In the midst of the room’s noise, a quiet voice rose above the chaos. Until that moment Amy-Red tail had remained silent throughout the meeting, but now every eye turned to her.
“We don’t know for a fact that the Chief has declared war on the whites because we’ve all been sitting here and not in the church. It seems to me that means we still have a few minutes before Two-Steps arrives and tells us as much,” she said.
“And?” Little Bird pressed.
“And, when the tribe is at war, the Chief has nearly absolute power, but while we’re at peace, the Council of Elders still has some authority. I have an idea.”
“It won’t be much longer now,” Miles said taping the screen.
The trio had managed to limp the buggy along for nearly eight miles after their disastrous encounter at the checkpoint, but it looked like the rover was nearing the end of its road. The ruined hub had gouged a continuous line in the pavement behind them as they fled, sending up a steady stream of sparks in their passing. It was only thanks to the vehicle’s all-wheel drive that Kyle was able to steer at all, with the right front wheel alone being used to awkwardly adjust their course. Thankfully, as Miles had promised, their route through the heart of Provo was flat, straight, and courtesy of the Protectorate, free of any obstacles that might have blocked their path.
For a time, Kyle had even allowed himself to believe that perhaps they even had a chance of escaping their pursuer, that’s when Miles first pointed out the status of their battery. It seemed that running three electric motors at full speed to drag the fourth along wasn’t the most economical uses of power. That, coupled with the fact that the buggy had completed nearly a six-hour run before getting skewered had reduced the remaining power on the indicator to a single red blinking bar.
“Coal, any sign?” Kyle shouted.
The bounty hunter faced the road behind and from the moment they had lost sight of their attacker Coal hadn’t dared to look away.
“No, but honestly I wouldn’t expect there to be. Whomever this son of a bitch is, he’s good, and it’s not like we can really hide.”
Kyle nodded at that, it was hard to miss a buggy driving down the middle of the road and shooting sparks. Glancing around, the terrain wasn’t helping them much either. Provo in many ways reminded him of home, the place had the same small town feel with very few building more than two stories tall. And just like back home, many of those buildings showed signs of fire damage and other acts of violence in the past. In short, the whole place was prime territory for an ambush and every intersection they passed through without coming under attack just put Kyle even more on edge.
“How much farther Miles?”
The old man consulted the map one more time and then shading his eyes from the setting sun peered ahead of them.
“I think that’s it, up there on the right!”
Kyle squinted and following Miles’ gaze he was just able to make out a building standing just above the roofline. It was oddly shaped, looking more like aircraft hangar than any factory Kyle had ever seen. It was completely windowless and boasted a pair of high bay doors. At first, Kyle thought they must be just a few blocks away, but then he realized that the building was massive in size and they had at least another mile to go.
“Look at it Kyle, just look!”
“I see it.”
“Not a mark, no signs of fire damage or looting or anything.”
“Don’t get your hopes up, we’re still a long way off, and…”
At that moment the rover’s entire dashboard began to flicker and then after a few seconds, died completely. The wheel in Kyle’s hands suddenly jerked to the left and went completely unresponsive, and the vehicle began to turn sharply, pivoting on the ruined hub. Kyle slammed the brakes on reflex and then when nothing happened, he stomped on the accelerator instead. It was about that time that Kyle realized he could no longer hear the hum of the electric motors. The rover skidded to a halt just a few feet from a street lamp, a dead and broken thing, perhaps a mile from where it was born. The three men sat there in the now lifeless rover for a few moments, as if unsure of what had just happened and what to do next.
“Well, nothing lasts forever,” Coal said.
Kyle turned and looked at Miles, “Damn it, I hope you’re right about this.”
Then stepping down from the rover he added, “Take only the weapons, water, and food.”
“What about my tools!”
“Either we’ll be coming back to fix the buggy, and we can get them then, or you’re tools aren’t really going to matter. Without this buggy, we’ll never see your pump or for that matter home again.”
The bounty hunter jumped down from the rover. His hand was wrapped in a bloody rag, but he still gripped what remained of his ruined rifle. Coal took a moment to check his saber and his hunting knife and then threw the water skin Zebadiah had given them over his shoulder. Kyle jumped down next and then moved around the buggy to help Miles dismount. The old man nearly collapsed before Kyle could get a shoulder under him and prop the old man up against the side of the buggy.
“I’m sorry Kyle, I think maybe today’s excitement has already taken more out of me than I realized.”
“Yeah, you and me both,” the scavenger replied.
Reaching back into the buggy, Kyle pulled out the black iron spear.
“Here you go, I know it’s not as fancy as your old crutch, but it’ll at least give you something to lean on.”
“You mean it’ll give me something to shove up that guy’s ass if he shows up again.”
“Oh, he’ll be showing up again, I think we can count on that,” Coal remarked.
“Then let’s get moving.”
Coal took point, moving out of the roadway and down an alley between a pair of ruined buildings. Miles and Kyle followed behind him, the old man leaning on the spear with one arm and against the scavenger with the other. Just before they rounded the corner, Kyle glanced back at the ruined buggy. He had learned from a young age not to become attached to things, as this new world had a way of taking them away from you. Still, Kyle couldn’t help but feel a sense of regret at leaving the vehicle behind. Finding the working rover had seemed like a miracle. It helped him save Anna, Kill Murphy and over the last few days, it had provided them with their only real chance of saving their town. Just as he had told Miles, a part of Kyle hoped beyond reason that they would be able to return and fix the rover, but the practical side of him knew better.
The trio moved through the empty streets and back alleys as quietly as they could, as the sun began to slide farther behind the horizon. In many ways, the streets of Provo reminded Kyle of their own town, but something about the place seemed odd. The burned out buildings and abandoned structures looked the same, but the whole town held an aloofness that the scavenger just couldn’t place until Mile’s spoke.
“Have you noticed it?” he asked.
“Noticed what?”
“This place, it hasn’t been picked over?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean think back to any side street or alleyway, or even building for that matter, in our entire town, they’re all littered with junk.”
Kyle was nodding now, he knew exactly what Miles meant, it was something that as a scavenger he had become very familiar with. As people dug through the ruins, seeking anything that they could use to help them survive, they tossed aside all of the now useless things they came across. Stuffed animals, bits of clothing, broken dishes, electronics of all shapes and sizes, all of the trappings of modern life, now rendered worthless. The junk covered the floors of the ruined buildings and invariable spilled out into the streets and alleyways. Overtime Kyle had grown to think of it as the flotsam and jetsam of a dead world.
“You’re right, this place is way to clean? But why?”
“No clue, we know there are people close by, we’ve seen plenty of them on the roadway already. Why wouldn’t they have come through and looted these places yet?”<
br />
“Beats me, I…”
Kyle was cut off by a sharp hiss and looked up to find Coal kneeling next to the mouth of the alleyway. He gave the scavenger a fierce look and then raised a finger to his lips. Both Miles and Kyle immediately went quiet. The trio stood there for a few moments in silence, each listening intently until the sound of their own hearts was all they could hear. Then, just when Kyle was convinced there was nothing to fear, he heard it, the sound of running boots. It was faint and seemed distant, but Kyle knew the way that sound tended to echo through empty streets.
“Is that him?” Miles whispered.
“Who else would it be?” Coal replied, “Now follow me, stay close and stay quiet.”
The bounty hunter rounded the corner and Miles, and Kyle followed after him, doing everything they could follow the man’s instructions. They cut through the remains of a burned out dinner and then slipped through a car lot next door, being careful to stay behind the rusting vehicles and the pools of broken glass. Halfway across the lot, they paused for a moment so Miles could catch his breath and Coal could get his bearings when Kyle spotted the distinctive roof again. The building was now directly to their right, perhaps three blocks.
“Coal, we need to start heading that way,” he whispered pointing.
The bounty hunter just shook his head in reply, “Tonto, you still haven’t learned shit about tactics, have you? Whoever this son of a bitch is that’s hunting us, he don’t know where we're going. So let me ask you, should we head straight for the place we want to go? Or maybe lead him on a merry fucking goose chase and hope he loses our trail?”
Kyle couldn’t help but see the logic in Coal’s words and nodded.
“It’ll be full on dark in half an hour, I say we find a place to lay low until then and move towards Miles factory after dark. If we’re lucky, this guy will pass us on by and keep moving. But even if he’s still close enough to hear us, he sure as shit won’t be able to see us.”
Miles was nodding as well, “I like your plan, particularly the part about laying low. I’m all but spent.”
Coal nodded and following the bounty hunter they group moved deeper into the car lot, looking for a place to await the darkness.
Little Bird, the Council of Elders and their families crowded around Anna, filling the old woman’s front porch and spilling out across what remained of her yard. They stood in silence and watched as Chief Two-Steps approached, with what looked like the remainder of the tribe trailing behind him. The sun was setting, and people in both crowds held lanterns, anticipating the darkness to come.
Walking at the front of the approaching tribe, the Chief of the Indian Nation cut an imposing figure. Two-Steps still wore the traditional eagle feathered bonnet and war paint that Laughing Dog and Little Bird had seen him in the previous day, and she doubted the man had even slept. She did, however, notice one thing new the Chief had added to his ceremonial outfit. A hatchet now rode in the belt at his waist. Next to the chief Little Bird recognized Timmy Too-short, Black Snake’s Grandson was shirtless, splattered with dried blood and absolutely filthy from his head to his toes. Behind them, more than a dozen of Two-Steps new warriors followed, and behind them the remainder of the tribe.
Just then, Little Bird looked to her left and noticed a half a dozen riders on horseback approaching from the opposite end of the street. They were older braves the old woman realized. Two-Steps had sent them ahead to prevent anyone from running, and Little Bird guessed that if she looked out her backdoor this moment, she would find even more of them. Even now the old woman couldn’t help but admire the young Chief. Undoubtedly Two-Steps had intended the gathering at the church to be a major event, him in his full regalia, surrounded by his Braves, sharing the tale of their victory and announcing the death of the white town. And though Anna’s arrival had thrown a wrench into the plan Two-Steps was still getting exactly what he wanted. The tribe would see him as a powerful warrior, battling the enemies of the tribe wherever he found them, even amongst the Council of Elders, when he publicly catches them harboring an enemy of the Indian Nation.
Little Bird could see it now, Anna would be dragged into the streets and surrounded by her people. Two-Steps would step forward, looking particularly solemn but laughing on the inside as he took Anna by the hair in one hand and the hatchet in the other. Surely, someone would cry out, “She’s pregnant, show her mercy!”
Then Two-Steps would shake his head and with a look of sadness provide an already well-polished line, something like. “My people, I cannot, because she has been sent here by our enemies. Can you even imagine a more sympathetic spy? This is how the whites think and how they will try and fight us, by playing to our sympathies, by making us question our every judgment! This woman is a spy and an enemy of our people! I don’t relish what has to be done here, but as your Chief, I will not shirk from my duties!”
In Little Bird’s mind’s eyes, she saw it all, Anna screaming as Two-Steps forced her head back. The Chief, barely able to stifle a grin as he raised the hatchet over his head. Little Bird and the Council of Elders powerless, forced watch in horror. The old woman shook her head, dismissing the images from her head and forcing herself to take a deep breath. She tried to remind herself that was what Two-Steps wanted to happen, what he expected to happen. However, there was no way the Chief could have foreseen what was going to happen and at that moment he and the rest of the tribe arrived in front of her house.
“Little Bird,” he called out.
“Yes, my Chief?”
“Come forward, woman.”
Little Bird nodded and began to move forward when a hand snaked out and grabbed her arm. “Mother, no!” her daughter begged.
“Hush now child, I’m surrounded by my own people, I’ve never been safer,” she replied.
Little Bird pulled her arm free and then moved forward again, hoping she was right. The old woman walked across the yard to stand in front of the Chief. For a moment, Two-Steps looked annoyed as if he had hoped she would have to be pulled from the house by force.
“Greetings my Chief,” she said in a voice loud enough to ensure everyone could hear.
“My apologies for not attending your rally, but the Council of Elders was called away on a very important matter.”
“An important matter respected elder? I have just received a very disturbing report that you and the elders are hiding an enemy of the tribe.”
“That is a very disturbing report, what enemy would that be my Chief?”
“You know what enemy Little Bird, the whites which you are so fond of!” Two-Steps snapped.
“They do have their moments, don’t they?” the old woman replied with a smile and then quickly added, “But this is the first I’ve heard of them being declared enemies of the Indian Nation. Tell me, was that something you announced at your little rally?”
The Chief’s jaw clenched tightly, and for a moment Little Bird wondered if perhaps she had pressed him too far. When the Chief spoke again, his voice sounded strained.
“Where is the white doctor?”
“She’s right here my Chief.” Little Bird replied and then turning to face the house called out, “Anna, can you come forward please?”
The crowd on Little Bird’s porch parted, and the pregnant woman stepped forward. The blanket they had given her was gone, and she wore her tattered and blood-stained scrubs once again. Anna’s arm was in a sling, cradling her broken wrist and her face was swollen and bruised. As Anna stood there, Little Bird could tell the woman was thrusting out her swollen midsection, doing everything she could to look the part of a helpless and battered woman. It had the desired effect as Little Bird could hear the gasps and quiet murmurs in the crowd of people behind her. If seeing the woman’s condition had any effect on Two-Steps the Chief didn’t show it. Instead, he stepped around Little Bird and began to stalk directly towards Anna.
Seeing the big man approaching sent Anna’s heart racing and again a part of her begged to be allowed to fle
e, but she pushed the voice away and stood her ground. Two-Steps was halfway across the yard when Little Bird called after him.
“My Chief, perhaps we should speak as to what Anna is doing here?”
Two-Steps laughed, “Yes, I would like to hear that myself,” he said, not breaking stride.
“It’s of a rather personal nature.”
“What personal business could she possibly have with the Council of Elders?” he shouted.
“Anna came here to petition the Council for adoption into the Indian Nation.”
Little Bird’s words sent a ripple of gasps through the crowd. Chief Two-Steps stopped dead in his tracks, halfway between Anna and Little Bird and then spun around on his heels.
“Adoption?” he shouted.
“Yes, adoption,” Little Bird replied. “As you may recall my Chief, we have had this conversation before. It’s the Council of Elders responsibility to mark the calendars, keep the records, oversee marriages and approve adoptions. Which we did for Anna, just moments ago.”
Chief Two-Steps could only stare at the old woman in stunned silence, while all around them the murmuring amongst the gathered people continued to grow. Little Bird couldn’t help but allow herself to feel the smallest bit of pride at having managed to finally outmaneuver the man. However, just as the edges of Little Bird’s mouth began to turn upward into a smile, they stopped when she saw the look in Two-Step’s eyes.
“Whose family adopted her?” he asked.
“Well, my Chief, it was my family, but…”
“Ha! You should have paid more attention to your own rules old woman!” Two-Steps said with a laugh and pointing at her.
The Road North Page 39
