*
They were rolling by nine, the big MaxxPro leading the way, breaking trail for the more cumbersome buses. The four eighteen wheel trucks followed the buses. The center of the roadway was in fair condition and they were making good time. Jake was driving with Beth at his side. Al was riding the turret, keeping guard and calling out any major potholes or washouts.
True to Jake’s prediction, the rear of the truck was overflowing with the excitement of the two new best friends. Agnes was teaching Janie and Julia, a singsong hand-clapping game, and every time they made a mistake, they would get even louder. The noise level was just about what Jake had anticipated.
He leaned towards Beth so she could hear him. “If we were on a good road and I didn’t have to pay so much attention, I’d be holding your hand all the way.”
“If we were on a good road sir, I’m sure you would be holding more than that,” she replied, reaching discretely to her shirt to jiggle one of her breasts.”
“Watch it lady, we’ve got kids in here.”
“I can’t believe it,” Beth exclaimed in delight. “You’re blushing.”
“You are a bad evil woman, Beth Markett, and sooner or later you’re going to get the spanking you deserve.”
Beth leaned closer to him to whisper in his ear. “Will you pull down my pants to spank me?”
He responded by turning even redder.
“I’m not talking to you anymore,” he said.
“Will too.”
“Will not.”
“Every time you say will not, you’re talking to me.”
“Then I won’t play anymore.”
“Will too.”
Jake did not respond.
“Will too.” Beth repeated.
When he still did not respond she punched him in the arm hard enough to hurt. “You better talk to me.”
“Will not, will not, will not,” he repeated rapidly before pulling her close enough to swiftly kiss her lips. “Now let that hold you, I’m doing my best to get us to Haven.”
An hour later, they crossed the bridge over Interstate 75. Jake pulled to a stop at a convenience store close to the off ramp. He suggested everyone take time to stretch and relieve themselves. He stood guard while the ones who needed to, went to do their business. When he saw Sam coming from behind the building he called him over and asked him to stand guard. Sam complied and a very thankful Jake hurried around back.
When he returned he saw Connie and Agnes having an animated conversation, and walked over to join them.
“Jake,” Agnes said as he approached, “I was telling Connie his people should be armed when they get off the bus, not just him and Sam, and it wouldn’t hurt to arm more of the former slaves.”
“And I was just telling her right back that none of them excepting Sam knows a thing about how ta handle a gun. They’d be more of a danger ta us than whoever we might be shooting at.”
“You know, he might have a point Agnes. When we arrive at Haven, we’ll have time to teach them.
“We need to do something. Those are the most defenseless bunch I’ve ever known.”
“I ain’t denying that one bit, that’s why I packed em up to come with you,” Connie said. “They can learn, just don’t want them learning around me in the middle of a fight.”
“Connie armed more than a few of the new people.” Jake reminded her.
“I worry too much, I guess,” Agnes agreed. “How we doing on time Jake?”
“Even with this stop, we’re ahead of where I thought we’d be. This would be a good time to get everyone fed.”
“Let’s rush and stay ahead of schedule. We need to be off this road today. This meal will practically exhaust our supplies.”
A loud commotion near the buses interrupted their conversation and captured everyone’s attention. Jake saw Butch puffed with anger, confronted by a just as angry Janie.
“I said you need to apologize to Daniel for calling him names and you need to stop pinching us. You know you tripped me on purpose,” she said loudly, moving to block his way as he tried to go around her.”
Jake moved quickly to be closer.
Butch saw his approach, and turned to address him.
“You’d better get your little bitch out of my face before I move her myself.”
Al looked toward Jake and started to move towards the two. Jake shook his head no.
“It looks like you crossed another line you shouldn't have, Butch.” Jake said. “You need to man up, and apologize to her and the other children, and then make it a point to never let this happen again."
“I’m not afraid of you.”
“Not me boy, she’s the one that’s in your face. You are in over your head. If I were you, I would say I’m sorry and walk away from this. For that matter, once you start walking you can keep walking. You’re not riding another mile with us.”
“Fuck you, and fuck your whole family you nigger loving bastard, and fuck all you staring at me. I hate having to be around all you trash.” He moved to push Janie out of his way.
Without warning, Jake’s visual perception changed, and Butch seemed to be moving in slow motion. Janie moved quickly to the side and delivered a slap to his face and took a step back and delivered a slap to the opposite side of his face with her other hand. The sound Jake heard was loud but greatly distorted. Just as suddenly, his vision reverted to normal. Butch was standing, stunned. Two red handprints were already forming on his cheeks. It took a moment for him to regain his wits and when he did his cheeks flushed even redder with anger.
“I told you to call your piece of shit off me,” he said, addressing Jake, "I’m not going to let her keep hitting me without doing something.”
“You need to apologize to me and the other kids and stop hurting us,” Janie said again. “We never did anything to you.”
Connie, who was standing near Beth, spoke up. “I hope you don’t apologize. It’s time somebody whupped your sorry ass, and it’s fitting it should be that little slip of a girl. Size and age don’t make you a man, boy.”
“You need to shut up, old man, or I’ll bust your face in when I’m done here.”
Connie began to move towards him, but Beth, put a restraining hand on his shoulder.
“Butch, say sorry and walk away,” Jake repeated.
Butch ignored him and gave Janie another warning.
“I’m telling you one more time to get out of my way or I’ll move you.”
Janie stood her ground and repeated her demand he apologize. “Not until you tell Daniel you're sorry for calling him a half breed piece of shit. And promise to stop hurting us.”
Again, Butch moved to shove her. This time Jake focused on not letting his perception change. Butch moved fast, but Janie moved much quicker and repeated the exact two slaps to his face, the sound of both impacts extremely loud in the quiet that had fallen among the people gathered watching. It seemed everyone was holding their breath at the drama unfolding. Butch looked confused. His confusion turned to rage and he struck with a fast jab at Janie’s face.
Janie sidestepped, and Jake barely saw her arm move as her bent fingers struck the wrist of the hand he threw at her. Just as rapidly, her other arm drove her knuckles deep into his ribs just under his armpit. She quickly stepped back from him several feet. He screamed in pain and rage.
“You god damned bitch. I’ll kill you!” Butch charged her mindlessly, with his arms stretched out to grab her. Again, she side stepped, and this time delivered a roundhouse kick to his back as he went by, causing him to lose his balance and go crashing head first onto the rough cracked asphalt of the parking area.
He slowly regained his feet, his nose scraped raw, and a stream of blood flowing from a cut on his forehead. He looked desperately towards Jake.
"Butch, I told you, you’re in over your head. Let Agnes fix your cuts before you get the hell away from our camp. Janie, that's enough.”
Janie gave her father a grateful look. She turned from Butch
, glad to quit a situation that had escalated out of control. She went towards Julia who was standing with a small group of children near the bus door.
Butch looked at Jake with hate-filled eyes. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he shouted as he bent to lift a large stone and hoisted it over his head. He charged Janie, intending to bash her with it.
"Watch out Janie," Julia shrieked as the other children scattered.
Janie turned to see Butch rushing towards her. She did not wait. She closed the gap between them, drove her little hard fist directly into his solar plexus, and quickly spun out of his way.
Butch did not slow down. Blinded by the painful blow, he ran full speed into the side of the bus. The impact of his body and face hitting the metal made a nauseating sound. He bounced off and fell flat on his back and his head made another nauseating sound when it hit the pavement. The heavy stone had hit a window stanchion and fell, smashing his face as his head bounced up.
Everyone one reacted with stunned silence. Beth went to Janie and whispered something. They left the area together and entered the MaxxPro. People suddenly seemed to come back to life.
“Oh my God,” Eva gasped.
“Is he dead?” Julia asked.
“Mercedes, Sarah, gather up the children and get them on the buses,” Agnes shouted. She moved to where Butch lay prone on his back. The only part of his body moving was his feet, which were twitching feebly. She looked up from where she was kneeling and spoke to Eva.
“He’s alive, but he’s a total wreck. Patient shows obvious blunt force trauma to his face, compression injuries to his chest, possible broken ribs, looks like a broken wrist. Blunt force trauma to the back of his skull with a deep laceration, probable concussion. Possible ruptured spleen from the blow to the solar plexus.”
“Sam, Silas, let’s get him into a bus.” Eva commanded.
“No, Eva,” Agnes said, giving her a hard, telling look. “He’s bleeding internally and he’s going to die. He brought this on himself. Sam and Silas can just take him out of sight.”
The two men lifted Butch, looking towards Jake for direction, neither bothering to hide their disgust with having to touch him.
“Dumb ass boy should have apologized to that little mite of a girl,” Connie said. “Did you see the son of a bitch try to hit her with that big rock? Putting him on the bus seems a waste. Where ya want them ta toss him Jake?”
“He’s not dead yet,” Eva said.
“I think he is,” Sam said, obviously in a strain holding Butch’s upper end. “He feels like dead weight to me.”
Agnes pressed her fingertips to Butches neck. After a moment, she looked towards Jake. “He’s dead.”
“You fellows may as well throw him in the weeds, ain’t none of us wantin’ ta bury his sorry ass,” Connie said, still shaking with anger.
Sam and Silas looked at Jake. “Somebody needs to make a decision, this sack of shit isn’t getting any lighter,” Silas said.
Jake nodded towards the high growth of weeds at the edge of the parking area. “Connie’s right. Let’s take him far enough he can’t be seen while we eat.” He went to give them a hand.
“We can handle this,” Sam told him. “Connie should have run this bastard off long before now. Damn fool should have quit while he had a chance. I guess he thought he was bigger than Janie, but she stood head and shoulders over him. You need to go see after your little girl.”
“He isn't getting any lighter,” Silas, reminded them,” shifting his grip on the legs he was holding. “Tell Janie she did us a favor. I came near to killing him myself yesterday when he refused to help us clean the slave trailers. He was trouble waiting to happen.”
Jake watched them move into the tall weeks bordering the paved parking area.
CHAPTER 24
They continued on highway 37. Al was riding beside Jake in the passenger’s seat. Beth was in the rear compartment with Agnes and Eva, comforting Janie, who was still distraught about the incident with Butch.
Not far from Interstate 75, they passed through the town of Adel. True to form, Jake stopped to give his message on the loudspeaker. The roadway continued to be in relatively good condition, and around three that afternoon they entered the outskirts of Lakeland.
“Okay everybody, we’re getting close,” Jake called out, “Another two hours should see us there.”
They drove through the town, not stopping for Jake's announcement due to his reluctance to announce their presence so close to their destination. Near the center of town, he turned right, onto a highway which proved to be in even better condition than 37. About eight miles south of Lakeland he turned left onto a secondary road. This road was in poorer condition, but still negotiable. They continued another ten miles before Jake pulled to a stop. He climbed from the transport and waved for Connie to join him. Connie exited the bus and came limping towards him, leaning heavily on his makeshift cane. Will Bennett, Silas and Sam left their vehicles and joined them.
“I hope you’re about ta tell us we’re almost there,” Connie said. That bus ain’t automatic, and working the clutch is about wearing my left knee right off.”
“None of the others know how to drive?” Jake asked incredulously.
“Got Sam driving the other bus, but this old bus of mine is finicky, and I ain’t positive any of them can drive a stick good enough for me to trust ‘em not ta wreck us. Besides, seeing as we’re this close, I’m inclined ta finish her up.”
“At least I can tell you we’re almost there, but the road is a tricky from here. The fellow who built Heaven ran out of time towards the end. All he laid in for a road at this point is packed-earth and gravel, covered over with steel sheets like those the military uses to make temporary runways for planes. It’s only about sixteen feet wide, and you for sure don’t want to ride off the edge, it’s swampy on both sides.”
“I see the path you’re talking about,” Silas said, pointing to an opening in the trees to the left of the road. “You keep your beast in the center, and we’ll ride your tracks. It should be all right.”
“I think so too, but you all watch the road close, just in case the truck ahead of you caves in a section.” Jake said. “Beth’s going to ride the turret and scout the road ahead for me. We’ve got about four miles left.”
“Let’s get going then,” Connie said. “This old knee's gonna stiffen soon.”
Jake and Beth watched Connie follow the other drivers, leaning heavily on his cane.
“I think if it wasn’t for him, his people would be dead already,” she stated.
“I’d have to agree with you,” he replied. “I think he may be one of those men your daddy calls a man among men.”
“I think he’s true blue too.”
They drove slowly, the metal of the road mostly not visible under a layer of composted leaves and forest debris. Low growing bushes and grasses obscured it even more, but the lack of any sizable tree growth defined the edges. Jake kept the truck as nearly to the center as he was able to judge. They were within sight of the upper half of a tall concrete building showing above the treetops when Beth spotted a problem.
“Stop, Jake,” she shouted, “There’s a sagging place in the road.”
He stopped the truck and climbed out. What he found was a washout that left the metal, bridging a gap, hanging with no support. The washout was clear across, about six feet wide and three feet deep. Off to each side the ground was wet and soggy. Agnes joined him at the gap.
“That’s a mess isn’t it?”
“You got that right. We can’t drive over it and we can’t drive around it. We’ll have to do some kind of temporary repair.”
“What’s that building?” she asked, pointing to the concrete structure.”
“That, my dear Agnes, is Heaven.”
“That’s it?” she asked, confused. “I mean it’s big, but nowhere near big enough to hold everything you said would be waiting for us?”
“Kind of a sad place isn’t it.”
>
“Sad! The place is downright depressing!”
“Would you feel better if you knew the building you see is just the door to Heaven, because that’s what it is?”
“If that’s a door, then I’d have to say, that is one very, very huge door.
“That’s the door, big as life, waiting for us to open it.”
“Why don’t we walk the rest of the way?”
“It’s over a mile away, and we still don’t know what we’re going to find there. I’m not inclined to leave our vehicles behind, nor am I inclined to split the group to guard them.”
Agnes squatted to examine the washout. “I’m getting everybody to help. No little rut in the ground is going to keep me from getting to Heaven!”
It was hard going. They had no tools to work with. Jake organized four groups. One group fanned out to each side of the road and brought anything they could find that was loose back to the roadway.
Another group carried the material to the washout and passed it down to the packers. The packers pushed the material into the hollow under the steel plates, compacting the scavenged debris as tight as they could.
The last group was posted as guards, both behind, and in front of the convoy. It broke Jake’s heart watching the former slaves work. They were so skinny it hurt to see them move, and, as Eva had pointed out, many of them were maimed, and half-crippled. One, a diminutive Asian woman carrying a large stone, limped towards him as he returned for a load to carry to the packers. He tried to relieve her of the burden, but she hugged the stone closer to her chest, shook her head dismissively, and continued past him.
The pickings were few, but slowly the gap filled with mostly rotted tree limbs mixed with a few large rocks. After two hours of hard sweaty work, Jake declared they had done the best they could.
To lighten the weight of the vehicles, he had everyone wait on the other side of the washout while he, Connie, and the other drivers attempted to drive over the makeshift repair.
HARD ROAD: Heaven Bound Page 30
