The Fall of America: Premonition of Death (8 page)

Sandra nodded in understanding and then asked, "What's for supper?"

"Beans, unless you have other ideas."

"No, beans are good and we need the protein. I have some crackers in my pack, so it'll have to take the place of bread."

"I'm not worried about food much and we've plenty of water, but I need to know if those men are following us or not."

"What does that mean?"

"It means as soon as I eat, I'm moving down our back trail to see if we're being followed. I think if they're following us, they'll be within ten miles or so."

"It'll be dark and late, so how will you find them?"

"I'll move on foot, with Dolly. She'll be able to smell them, if the wind is right, and I should be able to see their fire. Fires at night show up a long way from any camp, sometimes well over a mile. That's why Tom and I put our fires out after supper and do without until daylight."

"They could do that, I mean, put their fire out."

"Yep, they could, but a large group usually has a fire and they don't worry about attacks because their numbers give them false confidence." I said, and then pulled a bag of dried beans from my pack. As I added them to a pot and poured in water, I continued, "Relax. All I want to do is check our back trail and I have no intentions of starting a fight."

"That's what General Custer said, too."

I laughed, and it felt good. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll take horse and not walk. Besides, I'm not sure I can cover twenty miles on foot before sunup, and I want to be gone by then." I placed the pot on some hot coals of the fire, knowing it would be hours before they were tender.

*****

Midnight found me moving slowly over the ground I'd covered earlier. Dolly loped beside me, her head turning in different directions as she meandered around the trail. My mare was a good horse and in excellent condition, so I knew she'd have no problems covering the ground. As I rode, I wondered if Tom had found Marty or had our recent attack been the result of her maybe meeting some of Patton's men on the return to the farm house. Either was possible, but a large group with a dozer takes time to organize, and I found it hard to believe they'd done the job on short notice. More than likely, she'd not met anyone or even reached the farm before Tom had started after her. The man I tortured entered my mind, but I honestly think he bled to death.

It was near two in the morning before I spotted a flickering light off to the left and moved in that direction. I soon found a small sapling and tied my mare, knowing she'd not wander off far if left untied, but I felt better securing her. If I needed her quickly, I wouldn't have time to look for her. Then calling Dolly, I pulled out the leash and attached it to her collar. Together we moved toward the light, and I slipped the safety to the off position on my shotgun.

CHAPTER 8

I
was rather surprised when I neared the flickering flames of the fire, because instead of seeing Patton's men, I saw what looked to be four women sleeping on the ground. Sitting on a log, away from the fire, I saw the form a man, or so it looked to be, and he held a long gun. He knew how to guard and was back in the shadows. The only reason I'd seen him, was he'd move his leg slightly and the movement caught my eye.

I leaned near Dolly's ear and whispered, "Stay."

Slipping the sling on my shotgun over my shoulder, I pulled my knife and moved toward the man in darkness. I knew if I got into something I couldn't handle, Dolly would come with just a yell.

I was thankful for the recent rain, as most of the leaves were wet and wouldn't make much noise as I neared the man. I moved to within ten feet of the guard, straight behind him, and watched him for a few moments. Unlike other guards I'd seen in the past, his head didn't nod or lower, so I knew he was fully awake and watchful. Very slowly he moved his head from side to side, scanning for movement. I moved toward him, moving just inches at a time, and all the while hoping he'd not resist me, so I'd not have to kill him.

When I was right behind him, he must have smelled or felt my presence, because his body began to turn. I threw my left arm around his neck and placed the tip of my knife against his back. Then, in a voice just above a whisper I ordered, "Throw the gun about six feet out. I don't want to kill you, but I will if you don't do as I say."

The gun landed further than six feet and I released the pressure on his throat. It was then he spoke, "John? It's me, Tom."

I immediately recognized his voice, so I released him and asked, "What in the world are you doing traveling with four other people?"

"It's a long story, but Marty didn't run to Patton as we thought. It took me a while, but once the rain stopped I picked up her trail pretty fast, and it led me to an old cabin in the woods."

"So?" I felt my anger returning, because Marty had killed my dogs.

"She'd gone to get her mother and two sisters. Actually, she'd thought her father was still alive, but he'd died while Patton had her at his place. John, would you have seriously preferred I'd killed her?" He turned to face me and in the moonlight I could see he was serious.

"Damn it, my dogs are like family to me and you know it. She had no reason to kill them!"

"I asked her about that, and she said she'd decided the second I'd given her the shotgun to fetch her family. She also said she'd not wanted to kill the dogs, but they were threatening her and she saw no other way to do the job. I believe her."

I knew Newt and Benji were good guard dogs, so she may have been forced to kill them, except that still didn't make it right in my mind. I'd talk to her once we got to a better camp, because this was not the time. Placing my knife back in the sheath I said, "Let's go wake your women and get moving. I've a camp a few miles down the trail."

Tom asked with a concerned tone, "How's Sue?"

I grinned and replied, "I spoke with her before I left camp. I think she's on the mend."

At the fire, I called Dolly to my side and placed a leash back on her. Tom woke the women and when Marty saw me, she lowered her eyes. I didn't feel this was the time or place to bring up my dogs, so I kept my mouth closed, and fought the urge to shoot her ass. I was very angry.

Tom said, "Let's get moving, we've a safer place to go to for a while."

"I've a horse just outside of your camp, so the women can tie their supplies on her. We'll all walk, but it'll be easier since no one will be carrying a load."

Once moving toward my camp, I took point, as Tom brought up the rear. I wanted to know if he'd seen anyone trailing us, but suspected if he had, then he'd not have had a fire. Our conversation would have to wait.

*****

We arrived at camp about an hour after daylight and Tom immediately ran to check on Sue. I noticed Sandra give Marty a look that would kill a normal person. As the women moved to the fire, I walked to my wife and said, "We'll talk about it later, but I'm not happy she's here."

"Why
is
the bitch here, then!" She snapped at me.

"I
said
, we'll talk about it later." I was tired and not in the mood to argue or even talk much. I'd been up all night and now we had a day of travel. I didn't look forward to it at all. I moved to the fire, pulled the coffee pot and filled a cup I'd picked up from the ground. I sat the pot down, but didn't say anything to the women, and made my way to the horse. I pulled the few supplies and placed them on the ground, removed the saddle and blanket. Pulling an old rag from a cargo pocket, I began to wipe my mare down.

Once finished, I walked to our fire, sipped my coffee, and said, "We'll leave in two hours. If you want to eat or rest, do it now. We'll not stop until we get to our next camp."

Tom asked, "At the old Wilkerson place?"

I had started to take a drink from my cup, so I looked over the rim and said, "Yep, and while it's not far, we'll need to establish a hidden camp once there. I want us to move deep into the woods, say four or five miles, and then stop for the night."

Tom didn't reply, because he knew the area I had in mind. It was part of a wide forest and few people lived in the area before the collapse. We'd be as safe there as anyplace else I could think of in the surrounding area.

*****

Two hours later, I stood and stretched, but I was still deep bone tired. I pulled off my cowboy hat, ran my fingers through my hair, and noticed my scalp tingled with fatigue. I moved to the fire, squatted on my heels, and downed a cup of warm coffee.

A few minutes later I stood and said, "Time to move."

Tom, who'd been standing guard, walked to the fire and said, "Let's go, ladies, we have to move. Don't take all day getting ready, either."

The women stood and I said, "We only have four horses, and Sue needs one alone because she's injured. Sandra, you'll have a horse of your own, while the rest, except Marty, can ride off and on. That means one of you will ride double, but at every rest we take I want the new rider move to another horse. Marty will not ride at all today."

I was waiting for Marty to say something, but wisely she kept her mouth shut while giving me a mean look. As I moved toward my horse I felt her glare on my back, only I honestly didn't give a damn.

I'd just pulled my poncho from behind the cantle when Tom neared and asked in a whisper, "What about Marty's shotgun?"

"Who has it?"

"I do."

"Keep it until I decide what to do with her."

Tom shrugged his shoulders and said, "Sounds good to me."

Turning to the group I said, "Let's move, we're wasting time."

Sue, who'd been sitting on a blanket under the shelter said, "I'm well enough to ride today and if I get to feeling faint, I'll let you know, Sandra."

I watched Sandra as she thought for a few minutes and then replied, "I don't guess you can do any more damage riding than we'd do tying you over a horse's back. Only you get to feeling poorly, you let me know and we'll stop."

"As we walk, Tom, we have to talk," I said.

He nodded.

Minutes later, as we moved as a group, Tom and I stepped to the front. I spoke over my shoulder to Sandra, "Move back about a hundred yards and cover our back trail for a bit. Tom and I need to talk a bit."

I waited until the group settled in well with the pace of our walk then asked, "Did you see my place?"

"Yep, went there right after I collected the women. I left them about a half mile from the farm and scouted the place out. Nothing was left of the barn and I counted three bodies in the debris, but they were burned beyond recognition. Then, of all things I saw a dozer in front of the barn and counted ten more bodies. What in the world happened back there?"

I quickly explained and once I'd finished he shook his head before he said, "You're a lucky man. If the leader of that group had been smart, he'd placed men all around the barn and ran the dozer into the windowless side of the barn."

"Yep, then picked us off one at time as we ran from the building, but he didn't."

"Well, I didn't see anyone on the way here and that's good, but the rain might have washed any tracks away."

"I was hoping for as much, but they'll keep looking for us."

Tom stopped walking, gazed into my eyes and asked, "Why?"

"Because we've embarrassed the leader of the group and he has to show them he's able to do what he promises to do, or he'll lose control. No, they'll come, but I'm not sure what we can do the next time."

"Give us a few days at the next camp to organize, and then we'll go to our cache and dig up our supplies."

"Oh, I plan to do that, but right now I'm tired and hungry. Enough talk. I want you to fall back and take Sandra's place on drag and tell her to keep a close eye on our friend Marty as we move."

Tom started to say something, but must have changed his mind. He nodded and stood to the side of the trail to wait for Sandra to meet him. I increased the pace.

*****

A week later we were living in the woods about 200 yards west of the old Wilkerson place. Sue wanted to stay in the house, but it was too well known for me to use. However, we'd taken bits and pieces of wood from the old structure and made us a few shanties, which would do for the time being. Sue was able to walk fairly well, but had a slight limp and occasionally needed medication for pain. Sandra, always the nurse, made sure the leg was exercised each day as they gathered firewood for the night. We'd decided at the last minute not to move further into the woods, mainly because we could take parts of the old house if we needed anything for a shelter.

Over time I'd learned about the others with Marty. Carol, the mother of the women, was a widow and just slightly over fifty. Her black hair was streaked with white and she was fairly quiet when compared to her daughters, but I knew little about her. Of all of us, she was by far the best cook.

Alisa was quiet as well, but a very beautiful woman with deep intelligence, who listened much more than she spoke. I would often catch her deep in thought as someone spoke, so I knew she was attentive. I guessed her age to be in her late thirties.

Of the three, Vickie was outspoken, the youngest, and just slightly plump, if anyone could be called that these days. Actually, she may have been big boned, but she had a cocky attitude that I liked. She never avoided any task given her and she was for sure a team player, but at times she didn't know when to keep her mouth shut. I'd discovered her bubbly personality was even rough for her siblings to accept at times, and I'd ended more than one argument.

I had no problem with an outspoken person, except at times they could cause problems in a camp our size. When people are living in close quarters, it doesn't take much to make tempers flare. In less than a month we'd doubled in population and while that sounds good, it's much harder to hide eight people and feed them than four.

Tom and I had recovered some of our supplies from our hidden cache, but not all, because we might need more in the future. We removed some food items, medical supplies, a few pistols and ammo, but that was it. We'd returned and placed the supplies in my shanty.

I'd had my talk with Marty a few days after we'd finished our new camp, and while she'd delivered a good sermon, I'd believed little of it. Oh, I'm sure she was honest enough with me, but she'd killed my dogs and I could never forgive her for that. I think I wanted to catch her lying to me, but I didn't. I finally ended the conversation with a warning, if she touched my last dog I would literally skin her alive. She knew I meant it and I could see fear in her eyes.

We then issued side arms to each person and Tom gave a good weapons safety course. "If you want to kill something, just point this end at your target and pull the trigger. Never point the business end of any weapon at anyone or anything you don't want to kill. Always keep your finger away from the trigger until you see something that needs killing. Now, since all of you have pistols, let me warn you. The first time I catch one of you playing with it, I'll take it away. A weapon is not a toy, it's used to kill, and while you don't need a gun to kill a person, it makes it whole lot easier than using a knife, club or rock. Any questions?"

"What do I do with this thing? I mean, where do I keep it?" Alisa asked.

"Each of you will get a holster and you're to keep the pistol on you at all times, even when you sleep."

I handed a box of ammo to each woman and said, "Your pistols are all Colt All American 2000's, which is only a fair weapon. There are only seven major parts to this pistol and each magazine holds fifteen rounds. It's a semi-automatic, which means it will fire as fast as you pull the trigger. Now, a lot folks have complained about the quality of the pistol you're holding, but I've discovered if you keep it clean and don't over oil it, it's a reliable enough weapon." Tom and I knew the weapons were of fair quality at best, but we'd purchased a couple dozen a few years back at two hundred dollars a pop and kept them. We'd purchased a few cases of ammo at a discount at the same time, only our budget just wouldn't allow us to purchase a better weapon.

When I made eye contact with the women, I saw serious questions in their eyes, so I continued, "Now, Tom and I will help each of you load a magazine, show you how to operate the safety, and provide you some basic shooting information."

We moved among the woman and began teaching. In less than an hour we'd completed our training and while condensed, we'd covered the major headings.

Vickie, with a grin on her face asked, "When do we get to shoot our pistols?"

I frowned and replied, "We don't have enough ammo to practice with, and I wish we did. Have any of you ever fired a weapon before?"

As expected, Vickie replied, "I used to hunt rabbits and squirrels with my dad, but it's been a few years. We'd always get a mess of rabbits. Why, one time the two of us shot over twelve rabbits one morning."

I knew Marty had been taught to shoot by her husband and now Vickie admitted she'd done some hunting, so that left only two to be concerned with, Alisa and Carol.
I'll have to keep them under a close eye until we need their help, and then I'm not sure how much good they'll do.