by A. American
Jeff came up to the truck as Danny was getting in on the passenger side. “Don’t worry, man, we’ll keep an eye on ’em.”
“I know, and thanks.”
He slapped the door as I pulled away. We made two more trips, hauling more crap then you could imagine—fuel drums from my house, wood stoves, generators that Ted scavenged from abandoned houses while we were gone. We were on our way out to the cabins on the fourth trip when the bill for using the exact same route again and again was delivered.
Just after we made the turn onto Highway 42 at the Kangaroo store, a figure stepped out into the road and fired at Sarge’s buggy. Danny and I realized something was up when Ted opened up on the SAW from the passenger side. The muzzle flashes in the tunnel of trees in the dark gave the scene a surreal strobe-light effect. I saw the figure in the road go down. Tracers streamed from the weapon as Ted turned his attention to the right side of the road.
“On the right, fire on the right side!” Sarge screamed into the radio.
Danny stuck the muzzle of his rifle out the window and fired blindly into the night. Sarge stomped on the accelerator, and I followed suit, pushing the old Suburban hard to clear the ambush.
“Is everyone okay? You guys all right back there?” Sarge called.
“Yeah, we’re good, you guys all right?” Danny replied.
“I sprung a leak, but it ain’t nothin’.”
“I hope the old shit’s all right,” I said, watching the road ahead.
“It’d probably take more than that to kill the old fucker.”
We made it to the cabins without further incident. Sarge climbed out of the buggy, blood all over his face, though you couldn’t tell from the way he acted. He immediately went to unloading the trailer.
“Sarge, hey, you need to clean that shit up,” I said, grabbing his arm as he headed for the cabin.
Jerking his arm away, he said, “I’m fine, it’s only a scratch.”
“I ain’t worried about your old ass; I don’t want my wife and kids to see you like this. Clean that shit up,” I said as I threw him a bandanna.
He smiled, the glow from kerosene lanterns barely illuminating his face. “Good point,” he said as he started to wipe at the drying blood, spitting onto the cloth, “What’d ya mean, you ain’t worried about me?” he said, grinning like a mule eating unripe apples.
“Shit, it’d take more than that to kill your ole mean ass. You ain’t fooling anyone.”
He laughed and picked up a box, helping me and the guys carry the rest of what needed to go inside into the cabins.
“Are you done for the night?” Mel asked as I dropped a box onto the ground.
“No, one more trip and we are. How are the girls taking to the new place?”
She pointed to two mattresses on the other side of the cabin. They were all out.
“Good, you okay?”
“Yeah, Mike and Jeff are being a pain in the ass trying too hard to help, but I’m all right.”
I laughed. “Take a broom to ’em if they get to bothering you.”
“I will. Just hurry, okay?”
“We will.” I kissed her on my way out the door and glanced at my watch. It was two forty-five in the morning. One more trip would put us here close to daylight.
“Morgan!” Sarge called from outside.
I hopped down the stairs. “Yeah!”
“We need another route; we can’t go that way again.”
“There’s another way, but we’re going to have to cut through the woods. Since we aren’t taking the trailer this trip, we should be able to make it.”
“You got enough fuel in this rig?”
“Yeah, but it will probably be close to empty by the time we get back.”
Sarge looked around for the drums delivered earlier in the evening. “Any diesel around here?”
I pointed to a drum. “About ten gallons in that one.”
“Let’s get that onboard and hurry up about it.” Sarge grabbed the radio mic from his shoulder. “Thad, how’s it looking over there?”
“All quiet. Was all the shootin’ you guys?”
“Yeah, we ran into a little something. Everyone’s all right. We’re about to head back. Taking a different route this time, though, so it’s gonna take longer.”
“We’ll be waiting.”
Jeff helped me pump the fuel into the truck with a bucket since the pump wouldn’t pick it up. Sarge was standing in the driver’s seat of his buggy watching us. “Hurry the hell up!”
“Grumpy ole fuck,” Jeff said, slipping the hose out of the truck.
“What!” Sarge barked.
Jeff looked at me and I smiled, shaking my head.
“What’s he got, bionic ears?”
“Nah, I think he’s got a Miracle-Ear,” I said, laughing.
Jeff started to laugh as he took the bucket and pump to store. Looking over his shoulder, he yelled, “Y’all come back now, ya hear?”
“You ready?” I asked Danny.
“Nope.”
“Good, me neither.”
Instead of taking a left off the cabin road we went right. I was hoping that no one would be up this late in Shockley Heights, and we seemed to be in the clear so far. It was as if we were the last people on Earth—there was no one around, no sign of life. Veering off the road, we took one of the streets that dead-ended into a dirt road that lead out into the forest.
Driving down that road, I thought about the history of this area. When settlers first moved into the Ocala Forest area, they found it to be an inhospitable land. The deep sugar sand made the prospect of farming bleak at best. The only thing growing in most of the forest was scrub oaks, sand pines and palmettos. The sand, remnants of a seafloor from long ago, made growing anything nearly impossible. And it also created problems for travelers—including us. I was bouncing Danny around as we headed down the road. Even in the days prior to our current situation, it was a place reserved for rednecks and 4×4s.
“You sure you know where you’re goin’?” Sarge called over the radio.
Danny picked up the radio and said, “We’re lost,” a big smile on his face.
“All right, smartass, you two better get us back.”
We were on the back side of Lake Dorr when we got stuck. “Dammit!” I said.
Sarge rolled up beside me, “What the hell, you stuck?”
“What gave it away, the fact that we aren’t moving or all the flying dirt?”
Sarge shook his head as he pulled around in front of me. Ted hopped out and started spooling winch cable out the front of the buggy. Sarge came back with a tow strap in hand and he and Danny connected it to the truck. By then Ted had the winch cable hooked to a tree out in front of them. Once the strap was connected to the buggy, Sarge was ready to start pulling.
I stuck my hand out the window and waved him forward. Ted was standing off to the side of the buggy running the winch, and when he started pulling I gave the truck some gas. As the wheels slipped through the sand, it lurched forward, gaining a little ground at a time. It soon became obvious that we weren’t getting out like this.
Danny appeared out of the woods dragging some large pieces of wood. We spent a few minutes digging the front of the tires out and wedging the wood under them. Once it was in place we tried again. This time, after a little pulling, we got out.
“All right,” I said. “It’s official: we’ll take another route on the return trip that’s longer but will keep us on roads. No way in hell are we doing that again.”
About twenty minutes later, we finally made it, coming in through the back of the neighborhood. Sarge called Doc on the radio to tell him where we were coming from so we didn’t get shot. We went to Danny’s place first to grab the last of what was there.
“Hey, Morgan, where was that house that you said we coul
d put some stuff so they won’t find it?” Danny asked.
“In the shop of the house a few doors down. Why, what do you have?”
“Just some stuff we don’t need to take, but I don’t want burned.”
“Make it quick; we gotta get the hell out of here,” Sarge said as he sped off. “We’re going to take care of Reggie’s body.”
Danny and I took a few minutes to move some things into the shop, placing them all so it would look like they belonged there. Then we headed for my place for the last of my stuff like chainsaws, the woodstove and pipe, and whatever else looked handy. I backed the truck up to the small trailer with the power plant and hooked up. Danny started taking the panels down, and I pulled the wire out of the conduits and tossed them in as well. We soon had them all stored inside the trailer so we headed back down the road.
• • •
Doc and Thad met Sarge at Reggie’s body. Sarge wrapped him in a sheet and they all gently laid him into the bucket of the tractor. They decided to bury him behind the house. Once the hole was deep enough Thad and Ted stepped in and laid him out.
“Anyone got any words for him?” Sarge asked.
For a moment no one said anything, then as the eastern sky began to shift from black to the cobalt of morning, Thad said, “The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”
Silence followed, then Sarge said, “I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.” In the dim light, everyone looked at the old man. He cleared his throat and added, “An’ we got some vengeance to deliver.”
Chapter 23
The sun and the noise of the girls woke me up a few hours later. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes. The trip back was uneventful, thank goodness, but I was groggy and my muscles ached. And I was hungry. Luckily Mel had the stove set up there and something smelled great.
“What smells so good?” I asked as I got up.
“Fried chicken,” she replied. “Thad brought them over this morning, cleaned and ready for the pan.”
“Four chickens aren’t going to go far with this many people.”
“Nope, but there’s other stuff too. They have some fish they’re cooking on the fire.”
“I’m going to have to get out and do some looking. Meat’s good, but we’re going to need veggies too.”
“You need to get a garden going soon,” she said, taking a piece out of the pan and setting it on a wire rack over a baking sheet.
“Hey, that’s a good idea,” I said, pointing to the sheet.
“Yeah, we’re out of paper towels. Can you pick some up at the store?” she said with a smile.
I laughed. “Yeah, just put it on the list on the fridge.”
She handed me a drumstick. “Eat something before you go out.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice. Hey, we got any more coffee?”
“Yeah, a little, you want some?”
I smiled. “Make a pot; when it’s ready just bring me a cup out to the fire.”
I gave her a kiss and slipped on my Crocs that Mel had laid out, a nice change of pace from the boots I had been wearing. I grabbed my pistol and headed out the door, greeted by the dogs that were waiting for some scraps of fried chicken. I shooed them away and joined the guys, who were sitting around the fire pit in an assortment of camp chairs we had brought. I fell into one of them, putting my feet out toward the fire.
“Morning, princess. Glad you could join us,” Sarge said as I sat down.
“Do you ever sleep?”
“Naw, he just hangs upside down for an hour or so,” Mike said.
“You can sleep when you’re dead,” Sarge added.
“Well, what’s the plan?”
“We were just talking about that. I know you boys need to set up house an’ all, but we want to go out and take a look around.” Sarge nodded toward the creek. “I wanna go see what’s out there.”
“Gonna take the boat?”
“Yeah, I’ll take ’em out for a ride,” Danny said.
“Cool. I’m going to work on getting the power set up and making sure Mel and the girls are getting settled in.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Sarge said, pushing a piece of wood into the fire with the toe of his boot.
Mel walked out and handed me a cup of coffee. “Here, babe.”
I smiled at her and said, “Why, thank you, you’re so sweet.” Everyone was looking at me as I took a sip and sighed. “Oh man, is that some good coffee or what.”
Sarge glared at me, but Jeff was the first to speak up. “That’s just not right.”
Thad was smiling. “Miss Mel, I know he put you up to that. Is there any more left?”
“Oh, sure, Thad, not a problem.” Once Mel was out of earshot, Sarge frowned at me. “Dickhead.”
Smiling, I asked, “What? What’d I do?”
Mel returned with the pot and some cups. Looking around, she said, “We need a table or something out here.”
“I tell you what, Mel, you give me that pot and I’ll get you a table today,” Sarge said.
“Deal,” Mel said as she handed mugs out to everyone.
“I know where there are some picnic tables, but we’ll need a few people to go. I’m not going by myself,” I said.
“I’ll hang out and help you,” Mike said.
“I’ll help too,” Thad said. “I’m not one for boat rides.”
“Cool, y’all drink your coffee and we’ll get to work.”
Danny, Sarge and Jeff got ready to head out on the river while the rest of worked on getting the cabins in order. Thad and I shooed the girls out while we worked, and with Thad’s help we mounted three cabinets in each cabin, making Mel and Bobbie very happy. As we were finishing the last one for Bobbie, I asked how she liked the cabin.
She looked around. “It’s not as nice as home, but it beats sleeping in a tent.”
Thad laughed. “Amen to that. I hate sleeping outside. I had enough of that trying to get home!”
Bobbie smiled as she crossed her arms over her chest. “It’ll be okay. I’m going to get with Mel to talk about dinner. With all of us together now, I want it to be nice.”
“I’m all for that, just let us know what you need,” Thad said.
While we were talking, the girls walked up. It was still so odd to see the older ones carrying weapons.
“Hey, Dad, we want to go fishing,” Lee Ann said.
“Really? I think we can work that out.” Looking at Thad, I asked, “You want to go fishing?”
He smiled his signature big smile. “Sure, it’d be fun.”
“I’m gonna get my fishing pole!” Little Bit shouted as she ran off.
“We’ll get some rods and meet you guys at the creek,” I said. Mike and Ted were going through the stuff stored under the cabin.
“What are y’all looking for?” Thad asked.
“Where’s the paddles for those kayaks?” Ted asked.
“They’re under Danny’s cabin. You guys going out on the water?” I asked.
“No, I just want them at the creek in case we need them.” Ted climbed out. “What are you two up to?”
“We’re going fishing, want to come?” Thad said.
Ted and Mike looked at one another. “Sure.”
We gathered rods and tackle boxes, and headed for the creek.
“Dad, I found worms!” Little Bit shouted, holding up a wiggler.
“Great. If we don’t catch any fish, then we can eat the bait,” Mike said.
“Eww, that’s gross! I’m not eating worms!”
“Man, look at the size of th
ose guys over there,” Mike said, pointing to a school of fish in the current. “But they won’t hit the worms.”
Ted looked over. “They’re mullet; they don’t eat worms.”
“Are they any good to eat?” Mike asked.
“Oh yeah, I love smoked mullet,” Thad said.
Mike looked at Ted. “We gotta find a way to get them.”
“I got one!” Taylor shouted, reeling in a nice brim. She lifted the fish out of the water, holding it up. Everyone commented on the fish, but Taylor wasn’t satisfied. “Is someone going to take it off?”
We all laughed at her. “You caught it, you take it off,” I said.
“I’m not touching it!”
“Figure it out; it’s your fish.”
Taylor proceeded to try and shake it off. When that didn’t work, she tried to drag it off on the grass. Mike and Ted were laughing at her, making her mad.
“Come on, someone take it off, please!”
“It’s just a fish, just grab it and take it off.” I said as I took one off of Little Bit’s line.
“Hey, you’re taking her fish off!” Taylor protested.
“She’s little; she can’t do it.”
Thad went over to Taylor. “Let me show you a trick.” He took the rod and laid the fish on the ground, putting a foot on it. “Now just grab the hook and pull it out.” He twisted the hook out of the mouth. “See?”
“Oh yeah, I can do that! Thanks a lot, Thad.”
“My boy didn’t like to touch ’em either,” he said with a smile.
“At least someone helped me.” She stuck her tongue out at me and I couldn’t help but laugh.
The pile of fish was starting to grow. Lee Ann picked up the method and soon even Little Bit was taking her own fish off.
“I still want those mullet,” Mike said.
“I know how we can get them. I’ve got a gill net out of a pilot survival kit at the cabin. We can use it to net them,” I said.
Mike quickly reeled in his line. “Well, what are we waiting on? Let’s go get them, man!”
“I’ll stay here with the girls,” Thad said.
Mike pointed at him as he followed me. “You do that, catch some fish!”
We went up to the cabin and began to search. Kneeling down under the edge of the cabin, Mike squatted down beside me. “Where is it?”
