Ever Onward (15 page)

“Tell those shitheads with ya to stay
put!”, the Fonz ordered.

Part of Josh was waiting for the
‘Yo!’; part of him wanted to give the snot-nosed little punk a
detention!

The other man, a dead ringer for the
star of ‘Mister Roger’s Neighborhood’, took a long pull on a nearly
empty bottle of Popov Vodka, following it up with a none too steady
step forward. “Gat’ny fee-males widjya?”

Jessie looked at his father and
shrugged. Josh shook his head. “We’re just four men who want to
move on, friend. We don’t want any trouble.”

The Fonz giggled, raising his
semi-automatic. “But ya got it, aint ya Pops? Just like that stupid
bastard over there. He tried to hold out on us too!” The barrel of
Fonzie’s weapon pointed at the side of the road.

That was when Josh saw the body. It
had been dragged off the road and partially hidden behind some
bushes.

Cursing himself for being caught off
guard, Josh glanced back at the others. The tow-truck was several
yards behind the Westfalia. Josh could see Bobby sitting
white-knuckled behind the wheel. Eddy’s van was out of view
somewhere further back.

Fonzie called out to the Winnebago.
“Hank! Get yer lazy ass out here!”

The door opened and a woman was pushed
out. She wore a spiked dog collar around her neck and nothing else.
A long leash trailed back to the door of the RV. Another man stood
there, the leash in one hand, a large revolver in the
other.

“Tie the bitch up ‘n search their
vans!”, Fonzie ordered. His cold smile turned back towards Josh.
“It could be these fellas are tryin’ to hold out on us!”

Hank looped the leash around the front
bumper and strolled over to Josh’s Westfalia. As he passed, he gave
Jessie a shove. Grinning, he pulled open the side door --- and was
met by two growling dogs. Princess lunged at him and Hank jumped
back. The handgun began to rise. Just then Eddy’s shot took him in
the left leg. The powerful deer rifle struck the kneecap, tearing
half the leg of as it exited. Hank screamed and spun around, the
revolver flying from his hand.

Suddenly the tow-truck pulled out of
line and began speeding directly towards the two riflemen. At the
same time Eddy, laying on the ground at the rear of his camper,
fired again. The bullet whizzed by Fonzie’s ear and exploded Mister
Roger’s bottle of Popov, taking a finger or two with it’s passing.
The two men, their well laid plans having suddenly gone awry, broke
and ran. Within seconds they had vanished in the greenery. Sounds
of their flight quickly faded. As Bobby slammed on the brakes, the
tow-truck fishtailed around and clipped the end of a smashed
Datson. Dust and bits of shattered tail-light flew though the
air.

As quickly as it had begun, the
violence was over. The challenge, the dogs, Eddy’s shots, all of
it. Josh found himself holding his breath. Another close one! How
many more before one of them was hurt or killed?

“What do we do with this one?”, Eddy
asked. He was standing beside the downed man. Princess was leaning
over Hank, still growling. The pup, Og, excited by the smell of
blood, was running around its mother.

Josh came over and looked down at the
wreathing form. “See if you can stop the bleeding. I’ll check on
the woman.” Walking over to the naked form cowering by the road,
Josh set Jessie and Bobby to watch that the other two didn’t
return. Both young men took their rifles placed themselves at both
ends of their little caravan. Josh found a blanket just inside the
Winnebago and handed it to the woman.

She shrank back, her dark rimmed eyes
wide with fear. Clearly Hank and his two partners had abused her
terribly. There were bruises and scratches all over her body, a
purple bruise on her cheek and her lip was bleeding. Josh untied
the leash and stepped back. The woman, her glance darting from him
to the still groaning Hank, snatched the blanket and bolted for the
trees. Josh called for her to stop, but she ran like a frightened
deer. Within seconds she too was gone.

“Jesus Christ!”, Eddy swore. “What do
we do now? Go after her?”

Josh sighed. “It’s too dangerous.
Those others could be waiting out there.”

Eddy frowned, but said nothing. They
both walked back to the wounded man. Several yards away the heavy
pistol lay on the ground. Josh picked it up and pointed it at
Hank.

“Why?”

Sitting in the dirt, pressing a rag
against the large hole in his leg, Hank spoke through clenched
teeth.

“Why the fuck not? Just wanted a
little fun.” His expression changed slightly. “You gunna shoot me
now?”

Josh looked at the revolver, unaware
he was still holding it. He tossed it aside and called the boys.
They came quickly. Jessie looked down at Hank, then turned away. By
now Hank was sitting in a puddle of his own blood.

“We’re leaving,” Josh
announced.

Bobby’s eyes widened. “But, Mr.
Williams; what about him? And the woman might come
back.”

Josh turned towards his former
student. “So might those other two. We can’t risk it.”

“Dad,” Jessie said, nodding towards
Hank. “If we leave him --- he’ll die.”

Josh turned back to his son, but when
he spoke it was to all of them. Jessie hardly recognized his
father’s voice. “He’s as good as dead already. Look at him. He’s
bleeding to death. We can’t help him. I’m not sure I would if I
could. He and his friends have killed that man over there and
probably would have killed us. As for the woman, she’s beyond
anyone’s help. Now let’s go.”

As they moved away, Eddy touched
Josh’s arm. Their eyes met. “You want me to put him down? End
it?”

Josh frowned. “You could do
that?”

Eddy shrugged. “I started it. I should
finish it.”

Josh shook his head. “You saved our
lives, Eddy, but you didn’t start this. They did. Leave
him.”

Eddy sighed. “Old Doc was right
again.”

“What does that mean?”

Eddy attempted a smile. “Doc said that
down deep you had a tough streak in you. Not mean, but
tough.”

“Did the good doctor have any other
sage advice?” There was more than a touch of sarcasm in Josh’s
voice.

“Ya,”, Eddy grinned. “When you used
your ‘teacher’s voice’, I should watch my ass.”

“Shit!”, Hank growled. “When you two
have finished jerking each other off, how about putting a bullet in
my brain! I’m dead anyway, and the pain’s a real
fucker!”

Josh’s smile vanished. He pointed at
the revolver lying several yards away. “You want to end it, friend?
Do us all a favor. Crawl over and do it yourself.”

As they drove away, Hank’s
curses followed them.

All that had happened yesterday
afternoon. They spent that night in the Woodsville United Church’s
parkinglot. There had been little conversation. Josh had heard a
car race by in the middle of the night, but decided not to mention
it. In the morning they continued eastward on 112. Someone took a
shot at them when they stopped for gas in North Woodstock. The
bullet went wide, ricocheting off the brick wall. They didn’t hang
around to investigate but continued on to Lincoln, arriving just as
the sun was setting.

“Not much sense in pressing on,” Eddy
had said as they filled up at a gas station that also had food.
Jess and Bobby were inside turning on the pumps and stocking up on
supplies and cold drinks. “Be better to arrive in
daylight.”

Though he was anxious to push on, Josh
had agreed. North Conway was still fifty some miles away, and to
get there they had to drive the Kancamagus Highway. The ‘Kank’ as
the locals called it, was a winding, steep road that crossed the
Pemegrass Wilderness, one of the most breathtaking and remote
places in the White Mountains. Josh had traveled it many times, but
never at night. With possible wrecks waiting round every twist and
turn, Josh knew it was more prudent to wait until
daylight.

Jess came out with a bag full of Cokes
and a six-pack of beer. Smiling, he handed his father a beautiful
hand carved pipe.

“Found this inside, Dad,” he
said.

Josh smiled, shaking his head. The
pipe was beautifully made. Doc Gruber’s old ‘loaner’ was still in
his pocket. He’d given up smoking years ago. Now it didn’t seem to
matter so much. He gave his son a hug. It still seemed strange to
him to just help yourself to things. Both Jess and Bobby obviously
had no such problems. Josh noticed that Bobby had a Playboy tucked
under his arm. Eddy met his stare and grinned.

“Boys will be boys, Josh.”

“Ya. Let’s get moving. We can spend
the night in a campground just up the road. There’s a cold stream
running through it. The ‘boys’ can cool off a bit.”

“Come on in, Dad!”

Jessie, water dripping from his lean
body, waved through the golden morning sunlight and plunged into
the rushing water. Bobby was thrashing about, joyously fighting the
current. Josh and Eddy watched from the far bank. Bobby let the
current carry him back into the green pool nature had sculptured
from the earth’s crust.

“Well,” Eddy said. “How about it? It’s
still early.”

Josh smiled. “What the hell? I could
use a bath. But one of us stays here with a rifle --- I’ll not be
caught off guard again. I’ll take your place in a couple of
minutes.”

Less than an hour later,
bathed and dressed in clean clothes, they were on their way across
the Kank. A little before noon on the 29
^th
of June they
entered North Conway --- greeted by the sound of
gunfire.

Brad Westgate looked around the inn.
Wilma’s body, now covered with a blanket, lay on the floor near the
old piano. A large red stain was slowly spreading out from one end.
Tina, crouched by a front window, was trying to get a clear shot at
Snake and the others with Earl’s deer rifle. Earl himself still lay
out in the street.

Brad turned to his son. Kenneth,
clutching the old shotgun, crouched beside him, his back pressed to
the wall. The boy’s eyes were frightened and wild. Brad placed his
hand on the boy’s shoulder and moved his gaze to Bert, huddled into
a corner of the dining area. Looking at the nervous, rumpled wreck
of a man, Brad was hard pressed to remember the fastidious, prissy
barber he had known for years. Brad had never really liked Bert,
but until today had never known why.

Suddenly another shot smashed through
one of the inn’s front windows and on into the back wall. What
glass was left tinkled to the carpet. A second shot slammed into
the heavy door. Blade and Flame had apparently found themselves
rifles, probably from the hardware store. Those and the heavy
Magnum shells were taking their toll; the inside of the thick door
was splintered in over a dozen places. Once it went ---

It was nearly noon. For over two hours
now Snake and the others had been sitting in the pub across the
street, occasionally firing at the inn between their own shots of
booze. Brad had thought about slipping out the back door, but had
found Rings and a very battered and bloody Bull waiting out there.
Bull had a shotgun that he’d fire at the door whenever the urge
struck him --- which seemed quite often.

Brad was toying with the idea of
waiting for dark, then slipping out a window, but the thought of
playing hero with a real-life killers turned his blood to water.
All they could do for now was wait. Perhaps Tina would get a clear
shot.

“Someone’s coming!”, the girl
called.

Cautiously looking out one of the
front windows, Brad couldn’t believe his eyes. There, coming down
the main street, were two vans and a tow-truck! And the leading
van, a white Westfalia, looked exactly like his cousin’s! No! It
couldn’t be! Impossible! But ---

“Holy Christ! It IS Josh!” Snatching
up Earl’s shotgun, he ran for the front door. “Tina! Ken! Start
shooting at the pub! Keep them pinned down! I’ve got to warn
him!”

Charging out the door, he ran for the
cover of a parked Toyota. Behind him came the crack of Tina’s .303.
The boom of the old 16 gage followed. Brad cut loos with the 12
gage; first the right barrel, then he second. Few of the pub’s
windows were left intact. Up ahead the vans slowed, then pulled to
one side. The tow-truck followed. Men were getting out. Armed men.
Brad recognized his cousin. Joy mixed with fear coursed through
him.

“Get down, Josh!”, he bellowed. “For
Christ sake get down!”

Behind him Tina and Kenneth continued
to blast away at the pub. Despite this, the front door opened and
Snake ran out; a bottle in one hand and his gun in the other. He
took one look at the four armed men, fired three quick shots, then
ran back in. Tina’s shot clipped him in the ear.

Brad darted across the street, calling
as he went. “Josh! Thank Christ you’re alive!”

Josh grabbed his cousin and pulled him
back behind the vans. “What the hell’s going on here?!”

As Brad was telling them about Snake,
the sound ofmotorcycles starting up reached them.

“It’s coming from behind the pub!”,
Bobby said. “You want us to take a look?”