Tread Fearless: Survival & Awakening (The Gatekeeper Book 4) (34 page)

“I will, sweetie,” replied Lauren, as she wiped a tear from her eye.

“I’m gonna go to bed now . . . I’m really tired for some reason . . . so this is goodbye for me. Charlie can show you where the dogfood is, Mark. Take as much as you can carry. Until we meet again, farewell,” and with that, Cass left the barn.

Lauren looked sternly at Mark and he asked, “What?”

“What did you say to her to surrender Sage?”

“I didn’t say anything. It was her idea. Besides, I think the dog has a vote too. You know how he’s attached to you.”

“Oh, no worries about Sage,” interjected Charlie, “He’s always been his own dog. He loved mom, but only tolerates us. You’re actually doing us a favor by taking him. He needs the exercise. He’s gotten fat eating mostly beef lately.”

Sage barked again and Lauren bent to scratch his neck. “You’ll have to learn to control your temper,” said Lauren to the dog, as she moved her scratching down his spine. “He was only saying that it’s okay for you to come with us. Do you want to come with us?” she asked the dog.

Sage issued another loud bark, and Mark wondered if a muzzle would be necessary when trying to avoid being seen and heard. “Is the dogfood out here?” he asked Charlie.

“Yes,” said Charlie, “It’s in that metal garbage can over there,” he said, pointing to the far wall. “I’m almost done with my notes and I’ll help you get it.”

“I’m fine,” replied Mark, “I’ve got it.” The garbage can was nearly empty, less than a couple pounds of kibble lay at the bottom, but Mark scooped it out and put it in a plastic grocery bag he found on a nearby work bench. He knew it wouldn’t last long, but Mark wasn’t worried about Sage being able to find food. The dog might be a big-mouth, and have a jealous streak for Lauren, but he was smart, and that would help them all.

After packing up their equipment, and refilling their external, bike mounted water bottles, Mark and Lauren were ready to depart. Charlie held Mark’s gift of five shotgun slugs, and two fifty-round boxes of twenty-two. Mark wanted to give him more, but Charlie wouldn’t accept it. He was very grateful for what was given him, and hugged Mark on the bike. Mark returned the hug and said, “Take care of your sister. She’s pretty strong, but she still needs tender care.”

“I will. And you too. Take care of Lauren. If Sage likes her that much, then she must be special,” said Charlie, as he went over to Lauren and hugged her as she stood over her bike.

“Thanks for everything, Charlie. Don’t wait too long to leave. I know a bit of what the government has planned for this area, so head to your grandpa’s place as soon as you can. And avoid the big cities. Caution, Charlie . . . use caution with everyone you meet. Don’t trust anyone until you know somewhat of their intentions. Please be careful. We really like you guys.”

“Thanks, Lauren. Wish we were traveling together, but I know we’re moving in two different directions. Take care and be safe.” He then rubbed Sage’s neck and said, “You too, old dog. Take care of these folks for me, okay?” The dog rubbed his head against Charlie’s leg and trotted off to stand next to Lauren. With another loud bark, Charlie said, “Looks like you’re ready to go. I’m glad to have met you guys. Safe travels and God bless.”

“Same to you, Charlie. Be safe. And who knows what the future will hold. Maybe we’ll meet again?” said Mark.

“And don’t be afraid to trust your dreams,” added Lauren.

With those last words, Mark pushed off and began peddling down the main dirt driveway of the ranch, heading north, and on to whatever their next rest stop would be. Lauren peddled up next to him and asked, “Do you think Sage will stay with us?”

“I think so, but he’s a dog. He’ll probably explore around a bit as we ride along. We’ll lose sight of him occasionally, but he’ll always know where we are.”

“Are you sure?” asked Lauren, as she watched Sage run ahead and pee on a tree that lined the long drive.”

“Absolutely. He reminds me of the military working dogs I saw in Iraq. And you know as well as I do that he’s one smart dog. I plan on watching his reactions as we ride. With him on point, we should have plenty of warning for trouble.”

“I’m heartbroken for Cass, though. I think Sage should stay with them.”

“I think the only way they could have done that was to tie him to a tree. He was planning on going with you ever since you two first met,” said Mark. “Cass knew it, and so did I,” he added a moment later.

“Still . . .” replied Lauren.

Mark let her reflect on the encounter with the Williams kids and their dog, and he turned his attention to the feel of the bike under him. He enjoyed the movement, the invigorating feeling of peddling a good bike through the night. He didn’t know where they were going, only the direction. He hoped to find Pete and John, but the reality of it stuck to him that he may never find them. So many things had changed. There was so many uncertainties.

For a brief moment, he felt a strong desire to return to the ranch and travel with the kids. They could be comfortable there, helping with the cattle, and raising fuel to travel the distance to their grandfather’s place in Arkansas. But as suddenly as the desire came, Mark pushed it away. Theirs was a mission of a different sort; a mission of discovery and truth, of bonds and companionship.

What was once a solo-mission, was then a team, and now a squad.
“Well, maybe not an entire squad
,” thought Mark,
“But Sage was equal to several sets of eyes and ears,”
so he accepted the reference. They were now a family of sorts, and Mark was actually excited for their future.

“If he pees on any more trees we’ll have to stop and give him water,” quipped Lauren.

Mark snorted a laugh and said, “He’ll let us know if he’s thirsty.”

“How can a dog mark that many trees and . . . Oh, I said mark. You know what I mean?”

“Sage marks trees . . . Mark marks trees? Is that what you meant?” he asked.

Lauren giggled and said, “Why, do you lift your leg?”

“No need, I start with two lifted,” and with that, Mark raised his hands off the handlebars and said, “Look ma, no hands!”

“You’re gonna crash and then I’ll really laugh,” said Lauren. Mark swerved playfully toward her without his hands, and she snapped, “Hey! Knock it off. You’re gonna make
me
crash.”

“Never!” said Mark. “How are you feeling . . . peddling wise?”

“Good,” said Lauren. “I think I could do this all night.”

CHAPTER 14

INJURED

A
fter talking with Pete about the helicopter, and what it might mean to the company if they were spotted and stopped, or worse yet, engaged from the air, the Company decided to stay put under the hay barn for the remainder of the day. They considered their options, to include traveling at night, but decided the risk was greater at night with a helicopter. Pilots and their crew members, namely the door gunners, were equipped with night-vision gear, and that would only improve their ability to spot and engage the company, while at the same time limiting their ability to hide or respond.

They didn’t share that news with the others, but it wasn’t hard to convince them to rest in place. With the tarp up, and the LED lights illuminating the area, the setting under the hay was akin to a circus tent. They could access everything in the vehicles, and move about without concern for light and noise discipline.

To entertain the kids, Marissa conducted a small church service. Bonnie was a little bothered about all the religious talk, as it was obvious by her demeanor that she was uncomfortable, but she soon got into the spirit and relaxed. Marissa’s service wasn’t pretentious, but warm and heart felt, and everyone enjoyed her words of faith, hope and love.

Following the service, they settled into an established routine of preparing the evening meal. The ready-made meal bags the ladies put together before they left, were time and energy savers. The food was simple, but it was hot and tasty, and everyone had their fill. As talk turned to guard duty and sleeping arrangements, Pete left the shelter and walked out to look up into the sky. The brilliant evening colors on
the western horizon were marvelous to watch. They seemed to change in a long kaleidoscope of shifting shades and hues.

John, too, was drawn to the sunsets, and he approached Pete as he began to arch his back, and twist his trunk, this way and that, to stretch. “Are you going for a run?” asked John.

Pete sighed and said, “It would probably help. I feel really . . . I don’t know . . . anxious. As if something’s gonna happen.”

“Something bad?” asked John.

“I don’t know. I know I blew it with the FEMA thing. I know that’s why they’re hunting us now. I should have never fired on them,” said Pete, as he pulled up a leg to stretch first one, then the other.

“You said they fired on you first,” said John.

“They did.”

John shrugged and said, “Then what’s the problem?”

“I could have handled it better.”

“Well . . . what’s done is done,” said John. “Besides, I would have done the same in your shoes.”

“I don’t think so. I shot that last guy, and I didn’t need to,” finished Pete. He began rotating his arms at the shoulders, making big arching loops while he added, “I took it too far.”

John considered his friend’s words, more the unspoken ones than the verbal, and said, knowing full well that Pete needed to talk it out more, “Why did you shoot him, then?”

“I’d like to think it was on impulse, but he threatened us, the company, and . . .”

When Pete didn’t finish his sentence, John asked, “And?”

“Nothing,” said Pete. He considered telling John that Adam said his name aloud in front of the agent, but he immediately realized that it was a weak excuse to kill an unarmed man. Pete remembered shooting the loud-mouthed biker in a like manner, but then his bloodlust was up. And the company was under a very real threat. Pete shook his head only slightly, almost not. The last thing he needed, or ever wanted, was
to put his responsibilities onto Adam, or justify his decisions based on a completely different set of circumstances.

He finally said, while dropping his arms to his side, “I mean, I took the easy path. I killed him because I didn’t feel like dealing with him. You know, I realized earlier that I’ve killed more men since this blasted disaster started than I ever did in combat. What do you think that means?” asked Pete, as he turned to face John. “It’s like the country is one big warzone now, and everyone is our enemy.”

“I know what you mean,” said John. “We’ve been through a lot since this whole thing started. It’s been a tough fight. I wish I could tell you it’s almost over, but like you, I have a feeling that things will get a lot worse before they get better. I still can’t believe it’s been only a week.” John snorted and added, “Nine days ago, I was sitting in my office worrying about my investment portfolios. Now we’re federal fugitives, fleeing to a place we’ve never been because of a dream I had, and hoping beyond hope that we can find someplace safe to rest.

“For me, the problem is that I don’t know how much rest we’ll find when we get to where we’re going. The way the world is now, I’m thinking this is the new normal. I agree with you, we’re in a warzone, but you have to admit, we’ve done pretty well for ourselves so far.”

“Yeah,” replied Pete. “Do you think our luck will run out soon?” he asked.

John grunted and said, “The bar on luck has also changed. It would have been luck to avoid the disaster all together,” he said, as he scraped the toe of his boot against the hard dirt at his feet. With a half-circle drawn in the ground, he asked, “What’s the watch schedule for tonight?”

“You’ve got the early morning shift again,” said Pete. “I think I’ll have Paul take first watch and I’ll take graveyard.”

“I think I’ll go turn in then. You still want to leave at first light?” asked John.

“Sunrise will be around 0735, so we should think about rolling out of here at around 0630 . . . be ready to move just at EMNT,” said Pete.

John nodded and turned to leave. When he was a few steps away, Pete added, “John.”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for talking. I really appreciate it,” said Pete, and he resumed his stretching routine.

“No worries, brother. We’ll make it through this yet.”