by J. R. Tate
She ran her hand down the side of Margaret’s face and felt warmth in the corners of her eyes as tears formed.
“I’m okay, Cecilia. I’m okay.” Margaret hugged her tightly, both of them unwilling to let the other one go. “I thought we’d never get back here.”
“Is Daddy up there with Ryan? Who all made it back?”
The look on her mom’s face proved that the entire trip wasn’t a complete success. Margaret looked down and when she finally made eye contact with Cecilia again, tears fell down her cheeks, moistening her skin. She wiped them away but the crying didn’t stop.
Was it Ryan? Had he been killed? Her heart sank and she felt the urge to throw up. “Mom, what is it? What happened?”
“Your Dad, Cecilia. He didn’t make it back here. Ryan is okay and so is his father. Doug made it back too. They stayed up there to fight.”
“Dad didn’t make it?” Cecilia sat on the cot. She felt guilty for the relief that it wasn’t Ryan but a sudden pang of sorrow washed over her like she had been submerged into a deep river. “What happened to him, Mom? Oh my God...”
“He fell ill before Ryan and his group even got to us. His blood sugar was out of control and we were out of his medicine. We weren’t getting good nutrition with having to ration everything and it just got out of control. By the time Ryan got there, he had fallen into a diabetic coma and it was too late. They tried, Cecilia. Oh, I love them for trying.”
Margaret sat beside her on the cot and they hugged each other again, both sobbing. “Are you okay, Mom?”
“I’m okay, Cecilia.”
“Is Ryan… is he okay too?” Cecilia pulled away and moved some hair out of her mother’s face.
“Yes, he’s a tough one. He felt so bad for not being able to save your dad. I want him to know that I appreciate everything they did. Everything they’re doing. He’s not a miracle worker.”
“I know. How does it look up there?”
“Men running around. Fires. Like one of those popular post-apocalyptic movies that the kids love to watch nowadays. I couldn’t tell who was friendly and who the bad guys were.”
The knot in Cecilia’s stomach felt like it grew twice its size at the mention of the town turning into a battleground. She felt like she couldn’t even take a second to grieve her own father’s death. Too much was happening all at once.
“We’ll pull through this. I know we can beat them.” Cecilia said it out loud as if she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.
“Grandma!” Ty sat up on his cot and rubbed his eyes, groggy from the short nap he was able to take.
“Ty, honey, is that you?” Margaret extended her arms and the boy climbed on her lap, leaning into her. “I’m so happy to see you, sweetheart!” She noticed his arm and looked up at Cecilia, her eyes full of questions. Cecilia nodded, hoping her mom would get the hint that they would talk about it all later.
“I’m going to find him some food and something to drink. He needs to take his meds.” Cecilia took a few steps back and observed. At least her mom was back with them, even under the harsh conditions playing out overhead. She couldn’t imagine how her mother would have fared alone after her father’s death. It was a good thing Ryan had found her when he had.
***
Ryan tried to run as fast as he could. There were a few stray gunshots here and there but it sounded like most of the shooting had stopped. Was it their plan, to attack and back off to keep them guessing? He needed to find where Chief Rayburn and Steve were. He also didn’t know where his father had run off to – another split up among his family. Would they ever stick together?
Doug stayed with him, his eyes wide as they searched the area. Ryan couldn’t yell out for anyone – it would give their location away and make them sitting ducks within the crossfire. Reaching a dry creek bed, they crouched down so Ryan could grasp his bearings.
As they caught their breath, Doug said, “You gotta feel good knowing your family is okay.”
“I do, yeah.” It was comforting but it would be even better once he saw Cecilia and Ty and physically got to hug both of them. Until then, nothing was set in stone. There was no way of knowing how all of this was going to play out. They were under serious attack. “Let’s head north. There are some caves and places to hide in the hills. I bet we find some of our guys there.”
“Where is everyone?” Doug whispered, leaning his back against the ground for leverage.
“I don’t know. I hope we aren’t confused for one of them and get shot.”
“Those sons of bitches.” Doug shook his head and looked out into the open pasture.
“Those sons of bitches used to be your people, Doug. What are they up to? Did they leave?”
Doug scoffed and pulled a revolver that Ryan had given him a few days ago from his pocket. He was hesitant to let him have it but after Doug had saved his life and stuck with them after plenty of opportunity to run was proof that he could trust him.
“The group appears to have grown exponentially since I was a part of it. It started with just me and...” He trailed off, his eyes lingering in the distance. “Just me and well, my brother. As far as I know, these aren’t even the same people.”
They heard the grass crunching behind them as footsteps approached. Both of them stopped moving and Ryan was afraid to breathe, fearing any sort of movement would give away their position.
“We see you in there!”
Ryan didn’t recognize the voice and in the dense night air, couldn’t tell how far they were from them. Crouching lower, he put his finger to his mouth to keep Doug quiet. They had been spotted and he didn’t even know which direction to go. They were likely surrounded in all directions, sitting right in the middle of a crossfire.
“Come out and handle this like men!”
Ryan gripped the handgun, the metal hard in his palm. They wouldn’t be able to wait them out. They’d have everything torn up and the shelter broken into if he waited. With Cecilia and Ty’s safety on his mind, he stood up, unwilling to drop the gun. He expected to feel a hot bullet pierce his skin as soon as the intruders had good aim. He hoped they weren’t that reactive to things.
“Step out of that crevice nice and slowly.”
“Where are you?” Ryan asked. The light of the moon was helpful but not enough to see in the distance.
“Just keep walking the way you are. You’re getting closer.”
Ryan stopped in mid-step. Certain disobeying their order would be a mistake, he stuck with it. He couldn’t just give up that easily. He had to try and barter with them.
“What do you give me in return if I do this?” Ryan asked, trying to hide the shaking in his voice. Hot bullets puncturing flesh – that was all he could think about.
“Who says you’re calling the shots?” The raspy voice was still hidden in the darkness, like Ryan was talking to some phantom or figment of his imagination.
“Who says you are?” Ryan spat back. What in the hell was he thinking?
“He’s a brave one, isn’t he?” The voice asked and the laughter of a couple other men echoed against the hills surrounding them. “Just keep walking. We’re outnumbering your town at least five to one. We can give you a chance to join us. We’re cleaning house all across this area.”
Ryan started walking again.. He was curious to see who the person was but he didn’t want to test his luck. He didn’t know these people. They could kill him without even blinking if they wanted to. He finally got close enough to see them – one man standing in front, a graying beard covering his tanned, leathery face. His cowboy hat was dirty with holes and he looked like an outlaw from a John Wayne movie. His appearance definitely fit what Ryan was imagining. There were two men standing behind him, fitting the carbon copy mold of vagrants up to no good.
“And what if I don’t want to join your group?” Ryan asked.
“You’d be stupid.” The man’s eyes fell to the gun in Ryan’s hand but he didn’t say anything. “There’s more of us
around here. We split up so your people wouldn’t take us out all at once. How many of you are there?”
“I thought you were sure that you outnumbered us. You don’t know how many people are here?” Ryan’s tone was sarcastic – another stupid or brave move on his part. There was a fine line between the two of them.
“No reason to be a smart ass.” His eyes fell to Ryan’s gun again. “You might ought to think about dropping that gun. We would love to have a piece like that added to our collection.”
Ryan hoped Doug was watching. He was his only backup to get him out of this mess and in a matter of seconds, he was going to fall victim to being unarmed among the looters. He dropped his arm as if he was going to put the gun on the ground but stepped forward, pressing the barrel of the gun into the man’s forehead. He was now close enough to smell the man’s stench – his rancid breath matched his yellow teeth.
The looter’s eyes widened, his eyebrows rose, and he tried to step backward, but with Ryan’s free hand, he grabbed the front of his shirt, hindering him from moving.
Speaking through clenched teeth, Ryan said, “Listen here, you son of a bitch. Your friends right here might get me in a rush but not before I blow your head off, do you understand me?” He saw red, his hands shook, and his anger was leading him through the bold move he hadn’t even planned on making.
“You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I would. I’ve already killed two men. What’s another to add to my list?”
The intruder’s friends didn’t move, both in shock, not expecting the situation to pan out the way it had. Ryan heard the footsteps behind him and saw Doug beside him in his peripheral vision. Two against three wasn’t horrible odds but he still wanted to make sure they kept control.
“Shoot him, damn it!” The thief waved his arm but neither of his helpers moved.
“He ain’t bluffing, Paul! He’s going to kill you!”
“He doesn’t have the sack to pull the trigger or he would’ve done it by now. Wouldn’t you?” Paul looked Ryan straight in the eye, almost as if he was begging him to take his life.
“Have your boys make a move and we’ll find out.”
One of the men stepped forward and a gunshot rang out. The body fell with a loud thud. Ryan felt the blood splatter on his face and when he opened his eyes, Paul’s sidekick was lying on the ground in a pool of red, eyes open, body motionless as he stared up at the sky. The other two men didn’t move and when Ryan glanced over his shoulder, he saw Chief Rayburn, Steve, and his father approaching.
“Well, son of a bitch,” Ryan said. The other sidekick ran into the darkness. It was too dark to try and hit him. Paul remained in front of him with Ryan’s gun trained on his head.
“Figured you might need some help,” Steve said, nudging him. “What are we going to do with this asshole?”
“We can’t let him go. I don’t trust him,” Ryan replied, staring Paul down.
“You’re going to regret doing this. There’s more of us out there and they’ll be back. This is a battle won but the war will continue.”
“Would you please shut up?” Steve remarked, kneeing Paul in the stomach. He fell to the ground and Ryan took the opportunity to gather up all of the weapons on him. Several knives, three guns, and a bow and arrow. “They came armed and ready.”
“And there are more of them,” Chief Rayburn repeated. “I saw the group and Steve did too.”
“Where are all of them?” Doug chimed in, finally speaking up for the first time since everything had escalated.
“Running over the hill.” Ryan pointed his gun. “Paul must be a big shot and they’re retreating. Or there weren’t as many people in his little group as he was letting on.” Kneeling beside Paul, Ryan patted him on the cheek. The looter grimaced but realized he was completely outnumbered and balled his fists, resisting the urge to hit him. “You a big shot, Paul?”
“I ain’t telling you nothing! Go to hell!”
“Oh, we’re there, and you’re our new addition. You ever hear of prisoners of war? That’s what you’ve just become.” Ryan laughed but his concern was on the rest of the group that got away. Turning to Chief Rayburn and Steve, he said, “We might want to send a few scouts out on the perimeter. Since the sun is coming up they will be able to see better. We should probably have someone continuously watch the pastures for safe measure. I don’t think they’re finished. With Paul being held they’re going to come back. Then again, no honor among thieves.”
“They’ll be back. If they took time to look at what we’ve accomplished, they’re going to want it. You haven’t had a chance to see but things are coming along better than we thought. They’d be crazy not to be back. I think we just caught them off guard by fighting back. They’re used to people rolling over and letting them have their way.” Steve patted Ryan on the shoulder. “It sure is good to see you again.”
“Likewise. I can’t wait to see what you were able to accomplish while I was gone.”
“Let’s head back. I’ll have a couple of guys take the horses and make sure we are safe for right now. With the sun coming up they’ll at least give us a few hours to prepare if we need to.” Chief Rayburn pointed at Paul who was still on the ground. “Let’s get his ass back to town. We gotta figure out what we’re going to do with him.”
“You should’ve killed me when you had the chance. I know my men will be back. This is what we do. Make you think you have the upper-hand and then wham! Catch you completely off guard!”
Paul snarled as they lifted him off the ground and escorted him back. Ryan pillaged supplies off of the dead man – boots, clothes, and weapons. It was like hitting the lottery. He was going to let Chief Rayburn worry about keeping Paul in custody. He hadn’t seen Cecilia or Ty in weeks so he was in a one track mindset. He had to see his family.
Opening the shelter door, he took the steps two at a time and found them in the far corner in the same spot where they had been staying before he left. Cecilia was busy helping Ty eat and she didn’t notice him approaching. She looked exhausted – with all of the small portions they were allowed to eat, everyone had lost weight and she looked extremely thin. Maybe with them reunited she would be able to rest and catch up on some sleep to help.
“Cecilia?”
Looking up, a smile spread across her lips, lighting up her face. “Ryan! Oh my God, I never thought I’d see you again! Oh my God!”
“Dad!” Ty dropped his food and ran to him, hugging his healthy leg tight. Even if he had hugged the other, Ryan would have handled the pain just to be close to his child.
Cecilia wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, her warm tears soaking through his thin shirt. He didn’t want to let her go but the celebrating couldn’t last too long. There was an imminent threat of looters and Paul’s words echoed in his head – they won the battle but the war was far from over.
Kissing the top of her head, he ran his hands through her hair, caressing her. “I missed you so much.”
“How are you feeling?” She pulled away and looked him over, stopping at the blood stains on his pants. “Your leg hasn’t gotten better, has it?”
“I’ll get it looked at, hon. We’ve got other things to handle right now.”
“Thank you for getting my mom back here with us.”
“I’m so sorry about...”
Cecilia put her index finger over his lips, stopping him. “Don’t you dare apologize for what happened. It was out of your hands. You’re not a miracle worker and you’ve already done so much for us. I love you.”
“I love you, too. How’s Ty? How’s he handing it all?” Ty was out of earshot again, bouncing up and down on one of the cots, obvious that his energy had been restored.
“Better than both of us. He’s had a few questions but I really don’t think it’s hit him hard yet. I’m glad you are here to help me when it does.”
“Of course.” Ryan watched Ty, the side where the amputation occurred still bandaged up. It killed him to
see it but knowing his son was okay helped ease the guilt he was feeling. He’d never completely get over what had happened to his son.
Pulling himself from his trance, Ryan asked, “What is there to eat? I’m starving.”
Epilogue
Ryan stared out at the pasture. The crops were growing well and soon they would be able to harvest. With the Mason jars they had brought back from Cecilia’s parent’s house they would be able to do canning to preserve what the planting would produce. Without an actual pressure cooker or electricity, the storage would be trial and error but the possibility of being able to stockpile what they had worked so hard on boosted morale.
Days had passed and the scouts they had been patrolling the perimeter of Harper Springs had spotted some of the looters. They made no sign of attacking yet but their presence in proximity of town made everyone stay on full alert. The fact that they had retreated so easily made Ryan suspicious – they were definitely up to something. They weren’t going to give up that easily. Paul continued to threaten that they would be back and Ryan didn’t doubt that. The question wasn’t if they would show up but when they would show up.
They were as prepared as they would ever be – they had their guns, knives, and the bows and arrows they had gathered off of Paul and his friend. Chief Rayburn was able to salvage a reloader and press kit to make ammunition. Their arsenal of protection was growing and when the time came to defend their town, Ryan felt confident they could stand their ground.
With time to stop and look for things, they were able to come across needed supplies in cellars of people who hadn’t made it through the weather. Even after all of the time had passed between the tornadoes and drought, Ryan still felt waves where it was wrong to go through dead people’s stuff – then survival mode would kick in and he remembered why they had to do the things they were doing. When scavenging for items they always traveled in pairs, just in case they ran across the group Paul belonged to. They would be seeking vengeance and nothing was more dangerous than angry group of criminals.
