“Okay,” Evan replied, staring straight ahead.
If anyone saw the way he looked at her sometimes…
CHAPTER FOUR
Cameron, Texas
June 3rd, 2021
9:45 p.m.
“Who’s that?” Donald Hightower asked aloud as he looked out the window.
Seated at a table nearby, Tim Stevens looked up from his game of Solitaire. “What?” he asked, holding a single card in his hand. People rarely came out in the direction of the ranch without having been invited, and those who did always came during the day.
“Car coming. Fast,” Hightower said, leaning towards the window instinctively.
A lone car’s headlights cut a swath through the darkness as it sped down the road that ran in front of the ‘J.C. Ranch.’ Barely slowing, it turned onto the long drive that led to the home. (Though Donald, Evan, and many of the other men had urged Jeremiah to let them install a gate at the end of the drive, he’d steadfastly refused, insisting that they must show themselves as ‘open to all, like the arms of the Lord.’)
“I don’t like this.” Setting his Bible down on the table, he stood from his chair and said, “Come on, let’s check it out.”
The younger man followed him down the hallway and to the stairs that led to the home’s first floor. Others glanced at them through their open doors as the two men walked by (doors were not allowed to be closed before ‘lights out’ at ten p.m.), and a few of the other men joined them as they made their way to the front of the home. Seeing Sister Margaret near the front door, Donald nodded at her politely. “Sister, can you have someone go let Jeremiah know that we have company?”
“Of course,” the woman replied. Turning to one of the young girls that had gathered nearby, she gave the order.
“Where’s Evan?” Jeff Rivet asked as he checked his handgun before sliding it back into the holster on his belt.
“Probably out back,” Donald replied, looking down at the gun on the man’s waist. “I don’t think you’ll need that.”
Jeff’s eyes met his. “You sure?” Without another word, he strode past Donald and threw open the front door. The bright headlights of the car blinded them momentarily as it pulled to a stop near the front porch. He blinked and turned his head away, directing his gaze towards the ground near the car.
“Turn off your lights, please!” he shouted.
A woman’s voice came from the driver’s seat. “Sorry!” The lights were extinguished immediately.
Stepping forward, Jeff rested his hands on his hips, making sure the gun on his belt was clearly visible. “What can we do for you, ma’am?”
“Can we stay here with you? We don’t have anywhere else to go.” The woman pleaded as she got out of the car. Short and thin, the woman was a mess; her hair was a tousled bird’s nest atop her head, her right pant leg was partially stuck inside her sock, and her shirt appeared to be both inside out and backwards. My husband went into town to buy some ribs and corn so he could grill it for dinner, and...” she paused, choking on her words, “when he came back, he was hurt real bad.”
“What happened to him?” Donald asked, stepping down from the porch.
“He said someone attacked him in the H.E.B. Said they were like crazy or something.” She glanced towards the car, where two young faces peered out from the back seat. Lowering her voice, she went on. “I was cleaning his wounds when he attacked me.”
“Seriously?” Jeff asked.
Donald rolled his eyes. Worst response possible, moron.
“That’s not the type of thing I’d joke about,” the woman replied flatly.
Trying to ease the situation, Donald urged the woman to continue. “What did you do?”
“Well, first I screamed and begged him to stop, but he had these crazy eyes, like all bloodshot and stuff. I didn’t know what to do, so I just ran out into the backyard. He chased me into the barn, but I managed to climb up and escape through one of the small windows. Then I locked the doors.”
Placing a hand on the car, the woman leaned against it. She was clearly exhausted.
“I went back inside and tried to call nine one one, but nobody answered.”
“What do you mean, ‘no one answered?’” Donald asked. Though the family generally shunned local government (and all government for that matter), they recognized the need for them.
“I mean just that. It just rang and rang. As I was on the phone, waiting, I heard sirens. First one, pretty far away. Then another, closer. And then another. I went out front and I could see smoke coming from the center of town. Then I saw Johnny crash his truck into the stop sign at the end of the street.”
“I’m sorry, Johnny?”
“Our neighbor’s son, sorry. Next thing I know, he jumps out of the truck, runs across the road and tackles Missus Tyler as she’s watering her roses. Then I see Charlie Baker, who’s like really fat, running after his little wife, trying to catch her. I’ve never seen him do anything more than walk. He’s one of those people that uses the little scooter things in the Walmart, you know? Anyway, he’s running after Tammy, and somehow he’s fast. He caught her, and…” She closed her eyes and bought her hand up to cover her face. “He killed her right there on the street.”
At a loss for words, Donald moved closer to the woman. “Listen - ”
Jeremiah pushed past him, taking charge of the situation instantly. “Of course we can help you, young lady.” He said, as he rushed over to the car. “My name is Jeremiah, and this is my family,” he said, smiling at her. The warmth in his eyes, combined with the smile, put her at ease instantly, as the combination did for so many others.
“Charlene,” the woman said, nodding slightly.
Smiling at her still, he said, “You are welcome here, Charlene,” before turning back towards the house. “Sister Margaret, please have someone heat up some soup and tea.” Looking into the back seat of the car, he smiled. “Ah, you have children with you!”
The woman nodded as she looked up at Jeremiah. “Yes, the young boy is our son, Patrick. The girl is our neighbor’s child, Tina. Her parents asked us to watch her while they went into town. They haven’t come back all day, and we couldn’t leave her at home by herself.”
“Well, you made the right decision,” Jeremiah said, continuing to smile. Opening the rear door, he held out his hand. “Come on, children, you’re safe here.”
Jeremiah led the small group inside and into the kitchen. At his urging, the others returned to their rooms, with permission given for them to close their doors and go to bed early. Sister Margarent, Donald, and Alexis remained behind, sitting with him as he consoled Charlene in the large, galley style dining room. After some time, Sister Margaret had one of the women in the family take the children to the boys’ and girls’ bedrooms, where they could rest among others their age.
Determined to find out more about what was happening, Jeremiah pressed the woman for more info.
“No, I...I’m sorry, I don’t want to think about it. It’s too terrible,” she protested.
Jeremiah glanced at Sister Margaret, who rose from her seat and headed back into the kitchen.
“I understand, my child,” Jeremiah said, reaching out and taking hold of her hand gently. “You’ve been through a lot, and thanks to God, you managed to survive and save those children.”
The woman shook her head.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“It’s just… I’ve always been a Christian, okay? My family and I go to church every Sunday. We say Grace before dinner each evening, and I’ve worn this cross every day since I was twelve.” Reaching up, she grabbed the gold cross that hung on the chain around her neck. “You talk about God, but I don’t…” she trailed off for a moment, then asked, “Why would he do this? Why would he make people, good people start killing each other?”
“The forces of evil are never far from us, Charlene. God tries to protect us with his love, but the Devil is strong. We have to thank God for what he can d
o. You are here, are you not? Do you not think God had something to do with that? He guided you into that barn, then showed you the way out.”
“I guess that could be true…”
“And now he has brought you here,” Jeremiah finished, leaning forward. His eyes locked onto hers once more as he smiled, disarming her once more. “And you are welcome.”
Wiping tears of relief from her eyes, she nodded. “Thank you.”
Sister Margaret set down a cup of tea in front of the woman. “Here, this will help calm your nerves.”.
With the help of the Chamomile and Lavender tea, the woman began to relax. After a while, she took a deep breath and continued.
Jeremiah listened intently as she told him more and more about what she’d seen and experienced: the crazed people attacking one another, the fires burning unchecked, the police and fire department unresponsive.
‘It’s happening.’ he thought to himself. What he had seen in his vision was coming to life. Death and destruction was upon them.
As he had foretold it.
CHAPTER FIVE
Cameron, Texas
June 3rd, 2021
11:15 p.m.
The cool evening air felt wonderful on Evan’s skin as he sat underneath the oak tree. Taking a deep, satisfied breath, he lifted the jug of cold water up and drank from it.
“I don’t know how you do that.” Judith said, looking at him. She smiled as she looked at him in open admiration.
“Experience,” he said, simply, looking away as he felt his cheeks begin to flush.
Dear Lord, she’s so, so beautiful…
“Well, I’m always blown away by it. You’re like, really big, and the way you move, it’s incredible.”
“I - ”
“Seriously,” she said, moving closer and reaching out to grab his arm. She waited until he looked at her, and when his eyes met hers, she added, “It’s special.”
Swallowing heavily, Evan felt his heart pounding in his chest as he realized how close she was. Taking another swig from the jug of water, he stared back at her. “Just to be clear, you are talking about my martial arts skills, right?”
The young woman smiled slyly and bit her lip. “I -”
A scream came from inside the house.
Without a word, Evan leapt to his feet, tossing the jug to the ground. “Stay here,” he said, before pulling back on his shirt and charging back towards the house.
Judith watched his large form move with graceful ease, his muscles bunching and releasing as they carried him forward effortlessly.
Please be careful.
‘I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to him,’ she confided in herself.
Stop it. You took a vow. Never forget that.
Her hand came up to rest on her swollen belly. Thinking of the life growing inside her, she watched as Evan disappeared into the family’s large home.
‘How could I ever forget?’
Bursting through the rear door of the home, Evan stopped in the massive dining room and looked around as he tried to determine where the scream had come from.
The sound of a woman’s scream came from further inside the home.
Upstairs.
Tearing across the large room, oblivious to the chairs his body knocked aside, he made his way to the hallway, then pushed past some of the frightened men and women that cowered in fear as they gazed up the stairs.
“Out of the way!” He ordered as he charged up the stairs. Reaching the second floor, he heard the sounds of struggle coming from nearby, along with a weird growling sound.
‘What in the world?’ he wondered, as he turned towards the sounds.
Jeremiah.
A gun banged.
Something heavy fell, sending reverberations through the floor.
Evan slid to a stop at Jeremiah’s door, grabbed the knob, and threw it open.
Jeremiah stood in the corner of the room, backed up against the wall, on the other side of the bed. His right hand held a gun, while his left arm was pressed tightly against his side, indicating some kind of injury. His long white shirt was torn and splattered with blood.
Closer to the door, near Evan’s feet, the dead form of a thin, short haired woman laid. Bloodshot eyes stared up at the ceiling unblinkingly as blood flowed from a hole in her chest where the bullet had ripped through her. Jeremiah loved his guns, and the Desert Eagle pistol he held was a powerful, .44 caliber gun designed to do damage.
A whimper tore Evan’s gaze away from the dead woman as he heard people clamoring in the hallway behind him. Thinking quickly, he moved his tall, thick body to block the doorway, shielding the room from view.
No one needed to see Jeremiah injured.
Turning his head to look over his shoulder, he raised his voice. “Get back to your rooms! Now!” His eyes settled on Cynthia, who stood closest to him. “Find Sister Margaret and send her up here. No one else.” The young woman nodded and scampered away as the hallway began to clear.
Closing the door behind him, Evan stepped into the room, carefully avoiding the bloody mess that was the woman’s body. Looking to his right, he saw Alexis, lying on the ground, clutching her shoulder. Blood flowed freely from a gaping wound there, coating her hand and the fabric of her blouse in crimson. She writhed on the floor as she moaned in pain.
Ignoring the woman, he rushed to where Jeremiah lay. “What happened?”
Setting the gun on the nightstand, Jeremiah winced as he reached down and grabbed his left forearm. “We were reading the scriptures when the woman attacked Alexis,” he said, simply.
Sister Margaret entered the room, quickly closing the door behind her. “Donald, Tim, and Jeff are outside, asking if you need help.”
Jeremiah’s eyes locked onto Evan’s, then moved to where Alexis lay on the floor. He jerked his head towards the back of the home.
The intention was clear.
Evan stepped out into the hallway and told the three men what to do, urging them to take precautions to avoid the woman’s blood. “Ask Judith to come back inside first,” he added.
“Come, Alexis. Let us help you,” Donald said, as he reached down to help her to her feet. Together, the three men guided her out of the room, closing the door behind them.
Turning away, Evan watched as Sister Margaret cleaned and bandaged Jeremiah’s wound.
“Are you going to be okay?” he asked their leader.
“Thank you, Sister Margaret,” Jeremiah said, temporarily ignoring the question. Looking to Evan, he said, “Please have someone come in here and clean this place. Urge them to use caution. We don’t know if the blood is poisoned.”
“Yes, Sir.” Evan replied, nodding. His eyes glanced at the bandage on the other man’s arm momentarily, then looked away. He took a step towards the door.
“And as for your question, Evan, yes, I believe I will. God is in my heart. Not only does he live there, but he flows through me, giving me the strength I need to survive whatever challenges I may face. He protects me as I serve him.”
“Now,” Jeremiah said, moving to where Evan stood. “Let’s gather the men in the dining hall to discuss our future. Sister Margaret, please join us.” Stopping suddenly he turned and went back to the nightstand and grabbed his gun. He admired it as he continued. “I do not believe that we can stay here. It’s too difficult for me to protect everyone, and I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
The sound of a single gunshot came from behind the house.
CHAPTER SIX
Oklahoma Protective Zone
June 8th, 2021
“Let me get a cigarette from you, playa,” Sergeant Adrian Dabrowski said, nudging the other soldier. Even at ten-thirty in the evening, it was hot, really hot, and smoking seemed to be the only thing that helped take his mind off the sweat that seemed to constantly run down his sides and back.
“Nah, dog,” the other man said, shaking his head. Tall and thin, Corporal Washington seemed completely at ease in the heat. Perhaps
it was his upbringing in Louisiana, where sweltering heat was part of existence.
“What? Seriously? Come on, man…”
“Bruh, these things are expensive now, ‘cause they’re, like, hard to get. I need to conserve, know what I’m sayin’?”
Dabrowski nodded halfheartedly, reluctantly agreeing. The scarcity of them was the reason he was trying to bum one off the other man…
“Tell you what: I’ll buy you a beer at the Enlisted Club tomorrow night. We’re not on rotation tomorrow, so we can trade in some tokens for beers. I’ll get you an extra one,” he offered. Understanding the stress and tough environment the military was in, the military leaders in charge of the Protective Zone had successfully convinced the base CO to establish two ‘recreation areas’, much like what they had in some of the overseas forward-deployed areas.
Far from fancy, both the Senior Leaders (for E-7 & Above) and Enlisted clubs were discreetly established in large warehouses, which had been rearranged and/or partially emptied to make room for tables & chairs, along with various recreation activities: pool tables, foosball tables, dart boards, corn hole, and even one small basketball shooting game. The games were free, but drinks could only be purchased with tokens, which in turn could only be earned by standing guard shifts and/or completing heavy work, which was becoming increasingly hard to find. The perimeter to the P.Z. had been established quickly, and now there was little more to do than to work through the buildings and homes within the P.Z., grabbing all the available supplies there were in order to add them to the community stockpile, which the military logisticians meticulously logged, organized, and distributed.
Washington tilted his head as he considered the offer. The night was quiet, as most nights had been as of late, and though he’d already decided to give the other man a cigarette, he decided to drag it out to help ease the boredom.
Surviving Rage | Book 5 Page 2
