Scorched

by Theresa Shaver

  “Alright, if we’re stuck here for the night let’s get set up. Pete, you put up the tent and Marco, get some food going.”

  Boyd feels the burning rage creep back up into his throat as he sees the two men exchange nervous looks so he barks at them.

  “What’s the problem now?”

  Marco nods at Pete to speak. “Well, uh, we didn’t pack a tent. We thought we would catch up to them real quick and then head back so we only brought food and water.”

  Boyd’s too furious at their incompetence to speak so he just stomps over to the back end of the buggy and starts pulling the bags of food and jugs of water out of the cargo space, dumping them on the ground. Once it’s empty he can see a storage compartment so he flips it up and takes an inventory in the day’s dying light. There’s not much - a tire repair kit, a sealed bag of some type of jerky, four Mylar water pouches, a flare gun with three flare cartridges and an old canvas tarp with a coil of rope wrapped in it. He leaves everything in there except the tarp and rope and drops it at his men’s feet.

  “Figure it out and get me some food!”

  He walks away to the front of the buggy and leans against the hood, staring off into the distance.

  “Enjoy your last night of freedom, brother. Tomorrow, you’re mine!” He whispers under his breath fiercely. He has no plans on killing his brother. After all, Beck is the only family he has left but there will be a severe lesson delivered that will leave scars as a reminder of who he belongs to for the rest of his miserable life. As for the girl and her brat sister...he isn’t one hundred percent certain whether they will make it out of this desert alive. An ugly grin crosses his features. He is sure that after he’s done with them, they might not want to live another day!

  Chapter Seventeen

  When I wake the sun hasn’t appeared over the horizon yet and everything has a bluish tint to it. I lay quietly for a moment just thinking about what’s to come and everything that’s behind us. My heart aches, missing Abuela. It’s impossible for me to try and see a future without her there to guide us. Knowing that Glo will have to grow up without her makes it even worse. I’m all she has now. Sister and now mother too. I let my eyes wander down the cart and watch Beck as he sleeps. I’ve resigned myself to him being with us now but I don’t really know how he fits. The memories of my childhood friend clash with what I know of him as a man. He seems sincere about never going back and wanting to be a part of our lives but it’s hard not to think of the things he’s done to the people of our town, even if he was forced to do those things by his brother. All I really know right now is that I need him. I don’t think I’m strong enough to make this journey on my own and protect Glo too. I have to trust him for now but the future is still wide open on whether he will be with us for the long haul.

  My bladder’s making noises that it needs release so I try and quietly push myself up off the floor without waking the others. The involuntary moan of pain that escapes me from the ache in my arms and shoulders ends that option. I see both Glo and Beck stirring as I make another attempt to stand. Apparently, all those years of pumping the well weren't enough to condition my body for the work I did yesterday. I don’t feel quite so bad about it when I hear Beck’s groans mimicking mine. At least I’m not alone in my suffering!

  Beck and I shuffle out the door and down the steps while Glo bounces down them. She’s got energy to burn from sitting around doing nothing yesterday. After we do our morning business, I stand in the silence of the desert and take a deep breath. It’s not cool by any means but the fierce heat is missing from the air. I know that this will be the only moment of the day that the temperature is comfortable and we should take advantage of it. Beck steps up beside me on the tracks and looks back the way we came with a frown on his face so I nudge him with my elbow.

  “You’re not really worried Boyd’s still coming after us, are you?”

  He shoots me a quick look but turns back to scan the distance while answering me.

  “I honestly don’t know. He’s got no transportation as far as I know and it’d be suicide for him to come out here on foot. All I can say is the more miles we put between us and him, the better I’ll feel.”

  I take my own look back and nod my head. Even if Boyd’s no longer a threat, the faster we go the less water we’ll use and the quicker we will know if the valley is going to work for us. I stretch my arms above my head to try and limber the ache from them but then grin and give him a small shove.

  “Rock, paper, scissors for who pumps first?”

  I see the twinkle come into his eyes but he shakes his head.

  “No way! I pump first.”

  I look at him with suspicion and slowly ask, drawing out the word, “Why?”

  The twinkle in his eyes morphs into amusement and he starts backing towards the cart. “Cause then you’ll have to pump in the heat, not me!”

  I lunge towards the door with a laugh but he beats me to it and sticks out his tongue at me. It feels good to laugh for a change even though we know both of us will be pumping in the high heat at some point today. Beck disengages the brakes from the control panel and gets us moving while Glo and I pull out food for our meager breakfast. We use up the last of the pre-filled wraps saving one for Beck and grumble while eating them. The tortillas have gone soggy and the vegetables inside them are basically mush but they fill us up even if they don’t taste that great. I promise Glo we can have some jam roll ups as a treat for lunch and pack the rest of the food away. We can have the same meal we had for supper as we had yesterday but after that, I’ll have to find something to make from the ration boxes.

  We only used half the engine charge before calling it a night so Beck only has to pump for an hour to top it off and switch back over to the engine. We spend the next few hours while the engine speeds us along studying the rail maps. Our fingers follow the broken lines on the map to faraway cities and towns that we might be able to reach if the valley is dry. We calculate distances and travel times to get to other places but we both know it won’t really matter. Neither of us knows anything about the conditions out there but if the government stopped the ration and water stations in our state then there’s a good chance it stopped in all the other southern states too. The only two option we really have is the valley or the north and with the labor camps the only way to get food and water now, we both agree north isn’t an option.

  The day’s heat settles over us again just as the engine starts to slow. I give Beck a fake growl as I take my place behind the handle and start pumping. He sends me back a cheeky wink. The only good thing I can say about it is that my muscles warm up and don’t ache quite so much with the exercise. This day seems to drag on and on. With nothing to see outside that changes the landscape, every minute feels like an hour. We pump and then sit in silence while the engine runs and then pump again. The small lunch of jam roll ups and a handful of peanuts and dried fruit only breaks up the day by a few minutes. The most excitement we have is when Glo spots the second junction and we pass by it. There’s nothing interesting about it. No buildings of any kind, just the tracks splitting off in a different direction.

  Beck’s at the handle pumping late in the afternoon and I’m trying to nap on the bench to pass the time when Glo lets out a yell.

  “Hey, guys? There’s something ahead!”

  Right away I feel the speed decrease as Beck cranes his head to get a look ahead. I look to the charging meter as I roll off the bench and see it’s in the green with two bars to go until it’s full. If whatever is ahead is a danger to us then at least we can have a bit of speed to try and get through it fast. I join Glo at the front windows and strain my eyes to see what’s out there. I can just make out some sort of large structure over the tracks but I don’t think it’s a building, more like an arch of some kind. What concerns me is what’s on the ground by the tracks. I cup my hands around my eyes to try and see further but we just aren’t close enough for me to make out what it is.

  I pat the messenger
bag that I always wear now and feel the heavy outline of my grandfather’s revolver. It comforts me and fills me with dread all at the same time. Firing it the first time at Boyd was pure instinct. I’m not sure I could deliberately take someone’s life if I had time to think about it first. Glo slides her small hand into mine and gives it a squeeze. I look down at her head and realize that I could and I would pull the trigger if it means she will be safe.

  We’re close enough now that I can make out the shapes of tents scattered on either side of the tracks but it’s the thin trails of smoke rising into the air that fills me with dread. The only reason for smoke like that is cooking fires and that means people. The thought is immediately confirmed when I see figures racing towards the tracks from either side. I keep my eyes glued to them as I yell out.

  “Beck! Brake, Beck! Braaaaake!”

  He yells back, “I’m trying!”

  Glo and I are thrown forward against the glass when the brake engages. I catch myself from bashing my face against it in time but Glo doesn’t and she bounces off and flies backward with a grunt. I want to drop down and check on her but I can’t tear my eyes away from what’s ahead of us. We’re getting closer with every second and I can now make out the faces of the men that are filling the track ahead and they look angry. I can see their mouths moving in shouts but I can’t hear them. The message they’re shouting is clear enough though. They want us to stop and the many guns and arrows pointing towards our cart tell me that grandfather’s revolver is not going to make any difference in this fight.

  I drop down to the floor of the cart, defeated, and pull Glo into my lap while I wait for the impact. She’s dazed from the blow to her face and blood is pouring out of her nose. I try and stem the flow with my sleeve as I look up to Beck. He’s got his feet planted hard and he’s leaning back with his hands clenched white around the handle like he can stop the cart with just his will to do so. I’ve never seen the expression on his face before. His lips are peeled back, with his teeth showing, making him look fierce like he’s ready to fight.

  I close my eyes expecting to feel an impact through the paneling at my back but it doesn’t come when the cart comes to a stop. I can hear them yelling now through the open windows for us to come out and my eyes fly open when someone bangs against the cart. I see Beck take a stomping step towards the door and scramble to my feet pulling Glo up with me.

  “NO! Beck, wait!”

  He turns his head towards me and I suck in a breath at how empty his eyes are. I finally realize just how much this brief freedom meant to him now that he’s about to lose it again. I rush toward him while pulling Glo with me and push her into his arms and then drag the strap of the messenger bag over my head and drop it at his feet.

  “Wait, Beck. Just wait. Listen to me!” When I see he’s back and focused on me, I go on. “I need you to stay on the cart. You have to keep Glo safe. Do you understand? I’ll try and talk to them but if it goes wrong and they won’t listen or they grab me, then I need you to turn the engine back on and just try and get through. Stay down on the floor if they start shooting but don’t stop no matter what. The most important thing is that you keep Glo safe!”

  He starts shaking his head and opens his mouth to argue but I’m already moving around him towards the door and he’s got Glo slumped in his arms so he can’t reach for me. I shove the door open and take a quick glance back at the girl who owns my heart before yelling.

  “I’m coming out! Don’t shoot!”

  I take a hesitant step down and feel my legs turn to jelly as I take in all the rifles and arrows pointed my way. I swallow hard and step the rest of the way down, closing the door behind me. There are too many of them yelling at both me and at the others to come out of the cart. I can’t single out who’s in charge, so I just take a deep breath and channel the strongest woman I’ve ever known, Abuela.

  “HEY! Stop yelling at me or at least do it one at a time!” I yell back at them.

  It must surprise or shock them that I’m not cowering on the ground because they all become silent and I know it’s not because I intimidate them in any way. I scan their faces and zero in on the only one who doesn’t look angry. He’s got a slight smirk on his face and amusement in his eyes so I talk just to him, ignoring the rest.

  “We don’t want any trouble. We’re just passing through!”

  His eyebrows shoot up like I’ve somehow surprised him and he shrugs one shoulder.

  “Well, that’s good to know Chica, but this is our land that you’re passing through so that is a problem. Tell the other two to come out here and maybe we can talk about passage.”

  His tone of voice tells me this is a joke to him but I’m not finding any of it funny.

  “No. They’re staying inside so tell me what you want so we can be on our way.”

  I take a step back when he lets out a bark of laughter. I watch him closely but his rifle is pointing at the dirt by my feet and not at my heart so I hope that means he’s not about to shoot me. A few of the other men laugh as well but their weapons stay firmly pointed in my direction.

  “I admire your bravery. Here you are, outnumbered, and you think you can dictate terms to us?”

  I don’t know what to say to that. It’s not bravery, it’s a desperate bluff but before I can say anything else, the man I was speaking to is pushed aside and a very old man shuffles past him and comes right up to me. He studies my face for a moment, hums at the back of his throat and then nods.

  “It’s called, moxie! She comes by it naturally.”

  I’m frozen in uncertainty at his words and the grin that spreads across his face but it’s his next words that give me hope that we will get out of this mess.

  “You have Bonita’s eyes. Are you her granddaughter, child?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  I’m stunned for words at his question so I just nod my head. He pats me on the shoulder and steps past me to lay a hand on the cart and lets out a cackle of laughter.

  “I’d recognize old Tilly here anywhere! I swear Lucas spent more time in this thing than he did in his own home.” He turns back to me with a face creased with happiness. His eyes look past me to the men still pointing their weapons at me and he barks at them, “Enough of that! This is the granddaughter of old friends of mine. You will treat her with the same respect you would show an honored guest!”

  I watch in disbelief as most of the men seem to melt away but don’t miss the angry and suspicious looks some of them directed my way as they go. The original man I had spoken to walks towards me with his amused expression and holds out his hand.

  “Sorry about that, strangers aren’t very welcome around here. I’m John Welshe and that’s my father, Charlie. He seems to think he knows you or knows your people?”

  I reach out and shake his hand while shaking my head. “Claudia. He knows my grandparent’s names so...”

  He frowns down at our joined hands and tugs me closer.

  “Is that blood? Are you hurt?”

  I yank my hand from his and spin around to the door to go check on Glo and Beck but stop in my tracks as I see Charlie helping my small sister down the steps. Beck is hovering behind her while nervously looking all around. When his eyes land on mine, I give him a cautious nod that it’s ok to come down. Glo barrels into me and wraps her skinny arms around my waist. Her voice is muffled against my chest when she speaks.

  “My ose urts!”

  I blow out a breath of relief and gently push her away from me to inspect her face. She looks ghastly with dried blood running in tracks down either side of her mouth and her tiny nose is swollen but it looks like the bleeding has stopped for now. I flinch when a hand comes my way but it’s just John holding out a wet handkerchief. He motions it towards Glo’s face so I take it with a small smile of thanks and wipe away as much of the sticky blood as I can. Charlie steps up beside us and peers down at her before his eyes go wide in surprise.

  “OH! You’re just a little girl! With all that war paint o
n your face, I thought you were a fierce warrior come to do battle with my tribe,” he teases. Glo’s giggle does more to settle my nerves than his teasing words. He turns to me and waves at the cart. “Why don’t you have your friend move Tilly down to the bridge? I would be honored if you all joined me and my family for an early supper and you can catch me up on the news of your family.”

  I look past him at Beck who nods in agreement. We would both feel more secure if we can move the cart to the other side of all these people. So I take the arm Charlie’s offered me and with Glo clutching my other hand, we walk towards his camp as he tells me the history of his relationship with my grandparents.

  “Lucas was a good friend of mine for many years. We met before he and Bonita got married. I thought he was a sun-touched white man when he told me he was prospecting for gold in the Black Mountains. That gold rush ended back in the nineteen forties but he was determined to find his lucky strike and sure enough, that crazy paleface found it! For years he would stop at the Avi on his way in and out of the mountains, so we were close friends. I was the manager and ran things back then so I always had the same suite ready for him. After he married Bonita, she would come with him sometimes. I haven’t seen her since Lucas’s funeral, though.”

  He chuckles when I ask him, “What’s an Avi?”

  “Oh, well that was the tribe’s Casino resort!” He laughs at my confused expression and explains. “A casino was a place where people would go to gamble their money. It had a resort hotel with fancy pools and a golf course. People would vacation there. Now, it’s where most of us live. Once the river was mostly dried up and the wars began, the tourists dried up too. No one had any money for vacations or gambling so our people moved into the resort to be close to what’s left of the river. The government is gone from here so we do what we want now and grow enough crops on what used to be the golf course to sustain us.”