He turned back to stare morosely into the depths of the ravine. He couldn’t see the girls, but the five they’d seen go over were most certainly down there. Monica and Tabitha were the first to jump.
Monica. Why did she have to go? He had a good thing going with her. Then she’d turned into the camp whore – even more than the other women. She’d shared the beds of a lot of the guys until Perry got her last every night. He hated sharing.
He’d been lucky to find her when her family died.
The Gulch needed work. Where were they going to find more women that weren’t dead from the virus? His brain was a little fuzzy from the alcohol they continued to steal from town. Next trip in they were going to have to scrounge up some girls. The guys would never be able to get their needs met with just a handful of women. There were too many men.
Dick stumbled up the incline, barking out orders to the other men like he had any authority. Perry let him think he had sway. As far as Perry was concerned, Dick was a means to an end. They all were.
One of his ends was in the bottom of the ravine. Perry wanted to start a new family to replace the one he’d lost to the virus. He couldn’t do that when all of the women were made to service the men.
He’d have to think on it, but maybe he could find another woman like the one who had just thrown herself off the cliff.
Maybe. Maybe not.
He spit out over the rocks and turned back to the camp. They needed to call another meeting in the morning for the members of the Gulch organization. Things needed to change and Perry was done with the democracy set up. He was going to take over and the rest of them could be hanged for all he cared.
Chapter 13
Buck
The light was disappearing fast, making it difficult for Buck to see who was in the garage with him.
He cleared his throat, bending down and grabbing the closest thing he could put his hands on. He rolled his eyes when he realized he’d grabbed a spray can of paint. Why did he have paint in his garage? What was that good-for-nothing gardener doing with spray paint? He gripped the cool can in his fingers and hoped the other person didn’t have a gun. Maybe Buck could find a lighter or some matches or something and turn the can into a torch.
In the distance, the sound of men shouting carried faintly on the ocean breeze. A few rounds of gunshots followed and the person’s breathing turned to whimpers.
They must be running from the men. Buck held up his hands, a can still in one. “Hey, I’m not with them. Who are you? What do you need?” Buck spoke softly, hoping to keep the group of men away from his home as long as he could.
Shuffling from beside his rig gave away the person’s position. Buck stepped cautiously around the hood and peeked around the side. A petite, teenage girl with her hair in a messy bun and dirty tears streaking her cheeks had curled herself back in the corner of the garage.
He motioned toward her. “Come on out. Let’s see if we can get something to eat and get somewhere safer than here, okay?” He waited patiently for her to think about what he said and then to move stiffly toward him.
She would have to climb up and over a stack of winter tires his groundskeeper stored there for Buck’s SUV. The girl approached the tires, watching Buck with wide eyes. Her terror came off her in waves and it was making Buck nervous.
Her clothes were miniscule, a torn tank top and a pair of shorts that couldn’t be longer than her underwear, if she was wearing any.
Buck would place her age at roughly fifteen, give or take a couple years. She was still in the middle of puberty and her cheeks still had a sweet roundness below the apples.
“I think she ran this way!” The voices were closer, louder, angrier. They were out for revenge and to claim their lost territory.
Buck held up his hands, stopping her from climbing any higher on the stack of tires wedged between the front of the car and the wall. She was stuck and not going to get out if she didn’t climb over the tires, but it was a great hiding place.
Staring into her eyes, Buck gripped the paint can. He considered her and the situation for a drawn-out moment, making her hold her position. Finally, he spoke. “Climb into the back of the car and hide under the blankets.” He kept his tone low, commanding. She was young enough she might respond to the authority in his voice.
The girl nodded tightly, the movement small. She sidled backward, cracking open the driver’s side door and sliding into the front seat. Climbing over the seatbacks, she got into the back and Buck sighed in relief at the sight of the lap blankets ruffling up and then sinking down.
He was running out of time and he wasn’t sure what he was even waiting to do.
He could climb into the car and drive them out of there, but he had no idea what the world was like outside of his neighborhood. What if he would just be dumping them from one bad situation into a worse one?
He couldn’t just sit there and wait for the men to find him… and her. Was he going to sit there and wait for someone else to decide his fate? He could. It wasn’t like it would be the first time. He didn’t even have to be ashamed of it. Just one way to survive.
Something inside Buck reared up. He couldn’t just sit there. He had to do something. Buck could still see his neighbors’ faces floating in the pool. Waiting wasn’t an option. He scrambled over the tires, wincing with each squeak the rubber made as it rubbed on each other with the movement. He had to suck in his stomach to get himself into the front seat.
A spare key was always in the ashtray. That way he could leave no matter who was at the house and he didn’t have to search for car keys.
Hopefully, no one had siphoned the gas from the tanks. All of his other gas was gone, but this last car had its gas cap blocked by the wall. The girl was probably the first one who had been back there in a long while.
The girl’s cries weren’t annoying so much as they were worrisome. What would make someone so scared to run and then hide? But at the same time, what wasn’t terrifying enough during these times?
Buck had seen the girl’s dress. He could probably guess what she was terrified about. He just didn’t want to think too hard about it. She was a kid. That was just wrong.
He turned the key halfway in the ignition to turn on the electrical systems. Gas gauge read three-quarters tank. That could get him to the foothills. All he had to do was drive. He had to make that terrifying leap to do something other than hide in the pool house all day.
What was he going to do? His voice shook. “Hang on. I’m not sure what we’re up against, if we leave.” His hand hovered over the key to turn it once more, but this time to fully engage the engine.
The men would be upon them soon and Buck wouldn’t have the option to leave anymore.
It was now or never.
Chapter 14
Bailey
Leaving the truck was harder than leaving the house. They were chased offed the property, gunshots hitting the truck. There wasn’t an opportunity to say goodbye, to draw out the moment with sadness and wishful thinking. When they’d left the house, it hadn’t been a safe haven any longer.
The truck, though, was the only true port of safety up there in the woods that Bailey knew about. Bailey was learning fast that people couldn’t be trusted.
She and her mom were leaving their things and the truck to set off down a trail her mom wasn’t even sure was clear of people like the ones at the house. There wasn’t a lot of confidence in Cady’s expression as she bustled around Bailey to get them all ready to go.
Bailey readjusted Jessica’s position on her chest, wishing she’d demanded they stay there a bit longer to sleep or maybe drive somewhere else. She didn’t want to hike with a baby and no light. She didn’t want to hike with a baby at all.
The pacifier Bailey’s mom had gotten for Jessica was a life saver and Jessica slept while sucking on the rubber device. At least she had that going for her. How much longer would Jessica be happy to just be held?
Bailey’s back hurt. She hadn’t consid
ered anything when she’d told Scott she wanted to take Jessica with them. She hadn’t thought about how tired she’d be or that she might get sick herself. She hadn’t thought it through.
“Mom.” Her whisper was hoarse and hopefully Cady heard it. Bailey stumbled and her mom turned to catch her arm.
“Are you okay?” Cady’s voice was soft and unhurried. She looked around them, caution in her gaze. “I know you’re tired, but we need to stay quiet until we get to the footbridge. We’re almost there.” But her tone wasn’t a hundred percent confident. Was she looking around them for possible danger or because she had no idea where they were?
“Mom, are we lost?” Bailey searched her mom’s face. Cady had been so certain they had to leave the truck and their things to head up toward Bailey’s grandparents’ place. To think everything could have been for naught didn’t sit well with Bailey. “Seriously, are you lost?” Bailey stepped back, folding her arms under Jessica’s form.
Cady shook her head and took a step toward Bailey. “No. I’m not lost. It’s just been a while since I was up this way last. I’ve never hiked it in the dark either.” They were lost. That’s what she wasn’t saying. Cady hadn’t been up to visit her mom in a long time.
“Okay, so what do we do?” Bailey turned in a half-circle, trying to get her bearings. She didn’t even know which way they’d come. They hadn’t been following a specific trail or anything. Just kind of walking along the side of the road until just before the blocked bridge and then veering off to the north.
They’d left the view of the river with its silvery ripples under the moon and they’d been walking a lot longer than three-hundred yards.
Bailey worked her tongue in her mouth. She was thirsty and it was almost time to check Jessica’s diaper and feed her. She was so tired. She just wanted to sleep. She pivoted on her heel back to her mom and stepped on a log, falling through the rotten wood and twisting her ankle to the side.
Crying out, Bailey caught herself before falling on Jessica. Shifting to her side, she sat on the chilly ground and cradles her ankle.
“Bailey? Where are you?” Cady’s panicked whisper came from deeper in the shadows of the forest. When had she gotten that far away? The situation went from nerve-wracking to terrifying.
“Mom, I’m here.” Bailey whimpered in reply. The pain was sharp and debilitating. She wasn’t sure she could stand, in fact, she was pretty sure she couldn’t even crawl – at least for a bit. The pain jutted up her calf and down into her toes.
Cady returned to her, kneeling on the ground beside Bailey and looking her over. “Are you okay? Is Jessica?” She patted Bailey’s back and shoulders as if she could tell her condition by feel. “What happened?”
“I fell. My ankle. I don’t think I can walk.” Bailey spoke through gritted teeth. “Mom, I need to rest. I can’t keep going like this. I’m too tired. You’re too tired. We need a break.” Sleep or no, she literally couldn’t keep going like they were. But she needed sleep. It wouldn’t hurt one bit.
“I know. But I’m not sure where we can go.” Cady looked around, studying the deep night for a sign of safety nearby. “Here.” She passed Bailey a lighter. “I’m going to start walking that way. When you hear me whistling in a bit, light this and I’ll follow it back. Okay?” She didn’t wait for Bailey’s agreement. She turned, striding off as if she wasn’t worried there would be a log for her to fall on.
The night hadn’t felt all that cold as they’d walked, keeping their blood moving and a slight layer of perspiration on their skin. But as her mom left, Bailey suddenly noticed the chilly night air. The warm spot on her chest kept Bailey calmer than if she’d been completely alone.
She slid her pack from her back, leaning against a tree trunk to rest. Pulling Jessica carefully from the wrap, Bailey checked her diaper. Pulling her jacket off from over the shawl wrap she’d created, she laid Jessica on the warm insides of the jacket and pulled out some diapers. Her arms and fingers were cold and goosebumps rose on her skin.
Cady had mentioned they would need to make some cloth diapers once they ran out of the disposable ones. Thankfully, Jessica wasn’t soiled, just wet. Bailey did the best she could in the dark and then redressed her. She wasn’t a fan of changing diapers already. How would she feel with the cloth ones to change?
Mixing a bottle in the dark was almost impossible, but she made due, sipping on the water in the plastic bottle just a bit before returning it to the bag. Rewrapping the shawl around her midsection and across her shoulders, Bailey repositioned Jessica. The baby didn’t stir so Bailey didn’t wake her to feed.
She’d heard once not to wake a sleeping baby. She wouldn’t have changed her, if she wasn’t sure when her next chance would be. Plus, staying busy had helped with the pain, but now that she had nothing left to do and no way to walk around, she became acutely aware of her situation.
Her ankle throbbed and a fine layer of sweat broke out on her forehead. She was in serious pain, made worse by her fatigue and hunger. She didn’t dare pull out any food, though.
Where had she put that lighter? She patted around the ground, feeling for the small metal body. Hopefully, her mom would be signaling for her any second. She continued patting the ground. Where would she have put it? She couldn’t go far with her touch as she felt for the small device.
A soft whistle called off from the direction Cady had gone and Bailey’s breath came faster and faster. Where was the lighter?
Another whistle, shorter and more urgent called out.
Bailey wrapped her fingers around the lighter. As if one movement, she exhaled on a whoosh and flicked the lighter until she got a flame. Holding it aloft, she sat there in a tiny pool of light and waited for her mom to find her.
The metal got hot where the flame was and her thumb burned by the time her mom finally walked into the clearing. An older man with an Army Veteran’s hat on and a dark blue bomber jacket followed behind her.
Bailey let the lighter turn off, blowing on her thumb as she waited for her eyes to adjust. What was her mom doing?
“This must be her.” The man’s gruff voice seemed comforting under the circumstances when it shouldn’t have been. They weren’t supposed to trust anyone. No one was safe. Why was he there and what would he have them do?
“Thank you again Dusty. I knew you and Elba were around here somewhere, but I couldn’t remember where. I can get Bailey back to your place, if that’s okay?” Cady’s voice was warm and she bent down to help Bailey up.
Bailey accepted her mom’s help reluctantly. She strained her eyes to see her mom beside her, but nothing worked. Cady’s face was a pale blur as she struggled to get Bailey to her feet.
The yellow gold of the hat was like a beacon in the night. Very easy to see and identify. Dusty nodded his head, his hat moving up and down. “Yep, you two follow me back. There’s some more things that will trip you up, if you’re not careful.” He waved his hand and bent down, claiming the pack sitting beside Bailey. Hopefully, she’d packed everything. Changing Jessica was one thing, leaving everything spread out on the grass around her was something else.
Sighing in relief, Cady wrapped Bailey’s arm around her shoulders and hoisted her daughter as much as she could. “You need to help. Put your other hand under Jessica and keep her from jarring. You’re going to have to lean on me and limp or jump. One of the two.” She waited patiently for Bailey to get her bearings.
“How far is it?” Bailey whispered, she didn’t want to ask Dusty since he was the host, but she needed to know how much she had to suck up the pain
Dusty’s hearing wasn’t typical and he answered for Cady. “We’re not too far this way. The way you’re limping, we’ll be there in about ten minutes. Your mom found it in five.”
Ten minutes. Bailey could do anything for ten minutes. Ten minutes. That’s it. That’s all it would take. Each painful half-limp forward and then stop for a short break was discouraging and debilitating when she just wanted to sit down. The pain in
creased and she was gasping in no time, panting hard for a full chest of air.
Ten minutes passed like it was a year, but they finally reached a log cabin with one level.
Dusty held open the door and motioned them inside. A small candle burned further inside on a small table, providing more light to see without being bright as having all the lights on. “Elba is sleeping. She’s not the same since the virus. Tosses and turns a lot. I never sleep. I’m full of piss and vinegar.” He winked, chuckling as he closed the door behind them. He held out his hand and waited for their coats.
Bailey handed hers over and Dusty got a good look at her front. “Oh, you have a child. Well, later in the morning, Elba would be tickled to see the baby, if’n that’s alright by you. Until then we need to get you some rest. You two can stay here until it’s safe.” His words were meant to make them feel better, but some of them felt like lies to Bailey. Not like he was going to kill them in his sleep, but more like who was he kidding?
As far as Bailey could tell, it would never be safe again. Bailey and Cady had already established that possibility was long gone. Now they just had to find a community or a place to belong so they could survive. Bailey understood that. She wasn’t against it. She just wanted to figure out how to get there and get it done.
Who would want to let into their group a girl with only one working foot?
Old Dusty, though, set a bar across his door and handed them both a thick crocheted blanket he pulled from the back of a couch. “We only have the one bedroom. Kids never were in our cards in this life. We never had a need for more rooms. You’re welcome to the couches and the recliner. Wherever you can sleep. I’m up for the day. Dawn should be soon and I’m not one to waste the daylight. You’ll both be fine here. Ole Dusty will watch out for ya.” He set Bailey’s pack by the couch and nodded at them, moving down the hallway and leaving them in the open family room.
Fit In Page 6
