Preparing After (Short Story)

[sarawolf]

Preparing After

All Rights reserved

Chapter 1




Mountain Home, Idaho:

Beulah and her husband Lee lived in Idaho with their son Brian, she had gone to school in Rexburg Idaho, but dropped out after one year when she met Lee and they decided to marry and move to Mountain Home Idaho. She frowned some, they worked to hard it seemed these days to pay for Lee’s toys, 4-wheelers, a boat, and his monster truck, and he still didn’t seem happy. He always seemed to get what he wanted and was happy for awhile, then needed a new toy again to make him happy.

Beulah looked up at the clock it was about time to go home, she began to gather her things, the book for break stayed, lunch box for home, and picked up her jacket and purse.

As she walked out she noticed clouds coming in, fall was here for sure. After a 20-minute drive she pulled into her driveway, she looked at the house, it was still dark, Brian would still be at football practice but Lee should have been home. Oh well she thought and pulled into the garage, she best get dinner going and made her way into the house from the garage door to the hallway of the house. She flipped the light switch on and went to the bedroom to change her clothes, ah man nice; sweat pants and a t-shirt felt good after a long days work at the office.

The clock read 5:10; Beulah wondered where Lee was, he got off at 3:30 PM and should have been home a half hour ago.

She went into the kitchen and pulled out some spaghetti noodles and a large can of spaghetti sauce, some green beans, garlic bread, and a salad should finish the meal off.

With the water boiling for the noodles and the sauce heating, she went over to turn on the TV on the counter to catch the news as she worked. She threw a load of towels in the washer and went to collect Brian’s clothes hamper, full and smelly as always. When she returned the water was boiling and she threw in the noodles, and got the garlic bread ready to slip in the over as soon as one of the guys walked in the door.

The news caught her attention with a special report, Fox News, special alert, missiles incoming, WHAT, she thought, and went and turned up the sound.
The Pentagon reports that we have nuclear missiles in bound for the United States please take shelter immediately, repeat please take shelter immediately. The noodles started to boil over and she ran over to the stove. She was just taking off the noodle pan off the stove and the lights went off, oh no she thought. Beulah grabbed her flashlight from the kitchen drawer and went to the basement stairs and down to check the breaker box, everything looked fine, but she decided to flip them any way. She had been hoping that’s all it was, nothing happened, not a light came back on. Beulah made her way back up the stairs and went to get some matches out of her kitchen drawer, Lee hated that drawer, he called it her catchall junk drawer. Dinner will be ruined is what ran through her mind, Lee will be so mad. Then the flashlight quit working as in dead batteries.

She always kept decorator scented candles here and there in the house; she had bayberry here in the kitchen. She lit two candles picked one up and went into the living room and lit three vanilla candles in there. It’s really happened she thought, now what do I do, I better go pick up Brian and ran to the bedroom for her keys and purse.

She got into the car and tried to start the car, it wouldn’t start, she thought the car had a dead battery, why now, and went back into the house.

A half hour later Brian came running into the house, “MOM, MOM,” he was yelling at the top of his lungs.

Beulah came out of the kitchen and into the living room; “Here I am Brian, in here.”

“Mom what’s happened no one could get their cars started, I was going to grab a ride home with Tom, but his car wouldn’t start either. We just walked home together, and as we walked we noticed none of the lights were on anywhere in town, man talk about dark and freaky.”

Beulah turned to her son, “Sit down Brian and I’ll tell you what I heard before the lights went out.”

Brian sat on the sofa and Beulah explained what the news was reporting just before the lights went out and the cars stopped working.
“No way,” said Brian.

“Yes Brian it’s happened, I thought at first it was the breakers and that the car battery had gone dead, but since you said the other cars wouldn’t start either, I guess what ever it was made that happen to.”

“Its an EMP mom, Electro Magnetic Pulse from the bombs, they made it so nothing electric will work, we read about it in school,” said Brian.

“Where’s dad, I thought he would be here way before I got home.”

“I don’t know Brian I thought he would be home when I got here, so I have no idea what kept him from getting home.”

She really was worried, but didn’t want Brian to know that.

“How many days worth of food do we have mom.”

“Food?” Beulah said, “Why would you want to know that Brian?”

Brian looked at his mom in surprise and said, “Mom we will need food and water, the grocery stores with no electric won’t take credit cards, and we will need cash, so right now we need to know how much food we have and cash, to see how long we can go without trying to find more.”

Beulah looked at Brian surprised, “I hadn’t even thought of that, and water I have a case of bottled water in the basement.”

“Ok mom,” “Lets go into the kitchen and see what we have, and start to fill empty pop bottles and things with more water.”

They got up to go into the kitchen and Brian turned to his mom and said, “Before I forget where does dad keep his gun?”

“We don’t need a gun Brian, someone may get hurt, you have spent to much time with your grandmother and grandfather I see.”

Brian stopped dead in his tracks, “Mom we are the ones who will get hurt if someone comes for what we have and we can’t protect ourselves.”

Beulah got a shocked look on her face, “This is just to much. This isn’t suppose to happen,” she began to sob.

“Mom it’s ok, grandpa taught me a few things, now lets get to seeing what we have.”

They started going through the cupboards and Brian started to pull out all the edible canned goods and boxed foods. He had been hungry after football practice but now that was the last thing on his mind.

“Brian what are you doing, your making a mess,” exclaimed his mom.

“Mom we have to get all this together and see how many days we can make this into ahead of time, I also think we need to box it up and take it to the basement, so if someone does break in here, they can’t find our food right off.”

“Ok, ok Brian, I understand I think, I don’t like it, but I understand.”

Brian got up and headed for the basement, ‘Mom he said as he headed down, get those empty pop bottles out of the trash can in the garage and fill them up.”

“Gross Brian,” she said back at him.

Brian’s head popped back up from behind the basement door, “Mom there’s nothing gross about it they just had pop in them, just rinse them out first, then fill them with water, we may need all we can get.

There must have been a dozen large plastic pop bottles, they had, had a get together for Lee’s brother over the weekend and trash day wasn’t for another two days. Beulah opened both trashcans and began to take out the pop bottles; never in her wildest dreams did she think she would be doing things like this. She thought making due and having to do things she didn’t want to was all over with when she left home for school. It took her a couple of trips to bring in all the bottles, after the first trip she brought a plastic garbage bag with her to get the rest of them. It turned out they had 15 bottles.

She turned the water tap on; it wasn't running to well but at least it was still running.

She got busy rinsing them and filling them with water. She saw that Brian had brought 3 medium sized boxes up and wasn’t in the kitchen any longer. Beulah heard him coming up the basement stairs a few minutes later, bumping the walls with the boxes.

“Lets fill these mom and then I will know if I need to put more boxes together. Ok.”

“Ok Brian she said, you go ahead with that while I continue to fill these bottles.”

They both kept busy with their separate jobs till Beulah finished filling the bottles and helped Brian put the canned goods and other foods into the boxes.

Brian then started to haul them down to the basement; “mom put the bottles of water in those other two boxes for now, and while I am doing that fill some of your big pots with water to.”

He then headed down to the basement with his first load. While he was in the basement he thought about the camping gear and went over to the corner where it was kept.

Oh yes, he thought and pulled out four of those collapsible five-gallon water jugs.

He thought the jugs should have been around from the last time he and his dad went camping and had a couple of his friends along. He got another idea and went through one of the backpacks, yes there they were a whole backpack full of dried meals and desserts.

They had ended up catching a lot fish and not using up all the dried foods because of all the fish. He figured he would just keep this to himself for now; his mom would turn her nose up at it anyway right now.

Brian headed back up the stairs and his mom was just finishing the last box, “That makes three weeks worth of meals mom as far as I can figure, and that’s for three of us.”

“Well that should be good enough, they’re sure to have the power back on by then,” Beulah said.

“Mom it isn’t as simple as turning the power back on, all the equipment would have to be replaced everywhere the EMP affected it. It’s going to be months before some places will have power again mom.”

“I just can’t believe it will be months Brian, if that’s the case there’s no way we have enough food to get us by.”

“That’s what I was trying to tell you mom, were in deep crap,” He went on to say.

“We can cook our food with the camp stove, I saw we have two cans of Coleman fuel for it, so that will be ok for a month or so. I also found the sleeping bags and a few other camping things that will come in handy.”

“Brian I am sure they will send in National Guard or something with food, the government always does in cases like this so I think we will be ok.”

Brian said, “I don’t think so mom, if some cities have been nuked the last thing there going to do is come give out food, how will they do that if this is all across the country?”

“We’ll just have to sleep on it for now Brian and see what happens, anyway your dad will know what to do when he gets home, I am sure of it.”

“It’s getting awful late, I wish he would come home,” Beulah then went to the living room window to look out into the dark. As the night went on Brian laid down on the sofa his dads old 22 rifle beside him and Beulah left the window after an hour of standing and watching. She sat in a living room chair and was soon asleep. Their first night was over.

End chapter 1

[lokifz1]

What,, ,, only one night ,,,,,,more please.

[sarawolf]

Chapter 2
Betrayed




Brian awoke stiff, sore and couldn’t figure out at first why he was on the couch, it was cold in the house, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked around and saw his mom asleep in one of the living room chairs. It came back to him then. He also figured that it also meant his dad had not come home at all. He had noticed his dad was acting strange lately but well stranger then usual anyway, even when he did happen to get to spend some time with him. Which sure wasn’t much anymore. They used to go to ball games on the weekends when he wasn’t playing or had practice, but as the weeks and months went by even that piddled to nothing. Brian was still counting on his dad coming home; they needed him now more then ever. Brian didn’t know if he could do this all on his own. He got up as quietly as he could and headed for the bathroom, it was automatic to flush, the water was still on, wonderful he thought, but I wonder for how much longer.

Man I forgot something, he went quickly to the garage, he was looking for bigger containers of some kind, then duh he thought, I should also fill the tub, we can use that water to flush the toilet when it finally stops running. So back he went to the bathroom and started to fill the tub, he wanted it as full as he could get it. He still wanted more water, so he ran to the bathroom upstairs and started filling that tub also.

He heard movement as he was going down the stairs and he assumed his mom must have gotten up. He was right, it was his mom and she was just coming out of the hallway.

“Did you hear your dad come in last night Brian?”

“No mom he didn’t come home or he would have woke us I would have thought.”

Beulah looked at him strange, “Why would he wake us, he may have come home and then already gone into work this morning, he was just probably trying to be kind and letting us sleep.”

Brian didn’t know what to say at first he was trying to think of what to say to his mom, she was just not getting it or something.

“Oh by the way,” Beulah said, “somehow the tub got full of water, do you know how that happened, did you do that, good thing I found it, it’s letting out now.”

“Oh no mom, you can’t do that we may need that water, who knows when it will cut off.”

He was headed back to the bathroom to put the stopper down and get the tub full again.

His mom followed him to the bathroom, “Why in the world are you filling the bathtub Brian, what in the world would possess you to do this.”

“Mom think about it, did you forget what happened yesterday,” he was refilling the tub and had to speak up as he talked to her.

Beulah just stood there in the frame of the bathroom with a perplexed look on her face, and then it must have come to her. She started to cry then.

“Your father hasn’t been here has he, Lee never came home at all last night. For some reason he has left us all alone, or something has happened to him.”

She turned and started down the hallway towards the living room. Brian could hardly understand what she was saying she was sobbing so hard. He turned the tap off and headed to see if he could console his mother.
* * *
On the other side of town in a very cheap filthy apartment, Lee was still in a drunken stupor, the woman lying beside him was still passed out cold, they were both in a manner of undress. He just couldn’t seem to keep warm; he was cold even through the haze in his brain of drugs and booze. Lee finally opened his eyes he couldn’t stop shivering, where am I he thought, and then he saw his girl friend laying on the floor beside the couch and smiled.

This beat his dull wife and this was his new beginning. Glenda was everything his wife wasn’t, red hair, a good build, young for one thing, and ready for a good time. But why in the world was it so cold. He got up from the couch and swerved his way to the bathroom, he flipped the switch put nothing happened, dumb broad she must not have paid the electric bill. That must be why it’s so cold in here, he would have to teach her a lesson, no more Mr. nice guy. He walked back to the living room and stood beside Glenda.

“Glenda, get up and he bumped her with his right foot, when she didn’t wake up he kicked her a little harder, Glenda wake up.”

He was getting angry now, he had a horrible hangover and she needed to get up and take care of him. He kicked even harder, this time she gave a grunt.

“Glenda get the heck up it’s cold in here and I need some aspirin and food.”

“Oh man she said, as she groaned on the floor, I feel like crap, what a night.”

She opened her eyes and then quickly shut them again saying, it’s still light out, I don’t wanna get up yet, and why is it so cold in here?”

“You must not have paid the electric bill that’s why it’s so cold in here.”

She opened her eyes little by little and saw Lee standing over her.

“At this moment I don’t remember anything, oh gads I think I’m gonna be sick,” she got up and ran for the bathroom.

He could hear her gagging and then the toilet flushing, and water running in the sink, then she came staggering out, she didn’t look so great like this, make up smeared and vomit on her chest.

“Look down Glenda, you forgot to clean up your chest.”

She looked down, “Oh my,” and she turned back around to go back into the bathroom.

Lee went back into the living room and sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands. Boy did they tie one on last night; he was celebrating his new found freedom. But now he wondered if it was worth it. Nope I am not going to look back he thought to him self. Onward I go. Lee had taken all their money out of savings, so he wouldn’t even have to worry about working for awhile, there was money for anything he wanted for a few months, then he would find some kind of job, a job that would just keep him and Glenda in the things they wanted. Then he noticed something, it was very quiet, where was all the noise, there should be cars honking, cop sirens, construction work going on you name it. He got up and looked out the window, nothing out there seemed to be moving, he saw a few people standing around or walking, but not a car, truck, or bus was moving. That’s when Glenda came up beside him and put her slender arms around him and handed him a glass of bourbon.

“A little hair of the dog that bit you honey,” she said with a grin.

He took the glass from her hand and she finished encircling his waist and he downed the bourbon in one gulp, which made him feel better almost immediately.

He turned around as she backed away, now that she was cleaned up and had her makeup back on he realized why he had dropped his wife for her. She was giggling as she to picked up a drink and downed it.

She snuggled up to Lee, “How about we go find a party, I know just where one is.”

He nodded and gave her a kiss, they dressed and headed out to a friends house. They got into Lee’s car, and he stuck in the key and turned it, nothing.

“Why in the world doesn’t the car start he said to Glenda, looks like my car has the same problem the other cars do?”

Glenda was sitting right beside him and was snuggling up to him again.

“Lee lets not worry about the car for now the party is only a couple of blocks away anyway, we can walk there.”

“Ok, Lee said, I will look into what’s wrong the car later,” he opened the door and held the door open as she slide out of the car.

They headed for the party, it was an on going never stop party of booze, drugs and sex, I am really living the high life now thought Lee. It was three days before he came out of his next drunk, with a few drugs mixed into the works. He was filthy and boy did he stink and so did everyone around him. There must have been at least 10 other people in the room laying around, vomit everywhere and even one guy that was white as a sheet and had to be dead. No one is that white. He started to gag at the smells and was looking around for Glenda when he spotted her; she was across the room naked and laying beneath a naked man. Well so much for her he thought, looks like I need to find myself another woman. I need to get back to the apartment and he stumbled over several people getting to the door. He staggered out of the apartment and managed to make it down the stairs. As he opened the main door to the apartment building things outside seemed really out of hand. People were running every which way and he could hear guns going off.

What the..., Lee thought but didn’t get to finish the sentence as a bunch of young men were rounding a corner on a run a half block from him in the direction Lee wanted to go. They all had pistols and rifles and were firing them at another group that was turning around and firing back at them. Has the world gone crazy Lee thought and ducked back inside the apartment building. But not before a gang member saw movement at the door and shot in the direction of the closing door. The bullet went thought the window and hit Lee right in the back of the head as he leaned against the door. He never knew what hit him and was dead before he hit the hallway floor.
* * *
Brian and Beulah were never to know what became of Lee, the water had gone off on the third day after the bombs hit and they struggled along as best they could. Beulah still hoping and praying Lee would come home. After a week Brian heard shots from the house next door and looked out to see Mr. Zimmer stumble out his front door, blood all over his chest and fall on the sidewalk in front of his house. Beulah heard it to from the living room and came running over to the window where Brian stood.

“What’s going on, she said in a panic? Oh no,” she gasped and was beginning to unlock the door.

Brian put his hand on hers, “No mom you can’t go out there.”

“But Mr. Zimmer is hurt we have to go.”

“No way mom he isn’t just hurt, someone shot him.”

They saw movement on the other side of the house, the neighbors on the other side of them, Mr. and Mrs. Stapp and their two teenage sons. They at least had backpacks on their backs and were running as fast as Mrs. Stapp could go.

“I haven’t seen anyone else yet mom, but I think their still in Mr. Zimmer’s house.”

“They,” like she just didn’t comprehend what he was getting at.

That’s when they heard the screaming begin. Beulah put her hands on her ears and was about to scream when Brian quickly put his hands over his mother’s mouth to muffle her scream.

“Mom you can’t do that, who ever is over there will hear you, we have to get some of our things and get to the basement as fast as we can.”

“We have to save Mrs. Zimmer, we have to,” she was saying to Brian.

“There’s no way we can save Mrs. Zimmer from whomever is over there in their house mom, there’s just no way, now lets get what we will need for a day or two and get to the furnace room and hope they don’t find us, ok.”

Brian was glad he had decided to leave boxes of food and water down in the basement, and he hauled a couple upstairs and quickly had his mom help put the food in the cupboards to make it look like no one had taken anything out, and that they just didn’t keep much on hand, he sure hoped it worked. The other things he had them put in the furnace room where they would be. They got a few clothes, warm ones, but he wouldn’t let his mom take what she wanted. They would have the sleeping bags to keep them warm. It had to look like no one had been here in a day or two, but left their stuff like they were coming back. She started to pick up her makeup.

“No mom leave your makeup here, you won’t need it and it makes things look better.”

“But I can’t go without makeup Brian, what if your father comes home, you know how he hates me going without makeup.”

“Listen Mom you look just great without that stuff and right now leaving it here could save our lives, so just leave it. Dad needs to be understanding sometime.”

He did have her take most of her gold and good jewelry but left a few items of worth to put off the scent to look for more. After he was certain everything was just right, he herded his mother down to the furnace room. He remembered to grab a few books and a empty five gallon bucket that was used to put soap and water in to wash cars, garbage bags too and ties, he would have to improvise a blanket or something for a bit of privacy and use that for their bathroom. Brian sure hoped they would have time to bunker down before they also had their home entered. He got Beulah in and looked around for something to kind of put up against the furnace room door to disguise it. There back in the corner his old twin bed, he began to drag the old box springs over then the mattress, head board and so on, he had to lean them up against the door and then be able to squeeze in without knocking anything over. He managed to get in the furnace room without knocking anything over and let out a deep breath, now to wait this all out.

After a couple of hours his mom was beginning to get restless and wanted to go up stairs.

“I don’t like it in here Brian, it’s dusty and I want to go take a nap in my own bed, the floor is just to hard” she was telling him.

That’s when they heard a dull bang, and then a few minutes later a crash; they knew it had to be their front and then footsteps sounded above them in the living room. Beulah shut up then and started to silently cry. Brian came over and put his arms around her, he hoped that would help keep her from getting hysterical.

“Mom, we have to be quiet as possible from here on out until we are sure they have left and gone on to the next house. Even after that we will have to keep things down and not light any candle or lantern until they have left our neighbor hood. I will have to find something to tape over the windows so no light will shine through at night even after that.”

They heard a lot of banging, a few crashes, and then some hollering. Brian heard someone come down the basement steps swearing. They heard things being thrown around in the basement but no one moved the twin bed leaning against the door to the furnace room. After awhile of swearing and crashes, whoever it was left the basement, Brian heard then stomp back up the stairs. Beulah had fallen asleep; he didn’t know how she could at a time like this, but that helped him immensely. He continued to hear footsteps for awhile and then quiet. His mom had woken for a few hours and he had convinced her to read and he would to. The day waned on.

Brian woke with a start, and he lit a candle he had close by, and looked toward where his mom had been the last thing he knew. She wasn’t there.

“No mom,” he said out loud.

The door was closed so she hadn’t had any problems getting out, which should have woken him up, he must have really been out deep. He got the door opened enough to get through and didn’t see her in the main basement area; he did notice it was light now. He continued up the stairs as quietly as possible. The kitchen door to the basement was open; he peeked around the doorframe. No one, not even his mom, but the kitchen was a big mess, dishes broken all over the floor. He did notice the cupboards were open and some of the doors broken off. Whoever they were, did take the food but a few cans still sat there, so they took only what they liked. Brian continued on into the dining room, the chandelier was smashed and all the lights, chairs, and table were in a splintered heap. He could see into the living room, no one seemed to be in there either. But he stepped around and through the glass and wood all over the floor as best he could.

Brian still neither saw or heard his mother, she had to have come this way he thought, he tried to walk as quiet as possible and made it through the living room and to the hall way where the family room and the bathroom were. After looking in both places, he wondered if the bad guys had noticed the filled bathtub, he hadn’t thought about that one.

Nothing he could do about it now. The house was a mess; he then turned and made his way upstairs to the bedrooms. The family pictures were all smashed that were along the stairway on the wall. So he crunched some as went up the stairs. Slow and steady he thought.

The stupid thing is he forgot to take the old rifle down stairs with him, Brian wondered if it was still on the couch; he turned around and went back down the stairs. He walked around the sofa and saw a piece of dark wood sticking out from under the sofa, he bent over and grabbed the butt of the rifle, how in the world did the bad guys miss this? His guess was that somehow it had been under the sofa. They must not have been looking in the living room for things very hard, that’s all Brian could think. Well all the better for us he thought, he kept the rifle in hand and headed back upstairs to see if he could find his mother. He found her all right, curled up in the middle of her king sized bed sound asleep. Broken perfume bottles, mirrors, clothes all over, her jewelry boxes smashed and the rest of the jewelry missing. But there she was in her own bed. Brian leaned against the frame of the door and slide down it to sit on the floor, relief spilling through his body. He knew she was a bit flaky at times, but she was all he had.

The thoughts went through his brain, we can’t stay here, and who knows when they or someone else will be through here again. We have to get out, and I need to stop being dumb, it could cost us our lives. All this preparation were doing and we can’t do a thing with it, only what we can take, we will have to see if we can get to grandpa and grandmas house. He began planning right then and there.

An hour later his mom was still asleep but he was on his way to the garage for other things, which was through the kitchen so he wouldn’t have to step outside and be seen by anyone. There hanging on the ceiling were the three bikes, all 27 speeds, his mom had gotten them a couple years ago so they could have something to do together as a family, help them to stay in shape and get in better heath. Of course his dad didn’t think much of that. Oh he went a couple of times, but soon it was just Brian and his mom and then that even came to a halt after another half a dozen rides.

Brian got his and his mom’s bikes down and went over them; he oiled and tightened for the next 45 minutes to make sure they were in good shape. He wondered what his mom was going to think of this idea. He hoped he wouldn’t have to fight with her too much over it. So while she slept he went about readying them for the trip northwest. He hauled things back up from the furnace room and packed the backpacks as best he could, clothes, one pair of extra sturdy shoes, both his moms and his, some camping gear, small tent, sleeping bags, tarps, MRE’s, other foods, powdered juices, pans and metal cups, silverware, matches, a canteen and water bottles tied onto the bikes. Some of it folded over the back on each bike, he sure wished he had some of those bike saddlebags. At that moment he had a very bright idea, now could he find it. He headed back into the house and down to the basement; yes there it was in a corner, his old red wagon. He hauled it out and then washed it up and made sure the bolts were tight and oiled the wheels, that’s another thing he thought I need to take some tools to fix this and the bikes if need be.

The wagon filled to brimming and more he tied a small tarp over it and then tied it to his bike the best he could, he didn’t know how wobbly this was going to be, but would have to do until they could find something better. Maybe if they went by a bike shop or something they would have a regular bike wagon he could get or something. Brian had found all the 22 bullets his dad had, a box of 500 not to shabby; he hoped it was enough for whatever they would need them for. He knew the rifle already had a full clip but that only held 6 bullets. He put the hunting knife on his belt that his grandpa had given him for his twelfth birthday; Mom wouldn’t let him wear it, so he always saved it for when he went to his grandparents in the summer.

Brian knew they had to get out of here as soon as possible; he had a feeling in his bones. Hard to believe as he looked at the sun, could it even be noon yet? He went upstairs to wake his mom, and have them both eat, dress warm, and talk her into leaving.

He stood beside the bed for a few minutes, minutes he knew they really didn’t have, trying to think how best to convince her they needed to leave, but maybe the break in would help do that for him.

“Mom wake up, he said as he shook her by the shoulder. Mom please wake up.”

Beulah opened her eyes to her son standing beside her.

“Why son what is it, what’s the problem? Is your dad home, do I need to fix my face?”

“No mom dad still isn’t home, and I don’t think he is coming home or he would have been here already. I need you to get up, we need to have some lunch, and I need to talk to you about something.”

Brian was such a good son she thought and I guess I am hungry, so she got up and readied herself to go downstairs and get some lunch with her son. A few minutes later it dawned on her what had happened last night and she could hardly make it down the stairs. She saw the mess her home was in and began to bemoan it’s condition.

Brian heard her, he had been in the kitchen getting them some sandwiches, he had pushed some mess off the counter to clear a place. He would save the fuel they were bringing for the small scout camp stove. Brian went out to the living room and brought her back to the kitchen through the smashed furniture and all. His mom stopped right then and there in the dining room and said, “We need to start cleaning this up, we can’t live with the house like this.”

“We’re not going to worry about it mom, it will just have to stay like this. Were going to eat some lunch right now and as we do I am going to tell you what we need to do and your not going to say anything until I am done explaining, ok.”

Beulah shook her head all right and they went in to eat, and as they ate he told her what they were going to do and why.

What was funny is Brian thought he would have a big fight on his hands convincing her they had to leave, but in the end he didn’t at all. Last night had scared her enough that she didn’t put up much of a fuss at all.

She said, “Lee would know where we went, so that was ok.”

But just in case they would leave a note telling Lee where they were headed. Brian thought that was ok, anyone reading the note wouldn’t know where his grandparents were anyway. An hour later booted, gloved, good coats on, hats, long johns, or other on, they were on their way down the road as fast as the little red wagon would allow them to go.

End chapter 2

[DTyra]

It looks as though Brian has a tough road ahead. Looking forward to some more.

[lokifz1]

I really like the story. Please keep posting.

[Nancy1340]

Thanks Sis.

[223shooteresc]

need more of the story, thanks

[sarawolf]

Chapter 3
Heartache



Mile after mile Brian noticed there were a lot of people on bicycles, and most were headed out of the city like him and his mother. The wagon didn’t slow him, as much as he thought it would, it was Beulah not the wagon that kept them from making better time. It took them way to long to get out of the city. Every mile made his teeth go on edge with the shots, screams and chaos. They kept to the outer roads as much as possible, most of the time going through housing divisions.

When they finally reached the city limits he allowed his mom to take a break, he didn’t feel to good about that either. All he had heard for the last three miles was, Brian we have to stop and how tired she was.

He had the 22 slung over his right shoulder and while they rested from riding he practiced getting it off his shoulder and to his hands as quickly as possible. Beulah watched him do this with this very strange expression on her face. Brian thought she would say something but she never did. She just continued to watch. Then he took out the map of Idaho he had tucked in his back pocket, it was in a large baggie, he didn’t want it getting wet for any reason.

The problem would be Boise, so he planned out how they would go around as best they could. Now they could take 84 northwest up into Oregon then into Washington, or 55 north up through the mountains to Grangeville then 95 on into Lewiston Idaho. His mind was reeling, which road would be safest for him and his mom? Highway 55 would be steep mountain riding; if mom was having problems here just think what that would do. On the other hand it would have plenty of places to camp out of sight and they could run into the woods if necessary.

After 10 minutes he said, “Long enough mom we need to get as far as we can before dark. Then before it gets too dark, we have to find a place to camp for the night that we won’t be seen, hopefully.”

His decision made he was committed to it. They were going the hard way, 55 here we come.

Brian had decided to take 90 from Mountain Home and avoid the freeway, he could just imagine all the cars on 84 and the mess it must be. But he also thought most won’t be sitting in or by their cars anymore, it had been to many days now. There were a few cars here on 90 but it wasn’t to bad, most that took 90 weren’t long distance travelers so it should be pretty clear of people, at least he hoped so. That thought proved out to be not to far off, more then he thought but no people walking along the road, just a few people on bikes like them.

It was 27 miles to Boise give or take. The town had grown leaps and bounds in the last few years. Even a kid like Brian could see the City getting larger and larger. Well he thought that has come to a screeching halt.

Brian noticed a few people looking out of the house windows at them as they rode past but no one tried to stop them and take their bikes, how long can their luck hold out.

They camped for the night before they hit Boise, it wasn’t much, they were behind some bushes so no fire tonight. They ate two of MRE’s, which weren’t to bad at all when you were hungry. He wanted to be up and through Boise before light; he hoped his mom could handle riding and walking the bikes in the dark. He didn’t think they had any other choice.

Brian opened his eyes, the stars were bright, the air was crisp and cold. His mom lay next to him snoring away. He figured it had to be at least 3 am or around there, time to get up and get going.

“Mom, mom you need to get up now,” he said in a quiet voice.

He didn’t think there was anyone else around at this time of the morning but he didn’t want to take any chances either.

“Mom come on we have to get going,” he continued, “get up mom.”

She slowly opened her eyes, “It’s still dark out Brian, just a few more hours of sleep please,” she begged.

“Afraid not mom we have to go now so we can get around Boise without being seen.”

“Oh Brian why in the world is that so important, who would bother us anyway. No one wants what we have,” Beulah complained.

Brian was starting to get miffed. He was rolling up his sleeping bag and then bent down and unzipped hers and threw the sleeping bag open.
“Brian she yelled, what do you think your doing young man.”

“Get out and up now mom or I will roll you out of that bag, and I mean it, and your also going to have to learn to keep your voice down as were traveling, who knows who or what you may attract.”

“Well I’m awake now so I might as well get up, and aren’t you getting just a bit bossy Brian.”

“No I ‘m not mom, we have a long way to go and this could be a very dangerous trip for us. Another thing, yes, we do have things other people may want. Our bikes for one, food, this gun and ammunition, anything valuable we happen to have, and even you mom.”

That stopped her in her tracks, “I hadn’t thought of any of that Brian, I’m sorry, I just can’t seem to get this all straight, it seems so unreal. Do you really think people would attack us for what we have?”

“For what we have and don’t have mom, some would be mad just because we don’t have what they want.”

They were quiet as they finished picking up camp and getting Beulah’s bag rolled and stored. Soon they were on their way, it was still dark as they made their way down 55 toward Horseshoe Bend. They had to get through Horseshoe Bend today to matter what.

There was nothing but scrub brush and steep hills between here and there. Closer to Horseshoe bend there were a few homes on the mountains sides now, but way off the road, so he hoped that would not present a problem for them. They had to go through Horseshoe Bend but the town was only about a mile long.

If Brian had been more experienced he would have noticed they were being watched. They had picked up their tail when they were three quarters of the way out of Boise. Going around the city as much as possible had helped but it was light before they were out of town.

* * *
In one of the new housing developments by the highway a cunning set of eyes had spotted them. His crew had already killed or enslaved everyone in this area that hadn’t fled as they managed to limp home when everything shut down. What a surprise they had in store for them when they got a few steps into the housing development. This man gazed out the window seeing something he craved, control of a kingdom.

His name was Jim Sawyer, he was called Big Jim and he fit his name to a tee. He was six foot 4 in his stocking feet and 290 pounds. Mostly from weightlifting, that had made him what he was today size wise, but a black heart made him what he was as a semi human being. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and he would have been what most women would call good looking except for when you looked into his eyes. They were cold eyes.

When Big Jim saw the people going past on the bikes he yelled for Weasel and Scat.

“Ok you two I have a job for you, two people just went by here on bikes I want you to grab some bikes from one of these houses and tail them and report back me where they are headed, one of you can come back and report while the other stays behind and keeps an eye on them. Make sure you take a few days food and some camping gear it’s getting cold outside.”

Both men hung their heads, they wanted to stay right here and continue to have fun, they began to say so and Big Jim hit them both across the face, they knew better then try to hit back, that would have meant death for them both.

“Now get you two before you lose them,” he yelled.

“Oh boy said Weasel, I get that blue motorcycle I always wanted me a blue tanked bike, which one you picking Scat?”

Scat never got to say, Big Jim roared at them, “I am not wasting gas on the two of you, and besides they will hear you on motorcycles, and I meant bicycles you morons.”

Weasel and Scat just stood there hardly believing what they had just been told.

“Get,” yelled Big Jim and the two left as quickly as possible.

Weasel fit his name; small, thin, with a long nose, beady eyes, and greasy brown hair that was 4 inch’s long and he kept brushing it out of his eyes. Scat was even dirtier, around 5 foot 8 inches, but most of all he smelled worse then he looked. It was hard to figure out what his hair color was.

Jim then grabbed the teenaged girl that had lived is this fancy house and went to a room to have some fun and get some sleep. Big Jim knew he was going to have a pretty good kingdom, he was happier then he had been in a very long time.

Weasel knew right where there were two bikes that they could use, they were right next-door.

“Come on Scat there’s some bikes over here in this garage, and a few houses down some camping gear and stuff, we better hurry or Big Jim will have our hides.”
They were really going to have to hurry, it took them 20 minutes to get packed up and ready to go. Hopefully those people on the bikes didn’t ride real fast. They would hate to have to come back and tell Big Jim they had lost them.

It didn’t take all that long to catch up to the other riders which surprised them. In an hour they weren’t far behind the two.
* * *
Beulah had to rest after again after the second hill, and the longest one was still ahead of them, they were on a steady incline up to the top of the grade, before they could coast down the highway and into Horseshoe Bend. She wasn’t complaining as much as she did on the way out of Mountain Home at least. But this trip was going to take forever; he didn’t think they were going to have enough food for the trip after all. Maybe they would be able to find some somewhere or buy some, he had brought what little money he could find in the house and in his mothers purse, plus they had her jewelry. He had put the jewelry in different places, so if they were robbed maybe the thieves wouldn’t find it all.

They were half way up the mountain when they stopped to rest again, Brian happened to look back and saw a flash of light on something metal coming up the road. That had to be people on bikes to, were his thoughts. It sure would be nice if they could join up with some others for safety.

“Ok mom time to ride again,” they had kept it to five minute breaks with a bathroom break here and there for them both, and being on good bikes had helped. An hour later they reached the top of the mountain and looked down into the valley where the town was far below.

“One good thing Beulah said, we can rest coasting down.”

That made them both smile and down the mountain they headed. Keeping from going to fast was now the order of the day.
* * *
Both Weasel and Scat were breathing hard when they reached the top of the grade; the couple ahead of them were almost down the mountain and into Horseshoe Bend. They also started down taking their time, they didn’t want to catch up to fast and be spotted.
* * *
As Brian and Beulah started into Horseshoe Bend a young women of about 30 came running towards them from her front yard. Barb had spotted them before they rode into town. Brain was afraid this woman was going to attack them?

“Keep going mom ride faster don’t stop,” he yelled at her.

As the couple on the bike neared, Barb started to yell, “Stop please stop, I won’t hurt you, what’s it like in Boise, you came from there didn’t you? Oh please stop.”

“Is it ok Brian,” said Beulah as they rode past, “I don’t think she’s going to hurt us.”

“Yeah I guess so mom,” and they began to break, it was harder for Brian with the wagon, it had a mind of it’s own.

They were past her place and she had run out of her yard and was running down the road to them.

“Thank you, thank you, I was right you came from Boise didn’t you?” she said.

“Yes we came through Boise,” Brian said, “but we’re not from there, what do you want to know?”

“I’m sorry, my name is Barb Yoder, I have been waiting for my husband to come home from Boise, I wanted to know what it’s like there, if for some reason you saw, why people couldn’t get this far?”

Brian looked at his mom, like he was waiting for her to talk first. When she didn’t he began.

“We really didn’t see anything in Boise Mrs. Yoder, we came through there very early this morning, we were trying to avoid as much of Boise as we could. Sorry we can’t be of more help.”

You could see the let down in her whole being.

“Well I guess there’s nothing you can do about that, I was just so hoping. One thing if you could get here, he should have been able to by now too. Now since you stopped to answer my question. The least I can do is feed you both some lunch, how about it?” Barb said.

She was desperate for company and someone to talk to.

“We wouldn’t want to put you out any Mrs. Yoder, we know things are going to get pretty thin food wise for people from now on,” Brain said to her.
“Stop calling me Mrs. Yoder will you, just call me Barb, and you won’t be putting me out. Will had us stocked up good maybe I shouldn’t say that. I guess I will have to be more careful of what I tell people from now on, that it’s just me here. I am still hoping somehow William will get home to me. I didn’t catch your names?”

“I’m Brian Reynolds and this is my mom, Beulah, we’re from Mountain Home, and if you don’t mind we would love to have lunch with you, that would make for a nice break in the day for my mom before we tackle the next mountain.”

They started to walk towards her house; they were only a few feet from her front yard as it was.

Barb started to talk, “So from the looks of it you choose to leave home and go somewhere else. It must be a pretty good place if you are willing to travel at a time like this with the trouble and the cold weather.”

They were now in her front yard and they brought their bikes up on her porch.

“It’s ok isn’t it,” asked Brian, “to bring our bikes up here, and bring the wagon inside with us?”

“Yes it’s fine, go ahead,” and Barb opened the door to let Beulah go into her house first, then her.

Brian wasn’t taking any chances he chained both bikes to the post on the front porch before going inside. Then he and the wagon went on into the house. After they were inside, Barb went on into the kitchen and put together some cooked Spam sandwiches with mild cheddar cheese. Brian made sure he checked the bike every few minutes by sitting in a chair that was right by the window. He still found it hard to be trusting, so his gun stayed with him. He did notice she had a Winchester 30.30 sitting by the doorframe; she wasn’t all trusting after all either. But she could have been fooled by them, they could have easily as not been bad as good; she will have to learn that.

While they ate together and discussed this and that, Brian told her she best not do this again. Wait and see what people do first.

He told her, “You could have been taking your life into your hands by stopping us and you wouldn’t have known it until it was too late. Especially coming outside without your gun.

“Yes that was most likely a stupid thing to do, but the site of you two coming down the grade with that red wagon, I couldn’t help it. I thought what kind of bad guys would have a little red wagon. Bad guys would have stolen something better. But you’re right I have to be more careful from now on. I really took a chance especially being all alone like this. Are you sure you both wouldn’t like to stay here with me and help each other out?”

Brian was first to speak up; he was afraid of what his mom might say.

“Sorry no but we can’t, were headed for my grandparents we have about 250 miles to go and it’s important that we get there.”

Beulah did keep quiet again surprising him.

Barb spoke up, “I am sorry too, it would it would have been good to have others here with me, I’m afraid I haven’t gotten to know anyone close to me. We just moved in here four months ago. Will really wanted to be out of the big city but not to far. Looks like I had better find out if any of them are friendly or not hadn’t I, before I find out the hard way. Better for me to share and have someone at my back then to wait until they are ready to kill for what they want to feed themselves and their kids, with me being alone. Well, you two have a safe trip and Gods Speed to you.
* * *
Unknown to Barb, her William was never to come home again. He had been working late on a project at work and wasn’t going to take off for home until at least 6:00. The lights and everything else had gone out on him after 5:30 and he had to walk the five flights down to the main floor of his office building. He looked around at the pandemonium.

“What in the world is going on around here,” he said to no one in particular.

He headed for the parking lot to get his car. He did notice a few others standing around their cars, but most people had already left for home. The electric lock wasn’t working when he pushed the button on his blue Ford Focus. Will grumbled and unlocked the door the old way, with his key. He climbed in and inserted the key and turned it, nothing, it was dead as a doornail. In fact as he looked around nothing anywhere seemed to be running, no cars were going down the streets, stoplights, street lights nothing. A light went off in his head instead.

“Ah Oh he said and climbed back out of his car. He walked over to Al Gully who was standing by his car talking to someone Will didn’t know. As Will got closer he noticed Al had a shocked look on his face and was turning just a bit white.

“Hey Al what’s up, you ok,” said Will as he stepped beside Al.

Al turned to face Will and sat down hard on the blacktop. Will rushed over and he and the other guy helped Al back up to his feet.

“I’m ok I guess,” said Al, “it was just such a shock to learn we’ve been nuked, I thought we were just having some kind of black out.”

“WE’VE WHAT,” said a shocked Will to Al.

“Yes that’s what Mort just told me, he heard it on the radio just before it went out, he heard we were about to be nuked, isn’t that what you said Mort,” he asked the tall man next to him.

“You have that right, by the way I am Mort Stanley, my car stopped about one block south of here, and I was beginning my walk home when I ran into Al here trying to start his car.”

Will shook hands with Mort and asked if he had heard anything else.

“Just that we should take shelter, I guess I should have made a beeline for the office basement but all I could think of was getting as far as I could if not home,” said Mort.

“So it’s true,” said Will.

“Yes it sure is,” Mort replied.

“In that case gentlemen I need to be on my way, bye and good luck to you both,” Will then headed back towards his car.

He took the key out of the ignition and went and unlocked the trunk of the car. He pulled out his B.O.B. backpack and changed into the tennis shoes he had in his trunk along with a change of clothes and a jacket. He just changed right there in the parking lot, he decided why the heck not, no one was paying attention to him anyway. He noticed while he was changing that Al and Mort had started down the sidewalk walking north in their dress shoes and suits. Will thought boy are they gonna have hurting feet.

After he was all changed, he closed the trunk of his car, slipped on his backpack and headed west towards home. Will decided he was going to walk as far as he could and only rest when he absolutely had to. He continued walking and then resting from time to time and five hours later he was nearing the outskirts of Boise. Will had thought he was in tip top shape but found out he was not in as good a shape as he had thought after all. His feet weren’t used to all this walking, and his shoes weren’t as good as he thought they were going to be either.

Just as he was nearing the entrance to a housing tract he heard a scream, the screams got louder as if the person screaming was headed in his direction. He turned into the entrance and could see in the moon light a young girl who was running in his direction, but just as she was about to cross the street she had been caught and was being thrown to the ground. Without stopping to think he ran towards the big man that was now hitting and kicking her. Will plowed into the guy and was picking him self up off the ground when he heard a gunshot and felt something strike him in the back, he fell back to the ground now in pain.

“I got him Big Jim, I got him,” yelled a man coming up from behind him.

All Will could think of was, that was a really stupid thing for me to do, I’m sorry Barb he thought; and died before the scum that had shot him, kicked him in the head, Will never felt a thing.

End chapter 3

[sarawolf]

May be a few problems here and there, have a 3 yr old climbing on and off my lap for the last 2 chapters. Makes it hard to check for mistakes.

Chapter 4
Weasels and scum



Weasel and Scat stopped at the curve before town they were about 400 feet up the road from the house where the couple had gone into.

“They must know who that person is Weasel, Scat said, she was waving to them and they went right in like long lost friends or something. You beat it on back to Big Jim and report and I will stay here and keep on eye on things. I just don’t know if Big Jim wants to come all the way out here when there’s so much easy pickings in Boise.”

“Me neither Scat but no way I am going to second guess Big Jim, I best be getting back to Boise now. This mountain is going to be one heck of a hard ride up on this side,” and he turned his bike and headed back up on his way back to Boise.

Scat took up his vigil behind an old pickup truck a little closer to the house. He thought he would get out his sleeping bag and curl up in that as he watched the house. Now that he had cooled down from the ride he was a little chilly. He also decided some food was in order. He pulled out a stiff light brown plastic bag thing and on the front it said Meal Ready to Eat. Scat had never heard of such a thing, but they had found them in the camping gear. He cut it open with his pocketknife, and it had crackers, peanut butter, and a beef stew packet. He pulled a spoon out of his pack and began to eat. It wasn’t to bad after all; he had been leery of eating it, not bad at all.

No one seemed to be coming outside of the house; he figured this must be where they were coming. No one in their right mind would ride further then this. This ride out here had been bad enough. As Scat got warmer he got drowsy, he wasn’t used to all this exercise and it had really worn him out.

A few minutes later he was sound asleep. In fact he was in such a sound sleep he never heard the door closing and the bicyclers leave the house and go on their way.
* * *
Brian and Beulah said their goodbyes, thanked Barb for the lunch and letting them refill their water bottles and canteens and went on their way. Brain wanted to get going; just sitting around made him nervous. The longer they stayed the later it got and he wanted to put a few miles between here and what ever was making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Beulah did notice Brian look around quite a bit more than he had been, when they started to head back out. As the rode up hill out of Horseshoe Bend they talked.

“Is there a problem Brian?”

Brian looked at his mom; he didn’t want her freaking out again and just plain fazing out, but they were in a bad situation again. He decided nothing was better then the truth no matter what.

“I have been getting this awful feeling we have to get out of here like were being watched or something, the hair on the back of my neck has been feeling like it’s standing up. I know that sounds odd to you mom, but granddad once told me if I got that kind of feeling to go by it, don’t ignore it. He told me it was a survival reflex to my surroundings and anything different in it. I thought he was just being a bit crazy. Now I understand what he was talking about.”

“Your right Brian, I don’t understand, but you’re the man of the house for now and I will go along with it this time. But shouldn’t we tell that nice young lady you feel there might be a problem.”

“Mom that would mean both of us going back there, not only would we lose needed time, but the biggest thing is, no way she is going to leave while she thinks there is a chance her husband will still come home. There is no way and I know it. Maybe we should have asked when we were there, but I am 98% sure she wouldn’t have. I would welcome more people with us, even one more means added safety for us.”

“All right Brian I guess your right, I won’t fight you on this, onward and upward.”

They continued their ride uphill into the mountains.
* * *
An hour after Brian and Beulah had left, Scat woke with a start; he heard a dog barking in the distance.

“That must be what woke me,” he told himself.

He turned and got up on his knees and looked around the back of the truck at the house, everything seemed quiet, everything seemed to be the same.

WAIT, it wasn’t the same, the bikes were no longer on the porch. He jumped to his feet or at least tried to, but fell over tangled in the sleeping bag.

Barb who was standing beside her living room window watching, always watching, she would glance down the road the other way into Horseshoe Bend once in a great while, but mostly she watched up the grade, all of a sudden she saw movement by the old truck up the road. Whoever it was scrambled back behind the truck as fast as he could, and she was sure it was a he.

This was not good she thought, someone was hiding and watching. I wonder how long they have been there and if it’s me they have been watching or if they followed Beulah and Brian? Best of all what can I do about it? I don’t even have a dog for crying out loud. How I wish William would come home. Ok don’t panic, what’s first, lock up the house? No wait, check the rifle and take it with me, then lock up the house. After she had locked up all the windows and the dead bolt on the front door, she thought she best get this place ready in case someone tried to break in.

Barb headed outside to the shed at the back of the house, she found plywood, nails, saw, and a hammer, she started to haul the plywood into the house one sheet at a time, the plywood was heavier then she thought it would be. Barb was 5 foot 3inches and weighed 130, not skinny but not big either. It was hard for her to get a handle on the stuff. It took her a bit but she finally got 10 sheets into the house. She wondered what William was going to do with all this plywood, there was still more in the shed. Last but not least the 10-penny nails and the hammer.

“Oh man, I forgot the rifle outside leaning against the shed.”

She ran back out and there was the rifle, she let out a breathe of relief, she had scared herself. What if whoever that was out there had come up on her while she was bringing in the plywood, then what would she have done? She shivered to think of it. How was she going to do this alone? Stay on guard, have time to sleep and everything else she needed to do.

She decided she best come to that decision soon, but for now she had work to do. She got to work. Barb decided that she would need to leave two sheets of the plywood whole for the large living room windows, but the others she could cut in half. She glanced out the window to see if the man had moved any. Every once in awhile she could see a head bob up from the truck. At least it was relief he hadn’t moved any closer. But what in the world was he there for. All of a sudden Barb straightened up like a light bulb had finally been turned on in her brain. She realized he must be waiting for someone or several someone’s.

Oh no, now what do I do?

Well, one thing is dummy, you need to get this done first. She continued to cut, and nail boards up over the windows and talk to herself.

That was the same thing that was running through Scat’s head. Oh no, now what do I do?

I am in deep crap, he started to worry and grab his hair in his fists. Trying to think. Big Jim’s gonna skin me alive he thought. What can I do, what can I do. That kept running over and over in his brain.

He finally thought to himself I have to get closer and see if they are in that house and that they just took their bikes into the back yard or something. Yeah that’s it, they just put them away that has to be it.

He took a longer look around the back of the faded blue truck; nothing seemed to be moving anywhere. Scat kept low as scuttled to the next hiding place, this one was so good, a big old tree. He stayed behind the tree for about 10 minutes. He looked around the tree in all directions, and found there wasn’t much next to hide behind that was close. Now what, well he thought there isn’t much choice, just keep low and go. There not far from the house he spotted a few bushes, which would have to be good enough for some concealment. He again ran low and bent over, running in that fashion as fast as he could. He slid on some leaves as he entered the bushes and went down on his knees. Crap that hurt, he sat for a few minutes and saw a few lines of blood coming from his skin where the holes were in his jeans. I’m gonna get these people good, that I am, making me get hurt, we’ll see about that. He looked though the bushes, still not catching sight of anyone in the windows or by the house; the next house was a long ways off from this one, maybe 1000 feet. Boy these slaves are stupid he thought, not posting any lookouts or anything. He was hearing banging going on in the house and wondered what in the world that was all about.

What Scat didn’t know is that he had been spotted. With working awhile and keeping an eye on the truck Barb had seen Scat make his move. She saw him work his way closer to the house. Well, Barb thought I know it is this house he is watching 100 percent now, no if ands or buts about it. She had already finished the living room windows. She had left a small square at her normal height to look out of about 2 by 2 inches that she could close with a hinge, and a couple of tiny holes along the edges that she could squint through. Further down where she could kneel she had cut out a 7 by 9 rectangle that she had hinged on top like the one above with a screw in it as knob and a hook and eye to hold it open. This bigger one was her shooting hole. She kept working, she only had two more windows to do, the ones in her bedroom. It was harder to keep on eye on the man who was slowly making his way closer to the house, but she would break off from what she was doing and make sure she knew where he was before she continued.

As Scat got closer he could hear more hammering from the inside of the house. He giggled to himself because he thought they were so busy with some kind of building project they were like lambs for the slaughter. They would never know he was here.

As Scat sat there in the bushes he got antsy and started to get colder. He felt around in his right pocket, he needed a fix, it was getting colder out here, and he thought that would help him feel better about being here by himself, he popped 4 or 5 pills into his mouth. In a few minutes he would feel much better, then he would sneak right up to the house, which was only about 60 feet away from the bushes. Then he would try to get close enough to look into the windows and then the back yard.

By the time Scat got to the house to look around, Barb had finished nailing all her boards up and making her peep holes and gun slots. Scat’s pills were working now, he thought he was being quick as lightening, but in reality he was moving as slow as molasses. Scat thought he was easing his way up onto the front porch to look into one of the windows, his mind said he was as good as Daniel Boone. He was making enough noise to wake the dead. Even if Barb hadn’t seen him earlier she sure would have heard him now. She kept on eye on him through her peepholes. There was no way Scat could see inside the house now. Not in the shape he was in now anyway, he wouldn’t even be able to tell there was something over the windows.

“I can’t see anything, he said to himself out loud, where did they all go?”

He worked his way around the house, and Barb worked herself around the house on the inside, keeping as good an eye on this filthy creature as she could. Barb thought he was headed for the back yard. She saw he was acting funny and moving really slow, and another idea dawned on her. She ran for the hallway closet and found her husband’s softball bat. Rifle in one hand and bat in the other she quietly unlocked the kitchen door, she leaned the rifle against the inside of the doorframe and slipped outside. She slid along the outside wall of the house and waited at the corner, bat held high.

Her nose wrinkled in disgust, she smelled him before she saw the first hint of him coming along the house. He walked out from beside the house and “WHUMP” Scat didn’t know what hit him, the world just went dark on him.

Barb looked over the man she had hit with the bat, man alive he stunk to high heaven. There was no way she would take this stinky man into her house.
She smiled and thought of the shed, she would pull him into the shed it was only about 25 feet away and then tie him up. She needed information and he was going to give it to her one way or the other. Gads she hated leaning down here close to him, how in the world could a human being smell this bad. She didn’t think it was because of the no hot water right out of the tap right now either. He looked and smelled liked he hadn’t bathed in a very long time. Thankfully he wasn’t real heavy, she managed to drag him into the shed by his arms.

After she dragged him into the shed and had him all hog-tied she decided to go though his pockets, it was a disgusting thing to do but she needed any extra information she could glean. She came out with drugs at least that’s what she guessed they were, pills of all kinds, a switchblade, matches and a wallet. She turned the wallet over; on the front of the wallet were the initials W.Y., she sat down hard on the shed floor, hoping she was wrong, it couldn’t be, it just had to be a coincidence she thought. But it wasn’t, as she opened the wallet there was a copy of her and Will’s wedding picture and all his credit cards and other information he carried in it. She just sat there stunned, and after a few minutes ran gagging all the way into the house. After throwing up and washing her face, a new determination seemed to catch hold of her; tears were still flowing freely as she headed back out to the shed.

Scat came to an hour later with a gasp; someone had thrown cold water on him.

“Ack sputter, water, I hate water,” Scat was saying.

That made him move his head a bit “Ouuuuuu, my head hurts,” he whined.

He lay on the ground moaning and groaning, his drug high was just beginning to wear off, and that made things that much worse.

Scat slowly turned his head when he saw legs, he looked up to see that women from the house standing over him with a bucket. She had a handkerchief over her face.

“Good now you’re awake, and to tell you the truth that didn’t help you smell any better. Now I am going to ask you a few questions and I want the truth, and if I don’t think it is, your not going to like the consequences.”

“You better let me go lady,” Scat started to yell, his face turned even whiter through the dirt and filth.

“Oh my head, what did ya hit me with anyway, my head is splitting.”

Barb picked up the bat she had leaning on the shed wall next to her rifle very close to her.

“Why with my little faithful bat, that’s what with, she told him, as she slapped the bat back and forth into her left hand. This bat is going to help me get my answers, if you know what I mean. I found a wallet in your pocket that doesn’t belong to you where did you get it?”

Scat watched and listened to the bat slapping into her hand.

Slap, slap, slap, and as he watched the bat he began to try and think what he should tell her. Should he tell the truth or try to snow ball her and try to wait things out until the guys came and rescued him and took care of her. He was going to teach her a thing or two when he got his hands on her.

Barb watched his eyes and she didn’t like what she saw. Wham went the bat into the dirt balls stomach.

“Ugh, oaf,” went Scat, and when he got his breath back he said, “Why did you do that, I hadn’t said a thing.”

Barb looked at him, “That’s the problem you were doing to much thinking and not enough talking, now I will ask you again where did you get this wallet?”
Scat looked up, I, I found it, yeah I found it.”

“That doesn’t sound very convincing, sounds like something you just thought up,” and wham, she hit him on his right shin as hard as she could.
When Scat was done screaming and crying she again asked him the question.

“You have to know dirt ball I am getting very impatient,” she said as she again began slapping the bat into her other hand.

He watched the bat, his shin was really hurting, and he watched her raise the bat. He began to whine, he couldn’t think fast enough. Wham she hit his left shin. Scat screamed and yelled for about 10 minutes.

“You know the question, I want to know now.”

She raised the bat to strike him again.

“NO don’t, I’ll tell, I’ll tell. I took it off a dead man,” he whined.

There it was, now she knew for sure, Barb sat down on the floor and just stared at nothing as Scat whined and cried about needing a doctor. After a few minutes Barb shook her head and got up and began to question him again. At first it was hard for her to say anything she stuttered a few times, then berated herself for being weak and started over.

“Next question, where was this man and did you kill him?”

Scat continued to whine. She raised the bat.

“No not again, he was trying to help I guess, we had just taken over a housing tract the second to the last before you leave Boise. This girl was screaming cause we just offed her parents who were fighting back, and Big Jim didn’t go for that, so he shot them both right there in their front yard. Well, this guy comes running through the entrance and starts to run up to Big Jim to slam him I guess, and he did, and one of the gang sees this and offs the guy.”

Barb stood and thought for a moment trying to keep herself together.

“Ok if someone else shot him how come you ended up with his wallet, tell me that one, I thought the spoils went to the one who took someone out?”

Scat started to look around and whine, he didn’t want to answer that question he started to yell.

“Help, help me someone there’s a crazy lady in here, help.”

Barb whacked him again this time in the right forearm, she thought she heard a crack and grinned.

“Who killed him,” she yelled as Scat yelled and screamed in pain, “I said who killed him, it was you wasn’t it scum, you killed him that’s why you have his wallet isn’t it?”

She yelled and yelled this same thing over and over while he screamed. Barb raised the bat.

“Before she could hit him again,” he yelled, “yes I did it, I killed him, I killed him, I took the spoils,” he sobbed.

Before the terror and grief could hit her she needed to know something else.

“Why were you watching my house and don’t make me ask you twice.”

As drool and snot ran down his face, he said, “we followed those people on the bikes here, Big Jim told us too.”

“We,” she said, “where’s the other person that was with you?”

Now she was scared because she hadn’t been watching out for anyone else.

“It was Weasel he went back to tell Big Jim that the people on the bikes lived here, that’s what we thought at the time, that you were welcoming them home or something. Either Weasel will come back and get me or they all will come here to gut the place and take slaves. I don’t know why he wanted to know about them, it doesn’t make any sense to me when he has all of Boise to loot. But when Big Jim gets a bug about something there’s no stopping him until he gets what he wants.”

The scum was still whining as he talked and he seemed about out of breath at the moment.

Barb grabbed him by his slimy hair and pulled his head up, “When do you think they will be here?”

“Tomorrow afternoon, Big Jim was having motorcycles and some vans worked on to use, the guys had most of them working when Weasel and me left.”

Barb dropped the bat without saying anything and picked up an old gas rag and gagged the scum ball with it, she picked up her rifle and then walked out of the shed and went into the house. Scat just laid there he thought he was a dead man for sure, but the mad woman didn’t beat him to death with her bat she just gagged him with a stinky rag and walked out. He lay on the floor of the shed and cried.

Barb could hardly see by the time she got into the house she was over come with grief. She slid down the wall by the kitchen door, sobbing and to the point she could hardly breathe.

It was dark by the time she came around, she got up and went to rinse off her face. She looked at herself in the mirror standing in front of the sink, the water was no longer running through the pipes but she had several five gallon jugs in the house, thanks to Will.

Oh Will, she thought, no more to hold you and see your smile, which brought on more tears. I have to stop she thought, I have to. Will would want me to go on and she had an ideal that should keep her alive awhile longer. Barb didn’t have to worry about parents, hers had been killed in a house fire four years ago and she didn’t have any siblings.

Barb grabbed a coat and went outside and this time she took her rifle with her, she ran down to the next house and banged on the door, she saw the curtains move in the living room window a few feet from the door she was banging on. No one opened the door.

“Fine she yelled don’t open, but I have to tell you that a gang of murderers and worse are coming here tomorrow, do what you have to but you best think about getting out of here at least till their gone, pass this on to other’s if you can.” She did that for another 30 minutes and then headed home. No one had opened their doors not even to ask how she knew a gang was coming. So be it she thought, she had done what she could, and walked back to her home.

After she got back home she headed straight for the bedroom closet and pulled out the 72 hour backpack or B.O. B bag Will had helped her pack, she added heavier clothes and more food to it and tied a sleeping bag to it that was wrapped in a tarp. She found the canteens in the closet filled them and tied these to the sides of the pack and grabbed two more to tie to her bike. She gathered other things she would need and went out to the garage to pack the saddlebags over the rear of the bike. Her and Will had loved to bike on the weekends so the bikes were in good shape and always ready to go. The rifle was slung over her left shoulder and extra bullets would go in her heavy cargo pants with tons of pockets. The rest of the ammunition was in the saddlebags.

Then she lay down on her bed for the last time for a couple hours of sleep. The clock went off at midnight; she could hardly pull herself awake enough to turn off the alarm. The tick, tick of the old fashion wind up clock had never even disturbed her. She grabbed that to after she took the picture of her and Will out of the frame and shoved it into one of her pockets after she dressed. The clock went into the side pocket of her pack, her money and the little jewelry she had she put in different pockets and zipped them up. She couldn’t believe this was all true, she would never see Will again and she was leaving their home they had worked so hard for.

All the canteens were filled and she was ready to go. Barb looked around her home for the last time she didn’t know if she would ever make it back, even a week ago she had never dreamed any of this would be happening. She walked out the back door not even bothering to lock it and over to the shed and went in. There was the scum ball lying on the floor asleep. She knew he had been and was in pain and she didn’t give a hoot. She turned around and walked back out the door, got on her bike and flipped the switch for her headlight that was peddle powered, slung the rifle back to her shoulder and the strap over her head, then headed down the road. Her bikes headlight wasn’t as needed as she thought it would be tonight, the moon was bright and helped to light her way down the road.

End chapter 4

[lokifz1]

Nicely done, cant wait for more.

[sarawolf]

Chapter 5
Miles to Go



Around midnight Brian decided they best bed down for the night, his mom hadn’t said anything but he could tell she was pretty well done in. She was changing slowly but she was changing for the better, less complaining and acting spoiled and brainless. The moon had been bright tonight and helped them go much further then they had the night before. A few wispy clouds had gone across the moon’s face as he called a halt.

“ I thought you were never going to have us rest for the night,” she said with a sigh as she climbed off the bike and pushed it behind his as they headed into the brush.

When they were about 70 feet back behind some trees and bushes on only slightly slanted ground he called that good and began taking off his backpack with his mom parking her bike by his and shucking her pack also.

They unfolded the tarps and spread their bags on top of them. It didn’t take long and they were both sound asleep with no thought of anyone staying up to stand guard.

Morning came way to quick to suit Brian but at first light he was up, took care of his business and was warming some water for tea on his small camp stove. He broke out two breakfast MRE’s that he had packed on the wagon and warmed up the main dish.

“Mom time to get up, I have breakfast ready,” he shook his mom until she was awake enough to know she shouldn’t go back to sleep.

Beulah opened her eyes to the face of her son and groaned but she acknowledged Brian enough for him to know she was awake. She slowly got out of her sleeping bag and headed for the woods. She was a bit more awake and moving better when she got back to camp.

They took 30 minutes to eat, clean up the area and repack their camping gear and be on there way again. Each day seemed to get colder, but being up in the mountains didn’t help that either the higher they went the colder it got, it would be that way until they headed down into Riggins Idaho. Right now they were real close to Smiths Ferry.

As they headed into Smiths Ferry, “Now be very alert mom there aren’t many homes and only one store/sleeping rooms type place but a few of those houses have people in the all year and we need to be very quick through there.”

Beulah looked at her son and said, “I’ll try Brian, I’ll try.”

Their only real problem was the wagon, Brain sure wished they could find something better that way they could go faster then this wagon would let them. The road was curvy and they were one mile from the tiny place a few houses could be seen dotting the woods here and there. Some were beautiful log homes and even a dome home over across the river on the right. It was a beautiful valley, still green with the Salmon River going right through. Mountains now rose on both sides of them and incased the valley. They were on the long curve left to right as they spotted the store as they were coming out of the curve. Brian was very nervous but not as bad as he would be when they had to go through some of the bigger towns on this road. He prayed they would make it through each of them with no trouble.

“Ok mom we need to pick it up a bit, get more speed if possible, that ride down hill sure helped me, I hope it did you to,” and they then started to pick up a little speed. He now knew just about what he could do before the little wagon would start to weave back and forth. They were even with the store now and could see the last big curve that would take them up out of the valley. They still had a few more homes to pass that were sitting on the mountainside on the left on that long curve. The lone home on the right close to the road never seemed to have anyone there all the times he had been past it. The wagon started to weave and he had to slow down, which was good because Beulah was having a hard time keeping up. They were passing that lone home on the right when out the corner of his eye he saw the door open and a man step out of the door with what looked like a rifle in his hands. Gads he thought, the one house I didn’t think we would have a problem with. What he didn’t see is the other man step out of a home on the right further up in the trees. They were past in a flash but he kept trying to look back quickly to see what the guy was doing. As he looked back he could she the guy taking aim at them.

“Mom Brian yelled, go as fast as you can get ahead of me, don’t quibble about it someone is aiming a gun at us, go mom go.”

Beulah got very frightened and started to gain and pass Brian, she hadnt thought she had the energy left in her. They had rounded the curve and they heard a shot Brian looked back to see the guy with the rifle in the middle of the road falling backward. He didn’t know who there savoir was but he was so very grateful.
* * *
The older man up in the tree line had been trying to get a bead on this man that had taken over the Cooper house for four days now, the dirt bag had shot Ralph’s favorite dog and had been taking pot shots at him when he Ralph had stepped out his door.

“Good riddance to bad trash, now where’s my shovel,” Ralph said to himself and headed back to his shed. It was so nice to walk around outside without being afraid someone was going to shoot you.
* * *
Brian was so amazed when he saw the guy go down, he thought he had been a goner for sure when he heard that shot. All of a sudden he felt very tired, his mom had slowed as they headed up hill on the left curve around the mountain and out of the valley. Brian caught up to her in no time.

“Mom lets rest for 10 minutes or so ok, I think we both need it.”

“That’s fine with me Brian I am pooped, but aren’t you afraid that man will come after us.”

“No mom that guy isn’t going anywhere, after that shot we heard I looked back and saw him falling in the road, I couldn’t hardly believe it.”

“Oh Brian that’s such a relief, I am glad that’s behind us.”

Brain just frowned, he knew this may be nothing compared to the bigger towns they still had to go through, well he thought we will just have to cope with that when we come to it.

He watched the rushing river going over the boulders in the river it was a 12-foot drop to the river on a very narrow road with only about two feet of shoulder here. Brian could see the 18-wheeler tracks at the very edge of the shoulder nearly into thin air. He wondered if the tractor-trailer drivers knew how close they were to the edge when they turned this corner. They had passed a few rigs but there hadn’t been anyone around them, Brian wondered how long it would be before people started to break into them to see what was in them. There would be needed items in lots of them, he was sure that would help people survive. He started when he heard a noise; he looked up to see a rock rolling across the road, which had fallen off the mountain, there wouldn’t be anyone to clear these off the road any more, he wondered how long before the road was covered. He felt better and looked over at his mom, she looked beat.

“How about we go ahead and eat something mom, I am sure that will make both of us feel better and a longer break will be good for us.”

So instead of a 10-minute break they ended up here at the rivers edge for 45 minutes. Brian figured that wouldn’t hurt his mom a bit and help to revive her. They had been pushing awfully hard but he just knew the more days went without stores to run to, food, electricity and gas people were going to get meaner and meaner. It was 18 miles to Cascade once they were a few miles up the road they started down again for awhile, and then it wasn’t such a hard ride into Cascade.

Three and a half hours later they were on the mostly flat road that went into Cascade, Idaho. They went on past the summer flea market area and past the small airport that were both on their left. So far all they had seen was a few people at a distance working around their homes and with cattle. At least a few people still had horses to herd their cattle with. One or two had even waved at them when they rode past on their bicycles.

Brian was glad to see a few friendly people still left but he wondered how long that would last.

They went over the bridge where the park was and Brain saw the Totem poles were still at the entrance, past the gas/minimart place they always stopped at on the left and the two food places on the right. One was a restaurant and the other a small mom and pop hamburger joint. Then up a slight hill that took them into the main part of town. Just before you hit the main drag there was a small park on the left that anyone could use so he and his mom stopped to use the bathrooms, they were lucky the bathrooms were open, they were locked at certain times of the year. Maybe with all that was going on someone forgot to. It was next door to a Moose club or something like that. Luckily they weren’t the flush types.

A few minutes later they were on there way again, but they were both quite nervous because they had to ride straight through the downtown main road. There was no other way to get to the other side of Cascade. The town seemed deathly quiet not one person was on the streets. They road through town quickly and Brian was amazed that no one tired to stop them, as they rode past the grocery store they saw it had been looted, the windows had been smashed and the door was off it’s tracks. Down one of the side streets they heard a shot as they passed and sped up a bit more on their bikes.

The Latter Day Saint Church was on the right and it looked like it usually did as they passed it, Brian saw someone going in one of the side doors. So he assumed some of the LDS had taken up living there to help each other. Hopefully more and more people would help each other out, even he knew there was safety in numbers and his granddad had taught him if the world went to heck and gone people would have to band together just to help feed each other. Too many he said just plain didn’t even know how to do that without foods that didn’t come from a can or box.

He started to feel better as they crossed the bridge out of town by the campgrounds and where the Payette River flowed past, the Waters Edge RV Park and the Leisure Time Park. Brain glanced over at the campground, “Mom look at that.”

Beulah looked over and gasped, sitting in the campground were several burned out RV’s and they couldn’t see around the bend so there could have been more.
“Something bad happened in this town mom. We best put as much room between us and Cascade as we can before night fall.”

On the left right past the bridge was the Saint Katherine Catholic Church also blackened by fire?

With that they went on their way with a glance behind them once in awhile, it was 29 miles between Cascade and McCall, Idaho. The day went quickly and the afternoon waned into twilight, they were in Long Valley with no close trees or even bushes. They would just have to hope for the best in finding a spot where they weren’t just right out in the open. Brian spied a gully, well at least a couple of dips deeper then the rest of the ground, they were only about quarter of the way into Long Valley, he knew there were homes and ranches off quite far from the road, so maybe they would be safe here for the night.

“Time to stop for the night mom.”

“No argument from me son, I feel like Benjamin Franklyn these days.”

Brian looked at her strangely, “Why do you say that mom.”

“The old saying of his keeps popping into my mind, early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,” she laughed, “but the only thing that’s true about it for us is the healthy part.”

Brian chuckled as he and his mom walked their bikes into the rough field and down into the bit of gully. It would be a cold camp again tonight, he was still afraid of a fire attracting the wrong people and in this open area it seemed even worse. They ate another MRE meal and stowed the trash back into their packs and laid out their tarps and sleeping bags for the night. They had started to fold half the tarp over them to keep off the dew. Beulah laid down but Brian stayed up for awhile keeping an eye on things, all he could hear were the hoot of owls and the buzz of a few insects. Soon enough he was falling asleep sitting up, he lay down and snuggled down into this sleeping bag.

Morning went the same as it had for the last few mornings except for the fact there were no trees or bushes to hide behind to do your duty. They each turned their backs when the other went a few feet off down the gully. Being so early in the morning at least it wasn’t quite light and that helped. They ate and packed up, they were both getting good at this, and it was taking his mom less and less time each morning to get her things all packed back up and ready to go for the day. After they were all ready to go they pushed their bikes back to the road, Brian made sure the wagon was ok and they had just gotten on their bikes and started down the road when they heard a yell from behind them.

The first thing that Brian thought was to get on and get down the road as fast as they could, but the second time he heard the yell he heard his name and his moms name being called.

Beulah got off her bike after Brian did. They saw someone on a bike coming their way.

Brian said, “I hope this is a smart thing, but I suppose whoever is on that bike has to know us.”

As the bike rider got closer they both saw that it was Barb Yoder from Horseshoe Bend. Brain and Beulah looked at each other because they knew there was only one way that she would be here following them and that definitely wasn’t good news for Barb.

They waited for her to catch up to them and as she slowed they got on their bikes and all three headed down the road together with Barb explaining to them just how she happened to be here instead of at home. Brian and Beulah were shocked to find out they had been followed from Boise.

“It had to be those two we saw behind us,” said Brian, “we should have know something was up, but how could we tell. What if they had just been people trying to get home? We’re sorry Barb for leading them to you but there was just no way to tell who they were.”

“Barb looked at Brian with tears still in her eyes from telling them what had gone on after they had left.

“If you hadn’t been followed by that scum I would have never known about my Will, I would have continued to wait until maybe they or some other bunch or a neighbor decided to take anything I may have had. So you really did me a favor.”

They fell into silence as they rode, each in their own process of thought as they rode toward McCall.
* * *
Around 4 in the afternoon the day after Barb left her home two dozen motorcycles roared down the Grade to Horseshoe Bend. Big Jim in the lead, he was happy with himself and his gang and since he was going to be a king in this area he was trying to pick a good name for his gang, something that would go down in history. He had already picked a slave to be his historian and Fred went wherever Big Jim went so he could document Big Jims climb to glory.

Fred was a county clerk and could write real pretty and Big Jim realized he couldn’t kill all the men they caught or they wouldn’t have any strong slaves to do the hard work, or anything else men could do. His new butler and other staff he was picking out had been left behind guarded by the rest of the gang, they were 55 strong and a few were back in Boise waiting to be initiated into the gang, and watching the slaves. They had gone from the housing complexes and apartment units to the ritzy side of town and found a nice big brick mansion with a basement that could be used to house and train the slaves in a gated community. Weasel had gotten back as they were preparing to move and told them what they had found. Big Jim knew this was out of the way but he wanted more adventure and to get out of Boise for awhile. Now that they had some of the motorcycles running they would be able to cover more territory.

Big Jim turned and looked at Weasel who was riding behind with Whitey just a little behind and to the left of him. Big Jim pointed down the road and Whitey took off down the hill and Weasel pointed to the house. Whitey and Weasel came to a stop at the old pickup Weasel and Scat had hid behind. One thing there was no hiding the motorcycles, they could be heard from miles away this was no surprise attack but Big Jim didn’t care he figured they could run anyone down they needed to with their motorcycles. He had a few of his guys riding dirt bikes just in case they had to do that very thing. All the rest came to a stop behind Big Jim and Weasel pointed out the house to him again. Big Jim took off and rode right up into the yard and stopped his cycle and got off and went right up on the porch.

He turned to watch as the other gang members followed suit, he also looked over the area they were now in and around on the hills, he smiled as he saw small dots of people climbing the mountains and hills around them and a few riding down the road on bicycles.

Big Jim pointed to his men he called his hounds and pointed up the hills and down the road and that’s all it took seven men headed for the hills and seven down the road after the bicyclers they had nets and bolos around their shoulders. Big Jim then turned back to the house and checked the door, he thought he was going to have to break it down but all he had to do is turn the knob. This was a little fishy, there didn’t seem to be anyone around to put up a fuss, and where in the world was that flea Scat? He didn’t think it was going to be such a cakewalk, he had expected somewhat of a fight, so he was disappointed, he loved a good fight. He walked back out the front door.

“Weasel, Whitey, Tag and Pitbull, go around the back of the house and if anyone finds that Scat having fun when he shouldn’t be let me know right away, now go.”

Big Jim thought about how well trained his men were, all those practices he had them go through while they grumbled about the whys had really paid off.
The men took off around the house, two to the right and two to the left with guns drawn quickly but still trying to be stealthy, they didn’t see a thing as they met up at the back door. The back door opened and Big Jim came out of it, he looked at his men.

“Not a soul in the house he said, anyone look in that shed or the garage?”

With that remark from Big Jim they didn’t have to be told twice, Weasel and Pitbull headed for the shed and Whitey and Tag for the garage. The garage was closer and Tag and whitey came right back out, “No one in there said Tag.”

They heard a gang yell come from the shed, and they all, including Big Jim, headed that way. Guns in hand they sided up to the door and Big Jim looked inside; he holstered his gun and went in when he saw there was no danger. Weasel and Pitbull were standing around Scat who was trussed up good. Hog tied, yeah that’s it thought Big Jim this is called being hog tied, I like it.

Scat was awake but didn’t look very good, he was white and looked sweaty, no one had made a move to remove the rag from his mouth, they hated to do anything without orders from Big Jim while he was with them, they knew the consequences.

Big Jim said, “Ok take the rag out his mouth and lets see what he has to say for himself.”

Whitey bent down and pulled the rag from Scats mouth, and that made Scat howl with fear. When he had calmed down, he started chanting, “water, water, I need water, please water.”

Big Jim looked over at Weasel and told him to go grab some water from the kitchen of the house, so they could get more out of this idiot then just the words water. Weasel went to the house as fast as he could grabbing a coffee cup from the sideboard by the sink, and rushed back out to the shed. By the time he got back to the shed Scat was untied and trying to sit, they didn’t know that Scat had broken bones and were being very inpatient with him.

“You dumb crap sit up so we can talk to you,” said Big Jim.

Scat managed a kind of sitting leaning against the shed wall.

“I’m hurt Big Jim she hurt me bad, beat me with a baseball bat,” said Scat groaning and moaning.

“What do you mean, beat you with a baseball bat? A woman did this to you all by herself, what happened to the other two people that were with her?”

If Scat had been in his right mind and not in this condition he would have never told the truth he would have known better. But instead the tale came out of how the two on the bikes disappeared and when he went to look for them around the house, he woke up all tied up in this shed, at least that’s what he guessed it was with all the tools and such.

“Then this woman started to ask me questions and before I could even answer she whacked me with that bat of hers, she kept asking me questions and whacking me, I think she broke some bones in my left arm and in my legs, he was down to gasping at this point and getting slower in speech. I need a doctor Big Jim.”

All Big Jim did was swear at Scat and tell Scat what a screw up he was for losing the people on the bikes and for letting a broad do this to him. Big Jim stood up from where he was squatting and said to the others, “Lets go.”

They all walked out of the shed following their leader, and the only one that looked back was Weasel, he and Scat had gotten along pretty good, he would miss him but not enough to go against Big Jim. Even the fact that Scat had shot the man that had knocked Big Jim down a few days back didn’t count for anything with Big Jim, it was just something he expected from his men. Scat watched them walk out, in his fevered mind he thought they were going for a doctor for him; it never dawned on him nothing could have been further from the truth.

By the time they reached the front of the house Big Jim could see his men were rounding up the slaves very nicely indeed. The ones that had rode bikes were now being herded back on those same bikes and were almost to the house. His other men were going from house to house looting and stealing anything that looked good to them. They also knew Big Jim would get the lion’s share of everything and anything he wanted.

The gang spent the night here and as Big Jims usual they partied all night and slept till 12 to 1 pm and Big Jim, his two captains, the historian and a couple of others went back to Boise while the hounds and others herded the new slaves to Boise.

The slaves had been tied neck to neck with three feet of room between them; the old had been killed right out and the very young. Those children six years old and over were kept. On the way back some parents were allowed to carry their young if that didn’t slow them down. That way the children could grow into slaves not remembering what freedom really was, at least that was Big Jims idea of things.
* * *
As the three entered the beginnings of McCall not far from the Welcome to McCall sign they had just gone past a small Baptist church, a larger church was about a half mile down the road from it. They saw a big gathering in the churchyard of the bigger church, it looked new, the name of the church was the Mountain Life Church they could see the sigh as they rode up. Brain looked over and saw a heavyset man talking to two young men and pointing their way.

They had been spotted apparently and the young men started running towards them yelling, “wait, wait, do you have news, where are you from, wait stop.”

Brian thought gee whiz what do we look like the daily news; do I have a sign on me or something? They were even with the entrance when the boys reached them and the riders came to a stop and dismounted from their bikes. As they stopped they could see the others in the churchyard had stopped talking and were mostly all turned around looking their way.

Brian looked over at his mom and Barb, “one of these days these stops are going to get us in trouble. The only reason I can see for stopping is these folks are where they are.”

Brian could see people standing around barbeque grills and fire pits right out here in the open like everything was just hunky dory. There were tents and tarps out back on the large lawn and in the trees behind that, children were running willy-nilly everywhere.

End chapter 5

[Nancy1340]

Pretty good story but being a biker I get very tired of only bikers being the bad guys.

[sarawolf]

Well good cause bikers arn't bad guys in all my stories .

[sarawolf]

Chapter 6
Friends




The taller of the two boys decided to speak up before his buddy.

“Please Pastor Bill was wondering if you would come over and talk to him about any news you have, it would be greatly appreciated?”
Beulah and Barb looked to Brian.

“Oh why not we might as well we’re stopped now, take us to your leader.”

Everyone got a chuckle out of that line.

His mom and Barb just gave him a nod and smiled. The two young men just looked strangely at each other like huh, what’s going on, these two older women have the boy make the decisions? As they walked over to where the Pastor and three other men stood they all introduced themselves. The two teenagers names were Ted and Bret Campbell, Ted being the oldest, they ran errands along with a couple other teams of teens. By the end of this conversation they were at a picnic table and a rather large man stood up and introduced himself as Pastor Bill Williamson. The other men were also standing by now and the Pastor introduced them as Amery Black, Phil Knoll and Merle Lester.

“I am Brian Reynolds and this is my mother Beulah and our friend Barb Yoder.”

“We were wondering where your trio has come from and what you’ve seen that can tell us what’s going on out there. We haven’t had any news for quite awhile now from the outside world and we were about to send a party down to the Boise area in a few days to see what was going on and when the National Guard or someone was going to be coming up this way.”

Pastor Bill then sat down and invited Brian, his mom, and Barb to sit with them. Brain took in all the people around the church building as he sat and frowned. Brian was surprised, so that’s why they are all out here in the open like this, they’re waiting to be helped in some way.

“Well Pastor Bill my mom and I are from Mountain Home but out friend Barb is from Horseshoe Bend.”

Bill brightened up with that bit of news and so did the other men.

“The problem is we don’t have any good news for you. We barely escaped with our lives both from where we lived and Horseshoe Bend.”

Brian then left it in the Pastors lap with that statement. But just then they were interrupted by a young lady of about twelve years of age.

“Pastor Bill it’s lunch time do you and the Elders want your lunch here?”

Bill turned, “yes Betty go ahead and have them bring it over here and make sure there are plates for our three guests also.”

Young Betty took off right away and Brian could see she ran over to where a woman matching Bill in size was cooking over an outdoor grill.

Bill noticed the trio looking at the line of grills and cooking pits.

“We also have a small kitchen in the building but we can’t cook in there, it’s of no use to us, it’s an all electric kitchen. That’s really one thing I wish I had listened to somebody about and put in propane and the only saving grace on our water is I did let Festus talk me into putting an old fashion pump up outside. All I saw was it coming in handy for cookouts and things like that, it’s in the small shed to the right of the building.”

Everyone looked over to where a few youngsters were seen hauling buckets from the shed.

“Yep that sure was a smart, we wish we had listened about more things, but can’t cry over split milk.”

Bill was shaking his head and glanced at the other men and they nodded their ascent like they knew just exactly whom and what he was talking about.
Merle piped in, “What were you saying young man about not having good news for us?”

Brain went on to recount his moms and his experiences since the trouble began. The men’s frowns grew deeper and deeper. Then Barb went on to tell them what happened at her house after Brian and Beulah left her place. You could have heard a pin drop around the table when she finished. Phil asked Barb a few more questions and asked if she was one hundred percent sure of that gang really existing.

Barb grew red, “don’t you dare treat me like what I just told you wasn’t true, my husband is dead and I have left my home, which the two of us worked hard for, do you really think I would leave my home on a whim. Don’t you think I made sure that gang member was telling the truth?”

Phil hung his head, and Bill spoke up, “sorry about that madam, I don’t think Phil meant it the way he said it.”

“Well he darn well better not have,” and she had a hard time not glaring at Phil.

She thought calm down, calm down and just tried to look around and not say anything else. As Barbara looked around she noticed food being taken into the building and a few women coming out to help bring other trays inside. A few young women with little ones went inside, as the food was being taken inside.
The Pastor saw her watching and told her most of the little ones eat inside where the mothers have more control of them. The food was good, hot dogs, venison burgers and whatever everyone could donate to the meal.

The churchmen seemed very concerned as they all finished their meal. They weren’t saying a whole lot and seemed deep in thought.

Brian finished his last bite, “I hate to mention this but aren’t you and your people a little nervous about being this out in the open? I haven’t really noticed any guards and I certainly didn’t, as we got closer to you today. Don’t you think you really ought to find a more secluded place to live for now?”

Pastor Bill said, “well Merle here is our security officer, he had been mentioning that very same thing this morning, but quite a few of us thought moving our fellowship wasn’t necessary. We may have to rethink that now. So many of our people were so sure the government was going to get this straightened out and back to normal quickly.”

Brian was surprised at this remark and thought all of them being out here in the open like this did give him a clue on their mindset.

“Look, I hate to say anything to you but I think this may end up a very dangerous situation with your people out here like this, someone sometime is going to come looking to see just what your group has that they want, food and anything else. I wouldn’t be expecting any help from the outside for a long time. They have enough trouble on their hands with the nuked cities to be worrying about any of us, that and the criminal element that is running rampant right now. My grandfather has been telling me and preparing as much as he has been able to for something like this, they even moved out into the boonies to get away from town and the problems that would bring. He told me this last summer to watch the news, things didn’t look good around the world and wouldn’t you know he sure was right. Haven’t you had anyone in your church group or that you know that has had an idea something like this could happen?”

The four leaders exchanged glances and Merle said, “I have to admit it but there is. We have a man and his family that don’t stay here with us, but come every other day or so to check on us and bring us cheese, eggs and milk. His name is Festus Plummer; he tried to get us to come out to his place, which is further in the mountains by about ten miles east of here up further in the woods. Festus found us gathering here and said he was all set for people to come to his place; he had been setting up for something like this for years. We just thought he was a bit out of his gourd but now it seems he was the smart one. We told him we wanted to be available for help as soon as the National Guard or some other branch of the military rolled in here. He said he would be back and to set up guards but we just haven’t gotten around to it. So you think no one will come here with all the trouble and your grandfather thinks this to?”

Brian looked down at his empty plate then looked up at Merle, “sir let me ask you something.”

“Go ahead son.”

“Here goes, if you still need some convincing, we have just been attacked and from what we understand were in the middle of World War III, Brian met the eyes of each of the older men. Many cities have been wiped off the face of the earth, there are dead and dieing maybe by the millions. We may even be invaded or have already been. But I bet they will wait for fallout to dissipate and starvation to take it’s toll first so they have less people to fight. Another thought is we have hit them back hard enough that they have some of the same problems and they may never be able to invade now, and that’s the one I am hoping for. The thing for sure is there is no way we are going to have things go back to normal anytime soon and see any help and food coming from branches of the government, you are in deep trouble and need to be worrying about how you are going to make it though the winter.

The Pastor wasn’t looking very happy, “Festus basically told us the same thing, I thank you young man for your input and your grandfather is a smart man and has taught you well. Thank you as well Barb, I know this must be difficult for you at this time. We need to gather the folks and tell them what’s going on and begin to pack. We also need to send a couple of young men to Festus’s place and tell him we have changed our minds. We will gladly take him up on his offer of refuge at his place and if he can bring his two wagons to help bring the young to his place. We have a few horses but not many so many people will have to ride bikes and walk.”

Merle got up and went over to the Campbell camp to get Ted and Bret to take word to Festus.

Amery who hadn’t said a word as yet stood up, “you mean you are going to take their word for it, that this stuff is happening out there, well I for one will not be going to that nut Festus’s place and neither will my family and I bet several others won’t either if I have anything to say about it. We need to be here when help arrives, right where they can find us.”

“WHAT, haven’t you heard a thing, the bad guys are killing people out there,” Barb was shouting, people around the camp stopped and stared at what was going on at the leaders table.

“Sorry I didn’t really mean to shout I just can’t believe you are unwilling to believe us Amery.”

“That’s Mr. Black to you young lady, how dare you speak to me like that, there is no way I can believe the world has sunk to barbarism that quickly, a few local incidents maybe have occurred, we are just to civilized now for such things and I for one do not believe it’s wide spread. The government always takes care of it’s people, look what they did for all those people after Hurricane Katrina, and the other hurricanes, why should we be any different?” And with that he stormed off.

Phil said, “I’m with you Merle and Bill, I guess we just weren’t thinking straight, all it would take is a few of the bad element here in McCall to start getting hungry, they will have no qualm about taking from us anyway they can. I am convinced also we are on our own for sometime to come and sink or swim it’s up to us to care for ourselves and our loved ones. The more weeks and months that go by the more desperate people are going to get and every day common folks are going to start doing things they never dreamed they would be doing in their worst nightmares to keep body and soul together.”

Barb spoke up again, “I tried to warn my neighbors in Horseshoe Bend before I left and do you know not one of them would even open their doors to even hear me out. I ended up yelling what I knew though their doors about the gang coming. I don’t know if any of them listened and believed me, but I tried and hope some one did.”

Beulah sat thinking quietly while all this was going on, maybe I have been a bubblehead long enough and not only that but have kept my head in the sand. I have been like a Scarlet O’Hara not wanting to think about things until tomorrow, but in my case ever. I never thought my dad was right and I didn’t think I would have to worry about this kind of thing, just when my next hair or nail appointment was and what I could buy next, she stood up.

“My son and Barb are right, I tried to detach myself from all of this and hope it would just go away, kind of like Amery there. But if it hadn’t been for my son, I would have stayed in my home and either be dead or worse by now. I nearly got us both killed the first few days of this and I am not proud of that or how I acted. I was being a real dingbat. I am going to do my best not to lapse back into that person again, but I know bad habits die hard.” Beulah turned to face Brian.

“Brian if you see me start to do something like that again just shake me or whatever it takes, but don’t let me be like that again ok?”

Brian smiled at his mom, “sure mom whatever you say, but remember I have your permission ahead of time.”

She smiled back at him and grabbed him and gave him a big hug, Brian turned red with embarrassment. He wasn’t that mature yet that a hug from his mom in public didn’t embarrass him.

Beulah let go of him and said, “don’t you think we have taken enough of these good peoples time, we should be on our way, we have a long way to go yet and daylight is burning.”

With that Beulah turned from the picnic table and thanked Bill, Phil and Merle for feeding them and taking time to hear them out and she headed for the parked bikes at the side of the building.

Before Barb turned to leave she said, “Gentlemen, Brian and I have told you just like it is, we thank you so much for your hospitality and the meal, good day and good luck,” and away she went. But Barb didn’t make for the bikes right away, she had spied the out door privy’s and headed that way first.

Brian was the last to leave, “yes, thank you for the good meal, I think Barb has a very good idea,” and he then headed in the same direction as she did.

Bill stated talking to his friends, “you know at our age we shouldn’t have forgotten the old adage, better safe then sorry. Ok men, we have a lot to do to move lock stock and barrel.”

All three men then headed off in different directions to start the ball rolling on getting this group out of here. As Bill left he could see Amery talking to several others, looks like no good was going to come of some of this. He just hoped Amery didn’t talk too many out of going where they would be safer.

It turned out Amery managed to get three other families to join him in staying, he was hopping mad because his family wasn’t one of them, after his wife had heard some of what the three people on the bikes had said about what was going on, she believed it and would not stay. She took their tent, and most of the food too after all she was taking the children with her.

“Ungrateful woman,” was Amery’s reply after throwing a fit when she wouldn’t listen to him.

Brian got back to the bikes and realized it would be a good thing to refill all their water canteens again. Just as he was turning around to walk back over to find the Pastor he ran straight into him, it was like running into a brick wall. All Pastor Bill did was chuckle and grab onto Brian so he wouldn’t fall.

“Whoa boy what do you need that you’re in such a hurry?”

Brian backed up a bit and looked up at the smiling face, ‘I was just headed to find you sir, I was wondering would it be all right if we topped off our water containers?”

“There’s no reason why not, go on ahead.”

With that and the women being back at the bikes, Brian had them all go over to the pump house with their canteens to refill them.

As they were headed back Brain had two canteens slung over his neck and shoulders and so did his mom, Barb had one. Brain looked up to see some goings on around their bikes. As they got closer he could see Bill had unhooked his rigged up red wagon and in it’s place he and Merle were hooking up a regular bike wagon, the kind you haul a child in. Not that Brian was complaining. All their things would easily fit in that and more besides and no more worrying about the wagon going from side to side when he sped up. Brian came up and stood beside Bill.

“I don’t know what to say, how can you do this, don’t you need this with moving and all?”

Bill had this crap-eating grin on his face, “look you gave us some vital information, information that may have very well saved some of our lives in the next few weeks and months. That kind of information is going to be worth a lot to people now. This is just to say thank you, besides you may have to high tail it between here and where your going. You may need the extra speed you get not having to worry about that little wagon or even having to leave it behind if you have too, I can see you need that stuff you have on it.”

Merle stood up when he was finished hooking it to the bike.

Beulah and Barb just put their water canteens down and ran over and gave Bill and Merle each a big hug, Brian managed a handshake from both but he was having a hard time controlling his emotions.

Merle looked around, “glad the wife isn’t around she’s the jealous type. But I appreciate the sentiment,” he grinned and walked away.

“Well, we best get this stuff changed over from the wagon and be on our way I was hoping to be down past Riggin’s today,” Brian began untying the tarp on the wagon. Beulah and Barb finished putting up their canteens and Brian’s too and helped him finish. They found they also could put a couple of the water containers in the bike cart and still have plenty of room left over. Brian tied a tarp over the front of it and they were ready for the road again. Bill had said his goodbyes while they were busy and got his people hustling. He wanted to be gone today to if at all possible.

All was pretty quiet considering, as the three bikers rode through McCall, they saw a few people run into their homes as the three were spotted. There seemed to be a few fires back in the trees in the outskirts of town, and all was fine until at the very edge of town.

Brian in the lead as usual saw two bicycles laying on the right side of the road half in the ditch a few feet from the trees, a young woman with her head hanging down holding another’s head in her lap.

“Oh man, looks like someone’s in trouble,” he slowed and his mom and Barb did also.

Barb said, “looks like were not making such good time today huh.”

As they got closer they could see long hair falling from under the bike helmet and Brian saw her shoulders heaving.

The person never moved that was lying on the ground as the three bikes came to a halt a few feet away, and they dismounted. They walked over and stood to the right of her. Beulah bent down and put her hand on the girls chin and lifted it so she could see her face. Tears were streaming down the young women’s face. She had to be about 18 years old with reddened blue eyes and brown hair well past her shoulders. She looked up into Beulah’s face and jerked like she hadn’t noticed anyone come up, which she hadn’t. Beulah then looked down in the girls lap and saw an older man say 65 to 70, his tan bike helmet and two backpacks lying on the ground behind the girl.

“What happened child?”

The girl seemed to finally realize the lady in front of her was talking to her, and she was holding her chin.

“My granddad, I don’t know what happened, heart attack I guess, we had been riding since the food riots in Cascade. We lived a few blocks from the Grocery store and it spilled down our street, we grabbed our 72-hour backpacks, warm clothes, bikes and took off. We looked around in time to see our house go up in flames. What am I going to do?” Granddad and grandma raised me, we lost her last year, it was him and me, now I have lost him.”

She began to cry again, not even listening to what the people in front of her were saying.

Beulah turned to her son and Barb, “we can’t leave her here for someone else to find, maybe scum next time. We need all the good people we can get, right Brian?”

Brian couldn’t speak, he wasn’t used to his mom being this decisive, and it shocked him, he finally got his voice back.

“Ah right mom we can’t leave her,” he said.

Beulah could see she had taken Brian by surprise and she felt good about it and herself now.

“Mom we best get with it, time isn’t our friend, people wise or weather wise. Barb help me move her grandfather, we also need to get his coat and gloves, we better explain it to her, I don’t think she will understand. She may need the coat and gloves at some time, these and his backpack are her inheritance, the only ones she going to have, and I think her grandfather would like her to take them since he doesn’t need them anymore. Mom can you talk to her and explain while we take care of it?”

Beulah reached down and got the girls attention, “what is your name?”

With tears running down her face and hiccupping she managed to get out, “my names Lysbeth, Lysbeth Owen, what am I going to do now?”

“Lysbeth, your coming with us, we’re your family now, and Lysbeth went to crying even harder.”

Beulah was being very patient, she knew she had to be; her past actions were nothing to write home about.

“Lysbeth we need to move your granddad now ok? This is my son Brian and now your aunt Barb. We can’t bury him but we can make him comfortable against a tree, and you may not like this right now, but we need to take his coat and gloves, wallet and so on, now listen, Beulah said, this because Lysbeth started to get a strange look on her face. Were not robbing him girl or you, as Brian pointed out these things are your inheritance. You may need them in the future and it’s what you will have of his to take with you.”

Lysbeth sat back again and said, “ok I see your point, but it doesn’t seem right to do that do him.”

“Lysbeth, he would want you to have what ever he can give you, I am sure of it.”

Beulah helped Lysbeth up from the ground and went over to where Brian and Barb had laid her grandfather back further in the woods against a large ponderosa pine.

Lysbeth noticed granddads coat, holstered gun and things were over the lady named Barbs arms and his wallet and gloves were in her right hand.

Beulah leaned over toward Lysbeth; “Lysbeth would you like to say a few words before we leave?” Lysbeth shook her head yes.

“Father please watch over my granddad make sure he and grandma find each other, they loved each so much and he has missed her so. Tell him and grandma I love them and will miss them.” With that she couldn’t go on anymore, every one said Amen and turned to get ready to go.

Lysbeth looked over at her granddads bike, “I guess we will leave granddads bike here by the road I don’t see how we can take it, maybe someone will get some use out of it someday and she gathered up her backpack and put it on. She watched as Brian got her granddads helmet and backpack and along with his other things and put them in the bike cart. Then he went over to the bike and walked it over to the bike cart, picked it up and laid it across the top, he had already gotten rope out to tie it down with. Lysbeth smiled even in her grief, she was glad it was going with them after all.

As she was turning to get on her bike, Barb was standing beside her.

“Lysbeth here you best put this on, we have already met up with some people that weren’t very nice.”

Lysbeth thought for a moment then reached over for her grandfather’s holster and gun and strapped it on.

“Here we go again,” Barb said, as they took off down the road.

Lysbeth seemed to come to as they rode enough to ask, “Just where are we all going?”

Brain spoke up, “were headed to my grandparents place, mom’s parents, on up past Lewiston, Idaho, up into the Blue Mountains of Washington the closest town is the little town called Anatone. Where we will be the heck and gone away from everyone.”

“Are you sure I will be welcome, I mean a total stranger? I can hardly believe you have taken me in like this, granddad told me this is how it used to be in the old days, people taking care of each other. It just seemed to be more dog eat dog these days with people.”

Brain looked over after she asked the question and still saw tears making tracks down her face.

“Yes, don’t worry about it, you will be welcome Lysbeth, there’s no such thing as a total stranger as far as my grandparents are concerned, especially if you come with one of the family.”

The miles ticked away as they wended their way through the mountains and curving road. Soon they were entering the small town of New Meadows, Idaho. They only caught the edge as they took the turn for Riggins Idaho, past the gas station/market, then the small motel on the left and a few houses. Apparently there hadn’t been any riots up here, one thing living so far from a large town most people had plenty of food and other supplies stocked up. All they had was the tiny market here at the gas station and it didn’t carry much. It carried bread, milk, a few canned goods, pop, beer, and cigarettes for the smoking crowd and things like that.

As they cruised past and out they still all breathed a bit easier as they headed out away from New Meadows.

Brian looked around at the sky and realized they weren’t going to make Riggins today, but at least they would make the mountain grade headed down to Riggins where there were plenty of trees for cover. It had been easy riding for quite some time and it would stay that way until they left Riggins and headed up towards White Bird. By car right now they were about three and one half hours from Lewiston, and then another 45 from the farm. Boy talk about taking all that for granted, it doesn’t look like he will from now on.

In 20 minutes they headed down the grade towards Riggins.

“Ladies I think it’s about time to scout out a camping spot for the night. Keep your eyes peeled for a place you think would be good to stop and look.”

As they coasted down the highway, Barb yelled, “hey how about up at that camp ground that’s next, do you see the sign? Do you think there will be anyone there to bother us? Not many people were out camping at this time of year. Kids were back in school and all.”

Brain looked over at everyone else, “well what do you think about Barb’s idea, are you all for trying it? Or wait for something else?”

“Fine with me,” said Beulah.

Lysbeth was still shy about speaking up but she managed a, “me to, I’m game.”

The one thing all four of them did notice was the smell of smoke in the air, but it didn’t look like it was coming from where they were headed.
So they took the turn off up the dirt road and on into the forest campground.

It took about ten minutes to get up to the camping area; they had just hit the edge of the camping area and the first outhouse, when a shot rang out through the trees. Brian couldn’t tell if was at them or someone was shooting elsewhere. When he heard another shot and a branch split close to his face, he got the answer to that question.

“Drop your bikes and hit the dirt.”

He told his mom and the other two to fan out in different directions and work their way around and behind, so they weren’t all clumped in one place and easy targets, but keep low. Brian went into the woods behind him and started around to his left to work his way behind whoever was shooting at them, he wanted to get a look at whoever it was.

The going was slow and he tried to keep down and not make much noise at the same time. It took him awhile but he heard talking, and it sounded like children’s voices. Brian looked through the bushes and saw five children of various ages from about say five years of age to thirteen standing in front of two self contained RV’s, Winnebago’s. It was the teen boy with the pistol.

“I told all of you to get back in the camper,” he was crying and stamping his right foot as he yelled at the younger children.

All Brian could think of is, “OH man what happened to their parents. No one would leave kids out here all by themselves.”

Right then someone touched his right arm and he about jumped out of his skin. He looked over to see Lysbeth. Brian put his right hand to his chest and took a deep breath.

“Sorry about that Brian but I didn’t know how else to get your attention, “ she whispered.

“It’s ok, I should have been paying more attention to what or who was around me, I am learning some hard lessons,” he whispered back in her ear.

End chapter 6

[3Fingas]

This is a very good story. Are you a professional writer?

Not only is this story engrossing (I read it straight through), it's educational too. I can't think of a better way to get across the importance of prepping.

I can't wait to read what you come up with next. Thanks for posting it.

[223shooteresc]

good stuff, need more please

[sarawolf]

Thank you for the posts. Always helps me feel better lol.
No I am not a professional writer thank you for the complenmet. I dream of being discovered lol. But don't a lot of us in some way .

Chapter 7
The Joining


By that time his mom was coming to their area and he waved at her to stop where she was, she was about 25 feet to the right. He heard the bushes rustle and saw Barbs coat when he looked to the left. Gees, he said to himself we all need some training at this sneaking around stuff. Barb came a little closer and she saw him and Lysbeth and he motioned for her to stop to, and he pointed towards the kids by the RV’s.

“ I have an idea whispered Lysbeth to Brain, we have to get to those kids, and let them know we’re not bad guys.”

Brian hadn’t had time to say anything back at all when Lysbeth scooted away from him and was out from behind the tree and yelled, “HELLO IN THE CAMP.”

The boy turned quickly as he was still trying to herd the other children into the camper behind them and shot wildly in Lysbeth’s and Brian’s direction.
Missing all of them in the woods, thank goodness.

“It’s alright no ones going to hurt you, were friendly,” she yelled.

From the camp the boy yelled, “How do we know that? Some one already said that and then killed my parents and my uncle and aunt, robbed us of what they wanted and took off, they thought it was funny.”

Lysbeth could tell he was all choked and crying, he was having a hard time talking. From inside the camper he could hear someone calling, “Henry were scared.”

“Is that your name, Henry?”

“Honest Henry, we will help if we can, you see I am new to these people I am with too, my granddad died on the ride out of McCall and these people found me and made me part of their family. We won’t hurt you or the other children.”

Lysbeth stepped out from behind the pine tree, Brian gasped, he couldn’t believe she would take such a chance with a scared kid.

“See Henry it’s just me, I’m Lysbeth. Brian, Barb, and his mom Beulah are riding to Washington.”

“I saw the bikes that’s why I shot at you, I decided I would shoot first and ask questions later.”

Henry lowered the pistol and Brian let his breath out, he thought Lysbeth was going to get herself shot. Henry then sat down at the picnic table and started to cry, the other children came boiling out of the camper, and ran over to Henry. When they saw Lysbeth they stopped talking as they had been asking Henry if he was ok.

“It’s ok kids, I’m Lysbeth, I am going to call my friends out of the trees now, so don’t be scared.”

Lysbeth called, “you can come out now,” but she saw they were already coming out as she called. Duh, she thought to herself of course they heard.

The children watched as the strangers came out of the woods and they huddled together.

All four of the adults came over to the picnic table and sat down. The younger one who called herself Lysbeth introduced the other adults.

By this time Henry had calmed down and had realized these people weren’t going to hurt them, at least they didn’t seem like it, heck one of them was a kid too.

Beulah asked, “Henry will you introduce the other children and are you and the others able to tell us what happened to your parents, if you’re up to explaining? How many days ago did this happen?”

Beulah was also thinking and wondering which way the murderers went, and hoped they took a different route after they got past Riggins or someone else gave them what they had coming if they tried this again.

Henry finally looked up, the two youngest children were tight on each side of him, he didn’t have to introduce them, the youngest a black haired green-eyed little girl said, I’m Karen I’m five, and that’s Gil he’s eight,” as she pointed at the little boy on Henry’s right.

Henry got his voice again and said, pointing at the other boy, “that’s Timothy he’s ten and that’s Bea and she’s eleven. Bea and Karen are my sister’s, Tim and Gil are our cousins and we’re all Olson’s, my dad and theirs were brothers.”

The talking seemed to be helping him and the other children. They had all loosened up and didn’t appear so scared.

Brian looked over to where they had left their bikes and cart, “Henry would you and the other children mind if we go over and get our bikes, I think we would feel better about having them over here with us.”

The kids all shook their heads yes and the adults got up, with Karen and Gil trailing after them as they went over to get their bikes.

All seemed ok with the bikes and cart, Brian had tried to not put his bike down he had kind of half laid it up against a tree as fast as he could, he didn’t want too chance breaking the connection to the cart. The two children just stood waiting, way to patient for children that age Beulah thought.

In a few minutes they had the bikes and cart over by the first RV on there kick stands and had gathered around the picnic table again. When everyone was settled again and the two youngest were again at Henry’s sides, Beulah asked, “Ok would you tell us now what happened to your parents.”

None of the children seemed to want to be the first to talk, Karen looked up with her beautiful green eyes.

“Bad men came yesterday and shot mommy and daddy and Aunt Lucy and uncle Tyler, just like on TV, but it wasn’t pretend.”

Gil rolled his eyes, “no dummy it wasn’t yesterday, everything’s yesterday to you.”

Karen got mad and yelled, “was too. Gil, was not, was too, was not.”

“All right kids all right, don’t worry about it,” Henry said, “stop fighting.”

Must have been Bea’s turn to talk or she finally felt like it, “they came four days ago. We had been camping here when everything went dead soon after dad heard on the radio that we were going to be bombed, he liked to listen to the 5 o’clock news. Bea had tears running dirty streaks down her face, but she went on. Anyway he thought we all just best stay here instead of riding our bikes out or walking after the RV’S wouldn’t start. We were to far from Boise he said and we would just wait things out for a couple of weeks or so and then we would try to get home. He thought maybe they would be looking for stranded people by then.

Beulah asked, “I wondered why you all weren’t at home anyway with school in and all.”

This time Tim answered, “we’re home schooled all of us so we always vacation when the others are home. Dad thought it made the campgrounds more private, now I wish we camped when everyone else did.”

Tim laid his head on his folded arms on the table and didn’t’ say anything for awhile. Henry had his arms around Karen and Gil as the others talked. Bea turned and looked toward the entrance of the campground.

“They came in walking, three of them, dad said for us to go into the woods behind our camper just in case. We had a hard time keeping Karen quiet, she didn’t understand, so we told her we were playing hide and seek and she had to be very quiet behind the bushes. I didn’t really see anything I was in the bushes with Karen. But Henry sneaked up real close to our camper behind the rear where that big pine is (she pointed at it at the same time) and hid behind it so he could see what was going on.”

Henry had his arms around a couple of the little one’s and was trying to be brave as he started telling what he saw and heard.”

“The three men looked around awhile then spotted our campers and acted all friendly, they started to introduce themselves and said their car quit a few days ago. They called themselves Butch, Mitch, and Stan. Dad told them what he heard on the radio about being nuked and that’s why all our vehicles wouldn’t work anymore. EMP took everything out electric. The biggest of them, Butch, got this big smile on his face then, like he couldn’t have heard a more wonderful thing had happened. They weren’t a bit sad or scared about it like you would think, like we were. The other two started to laugh and reached behind their backs and pulled out guns. That’s when dad and uncle Tyler, who was standing by the picnic table not far away realized we were in trouble. They got real scared looks on their faces and both started to back up, but this Butch pulled out his gun too and told them to just stay where they were. Then he had his friends; Mitch and Stan each go into our campers to find what was in them.”

“What they found was our mom and aunt Lucy in ours first off and hauled them out, they were being real rough and dad asked them to not hurt anyone. They just kept laughing. Butch had Mitch cut some rope from the tent us kids were sleeping in and tied up dad and uncle Tyler, and then they took mom and aunt Lucy behind uncle Tyler’s camper. There was lots of screaming and crying and swearing, I never heard that kind of swearing before, not even at school. Awhile later there were two shots; I guess that’s when mom and Aunt Lucy were killed.”

By this time tears were streaming down everyone’s faces the new comers included.

“Then the men came off from behind the camper, Butch had big scratches down his right cheek and was bleeding real bad, he ordered Stan to go in a camper and find some first aid stuff. Stan couldn’t find any, so when he came back out of our camper empty handed Butch hit him across the face with his pistol, then he asked dad where a first aid kit was and dad just sat on the ground and cried and when he didn’t answer Butch shot him right in the head. Then he pointed the gun at Uncle Tyler and Uncle Tyler said it was under the driver’s seat. But you could see uncle Tyler was really, really mad. Mitch went and got the first aid kit and fixed up Butches face. When they were done Butch turned and shot uncle Tyler in the head too. He didn’t say a word about it, he just laughed about it. Butch then yelled at Mitch and Stan to help look around, because from the looks of the tent and other things there were brats around. Then they would see what could be found in the way of goodies in the campers.”

“That’s when I took off from behind the tree as quiet as I could. It didn’t seem to make much difference the creeps make a lot of noise as they tried to look for us. I went to the other kids and told them to be very quiet bad guys were after us. But that was a mistake because it made Karen start to cry, so they found us in a few minutes. They just laughed at us and told us to stay in the woods or they would kill us, so we did all night and it was really cold, but we were afraid to go back to the campers.

It was a good thing we didn’t try to go back cause they stayed the night in our campers. Tim and I snuck up close enough in the morning to see them stuffing some of our stuff in some of our backpacks. They each took a sleeping bag too and tied them on and then walked out the way they had come. Tim and I went back and got the other kids and found mom, dad, uncle Tyler, and aunt Lucy. At first we didn’t know what to do, if maybe cops or rangers heard the shots. But no one did, so we dragged the bodies into the woods and covered them with rocks, wood and leaves the best we could.”

Henry was exhausted by the time he was finished and sat there taking deep breaths.

All was quiet for a few minutes until Beulah started talking; she was wiping her eyes with her coat sleeves.

“Children that was an awful thing to happen to you and your parents, I’m afraid things like that are happening all over the country right now, but we will take care of you the best we can, we will take you to the farm with us, my parent’s farm.”

The younger children perked up a bit after hearing that and that they wouldn’t be left all alone out here in the woods.

Brain said I have a question, “Henry where did you get your pistol.”

“Dad had it in a drawer by his bed, he always said we needed it just in case, you know for wild animals and such. He never thought men could be wild animals too. I see you all have guns. Do you know how to use them, I’m going to from now on.”

“Yes, said Brian, I know how to use mine, my grandfather taught me how and how to hunt, I don’t know how well the ladies know how to shoot. But don’t worry granddad and my uncles will teach you all you need to know.”

It was getting towards dusk now, and none of then had eaten.

Lysbeth asked the kids if they were getting hungry because she sure was. They all said yes they are hungry.

“Ok where’s what’s left of your food, we have some to share if we need too also but your family has what you like to eat.”

Bea was still sniffling but managed to get out, “the men took some of the food, cans and things but they couldn’t take it all, dad always brought lots of extra and so did uncle Tyler, so even though we had to stay here a lot longer we had plenty of food. Mom always gripped about all that stuff she had to pack and cram everywhere but she was glad this time. The bad guys didn’t even look in the storage spaces under the camper and there was lots of food under there.”

“Take my hand Bea and show me, you to Karen, you take Barb’s hand and we’ll all go look while Brain and Beulah see what else we need like pots and dishes.”

Henry said, “we have a Coleman three burner stove, it’s over there under the tree, dad had moved it so the picnic table would be clear during the day. I don’t know how to work it; I wish I had paid more attention, so we have been eating cold food. I was afraid to start a campfire; I thought maybe they would see it and come back. I was always to busy playing to learn to start that stove, never again, I what to learn to do things, this has showed me a lot of things I need to know.”

“You and me both Henry,” and then Brian and Henry went off to get the stove.

Beulah smiled as the boys walked off, looks like Brian has someone to look up to him now. At least there was something to smile about after all that had gone on, she was surprised at herself and then thought ump, oh well, now for pots, pans, and dishes and headed for a camper.

Barb and Lysbeth with the girls found all kinds of canned meats, vegetables, fruits, and canned juices in Bea’s parent’s camper. Lysbeth turned as she saw movement out of the corner of her right eye, it was just Beulah going into the camper. Whew, her heart kind of jumped. We need to set up a guard for the night if I’m going to get any sleep at all and I will gladly take my turn, were the thoughts running through her head.

Brian found two Coleman lanterns sitting by the stove, he had Henry bring those and he carried the stove over to the picnic table. He had Henry go back for the Coleman fuel by the tree, as the stove was almost empty when he shook the tank. He taught Henry just like his grandfather had taught him to fill, pump up, and light the stove.

Dinner done and things cleared away to keep bears from coming into camp; Brian showed Henry, Bea, and Tim the right way to build a campfire. The reason Gil wasn’t with them is he and Karen had both fallen asleep with their heads on the table before they were even done eating and were being put to bed.

Tim looked at Brian with scared eyes, “won’t the bad guys come back if they see this or even different ones?”

Brian knew Henry had told the children he was afraid that might happen.

“No, I don’t think they will come back Tim, not the same ones, and were going to set up night guards to watch things, no one will get the drop on us if we can help it. Most people are all holed up for the night by now anyway. It’s cold enough for people to want to be around a fire themselves or inside, so as soon as we’re done here I think it’s time you all head off to bed. We need to get a early start in the morning for home.”

Brian let them all make their own small campfire from scratch and called it a night after they had the fires all put out.

Brian and Lysbeth took first watch, four hours. They both took up a pine tree on each side of the camp and stayed in the shadows, as the moon was quite full. Brian kept time by where the moon was. Gramps would be happy that he had remembered his lessons.

All was still quiet as Barb and Beulah took over watch, Brian reminded them to stay in the shadows, and told them to wake him when the moon disappeared.
After Brian and Lysbeth were back up he let his mom and Barb take a one hour nap, then they woke the children and began to look over the children’s bikes to see if they needed any work before heading out unto the road. The bikes had been brought so the kids could explore the camp better and had been tied to the back of the campers.

Most of the bikes were mountain bikes; one had a child seat attached behind the rider’s seat. Brian thought he was the strongest rider so maybe he would be the one to have Karen. Barb would take his bike with the cart and have Henry ride her bike. Lysbeth’s grandfathers bike went to Bea, they put the seat as low as they could. That way Tim who was a bit shorter could ride hers, which was a 15 speed. Gil was given Tim’s 10 speed, so even one had traded up. Gil’s bike was just a plain old pedal power speed. Brian didn’t see any other way to do things and they began to discuss this and pack clothes, shoes, any meds they could find into other backpacks, there were plenty as the scum had only taken three.

Lysbeth had taken the girls to hunt in the other storage space on their uncle’s camper and had found freeze-dried foods, two whole cases along with boxed and bagged juices for the kids in both storage spaces.

Since there was still quite a bit of room in the cart for things, Brian untied the bike from it and had the kids help fill water bottles, get silver ware, pots, pans, and sharp knifes and other things from the kitchen and anything else they may need that they could take for the future. Brian tied the tarp back on when they were finished loading it; now it was really packed.

The children were all dressed warm and standing by the bikes and ready to head out. Brian saw them look back at the campers, knowing that their way of life had been changed forever without their parents, well he said to himself, I guess we all can say that our lives will be different from now on; now can’t we?

Barb took the lead and they headed down and out of the campground. They had to go slower so Gil could keep up. It took a few miles for Brian to get used to the child seat and extra weight on the back of the bike with Karen. But it wasn’t any harder then it had been when he was getting used to riding with his backpack, and now he hardly noticed it at all. The only thing that bothered him was the smell of smoke that was still in the air and it seemed to be getting more noticeable the further they went down the mountain.

Beulah turned her head, “does anyone else smell smoke?”

Lysbeth said, “I do and have for awhile, I just thought it was camp fires or something.”

“Same here,” said Barb and the children.

“ I smelled it yesterday too, when we came into the campground, I thought it was campfires to, but I’m beginning to think it’s more then that,” replied Brian.
He rode up to beside Barb at the front, “keep a keen eye huh Barb.”

They were rounding a corner about then and now they could see the smoke down further was dark, “no way that’s a campfire,” he said. “We best slow down, get a little closer to the source of the fire and leave the kids and bikes and check it out.”

It was a very curvy on this section of road and as they rounded the next curve they saw where the source of the fire was, on the next bend was a blacked house, still burning in places.

Brian nodded his head at the others, “over there, bring the bikes and the kids over into the trees and Barb and I will go check this out.”

Brian got off his and walked it and little Karen over to the woods.

“Where are you going uncle Brian she asked?

Brian smiled, “over to that house Huggy Bear, aunt Barb and I are going to see if anyone needs help, is that ok?”

She loved her new nickname her new uncle had given her; she had never had a nickname before, “yes Uncle Brian that’s ok.”

“You be quiet now and do just what your told.”

If there was one lesson this five year old had learned it was to be quiet when she was told, she hadn’t before and the bad men had found them, now she knew something was different and she had to do more of the things she was told.

Brian and Barb then made for the partly burning house, it was mostly down to smoldering now. It must have been burning and smoldering for a couple of days.

They walked around the outside in the trees first, each taking a different direction and meeting up behind the house.

Barb whispered, “I didn’t see anything.”

“Neither did I, lets get a little closer now I don’t think there is anyone around here.”

They were still watching the area around them and had their guns ready just in case, as they made there way closer to the smoldering ruin.

They were about 30 feet from the house when Barb went down; she thought, so much for watching, I can’t even watch where I’m going for Pete’s sake, she looked down and over and gave a gasp when she saw what she had fallen over. Brian who had been a few away from her, began to ask her if she was ok when he also saw what she had tripped over.

It was the remains of a half charred man’s body, partly clothed because most of them had been burned away. But what didn’t help matters was it looked like the animals had been at it.

Barb went white, and started heaving as she got up; she went a short distance and relieved her stomach of it’s contents.

Brian had thought, people going all white in the face was just a saying, now he knew better. He didn’t feel so good himself. He went over to Barb to see if he could help, which he really knew he couldn’t. She wiped her mouth with the shirttail of her husbands flannel shirt she had on.

“I’ll be ok now Brian, it just surprised me is all. I guess we will see more of this in the days to come won’t we, either from murder, starvation or accidents. I guess I will get somewhat used to it.”

As they went back towards the house he said, “I don’t know if this is something we will really ever get used to Barb, it’s just to horrible.”

The back of the house looked like it was the first to burn, so it was just smoldering, Brian looked around and then went over to a small shed where he saw a shovel leaning and went back to the house to move the burnt boards and other debris. One of the things he found was a burnt skeleton, and he noticed there was a small gasoline can all burnt up also.

“I think the kids bad guys came this way Barb or someone just as bad, no way this was an accident, there is no reason these people would have a gas can in their bedroom, chalk two more up for the bad guys.”

As they were walking back to the others Barb noticed Brian still had the shovel.

“Brian why in the world do you still have that shovel?”

All he said was.

“You have no idea when a good shovel will come in handy,” and continued walking back. When they reached the others he found a place to stick the shovel on the cart so it wouldn’t fall out and they told the others what they found at the house.

They were a pretty sober group as they rode down the road; they kept going this time when they saw smoldering houses, they pretty much knew what they were going to find.

Brian knew they were coming to an area that had quite a few homes on this side of the river on both sides of the road, nothing new they were pretty poor people who used to be loggers, until that industry mostly shut down, there was still some going on but not much.

“Lets slow down some,” he said, “I wouldn’t think three guys could take out all of the people and quite a few live up ahead.”

The first two houses were smoking ruins, and one scorched on the right side of the road closest to the river, they had been the furthest out. But what they saw next brought glee to their hearts if that’s appropriate. There swinging from two trees, one wasn’t big enough, were three men, dead as can be.

Henry stopped right in his tracks and Beulah nearly ran over him. Thank goodness they had been going slow.

“That’s the men that killed our parents, it’s them alright.”

Henry then put the bike on the kickstand and picked up some rocks and started to throw them at one of the bodies, the one with the long scabs on it’s cheek. Tim, Gil and Bea did the same when they saw what Henry was doing. People started to come out of their houses on both sides of them, and Brian didn’t know if he liked that or not. He looked both one way and then the other, his mom, Barb and Lysbeth were doing the same.

An older gentleman shouted so they could hear, “it’s ok kids no ones gonna hurt you, you would have never gotten into town if the guards hadn’t thought you were ok to let through here.”

Guards Brian, “I didn’t see anyone, did any of you?”

He got no’s all around.

“We have to learn to be more observant.”

By now the older man and a few others were close to them and the kids had stopped throwing rocks at the bodies.

“Howdy son, you have quite a crowd rolling down the road with you.”

“Yes sir we sure do,” Brian said with a smile and stuck out his right hand to shake hands with the man.

“I want to shake the hand of one of the men who must have helped take these three pieces of scum down.”

“Well son your welcome, did these pieces of crap hurt any of you and yours? I figured as much the way those kids were throwing stones at the bodies instead of hiding their faces from such as this.”

Everyone had gotten off their bikes and had set the kickstands, Lysbeth went over and unstrapped Karen while Brian was talking and set her down beside her, keeping a good hold on her hand.

“Those scum bags killed these kids parents a few days ago and we have found else where down the road that these three must have killed people on there way here. We’re sure it had to be them; it was like a trial leading right to this spot. By the way I’m Brian Reynolds, and the lady on my left here is my mom Beulah, next to her with little Karen is Lysbeth Owen, and to her right is Barb Yoder. The kids that threw the stones are starting with the oldest Henry, Bea, Tim and then Gil, there all Olsen’s, from two brothers that camped together a few miles back up the highway at a campground.”

“Good to meet you Brian and ladies even if it is under these circumstances, I’m Kurt Howell newly appointed mayor, your welcome to rest up awhile, have lunch and water up if need be, while you’re here with us you are safe.”

Beulah was standing beside Brian now, and that brought a smile to Kurt’s face, “nice to meet you madam.”

“It’s nice to meet you and your group here Mr. Howell, we will take you up on the offer of safety while we feed the kids something and ourselves, is there a place with a picnic table or something close by?”

“Yes there is, there’s one right down there by the river between those two houses, as he pointed the way, and please call me Kurt.”

Kurt was about 40 years old give or take, 6 feet tall; say 200 pounds, light brow salt and pepper hair, and brown eyes. He wore a 45 on his right hip and a 12-inch bowie knife on his left. He had on a blue and white checked flannel shirt and brown camo pants, with Army boots on his feet.

Kurt waited for them as they got there bikes and walked them over to the picnic table, no way were they going to leave them sitting in the middle of the road. They didn’t trust everyone that much.

Brian kept glancing over at Kurt, noticing Kurt looking at Beulah constantly, it seems Kurt had taken quite a shine to his mother. To bad Kurt didn’t live closer, he seemed the type to take care of things and not go haring off when he was needed, or stomp off because his wife didn’t have her makeup on and he was ready to go, so he leaves without her. In fact Brian thought his mother never looked better as she did right now, hair unbrushed and not a bit of makeup on her face.

She happened to look over at him, “what in the world are you grinning about Brian, you look like the Cheshire cat.”

“Oh nothing mom, just nothing.”
He changed the subject quickly, “here we are mom let me help you get your backpack off,” all the adults had put extra food in their backpacks at the campers to replace what they had used up and a bit more since they had more mouths to feed.

When Kurt saw Brian reach for Beulah’s backpack he jumped in, “oh let me help you with that while Brian helps the other ladies and kids.”

Brian turned, mostly so his mom wouldn’t see his smile and helped Barb off with her backpack, the others were already helping each other. Barb saw his smile and then looked over at Kurt and Beulah and grinned also at the two.

Barb whispered, “kind of hard not to notice isn’t it?”

She then went over to Lysbeth and started to get food out of their packs for the kids, before Brian had time to answer back.

Lunch is always good when your not having to watch your back at the same time, there hadn’t been many times in the last couple of weeks like this thought Brian. The kids were done eating and were down by the rivers edge throwing rocks into the river and having a good old time, except for Henry he was sitting at the table watching over them.

The adults looked at each other and nodded, it was time to go and they all knew it.

Brian thought it was time to start giving Henry some more responsibility.

“Hey Henry how about going down and collecting the kids it’s about time for us to take off again and after we get going I would like you to ride to the left of Barb kind of a side guard, is that all right with you?”

Henry’s eyes lit up at least a little, “sure Brian I will be glad to help out,” and he took off down the gentle slope after the children yelling, “it’s time to go, come on everyone.”

Brian chuckled and said out loud, “I could have done that.”

Lysbeth who was sitting next to him said, “yeah you sure could have, but you did the right thing, he knows he has left some of his childhood behind him with this new world and he needs all the help in the world right now to adjust, I know I do. Keeping busy helps, gives me less time to think.”

“Well this little trip has sure helped me with that, instead of sitting around at home brooding, hiding and wondering how I am going to protect my mom from the next piece of scum who decides to invade our neighborhood and our home. Just a taste of that was enough for me, ok we better get back on the road, lets get the kids backpacks on and then I will help you with yours.”

The kids were running up the hill, Gil only had a small pack, they knew he couldn’t carry much, the little bit older kids packs were heavier, but most of the their stuff was in and on the cart. The cart did look funny with stuff here and there sticking up and all that wrapped in a tarp.

Kurt had sat and talked with Beulah while they had eaten, a few others from the little community had come and gone, stopping to say hello, and hear the news about where the group had been. A couple wondered if they had seen any National Guard or military of any kind at all. They went away with long faces when they heard there wasn’t. Kurt just shook his head at them, "we told them folks not to expect anyone to come riding here to help us, good thing they have some talents cause all they had was one months worth of food to their name. Their neighbors and all so we wouldn’t have turned them out and if they hadn’t seen for themselves what those pieces of scum did to two of our neighbors they would have wanted to hold those guys for the law. Which is what we would have done in normal circumstances, but things aren’t normal any more. As it was they had a squawk about hanging those men until we showed them what they had done to the Weston’s and Gary Basset, Gary fought them off while his wife got away, but he didn’t make it.”

Beulah was hanging her head, “I’m very sorry to hear of all the trouble here, but a few weeks ago I was an empty headed fool too. I never gave a thought to where next weeks food was coming from. I would just run to the store when I needed something, after all what could happen to affect me in this day and age. I was raised to know better too, but as life was so easy I stopped thinking more and more, and only what I could buy for the day. Clothes, makeup, jewelry, friends, and keeping up with the Jones were the name of the day. I feel like I have woke up these last few days. I nearly got us killed at home with my empty headed actions. I guess I must have been in shock too for a few days. I thought once I got away from home and all that old fashion stuff my parents shoved down my throat I would be free from that kind of stuff for the rest of my life and I would be in the real world. She laughed a bit with that statement. Now look where I am, right back where I started.”

All Kurt could do is smile and nod his head at what she was saying.

“Beulah I think this has woke a lot of folks up and some have no idea what to do, so many will be prey for scum and others will become scum. They will do things they never thought in their wildest dreams they would do, to keep food in their stomachs, and in their families. It’s not the depression of the 1930’s, people then still knew how to do things to keep from starving but they still had a lot of folks on farms back then too. It’s a whole different era now, I think we are more dog eat dog, plus how many know how to grow food, cook a simple pot of beans from scratch, make clothes, hunt. I think were in for a whole world of hurt, and this is just the beginning. Goodness I don’t mean to be preaching to the choir, I have told our own folks here the same thing, those two that we’re here last didn’t want to listen, but I think they are now. They have had it shoved right in their faces. Kurt was chuckling, you shouldn’t get me started, I can’t seem to quit.”

Beulah noticed when Brian had Henry go down to get the children and knew it was time for them to be on there way again.

“It’s been very nice talking to you Kurt, it looks like it’s time for us to go.”

She hadn’t even mentioned her husband, she knew Lee was a lost cause, she knew he had been cheating on her, there had been too many signs and the smell of perfume when he came home a few times. She was going to consider herself a widow in 6 months time. She hadn’t told Brian this; she hoped it wouldn’t shock him too much.

It didn’t take long to get ready to go, a few minutes later they were waving goodbye to those who saw they were leaving and came out to wave and tell them good luck and God’s speed.

Beulah happened to look back as they rounded a curve, Kurt was still standing on the highway, the last one watching them ride out of sight.

Brian was leery of going through Riggins as they neared the town, but they had no choice it was the only road, there was not another one. The town sat along the Salmon River, a tourist town except in the winter. It catered to salmon fishermen, white water rafters, hikers and the like. The Seven Devils Recreation area was close by and this was the nearest place to buy supplies. He felt better on the open highway then being afraid of who had taken control of a town. One thing he knew the people that lived here, most of them had to be pretty self-reliant, the small town folks and the ranches in the mountains nearby had to keep extra supplies. They like New Meadows were the heck and gone from a bigger town with large stores. Grangeville, Idaho was two hours away to the north by car in the old days, but now it was a day or twos journey, depending on how fast you could ride and how long it took you to get up U.S. 95. People called it the new White Bird grade but it really wasn’t. The real White Bird Grade was the old road, it wound its way back and forth up the mountainside, but it wasn’t as steep as the new, the newer U.S. 95.

White Bird was known for being the first battle in the 1877 Nez Peace Indian war, you came over the mountain down into a deep valley and that is where they set up the small town of White Bird by the river. The town was mostly bypassed now, only tourists went down there and those that wanted to take the old road up the mountain on the self guided tour of the Battle field.

Well we aren’t there yet, and this daydreaming isn’t doing me any good, Brian realized he wasn’t keeping a good eye on the roadway and the surrounding hills. They were seeing more signs of life as they got closer to Riggins. They saw a few people standing on the shore of the river fishing, boy did that seem normal, but it was to put dinner on the table for now and the days ahead. One person turned as they went bye but turned back when he saw the group had children and didn’t seem threatening. That could be another mistake in the days ahead; even people with kids could take you out.

They went by more and more homes, there were a few people in their yards, and most of them were cutting or stacking wood, putting plastic over the windows and readying their homes for winter.

No one had been threatening here yet. Brain was glad it was early into this disaster, not too many people were real desperate yet, but he knew that would change. It didn’t take long to be in the middle of Riggins. A few people were coming and going from the small store, there was a horse or three tied to the side mirrors of a pickup truck, and bikes of all shapes and sizes locked to the bike rack. Everything like the café’s and gas stations had closed signs in the windows. Brian looked straight ahead when he heard clop, clop down the road. A horse and wagon team was making it’s way towards them with a man and women on the seat and three children in the wagon. There were burlap bags piled in the wagon that the children were sitting on. The riders passed the wagon and the children in it waved at them as they went past. Kids being kids they waved at the other children with smiles on their faces, children adapt quickly.

It didn’t take long to get to the new bridge a few miles out of Riggins and as Brian remembered after you crossed the bridge you were in the Pacific Time zone. Like that mattered anymore, at least not for the time being.

The homes sitting up on the mountainsides looked deserted, but that could be deceiving. He figured if they didn’t look to close maybe the people who might be hiding inside, would pay them no mind.

Now the gradual climb would begin back up out of the river valley, it didn’t get to bad for quite a few miles, but you could tell you were riding up. They passed the roadside fruit stand, a few ranches along the road and saw they still had cattle grazing in the fields.

A roadside bathroom stop was ahead on the left and they all decided to make the stop, there weren’t any more after this point. Even these outhouse type bathrooms were a luxury.

The small break did the children some good, the climb was going to get tiring and they would need quite a few breaks. They were headed up and Henry saw the sign for the Hoots Café and Gas Station up a few feet on the left. He was riding on the left of Barb and knew he needed to keep a sharp eye out for trouble. Brian rode up close to him and noticed Henry was concentrating on the entrance to Hoots.

“Good idea keeping a lookout on that place Henry, you never know if the people stranded there stayed or not, I’ll tell everyone quietly to speed up as much as Gil can go, so we can get past here as quickly as possible.”

Brian then veered off to ask the others to speed it up so they could get past the entrance to Hoots quickly. Speeding up saved them from becoming more people under Eddy Rightworth’s control, as at this moment, there was a world of hurt going on in the café part of the gas station.
* * *
It had been over two weeks and the place was about out of food. The eleven people in the café had pretty well gone through most of it. There had been fourteen people when this started, a fight had broken out over one of the women, the young 20-year-old waitress, and now there were twelve. Neither of the two men who had fought got the woman; they had gone after each other with knives and neither one had survived. The six foot two inch bull of a man named Eddy ended up with her, he had just stood and watched and let nature take it’s course. So all that was left was the cook Lenny, Madelyn the waitress, Bruce from the gas station, Mick the day manager, Eddy of coarse, Eddy’s man Toad, Ted and Betty Getty both in their 60’s, and four fishermen headed for a good time of salmon fishing. The four fishermen had gone down and fished with a guard on them of course, and had caught some fish to help supplement the cafe food but it seemed they weren’t very good fishermen. They were all single men and had traveled down from Spokane, Washington and they didn’t think there was a way in Hades they could walk home, so they had held up here until everything blew over. Well now it looked like they should have at least tried, things were going from bad to worse. Eddy stood in front of his people a Glock 17 stuck in his pants and 12 gauge shotgun in his hands, yes he had put himself in charge, he felt he was a natural born leader and there was mutiny in the racks.

“Outside all of you he bellowed, go on outside right now.”

They huddled together and tried to get out the door, but had to unhuddle so at least two could go out at a time.

“Idiots,” yelled Eddy, “no wonder we’re in such bad shape.”

“We need some new blood, someone with more brains then you all have.”

He didn’t realize he could be put in that same category.

“Were going to walk over to the entrance, it’s time we looked over any close homes and see what we can appropriate for the common good, ours.”

Eddy had been watching his people try to get out the door of the café and hadn’t noticed the group of riders go past. Then by the time the Eddy folk had gotten to the entrance the bike riders were up the hill and around the road that curved to the right.
* * *
Brian hadn’t known why he had gotten such a bad feeling about Hoots; he just sort of had gotten the creeps the closer they came to the place.

“Ok, we can slow down, Gil’s about pooped I see anyway, Brian grinned at Gil, you did a great job Gil.”

Gil smiled over at Brian, that praise had given him a big boost.

“I hope all of you didn’t think I was being silly about speeding past Hoots, it just didn’t feel right.”

Beulah looked over at her son, “Brian don’t you ever feel bad or think it’s silly when you think something is important for us to do, you saved my life and have gotten us all where we are now, I for one will take all your recommendations to heart my dear.”

Brian blushed at his mom’s statement, and then he heard, “we all second that you know Brian, Barb said, so far you haven’t led us wrong.”

From Lysbeth, “I haven’t been with you very long but I put my two cents in that to, I’ll do what ever you feel we need to.”

Brian got even redder if that was possible, and peddled on.

They stood beside their bikes at the top of the hill that led down to the bridge and U.S. 95. They continued to look up at the very steep Grade, then they looked down into the river valley where the little town of White Bird was. They could see the old White Bird Grade snaking it’s way up the mountainside from the valley out of White Bird.

Brian stood by his bike looking at the others, he knew which way they needed to go.

“Ok,” he said, “I know which way is going to be the easiest, but we will have to go through White Bird. Three things, one it should take all of two minutes to get through the town, two is we have to go through the town, one good thing one bad. Three we will have to go down to go up again.”

Everyone was looking up U.S. 95 then back down to the valley, riding down would mean adding a few more miles. But it would most likely take half the time to go up the old road as it would the newer one.

Beulah said, “Well if it was just us adults I would say go for the high road, but since were not, we go with Brain as we should for the children’s sake and take the low road.”
All the way down the hill as they coasted Beulah sang, “You take the high road, and I’ll take the low road, and I’ll get to Scotland before ya.”

Brian didn’t even know his mom knew a song like that, he had never heard her sing anything before, hum yes, sing no. They coasted into White Bird and back out less then two minutes later, not a soul in sight. They had been seen but those that did see them were too afraid to be seen themselves.

Three hours later they were at the top of the grade taking a nice long 15-minute break. Barb had her windup clock out again so they didn’t stay here to long. They would find a place to camp on the way down the mountain on the way to Grangeville, but before they left the safety of the forest. After you got to the bottom of the mountain you were back on the plains for miles and miles.

Tomorrow after a 30-minute ride they would be at the turn off onto the back road, so they didn’t have to go into Grangeville, they would cut the corner. That would take a few miles from their trip at least.

They were all very tired when they settled in for the evening; they were behind an old building about three quarters of the way down the other side of the mountain. Brain thought they were about a mile from the home that was on the right almost at the bottom of this hill. They had trees and bushes around them, but they were to tired for a hot dinner so they just opened up some MRE’s for dinner, poor little Gil was asleep before he even finished his. First thing they had done was set up the beds for the kids in a couple of small tents that had been stashed in the cart.

Barb came over and relieved Gil of the rest of his meal as he slept sitting up Indian style, picked him up and slipped him into the tent and his sleeping bag, always fun on your knees trying to get a limp child into a sleeping bag. A few minutes later all but Brian and Barb were sacked out, they had first watch.

End chapter 7

[3Fingas]

The thing I like most about your story is the level of details you include. You clearly are a person who knows something about self-sufficiency. Some of the things you mention were practices that my thrifty grandparents used to do. They lived through the Depression and knew how to make ends meet with few dollars. It's a shame that later generations forgot these essential skills, but I suppose now is a very good time to relearn them.

[mjbine]

Love this story!

[sarawolf]

Chapter 8
Cadillac Café




Morning came clear and cold; there was a glistening sheen of frost on their tents, sleeping bags, tarps, and the surrounding grass and leaves. Beulah and Lysbeth began to wake the sleepers; Brian said “I’m awake,” as his mom reached down to wake him. Funny on how once you get used to getting up early you wake up about that time every morning.

Brian could hardy believe he had become such an early raiser; it wasn’t much past sunrise now. It was funny also to have his mom now bending over to wake him at the crack of dawn when it wasn’t that long ago, mere days in fact that he was trying to get her up.

In fact she was looking at him rather strangely, “Brian you smile more now then I think you ever have since you were a small boy, what’s up anyway with that?”

“I don’t know mom, just feel like it is all,” he climbed out of his sleeping bag and began to roll it up and then the tarp that was around it.

Another thing he was smiling about as it rolled through his mind, is at the end of this day it should find them near Lewiston or nearly so. They would have to skim the edges of a few small towns, but hopefully that would go the same as it had been.

Beulah and Barb began warming some water for a hot breakfast, well if you consider instant oatmeal breakfast, these days you didn’t turn even that down and it tasted darn right good on a cold morning. Apple cinnamon oatmeal and instant milk, they were living high on the hog all right. Better then some were getting about now as people began to run out of food since most people only kept a few days of food on hand, even with rationing.

Others like the people before and at Riggins were banding together to get by the best they could and planning for winter and the next year. Or like in Boise, Gang leaders tearing through their own territories and the next ones, taking each other out and ever expanding like feudal lords. Making bigger and bigger slave and serf kingdoms where murder, looting and worse, was the name of the day.

Brian shuddered when he thought of it, they could have been caught up in that.

They splashed water on a couple washcloths, faces rinsed off, food in their bellies, and everything packed up again and they were off.

As they rode the rest of the way down the mountain, Brian could see for miles across the land, it didn’t look any different now then when they came up to visit his grandparents by car. Maybe the air smelled a bit better or maybe that it was so clear this morning, but it wasn’t bad up here anyway, fresh mountain air. He always hated going back down to where they lived in Mountain Home to all the smells. Then you get used to it and don’t notice it again until you leave it and come back.

The cut off was coming up; there was no one else in sight, but it was still early, so no other bikes out or horseback riders. Another 45 minutes and they were coming up to the railroad crossing just before you come back to highway 95. It still seemed so strange to not see cars and trucks coming and going. They made the turn left back onto U.S. 95 and headed for Winchester Grade, but first two small towns to skim past; at least they didn’t have to go through them. Ferdinand was normally a sleepy tiny town, so he didn’t really expect any trouble there; he kept an ongoing prayer for that anyway as he rode down the road.

Cottonwood came and went with no problem, these were farming and ranching communities with hard working people that lived in the area. Brian didn’t think they would have trouble with going by them, but you really never know. The ride was going pretty good up here on this high plain. To the left and right were field after field of wheat, Canola seed called rape, hay fields all ready harvested, thank goodness. Else it’s back to the old way again, all by horse if the gas run machinery won’t run again. How many farmers still have the horse drawn equipment, not many I bet. A lot of it is just sitting around as giant lawn ornaments. They buzzed through Ferdinand, no movement there, but even when they went by car he never saw any people so nothing was different.

Barb looked back at the group, “hey how about some lunch, I’m famished.”

“Same here,” said Henry, “I could eat a horse.”

That brought a laugh from them all and they all concurred, they were all hungry. They pulled over to the side of the road, and went into the grass. They decided on a hot lunch of canned ravioli, stew and crackers.

Brain packed the cans back up after wiping them out with grass the best he could. Henry was looking at him real funny.

“I have to ask Brain why are you saving the cans?”

“Well Henry as I see it these will and can be used for many things, and if things never get back to the way they were we will be able to use these for various things around the farm, cut out the bottoms and hang on fences to help scare away deer, cut open and flatten them to cover things with the metal, even if it’s covering something with them. If we just throw then out they will rust and be good for nothing, and as far as carrying them with us now. At least there lighter to carry once they are empty, and as far as space goes, were not all that far from my grandparents place now, so we won’t be hauling them far.”

Henry looked at Brain with what Brain thought was another shock.

“I just hadn’t thought about the things we may not be able to get anymore Brian, just think about all we used that was plastic that can’t be replaced, wow!”

“You’ve got that right Henry, once some things are gone or broken that’s it, no replacement.”

Henry walked back to his bike shaking his head after he helped to police the area; Brian thought he heard Henry mumbling a bit to.

The afternoon seemed cooler today to Lysbeth, seemed like this year was much cooler then the past years all across the Northwest, she didn’t know what the rest of the country was like. The news only seemed fixated on a few things and you didn’t seem to get a good cross section of the news in the paper or on TV, she didn’t know why. Seemed like the real important things were glossed over. Looks like that has taken care of itself, there won’t be to much news now except for people that had short wave or ham radio’s and they had been in faraday cages or in shelters and basements. Going to be a quiet world now.
Craigmont was coming up soon, another very small town they would just go past, it would be on their right.

Brian told them all, “be careful now were very close to housing on the right, the highway is almost in their back yards.”

As they neared the edges of Craigmont they heard a few shots, and saw smoke start to ascend into the sky, but it was further back about a half a mile in the middle of the town.

“Looks like it’s another fast ride past doesn’t it,” said Beulah.

“Sure does,” Brian replied as he looked around, “we’ll keep the kids in the middle same as last time, Gil you ride that bike just as fast as you can, can you do that?”

His big Blue eyes looked up into Brian’s face, “I sure can uncle Brian I’ll go fast as lightening.”

“That’s my boy, I bet you will outride all of us,” with that Brian gave the nod and told everyone to get going and they took off and speeded up to Gil’s pace to get past the town.

All they needed was two or three minutes, that’s all and they would be past. It wasn’t a long time but it seemed like an eternity. More and more gun fire could be heard, and Brian glanced over to see some men running down a street to a couple of the houses and then one of the men go down. Looked like a battle had begun in earnest. All he hoped was that the good guys won. But he knew it didn’t always turn out that way.

Karen had started to whimper behind him, “Karen it’s ok sweet heart, we will be past here in a few seconds just take deep breaths for uncle Brian ok, and why don’t you sing me a song.”

Karen hiccupped a couple of times and began to sing, “If I Was A Mocking Bird,” which Brian thought was an awful hard song for a little one, but she seemed to know it well.

As they got further down the road and away from Craigmont, Brian called for a slow down, then when they were down and over a couple more hills, he called a rest break.

Now for my heart to come down out of my throat was his thought.

Henry said, “no one seems to following us, so I guess were in the clear.”

Henry was taking his job seriously. After 10 minutes it was back on the road again.

Not far down the road was the Cadillac Café and gas station, and as they came up the small hill before the Café Brian could see the large pink Cadillac up on the beam well above the store/gas station. Right before it was also a turn off you could take to the ranches, a few homes, the Park with the lake, and another way into Winchester. Winchester was nestled in the tress and a more mountainous area, and was off the beaten path.

Things looked ok at the café, there were about six cars there, which seemed strange, and when you went past there usually might be one or two with a pickup being one of them. The place had been for sale for a year now. The owner lived in a newer manufactured home he had pulled in, in the back behind the store/café/gas station. There looked like there was a man standing by one of the gas pumps but Brian couldn’t be for sure from where they were. Something nagged at him, “something’s not right, we have to stop and make our way around. Now we have to stop now!”

But it was too late a man stepped out from behind a tree to the left of the highway and another from behind the gas pump to the left. The one on the right got a nasty grin on his face, “ok folks off your bikes and walk them to the café.”

All Brian could think was, stupid, stupid, caught by old-fashioned highway robbers. At least he hoped that’s all they were.

The man on their right was dressed in desert camo, his cap was pulled down so you could hardly see his eyes, he was about 35, with a two to three week old beard, brown, greasy hair, and looked like he needed a hair cut about two months ago. His friend didn’t look much better; he was in blue jeans with green army jacket and cap. He had black hair but it looked like he had a very close haircut, almost shaved, and a beard he must have had before the bombs dropped. His eyes flashed in all directions making sure there was no one else anywhere around, he nodded at his friend as he walked them past.

“Set your bikes up to the left there beside the café, and then head into the café,” the man said as he pointed his gun toward the café door. Brian got off and unstraped Karen from her seat at the back of his bike.

When they had all stepped inside the café, they discovered another man leaning against the counter at the back of the store/café, he was guarding five other people. He glanced over at them as they came in and began to straighten up as he noticed his comrade step through the door at the back of everyone.
This one was also in blue jeans with a camo hunting type jacket with several pockets in it and brown boots, he held what looked like to Brian a M16.

“I see you brought us some fresh meat,” he said to the one at the back Brian really didn’t like the way the guy said “fresh meat.”

Brian looked around and he didn’t see Mr. Dale who owned and ran the place in among the other prisoners that were sitting in either one of the two booths. He hoped Mr. Dale had just left or something, but he really didn’t think Mr. Dale would take off and leave his place to looters.

“Kit it looks like stocks are pretty good now ain’t they,” the one by the counter said. Brian was beginning to get a very bad feeling about all this and Kit hadn’t even attempted to have them open their backpacks or anything to see what they had.

“George would you shut that big mouth of yours,” the one called Kit said gruffly to his friend George.

Brian looked over at the others who were sitting at the booths, their eyes told him everything he needed to know. He knew no matter what, they needed to get out of here or they wouldn’t be alive long.

Kit glanced over him and the kids, but the scum’s eyes stopped a bit to long on Barb Lysbeth, and his mom Beulah. George’s eyes were doing a bit of roaming also, and his eye’s reminded Brian of something deadly, it gave him the creeps just looking at the man.

Kit said, “All of you new ones take off your packs, knives, and guns, canteens too and sit them to the right of the door and then get over behind the booths and sit down on the floor. Brian, Beulah and Barb had their canteens fastened to the belts. Karen was beginning to whimper, she was scared of these men.
They reminded her of the men who killed her mommy and daddy.

“Shut that brat up or she won’t make noise long,” Kit told Brian. Brian had been holding her this whole time.

Brian looked down at Karen, “it’s ok Karen just quiet down ok and we will get out of this as soon as we can”
“Sniffle, sniffle, ok Uncle Brian.”

She buried her face in his shoulder after they sat down and a few minutes later she was sound asleep.

Beulah’s mind was racing, what were they going to do, she wasn’t going to be a slave for anyone, she knew being older they would just use her and throw her away, she felt her mind slipping away like she did the first few days of this nightmare.

Brian saw his moms eyes begin to glaze over, “No oh no, I can’t loose her again now, we need her to much.”

Brian scooted over to where he could deliver a hard swift kick to her thigh.

“AAAAAAAAAAAHH Beulah yelled, Brian why did you kick me?”

George and Kit just looked over and laughed, but then Kit said, “I don’t care what you do to each other just keep it quiet or I will make sure of the quiet, remember that.”

Kit then walked over to where they had set down their guns and moved them to the other side of the door to the left and walked back outside.

Tears were running down Beulah’s face, and Lysbeth and Barb were hissing at Brian and asking him, what in the world he thought he was doing kicking his mother?”

The kids were in shock at seeing this and just got quieter, but Beulah’s screaming had woken Karen.

Brian patted Karen and told her, “Everything’s ok,” she then settled back down and her eyes began to droop again. The other women’s eyes were like daggers as Brian looked up at them after settleling Karen back down.

Beulah was settled back down herself and was rubbing her leg, “Brian I want an answer why did you kick me?”

“I’m sorry mom I had to, you had that same look in your eyes the day you acted like all was ok and forgot our problems and started to let the water out of the bathtubs. I didn’t know what else to do, talking to you sure, but I didn’t have time for that and they may not have let us have a good long talk. Beulah looked at her son and realized she had been losing it; she hung her head and said, “You’re right Brian I did feel myself slipping, like I was going into a soft dark place. You were right to do something I would have been no good to any of you like that.”

Both Barb and Lysbeth looked at her like “NO WAY” they had not seen her like that through all the hardships they had been through so far, Beulah seemed so self-reliant. But they had both wondered why Brian took the lead so much, they had figured she had taught him to be forceful and make decisions. That he had a sixth sense for this sort of thing. That made them both stop to think what jumping to conclusions can do. They were sitting next to each other and began to whisper back and forth. They decided they would watch for these signs in Beulah also, to make sure she stayed with them in mind as well as body so she could help with whatever was needed when the time came.

After a couple of hours went by both Gil and Karen, who had awakened again needed to use the restrooms. Brian thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea if he had a restroom break either, most everyone must be in the same condition by now he thought.

Beulah spoke up before Brian could get the words out, “excuse me sir, I think most of us need a restroom break and I know the children do, would it be ok if you or one of your friends escorted us to the restroom?”

George picked a whistle out of his pocket and blew on it. A few minutes later Mr. gas pump came strolling in.

“What’s the problem George?”

“They need a bathroom break Pike. I suppose they all do by now, the old one and the new.”

Pike had an ugly look on his face, “what do we look like babysitters, ah I guess so, I’ll take two at a time starting with the kids, it’s better then having to clean that kind of thing up.”

Pike turned and walked over to them, “ok, two at a time like I said. Pick the first two and get with it, come on. Oh and don’t flush it, that’s for the last person to go to do.”

Karen was scared so she took Bea’s hand, Bea looked up at the man and asked where the bathroom was, he raised his left hand and pointed to the back left of the room behind a rack of VCR tapes in the corner. He walked behind them all the way and then stood in front of the door until they came out, they didn’t have to worry about escape from the bathroom, no windows and he made sure the door was ajar because it was so dark in the restroom with no lighting. There was a bucket of water sitting beside the toilet for flushing the toilet.

After the newbies with the brats were all finished, Pike had the others take their turns. This was really the first time Brian had really got a good look at the other captives; he wondered why they held them here instead of say in the home out back. He had looked at them when he had first come in but not gotten a good look at them. There were two couples and a single man, the couples were both in there 60’s and the single man about 40 to 45 Brian guessed. The man looked more like a man that sat at a desk all day and was about 60 lbs or better over weight even with taking in less food these days. He huffed when he walked and had a pasty look to his face, he didn’t look well at all.

As the overweight man was walking back he grabbed his right arm and then his chest and fell to the floor groaning. The other man beside him bent down to see to his fellow captive.

George and Pike watched the scene; George had a smirk on his face. Pike walked over and looked down, “get away from him he will live or die on his own.”
“But I can help if need be, I have had some medical training.”

Pike pushed the kneeling man over with his foot, “I said get away from him and I mean it, go take your place, NOW.” He put the barrel of his rifle to the mans head and the man scooted over and got up and went to his part of the booth where his wife sat scared out of her wits for her husband.

“Oh Frank why did you talk back to him, you know what they can do?”

Frank patted his wife’s hand, “Betty I do know but I have to do what I think is right even in this mess, I wouldn’t be any kind of man if I didn’t.”

She leaned on his shoulder and told him she loved him no matter what, just please be careful. The man on the floor whose name is Ernie continued to groan for awhile and then he made less and less noise, it didn’t take long for him to stop moving altogether.

Brian knew the man was dead, no one needed to tell him, the women looked at each other and nodded, they knew to.

Pike had stayed in watching to see what would happen and when Ernie stopped moving after a few minutes, Pike took Ernie’s feet and drug him to the back to the kitchen of the café. George kept careful watch on the rest of the prisoners. No one said anything, after all what was there for them to say. Pike walked back out and continued going outside, he gave George a small nod as he went past.

Brian was sitting right behind the booth behind Frank, he looked up at the back of the mans head, “Frank he whispered, Frank what’s the other couple names?”

Brian could barely hear Frank, Frank had turned his head like he was laying his head on his wives shoulder.

“Les and Flo, their from Winchester, we’re from Culdesac down Winchester Grade.” Then Brian didn’t hear another word as George looked over there way again.

By then everyone was done with the restrooms and the children were hungry, come to think of it thought Brian so am I. How can I be with all this happening and a man dying a few feet from me just a short time ago, what does that say about me he wondered.

“Everyone as hungry as I am,” asked Lysbeth.

Yes they all were, Beulah stood up, Brian was shocked at his mother, she had never put herself forward before. George was looking at her and Brian can’t say it was something he liked to see.

“What is it now lady?”

George hiked his gun a little and pointed it towards her.

“We’re all pretty hungry, were you planning on feeding us or having us feed ourselves from our food?”

George took the whistle back out of his jacket pocket and blew what code they had set up, but Brian noticed it was three short blasts. A few minute’s later Pike came back in.

“What in the world is going on George I just got back outside, this is more trouble then its worth,” he grumbled.

“Their all hungry this time.”

Pike looked exasperated, he looked over at Brian then Henry, “ok you two boys come over here to your packs and get some food out for all of you, last thing we need is a bunch of crying hungry carpet crawlers.”

Brian told Henry, “come on lets do it before they change their minds.”

They went over to their packs trying to not do anything that would make the men suspicious of their moves. Meanwhile Pike had George pick one of the older people to get the rest of them all some food from the store part of the café. He picked Les, Les wasn’t in the same shape as Frank, he had a harder time moving and bending. George was beginning to get upset with how slow Les moved, when Les finally made his decision on the foods and brought them back to the table. Brian and Henry brought back MRE packets, utensils and a couple of canteens. They set in eating without any talking.

Outside the sun was setting; Brian thought it had to be about 6 PM. Pike was still inside and soon they were joined by Kit, he guessed they figured there was no sense in waiting to jump people at this time of night, if anyone was traveling they would be camping by now. All three of the men grabbed some canned spaghetti and chips, opened the cans and began to eat. Pike told Les to get the two Coleman lanterns lit pronto, one was on the counter and one sitting on the table at the first booth where no one sat now.

Les moved slowly like he was in pain but got them lit without too much trouble. Flo, his wife just sat at the booth with a strange look on her face and watched her husband go about his task like he had getting the food.

Brian could see the thoughts going through the minds of the three scumbags as they looked over the women as they ate, and he didn’t like what he saw one bit. When the three finished eating they just threw their cans down on the floor. Brian hadn’t really noticed this before but there were several cans and other trash already on the floor kicked over to different places. Then the three started to confer and kept glancing over to the women. They were so busy and they felt so safe they didn’t notice the face pop up and then down behind them in the window at the other side of the café.

Beulah gasped and then covered it up with a cough. The three-sleaze balls looked her way and she continued to cough like she had swallowed wrong. She took a drink from a canteen like she was trying to ease her cough. The men went back to talking in low voices and a brief argument started between Kit and Pike. Beulah caught Brian’s eye and then looked over at the opposite windows. Brian looked at this and that and then at the windows, he continued his look around and came back to his mom and gave her a slight nod. For some reason the men had been so sure of things they hadn’t made sure none of there prisoners had things like pocket knives. Brian had been pretending to scratch his right leg, but in the process he had slowly unzipped the pocket he held a few things in and had managed to get his pocketknife out of it and had it in the palm of his hand. He leaned towards Henry like he was trying to put Karen on a different spot on his lap and hid putting the knife beside Henry more or less under his pants leg. He looked over Henry’s way and looked down, Henry caught his eye and moved to get in a better position and palmed the knife. The next one to get the knife was Barb and then onto Beulah. Barb had a look of surprise then she looked up at the ceiling, it had just come to her she also had a pocketknife in her right hip pocket. Henry also had one and he passed it down the line to Lysbeth.

Pike didn’t look any to happy but Kit was their leader, he had been the one to come up with this idea in the first place and he conceded to him, so Kit got first choice. Kit being the oldest at 38 didn’t like girls he liked women. Some men at his age like Pike, always liked the younger girls, it was like he had never grown up from his high school days. Kit walked over and stood about five feet from Beulah.

Kit looked into her eyes, “all right sweet thing get up your coming with me.”

Beulah just sat there and stared at him. She decided she wasn’t going to go extremely easy to make it look good. The pocketknife was now in her pocket and it was laying crossways, she had to be careful because it was open. Brian acted like he was going to get up he sat little Karen off his lap. Kit took his 44 out of it’s holster and pointed at him, “don’t even think about it boy, now little lady you get up or I put a bullet in this boy.”

Beulah got up slowly and started to hang her head, Kit grabbed her right arm and hauled her the rest of the way up and started to haul her towards the back of the café and through the kitchen. Then they went out the back door, they were headed for the house out back. Meanwhile Beulah had been slowly getting the knife out of her pocket and now had it in her hand. Beulah started to pull back and Kit started to pull harder and was about to punch her when she went forward and head butted him in the face and reached up and stuck the pocket knife in Kit’s throat right under his chin while he was still stunned. Kit stopped and was gagging and trying to pull the knife from his throat. Just then a dark figure slammed into Kit and knocked him to the ground. But it didn’t matter Kit was still gagging and being knocked to the ground didn’t seem to bother him too much. But the figure didn’t care his bowie knife finished Kit off, the figure slit what was left of Kit’s throat. Beulah just stood there watching the man slit Kit’s throat and then stand up and then flung herself into his arms.

“Oh Kurt, Kurt how, why, it’s so good to see you.”

She clung to him and cried for a few minutes, “now what do we do, how do we get the other two?”

Kurt hugged her to him and took a deep breath of her hair. They just stood there for awhile. But Kurt was also enjoying this as well as thinking about what to do as fast as he could. He pulled her away and tried to see her in the dark, luckily it was a moonless night, but it sure made it hard to see when you wanted to.
“Here I thought I was rescuing you and you pretty much take this guy out, but we’ll talk about that later, ok all I can think of Beulah is to wait about 20 more minutes, then you go in and tell one of the others that, what’s this guys name?”

“It’s Kit, his names is, or rather was Kit.”

Beulah was still amazed to find Kurt standing in front of her.

“All right you’re going to go in and tell the next one that Kit said he needs to talk to him pronto and bring his woman with him. I want you to act meek and like your spirit is broken here we better mess you up a bit.”

They pulled her shirttails out of her jeans, and Kurt put his hands in her hair and messed up her hair, and smeared her face with a bit of dirt, with her smiling the whole time about it. He looked down into her face and though dimly, he saw that she was smiling.

“What’s so funny?”

“This is the first time a man has insisted I mess up my hair and helped with it,” she said with a wide grin.

Of coarse this brought a big smile to his face. After he was done helping to mess her up, he went over and picked up her pocket knife, cleaned it off on Kit and then doing the same with his bowie knife, he then walked back over to her and handed her knife back to her. He noticed she opened it back up because he had closed it after he cleaned it, then she put it back in her right hand pocket. He figured she wanted it ready and that she must have done the same thing before she rammed it into Kit’s throat earlier. He thought about 20 minutes should have passed by now, but they waited a few more minutes just in case. Kurt drug Kits body around the corner of the manufactured home and then roughed up the ground where he had drug Kit. They just stood there holding hands and not saying much.

Beulah started taking deep breaths, this seemed much worse then it had earlier to her.

“Ok here goes, and she let go of his hand and started inside the back kitchen door.”

“Remember Beulah you’re not alone, I’m out here waiting,” Beulah turned her head in Kurt’s direction and watched Kurt slip into the deeper darkness. She took another deep breath and went through the door; her head down as she went inside she shuffled through the kitchen, when George and Pike saw her they became more alert.

She kind of sniffled as she talked, “Kit, sniffle, said it was Pike’s turn, sniffle, and that he would be inside to help guard in a few minutes, sniffle.” She then shuffled back over to the others and started to sit down. As she sat down she leaned toward Barb and Lysbeth.

“I hope your knives are open, be ready.”

She didn’t dare say much more. Both of the girls tried not to react to what she had said. But both of them had not opened their knives, they hadn’t thought about how fast they may need them ahead of time. So to cover this they all started to scoot around and change positions. Lysbeth wasn’t real familiar with pocketknives and couldn’t get hers open. They were wondering just what went on for Beulah to be like this when she looked like she had been attacked. Brian couldn’t understand why his mom didn’t seem more upset then she was. He hoped what he was thinking happened, outside, did happen.

Pike with that awful grin on his face strolled over and looked down at Lysbeth, “your turn babe, you and me are gonna have some fun, time to get used to a real man.”

Lysbeth looked around then back at him, “and just where is this real man, maybe the real man is standing over there at the counter?”

“Your gonna pay for that wise crack girlie, now get up.”

George grinned at her remark because he was sure her statement was true. Pike who had his pistol out and aimed at her, and cocked it.

“You get up and get up now, you’re mine and gonna stay mine until I get tired of you and that’s the way it’s gonna be in this new world. Men the likes of us are gonna rule, the ones that should have been all along, now get up.”

End chapter 8

[sarawolf]

Chapter 9
Gotcha


Lysbeth started to get a scared look on her face and her bottom lip started to quiver, she began to raise, with her head down and to the side, she winked at Brian and Henry who were still sitting side by side, with very glum looks on their faces. As Lysbeth stood up and took a step towards Pike she acted like she was going to stumble, he grabbed her right arm and kept her from falling, he thought.

“See I’m a gentleman in my own way, treat me nice babe and I will treat you the same way.”

He then took her hand and led her out towards the kitchen and through it. As that was happening George leered at Barb from across the room knowing his turn wasn’t far away.

Pike and Lysbeth went out the back door, him pulling her the whole way.

“Why make this so hard babe?”

Lysbeth was trying hard to think, this was happening so fast, what could she do to delay things, she sure wished she had been able to get that knife open. All of a sudden out of the darkness a voice came, “going somewhere scum.”

Pike dropped Lysbeth’s hand and whirled around.

“Who said that?”

Lysbeth took the moment when he dropped her hand to get the knife out of her pocket and again tried to open it. She got it open and was about to stab Pike with it when a figure ran out of the darkness from the left and slid something across Pike’s throat. Pike made a gurgling sound and dropped to his knees. Someone then grabbed her and pulled her to him, “you all right child?”

There she stood against his chest with her little knife she had been given still in her hand, dumb founded. The voice sounded a little familiar, she looked up and he looked a bit familiar but it was hard to see him clearly in the dark or maybe she was just in shock.

“Who are you, you sound like someone I have met.”

“It’s me Lysbeth, Kurt Howell do you remember me?”

“Yes I do, how did you get here, oh never mind, we need to figure out how to get the others loose and away from that last scum bag. I was amazed to see Beulah as calm as she was, apparently the scum didn’t think about it, so is the other one taken out too?”

“Yes Lysbeth he’s dead and laying around the corner, but Beulah pretty well took care of him before I even got to him.”

This surprised her after what had happened in the café earlier, she guessed that swift kick Brian gave her had really done the trick after all. He looked down at her, “we need to figure out what we can do to do to get that last one, wait Kit was about my size, I have an idea. He is going to start wondering why that first one Kit isn’t in soon.”

In fact Kurt was right, George was beginning to get antsy he thought Kit should have been back in by now.

Kurt went over to where he had drug Kit’s body and slipped off Kits jacket, there wasn’t that much blood on it because it had been open when the pocketknife had stabbed him and when Kurt’s own knife had slid across the man’s throat, anyway with the shadows even in the Café they wouldn’t be noticed. He picked up the cap and replaced his with Kit’s. He wasn’t about to put Kits pants on as Kit had soiled them in death. The jacket and cap would just have to do. In the lantern light the shadows should help disguise that also. Good thing Kit didn’t have a full grown beard that would have been to hard to come up with, like Kit, Kurt had a bit of growth on his face.

“Lysbeth you get Pike’s 44 and stick it behind you back, then in about 30 seconds after I go in I want you to come running in the back door screaming, you got that just count to thirty and come a running screaming your young head off, oh and what’s this other guys name?”

“His name is George and I got it, come in screaming as loud as I can and acting freaked out,” she now had a smile on her face, and was so glad this was almost over. This had taken entirely to much time out of their trip to her new home and the thought of rape and death hadn’t help much either. She then went over and stood to the right of the door so she would be ready to go in.

Kurt stood at the door for a moment gathering himself, tying to think like a scum, cocky and sure of himself. He threw open the door and walked in quickly like he had a purpose. He had the cap cocked down over his face as much as he could and still see. Kurt walked across the kitchen and was almost to the counter where George stood, when from behind him Lysbeth threw open the door running in, screaming and yelling with all her might. Kurt whirled around like he was Kit and went for his pistol; George at the same time was walking closer to Kit and was raising his rifle. But after George saw it was Lysbeth and she was freaking out, he started to smile because he thought she had gotten away from Pike and he would be coming in that door anytime to retrieve her. Then George could give Pike a hard time about the girl being able to get away from him.

Just then somebody slammed into Georges back and Kurt’s. Kurt was trying to get out “wait, wait, I’m not Kit.” Kurt turned his head to see an old man sitting on Georges back as he was trying to explain who he was, that’s when Brain got a look at Kurt and pulled the pocket knife away from Kurt’s throat. His mom had gotten the knife back to him just a few minutes ago. Henry was standing behind then and reached over and grabbed a frying pan and handed it to Les, Les then proceeded to slam the said frying pan onto George’s head and knocked George out cold.

Everyone took a moment to take a deep breath, and then Brian let Kurt up off the floor. Kurt took off the cap and the scumbag’s jacket only to happy to be rid of them.

“How’s everyone, is everyone all right,” Kurt looked around and everyone seemed to look ok to him. Man Brian that was some tackle.

“Were all fine Kurt, it’s sure great to see you.”

Brian then looked over at Les, “and you, you old faker, moving around like you were in horrible pain and could hardly get where you were going, that was great.”

Les looked very proud of himself, “there’s more then one way to skin a cat son. If those around you think you’re one way especially if you’re on the old side, I say keep working it.”

Frank came over to the kitchen he wanted to know where the other two were and if they should expect more trouble coming though the door.

Kurt with a smile on his face said, “not in this life time, there about to meet their maker I bet.”

Les looked down at the man he still sat on, “what do we do with this scum anyway, we can’t let him go you know, he will just team up with someone else and do the same thing or worse. They killed Mr. Dale the owner you know, we were here when they killed him. All five of us were here when these scum bags walked in and took over and Mr. Dale tried to stop them. No way this one should live either.”

Kurt who was now devoid of the extra clothes watched the faces of those around him.

“Well I guess it’s not up to me, I helped take out the other two, well one anyway, that got a strange look from the others. But I say it’s up to those who where here and saw the deed done to carry out the execution.”

Frank and Les both nodded their heads yes and then Les freed George of his pistol and Frank picked up the rifle.

Kurt motioned outside and said, “you will find the rest of the guns out there. Pike is still lying on the ground out there by the back door and the other one Kit is behind the house.”

Pike’s rifle was still sitting by the counter not far from where George was standing a few minutes ago. Flo went over and picked it up and acted like she knew how to handle it.

Frank was grinning at her, he turned towards the others, “she’s a better shot them I am folks.” He turned back to his wife, “looks like were gonna get back home after all ma and were going to unpack that gun collection of yours.”

She smiled back at him, “and it’s about time to father, I sure am tired of this place.”

George started to groan, Les still sitting on top of the dirt ball decided it was time to move, he wanted this over with so he could get home to his own bed and his wife could fix him a decent meal, he was sick and tired of this cold canned crap.

George came to and his hands went to his head, he looked over to see the prisoners standing over him with his and the other two men’s guns. Beside them was a strange man and he didn’t see Kit anywhere.

“Where’s Kit, what have you done with him, he was just here before someone knocked me out?”

Kurt was having a good time with this, “that wasn’t your friend Kit, your friend’s Kit and Pike won’t be bothering anyone anymore. That was me in Kit’s clothes, and where do you get off demanding anything after killing the owner of this place and holding these people prisoners, plus trying to take advantage of these women. Well I will tell you one thing it’s their turn to decide what to do with you and I think they have done that.”

George wasn’t looking so confident now and his face went white when he heard his friends were dead and no one was coming to his rescue.

Les backed up, “now up you scum were going to put you where you belong, there’s no law around to take you to so I guess it’s time for us citizens to take matters into our own hands.”

George moaned and groaned as he got up and Frank came forward after his wife gave him Pike’s rifle and he and Les prodded George forward through the door.

Les looked around, I don’t want to spoil a good wall, he looked around, over there scum, head that way I think there’s a nice big pine over that way. Les watched George’s eyes, and saw that George was about to make a break for it in the dark, “don’t even think it scumbag, take one step in a different direction and you won’t even get to that tree. Well you may come to think of it, but you won’t like it, a few selective holes in you here and there would make the walking a mite harder for you.”

George trudged on ahead head hanging, he knew he was a goner no matter what, what did it matter anyway now; his dreams and those of his friends were gone. He found a tree in fact he almost walked into it in the dark, it looked like the old man knew the place pretty good after all. George turned and snarled at the two old men and the people behind them, but didn’t get to snarl long, two bullets in his brain cut that short.

The people turned and headed back to the café, it was such a relief to feel safe again. Bea at eleven was left with the other children, the gunshot had scared them and they jumped when people started to come back in the door. Beulah went to them and told them, it’s over they were all safe now.

The children started to cry except for Timothy at ten he thought he was getting to old for that sort of thing, at least until Barb came over and put her arm around him. He then turned into her and cried his heart out. When the children were settled down, Beulah had them help get they’re sleeping bags and bring them in so they could go to sleep. Henry thought no way he could go to sleep, but was within five minutes of lying down, out cold.

The guard duty was light for everyone that night with so many to help, so they did three-hour shifts until dawn. Before dawn Kurt and Brian drug Ernie’s body outside after everyone else got up, they would have a short service for the man they didn’t know. Brian told Kurt what had gone on that afternoon and what had happened to Ernie.

“His family will never know what happened to him sad to say, it’s going to be and is that way for so many now,” Kurt said.

Brian looked into Kurt’s eyes, “I know just how that is Kurt, we have no idea what happened to my dad, but I can’t say he was a good man, I love him because he’s my dad, but he is or was a real butt head.”

Then Kurt took Brian’s arm and they headed for their walk around the front of the café. When they got to the front, Kurt had them split and each go back in opposite directions with Kurt continuing around the manufactured home and meeting again in a few minutes. Kurt tried to do things different each time they met until the sun began to peek over the mountains. Then they headed back in to wake anyone that needed to be so they could get on with their day. As they all were getting ready to go there separate ways, after saying a few words over Ernie, they made sure there was always someone watching out the windows for any more trouble. The children were dressed warm, as were the rest of them, the older couple’s went to their cars and took out what they could carry. They all carried winter kits in their cars and blankets, so with coats and a blanket wrapped around each of the ladies, and Frank and Les using theirs to haul food and other things in and then tied over their heads and one shoulder, they waved good bye to each other. Les and Flo were headed to the west on the road that led away from the café, it was the back way into Winchester, they lived about a half-mile outside of the small town. Les figured they would be home in three to four hours. Everyone watched as Les and Flo got on their way and then turned to go back over to the road and head down towards Winchester Grade.

Kurt hated to leave the older couple behind. The older couple said that was fine they would make it home now just fine and it was a much better walk having to go down hill then if they had to go up instead.

They waved goodbye to the young people and the children and wished them luck and Gods Blessing’s on getting home, and then watched the young people head off in front of them.

To Brian it was so good to be on there way again. He and the rest of them could do without any more delays like that one, if this kept up he felt like he would be gray before he was twenty. Even though it was just coasting down this long grade they had to make sure they didn’t go so fast that the children felt like it was so fast they were going out of control. It didn’t take all that long, 25 minutes and they were at the bottom of the Grade and headed past Culdesac. The small town was on their right and so far it looked like no one had burned anything, just clean mountain air like filled the day. Must be another community that was taking care of each other instead of tearing each other apart, well for now anyway.

Brian sure hoped it stayed that way. He knew there were more good people then bad, and as long as the good were left alone they would see to each other’s welfare. Down past the grain elevator on the right and the little café on the left. The next half-mile was different buildings, homes and the Little League Field; this place never looked so good thought Brian. Another eight miles would find then in Lapwai, he was somewhat afraid of what he would find there, it was a poor Nez Perce Indian town and the people didn’t have much. He hoped the good people of the town had prevailed there also and they wouldn’t have any trouble getting through. An hour later they were entering Lapwai, the children were doing real well and they figured they would stop for a break a couple miles out of Lapwai, this part of the highway had quite a few homes along it.

So far so good, Kurt had taken lead, Beulah next then Henry riding beside Bea and Gil with Timothy and Brian with Karen, and then Lysbeth and Barb in the rear. Many people were out in their yards cooking with tents and teepees set up beside their houses for the extra family and friends that had come to stay and help one another. It did look like there had been trouble here, a house here and there burned to the ground. As they went past the store it was scorched but still intact with people coming and going from it, the gas station was closed but there were two guards there watching over things. Kurt waved at the guards as they rode past, the men had been keeping a keen eye on the group of riders but when they realized it was a family and children they calmed down. They even gave a wave back as the group passed. Just regular men like most everyone else; it’s the scumbags that made things hard on everyone.

They stopped two miles down the road for a snack and a bit of a rest for the younger children. Crackers, cheese whiz, dried fruit and fruit rollups with water. Kurt had jerky and so did Brian, Beulah and Barb along with the dried fruit. Lysbeth tried a piece of the jerky, it was the beefsteak not as hard as the regular jerky, and she didn’t think it was half bad. Rested and refreshed they got back on the highway and another mile found them going though Spalding, well you didn’t want to blink, all you could see was about five homes.

They were still on Highway 95 and going across the Clearwater River Bridge, the homes on the banks of the river to the left looked fine from the bridge. They could see a figure outside at one of the homes feeding a horse or two in the back corrals. Brian hoped that going this way will work out, it was the easiest on the children, and the back way would have meant a lot of up hill riding. He hoped they made the right choice; after all they would get plenty of up hill riding when they came to Anatone Grade a 1500 foot or better winding road up the hillsides and the slight incline after that to the mountains where his grandparents lived. It’s around twelve miles into Lewiston now and he felt like holding his breath. It was so close now to getting to their destination yet so far. By car they would be only about an hour and twenty minutes away. If all goes well (cross your fingers) they should be home tonight.

After they crossed the bridge and were down the highway a bit they met others on bikes and horses a few headed into town and a few coming out, sacks and bags hung on their bikes. That was a good sign someone was doing a business of some kind, and you couldn’t do that if the place had gone to Hades in a hand basket.

They finally got to a couple of miles out of Lewiston and on the right were a campground and the casino, past that was a gas station. Well was a gas station is right, it no longer existed and neither did the casino, there wasn’t any thing left but the foundations and scattered debris. The campground had people in it and guards could be seen stationed at different places. In fact it was pretty darn full, with the cars scattered here and there Brian wondered if some of them were the people who found themselves stranded far from home. There were seven campers, one RV type you drive, huge in fact, one of those home away from homes. It must have been there when this all hit, another was a fifth wheel and the rest were pickup campers, they weren’t in the normal spaces so the pickup campers had to have been pushed into the campground. There were tents, and blue tarps being used as tents and cover. Water wasn’t a problem for the campers as right across the highway was the Clearwater River.

On they pedaled until Potlatch, the wood mill and processing plant, came into view as they came around the right hand turn, it was strange to not see steam coming out of the great chimneys and there was hardly any odor at all, that would just be coming from the huge waste lagoons beside the plant. All wasn’t dandy here, oh yes bike traffic and horses all right but here and there on the great hillsides was smoke from burned and burning businesses and homes. Looks like things had gotten out of control not long ago. All Brian and everyone else could do is pray they could get to the other side of town and the river. All of a sudden Kurt called a halt.

“Beulah and Brian come up here we need to talk.”

They pulled over to the side of the road and Barb and Lysbeth help hand out drinks of water from the canteens and have the kids relax for awhile and then they joined the other three to see what was going on. Brian had gotten Karen out of her seat and she had gone to sit on the road bank with the other children. Beulah was talking and Brian cut in once in awhile. It sounded like they were trying to figure out the best way to get where they wanted to go.

“Ok Kurt was saying, so you think it would be best to go around to the right and then take Red Wolf Bridge across the Salmon River and into Clarkston Washington, to not go into Lewiston at all?”

Beulah was giving her opinion and thought it would be best to go that route. But Brian was also doing some thinking as he talked.

“Lets think this out a bit more we have several routes we can take some better then others and that is the good part. The only other safest route I can think of is to continue on 95 and take the bridge up ahead and the over onto the Lewiston bypass, down Snake River Avenue and across the new bridge and then south into Asotin. That way we skirt Lewiston the whole time and don’t really have to go through a big part of any town.”

Brian then stopped talking and looked at Kurt, his mom, Barb, and Lysbeth waiting to hear what they thought.

Barb looked down the highway she really didn’t know this area, “I don’t know these towns or anything else about this area, I’ve never been up here before so I will go along with what you three come to think is the way to go.”

“Same here,” said Lysbeth, “I have never set foot in northern Idaho before, whichever way you three think best, I’ll go along with.”

Kurt had lived up here before; he had worked up here for a construction company for many years before moving further south.

“Man either way could be good or bad, lets see, far less people going around and then over Red Wolf, but then we have to ride through a lot of Clarkston. But then we have about the opposite going by way of the bypass then riding down Snake River Ave. What do you say we ride to where we can go either way and look and see how things are, we can see the bypass from there.

Beulah turned, ‘ok kids time to go again.”

Brian loaded Karen back on the bike, strapped her in and they all got back on the road. In four more miles they found them selves at the turn off. They stopped at the turn off and looked off across the bridge which was only about one eighth of a mile away and then on to the by pass or what they could see before the levees made it so you couldn’t see any more of the road. Everything seemed pretty quiet but it felt like something just wasn’t right, at least to Brian. It was a shame to because that really would have been the best way. Kurt stood there a few more moments and the kids were starting to get antsy when up from under the bridge popped a man with a rifle. He quickly brought it to his shoulder and fired. Brian heard the bullet whiz past his face and Barb who was standing right behind him gave a grunt and fell with her bike to the ground.

“BARBS HIT,” he yelled but the others had heard what happened and whom the bullet had hit. Kurt yelled everyone down, and that wasn’t easy for Brian as little Karen was still strapped in on the back of the bike. Beulah and Lysbeth had gone to Barb crouched over and they heard another shot and the bullet whiz over their heads. The guy whoever he was, was yelling and screaming and they couldn’t understand a thing he was saying.

Kurt was grumbling, “That’s enough of that, pulled his 45 out of it’s holster and took aim and put a bullet in the guys chest and then Kurt’s pistol sounded again and this time they saw a red mark appear in the guys forehead and the shooter fell backwards to the road.

Kurt scrambled over to where the others were to see how Barb was. Beulah and Lysbeth had pulled her away from half under her bike and were turning her over to see where she had been hit. The bullet had grazed her right cheek and then taken a chuck out of her right ear. It was bleeding like crazy but it wasn’t a killing wound, only infection could do that with this one. Kurt was pulling his first aid kit from his backpack and then pulling things out of it to treat Barb with. She sure would have a nice long scar to tell her grandchildren about some day. Beulah had a handkerchief to Barbs face, Beulah had, had it tied around her neck.

Barb was coming to, “OH man that hurts, what happened anyway?”

Beulah was still trying to get the bleeding to stop, “you’ve been shot Barb, just lay here while we get you bandaged up alright.”

“Well I’m certainly not going anywhere at the moment,” and Barb let out a yelp as Beulah dabbed the handkerchief to Barb’s face again.

Kurt had some sterile strips to try and pull the edges of Barbs graze together so the scar wouldn’t be so wide, there wasn’t much they could do about her ear but try to bandage it as best they could.

After Barb was all bandaged Kurt gave her some pain reliever, they waited about 30 minutes until it started to kick in to be on their way again. They made the turn west onto Down River Road for one and three-quarter’s miles until it became Wawawai River Road for a touch over two miles and then a left onto Red Wolf Bridge. After Red Wolf Bridge they crossed Highway 12, then down 15th street through kind of the backside of Clarkston, Washington, it ran slightly up hill and the going got a little slower. They went through a housing area, a few people were out of their houses tending gardens in their front and backyards, but it sure seemed more deserted then usual. Like only half the people still lived here. Soon they were to their turn off to the left onto 128 east, which would take them down to the river and then a turn south to Asotin on Riverside Drive.

Even Beulah felt some excitement as they made the turn towards Asotin. Another five miles and they could make the turn up to Anatone on 129, Anatone Grade. As they were going down Riverside Road they were now about three quarters of the way towards Asotin. Brian looked over to one of the pull offs for the hiking/ bike path and saw Uncle Andrews and uncle Aaron’s vehicles.

“Look mom uncle Andrew’s and Aaron’s cars, I just know those are theirs.”

“Are you sure Brian?”

“I sure am mom, I helped them work on them last summer when I stayed at grandpas. I would know those anywhere.”

Fifteen minutes later they were at the turn off in Asotin. The little town of Asotin also was quiet, but these days with no cars and trucks running on the road, everywhere seemed quiet and unreal. For now quiet meant no gunfire.

Brian didn’t think the full brunt of the problem had hit people yet; they were still waiting for the electric to come back on and food to be trucked in. He knew that most people must be about out of food or already were by this time and they would start to get desperate very soon and begin to turn on their neighbors. Their timing for travel had been pretty much just right, they had hit some rough spots but mostly they had been able to get where they were going. Another two weeks from now may have found a whole different story.

Barb would groan once in awhile, this couldn’t be easy on her, she felt like her face and ear were on fire and that’s with the pain reliever helping. Two hours later they were on the last curve to the top of the Grade. They had decided to stop along the way and have lunch. Brian discovered that the vehicle they ate lunch by was in fact his uncle Titus’s. When he told his mom who the truck belonged too she could hardly believe that her brother Titus hadn’t made it to their parents before things went to heck and gone. Brian looked the truck over and found there wasn’t anything left behind in it, if he knew uncle Titus there must be stuff buried around here somewhere. There was no way he could carry what he wanted to bring on his back, and leaving it sitting in his truck would have been daring someone to break into it.

Beulah was still waiting to hear why Kurt was behind them, he had been a Godsend and so she told him so.

“Kurt we’re still waiting to hear how you came to be behind us, and became our knight in shinning armor to rescue us being mayor and all of your community?”

Kurt turned red in the face and was looking at the ground as he began to speak.
“Well it was about four hours after you left that I came to the decision, I started to get things together that I needed to take, buried some things and donated the rest to the people there. I didn’t have a whole lot anyway just mainly the six months worth of supplies I had accumulated to get me through the winter without having to worry about doing much shopping. Well anyway I let the Vice Mayor know he was now the Mayor, made sure I had everything I would need on the road besides a few other things in my saddle bags, slept through the night and got up at dawn and hit the road.”

Beulah smiled and then said, “well that tells us the facts but doesn’t tell us the why Kurt, why would you leave your home to follow us?”

“Guess I’m caught, I just couldn’t get you off my mind Beulah, there I said it. After all of you left something kept nagging at me, the voice in my head kept telling me to not let you get away. I could get more stuff even with the new conditions in the world, but I couldn’t replace a woman like you.”

Beulah acted a bit shocked, but then she told him.

“ Kurt I really thank you for coming after us and rescuing us, but you know I am married, I know it wasn’t a good marriage, but before I get involved with you or anyone else I think I should wait at least six months to see if my husband Lee shows up, I need to give him at least that.”

Kurt thought a minute about what she had just said.

“Ok I will give you that six months but that doesn’t mean I can’t go on courting you, because I’m going to.”

At that statement Kurt called lunch break over and that it was time to saddle up and get going.

They looked over at the farm on the right as they rounded that last curve, chicken’s were running around and the long horned cattle were still in there section of the field and so were the huge pigs. As they neared the front of the fencing that bordered the road a man stepped out from behind the hog house. Brian couldn’t tell what kind of rifle the man had but at least the farmer wasn’t being stupid. Maybe he had already had some problems, one thing for sure he best get those animals to a backfield. Being out front like this was a whole lot of temptation for someone. Brian knew that school kids were bused up here to see the farm animals but if it were he, he would move them elsewhere.

Kurt gave a wave and then so did everyone else. The farmer lowered the rifle barrel but watched them ride further down the road before stepping back behind the hog house.

Brian’s heart was light as they made their way southwest on 129, the trip had seemed so long. They passed stalled cars here and there but there were never very many on this road.

“There’s grandpas car, Brian yelled out, “it doesn’t look like to many of them made it up here without walking or grandpa making it home. I wonder if we will see Uncle Toms truck somewhere along the road too?”

By four o’clock they were riding through Anatone, that took a whole minute, now they weren’t far from the turn off and the last few miles after that the farm. In at least an hour and a half they should be there.

Brian couldn’t believe how long this last amount of travel time seemed to be, and then as they rounded the corner and went through the canopy of pines, he could see the farm.

The long driveway with the gate at the beginning, then the garage, sheds and barn, the house was down further to the left past the garden area in a grove of mountain maple trees. He was tempted to speed ahead and get there as fast as he could, but he took a few deep breaths to calm down and stay where he was.

They all rode up to the gate and found it was closed but not locked; it always just looked like it was. Grandpa said, why lock it for real when if someone really wanted to get in they could just climb the field fencing and barbwire. Beulah rode up and got off her bike and opened the gate for the rest of them to go through and then closed it after she brought her bike through. As she looked up after she got back on her bike she could see members of her family in the side yard and it looked like a few people she didn’t know.

Tears started to roll down her face, as she had begun to wonder on this trip if they would really make it here. The others were off the bikes and Brian was unfastening little Karen form the back of the bike. The children were just standing by their bikes staring at all the people that were gathering in the yard around them as they made there way down to the house. Brian was giving his grandmother a hug with Karen in between them. They hadn’t even taken off their backpacks yet.

Mike decided that was it, everyone had started to talk at once and Beulah was headed his way now off her bike.

“All right everyone we will do introductions and hear from our returned lost sheep in good order, since it’s a nice day let’s gather up some chairs and blankets to sit on while we talk.”

A few minutes later the group sat in somewhat of a circle, and Mike had everyone introduce themselves and Brian helped the children tell who they were. Kurt was introduced and then they told the story of their trip home and how they had met up with Barb, Lysbeth, the children, and Kurt. Dinner was going to be a bit late tonight; no one wanted to leave from hearing the story of their trip and welcoming them home. Things had just gotten a little more crowded on the farm.

End

[raggeldy]

Good read, Thanks for sharing with us.

[Scott in AK]

another good one.

THANK YOU!

[deathstalkertwo]

Another GREAT story, Thank you so much.