by Connor Mccoy
“Oh Liam!” Carla took the ring. “This is amazing. How did you get this?”
“Turns out rings are much easier to get nowadays if you pay in canned food,” Liam said with a grin.
Carla put it on her finger. “Perfect.” She hugged Liam tightly. “Thank you, thank you.”
“Marry me,” Liam said.
“Oh, I will,” Carla replied, almost dreamily.
Liam pushed Carla back to look in her face. “No, I mean marry me right now.”
“What?” Carla laughed.
“I think we should,” Liam said.
Carla smiled. “Well, sure, I’d love to do it now. I just thought we’d have some kind of, you know, ceremony. I could at least change out of my pajamas!”
Liam nodded. “I know. But Dad really wanted this as soon as possible. You know how the times are. And I think I’ve waited far too long for this.”
“But who’s going to marry us?” Carla asked, “There’s not even a priest here.”
“I’ll do it.” Conrad said. “Closest thing to a man of God in this house, after all.” Sarah shot him a sarcastic look, while Conrad replied with a good-natured nod.
Liam took Carla’s hand. “Ready?”
Carla giggled. “Yeah.”
The pair strode up to Conrad. The rancher smiled tiredly as he spoke. “Dearly beloved, we all gather here in the sight of God to unite these two youngsters who as we can see already have united and produced this wonderful baby boy.” He gestured to Camilla and little Conrad in her arms. “Well, who am I to judge? It’s not like I waited before the honeymoon for your mother—”
“Conrad, I swear…” Sarah said.
Conrad cleared his throat. “Anyway, uh, yeah. It’s wonderful you two found each other. And I just want to say I’m very proud of the both of you. So, Liam do you take this lady to be your…what is that word…lawfully?”
“Lawfully wedded wife,” Camilla said.
“Oh yeah. Never could remember that part. Lawfully wedded wife, to love and cherish, for all your days, so long as you live?”
Liam turned to Carla. “I do.”
Conrad smiled. “And you, Carla, do you take this man…” As he spoke, his eyes drifted toward Camilla. “Take this man to be your husband. To love him, to cherish him, to be by his side through the good times and the bad, in sickness and in health, for as long as you live?”
“I do,” Carla said.
But Conrad only saw it out of the corner of his eye. Camilla had mouthed an “I do.” Conrad just smiled and nodded.
“Conrad?” Sarah called.
“Oh, right. Well, since I’m the head of this household, and thus the top official here, I pronounce the two of you man and wife.” Conrad stepped back.
Carla turned, coiled her hands around Liam’s neck, and pulled him close for a kiss.
Sarah clapped. “Whoa, softly,” Conrad said, “baby’s still sleeping.” She quickly softened her claps.
Carla wiped a tear from her eye. “Wow. This isn’t quite how I pictured my wedding day, but it’s…it’s better.” She turned to Conrad. “Thank you.” She hugged him.
“No problem, darling.” Conrad patted her gently with his right hand.
Liam then took hold of his wife by her shoulders. “Let’s get dressed. We’ve got a big day ahead of us.” He eyed his father with a worried look. Conrad just nodded back.
Sarah lingered in the room as Camilla left with little Conrad. “That was beautiful,” she said.
“Probably didn’t think I could pull it off, huh?” Conrad asked.
Sarah strolled in a semicircle near the door. “You might think I don’t give you a lot of credit for things like this, but you do have your moments. Maybe sometimes I don’t tell you so. I am curious why you insisted on putting this on, beyond just worrying about the world we live in.”
“Like I said, our dear Captain Deaden is planning on paying us another house call. And even if we make it through alright, I’d just as soon make sure we don’t have any regrets.”
“You sure there’s nothing more to this?” Sarah asked.
Conrad smiled. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
Sarah folded her arms. “I know there’s something. There’s always something.” She sighed. “And I guess, as always, I’ll be the last or the second-to-last person to find out.”
Conrad looked at her with sympathy. He realized, feeling guilty, that the two of them were never as close as they had wanted to be. Yet, he still couldn’t tell her the whole story of his failing health and what it meant.
He smiled. “You ever heard the story of how Ulysses S. Grant died?”
“Sorry, can’t say. I was always more of a math girl than a history buff.”
“It’s a fascinating story. Never gave it much thought until recently. You know how Grant was a general in the Civil War, then became president. Well, Grant was a man who loved his cigars. Back then, there wasn’t all the hubbub about smoking and cancer, so Grant probably didn’t figure he was in any trouble. Then one day they found a tumor in his throat. He was a dead man walking. But that wasn’t the worst of it. Turns out Grant left his family in one big financial hole. He got swindled out of a lot of his money, and if he died, his family would be stuck in poverty.”
“So, he makes a deal to have the great author Mark Twain publish his memoirs. If he could pull it off, he’d leave his family well-off again. But the man’s racing against the clock. He can’t even lie down anymore. Talking, it was agony. The man knew nothing but pain for those last weeks.”
He smiled a little. “But it was worth it. Grant beat the Reaper by five days. The memoirs took in a lot of money. In today’s dollars, it’d be millions. His family was saved from ruin.” He turned to look at Sarah. “It’s funny. You can picture this man who had survived a war and been president of the country for eight years. Now he’s sitting in a chair writing like hell because that’s the only thing he can do for his family before he dies.” He blew out a small breath. “Well, not every man’s story ends like that. Sometimes the ending’s a little bigger, a little louder.”
Sarah bit her lip. “Well, I guess we don’t know how it ends until it’s there staring us in the face, don’t we?”
“Yeah.” Conrad took a good look at Sarah, then turned to the door. “Well, I guess we have to get started.”
Conrad pushed open the basement door. “Thanks for giving me a hand, Liam,” he said as he waited for Liam to pass him by. Conrad followed his son down the steps until they reached the basement interior, which was more like an armory. The only thing more conspicuous than the weaponry was the large shelter taking up half the basement space.
At the moment, the vault door was wide open. Ron Darber already was inside, chatting quietly with Carla, who looked hastily dressed. She was cradling her son, who was playing with one of the rattles Liam had brought back from a prior trip to Hooper City. Tom, Sarah and Camilla were checking weapons by the door.
“So, what’s the plan?” Liam slowed his pace by a gun rack on the wall, but Conrad picked up the pace toward the vault door, so Liam followed beside him. “You want to put Carla and the baby in the vault?”
Conrad stopped at the door. “Oh yes, for sure. But she’s not going to be alone.” At that moment, Sarah, Camilla and Tom all turned to face Liam.
The young man backed up a step. “What you mean?”
Sarah shook her head. “Sweetie, we’re all going in. All but your father.”
Liam let out a shocked laugh. “Excuse me? You--you can’t be serious.”
Conrad put his left hand on his hip. “Sorry, son. This isn’t going to be the kind of party you’re thinking of. For this one, I’ve got to be the only guest on the list.”
“Dad, you’re going out there by yourself?” Liam turned to Camilla, then to Tom. “Did he tell you all this?”
Camilla sighed. “We all got together, and Conrad laid out the choice for us.”
“I’m going to meet up with the captain
and negotiate. I think her little show of force might not be everything she wants to think. But I’ve got to do this alone. None of you can get caught up in this,” Conrad said.
“Dad, you need someone to back you up!” Liam got up close, nearly in his father’s face.
Conrad grasped his son by the shoulders. “I’ll be fine. Trust me, you’re doing much better for me by being safe with your family.”
He pulled Liam close and hugged him tight.
Then Conrad let his son go. “C’mon, do this for me.” He backed away, stopping to look at Camilla. She nodded at him with a sad expression. Liam’s heart quickened when he noticed Camilla’s face. Was something else going on?
No, he couldn’t leave his father. He turned to give chase as his dad started up the stairs.
“Liam.”
The younger Drake turned his head. Carla was calling to him from inside the shelter. His son raised his head in Liam’s direction.
A lump formed in his throat. He understood the choice he had to make.
Liam turned and walked toward the shelter door.
Deaden’s boots touched the property of Conrad Drake. She eyed the homestead, wondering what would come next.
“Captain.” Gin marched in front of her.
“I know.” Deaden backed up a little. Ten soldiers walked past her. “Secure the premises, but do not use deadly force unless you are fired on first.”
She waited as Gin led the men directly under his command to the front door. “Captain!” Gin pointed to a sheet of paper taped to the doorframe.
“Bring it to me,” Deaden called to him.
Gin tore the page free and hurried back to his commanding officer. Deaden unfolded it and read it aloud. “Come around back alone. Don’t worry. Just want a friendly chat. Drinks are available. Conrad.”
Matthew, who was part of the company that just had arrived on the property, grimaced. “This guy really thinks he’s funny, doesn’t he?”
Deaden crumpled the note in her fist. “Probably so, but I don’t think this is a trap.” She turned to her men. She had brought along thirty soldiers this time, with an additional twenty waiting out past the road. Perhaps Conrad understood the odds were against him and wanted to talk his way out of this situation. “Carry out the operation inside the house. I’ll go meet with him as he says.”
The soldiers obeyed her commands. Deaden marched around back, down the side of the house, until she reached the back porch.
A bottle of whiskey rested on the table. Conrad stood behind it, glass in hand. “Good morning,” he said. “Thought you’d show up a little earlier, but I guess you’re not an early riser.” He put the glass down on the table. “Care for some whiskey? I’d offer you some of my favorite bourbon, but I polished that off a couple of months ago.”
“I don’t drink,” Deaden said icily.
“Now, you don’t drink because what? You don’t like the taste or you’re, shall we say, morally opposed to it?” Conrad asked.
“I don’t drink on the job, Mister Drake. When you’re directing dozens of soldiers, sometimes into combat, you can’t afford to get yourself drunk.”
Conrad poured himself a glass. “I figured you weren’t up to it.” He quickly took a swig. “To be honest, this is a pretty poor substitute for my favorite bourbon.” He exhaled loudly before reaching under the table and picking up a glass bottle of clear liquid. “I filled this with water. If it’s more to your liking, I’ll pour you some.”
“Mister Drake, I am not here to drink with you, and I don’t know what you have in mind to talk about. I explained to you that I intend to relocate you and your party to the camp. So, there is nothing more that needs to be said.”
“You said all of that.” Conrad took another drink. “Doesn’t mean I accept it.”
“Captain!” Gin walked into view from around the house. “We haven’t found anybody in the house. We’ve checked in all the rooms.”
Deaden widened her eyes a little. “Keep searching. Go through every closet and the attic with a fine-tooth comb.”
“Sorry, Captain, but this little chat is between you and me. You won’t be finding anyone else inside there,” Conrad said.
Deaden leaned against the table. “So, what did you do? Packed them up and sent them away? Rather sick thing to do with a couple with a baby. Think they can survive out there?”
“Maybe I do magic in my spare time and I just made them vanish in my magic suitcase,” Conrad said as he poured himself another drink.
Deaden’s hand flew around the bottle. She tossed it against the fence, where it shattered. “Enough! I’m through playing games with you! Now, whether you sent your family away or not, I don’t care. But this ranch, these fields, they now officially belong to me. So, if you’re through guzzling down your drink, you’re coming out with me.”
“Easy, Captain.” Conrad gulped down the last of the whiskey. “You said you needed crops for your refugee camp. Now, there’s a good harvest out there waiting. I wouldn’t be neighborly if I didn’t take you out there and show you around.”
Deaden eyed him with intense skepticism.
“Look, I worked those fields for about thirty years. You want to stumble around, wondering what I’ve planted? Let me give the tour at least, maybe help you take a few for the road.”
Deaden backed up a little, her stance relaxing. “Alright.”
Conrad gestured to the fields. “After you.”
“I think you’ll go first,” Deaden said.
Conrad put down his glass. “As you wish.”
Chapter Eighteen
Conrad stopped a few yards from one of his cornfields. “Wait.” He raised his right hand, not caring that doing so provoked additional pain. Captain Deaden halted her approach, stopping about two yards away. “You might not want to get too close to here,” he said.
Deaden folded her arms. “Why?” Her frown grew deeper. “For a tour guide, you haven’t described much of what’s around here.” She sniffed the air. “And why do I smell gasoline?”
Chuckling, Conrad pulled out a cigarette lighter. “It’s funny. My brothers loved to smoke. Me, never could acquire the taste for it.” Then he flicked the lighter, producing a small flame. “Feel like popcorn, Captain?”
Deaden made a fist. “Mister Drake, if this tour doesn’t become productive real fast, I’ll simply take you into custody and we’ll dissect your farm ourselves.”
Conrad narrowed his eyes. “That’ll be hard when all you got to dissect is a field of ash.”
He tossed the lighter into the corn field.
A plume of flame shot from the corn stalks, and then quickly spread out across much of the field. Deaden dashed backward several paces toward the tomato patches. Conrad just stood where he was and chuckled.
“I dowsed everything, my dear. The fields, the ground, even my own house. All this morning, shortly before you and your friends showed up.”
Deaden’s eyes widened. “You’re insane!”
“No, I call it a good negotiating tactic. You want my land and its produce. I can take it away from you and leave you with squat. In fact, I dare say you couldn’t escape this land if it all goes up in flames.” Conrad pulled out a second lighter. “I’m ready to ignite those beautiful tomatoes behind you.”
“And you think you’ll escape if you ignite everything around us?” Deaden shouted to him.
“I’m prepared to die here, Captain. This is all or nothing for me. The question is, are you prepared to risk your own life over a single farm’s crops?”
Deaden straightened up. Conrad had rattled her. That much was certain. She knew she had betrayed fear and was trying to pull it all back. “You give yourself too much credit. Let this place burn. There are other ranches along this road.”
“Really? Sure would be a shame to lose all this, right? You’re not fooling me. You know resources are precious and you need food and water quickly. Besides, what would your superior say if you lost all this?”
The fire continued to burn. Conrad cocked his head back. “Well, Captain?” he asked.
Liam fumed at the closed vault door. “I don’t believe this. What’s he thinking?” He ran a hand through his hair. “For shit’s sake.”
Carla boosted little Conrad up closer to her shoulder. “Liam, maybe your dad has a plan.”
Liam turned to Sarah. “Mom, what is going on here? What did he tell you?”
“Sweetie, he wants you and Carla and little Conrad to be safe,” Sarah replied.
“Believe me, I want to be out there with him,” Camilla said. “But he said Deaden shouldn’t have any bargaining chips.”
“Your father can be quite persuasive,” Darber added. “But he believes he can settle our case with Deaden once and for all.”
Liam turned away. “But why wouldn’t Dad tell me?” His voice sounded much younger for a moment, almost like a child’s.
Sarah rose and walked over to him. “I’m sorry we had to do this. If there was anything we could have done, anything at all, we’d have done it.”
“Is there a time lock on the door again?” Liam asked.
“No, since we’re all in here, Conrad felt we could unlock it ourselves when we want,” Sarah replied.
Tom looked at the door with a grim expression. “This time, he wanted to be sure nobody could get in here, so the door won’t unlock by itself. If we have to, we’ll stay in here for days, weeks, even months.”
Liam shook his head. “I don’t believe this.” He sat down on the floor and crossed his legs. “How in God’s name is he going to pull this off?”
“Hey, we’re all worried about him,” Carla leaned back. “But we’ve made it through two disasters already.”
Her neck suddenly touched a hard object. “Stay right there,” said a male voice, which didn’t come from Liam, Tom or Darber.
“Captain, you better face it. You don’t have the winning hand here,” Conrad said, pausing to cough. The smoke wafting through the air was playing hell with his lungs, and he figured Deaden wouldn’t last much longer around it either.
