Essential Beginnings (21 page)

“You’re more than welcome to stay in the cabin we’ve provided you,” Henley stated to Kellen, raising her voice so that everyone could hear her. Ernie crossed his arms across his chest, evidently satisfied that someone was finally listening to him. She turned to face everyone else, already seeing the unwillingness to compromise on Stanley Ratliff’s face. “As Tank mentioned yesterday the safest area would be the fishing lodge. Seeing that there are only around thirty some residents left, we have plenty of room between the lodge and the cabins, as well as accepting those who come to us for help as long as they don’t show us any hostility. Whoever needs assistance we’ll spend the day transporting clothes, medical provisions, whatever you need to carry you through until we start getting supplies from the National Guard.”

“Curt and Theo, are you two still headed up north?” Rat asked, his booming voice cutting off anything else Henley had to say. She shared a look with Ernie, who remained silent. The mayor and the sheriff were quietly talking amongst themselves, but it was apparent that Felix was keeping an eye on the situation. “Did you hear that the borders are being sealed until the agents can verify that a person has family in the country before allowing someone to cross?”

“We didn’t hear that.” Curt didn’t seem too put off at the news and after conversing with Theo, said exactly what Henley was afraid he’d say. “But that’s not going to stop us. We’ll be better farther north than here, so that’s where we’re headed. Ernie and Henley, we appreciate the offer and wish you the best of luck. We’re doing what we think is best.”

“Do you have enough supplies to last you if they don’t allow you to cross?” Sheriff Felix asked, stepping forward and motioning toward Mr. Jenkins. “Marvin will open his store to anything you might need. The engines in your vehicles will suffocate or be clogged with ash within an hour once it reaches us and you’ll be stranded.”

“Then we better get moving,” Theo muttered, despondent that this was happening and that he was leaving everything he’d ever known. Henley’s heart went out to him while anger welled up inside of her that they even had to make these choices. Their lives were being ripped apart before the ash even arrived. It wasn’t fair and she could have really used Mav here to try and convince them otherwise. “Good luck, folks.”

Murmurs arose and the mayor stepped forward to walk them out while Felix stopped to speak with Mr. Jenkins. Several people were yelling out that they would need Ernie’s help, while others were still debating on whether or not they were staying. Stanley was conferring with Randy and Jarrett, while both men appeared agitated. Henley made a move to leave so that she could find Mav when Kellen stepped forward and placed a hand on her arm.

“Did Base Operations at Fairchild say anything else? I should have known that Ernie would have an HF radio up at the lodge.” Kellen cautiously removed his hand after Henley glared at the action like she used to have to do back in the day. She didn’t like people thinking they could enter her personal space without her permission and that it was an acceptable practice. He wisely stepped back, but that didn’t stop him from making her even more uncomfortable by his next question. “Do you think he’d mind if I use it to try and contact some of my team members?”

“Team?” Henley asked, torn between wanting to know more, finding Mav, and calming Stanley down now that he was in a full-blown argument with the sheriff. She couldn’t afford to stay to hear Kellen’s reply, but she’d asked anyway. “You have a team at Fairchild AFB? I thought you said you were out of Fort Bragg.”

“No, I have a friend at the base,” Kellen clarified, his attention being routed to Rat as well. His eyes were glued to the scene unfolding before them as voices rose and echoed throughout the large building. “My team is on leave and I was able to notify them before satellite coverage went south on us, but I gave them false information according to what you’re saying.”

“So they’re heading to Spokane?”

Henley didn’t hear Kellen’s reply because now Ernie was in on the argument with Rat, causing a divide amongst those that were still inside the building. She could see Elijah at his post by the door, shaking his head at the commotion. Where the hell was Mav?

“What makes your lodge safer than my camping grounds?” Spit had come out of Rat’s mouth when he asked the question. Stanley’s issues with having to be better than Ernie was going to literally cost him his life. Mav would have said that was tough shit, but Henley couldn’t just stand by without trying to get him to see reason. “I have access to the silver mine that’s farther up the valley from my campground once the air gets too polluted. How many people can you fit up in that tiny test hole of yours anyway? Didn’t they dig that hole back at the turn of the century? It has to be ready to collapse by now, or is it half flooded, Tank?”

“Now, Stanley, let’s be reasonable,” Sheriff Ramsey said, stepping in between the two men. Ernie didn’t seem perturbed in the least, letting Felix take control of the situation. “Ernie’s already shared with everyone the amount of protection that mountain can give us, along with the mountain spring water and natural gas well he’s made sure the lodge has access to. He has the space and coming solely from a security standpoint—we’re able to secure that place a hell of a lot better than this town, or an open campground for that matter.”

“Security?” Rat scoffed after barking out a laugh, not getting a rise out of Randy or Jarrett. In fact, the two older men looked somewhat uncomfortable. “You’ll be sitting ducks up in that mountain if a group of ruffians decide they want to take the site.”

“Stanley, don’t do this,” Henley implored, gesturing toward the people surrounding them. She’d taken notice of those nodding their head in agreement with what Rat was saying. She would have thought they’d have been a lot wiser, considering they’d seen the man’s pettiness over the years. Instead, some of the residents were actually listening to him. “You’re only going to divide the town when we need to stick together. Everyone, you’ve known me since I was brought into this world. Sheriff Ramsey has taken care of this town for over ten years and he will continue to do so. If he feels that it’s safe up at the lodge where we can all help each other out and be there for one another when the going gets tough, then we should heed his advice.”

“That’s a nice PSA, doll, but we all know that Tank and Felix are old buddies. It’s not like you can pull one over on us.”

“My friendship with Ernie Yates has never interfered with my duty to this town, Rat, and I don’t have to stand here and defend myself from the likes of you when we’re running out of time.” The sheriff turned to address the townsfolk remaining. “I’ve done some research myself while we still had access to the Internet. I’m convinced that we’ll all be safer up at the fishing lodge than anywhere else in the vicinity. This is still my hometown, this is still my jurisdiction, and we take care of our own. Any shitheels that want trouble and come up that pass are going to find it a bit harder going than old Rat here thinks. If you want to join him, just ask yourself if you would trust him with your life. That’s what your decision really comes down to.”

“I’ll stick this out on my own land, Ramsey.” Stanley took his time looking around, recognizably scouting for anyone to join him. Henley caught Jarrett looking her way and she slowly shook her head, imploring him to make the right decision. “I’m going to start moving things I’ll need into the mine. Anyone who wants to join me, you know where to find me.”

Stanley didn’t wait around to hear if the sheriff had anything else to add and neither Ernie nor Felix tried to stop Rat as he made his way through the clearing that the crowd had made. Randy didn’t hesitate to follow, although Jarrett was a little slower.

“He’s never been known for his tact, Henley, but Stanley is a good man. He’s helped numerous people in this town when they were down on their luck.” Jarrett ran a hand down his weathered face, unable to wipe away the stress that this situation had placed on him. He’d seen his fair share of hardships during his life and Henley wasn’t so sure he could handle another. “I’ll be there to keep an eye on him and the others who join us.”

“Jarrett, just come with us,” Henley pleaded, feeling utterly useless that she hadn’t been able to change this scenario. “You’ll be much better off. We have emergency supplies up at the lodge, as well as generators that run on natural gas. It will see us through this ordeal.”

“Don’t think Rat doesn’t have his own supplies,” Jarrett informed Henley with a pat on her shoulder. “He’s smarter than you give him credit for.”

“Sheriff, do something.” Henley couldn’t believe this was happening, especially when she saw a few more other people follow behind Randy. When had this become about factions? She desperately tried to think of something that would stop this lunacy. “Can’t you put them into protective custody or something?”

“Henley, they’re grown men and women. They can make their own decisions and there is nothing I can do to stop them. They aren’t looting, they aren’t committing crimes. They’re upstanding citizens doing what they think is right. They have to make what they believe to be the best decision for their own family.” Felix looked around, as if noticing for the first time that Mav hadn’t joined her. “Where is Mav? I’m going to need his help transporting some ammunition up to the lodge. I don’t want to leave anything in town that someone may be able to use against another group.”

“I don’t know,” Henley said honestly, looking behind her to address Kellen as well. He was gone. Vanished. That didn’t ease her worry and neither did the fact that the town was basically being split in two. “I’ll go looking for him while you start loading up. Does Patty know what’s going on?”

“Yes, she’s home packing what she can,” Felix said, pausing when Mabel came up to the both of them. Ernie was off to the side speaking with Mr. Jenkins, who Henley wanted to talk to regarding Mav needing to get into the hardware store. If he wasn’t there, then where could he have gone? “Mabel, are you all right?”

“I still don’t know if Derek and his family made it out safely.” Mabel wrung her hands as she tried to stem her distress. “I think it would be best for me to stay here in case he arrives in the next day or two. He won’t know where I’ve gone.”

“All you need to do is leave a note at home and also inside the diner detailing where you can be found,” Sheriff Ramsey suggested, holding up a hand and stopping Ernie from interrupting. His conversation with Mr. Jenkins had ended and he’d had his eyes on Mabel the entire time. “Don’t leave it where anyone can see it, but in a location that Derek would look. We shouldn’t announce our whereabouts to just anyone scouting around.”

“Mabel, does Derek have a key to your house or to the diner?” Ernie asked, apparently satisfied that Felix had given an answer that would protect those at the camp from looters who would just be looking out for themselves. Mabel replied that her son had keys to both, which was a blessing. “Why don’t I come with you and we’ll see what we can come up with.”

“Sheriff, I’m going to go see if I can find Mav.” Henley disengaged herself and jogged to the front of the building where she’d seen Mr. Jenkins exit the door. Elijah was still in his position, but his eyes weren’t on the sky anymore. Instead, they were fixed on Stanley and a few of his friends who were trying to talk Paul Lockton into opening up the grocery store so they could stock up on canned goods. “Elijah, you’re coming with us up to the lodge, aren’t you?”

“I’ve always considered myself wiser than that fool Randy Bassett,” Elijah grumbled as he pushed himself off of the chair. “Now is no different. I’ll walk home to pack some things and be waiting out front of the diner if you could give me a ride up to the lodge.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Elijah,” Henley said, relieved that he was coming with them. She should now be in the free and clear to go look for Mav. “We’ll meet you over there in a bit. We’ll drive over to your place if we don’t see you out front.”

Henley started toward the post office, noticing that some of the cars on Main Street were pulling away from the curb and heading out of town. She could feel their desperation as each of the families left one by one, wishing there was something she could say that would make them stay. There wasn’t and that was like an open wound in her heart. She’d known these people all of her life and seeing them leave was akin to watching them march off to their death.

Fifteen minutes later Henley’s chest was so tight with concern that she was having difficulty breathing. She’d walked all the way down to the Fish and Bait Shop, not finding any trace of Mav. She’d returned the way she’d come, intent on going to the last few places she hadn’t checked when she caught sight of someone standing near the pavilion where the town held their farmer’s market. Picking up her pace, she jogged to the left and followed the narrow street to the rotunda.

“Jeremy?” Henley called out, stopping abruptly when Jeremy turned to her with what appeared to be a fresh wound on the side of his head. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“Someone struck me from behind and did their best to take my weapon, but I was able to fight back.” Jeremy tried to wipe away some of the blood, but the majority of it was now dry and stuck to the side of his face. “Mav searched him, but the man didn’t have any identification. We’re hoping he comes around soon.”

“Henley?”

She hurried past Jeremy and saw Mav kneeling over a body behind the backboard of a table used by Mrs. Welsh to sell her canned grape preserves. There wasn’t a mark on the prone figure that she could see, but it was obvious he wasn’t waking up anytime soon. She got worried when she didn’t see any movement in his chest.

“Mav, he
is
breathing, right?” Henley stopped by Mav’s side, her fear rising with each passing second he didn’t answer. “Mav? I just came from a lovely morning meeting where the town turned out to be divided because Rat doesn’t want to come up to the lodge, so I really don’t want to start the afternoon with a dead body.”

“He’s breathing,” Mav answered, his voice grim as he waved a hand over the man. She needed to stop referring to this stranger like that or else she’d convince herself he
was
dead. “Do you recognize him?