Those two with him are his youngest son’s. He has three more boys and a daughter. The daughter’s as low down as they are.”
Now that they were elevated, Max could see there were two fires going. The other one was mostly coals. On a spit above the coals was an animal. A man was in the process of turning it. Max guessed it was a pig.
“I count twelve men,” Ada said.
/> “There’re more inside,” Max added to her statement. I saw silhouettes against the curtains in the living room.”
They continued watching the scene in Max’s front yard. As the minutes passed, the men got drunker and louder. The front door opened and a man stepped onto the porch and shouted loud enough for Max and Ada to hear, although he was so drunk it was hard to understand him.
“Billy Ray called on the radio. Him, Captain Tuffs, and the rest’ll be here in a few minutes. We’re gonna party tonight boys. They’re bringing more women and booze. Whoo-hoo!
The announcement got the men even louder.
Max touched Ada’s arm. “Who is Captain Tuffs?”
“I don’t know.”
“Wanna stay.”
“I’m getting cold, but yeah. Let’s wait and see.” She moved closer to him. “Put your arm around me and share some heat.”
The wait wasn’t a long one. They saw the headlights of several vehicles approaching the drive. Max counted eight trucks stop near the group in the yard. The crowd swelled from twelve to at least sixty. The men who poured from the trucks dragged with them several women and girls. Eight bangers came from inside the house, herding more women and girls ahead of them.
Ada turned to whisper. “Damn it, Max. Those women aren’t here because they want to be. Some of them are young teens.”
“Do you see Billy Ray?”
Ada scanned the gang. “Yeah. See the man in the uniform by the porch. That’s Billy Ray beside him, skinny redhead with the ragged goatee.”
“Do you want to start shooting and go out in a blaze of glory?” Max asked.
Ada nudged his side with her elbow. “This isn’t a movie.”
“Just kidding. You ready to leave?”
While they were whispering, a teenage boy approached the uniformed man and handed him a battery-powered megaphone. The man lifted it to his face and began speaking.
DISASTER: Too Late to Prep Page 15
