“Did you do your German bit?”
“Of course, they loved it.”
“They’d love it so much more if they had a clue as to what it meant.”
William laughed.
“William, we need to meet soon. I need to come to the city.”
“What about?”
“I’m not talking about it over the phone. I’ll be in town in a few days. I’ll call you when I get there. We can meet at Johnny’s spot.”
“I better not be disappointed with this meeting.”
The man sounded perturbed by his response, “See you in a few days, alright?”
“Looking forward to it.”
Chapter 12
Jake
West Mississippi
Jake cautiously approached the front door with his AR pistol in his hand. Again someone banged on the door. He stopped several feet short and at a sharp angle. He called out, “Who’s there?”
Geram took up a defensive position in the hall with the short-barreled shotgun.
“Don’t shoot, it’s Levi Richardson.”
Jake unlocked and opened the door, “Levi, is everyone alright?”
“We’re fine. There hasn’t been any trouble since we cut the roads, like Geram said.”
“Good, have a seat. I’ll get you some coffee.”
Levi followed Jake inside and took a seat at the kitchen table. Jake grabbed the coffee pot and several cups from the kitchen. Geram appeared and slapped Levi on the back before taking a seat as well. Jake returned and offered the men each a cup.
“So,” Jake said, “you’ve got me worried. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Y’all are leaving tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah, it’s too hard to step outside and see Frank’s empty house. We need to move on. Need a new start.”
“I think you should leave tonight, Jake.”
“I don’t understand. You know how dangerous it is to be on the road at night.”
“I know, but if you wait until the morning, you might not be able to leave. Tonight at the meeting, the town discussed not letting anyone in or out anymore. They don’t want people on the outside that know our weaknesses. They’re planning on stationing several people at each road leading out of town.”
Jake and Geram sat in silence for several moments. Finally, Jake replied, “Thank you Levi; you didn’t owe us a warning, but I appreciate that you came. You’re right, we’ll leave tonight. I don’t want to risk a confrontation with people I respect.”
“You’re welcome, and you’re wrong; I did owe it to you. We’re family out here, all of us. We always have been. What they’re doing is wrong.”
“They’re scared Levi, we understand. If I was staying, I can’t say that I’d disagree.”
The men sat and talked for several more minutes as they finished their coffee. Afterwards, they exchanged goodbyes and walked Levi to the door. They watched as he mounted his slender horse and trotted off into the night.
Geram said, “I guess we should get moving.” He paused and shook his head, before adding, “I sure was looking forward to some rest.”
As they walked back inside, Jake retrieved a road map and laid it on the dining table. He and Geram reexamined their chosen route.
Jake said, “The shortest distance between two points may be a straight line, but the safest route seems to be an awkward arc through half of Mississippi.”
“Sticking to the back roads and avoiding cities and interstates does make for a longer drive, but it’s our safest bet.”
“It’s our only bet, trying to take I-10 would be suicidal.”
“You’re sure the Bronco will have enough fuel for the trip?”
“We should, but if we have to turn back too often to find other routes because of blocked roads, or worse, it could get close. It would be great if we could find some fuel along the way.”
“I wouldn’t count on it. Most abandoned vehicles will probably be empty, and any fuel that was in their tanks was probably siphoned off long ago. Most of the relatively safe, rural, gas stations have long since closed, and I don’t really want to get close enough to civilization to find a working gas pump.”
“We’ll just have to hope for the best and see where we stand when we’re down to a quarter of a tank.” Jake rolled the maps back up and handed them to Geram. “Would you mind helping Kate finish loading the Bronco? I’ve got something I need to do.”
Geram nodded.
Jake grabbed his AR and walked out the front door.
***
Kate eased the Bronco along the side of the house while Geram made last minute preparations for the long trip. The back of the Bronco was filled with cases of water, canned and dry goods, ammo cans and countless other items that would be useful along the way. Several 5 gallon containers of fuel were mounted to the back of the SUV. Important paperwork, such as deeds, was stored inside the back seat, by means of a slit in the fabric that Kate had just finished sewing up.
Sasha was waiting in the back seat of the Bronco. She was quite excited about the journey they were about to embark on. She wagged her tail in anticipation as Geram and Kate would approach with an armful of supplies, before whining with disappointment as they gave her a simple pat on the head and returned to more pressing duties.
While Kate loaded and organized the last of the supplies, Geram performed a detailed check of the Bronco. Fluid levels, hoses, wiring and tire pressures were all meticulously inspected. After he was satisfied that everything was in good working order, he sat down in the front seat and turned to give Sasha the attention she had been begging for. When Kate finished with the last load, she sat in the back and asked, “Where’s Jake?”
“He asked me to give him a minute alone; I don’t know what he’s doing.”
“Oh. He’s probably saying goodbye.”
***
Jake walked through the living room and into the dark hall. The hardwood flooring creaked from the weight of his steps. His flashlight was the only source of light. Walking through the old house brought back a lot of memories for Jake, memories that hurt him to remember so soon after losing his friends.
He recalled all the times he had helped Frank on his farm. He remembered all the tricks he had learned from the old man about how to keep a homestead running and live comfortably off the fruits of the land. He had helped with everything from baling hay to birthing calves. Frank had taught him so much. He felt there was still so much more he needed to learn, so much that he was not quite ready for.
He paused for a moment and leaned against the wall. His chest was tight with fear and anger and sorrow. He allowed the memories to filter in, one by one. Slowly, he reconciled the past with the present. After a while, the tightness began to fade. He took a deep breath and continued down the hall.
He remembered when Frank had first mentioned it years ago. He felt ashamed he had nothing to offer in return for the gesture. He brushed it off and told Frank that he was too stubborn to die, nothing would ever happen to him, but it had. Jake had never mentioned the conversation to anyone else. Now, as he stood at the end of the hall, he felt guilty for being there. He pushed the feelings aside; Frank had wanted him to do this.
He opened the narrow closet door that was opposite of Mrs. Thames’ room. It was filled with cardboard boxes of holiday decorations, crafts and old clothes. He carefully removed the contents of the closet and placed them inside Mrs. Thames’ room until the musty closet was empty.
A small steel door, maybe three feet wide and five feet tall, was all that remained in the space. He spun the dial back and forth a few times before beginning:
73-31-86
He tried to turn the handle but nothing happened. He thought for a moment and tried again: