Home Fires Burning (Walking in the Rain Book 2) (14 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY

As soon as I stepped out on the back porch, I could smell the stink of decomposing bodies and that reminded me will still needed to bury Mr. Trimble and the other victims from the raider camp.  When we recovered the other two trucks stashed at the Laretto farm, Stan made a point of parking the makeshift hearse well away from the house.  Even on his bad ankle, he said it was worth the pain.  Now I wish he’d parked in the very back of the property instead.  Fortunately the graves were already dug, we just needed to place the bodies and fill in the soil.

“Be careful out there,” Nick muttered, his words barely heard above the murmur of the small crowd.  “Gary’s got some extra weight now, but he used to box.  Amateur only, but he’s got a mean right hook.  You got any training?  Martial arts?”

I shook my head, changing the subject a bit. “Before the lights went out, I hadn’t been in a fight since the third grade.”

“Well, did you win, at least?” Nick said in a more conversational tone.

“No, but in my defense, she was way bigger than me.”

I left Nick laughing in surprise at my admission.  I stepped off the end of the porch and onto the soft grass of the back yard.  In the rosy light of dusk I saw Gary standing off to one side.  He was still ranting angrily and to anyone who happened to come too close.  That was several older men and at least one older woman that I took to be his wife, Brenda.  They all looked worried, and not about the hate filled diatribe spilling out from Gary.  I heard them whispering to the man, as if trying to calm him down.  If so, they were failing miserably.

Darwin stood with Hazel, and both regarded me with sad eyes.  This was Darwin’s brother after all, and despite being a complete tool I knew Darwin still cared for him.  Family was like that.

After giving Mr. Keller a simple acknowledging nod, I slowly stalked over to where Gary stood.  He was very red in the face, not a good look for a man with his fair complexion, and I wondered for a second if he was about to have a heart attack or stroke.

“Mr. Keller,” I offered, “you can say whatever you want to about me.  Like I said, it doesn’t bother me.  I understand you are upset about something, but I won’t allow you to speak poorly of Amy or any of these others.  If you will apologize and refrain from saying such things in the future, we can end this right here.”

I spoke with a slight monotone but the offer was real.  Getting into a fight with this man, after his family offered me shelter and help, was not on my to-do list. 

However, if I let such slights go now, what might happen to Amy when I was gone?  If he called her a slut and a whore, someone might think he had a point.  And try to use her in that way.  Nick understood, I knew, since we’d already discussed my plans to leave.  He promised to look after Amy while I was gone, and his actions so far showed his word to be golden.  I think Darwin knew as well, and if he didn’t understand now, then I would take the time to explain later.

“Fuck you, boy.  Nobody tells me what to do!  Come over here and take the beating your daddy should have given you.”

Gary’s voice carried in the evening air, the challenge unmistakable.  He held up his big fists, showing off scarred knuckles, and I decided right there not to try to get into a slugging contest.

“Alright,” I replied evenly, and charged, hitting him low and driving through his body until he slammed into the grass.

I’d been a decent tight end in high school, good enough to make varsity on the football team, but my favorite position had been middle linebacker.  The tackle I delivered hit him just above the knees and left Gary Keller stunned for a moment.  I used that opportunity to swarm up his body and began raining elbows and open palm punches down on the man as I moved to straddle his body.

I was no wrestler, and I didn’t know any cool joint locks or holds that might force the older man into submission, so I just planned to beat down on him until he no longer resisted.  I took punishment for sure, my ribs creaking as he pounded them on both sides with short, jarring punches.  The pain just spurred me on, even as my kidneys began to flare with the sharp blows into my back.

I generally managed to protect my head, shielding it with my upper arms in close as I delivered strike after strike with my elbows and forearms.  I focused on his head, something I read was generally a bad idea in a fistfight, but I wasn’t using my fists.  I felt his nose go as I dropped an elbow right between his eyes, and still he fought.

Rearing back, I repositioned myself and took two punches in the ribs while punching him in the solar plexus with everything I had left.  That caused the man to spasm and buck, dropping his arms.  Riding him down, I placed my left forearm across his throat and began to press down, using my right hand to increase the pressure.

Fingers curled into claws grabbed at me, trying to rake my face, but I keep the pressure going on the man’s throat.  He slapped at me, gradually weakening until his arms dropped to the torn grass.  Finally, deciding he’d had enough, I pulled back and rolled off the man’s still form.  Staggering a bit, I finally found my feet and stood over the battered form.

Gary was a mess.  I’d managed to open a cut over his left eye and his broken nose gushed blood like a mask covering the lower portion of his face.  For a second, I worried I might have held the arm bar too long, but then I saw his chest rise just a bit.  Still breathing, for now.

I glanced around, and saw faces looking back at me with differing degrees of horror.  In particular, Brenda Keller’s face was etched in terror over her husband’s condition.  Darwin didn’t look much better, but I noted a satisfied half smile on Nick’s face as he gave me a covert nod. 

Then I saw Cass, standing with her sister Joan, and a slack jawed Sid, and I managed to call out to her.  My voice sounded low, gravelly, and for some reason my throat felt sore.

“Doc, looks like I’ve got another patient for you.”

I noted she seemed to take it all in stride, simply picking up her medical bag and heading my way.

“You done?” she asked casually.  But I could tell her attitude was forced.

“What do you mean?”  I said, stepping back and holding up my bloodied hands.  Speaking softly, so only she could hear, I admitted,” I’m sorry, but I had to choke him out.  I’m not strong enough now to just knock him unconscious.  You were right.  I’m in terrible shape.  I need to start working out again.”

“Uh, okay.  I was afraid you might bite me.  That’s all.”

I gave her a confused look, which she returned.

“Ah, Luke, you were growling.  Like a dog.  The whole time you were, beating on Gary, you sounded like…a pitbull or something.”

   Oh.  I thought about what Nick had said, about the berserker coming out.  I really didn’t need my crazy spilling out in public like this.  I remember a time, back when I was a little kid, when my family and I had stopped at a gas station that had some funny signs for sale.  One of them said ‘Your crazy is showing, you might want to tuck that back in’.  I never understood that might be a true consideration until now.  I figured it was time to do some tucking.

“Yeah.  I was hoping to psyche him out that way, but the tough old bastard just kept going.” I said this louder, hoping the twenty odd people gathered in the growing darkness would hear my explanation.

“Well, it might not have worked on Gary, but it scared the hell out of me.”

With that, I turned away and began to walk through the crowd to where Amy was waiting.  Unlike the others, she didn’t shy away from my touch, but engulfed me in a full body hug that felt pretty darned good.

“Can you explain it to me now?”

“In the morning, please.  We still need to get those folks buried and then I think I’ll have to go lay down.  I have watch in four hours or so.”

“Alright.  My hero.” She whispered that last part and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

We buried Sean Trimble and the other four unidentified victims at sunset, and despite my battering at Gary’s hands, I managed to serve as a pallbearer.  Because of the smell, we got the bodies in the ground and covered with dirt while Mrs. Trimble and her two daughters watched from the house.  We wore masks, and still the stench was nearly overpowering.  I figured we needed some lime or something to go over the bodies, but for the time being the thick, dark soil would have to do.

After ducking into the barracks and cleaning up from the sweaty work, I slipped into the back of a crowd gathered again in the back yard.  This time, to hear Darwin reading from a book of Scriptures.  He was trying to extend some kind of solace to the surviving Trimble family, and I felt a fresh touch of gratitude to the old man.

Amy waited for me, holding out a hand as I drew near.  I accepted her offer, drawing her fingers into mine as I stepped next to her.  She wore the only dress she had, a simple green thing that Ruth had in her closet, and she looked luminous in the failing light.  Standing nearby, I saw the three girls from McAlester clustered, looking lost.  I gave a slight wave and the trio moved closer to us, Lori’s shoulder nearly touching Amy.  

I stood there until the sobbing Mrs. Trimble was led back inside and then I walked away leading Amy towards the barracks.  We were accompanied by the three cheerleaders, who suddenly seemed sort of lost. 

“Amy, this is Lori, Carrie and Hailey,” I said, gesturing to each one as we proceeded.  I knew the other three girls had assigned bunks in the girls’ side barracks, but Lori explained until now they had not gotten a chance to check out the accommodations.

“Girls, this is Amy Landon.  She’s my girlfriend.”

That got a reaction from the three girls, but I couldn’t figure out what until Lori spoke up hesitantly.

“Is that what you were fighting with that other man about?”

I nodded, then realized the girls might not see me in the growing dark.

“Yes.  Well, part of it.  Did you girls see any of what happened?”

“No, sir,” Carrie replied timidly.  “We were downstairs with Mrs. Trimble and her girls.  Somebody came and got Miss Cass, though.”

“Luke kicked his ass.  That’s what happened.  Just because that old man said bad things about me,” Amy announced, her voice full of pride.

We stopped at the entrance to the girls’ side and the three cheerleaders made to go in while Amy and I lingered outside.

“I’ll explain tomorrow,” I said softly, and this time I could not resist laying a kiss lightly across

Amy’s lips.

“Promise?” she asked.

“Promise.  Now go on and show those new girls the ropes.”

“Luke, did somebody
really
sell them to the raiders?” Amy asked, her voice nearly a whisper.

“Yes.”  I replied.  No sense in sugarcoating it.

“Is it true there’s more girls from their group at that school?  The one in Bentonville?”

“Also true.”

“Somebody needs to do something.  Those other girls could have the same thing happen.”

“I’m planning on discussing that very thing with Mr. Darwin and Nick tonight.”

“Luke?”

“Yes, Amy?”

“Do you think that girl is prettier than me?”

“What girl?”

“Any of them.”

I had to laugh, hearing the humor in Amy’s words.  She was recovering from her earlier scare. My girl is resilient. 

“No, sweetheart.  Why would I look at someone else?  You are the most beautiful girl in the world.”  My words sounded corny even to me, but they were true.  I did notice Lori but it was a passing thing, like registering the color of a passing car or the shape of a cloud.  Somehow, Amy managed to slip by all my defenses and capture my heart.   

“You better.  I still have my gun.”

“Yes, dear.” 

After giving me a playful swat on the arm, Amy went inside and I headed back towards the house.  I’d been honest when I told Amy I needed to sleep, but I doubted I would get much rest tonight. 

I found Darwin in the study, sipping on a glass of something dark in a crystal tumbler.  He was alone for once, and seemed lost in thought when I knocked lightly on the open door.

Glancing up, he saw me peek in and waved me ahead.  I was feeling like a little kid heading into the principal’s office as I walked in slowly and took the offered chair.  We sat in silence for a few seconds before the old man leaned forward.

“I must admit, Luke, you confuse me,” he finally said.

“How so, sir?”

“You have such good manners but you curse like a sailor at times.  Once we got your hair cut, you look like a choir boy but you fight like an animal.  Half the people around here think you walk on water, and the other half suspect you might be in league with the Devil himself.”

“And what do you think, sir?” 

“I think you may be a bit from Column A and a bit from Column B.  In any event, your reasoning regarding the people Glenn led here from Branson is spot on, I think.  Using the supplies recovered from that nest of vipers is particularly inspired.”

“I would like to think so.  I meant what I said.  You need more fighters.  With eight of us being gone today, that left you short-handed defending the farm.  James seems like a good man, and if you can work with him I think you all have a chance here.  If you can stop Mr. Rufus.”