by E A Lake
He leaned forward, his mouth drawn in a serious line. “If Ashland is what they say it is, I suppose we’ll see. But, you remember that place we spent the second winter in Iowa? Algona or whatever it was called?” Sharon nodded in agreement. “We thought that was maybe a place that was decent. It sure seemed like it for a while.” Wilson bit his lowered lip and flashed his eyes open. “But you remember what happened in the spring? I’m sure you do. We all went out to help collect firewood, and when we came back, all our food was gone. Every last bit of it. And what’d they say?”
Sharon leaned back in her chair with a pained look on her face. “They said it was for the good of the community. That they’d split it up so everyone could have something until they got more. I bought it, I know. Don’t remind me, please.” She looked down in shame, some six years later.
“And what’d we get back?” Wilson asked, grinning. “Nothing. They said they didn’t have enough to feed strangers. They meant finders, us. Here we worked side by side all winter with those folks and in the end, they took our food. Thieves, that’s all they are. You wanna trust people like that? I don’t think so.” He slid his chair around the table to get closer to Sharon.
Slowly, he continued. “Here’s what I say we do. We find that big score in Elk Mound and we go cash it in over in Eau Claire. We get all the food and seeds we can. Then we take off for Ashland. Judy said it was about 200 miles if we keep to the safe roads. What is it, May now? That puts us there in early fall. October at the latest. We can check it out. But we’ll hide a stash someplace before we get there. That way come spring, if they pull the same crap, we still got food.” Wilson sat back with a satisfied look.
Sharon pondered his words. He knew she’d hate to admit it was a good plan. So much of the past years were focused on staying alive day to day. It seemed there was never time for anyone to make any plans for the future, much less either of the women.
Finally, she smiled at him. “You know, if you could keep a level head all the time, you could be the leader again.” Wilson laughed and waved her off. “I mean that, Jim. You’ve got some good ideas. If you could just stay focused and not be an ass all the time, we’d all follow you.” She reached for his hands on the table, but he quickly pulled them away.
“Yeah, whatever. Judy doesn’t want me to lead ever again. Tiny’s on your side, too. I don’t care who leads, as long as we stay alive. Someday, the way I figure it, we’ll split up anyway. One of us will die, maybe someone will find a boyfriend…or girlfriend in your case.” He winked at Sharon. “I just don’t wanna ever be beholden to another. I don’t wanna be a slave. I’d rather freeze to death a free man than live in some community with a boss.”
He nodded slowly, lost in his thoughts. “I can live with your decisions for now. At least you don’t tell me when to eat or when to sleep, when I can or can’t use the outhouse.” He rose and went for one last handful of carrots. “Nah; you stay in charge. That way when stuff goes wrong, I can blame you.” He laughed as he chomped on a carrot.
Hearing someone coming into the kitchen, he noticed Sharon turn from the corner of his eye. “Morning, Randy,” she said. Wilson shot him a quick glance.
Tiny, still dressed in his clothes from the previous two days, made his way for Wilson’s water cache, but Wilson slapped the larger man’s hands away.
“Get your own, you big ox. Don’t be slobbering all over my stuff,” he said tersely.
Tiny searched the kitchen for his lime green bottle. “I don’t remember where I put mine. Why can’t I have some of yours?” he whined to his friend.
Wilson narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Find your own. It’s a good lesson. It’ll teach you how to keep track of your crap,” he spat callously. Tiny shook his words off. Jim knew he’d heard meaner many mornings.
Staring outside, Wilson’s face reddened. “Say, big guy. Did you remember to put the water catchers out last night before you fell asleep?” He slowly turned his head to gauge Tiny’s reaction, already knowing his response.
Mouth agape and eyes squeezed shut, Tiny showed his response. Wilson chortled and shook his head in disgust. “By the time I remembered, it was late,” Tiny whined. “And I just wanted to go to bed. It was rainy and dark. I don’t like to go out in the dark. You know that.”
Wilson faced his friend, anger in his eyes. “So the rest of us need to die of thirst because you’re scared of the boogeyman? That’s just great, just fine.” Wilson stared at Tiny as the taller man looked away. Sharon rose from her spot at the table as a crack of thunder let loose from above.
“Don’t worry about it, Randy. I think it’s going to rain all day anyway. Go grab your stuff and set it out now.” She focused on Wilson with a harsh frown. “I bet they’ll both be full by noon. You just watch; we’ll have our water,” she finished leading Tiny back upstairs.
The skies opened up again and large drops fell from the heavens. Wilson laughed to himself and went outside to pee from the covered porch. That dang Tiny, he thought. Lucky for him, it looked like an all-day rain as Sharon had said.
Standing, staring at a puddle, Wilson jumped when Tiny came running past him. Gone were his clothes; he wore only his boxer shorts now. He set the hard plastic bags in the middle of the driveway and began to rub his body with a bar of soap. Wilson laughed at his large, hairy friend.
“Trying to scare people?” Wilson yelled over the thunderous rain.
Tiny smiled broadly. “May as well have a shower. Who knows when it’ll rain again,” he said, soaping up his massive body.
“Ah hell,” Wilson admitted. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside along with his pants and socks. “May as well get clean if we’re staying here for another day.”
The two men played in the rain for a long time, just like when they were kids. At one point Jim noticed Sharon watching intently from the kitchen door. And if he wasn’t mistaking, he could’ve swore he saw a broad smile grace her otherwise dour face.
Chapter Eight
The rain remained steady for two more days. From time to time, it would slow to a drizzle, only to pick back up with greater intensity. The four travelers continued squatting in the old farmhouse. At least they were dry; mighty bored, as Jim saw it, but dry.
The morning of their third day in the house, they arose to bright, sunny skies. The temperature warmed to a decent level by noon – 60 degrees according to the old thermometer out front nailed to a large oak tree.
Wilson hustled around, trying to collect all of his belongings, hoping to get on the road shortly. He yelled for the others from the kitchen.
“Can you all hurry up? Daylight’s a-wastin’. The sun’s finally shining and you all are slow as molasses.” He paced from the table to the counter. “Move it before I leave you all behind.” He heard footsteps upstairs, just none coming down the steps.
Eventually, Judy appeared next to him in the kitchen, munching on some dried apples. “Where are all the water bottles? Did you load them already, Jim?” she asked sweetly between bites.
He scowled at the sweet girl. “Yeah, like an hour ago. Two in your pack, two in Sharon’s and the other 14 in Tiny’s big one.” He considered his words. “I should probably strap one or two on my belt. That way I don’t have to jump to try and get them from Tiny when I want a drink.” He unloaded two aluminum bottles and placed them on the table. Softening his expression, he peered at Judy. “How far to, ah, Elk-whatever?”
She smiled and unfolded the map from her back pocket. Adding the small numbers, she gazed up at Wilson. “About 10 miles,” she replied.
Wilson rubbed his chin, staring at Judy. “Three hours if we stay at it. Four if we let Tiny set the pace,” he said, grinning at Judy with the last statement.
She nodded. “Probably three then. That’ll give us another three or four before dark.” Her tiny face, framed by her long, straight hair, looked puzzled. “Jim, do you know where these places are? Once we get there?” she asked.
Wilson shrugg
ed and looked away. “All that guy in Menomonie said was they were in the hills on the north side of town. Not the first main road that goes north though. He said you had to go east through town until you came to the next road going north. Something like, ah, Starlight or Starbright.”
He noticed the concern on Judy’s face. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll know the road when we come to it. He said we couldn’t miss it. Then you go north a mile or so and start looking in the hills. There we’ll find some mansions. Real loot holders, I hope.” He finished by rubbing his chin again.
Judy seemed to notice he wasn’t himself. Carefully, she approached. “What’s wrong, Jim? You don’t seem so confident this morning.” She stared caringly into his small, dark, blue yes.
He licked at his short moustache and turned away. “I don’t know. Something ain’t right. I can just feel it. Something’s not right.” He cocked his head as he looked back at the young woman. “But I can’t tell you what it is. I just feel it. I think once we get on the road I’ll feel better. Probably just sat too long. You know, I don’t like roots growing under my feet.” He began to turn to call for the others, but Judy touched his arm before he could turn away.
“God will watch over us,” she said quietly, looking at his chest, not his eyes. “He always does. Whether you believe it or not, God has our back.” Finally, she looked up and met his gaze.
He smiled slightly. “I hope so. I really do, Judy. I really do.” Turning, he screamed for the others. “Me and Judy are leaving in five minutes. Let’s GO!” His voice rose to a new level. Judy flinched at his last words.
Tiny and Sharon made their way into the kitchen as Judy finished her breakfast. Wilson stood by the back door, staring at the new arrivals. “Bout time. What’d you do, Sharon? Change sides and make a man out of him today?” Wilson’s sardonic smile followed his words. Tiny blushed and went for his pack.
Sharon approached him, shaking her head. “It’s nice to see your normal foul mood is back. Could you be just a little more decent, please? Tiny has a strange rash on the bottom of both feet. I was just tending to it with whatever I could find upstairs. Sometimes these things take time. We’re ready now.” She spun and went for her bag.
Wilson stood alone outside, slowly joined by Sharon, then Tiny and finally Judy. As she approached the group, Judy extended her hands to Tiny and Sharon as they bowed their heads in prayer. Wilson stood alone to the side, shaking his head.
“With all the crap that has slowed you down this morning, you’re going to stop now to pray?” Wilson asked, starting slowly down the driveway, alone. Soon he heard the others’ feet crunching on the gravel. He smiled at the sunshine, wishing he’d grabbed a hat from inside. “Let’s move it, people. Three hours to Elk Mound,” he called out.
Behind him he heard Sharon and Judy share a laugh. “He finally got it right,” Sharon said. “Maybe there’s hope for him yet.”
Hope, for Sharon at least, faded when Wilson hit the end of the driveway and turned right. She stopped and called out to him. “The other way there, buddy. We’re heading east, not west.” Judy skipped next to him to point the other direction. Sharon continued walking, glancing up at Tiny. “How did you guys ever make it two years without us?” she chided.
Tiny chuckled watching Judy happily pulling Wilson in the proper direction. “He never was real good at directions or names. But he can sure find loot when we get there eventually,” he replied casually. “So what if it takes an extra day or two? It’s always worth it in the end.”
Later in the afternoon, the group stood staring at the deserted downtown of the Village of Elk Mound. Population at one time, according to the sign at the far end of town, was 874. As they surveyed the empty streets and buildings – population zero – Wilson wondering if anyone had ever actually lived in the shithole. They’d been in towns that once held thousands of people that were now completely abandoned. A small town like this, so close to a major roadway and the trouble it brought, was probably emptied out years ago.
“Kind of a dump, if you ask me,” Wilson began, stating the obvious.
Sharon sighed and rolled her eyes. “It’s abandoned. No one’s here to do any upkeep. So of course it looks, well…” Sharon tried to think of a nice way to put it.
Wilson shrugged, staring at the broken windows of the nearest storefront. “Like a dump,” he stated plainly. “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.”
He stepped forward towards the one-time grocery store. “Place looks cleaned out. I’m surprised someone didn’t take all the shelves.” He turned his head back to Sharon. “I hope those guys were right. So far, this don’t look too good.” He lowered his head and peeked in further.
Tiny stepped carefully next to his friend and peered inside. He shook his head quickly. “Pretty dark in there. Don’t think it’s worth risking.” He backed away slowly.
“Wasn’t planning on going in, stupid,” Jim rebuffed. “Just seeing how much it was picked over.” He turned and rejoined the others. “What I see in there, or more like it don’t see, tells me this town has been hit hard. Probably hundreds of finders before us. I just hope they haven’t hit those places north of town. Otherwise, this is a wasted day.”
The group slowly made their way to the east end of town and stopped at the intersection. Sharon looked back at Wilson. “Stardust sound right?”
Wilson nodded. “I knew it was Star something. Got us here, so we head north.”
Tiny and Judy peered into the blue, cloudless sky above. Judy took a few steps away from the group to gauge the sun’s altitude, something Jim knew she was real good at.
“We probably have two hours of sunlight left. Maybe three until it’s completely dark.” She looked around the group for affirmation her message was received. Nodding heads told her they were listening. She looked up to Tiny’s soft, hairless face and laughed. “I’m still getting used to you without the beard, Randy. It looks funny still.” He shared a smile with Judy. “What phase are we in?”
Tiny shook his head. “According to that book I found last year, we’re in the last of no moon. I think “new moon” they call it.” He gazed at the rest of his friends.
Wilson shook his head. “Pitch black in three hours then. We need to be settled in somewhere in the next two. So let’s hustle up.” He turned north on Stardust and led the gang of four into the hills.
A short time later, the group stopped in the middle of the tree-lined road. Wilson slowly pivoted his head, scanning the underbrush to each side. He scowled as he stepped forward, looking for something intently.
“Anyone seen a driveway yet? Something leading up into the hills?” he asked quietly, still exploring every inch of the woods around them.
Sharon approached, looking left, then right. “Nothing of interest. There were those two a-ways back. But those were smaller houses right off the road. Front doors were wide open. I’m sure they were cleaned out years ago.”
Wilson’s right hand shot up above his shoulder, making a fist. All motion and talking stopped as everyone stared at the back of his head, covered in long, thin, brown hair that skimmed his collar. He turned with a finger to his lips. “You hear that?” he whispered. “Someone’s watching us. Someone’s out here with us.” Carefully, the group listening and surveyed the budding green forest surrounding them.
Just as they all started to relax, a crash came from their left side. Brush split and a small deer ran almost between them. She stopped when she reached the far side of the road, looking back at the haggled finders. Sensing no danger from the group, the doe turned and slowly melded into the green and brown growth, disappearing almost as quickly as she had appeared. Jim noticed the group release a collective sigh and share small smiles. He signaled ahead. “Come on, gang. Need to find one of those driveways leading to nowhere. And the sooner the better.”
Around the next corner, Sharon and Wilson stared at a gravel road, disappearing into the woods. “Yeah, maybe,” Wilson said quietly. “I can
’t see a house from here, but that don’t mean there’s not one up there, somewhere.” He looked through the brush as best as he could, but couldn’t see anything beyond 20 yards.
Sharon stepped forward onto the gravel. She motioned Wilson to follow; he acquiesced. Stopping suddenly, she turned to him. “Do you get the feeling someone’s been watching us the last few minutes?” she whispered so only he could hear.
Wilson shot a glance back towards Tiny and Judy, still standing close together in the middle of the blacktop behind them. He looked at Sharon and shrugged slightly. “I just thought it was me. Anytime I get close to pay dirt, I always get parallel.” He lowered his chin, staring at Sharon.
She reached up with her dirty right hand and squeezed her forehead tightly. “Paranoid, you dummy,” she said shaking her head slightly. “Didn’t your mother take the time to teach you any big words?”
“Hey, I was the oldest so I had to help Dad most the time with farming. I didn’t walk around with a dictionary all day.” He glanced back at the road posers again, then back to Sharon. “Yeah, I swear someone’s been tailing us. Even back by the deer. Want me to try and flush ‘em?”
Sharon pondered his thought for a moment and then looked up the gravel into the hills one last time. “No. Let’s get in a place for tonight and we can figure that out tomorrow. Let’s figure this road leads to a nice house. Nice driveway, can’t see it from the road, obviously hidden for a reason.” She jerked her head sideways, looking back at Tiny and Judy. They picked up their packs and followed their leaders. Sharon turned to Wilson one last time. “Let’s get locked in tight tonight. Something’s strange here. I don’t like it.”
