by Pete Thorsen
“I’m trying to get all my strength back,” I said, my mouth full of rabbit meat.
“Certainly have as much as you want.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let myself get fat off your generosity.”
“No worries here. I want you to get healthy as quickly as you can.”
I just looked at him at that sentence. I mean, I am not an ugly woman. Or at least so I have been told.
The following week I pushed my walks during the days farther and farther. I had thought briefly of carrying my bow and arrows but they were useless to me with my bad arm. I did start carrying my big backpack though. At first I had it mostly empty, then I added more and more to it everyday until I had all my stuff in it again. At the end of the week Tony had supper cooked and was obviously waiting for me before he started eating when I finally got back to camp for that day.
“Have you been going out everyday?”
“Yes. I need to get stronger. I push myself harder and farther everyday. As far as walking goes, I am about back to where I was before the accident.”
“You do look much better now. I mean healthier now.”
“Sorry you had to wait for me tonight.”
“It was certainly not a problem at all. I was wondering where you were though.”
“Maybe I should walk with you tomorrow. If you don’t have secrets you don’t want me to see that is.”
“That’s fine. You can come with me if you wish. In one of the closets in the motorhome you can find a day pack that you can use in place of that big pack of yours.”
“Yes, I had seen that in there. Thanks. I will use it and leave with you in the morning then.”
So the next day was the first time we hiked together. We made a loop and returned to camp early. It was blatantly obvious that he had cut his trek way short because of me.
“I walked much farther than that carrying my heavy pack by myself. Take your normal route tomorrow. I will keep up.”
So the next day we walked much farther. And the next day even farther. And again farther the following day. I think at this point he realized that I could walk much farther.
“I would like to check on a couple of my more distant camps. I have not been to them since you came here. I will be gone overnight the next couple days. You can just lay up here.”
“Is there some reason I can not accompany you?”
“I will be staying out overnight.”
“So?”
“The camps are RV’s and do have separate beds but we would be staying in the same place overnight.”
“Does that mean you would be unable to help yourself and you would end up attacking me during the night while I was sleeping?”
“I would never do anything like that.”
Even with all that hair coving almost his whole face I could see that he actually blushed. I could not help the smile on my face.
“Then I see no problem with me coming along with you. Do you see a problem?”
He was obviously flustered.
“No. You can come with if you want to. There would be no problem.”
So the next day was the first of our overnight stays together. And there of course were no problems.
So over the next couple of weeks I got to see his setup of different camps that he had spread out all around the community where his home had been before the end times.
It was a pretty good setup for him I have to admit. When I asked, he explained to me how while he still had access to vehicles and before all the fuel had gone bad he had moved the abandoned RV’s that just about everyone in Arizona had seemed to have in past times to these remote locations to use for camps. He had done additional work at each one to make it better for its extended stay at each location. Each was placed next to some form of water supply. Several were placed next to old-fashioned windmills. These produced fresh, clean drinkable water with no further treatment.
The ones near cricks or springs he did still boil all the water he gathered for drinking. It was a sweet setup. One day he even showed me the one that he lost to a wildfire.
Chapter 14
The woman, well Beth, is now very healthy and she has all her strength back. Her arm is still healing and there are still many things she can not do because of her arm being in a sling. Many times she now takes it out of the sling but she cannot use it for fear of causing complications with the break. She can easily keep up with me when we go hiking together.
I was very careful at first when she started going with me but she told me and I found out for myself that I did not have to alter my daily routes because of her. She even went with when I told her that I would be staying out overnight at some of my more distant camps.
I was hesitant about that but she was quite adamant about going with me on these overnight treks as well as the regular ones we had been on. Whatever fears I had were ungrounded because the overnight stays turned out to be no big deal for either of us, and since then we have stayed out many times. Even times when we could have pushed on all the way back to the main camp.
I admit, after all these years alone, having her around—while way different—is not a bad thing. I might even miss it when she leaves after her arm is whole again. She has informed me that she has been checking off the days, and in less than two weeks she will be removing the splints for good. At first she said she will take it a little easy on that left arm, but she will be doing exercises daily to get its strength up again.
She is a determined woman, that’s for sure. She is not afraid of work either. She does an amazing amount of work now with only her one arm. Though I have caught her using her left arm on occasion even with the splint on it.
She of course cannot shoot a bow with only one arm, but I found out she does not really even need that bow. One day, when we were getting close to the nightly camp spot and we were both on the lookout for something for supper, she spotted a rabbit. I did not know what she stopped for because I could not see the rabbit from the spot a short distance away where I was standing. We have become attuned to each other after this long of a time together and we always stop when the other does. Almost too quick to follow with my eyes, she drew one of her knives (I had discovered she carried four of the same, oddly shaped knives on her belt) and gave it a throw. Then she calmly walked forward, bent down, and straightened up with a rabbit that had a very bloody head.
She is obviously very handy with those throwing knives that she carries. Since then, I have watched her practice a few times. She is very good indeed. I think “deadly” is maybe a suitable term to use describing her knife-throwing abilities.
One day we stayed not too far from the main camp and I brought my wheelbarrow with us in the morning. Out a couple miles from camp I left the wheelbarrow and we started hunting in earnest for a deer. I wanted to get one and jerk all the meat before spring came and the temps went way up.
It was a couple hours later when I was able to hit a small buck deer with my bow. As soon as the deer was down Beth volunteered to go get the wheelbarrow and left almost before I could say anything. I wondered just how she would handle the two handles on the wheelbarrow with one of her arms unusable. She returned after a short time, pushing the thing with her one good hand and on the other side she had fashioned a strap from the left handle to her shoulder. When I remarked on it she just said as long as it was empty it was no problem for her. She did say that when I had the thing loaded it was all mine to get it back to camp.
When we got back to camp I started skinning the deer but after just a minute Beth stopped me and said she would do it. I did not argue and instead just watched as she took a regular hunting knife from her belt and started skinning. It took little time for me to see that she is much better at it than I. I watched the whole time as she finished skinning the deer. She was better and faster than me and I also noticed she never had cuts that punctured the hide.
Later, she also proved that she was adept at cutting up meat into strips for making into jerky and that job went
very quickly with her help. I had shown her the small metal shed I had adapted into a smokehouse for making the jerky. All I had really done was string barbed wire back and forth inside the thing to hang the meat from. I had also dug a trench under one side to use to insert wood to the fire without having to open the doors and let out all the heat and smoke. I had also cut a large hole in the wall next to the roof with a piece of metal that could be used to regulate the smoke coming out. I had another piece of metal that could be used over the trench to regulate the incoming fresh air. I have used it for years and have the operation down pat now.
Beth was suitably impressed with the operation. For some reason this fact pleased me more than it should have I thought. When the meat was all cut up and in the smoker, she turned her attention to the deer hide. She fleshed it out and then went and got a bucket with water and proceeded to wash the hide pretty thoroughly. She refilled the bucket a couple times. When she was satisfied with the cleaning she asked me for a hammer and by the time I returned with one she had cut pegs with one sharp end which she used to stretch the hide out and stake it out on an abandoned loose rock front “lawn.” She then said she would brain tan the hide (whatever that is) tomorrow if it was dry. I found out more the next day as I watched her continue working on the hide, getting it tanned or at least starting the tanning process. There was no doubt from watching her that she had done this many times in the past.
Things seemed to be going well. Remarkably, Beth and I seemed to mesh pretty well together. This, I admit, surprised me because I was so used to living alone and I did like living alone. I could have left here at anytime and likely found a group to join somewhere but I stayed here because I liked it that way. Of course, doesn’t it always seem that when things are going good something always throws a wrench in the gears to screw things up again?
We were almost back at the main camp and I was carrying yet another rabbit for our supper when Beth saw someone approaching. She certainly has a pair of sharp eyes. She also moved her left arm back into the sling again. She always wore the sling but now she seldom used it anymore. The man or woman continued their approach, walking down the road into the community. As they got closer I could see that it was indeed a man.
We had remained in place ever since Beth had seen someone coming. I had laid the rabbit at my feet so both my hands were free to use. I also removed the thong that held my pistol in place. Then we waited as the man approached us. He had no pack and no weapon that I could see. Not even a water bottle or canteen. That made no sense at all.
“Hello folks. I was hoping you could spare a meal for a weary traveler?”
“Sorry we give out no handouts here. Best that you continue on your journey.”
“That’s not very neighborly of you. Surely you can share a little of that rabbit?”
“No handouts. Move along.”
“You’re downright ornery it seems. No offense though. Is it just you and your pretty woman with the broken wing here in this big place?”
“I am not an information center and I’m about done telling you to leave. Don’t make me give you the bum’s rush.”
“That is big revolver you got there. Are those really loaded shells for it? Been a long time since I saw that many loaded shells in one place.”
“You had best pray that you don’t find out if the shells are real or not. Now leave while you can still walk.”
“No need to get hostile. I’m just a common traveler. Thought we might share a meal and what news we hear. I travel a lot and always have fresh news.”
I said nothing but took two steps in his direction.
“Okay. I’m leaving. Sheesh, you sure don’t like strangers. I get it and I’ll be leaving hungry. Goodbye then.”
The man turned and walked back in the same direction that he came from. I watched him until he was out of sight before I turned to Beth.
“Could you find your way by yourself at night to the camp by the windmill that is straight north of here?”
“I’m sure I could, but I have no intentions of doing so.”
“He is not alone. He had no gear of any kind with him, not even any water. He left the same direction he came from. He was in good physical shape and was not suffering from any hardships of travel. He only asked questions the whole time he was here. I think he was sent in as a scout. I think there is a good chance that whoever sent him will attack tonight—or tomorrow night at the latest. You should leave right after dark tonight and get to that other camp where you should be safe. Take all your gear and whatever food you can fit in your pack.”
“And as I run away and hide what exactly will you be doing?”
“I will be setting up a few surprises just in case I am right and someone does attack this place.”
“Well that would go faster if two of us are doing that, don’t you think? I ran once when the last place I was at got attacked. I will not run again. You have been more than just kind to me and I will hardly leave while you face an unknown number of people by yourself. Now, how about if I get our meal ready while you work on the other preparations. After we eat we can work together to get as ready as we can for what may be coming.”
I looked at her and I could tell right off that arguing with her would be totally pointless. While I wanted her out of here and someplace safe, I did not have enough time to tie her up and take her to the nearest camp. I also kinda think tying her up would be quite a chore.
“Okay. I won’t argue with you.”
“Smart man. I like that. I’ll hurry with our meal so we will both be free to work on our defenses.”
She picked up the rabbit and started off towards her motor home without a backward glance. I took the hint and went to get what I could ready for defenses. I had known this day might come and I had put a fair amount of thought into what I could do with what I had to work with. I had worked off and on whenever a new idea had come to me, and I had a fair amount of nasty things ready and waiting to be deployed.
There would be about a half moon tonight, so there would be some light to see by, but not all that much. There were some thin clouds in the sky right now and I hoped they would stay overnight to keep things just a little darker. I had a lot of work to do and I hoped I had enough time to do it all. Or I hoped none of it was even needed. That would be much better, but I had a bad feeling that this would be a very long night. I set off to work.
Chapter 15
I was busy getting things moved around until I realized it was almost dark and I had been working for well over an hour. I headed back to the motorhome to find Beth more or less patiently waiting with our supper just staying warm on the dying coals of the small fire in the grill.
“It will go faster if you let me help you.”
“I know. I just lost track of time. Sorry.”
“Not a problem. I just want to help.”
“You have to be involved so you know what I am doing so you do not get hurt from the stuff I am doing. Let’s eat quickly and we will work together.”
She just nodded and set to eating the simple meal she had ready. We did no clean up when we were done and instead I took her with me and ran over what I had done so far and had her help me with everything else that I had prepared much earlier but had never hoped to see deployed.
We were only slightly hampered by the darkness. We were both very familiar with this area because this is where we spent the bulk of our time. When I showed her what I had done so far she got the idea right away and she helped with setting up the rest. I’m not sure how long it was before we were done but I would guess about midnight maybe at least. When the traps were all set I stepped very close to her and whispered in her ear.
“Do you know how to shoot?”
“I haven’t shot in at least four years but I used to be fairly good.”
We went and I retrieved a hidden .22 rifle that I had stashed away. It was a semi-automatic so she could shoot it with one hand, and it was light enough that, if she wanted, she could use it witho
ut even touching it with her left hand. When I handed it to her she brought it up to her shoulder several times using her left arm to support the front end of the rifle.
“It only has ten shells left in it. Here is the safety and here is how to eject a bad shell if you have a dud. The shells are old and it is always possible that you will get a dud or two.”
“I can handle it fine.”
Next we went to a different place and I extracted a small revolver from its hiding spot and gave it to her.
“This is for your last resort. It will not be very accurate and it is not very powerful. It has three shells left in it. Just pull the trigger, but only use it if you are very close. And I mean very close.”
She looked the small gun over and then just nodded as she shoved the small gun in her waistband.
“What about you?”
“I have my big revolver and enough shells. This will be over fairly quickly if it happens at all. Let’s go to our spots. Don’t worry about me, just about yourself. If necessary, and if things go sour, just hide out during the daylight and try to get away when it gets dark again.”
She looked long at me then nodded her head and was gone in the darkness. It was darker than I expected because the clouds had thickened slightly instead of breaking up. I quietly climbed up the ladder to my hideout spot and now the only thing to do was to wait.
Hard to believe but I guess I fell asleep. I woke up with a start when I heard the scream. It was a man’s scream and it was not unexpected with all the traps we set up. It just meant that I had been right that someone would attack tonight and that one of my traps had actually worked as I had planned. There was now sobbing or wailing but it was getting weaker. Then I heard the next sound in a new spot. This time it was a grunt, and then cussing.
This went on for a several minutes. A few more grunts and more cussing and one more scream that cut off abruptly. The noises were from many different spots. I don’t know how long I was asleep but it was lighter out now but still the sun would not be up for awhile yet. Then I heard a noise almost under me. By this time I was wide awake and ready.
