by AJ Newman
She wrapped her arms around me and didn’t let go for a few minutes. I released my arms and moved to the horse. I motioned for her to join me, and we were quickly on the way south again. This time, she wouldn’t stop talking. I thought about tossing out how much I wanted to see Maria again but didn’t want to make Kat start crying again.
The picture of three dead headless kids haunted me for the rest of my life. The only good that came from that horrible day was I could now kill horrible men and women without remorse. The only thing that bothered me more was that we were only ten miles from my folk’s home.
The small group of buildings had been an old strip mall back in the day. The sign in front said, “Antique and Flea Market.” There were tables in front of each storefront, so the owners could display their wares. Kat pointed to the buildings. “Can we stop here for a few minutes? My butt is sore, and they might have something we need.”
“Good idea, but make it quick. I want to make tracks to my home.”
She walked to the first building, pulled something from her pocket, and worked on the door for a minute. The door opened, and she motioned for me to join her. The sign on the door said, “Books, old tools, and other manly stuff.”
“How did you open the door? You’re pretty resourceful for a girl.”
“You could have left off resourceful. I learned that trick from a friend when we broke into Dad’s liquor room.”
“Your dad had a room just for liquor?”
“Yes, and he had a wine cellar and a walk-in cooler for his fancy beer.”
The tiny light came on in my brain. “Your parents were rich, weren’t they?”
Kat almost looked ashamed of her parents. “Yes, we were filthy rich, and I didn’t appreciate the money or advantages. I was a spoiled, rich bitch who had sports cars, unlimited credit cards, and worthless friends. This damned end of the world shit forced me to grow up. You wouldn’t have liked me a year ago.”
Kat headed to the books, and I walked to the manly stuff. The shop was clean and well organized. Apparently, no one was interested in antiques for their survival. The old wrenches, power tools, and chains didn’t catch my eye, but the antique woodworking tools did. I picked up a hand drill that was the old brace and bit holder. It had the big wooden knob and crank to turn the bit through wood. I exclaimed, “Damn, this will still drill through wood and steel if you have plenty of time.”
I sorted through the wares and selected a couple more drills, two handsaws, planes, and a device to make round pegs. I saw several coffee cans full of nails and took them. There were several old duffel bags and canvas tool bags hanging on the wall. I took one of each, stuffed the tools in the bags, and then tied them to the saddle. I returned in time for Kat to yell, “Look at these books on how to make stuff the old fashioned way!”
She poked a book under my nose, and sure enough, there were detailed instructions on how to use antique woodworking tools. I thumbed through them and said, “Kat, you done good. This will be a great help to our group.”
“Will you be able to build our own home when we get to your dad’s place?”
“Kat, you never give up, do you?”
She smiled and said, “Not when I set my mind on something.”
Crap, the Maria comments had worn off. I felt I needed to push her away without being cruel. I wanted to think that through before sticking my foot in my mouth or hurting her.
I used the book as a shopping list and added awls, wood chisels, files, and a hand powered grinder to sharpen a few of the tools.
We searched the rest of the shops but didn’t find anything light enough to carry home. I made a mental note to scavenge some flea markets and antique stores when we got home.
I helped Kat on the horse and got on behind her this time, for a different ride to help our sore butts. Neither of us had ridden much in our lives, and we were both saddle sore. It was a dumb and wrong move. I ended up with one arm around her waist and put a smile on her face. I started humming an old Brooks and Dunn song, My Maria. When I got to the part where they sing, “I love you,” she pushed my arm away and muttered something under her breath.
☆
Chapter 15
Several miles north of the Walker farm.
The two small children ran out of the woods and onto the dirt road. They were nearly trampled by our horse before he could stop. Kat and I started to pick the kids up when one yelled, “Dogs!”
With all the commotion, I didn’t hear MMax growling and barking. What took place next, played out in front of me in slow motion. Reflexes took over for MMax and me. Several dogs charged out of the woods, and MMax jumped on the first one. The dogs tumbled across the road with MMax’s jaws clamped to the other’s neck. MMax’s quick action gave me the extra second I needed to draw and shoot the next two dogs. The gunfire scared the others away. They ran back into the woods as quickly as they had arrived. I turned to see the other dog was dead from a massive gash on his neck and MMax licking the blood from his muzzle.
The smell of the burnt gunpowder and blood filled my nostrils as I turned to see if Kat was okay. MMax was by her side as smoke swirled in a lazy, upward spiral from her pistol. She was speechless and in a stupor. I pulled her to my chest and soothed her down while she trembled in my arms. I felt closer to her than ever and hated myself for not backing away from her. That would have pissed her off and demonstrated that I didn’t care for her. I was deep in thought when the children’s’ crying shook me back to reality.
The little boy sobbed, and his sister tried to calm him. She was only about five-years-old but finally got him to stop crying. Kat broke free from our embrace. She picked up the little boy and said, “Whew, I think his diaper needs changing. Where are your parents?”
MMax growled, and I heard the bushes rustle deep in the woods. People’s voices could be heard as they ran toward us. “Kat, take the kids behind that abandoned car.”
I took cover behind a tree and waited for the gunfight to start. Then I heard a woman’s voice. “Jenny, Mikey, yell if you hear me!”
I took a chance and yelled, “Your kids are safe! They’re over here!”
Two men charged out of the woods with pistols in their hands. “Give us our kids!”
I said, “Lower your pistols, or you’re going to die.”
They hadn’t seen me yet, but the men knew I had the drop on them. Then they heard Kat say, “We have you in a crossfire. If the kids are yours, they will run to you.”
A woman stepped out of the woods and said, “Please let Jenny and Mikey come to me.”
The girl yelled, “Mommy, Mommy, they saved us from the dogs! Don’t hurt them!”
The kids ran to the woman, and the men dropped their guns. I had Kat pick up their weapons and said, “You, the one with the John Deere hat. You look familiar. Don’t you own a farm just down the road a piece?”
“Yes, but sorry, I don’t recognize you. I’m Jim Thorn, and that’s my son and daughter-in-law. The kids you saved from that damned pack of dogs are my grandchildren. I guess we owe you for saving them.”
I replied, “I’m Jason Walker, and my dad and mom own a small farm about three miles down the road and a mile or so east.”
“Hell, it’s a small world. I’ve known Zack and Jan for years. You must be the son who joined the army.”
“Yes, I got back from Europe the day the grid went down. How are things around here? I came home a month ago but left quickly to go find my sister.”
“It’s getting better in some areas but worse in others. You can’t trust anyone now. People are hungry and steal to feed their families. Our gardens are coming in now, and strangers are raiding farms as they walk through heading south. I hate it, but we’ve had to scare them away and even had to shoot a few. Hunger is a mighty, strong force.”
I said, “It’s not much better north of here. FEMA forced farmers to give up their farms and work on government farms to feed people in the larger cities. The leader was corrupt and running the cam
p like his own empire. Hey, Kat, give them their guns.”
The man hesitated and then spoke. “That sounds like the rumors I’ve heard about a group of ex-Army people taking over Murfreesboro and the farms close to the city. They say they will protect farmers from the thugs and strangers but want a large cut of the crops in payment. We don’t want any part of General Long’s empire.”
I did a double-take. “Did you say, General Long?”
“Yes, do you know him?”
I was sure the Long I knew was dead. “No, I don’t think so. The Long I knew was a captain, and I’m sure he was killed a month back. If he lived, he would look like a monster with a crushed face.”
The man looked shocked. “That sounds like him. How well did you know him?”
I saw my new friend fingering his pistol. “Well enough to help kill him. He worked for the general who helped FEMA subjugate the farmers north of here. I was sure he was dead. Now, I’m not sure. Let me get my dad up here to meet with you in a few days. It doesn’t matter who the man is. He still has to be stopped.”
The man’s hand moved from his gun, and he said, “I’m looking forward to seeing Zack again.”
***
The Walker farm northeast of Walter Hill Tennessee
The rise was just high enough to give him a good view of the Walker farm. It was far enough away that no one would notice him spying on them. He had to throw a poncho on the ground since it had rained last night. He waited for one of the women or young girls to stray away by themselves, so he could take one for himself. These people were well disciplined and always traveled in pairs. Usually, a man accompanied every female, and except for the priest, all were armed.
He had just about given up on them several days ago when he saw the boy. The same brat had come to his grandparent’s home with that woman. He wanted that woman and dreamed about what he would do to her after he had her and killed the brat in front of her. She had embarrassed him so much in front of his grandma and grandpa that he’d went crazy and killed both of them.
Billie Johnson had to die after he had his fill of her.
Ray saw the Springer Spaniel sniffing the air and turn toward him. He knew he only had a few minutes to leave or confront several of the armed farmers. He quickly slid back into the woods and left the area. He needed some more toys to play with. That family north of Gladesville had died too suddenly. Their heads hung from the ceiling of his new home. It was an old cabin in the woods about five miles north of where Billie and her son Mark lived.
***
The air was clean but a bit humid due to last night’s rain. MMax led the way as usual and became somewhat excited as he caught faint whiffs of familiar odors. He smelled the older good woman, the woman and her daughters, and the man his Jason smelled like. He also smelled a couple of new people that he didn’t know. None smelled with the stench of evilness, so he ignored them. Then he caught the smell of Father James and was happy.
MMax turned to Jason with his tail wagging and barked. He pranced around, happy to be back with Jason’s family. The wind shifted, and MMax changed his demeanor, stood rigid pointing northeast, and growled. This wasn’t his low warning growl. It was his about to bite your ass growl.
***
“Your dog is so unpredictable,” Kat said.
“Hold on, Kat,” I said as I slid off the horse and helped her down. I led the horse into a stand of trees and watched for whatever or whoever had spooked MMax. I said, “MMax doesn’t spook easily. Something or someone is watching us from afar. MMax caught his scent."
Kat hid behind me with that huge .50 caliber pistol drawn. A noise came from the woods close by, and she wrapped one arm around me and poked the gun out by my side.
I laughed when a rabbit bounded by. “Don’t pull the trigger. The blast will fry our eyebrows and blow out our eardrums. Besides, don’t you only have a few bullets left?”
“Shut up. I was startled and grabbed for my 9mm but brought out the Desert Eagle. We need to find some ammo for it. Hey, you changed the subject. Do you think MMax caught wind of that monster that killed those people?”
“He caught wind of something bad. If I took him off the leash, he’d probably go attack it, or maybe him. MMax hates whatever it is. I’ve wondered if it’s the same man who tried to molest Billie.”
“Kat tucked the hog leg back into her waistband. “Aren’t we close to your home?”
I smiled. “Yep, it’s only about a half a mile that way.”
We were a bit more careful as we walked closer to my home after that rabbit scare. The driveway to the house was just down about fifty yards, and the driveway was about a hundred yards on to the home. MMax stopped and pointed into the woods. We heard a man’s and then a woman’s voice. I didn’t want to eavesdrop, but these could be bad people. I motioned Kat to follow me into the bushes. Oh crap! Two naked people were doing what naked people do, in the woods on a blanket. I couldn’t see the woman’s face at first. I placed my hand over Kat’s eyes, and she promptly slapped it away. The man moved, and holy crap! It was my Maria staring me in the eyes, naked as a jaybird. I pushed Kat back and heard. “Jason, you’re alive!”
Kat was confused at first but stopped me from pushing her through the bushes and said, “Oh, my God, that was the Maria you were so hot to get back to, and she’s doing a guy in the woods.”
I grabbed her arm and rushed her back to the horse. I wanted to be far away before they could get their clothes on. The funny thing was that I wasn’t a bit jealous. Kat hummed the Brooks and Dunn ‘My Maria’ tune for a minute and then never teased me about Maria again, but she held me even closer as we turned down the driveway to my parent’s home.
A man I didn’t know challenged us with a shotgun aimed at our bellies. Then I heard, “Stop! It’s Jason! Let them come on in.”
The man said, “But Zack said to disarm any visitors.”
Billie replied, “You’re just lucky he didn’t take that shotgun and ram it where the sun don’t …”
Billie stuttered as she saw Kat clinging to me. “Jason, I see you have picked up a new friend.”
I turned my horse, so Kat and Billie could meet. “Billie, this is Kat. Kat, Billie and her son are the two I told you about. You know, the ones I ran over in my cart the day after the shit hit the fan. Kat and I have saved each other’s lives many times. I …uh…”
I stopped in mid-sentence when I saw Karen walking hand in hand with my friend Murph in the distance. I saw them kiss and my blood boiled. Billie saw them and yelled, “Karen! Murph! Jason’s back, and he brought …!”
Kat interrupted her, “His girlfriend Kat.”
Billie looked puzzled. Kat replied, “Jason brought me, his girlfriend back with him.”
Kat kissed me on the cheek and hugged me. I didn’t understand at first, then played along. “I’m sorry; Kat and I hooked up a while back. I can’t wait for her to meet Mom and Dad.”
I slid off the horse, helped Kat to the ground, and kissed her in front of the growing crowd. I said, “This is Kat and MMax, and I owe our lives to her. I’m glad to see all of you but need to see my …”
Michelle nearly knocked me off my feet when she jumped in my arms. I saw a look that could kill from Kat. I said, “Michelle, I’m so glad you made it safely home. Kat, this is my sister, Michelle. Michelle, this is my girl, Kat.”
Kat’s frown turned into a grin as Michelle hugged me tightly. I saw my mom and dad running to us. Mom yelled, “My boy’s home! Jason some thought you were dead! I never gave up hope!”
While all of this was going on, MMax saw Tina run up and sit beside Missy. MMax began whimpering and begging to go to see Tina. I said, “Go,” and MMax and Tina ran off to play.
Kat said, “Well, MMax didn’t introduce us to his mate.”
I jerked my head toward Kat. “What?”
Kat said, “I guess they need some alone time.”
That was too much info for me. I had enough trouble with women and didn’t need to delve i
nto my dog’s love life.
My mom and dad hugged me for a few minutes, and then I introduced Kat. Mom hugged her and led her to the house with Dad and me following. I noticed Karen looking on but didn’t say anything to her. I whispered to Dad. “I noticed several folks thought I was dead. Oh, tell your guards to keep their clothes on and eyes alert, and no one will sneak up on them and embarrass them.”
Dad said, “Damn it. I would have thought Maria and Pete could keep it in their pants long enough to help keep us alive.”
“Dad, well to be honest. Maria and I …”
“Son, that’s TMI. Now, tell me about this young lady you brought back home. You left pining for Karen and come back with this girl.”
“Dad, it’s a long story. Give us time to settle in and, I’ll catch you up on Kat and me, and you can tell me about Maria and this guy Pete and Karen and Murph.”
Just before we stepped on the deck, Missy and Chrissy hit me from both sides. “Jason, we knew you weren’t dead. We told Mom to wait. Jason …”
I hugged both girls and said, “This is Kat, my girlfriend. Kat, these beautiful young women are Missy and Chrissy. They belong to my friend Karen. I told you about them.”
Kat gave each a hug as they looked at her with a confused look on their faces. “I’ll see y'all later. I need some time with my mom and dad. Mom, can Kat and I have my old room?”
I knew Mom wouldn’t be wild about unmarried people sharing a room in her house and secretly hoped she would separate us. Mom looked at Dad. “Sure, Jason, your room is just as you left it. I’ll add some extra towels, and I think I have some clothes that will fit Kat.”
I closed the door behind me after I followed Kat into my room. I took Kat by the shoulder and turned her around to face me. I kissed her on the cheek. “Kat, thanks for saving my dignity. Both women I thought wanted me, obviously didn’t like me enough to wait for me. I guess I was full of myself and …”
