The Emerald Virus (31 page)

    
“Okay Noah, I’m glad you made it this far. I’ll see you in the morning.

    
The next morning Noah was up early. They had left enough room between the horse
trailers to be able to use the side doors. Noah checked on the horses and spent
some time giving them fresh feed and rubbing them down. The heater had worked
well but it was still chilly in the trailer.

    
The blizzard was over and Noah could see the stars clearly. Unfortunately he
could also see about four feet of snow. If it was heavier in the park, getting
to the lodge was going to be difficult.

    
Sam came out when Noah was with the horses so he helped her with her horse and
with Ben’s horse. By the time they finished Ben had joined them.

    
Sam volunteered to make breakfast and Ben volunteered to clean up afterwards.
Noah told them he would make breakfast tomorrow. While Sam cooked they talked
about how to start.

    
There was plenty of snow removal equipment in the D.O.T. barn. They decided
that the snow was so deep that they needed to do more than just plow it aside.
They went back to the equipment shed and found a front loader and a large dump
truck. The truck had a plow attached to the front.

    
They started digging through the snow towards Old Faithful and the main lodge.
Ben used the road grader, Sam drove the dump truck and Noah used the loader to
scoop snow from the middle of the road bed and drop it in the dump truck. The
loader had been built for snow removal and the bucket was on hinges of a sort.

    
When Noah filled the bucket with snow, he lifted the arms supporting the
bucket. The arms were built to move through 180 degrees, so the bucket would
end up facing the rear if Noah wanted. He moved the bucket backwards until it
was up against the top rear of the truck Sam had backed up to the loader. Noah
then rotated the hinges until the bucket emptied into the truck.

    
Ben was to use the grader to clear the roadway after the heavy equipment had
moved the snow. After a short time they realized that Ben was wasting his time
by waiting for longs periods while Noah and Sam moved the snow. Ben went back
to the equipment shed and traded the snow plow truck for another dump truck.

    
When Sam’s truck was full and she went to dump the snow, Ben backed his truck
up to the loader. Once each of them got the knack of what they were doing
things progressed fairly well. Noah was surprised that he stayed as warm as he
did, working the loader was work and he stayed busy.

    
Each hour they took a short break and warmed up and then traded positions so
they each had a turn working the loader, which didn’t have an enclosed cab. At
noon they stopped for lunch and to check on the horses.

    
They realized that at the rate they were moving it would take all of two days
to get to the lodge, and if the snow started again it could be spring before
the lodge was accessible.

    
They made good time during the afternoon and they worked until well after dark.
Unfortunately the farther they went into the park, the deeper the snow became.

    
When they finished for the day, they returned to the RVs in Ben’s truck. They
debated the advantages of staying at the entrance or moving the RVs into the
park as far as the road was clear. They decided to stay at the entrance since
getting snowed in halfway to the lodge didn’t make any sense at all.

    
After dinner in Ben’s RV, cooked by Sam, they took the snow removal equipment
to a filling station and filled the tanks for tomorrow.

    
When they returned they met again in Ben’s RV. Noah asked if they had a plan B
prepared in case there was no fuel in the park. Sam told him about the sled and
the extra barrels the townspeople had provided. Noah was amazed at the
thoughtfulness and decided to tell them what he had been through to get his RV.

    
Sam said, “Well, that explains why you aren’t registered on the RV spreadsheet.
I’m glad you called us though, and I’m glad you’re here. Jack Sweeney has asked
me to contact other people in this region to make sure they have somewhere to
go. Ben and I could use your help.”

    
“Noah smiled at the way she automatically included Ben in her plans, and how Ben
expected that to happen. He didn’t know how long they had known each other but
it was obvious that Ben was captivated by her.

    
Noah responded, “I’ll be happy to help the two of you with that. How do you
know who to call?”

    
“Jack was going to email us a list early today. I haven’t looked yet but I’m
sure it’s there. I’ll go and get my laptop and we’ll take a look.”

    
Ben said, “Stay there Sam, I’ll get it, Noah, do you want yours?”

    
“Please, it’s on the console between the seats.”

    
As Ben went out Noah said, “You know it’s an amazing world where a cowboy from
a South Dakota Res, a cowgirl from a ranch in Montana and a high school age
outdoorsman sit down together with their laptops to conduct business.”

    
Sam laughed and said, “It is indeed. But I’m pleased that all of us are
computer literate. That makes things a little easier.” Sam liked the easy way
Noah accepted both her and Ben for exactly what they were. No pretenses, no
concerns and no issues were apparent. She knew she was going to get along well
with him. He was on the quiet side, and he seemed tough, but she had spent her
entire life around quiet, tough men.

    
When Ben returned they all plugged in their mobile broadband cards and went
first to the chat room on the survivor web page. Sam pointed out a note to her
from ‘Lily’, a lady from Cheyenne, Wyoming who wanted join them at Yellowstone.

    
Sam called Lily and after she talked to her she decided they had to help her
get to the park. The option was that Lily would spend the winter in or near
Bozeman, where she was currently snowed in. She told Lily she needed to talk to
Noah and Ben and would call her back.

    
After the three of them talked they decided they would be at the lodge tomorrow
evening and could start clearing the road to Bozeman the next day. They guessed
that it would take at least three more days to get to Bozeman. From what Lily
had told Sam the snow wasn’t nearly as bad on her end so it would get easier
for them as they got closer to Lily.

    
At some point the snow would be sparse enough so they could plow it rather than
load it. Things would get pretty quick at that point.

    
Sam called Lily back and told her she would have to wait at least four days for
them to clear the roads, but if she wanted to join them she was welcome to do
so. Lily had no qualms about staying where she was for four days since she had
nowhere else to go.

    
Sam asked Lily about her loved ones and the two of them spent thirty minutes
talking about the pain of losing everyone. By the time they were done Sam
looked like she was cried out, but Noah knew it wasn’t that easy.

    
Before they went to bed, Sam posted a note in the chat room asking if there
were other survivors interested in joining them in the park. She told everyone
that they were welcome to join the three of them, but if they came she expected
that all of them would work together to make the park usable as a winter camp.
She asked that anyone who tried to join with Lily should leave a note in the chat
room. She didn’t want anyone stranded out there for the winter.

    
The three of them then said goodnight to each other and went to their own RVs

    
In the morning Ben volunteered to check on the horses while Noah cooked
breakfast.

    
Sam checked the chat room and found that there were others interested in
joining her group. She told them all the best they could do was to join Lily in
Bozeman and wait for them to clear the roads. The one qualifier was the
weather. Another blizzard and they would be snowed out of the park for the
winter.

    
She finished by telling them to look for Lily on the Interstate. They could
communicate via CB radio if need be.

    
Ben had moved the horses outside and was riding his horse and walking the others
on halter ropes just to give them some exercise. After they finished with the
horses they went back to clearing the roads.

    
At noon time Sam checked the chat room to see how Lily was doing. Lily said she
had been joined by four other RVs during the morning and that others were
coming. They would all wait with her for Sam to lead them to the park.

    
She called Lily just to talk to her and as they finished their conversation
Lily thanked her profusely for being willing to work that hard for her.

    
Sam responded, “Okay Lily, but it’s not just me. I have two men here who are
going to work hard to get you moving again.

    
“I’ll talk to you this evening and let you know how far we went today. I’m out
for now.”

    
When she put down the phone Noah said. “A few of the posted notes are from
people west side of Butte, and south on I-15. The option is to ask those coming
from the west to use I-90 all the way to Bozeman if they can and then follow
the same route as the others. That would be the best idea if I-90 is passable. The
Interstate passes through the Divide and the Doherty Range so I don’t think that
section of the Interstate will be passable.”

    
They continued to work through the afternoon and reached the lodge just as the
light faded. They used one of the dump trucks to return to the RVs and horses
and drove them back to the lodge. They had cleared enough of the parking lot so
that they could again circle the horses with the RVs.

    
Ben took care of the horses again, while Sam and Noah opened the lodge and
started a fire. There was plenty of firewood stacked next to the fireplace.
When the fire was roaring they put more wood on and went to Sam’s RV for
dinner.

    
While Sam cooked she called Lily and told her they had made it to the lodge and
that they would start clearing the roads to Bozeman in the morning.

    
Lily let them know that three more RVs had joined her during the afternoon. Sam
asked Lily if any of the RVs had four wheel drives and were wearing chains.
Lily said all of them had chains on; a couple of the men had made sure of that,
but she wasn’t sure of the four wheel drive thing.

    
Sam told her she would like one of the RVs to drive west on I-90 to see if they
could get through. Sam explained that they thought the road would be
impassable, but they needed to be sure. The trip could wait until tomorrow of
course, and she didn’t want anyone taking any risks. Lily told her she would
talk to the group and let Sam know if anyone was willing to make the trip.

    
Twenty minutes later Sam’s phone rang and when she answered the voice on the
other end said, “Hi Sam, my name is Warren and I’m with Lily in Bozeman. I’m
from just north of here and believe me with a snow this bad the Continental Divide
just east of Butte is going to be closed. The road may also close east of
there, just south of the Doherty Range, but that would be due to drifting most
likely.  I don’t mind taking a look tomorrow, and I’ll let you know how far I
get, but don’t get your hopes up.”

    
“Thanks Warren, I appreciate the call. I’ll look forward to talking with you
tomorrow, but while we’re working I doubt if I’ll hear the phone. Maybe an
email would be best.”

    
The next morning was bright, clear and cold and the three had an early
breakfast, and then Ben exercised the horses.

    
Noah said, “Ben I appreciate you looking after my horses. It’s been a long time
since anyone has cared for Palouse but me, but I know you’ll be careful with
him. By the way, the two year old is Dutch. He belonged to a friend and I
promised I’d care for him like my own. He hasn’t been ridden yet but he’ll be
ready by spring, or even sooner if the weather cooperates.”

    
Ben grinned with delight and Sam smiled because she knew how much Ben loved
horses. She was also relieved that Noah had so easily placed his trust in Ben.

    
Noah continued, “But be a little careful, although the worst that can happen is
that Palouse takes a bite out of you.”

    
Sam laughed and said, “I doubt that will happen, but if it does Ben’s young,
he’ll heal quickly”.

    
As Sam and Noah walked to the filling station Sam said, “You’ve made me
curious; tell me about who worked with Palouse as a colt, if you don’t think
I’m being nosy.”

    
Noah grimaced and shut his eyes for a second. Sam watched him and said, “Noah,
I’m sorry, it looks like I’ve opened an old wound for you. I didn’t intend that
so please just forget I asked.”

    
“That’s alright. Maybe its better that I talk a little bit with you. But
please, this isn’t a story I would want you or Ben to share.”

    
Sam liked that Noah understood intuitively that she wouldn’t be comfortable
keeping secrets from Ben. She waited for Noah to gather his thoughts and
continue.

    
“It’s a simple story really. Five years ago my wife and two children were
killed by a drunk driver. She was coming home from helping a sick friend and I
wasn’t with them during the accident. Palouse was about a year old when that
happened and up until then he was used to Sally and the kids working with him
and helping to groom him.