The China Pandemic (28 page)

Four days passed with little to do other than watch the snow falling, layer upon layer as it drifted downward. It was light as a feather and magnificent in scope. When it stopped, the sun rose high making the ice crystals sparkle brightly. Deer, moose, rabbit and wolf tracks made their marks here and there. The evergreen boughs bent low under their frozen loads, highlighting their beauty. Both treacherous and elegant, quiet tranquility abided for those who ventured out bundled from head to toe.

Graham shoveled off the porch once again. He didn’t need anyone slipping, especially Ennis. The kids were busily rolling enormous snowballs to conjure up a man as round as tall. He delighted in their activity with Sheriff jumping up and down, running along with them. That sight itself, evoked both sadness and joy. They shouldn’t be happy, not that he wanted them depressed, though they were, in spite of it all.

Tala walked out with a cup of piping hot cocoa and handed Graham the brew. Tension between them remained, neither certain of where things between them might go. Guilt, Graham privately called his own emotions, laced by grief and madness. It held him back, though at night he couldn’t help but look toward her sleeping form, wishing her body lay next to his.

He realized Ennis had sensed this all, maybe before each knew it themselves. He often said to Graham, “Why don’t you two take a walk. I’ll watch the kids,” as if he were the grandfather of their large brood. Graham couldn’t get that out of his mind so he ignored the offer and went about his day. He didn’t think she would oblige him anyway, other than the occasional touch or handhold throughout their days. They were held captive in the cabin so Graham tried to ignore the insistent feelings.

“County roads plowed yet?” Ennis asked.

He took great amusement making these kinds of jokes.

“Naw, you know it takes them forever to get to these back country lanes,” Graham said, playing along.

“It’s too cold for an old man out here,” Ennis said and peeked out at the children playing in the snow.

“Go inside. I’ll make you some cocoa,” Tala said, putting her arm around Ennis.

“Stop bossing me around, woman,” he griped playfully.

Truly, the old man had become a treasure to them all. Even when he was cranky, he was adorable.

Supply wise, they were doing fine and had prepared just enough to feed themselves two meals a day with supplements for the growing young minds and bodies which needed it more. With Tala’s vigilance in the pantry, they wouldn’t starve. She kept precise records. The only things they really yearned for were butter, potatoes and fresh milk.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t likely for them to come across a cow during the winter. The dry and canned variety of milk seemed to be getting them by. They’d even adjusted to drinking the powdered stuff now without too much complaint. However, Graham planned to find a dairy cow as soon as possible if it killed him.

The multivitamins the Preppers had provided helped a lot as well. As a result of the immunizations, they felt groggy and sore for a few days but fortunately, the snowstorm gave them time to rest and recover.

Ennis went back inside and Tala followed him in to check on dinner. The days were short this time of year. Graham could already see the light fading from the bitterly cold sky. One by one, the kids gave up, having succeeded in making their snowman. They climbed the steps with rosy cheeks and drenched with melting ice. They knew the drill at the door by now and Tala didn’t have to mention it to them again; boots in a row and all.

Having finally run off pent up energy, they welcomed the warm minestrone soup Tala put together along with her now famous, warm biscuits. She even made soft molasses cookies, surprising them all after dinner. Though the chickens did not yet produce many eggs this time of the year, they managed to get two before they ceased laying for the year. Tala decided to use eggs in baking so they could all enjoy them together.

“Bang, let’s you and I go feed the chickens and make sure they’re put up tight for the night,” Graham said.

They rounded up the chickens and took them their warmed brick as well. They also fed them what few scraps and biscuits Tala saved for them. They kept fresh water and bedding for the birds and hoped eggs would be plentiful in the spring with higher temperatures and more daylight.

~ ~ ~

The next day brought a surprise warming trend and the snow turned to a soupy melting mess outside. Tala threatened to have everyone start lining their boots up outside now since she was constantly wiping up the melting ice.

For the lack of anything better to do and a good case of cabin fever, Graham and the boys began shoveling a trail through the melting mess to both the lake side and driveway entrances, so that when the slush refroze, they would at least have access to each.

The snowman that the kids built stood at an angle now. They all gazed at it sadly, knowing its hours were numbered as they walked by. After a while, the sun beamed down on them, warming their shoulders through heavy jackets. They began to sweat with the work, feeling invigorated with each heft of the shovel.

The girls watched them from the porch, jealous. Since the guys were finished with the driveway side, Tala and the twins decided to take a walk. They waved to the guys as they made their way up the lane. Graham watched them and thought the only thing abnormal about the scene was seeing all three armed.

He’d warned them about the wolves and they promised to return in twenty minutes, timing it to ten minutes up the road and ten back. He relented and let them go, knowing they must be bored having stayed inside too long. He would have gone with them but really wanted to help the boys finish the almost complete task of trail clearing.

Trudging through the melting snow helped the women work their leg muscles. It was a joy to breathe the fresh air and get away from the cabin for a short while.

~ ~ ~

Graham heard the engine and the shots at the same time. A chill ran up his spine before he even heard the screams. He grabbed his rifle and ran through the forest to where he thought they might be, jumping over fallen logs carelessly as fast as his might would carry him.

Only eight minutes out, the dread fell over him. The intruders were coming for them by land not lake. The girls ran as fast as they could go, but with sinister intentions and stronger bodies, the intruders would win. Marcy raced for the tree line with Tala and Macy right behind. They might have made it, had Macy not tripped over a chunk of ice. One of the intruders grabbed her easily. Then Tala turned and pulled on the girl, clenching Macy as the intruder yanked Macy’s pistol from her chest harness and aimed it at Macy’s temple.

“Let her go,” Tala screamed.

“We just want one of you, darlin’,” he said, making her skin crawl.

He had his thick fat fingers intertwined into Macy’s hair.

“She’s a child. Take me,” Tala said, and lowered the rifle.

“No, Tala,” Macy screamed.

The man pushed the girl down hard into the road in time to grab Tala harshly before she could fight back. Tala dropped her weapon to Macy’s side as he dragged her to their jeep. The intruders planned a quick getaway. Having already heard a vehicle breaking the silence, they made their escape.

Their mission was simple: to pick up one of the women and get back to camp without any trouble. They didn’t care which, but a woman would be better than one of those scrawny girls. There were two of them now and they needed someone to cook and take care of their needs. They figured this to be the best plan.

“No,” Macy screamed again.

“Run, Macy,” Tala cried out before her captor covered her mouth with one hand and pulled her onto him in the passenger’s seat of the jeep, which sped away.

Macy did run. She grabbed the extra rifle and took off following the jeep as far as she could when she heard Graham behind her yelling, with Marcy following him.

He knew he’d failed. He wanted to shoot at the vehicle speeding away in the distance but couldn’t risk hitting Tala. The next thing he knew, Mark pulled up, driving the truck from the opposite direction, “Get in,” Mark yelled when he pulled up to Graham and the girls.

“No, you get out,” Graham said and as soon as the boy began to protest, Graham reached in and yanked him out of the driver’s seat.

“I need you here,” Graham said, throwing the truck into gear and taking off after Tala.

“Come on, he’s right. Let’s get back,” Mark said. Both girls were crying and he embraced them, hurrying them back to the cabin.

Reuben switched through the cameras. One minute, all was well, the next it was not. The women went for a walk and the guys were working outside, maintaining trails. Ennis did what old men do on cold winter days; he napped. The scene was like something out of Little Women, which Reuben had read to his daughters.

After he had seen the girls leave on the north camera, he watched as they faded into the distance. He was happy for them to get some fresh air, for a change. The south side camera had the guys working and joking together.

Then he heard the shots on the audio and looked at the screens frantically to find where it had come from. The boys stood momentarily frozen, but Graham had already sped off towards the sound.

“Something’s up,” Reuben said.

He started switching through cameras and found Mark running into the cabin and retrieving keys.

Reuben radioed Dalton, “The girls and Graham are off camera to the north. It looks like Mr. Mark’s going for a drive. Speeding north in the truck.”

“Coming in,” Dalton said.

Reuben turned up the volume when Bang and Sheriff stormed into the cabin calling for Ennis. “What’s up, lad?” Ennis asked.

“Someone’s shooting. Tala and the twins went for a walk. Graham ran after them and then Mark drove the truck. I don’t know where Graham is,” Bang said, scared.

Ennis patted the boy, knowing he and Graham had a special bond. To reassure him, Ennis said, “Graham will be all right. I’m sure whatever it is, he’ll be right back.”

Bang’s lower lip trembled. “You come warm up by the fire. You’re too cold,” Ennis said as he tried to take care of the little guy.

“No! We need to help them,” Bang urged.

“Sounds like Mark has it all under control. I think we should stay here. If everyone goes off, no one will be watching the cabin and I know Graham would want you to keep an eye on it. I can’t do it all by myself anymore,” Ennis said, and hoped that would keep the boy from worrying.

They heard footsteps running through the ice and coming to the door so Ennis grabbed his shotgun and peered out the window before he opened the door out of caution. He saw the twins with Mark, so he opened it to let them in.

“What’s going on, son?” Ennis asked Mark.

“The intruders from the lake took Tala!”

The girls were sniffling and now that Bang knew, he blubbered, too. “Where’s Graham?”

“He went after them. He wouldn’t let me go with him. He said he needed me here,” Mark said but Ennis saw the teenager felt like he’d somehow failed Graham.

Ennis was at a loss in a situation like this. He knew there was nothing he could do to help Graham. The only thing he could think of was to try to keep the children calm and stop them from doing something stupid.

“Graham’s right,” he said to Mark. “You need to be here. I can’t take care of them on my own. I’m an old man. Graham can take care of himself. He’ll get Tala and come back, don’t you all worry,” he added.

“You girls come dry off by the fire. Warm up your hands. You’re shivering,” Ennis said to them. They were still sniffling. He could see that Mark’s internal wheels were spinning. “Son, there’s nothing you can do, but wait. Have faith in Graham. He’s a smart man.” Ennis tried to comfort the younger man.

“Are they going to hurt Tala?” Bang asked.

Macy was the first to snap out of it. Kneeling, she hugged the little guy. “I don’t know. Hopefully Graham will get her back. She saved me,” Macy said and instead of comforting Bang, she burst into tears again. He hugged her back and said, “Don’t cry, Macy. Graham won’t let them hurt Tala. He loves her. He kisses her.”

Ennis looked at the back of her bent head as she wept on the little boy’s shoulder. Blood dripped down her back and stained her long blonde hair. He pointed and Mark jumped forward.

“Macy, you’re hurt,” he said, reaching for her.

She stood up too fast and swayed, her knees buckling, tilting her dangerously toward the woodstove. Mark pulled her away from the fire, and half carried her the kitchen table where he propped her on a chair. Marcy took off her coat to search for the source of the blood. They found a handful of hair falling away as they searched her head. A part of her scalp ripped up, with rivulets of blood pooling into a stream down to the floor.

“Ennis! What should we do?” Marcy cried as she snatched a clean dish towel and placed it against her sister’s head. Ennis helped lie Macy across Mark’s knees, then he cut away the hair still hanging on the tab of torn scalp, and muttered, “Sons-of-bitches. Press down on that bleeding spot again,” he instructed Marcy.

Bang pulled off her wet boots. Marcy wiped away the blood and pressed on the wound again, holding it still.

Macy tried to sit up. “What is it?” she asked. “What’s happening?”

“You have a cut on your head,” Marcy said. “We’re just trying to stop the bleeding. Then we’ll put some ointment on it and give you something for the pain,” Ennis, hearing this as he returned with the new first aid kit from the Preppers, thought she sounded a lot like Tala would have in the same circumstances.

“He has to get that woman back safe,” he muttered and beside him, Mark nodded.

The men must be real brutes to have pulled Macy so hard by the hair they yanked out a fistful of her lovely curls and hurt her so badly. It only made Ennis more worried for Tala’s safety as he saw this brutality. “I want to kill them,” Mark’s low comment sounded like a growl. “How could anyone hurt a girl like that?”

“There are plenty of bad people in the world, still, I guess,” Ennis said as he handed Marcy a tube of antibiotic cream. When she’d applied that, he passed her a sterile dressing and some short strips of tape. His old police first aid training was coming back, but his hands weren’t steady enough for this kind of work.

“It’s okay, Macy, I’m sure Graham will get Tala back and make those guys pay,” Mark said as he and Ennis helped Macy up and steadied her. They walked her to the front room and Bang took her a cup of cocoa like Tala would have done.

“The only thing we can do now is sit and wait,” Ennis said and dragged his chair closer to the door with his rifle ready, just in case.

Mark checked the monitors, but he knew the intruders were long gone by now. “Ennis, what if I were to take the other truck and go see if I can help Graham?” Mark whispered.

Ennis didn’t want to tell the young man what to do. He just said, “If you did and something was to happen to you, what would become of these guys?” Ennis said as he pointed to the three. “Graham wanted you to stay here for a reason, Mark.”

“You’re right, I know. I just want to do something. I hate not knowing,” Mark said in frustration.

“You are doing something. You’re keeping them safe. He needs you to do that,” Ennis said, then added, “I’m an old man. I can’t chase bad guys. I can only watch the door.”

Mark paced in front of the woodstove with his hands braced behind his head.

Bang sat down by Sheriff on the floor and picked up one of the many sticks he was carving into arrows after Ennis showed him how it was done.

“That’s a good idea, Bang,” Mark said, and continued to work on his own since they might need them.