by AJ Newman
I explored the rest of the building and only found a few pistols, a bottle of whiskey, and some candy bars. I walked out the front door and saw a small pavilion that overlooked Percy Priest Lake. From there, I saw a couple of houseboats floating in a cove. I checked them out and found them deserted. We could spend the night there.
***
The sun had set below the trees, and several of the team sat on the deck with Jan, Michelle, and Kat. The ladies reminisced about the days before the grid went down and what they missed the most. Maria and Pete walked up to them. “Karen, get your partner and take your turn. Hey, has anyone seen Tina? I saw one of the puppies wandering out behind the barn.”
Karen responded, “I’ll get Murph and be ready in five minutes. We’ll keep an eye out for Tina while we make our rounds. She probably went rabbit hunting.”
Kat was mad at herself for not noticing Tina was missing. “Jan, please look after the puppies, and Billie and I’ll go look for Tina. Karen is probably right about Tina going rabbit hunting, but I have a creepy feeling that someone has been watching us for quite a while. Tina looks into the woods and barks but never wants to leave her pups.”
Karen fetched her rifle and joined Murph as they took their turn walking the perimeter of the farm while Father James and Sister Grace watched over the house and barn. Karen heard something rustle in the bushes. “Murph, I think a deer just ran into the brush over there. Let’s check it out.”
Murph’s training kicked in, and he said, “Not so fast. I’ve seen the enemy make a noise just to lure us into an ambush. Let’s take our time and keep an eye out for strangers. I’ll take the point, and you watch our rear and the left. I’ll take the right side. Let’s go.”
They walked a few yards into the thick brush and heard the sound of twigs breaking. Murph was alarmed. “Ambush. Duck and cover. Be ready to …”
Karen heard Murph crash to the ground ahead of her and stumbled and then fell as she tripped on him in the dark. Murph tried to speak but only made a gurgling sound with the arrow sticking through the front of his neck. Karen leaned over him and felt the arrow. She smelled Ray’s tobacco breath coming from behind her. Before she could react, she felt a blow to the back of her head and darkness washed over her as she felt herself being dragged through the bushes. She blacked out and didn’t feel her body being thrown into the back of the truck.
Ray giggled and couldn’t contain his glee. He had one woman and now to obtain Billie and perhaps some other women and girls to sell or trade with the Nashville and Lebanon gangs. The first part of his plan had worked to perfection, the woman called Karen was bound and gagged in the back of his truck. Now, he had to get five or six more. He drooled when he thought about Karen’s two girls and the small blonde-haired woman. He wanted them the most after Billie, but any of the women would do. The gangs liked the young ones but traded for any good-looking women.
Ray checked his pistol and then hefted his bow and quiver. The bow had three arrows in its rack, and he had a dozen more in the quiver. He walked toward the barn and saw the priest and nun guarding the buildings. He didn’t want to alert them, so he drifted behind the barn and walked around it to see the front of the house. He heard their voices first, and laughed to himself as they called out to that damned dead dog.
Ray slipped back into the woods and searched the darkness for the women calling for the dog. He was lucky. He saw the blonde and one of the other women. It was the woman he wanted the most, Billie. The other women were attractive, and Ray could trade them for some valuable supplies. He wanted to keep Billie for himself. He knew he could only handle one at a time, so he had to separate them. He watched as they walked along the woods and noticed they were heading his way. The small blonde was in the lead with Billie several steps behind her.
He lowered his bow and took his billy club from his belt. He waited until the blonde passed him and then stepped out behind Billie. He reached around her and cupped his hand over her mouth as he brought the club down on her head. She went limp in his arms, and he laid her on the ground.
Ray walked quickly up behind the blonde woman and was ready to attack her when she suddenly turned. Ray swung the club and knocked the gun from her hand. She kicked him in the shin and threw herself at him, pummeling him enough that he was scared. He punched her on the side of the head, and she dropped to the ground. His leg and arms ached from the beating, but he grinned when he thought about what he’d do to the girl before he traded her to the gangs.
Ray easily carried Kat to the truck and dumped her in on top of Karen. He went back and picked Billie up. She was much heavier than the tiny Kat, so he struggled to get back to the truck. Ray was now exhausted and decided to cut his losses and leave now. He saw lights all around the house and barn and knew it would be dangerous to try to capture any more women.
He rested for a few minutes and lifted Billie into the bed of the truck. He’d just finished dropping her limp body on top of the others when he heard someone crashing through the brush and tall grass. Ray hid behind a nearby tree until he saw two forms emerge from the brush and run to the back of the truck.
Missy said, “There’s someone in the back of the truck. Bring your flashlight.”
Chrissy ran up to the truck with her flashlight shining on the bed. “Oh, my God, it’s Kat and Billie. They must be dead. Hey, there’s another woman below …”
Missy saw her mom’s face. “It’s mom. Mom, are you okay?”
Ray jumped out from behind a tree and clubbed Missy from behind. He then knocked Chrissy to the ground and tied her hands and feet. “Stay there, or I’ll kill you,” Ray said as he lifted Missy up and placed her into the back of the truck.”
He turned to Chrissy, and something hit him in the back, knocking him down. Kat had untied her feet but couldn’t get the knot on her wrists untied. She’d hit him in the back with her shoulder and knocked him down. She began kicking him with all her might. “Untie yourself and go get help!” Kat said as she landed a blow to Ray’s head.
Ray was dazed but saw Chrissy get up and run away. He couldn’t lose any more of the women, and this one was going to kick him to death. He reached behind him as another vicious kick caught him in the groin. He yanked the gun toward Kat and pulled the trigger three times before she fell to the ground. Ray didn’t check to see if she was dead because he heard people yelling behind him. He started the truck and drove as fast as he could away from there. He was in such a hurry that he’d forgotten to put the tailgate up. The truck bounced high when Ray ran over a small downed tree, and Missy and Billie fell to the forest floor. The truck was back at Ray’s place before he found he only had Karen.
Ray chained her beside Sister Joan and inspected his wounds. His kneecap was dislocated, and his ribs were broken. He knew he would get even with that blonde wildcat but not today. He was pissed that he’d lost the woman he’d most wanted, but these would do for now.
☆
Chapter 22
Percy Priest Lake, Tennessee.
We spent the night on the most luxurious boat I could imagine. Of course, all the food and liquor had been pilfered months ago, but the beds were fantastic. I slept the best I had since leaving Mom and Dad’s place. That made me think about my dad, and tears welled up in my eyes. I know it was just dumb luck for us to have crashed that party starting the gunfight, but I still felt responsible for his death.
I searched both boats while the others prepared to leave. I thought the vessels had been picked clean until I tripped and fell against one of the cabin walls below deck. I fell back to the bed and saw the wall open. It was a hidden door to a secret room. There was a steel door behind the wood. It was a safe room. Then I saw the contents, and it wasn’t a safe room. It was a drug smuggler’s hidden compartment.
There was a stack of brick-like shapes that were all wrapped in duct tape. I cut one open, and white powder fell out. Even a clueless guy like me knew enough about drugs to know this was most likely cocaine. Next to the drugs was a p
allet of more brick-like items. I knew exactly what these bricks were. One hundred dollar bills. My mind was blown away by the sheer amount of money. There must have been fifty to one hundred million dollars in this room. The amazement washed away when I saw MMax take a leak on the corner of the pallet of money. Then I realized I couldn’t eat it or trade it for anything. Money was worthless these days. I tucked a bundle in my shirt, so the team would believe me. I started to leave when I saw the stack of old ammo boxes.
The first was heavy, so I opened it. It was full of gold coins. Two of the boxes contained gold, and the other three had silver coins. Now I was rich. I took the boxes off the boat and buried them in the woods where I could come back later and get them. I did stick five of each in my pockets.
We were only a few miles from home, so I asked Jerry and Heather to pick up the pace so we could be there before lunch. They were still tired, and Jerry had blisters on his feet. We took many breaks and still made it to the driveway to our home before eleven o’clock. I saw Father James and one of the women we had rescued guarding the front of the house. I waved at him as soon as we started walking down the driveway. He waved back and then dropped to his knees and prayed. That didn’t seem off to me, but Tina not running out to meet us was.
Father James jumped up and ran to me. “Jason, where is Zack? Are you okay? Kat’s been shot.”
“Whoa, back up. Did you say Kat’s been shot?”
“Yes, someone abducted several of the women, and Kat was shot trying to save them. Go to your mom.”
I dropped my rifle and backpack and ran into the house, nearly knocking my mom to the floor. “Mom, where is Kat?”
“Son, she’s in your room. Follow me. We’re doing the best we can, and if she doesn’t get an infection, we think she’ll live.”
I walked past Mom and barged into the room. Chrissy and Michelle were tending to Kat. Kat lay on her back with her shoulder bandaged and her leg up on a pillow. It also was wrapped in a bandage. I kneeled down beside her and kissed her on her cheek. Tears flowed freely as I tried to think. “What happened?”
Chrissy said, “We think it was Ray. You know, the man who stalked Billie and Mark right after the world collapsed. Kat helped me escape and kicked the crap out of Ray, so he shot her. He was in such a hurry to escape that he didn’t close his tailgate. Billie and Missy fell off the truck.”
MMax ran into the room and barked. I ran him out of the room. I didn’t have time for a silly dog.
Chrissy broke into tears and couldn’t speak. Michelle said, “Ray still has Karen. She didn’t get thrown from the truck.”
I asked, “When did this happen?”
Michelle said, “Last night. Maria and Pete found Missy and Billie still unconscious and bound about a hundred yards northeast of the house. They saw tire tracks leading away.”
Chrissy said, “Jason, please go get my mom. Hey, where are your dad and brother?”
I kissed Kat again and wanted to run to my mom, but she walked into the room with Jerry and Heather. Mom sobbed but tried to console Jerry between bouts of tears.
I wiped tears from my eyes. “Mom, I’m so sorry. It was my fault.”
Mom looked up as she sniffled and dried her tears. “Jason, those men who shot at you were at fault along with some bad luck. You killed them all, and that’s all you could do. Now, give Kat a kiss and go find that son of a bitch and send him to Hell. Bring Karen back to her family.”
I said, “Mom, I can’t leave Kat until she recovers. I now know how much she means to me. I can’t leave her again.”
Then I heard a weak voice. “Do what your mother said. Give me a kiss like you mean it and go kill that bastard who shot me.”
“Kat, you’re awake,” I said as I turned and sat down beside her on the bed.
She said, “Watch bouncing my bed. It hurts me. Now kiss me.”
I kissed her and said, “I can’t leave you.”
“Of course you can. If you don’t, that man will come back and finish the job. Can’t you see he still wants Billie?”
I kissed her again and said, “Please watch over her until I get back.”
I hugged my mom and said, “Michelle, please help Mom and Kat until I get back.”
I felt MMax brush against me and then beg me to follow him. He took me to the laundry room and began sniffing Kat’s pile of clothes. He sniffed and then barked several times. It suddenly dawned on me that the man had picked Kat up and left his smell on her clothes. MMax was ready to track the man down.
I grabbed my rifle and backpack and yelled to Maria. “Grab your gun and follow MMax!”
MMax ran around the barn to find his mate. An evil smell hit his nose on the backside of the barn. It was the evil one. He had been around the barn. MMax wondered if the evil one was why the humans were so upset. He went in the barn and found Mark and one of the other kids feeding his pups. He sniffed them and then ran to the house to get his human. He knew what direction Tina had gone and wanted his human to help him find Tina.
MMax pawed the screen door open, walked into the house, and again caught a whiff of the evil one’s smell. He tested the air until he found the source in the laundry room. The odor was on his human mate’s clothes. Now MMax was frantic, so he charged into the bedroom and begged his human to go with him. His human pushed him away. MMax watched the water roll down his human’s cheeks and had never seen his human act like this.
***
MMax led us up the hill to the northwest and was more eager than usual. Maria said, “Where’s he going? We found Billie and Missy east of here.”
“MMax knows what he’s doing. Follow him.”
MMax howled for the first time ever when tracking an enemy. He broke into some shrubs, and his howl was earsplitting. It unnerved me, and I thought he was crazy until I saw Tina’s lifeless body. MMax had his paws on top of her and howled a painful sound. I patted him on the head, and he snapped at me but stopped when he realized it was me. I rubbed his back, and tears came to my eyes as I realized how much Tina had meant to both MMax and me.
Maria stood back and gave us a few minutes, but MMax sniffed Tina’s body and then begged me to follow him. We walked north for a while and then turned east. MMax took us to the place where Ray had parked his truck when he’d kidnapped Karen, sniffed around, and then tugged at his leash to head north.
“Maria, we need to be a bit more cautious than usual because MMax is out of his mind with grief and anger.”
Maria scowled at me. “Who isn’t these days? The SOB killed our friend Murph.”
“What?” I came to a stop. In all the turmoil I hadn’t noticed that Murph wasn’t around. “What happened?”
“Ray shot him with an arrow, so he could disarm Karen and kidnap her. This Ray is either good at killing or lucky.”
I said, “Billie told me he was a dumb redneck hillbilly with crap for brains.”
Maria said, “I think he’s much smarter than that.”
“I hope not because if he’s that smart, he would have gotten the Hell out of here last night and we’ll never find him.”
Well, Ray wasn’t that smart, or his hormones kept him from leaving. MMax led us to his place, and the truck was parked behind the building. Ray’s scent was strong, and it was all I could do to restrain him. I said, “Stay,” in my firmest voice before MMax stopped pulling on the leash.
We watched for a minute, and someone opened the door and pitched a couple of backpacks onto the ground. Ray was ready to make his escape. I said, “MMax, heel,” and walked to the truck and hid behind it. The door opened again and this time MMax nearly took my arm off when he charged the open door. The leash broke free from my hand, and MMax hit the open door at full speed. We heard screams and then silence, and we ran through the doorway to see MMax had Ray by the neck violently shaking him. Then MMax tumbled away from Ray when a chunk of Ray’s throat tore apart. Ray tried to stand with blood running down his chest. MMax jumped on him and knocked him to the floor.
; MMax stood on Ray’s chest with blood spurting onto him from Ray’s throat. Well, what was left of Ray’s throat. A large chunk of his throat was still in MMax’s mouth. MMax dropped the piece of Ray and kept biting Ray on the face. I said, “Out.”
MMax turned to look at me, and it was almost like he had to decide to obey me. MMax wagged his tail and stepped off Ray. Then he did something that made everyone laugh. He hiked his leg and peed on Ray’s face.
Maria said, “Good boy.”
I said, “MMax, heel.”
MMax came over to me, licking the blood from his muzzle. I said, “Good boy.”
MMax lay on the ground and watched us cut Karen’s bindings. Ray had molested her, and it took years for her and the others that had been assaulted by Ray to recover to a healthier state of mind. I checked the place for anything we could use, but Karen yelled, “Burn it all down around the bastard!”
I found a can of gas and doused Ray’s body and the walls before stepping out of the building. I dipped a stick into the gas, lit it, and tossed it into the building. It was fully engaged in a few minutes. Karen had a faint smile. Ray’s reign of terror was over.
***
MMax saw the open door, and the smell of the evil one was intense. He took off and felt the leash yank him back for a second, and then he was free. He hit the doorway on the run. An oil lamp allowed him to see Ray as he raised the knife to kill Karen. Karen tried to kick Ray’s feet out from under him, but her feet were bound. Karen closed her eyes, so she wouldn’t see the knife plunging toward her.
MMax had vengeance on his mind and hate in his heart when he bypassed the man’s arm and went for his throat. He shook his head as his teeth sunk into Ray’s neck. MMax bit with as much power as he could muster. The evil one would never harm his family or the humans again.
