Epilogue
Hi all, Erin here. It’s been a long time since I’ve read this. Let me fill in a few details. Brock, Kevin, Roni and George went on to see about Roni’s sister, Emma a few months after they came home. Tracey and I stayed with the family. Everyone agreed that we would be safest there. Of course there was the wedding and I personally think that my new mom and dad wanted to have their honeymoon with no kids tagging along. Now that I’m a wife and mom, I agree they did the right thing.
Mom and dad made it home safe and sound with plenty of good news about Aunt Emma, she even came and visited for awhile and when I was two we all went there and I got to meet my Aunt Gracie. Uncle Kevin fell for her like a ton of bricks and they were married within a year! She had ridden to Aunt Emma’s on a TRICYCLE! Uncle Kevin has been the only one she will ever get into a vehicle with.
Tracey and I did go back to where I was born and found the house still boarded up. I know, we couldn’t believe it either! We found a few things that we decided to keep but we both knew that THIS is home for us now. We planted some rose bushes on the grave of our parents and we both went there for our own honeymoons. It is a great place for a hunting lodge and our dear friend George has set up a business there with his wife and five kids.
Brock and Roni (aka: Mom and Dad); had 8 other kids besides me and Tracey and believe you me, Tracey played the role of eldest (and bossiest) to the hilt. Kevin and Gracie have seven kids of their own but they moved back to Arkansas before they were all born. We had plenty of kids running around the ranch and of course plenty of competition.
One game I remember well was when Mom put our names on these little wooden signs that she made; each kid had one sign with their name on it. Then she put little hangers in the garden and would place a sign on each. The signs said “This piece of our life is tended lovingly and honestly by >insert the kids name<”. Now THAT set off one of the biggest rounds of competition ever! Our parents never had to tell us to weed at all! None of us wanted our names to be in a piece of the garden that was full of weeds!
Time rolled on and we all grew up with our bumps and bruises and there was some mishaps and sad times. Our dear Gramma passed away one bitter winter but she has left all of us a legacy that we refuse to let die. (And personally, I think that my little sister Carrie, has inherited all Gramma’s quirks; she goes around talking to the animals all the time! And has been doing that since she could talk….she even talked to one of the dogs before she ever talked to any of her ‘people’ family!)
Oh yeah, I guess I should tell you about Mike and Michelle Striker. They stayed on the Ranch for a few years, until things got “more normal” and eventually went back and rebuilt and restarted their business and they still make a killer breakfast special that you can get anytime of the day.
Our extended family may be spread out all over the country now, and I think that is a good thing! Gives us good excuses to go traveling! And we do like to travel. Mostly it’s on horseback since cars haven’t really made a comeback yet. We as a country seem to like how we have settled into a more “live with the land” kind of view. We value family and good friends more now and from all I’ve heard, we had lost that in the years before the “event”.
So I’ll leave you now. I hope you and your family has made it through this “rough patch” our country has gone through. I have many hopes for our country and all the people that live here. And ya know what? I think they are all coming true!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Mountain Movin - Eleven
Chapter Eleven – On the Road Again
The Strikers and George all decided that there wasn’t anything left there for them and told the brothers and Roni that they were coming with them whether they liked it or not. So it was a slightly larger caravan of vehicles that set out again for Colorado two days later.
After all the action that had been going on, the rest of the trip to Durango was almost boring and no one complained one bit. The group had stopped in one town that had a Wally World and stocked up on some things like diapers and they were able to pump up gas from the gas station with the generator on the RV the Strikers had taken to drive. They had thoroughly cleaned it before claiming it. They had found some cash, drugs of course which they had destroyed, and a few weapons but not much else they could use. There was a lot of electronic stuff they just dumped out. It was now filled with supplies from Wally World.
The store hadn’t look like it had been scavenged at all so they felt pretty safe as they made the rounds of the aisles. The guys stood guard while the women went in and shopped. Roni took Tracey in and they found a neat little snuggler in the baby department that they put Erin in. So then the three of them had fun filling the shopping carts. They would fill one and push it to the front where Brock would load it in the vehicles and trailers. When asked if they were done, they just smiled and grabbed another cart and some bags and went off back into the store. Brock lost count at 8 carts. But with some clever packing, he managed to fit everything they brought in the truck and trailer. Some stuff went into totes that were then strapped down on the bike trailer along with the now filled gas cans. All the food went into the RV though. Michelle did a great job of cleaning out the health and beauty aids section. She didn’t forget to stock up on all the OTC meds, first aid supplies, soaps, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, and various other necessities.
It was a good thing that George was riding his bike since by the time everyone was done shopping; there was barely any room left in the RV for Mike and Michelle! The trailer was fully loaded and so was the back of the jeep and the trailer that it was pulling. And since they figured that they should be at Brock and Kevin’s parents place that day, even Tracey gave up her small space in the back of the pickup and they loaded it up with baby things and some things that Tracey had picked out.
They were finally back on the road again with George scouting ahead on his bike and keeping in touch by some walkie talkie’s they had gotten from Wally World. They were amazed that they even worked but every vehicle had one and plenty of batteries. After George came the truck pulling the trailer with Brock, Roni, Tracey, and Erin in it. Then came the RV with Mike and Michelle and following in back was Kevin in the Jeep pulling the small trailer.
It was a weary group that pulled into the Stetson Ranch and was met by at least a dozen guns pointed right at them.
Kevin had taken over the lead about ten miles outside of the Ranch so he was first to step out of the jeep with his hands up.
“Is that anyway to greet long lost family members?” he shouted. From behind what looked like very large gun barrels, a female voice called out “We shoot varmints that come around here. We turn them into Gramma’s secret stew.”
“Well, we sure could handle a few bowlfuls of that stew and maybe even a hug or two from our sisters! Get yer tush over here Rachael and give me a hug!”
The young woman flew into her brother’s arms before anyone could stop her. “So how many mountains did ya have to move to get here big brother?” The rifles lowered and were slung out of the way as the two brothers were welcomed home.
Kevin and Brock both answered “All of them!”
Roni stood off to the side at first but Brock drug her and the girls with her to his side to introduce her to his sister. “Roni, this is my bratty little sister Rachael and Rachael, this is Roni; the woman I moved the mountains with and the one I’m falling in love with.”
That announcement about sucked the air right out of Roni’s lungs and she barely got the “pleased to meet you” out. Brock laughed at her expression and grabbed her up and gave her a soul pounding kiss that made her go so weak in the knees, he had to hold her up.
The laughing and clapping brought them back to their senses and of course Erin who was still in Roni’s arms. Tracey was giggling like crazy and when Roni looked around, there was only warmth in everyone’s eyes. She smiled sheepishly and then began to laugh with everyone else.
Dinner that night was a party that lasted well into the night. Roni met all of Brock’s family including his crazy Gramma. They all had been welcomed with open arms and made to feel part of the family. Erin was passed around and awed over and Tracey found that Alexandria, Brock and Kevin’s other sister; had a daughter just her age and they became fast friends.
They had a night of celebration; a celebration of life and a hope for a new beginning.
The Strikers and George all decided that there wasn’t anything left there for them and told the brothers and Roni that they were coming with them whether they liked it or not. So it was a slightly larger caravan of vehicles that set out again for Colorado two days later.
After all the action that had been going on, the rest of the trip to Durango was almost boring and no one complained one bit. The group had stopped in one town that had a Wally World and stocked up on some things like diapers and they were able to pump up gas from the gas station with the generator on the RV the Strikers had taken to drive. They had thoroughly cleaned it before claiming it. They had found some cash, drugs of course which they had destroyed, and a few weapons but not much else they could use. There was a lot of electronic stuff they just dumped out. It was now filled with supplies from Wally World.
The store hadn’t look like it had been scavenged at all so they felt pretty safe as they made the rounds of the aisles. The guys stood guard while the women went in and shopped. Roni took Tracey in and they found a neat little snuggler in the baby department that they put Erin in. So then the three of them had fun filling the shopping carts. They would fill one and push it to the front where Brock would load it in the vehicles and trailers. When asked if they were done, they just smiled and grabbed another cart and some bags and went off back into the store. Brock lost count at 8 carts. But with some clever packing, he managed to fit everything they brought in the truck and trailer. Some stuff went into totes that were then strapped down on the bike trailer along with the now filled gas cans. All the food went into the RV though. Michelle did a great job of cleaning out the health and beauty aids section. She didn’t forget to stock up on all the OTC meds, first aid supplies, soaps, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoos, conditioners, lotions, and various other necessities.
It was a good thing that George was riding his bike since by the time everyone was done shopping; there was barely any room left in the RV for Mike and Michelle! The trailer was fully loaded and so was the back of the jeep and the trailer that it was pulling. And since they figured that they should be at Brock and Kevin’s parents place that day, even Tracey gave up her small space in the back of the pickup and they loaded it up with baby things and some things that Tracey had picked out.
They were finally back on the road again with George scouting ahead on his bike and keeping in touch by some walkie talkie’s they had gotten from Wally World. They were amazed that they even worked but every vehicle had one and plenty of batteries. After George came the truck pulling the trailer with Brock, Roni, Tracey, and Erin in it. Then came the RV with Mike and Michelle and following in back was Kevin in the Jeep pulling the small trailer.
It was a weary group that pulled into the Stetson Ranch and was met by at least a dozen guns pointed right at them.
Kevin had taken over the lead about ten miles outside of the Ranch so he was first to step out of the jeep with his hands up.
“Is that anyway to greet long lost family members?” he shouted. From behind what looked like very large gun barrels, a female voice called out “We shoot varmints that come around here. We turn them into Gramma’s secret stew.”
“Well, we sure could handle a few bowlfuls of that stew and maybe even a hug or two from our sisters! Get yer tush over here Rachael and give me a hug!”
The young woman flew into her brother’s arms before anyone could stop her. “So how many mountains did ya have to move to get here big brother?” The rifles lowered and were slung out of the way as the two brothers were welcomed home.
Kevin and Brock both answered “All of them!”
Roni stood off to the side at first but Brock drug her and the girls with her to his side to introduce her to his sister. “Roni, this is my bratty little sister Rachael and Rachael, this is Roni; the woman I moved the mountains with and the one I’m falling in love with.”
That announcement about sucked the air right out of Roni’s lungs and she barely got the “pleased to meet you” out. Brock laughed at her expression and grabbed her up and gave her a soul pounding kiss that made her go so weak in the knees, he had to hold her up.
The laughing and clapping brought them back to their senses and of course Erin who was still in Roni’s arms. Tracey was giggling like crazy and when Roni looked around, there was only warmth in everyone’s eyes. She smiled sheepishly and then began to laugh with everyone else.
Dinner that night was a party that lasted well into the night. Roni met all of Brock’s family including his crazy Gramma. They all had been welcomed with open arms and made to feel part of the family. Erin was passed around and awed over and Tracey found that Alexandria, Brock and Kevin’s other sister; had a daughter just her age and they became fast friends.
They had a night of celebration; a celebration of life and a hope for a new beginning.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Mountain Movin - Ten
Chapter Ten – Quite a Story
“Can I put my hands down first?” he asked.
“Brock why don’t you frisk him real quick.” Said Mike and the big guy warned them that there was a boot knife in his left boot but no other weapons.
Brock got the job done and relieved the big guy of the knife and found that he had been telling the truth, no other weapons were on him. He also picked up the gun off the counter as he walked by.
The big guy began his story after lowering his arms.
“You may not believe this but I promise that this is a true story. I’m a Federal agent and have been under cover for 2 years trying to bust this gang that was trafficking drugs up from Mexico. I was still in deep cover when ‘THIS’ happened,” he made a sweeping arm movement that encompassed the whole world going down the toilet and then continued “I have no family and couldn’t make contact with anyone in the FBI, so I decided to coast in my role and stay under cover. I haven’t been able to make any major difference in the violence that this gang has been spreading but I’ve managed to take out one here and there in gun fights so that the gang thought they were killed by the others. There were fifty when it all went down but I never have killed any innocent and mostly acted as slightly ‘not quite smart’ grunt. The Strikers can vouch for that.”
Brock and Kevin looked at the Strikers, but Roni kept her eyes on the man. Both of the Strikers were nodding their heads and Michelle said “We both thought he was a slow one, he just would carry the heavy things around. He never did anything violent, it was the others.”
Tracey piped up again “and he protected me when that man tried to touch me.” She said as she pointed at the dead man named Bubba on the floor.
The man continued “My real name is George Passen and I would really like to NOT die today.”
Brock, Kevin and the Strikers all talked for a few moments and none felt like killing him in cold blood; but were leary since they had no way to confirm his story except for him killing Bubba to protect Tracey. It seems that Bubba was getting fresh with Tracey at the same time the battle went down on the front porch. George had come in from the back, saw what was going on, and simply pulled him away from Tracey and shot him dead.
“I’m wondering how you managed to get in with this gang by playing a mentally challenged fella….” Inquired Roni, who had by now taken Erin from Brock and was gently rocking her. Erin was finally calming down and was almost asleep on Roni’s shoulder.
“That was much easier than I thought it would be. I pretended to be ‘in love’ with Candy and once Candy realized how I ‘doted’ on her; I wasn’t let out of her sight. Mandy made me Candy’s protector and let me tell you, if the world hadn’t been turned upside down, I would have demanded hazard pay at least five times higher than what is normal for that job.” They all had a giggle at that because after what they had seen of Candy, it couldn’t have been an easy job.
“Well, we still don’t know if we can trust you or not, but it’s obvious we can’t just kill you in cold blood either; so we are going to tie you up for now and then decide what to do with you.” Mike said. Both Brock and Kevin tied George up.
They then looked around and thought about the porch outside and promptly untied him and told him he was going to help with the clean up first.
It was a long evening for all of them. They never did bother to tie George back up since he not only had many opportunities to run away but there was a couple times he could have grabbed any one of them and made them a hostage. They really began to believe his story when Mike saw his tattoo on his left shoulder blade when he took his shirt off to wash up after all the bodies had been taken care of.
The tattoo told the story of a soldier who had seen combat and survived. Mike had a similar one on his shoulder blade. “I only know of two companies that got these tattoos and I had a good buddy in the one that wasn’t mine. He didn’t come home after the War. His name was Tom Holder.”
“Tickin’ Time Bomb Tom?” exclaimed George. “He saved my butt over there more than once. I was there when he was hit, did what I could do to make him comfortable but he was gone when the medic got there. There was just nothing else I could do to save him, he had been hit bad.”
That cinched it; the nick name was only used in the company and between Tom and Mike.
Mike and George set off by themselves for while talking about Tom and the war.
Tracey had fallen asleep sitting up in a chair, so Brock went over and picked her up and Roni followed with Erin as he went outside. They got the girls settled in the truck for the night with the windows down some for fresh air. They made up their own beds right beside the truck but Roni scooted hers right next to Brocks and fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.
Kevin and George took first watch.
“Can I put my hands down first?” he asked.
“Brock why don’t you frisk him real quick.” Said Mike and the big guy warned them that there was a boot knife in his left boot but no other weapons.
Brock got the job done and relieved the big guy of the knife and found that he had been telling the truth, no other weapons were on him. He also picked up the gun off the counter as he walked by.
The big guy began his story after lowering his arms.
“You may not believe this but I promise that this is a true story. I’m a Federal agent and have been under cover for 2 years trying to bust this gang that was trafficking drugs up from Mexico. I was still in deep cover when ‘THIS’ happened,” he made a sweeping arm movement that encompassed the whole world going down the toilet and then continued “I have no family and couldn’t make contact with anyone in the FBI, so I decided to coast in my role and stay under cover. I haven’t been able to make any major difference in the violence that this gang has been spreading but I’ve managed to take out one here and there in gun fights so that the gang thought they were killed by the others. There were fifty when it all went down but I never have killed any innocent and mostly acted as slightly ‘not quite smart’ grunt. The Strikers can vouch for that.”
Brock and Kevin looked at the Strikers, but Roni kept her eyes on the man. Both of the Strikers were nodding their heads and Michelle said “We both thought he was a slow one, he just would carry the heavy things around. He never did anything violent, it was the others.”
Tracey piped up again “and he protected me when that man tried to touch me.” She said as she pointed at the dead man named Bubba on the floor.
The man continued “My real name is George Passen and I would really like to NOT die today.”
Brock, Kevin and the Strikers all talked for a few moments and none felt like killing him in cold blood; but were leary since they had no way to confirm his story except for him killing Bubba to protect Tracey. It seems that Bubba was getting fresh with Tracey at the same time the battle went down on the front porch. George had come in from the back, saw what was going on, and simply pulled him away from Tracey and shot him dead.
“I’m wondering how you managed to get in with this gang by playing a mentally challenged fella….” Inquired Roni, who had by now taken Erin from Brock and was gently rocking her. Erin was finally calming down and was almost asleep on Roni’s shoulder.
“That was much easier than I thought it would be. I pretended to be ‘in love’ with Candy and once Candy realized how I ‘doted’ on her; I wasn’t let out of her sight. Mandy made me Candy’s protector and let me tell you, if the world hadn’t been turned upside down, I would have demanded hazard pay at least five times higher than what is normal for that job.” They all had a giggle at that because after what they had seen of Candy, it couldn’t have been an easy job.
“Well, we still don’t know if we can trust you or not, but it’s obvious we can’t just kill you in cold blood either; so we are going to tie you up for now and then decide what to do with you.” Mike said. Both Brock and Kevin tied George up.
They then looked around and thought about the porch outside and promptly untied him and told him he was going to help with the clean up first.
It was a long evening for all of them. They never did bother to tie George back up since he not only had many opportunities to run away but there was a couple times he could have grabbed any one of them and made them a hostage. They really began to believe his story when Mike saw his tattoo on his left shoulder blade when he took his shirt off to wash up after all the bodies had been taken care of.
The tattoo told the story of a soldier who had seen combat and survived. Mike had a similar one on his shoulder blade. “I only know of two companies that got these tattoos and I had a good buddy in the one that wasn’t mine. He didn’t come home after the War. His name was Tom Holder.”
“Tickin’ Time Bomb Tom?” exclaimed George. “He saved my butt over there more than once. I was there when he was hit, did what I could do to make him comfortable but he was gone when the medic got there. There was just nothing else I could do to save him, he had been hit bad.”
That cinched it; the nick name was only used in the company and between Tom and Mike.
Mike and George set off by themselves for while talking about Tom and the war.
Tracey had fallen asleep sitting up in a chair, so Brock went over and picked her up and Roni followed with Erin as he went outside. They got the girls settled in the truck for the night with the windows down some for fresh air. They made up their own beds right beside the truck but Roni scooted hers right next to Brocks and fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.
Kevin and George took first watch.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Mountain Movin - Nine
Chapter 9 – Sticky Situations Need Some Elbow Grease.
“So now that you have been captured, I don’t feel so bad about ending up tied up to this here post. Wanna tell me how you got caught?” asked Brock.
“Not really, it’s embarrassing and full of stupidity on my part.” retorted Roni “I really was an idiot! I was changing Erin’s diaper before we were going to go hide and Tracey was in her little cubby. Well, I had just gotten Erin back in her seat with a pacifier and was walking around to get into the drivers seat. I just happened to glance into the side mirror and got a glimpse of a dude behind me with a gun raised above his head. I just didn’t move fast enough. Next thing I knew, I was here tied up next to you.”
“Don’t feel bad, I also got caught with my pants down, so to speak. Wasn’t paying enough attention to my surroundings; a couple of guys from this gang here crept up on me while I was spying on the place. Although I didn’t get knocked out; I was quite embarrassed to be caught like that.” Brock sighed deeply and continued “So I reckon we got less than an hour for Kevin to make an appearance…one way or another.”
“Let’s hope he is a bit smarter than we’ve been.” giggled Roni. “Listen to us, here we are tied up, for now, our babies are in there with who knows who and here I am giggling my butt off.”
“Sounds like a nervous giggle to me. I know how worried you are, I am too. Somehow I’ve come to love those girls as if they were my own! I would gladly give my life for them. And we will figure out a way to get them away safe and sound! So don’t give up hope now!” demanded Brock.
A strange look came over Roni’s face just then. Then they both could hear a soft whisper
“I’m going to cut your ropes, but pretend you are still tied. There is some guy watching you from the window.” Kevin proceeded to cut the rope that was tying Roni’s wrists. They could just barely hear a soft slithering sound and a few moments later Brock’s wrists were also free.
While this was happening, they kept up a soft chatter of worry about the girls. Hoping that it was loud enough to cover any sound Kevin may be making, but not so loud that it sounded false.
They ended up being free and each had a knife pressed into their hands. Then Kevin was gone. They only had to wait about fifteen minutes before a couple of the biker guys came out, they were arguing with each other.
“I’m telling ya Peanut, Critter and Snag should have been back ten minutes ago.”
“JimTom, they are probably off jerking around somewhere.” Then Peanut’s attention was drawn to Brock “Well, are ya comfy there fella?” Then to be mean he walked over to Roni and ran his hand over her chest “Is this your woman? I’m gonna love teaching her new….” was all he got out as Roni’s foot connected with his private parts and he keeled over in pain, not even able to get a whine out.
JimTom pulled Peanut out of the reach of Roni’s foot and started screaming at her. Both Brock and Roni had a hard time keeping their hands behind their backs looking like they were still tied up.
The door was yanked open and Mandy and two of the bikers were standing there. “What the hell is going on out here?” She demanded. Candy pushed herself between the two bikers and to Roni’s horror she had Erin in her arms. It took all of Roni’s inner strength to NOT move and rip Erin out of Candy’s arms.
Since Peanut still couldn’t speak, JimTom started to say something but Roni quickly gained control of herself and broke in with “That creep tried to feel me up and so I put him in his place! I don’t let ANY man touch me that way! He needs to be put down for daring to treat a woman like trash!”
Mandy looked from Roni to Peanut and said “Serves you right Peanut! You have no business touching her until I give her to you. You forgot your place in the way of things and so you should be glad that I don’t discipline you further. Get his ass out of here JimTom and I don’t want to see his sorry face around until morning. You two can pull guard duty all night long!” She then swung her gaze back to Roni who was looking at Candy and Erin. She followed her gaze and said “Doesn’t my sister make a good mom? We are going to keep them and raise them up to not take crap from anyone. Oh yeah, we’ll be changing their names, too.”
Before she could say anything else, an arrow landed in the chest of one of the bikers standing at the door way. As Candy watched the growing red circle surrounding the arrow, Roni and Brock sprang into action, keeping low Brock grabbed Erin out of Candy’s arms and jumped off the porch since he was the closest to her. Roni grabbed Mandy as another arrow found the throat of the other male biker. He went down trying to scream and only gurgled blood.
Mandy began to scream for the others but Roni grabbed her hair, pulled her head back and up, and slit her throat. She went down gagging on her own blood. Candy went hysterical and began chasing after Brock and Erin. Roni barely managed to stick a foot out and trip her up as she started toward the stairs at a full run; she tripped and landed at an odd angle on the ground at the foot of the stairs.
There was a gun shot from inside and Roni ran for the doorway, thinking of Tracey. She skidded to a stop about five feet inside when she realized that Mike Striker had a gun on a big guy who she hadn’t seen yet and as she glanced down, she saw Bubba, the one who had caught her, was dead on the floor. The big guy had his hands up and was silent. There was a gun on the counter not far from him.
Michelle had Tracey with her over in a corner of the big room that they used to serve customers in. The place was a wreck. Roni ran over to Tracey and put her arms around her and gave her a big hug! She didn’t even realize she was crying until Tracey asked her why there were tears on her face. “I’m just very glad to see you and know that you are ok.” Just then Brock came into the room with Erin crying loudly and Kevin following him.
“What about those two, Peanut and JimTom that she sent out?” asked Roni.
“They are no longer a problem.” replied Kevin.
“So what are we going to do with you? You seem to be the last one of this here gang.” asked Mike of the big guy.
Tracey broke away from Roni and ran to the big man, “His name is George and he’s my friend! He shot that bad man who wanted to hurt me.” She declared.
Brock was desperately trying to get Erin to quiet down and Roni was trying to get Tracey to let the big man’s leg go. Michelle Striker spoke up and said “He did protect Tracey, and he is the one that killed that fella over there” as she nodded over to the dead biker “Maybe we should listen to what he has to say.”
Roni turned towards the big man who had no hope in his eyes “Ok, what’s your story?”
“So now that you have been captured, I don’t feel so bad about ending up tied up to this here post. Wanna tell me how you got caught?” asked Brock.
“Not really, it’s embarrassing and full of stupidity on my part.” retorted Roni “I really was an idiot! I was changing Erin’s diaper before we were going to go hide and Tracey was in her little cubby. Well, I had just gotten Erin back in her seat with a pacifier and was walking around to get into the drivers seat. I just happened to glance into the side mirror and got a glimpse of a dude behind me with a gun raised above his head. I just didn’t move fast enough. Next thing I knew, I was here tied up next to you.”
“Don’t feel bad, I also got caught with my pants down, so to speak. Wasn’t paying enough attention to my surroundings; a couple of guys from this gang here crept up on me while I was spying on the place. Although I didn’t get knocked out; I was quite embarrassed to be caught like that.” Brock sighed deeply and continued “So I reckon we got less than an hour for Kevin to make an appearance…one way or another.”
“Let’s hope he is a bit smarter than we’ve been.” giggled Roni. “Listen to us, here we are tied up, for now, our babies are in there with who knows who and here I am giggling my butt off.”
“Sounds like a nervous giggle to me. I know how worried you are, I am too. Somehow I’ve come to love those girls as if they were my own! I would gladly give my life for them. And we will figure out a way to get them away safe and sound! So don’t give up hope now!” demanded Brock.
A strange look came over Roni’s face just then. Then they both could hear a soft whisper
“I’m going to cut your ropes, but pretend you are still tied. There is some guy watching you from the window.” Kevin proceeded to cut the rope that was tying Roni’s wrists. They could just barely hear a soft slithering sound and a few moments later Brock’s wrists were also free.
While this was happening, they kept up a soft chatter of worry about the girls. Hoping that it was loud enough to cover any sound Kevin may be making, but not so loud that it sounded false.
They ended up being free and each had a knife pressed into their hands. Then Kevin was gone. They only had to wait about fifteen minutes before a couple of the biker guys came out, they were arguing with each other.
“I’m telling ya Peanut, Critter and Snag should have been back ten minutes ago.”
“JimTom, they are probably off jerking around somewhere.” Then Peanut’s attention was drawn to Brock “Well, are ya comfy there fella?” Then to be mean he walked over to Roni and ran his hand over her chest “Is this your woman? I’m gonna love teaching her new….” was all he got out as Roni’s foot connected with his private parts and he keeled over in pain, not even able to get a whine out.
JimTom pulled Peanut out of the reach of Roni’s foot and started screaming at her. Both Brock and Roni had a hard time keeping their hands behind their backs looking like they were still tied up.
The door was yanked open and Mandy and two of the bikers were standing there. “What the hell is going on out here?” She demanded. Candy pushed herself between the two bikers and to Roni’s horror she had Erin in her arms. It took all of Roni’s inner strength to NOT move and rip Erin out of Candy’s arms.
Since Peanut still couldn’t speak, JimTom started to say something but Roni quickly gained control of herself and broke in with “That creep tried to feel me up and so I put him in his place! I don’t let ANY man touch me that way! He needs to be put down for daring to treat a woman like trash!”
Mandy looked from Roni to Peanut and said “Serves you right Peanut! You have no business touching her until I give her to you. You forgot your place in the way of things and so you should be glad that I don’t discipline you further. Get his ass out of here JimTom and I don’t want to see his sorry face around until morning. You two can pull guard duty all night long!” She then swung her gaze back to Roni who was looking at Candy and Erin. She followed her gaze and said “Doesn’t my sister make a good mom? We are going to keep them and raise them up to not take crap from anyone. Oh yeah, we’ll be changing their names, too.”
Before she could say anything else, an arrow landed in the chest of one of the bikers standing at the door way. As Candy watched the growing red circle surrounding the arrow, Roni and Brock sprang into action, keeping low Brock grabbed Erin out of Candy’s arms and jumped off the porch since he was the closest to her. Roni grabbed Mandy as another arrow found the throat of the other male biker. He went down trying to scream and only gurgled blood.
Mandy began to scream for the others but Roni grabbed her hair, pulled her head back and up, and slit her throat. She went down gagging on her own blood. Candy went hysterical and began chasing after Brock and Erin. Roni barely managed to stick a foot out and trip her up as she started toward the stairs at a full run; she tripped and landed at an odd angle on the ground at the foot of the stairs.
There was a gun shot from inside and Roni ran for the doorway, thinking of Tracey. She skidded to a stop about five feet inside when she realized that Mike Striker had a gun on a big guy who she hadn’t seen yet and as she glanced down, she saw Bubba, the one who had caught her, was dead on the floor. The big guy had his hands up and was silent. There was a gun on the counter not far from him.
Michelle had Tracey with her over in a corner of the big room that they used to serve customers in. The place was a wreck. Roni ran over to Tracey and put her arms around her and gave her a big hug! She didn’t even realize she was crying until Tracey asked her why there were tears on her face. “I’m just very glad to see you and know that you are ok.” Just then Brock came into the room with Erin crying loudly and Kevin following him.
“What about those two, Peanut and JimTom that she sent out?” asked Roni.
“They are no longer a problem.” replied Kevin.
“So what are we going to do with you? You seem to be the last one of this here gang.” asked Mike of the big guy.
Tracey broke away from Roni and ran to the big man, “His name is George and he’s my friend! He shot that bad man who wanted to hurt me.” She declared.
Brock was desperately trying to get Erin to quiet down and Roni was trying to get Tracey to let the big man’s leg go. Michelle Striker spoke up and said “He did protect Tracey, and he is the one that killed that fella over there” as she nodded over to the dead biker “Maybe we should listen to what he has to say.”
Roni turned towards the big man who had no hope in his eyes “Ok, what’s your story?”
Friday, September 9, 2011
Mountain Movin - Eight
Chapter 8 – When the Going Gets Tough, You Need a Secret Weapon.
narcoleptic - a person who has narcolepsy
narcolepsy (närk-lps)
n. pl. narcolepsies
A disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable, though often brief, attacks of deep sleep, sometimes accompanied by paralysis and hallucinations.
There were ten motorcycles in front of the mom and pop shop. The Striker sign looked like it had been shot up and was hanging down on one side. There was a RV off to the side of the parking lot and a heavily tattooed and muscled man was walking out of the door saying something to someone behind him. But the person didn’t come out and he shut the door. There were three guys that were also tattooed and dressed like bikers, watching a skinny blonde woman yelling at one of the posts of the porch. After a few more shouts and a shaking of her fist; she collapsed across the steps in a heap. No one bothered to check her and the show over, they turned their attention elsewhere. The RV door opened and another blonde woman stuck her head out and Brock could clearly hear her yell “Bubba! Pick her up and at least put her on the porch!”
The first man finished walking toward the porch and not so gently picked the limp woman up and half carried and half dragged her all the way up on the porch and over until she was under one of the windows.
‘Hmmmm, wonder what that is all about,’ thought Brock as he continued to watch the scene below. He had seen both Mike and Michelle Striker just about fifteen minutes ago come out of that RV and they didn’t look like they were their happy go lucky selves. Their hands had been tied together and “Bubba” had taken them into the store before he went back to the RV.
So far he had now counted five different male bikers and two blonde females but he figured that there had to be more since there were ten bikes. It looked like the blonde in the RV was the one in charge and if he wasn’t mistaken the two blondes were sisters. He had been on this hill for just under an hour and he needed to get back to Roni and Kevin within the next thirty minutes or they would begin to worry and have to come up with plan B.
It was the “Pick a Number” game that kept Roni from scouting ahead. The adults were not quite, but almost arguing about who was going to go when Tracey said “Pick a number between one and twenty”. Roni picked 13, Kevin picked 5, and Brock picked 15; the number was 16 so Brock “won” and was relieved to know it wouldn’t be Roni.
The pressure on his head and the click of a hammer being pulled back brought Brock abruptly back to the present.
“Weeeeeellllll now, what do you think we’ve got here, JimTom? It looks like some kind of yeller bellied snake in the grass,” came the voice behind the hand that held the gun to Brock’s head.
“Weellllll, I don’t rightly know, Peanut. Think we should drag it back to Miss Mandy alive or dead?” was the reply.
“It’s your lucky day, mister. We are gonna take you to Miss Mandy alive!” remarked the first voice that Brock now knew was Peanut’s.
“Or Unlucky day!” laughed the one called JimTom.
Brock’s heart went from his throat to the bottom of his gut at the laugh from JimTom as they pulled him to his feet, relieved him of his gun, and then half pushed him down the hill.
Back at the truck, Kevin and Roni knew something had gone wrong since Brock was 45 minutes late.
“Knowing my brother, I’m sure he is in some kind of mess. I’m going to get him out.”
“Kevin, just how much self defense or training do you have?” asked Roni.
“None. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to fight and I’ll have my gun with me.”
“Ok, if you want to go; I won’t stop you. Help me get the truck and trailers hid then you can take the jeep.”
Working quickly, they found a likely spot to stash the trailers but the truck wouldn’t fit in that same spot so they covered the trailers with the camouflage netting they had brought and Roni took the truck and Kevin took the jeep. Kevin heading towards a dirt road that went off of the highway to find a place to park it and then he was going to head to the store on foot.
It was about thirty minutes later that Kevin was lying down on top of a hill and looking down into the small valley where the “Striker’s Restaurant and Gift Shop” set about thirty feet from the road. He could clearly see his brother tied to one of the posts of the porch and there was evidence that he had been knocked around. There were two blondes standing in front of him on the porch and one was acting like she was tripping on drugs, with all her hollering and gesturing and then she would get real close to Brock and start running her hands all over him. The other blonde didn’t seem to be paying too much attention but Kevin could see that she was asking Brock questions and wasn’t getting the answers she wanted. Every once in a while she would slap Brock and the other woman would laugh hysterically.
Kevin’s heart sank when he saw the truck that Roni and the girls had been in pull up to the front of the store. All heads turned to the sound. A big burly man got out of the drivers side and said something to the Boss Blonde and Kevin saw Brock tense up and try to pull at his bonds.
Helpless, Kevin watched as an unconscious Roni was pulled from the passenger side of the truck. Then Tracey was giving heck about something, probably her baby sister. Sure enough when they pulled Erin’s car seat out, Tracey was right there over seeing the safety of her sister. But the big man was very gentle with Erin and Tracey. They tied Roni up onto another porch post and took the girls into the store. The Blondes went inside also.
Kevin was beside himself and slowly backed off the hill and headed back to the Jeep. He was going to rescue his brother and new friend and the girls if it was the last thing he did. Once at the Jeep, he dug around until he came up with two handguns and four extra clips for each. He already had one knife strapped on but he slid another one down his left boot in a special holder that was built into the boot. At the last minute he grabbed one of the bows and a handful of arrows.
The sun had gone down behind the mountains by the time that Kevin got back up to a good position to view what was going on. Roni was awake now and just by her body language, Kevin could tell she was ticked off. He couldn’t see the girls anywhere but the Boss Blonde was talking with Roni and Brock and the other blonde was what looked like sleeping on the porch off in one corner. Looking around, Kevin could see at least two people walking around on the other side of the restaurant going up the hill in the back. Figuring that they would eventually work their way to where he was, Kevin decided to meet them half way and try to even up the odds somewhat.
Roni was livid, the blonde called Mandy, who seemed to be calling all the shots; was refusing to let Roni see the girls.
“I just want to know that they are ok.” Roni insisted “I can hear the baby crying, she is probably hungry. Please let me go to her and feed her.”
“All in good time, the child isn’t going to die unless you try something. Now I want to know if there are any more people out there that I need to be worried about. And please tell me the truth, or those precious girls you care so much about will be the ones to suffer.”
Roni was saved from answering because the other blonde suddenly woke up and was demanding a hit of something.
“Calm down Candy. I have what you need, come on with me to the RV.” said Mandy but to Roni she exclaimed “Don’t think I’m through with you yet.” And the two blonde sisters went over and into the RV.
Roni and Brock locked eyes. Roni was at a loss as to what to say. She didn’t want to get Kevin hurt, but she was not going to do anything that would harm the girls. There wasn’t anyone on the porch right then. All the male bikers were in the store. They could hear Erin crying and Tracey singing to her trying to sooth her and at the same time complaining to everyone in there that her baby sister needed to eat!
“Go ahead and tell her, Kevin will understand. I’m hoping that he is working on a way to help us out here. Even if we tell about him, he can still be our secret weapon.”
They heard a gruff voice inside “Here, I’m going to untie you. Feed that baby so she will shut up!”
A soft voice answered “I don’t have any baby milk,” Roni could tell it was Michelle speaking and the voice softened as she spoke to Tracey, “Honey, is there any bottles in the truck for Erin?”
“Yes, and diapers and everything she needs but the mean men won’t go get anything and Erin is very hungry and she is starting to smell.”
Brock and Roni could hear Michelle again as she asked to be able to go get the bag and a couple of moments later her and a biker walked out onto the porch, a quick look passed between her and Brock. Roni couldn’t help but plead for them to take could care of her daughters.
“Please let me see my girls. I promise I won’t try anything, I really need to hold my baby!” She was ignored as the pair walked down the stairs of the porch, retrieved the diaper bag with bottles and formula out of the truck and went back into the restaurant.
Mandy and Candy came back out of the RV and both Roni and Brock could tell that Candy was rip roaring high. She was talking a mile a minute and practically bouncing towards the restaurant instead of walking. She came right up to Roni and began talking.
“I think I’m going to keep those girls I always wanted to be a momMandydoesn’tcare andiwillbeagoodmomIjustknowIwill, I’llbeamuchbettermomthanourmomwastous!” she rattled on and as she spoke she spit all over Roni. Candy’s eyes were dilated so much that Roni could barely tell what color they were.
It looked like Candy had a Meth habit and that her sister somehow didn’t mind her having it.
“You get your own sister high? What is wrong with you?” asked Brock while observing how Mandy and Candy were interacting. Mandy actually looked amused at her sister’s actions and he could tell that Candy knew she was pleasing her sister!
Mandy decided to answer Brock with “My sister has a medical problem, she is a narcoleptic. By giving her Meth, she is able to stay awake for awhile. Otherwise she will sleep for literally weeks at a time. This way she only falls asleep when I want her too or when the Meth wears off. The only bad thing is she is needs a larger dose of Meth and at smaller intervals. So you see; I do this because I love my sister, not that I’d expect you to understand.”
“Now I’ve seen everything: a narcoleptic meth head!” remarked Brock.
And this remark got him a slap across the face by an angry Mandy who shouted at him “Do NOT EVER make fun of my sister!”
They all stomped inside and slammed the door shut!
Brock looked over at Roni with a grin on his face, she also had a grin. Mandy had just told them her weakness. They had a new secret weapon!
narcoleptic - a person who has narcolepsy
narcolepsy (närk-lps)
n. pl. narcolepsies
A disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable, though often brief, attacks of deep sleep, sometimes accompanied by paralysis and hallucinations.
There were ten motorcycles in front of the mom and pop shop. The Striker sign looked like it had been shot up and was hanging down on one side. There was a RV off to the side of the parking lot and a heavily tattooed and muscled man was walking out of the door saying something to someone behind him. But the person didn’t come out and he shut the door. There were three guys that were also tattooed and dressed like bikers, watching a skinny blonde woman yelling at one of the posts of the porch. After a few more shouts and a shaking of her fist; she collapsed across the steps in a heap. No one bothered to check her and the show over, they turned their attention elsewhere. The RV door opened and another blonde woman stuck her head out and Brock could clearly hear her yell “Bubba! Pick her up and at least put her on the porch!”
The first man finished walking toward the porch and not so gently picked the limp woman up and half carried and half dragged her all the way up on the porch and over until she was under one of the windows.
‘Hmmmm, wonder what that is all about,’ thought Brock as he continued to watch the scene below. He had seen both Mike and Michelle Striker just about fifteen minutes ago come out of that RV and they didn’t look like they were their happy go lucky selves. Their hands had been tied together and “Bubba” had taken them into the store before he went back to the RV.
So far he had now counted five different male bikers and two blonde females but he figured that there had to be more since there were ten bikes. It looked like the blonde in the RV was the one in charge and if he wasn’t mistaken the two blondes were sisters. He had been on this hill for just under an hour and he needed to get back to Roni and Kevin within the next thirty minutes or they would begin to worry and have to come up with plan B.
It was the “Pick a Number” game that kept Roni from scouting ahead. The adults were not quite, but almost arguing about who was going to go when Tracey said “Pick a number between one and twenty”. Roni picked 13, Kevin picked 5, and Brock picked 15; the number was 16 so Brock “won” and was relieved to know it wouldn’t be Roni.
The pressure on his head and the click of a hammer being pulled back brought Brock abruptly back to the present.
“Weeeeeellllll now, what do you think we’ve got here, JimTom? It looks like some kind of yeller bellied snake in the grass,” came the voice behind the hand that held the gun to Brock’s head.
“Weellllll, I don’t rightly know, Peanut. Think we should drag it back to Miss Mandy alive or dead?” was the reply.
“It’s your lucky day, mister. We are gonna take you to Miss Mandy alive!” remarked the first voice that Brock now knew was Peanut’s.
“Or Unlucky day!” laughed the one called JimTom.
Brock’s heart went from his throat to the bottom of his gut at the laugh from JimTom as they pulled him to his feet, relieved him of his gun, and then half pushed him down the hill.
Back at the truck, Kevin and Roni knew something had gone wrong since Brock was 45 minutes late.
“Knowing my brother, I’m sure he is in some kind of mess. I’m going to get him out.”
“Kevin, just how much self defense or training do you have?” asked Roni.
“None. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to fight and I’ll have my gun with me.”
“Ok, if you want to go; I won’t stop you. Help me get the truck and trailers hid then you can take the jeep.”
Working quickly, they found a likely spot to stash the trailers but the truck wouldn’t fit in that same spot so they covered the trailers with the camouflage netting they had brought and Roni took the truck and Kevin took the jeep. Kevin heading towards a dirt road that went off of the highway to find a place to park it and then he was going to head to the store on foot.
It was about thirty minutes later that Kevin was lying down on top of a hill and looking down into the small valley where the “Striker’s Restaurant and Gift Shop” set about thirty feet from the road. He could clearly see his brother tied to one of the posts of the porch and there was evidence that he had been knocked around. There were two blondes standing in front of him on the porch and one was acting like she was tripping on drugs, with all her hollering and gesturing and then she would get real close to Brock and start running her hands all over him. The other blonde didn’t seem to be paying too much attention but Kevin could see that she was asking Brock questions and wasn’t getting the answers she wanted. Every once in a while she would slap Brock and the other woman would laugh hysterically.
Kevin’s heart sank when he saw the truck that Roni and the girls had been in pull up to the front of the store. All heads turned to the sound. A big burly man got out of the drivers side and said something to the Boss Blonde and Kevin saw Brock tense up and try to pull at his bonds.
Helpless, Kevin watched as an unconscious Roni was pulled from the passenger side of the truck. Then Tracey was giving heck about something, probably her baby sister. Sure enough when they pulled Erin’s car seat out, Tracey was right there over seeing the safety of her sister. But the big man was very gentle with Erin and Tracey. They tied Roni up onto another porch post and took the girls into the store. The Blondes went inside also.
Kevin was beside himself and slowly backed off the hill and headed back to the Jeep. He was going to rescue his brother and new friend and the girls if it was the last thing he did. Once at the Jeep, he dug around until he came up with two handguns and four extra clips for each. He already had one knife strapped on but he slid another one down his left boot in a special holder that was built into the boot. At the last minute he grabbed one of the bows and a handful of arrows.
The sun had gone down behind the mountains by the time that Kevin got back up to a good position to view what was going on. Roni was awake now and just by her body language, Kevin could tell she was ticked off. He couldn’t see the girls anywhere but the Boss Blonde was talking with Roni and Brock and the other blonde was what looked like sleeping on the porch off in one corner. Looking around, Kevin could see at least two people walking around on the other side of the restaurant going up the hill in the back. Figuring that they would eventually work their way to where he was, Kevin decided to meet them half way and try to even up the odds somewhat.
Roni was livid, the blonde called Mandy, who seemed to be calling all the shots; was refusing to let Roni see the girls.
“I just want to know that they are ok.” Roni insisted “I can hear the baby crying, she is probably hungry. Please let me go to her and feed her.”
“All in good time, the child isn’t going to die unless you try something. Now I want to know if there are any more people out there that I need to be worried about. And please tell me the truth, or those precious girls you care so much about will be the ones to suffer.”
Roni was saved from answering because the other blonde suddenly woke up and was demanding a hit of something.
“Calm down Candy. I have what you need, come on with me to the RV.” said Mandy but to Roni she exclaimed “Don’t think I’m through with you yet.” And the two blonde sisters went over and into the RV.
Roni and Brock locked eyes. Roni was at a loss as to what to say. She didn’t want to get Kevin hurt, but she was not going to do anything that would harm the girls. There wasn’t anyone on the porch right then. All the male bikers were in the store. They could hear Erin crying and Tracey singing to her trying to sooth her and at the same time complaining to everyone in there that her baby sister needed to eat!
“Go ahead and tell her, Kevin will understand. I’m hoping that he is working on a way to help us out here. Even if we tell about him, he can still be our secret weapon.”
They heard a gruff voice inside “Here, I’m going to untie you. Feed that baby so she will shut up!”
A soft voice answered “I don’t have any baby milk,” Roni could tell it was Michelle speaking and the voice softened as she spoke to Tracey, “Honey, is there any bottles in the truck for Erin?”
“Yes, and diapers and everything she needs but the mean men won’t go get anything and Erin is very hungry and she is starting to smell.”
Brock and Roni could hear Michelle again as she asked to be able to go get the bag and a couple of moments later her and a biker walked out onto the porch, a quick look passed between her and Brock. Roni couldn’t help but plead for them to take could care of her daughters.
“Please let me see my girls. I promise I won’t try anything, I really need to hold my baby!” She was ignored as the pair walked down the stairs of the porch, retrieved the diaper bag with bottles and formula out of the truck and went back into the restaurant.
Mandy and Candy came back out of the RV and both Roni and Brock could tell that Candy was rip roaring high. She was talking a mile a minute and practically bouncing towards the restaurant instead of walking. She came right up to Roni and began talking.
“I think I’m going to keep those girls I always wanted to be a momMandydoesn’tcare andiwillbeagoodmomIjustknowIwill, I’llbeamuchbettermomthanourmomwastous!” she rattled on and as she spoke she spit all over Roni. Candy’s eyes were dilated so much that Roni could barely tell what color they were.
It looked like Candy had a Meth habit and that her sister somehow didn’t mind her having it.
“You get your own sister high? What is wrong with you?” asked Brock while observing how Mandy and Candy were interacting. Mandy actually looked amused at her sister’s actions and he could tell that Candy knew she was pleasing her sister!
Mandy decided to answer Brock with “My sister has a medical problem, she is a narcoleptic. By giving her Meth, she is able to stay awake for awhile. Otherwise she will sleep for literally weeks at a time. This way she only falls asleep when I want her too or when the Meth wears off. The only bad thing is she is needs a larger dose of Meth and at smaller intervals. So you see; I do this because I love my sister, not that I’d expect you to understand.”
“Now I’ve seen everything: a narcoleptic meth head!” remarked Brock.
And this remark got him a slap across the face by an angry Mandy who shouted at him “Do NOT EVER make fun of my sister!”
They all stomped inside and slammed the door shut!
Brock looked over at Roni with a grin on his face, she also had a grin. Mandy had just told them her weakness. They had a new secret weapon!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Mountain Movin - Seven
Chapter Seven -- It’s Just a Bump in the Road.
After driving for four straight hours, Kevin decided that they needed to find a safe place and get out and stretch a bit. Tracey had fallen asleep for the past two hours, but now was awake once more and announcing that she was indeed hungry enough to eat a horse, not that she would…. but she was just that hungry and she REALLY needed to go “potty”. In the truck, Roni had come to the conclusion that she and back seats just did not get along real well even though she had rearranged the back seating area five times, she just could not stretch her legs out. So she was relieved when she saw that Kevin had put on his blinker.
Both vehicles pulled over to the side of the road. Erin was sleeping in her seat since Roni had just taken her out and changed her diaper and fed her a bottle.
Kevin was helping Tracey out of the jeep as Brock and Roni stepped up to the trailer on the back of the jeep.
“I think it’s time for some lunch” remarked Kevin as Tracey jumped up and down nodding her head and saying something about looking for a horse. Roni wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about but convinced her to come around to the back of the truck where Tracey told Roni of her need for a bathroom.
Roni spied some bushes off to the side of the road, grabbed a few Kleenex, and told the guys to keep an eye on Erin since she and Tracey had some business to attend to.
It didn’t take too long and they were back at the truck where, after washing their hands with some bottled water and a bar of soap, together they got some thick ham sandwiches made up and grabbed a big golden delicious apple for everyone, except Erin of course. They only had water to drink, but it managed to refresh them. As they munched on the apples; Roni, Brock and Kevin looked over one of the maps that was in the glove box of the truck. They had a map of Utah stretched out over the hood of the truck. Tracey had crawled in the truck and was in ‘her room’ looking at some picture books and sounding out words in them. It had took a bit of wiggling because Erin was right in front of the window but she managed without disturbing her baby sister.
“I’m sure glad that this isn’t summer time, that last stretch will be really hot in a couple more months” said Kevin.
“Are you having any trouble getting up these hills?” asked Brock.
“No, not yet anyways. What I’m worried about is getting more gas. We haven’t passed any cars at all for the past two hours. I figure we have enough in the cans to top the jeep and truck off and then we really need to find some more gas. I think we should go ahead and top the jeep off, but use the gas in the extra tank in the truck and save the cans for the jeep.”
“Good idea and since we decided to stay on the 6, there is a little Mom and Pop store just before we get to the next set of hills. I figure it’s about 20 more miles. And at the rate we are going, it will take us not quite an hour to get there. They have gas tanks and a small restaurant. When I would come this way, I would always stop and have a meal. They used to make a mean breakfast special that you could get any time of the day” said Roni. “I really think we should seriously consider stopping there and resting up somewhat. I am hoping that the owners are still around. But with how things are now, we may end up with nothing. I would be inclined to think they are so far out of the way that no one has bothered them, but after what happened with Tracey’s family; well, I am having my doubts.”
“I know the place you are talking about.” responded Brock. “I know the owners, they are Mike and Michelle Striker and I was hoping to check on them as we came through here anyways. But I think the smart thing to do would be to check the area out before we go in there blindly”
Roni volunteered to drive the jeep and go in alone first but both Brock and Kevin protested that it was too dangerous. Roni just stared at them and then calmly told them that the girls’ safety was most important and that she felt better knowing that they would be safe with the guys.
Just then Tracey came back up and announced that Erin had woken up and was needing to get out and stretch her legs too. Roni laughed and walked back to the truck and gathered Erin into her arms.
Brock was hit hard by the sight of Roni carrying Erin; somehow it shook him to his core. Roni seemed to glow with a deep, serene confidence that clearly showed she was indeed now Erin’s mom. He walked around the hood of the truck to Roni, gently lifted her chin up to face him with his fingers and ever so softly kissed her mouth.
Tracey broke the moment by giggling.
Brock and Roni pulled away from each other; slightly red, but both grinning widely. Kevin slapped his brother on the back and couldn’t help but say “If you’re done, we really need to figure out how to handle this little bump in the road.”
After driving for four straight hours, Kevin decided that they needed to find a safe place and get out and stretch a bit. Tracey had fallen asleep for the past two hours, but now was awake once more and announcing that she was indeed hungry enough to eat a horse, not that she would…. but she was just that hungry and she REALLY needed to go “potty”. In the truck, Roni had come to the conclusion that she and back seats just did not get along real well even though she had rearranged the back seating area five times, she just could not stretch her legs out. So she was relieved when she saw that Kevin had put on his blinker.
Both vehicles pulled over to the side of the road. Erin was sleeping in her seat since Roni had just taken her out and changed her diaper and fed her a bottle.
Kevin was helping Tracey out of the jeep as Brock and Roni stepped up to the trailer on the back of the jeep.
“I think it’s time for some lunch” remarked Kevin as Tracey jumped up and down nodding her head and saying something about looking for a horse. Roni wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about but convinced her to come around to the back of the truck where Tracey told Roni of her need for a bathroom.
Roni spied some bushes off to the side of the road, grabbed a few Kleenex, and told the guys to keep an eye on Erin since she and Tracey had some business to attend to.
It didn’t take too long and they were back at the truck where, after washing their hands with some bottled water and a bar of soap, together they got some thick ham sandwiches made up and grabbed a big golden delicious apple for everyone, except Erin of course. They only had water to drink, but it managed to refresh them. As they munched on the apples; Roni, Brock and Kevin looked over one of the maps that was in the glove box of the truck. They had a map of Utah stretched out over the hood of the truck. Tracey had crawled in the truck and was in ‘her room’ looking at some picture books and sounding out words in them. It had took a bit of wiggling because Erin was right in front of the window but she managed without disturbing her baby sister.
“I’m sure glad that this isn’t summer time, that last stretch will be really hot in a couple more months” said Kevin.
“Are you having any trouble getting up these hills?” asked Brock.
“No, not yet anyways. What I’m worried about is getting more gas. We haven’t passed any cars at all for the past two hours. I figure we have enough in the cans to top the jeep and truck off and then we really need to find some more gas. I think we should go ahead and top the jeep off, but use the gas in the extra tank in the truck and save the cans for the jeep.”
“Good idea and since we decided to stay on the 6, there is a little Mom and Pop store just before we get to the next set of hills. I figure it’s about 20 more miles. And at the rate we are going, it will take us not quite an hour to get there. They have gas tanks and a small restaurant. When I would come this way, I would always stop and have a meal. They used to make a mean breakfast special that you could get any time of the day” said Roni. “I really think we should seriously consider stopping there and resting up somewhat. I am hoping that the owners are still around. But with how things are now, we may end up with nothing. I would be inclined to think they are so far out of the way that no one has bothered them, but after what happened with Tracey’s family; well, I am having my doubts.”
“I know the place you are talking about.” responded Brock. “I know the owners, they are Mike and Michelle Striker and I was hoping to check on them as we came through here anyways. But I think the smart thing to do would be to check the area out before we go in there blindly”
Roni volunteered to drive the jeep and go in alone first but both Brock and Kevin protested that it was too dangerous. Roni just stared at them and then calmly told them that the girls’ safety was most important and that she felt better knowing that they would be safe with the guys.
Just then Tracey came back up and announced that Erin had woken up and was needing to get out and stretch her legs too. Roni laughed and walked back to the truck and gathered Erin into her arms.
Brock was hit hard by the sight of Roni carrying Erin; somehow it shook him to his core. Roni seemed to glow with a deep, serene confidence that clearly showed she was indeed now Erin’s mom. He walked around the hood of the truck to Roni, gently lifted her chin up to face him with his fingers and ever so softly kissed her mouth.
Tracey broke the moment by giggling.
Brock and Roni pulled away from each other; slightly red, but both grinning widely. Kevin slapped his brother on the back and couldn’t help but say “If you’re done, we really need to figure out how to handle this little bump in the road.”
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Mountain Movin - Six
(because five was so short)
Chapter Six— On the Road Again.
A few evenings later Brock and Roni were sitting on the scrubbed front porch steps sipping on hot coffee. They all had worked hard to get ready and they were going to pull out in the morning, bright and early. They had gotten the truck started and found an enclosed trailer to hook up to it.
They filled all the gas cans they could find, both tanks in the truck, and the jeep with gas from the upright gas storage tank that sat next to the barn. They also found a small flat trailer made for pulling motorcycles and had hooked that up to the jeep with Roni’s bike on it.
It had been hard figuring out what to take since they all doubted that they would be back anytime soon and they also had to decide whether to leave the place standing in case Tracey or Erin wanted to come home someday or burn it so no one would trash the place.
They knew they didn’t have room for everything; yet, they wanted to take keepsakes for the girls in case they didn’t want to come back. So in the end they decided to board up all the windows they could and lock up as best as they could. And if someone broke in, then someone broke in.
It was decided that all the weapons would go, although there wasn’t many; just a few rifles and two compound bows plus all the ammo and arrows they found.
All the food would go except that in the freezer. Most of the food was already canned. There was mostly meat in the freezer and it wasn’t full, only about half way. They ate the steak for every meal while they were there. They cleaned out both the frig and freezer and fit all they could in the four coolers they found. The venison was tossed into the woods for the animals since it wasn’t really fresh anymore.
They took all the clothes they could find for Tracey and Erin plus some blankets and pillows. Tracey was going to cram all her favorite toys, books, and special things into the back seat of the truck, claiming that spot for her own; but since she was so small and there was a shell on the back of the truck, Roni took the mattress off of the crib and made a small bed area up against the window of the shell. The mattress was placed on top of some totes that held food and there was a clean sheet put on it and blankets. It was down right cozy and just the right size for Tracey. The only way in was through the window from inside the truck cab. That is where Tracey put most of her things, although she also put some of them in the back seat where she could sit and watch over her sister.
Of course, they also took everything they could find for Erin. The diapers, bottles with the liners, formula, and extra clothes were within easy reach on the floor in the back seat area of the truck.
It had been a busy week, but finally they felt they were ready to leave. Erin’s cord had fallen off and she was eating really good and healthy. Tracey had gotten over the worse part of the shock of losing her parents, and although she had been bothered by nightmares the first few nights, the adults were hoping that the worst was over.
Still sipping on the coffee, Roni and Brock could hear wolves howling and snarling at each other off in the distance. They both had grins on their faces.
“I don’t think that they found the venison yet.” murmured Roni.
“I can’t think of a better ending for the creeps who made those adorable girls orphans.” commented Brock.
“Brock Stetson! You and I think too much alike. That just might be dangerous!” exclaimed Roni in a teasing tone.
Brock gave a deep warm laugh at her words. Roni felt warmth begin to grow deep in her own chest. Their eyes locked onto each others and electricity seemed to course between them. Kevin coughing in the door way broke the spell they seemed to be under and they looked away from each other, both were blushing slightly and grinning.
“Well, both Tracey and Erin are sleeping like angels. I think that Tracey likes me reading to her.” Kevin said.
“Must be because you love to make up voices for all the characters.” remarked Brock. “And I volunteer for the first watch, because somehow I don’t think I’m going to get to sleep anytime soon.”
Morning came peaceful and quiet, and saw the small group, which now was family, safely on their way. A family bonded together by blood, death, grief, tears, and the hope that a tiny little baby brought them.
Kevin was driving the jeep with Tracey safely buckled in the front seat next to him begging for stories. Brock was driving the truck following behind with baby Erin making cute baby noises and looking around with wonder in her car seat in the middle of the back seat, safely buckled in. Roni was riding in the back seat next to Erin playing with her tiny fingers and hands.
No one looked back as they drove down the driveway. They only stopped to replace the log across the faint driveway.
Chapter Six— On the Road Again.
A few evenings later Brock and Roni were sitting on the scrubbed front porch steps sipping on hot coffee. They all had worked hard to get ready and they were going to pull out in the morning, bright and early. They had gotten the truck started and found an enclosed trailer to hook up to it.
They filled all the gas cans they could find, both tanks in the truck, and the jeep with gas from the upright gas storage tank that sat next to the barn. They also found a small flat trailer made for pulling motorcycles and had hooked that up to the jeep with Roni’s bike on it.
It had been hard figuring out what to take since they all doubted that they would be back anytime soon and they also had to decide whether to leave the place standing in case Tracey or Erin wanted to come home someday or burn it so no one would trash the place.
They knew they didn’t have room for everything; yet, they wanted to take keepsakes for the girls in case they didn’t want to come back. So in the end they decided to board up all the windows they could and lock up as best as they could. And if someone broke in, then someone broke in.
It was decided that all the weapons would go, although there wasn’t many; just a few rifles and two compound bows plus all the ammo and arrows they found.
All the food would go except that in the freezer. Most of the food was already canned. There was mostly meat in the freezer and it wasn’t full, only about half way. They ate the steak for every meal while they were there. They cleaned out both the frig and freezer and fit all they could in the four coolers they found. The venison was tossed into the woods for the animals since it wasn’t really fresh anymore.
They took all the clothes they could find for Tracey and Erin plus some blankets and pillows. Tracey was going to cram all her favorite toys, books, and special things into the back seat of the truck, claiming that spot for her own; but since she was so small and there was a shell on the back of the truck, Roni took the mattress off of the crib and made a small bed area up against the window of the shell. The mattress was placed on top of some totes that held food and there was a clean sheet put on it and blankets. It was down right cozy and just the right size for Tracey. The only way in was through the window from inside the truck cab. That is where Tracey put most of her things, although she also put some of them in the back seat where she could sit and watch over her sister.
Of course, they also took everything they could find for Erin. The diapers, bottles with the liners, formula, and extra clothes were within easy reach on the floor in the back seat area of the truck.
It had been a busy week, but finally they felt they were ready to leave. Erin’s cord had fallen off and she was eating really good and healthy. Tracey had gotten over the worse part of the shock of losing her parents, and although she had been bothered by nightmares the first few nights, the adults were hoping that the worst was over.
Still sipping on the coffee, Roni and Brock could hear wolves howling and snarling at each other off in the distance. They both had grins on their faces.
“I don’t think that they found the venison yet.” murmured Roni.
“I can’t think of a better ending for the creeps who made those adorable girls orphans.” commented Brock.
“Brock Stetson! You and I think too much alike. That just might be dangerous!” exclaimed Roni in a teasing tone.
Brock gave a deep warm laugh at her words. Roni felt warmth begin to grow deep in her own chest. Their eyes locked onto each others and electricity seemed to course between them. Kevin coughing in the door way broke the spell they seemed to be under and they looked away from each other, both were blushing slightly and grinning.
“Well, both Tracey and Erin are sleeping like angels. I think that Tracey likes me reading to her.” Kevin said.
“Must be because you love to make up voices for all the characters.” remarked Brock. “And I volunteer for the first watch, because somehow I don’t think I’m going to get to sleep anytime soon.”
Morning came peaceful and quiet, and saw the small group, which now was family, safely on their way. A family bonded together by blood, death, grief, tears, and the hope that a tiny little baby brought them.
Kevin was driving the jeep with Tracey safely buckled in the front seat next to him begging for stories. Brock was driving the truck following behind with baby Erin making cute baby noises and looking around with wonder in her car seat in the middle of the back seat, safely buckled in. Roni was riding in the back seat next to Erin playing with her tiny fingers and hands.
No one looked back as they drove down the driveway. They only stopped to replace the log across the faint driveway.
Mountain Movin - Five
Chapter Five – So Hard to Say Good-bye
Roni had gone upstairs to find diapers, clothes, and all kinds of stuff that babies seem to need when they get cleaned up. She came back downstairs with her hands full, including a baby carrier.
“Ok guys, I’m going to get Erin cleaned up and fed. Will you two go get our vehicles; do you think you can find the driveway again?” She was worried they might get lost.
“I think we will do fine, I paid attention to the odometer when we were going from the driveway to the rest area and I am pretty sure we can find the jeep and bike.” said Kevin.
It didn’t take the guys too long to get back and begin to clean up the yard. The first thing they did do was dig a large grave for Lana and Marcus. The rest of the bodies, they drug out into the woods, far away from the house. They used Roni’s motorcycle to do that; so it didn’t take long.
They had gone through all the pockets of the bad guys and didn’t find too much. Some cash, a couple of knives, and some ammo for the guns they had been carrying.
After burying Marcus and Lana, they all gathered by the grave and Tracey laid two big roses on top that she had clipped from one of the bushes in the garden by the back door, with just a little help from Kevin. Roni was holding Erin and said a small prayer. Tracey quietly said “Good-bye for now mommy and daddy. I’ll see you again when Jesus wakes you up. Sleep tight. I love you and I will take care of Erin for you.”
None of the adults had dry eyes.
Roni had gone upstairs to find diapers, clothes, and all kinds of stuff that babies seem to need when they get cleaned up. She came back downstairs with her hands full, including a baby carrier.
“Ok guys, I’m going to get Erin cleaned up and fed. Will you two go get our vehicles; do you think you can find the driveway again?” She was worried they might get lost.
“I think we will do fine, I paid attention to the odometer when we were going from the driveway to the rest area and I am pretty sure we can find the jeep and bike.” said Kevin.
It didn’t take the guys too long to get back and begin to clean up the yard. The first thing they did do was dig a large grave for Lana and Marcus. The rest of the bodies, they drug out into the woods, far away from the house. They used Roni’s motorcycle to do that; so it didn’t take long.
They had gone through all the pockets of the bad guys and didn’t find too much. Some cash, a couple of knives, and some ammo for the guns they had been carrying.
After burying Marcus and Lana, they all gathered by the grave and Tracey laid two big roses on top that she had clipped from one of the bushes in the garden by the back door, with just a little help from Kevin. Roni was holding Erin and said a small prayer. Tracey quietly said “Good-bye for now mommy and daddy. I’ll see you again when Jesus wakes you up. Sleep tight. I love you and I will take care of Erin for you.”
None of the adults had dry eyes.
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