Without II: The Fall

by E. E. Borton

  “You’re bleedin’ like crazy, Henry,” said JD, putting a bloody hand under my chin. “You’re gonna die if we don’t take it.”

  “I’ll die if you do,” I said, breathing heavily. “For the love of God, JD, don’t cut off my arm!”

  “I’m not gonna let you die,” said JD, crying. “I love you, brother. You know that. I can’t let you die. I ain’t takin’ a body home to Kelly. I’m sorry, and you can hate me for the rest of your life, but we gotta take that arm. You pass out again, and you ain’t comin’ back. You understand that? Kelly needs you. Hell, I need you. None of us are gonna care about that arm. None of us.”

  “I do,” I said, starting to panic.

  “Take it, Doug,” said JD, looking away from me. “Take the goddamned arm now!”

  “Henry,” said Doug, “It’s the only way. I’ll be able to get to the artery and stop anything else that’s bleeding. If I don’t, you will die.”

  “Doug,” I said, pleading through tears. “Please. I’m begging you. Try one more time, please. If you can’t get to it, then do what you have to do, but try one more time, okay? I can take it. Please.”

  “Hold him down tight,” said Doug. “I’m sorry, Henry.”

  “Oh God,” I said, turning back to the sky. “God, please.”

  All it took was Doug gripping my arm to send me away again. I guess that’s how our brain deals with things we can’t. It just shuts down and something else takes over. A primordial switch is flipped. It’s our bodies last gasp to try and keep us alive.

  I now had a new level of fear to call the worst I’d ever experienced in my life. I knew I was conscious, but I was too scared to open my eyes. Nobody was talking, but I could still feel JD’s hands on my shoulders. The ghost pain where my left arm used to be was intense.

  “JD,” I whispered.

  “Yeah, buddy,” said JD, leaning in close to my face and smiling. “He got it, man. He got to the artery. He stopped the bleeding.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked. “I can’t look, JD. What does that mean?”

  “It means it ain’t pretty,” said JD, “but your arm is still there. He stopped it with that clamp thingy.”

  I closed my eyes tighter. It took me a moment to gather the courage to look. JD just told me Doug saved my arm, but I didn’t trust his words. I did when I opened my eyes.

  I cried. Not the kind that causes a sniffle. The kind of crying that causes snot bubbles.

  “Thank you, God,” I said, looking up and then over at Doug.

  He was covered in my blood. There were only a few white patches left on his camouflage. He was crying as well. We all were.

  “Thank you,” I said, reaching over to him with my good arm.

  “I can’t explain it,” said Doug, squeezing my hand. “I was just able to hold on to it this time.”

  “You did good, Doug,” said JD. “Real good.”

  “A couple things I still need to do before we can move him,” said Doug. “Tucker, can you come up with another sled? Something that can be pulled by a horse.”

  “No problem,” said Tucker, jumping to his feet. “You mind giving me a hand, Tom?”

  “Not at all,” said Tom. “Angie loves to ski. I bet she has four pairs at the house. She won’t care if we use them.”

  “Perfect,” said Doug, turning back to the hole in my side. “I need something plastic and rigid to tape over this and seal it.”

  “Will this work?” asked Crazy, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his wallet.

  I went from crying to laughing as Crazy held up an ATM card. Doug lowered his head. JD just stared at him.

  “What?”

  “You still carry a wallet?” I asked, bringing my hand to my side.

  “You don’t?” asked Crazy, as if I was.

  “No,” I said, writhing in pain, but in a good way. “I haven’t carried a wallet in six months, Crazy. None of us have.”

  “I have sixty-thousand dollars in the bank,” said Crazy. “What if the power comes back on tomorrow? Who’ll be laughing then?”

  “All of us,” said JD, cracking a smile.

  “That’s perfect. That’s exactly what I need,” said Doug, holding his grin. “I’ll make sure we get it back to you.”

  “You better,” said Crazy, giving us a smile of his own.

  “JD,” said Doug, “we’ll need to keep a very close eye on him. If he starts having trouble breathing again, just lift up a corner of this card and let his chest decompress. It won’t be as nasty as the first time.”

  “No problem.”

  “I need to work on securing the clamp to something,” said Doug. “We don’t want this thing popping off.”

  “No, we don’t,” I said.

  Tucker returned an hour later with an impressive rig being pulled by his horse. From what I could see, it was a twin-sized mattress inside a box made with wooden planks complete with side rails. Underneath the box, he had fastened eight skis. After Doug secured the clamp that was keeping the rest of my blood inside me, he wrapped my arm in gauze, and they moved me onto my new sled bed.

  Their new priority was to get me home as soon as possible. My good-byes to Braun, Palmer, Tom, and his family were brief. I didn’t have to say anything to Crazy. He was coming with us.

  “You don’t have to do this,” I said. “I’m sure your family wants you back.”

  “I don’t have one,” said Crazy. “They’re gone.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s just the way things are now,” said Crazy.

  “I say that a lot,” I said.

  “You risked everything for your people and traded yourself for those kids,” said Crazy. “Took a chance on us as well. The least I can do is help you get home. Besides, how else am I going to get my card back?”

  “Shit, Crazy,” I said, grabbing my side. “It hurts when I laugh.”

  “I know.”

  As long as the weather cooperated, which wasn’t often, our trip home would be much shorter on horseback. We were taking the route Castle used to get to the dam. There was no need to cross the river until we reached it. It meant we didn’t have to go back through Chattanooga.

  Tucker’s new rig was working well, and the ride was smooth. They wrapped me up like a burrito, but left easy access to Crazy’s ATM card taped to my ribs. JD was never more than a few feet away from me. Every time I looked up at him, he was looking down at me. It was a feeling I didn’t experience often, but I felt safe with my guys circling me. I felt sorry for anyone who thought these men on horseback would be easy targets.

  Doug forced me to eat and drink more than the rest. I imagine I left close to half my blood in the snow. He was making sure I had the nourishment to make more. I knew I was still in trouble, and Doc might still have to take my arm, but it didn’t seem to matter as much anymore. I was going home.

  I was warm and as comfortable as a man could be in my condition. I winced in pain when the sled rocked, but I had no complaints. Tucker did a fine job on my sled. When the pressure in my chest woke me, JD would signal Tucker to stop. Doug had given him a job to do, and ever since the day we met, JD hadn’t let me down.

  I was falling in and out of sleep. My brain was allowing my battered body to rest. My guys didn’t rest. Not once. They pushed through the dangers in the dark of the night and kept moving. They weren’t going to stop until we reached Bridgeport.

  At some point during our journey, the snow stopped, the clouds moved on, and a brilliant, full moon lit our path. It allowed us to move faster. (I guess Mother Nature had a soft spot for me after trying to kill me so many times.)

  I lost track of time. My view of the world around me was limited to the sky. I slept through the crossing of Nickajack Dam. When I awoke, Daniel was behind my sled, high on his horse, and smiling. After he dismounted, he told me we were almost there. He said the snow- covered bridge into town was too narrow and slick to risk riding across on horseback, so they pulled me.

  Th
e sun was low when I saw the first manmade structure since we left Tom’s house. It was the overhang at the train station in Bridgeport. The first face I saw was hers.

  “What have you done to yourself?” asked Kelly, crying and putting her hands on my face.

  “It’s not as bad as it looks,” I said, crying with her.

  “Let’s get him inside, boys,” said Doc. “We need to get started.”

  “You brought them all back, son,” said Gunny, taking a corner of the blanket underneath me. “Well done.”

  As my guys, Kelly, and several other people took hold, they lifted me out of my box and onto a stretcher. I thought about my Uncle Perry being lifted out of his, but he was placed on a dining room table around somber faces with tears. The faces around me had warm smiles. They carried me inside the station to the makeshift hospital. I was their only patient.

  “The good news is that you get anesthesia this time,” said Doc, unwrapping my arm. “You’re a lucky man. You could’ve easily lost this arm.”

  “You have no idea how lucky,” I said.

  “Put some coffee on, Gunny,” said Doc, setting up his surgical tray. “We’ll be here for a while.”

  “How does it look?” I asked, grimacing as he examined it. “Can you save it?”

  “Doug did a damn good job on you,” said Doc. “He saved your life and your arm. I’ll put you back together, son.”

  “You’ll be going to sleep soon,” said Kelly, standing over me. “You don’t need to worry about anything. I’ve got you now.”

  “I love you,” I said, drifting.

  “I love you too.”

  As the room started to fade away, so did the pain. She covered that beautiful face with a mask and leaned in close to my ear. She whispered the sweetest words that I had ever heard.

  “Welcome home.

  November 21st

  (Day 202)

  It has been a month since Doc sewed me up inside and out. He told me it was the perfect storm of luck that I was not only alive, but was able to keep my arm. It’s still pretty useless and hurts like hell, but it seems to be getting stronger. I have no problem taking the pain. I thank Doug every time I see him.

  I can now make a fist and crush an egg. Doc wasn’t worried as much about the vascular damage as he was about the other damage. One of the major nerves was almost severed in half by the blast. He said that’s going to take a long time to heal, if ever. I can now add a bum arm to my list of bum parts. I’m forever grateful to my friends that those parts all still there.

  A few days ago, Gunny and my guys returned from a meeting with Captain Braun and his new staff. They met on neutral ground at Tom and Angie’s house. I sent a pound of coffee and a letter for Braun with JD. (I even found a stamp so JD would become our first official Postmaster.)

  Braun said he was still weeding out a small pocket of resistance that was loyal to Castle, but for the most part the militia and folks at Signal Mountain were happy with the new leadership. Gunny plans on strengthening our relationship with them by working with Braun to secure Chattanooga. As soon as it’s declared a safe zone, they’re going to take the Crazy Train all the way to the mountain.

  Yes, the Crazy Train. He fell in love with that thing, as well as little Jack. Those two are inseparable and spend damn near every day together with Bruce and Parker. The old timers welcomed the help with keeping the train running in good shape. They also enjoyed the company. I think we’re stuck with Crazy, and that’s fine with me and everyone else. I like to think he found a new family to help ease the pain from the one he lost.

  There’s only one grave that can be seen at the cemetery on the edge of town. Every morning Joey and River clear the snow and ice off Perry’s marker. I have no idea where they get the flowers, but it’s the only color in a sea of white. I miss my uncle every day. I hope he can forgive me for what I believe I had to do. My brain knows I did it to keep my town safe. My heart knows I did it for revenge.

  Aunt Donna is doing okay, but I still see the pain in her eyes. She’s lost a step, and her smile is becoming harder to find. She’s happy little Jack has bonded with Crazy, but it seems her life is being taken away from her one piece at a time. Kelly and I visit her every day. Sometimes we just sit in silence for hours. My heart aches for her, and I worry.

  Kelly is over at Donna’s now helping her prepare a meal for our new extended family. On Sunday afternoons, we all gather in Perry’s home for dinner. The entire town is conserving food and fuel to get us through the winter. We ration everything and the portions during the week are small, but on Sundays we tend to splurge a little.

  It’s our favorite day of the week. It’s not because of the larger portions of food. It’s because of who’s inside the house. When I finish with this journal entry, I’ll walk over there and stand outside on the cold front porch for a moment and remember those we’ve lost. I’ll also remember those I’ve taken.

  When that moment is finished, I’ll walk through the front door and will be greeted with warm air and voices coming from inside. I’ll take another moment and close my eyes as I identify each voice. I do it every time.

  Jack will be on Crazy’s shoulders and ducking his head as they walk through doorways. Bruce and Parker will be standing in a corner of the kitchen, making sure everyone has a sample of their latest batch. Doc, Joey, JD, and Tucker will be sitting in the living room talking about the state of our town and how we can make it better. JD’s mom will be sitting at the kitchen table telling stories about the good ole days as River and Kelly help Donna with whatever she needs.

  I’ll probably find it hard to hold back tears like I always do when I’m standing there alone. As the aromas mix with laughter, I’ll remember the journey that brought me to that moment. It’s where I’m reminded how lucky I am. It’s where I become more grateful for everything I have and everyone who’s there.

  I try to help whenever or wherever I can, but they usually just push me out of the way and tell me to go sit down. I hate feeling like I’m not contributing, but then they remind me about how I was injured. It helps a little.

  Around our house, Kelly made me a list of chores she thinks that I can handle. If I try to do anything more, I’ll get the look. Crazy has stacked the largest pile of wood I’ve ever seen on our back porch. JD and Tucker come over twice a week to fix anything that needs repair, and they make sure Kelly has everything she needs to take care of us.

  The town is doing its best to adjust to the climate change. There have only been a few days where the temperature has risen above freezing. The kids who have never seen this much snow are loving it. It’s a different story for the rest of us. Twenty-five people died in Stevenson when they were caught outside in the storms. That was six percent of our remaining population whom we lost in less than an hour.

  About the only positive to the weather is that it has all but stopped the influx of refugees and trouble. I imagine the last series of storms must have killed thousands or more who were caught outside or under inadequate roofs. I don’t think Mother Nature is finished teaching us the lesson she wants us to learn. Not even close. There’s no telling what winter is going to bring to our fragile world.

  It’s still only the fall.

  The End

  Other Books by E.E. Borton

  ABOMINATION

  SUFFER

  SUFFER II

  WITHOUT

  “I love getting feedback, suggestions, and ideas from fans. Visit my website at eeborton.com for book news and events. You can also contact me at eeborton@gmail.com. I hope you enjoyed WITHOUT II – The Fall, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!”

  Eric

  Table of Contents

  October 9th – Day 159

  Chapter 1 – The First Line

  Chapter 2 – Play Ball

  Chapter 3 - Downhill

  Chapter 4 – Train Wreck

  Chapter 5 - Honey

  Chapter 6 – Front of the Line

  Chapter 7 – Warm Welco
me

  Chapter 8 – Worth Dying For

  Chapter 9 - Supercell

  Chapter 10 – Luck Be A Lady

  Chapter 11 - Sally

  Chapter 12 - JD

  Chapter 13 - Locusts

  Chapter 14 – Anti-Social Network

  Chapter 15 – Ties That Bind

  Chapter 16 – A Few Good Men

  Chapter 17 – “Can Do!”

  Chapter 18 – The Dying of the Light

  Chapter 19 – Killing the Messenger

  Chapter 20 - Confidence

  Chapter 21 – Show Time

  Chapter 22 - Shovels

  Chapter 23 – Lessons Learned

  Chapter 24 – A Trail of Tears

  Chapter 25 – A Dish Best Served Cold

  Chapter 26 – Mrs. Cromartie’s Biscuits

  Chapter 27 – All Aboard

  Chapter 28 – Once More Unto the Breach

  Chapter 29 – Ghost Town

  Chapter 30 - Cracker

  Chapter 31 - Gatekeeper

  Chapter 32 – Abominable Snowmen

  Chapter 33 – Sleeping Beauties

  Chapter 34 - Forgiven

  Chapter 35 – Family Reunions

  Chapter 36 – Big Fish

  Chapter 37 - Frozen

  Chapter 38 – The Last Contingency

  Chapter 39 - Mush

  Chapter 40 – Tick, Tock

  Chapter 41 - Math

  Chapter 42 – The Good Guys

  Chapter 43 – The Lord and Earl

  Chapter 44 - Cake

  Chapter 45 – Trojan Bear

  Chapter 46 – Turning Tables

  Chapter 47- Sail

  Chapter 48 – Crazy Ivan

  Chapter 49 – Mr. President

  Chapter 50 – Little Man

  Chapter 51 – Final Phase

  Chapter 52 – The Four Horsemen

  Chapter 53 - Valhalla

  November 21st – Day 202

  November 21st – Day 202