by N A Broadley
A shout from the watchtower near the gate of the compound brought his head up and his horse to a halt.
“It’s me,” Spike shouted back. He raised his hand. “I’ve got wounded, refugees, and prisoners. Open the doggone gate, please.”
Brian watched several men come running toward the heavy iron gate and push it open. Cheers and clapping erupted when they filed through and he watched as several women and men from the community began helping with the refugees. Mary Anne stood at the back of the chaos and gazed through the crowd for her husband. Her eyes met Brian’s, and she let out a shriek of pain when she read the expression on his face. From behind, a large and grizzled man caught her as she collapsed to the ground. Brian’s heart shattered with agony hearing her sobs, and he bit down on his tongue to keep the tears that stung his eyes at bay. With a sigh, he hung his head. He’d seen too much death in his lifetime. His heart sank with the truth of this.
Chapter Twenty-One
He sat at the table in the community kitchen with Beth and Sarah. Jessie lay by their feet, sleeping, her belly full of all the treats she had begged from them. His gaze roamed the room. All the refugees sat quietly eating. The kitchen staff had prepared dishes of baked ham, bowls of rice with chicken gravy, hot biscuits from the oven, pitchers of fresh water, and plates filled with a variety of vegetables. His dish, laden with food, sat untouched.
“How bad was it?” Beth asked. Brian grimaced. His hands played with the fork, tapping it against his plate. About as bad as any human situation could be. Even in prison, where it was almost unbearable, it hadn’t been this bad. What Spike told him about the condition of the cages that housed the women and children gave him chills. He said this to Beth and saw her face whiten with shock.
“Oh, my God! Those poor women and children,” she whispered. Sarah shook her head, and a tear slipped from her eyes. She quickly brushed it away. The days she’d spent as a prisoner in that town made her count her blessings that she hadn’t seen the inside of the library. What she’d went through seemed mild in comparison to what Spike and now Brian described. The filth, the confinement, the stench, the abuses, how did they all survive it?
“How’s Mary Anne?” Brian asked. Spike was the one who broke the news to her about Roger’s death. He and Rusty helped her to her house and stayed with her for hours until she finally threw them both out.
“I just checked on her. It’s gonna take some time,” Beth replied sadly. Her voice caught on a sob, and she buried her face in her hands. She knew full well the pain Mary Anne suffered.
“There will be a mass burial tomorrow. Several men and women are tending to the dead now, and Tony Milsed along with a few other boys are making coffins. Mary Anne wants to have a full service up on the hill behind the compound. This way, she can look out her back window and see Roger’s grave. I think this will bring her some comfort.”
Brian nodded. “Understandable. I’ve got to meet with Rusty and several others today. We will be deciding what to do with the prisoners,” he said.
What he wanted to do was have a few moments alone with Beth. Moments where he could sink into her calmness and feel her skin against his own. Pushing this thought away, he grimaced. One day there would be time for that. But not today.
He knew Beth was taking care of the sick prisoners and running herself ragged in the process. He planned to vote to remedy that situation. None of them, in his opinion, deserved the least bit of care from the decent people in this community. Spike, he knew, would agree. Mary Anne may be the opposing vote; either way, he’d let them hear his opinion. If they chose his method of dealing with the scum, then good for them. And if they decided not to, then it would be on the people of this community and not his problem.
Brian sat on a stump outside of the prisoner barn while Beth tended to the sick. Rusty sat on another stump beside him and pulled a cigarette from his pack, lit it, then handed one to Brian. Although Brian never picked up the habit of smoking, occasionally he enjoyed one if given to him. Taking a deep drag, he sighed with enjoyment as the smoke filled his lungs. His eyes drifted into the gloaming, and his mind chewed over the upcoming meeting. He’d been inside the barn; he’d seen the prisoners. And at the cost of how many those men had murdered and tortured, he had to use every ounce of willpower to quell the urge to take out his sidearm and start shooting them. The hatred burned in his gut like a wildfire, causing his hands to shake.
“We’ll soon be finished with them. The prisoners won’t live to see the sunset, tomorrow evening. Your woman won’t be running herself ragged taking care of those scum after today,” Rusty said. He turned his head and spit onto the ground. Brian raised an eyebrow.
“It doesn’t matter what the vote is. I’ll tell ya that right now! You should have executed them on the road. Not brought them back here!” Rusty growled angrily. Brian nodded in agreement, but would he go so far to ignore the vote if the group decided the prisoners should live?
“I hear ya. But the vote will decide,” Brian replied. Rusty shook his head.
“No! It won’t. Because if they all vote to keep them alive and try to rehabilitate them? Then I’ll take matters into my own hands. They are animals! And I won’t tolerate them at this compound that Roger and Mary Anne, and yes, I built! I do not care what the majority says. I will have the final say!”
The group could vote for the prisoners to live. But Rusty, second in command behind Roger, would have the final say. He would, Brian knew, go against the group if he needed to. The hatred he felt for the prisoners lay evident on his face. The cruel twist to his lips, the dark anger in his eyes, and the tenseness of his shoulders showed Brian just how adamant he was that the prisoners should die. Brian was surprised that he’d let them live this long.
“Roger was my best friend. I have known him since I was a young buck. They,” he said, waving his hand toward the barn, “took my best friend from me! We’d been through the war together, sat in the mud and muck, swamped through the most inhospitable of countries, bled together. And now he’s gone. Because of what? Those scum, in there, who are eating our food, being cared for by our community!” he shouted. “Because they decided, rather than help each other and those around them after the event, they would rather rape, murder, and steal from others! Well, I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let Roger’s hard work benefit those who deserve only my disgust and a bullet.” His voice broke, and he grimaced.
Brian nodded. “I’ll vote with you. And when the time comes, I will stand beside you to put these animals down.”
Rusty nodded and smiled weakly. “Thank you.”
Brian walked with Beth, back, toward the infirmary. The small white building stood next to the community kitchen. Roger had been smart when setting up the design of the compound. A large grassy area surrounded by a circle of buildings: a community kitchen, an infirmary, bathhouses, and an outdoor kitchen. The main house where Mary Anne lived stood just off the center next to the supply barn. In the center of the circle of buildings, Roger had constructed a playground with swings, slides, and monkey bars for the children of the community where they could play safely. He’d also set up a dozen or so picnic tables where everyone could relax and gather.
When they neared the infirmary, Beth slowed. She wanted to check on the wounded and discuss with Doc what was happening with the sick. Devon had died during the night and his body, they decided would be burned rather than buried. Doc couldn’t be sure that he had AIDS, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.
Mel greeted them both when they entered the small waiting room. “Hi.”
Although her journey was long and hard, despite all she’d been through in captivity, the woman still insisted that she would help with the wounded and the refugees. Many of the children suffered from scabies and lice. She had used one of the exam rooms to bathe them in an old washtub then treat them with Ivermectin, a powerful insecticide. Then she sat with each child and combed the eggs from their hair. Several of the women helped her with the process. She was bound and dete
rmined that there would not be an outbreak allowed to run rampant throughout the community. Brian, smiling, knelt in front of Stephen, whose face was bright red and scowling. He could smell the pungent odor of the insecticide drenching the boy’s hair, and he wrinkled his nose.
“Easy, boy. It’ll soon be over then you can shag butt and get away from these girls!” he teased. The young boy grinned and wiggled in the chair, fighting Leslie, when she picked another nit from a strand of his hair.
“I’m not a boy. I’m big!” he answered. His face squinched in pain when once again Mel pulled his hair through the nit comb.
“Yes, I guess you probably are,” Brian replied with a laugh. The boy, Stephen, had a tough go of it. First, with what Bobby and his gang put him through; second, with the excruciating pain of being poisoned; and now, this.
“You’re done. Now go play until it’s time to rinse that stuff out of your hair,” Leslie said. She tapped him on the bottom and ushered him out the door to play with the other kids who’d been treated. Wearily she wiped her hands on a towel and walked over to Mel who worked on Jaden, a girl of about twelve with waist-length hair.
“I’m gonna take a quick break. My back is killing me, and I need a drink,”
Mel smiled and nodded. They’d all been going at it for hours. “Sure, can you bring me back a glass of water?”
Leslie nodded. “I’ll be back.”
Once Beth finished, they decided to go to the community kitchen and see if there was any coffee brewing. It had been a very long day. They sat at the table, each with a cup of fresh coffee in front of them. Brian turned and gazed into Beth’s eyes. The banging of pots and pans, the aroma of food while it cooked, and the voices and laughter of the women in the kitchen made it so that he had to raise his voice to talk to her.
“You’re walking much better. How is the hip feeling?” He hadn’t found a chance to talk much with her since his return.
“I’m doing good. Doc says another three or so weeks, and I should be good as new.”
He nodded.
“You like it here, right?” he asked. Beth nodded and looked at him oddly over the rim of her coffee cup. She took another sip of the dark brew.
“Ummm, yeah. I guess, why?”
“Well, I want to make sure. After things get settled, probably in a few weeks, I’ve decided to head out. I need to get home, Beth. I need to know if my parents are still alive,” he murmured, breaking the news to her. It had been on his mind, troubling him a lot this past week. He knew here, Beth and Sarah were safe. He also could see that she was happy here with this community. As much as he wanted to beg her to come with him, he wouldn’t. He didn’t have anything to offer her other than a long, hard journey with an uncertain future.
Beth sucked in a deep breath. His words settled painfully on her heart. Did this mean he didn’t want her to go with him? That he no longer wanted her and Sarah, that they were holding him back? Tears filled her eyes, and she turned her head away from him. Angrily she brushed them away. She felt him sigh deeply beside her.
“Beth?”
She turned back to him.
“I’m happy here, yes,” she lied. Her heart shattered. Getting up, she slammed her cup down on the table, the coffee sloshing over the side and spilling. Not bothering to clean it up, she turned on her heels and walked away from Brian, ignoring his pleas for her to stop.
Chapter Twenty-Two
She walked back to the cottage, struggling to hold back the sobs trapped in her throat, and fought against the tears that wanted to rip her apart. She’d trusted him. She thought they would always stay together. She thought he felt the same way. How could she have been so wrong? The grass beneath her feet soaked into her shoes, and she kicked them off in anger; preferring to feel the grass on her bare feet. Opening the door, she walked past Sarah, who sat on the couch with Jessie and went to her room and closed the door. Only then did she let herself cry. Hugging herself, she crouched on the floor with her back against the wall as sobs ripped into her. Confusion chased itself around in her mind. Did she imagine that Brian had been attracted to her? Shame flooded her face. A soft knock on the door brought her to her feet, and with a trembling hand, she hastily wiped her eyes. Pasting a smile on her face, she opened it.
“Beth?” Sarah asked, seeing her swollen and puffy eyes.
“It’s okay, baby girl. I’m just having a moment. Stress, ya know?” she lied. She watched as the other girls’ eyes narrowed.
“Bullshit! What happened?”
Shaking her head, Beth choked on her words.
“Brian is leaving in a few weeks. He doesn’t want me, us to go with him,” she stuttered through tears. Sarah swore softly, and anger flitted across her face. How could he? How dare he hurt Beth after all they’d been through together? With clenched fists, she stormed from the room and out of the house. Well, she had a few choice words for him for sure!
Marching across the compound, past the children playing on the swings, past a few people sitting at the picnic tables, she made her way to the community kitchen where she found him sitting by himself at a table. His head bowed, and his hands were wrapped around a cup of coffee in front of him. Without missing a beat, she stormed over and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned, she slapped him hard across the face.
“You bastard!” she spat angrily. Brian jumped up, knocking over the chair behind him. He blocked her hand when she swung at him again.
“Stop!” he roared angrily. Sarah stared up at him defiantly, angrily she clenched her fist by her side. She didn’t back away when he took a step toward her. Mitch, who sat across the room eating, got up and made his way toward the two. His hand rested lightly on the butt of his knife.
“Everything okay here, Miss?” he asked giving Brian a warning glance. Brian smiled coldly.
“Not your business, man,” he growled. Mitch shook his head.
“Well, it kinda is. When I see a young girl being threatened by a grown man twice her size, then I kinda get a little concerned.”
Sarah moved in between the two men.
“I’m fine,” she snapped. She glanced at Brian from the corner of her eye and could see the dangerous glint in his eyes as he stared down the other man. “We are just having a disagreement.”
Mitch nodded, leveling a look at her.
“Okay. I guess then I’ll be moseying back to my table,” he replied. He shot a warning glare at Brian. Something about him didn’t sit well with Mitch. The man was cocky and overconfident.
After he left, Brian whirled on Sarah angrily.
“What in the hell is the matter with you, Sarah?” he growled. He towered over her. She reminded him of a small terrier as she stood her ground in front of him. Her eyes flashed angrily and her body was tensed like a coiled snake, ready to strike. Fierceness radiated from her in waves.
“Matter with me?” she hissed, “What is the matter with you? Telling Beth, you didn’t want her to go with you? Telling her, you didn’t want Jessie or me? We are family, you asshole! And family does not leave each other behind!”
Brian shook his head in shock. Is that what Beth thought? That he didn’t want her? That he didn’t want her to go with him? That he would just leave them behind because he didn’t care? Turning on his heels, he shot a sharp look over his shoulder at Sarah.
“You both cannot possibly be more wrong!” he snapped.
He didn’t even bother to knock. He just pushed through the door with a bang. He found Beth curled up on the couch with Jessie’s head on her lap.
“We need to talk! Now!” he shouted.
Beth glared at him from swollen eyes.
“There is nothing to talk about. You made it pretty clear earlier!” she shouted back. Brian sucked in a deep breath and rolled his eyes. God help him in trying to understand this blasted woman.
“What exactly did I make clear, Beth? Because, you and me? We’re not on the same page here!” he growled. The tone of his voice, the stance of his body, set off a
wave of threatening growls from Jessie and Beth grabbed her collar. Brian’s face darkened and he glared at her.
“Get that mutt under control, Beth.”
“It’s okay, girl,” she purred. She glared back at him.
“You made it perfectly clear that you didn’t want Sarah or me around anymore. That you were tired of carrying us, that you want to be rid of us,” she replied. Brian grimaced and shook his head. He wanted to throttle the woman in front of him. He had said no such thing! How could she even think that?
“You’re wrong,” he murmured softly, “I wanted to know if you were happy here. If you were, then devil be damned if I would ask you to drag yourself and Sarah back onto the trail with me. I want you, Beth. I have grown very fond of Sarah, and yes, even that mutt next to you. And I think I’ve made it pretty clear how I feel about you. So much so, that I didn’t think it right to ask you to come to Tennessee with me. How can I uproot you when you’ve finally found a community, a home? That would be the most selfish thing I could ever do,” he finished tiredly. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
Beth stood and walked into his arms. She hugged him tightly and leaned her head against his chest. She breathed in deeply of his scent, a mixture of sweat, smoke and lavender soap. His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer and she felt the beat of his heart against her cheek.
“Then damn it, be selfish, Brian. Ask me to go with you,” she whispered. Brian smiled and gazed down at the top of her head. This woman was enough to make him crazy. Stubborn, fearless, crazy, inept at most survival skills, but he loved her. He didn’t know when or how it had happened, but this woman he held tightly in his arms meant everything to him. His life would not be complete without her in it. He groaned softly and rubbed his face in her hair.
“Will you come with me, Beth?” he asked softly. She raised her face to his and smiled.
“Yuppers! You would ‘a had a hard time making me stay here,” she replied. “After all, we are family. You and me, Sarah and Jessie.”
