by Geo Dell
“Glad to,” Bear said. His bass voice rumbled out. Jess went over and sat next to him as they talked. The contrast was stark, Mike thought. Like a picture he had once seen of a tiny kitten sitting and looking up at a huge Great Dane that towered over it. But from what he had seen of Jess she was no timid kitten.
By the time everyone was patched up it was late afternoon.
“I'm going to need a new vehicle,” Jess said, looking at her own vehicle where it sat leaking fluids at the side of the road.
“About a mile up the road... Take a left. There are two places there. A heavy duty truck dealership, it's at a farm machinery place... Seed... Machinery, you name it... On the other side of the town is a Jeep dealership. We've been to both places. The keys to the Jeeps are inside the building. You'll see where we dug in to get them,” Mike said.
Jess nodded.
“The dead are there also, though. So you'll have to keep a sharp eye out,” Mike finished. He held up his hand.
“They got you?” Jess asked.
“Cost me a finger... Maybe that confrontation with us will keep them gone... Maybe not. I just haven't had much experience with them.”
Jess nodded. “Sobering... I'll be careful... Let me look at that?”
“Sure,” Mike agreed. A few moments later his hand was re-wrapped. Jess was concerned about infection so she made him take penicillin she carried with her.
“Next nine days, Michael. Like a religion. It's so easy to get an infection. Antibiotic ointment is good, but it is no guarantee.” Mike nodded as he listened, and when she finished he went back to telling her how to get to the Jeep dealership.
Brad, Beth, Darren and John, the other four that had fallen in with Debbie’s group were in deep conversation with the rest of Jessie’s group. As Jess was getting directions to find another truck, Brad walked over to Debbie and began talking to her. She shrugged her shoulders, nodded a few times, and then walked over to Mike.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she looked at Jess and smiled. “Mike, Brad wants to know if he and Beth can ride with one of you.”
Mike looked confused. “Sure. No problem,” he said.
“Well. It's just that Darren and George want to go to Nebraska or Kansas,” she elaborated.
Mike nodded. He had seen the looks between the two girls and Darren and George as they talked. “Well, why don't we do this. Jess needs another truck. We'll just show her where it is. Get ourselves another truck, and then head to the campground. Call it a day. Start out tomorrow,” Mike suggested.
“Would you mind if we joined you for the night,” Jess asked. “That will allow us a break and we'll start out fresh in the morning.”
“Sounds good,” Mike agreed. He looked around and caught Chloe's eye as well as Tim's. They both walked over.
“Can you two get everyone else to the campground? Get it set up? Make sure none of the dead came back... We'll be there for the night; leave in the morning.”
They both nodded.
“I'm going to take Jess with me... Bear... Beth and Brad will follow me. We'll get a truck for them. Ronnie is pretty messed up. He'll go back with you.” He realized they didn't know what the plans were, that Darren and George were going with Jess, so he filled them in. “A truck for Jess too. To replace the one she wrecked. We shouldn't have too much trouble back there... Then we'll catch up with you,” Mike finished.
They both nodded. A few minutes later everyone began to pull out. A few minutes after that and the road was empty: The smashed truck sitting just off the road; the dead horse laying in the field.
~
They were back at the campground shortly before dusk. They had not run into any problems at all at the Jeep dealership. They hadn't bothered with the farm machinery place. Mike had found a heavy duty truck sitting at the back of the lot that he had noticed before. A new battery and a little work had got it going. Jess had found an SUV that suited her purposes.
The sheep and the goats were grazing down by the stream, the dogs keeping watch over them.
Chloe had pulled into the campground earlier and surprised a small herd of deer. They had stood staring back at her, unafraid, until she had taken one down with a shot from the her machine pistol. She had, had help to gut and dress it out, and by the time Mike, Jess and the others were back the deer was roasting over a fire, and a large pot of rice was cooking from supplies they had on one of the big trucks.
Mike checked on Ronnie who was feeling better, but looked much worse, his eyes blackened and puffy. The dogs bedded down with the sheep, and Mike set the posts for the night.
Jess came to him later on as he sat his post. She made small talk for a few moments and then got to her point.
“I don't know if everything will be the way we want it to be,” Jess said. “I guess I'm saying, if we can't make it work we might come back this way.”
“I have a feeling the snow will be tough up there in those mountains. But if you can get there you will be more than welcome,” Mike told her.
“Tell me how to get there,” Jess asked.
Mike took a small pad from his pocket and wrote the directions out along with a crude map. She took it, folded it, and tucked it into her breast pocket. She looked up at him. Rose to her tip toes and kissed him on one cheek. She turned and walked away.
~
Jessie's Diary
We are on our way. Today was something else. I hit a horse, didn't kill it, but I had to finish it. It was a tough thing to do, but because of the accident it afforded me the opportunity to meet a most remarkable man.
His name is Michael Collins, and he and a group he leads have already done what I hope to do. They chose a huge tract of forever wild lands to do it. They call themselves The Nation, as we have planned to call ourselves The Fold.
From what he said it is working out very well; much the way we hope ours will work out. Three of his people decided to come with us. So we are nine now.
He has a woman. He says he loves her. That she is everything to him, and I believe him. Too bad. I will admit I was instantly drawn to him, but he's going back and I am going on to whatever there is in Kansas or Nebraska, but I know how to get to his mountains. Who can tell what the future may hold?
~
September 25th
The air was crisp. Not exactly cold, Mike thought. But there was cold in it. Maybe a promise of what was coming.
Mike had taken Ronnie, Chloe and Bear and looked over every one of the trucks. They had managed to pick up heavy winter clothing: Jackets both heavy and light. Trees, seed. All the things on the wish list and then some. Extra bedding. Clothing. Even some furniture items.
There were four of the big trucks. Three loaded with goods, one for the livestock. There were also the four small pickup trucks, and each of them was towing one of the electric four wheel drive vehicles. There were also two larger four wheel drive pickups, one they had picked up the day before, the other Debbie had been driving.
There were ten fifty five gallon drums of diesel fuel, five more of gasoline. Almost six hundred pounds of bagged rice, and several hundred pounds of flour, sugar, salt, oats and so many other things that they had lost count.
The truck with the computers and electrical gear held nearly twice what Tim had wanted. Ronnie had joked that there was enough wire to wire the entire valley twice over. Mike had agreed. Tim had said, in a serious tone, that he wasn't so sure about the second time. Then he had realized that Ronnie had been kidding and they had all three laughed bout it.
They had lost one more person late last night. Lisa Stevens had come and talked to Debbie; she was also going with Jessie Stone. She had been holding John Steele's hand.
They were about as opposite as they could be. Lisa, tall, with her dancers body and movie star good looks. John, pale, thin and studious, but it was obvious to Mike that something had clicked there.
He had thought that Lisa's brother Joe would probably go to, but they had said their goodbyes this morning when Jessie's group
had pulled out.
They would be fourteen people going back: They had come with only six. Mike and Ronnie, Tim, Bear, Josh, James, Richard and Alicia. Chloe and Debbie; Joe Stevens, and Steven Choi. Brad Jefferies and his sister Bethany. And they were leaving Nellie and Molly behind, and it didn't feel right, but Mike knew there was nothing he could do.
Mike took one more look around the campground. Everything on the trucks had checked out fine. It was packed and ready. He reminded himself that he would never come back, and besides having to leave Nellie and Molly somewhere that he didn't want to leave them, he felt no sadness that he would never see any of it again. He looked at Ronnie: His nose was taped; both eyes swollen nearly shut. He shook his head.
“What,” Ronnie asked. He still sounded nasally.
“Patty is going to kill me,” he said. “She warned me after the ear thing if I bought you back messed up again I was done.”
Ronnie grinned and then grimaced. “Hurts to smile,” he said. “A little anyway... Don't worry. She'll feel bad, after all you lost a finger.”
“Yep, but I bet she's gonna kick my ass as soon as she sees you.”
“Yeah, and you'll be getting your ass kicked by a pregnant woman too,” Ronnie joked.
“You're not going to help me out? Tell her how it's not really my fault,” Mike asked.
“Nope. Take it like a man, Bro, take it like a man. Besides, she hits like a girl... Unless she's mad and then she has one hell of a straight right. Smacked me in the arm once when I wouldn't quit screwing with her. Arm hurt for a week.” Ronnie smiled and then grimaced again.
“Sorry,” Mike told him. He turned around; everyone was waiting. “Let's go,” he said quietly. “Let's go.”
The Nation
“Okay,” Candace said. “What do you think?” She held up an off white outfit. A small pair of booties and a long gown. She was working on a second gown, but a second pair of booties rested on the quilt beside her.
Lilly took it from her. “It's nice, Candy. I like it,” Lilly said.
Patty's needles click-clicked as she added a blue and pink border to her gown.
Lilly held hers up, the yarn still attached. She had used the same off white yarn, but a different pattern of stitches, so that a pattern radiated out from the center to the edges. Candace looked at it closely.
“How did you do that,” she asked.
“I made two separate pieces,” Lilly told her. “Then I just joined them at the sides, see?” She showed her where the pieces came together.
“Clever,” Candace said.
Patty held hers up. The yarn she had used for the bottom was a variegated pink and blue. “Works for either or,” she said. She had also made little ruffles around the ends of both sleeves, and sewn small mittens to the end of each sleeve as well; capping them.
A slit on each side allowed the baby's hands to be free of the mittens.
“Wow. Too cool, Pats,” Candace said. “You have to show me how you did that.”
“Yeah, me too,” Lilly added. “I mean, what made you think of that?”
“How cold it might get. See the slit is right at the wrist. The ruffle overhangs it. It's really only about another half of the sleeve. It can be on or off the baby's hand. When it's on? You know, like going outside? There's a button hole.” She showed them the hole. “All I have to do is add the button. But you can button it closed so it stays on, or, I'll add another button to the other side that will allow me to button it open, but big fat plastic buttons with soft edges... Baby's like to chew,” she told them.
“I didn't see anything in the book like that at all. I saw mittens with strings, but nothing like that. That's what I want also though. Where did you get it, Pats,” Candace asked.
“It just came to me, you know, like your poetry and songs... Like that,” Patty told her.
“Well, I like it. That's how I'm doing mine too,” Lilly said.
“Yeah... You'll have to show us: I want it too,” Candace agreed.
In front of them the people were cutting down the field corn, stalks and all. The children were entertaining each other, the two older boys with them this time. One of the larger chests held cold lemonade this time. The other held water. A small fire kept coffee brewing, and two large spitted hams sizzled over the fire, about to be served up for lunch.
Candace set aside the gown, “Guess we better get ready,” she said. Patty got up easily. She reached down and helped Lilly to her feet.
“Honey, are you sure you are just six months,” Patty asked.
“Actually, no. It could be seven.” She counted in her head. “Yeah, it could be seven. It could have been February, or it could have been March. Sometimes I skip a month, and my life was a mess back then. It's easily as much as a month difference.”
“You didn't test to see,” Patty asked.
“No... I meant to: I just didn't. He and I broke up. Then he came back and I knew by then that I could be. I had missed, but stress can do that also, it has with me before, you know? And I didn't feel pregnant. I know that means nothing. When he came back he wasn't around long, and I finally got the message. He left and I skipped again so I tested and bang. There I was, knocked up, and him gone.” She laughed a little to throw off the seriousness of what it had meant to her at that time.
“Well, Lil. You got everything you need now, and nobody's going anywhere,” Patty told her.
Together they helped Candace to her feet.
“I wish, though, that this could have been Tom's,” Lilly said.
“The next one,” Candace told her. She patted one arm. “Wait until Mike sees me. I've turned into a cow since he's been gone. He hasn't even been gone two weeks and look at me!” Candace said.
“Twins, Candy.” Patty told her. She looked at her critically. “You just popped out in the front is all.” She considered. “Okay, you popped out on the sides as well.”
“Yeah, the sides too,” Lilly agreed.
“Oh, thanks a lot... Both of you,” Candace laughed. She began to slice a loaf of bread. “But, really, does it make my butt look big,” she asked. All three of them roared laughter at that.
On The Road
The livestock truck broke down two miles into the logging trail.
There had been a faint whine in the rear axle that had grown steadily louder as they traveled. Something inside the rear axle had finally let go with a loud metal clicking, ratcheting sound. That had quickly turned to a high pitched metal scream and all forward movement had stopped.
They were at a wide place in the trail. A stream, not much more than a few feet wide, and barely covering the rocky bottom, cut across the trail in front of them. A small clearing led away from it.
They had unloaded the truck and pushed it to one side of the trail. Just into the trees far enough so that it would not be in the way. It was certainly going no further the way it was, as they had pushed it into the treeline the axle shaft on the drivers side of the truck walked out a good six inches.
“Uh, that's a really bad sign, I'm guessing,” Mike said.
“That's no good at all,” Josh agreed as he got out of the truck.
“Yeah,” Tim agreed. “Either the shaft has snapped or the clip that holds it is gone.”
“It's fixable though, right,” Mike asked.
“Nope,” they both said at once.
“How much farther to go,” Josh asked.
“Probably seventy miles or so,” Mike said.
“We need another truck,” Josh said.
Ronnie and Bear had walked up and stood looking at the rear dual tires. Ronnie looked at Mike and grinned. “Never say never,” he said, alluding to Mike's remark, and his own vow, that he would never go back out again.
“I could send someone,” Mike said.
“You could, but you wont,” Ronnie said.
“Shit,” Mike said.
“Yeah,” Ronnie agreed.
“There's another one just like her at the farm place, only new,” Bear
said.
“Yeah... Saw it... Didn't want to go back there so I thought this one would work,” Mike agreed.
Bear nodded. “Probably a trade in... Probably because it had a bad rear end.”
“You are such a help, Bear,” Mike said.
Bear chuckled.
“Shoulda, woulda, coulda,” Josh said. “You can't second guess yourself.”
Mike nodded. “Ronnie's right. I'll go back. If all goes well I'll be back late this afternoon,” Mike said. “Maybe late afternoon.” He turned and looked around at the others where they stood, leaning on fenders or sitting at the side of the road listening.
“I'm not stupid, so I'm not about to put a bunch of us in danger going back out there... Ronnie will stay here and keep things going. Besides, if anything else happens to him Patty will kill me... Or kick my ass, and I'm not sure which would be worse.” Several people, Ronnie included, Chuckled. “Bear. I want you to stay and make sure things stay safe here. You're about the best shot we have right now. And that is because I'm taking Chloe, Tim and Josh with me. Tim for the brains. I don't want to pick another clunker. Chloe because she can shoot... Better than I can even. Josh because he knows more about these trucks than I do. Between him and Tim I shouldn't be able to pick another bad one. Josh also shoots well...” He shrugged. He paused and waited for the quiet to come back. “Okay... Extra clips and let's bring a pair of those fully automatic rifles along too.... We'll be back early to late afternoon like I said.” He got into his pickup and got it turned around. A few minutes later Tim and Chloe pulled up behind Mike with a second pickup truck, where his truck sat idling as he talked to Ronnie.
“I'll be on six,” Mike told him and held up a VHF radio.
“Be careful,” Ronnie told him.
“Yeah, well,” He glanced at Bear who stood to one side. “You guys watch these woods... Light out if you have to.” He dropped his truck into drive and pulled away. Tim and Chloe followed.
The Nation
By early afternoon they were finished with the corn field. The wagon had been off loaded by the pool that morning, and they had been making trips back and forth between the first and second cornfields all morning long, loading up the wagon and taking it to the first silo.
