by Caryl McAdoo
Kneeling, she dug in her pack then pulled out her book. The piece of paper must have been marking her place, because she retrieved it and handed it to him, but keeping her finger between the pages. Just like her to use it as a bookmark.
He studied the numbers for a minute then nodded toward the closest pylon. “Al, go see what that one’s ID numbers are. Coop, you go check the other one. They’re on a little metal –”
“I know, I know.” His little brother ran off and was on his way back from the farthest one before the know-it-all even got out to the closest.
The series of numbers Coop recited matched the note. Jackson waited, and sure enough, Al’s didn’t. If he was to follow the note, ‘Follow the King’s Highway’ like it said, then he needed to take his group north, not east. But it seemed that would sure take him the wrong way.
McKenzie touched his arm. “What are you thinking?”
He shrugged. “Nothing. I guess we go north.”
She nodded then took the note from him and put it back into her book.
For a few hundred yards, the high wires passed through bottomland, then they cut across the water. He stopped short and pulled out the map. Great; a branch of the Trinity River. “Okay, guys. Drop your packs. Al, you work your way south; Coop, you go north. Stay in the cover. We’re looking for a narrow, and hopefully, shallow crossing, okay? Got it?”
Coop shrugged. “Yes, sir. Soon as you tell me which way’s north.”
Jackson pointed to his left. “That way.”
“Got it.” He hurried off.
“Sir, maybe I should go with him, and you could take south.”
“Go on, you can handle it. I want to be here in the middle if anyone needs help.”
His sister slipped off her pack. “I’ll go with you, Al.”
“Excellent.”
Easing to the ground real lady-like made him wonder if Aria might be in pain. She sure didn’t seem real girly-girl. Not as much as McKenzie anyway. A lot like his mother, lady-like but handy and capable enough to handle things. He liked the way she knew she needed either a regular screwdriver or a pair of pliers.
Not many girls would. His sister for sure. She probably couldn’t tell them apart, not unless she’d just read it in a book.
“Jackson.”
He looked at her. “Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“What for? I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes, you did. You saved me. I would have laid there on that island and died if you hadn’t come along.”
A chuckle escaped. “I was just trying to keep from getting eaten.”
Her eyes widened. “Know what you mean. That tiger scared me half to death.”
“Al said it was a lion. I just know it sounded big. He said tigers liked the water, but lions steered clear because of the crocs.”
“Crocodiles in Texas?” She laughed a little. “No, really, you didn’t have to help me or share your food either. If you’d been one of those bangers…” She closed her eyes and shivered. “I don’t even want to think about it.”
“Okay, I accept your thanks, but I need to thank you for all the great gear.”
She smiled, and her eyes did, too. The sparkles in them raced straight to his heart. He let himself swim in the big brown pools before forcing himself to look away. It wouldn’t do for him to go goofy over Aria, no matter how beautiful and exotic looking. He had no trouble understanding Cooper’s attraction, but Jackson needed to focus on getting everyone to safety.
Not cloud his brain being all mushy over a girl.
She touched his arm. “Something wrong?”
The touch sent an electricity through him.
Shaking his head for an answer, at first he avoided looking into those peepers again. He’d known girls who wanted everyone to love them. They’d do whatever it took to make a guy go nuts over them, then laugh at the poor sap. But he didn’t think Aria was one of those types. She seemed too nice…and genuine.
Then he faced her. “No, nothing’s wrong.”
He leaned out a bit then looked in both directions. “Aria, I’m real sorry about your family. If you don’t have anyone else, I’m sure you can stay with Meems and Pop, our grandparents. They have a big farm, and they’re real nice folks.”
“What about your parents? What happened to them?”
“Dad’s a marine, and he’s overseas. Afghanistan. Mom left for work the morning of the flash, but…” He shrugged. “She just didn’t come home. I wanted to go look for her, but I couldn’t leave McKenzie and Cooper.”
“Where’d she work?”
“Downtown Dallas, but she had an early meeting in Rockwall that morning.”
She sighed. “Maybe she’ll be at your grandparents’ when we get there.”
“That’d be great. I sure hope so. McKenzie left her a note and told her that’s where we were headed.” He looked again. His sister and Al hurried toward him at a fast jog, but didn’t appear to be running from someone; neither of them looked over their shoulder or seemed distressed. He pulled the pistol out in case though and held it straight down next to his leg.
Stopping short, Al bent over with both hands on his knees, sucking wind.
McKenzie, barely breathing hard, glanced at the nerd then went straight to her pack. She nodded south. “There’s a pretty good crossing about half a mile that way.”
“Good.” Jackson stepped out into the clearing, looked all around, then stuck two fingers over his lower lip and blew his loudest whistle. Man, he absolutely had it down. The exact one his father had used on him. Just like he had his little brother on a string, the boy showed real quick.
“Al find a place?”
Jackson nodded, but he figured it was McKenzie more than the nerd.
Even though he trekked over a mile out of the way, not getting his clothes wet again was worth it. For the next hour or so, he followed the high-lines from the heavy woods along the river, then the cover played out, leaving a quarter mile or so gap.
He stopped and pulled out the map and studied on it for a while. Then suddenly, it dawned on him. He knew this area. Irving’s River Bottoms, the fields where he’d played baseball so many years was a bit north and west. They’d officially changed the name to Trinity View Park, but the place would always be the River Bottoms to him.
Why hadn’t he paid more attention when he’d been driven to games? But that was a silly question he knew the answer to. Back then, he’d been a carefree kid.
Man, were those days ever gone.
Nodding toward McKenzie, he made a suggestion she’d probably like. “What do you say we eat something? Want to?”
“Sure, as good a place as any. Want to try one of those army meals?”
“No, they’ll keep. The pork won’t. Let’s finish him up first.” The pig wasn’t as good cold, but it stopped his stomach from grumbling.
Handing out a Sonic ketchup packet to everyone, Cooper puffed his chest. “Here, but y’all owe me.”
“Okay, Bubba, we owe you a ketchup.”
“No, I’m bartering. I want to play chess.”
Jackson chuckled. “Sure, we can do that as soon as we get to Meems’ and Pop’s.”
“You guys play chess?” Al tore off a bit.
“Coop’s a real whiz. I haven’t beat him in months.”
The nerd smiled at his little brother. “I’d love a challenging game with you, youngster. We can play now.”
“You got a board?”
“Unnecessary. We’ll play mental chess.”
“Huh? How do we do that?”
“I notify you of my moves, and you inform me of yours.”
Jackson shook his head. “How do you keep it all straight?”
Al smiled. “If one is truly proficient, one can envision the board with one’s mind’s eye.” He glanced at Coop. “Think you can manage it?”
“Sure. May take me a few games to get it down really good, but playing without a board will be great.”
For t
he first three moves, Jackson followed their game then abruptly lost track of which piece was where. It amazed him how his little brother caught on to the method though. He finished nibbling his piece of pork and decided not to eat any more. If it was a true statement that armies marched on their bellies, his wouldn’t be going too far on what filled their backpacks chock-full.
Man, was he ever wrong about thinking that little pig’s meat would last three or four days. Hadn’t even been a full twenty-four hours, and there wasn’t much left at all. Of course, he had let them eat all they wanted, like the supply would never end or something. Maybe he needed to be more miserly with any food that came their way.
Then again, no one had gone without, and it had been eight days since the flash.
So they’d been on the road four days. And he didn’t even have them out of Irving yet? No way would he get them to Meems’ and Pop’s in the two weeks he’d first thought it would take. He stood and hitched his pants up. Ought to put another hole in his belt; he’d already moved it to the last one.
Pulling out the revolver, he pointed it at the ground. “Okay, people, we’ve got a ways to cross with no cover. Let’s be at it and be careful.”
McKenzie closed her book, put it in her pack, then swung the load over her shoulder. “Want me to go first?”
“Sure. Nice and easy. And you hook’em back here first sign of anything, you hear?”
She puckered her whole face, but thankfully, didn’t say a word.
He pointed at his brother. “Coop, you go next. Leave when she reaches that first clump of trees over there.”
His little brother nodded, but wasn’t paying that much attention. “My queen’s rook takes your last bishop.” He faced Jackson. “I go next after Sisser, got it.”
Al frowned at the nine-year-old. “Are you Bobby Fisher or something?”
Jackson snickered. “Told you he was a chess whiz. You go after Coop gets across, okay?”
Once the nerd stepped into the shade on the other side of the gap, Jackson nodded at Aria. “I’ll come once you get there.”
She stepped close and bumped her shoulder against his. “Shouldn’t we stay together?”
“No, go on. I’ll come when you guys are all safe.”
She smiled at him. “Fine, but I’m not a guy, if you haven’t noticed.”
“Go.”
She frowned, but did like he said; he couldn’t help but notice her as she strolled across the clearing as though walking from one class to the next. He loved the way she moved. He’d been making himself not watch her from the moment Cooper led him to where she lay in the grass on that island, but there she was right out in the open.
Not a guy for sure.
She reached the trees. He glanced around then trotted toward the others.
After maybe two miles, the trees and brush stopped abruptly; the high-lines continued over what had to be Irving Boulevard, with a pylon on either side of the road where it bridged the river. A few folks, mostly men, walked among the stalled cars and trucks up there. Each carried a load or pulled a wagon or pushed a metal grocery cart.
One guy zigzagged through the dead autos on a bicycle, stuff tied on the front and back. A rifle strapped over his back dared anyone to mess with him. Jackson wondered if he had any bullets then looked at the others. “Get comfortable. We’re going to wait here ’til dark.”
Al and Cooper resumed their game; McKenzie cleared a spot next to a tree, leaned against it, and retrieved her book. Jackson sat crisscross just inside the shadows where he had a good view of the men as they meandered across the bridge. Where were all the women?
After a few minutes, Aria joined him. She eased to the ground very lady-like. “Something dawned on me when you jogged across the clearing back there. It all came back in a flash, and I hate you.”
He looked at her. What in the world had he done? She didn’t look familiar at all. “You hate me?”
She nodded. “I haven’t thought about it in years, but yes. You broke my heart eight years ago.”
“What are you talking about?”
“T-ball playoffs. Remember? Winner went to the World Series, loser was done.” The corners of her lips turned up a bit. “Right over there. Red All-stars against the mighty Blue team. You played third base, same as me. Remember now?”
A light came on. He chuckled. “Yes, I do. So that was you on the Red team?” He smiled. “They called you The Babe back then, didn’t they? Homerun queen?”
She laughed, and his day brightened. He’d have no trouble listening to that joyful sound every day for the rest of his life. He blinked. Wow, what a thought. But truth was truth.
“Poppy hung that one on me. But it came to me when I saw you trot back there, the same trot you rounded the base on when you hit that walk-off homerun that killed all our hopes.”
He hadn’t thought about that homerun in years. Two hundred and two feet down the left field line. His father bragged on him for months. “Well, didn’t matter much. We lost the first two games in Houston.”
“Maybe, but you got to go. We didn’t.”
“How come you quit playing?”
“Fast pitch softball. Only reason I played with you nasty boys was because the girls didn’t have t-ball.”
A shot rang out. Jackson reached for his pistol. Another one echoed. Two dudes on the bridge hid behind cars shooting at each other. One guy was running to get off the bridge, bicycle man peddled double time a good bit ahead of him. All the other men must have taken cover. Several quick bangs rang out.
Then the one on the Irving side charged toward the other man, firing and shouting.
The other guy stood, gripped his weapon out in front of himself with both hands, and pulled the trigger. The charging man grabbed his chest then slumped to the ground. Double-grip guy walked over and kicked the other man, then knelt beside him, obviously pilfering his pockets. Shortly, he stood and looked around then tucked his new extra gun into his belt.
Aria touched his arm. “Shoot him.”
“What? Who?”
“That guy. I recognize him. He’s one of those horrible bangers who killed my brothers, and probably Poppy, too.”
“It’s too far. Plus, if I shot at him, he’d know where we are.”
“Then follow him, track him down, and shoot him like the rabid dog he is.”
Jackson patted her hand. He understood how she felt, but he had to think about keeping everyone safe. “No, Aria. We stay right here until dark then we go north.”
She scooted away, glaring. McKenzie, crawling on her knees, drew close, and hugged her. “The Lord says vengeance belongs to Him. Don’t worry, He’ll take care of that guy, and all the others, too, who killed your family.”
Aria closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I know all that, but I want them dead now! They don’t deserve to live.”
“You’ve just got to forgive them, Aria, or the Lord can’t forgive you. That’s what the Bible says.”
Jackson kept one eye on the banger and one ear on his sister and Aria. All he needed was for the grieving girl to do something stupid. Man, things had gone totally insane; guys having a shootout right in the middle of Irving Boulevard. Which was worse? The gunfight? Or no one doing or saying anything about it?
Where were all the policemen anyway?
Did they have no sense of duty to keep some order?
Before the flash, cops would have arrived before the third shot, but now, the dead man’s family probably wouldn’t ever know what had happened to him. Much less who murdered him.
For a long time, McKenzie hugged Aria, then the girl must have dozed off or something. His sister laid her down and crawled to where he sat. “Thank you for not shooting at that guy.”
He nodded. “Thank you for helping her out.”
She shrugged. “What do you think? Will there be another hour or so before dark?”
“Maybe.” He checked the bridge. Seemed most of the activity had died down considerably. He loo
ked back. “Mom took Irving Boulevard a lot, especially if the highway was clogged.”
“So?”
“I could be back before the sun is up.”
“No. What are you thinking, Jackson? You can’t leave us.”
“What if mom’s out there on the road? Trapped in her car or something? What if she wrecked when it all shut down, and she’s hurt? You ever think of that?”
She grabbed his arm, like she could hold him back if he decided to go. “Look, I wanted to stay home and wait for her. But you and Cooper outvoted me, so here we are—together. And we’re going to stay together. Understood?”
He figured she’d say that, but he hated being so close to downtown Dallas and not going to look for her. “Okay, but just as soon as I get us to Meems’ and Pop’s, I’m coming back.”
“She’ll beat us there.”
“You don’t know that.”
“That’s what I’ve been praying. If she’d left the day everything went down, she might already be there. Smart as she is, she’d know that’s where we’d head. Or maybe she did go home and find the note and is on her way there right now. That’s what you should be praying.”
He slipped his hand behind her head, pulled her close, and kissed her forehead, just like he’d seen his father do a thousand times when she or his mother got to talking religion. “I love you, McKenzie.”
She pushed him away. “You are not my father. Don’t ever do that again.”
“Fine, then you don’t be telling me what I should and shouldn’t be doing. Don’t talk to me about praying again either. You got it?”
Aria couldn’t believe McKenzie didn’t want Jackson kissing her forehead. Her big brother telling her that he loved her. What was wrong with the girl? Or maybe the question should be what was wrong between the two?
Far as Aria was concerned, he could put his lips on her face anywhere he wanted any time. A part of her hated it that he didn’t shoot that banger, but she understood. He needed to get the kids somewhere safe. But he’d said he was coming back to look for his mom. She would just come with him.
After he got tired of looking, together they could take care of that whole gang.
