Wolfe turned toward Abraham and held his gaze until the man nodded. Wolfe did not have any words left, so he waved and stepped off the stage. Abraham walked to the center and held up his arms to join the Sacred Survivors in clapping their appreciation. When they finished, he gestured for Wolfe to return to the stage.
“A token of our appreciation for your service to a grateful nation, a new nation that is better because of men like you. There is no medal or trophy because you have been clear that you wanted one thing—to get home to the rest of your family. We can offer you bicycles to hopefully make your journey a little bit easier.” Abraham waved, and two of the faithful rolled modern-looking mountain bikes to the front. There were only two.
“But Walton…” Wolfe started.
“Always thinking of other people before yourself. You have a gift, Jim Wolfe. Never lose that. Walton has asked to stay, to be my number two. He has not been influenced by anyone here, least of all me. But, and this is important, he has been on the receiving end of the example you set. He brings that to us, a piece of you to stay here while you continue your journey.”
Walton stood and cheered. Wolfe wondered why he had waited to spring it in front of a full church. But trying to influence others to do what they did not want to do? Wolfe would leave that to those who needed to be taken down.
Wolfe waved to the Sacred Survivors. Jennifer rushed to the stage and hugged him. He wrapped a protective arm around her. Buddy bounced onto the stage, wagging his tail furiously. He was happy to get an ear scratch from Abraham.
“Buddy knew,” Jennifer said.
“Buddy let bad people sneak up on me too many times in the Red Zone for me to trust that dog.”
Jennifer punched Wolfe in the stomach. “Buddy’s a good dog!”
“Yes, Buddy’s a good dog.” Wolfe decided discretion was best since he would not win that battle. They had a long road ahead. He aimed to win the war.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Two days later, Wolfe and Jennifer sat astride their bikes. The most precious part of the gift was the tire repair kit and air pump. He wondered if they would be able to ride the whole way. He hoped
First the truck that helped them cover five hundred miles, then the bikes that would help them go fifty miles a day. The big dog could run alongside, or he could ride in the cart with the arms connected to the back of Wolfe’s bike, even though it was stuffed with other supplies.
The faithful had been too generous to Wolfe and Jennifer. Walton had wanted to make sure they had enough food to make it without stopping. Wolfe figured they would find plenty to eat along the way. He had his rifle and bow, and Jennifer had her blowgun. Maybe they would stop south of Little Rock and scavenge the materials for another blow gun and maybe a few arrows.
Wolfe reached out and Walton took his hand, shaking firmly. Then Abraham. They gripped each other’s hands for a while before letting go.
“I might have misjudged you,” Wolfe admitted.
“Only God judges, but I am glad you gave me a chance.”
“Only because of him.” Wolfe nodded toward the big dog, who was getting the last of his ear scratches. “If he had not liked you, it would have been a different story.”
“I am sure. Peace, brother.”
“And to you.” Wolfe turned to Jennifer. “Ready?”
She still looked uncomfortable, although they had been working with her for two days. She had never ridden a bike before.
“Once you get it, you will be an expert. Give it five minutes.” He pushed off and started pedaling, but slowly.
Walton gave Jennifer a running start. She pedaled to keep up before realizing she had been turned loose. She tried to wave and almost lost control, so she returned her hands to the handlebars and focused on the road ahead. Buddy loped easily alongside. Wolfe worked the bike until he found the right gear and settled into an easy, distance-eating pace. He stayed even with Jennifer.
“Next stop, South Little Rock. Pretty soon we will turn east, and nothing will stop us until we hit Florida.”
Jennifer shook her head and smiled. “There will be something, Mister Wolfe. I would bet my next meal on it.”
The End
Nightwalker, Book 6
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Don’t stop now! There’s more…
About the Author
Frank Roderus wrote his first story—it was a western—when he was five. It was really awful, as might be expected, but his mother kept that typed and spell-checked short story tucked away until the day she died.
Later, Frank became a newspaper reporter, thinking that books are written by authors which he most assuredly was not. He kept trying to write though, and eventually did it wrong enough to learn how to get it right. That first sale, a young adult novel published by Independence Press, was more than thirty years and a good many books ago.
As a journalist, the Colorado Press Association awarded Frank Roderus their highest award, the Sweepstakes Award, for the best news story of 1980, and the Western Writers of America has twice named Frank recipient of their prestigious Spur Award.
Frank passed away at age 73 in December 2015.
Notes - Craig Martelle
Written September 22, 2019
Thank you for reading this installment of the Nightwalker! You have my sincere appreciation for sticking with us and reading our stories.
I had finished this book a while ago, but it took a while to get it through our quality control process. It should be good to go, ready for prime time!
For this volume, it was time to put FEDCOM in the rearview mirror, literally, and get Jim and Jennifer on the road home. They covered a lot of ground before arriving in Little Rock. Sometimes there is no adventure on the road, especially when they can drive and eat up a lot of miles.
And then it takes them a week to go a mile. One never knows in the world of the Nightwalker.
I’ve been home for six weeks straight! Fall has arrived, and more so than just on the calendar. The leaves have all fallen and temperatures have dropped. Last night was the first temps below freezing which signal that the start of winter is not far behind. We’re ready. I might need to get some more pellets for the stove, but with my truck, I can have them load a ton into the back and then drop them off right in my garage. Easy peasy.
Phyllis is slowing down as she approaches the end of her 12th year. She’s still good, just pacing herself. I think she’s growing hard of hearing as she only sometimes hears the UPS guy which then earns him a good barking. Otherwise, she’ll sleep through the truck’s arrival, door slamming, and knocking. Which is okay. She’s earned a good sleep.
Short author notes. I almost forgot to write them, but almost isn’t the same as completely forgetting. Back to the grind. Executioner 7 is over halfway finished and that one is shaping up to be a great exploration of the law and the crimes of the rich affecting the rest of the galaxy. An interesting legal challenge, to say the least.
That’s all I have for now. Thank you for coming on this journey with us.
Peace, fellow humans
Books by Frank Roderus
You can find a list of Frank’s Book available for sale at Amazon.com by clicking this link:
https://www.amazon.com/Frank-Roderus/e/B001HD3100
Books by Craig Martelle
Craig Martelle’s other books (listed by series)
Terry Henry Walton Chronicles (co-written with Michael Anderle) – a post-apocalyptic paranormal adventure
Gateway to the Universe (co-written with Justin Sloan & Michael Anderle) – this book transitions the characters from the Terry Henry Walton Chronicles to The Bad Company
The Bad Company (co-written with Michael Anderle) – a militar
y science fiction space opera
Judge, Jury, & Executioner (also available in audio) – a space opera adventure legal thriller
Shadow Vanguard – a Tom Dublin series
Superdreadnought (co-written with Tim Marquitz)– an AI military space opera
Metal Legion (co-written with Caleb Wachter) (coming in audio) – a military space opera
The Free Trader – a young adult science fiction action adventure
Cygnus Space Opera (also available in audio) – A young adult space opera (set in the Free Trader universe)
Darklanding (co-written with Scott Moon) (also available in audio) – a space western
Mystically Engineered (co-written with Valerie Emerson) – Mystics, dragons, & spaceships
End Times Alaska (also available in audio) – a Permuted Press publication – a post-apocalyptic survivalist adventure
Nightwalker (a Frank Roderus series) with Craig Martelle – A post-apocalyptic western adventure
End Days (co-written with E.E. Isherwood) (coming in audio) – a post-apocalyptic adventure
Successful Indie Author – a non-fiction series to help self-published authors
Metamorphosis Alpha – stories from the world’s first science fiction RPG
The Expanding Universe – science fiction anthologies
Monster Case Files (co-written with Kathryn Hearst) – A Warner twins mystery adventure
Rick Banik (also available in audio) – Spy & terrorism action adventure
Published exclusively by Craig Martelle, Inc
The Dragon’s Call by Angelique Anderson & Craig A. Price, Jr. – an epic fantasy quest
For a complete list of Craig’s books, stop by his website – https://craigmartelle.com
Other books from LMBPN Publishing
For a complete list of books by LMBPN Publishing, please visit:
https://lmbpn.com/books-by-lmbpn-publishing/
All LMBPN Audiobooks are Available at Audible.com and iTunes
To see all LMBPN audiobooks please visit:
www.lmbpn.com/audible
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