by Joel Baker
Jesse looked at the boys. They both nodded again.
“We’ll give Cole three minutes to get to his position,” Jesse said. “Now move.”
The three minutes seemed to drag on forever. Jesse went back to the corner of the building and watched the bikers. The big one now straddled the bike facing the girl. He reached out and ripped the front of the girl’s dress to her waist. She struggled and appeared to be weeping uncontrollably as he began pawing her.
Jesse crouched and ran back to where Mark waited. “Let’s go.”
Jesse and Mark jogged, pausing as they passed areas that opened to the street with the sofa. Finally they drew even with the bikers and the girl. The bikers were laughing and bragging about what they were going to do to the girl.
The one with the vest began to untie her hands. Jesse pointed to some steel drums for Mark to hide behind and moved on to the other side of the alley for a clear view of what was going on. He estimated he was thirty feet from the sofa. The girl was now on the ground as they struggled to get her dress off. She was putting up a good fight.
“God damn you losers!” the big one yelled. “I got to do everything.”
He walked over to where the girl struggled. He made a fist and hit her on the side of the head. The girl shuddered once and lay still.
Jesse’s shot exploded like a thunderclap lifting the big one four feet into the air. A red bloom opened in the middle of his chest. The other three bikers froze in surprise. Mark’s blast came from Jesse’s left. The vested biker was cut down at the knees and fell to the ground screaming. The remaining two dove toward the sofa for cover. The girl rolled over and moaned.
Seconds ticked by. Where’s Cole? Jesse wondered. The two behind the sofa drew hand guns and shot wildly in Jesse and Mark’s direction. Jesse saw the dazed girl sit up and then stand. Blood ran down the side of her head to her chin. Slowly she stumbled towards the sofa.
One of the bikers behind the sofa stood and shot her in the chest point blank. The crack of a high-powered rifle sounded as the biker’s head exploded, sending a fine spray of blood into the air.
The vested biker continued to roll around on the ground, screaming in pain at the loss of his knees. The fourth biker apparently lost his nerve. He broke for the other side of the street. He almost made it when Cole’s bullet entered his back. It shattered his spine and he dropped like a sack of dirt. He lay in the street, his low moans complementing the screams of the vested biker.
Jesse pumped another shell into the chamber and stepped out from the shadows. Mark emerged behind him.
“Jesus… oh Jesus, help me man.” The vested biker was sobbing.
Jesse pointed his shotgun, holding it with one hand. He pulled the trigger and the vested biker lay still. He pumped the shotgun, chambering another shell. He walked over to the one moaning from the spine shot and pulled the trigger again.
Mark walked to where the girl lay crumpled on the ground. He covered her with what was left of her dress. Jesse pushed the cycles into a heap, opened the gas caps, and lit a match. The cycles lit up with a WHUMP.
“Just in case they have friend,” Jesse said. “Let’s go Mark.”
He and Mark walked slowly down the street towards the truck. Cole was waiting for them.
“Okay everybody,” Jesse said. “You can come on out now. It’s over.”
Sarah opened the door, stepped out, and gave Jesse a hug.
“I think we better move on,” Jesse said. “We don’t want to be here if their friends show up.”
Cole and Mark climbed up on the roof in a hurry, as everyone else piled into the truck. Jesse eased out of the old gas station heading towards the interstate. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw smoke rising from the charred remains of the motorcycles as they passed the city limits.
They drove on through most of the afternoon and saw no sign of life anywhere. As they drew closer to the interstate, the number of abandoned cars rose rapidly. Jesse drove by a sign that read ‘I-75, one mile’.
As he cleared a rise in the road, cars and trucks were scattered everywhere. Some had bullet-riddled windshields, but most appeared as if they were abandoned when they ran out of gas. Jesse stopped and Sarah stuck her head through the hole in the cab.
“I think we’re going to have to backtrack,” Jesse said. “I don’t see any way through this mess. It looks like a parking lot for the insane. I’m pretty sure I saw a small paved road about a mile back that might get us out of here”.
Jesse horsed the truck around backtracking to the small road. It headed off in a northerly direction. Trees canopied the road, and old weeds and shrubs crowded the brim. Jesse kept his speed down as he rounded the twisting curves. After a mile the road ended at an unmarked intersection. Jesse turned right and headed east again.
The second road was as narrow as the first. After another mile the pavement ended abruptly. The dry and powdery dirt bellowed out behind the truck. The road appeared to narrow even further. Limbs from trees and bushes on both sides of the road scraped the sides of the truck.
The ruts in the road forced Jesse to slow even more. They bounced and jarred for about another half a mile. The truck made a sharp turn and rolled down a steep hill into a small secluded valley where Jesse stopped. On each side of the road, lay a grassy meadow. The grass was a pale green with little yellow spring flowers dotting it.
Jesse walked to where a brook ran through the meadow on the right. The water was so clear, Jesse could see spawn beds on the bottom. Rocks broke the surface, and the setting sun’s light, forced Jesse to close his eyes. He heard a soft breeze high up in the trees. Sarah, Lily and Paul clambered out of the truck and joined Jesse. A dusty, scratched Cole and Mark joined them as they stared at the valley that lay before them.
“Cole, Mark,” Jesse said. “You guys check your weapons and take a walk up this road for half an hour or so. Then head back. That should be about two miles. Keep to the sides of the road. Let us know if you see anything.”
The boys headed off, Cole on one side and Mark on the other. They disappeared quickly at the top of hill.
“Jesse, this valley is gorgeous,” Sarah exclaimed.
“It couldn’t have come along at a better time, Jesse said. “Let’s spend the night here. I think we could all use a good night’s rest.”
Paul and Lilly headed down to the brook to wash up and Jesse could hear water splashing a short time later. Sarah unloaded food from the truck and Jesse returned with an armload of wood.
“Do you think we should risk a fire, Jesse?” Sarah asked.
“The breeze up in those trees should disperse the smoke,” Jesse said. “But I’ll wait for the all-clear from the boys before I light it. After Middletown, I think we need a fire just to lift our spirits.”
“What happened back there?” Sarah asked.
“Some bikers rode in with a girl tied to the back of their bikes,” Jesse said. “They were just starting in on her when we surprised them. It was bad.”
“What about the girl?” Sarah asked.
“One of the bikers took her out,” Jesse said.
He looked at Sarah, shook his head and then tried to look busy laying out the campfire on the edge of the meadow. A short time later, Cole and Mark returned.
“Everything’s cool, Dad,” Mark said. “We went a little further because the road changed back into a paved road about a mile ahead. We didn’t see anything. Not even a house or a mailbox.”
After they finished eating, the boys and Lily went down by the stream to wash up. Even Cole joined them quietly at the edge of the group. Night came quickly to the valley. Once they were ready for bed, they sat around the campfire and studied the burning embers. After a while Cole climbed up top. Mark and Paul helped their little sister into the truck. Sarah went in to check on them. She came out with a towel, shampoo, and soap.
“Would you mind terribly, sir, accompanying me down by the water?” Sarah asked in her best southern drawl.
“Why cert
ainly, Mrs. Colter,” Jesse answered. “And I would like to assure you that I will avert my eyes at all times to respect your privacy.”
“Yeah, right,” Sarah answered with a laugh.
They walked down to the brook and found a small pool formed behind some rocks. Sarah slowly disrobed, and knelt by the still pool washing her hair. Jesse sat on the grassy edge of the pool, enjoying the moment, but thinking about what lay ahead.
Chapter 7
Dawn came late to the small valley. By the time the sun worked its way over the hills, everything was packed and loaded. Jesse wanted to get as far away as possible from Middletown. The truck started hard, but after a few tries, the engine coughed to life and the loaded truck lumbered up the hill and out of the valley.
The pavement returned about a mile up the road just as the boys had said. The ruts in the shoulder of the road forced Jesse to drive down the center. They were still headed east when they came to a four-way stop sign. Jesse turned right, south towards the Ohio River.
An hour later they entered Moss. It appeared to be the typical southern Ohio small town. A bit dumpy on the outskirts, the houses improved steadily as they approached the business district surrounding the town square. Jesse drove slowly past empty two-story buildings, an Ace hardware store, the First Ohio Bank, an occasional bar, and a diner.
Sarah pointed out the Church of God and the Church of God Reformed that sat next to each other. Apparently there'd been some fundamental disagreement between the two churches in the past. There must have been some awkward Sunday mornings.
A mile outside town Jesse spotted what appeared to be a small roadside park. Trash was scattered all over the ground. Jesse pulled in and stopped. He and Sarah climbed out and surveyed the area.
“This is nasty,” Sarah said, wrinkling her nose. “Paul, Lilly, come on out and let’s pick this place up.”
Paul and Lily jumped out the side door and began picking up the trash gingerly and placing it in a pile.
“Couldn’t you have found a better place to stop than this?” Sarah asked.
“Probably,” Jesse replied. “But I don’t like pulling the truck off the road just anywhere and maybe getting stuck. By the way, did you notice anything about the little town we just drove through?”
“It was named Moss,” Sarah said. “It kind of reminded me of Liberty. I didn’t see anything special. Why?”
“It just struck me,” Jesse said. “It was the first town we’ve driven through that had only a few broken windows. There were no burned buildings.”
“What do you think it means?” Sarah said.
“I’m not sure,” Jesse said. “Maybe we’re getting close to civilization. Apparently scavengers haven’t been through here. There must be a reason.”
Jesse looked around.
“Where’s Cole?” Jesse asked.
“I don’t know,” Sarah said. “Mark, have you seen Cole?”
Mark pointed towards the rise running next to the park.
“He went up there,” Mark said.
“Just great,” Jesse said. “I’ll go look for him.”
Jesse walked back to the cab and grabbed his rifle.
“I’ll fix us some lunch,” Sarah said.
Jesse climbed over the fence and to the top of the small hill behind the roadside park. He could see Cole behind some trees at the top of the next ridge. He walked over to where Cole stood staring intently at something beyond the row of trees.
“What’s going on?” Jesse asked quietly.
“There’s a house down there,” Cole said. “I thought I heard a faint voice calling for help. I think it’s coming from the house.”
“Did you see anything?” Jesse asked.
“No, it looks all closed up,” Cole said. But I think there might be someone inside. Three dogs are roaming around the place. They seem to be after something inside.”
“Let’s take a look,” Jesse said.
Jesse headed back to the trees. He watched for a few minutes as several large dogs kept walking up on the porch of the house, sniffing at the door, and then walking off.
“Cole,” Jesse said. “The people in that house are probably dead. We’ve seen this before.”
“I know,” Cole said. “But I really think I heard a voice from down there.”
Jesse thought about it for a minute. Cole had an instinct for these situations.
“If you heard something, you heard something,” Jesse said. “That’s good enough for me. I want you to go back and tell Mark and Mrs. Colter what’s going on. Then bring Mark back with you and your weapons. Tell Paul to get up on the roof of the truck with his rifle and stay alert. I’ll wait here.”
After Cole headed back, Jesse watched the house for any sign of life. He thought he might have seen a ghostly shadow move past one of the windows. A fourth dog appeared from behind the house just after Mark and Cole returned with high-powered rifles with scopes.
“We’re going to take those dogs out,” Jesse said. “Mark you take the big yellow one out front. I’ll take the smaller brown one on the right. Cole, you take the big brown on the porch. Set your scopes for a hundred yards.”
“What about the fourth one?” Cole asked.
“Take him out if you can,” Jesse said. “But he’ll probably be moving fast.”
The boys spread out ten yards on each side of Jesse. When they were in position and sighted, Jesse placed the crosshairs on the smaller dog on the right.
The barrel of his rifle jerked up as he fired. The sound of Mark and Cole’s shots followed closely. Then a final crack, as Cole went for the fourth dog. Jesse saw his dog on its side, dead in the dirt.
“Did you get the fourth dog, Cole?” Jesse asked.
“I hit it,” Cole said. “I saw him do a cartwheel in the air. He was really moving though, so I’m not sure it was a clean kill.”
“Let’s take a walk down to the house,” Jesse said, “But be really careful, and keep your spacing.”
All three headed down the rise, out of the trees, and towards the house. Cole pointed, and Jesse could see the fourth dog dead in the weeds. They walked up in front of the porch and stopped. Jesse thought he heard a baby crying.
“Hello!” Jesse called. “Is anybody in there?”
This time Jesse definitely saw a curtain move.
“Is it safe to come out? Are the dogs dead?” A woman’s voice called from the house.
“It’s safe,” Jesse called back.
The door opened and a frightened young woman walked out holding a baby. She was followed by a little boy, who looked to be three years old. The woman appeared to be in her late twenties, but it was difficult to tell because of the dirt. Her mousy brown hair was thin and scraggly. Jesse thought she and her children were showing the first signs of malnutrition.
“Oh, thank God you came by,” the woman said.
She looked both frightened and relieved at the same time.
“We’ve been trapped in here for three days by those damn dogs,” the woman said.
The little boy peeked out at Jesse from behind his mother’s dress.
“Glad to help,” Jesse said. “Is there just the three of you?”
“Yes,” the woman said. “We ran low on food, and my husband went to see if he could get some from Fairfax. He headed out almost a week ago.”
The woman was obviously concerned.
“You haven’t seen him, have you?” the woman asked.
“Sorry, we haven’t seen anyone,” Jesse said. “Mark, head back and have your mother bring the truck up. It looks like this access road in front of the house runs out to the main road.”
“It does,” the woman volunteered.
Mark headed back toward the trees and Jesse walked up on the porch.
“I’m Jesse Colter,” Jesse said. “This is Cole.”
“Please to meet you,” the woman said, shaking Jesse’s hand. My name’s Nancy Porter and this is my son Justin. You wouldn’t have any food to spare, would you? My chi
ldren need food badly.”
“We’ll see what we can do,” Jesse said. “Mrs. Porter, how far is this Fairfax place?”
“Call me Nancy,” the woman said. “It’s a town about ten miles south from here. Ernie, my husband, knew we had friends there. He thought he could get us some help.”
Jesse looked back as the truck lumbered down the path and up to the house. An hour later, the dogs were dragged into the brush and Sarah had everyone fed.
She’d cleaned up Justin and the house as best she could while Nancy was inside feeding the baby. Sarah walked out on the porch and sat on the front steps by Jesse.
“Is there something wrong Jesse?” Sarah asked, seeing that Jesse appeared angry.
“I’m just ticked off that her husband would go off like that and leave his wife and kids unprotected like this,” Jesse said.
“He must have thought they were safe here and…” Sarah said.
“Well, thoughts like that can get you and your family killed,” Jesse said.
“What do you think we should do with Nancy and her children?” Sarah asked. “We can’t leave them here.”
“I checked the map and Fairfax is in the direction we’re heading,” Jesse said. “We can’t leave them here. I guess we’ll take them to Fairfax, and hope her husband made it.”
“You think he did?” Sarah asked.
“Not really,” Jesse said. “He’s been gone almost a week. It should have taken him a half of day there, and a half a day back.”
“Will the folks in Fairfax look after them?” Sarah asked.
“…if there are people in Fairfax,” Jesse said.
“Let’s stay here tonight,” Sarah said. “It would be nice to have a roof over our head.”
“It can’t hurt,” Jesse said, almost smiling. “We can leave in the morning. It’s too late to start this afternoon anyway.”
Jesse’s attitude had improved by morning. With everyone washed and fed, they loaded the truck. The three boys climbed up top, while Nancy with the baby Elisabeth went in back. Lily was already there entertaining Justin with her stuffed toys. Jesse looked over at Sarah, shook his head, and drove out to the road and headed south towards Fairfax.
