by B.R. Paulson
Chapter 7
“Megan, is that you?” The woman ducked her head as she peered toward my mom.
My gaze volleyed between them. I held my breath. Did Mom know her? Or was she like the men we escaped from?
Hand still at the ready, Mom called back. “Jeanine? Where is everyone?”
“Let me come over.” Instead of running across the litter strewn clearing like I expected, Jeanine dodged around the edge, disappearing behind trees and bushes as she walked.
Stashing the rifles behind a split tree off the main path, Mom pushed me further from the open clearing. She grabbed my hand and glared hard into my eyes. She obviously didn’t want me to talk, but could she have also wanted me to stop breathing?
Hard telling when she assumed I could read her mind.
Surprisingly quiet, Jeanine reached us in less than a minute. She flipped her long braid behind her shoulder as she perused the woods around us. She leaned forward and air hugged Mom, ignoring me for the moment. “I’m not sure how far our voices carry out here.” She murmured.
Mom pulled me closer to her side. “What happened?”
Jeanine heaved a sigh. “Charlie and Shane never showed up. They were supposed to be our south periphery protection. Without them here and, Larry didn’t show up either, well, things fell apart. Ryan and Joseph fought for control. We went up to Larry’s since he has the best set up and to check on him. Everyone who showed up went that way.”
We’d just met someone named Shane, could it be coincidence?
“How many?” Mom’s fingers clenched on my forearm, like nerves controlled her hands and spasmed.
Grimacing to the side, Jeanine bowed her head. “Only about half. We can function with only four, if we need to.”
Mom nodded, holding my arm tight. “Okay, well, do you want to lead the way, or?” She left the question dangling, waiting for Jeanine to fill in the blank.
I hated when she did that to me. Like I should know the answer and I better say the right thing.
Jeanine avoided our eyes. She flicked her gaze around our heads and off into the trees somewhere behind us. A slight shrug and she swallowed. “I’m going to stay in case any more show up. I would hate for anyone to miss out on being in camp because I wasn’t here, you know?” She cleared her throat and shifted her feet, the rustle distinct in the shadows.
Glancing around the small clearing, Mom stepped backwards, dragging me with her. I would’ve protested verbally, but she glared my way.
Eyes piercing, Jeanine watched every move we made. She shuffled our way, pursing her lips. “I could walk back with you and return right after.” She didn’t back down, like a Kirby salesman in our neighborhood a few weeks ago. What did she have to sell though? What did she care if we went with her?
We held our ground, a small standoff and I wasn’t quite sure what the reward was. Mom acquiesced with a nod. “Sure, why don’t you lead? I’ve never been to Larry’s. Isn’t it close by?”
“Yeah, not far actually.” Offering a too-bright smile, Jeanine turned, tugging at the hem of her shirt. She moved ahead by almost twenty feet, leading the way as we slowly fell in behind her.
I leaned close to Mom and whispered. “Who’s Charlie?” The name stood out to me from a memory of Mom coming home from a co-op meeting and her ranting about a man named Charlie. But that’s all I remembered.
She held her whisper under the crackle of our footsteps. “He’s a cruel man who fought for control of the group so much, they almost kicked him out.” Mom watched Jeanine and our surroundings, her face tight.
“Why didn’t they?” I stepped over a moss-laden log, rich in greens and browns. Not a trace of the smoke had reached that far north. A sweet earthy scent filled the air.
“Because Charlie had the most money invested and they couldn’t kick him out without him taking every cent back or even demanding a percentage of the properties purchased. He tied himself so tightly into the financial holdings…” She shrugged, careful to hold me back from walking ahead of her. “The arguments weren’t pretty when Larry joined the group. With the most land and money, he’d guaranteed himself a spot when he volunteered his place for the final camp.”
How and when and where, not to mention what, Mom spent her money on after Dad and Braden died altered completely from before. She stockpiled a food storage as well as money in weapons and first aid supplies. One wouldn’t think so, but each of our packs was designed to keep us alive for over three months with carefully assigned supplies.
The trail Jeanine led us down hadn’t been traveled much in the past. Long grasses, shiny green on one side and silver on the other, rubbed at our pant legs. I stumbled on a protruding root, the gnarled wood bent and curved hooked my boot and grabbed me under. Mom grasped my arm again, steadying me.
I shrugged her off. “I’m okay, thanks.” She patted my shoulder, checking behind us. “Who do you know that will be there?”
“I’m not sure. Jeanine didn’t tell me who else.” She glanced at our leader, wrinkling her brow. “Weird. Jeanine never struck me as someone to do anything others told her to do. She always seemed like the type to do her own thing.” She waved her hand, as if brushing off her comment.
Whether Jeanine opposed Mom’s opinion of her or not, we continued following. I’m not sure if that was a good thing or not.
