Dangerous Shores: Book Three; The End of the Road

by Christine Conaway

  Hannah came to where Ellen and Rosa had sat beside the fire. “I’m a little worried about Liza. I have never seen anyone as thin as those two girls are and still be able to function. They both need nourishment but I don’t think either of them could tolerate solid food the shape they’re in.”

  “What can we do?”

  “Put both of them to bed and feed them like they’re babies would be the best option but seeing as we don’t have baby food or even anything bland to feed them…I just don’t know.”

  Chapter Forty-two - The end of the road.

  Sleeping on the cement was not conducive to a good night’s sleep for anyone but it did give their bodies a chance to rest. The next morning Liza was lethargic and didn’t want to get up. Hannah soaked a Bisquick biscuit in warm chicken broth and fed it to her.

  The sun was shining without noticeable warmth the next morning when they were ready to move on. They made Liza a bed in the wagon. Alan would pull it with her riding. Rob, Brad, Jamie and Ellen carried a back pack. While Jessie and Karen teamed up on one cart and Maggie and Rosa teamed on the other. It would be slow going but Ellen felt they could make it all the way.

  If they had to stop for short rests, they would do it.

  Joe, Barbie and Olivia took turns riding on top of the carts. While the road was mostly uphill there were some downgrades too. Then it was a challenge not to turn the carts loose.

  As a group they decided to continue and chewed on the last of their baked potatoes and carrots from the night before.

  Two of the half dozen places they passed had smoke coming out of their chimneys and Ellen had hopes that some of the people she had known to live in the houses had survived. She saw curtains move on one of the windows facing the road and knew the occupants were aware of their passing. She didn’t know if it was the sight of their firearms or the sheer size of their group that kept them inside. She made a mental note of which places were occupied and they kept on.

  There were a few new driveways that had not been there when she left. Some were overgrown with weeds and others looked as if someone had been using them.

  The closer they got the faster Ellen walked. She knew she was out in front of the others when she stopped on a rise. She turned around and waved to them.

  She had wanted to see her place sitting up on the hill before the others saw it. She wanted to make sure it was still there before pointing it out. She turned back and looked again to be sure. Tears ran down her face and she wiped at them before the others could witness them. All she could think about was how easily she had dismissed this place the last time she was here.

  Her final glimpse of the homestead had been in her rearview mirror as she was sitting at the end of the driveway. She had just signed a lease for a company who wanted the pasture. She knew nothing about the lessee other than he had cows or beef cattle, she couldn’t remember which. At the time it had been one less problem to worry about.

  It had been summer and neither house was visible unless you knew exactly where to look. Only the barn roof stood out but didn’t offer up any hospitality as it was simply an old dilapidated white barn. The out buildings sat in behind it and were invisible.

  She strained to see either of the houses. To her dismay, she saw a thin line of smoke snaking up between the trees around where her uncle’s old house sat.

  “Well son-of-a-gun. Who’s up there?” She asked out loud. She hoped it would be one of her friends whom she had always told to go there if the shit ever hit the fan. What had happened in September had surely qualified as shit hitting the fan. She wasn’t sure nor could she be sure until they made the long walk up.

  Ellen couldn’t decide whether to go straight up the drive like she owned the place, which of course she did or take the cut through the woods up to her own house. They would be able to sneak up and not reveal themselves to whoever was in her uncle’s house until after they knew who was there.

  She wiped her face to make sure she had removed all evidence of her tears.

  “So…this is it?” Rob asked. He was looking the same direction as she was faced. She knew he couldn’t see the houses but she tried to see it through his eyes. There were sixty-two acres of brown pasture between the road and the barn. A creek ran through the front edge of the property with another that ran parallel to the western border. The remainder of the acres lay in a valley the other side of the hill.

  She pointed to the top of the hill. “See that smoke?”

  The rest of the group had made it to her and they all stared where her finger pointed. She turned and looked at them to judge their reactions.

  Olivia was the only one to voice anything. “Where are we going to live Miss Ellen? I don’t see a house.”

  Ellen laughed softly. She realized they would all be thinking she had led them on a wild goose chase until they saw the house. “That’s because it’s down behind that hill. You can’t see it until we get there.”

  “But who made the smoke?” Olivia asked. Does that mean someone is there?”

  “That’s a good question. You see I always told my friends to come here if we had an emergency. So I think that’s who it probably is. We’re going to sneak through the woods down there and up over the hill until we get to my house. Then we’ll see who’s in the other house.”

  “Okay.” Olivia reached down and took Ellen’s hand. “I’ll help you up?”

  Ellen felt the cold through her pants and thought she just may need the help to stand.

  With Olivia’s help she rose to her feet. “Dang, I’m getting too old for this.” She dusted her butt off and faced them. I’d like to stash the carts and the kids in the tree line. Rob, Alan, Brad, Jesse and I will go up the backway and make sure the house is clear. Jamie started to protest but quieted when Ellen pointed at him. Jamie, I’d like you to stand guard with your Mom. Just up from the creek is my old fishing cabin. We’ll leave you guys there but you’ll have to keep watch. I don’t anticipate any trouble but you are a good shot.”

  “Yes ma’am. I’ll look after them.”

  “Okay then let’s go. No one from the house can see us so we’ll cross the bridge down there and follow the fence line to the trees.”

  They followed her down and through a gate, and staying close to fence they entered the trees. There was plenty of cover with an assortment of cedar, fir and spruce trees. They hadn’t been cut in years and some of them would take two people to span their trunks. The branches overlapped acting as a roof over their heads. The fishing cabin was a disappointment. A fir tree rested on top of it collapsing the roof.

  “It okay Miss Ellen, I can build a roof out of the tarp. We’ll be okay.”

  “I know you will and we’ll be back as soon as we can. You guys can get the blankets out and bundle up in them. Don’t light a fire. We don’t want to announce we’re down here.”

  Ellen led the way to the path. It had overgrown over the years but still visible to her. She thought she could have found her way in the dark and had done so when she was a girl. A tree had dropped across it and old leaves were ankle deep in places but after growing up and using the pathway for years she recognized the trees and the land surface.

  A half hour later they stood looking down on the house. Off to the left they could see where the smoke was coming from; her uncle’s house. Ellen was tempted to go straight there but decided they needed to get the kids somewhere warm and dry for the night. They could have a fire after dark and no one would know they were there.

  Ellen approached the house from the west end knowing the windows were all boarded up. She went one way and Rob went the other checking the boards on the windows and doors. They met on the front side.

  “Anything?” Ellen whispered.

  He shook his head, “Nope. All the boards are on tight. Doesn’t look like anyone has been here.”

  “Good.” She was digging around in the bushes beside the porch.

  “What are you looking for? The door key?”

  She looked at him, a
frown on her face, “Don’t be an ass there is no key. I dropped a hammer and can of nails down here…Ha! There you are.” She pulled her arm out of the bush a hammer clutched in her hand. She scraped the old cobwebs off on the porch floor. “Let’s take the plywood off the front door first.”

  Rob took the hammer from her and wedged the claws in between the plywood and door frame. With a screech the wood parted from the frame. Soon he had the plywood leaning against the side or the house.

  Ellen brushed by him and opened the door. It creaked on its hinges just like it had her whole life.

  “You weren’t kidding about the key were you?”

  “Nope. We’ve never locked that door as long as I’ve been alive. If you look it doesn’t have a lock. My Grandfather built this addition on to the original homestead and he didn’t believe in locking friends out.”

  Jamie and Brad followed Rob into the front hall. The inside of the house was pitch black.

  From inside Ellen told them, “Wait there while I get the lantern lit. I don’t know that this oil is even any good but I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” They heard the scrape of a wooden match as she ran it down the side of the box. A flame briefly lit the area around Ellen and then a small flame appeared on the lamp wick. It sputtered at first until the oil caught. She put the glass mantle on and the room brightened.

  They walked inside the open room and stared around. Other than a film of dust covering flat surfaces the house was immaculate. From the outside the size was deceptive. It had been built with the natural contour of the land. The whole main room was open and airy with low ceilings on the first level. Someone had set three old fashioned rocking chairs on the first level lined up along the wall. There were also two mismatched sofas sitting across from each other and a tall highboy against the wall separating them. A couple of small tables at the ends and a low coffee table sat between the two sofas. The furniture looked like it had been added one piece at a time and all were from different eras. Hand braided throw rugs were scattered around between and in front of the furniture. Somehow the arrangement worked. Ellen carried the lantern high and led them down three steps to the lower level.

  “Jesse, in that bureau right there you should find a couple boxes of tall candles. The matches are right there on the table.” She held the light so he could see what he was doing.

  Jesse opened the first drawer and there they were. He lifted a box out and opened it. He picked one out and stared at it briefly and looked around searching for something to put it on.

  “In the other drawer. They’re candle holders.”

  “Rob, do you want to go and get the others while I get a fire going? Or do you want me to go?”

  “I think I’ve got this. I think we left quite a good trail behind us.”

  “Jesse, how about you staying here and I’ll go and help with the carts. Maybe you could bring in wood or something.”

  “You got it Dad.” He went out the door behind them.

  Ellen walked through the house opening doors and wishing they had pulled more of the window coverings off. She had sixteen people to try to accommodate and with only one married couple sleeping arrangements were going to prove troublesome.

  She had always thought when she came back she would feel some attachment to her parents. She stood in front of their bedroom door and slowly opened it. Nothing! She didn’t feel their presence at all. She walked around the dark room. The lamp lit up the area directly in front of her. She stood in front of the bed. She couldn’t imagine her parents ever being close enough to have created her let alone slept together in the same bed for all those years.

  On the night stand she saw a small picture of her Mother, Father and Uncle Jerry. She stared at it. It wasn’t a picture she had ever remembered seeing before and she wondered where it came from. The frame was probably three by four and even in the meager lamp light she was able to see the gold coloring was worn on both sides as if someone had spent time holding it. There was something about the picture but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She walked back out to the front door to see what had caught her eye.

  She sat on the top step. The light outside wasn’t helping any and she slipped the picture into her pocket. She’d look at it tomorrow.

  She sat staring out over the pasture below her. “Oh my God…cows. We have cows.” She stood up and ran to the lower fence. She couldn’t see all of them but there was a dozen at least.

  “Ellen? Where are you?”

  “Down here. Come see what I found.”

  “They weren’t lost for you to find.”

  Ellen wheeled around and reached for her 357. Her hand felt only an empty pocket. “Shit!” She remembered setting it on the counter when she’d lit the lamp.

  A man was pushing Jesse from behind forcing him to walk to Ellen.

  “Get down there by her.”

  Jesse stumbled whether from a push or on purpose Ellen didn’t know. She took the opportunity to rush the man. She tackled him around the waist and carried him to the ground. Jesse’s shotgun flew from the guy’s hand. Ellen scrambled trying to get her hands on it before the man recovered from the fall. He rolled on top of her and grabbed her arm. She gave him her elbow in his face and her feet dug in pushing her closer to the gun. She was packing his weight on top of her and could barely move.

  “Jesse, the gun! Grab it and shoot this fucker!”

  She saw Jesse run to them. The guy reached farther and got his hand on the shotgun the same time as Jesse reached for it. Jesse had it by the barrel the guy had it by the stock. They had a brief tug-of-war before Ellen put her strength behind her arm and elbowed the guy in the face. She felt his weight double when he collapsed on top of her.

  Jesse pulled the gun from the guy’s limp fingers and aimed it. “I can’t shoot him with you there!” Jesse screamed. “Roll away!”

  He had the gun out in front of him, and his whole body shook, the barrel bouncing up and down. Before he could get his finger into the trigger guard he was tackled by Rob.

  “It’s okay Jess, I’ve got it.”

  The boy wasn’t letting go.

  Rob had to pry his fingers away. He feared the kid would accidently shoot the thing and as badly as it was shaking he could shoot Ellen.

  Ellen managed to roll out from under the guy. She lay panting trying to get her breath back. She saw how distressed Jesse was. “Jesse, it’s okay. We’re okay now. You did good. Give the gun to Rob.”

  Jesse seemed to hear her and their eyes met. His showed white all around and tears streamed down his cheeks, snot running to his top lip. He wiped his face with his coat sleeve. “I’m sorry he whispered. He snuck up on me at the wood shed.”

  The guy moaned and lifted his face from the grass. Blood and mucus ran from his nose. He blew out trying to clear it. Blood flew everywhere. He moaned and rolled over.

  “Don’t even move!” Rob told him.

  The guy looked up and saw Rob holding the gun on him. “Can you point that thing another direction?” He sat up as if he was sure Rob wouldn’t shoot him.

  “I said don’t move!” Rob said with more force and jerked the barrel to emphasize his words.

  “Look…I don’t know who you people are but I live here.”

  “You don’t live here! This is my farm. We live here.”

  The guy looked up surprised. He leaned closer to see her better. “You’re Ellen? Ellen Burrell?” and then he punctuated his words by bursting into laughter. He lay back down and continued to laugh.

  “I am but I can’t see where it’s that funny. What do you mean you live here?”

  His laughter had ended and he pointed behind them. “Down there. In the other house.”

  “Uncle Jerry’s house?” She was starting to put it together. You’re the old dude who leased my land?”

  “Sorry but yes, and you’re the old lady my solicitor told me I was leasing from.”

  Indignant, Ellen informed him, “I’m not old and why are you here? Don’t you live
in Seattle or somewhere like that?”

  “Renton. I had a house in Renton. Aren’t you supposed to be in Florida or somewhere like that?”

  “Can we take this in the house? The kids are cold and hungry.”

  Ellen looked at the guy. He was hard to see clearly in the fading light. His lower face was black with blood and he was having to breathe through his mouth.

  Rob, jerked the barrel of the shot gun, “Go ahead and get up slowly. We’re going to walk to the porch. Don’t be stupid because I am not the boy. I will shoot you.”

  Ellen got up and walked to Jesse. He was standing with his head hanging as if he knew he had failed at keeping her safe. She dropped her arm on his shoulder. “It’s okay Jess. Believe it or not the guy does have the right to be here.” She glared at the guys back. “Just not in the house. You leased the land for your cows not the house.”

  The guy was walking with his hands away from his side to show he had no intentions of doing anything stupid. “Actually that would depend on what you consider a structure. The lease says land and permanent structures on 300 acres. The only land that was off limits was the twenty around this house.” He sat heavily on the top step of the porch.

  “Now what?” Rob asked. He couldn’t decide if he needed to keep the gun pointed at the guy or not.

  Ellen put her hand on the barrel. “He’s right.” She said, her voice soft. “He has a lease on the property including the other house.”

  “Glad we got that straight.” He reached into his pocket and drew out a handful of shells. He handed them up to Rob. “Here. It works better with these.”

  He dropped six shells into Rob’s outstretched hand.

  Rob stared at the shells in disbelief, “And here I was trying to decide if you were brave or just stupid when you kept moving.” He laughed, “and it turns out you’re neither. You’re just smart.”