Chapter Six

 

For three days, the rain pummeled the town, leaving only mud and debris where the dirt road once was. The stockpile of lumber quickly dissipated as we laid down board after board, forming a boardwalk to connect the buildings. We continued running the mill, although the work was wet and miserable. My shoulder too, had not enjoyed the rain, as it brought swelling along with the constant ache and discomfort of arthritis to my deranged joint.

We built a makeshift corral for the horses but it soon collapsed with the softened earth, so we spent a solid day cutting posts and rebuilding it, along with several more hours the following day building a stable. Thankfully, the horses had stayed together. Having to track horses in the wet, slimy, and steep terrain was surely a predicament to avoid.

Eric and Ethan continued their recovery and the battered bunch that we were did what we could to help out around town. We sorely missed the additional help that Mike, Dave, Tom and Tommy offered and wandered why they had left so abruptly. I retained hopes that they would return, although I had my doubts.

I spoke regularly with Ethan, as we had grown quite close since the battle at the lake house. He spoke of his foretelling dreams and his visions of mutilation and sickening displays. He told me stories, in part at least, of his wife and children and his departure from Ohio, although I sensed that some details had been left out. He spoke also of Kevin and J.J., and the battle they had endured many years before that had claimed their lives. We spoke of Frosted Nipple, or the Nip, as he called it, and of the swirling smoke that gave me the creeps. He laughed with amusement at the thought as he told me of Eric’s intentional non-response to my reaction.

It was easy to see how Eric and Ethan had become as close as they had. They had in fact, become brothers to myself as well. It was a hard world we found ourselves in, and trust was an invaluable commodity that most could not enjoy.

For several weeks, they continued their recoveries and we worked on our town. Ethan all but forced Rae and I to take our pick of the horses and we did so without too much quarrel. Rae selected a big red male, naming him General. I opted for a stubborn dapple-gray, naming him Elmer at first, after the glue, however several threats and a deadly stare from Rae made me decide on Ghost instead.

The horses made travel between our home and the town a bit easier, however, after considering the difficulties we had endured the previous winter, we decided to relocate our pigs, Snort & Sally, and our breeding chickens, Dumb Ass & Little Shit along with their harem of hens, giving them all a new home in town. We kept several of the egg-laying hens at home, knowing we would need the eggs if we were again buried by snow. Buzz travelled with us nearly everywhere we went, having made good friends in town with Jackie and Julie Higgs, along with Levi, who sorely missed the two dogs of his own that were killed before they came out from Ohio.

Rae and I taught the Higgs girls to search for edible berries and usable herbs, teaching them also to be wary of rattlesnakes and other dangers. Eric and Ethan both were slow in recovering but were able to assist in planning our defenses as it had become painfully obvious to us all, that they would indeed be needed. We found an old gold mine uphill from the town and placed our newly acquired fifty-cal just inside the mine face. We then stacked rock around it, filling in the opening and creating an appearance as if it had collapsed, concealing the machine gun as well as providing cover from fire if needed. We also utilized the mineshaft for additional storage, having stored most of our spare weapons and ammunition as well as most of our food, as the shaft would protect it not only from the heat, but also from freezing when the cold of winter took hold.

We found several locations for deadfalls that we could trigger to not only block the road into town but also to attack if the enemy was in its path. Eric had a sniper rifle that could be utilized atop Frosted Nipple and I located a secure position for my own, just above the area where a tree had barber-chaired on me, which was the cause of what I referred to as my ‘floppy shoulder syndrome’. The road into town formed a natural funnel, so we studied the creek, choosing a place to dam it up and place explosives. The watery deadfall would allow us to trigger the explosives and flood out invaders. If attacked during the colder months the flood would provide near certain and immediate danger for any in its path.

Once our defensive additions were in place, we would have little trouble defending against a small group. A large group, however, would require utilizing our own numbers, our knowledge of the mountains, and an abundance of luck. In all, we felt confident. Our skills had been battle proven, our location was secluded and would soon be secured, but the fear and knowledge of what lay beyond was cause for constant concern.