by Connor Mccoy
He passed by the pitcher of water on the counter. It gave him an excuse to drag out the moment longer. “Either of you kids need some more water?” he asked.
“No,” Carla said, “I’m fine.”
“I think I’m good, Dad,” Liam said with a hint of impatience.
Conrad rubbed his right hand. The tension was causing a slight ache. “They don’t have a militia near Redmond? Folks on the radio told me some of the cities still have National Guard units on hand to keep order.”
“Dad, there’s nothing there but pure anarchy. It’s a mess. If we could have found that kind of help we would have.”
Conrad caught his son’s gaze. Liam’s face was desperate. Conrad couldn’t put this off much longer. He had to take the bull by the horns.
“It’s a mad world out there. Redmond’s got to be days away from here, even on a bicycle.” Conrad turned in his son’s direction. “We could stay right here and be safe. This land will sustain us for the rest of our lives.”
Liam cringed. “Dad, please. I know Mom hurt you, and I’m asking a lot. Maybe it’s too much. But she’s still my mom. I love her.”
Conrad swallowed. Yes, for all the pain she caused Conrad, Sarah still was Liam’s mom. How could he say no?
But he wasn’t ready, not yet.
He glanced at this son. “Once you’re done, how about we go out back and I’ll show you around.” Then he quickly added, “It’ll help me think. It’s already afternoon. We wouldn’t be able to set off for Redmond even if I said yes. Trust me, it’s not a waste of time.”
Liam set his fork on his plate. “Sure,” he said.
Chapter Five
Conrad led his son and Carla through the side door onto his acreage. He kept close to their side, observing the expression on his son’s face. Liam never had seen his ranch before. Conrad had mailed off a few pictures when he first bought this place, but it soon became clear that Sarah wasn’t going to let Liam see anything his father sent over.
So, it wasn’t a surprise that Conrad’s son looked quite impressed by the sights, by the sheep, goats and chickens in their respective pens, and at the apple orchard and rows of crops off to the left.
Carla wandered closer to the tall white fence that separated the crops from the livestock. “Amazing. I guess this helps keep the sheep from having a midnight snack.” She laughed.
Conrad glanced at the fences that split off his animals. He chuckled. In reality, there were at least two fences between the animals and the crops, one to separate the crops, and the other to contain the animals. “Never had a jailbreak yet,” Conrad said, “They’ve been content with the grass and plant life.”
Liam strolled along the crop fence. “How much did it cost to put this up? How long did it take?”
“Hard to remember.” Conrad kept pace with Liam. “Of course, getting the boards, poles and nails didn’t take long. I probably took about a month to build this area here—”
Liam turned around. “Wait, didn’t you hire contractors for this?”
Conrad frowned. “Nope. This was pretty much a one-man job. Actually, I did hire that kid, Tommy Alexander. He provided some help on the livestock fences. Never saw him again after that summer.” The older man raised an eyebrow. “City teenagers.”
Liam looked at his father, his mouth slightly open. “Dad, in all these years, did you have much help out here at all? Where’d your money come from?” He winced. “Damn. I-I’m sorry. I meant after Mom…”
“Don’t worry about that.” Conrad quickly approached Liam. “Great thing about owning your own ranch is that you produce what people need most.”
“I don’t think ranches produce common sense,” Carla said.
Conrad roared with laughter. “No, darling, food and water. But if a ranch could produce common sense, I’d be as rich as God.”
He propped his arm up against a fence post. “I worked out a good arrangement with the local stores. They pay pretty good. I’ve also done some mechanical jobs, fixing some old cars, radios, anything old-timers like to come around here with.”
Liam also leaned against the fence, shifting his legs a little. The young man seemed increasingly awkward. It must be strange to learn what his dad’s life had been like for these past years. Conrad wondered if he must come across as a stranger to his son.
It wasn’t as if Conrad had shunned the outdoors when Liam was a child. He had taken his son to the creeks outside the city for fishing. They also had done a few hikes through a nearby park, although Sarah, his ex, freaked when she learned a snake had come close to Liam. The fact that it was nonpoisonous did nothing to calm the woman’s mood. Sadly, Sarah viewed Conrad’s outdoor interests with suspicion, especially as Liam grew older.
As Conrad turned around, his gaze toward the sheep pen, he noticed something that caused him to frown. “Damn,” he said softly. “Looks like we may have a problem.”
“What?” Liam asked.
Conrad led them through the sheep fence, up to one of the animals, which lay perfectly still on the grass. Liam and Carla watched as Conrad checked the sheep over. “She’s gone,” he said. “No signs of injury. This was Holly. She was one of my oldest. She had been getting slow the past few months, but I never thought she was sick.”
Liam winced a little. The young man didn’t seem used to looking at a dead animal, and probably not one as big as a sheep.
“I’m sorry,” Carla said.
“Can’t avoid it.” Conrad stood up. “Liam, I’m about to press you into service. We’re going to get a cart and move Holly out of here. It’s not good to have a carcass out here.”
“Disease?” Carla asked.
“Not just that.” Conrad flashed a look at the outer fence. “Dead bodies attract predators. I picked his land partly because of low sightings of predators, but you never know what’s out there looking for a free meal.”
“When you talk about predators, you mean wolves?” Carla waved her hand.
“Wolves, coyotes, foxes.” Conrad stretched his arms. A little fatigue was setting in. “Had a few close calls, but usually I’d go years without any trouble. Of course, after I shot that coyote, maybe his friends knew not to come around here anymore.”
Liam glanced at the land beyond the fence. “You shot a coyote?” he asked.
“Sure did.” Conrad started walking toward the sheep fence, but then he stopped. “Say, how about I show you the weapons that took him out?”
Conrad placed the .45 on a table he had dragged outside. In all, there were three shotguns, one a rifle, and two handguns. “Here’s where it gets real,” he said to them, though his eyes fixed on Liam especially. He patted the rifle. “This is what I used to get the coyote. It’s good for hunting.” Then he picked up a .45, unloaded, of course. “Liam, have you ever fired a gun in your life?”
Liam clenched his jaw. “No…no, I haven’t.”
“That’s going to change today. You don’t leave here until you’re ready to use this. If the thought of wolves and foxes makes your hair stand up, think of the whole world as being like this land here. Because from now on, we must act as if no one’s coming to bail us out. No cops, no soldiers, just us, and whatever we bring to the party.”
Conrad quickly set up a target on one of his trees. The animal pens lay behind them, so there was no danger of hitting any of them. Then he filled in Liam on all the proper steps in gun usage. Then he loaded Liam’s gun with a clip loaded with special practice rounds.
“When you raise the gun, you never stick your finger around the trigger unless you’re aiming at the target.” Conrad backed up a little as Liam leveled the gun at the bull’s-eye. The gun vibrated a little in Liam’s grip. “Don’t fret. Keep it calm.”
“I know. This is just…”
“New, frightening, I get it,” Conrad replied, “Just worry about getting the first shot. That makes it easier for the rest.”
Liam sucked in a loud breath. Then he narrowed his eyes. Seconds passed. Conrad said noth
ing. His son would do it when he felt ready.
Then, Liam fired his first shot.
Carla clapped. “Hey, good job! I think you may have hit the bull’s-eye!”
Lowering his gun, Liam laughed. “Really?”
Conrad took a few steps toward the target. “Not quite,” he said. The round actually hit the circle just above the red dot. “But not bad for a first try.” He hurried back to Liam. “Now, let’s try it again.”
Liam stumbled toward the bedroom with Carla behind him. Conrad had to excuse himself to the bathroom to clean up, so he would be in there for a while.
Carla looked at Liam with a big smile. “So, you finally popped your gun cherry, huh?” She gave him a playful slap on his shoulder.
The back of Liam’s ears burned. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Carla wrapped her arms around Liam’s neck. “You know, seeing you fire that gun was a real turn-on. Makes you look manly.” Then she gave him a quick kiss on his lips.
Liam chuckled. “Well, I shot a gun, I helped my dad move a dead sheep, guess I can’t be manlier than that.”
Then he glanced over Carla’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?” Carla asked.
“I just…you know I haven’t told Dad about us,” Liam replied.
“Oh.” Carla withdrew her hands, then shut the bedroom door. “There.” Then she wrapped her arms around him again. “Problem solved.”
Liam chuckled. “No, that’s not what I mean. I really should tell him about us.” His face bowed.
“Well, it shouldn’t be that hard, should it?” Carla asked.
“The day’s almost over, and I still don’t know if he’ll help us get Mom back,” Liam said with slight dejection.
Carla nuzzled the back of Liam’s neck. It was her way of calming his nerves. “Maybe it’s just too much,” she said, “I know it got really bad between them.”
“I should be happy he’s this well off after what happened.” Liam sighed. “I was afraid he’d be much worse. Mom always made it seem like he was completely insane. She said he was part of a doomsday cult.”
“You never sound like you believed anything she said about him,” Carla said softly.
Liam shook his head. “It never made sense. I always thought Dad was the greatest man I ever knew. After a while, I didn’t know what was true anymore.” He paused to gather more of his thoughts. “Seeing him again is so strange. He seems so different now, but I feel like he’s still the same man.”
Carla gently massaged Liam’s forehead. “Looks like you were right about him. Hey, I’m sure he’ll help us.” Then she squeezed him a little tighter. “So, we’ll wait until he comes out.”
Liam felt warm all the way to his toes. Carla had that effect on him. “Yeah.” Then he got a great idea. “Well, until Dad finishes cleaning up, how about we pass the time with a little fun?”
To punctuate his proposal, Liam reached behind Carla and gave her rear a good squeeze. Carla laughed. “Liam! Ooooh, someone’s acting kind of manly again.”
Liam then pulled Carla into a deep, passionate kiss.
Conrad put the scissors down. He had spent the past half hour trimming his beard and hair by the light of the sun through the window, and in the past few minutes, by candlelight. He gave his beard a stroke. A part of him, a younger, more rambunctious voice inside him, noted he’d likely impress the ladies looking like this. Perhaps his son had helped rejuvenate that part of himself.
His son! How the hell did this all happen? Indeed, this would have been a glorious day, except for that one nagging problem—his son wanted him to save Sarah. Yet, even with the sun setting outside, his time with Liam hadn’t helped make up his mind yet.
Is this the price for getting you back? I got to step out there and risk it all for the woman who shredded me up and down in court and took my boy in the first place? Conrad braced himself over the sink. Perhaps that’s how it worked in life. Nothing came easy. Perhaps the reunion with his son would be that way as well.
He finished up and left the bathroom. Afterward, he quickly got dressed in clean clothing. He wouldn’t be hitting the sack just yet. He had important business to take care of before bed.
He knocked on the bedroom door where he had put Liam up. “Coming,” Liam’s voice spoke up. Liam then opened it up, garbed in sweatpants and a T-shirt. Carla then appeared behind him, wrapped in a red robe.
“Hey you two.” Conrad raised an eyebrow. “Oh, Carla, didn’t know you were there.”
“Actually, I’m staying in here with Liam tonight,” Carla said. Liam noticeably blushed.
Conrad raised his chin. Really? he almost said. When a lady stays with a man in the same room overnight, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what would be going on in there. Still, he hadn’t the time to address that right now. Instead, he turned to the task at hand.
“Just want you two to wait a moment. I’ll be right back with…” He let that pregnant pause hang in the air. “…our traveling gear.”
About half an hour later, Conrad returned to Liam and Carla’s room with two dull orange backpacks. Liam and Carla now were properly dressed and seated on the bed as Conrad approached.
“Now, this is important.” Conrad set the two packs down on the floor in front of him. “If we are going to do this, if we’re going out there to get Sarah, you gotta listen to me. I’m the captain of this ship. I say sail, we sail. I say drop anchor, we drop anchor.”
Liam and Carla looked at each other and exchanged nods and glances. They must know each other very well to communicate so silently. Conrad’s curiosity about their relationship continued growing.
“No problem,” Liam said, “Whatever you say.”
“Good. Now these two babies are bigger than the ones you’ve been carrying, so you’ll need these where we’re going. We’ll spend the next few hours packing and preparing, and then head out early in the morning. And when I say early, I mean when the sun starts to creep over the horizon. So, when we wake up, it’s dark, probably four a.m. You two got here on bikes, so you’ll use those. I’ve got a good speeder myself, so I can ride with you.”
Conrad pulled out a folded map. “I’ll plan the route myself. Hopefully, we’ll steer clear of too much trouble, but I’m going to be totally frank here, this is not the world we grew up in. The only thing we’re assured of is danger. It could be anything. Feral animals that are prowling for food or territory. Lone wanderers who will rob you blind, and probably leave your carcass in the sun. Gangs, maybe even small mobs, desperate for food or supplies. There’s even word out there that men are seizing power in cities and towns. We can’t assume anyone’s going to help us. So, I want to make it clear that if the danger is too great, we turn and head back here.”
Liam shoved his hands in his pockets. “Alright.” Beside him, Carla nodded.
So far, these two were willing to handle the brutal truth. But saying it and actually living it were two different things. Conrad hoped they weren’t in for any nasty surprises on this journey.
“Now, one more thing. I got to know more about what you two are capable of. Do you have any handicaps, anything that might hold you back? Can you run fast if the situation called for it?”
“You bet. I was the fastest swimmer in my class,” Carla replied.
“I used to have a slight bout of asthma,” Liam said.
“I remember that,” Conrad said, “Did you grow out of it?”
“Yeah. I haven’t had breathing trouble since I was sixteen,” Liam replied. “I joined my school’s basketball team as a junior. Played in college, too.”
“Good, good.” Conrad’s eyes narrowed. “I think you can understand why I had put you up for some quick gun training.”
Liam nodded. “You wanted to test me?”
“I thought we might be going,” Conrad said, “I had to see if you could handle a firearm.”
“I get it.” Liam straightened up. “You don’t have to tell me it’s dangerous. I’m ready.”
For the first t
ime in a long while, sleep was impossible for Conrad Drake.
Perhaps it was the excitement of meeting his son again. Perhaps it filled his body with such energy that he could not be content laying in bed with his thoughts. Or perhaps the apprehension of what he was about to do shook him. The idea of leaving his homestead, his castle, his refuge, to find a woman who turned her back on him, was both frightening and ludicrous.
As Conrad stepped in his bedroom door’s open frame, he spotted a human-sized shadow moving across it. His heart raced, until he recognized Carla’s curly hair. Again, he wasn’t used to having other human beings in his home.
She was staggering as she walked down the hall. Concerned, Conrad walked toward her. The woman was wearing a long brown shirt that reached to her lower thighs. She was also barefoot, and clutching her mouth with her hand.
“Are you alright?” Conrad asked.
Carla coughed. “Throw…up…” was all she could get out.
This lady looks like she’s going to puke on the floor, Conrad thought. Quickly, he marched to the side door and opened it. “Come on, just lean over out there. The grass’ll take care of it.”
Carla rushed to the open doorway, bent over and vomited. Conrad braced her when it seemed she might fall over.
“If you’ve got a bug or something, I think maybe you shouldn’t come along,” Conrad said.
Carla stood up. “No…” She wiped her mouth. “No…I’m okay. Really. I think I was just a little dizzy. I had a little puking episode a few days ago, but I got over it.”
“You sure about that?” Conrad then placed his hand on her forehead, then her cheeks. “Hmmm. No fever.”
