by E A Lake
Miranda’s eyes came back to Judy, but she jumped seeing Wilson standing close to her. “There’s more than one way to skin a frog, little girl.” Miranda huffed in disgust. “Pay attention; you might even learn something from me,” he sneered and turned to continue his trek.
Miranda pushed up next to him. “You’re gonna get us killed is what you’re gonna do. We need to stick to the side roads.” She grabbed at his arm, but he pulled away. “Plus, there’s more law on the main roads. They catch you guys and you’ll be in trouble.”
Wilson laughed. “Ah, so you think.” He cast a quick glance at the short teen and kept walking. “First off, we got four urchins with us. Ain’t no one gonna take us for finders. Not like this.” He grinned and rubbed his left forearm. “Plus, our marks are still fresh. Can’t give us another one ‘til it’s all healed over. We got a week or two before that happens.” His smile spread, thinking Maybe this isn’t so bad.
“Why you wanna live like that? On the road, dodging law, barely enough food,” Miranda asked. “That don’t seem like no way to live to me. My dad doesn’t like finders. Said they’re selfish and mean.”
Wilson thought for a moment, his mind wandering as he listened to the young boys hoot behind them at Tiny’s latest trick.
“Beats living in the hole we found you in,” he began. “All tucked in like moles. And it sure beats living in a community. Can’t have no boss telling me when to eat, sleep, crap and work.” He glanced at Miranda’s face out of the corner of his eye. She had no argument yet. “And living in the out places, between the communities and the open country, on your own seems kinda risky, given your situation. People taking what’s yours, and then kicking you off your own land. We’re free. Live by our own rules out here.” Wilson continued walking north in the spring sunshine.
“But you steal. You take things that ain’t yours,” the girl fired back. That was the part she seemed hung up on. Wilson stopped and turned to face her.
“It’s all been abandoned, Randa. People left it. They ain’t ever coming back for it.” He spoke quietly and seriously. “We’d never steal from someone living in a place. We ain’t like that.” He winked and turned to continue. “Judy?” he bellowed. “How far up to 29 you figure?”
Judy considered his question. “Another half mile or so,” she answered from 20 feet behind the lead pair. Wilson turned around and saw her adjust her pack, taking the small hand of Miranda’s brother, Brock. She smiled at him.
The group of eight stood motionless in a small woodlot some 100 yards from Highway 29. Wilson and Sharon crept forward to the edge closest to the road and grimaced. There was a lot more activity on the main thoroughfare than Wilson had anticipated.
“I told you so,” Miranda whispered from just behind the pair.
Wilson shot her an evil glare. “Shut up,” he said quickly. “Now’s not the time for ‘I told you so.’” He looked past Miranda at Judy and Tiny with the three younger boys, much deeper in the woods.
“Tiny,” he called out softly. “Keep them kids quiet. Everyone’ll know we’re here if they make so much racket.” Wilson motioned for Miranda to join Sharon and himself.
“Randa, how far we gotta backtrack to get around this mess?” he asked the girl without taking his eyes off the road.
“Half mile back to 590th. Then probably two or three miles to 20th Avenue and we’ll be headed east again,” she answered as another group of ruffians wandered past. “We won’t see hardly no people going that way.”
Wilson stared at Sharon. Finally, she nodded her agreement. The three silently crept back to the others and out the back end of the woodlot. Quickly, they retreated on the same road they had just traveled.
Wayne and Jerry stared at the display before them. Neither man’s face showed any emotion. They simply took in the scene.
“I suppose it’s okay,” Wayne began. “A little gruesome, but they’ll get the idea now.” Wayne’s voice was reserved. His eyes narrowed. “Did they spell that word right?” He glanced at Jerry. “It doesn’t look right.”
Jerry shrugged. “Yeah, that’s how you spell it. Darby even looked it up before he carved it in there.” Jerry watched as several workers went past, refusing to look at what held his attention.
“Well,” Wayne said, taking hold of Jerry’s arm. “It’ll get the point across.” He gave Jerry a puzzled look. “They get all the seeds back?”
Jerry nodded. “Yeah. When they told him they were gonna start in on his wife and daughter, he gave it up quick.” Jerry gave his boss a satisfied grin. “George is good at that, boss. We got every last bag back.”
Captain’s Wayne’s eyebrows shot up and he let out a whistle. “I guess it was worth it then.” He studied the display closer. “How’d you get the stake through him like that?” he asked, examining closer with morbid curiosity. “Length-wise much less.” He stepped back.
Jerry shrugged. “Darby said they did it after he was already dead. Easier that way.”
Wayne stared intently at his number-one man. “Where’s his head?” he asked. He just had to know.
Looking away, Jerry tried to remember the details. “Oh yeah. It’s on a stake in front of the place he lives…or lived.” He took Wayne by the arm and guided him inside of the seed storage facility, leaving the headless, stripped shape impaled for all to see as they came and went about their business. “That way everyone will know he was a thief.” Jerry spoke easily about the situation. A necessary evil of keeping order.
Wayne looked back one last time. “They carved that on his back, too?” he said to Jerry almost shocked, but then smiled. “Now everyone will know he’s one of them thieves. Here and at home.” He sighed as Jerry held the door open for him. “I always thought thief was spelled ‘ei’. Guess you learn something every day, even at my age.”
Miranda walked quietly between Judy and Wilson. They were some 50 yards or so ahead of the rest of the pack. Tiny and Sharon kept the young boys entertained and all moving in one direction, most of the time. The road was warm and the blacktop absorbed and radiated the sun’s direct rays. No clouds were anywhere to be seen. Just clear, clean blue sky.
“How long you been doing this?” Miranda asked both Judy and Wilson.
“Eight years for Sharon and me,” Judy replied. Miranda had clutched her slender hand a while back and didn’t seem to want to let go.
Miranda turned her attention to Wilson. “How ‘bout you?”
Wilson’s mouth twitched. “About 10 years now,” he answered quietly. “Some days I can’t believe we’re still out here. Mostly did it for fun at first, I suppose. Something to do.” His eyes slid to the girl and then back to the empty road in front of them. “Now, hell, it’s the only thing we can do.” He noticed Miranda’s puzzled stare.
“See, once you get these marks on your arms,” he pulled his sleeve up, exposing his scabbed left forearm, “well, then no one wants to take you in. They figure you’re next to nothing. At least that’s what I’ve found.” His feet moved mechanically, always forward.
Miranda turned to Judy and tugged at her green shirtsleeve. “Do you have marks, too?” she asked. “How could someone as sweet as you be marked? They’d have to know it was a mistake.” Miranda frowned seeing Judy’s thin, bloody line.
“I just received my first one the other day. I had it coming,” she answered with a small smile. “I was just lucky not to get any before now. That day, God saved Jimmy from harm. The sheriff stared and stared at his arm. He already had two marks, so he was slated for death. But the sheriff couldn’t bring himself to do anything.” She pushed her sleeve back down, still ashamed of the mark on her otherwise flawless skin.
“Do you believe in God, too?” Miranda asked, looking at Judy.
“Of course. You have to out here. His love follows us everywhere.” She stopped and looked into Miranda’s dark eyes. “Only His love and grace keeps us alive.” She nodded for emphasis and started walking again.
“Wilson?” Miranda called
ahead. “Do you believe in God?” She stared skeptically at the older man.
Wilson shook his head. “Nah, just voodoo in my mind. There ain’t no God out here.” He glanced back at Judy with an apologetic look. “Don’t get me wrong. I think Judy’s a smart girl. She knows a lot. She’s learned a lot from books and the road. She’s got it stuck in her head because her parents fed it to her from the time she was born.” Miranda sulked; Wilson noticed.
“Think of it this way: if there was a God, He was really pissed at us 16 years ago. So, He shut us down, and said ‘screw you humans’. We deserved it, I suppose.” Wilson kicked at a small stone in the road. “But then He left and He ain’t been back since. Probably not coming back either. We screwed it up, so why would He?” Wilson cast a sideways glance back at Judy and her new friend. They both stared at the road.
“But we’re still alive,” Miranda countered. “That must count for something.”
Judy squeezed Miranda’s hand tightly. “Of course it does. Miranda. God is all around us. Regardless of what Jim says. He knows it; he knows I’m right. We would have all been dead years ago if not for God’s guiding hand.” Judy looked to the Heavens as she spoke. Wilson stopped and turned around, stepping back to the pair.
He reached for Judy’s free hand. “Judy, you know I care for you like my own sister. You know I do.” They shared a quick smile. “But there ain’t no God, honey. We’re proof of that. We’re walking death, that’s it. We’ve come from the middle of nowhere to another nowhere, barely alive. We been chased, shot at, froze, starved. We chose this life, but it ain’t life. Not like we used to have.” He shook his head solemnly. “Nothing like that anymore.” He released her hand. Judy smiled again. Miranda stepped close to her.
“I believe, Judy. Really, I do.” Judy wiped a spot of dirt off Miranda’s cheek. “Our mom read us the Bible every night. I know it’s true. Something’s gone wrong in the world, but God’s still here.” She covered her brow, looking up at Wilson’s silhouette outlined by the sun. “I never knew the world like you did. The old world. Mom and Dad spoke about it sometimes, but not much. They didn’t want to get their hopes up, just in case things never went back. But me and Brock, this is the only world we’ve ever known. And we figure God’s still here. Dalton and Timmy too. We were all born after it happened. But we’ve been happy, loved. That’s why we need to find our parents.”
Wilson stared at the girl without expression. Finally, he reached out and tussled her hair, smiling at her. “That’s fine, Randa. You go ahead and believe what you need to. Not my place to say different. I just get ornery sometimes when I hear about God and love and hope and all that crap.” They all turned and kept walking. “And maybe we’ll find your parents over in Eau Claire. And your world will get back together then. Mine are in McCook, Nebraska. When I said goodbye the last time, that was it. But that’s okay. It’s the life I chose. We all got stuff to do. So let’s get to it, Randa.”
“Are you ever gonna call me by my right name?” she asked, squinting at Wilson.
He smiled. “Nope. I like Randa.” She nodded slightly. Apparently she could live with that.
Chapter Sixteen
“Doctor Swanson, I asked you here today for an intelligent discussion.” Wayne sat behind his desk later in the afternoon. “And all I’ve heard from you thus far is medical mumbo jumbo. Nothing more.” He leaned towards the doctor with an angry glare. “Tell me, if you know, why are our birthrates near zero? What the hell is the problem?”
Ashton Swanson thoughtfully considered the man’s request. With his fingers reaching under his nose to a point, he began cautiously. “Captain. We don’t have all the tests available we had back even five years ago. Our labs have fallen into disrepair, as most of my requests for items have gone unanswered.” He watched as Wayne’s face flushed with anger. “But, I can tell you from looking at a number of young ladies recently, that I’m sure malnourishment is the cause. Reasonably sure.”
Wayne sat back, letting the Doctor’s words sink in. He stared at the man, pondering his next move. “You mean these people aren’t getting enough calories?” He watched as the Doctor’s face lit up.
“Yes, precisely, Captain.” Swanson seemed glad Wayne came to the answer himself. “Our people are living on less than 1,000 calories a day. By the old standards, that’s far too little. Couple that with the fact that last winter, rations were sliced greatly. People don’t do well on as little as 600 calories daily. They need more nourishment. It’s really quite simple, sir.” He finished with a quick nod and sat back.
Wayne’s face became dark, his eyes small slits now. “Are you saying I’m a simple man, Doctor? A simple man because I had to make the tough decision of cutting back on rations last winter? Simple because I chose to keep the majority of people alive? Instead of feeding half and letting the rest starve to death?” Wayne’s voice rose with each question.
The Doctor sat up straight in his chair. “No, sir,” he began apologetically. “You are in the unenviable position of having to make difficult choices. No one can fault you for your decisions.” Seeing Wayne’s reddened face lighten a bit, the doctor took another breath. “It’s just that some might wonder why we would hold such large reserves and not use them to compensate for the reduced rations.” Wayne felt his face redden again, but the doctor continued. “Not second-guessing you, sir. It’s just that I know some of my staff wondered aloud to me why my family had plenty to eat while they were starving.” Wayne bolted forward out of his chair. Swanson held up his hands. “Their words, sir, not mine.”
“Listen to me, and listen well, you arrogant prick,” Wayne said in a slow staccato. “Don’t doubt me. You’d be living in the out places if I didn’t have the foresight to keep a scholar like you around.” Wayne moved around the desk, closer to the trembling man. “I figure you’d last a week out there, maybe two. But I was nice to you. Brought you into my inner circle.” Wayne stood over the seated man. “Gave you everything you and your family needed to live a decent life. And you repay me by questioning me? Like I’m some idiot from the streets?” Swanson shook his head exaggeratedly for Wayne to see. Wayne gave a small grin and turned away.
“First few years, people didn’t know what to do. They didn’t have any answers. Some came to me. I told them I didn’t know any better than the next guy.” Wayne smiled at Jerry, sitting in his usual spot in the back of the room. “Me and a couple of other guys decided we’d had enough. We’d pool our resources. My land, another guy’s seeds, another one’s equipment. We came together and convinced the people it would be okay. We had a plan. And it worked,” Wayne’s head swaggered on his shoulders. “As best it could at least.”
“Sir,” Swanson began. “No one here doubts your motives. We all appreciate your generosity. You’ve been…fair. Most would agree.” Swanson spoke nervously, like he didn’t want to upset his boss any further.
Wayne sat on the edge of his desk and smiled. “Everyone told me they wanted me to run the show. I just agreed.” A half-truth at best, but that’s the way the Captain recalled the events. “Towns with elected officials died with the power, Ashton. Just look around the area. Chippewa, Augusta, Mondovi. Hell, even Cadott before it got over-ran.” He sat down in his chair and leaned back. “We once had 70,000 people inside the city limits. What is there now? Jerry?” he called out to his bodyguard in the rear of the office.
“About 6,800, according to last count,” Jerry answered from rote memory. Wayne required he keep all the current information on the tip of his tongue.
“Ten percent, Doc. We are less than ten percent of what we once were. Some have died, some chose to move away, against my competent advice.” Wayne pointed at Swanson. “But the one thing holding us back is kids. Two more years of negative growth and we’re in trouble. We’re in big trouble when we run out of help for the fields. And the plants, and the warehouses.” Wayne sat quietly, staring out his side window at the beautiful sunset.
“You need to get back to your
lab and figure out how you’re going to get these girls with child. You, Doctor Swanson, had better have answers the next time we meet.” Wayne’s eyes flared with contempt for the man. “If I don’t see a bunch of big bellies by this fall,” he paused, letting the words sink into the Doctor’s soul, “you’re done here. You and your family are out. We can’t afford to keep feeding five mouths when the head of the family doesn’t produce a damn thing.” Wayne leaned across the desk, staring into the terrified man’s eyes. “Do I make myself clear, Doctor?”
Swanson’s lips tightened and twitched. He listened as Jerry rose behind him. “Crystal, Captain. Consider it my only priority.” His timid words hung between the two men.
Finally, Wayne smiled again. “Just what I needed to hear.” He looked up as Jerry stood next to the Doctor. “Jerry here will walk you back to your lab. He’ll run over to your house then and tell that beautiful wife of yours that you’ll be late. We don’t want her to worry now, do we?” Swanson’s head shook erratically. “Good.”
The doctor rose and Jerry escorted him to the door. Just as they were stepping out, Wayne called to him one last time.
“Doctor.” Swanson turned and looked back at Wayne. “I think it would be a great example if that oldest girl of yours was expecting by late summer. Don’t you?” Swanson’s eyes opened wide in fear. “Think about it, okay?”
Swanson stared open-mouthed back at the Captain. “Sir,” he said in a panicky voice. “Patricia is only 15. She hasn’t even shown any interest in boys yet.”
Wayne shrugged. “Better find her a man then, Doctor. It really wasn’t a suggestion,” he answered coldly.
Swanson’s glazed eyes stared ahead as Jerry led him away.
