Odd Billy Todd (50 page)

“Don’t see why not,” Ralph nodded. “Denim jacket won’t survive the process, though,” he warned.

“She’s got three of’em, I think,” Billy shrugged. “Two for sure. And this calf hide oughta last a long time.”

“It sure will,” Ralph nodded. “Billy, this is a really great job. You’ll need to show the rest of us how to do this.”

“Get time, I will,” Billy agreed. “Meanwhile, reckon you can have that done for Christmas?”

“Two weeks?” Ralph figured. “I think so. I don’t have a lot going on at the moment.”

“How much?” Billy asked.

“For you?” Ralph snorted. “Nothing. I’d consider it a way for me to give back after all you’ve done for us.”

“I reckon I can pay,” Billy said stubbornly.

“I’m sure you can,” Ralph nodded. “But I reckon I can decide what my services is worth. And for you, they’re priceless. Your money’s no good on this one, Billy. My treat.”

“Ralph, I don’t want. . . .”

“Stow it, Billy,” Ralph said pleasantly. “I’ve wanted to find a way, any kind of way, to show my appreciation. You just don’t ever seem to need anything. Now, you’ve give me a way to do it. I’ll have it ready by Christmas Eve, Lord willing. Don’t you fret.”

“Thanks, Ralph,” Billy nodded. “‘Preciate it.”

“No problem. What are neighbors for?”

*****

Billy rode back home to find Rhonda saddling her own horse.

“What’cha doin’?” he asked.

“Goin’ up to see them new folks,” Rhonda smiled. “Thought I’d check in on them before we ride over to the Silvers’ for dinner.”

“Mind of I ride along with you?”

“Course not!” Rhonda beamed. “I might need you to protect me from lions, or bears, or. . . .”

“Plain old yes or no would be fine,” Billy held up his hand. “I ain’t even been up there since we got back. Reckon I should at least drop by.”

“Reckon we ought to start puttin’ the cache’s out soon,” Billy noted as the two started up the trail.

“They’re done, then?” Rhonda asked.

“Yeah. Decided to just place two tubes each time, instead o’ tryin’ to make bigger one’s. Just put their stuff in the new one.”

“Good idea,” Rhonda nodded.

“I used some of daddy’s old guns for them,” he added. “SKS for Mary, and an AK for Danny. Gave’em a couple o’ CZ handguns that daddy found somewhere years ago. Pretty good guns.”

“My daddy always said so, too,” Rhonda nodded. “I wonder what he would say, if he could see me now,” she sighed.

“He’d say he taught you right well, I’d imagine,” Billy replied without hesitation. “He’d be proud, too.”

“I hope so,” Rhonda sighed again. “I miss him every day, but some days are worse than others. Like when I really need his advice on something or other.”

“I know how you feel,” Billy said quietly. “There’s many a time just since all this started I wished I could talk to my folks for just five minutes. Course, I’d just want five more after that.”

“Yeah,” Rhonda nodded sadly. She forgot, sometimes, that Billy had been on his own for over three years before all this had happened. He’d had to learn to get by on his own. And he had. The two of them had made errors, but they hadn’t done too badly considering.

The ride didn’t take as long as it seemed to when they had first rode up. Now days, the trip was a regular thing, and everyone was used to riding horseback by now. Rhonda noticed that a buggy was parked in front of the house.

“Looks like Emma’s here too,” she noted. Emma could ride, but much preferred the buggy that Jerry had refinished for her when things had gotten so bad.

“Looks like,” Billy said, dismounting. “Reckon me and Rommel will take a look around,” he told her. “Make sure everything’s looking okay.”

“Okay,” Rhonda smiled. “I’ll be inside if you need me.”

Billy nodded, and he and Rommel started over to the trailers first. After that he figured they’d look around the tree line behind the house, and then circle it good.

Paid to be cautious these days.

Rhonda went inside, where she found Emma and Michelle visiting with Regina and the others. Michelle was holding the one year old in her arms, cooing softly to him.

“Hello neighbors,” she smiled. “I bring gifts,” she announced, handing over a basket with some fresh bread, jelly, and cookies. “I thought the young one’s might enjoy the sweets.”

“I’m sure they will,” Regina smiled, handing the basket off to one of the twins to secure. “How are you Rhonda?”

“Why I’m fit as fiddle, I reckon,” Rhonda twanged back, and all the women laughed. “Billy’s making a check around outside. He’ll be along after while.”

“Ralph was up here this morning to check on us, too,” Regina nodded. “I don’t what we’d do, where we’d be, if not for all of you.”

“Well, you’re here, now, dear, and that’s all that matters,” Emma smiled. “Rhonda, dear, how are you?”

“I’m good, Miss Em. Shelly.”

“Hi,” Michelle looked up from the baby. “Isn’t he gorgeous?”

“Yeah, he’s a cute little tyke.”

*****

Billy had a bad feeling. Like the hair was wanting to stand up on his neck. He looked to Rommel, and noticed the large dog sniffing the air.

“Easy, boy,” he warned gently. “Let’s just ease along, and see what’s what, okay?” Rommel ratcheted down a notch at Billy’s words, but he was uneasy.

Billy didn’t like that. If both of them were uneasy, then there was probably a reason. That gave Billy a dilemma. Should he risk going to check on his own? Or should he get someone else up here to back him up? He weighed the two ideas for a minute, then decided to check things out a little more first. No sense in alarming everyone for no reason.

Nodding to Rommel, Billy let his sling catch his rifle and started ambling along, with no clear direction in mind, or apparent to someone who might be watching. In fact, though, he had a very clear destination in mind. There was a small trail inside the tree line, and Billy was heading indirectly for it. For some reason that he couldn’t place, he had an idea someone was in those woods, watching. Or had been. And he didn’t like that one bit.

Easing along, he acted like he was just out looking things over, with no real reason to be here other than that. Rommel stayed close, helping that idea along without knowing it. Probably without knowing it, Billy decided. Rommel was an uncommonly smart dog.

When he was within thirty yards of the woods, three white tail deer suddenly lunged into the field, running. Billy instantly threw his rifle up, but held his fire. His M4 wasn’t the best rifle to try and take game with, and he didn’t really need the meat at the moment. No one did. Allowing his rifle to fall back into rest, he acted like he was watching the deer. What he was really doing was eyeing the area they had run out of.

“Easy, Rommel,” he ordered softly, as the dog quivered, wanting to give chase. Rommel calmed, but kept his eyes on the fleeing deer.

“C’mon, boy,” Billy ordered loudly. “Ain’t no need o’ tryin’ to get’em. They’s too far gone, anyway. We can see if there’s more, though.” He spoke loudly for the benefit of anyone who was watching, if there was someone watching.

Angling for the spot where the deer had come from, Billy walked slowly but steadily in that direction. No hurry, here, friends. Just walking about.

He was inside the trees before he realized it. As soon as they were in the tree line, Billy started moving more carefully. If there was someone in here, Billy wanted them to have to work at seeing him.

“Let’s go, boy,” he whispered to Rommel. Billy led him back toward the area that had made him uneasy, working slowly through the wood, quiet as he knew how. He did this for almost ten minutes, during which he traveled less than thirty yards.

Kneeling beside a large oak, he found what he’d feared. Pressed grass, cigarette butts, and a candy wrapper. From the look of it, at least two had been watching. Billy looked around carefully, but saw no other signs. He traveled another twenty to thirty yards, but found no other sign.

Steadily making his way through the woods, he emerged behind the house again, this time on the opposite side where he’d entered. He’d found no other place where anyone had hidden and watched the Clifton house.

But one was enough. More than enough.

CHAPTER FIFTY

Billy was antsy the rest of the time they spent at the Home. Everyone had taken to calling it that, since it’s purpose had been to house orphans. It was now housing orphans.

Rhonda recognized his fidgeting, and made an earlier exit that she’d intended to. As they mounted up to leave, she asked him what was wrong.

“Who said anything ‘bout somethin’ bein’ wrong?” he asked evasively.

“Billy you really are a horrible liar,” she told him, grinning. “I can tell when something’s bothering you, and you’ve been worrying over something ever since you took that walk.”

“Someone’s watchin’,” he said softly. Rhonda looked at him, dumbfounded.

“What?”

“Some body’s watchin’ this place,” he repeated. “Like as not been at it a while, though I can’t be sure o’ that. Found where they been layin’ out in the woods, keeping an eye out.”

“Who could it be?” Rhonda asked. “Oh, duh,” she added a second later.

“Yeah,” Billy nodded. “Ain’t no way o’ knowin’. Not really. Not until we catch’em. I’m gonna ride down and see Pete. Reckon he’ll help me stand a watch tonight. We’ll have to figure out who it is. Maybe we can follow’em back to where ever they’re camped.”

“Meanwhile, we need to let every body know what’s happening, so they can be watchful. I’ll leave it to you to stop by the Kelvey’s, Ralph and George’s, and tell Jerry and Miss Em. I’ll head on down to see Pete.”

“Aren’t you gonna tell Regina and them?” she nodded back to the Clifton place.

“Tell’em what?” he asked. “They’re nice folks, but border line useless at the moment. Which is somethin’ else we got to change,” he decided. “I’ll talk to Terry about that. We need to get them women checked out on rifles. They need to be able to defend themselves and them kids. I never imagined we’d have someone behind us like this. I mean, it’s like five miles back there to the nearest road!”

“Even fire trails and the like?” Rhonda asked. Billy actually stopped his horse at that.

“I didn’t think o’ that,” he admitted. “Even so, it’s still got to be somebody that’s familiar with the area. Either that, or somebody flew over us with a plane, and saw all them trailers. Or at least the cattle.”

“What can we do?” Rhonda asked.

“All I know to do is find’em, and kill’em.”

*****

“Watching the Home?” Terry asked, concern on his face.

“Ain’t nothin’ else up there to watch as I know of,” Billy replied. “Reckon they saw the trailers, or something else they wanted.”

“Like the women, maybe?” Pete asked. Billy shrugged.

“Well, we got to do something about that,” Terry said casually.

“I figured to ask Pete to help me stand a watch up there,” Billy said. Pete nodded.

“No problem,” he said at once.

“Won’t be just that simple, though,” Terry mused. “They’ve got to have a camp somewhere back in there.”

“That’s what I figure,” Billy admitted. “What I thought was if we can catch the one who’s watchin’, we can convince him to tell us all about it. Then do what need’s doin’ from there.”

“Simple and direct. I like it,” Terry approved. “We’ll stake’em out tonight. In fact, let’s just head on up there now, and get situated. We can plan on two or three days, so we need a good hide.”

“Was hopin’ you’d do somethin’ else,” Billy said. Terry frowned.

“Really? What?”

“Them women need to be armed, and taught to shoot. I was hopin’ you’d help Rhonda with that. Maybe Shelly can help too. Or Toby. Thing is, we can’t leave any one place empty for more’n a minute or two. I got to thinkin’ on the way down, we ain’t got no idea if they’re only watchin’ the home. Hell, somebody could be watchin’ us right now!”

Terry hadn’t thought about that, but he agreed it was possible.

“Well, I can do that,” he nodded. “And you’re right. We should have already seen to that. Damn it all. We were counting on isolation keeping the Home hidden, and now it’s the one we know for sure is being looked at. Ain’t that just the way of it?”

“So it is,” Pete nodded. “I think it’s about time we opened that truck and trailer George brought back.”

“And moved it,” Terry added. “Like today.”

“Rhonda’s warnin’ all the other houses. I ain’t said nothin’ at the Home as yet, since ain’t none o’ them could lend a hand no ways.”

“They’ll be able to in a couple days, I promise,” Terry assured him.

“Meanwhile, we should go get that truck, and start loading some mags,” Pete pointed out. “For all we know, there’s a whole platoon of them, just waiting to see what all’s here, and how many of us there are.”

“Be nice to have a few more fellas right now,” Billy said. “But I reckon we’ll have to make do.”

*****

The HumVee and it’s attached trailer were moved to Billy’s place an hour later. Ralph had decided that there was some work he and Ben Kelvey just had to do up at the Home, and had taken off as soon as Rhonda had mentioned things.

“If nothing else,” Ralph had grinned, “Ben can show me how to be a fireman.”

There was at least one able bodied man at each house, except Terry’s, and his wife had the house locked down, with a radio in hand.

“Let’s pull about two dozen rifles,” Terry ordered. “And say seven mags per. We need to have at least one auto at each place. Even if no one can really hit with it, the sound of rock and roll will make the bastards more timid, anyway.”

“I like it,” Pete nodded.

The three worked quickly, and Danny and Rhonda pitched in to help. Toby arrived not long after they started, and pitched in as well. It took less than an hour, with all hands on, to get the work done.

“Well, let’s get these spread out, I guess,” Terry ordered.

“We’ll do that,” Billy told him. “You get on home. Your house is more exposed. Let’s not take too many chances.”

“Thanks, Billy,” Terry nodded, his relief palpable. “I appreciate it.” Terry took two rifles, and their magazines, and went home.

“Toby, you help Rhonda get a pair o’ these to the Kelvey’s and The Purdy’s, then come back and take two more home. Me and Pete gotta get ready.”

“Sure thing, Billy,” Toby nodded. Pete looked at Billy.

“Meet you there about an hour before dusk.”

“Works for me,” Billy nodded. When Pete had gone, Billy looked at Danny Tatum.

“Danny, this could get bad ‘fore it get’s any better. I want you to stay near the house. Rhonda tells you to do somethin’, you do it, and don’t argue. This ain’t no game, boy.”

“I won’t let you down,” Danny promised.

“I know you won’t. You keep a sharp eye out. You see somethin’ ain’t right, you call out on the radio. Got that?”

“Got it,” the boy said firmly.

“Good deal. Now I got to get ready to go.”

*****

Billy and Pete met in the tree line just down the road from the Home. Both were prepared for an overnight stay, and carrying night vision goggles. Billy had changed his optics for a night vision scope as well, and noticed that Pete had done the same.

“I skulked around here a bit when we got here,” Pete said softly, “but I don’t know the area half as well as you do. I was thinking the first thing we need to do is for you to show me about where you found the OP.”

“I can do that,” Billy nodded. He led Pete the short way up the road, and pointed to where he’d found the spot used to observe the house.

“Why don’t you slip into the barn and take the loft,” Billy suggested. “I know a place or two where I can hide just fine. I’ll probably move around to the other side o’ the house, and take up a spot there, just in case they change up on us. Ain’t no tellin’ how smart, or dumb, these guys may be.”

“True that,” Pete replied. “Works for me. Be careful,” he added. Billy nodded, and started back, working his way around the house where he wouldn’t be seen. Pete eyed the spot through his binoculars for a minute, then worked his way carefully into the barn. Two minutes later, he was set. The rear loft doors gave him an excellent view, and he settled in for what might turn out to be a long night.

Billy carefully worked his way to the other side of the main house, slipping from cover to cover. His destination was a large cedar tree, about thirty yards from the house. Keeping the tree between him and the woodline as much as possible, he secured a good place, about five feet up into the tree. With a few judicious snips of his short handled loppers, he had created a good field of view, yet remained confident he was hidden.

A short piece of two by eight board provided him a seat, with a little padding for comfort. He slid into his makeshift tree stand, and made himself comfortable.

Now, they waited.

*****

Peter Two Bears had learned to be still and quiet as a child. To wait quietly for long periods of time, with little or no movement. His people had always been warriors, and hunters, and still taught those skills even in the modern world.

As he sat in the loft scanning the tree line, he allowed his mind to wander. He wondered how his people were faring. How his family were doing. His mother and brother lived with his maternal uncle on the Rez. If they had survived the plague, they would be safe there, he knew.

His uncle was a veteran, and was also one of those people who believed in being prepared. He would be ready for this new world if anyone was. While not rich, his people were wealthy by reservation standards, with sheep, horses, and not a few cattle. Fresh water was available, and his uncle knew how to live off the land.

There was no way to contact them that he was aware of, and certainly no way to go and look for them. He knew they would wonder about him, as well, but would also realize the same thing he did. They would likely never see each other again.

Peter wasn’t one to get emotional about such things, and had learned to accept things that were beyond his power to control long before he’d joined the Army. His family was no different. If he got to see them again, he would be glad. If he didn’t, he would survive.

He was glad to be where he was, anyway. Terry Blaine was the best friend he’d ever had, and George Purdy was a close second. The three of them had shared some wild times together, some good, and some not as good. They were his family, now. Had been for a long time.

Billy Todd was becoming that way as well. He hadn’t really intended for that to happen, but he saw a kindred spirit in Billy. Terry and George had once shared that spirit, but it had been tempered over the years by family and responsibility. That wasn’t a bad thing, he figured.

Now, he was looking at Michelle Silvers in much the same way he imagined Terry and George had looked at their wives when they had first met them. Sure, it was far too early to think on that, but it was still there in the back of his mind. He knew from listening, especially from Michelle herself, that had he met her before the world had died, he probably wouldn’t have liked her nearly so much. That was how the world worked, he figured. Sometimes crisis brought out the worst in people, and sometimes it was the best. In Michelle’s case, it seemed to have been the best.

In his mind’s eye, he could see himself with her, married and with a home. Maybe with little half-wild, half-Apache kids running around. It could happen, he decided. Unlikely, to be sure, especially so early in their talking. Still, a man could hope for a brighter future. And that hope didn’t cost anything.

Of course, Jerry didn’t really seem to be high on the idea. Not that Pete blamed him. Who would want a half-wild savage like him easing around to speak to his daughter? If he had daughters, he would be sure and keep them far, far away from someone like. . . .

His drifting stopped suddenly as he caught movement in the tree line. Right where Billy had said. He watched closely, using a spotting scope to get better detail. Right. . .there. Two men, on the ground, one with a pair of binoculars.

Pete eased himself onto the loft floor, using a pair of square hay bales to hide himself. The two men in the woods were sloppy, coming back to the same place over and over, and leaving trash to betray their presence, but that didn’t mean they were entirely stupid. And they might have just as good a scope as he did.

He reached slowly for his radio, bringing it to his lips. Just as he was about to key the mike, someone else beat him to it.

*****

Billy had sat completely still in his hidey hole, completely hidden by the branches of the cedar. He had brought a rifle scope with him, and was using it to periodically scan the wood line. As he sat there, watching, he had been thinking on things.

He had hoped, once Columbia was behind them, that he could relax a little, and take care of some things around the farm. And he had, he reminded himself. Danny could ride, now, and had a horse of his own. Both he and Mary had learned to shoot pretty well, and had their own weapons. The cache’s were hidden, complete with additions for Danny and Mary.

That wasn’t nothing, he reasoned. But there was still a great deal to do. It would soon be real winter. Sure, they’d endured one storm already, and had a little more snow while in Columbia, but it was still two weeks till Christmas. They hadn’t seen any real winter yet. When they did, Billy feared, it would be bad.