Resurrecting Home Page 17

  She didn’t react, just sat there staring at her dead husband. Stepping up, I poked her shoulder with the muzzle of my rifle. “I said you need to go.”

  She looked up, a wet sneer on her face, but it was her eyes that I noticed. What I saw is hard to describe: rage, hate, maybe terror. “You’re disgusting! You just killed my husband and all you can say to me is that I have to leave? What’s wrong with you? What kind of a person are you?” she shrieked at me.

  I stared at her for a moment. “I don’t know anymore. One thing I’m not, though, is the kind of man that would kill another in front of his children for a can of corn.”

  She looked back at the body of her husband. In a near whisper she said, “It was an accident. It shouldn’t have happened.”

  “You’re right about that. Now get moving before we find out if I’m the kind of guy who would shoot an unarmed woman.” I replied in a monotone, though I certainly didn’t mean it—I just wanted her to go.

  She looked up at me, obviously unsure herself. Taking another look at her husband, she leaned over and kissed his forehead. Rising to her feet, she turned and started down the road toward Altoona. I watched her go until the night consumed her. It was so quiet. I looked up at the stars above, then back down the road. Thad’s voice roused me back to the moment.

  “Morg, let’s go and see if we can find the man he killed,” Thad said, looking down the road. “I can’t bear the thought of a couple of kids sitting out there somewhere with their dead daddy.”

  Thad and I got on the ATVs and headed down the road, each taking a lane. The ATVs moved us along quickly and it wasn’t long before we were at the Pittman Center. It was a cool place. The little cabin was one of the few remaining buildings from the Civilian Conservation Corps days. It sat under a scattered canopy of oak trees right across the road from Lake Dorr. As we edged closer, movement caught my eye. I swung into the lime-rock drive, the headlights illuminating the parking area. The white drive was littered with debris dropped from the trees overhead and the grassy area to the side of the cabin was a tangled mass of choking weeds and untamed grass. Lying at the edge of the mass, faceup and arms spread out as if crucified, was a body.

  Beside this gruesome scene, a woman and her two small children were hunched over, all crying. They appeared to take no notice of our arrival. The woman was holding one of the man’s hands as the two kids clung to her. Stopping the ATV, I stepped off and walked toward her, pausing about twenty feet away. I knelt down in an attempt to be on her level and not appear as a threat.

  “Ma’am?” I said. She didn’t look up but continued to cry.

  “Ma’am, we’re here to help you,” I said as I moved a little closer and turned on my flashlight, shining it on the ground.

  This time she looked up. Her face showed no fear, only anguish. “Help? You can’t fix this. They killed my husband!” She began to sob again. “Over a can of corn,” she said, pounding the ground with her fist.

  “I’m really sorry for your loss, and I can’t imagine what you’re feeling, but you can’t stay here. Can we take you and the kids someplace safe?”

  She looked around into the darkness, then at the kids. “We were trying to find someplace safe. The fire drove us out of our neighborhood. I told him we needed to hide”—she started to sob again—“but he said we’d be okay.”

  “Let us help you out. We can take you away from this, get some food for the kids.”

  She gripped the kids tight to her. A sudden change came over her. “Why? Why do you want to help us? Who are you anyway?”

  “I’m Morgan”—I pointed back to Thad—“and that’s Thad, and we want to help because that’s what people should do in situations like this. Not everyone is a predator.”

  Again she looked at the kids but didn’t answer. I stood up. “I’ll be right back.”

  Thad had been keeping watch over us and the road. I walked back to him. “Hey, can you run back and get the truck, and maybe Mel or one of the other girls, and bring them back. We can’t leave her and the kids here, but she needs to know that she can trust us.”

  Thad looked around. “You gonna be all right here?”

  “For a little while, but just hurry the hell up. I don’t need any more encounters with creeps from the street.”

  Thad nodded. “All right, I’ll be back as fast as I can.”

  “Please do.”

  Thad jumped on the ATV and took off, this time running wide-open. I walked back to the woman and knelt down.

  “We’re bringing a truck. My wife, Mel, will be coming back with Thad as well.” Mentioning Mel seemed to offer a little assurance to her.

  “Mommy, I’m stirsty,” the little boy said.

  “Mom, why don’t you and the kids come over to the cabin. Let’s sit on the steps and I’ll give them a drink of water.”

  She nodded with blank eyes, and I extended a hand to help her to her feet. She held the kids’ hands as we walked over to the cabin. As we walked the little boy said, “My daddy’s dead.”

  My heart broke. This little boy couldn’t have been more than five, his sister probably three. At the steps of the cabin, I pulled out the canteen, spun the top open, and handed it to the little girl first. She took only a small sip from it and handed it to the boy, who gulped from it greedily, water spilling out and running down his chin and onto his Spider-Man shirt.

  “You stay here. I’m going to check this place real quick,” I said to their mother. She didn’t reply as she watched the boy drink from the canteen, just nodded absently.

  Shouldering my carbine, I flipped the weapon light on and stepped onto the porch. The door to the cabin was open and it was obvious people had been living here at various times. In the small store they had sold books and maps, topo maps of the forest. The books were scattered all over the place with pages torn out and strewn about—senseless destruction for no purpose other than the act itself. People amazed me, and suddenly I was hit with a thought: How long would it be before another book was printed? I quickly pushed that depressing thought aside and continued clearing the small cabin. Returning to the front room, I started going through the maps and books that littered the floor. I was surprised to find several of the maps still in usable condition. It appeared someone had lined the floor and slept on them but they were still in remarkably good shape. I thought it odd that they wouldn’t see them as a valuable resource with more uses than just a glorified pillow.

  Rolling up the maps I went back out to the porch. As I walked down the steps she handed me the canteen. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t mention it. Have the kids had anything to eat today?”

  She shook her head. “We were saving the corn: we were going to eat it tonight when those two people showed up. They asked if they could have some, and my husband told them he was sorry but it was for the kids. The man got mad and pulled a gun. He told Lee to give him the can, and Lee said no, and the next thing I knew the man shot him.” She delivered the description in a monotone.

  “I’m really sorry to hear about this. Where are you from?”

  “We lived just outside of Palatka. When the fire started, we had to leave, and we’ve been walking ever since.”

  “What’s your name?” I asked.

  Without looking up she replied, “Kathy.”

  “Well, Kathy, just know you’ll have a place to sleep tonight.”

  We sat there in silence, which was occasionally punctuated by the sound of sobs from Kathy. Soon the sounds of the old Suburban rumbling toward us were clear. It was music to my ears. Presently the truck came into view and Mel and Jess got out along with Thad.

  “Glad to see you guys,” I said, walking up to them.

  “Any trouble?” Thad asked.

  I shook my head. “No, let’s just get them loaded up and get the hell out of here.”

  We walked over to Kathy and her kids. “Kathy, this is my wife, Mel, and this is our friend Jess.”

  Mel knelt down beside her. “Hi, Kathy, let’
s get you someplace safe for the night. We’ve got food for the kids too.”

  Kathy looked up at her but didn’t reply. Jess knelt down as well. “It’s going to be all right. You’ll be safe.”

  As Mel and Jess got Kathy and the kids moving, Thad pulled me off to the side. “Let’s get the body wrapped up so we can bury it.” He had a roll of plastic under his arm.

  I nodded and we went over to the body and laid out the plastic. As respectfully as we could, we rolled the body onto the plastic and wrapped it up. Thad opened the tailgate and we slid the body in. I told Thad to drive the truck and I’d take the ATV back. At the barricade, I pulled up beside the truck. Jeff and Danny were talking to Thad in hushed tones.

  “Take them to my place. We’ve got the room,” Danny said.

  Thad stepped out. “You take them. I’ll stay here with Jeff. It’s our shift anyway.”

  I nodded and followed Danny as he drove the truck down to his place. Mel and Jess helped Kathy get the kids in the house, where Bobbie showed them to the downstairs bedroom. They were offered food, but Kathy politely declined, saying she was tired and just wanted to be with her kids. Jess said she would stay there, sleeping on the sofa just in case Kathy needed anything. As they were getting settled in, I told Danny in hushed tones that I would leave the truck there. We’d have to bury the body in the morning.

  “Both of them,” he said.

  “Oh yeah, I guess so,” I replied, thinking of the other one still lying in the road. “See you in the morning,” I said as I took Mel’s hand and headed for the door.

  Mel and I crossed through the hole in the fence, walking quietly. She asked what had happened and I told her the story. She didn’t say anything while I replayed the events at the barricade and our trip down to the welcome center.

  “Over a can of corn?” she finally said in a near whisper.

  I squeezed her hand. “Yeah, over a can of corn.”

  Chapter 8

  I was up early the next morning to the heavy smell of smoke. It was always worse in the morning, the dew holding the smoke close to the ground. Going outside I could actually see the smoke now as it hung in the trees and moved in wisps through our neighborhood. We were going to have to call Sarge today and deal with the plan for fighting this fire. But first things first. I pulled on my shoes and headed over to Danny’s place.

  On the back porch, I found Jess frying eggs, with Kathy and her kids sitting at one of the tables.

  “Hey, Jess,” I said with a smile. She smiled back and went back to tending her eggs.

  Kathy looked a lot better this morning. Looking up she offered a slight smile. “Good morning. Thank you for what you’ve done.”

  “Don’t mention it, it’s the least we could do,” I replied. I gestured to the pan. “You guys getting some breakfast?”

  Her face brightened a bit. “Yes, scrambled eggs. I can’t remember the last time I had eggs.”

  “These two should like them, I would think.”

  She smiled at the kids. “Oh yes, they’re going to be very happy.”

  “You guys get breakfast down and we’ll sort out where you can stay later today.”

  Kathy looked surprised. “Oh, I don’t want to stay. You’re all very nice, but I want to get to my sister in Eustis. I tried to get Lee to go, but they didn’t get along, but now . . .” She trailed off.

  “I’m sure we can arrange that. We’ll work it out,” I replied.

  While I was talking, Danny came out on the porch and sat down to put his boots on.

  “You guys sleep good?” Danny asked Kathy.

  “Oh yes, it was really nice to sleep in a bed again.”

  Jess fixed three plates and carried them over to the table, setting them out. The kids quickly went to eating. Kathy looked up. “Are you going to eat?”

  “We will in a bit. We usually wait until everyone is here. We prepare all our meals here and eat together,” Jess replied.

  Kathy pulled the plate toward her. “That sounds like a wonderful tradition.”

  I nodded at her, then looked at Danny. “You ready to run to the camp?”

  “Yeah, but we need to unload the truck.” I nodded and looked over at Kathy. “Later today we will have a service for your husband if you want. It’s the least we can do.”

  She looked up. “He’s here?”

  Danny and I both nodded. “We brought him with us last night.”

  She looked back down at her plate and picked at the eggs with a fork. After a moment, without looking up, she replied, “Thank you.”

  Danny and I unloaded the body, putting it in one of the sheds for the current moment. With that unsavory task completed, we headed out in the truck. Tyler, Brandy, and the kids were coming through the gate as we went out. I stopped for a moment to talk to them.

  “Hey, Tyler, can you take a turn on the barricade in a bit?”

  He nodded. “Sure thing. I’ll get down there in a minute.”

  “Thanks, I’ll see if I can get Fred and Aric to come down too.”

  “How’s that woman this morning? Mel told me about it. It’s just awful,” Brandy said, shaking her head.

  “She’s all right, still processing it.” I looked at the kids. “Having these two around will help, give her kids something to do until they head to Eustis.”

  “I’m sure they will,” she replied with a smile.

  “We’ll see you guys later,” I said as I pulled through the gate.

  At the road to the house shared by the girls, Thad and Jeff and I turned off. As I pulled into the driveway, the door opened and Fred and Aric came out.

  “Hey, guys,” Danny said.

  Fred yawned. “Hi.”

  “What are you guys up to?” I asked

  “We’re on the barricade this morning,” Aric replied.

  “Hop in, we’ll give you a ride,” Danny said.

  After getting in, Fred asked, “What happened last night?”

  Danny gave them the elevator version of what happened, and the looks on their faces said it all.

  “You gotta be kidding me. They killed him over a can of corn?” Aric asked.

  “Apparently life is cheap now,” I replied.

  We got out at the barricade to talk with Thad and Jeff. Jeff was lying on the top log of the barricade, like a cat sleeping on top of a TV. Thad was standing out in the road, looking north.

  “It’s getting worse,” Thad said without looking over.

  “We’re going to go up to the camp and see if they can help us,” I replied.

  “I’ll go with you.”

  I looked over at him. “Aren’t you tired?”

  “No, I’m good. Plus, this is more important,” he replied as he turned and walked back toward the truck.

  “All right, then. Tyler is coming down shortly to join you guys. We’ll be back soon,” I said.

  “Good luck, Morgan,” Fred said. “I really hope that with all of us working together, we can fight the fire.”

  As we drove down the road, we passed a number of people walking south. All of them looked woeful—just weary souls slogging down the road.

  As we approached a group of several people a man jumped out in the road gesturing wildly, waving a rifle over his head. I swerved off the right shoulder, only to see the guy raise the rifle.

  Danny screamed, “Gun!” and raised his carbine. He didn’t hesitate and began firing—directly through my windshield. Glass splintered around the cab and the report was deafening, causing me to nearly lose control of the truck. The people on the road scattered, running for cover. I saw the man go down as I tried to regain control of the truck, swerving back onto the road. The truck fishtailed, and there was a sickening bump as we bounced over the man’s body.

  When I looked in the mirror, the body was still rolling in the road. Thad was looking back as well, then he looked at me in the mirror with horror in his eyes.

  “I didn’t mean to, man—that was an accident!” I shouted.

  “Doesn�
�t much matter now, I guess,” he replied.

  Danny was looking back as well. When he turned in his seat I looked at him, then at what was left of the windshield, then back at him. “Dude! The windshield! Really?”

  He looked at me like I was nuts. “What the hell did you want me to do? You were swerving to the right, I couldn’t get a shot. Would you rather he shot at us?”

  “I know, I know why you did it.” I shook my head. “But look at it.”

  “We’re still here, though,” Thad said.

  I drove considerably faster now, not wanting to give anyone the opportunity to fire at us again. As we neared the camp, a string of trucks was pulling out. I stopped beside the lead Hummer, where Ted was behind the wheel.

  “Hey, man,” I said as I stopped.

  Ted was looking at the windshield. “Are those coming in or going out?”

  “Going out.”

  “Getting a little hairy, huh?”

  “Yeah, the road is packed with people. Some of them needed a little persuasion to get out of the way.”

  “I see.” Ted leaned back and shouted up into the turret, “You hear that, Mike?”

  “Yeah, I won’t have to shoot the windshield out, though,” Mike called back.

  “I would hope not. That’d be a hell of a trick from up there.”

  “Where’s Sarge and Sheffield?” I asked.

  “They’re back at the CP. What’s up?”

  “We want to see if they’ll help us with this fire,” Thad replied.

  “Go on in, you got any ideas?” Ted asked.

  “Yeah, it might work,” I said and pointed at Mike. “And he knows how to do it.”

  Ted started laughing. “You’re relying on him to save your place?”

  I nodded. “I think he can do it.” Mike smiled and winked at me.

  Slapping the cab of the truck, Mike shouted, “Told you I was a firefighter!”

  Ted shook his head. “Yeah, well, I always figured you more for one to set fires, not put them out.”

  “I’m good at that too!” Mike shouted.