Troop of Shadows

by Nicki Huntsman Smith

  “What? Why? So he and his Nazi youth can come after us again? So we’ll always have to worry about this asshole popping up? I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder every minute while we’re planting corn with Dorothy and Toto.”

  “Killing him makes us just as bad.”

  Goddamn it. She hated when he played the personal integrity card.

  “You’re killing me.”

  “I’m sorry, Dani, but you know I’m right. We’re better than this.”

  Fergus watched the exchange like it was a Hollywood thriller.

  “Fine. Zip tie him. And don’t be gentle.”

  In the process of binding Isaiah’s arms behind his back, they also secured him to a concrete pillar at the corner of the building.

  “You will pay for this.”

  The former dulcet tones were back. She suspected Isaiah was internalizing his rage just as she had done minutes earlier. She knew it was foolhardy to let him live, but executing him would do irrevocable damage to her relationship with Sam. She toyed with the idea of coming back later, but couldn’t make the logistics work. They had been like an old married couple this past year; he would know what she was doing if she tried to ditch him for a few hours.

  She squatted down to the eye level of her enemy. He sat on the sidewalk with his hands behind him, twenty feet of braided nylon securing him to the thick post.

  “You are alive for one reason,” she said, gunslinger’s eyes staring deep into obsidian madness. “It is because my friend has a heart disproportionate to his body. You get one pass. Come after us again and I will slice you up like Han Solo gutting a Tauntaun.”

  Sudden laughter flowed over her, rich and genuine. Charlie Manson eyes sparkled in the dark face.

  “You spoke of fatal errors. This one is yours, young lady.”

  She held his gaze for a dozen heartbeats, then stood, turning her back on the captive, and walked away.

  Minutes later they discovered Isaiah’s means of transportation: four horses were tethered to a copse of bald cypress trees near the mall entrance. She laughed at the coincidence of finding the tools needed for her drawing and quartering. For a long moment she basked in the fantasy of seeing Isaiah ripped apart...watched his bloody bits galloping away in four different directions.

  It was probably fortunate that her equine knowledge amounted to a big goose egg. Horses were not what they needed anyway. It would be too easy to fall off and break an arm, leg or neck; plus they required food and water. She’d never ridden one in her life and she wouldn’t start now. Fergus seemed to know his way around the animals though. He had the saddles and tack removed within ten minutes. A slap to the rump of a gray mare sent all four off at a dead run.

  Shades of violet brushed the eastern horizon. Their backpacks were heavier than before from the added weight of supplies they’d taken from the saddlebags. What they couldn’t carry, they disposed of in a dumpster behind a Gap Outlet store a block away. They’d left a few bottles of water back at the motel, nothing more. The water had been Sam’s idea.

  They pedaled to a stop at the I35 entrance ramp. Vehicles were positioned like toy cars scattered by a careless child, but not as copious here as they had been just outside of Dallas. Dani could see a clear path between them and made an autocratic decision.

  “The next order of business is to find a pickup truck. No arguments.”

  Her companions exchanged conspiratorial smiles.

  Sam rolled up beside her, leaned over, and kissed her check with bruised, puffy lips. “Sounds great. Let’s get this show on the highway!”

  Chapter 29

  Yosemite

  “This stuff cleans your hair without water and soap?” Logan’s skepticism was evident as he studied the gold can Julia had given him.

  The sun’s first rays crept above the Sawtooth Ridge. She sat cross-legged on her sleeping bag, warming her face in the morning light.

  “Yes. Just spray it on and leave it for a few minutes. The ingredients absorb the oil and dirt on your scalp and hair. Then use the brush I gave you.”

  She had an extra one, thankfully. Using the same brush after him was not an option. The dry shampoo had been her idea, not her brother’s. Realizing how critical water conservation would be, she’d bought several cans of it along with everything else before sequestering herself in the lab at Stanford.

  Logan went about the business of grooming while she rummaged through the food bin.

  “Do you want apple cinnamon or brown sugar and maple cereal?”

  “You pick, Julia. Either is fine with me.”

  He certainly is easy going, she thought with a smile. They’d passed a pleasant evening the night before, despite her worry over Brains’ continued absence. She’d slept like the dead, only waking once during the night to see him adding more wood to the campfire and stoking it with a stick he’d designated for the task. That fire had likely discouraged predators and allowed her to get the rest she needed.

  “Should I put it out now?”

  After he’d used the wet wipes on his face and the brush on his hair, she was surprised to realize there was a handsome young man under all that grime.

  “Yes, that’s an excellent idea. I’m going to try one more time to find Brains and then we’ll just have to leave without him.”

  The thought of abandoning her furry companion distressed her more than she wanted to admit. Stupid cat. He’d probably gotten himself eaten by a bear or a mountain lion.

  “I bet you’ll find him!” he said, dumping handfuls of soil and loose rock on the embers.

  She hiked over to the tree line for the last time without much hope, so when she heard the familiar meow answering her calls, a giddy laugh escaped her.

  An orange blur leaped out of the forest and into her arms. The little shit was alive, and except for a few nettles and twigs stuck to his fur, he appeared unscathed.

  “Damn it, Brains, don’t ever do that again. No more night adventuring for you. I’m going to make a kitty leash and you’re not getting out of my sight until we’re in Kansas.” She rubbed the soft head.

  As she carried him back to their camp, Logan glanced up. A slow smile spread across his face.

  “I told you he’d be fine. Are you happy now?” The earnest question struck her as odd, but perhaps her anxiety about the cat had distressed the young man.

  “Yes, I’m happy. I would have felt terrible if we’d had to leave him here. It would have upset me. I didn’t realize how attached I’ve become to this furball.”

  “Yes, that’s what I thought. I’m glad he’s okay because I don’t want you to be upset.”

  “Thank you. That’s sweet of you to say. Let’s have our breakfast, put some gas in the tank, and hit the road.”

  “That sounds great!”

  The entrance she’d chosen in advance through Yosemite on State Route 120 was the higher elevation passage, but shorter than the 140 approach to the south. She was gambling that in October snow would not be an issue, and judging by the cloudless sky and the mild temperature, she’d made the right decision. She hoped to be through the park and at least to Tonopah, Nevada, within a few hours. They might even make it to Utah before nightfall if they didn’t have any delays.

  State Route 120 was a serpentine two-lane highway with breathtaking views of the western ridge of the Sierra Nevadas, Yosemite Valley, and eventually Mono Lake, which Julia had decided she’d like to see. A year ago when she and Steven had been devising their plan and plotting her course, she’d come across the online images of the eerily beautiful Tufa Towers — finger-like limestone formations which extended skyward out of the salt lake. She’d promised herself the small reward of seeing them, if possible.

  An hour later, they stopped at Crane Flat Lookout so Logan could take in the spectacular scenery.

  “I’m King of the World!” he yelled when he got to the top of the wooden structure.

  His voice sounded loud in the quiet surroundings. Julia had been smiling until the s
hout pierced the tranquility, announcing their presence to predators...both animal and human.

  “Logan, we should get going now.”

  “But we just got here.” A petulant child’s voice came from above.

  She took a deep breath. “I know, but we have a lot of miles to cover today, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to be so loud. We don’t know who or what might hear us and decide we’d make a good dinner.”

  The instant remorse was evident even from thirty feet below. “I’m sorry, Julia. I didn’t think about that. I’m coming down now. Please don’t be mad.”

  Twenty seconds later he stood before her wearing a contrite expression.

  “I promise I won’t be loud again. I hope you’re not mad at me.”

  “Of course I’m not mad at you. Let’s just remember that we’re not the only ones still around, and some of the people who are left may not be very nice. You probably encountered some this past year.”

  He nodded.

  “Plus, we’re in the wilderness, and this is the natural habitat for bears and mountain lions and other large predators that could make a quick meal of tender morsels like us.”

  “Ha! That’s funny. Tender morsels sounds like cat food.”

  “We’d look as appealing to a hungry bear as an open can of Tender Morsels would to Brains. Do you understand about the wild animals and the not-so-nice humans and how we need to be as quiet as possible?”

  He nodded again, the contrition vanished. She wondered if he truly understood the dangers they faced.

  A half hour later, as they continued their easterly route through Yosemite, Logan became silent and withdrawn. He was observing the magnificent scenery through the window of the Land Rover, but the images didn’t seem to be making the journey to conscious thought.

  “What are you thinking about? Is your shoulder bothering you?”

  His gaze shifted from the passing landscape to her. He seemed to be analyzing her in a detached, clinical manner — a doctor scrutinizing the x-ray of an unknown patient.

  She felt a pang of unease. He seemed so strange suddenly; no longer the ebullient boy of the last twenty-four hours.

  “I could shoot that bear, you know,” he said, ignoring her question. “I’m very good with my guns. Everybody said so.”

  Ah. There it was. She had insulted him by implying he couldn’t defend himself.

  “I know you are. I’m sorry to have suggested that you can’t take care of yourself. I just worry because the world is a dangerous place now. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you or me or Brains.”

  “The only reason Rachel was able to shoot me back at the golf place was because I had let-my-guard-down. It doesn’t mean she’s better than me. I’ve shot a lot of things, and I’ve never missed what I was aiming for. Never. Not once. Besides, nothing bad will happen to us if you don’t let it happen. I know you can do that, Julia. You can see me. You have magic. So you can keep the bad things from happening if you really want to.”

  The golden eyes bored into her. She fidgeted in the driver’s seat as she navigated the road, unsettled now by his tone and demeanor which seemed to convey a challenge...perhaps even a threat. Brains growled in the back seat. She thought furiously for a few heartbeats, then replied.

  “Magic is not an exact art. Unexpected things can occur and there are many factors which can affect the outcome of any situation. It is best not to question what I can and cannot control.”

  She realized she was holding her breath.

  Logan wordlessly studied her for at least the next half mile. “Okay. I won’t,” he said finally.

  And that was it. The smile returned, the enthusiastic boy was back, and the eerie undercurrent was gone, like it had never existed.

  “How much farther until we get to the lake with the fingers?”

  What had just happened here?

  Sitting next to her in the passenger seat was the young man she’d spent the past day with. His behavior was as boyish and unaffected now as it had been all along; he was even humming a tune and patting his knee in time to whatever music he heard in his head. But for a few moments back there, he had scared the daylights out of her. Had she made a huge mistake by bringing him, or was she overreacting to this recent episode? He seemed normal now. Her allusion to possessing magical power had felt necessary at the time...had felt like her life depended on perpetuating his belief that she had it.

  What the hell had she gotten herself into? Was she in danger? Should she find a way to ditch this young man, or was she blowing the event way out of proportion?

  “I made something for you, Julia. When you were asleep last night. I woke up a lot because I was worried about the fire going out.” He dug into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out some braided twine.

  “It’s a bracelet. My mom taught me how to make these. She said it was good to keep me busy with stuff. Busy hands are happy hands. That’s what she told me. I made a bunch of them for her in all different colors, but I only had this one color for yours. I hope you like it.”

  He tied the friendship bracelet to her right wrist as she drove. She took her eyes off the road long enough to glance at it, then at the childlike happiness of the young man who had given it to her.

  “It’s beautiful. I love it. Thank you.” She patted his knee.

  He grinned. “You’re welcome. I’ll make you prettier ones if I can find some better string. Do you think there are any Craft Depot stores around here? That’s where my mom took me to buy the colored string.”

  “I don’t think so. It’s a national park, which means the only stores would be the souvenir type, and perhaps some gas stations. We’ll keep an eye out for signs, though. It would be fun to have a souvenir of our adventure in Yosemite.”

  “Yes! That would be great. I’ll keep-an-eye-out.”

  They were driving on the Tioga Road section of 120 at an elevation of almost 10,000 feet. Julia had to concentrate on the winding pavement which dropped off abruptly. Skidding off this road would make for a horrific, extended plummet. The mild weather had held; she couldn’t imagine navigating the road if it were icy or piled with snow. She was so absorbed now with the white-knuckled drive that the young man’s odd behavior was pushed to the back of her mind. She would deal with it later.

  Two hours later signs for Mono Lake began to appear on the side of the road. The terrain had leveled out now, and after a quick northerly jaunt on 395, they arrived.

  “There it is! There are the fingers!”

  The scenery was even eerier than it had appeared in the online images. They pulled into a parking lot adjacent to the lake. Logan jumped out the moment they’d come to a stop and ran to the water’s edge.

  Tufts of wispy clouds threaded their way across the brilliant blue sky, creating the perfect backdrop for the remarkable scene. Like remnants of gothic sand castles, the limestone formations jutted out of the water and reached toward the heavens. Their strange beauty and the solitude of the place filled her with a sudden, undefined melancholy. She didn’t realize she was crying until Logan’s hand slid shyly around hers.

  “It’ll be okay, Julia. I think this is a sad place. Do you think a princess lived in those rocks? Maybe she was waiting for her prince to come rescue her, and when he never came, she died of a broken heart. It feels sad here because her sadness was so big, it had to go somewhere when she died.

  “That’s what I think, anyway.”

  She wiped at her tears and looked at the young man, wondering how she could have been apprehensive of him a short while ago.

  “Thank you, Logan. You may be right about the princess. I also think I’m just now realizing that almost everyone is truly gone. When I was in my lab all those months, I didn’t see much. Not like you and the others who experienced it firsthand.”

  He nodded. “Yes. The worst part was when my mom died. After that, I kind of got used to how things were without so many people. Then I started to like it. It’s really not so bad. Especially when you
have a friend. I never had one before. Well, except for a girl in my eighth grade class, but all of a sudden she didn’t want to be friends with me anymore and we had to move again. I’m glad I have a new friend.” He squeezed her hand before releasing it, then darted back off toward the water, scattering shorebirds that had been foraging for insects in the tall grass.

  She watched him run around in the sand, charging at squawking seagulls and tossing stones into the water.

  A child in a man’s body.

  ###

  They’d made it almost to the Utah border by the time day began sliding into dusk. Julia said they should stop, but Logan wished they would keep going. He thought it would be fun traveling at night with the stars and moon overhead. He wanted to find out if the car could outrun them, but she said it would be dangerous to drive after dark. She seemed to know best about these things. She was very smart. She was a doctor, plus she had magic. How much magic he didn’t know, and so far he hadn’t been able to figure out if hers was stronger than his, but he suspected it was. That’s why he hadn’t killed her yet. He wasn’t sure if a magical person could be killed with just a regular gun. Maybe it took some kind of charmed gun or a Harry Potter wand, which he didn’t have.

  He had started to like her too. He enjoyed how she explained things to him, and she was hardly ever bossy. She reminded him a lot of his mother, who he still missed but also didn’t miss because he enjoyed not having any rules. Except for the ones the Bad Thoughts told him about, and he didn’t always have to mind them if he didn’t want to. They only lived in his head, and they couldn’t actually force him to do stuff. They just got really loud sometimes if he ignored them, which could be annoying.

  There’d been no motel in the area, so when they saw signs for Great Basin National Park campgrounds, she’d steered the car that direction. He was happy about that. It meant they would get to have another campfire tonight, and he’d discovered he was almost as good at making fires as he was at shooting guns.

  After the fire was going, Julia did the wizard thing to their suppers. He was still amazed by how adding cold water to dust could make it hot. He figured it must be magic powder, even though she said it was chemistry. All the food she’d brought was tasty, but he wished there were Twinkies. He remembered tasting them in the park that morning right before he’d seen the girl with the carrot-colored hair. Twinkies were just about the most delicious thing ever.