“Is that enough?” Matt yelled out.
“Yes, I’m going down to retrieve the remaining rifles and some food”.
“Okay, unhook the chain on your way down. We don’t need to cover the bunker up if you’re going to empty it out this time,” Matt remarked.
“Got it,” Richard replied. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Richard cautiously descended the rickety ladder into the bunker, but before he could get to the crate of rifles, the ground started to rumble. He quickly ran back up to the opening, only to see Matt driving off in the opposite direction at full speed.
“Where the hell are you going?” he shouted out at the top of his lungs, but the tank continued to accelerate away. A split second later there was a thunderous boom from the east and he instinctively ducked down. After a moment he cautiously peered out from edge of the bunker and saw a column of four tanks coming from the east. Richard pulled out his binoculars and looked at the tanks in disbelief. He thought they had destroyed all the tanks back at the base, but these were newer looking.
“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath as the enemy roared up the road towards Simms. Three of the tanks went through the middle of the town, but a fourth cut wide and was on a track to pass by the bunker. Richard had no choice but to hold his position and hope the tank would pass by without seeing him. As the fourth tank passed by, it fired its main gun within a few hundred feet of the bunker. The resulting shockwave squeezed the air out of Richard’s lungs and blew him off the ladder. As he lay on the concrete floor, he held his ears which were ringing so badly that he didn’t even know that the tank had driven away. After a few minutes he cautiously climbed back up to the edge of the bunker and peered out. The four Aug tanks had broken off their pursuit and were heading back in the direction of Great Falls, while a single plume of gray smoke rose in the distance. Richard knew the chase was over, but he remained in the bunker until the last tank was out of sight. Then he grabbed a new pulse rifle and headed off in the direction of the smoke. He knew there was little chance that Matt could have survived the onslaught, but his conscience demanded that he verify it.
Richard located Matt’s tank a mile and a half southwest of town near the Fort Shaw Canal. It appeared to have taken a direct hit, reducing the tanks protective shell to a mass of smoldering hot metal surrounded by scorched earth. Richard lowered his head and said a few kind words to acknowledge Matt’s selfless act. Then he briskly headed back to the Sun River figuring that the Augs might send out foot patrols in response to the attack on their facility. As he made his way west, he came across an old farmhouse that was partially hidden in a grove of cotton woods overlooking the river. Richard drew his weapon and then searched the interior of the house to make sure it was unoccupied. After confirming it was safe, he barricaded the front door and then plopped down on the couch in the main room. As he looked out over the river through the expansive picture window, the serene view subdued the emotional turmoil churning below the surface. The loss of his companions sank into the background, as exhaustion slowly lulled him to sleep.
Midway through the day, a gust of wind blew the side door adjacent to the main room partially open, briefly waking Richard. He knew he should get up and close it, but his eyes never opened and moments later he was dreaming about Josephine. Her soft warm lips were inviting him over for a kiss, and as he leaned forward in his dream to kiss her, his lips puckered repeatedly while he slept. It was a wonderful dream, suddenly shattered by the realization that something was actually touching his lips and sniffing him. Richard fell off of the couch, uncertain if he was having a dream within a dream as he stared up at a tall buckskin colored horse standing next to him. “Impossible,” he said to himself as he slowly reached out to touch the beast, still uncertain if it was a figment of his imagination. When his hand made contact, the horse neighed at him, confirming his sanity.
“You’re a bold little fellow,” Richard remarked as the horse stood there staring at him expectantly. When Richard got back on the couch, the horse lowered its head down onto his shoulder as if asking to be petted. Richard wasn’t too familiar with horse behavior, but it was obvious that the horse wanted some attention, so he rubbed his mane for a minute. From what Richard could tell, the horse appeared to be in good health despite having lived on his own for some indeterminate amount of time. The only marking on the horse was a cavalry shield with the number 163 incised in it, that had been branded on his flank.
“Where did you come from?” Richard asked in a soft voice as he patted the horse a couple more times. The horse flicked his ears and then stepped back a few feet so Richard could get off the couch. “Would you like some dried berries?” Richard said as he retrieved a handful of them from his pack. The horse immediately took the fruit and chewed on the morsels while Richard packed up his things. Once it was dark out, Richard put on his pack and headed out.
“I don’t have any more food,” Richard said in a stern voice when he noticed the horse was following after him. The equine paused for a moment and neighed at him. “I don’t have anything for you,” Richard scolded, but each time he stopped, the horse came up alongside him and either neighed, or gently nudged him.
“What do you want?” Richard asked in a slightly more demanding tone. The horse snorted and angled its ears back indicating a certain level of displeasure with Richard’s harsh tone.
“What?” Richard demanded. The horse lowered its head and turned to expose his left side. “Are you offering me a ride?” he said as he slowly reached for the horse’s mane and gently started to pull himself upon the horse’s back. The horse stood motionless, allowing Richard to climb up. Once he was firmly seated, the horse raised his head and started trotting in the direction that Richard was heading. Richard was amazed at just how smart and intuitive the horse was. All he had to do was give a slight tug to the right or left side of the horse’s mane, and the horse would turn in that direction. Richard felt a little guilty about getting a free ride, but the horse had been so insistent, it made him wonder if the military had trained him to recover fallen soldiers. Whatever the reason, traveling by horse was far safer and faster than going back on foot.
By midnight they had departed the lowlands and reached the edge of the foothills. It was a welcome sight, and Richard stopped at the edge of a large moonlit meadow so he and the horse could rest. Richard feared that the horse might run off after he dismounted, but he only lowered his head and started nibbling at the dew covered grass.
“Good boy,” Richard said repeatedly, as he stroked the horse’s neck. The horse seemed to like the attention and Richard hoped he would stay with him long enough to reach the settlement. Richard patted the horse a few more times and then took off his worn pack and set it on the ground to use it as a makeshift pillow. The soft grass was relaxing and Richard stared up at the night sky. As he lay there, he felt that someone was looking after him, providing him with the tools he needed to continue on. He had not seen or even heard mention of horses surviving after the Augs mandated round ups, and yet, not only did one find him, but the crazy beast was helping him get home. “What are the odds?” he said to himself as he looked over at the majestic creature. The horse glanced back at him and then continued to munch at the succulent vegetation. Richard wondered how his clan was getting along with Jake’s, as his thoughts slowly turned to Josephine. Thinking of her made all of the recent horrors melt away. He had not forgotten about his wife Mikala, but with each passing day he felt that there might be room in his heart to love again. It was an odd thing to sorely miss one person and at the same time be pulled towards another. The resilience of the heart never ceased to amaze him.