“Do you really believe there will still be people traveling the roads come spring? According to Journey, there won’t be many who survive after the first six months.”
“With a population of three hundred twenty-five million and we lose…say 90% that still leaves thirty-two million people. So I think that yes, we’ll see people moving. The part I don’t like to think about is they likely have learned to take what they want rather than to barter or trade. The ones who remain in one place are the people I would rather see. They have learned to be self-sufficient and understand what it will take to survive this shit.”
“If they stay in one place how do you expect to see them?” Gina felt saddened by the fact that she knew what he was going to tell her.
“Well, I was kind of thinking about seeing what’s out there. Come spring, Mike, and Janice want to go to Butte, where they have family, and I’m thinking about taking them all the way.”
“Really? I was hoping they change their minds about going. I know the others would rather they stayed here too. What about the planting? Will you at least stay until after the oats and garden are in?”
“Of course. I might know a way to get the plowing done a little easier than doing it with a shovel.”
“I admit, I wasn’t looking forward to digging it all up by hand. You know somewhere we can get plows or discs?”
“I was talking to Andy about going up to McGruber’s. He used to have a collection of old farm implements…the horse drawn kind and I don’t think he has the horse flesh to pull them. Maybe we could work out something to plow for him in exchange for using them ourselves for the garden and a piece of land for the oats.”
“Why not find implements we can pull behind the tractor? Seems to me like it would not only be easier, but faster too.”
Sam sighed, “We’re almost out of diesel. I don’t recall anyone close who would have any either.”
“What about this McGrubber guy? If he grows all that grain it stands to reason he would have a diesel tank doesn’t it?”
Sam laughed softly, “You know, you might have a point there. He has all newer tractors, and they probably don’t run with all of their electrical components.”
Sam sounded excited, and Gina was determined to go with him when he went. Sam hadn’t been certain what Mr. McGrubber grew, but it would stand to reason or so she thought that he may have other grain crops as well.
“What about the hay? If we have to feed the cows all winter and the horses, we’ll be out before next fall if we don’t figure out how to bale some more.”
“I don’t think he can help us there, but who knows. Maybe we’ll have to resort to cutting it and stacking it like the old-timers did.”
After visiting with Sailor for a few minutes, Gina turned to walk back up the hill. She felt unusually depressed and at first didn’t understand why. Depression wasn’t something that was common for her and didn’t recognize it for what it was until she gave it some thought. She hadn’t realized how much she had come to depend on Sam. For him to announce he was planning on going away had made her face the fact that her life was about to change again, and just when she was beginning to like the idea of having a future with him.
Sam grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. She looked at her arm where he still held on and then to his face.
“I wanted to ask you to go with me. It seems to me that we have a bond and I don’t want to go without you.”
Gina didn’t know what to say. This was exactly what she was hoping for if she was honest and his words brought to mind what she had wanted to tell him before when John was complaining about them being gone all of the time. The discovery she had made about herself.
“Do you need time to think about it? I can wait for a while, but…I don’t want to wait too long. So take some time to think about it, but not too long.”
“Sam, either you want me to think about it, or you don’t, and you want me to take some time, but not too much. Which is it?”
“I guess that was kind of confusing, wasn’t it?”
As they walked, Gina told him, “No. This is something I wanted to talk to you about before. John was right in a way, but he made me realize I wanted to be gone. I want to know what’s out there and what other people are doing. Something he said made me take a good hard look at myself, and I see that I am not made for this.”
“Nobody is made for this. Which part of it were you talking about? The going part? The staying part, or the whole damn apocalypse part?”
“I guess the staying part. I want my friends to survive and be safe, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life gardening and canning and chopping wood and picking up rocks to build things out of. I’m not made to be a pioneer woman with nothing to do but women chores.”
Sam stopped walking and pulled Gina around to face him, “So, that’s a yes?”
“Isn’t that what I just said?”
“Well, I guess we need to make it official then. We’ll get married when Ben and Lucy and Andy and Journey get married. It’ll be a threesome.” He stood and grinned at her, and all Gina saw were his white teeth.
“What? Married? You asked me to go with you not marry you.”
Sam’s face fell, and he frowned at her, “We can’t go running off together if we’re not married. Geez, your friends would tan my hide and nail it to the building. Not to mention what Mary would do.”
Gina didn’t quite know what to say. She remembered her previous proposal, and it wasn’t in the same ballpark as this one. She was going to have to tell Sam everything. He had the right to know she had been married and had a child. She was going to have to dredge up her previous life, and she hadn’t even shared it with her closest friends.
To delay having to tell him, “So, you care more about what other people will think of us, or what?”
“Stop using my words against me. I do care about what they think, but I’m more concerned with what you think. Don’t you want to marry me? Don’t you see how compatible we are? You ought to know there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to make you happy. I would lay down my life for you.”
Sam had stopped walking. His posture told her he was getting angry. Gina put her hand on his arm, “Let’s find a place we can sit and talk. There are some things I need to tell you before we make any concrete plans.”
Chapter Seventeen
Sam sat and listened until Gina finished her story. He was appalled that she hadn’t trusted her friends enough to share her burden, but at the same time, he felt honored that she would share it with him. Her confession only confirmed how she felt for him. When she said she needed to talk to him had sent warning signals racing through his mind, and he thought she was going to find a way to let him down easy. As expressive as her face was, he read apprehension, sadness, and relief one after the other.
Sam sat in silence until she finally sniffed, wiped her nose and sat up straight. Sam pulled her unyielding body against his and felt when she finally relaxed.
“Now, do you need more time to think or will you marry me and go when I do?”
Gina didn’t say yes or no, but he felt when she nodded against his chest.
“Okay then, how about we go and let everyone know our plans?” Sam stood and pulled Gina to her feet.
“Really? Do you know what time it is?” Gina laughed. “Everyone else has gone to bed already. I don’t think anyone would relish being woke up this late.”
“Sam, do you think all of the earthquakes and whatever happened to our power has the ability to change our weather?”
As much as Sam would have liked to laugh off what she said, he couldn’t. He had said almost the same thing to John when they were talking about the abnormally warm weather, just days before. He had never seen a winter like the one they should have been in the middle of. The rise in temperature the past two days had melted the last vestiges of snow leaving behind muddy ground.
Gina wiggled her hand in his to get his attention. “Do you? Journey and I saw bud
s on the trees yesterday. This is December and way too early for spring. Heck, we aren’t officially into winter yet, unless we missed Christmas completely.”
“We didn’t miss Christmas. The kids would remind us.”
“How would they know? Without television or their computers or iPods or cell phones, they have no way of knowing the date.”
“They know. Trust me Lucas wouldn’t miss Christmas. Besides, I bet Mark knows exactly what the date is. John and Mary were going to ride over tomorrow and take some of the pemmican and smoked beef to Evelyn and Mark.”
“You mean later today. It’s late. I’m tired, and I have a lot to think about.”
“As long as you wake up tomorrow and you haven’t changed your mind,” Sam told her and leaned down and kissed her.
“Not a chance.”
It felt as if she had just closed her eyes when an insistent hand shook her awake. “Gina! Gina, you have to wake up. The boys are gone.”
“What?” Gina asked. She sat up and stretched, “What time is it?”
“It’s early, not full light yet. John wants us all in the tent.”
“Journey, what do you mean the boys are gone? Which boys?”
Journey struggled to put her last boot on. “Our boys, Matt and Lucas. Mary said she got up to pee and thought she’d make sure they were warm enough. When she climbed up on the hay, there was nothing there. Even their sleeping bags were gone.”
“What do you mean climbed up on the hay. What hay? You’re not making a lot of sense right now.”
Journey slapped her foot down seating her boot. As she slipped into her jacket, “And if you paid more attention to what goes on around here you’d know they made themselves a room out of hay bales behind the tent.”
“I’ll be right there.” Gina pulled on the pants she had stuffed under her covers and pulled on a sweatshirt. Her hair hung in tendrils around her face. She hadn’t re-braided her hair in days and knew she wouldn’t take the time now. She smoothed it back and slid her feet into her boots.
She was still trying to grasp the fact that Matt and Lucas had disappeared without saying anything to anyone. She knew both of them to be more responsible.
“Or maybe you just thought they were.” Looking through the other cubicles she made sure they hadn’t come inside sometime during the night. She saw that the army cot that Sherry slept in was still made up. Puzzled and wondering if Sherry had gone with them, she hurried outside, shutting the door behind her. As she went to turn toward the end of the hay barn, she heard Gus. He was letting loose with one of his loud brays. He sounded angry, which was not like Gus at all.
Gina wasn’t going to worry about him because she knew either Lucy or Ben would see what Gus’s problem was. There was no way anyone could sleep through the racket.
When she opened the tent flap, she saw John pacing in front of the cook stove and Mary sitting at the table. Journey and Andy were sitting across from her. Sam stood when she came in and nodded at her.
“Good. Now, when was the last time anyone saw either of them?”
“When they went to bed,” Mary told him. “They both came and said goodnight and Lucas hugged me. I thought it was strange because he never does that anymore and especially not in front of Matt.”
“I can’t believe we didn’t hear them. They sleep practically on top of us. Those little shits are in so much trouble.”
“They couldn’t have gotten that far, and maybe they haven’t left at all.”
“Maybe that’s why Gus is raising such a ruckus down below. He’s usually pretty quiet unless something is bothering him.” They all listened and heard nothing. Either Gus had decided he had made enough noise for the morning, or Lucy or Ben had taken care of the problem.
“Any chance they’re down below?” Gina asked. “Maybe they just got up early and got a head start on their chores or something.”
John turned his steely glare away from Mary and directed it at Gina, “And why would they need to take their sleeping bags to do their chores?”
“Oh, for pete’s sake John, Gina was just stating the possibilities just like the rest of us are. We need to go down and see if either Ben or Lucy has seen them for whatever reason. Sitting here and being rude to everyone is not going to answer our questions.”
Gina backed toward the door. As she moved, she felt to make sure her 357 was in its holster. “I’ll go.” She turned and fled out the flap. A quick trip to the room to grab her gun from her bedclothes and she headed to the trail down. The moon resting on the edge of the mountain threw enough light to see the path clearly. With every change in the landscape with each of the small aftershocks, the once steep hillside had leveled out and was now barely an incline. The distance to Carlos’s trailer hadn’t shortened, but the walk was now easier than before the quakes started.
Gina was going to fasten her jacket when she realized that she didn’t need to. The temperature, instead of dropping as was normal just before dawn had risen. With a shake of her head, Gina jogged the last few paces to the camp trailer.
Before she could raise her hand to knock, the door opened. Startled by her appearance in front of him, Ben jumped back. If not for Lucy standing right behind him, he would have fallen.
Gina had seen the glow of lamplight and knew they were up and while the door opening had surprised her, she hadn’t been nearly as startled as Ben. “Hey…sorry about that. Was just going to knock.”
Ben laughed self-consciously, “No worries. I just came in and didn’t expect anyone to be standing there. I was actually on my way to see you guys.”
“Now you don’t have to. We’re looking for the boys and hoped they had come down here.”
Ben frowned, “The boys? Lucas and Matt? Why would they be down…oh shit. That might explain why Gus was tied up behind the goat shed. Someone put a bunch of hay and a water bucket for him and tied him up.”
“That would explain his noise from earlier, but it doesn’t explain why he was tied up.”
“Did they have a fight or something? You know how Lucas had been butting heads with his Dad…maybe they’re down with the horses.”
“Maybe Lucy, but that still doesn’t explain Gus.” Gina saw Abby peeking out from behind Lucy. Abby didn’t seem to want to look directly at Gina and Gina was beginning to get some ugly thoughts.
“Abby, do you know where they are?”
Abby stepped back, her eyes huge and she chewed on her bottom lip. Gina didn’t want to give her time to try to make something up and pressed her further.
“Abby, if you know where the boys are, you need to tell us.”
She looked at her Dad, and her chin began to quiver, “I can’t. I made a promise.”
Ben knelt down in front of his daughter, “Sometimes we are forced into making promises, and I’ve always encouraged you to not break one. But, this is different. If you know something about where they went you have to tell us. If they’ve left here, we need to know so we can bring them back. A promise that could get someone else hurt is not a promise that was ever meant to be kept.”
Gina was growing impatient with Ben’s line of questioning. Time was passing, and with every minute, if the boys had indeed left the property, they were getting further away.
“Abby, I remember how it was to make promises to your friends, but this promise could get one of the boys injured or even killed. You have to tell us now.”
She looked over at Gina and sniffed. Lucy handed her a small towel, and Abby wiped at her face. “They went exploring. They said everyone else was getting to go places and do things and that Daddy said that Lucas was capable of doing a man’s job, but he was tired of doing all the chores.” She looked at her Dad and threw herself into his arms, bawling, “I’m sorry Daddy. They made me promise not to tell anyone.”
Gina groaned, “Abby, when did they leave?”
Abby sniffed, “I think as soon as they went to bed last night. They brought the horses up before we ate dinner. When I asked them what they were
doing, they said they were going to groom them.”
“Well, that’s just great. They’re probably a lot farther away than we thought. I better go tell John.”
The sun was peeking over the horizon when John, Sam, Gina, Andy, and Journey came down the hill. One look out over the horse herd told them the boys had taken their own horses and Carlos’s jenny. Gus, who Gina had turned loose was beside himself running from horse to horse looking for her. He finally planted his feet and let out a long drawn out bray.
Had the circumstances been different they all might have laughed at how pitiful he looked and sounded. After checking all of the horses, he had determined the love of his life was gone. His ears drooped, and he stood looking forlorn.
It gave Gina an idea. “We’ll take Gus with us.”
“Why would we do that? He’ll only slow us down.”
“Because he’ll find the jenny before we can if you let him,” Journey said. “Gina’s right. Gus has saved our butts a time or two, and he’ll follow the jenny’s trail until he finds her.”
“Let me rephrase, I’ll take Gus with me. He’ll keep up with Sailor.” Gina gave a light whistle and Sailor raised his head. He turned his face toward the whistle. His white blaze stood out against his dark coat. He whinnied once and came to Gina at a jog. The other horses not to be left out followed.
Sham and Clyde the two buckskins led the pack with Joe and Bess following close. John rode a nondescript bay which, other than his size could have easily been lost in the crowd of horses.
Without the jenny, Gus split his attention between Sailor and Bess much the same as he used to do. Gina quickly brushed Sailor, threw his blanket on his back and lifted her saddle to rest on his withers. Bridled, she let her reins dangle and found the halter for Gus. She had thought to leave him free but decided it would be better to tie him to Sailor. She hoped him being tethered to her would force him to call out to the jenny.
Mounted, Sam led the way out of the valley following the fresh tracks on the muddy ground. The boys hadn’t thought to hide their trail at all, and it was easy to follow.
Beyond the New Horizon (Book 2): Desperate Times Page 22
