“Get some breakfast first,” Wolfe replied, motioning toward the building. “Unwind, then clean up.”
The volunteers from the underground filed past, each saying a kind word or two to Wolfe and Jennifer while Buddy sat next to them, tongue out and panting. It was going to be a warm day.
“What do we do with those two?” James asked, pointing to the soldiers who wandered mindlessly, being prodded along by one of the women volunteers.
“If they have not committed any crimes against these people, they might have a place in the community. They are shell-shocked. They may get over it. They may not. But I do not think they are a threat.”
“We’ll keep an eye on ‘em, Mister Wolfe.”
After everyone had walked by, including the soldiers, Wolfe and Jennifer followed. They had already eaten once, but Wolfe was hungry again. He was used to going without, but he was also getting used to Miss Bessie’s cooking. They joined the short line that went into the corridor as people rolled past the serving counter.
“Omelet!” someone ordered.
“Take your scrambled eggs and go on!” Bessie yelled back in good humor.
Jennifer pulled free. “Watch him,” she said before going through the door into the back of the kitchen and closing it behind her.
“Come on, dog. We’ll get ours up front.” Buddy started to whine and scratched at the door. Wolfe knelt to look the big beast in the face. “You did everything you could. We took care of them. For hurting you. For threatening Jennifer. For making my life hell. None of us asked for it, but the Alstons gave us grief anyway. They are gone now, Buddy, and we can continue on our way.”
Wolfe ruffled the long hair on Buddy’s neck and head. “If you are a good boy, you might talk Miss Bessie into breakfast for you, too.”
“He is always a good boy!” Jennifer replied from inside the cafeteria.
“If you say so,” Wolfe said. “Gemini might have a different idea. He is still short one sandwich.”
When Wolfe and Buddy reached the counter, little remained. Only scrapings from the pan that had held the eggs, but Bessie produced a small mound of fried potatoes. Wolfe’s mouth started watering. It had been doing that a lot around the older woman. He appreciated anything he did not have to cook himself, and even more when it tasted good.
“And this.” She cut a slab of ham in half, giving him half and placing the other on a plate where the rest of the eggs found a home. Wolfe looked at his plate with meat and potatoes. An all-American meal.
“You’ve already had your eggs,” Bessie told him. Jennifer grabbed the plate and hurried around the counter to put it on the floor. Buddy inhaled most of it without chewing and looked up, expecting more.
“He is always hungry,” Jennifer explained.
“I know.” Bessie helped herself to some potatoes and leaned back with a sigh. “Is it real?”
“No soldiers remain in Ashland.”
Bessie glanced at the two men in uniform who had not touched their plates.
“Call them prisoners of war. There are probably two more at the checkpoint out west, but they are sixty miles away. If they start walking, they might make it in a couple days. They are the ones to watch out for, but James has a plan. Ashland will not be unguarded. And chances are, they will not walk all this way. They will rot on that post before they abandon it.”
“What about you, Mister Wolfe?” Bessie asked.
“Call me Jim.” He closed his eyes as he adjusted his welding goggles. “We will be on our way, probably tonight after we have gotten some rest. It is safer to travel at night.”
“Why don’t you take one of the FEDCOM vehicles?” Bessie asked.
“I do not want anyone to confuse us with FEDCOM. They do not have the best reputation among decent people.” Wolfe smiled grimly. “But not having to walk the whole way sounds nice.”
“Take 160 east, then turn south toward Arkansas. You will avoid the big cities that got hit by the bombs, like Tulsa and Wichita. It should be clear. Then turn south through Louisiana.”
Wolfe knew most of the roads from his time as an over-the-road truck driver. Bessie’s plan made sense.
“Is FEDCOM anywhere else in Kansas?”
Bessie shook her head slowly. “I wish I knew, but I don’t.”
“Maybe we will drive a little way before dropping the vehicle by the side of the road and continuing on foot. Driving at night gives me the chance to see them before they see us.”
“We want you to stay. Both of you. Welcome for as long as you like.”
Wolfe nodded, but he could not. Not as long as he did not know the fate of his Lurleen and little JoJo. “We need to get home. Find out for ourselves if my family survived.”
“Gemini is at the boardinghouse.” Bessie wiped her hands on her apron. “Finish your breakfast and go get some sleep. We have some work to do here, and then we need to collect everything we promised. We had a deal. You delivered. Now it is our turn to do something for you.”
Wolfe ate, leaving a few potatoes and half the ham, which he put down for the big dog. Buddy dug in, making it disappear in seconds. Jennifer picked up both plates and handed them to Bessie.
Jennifer took Wolfe by the hand, called Buddy, and waved to the volunteers at the tables. They leaned heavily, tired beyond measure after a long night and an intense battle, the loss of their own, and the new burden of freedom, yet they started clapping as Wolfe walked out. Stood to see him on his way.
Twenty souls cheered for Jim Wolfe. He was happy to have his goggles. He waved back. Like them, he was bone-tired.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jennifer, Wolfe, and Buddy, the half-wolf, half-German Shepherd, stood at the entrance to the boardinghouse. It was dark, but the town’s lights were on. Muted celebrations were taking place in many places.
“It may not be over,” Wolfe told Bessie.
“We know, but we also know we can fight back. We won’t let them beat us down again.”
“I hope you are one of many.” Wolfe held out his hand, but Bessie pulled him into a hug instead.
Gemini started the pickup truck he had “liberated” from the FEDCOM facility. The vehicle rumbled to life and settled into a smooth idle. Gemini put the two packs and other supplies behind the driver’s seat.
It had been a while since Wolfe last drove, but he looked forward to getting behind the wheel. His boots were sound, but he trusted that he would get more chances to walk. He estimated they had fifteen hundred miles remaining. Shaving off any of those miles would be a good thing, especially for Jennifer and Buddy.
“I put a pie between the front seats. Enjoy it. Think of us as you continue your journey, and most importantly, I hope you find your family. You are a good man, Jim Wolfe.”
He nodded, tight-lipped.
“He’s my dad,” Jennifer said, poking Wolfe in the stomach as she coaxed Buddy into the truck. He jumped in the front and was face-down in the pie before Bessie could stop him.
“In the back seat, dog!” Wolfe was ignored. Once Buddy was done with the pie, Wolfe pushed him out of the front seat. The dog jumped out at Jennifer’s urging and climbed into the back, still licking his dog lips clean of red berry filling. Wolfe handed the pie tin out. “At least you get your tin back.”
“If I had my spatula…” She shook a fist at the dog. Jennifer hugged the old woman before climbing in and closing the door behind her. She looked around.
“Seatbelt,” Wolfe said.
She did not remember riding in a car. He reached across her and pulled the belt over her shoulder and across her lap, clicking it in place. He showed her how to push the button to release it. She tried it a couple of times on her own before smiling with her newfound knowledge.
“Keep that on while we’re going. It’ll keep you safe.”
“Just like you, Mister Wolfe.”
He nodded. The car stereo was playing softly, but there were no radio stations. There was a CD in the player. Wolfe ejected it and looked at the l
abel.
Hank Williams.
“Things are looking up, Miss Jennifer,” Wolfe said. “I’m about to introduce you to one of the titans of the industry.” He pushed the CD back into the player and turned the volume up. He waved as he gave the vehicle a little gas and eased down the road. He made it to the corner, took a left, and pointed the truck’s nose to the east. When they cleared the lights, he dimmed the truck’s panel and pulled his goggles off. He settled for an even speed of thirty miles an hour.
They had fifteen hundred miles to go. It was a marathon, not a sprint.
Wolfe looked over to find that Jennifer was already asleep. Buddy was snoring in the back seat. Wolfe rested his hand on the young girl, focused his attention on the road ahead, and tried not to think about what they would run into next.
At least it wouldn’t be the Alstons.
The End
Nightwalker, Book 5
If you like this book, please leave a review. This is a new series, so the only way I can decide whether to commit more time to it is by getting feedback from you, the readers. Your opinion matters to me. Continue or not? I have only so much time to craft new stories. Help me invest that time wisely. Plus, reviews buoy my spirits and stoke the fires of creativity.
Don’t stop now! There’s more…
About the Author
Frank Roderus wrote his first story—it was a western—when he was five. It was really awful, as might be expected, but his mother kept that typed and spell-checked short story tucked away until the day she died.
Later, Frank became a newspaper reporter, thinking that books are written by authors which he most assuredly was not. He kept trying to write though, and eventually did it wrong enough to learn how to get it right. That first sale, a young adult novel published by Independence Press, was more than thirty years and a good many books ago.
As a journalist, the Colorado Press Association awarded Frank Roderus their highest award, the Sweepstakes Award, for the best news story of 1980, and the Western Writers of America has twice named Frank recipient of their prestigious Spur Award.
Frank passed away at age 73 in December 2015.
Notes - Craig Martelle
Written July 19, 2019
You are still reading! Thank you for continuing all the way to the end.
I’m writing this while I’m in Moscow, Russia, visiting for four days. We used to live here, back when I was in the Marine Corps and stationed at the Embassy. I worked in Arms Control, not with the security guards, but I have to relate a story. At Russia’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside Red Square, I ran a Marine reenlistment ceremony about twenty years ago. I was the second-ranking Marine at the Embassy, and I was honored with the duty when the colonel was out of town. We never got permission, so we had to run for it when the police came for us, but I expedited the process, so we were in formation for about ninety seconds. The Russians were a little miffed, but I’m not sure they knew who we were. Maybe some strange flash mob.
But we signed the paperwork and took care of business, keeping the sergeant on board for four more.
I reenlisted a couple times before I was commissioned. I did not have anything as exotic as a Red Square event, though, so I was happy to participate in one that could be memorable.
We walked around Red Square and along Arbat, both old and new yesterday. Lots of memories. I spent two years here. I do speak Russian, but it has been a long time since last I dredged it up from the recesses of my brain. It came back pretty well. I am pleased with how we were able to effortlessly move around the city, getting what we want without having to revert to English.
And no matter where I go, I still write. I guess I never take a vacation from thinking about stories.
Nightwalker started as a project a long, long time ago by Frank Roderus. The first three full stories and half of the fourth were found on his computer after he passed away in 2015. The four titles were picked up by Wolfpack Publishing, but they focus on Westerns, dominating that part of the market. These new books were an exploration by Frank into a post-apocalyptic realm.
Michael Anderle stepped in to license the titles, since we do post-apoc. I went through the books and made only made minor changes before adding an additional 10k words to book 4, trying my best to replicate Frank’s style. Since no one had any idea what Frank intended for this series, I tried to divine how it would shake out. I also return a little to my own writing style because the characters are the main players of this story. I think they have remained stalwart features.
Jim Wolfe is a man with a conscience and a sense of personal honor that includes being a gentleman in all things. He is thrown into a world where he might be the only one with those same values. But he has an edge, extreme strength. He has a weakness in that he cannot see in the daylight unless he is wearing his welding goggles. That weakness becomes an advantage because he can see in the dark. Most everything he does is at night.
From the way Frank wrote about Jennifer and Buddy, I think he wanted them to join Wolfe on his journey to Florida, so that’s what I did. They are now family, and Wolfe looks after them as his own.
All kinds of adventures await Jim and Jennifer. I already have my plot for Nightwalker 6. I look to write that one, maybe in October. I want to get it to you before the end of 2019. Then Nightwalker 7 and 8 next year.
That’s the plan for now. It might change if something takes off. I want to keep all the fans happy, and sometimes that means spreading things out further than I like. But I’ll still get to it, because the stories are in there.
Waiting for me to type them in. Back to it, now.
Peace, fellow humans.
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That’s it—break’s over. Back to writing the next book.
Books by Frank Roderus
You can find a list of Frank’s Book available for sale at Amazon.com by clicking this link:
https://www.amazon.com/Frank-Roderus/e/B001HD3100
Books by Craig Martelle
Craig Martelle’s other books (listed by series)
Terry Henry Walton Chronicles (co-written with Michael Anderle) – a post-apocalyptic paranormal adventure
Gateway to the Universe (co-written with Justin Sloan & Michael Anderle) – this book transitions the characters from the Terry Henry Walton Chronicles to The Bad Company
The Bad Company (co-written with Michael Anderle) – a military science fiction space opera
Judge, Jury, & Executioner (also available in audio) – a space opera adventure legal thriller
Shadow Vanguard – a Tom Dublin series
Superdreadnought (co-written with Tim Marquitz)– an AI military space opera
Metal Legion (co-written with Caleb Wachter) (coming in audio) – a military space opera
The Free Trader – a young adult science fiction action adventure
Cygnus Space Opera (also available in audio) – A young adult space opera (set in the Free Trader universe)
Darklanding (co-written with Scott Moon) (also available in a
udio) – a space western
Mystically Engineered (co-written with Valerie Emerson) – Mystics, dragons, & spaceships
End Times Alaska (also available in audio) – a Permuted Press publication – a post-apocalyptic survivalist adventure
Nightwalker (a Frank Roderus series) with Craig Martelle – A post-apocalyptic western adventure
End Days (co-written with E.E. Isherwood) (coming in audio) – a post-apocalyptic adventure
Successful Indie Author – a non-fiction series to help self-published authors
Metamorphosis Alpha – stories from the world’s first science fiction RPG
The Expanding Universe – science fiction anthologies
Monster Case Files (co-written with Kathryn Hearst) – A Warner twins mystery adventure
Rick Banik (also available in audio) – Spy & terrorism action adventure
Published exclusively by Craig Martelle, Inc
The Dragon’s Call by Angelique Anderson & Craig A. Price, Jr. – an epic fantasy quest
For a complete list of Craig’s books, stop by his website – https://craigmartelle.com
Other books from LMBPN Publishing
For a complete list of books by LMBPN Publishing, please visit:
https://lmbpn.com/books-by-lmbpn-publishing/
All LMBPN Audiobooks are Available at Audible.com and iTunes
To see all LMBPN audiobooks please visit:
www.lmbpn.com/audible
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