Chapter 15
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Jane rushed out to meet them as they arrived back. Johnny carried the girl up into the RV and back to the bedroom. The two began the task of dressing her wound.
Jane asked, “You have any other family here in town? Somewhere we can take you? A close neighbor maybe?”
The girl shook her head. “We just moved here three months ago from Montana. I have an aunt and uncle back there.”
Jane sighed as she wiped blood from the girl's arm. “You're welcome to stay with us until we can get you out there to them. I don't think you should go back to your house. And there is no way I'm leaving you with the local sheriff.”
The two dogs jumped up on the bed. The girl half smiled as they moved up to her with their tails wagging.
Jane said, “This is Molly and Derwood. They'll be keeping you company, should you decide to remain with us.”
Vanessa added, “Yeah, you are more than welcome to stay. These are good people and have treated me with nothing but kindness.”
The girl thanked Jane and Vanessa before once again bursting into tears. Johnny left the room, closing the door behind him.
Tres asked, “How is she?”
“Physically, she'll be OK. But she's just been through an emotional meat grinder. And she's got no one this side of the Mississippi to turn to. How are you doing? You just took a life.”
“Shaking in my shoes still.”
Mace said, “If she's staying with us, we should go to her house and bring back clothes. No way we can let her go back there with her family like that.”
Mace grimaced in thought. He wanted badly to punch a wall. The world truly was coming apart at the seams. The crisis was only a week old and for the fourth time in as many days, a group of miscreants had attempted to rob or kill innocent people. Jane had come too late to save the girl's family. Johnny wondered how the girl could possibly recover.
Don came into the RV. “How is she?”
Mace said, “She has a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Physically, it looks like she'll recover.”
“I have some antibiotics if you want them. Strong stuff, but only enough for three or four days.”
Mace followed Don back to the helicopter. The pills were given to Tres to take to Jane.
Mace said, “I don't think we'll make the cave today. It's taking too long.”
“We made the right move by getting out of town. As I said before, we're not picking up any communications anymore. Whatever interference we have going on is intense. The electronics in this bird are well shielded, even so my gauges have been acting flaky. Engine has skipped a beat or two as well. Not something you want when you're a thousand feet up.”
Mace asked, “Have you seen any other planes in the air?”
Don nodded. “At least a dozen, all small, four military. Usually see the high altitude contrails from jetliners. Haven't seen any today. Other than those interstate interchanges, there hasn't been a lot of traffic on the road.”
Mace gestured toward the helicopter. “Fuel still OK? This landing and the runs back and forth have to be taking their toll.”
Don crossed his arms. “We're easily good until we get to Lynchburg. Let's just hope they have accessible fuel.”
Johnny came out to meet them. “Jane wants us to go to the girl's house. We have orders to bring all the clothes we can, and to round up family photos if they have them.”
Mace replied, “Let's go. Don, if anyone comes this way, get this bird in the air. We can't afford to lose it. And let Jane know where we went.”
Johnny walked to the SUV, Mace beside him. “Mace, we get over there and I start to break down, keep me focused. I can't imagine what that poor girl is going through. I just don't understand what makes some people act like savages. The world has so much to offer, only some feel they have to take what everyone else has.”
As they pulled away, Mace clicked his seatbelt into place. “I couldn't say what makes one person act with respect and care while others are so foul. It's like they don't value life, even their own.”
“I'm still shaking about that girl blowing those scumbags away. Not that they didn't deserve it, but she doesn't need to be involved with that as a teenager.”
“Well, she did the world a favor. Those two would've gone out and killed or robbed someone else. So it's just as well she put them down. If anything, she won't be left with the completely helpless feeling most victims have. She did something about what they did to her.”
Johnny pointed toward the dead body lying at the front door as they pulled up to the house. “As I said, try to keep me focused.”
“You'll be fine. Just think about caring for the girl and not about what just happened to her family.”
“Shouldn't we bury them or something?”
Mace glanced over at the family's barn. “They have a back-hoe on that tractor. I'll see if I can find some keys. You get a suitcase or bags and get as many of her clothes as you can. We'll finish up with grabbing family pictures if we have time.”
Johnny followed Mace into the home. The house, other than the invasion that had just taken place, was clean and well ordered. Knickknacks graced a large fireplace and curio in the family room. A flower covered fabric sofa sat in front of them as country themed paintings hung on the walls.
Mace pointed down a hallway. “One of those would be her room.”
The Army Ranger walked into the kitchen, holding up his hand toward Johnny as the carnage of the invasion was further revealed. “Head down the hall, try to find luggage. You don't want to see what's here.”
Johnny walked toward the back. Mace stepped over the body of the girl's father, opening a kitchen cupboard and retrieving a box of plastic garbage bags. A cork board on the wall held the key to the tractor.
Mace dropped the bags with Johnny and made his way out to the yard. The tractor started first try. He left it to warm up as he returned to the kitchen for the girl's parents.
He gently lifted her mother, carrying her out to the green grass of the well-kept yard, returning for the father, and then the young boy who had sold them the crate of eggs.
The back-hoe was moved to the lawn where three shallow graves were dug. Mace held back his own tears as he lifted each of the victims and laid them gently in the ground, taking a deep breath as each shovel-load of dirt from the tractor bucket was spread over them. He had taken the lives of many during his years in the service. These were the first he had personally laid to rest.
When the task was finished, Mace knelt and said a prayer for each of the victims. He had never been strong in his faith, but he somehow felt compelled to plead the case of the innocent to a higher power. He stood, again taking a deep breath before turning back toward the house.
The tractor was moved back onto the drive. After hopping off, he loaded the two dead attackers onto the curled up shovel. A quick run to the end of the drive saw their bodies dumped on the side of the road.
He looked over, spat, and scowled as he turned the tractor back toward the barn. “Hope the buzzards eat your faces off.”
After parking the tractor, he returned the keys to the cork board. Johnny was coming out of the house with four trash bags stuffed with clothes and shoes.
Mace asked, “That it?”
Johnny shook his head, “Two more. Then we have family pictures. And we really need to get back on the road.”
“I was just saying to Don that I didn't think we'd make the cave today. Just as well, we'll find somewhere to park for the night and pick up again tomorrow.”
A quick roundup of family photos was conducted.
As they returned to the SUV, Mace pointed at the barn. “Should we take a couple crates of eggs?”
Johnny sighed. “I know it's not stealing, since we have the girl with us, but it doesn't feel right, does it?”
“No it doesn't, but we have to live, and if we leave them they'll just rot.”
Johnny looked over at the three
graves and asked, “What'd you do with the others?”
Mace half smiled. “Dumped them down by the road. That ditch wasn't deserving, but I figured we needed to leave them there so others around here would know.”
Johnny said, “Maybe we should leave a note. Someone may come to check on them.”
Mace thought for a moment. “Sure. That sounds reasonable. Don't tell them who she's with, just that she is safe and cared for and will return if the situation changes.”
Johnny gave a half smile. “You're a good egg, Mace Hardy, I don't care what everyone else says.”
He gestured toward the house. “Just get that note taken care of. I'll load us up with eggs.”
As Mace squeezed the sixth crate into the back seat of the SUV, Johnny emerged from the house. A short ride later they were parked beside the RV.
Jane came down the steps as Johnny began to pull the retrieved bags from the SUV. “How many did you bring?”
“Five bags of clothes, one of shoes, and one of pictures and such from her room and the house.”
Mace added, “We brought another six crates of eggs as well.”
Jane said, “I gave her a little something to help her sleep, although I don't think she will. The dogs will be good therapy. They took right to her.”
Johnny chuckled. “Those two would take to anyone that gave them attention.”
Mace said, “If we stay around here much longer, we might have to deal with the sheriff. I can't say that would be a good thing.”
Jane crossed her arms. “She says she wants to stay with us for now. I don't know how much faith I would put in her decision making at the moment though. I asked her about friends and she said she was looking forward to school starting.
“No close neighbors?” Johnny asked.
All they've done since they moved here is work on the farm. They have chickens, pigs, two dairy cows, and about twenty acres of beans. This was to be her parents' retirement gig. He was in finance, her mom was a nurse. They were tired of the cold winters around Butte and were looking forward to something milder. Wanted to live where they could farm longer but still maintain the seasons.”
Johnny said, “Should we put leaving to a vote?”
Jane replied, “I say we just make the call here and now. The day isn't getting any longer.”
Mace said, “I say we go.”
Johnny nodded. “Go then.”
Jane turned back to the RV steps. “Pack us up and let's roll.”
The helicopter took to the air as the RV pulled back onto the highway. Their continued journey took them just south of Farmville and through numerous other small towns.
As they looped around the north side of Appomattox, Tres said, “This is where the Civil War ended.”
Mace nodded. “That's what they taught us in American History class about twenty years ago. Have to wonder if they still do.”
“They only brushed over it when I went through. I'm a Civil War buff, which is why I knew about Organ Cave. You know, after the South's defeat at Gettysburg, Lee moved his forces back down here. They wanted to make it to the train depot in Appomattox to ride the rails down to North Carolina... to link up with General Johnston's forces. The North cut them off before they could get here. That's when Lee surrendered. They say the war could have gone on for years had he made it through.”
“What started you on the Civil War? Your family wasn't over here then.”
“My dad took me to a local museum when I was a kid. It had a Civil War exhibit with the local soldiers who had served in the Northern Army of Michigan's lower peninsula. I just found it a fascinating piece of history.
“Can't say I would have wanted to fight through that war.”
“One of my friends had a family member who died on the Sultana at the end of the war. I don't know, it just made me think about all those lives. Brother against brother and all that. A whole nation at war. And you should read about some of the battles and the mistakes that were made on both sides. Interesting stuff.”
“Well, I can tell you firsthand, the fog of war can change an outcome all on its own. We were on the verge of taking this one village, only to have a freak sandstorm drive us back. Four days later we were fighting for the same buildings we had already cleared.”
Tres nodded. “That was largely what brought about the South's defeat at Gettysburg. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry rode around behind the North's position to attack from the rear. A group of five hundred northern cavalrymen, coincidentally led by none other than George Armstrong Custer, attacked the five thousand Southerners. Instead of Custer's men being crushed, Stuart's got divided, spooked, and retreated. If you've heard of Pickett's Charge, his infantry were supposed to get support from that cavalry. Had that happened, Gettysburg might have been a decisive victory for the South. Had the Southern generals known of that retreat, they probably wouldn't have attacked.”
Mace took a deep breath. “Just hope you never have to be involved in any such thing. The movies can make it all seem glamorous, but even with the effects they put in nowadays, it doesn't come close to the actuality of being there, killing people who are trying to kill you. You should only go to war when there are no good options left.”
Tres sighed. “Just learned that lesson.”
The caravan came to a stop just east of Lynchburg. They pulled off onto the driveway of a small church. Don set the helicopter down in the field in front of the drive. Mace joined him for a ride to the airport at Lynchburg.
As they lifted off, Don said, “This is a regional airport. They will have fuel. The question is, will they sell any of it and what would they take as payment?”
“Johnny gave me a couple grand in cash. I would assume it's still good after only a few days.”
“That should more than do it.”
The helicopter landed at the airport to a greeting by a patrol car. Mace stepped out, leaving the AR-15 he had been holding beside the seat.
An officer rolled down his window. “What's your business?”
Mace said, “We need fuel. Are they selling?”
The officer asked, “Where you headed?”
“Over to West Virginia.”
“You the owner?”
The Ranger shook his head. “No, he's flying it. That's his son in the back.”
The officer looked Mace up and down for signs of a weapon. “I've been told there's a twenty-five gallon limit.”
Mace replied, “Every bit helps. Say, what's the word around here? Power coming back on anytime soon?”
The officer let out a huff. “Government's got its head stuck up its... well, you get it. Nobody is in charge and nobody is taking responsibility. Interference from the sun my ass is all I can say. Somebody is responsible and they need to pay.”
Mace slowly shook his head. “I don't think so. My friend has a ham radio, and power is out world over. Everywhere.”
The officer looked up. “No kidding? I heard it was just this region.”
Mace shook his head. “I wish I could tell you that was true, but it's not. If you haven't already done so, you might want to stockpile a few supplies for yourself and your family, just as a precaution. If this interference is indeed real, there's no telling when it might subside.”
The officer pointed. “Go into that building over there. Tell them Jay checked you out.”
The officer sped off toward the direction of the exit. Mace proceeded into the designated building.
Two men were seated at a service counter. “Who wants to sell me some avgas?”
One of the men stood. “We have a twenty-five gallon limit.”
Mace said, “I have cash and I'll pay double.”
The man looked over at the other, then back. “Still twenty-five gallon limit.”
Mace offered, “Triple? Plus a hundred dollar bonus for each of you?”
The still seated man stood. “I think we can do business. We are talking cash though. Greenbacks?”
Mace nodded as he pulled a roll of bills
from his pocket. “Greenbacks.”
A fuel truck was soon parked beside the helicopter. After the top-off of the main tank and reserve was complete, the men were paid.
Don asked, “Hey, I know it's against regs, but I have three five-gallon jerry cans I'd like to fill. We have more cash.”
One of the men looked at the other and shrugged. “Doesn't bother me. You willing to pay a bonus on that as well?”
Mace replied, “Will another fifty each do?”
Both men smiled. The tanks were filled and the threesome were quickly on their way back to the caravan.
After landing, Don looked over his maps. “I suggest we continue to Montvale, then head up and over the mountains to Buchanan. From there we cut under I-81 and head over to Marshalltown. After that it's on to Organ Cave. Now, given the daylight we have left, I think we might do good if we can make it just past Montvale. The valley just north of there should be peaceful. I can run ahead from here and scout us a place to camp.”
Mace nodded as he stepped out of the helicopter. “Sounds like a reasonable plan. Check out what you need and meet us back on the roadway before we get to Montvale. I'll fill in the others.”