by E A Lake
“I can wander back to Lettie’s and see if any 45 caliber ammo made it through the fire,” I added. “Not for a while, but soon enough. If we need more for the 20-gauge…” I peeked at Marge again. “I’ll have to wander back to Dizzy’s to look for that.”
Though I expected tears, Marge simply nodded. Two people to my left, I heard Daisy sniffle. Bless her soft heart.
“This place is too small for all of us, but it’s the best we got right now.” I glanced at Lettie for confirmation.
“It’s the only place we got,” she stated forcefully. “And it’s safe. Limited access, good source of water. We’ll be fine here.”
Fine; I might not have used that word. Perhaps cramped or packed would have been a better description.
“I don’t think we can dare to go looking for a new place anywhere north of here,” I continued. “Next decent sized place to the south was Frank’s. But I burned that down a while back.”
God, how much more impossible could things have been, I wondered.
“Kind of short sighted on your part,” Lettie squawked, sounding more like her old self. “But that was his wish. No crying over spilt milk now.”
“This place will be fine, Bob,” Daisy interjected, her tone as optimistic as the situation allowed. “We’ll make a nice home here, for all of us.”
Several nodded, Lettie and Marge. “What are we gonna do when the baby comes?” Violet asked, chewing on a hangnail. “We aren’t going to make it.”
I sighed and allowed my head to drop, knowing Daisy would make it right. At least I hoped she would.
“It’s going to be all right, Violet,” Daisy said, sounding as happy as she could at a bad time.
“Where will she sleep?” the teen demanded. “Where will I give birth? What happens if I need some sort of help?”
I looked up to find Marge staring at her daughter. “It’s going to be all right, Violet,” she said, sounding far more positive than I expected her to. “Everything will be fine. I’ll be right here.”
Violet wiped away tears and glanced back at me. “What are we going to do for food?” she cried.
Yeah, food. I was just getting to that.
“Quite honestly, that’s going to be our biggest hurdle,” I admitted. “It’s in real short supply now. I’ll see if I can get a deer later today or tomorrow. The rest—” I waved my hand in the air.
“Well, we still got some at my place,” Lettie stated. Perhaps the old bird forgot that her place burned to the ground last night? Or maybe her mind had finally picked a good time to take a permanent vacation.
“The root cellar?” I asked.
She nodded like she knew something I didn’t.
“That’s buried under a ton of smoldering debris, Lettie,” I paused to let it sink in, but she never changed expressions. “Probably all burned up with the rest of the house.”
She shook her head at the group. “Not my root cellar.”
I blinked rapidly several times. “Lettie,” I said, sliding forward in my chair, “the beams were made of wood. All wood burns. You know that.”
Grinning as if she’d won a huge prize, I saw her eyes lighten. “What wood beams?”
I pointed a finger upward. “The ones on the ceiling.” I tried to recall the spacing, wondering if that made a difference.
“It’s all cement,” she whispered loud enough for the group to hear. “The walls and the ceiling… just 12 inches of perfect cement.”
My eyes floated around the group as we all began to understand her words. We had food.
Year 4 - early spring - WOP
“There’s not a lot there,” Lettie continued a short time later. The news of a potential food cache had brought most of us to tears. All except for Lettie. She knew it was there, so why should she get all “wet-eyed” about the fact, she figured.
“But there’s enough until we get this figured out, right?” My question came because I couldn’t recall how much was left in the old dark root cellar. It was better to ask than wonder I decided.
She nodded. “Yep. The way I figure it, no one knows it’s there. Not with all the junk that most likely fell on top of the doors. It’s a cool, dry place. The food will be fine whenever we get to it. And my seeds.”
Daisy cocked an eye at her. “Your seeds?”
Lettie smiled. “My heirloom seeds, so we can plant a garden in the next six to eight weeks or so. I don’t know about you, but I have no plans on surviving all of this just to starve next fall.”
Even Violet had a smile on her face. Things were looking up; once we got past this initial shock.
“I think we need to bury Dizzy’s remains,” Marge said, wiping a tear away. “Maybe place them back by his home. I think he said his father was buried back there.” She nodded at her daughter, for confirmation I assumed.
“Once the ground thaws, I’ll take care of that,” I answered. I hoped no one had settled into his old ramshackle trailer in all this time. It had been a while since even he had been back there, being in love and all.
“And this place will do us just fine,” Lettie continued. “Now and in the future.” She turned to face me. “You need to get back to the Wilson place as soon as the snow allows. He’s a fair, but dour, man. He’ll understand our situation and help us out. You can always play the baby card if you have to.”
The easiest route was down Dizzy Lane, then follow the game trail around the swamp. Four or five miles, I figured. Talk about an all day adventure. But if he helped out, it would all be worth the effort.
We passed the bag of food around and everyone took a little. There wasn’t much to start, so a little was all anyone received.
Nate and Libby joined us when they heard our lips smacking. The look on Libby’s face was priceless.
“Why are we back here, Momma?” Libby asked. Daisy rubbed the top of her head, giving her a quick kiss.
“We thought it’d be a nice change of pace, pumpkin. You like it?” Everyone laughed as Libby nodded her acceptance to her mother. But we all dreaded the Dizzy question, which we knew would come eventually.
Standing by the front window, back on guard duty, Lettie stopped next to me.
“I hate to mention this, Bob,” she began quietly, “but you’re going to need to make at least one trip back to old smoky today for food. Two if possible. You can grab some 45 ammo too. But we’re going to be mighty hungry by breakfast tomorrow if you don’t get down there today.”
I nodded my agreement, still focused on the snow-covered road. “I’ll get on that right away. Should I take someone with me, you think?”
I heard her sigh. “You’ll travel faster by yourself. Trip back is gonna suck, weighted down by food. And you can’t use a cart in this snow.”
I checked our cabin mates. Daisy, Libby, and Marge were busy inspecting the cold storage bedroom. From the looks of things, it was still mighty chilly. Nate and Violet had dug out a deck of cards and were embattled in a noisy game of ‘Go Fish.’ None hung their heads any longer. All seemed to be ready to give their best effort to make this work.
I reached for my coat. I was going to make this work.
Year 4 - Spring - WOP
By the time I made a single trip back and forth to our old place, the trees hid the sun. Soon another night would be upon us. My insides rolled, worrying of another attack.
It was almost dark when I made my final trip to the woodpile. Deciding it was easier to stack what I thought we’d need for the evening inside, meant I wouldn’t have to venture into the cold night air at all.
Not so far away, a wolf howled at the moonless sky. I studied the stars, wondering where Dizzy had found a new home amongst them. Sadness filled my soul.
My first real friend in No Where was gone; taken from the others and me by a group of cold-blooded murderers. Not a day had gone by since I made the man’s acquaintance had I not thought of him, or at least seen him. He was one of a kind. A friend you could always count on, even at the end of the world.
Now my friend was amongst the stars. Gone from his earthly bonds forever. Lucky bastard.
Turning for the door, I notice movement in the woods. Instinctively, I raised the rifle and pointed at the brush. For a number of tense moments I stared and listened as whatever was out there moved through the woods.
When it stepped into the open, some thirty yards from me, I lowered the rifle.
“Nice to see you again, Chester,” I called to the wolf. “Sorry I haven’t been around much lately. Been kind of busy.”
He seemed to take no offense to my prior absence. I watched as he stopped and twisted his massive head my way. If it hadn’t have been so dark, I’m sure we would have made eye contact.
Slowly, he lumbered back in the brush, his ‘hi, how are you’ completed. Rubbing my chin, I sighed, tears filling my eyes.
“Maybe I’ll change your name,” I whispered mostly to myself. “I think I’m going to call you Dizzy from now on. If that’s all right with you?”
Any sign of him had vanished in the brush. I decided Chester didn’t care what I called him, not so long as I shared the occasional kill with his family.
Inside, after dinner, Marge tucked Violet, Libby, and Nate into the bed in the back room. Though it was chilly, they complained, the extra wool blankets seemed to calm their gripes.
Marge and Daisy would share the couch. Lettie insisted on sleeping in a chair. She was old, she claimed; didn’t really need a bed to sleep any more.
I took my spot by the window, settling into a hard chair. Staying awake would be easier that way, though my body begged for rest.
Marge would take my place sometime in the middle of the night. Either when she woke up, or Lettie caught me sleeping on the job. I would take her resting spot and snuggle in next to Daisy for some much needed sleep.
My thoughts returned to the prior day, mostly the night. Attackers sprang when we were most vulnerable. I was gone, along with Daisy and Libby. If I had been there, perhaps it would have turned out differently. Maybe we would have stood a fighting chance.
Dizzy was dead because of me. I couldn’t shake the feeling.
A plan began to form in my weary mind. Something I could do; something I had to do. If for no other reason, for Dizzy.
Later, still lost in my thoughts, I heard sounds behind me. Blankets rustled, a creak from a piece of furniture, and an exhausted yawn. My relief was coming to the rescue.
When I turned, I noticed it was Lettie.
“Wanna talked about it?” she asked, pulling a chair beside me.
“Nothing to talk about,” I replied, knowing she wouldn’t agree with any of my ideas.
“You know why a bear is a bear?”
I gazed at her, too tired to understand. I shrugged.
“Because he knows he’s a bear,” she added. “Human nature is really easy once you see the seedy side of things. And I’ve seen plenty of that in my life.”
Shaking my head, I stared back at the empty wilderness. “I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about, Lettie.”
I heard her chuckle softly. “I see it in your face. I know what you’re thinking,” she paused, laying a cold hand on mine. “Revenge ain’t gonna bring Dizzy back. Nothing will. So if you’re set on something, and it’s all because of him, don’t do it. You’ll just get yourself killed.”
Maybe she was a mind reader, or perhaps someone who’d seen enough, as she had said.
“It’s not just Dizzy,” I admitted, my eyes still fixed outward. “It’s us. We’re not safe. Not as long as they’re out there.”
I noticed her head nodding in her reflection.
“Now is not a good time,” she added. “Not good at all.”
I turned, angry with her. “Now is the only time, Lettie. Strike while the iron is hot.”
She grinned. “Revenge is a dish best served cold. Put that cliché in your pipe and smoke it.”
“What would you have me do?” I demanded. “Just sit around and wait for the next attack? One where they kill every last one of us?”
“Patience, Bob, patience. In the winter, with all this snow, they’ll see you coming from two miles away. Wait until spring, when the leaves are out…” She nodded several times. “…At least you’ll have that advantage.”
I tossed a hand at her idea. “I’m not waiting. Not another six to eight weeks.”
“And that’s exactly what they’re expecting,” she countered. “You go now, and they’ll be ready.”
“I can follow their tracks in the snow,” I countered. “It’ll lead me right to them. By spring, I won’t have any idea where they are.”
Raising a hand to her face, she rubbed away the remainder of her sleep. “But old man Wilson will. He knows everything that goes on up here. He knows everyone…even this Clyde fellow. He’ll point you right to him.”
I wanted to strike now, tomorrow if possible. But deep inside I knew Lettie was right.
“So you don’t have a problem with me going after them?” I asked, watching her eyes for any sign of disagreement.
“It’s a fool’s errand,” she whispered. “But one that must be done. And you’re probably the best person for it.”
“Then its set,” I said, returning my focus to the winter scene outside my front window. “Come spring, I’m going after them. And I’m going to stay on them until I kill every last one of them.”
Lettie squeezed my hands one last time. “May God have mercy on their souls,” she added quietly, “every last one of them.”
I peeked at her again. “I hope God has mercy on my soul as well, Lettie.”
She nodded and I mirrored her gesture. And we sat quietly, watching as the snow began to fall.
###########
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Table of Contents
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Disclaimer
Dedication
Opening Words
Blank Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
C
hapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chaoter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
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