After the Fall: Jason's Tale (24 page)

Early the next morning, well before dawn, Catherine got up,
quietly dressed, took her carbine and pistol and stole out of the house. In the
dark, tempered only by the slight bluing of the eastern sky, presaging the
coming dawn, she made her way into the woods and towards the Turner farm. Once
in the forest, she worked her way up onto the ridge. She was headed for the
still, hoping she would catch Billy starting to work on a batch of liquor.

Dawn found her comfortably hidden in the brush with a
commanding view of the still. She snacked on some venison jerky and water while
she waited. Soon after the sun came up, still quite early, Billy came into view
carrying a bag of corn. The still was strategically situated in a low hollow
near a small spring. He got the fire going, filled the kettle with water from
the spring and started cooking the grain. Then he sat down, his back against a
log, with his rifle laid aside and began to relax. After pulling his cap down
over his eyes he started to nod off.

The birds began their chirping as everything went quiet.
Catherine could smell the corn beginning to boil. She slowly stood up and aimed
at Billy’s rifle. She needed to take his weapon out of action so he wouldn’t go
for it. She squeezed off a round and the rifle went flying away from Billy. He
jumped up with a wild, confused look and started for the rifle. Catherine hit
it with another round.

“Stay where you are. Don’t move and you won’t get hurt!” She
shouted, pointing her carbine at him.

“What the fuck? What’re you doing?” he asked.

“Sit back down. Now!” Catherine shouted in her most
commanding voice.

“What’s going on?” Billy asked, but he sat back down on the
log. “What’re you doing here? You’re not supposed to be here.”

“I want to talk about what you did at our farm, you spying
on us, peeping through the windows.”

“Who told you that? I didn’t do anything,” Billy replied
acting offended.

“Don’t lie about it. Sarah saw you. And I saw you sneaking
away through the orchard.”

“You can’t prove that,” Billy was now defensive. “And you
shouldn’t be here. You know my pa don’t want you here.”

“It’s proven as far as I’m concerned. Don’t keep trying to
deny it.” Catherine ignored the rest of Billy’s comments.

“So what? I ain’t saying I did, but what’re you gonna do
about it, if I did?”

“That’s what I’m here to talk to you about. I could just
shoot you right now and then Sarah and I don’t have to worry about you spying
on us—”

“You ain’t gonna shoot me.”

“Don’t bet on it. I killed my share of those guys at the
bridge. I don’t mind killing you if I think you’re a threat to me or my
sister.”

Billy looked at Catherine. She could see the doubt creep
into his expression. He wasn’t sure she was bluffing. She kept her rifle
trained on him.

“You don’t control me. You can’t tell me what to do,” he
finally blurted out.

“I don’t. But I can tell you what you can’t do when it comes
to our farm.”

“I ain’t talking to you. You can just fuck off.”

“Billy. You got one chance to get out of this without
getting shot. You better talk to me.”

“You think you’re so hot? Just because you took part in the
battle? Shit, I’ll bet you just hid in the woods. Me and Pa, we shot and killed
those guys. More than you probably done.”

“You’re thick in the head.” The conversation was not going
well. “I figured it would be a waste of time and I was right. There’s no sense
talking to you.” She paused, then said, “Here’s the deal. You don’t ever come
onto the Whitman property…ever. If you do, I’ll shoot you on sight.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would. I’ve warned you and from this point on I’ll have
no problem shooting you.”

“You don’t scare me,” Billy said, but his voice carried some
concern. He was not sure just how seriously to take Catherine. She was acting
dangerous. “Jason know you’re here? Bet he don’t want you up here, talking like
this.”

“Jason doesn’t have anything to do with this. It’s about me
and you. You can’t spy on me or my sister any more. You can’t come on our
property any more. I’m serious.”

Catherine began to feel it was all futile. She was
struggling to make Billy respect her resolve. Now, talking to Billy made it
harder to think so casually about shooting him. The gang members, all
strangers, bad men, all clearly attacking the family, bent on hurting and
killing, were easier to shoot. It had all been from a distance and with no
communication. But here she was, talking to Billy, someone she used to ride
with on the bus when the schools were open. She realized her mother may have
been right. Billy was a person—a someone. She would have a hard time shooting
him. Somehow she had to make him believe that she could shoot him and that he
would suffer if he came on the Whitman farm.

When Jason and Anne woke up, they discovered Catherine gone.

“Sarah, do you know where she went,” Anne asked her youngest
daughter.

“No. She must have left while I was asleep. I never heard
her,” Sarah replied.

“She took her weapons,” Jason said after looking around. “I
think she went to ambush Billy.”

“Oh my God,” exclaimed Anne. “We told her not to do that. We
have to stop her.”

“I’ll go. It’ll be faster with me alone. I know about where
the still is. Maybe I can get there before anything bad happens.”

“Yes. Go right now,” Anne said.

He grabbed his rifle and 9mm and headed out of the house on
the run. Twenty minutes later, with a rush of relief, he heard the voices as he
approached the still. Billy and Catherine were talking.

As Catherine was considering how to make Billy believe she
was serious Jason called out.

“Catherine, it’s me, Jason. I’m coming in.”

Billy looked up, hoping the interruption might be an
opportunity. But Catherine, after the briefest glance towards the sound of
Jason’s voice, focused her attention back to Billy. There was nothing for him
to do but sit still.

“Now you’re going to get it,” he said.

Catherine ignored him. “What are you doing here,” she
demanded of Jason as he walked into the clearing.

“I could ask you the same thing. Do you remember what we
agreed to last night?”

“He’s still alive,” she responded.

“What’s gone on?” Jason asked.

Catherine relayed her conversation with Billy. “It seems as
though he’s too thick to understand how serious this is…and that I mean
business.”

“So what do you want to do?” Jason asked.

Catherine thought for a moment, then said, “Watch him.” She
grabbed a metal cup from the board lying on the ground next to the cooking
fire. “Wait here,” she called and walked through the trees. About 30 yards into
the brush, Catherine hooked the handle of the cup over a branch. From the camp,
you could hardly see it. Billy looked from Catherine to Jason, but didn’t move.
Jason kept his eyes on Billy.

She walked back into the camp, “Now watch, Billy Turner. You
see that cup behind me?” she asked.

Not waiting for an answer, she turned and quickly brought
her rifle up to her shoulder, sighting for only a brief second, and fired two
quick rounds. The cup went flying; no one could tell if it was the first or
second shot that hit it.

“Shit,” Billy muttered.

“Billy,” Catherine fixed him with her hard gaze. “You didn’t
get to see me in the battle, but I killed my share of those bad guys you saw
dead—at the farm and at the bridge—and I
will
also shoot you on sight if
I see you on our farm. Now that you’re warned, anyone on the farm will shoot
you if you come on the property. That’s the deal. And don’t think if you see
Jason go off into the woods that we’re easy targets for whatever you’re
thinking. I’ll kill you just as quickly as Jason will.”

Turning to Jason she said, “I’ve done my talking. He still
may not believe me. Maybe you can talk some sense into him, so I don’t have to
shoot him.”

Jason turned to Billy, “You get the picture? You don’t come
on the property unless invited. It’s shoot on sight, for you.”

“I wasn’t doin’ nothin’,” Billy responded, sullenly. “And
you don’t control me.”

“The girls identified you,” Jason replied. “That part’s
settled. And it’s not a matter of controlling you, it’s a matter of you doing
what you’re told,” Jason said.

 “Do you know what she was doing that night? She was
acting like a dog in heat.”

“Billy, you’re treading on thin ice,” Jason’s voice turned
cold and hard. Billy shut up. “You better believe Catherine. She means what she
says and I’d hate to see you get killed.”

Billy looked from Jason to Catherine. He was stunned by her
shooting skills and now less sure that she was bluffing. He never expected this
girl, who he had gone to school with, would turn out to be so dangerous. He
shuffled his feet in the dirt and leaves but didn’t say anything.

Jason paused, then continued, “You’ve got some good skills.
You’re very good in the woods and you’ve proven yourself to be a brave
fighter.”

Billy looked up at him with a puzzled expression. He didn’t
get many compliments.

“I would hate to lose those skills. They’re useful. The
valley needs them. In the future, we’ll all need to work together for
everyone’s benefit. There are probably still bad guys out there—”

“Like the ones we killed?”

“Yeah, like the guys we all killed. You know how bad they
are…and how dangerous. The valley has to work together to make sure we’re ready
if that ever happens again. But right now, you have to agree to what Catherine
said. You cannot come onto the Whitman farm…ever. You’ve been there once, maybe
more, but no more. That is what you have to agree to.”

“What if I do?”

Catherine now spoke up, “One of us will kill you on sight.”

“What if I shoot you first?”

“Listen carefully to me,” Jason said. “I’ve killed over 20
men, I’m a better shot than you are and I can move through woods as well or
better than you. And Catherine is just as good as me. She saved my life in the
last battle. Here’s the important thing: I don’t bluff and neither does
Catherine. She means what she says…and so do I. I promise you, you will not win
that battle.”

Billy took off on a different tack, “What do you mean about
us working together?” he finally asked. “Can’t do that if I can’t come on the
farm.”

“We’ll talk about that later,” Jason replied. “When you’ve
shown you’re ready, I’ll call on you. Now, you agree? The Whitman farm and the
Whitman girls are off limits.”

Billy sat quiet for a moment, trying to maintain some
control over the decision forced upon him. “I guess so…don’t have much of a
choice, do I?”

“Not now, but every time you think about it, you’ll have a
choice. I hope you’re smart enough to realize it’s a life or death choice
you’ll be making.”

Jason started to go, then paused and turned back to Billy,
“Remember, everyone’s a good shot on the Whitman farm. You’re outgunned. It’s
better to be an ally than an enemy. Just keep to the agreement and we’ll all be
fine. If you need to contact me, leave a note in the mail box at the road.”

“Well, don’t you come onto our property, including this
still,” Billy retorted.

“Fair enough. If any of us need to contact you, we’ll leave
a message in your mailbox. We won’t come on your property.”

“What about my gun? She broke it. I need something to hunt
with.”

Jason thought for a moment, “I’ll get a replacement from the
house, drop it by your mailbox tomorrow.”

“How ‘bout one of them semi-autos?” Billy figured he’d lobby
for an upgrade.

“I’ll get you something that will work.”

“You ain’t very generous.”

“And you’re lucky to be alive, considering how mad Catherine
was yesterday. Now you should go and then we’ll leave.”

“I got to cook the mash.”

“You can come back to finish later. We’ll watch you leave
and then we’ll go.

“Don’t forget what we said…and what you saw here,” Catherine
added.

Billy got up. There was no more to say. He headed back down
towards his farmhouse. Catherine and Jason watched him. Then Jason grabbed
Billy’s old rifle and they headed back home.

When they got home, they were greeted by Anne and Sarah who
were relieved to find no one had been shot. Catherine related what she had done
and what she had told Billy. Jason added that it was the right solution and
then told them about Catherine’s performance. It was a good opportunity to
build her up. She allowed a pleased look to cross her face at the dramatic way
Jason told the story. Where there had been a solid wall between them since his
rejection of her there now seemed to be a fence. Catherine still maintained a
line of separation but he sensed they might now be able to communicate across
that line.

There was a 30-06 among the weapons they had collected after
the battle at the house. It was a semi-automatic with a five shot magazine,
higher quality from what Billy had been using. Jason took it up to the Turner
mailbox and left it there with what ammunition he could find. The family kept a
regular lookout, but didn’t see any more signs of Billy.

As they prepared for the coming winter, Jason and Anne
looked for opportunities to spend time alone together. He wondered about Anne’s
more frequent allowances of their intimacy, but, not wanting to mess up a good
thing, kept quiet.

After making love one day, he asked, “You’ve been less
reserved this past month. Aren’t you worried about getting pregnant?”

Anne lay on the bed looking at him with a loving smile, full
and satisfied and unapologetic, “I’m not worried about getting pregnant…you
see, I am pregnant.” She was beaming as she said it. “After the battle my
desire to be close to you was so strong. I wasn’t paying attention to my
schedule and I let it slip. Now I find out that I’m still quite fertile. New
life is on its way and we are creating it,” she beamed.

Jason’s mouth dropped open. He didn’t know what to say.
A
child of our own!

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to be sure…and I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Aren’t you worried? I thought this was dangerous for you.”

She pulled his face close to hers. “I am a little. But it
will be all right. I’m experienced, and my girls came easy enough. Now that
it’s happened, I feel I am ready for this. You’ll be a father in the spring.”
There was a joyful gleam in her eyes.

“Have you told the girls?”

“Not yet. I’ll know when the time is right, but it’s not
now. We can just enjoy the fact that we don’t have to worry about me getting
pregnant.” Her eyes were alight with excitement as she spoke.

The fall rains came. The torrents lashed at the windows and
searched out every crack in the house. With the rain, the weather grew colder.
There were no more signs of any gangs. Their hidden valley seemed to have
returned to its former state as a forgotten place off the beaten path.

One cold, rainy morning Anne sat the girls down in the
kitchen. “You remember when I told you that Jason and I were going to live as a
couple? That we considered ourselves married?”

The girls nodded.

“Well, I have some good news to announce. I’m pregnant.
We’re going to have a baby next spring.”

The girls looked at their mother in shock. “You can’t be,”
Catherine exclaimed.

“Well, I can, and I am.”

“But there’s no hospital around. How will you have a baby
with no doctors or a hospital?” Sarah asked.

“Women have had babies without hospitals for thousands of
years. It is a very natural thing to do,” Anne replied.

“Aren’t you too old? And isn’t it too dangerous?” Catherine
asked.

“Apparently I’m not too old, or it wouldn’t have happened.
Since I have had you two already, my body is better prepared than if this were
a first pregnancy at my age.”

“But it’s more dangerous now…I mean without doctors or
medicines,” Catherine continued.

“Yes it’s more dangerous, but not impossibly so. I had the
two of you in a hospital, but I did it naturally. It wasn’t the easiest thing I
have done, but neither of you were hard births.”

“Still, you’re putting yourself in danger,” Catherine said.

“A first birth is the most dangerous and generally sets the
tone for the others,” Anne replied. “And I have Jason and both of you to help.”

“Not me,” Sarah responded.

“Well, I won’t force you,” Anne said with a knowing smile.
“Catherine, can I count on you to help?”

“Of course,” she replied. “I don’t think Jason will be much
help in this area. Do you have any books I can read to get ready?”

“Thank you, Catherine,” Anne replied. “Yes, there are some
books still around from my pregnancies. I think they’re in a box in the spare
bedroom closet. They should help. And don’t count Jason out. He may surprise us
all.”

Anne’s face beamed in joy. Catherine smiled back at her
mother. The baby was already having a healing effect, and it had just begun to
grow.