“Well, why don’t you keep it?” Tim suggested. “I don’t have anything else chambered in that caliber anyway. That’s different than the Colt .45 you’d see in the movies?”
“Oh, yes, sir. And I’ll take good care of it, too.”
After Luke’s logical explanation about why he’d targeted that individual, Tim and his boys seemed much more relaxed around Luke. Shane helped Alex gather up the surviving horses and removed their saddles and saddlebags, then set up a temporary rope corral for the eleven mounts. Alex knew three more of the horses in addition to Bright, though they were all from the stables at the Hillebrandt ranch.
Luke assisted Tim and Buddy with the unexpected chore of butchering the one horse that didn’t make it. Alex made sure to set up the temporary corral upwind from the bloody work of the three men, though Luke made sure their trussed-up prisoner was close enough to the action, he was periodically splashed with blood when the men employed their long-bladed butchering knives. Despite the gelding’s much larger size, they’d used Mr. Feely’s deer dressing saws and blades, and Luke noted neither man seemed bothered by the chore. They’d sectioned the animal and Luke learned Tim planned to smoke as much as he could and convert at least half of the meat into jerky.
“Keep watching,” Luke taunted the bound man, “since you’re next.”
“You haven’t even asked me anything yet,” the prisoner protested. Since watching his men mercilessly gunned down and been taken captive, the man had not been allowed free and now, hours later, he still sat, waiting in his own filth.
“When our interrogator gets here, he will be asking you the questions,” Luke explained, then looked over at Tim Feely, so only he could see and then rolled his eyes. This made the older man stifle a chuckle at their raider leader’s almost palpable fear. “I’m still considered too new to the question game. I’m impatient, you see. Now, David, he’s like an artist when it comes to…questioning. I heard he got almost half of his last subject’s skin off his body before the man’s heart stopped.”
Again, Luke shook his head in the negative, so the prisoner wouldn’t see, and then went back to cutting. The horse flesh proved to be tough and stringy, as the gelding, like the other mounts, had apparently been denied grain for at least a few months, if not longer.
“This will help a lot,” Tim said, pausing to stretch his back. “We’ve been getting by on what the boys could bring in from hunting and with the garden, but game is getting scarce and the garden is about played out. Cold weather stuff is about all that’s left.”
Luke nodded but held his tongue. As they worked, he could see Tim and Shane were getting tired more easily than they might have been with a proper amount of calories in their diet. Both men were malnourished, though not yet to a dangerous level. Luke knew the feeling.
“Yeah,” Shane continued, picking up where his father left off. “Getting hard to scare up even a few rabbits for the pot these days. Woods is all hunted out.”
“I know,” Luke finally responded. “Saw that up north already. Plus, you can’t get enough fat off rabbits to give you everything you need. I was getting one or two a day with my snares, and I still looked like a scarecrow when we made some friends up in Arkansas.”
“Still can’t believe you walked all the way from Chicago to Arkansas,” Tim said, then realized what he’d said and stopped, looking at Luke apprehensively. He’d just called this young man a liar to his face, and he suspected Luke was a might bit touchy about such things. Luke, though, just laughed, easing the tension.
“I hear that a lot. Fact is, it was walk or die. Sometimes, it was run or die. I’ve seen men killed for the contents of their pockets, or less. Desperate people will do anything to survive, and to feed their families.”
“Is it true? We have a war going on right now?” Shane asked. “Mr. Winchell said something about it the other day.”
Luke looked at Tim, who shrugged, then let a mischievous grin light up his normally taciturn features. “Pete Winchell has the place behind ours. We cooperate on security as best we can. He raises goats and daughters. Has a herd of both, I hear tell.”
“Dad!” Shane exclaimed. “Four is not a herd. Daughters, I mean. He’s still got a dozen goats left.”
Tim’s expression grew more serious. “I’ll need to let Pete know what’s going on. He’s a good man, and he’s treated us good. I don’t know what would have happened if he didn’t send us a little goat cheese from time to time. Really helped stretch our food supplies.”
“Well, I don’t know what Mr. Winchell has heard, but there is something of an ongoing fight between some renegade elements of the old Department of Homeland Security, calling themselves the Recovery Committee. Going up against what’s left of the Arkansas and Oklahoma National Guard. Missouri Guard units involved too, on both sides of the fight. I also heard a rumor the Kansas National Guard came out in support of the other state troops.”
“Huh,” Tim said finally, getting back to work. “What the heck are they fighting over?”
“Mainly, looks like the fight is for Joplin, Missouri,” Luke said. “Seems they have at least one of their old coal-fired power plants back online. The city and the local utility company got a few of the transformers up, or had some spares, and the city has limited power back up.”
Their conversation was interrupted when Alex called over the radio.
“I hear trucks coming from the east,” he said. “I’ll get on the truck radio and see if it’s our people, over.”
“Roger that,” Luke replied.
“Everything okay?” Tim asked, and he cast a wary glance over at his oldest son.
“Alex heard truck engines. He’s going to try to make contact, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to prepare, just in case.”
Matching words to action, Luke reached out for his rifle and chambered a round, then popped the magazine and thumbed in another round taken from his pocket. Thumping home the topped-off magazine, Luke gave the older man a tight smile. “Never know when you might need that extra shot, right?”
As Tim and Shane moved to grab their own rifles, Luke called Scott and found his friend was already herding the women back into the house. He also noted the two younger sons were drifting back into the trees, closer to the roadway.
“You want me up there?” Scott asked, plainly feeling anxious and maybe a bit exposed, sitting there on the porch.
“No,” Luke said after a moment’s pause. “We’ve got the road covered. Set up there and protect the house, in case the approaching vehicles turn out to be hostile. That way, you can give us some cover fire if we need to fall back.”
Luke didn’t want to say he was leery about having his friend run to a potential fight when he might have trouble running away from it, if the situation turned sour. Better to have Scott there with the SAW to serve as a stinger if the worst happened. As it turned out, Luke didn’t have long to worry when Alex came back over their local net to assure his friends it was the convoy from the ranch. In fact, he announced, his father Ike was in the lead truck.
“Makes sense,” Luke replied. “Other than the Doc, he’s the best when it comes to hurt or poorly-treated horses. All right, we’ll stand down. How many vehicles should we expect?”
“Uh, Luke? There’s more than just the three trucks from the farm,” Alex replied. “Your dad is with them. And so is Major Warren.”
Well, heck, Luke thought. This just keeps getting better and better.
Then when the six trucks rumbled into view, Luke saw one of their confiscated Suburbans in the lead and two military Humvees bringing up the rear. The armored SUV pulled up close to Luke and parked, and then he saw the back door of the Suburban fly open and Amy stepped out into the late afternoon sunlight. Luke noticed she was wearing her tactical gear, including the body armor, and her short hiking boots. Like a conquering general, she surveyed the scene, noting the bodies of the raiders laid out in an untidy row, and her eyes fell on her fiancé.
“Honey,” Luke s
tarted, feeling a touch overwhelmed for the first time that day. “I can explain everything.”
As it turned out, there was a need for explanations all around after that.
CHAPTER 12
After Luke made the introductions, his father and the major perked up when Luke explained that Mr. Feely had worked at the refinery in Tyler. Those three drifted off together and Luke spotted David. He was setting the perimeter guard while Alex, his father Ike, and the younger two of the Feely boys, ushered the horses into the trailers with a small offering in a shaken grain bucket. Seeing that project to be well in hand, he walked over to David with Amy’s fingers still entwined in his own. But only after Luke had taken a second to dose his hands with a splash of alcohol, to remove the blood from his hands and forearms. Amy, it seemed, came prepared.
“Looks like you had a little ruckus without us,” David said idly, looking the young man over for any signs of fresh trauma. Only in the eyes, David decided. Eyes that had seen too much for a nearly seventeen-year-old.
“Raiders,” Luke said simply, then turned to Amy with a more robust explanation. “I think they were the ones Libby warned you about. Twelve of them. We killed eleven, then took what I think is the leader, prisoner.”
“Man, it was amazing,” Shane added, butting into the conversation. “Luke just walked up to them, started chatting, all calm, then boom! He just starts laying them out. Bang, bang, bang. Like something out of a movie! I’m Shane, by the way,” he said at the end, sticking out his hand for a shake.
Amy took it all in and returned Shane’s gesture with a short hand pump of her own.
“I’m Amy Landon. This big bruiser’s fiancé, and this is David Metcalf,” Amy responded with a nod in the older man’s direction. Then she turned to Luke, her voice dripping with ill-concealed curiosity. “And honey, how did you end up back here, anyway? Your dad just said you and the boys were going to drop off a radio. This looks like a bit more going on.”
Luke reddened, despite his sun-darkened features. He knew Amy wasn’t really mad, but she had been urging him to maybe, just maybe, stop taking so many chances with his life. For her sake, if not his own. Luke thought that last bit might be a low blow, but he had to admit, her point of view was valid.
“I, uh, when I saw how upset you were about Libby, I thought maybe I could see if her uncle would be interested in helping us out, for the standard payment in food, you know? She practically told you where her uncle lived, so we came by this morning to see if Mr. Feely would be interested. Except, while I was talking to him, these guys showed up.”
“You came out here because of me?” Amy asked, her expression shifting, suddenly becoming hard for Luke to read.
“I came out here because we need eyes on the road this way if our plans are going to work. This was just a logical place to stop, since we figured if Libby’s uncle was still alive, and was the sort to take in family even in this current situation, he might be amenable to making a deal.”
“You did it because of me, Luke,” Amy bore in, and Luke couldn’t deny it, so he decided to keep things moving.
“David, I understand you are something of an expert when it comes to interrogations,” Luke began, and he saw David trying to hide the mirth he felt at Luke’s clumsy maneuver in changing the subject. Not that potentially torturing someone was funny, but David could see his young friend floundering. And Amy wasn’t even mad, he decided. Just concerned for her soon-to-be husband.
“I’ll find out what he knows,” David assured him. “Fill me in on the details, and what you are looking for in particular.”
So Luke gave him more, including his takedown of the ringleader, and background on the Hillebrandt family. Shane, still hovering nearby, added a few things, since he knew the Hillebrandt kids.
“They have two kids, a boy and a girl,” Shane said, “and they both went to school with us at Garrison. Well, Jason would have graduated, but his sister Tina is in my class and would be going into her senior year. She is horse-crazy, and was training…”
When he stopped, the others looked closely to the young man as he stood gasping like a fish. Shaking his head, the teen continued, his face suddenly pale.
“She wanted to be a barrel racer, go into the pro rodeo circuit after she graduated, and she was certainly small enough and in shape to do it. I was just thinking about what happened to her family, and likely, what has happened to her. That explains the horses, though, right?”
“Yes, it does,” Luke replied, absently patting the older teen on the shoulder. Turning his attention to the older man, Luke decided to cut to the chase. They had things to do and places to go.
“David, would you please see what you can get from our prisoner? Take Alex too. If they are based out of the Hillebrandt place, he knows the layout better than anyone else here.”
“You want him still breathing when I’m done? Doesn’t matter to me either way, but I’d hate to get the Major there all worked up.” David asked the question like he was inquiring about a point of etiquette, and nothing more.
Luke thought for a second. “Yeah, probably for the best. We still got rope, and there’s plenty of trees around for later.”
After David took off, angling to grab up the lanky black kid with the sad eyes, Luke’s attention moved back to Shane.
“You just realized they’re probably dead, right? Your friends?” He continued, his voice laced with real sympathy for once. Amy heard it and looked away, sensing that Luke too knew this family they were discussing.
Shane nodded, “Yeah. And not just Jason and Tina. I imagine this hell has claimed a lot of my classmates. Yours, too, I reckon. We’ve been keeping to ourselves, mostly. Pete and his family are just about the only folks we regularly interact with, since we lost power.” He paused, then looked Luke in the eye with a steady gaze.
“I never thanked you for what you and your people did for Libby. Even though she’s ten years older than me, she is still my favorite cousin. More like a big sister, and her little girl Claire is a real sweetheart.”
“What did Libby do before the lights went out?” Luke asked. Shane noticed that even when the tall teen was standing still, his eyes never stopped moving.
“What, you thinking about expanding your horizons, big shot? She is a little old for you, isn’t she?” Amy quipped, slapping playfully at Luke’s arm as she spoke. Well, Luke figured at least he was on the way to being forgiven by his love for doing something needful, but dangerous, yet again. Amy was playful, but not one to play head games.
“Not going there,” Shane mumbled, watching Amy carefully as he spoke. He didn’t know her at all, but this hot young blonde carried her weapons like she knew how to use them. No reason to set her off, Shane thought as he continued.
“Libby got married young, right out of high school, and her husband quickly decided he didn’t like being tied down. He split, and left Libby with a newborn to care for. Sorry bastard,” Shane added with heat. “Anyway, my parents tried to help, but Libby isn’t one to take charity. She went to school at night, worked at a grocery store as a cashier during the day, and got her certification as a pharmacy technician.”
“Thanks,” Luke replied with a long sigh. “I just wondered if she might have a skill we might be able to use. Back at the ranch, I mean. I know we can supply some staples here as part of the deal with your dad, but if I could get her in with the medical cadre back home, it would take some of the pressure off you guys here.”
Shane blinked, and looked closer at Luke. “You have that kind of influence? I mean, I understand your father runs the show, but you think you can just invite in someone new and make it work? I mean, no offense. My dad will listen when I suggest something, but he usually shoots me down.” He added that last little bit with a self-deprecating grin.
Luke just nodded, clearly not taking offense at Shane’s words. “She does have a valuable skill. Honestly, if she was a secretary or still checking out groceries, probably not. But, I’d hate to suggest su
ch a thing if it would leave you guys without any kind of healthcare provider here. Just thinking out loud is all. Which is just another way of saying I’m wasting time.”
“Not really,” Amy said, rejoining the conversation. “We’ve been salvaging medical supplies where we can, and I’ve been helping Beth with the inventory, but having someone with more training than just looking pills up in the PDR would really be helpful.”
Catching Shane’s lost look, Amy correctly guessed the reason, adding, “that stands for Physician’s Desk Reference. Doctors and pharmacists use it to not only look up drugs, but to also check for contra-indications and drug interactions.”
“Oh,” Shane muttered. “Cool. Yeah, I know she can do that easy.”
“Amy, will you go over and tell my Dad that? About Libby?” Luke asked, pride evident in his voice. Amy was so much more than just a pretty face, he thought, wondering how many other fifteen-year-olds not only knew what the heck a PDR was, but also how to use it.
“Where are you going?” Amy asked.
“I’ll be over directly,” Luke explained, glancing over his shoulder. “But first, I’m going to go help David and Alex extract some vital information from our prisoner. If Major Warren says anything, assure him we will try not to do any permanent harm to him. We’ll also give him a briefing on what else we find out.”
“Uh, should you be doing that?” Shane asked carefully. “I mean, isn’t that the job of that guy in uniform? The major?”
“No, not really,” Luke replied as he turned to walk away. “I learned from my father that some things are better done away from the presence of officers. Less paperwork, he said. Don’t worry. Most of this is just for show. He’ll likely talk before we even get to cutting off anything he might need later.”
“But aren’t you just going to hang him anyway?” Amy asked, innocently. Only Luke knew it was a subtle joke on her part, and the tall teen snapped his fingers.
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