by Kate Morris
They exit the same way they entered the base and begin scavenging Clarksville for building supplies. They have a lot of good fortune at a small, family-owned store but not as much at the big places like Home Depot. They aren’t the only people looking for materials to repair their homes right now. They do find metal roofing, nails, boxes of screws, down spouting, lumber, and fencing supplies. Cory gathers four, five-gallon buckets of white paint, too.
“That might not be any good anymore,” Simon points out.
“I know. I just need it…for a project I’m workin’ on.”
“Oh, got it,” his friend says and doesn’t further question. The last place they hit is the hospital where they take everything they can fit in the truck. They work until nearly sundown, tie their loot down with ropes and bungee cords, and head back toward the farm. When they get to the blocked part of the road again, they see that not everyone was so lucky to pass the wrecked cars so safely.
“What the hell?” Cory says, gripping the wheel tightly.
Simon adds, “We just went through here this morning.”
“No, shit,” Cory remarks. “Whoever did this obviously wasn’t here this morning when we passed through. These people got ambushed.”
“They just weren’t here when we went by,” Simon observes. “We missed them.”
“They were probably somewhere fucking else killing other people at other ambush sites,” Cory says with anger.
He stares out his window at the vehicle on fire with a dead man behind the wheel. There are also three dead men on the road, and another vehicle that has been raided and left behind since he and Simon drove this way. Further up the street, they find two women and a young boy also dead. A few miles down the road away from the carnage, people run out of the woods flagging them down. They are clearly the victims of the highwaymen, who likely just murdered their friends and family members. Cory stops the vehicle to talk with them. They are unarmed and scared out of their minds. Two men are covered in black soot and ash as if they’d tried to rescue their friend in the car but were too late. A woman is crying and holding her baby. Two others are in shock with their vacant, blank eyes and thousand-yard stares. He wonders if one of them was the mother of the dead boy who couldn’t have been older than twelve. A rage is building within him as he hustles the people into the back of the truck on top of the loot to take them to their town. They explain to Simon through the slider window that they were headed to Florence, Kentucky, and that they’d heard it was better there. It’s not better anywhere. Cory would like to say this, but he figures they just got a huge icy splash of reality in the face enough for one day.
The ticking of the second hand in his mind is growing each day that they haven’t caught and killed the highwaymen. He is going to have to go hunting at night on his own like he used to. They can’t stand by and allow this to happen again. The predator within him, that malevolent thing he tries to still, will not be confined any longer. It is time to unleash it.
Chapter Four
Simon
He eats a hearty breakfast the next morning with the family and tries not to have anxiety about the trip he’s about to make. The journey is not the problem; it’s the destination. Simon has no wish to spend the next few weeks living on Henry’s farm.
They’d dropped the people from the burnt carnage on the road in town and took time to introduce them to their friends there and, most importantly, the sheriff, who will assess and evaluate them before allowing them to stay on. As the murder rate rises on the roads, the population in their town also increases as they take in new members, victims of the highwaymen.
But this morning, he is in a sour mood. He’d much rather be working on the barn roof, repairing the front porch, building new sections of fence, or pretty much anything that isn’t going to plant him in the vicinity of Samantha. There is so much that wasn’t dealt with between them from her last visit, the night of the tornado. He’d kissed her in the barn. Like a pathetic, weak fool, he’d been ready to renounce everything he’d worked so hard on regarding Sam, namely his plan to allow her to move on with her life and forget about him and find someone else who can make her happy, someone not like him. In an instant, it had all been erased from his brain, his so carefully orchestrated plan- poof, just gone. All that had mattered was holding her in his arms and making her his. He can’t do that, though. Simon knows she isn’t his to begin with, never was, and can never be. He could never endeavor to deserve her, not after what happened. And now, as hard as he has tried to move on with his life as best as he knows how and allow Sam to do the same, he’s being forced right back into her company. He should’ve suggested that she come to the McClane farm for a two-week stay. Not exactly subtle, but at least she would’ve been on the McClane farm while he was at Henry’s.
“Try to find a home with at least four rooms on the first floor, Simon, if you find a two-story,” Doc is saying. “They’ll need that many exam rooms. Plus, her uncle said he might live on the top floor with Miss Samantha when it’s done. They’ll need two bedrooms in addition to the exam rooms.”
“Yes, sir,” he mumbles.
“You’ll need running water, heat, and a way of sterilizing instruments. Don’t forget to build a wheelchair ramp if it needs one,” his mentor adds.
“Don’t look for a place that’s too sandwiched in by a lot of houses all around it,” John tells him. “Just in case there’s ever trouble and the docs gotta’ get out.”
This makes his stomach turn. Sam and her uncle running for their lives from people attacking the place? He doesn’t understand why they can’t run their clinic from the safety of Dave’s compound. Probably the same reason Herb and Reagan don’t. It would be a security disaster.
“Yes, sir,” he answers John.
Reagan butts in to say, “I think Dave’s planning on putting armed guards on it twenty-four-seven. I’m assuming they’ll be living there with Sam and her uncle, so you might look for a house with at least four bedrooms on the top floor.”
This makes him even more nauseous. He just wishes they’d all go into silent mode. Thinking about Sam living in a house in tight quarters with two guards, men he doesn’t know at all, causes him to feel a particularly intense anxiety.
“Right,” he says anyway.
“A small shed on the property would be great, too,” Sue adds. “So that they can get their greenhouse established.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says.
They continue to give him advice, even though he just wants it all to stop. Not only does he not want to go over there to help with this project, he doesn’t even want to think about Sam living off the compound. It’s never going to be safe enough no matter what they do.
Breakfast concludes, and he and Cory make their exit. His friend is going with him for the first week, but then he’s coming back without him. Simon will hitch a ride to town with Dave’s men in order to get back home, or at least that’s the plan.
“I’m gonna miss you,” Paige says, hugging him next to the truck so tightly he can scarcely breathe.
“It’s just for a few weeks, maybe less,” he reminds her and pats her back. Maybe he can come back when Cory does.
“We’d better get on the road,” Cory says as he comes around the truck. “Do I get a hug, too, Red?”
Simon passes a glare to his friend and pats her back one more time, ignoring Cory’s comment.
“You wish,” Paige says to Cory as she pulls back. She leans up and kisses Simon’s cheek. “Be careful.”
“I will,” he says. “Stay close to the house while I’m gone.”
She nods, and he turns to go. Cory is speaking with John near the driver’s door. They had a meeting last night with the family to tell them of their find at Fort Campbell. He’s not sure if those were orphaned kids and young adults taking care of themselves there or if there were adults just out of view that they hadn’t seen. Either way, they didn’t seem like the highwaymen. They didn’t spot vehicles moving around, either, and
they know that the highwaymen have cars, motorcycles, vans, and at least one truck that belonged to Henry and was stolen. John said that he might take a run over there and check it out while they are gone. It hadn’t gone over well. His wife had been angry about the idea of him going alone. With he and Cory going away, they won’t be able to let too many people leave the farm for runs. It just wouldn’t be safe leaving the farm unprotected with a shortage of manpower.
It takes a while to make it all the way to Henry’s farm, but they are glad to see that Dave’s signs are also still erected on the roads. It should help. Anything is better than nothing at this point. Their victims were absolutely defenseless and unaware that the roads were dangerous, deadly even.
They are greeted at the gate by a sentry, who tells them that Dave is expecting them and is in the dairy barn. Simon’s not sure which barn that is, so they park near the house and walk toward the cluster of many barns. They greet a few people along the way but get brief, abbreviated greetings in return. The collective mood is off. Nobody seems in a particularly good disposition. He wonders if they are upset by him and Cory being on the farm.
They pass a girl who looks familiar, “Hey! Simon, right?”
Simon regards her, trying to remember her name, “Yes, Courtney?”
“Right,” she says with a smile and shakes his hand, then Cory’s.
“Cory, ma’am,” he says with a smile. “Do you know where Sam is?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Cory,” she answers. “She’s been gone a lot the last few days.”
This alarms Simon, but Cory is quicker to question this, “What do you mean by gone? She’s been off this farm?”
“No, I don’t think so. She’s mostly been going off by herself. I think the barns or the woods.”
“That doesn’t sound very safe,” Simon breaks in, trying to control his disappointment at this news.
“Well, it’s just that… well, you know it’s been hard on Sam,” she says.
“The move here?” Cory asks.
“No, she’s been great,” Courtney offers.
Simon is less than enthusiastic about this information. “Then why is she going off by herself. And what’s been so hard on her?”
“Finding Reese,” she says as if they understand what she means. They both give her a confused look. “Don’t you know? Oh! I guess I just assumed they called over to tell you guys or told you while you were on a run together or something.”
“We haven’t been doing the combined runs since the tornado,” Cory tells her.
“Oh, right,” Courtney says with a sad sigh. “Then you don’t know.”
“Know what?” Simon prompts impatiently.
“Reese killed herself two days ago,” she drops on them. “Everyone’s been freaked out about it. I guess she was just too sad since Bruce was killed.”
She keeps droning on, but Simon is having difficulty processing so much information. Bruce was murdered the night he was with him. It has weighed heavily on his mind and his conscience since. The simultaneous murder of Annie has also plagued him. He can’t help but feel he was somehow responsible.
“Sam was the one who discovered her,” Courtney says, instantly drawing his attention. “They were friends. She really liked Reese. I feel so bad for her.”
“She found her? Where?” Cory asks.
Simon is glad his friend is asking the questions because his brain has stopped working correctly. All he can think is that Sam is in distress and he needs to find her.
“Hanging in the barn,” Courtney tells them. “She was so sad.”
“Damn,” Cory remarks bleakly. “That’s too damned bad.”
“I just don’t think she could take one more thing, and then Bruce was killed. It just…made her snap,” Courtney says.
“And Sam found her?” Simon asks again, getting a nod. “And she’s been going off on her own since it happened?”
Courtney nods again, then drops her eyes to the ground. Her blonde hair falls over her shoulder.
“Hey, guys!” Dave calls out as he approaches.
“Dave,” Cory says in greeting and shakes his hand. Simon does the same.
“Glad you’re here,” Dave says as a few of his men gather. Henry is with them. “We’ll leave soon and show you a few places we’ve found. See what you guys think.”
“Great,” Cory says with less enthusiasm. “We’re glad to help.”
“We had a problem a few days ago,” Dave says more quietly.
“Yeah, Courtney just told us,” Cory tells him. “Sorry for your loss. I’m sure everyone is taking it hard.”
“Yeah, fucking sucks, man,” Dave says. “We’re holding a service for her this evening. We buried her yesterday morning, but we’re giving her a proper memorial service tonight.”
“We’ll be there,” Cory says.
“Yes, sir,” Simon agrees.
He scans the property around them, searching for her. At first, he’d been nervous about seeing her and being around her. Now, he’s just upset because Sam is in distress.
“Let’s load up, and we’ll take you to the few houses we’ve found that might work,” Henry says.
Cory shakes his hand and nods.
Henry turns to Dave and says, “I’ll catch up at the truck. I just wanna’ check on Sam before we go.”
He is speaking quietly, but Simon still hears him. It pisses him off. He wants to know where she is and why Henry knows where she is and he does not.
Dave tells him, “See if she wants to go. We could use her advice, too.”
“Yes, sir,” Henry answers and walks away.
“I’ll meet you in a minute. Um, gotta…use the restroom,” Simon says quickly to Cory, who nods distractedly as he continues to speak to Dave and his men.
Simon follows after Henry at a distance without him noticing because there are so many people in the barnyard. Henry walks behind the storage barn and past an outdoor pen full of goats. Simon waits near the barn, spying as Henry goes down a short hill to a big tree with a wooden swing hanging down. It is then that he sees her for the first time, and the reaction is always the same. It is as if something has sucked all the oxygen from the air. She is sitting not on the swing but the ground at the base of the tree. It looks like she is doing art. When she sees Henry, Sam rises to greet him. They speak, and she nods. Then she does the unthinkable and very briefly hugs Henry. Simon’s eyes nearly bulge out of his skull. A squeaking sound at his side startles him. He looks down to find his fist so tightly clenched around the leather sling of his rifle that it is squealing in protest. He takes a deep breath and retreats as they approach the barn. Simon jogs back to meet Cory at the truck.
Sam immediately rushes into Cory’s outstretched arms and hugs him for a much longer time than she had Henry.
“Hey, kiddo,” Cory says gently. “We heard about your friend. We’re real sorry to hear about that, Sam.”
She nods and lowers her head.
Dave walks from the rear of their own truck and says, “Wanna’ jump in the bed? We’ll ride together.”
Cory flips him a thumbs-up sign, and they climb into the bed. He is disappointed that Sam has not acknowledged his presence, and she takes Cory’s hand to climb over the closed tailgate. They all find a seat, Henry included, much to his irritation.
“Hello, Samantha,” he says, trying at civility, although every fiber of his being is longing to pull her into his arms and stroke her dark hair in a comforting manner.
“Hi, Simon,” she greets without affection or emotion.
She won’t look at him, which concerns Simon.
“Sorry I have to be here. I’m sure you wish I wasn’t,” he offers with a morose expression as they pull away. Cory is engaged in conversation with one of Dave’s men near the tailgate, and he is sitting against the front. Sam is near him, but also near Henry, who has perched on the wheel well. Simon imagines how easy it would be to push him over the side of the truck. Unfortunately, they aren’t traveling at a high e
nough rate of speed to do much damage. Maybe he’d at least get run over.
Sam doesn’t answer but looks briefly at him before turning away.
Simon inches closer and touches her arm lightly, “You ok?”
She nods and looks away again at nothing. She also slowly pulls her arm out from under his hand. He is left feeling impotent. They are in a truck full of people, some strangers. It is a horrible, painful topic to dredge up and definitely not in their current setting. He does not believe she is doing well at all. The wind catches her hair, tossing and blowing it into her face. Sam pushes it back, holding it at the base of her neck to secure it. She is pale and fatigued-looking. He’d bet anything that she hasn’t slept since she saw Reese hanging in the barn. Something like this would be traumatic for her, and she’s already been through so much. A lot of what she’s been through lately has been because of him, and the guilt from the knowledge of it is eating away at Simon.
They drive past a small, brick home about four miles from Henry’s farm. He doesn’t like the location. It is too far away should her uncle and Sam have a problem. Cory says that he likes the brick construction because it offers more protection from bullets and is more energy efficient. However, he is quick to point out that there are a lot of outbuildings where people could hide. Dave agrees, and they head the other direction. The next place is too heavily damaged from water, causing mold and bacteria to take a firm hold in the basement. Cory jokes that they are trying to treat people, not make them sicker. Dave laughs, and they continue on. This goes on for three more homes until they come to a large two-story about three miles from Henry’s farm. Simon really doesn’t like the location.
“This is good,” Cory says. “No neighbors to worry about. No houses to block the view for security. Not a lot of outbuildings, but that small shed would be a good greenhouse eventually. Pretty close to your compound.”
“Not very close,” Simon disagrees.
“You think it’s too far?” Dave asks him.
