Chapter Ten

 

We gathered for breakfast in the center of town. Ethan sat unusually quiet as we prepared for the day. He and Eric had mostly recovered from our fishing trip fiasco, although Ethan would likely carry a permanent limp and Eric would take several additional weeks to heal completely. My shoulder was very unstable but with constant caution and the gradual lessoning of instinctual reflexes, I was learning to cope. Between the three of us, our supply of medication had nearly run dry. The morphine had not survived my initial injury and our large tub of Percocet had dwindled to a few stray pills rattling in the bottom.

Eric and I decided to run down to the pharmacy in Fox Run and gather the rest of the medicine. We had modified one of the shacks into a makeshift hospital and it was in great need of supplies. Before long, Ethan joined into the conversation and offered to accompany us, although offering no explanation for his silence. I had some concerns with Howard and Billy, and their capability of getting along. Therefore, we sent Billy and Mary Jane back to the house with Angie, Rae and Jax to gather the little supplies that remained there, while Kev and Howard agreed to spend the day hunting. Levi and the Higgs family would stay behind at Stronghold and tend to the critters and crops.

After we finished eating, we hit the road and fired one up. I had in mind also to seek out yet another truck, having lost one to a tree and a second to a couple hundred chunks of lead. As we smoked, Ethan broke yet another bout of silence and asked. “You been back there?”

Confused, I remained quiet with hopes that an explanation would come without my prying. They did not explain, rather Eric responded only with a shake of his head and a quick “Hell no.”

Several moments of silence passed, while my curiosity brewed and eventually took over. “Not meaning to pry but, back where?”

Again, several moments of awkward silence filled the cab of the old Chevy pickup, before Ethan finally spoke. “The place where them mother fuckers that killed Kevin and J.J. was hidin’ out. Bunch of cars, some sick fucks and, and death. Too much of it.”

I instantly felt a harsh sting of stupidity, wishing that I had kept my mouth shut. I had been told parts of the story, yet the details had been scarce. We rode in silence for several minutes longer.

“I had another dream. Something ‘bout that place is fuckin wit me,” Ethan presented. “Think I’m gonna head up there when we get back an check it out.”

“I’d be more than happy to tag along if ya’s wanted the company,” I offered.

“I appreciate the offer, Boss, but I gotta go this alone.”

The truck again fell silent as I drove. After a mile or so, Ethan dug a joint from his pocket.

“Fuckin lost my buzz,” he stated with an angered tone. “I hope Levi’s next batch is ready quick-like, I’m runnin’ dangerously low.”

We smoked again as we neared town.

“There ya go, Budd!” Eric hollered, pointing out an old panel van that was tucked in behind a fallen barn door. “Sumbitch, she’s a brute!”

Our moods lightened as I slapped the pickup into reverse, cut the wheel and zipped backward up the driveway. I had driven passed the old barn several times before, however the rotted wood of the barn door had recently collapsed around the hinges, revealing the absolutely beautiful 1955 Chevy Panel Van. It was solid and appeared well cared for, having also been modified for off-road use. Our eyes scoured every inch of the midnight blue beast, as we looked it over with amazement.

“Hell, Budd, even you couldn’t hurt this ole girl,” Eric teased.

We checked the doors, finding it locked, and then proceeded through the back door of the barn to a farmhouse hidden away behind it. We went inside and located the keys hanging by the door. We gave the home a quick search, grabbing a can of much-needed coffee and a few cans of vegetables from the pantry before returning to my new beast.

I bumped the key and it fired up without even a full crank. The engine had a purr that could make a man’s pants bulge and we shook our heads with awe. I climbed up and into the truck, sitting high atop its thirty-five inch mud tires. We spent another twenty minutes gawking over the truck, christening it the Big Blue Beast, before continuing to the pharmacy. I followed in the old brute as it howled down the road with a shaking shimmy.

“She’s even got a full tank,” I shouted once we arrived. “And a spare in the back too!”

We quickly rummaged through the pharmacy, thankful that the odor had mellowed. We found a decent supply of remaining antibiotics, a large tub of vicodin and an assortment of medications for various ailments. We loaded up the bed of the pickup and then stopped by the doc’s. We found a few remaining medical supplies and loaded them up. Most of the supplies would have once been considered common everyday items, but in these times, even alcohol and iodine were worth more than gold. We cleaned out the shelves, gathering gauze, wraps, band-aids, a pair of scalpels, hemostats, a variety of tweezers and miscellaneous tools. We set aside a pair of hemostats for ourselves, putting them to use as we smoked again.

“Ya, so uh,” Eric started to speak. “Since I got ya’s both here, figured it’d be a good time to tell ya’s. Think our little town gonna be one fer the larger come spring. Ang’s gonna pop out another lil’ poo pumper. I’ma gonna be a poppa again, jus found out fer sure this morning.”

We offered our congratulations as we laughed and smoked. Our days had been filled with the hard work of building our town and painful recoveries since our ‘Marijuana in the Moonshine’ outing turned bloody. The good news had us carrying on like teens at a kegger, blissfully putting aside our recent troubles. It was the first good laugh that we had shared since the shootout and paired with the find of the Blue Beast, we were ecstatic.

After a stop by the gas station to round up some celebratory cigars, we followed Ethan back, Eric having opted to ride shotgun in the Beast. We could hardly hear each other talk over the howl of the tires but we enjoyed the feel of the old truck as we bounced and shimmied up the road. We pulled up to Stronghold early in the afternoon, eager to show off our find, and were surprised to find Howard sitting alone by the fire. Levi and the Higgs girls were feeding Snort and Sally while Buzz pounced playfully around them.

Eric climbed down from the truck and hollered, “Hey Howard, where’s Kev?”

“That is one fine automobile,” he said, studying the truck before turning his attention back to the question. “Hell, can’t say as I know. We split up a few hours ago. I thought he’d have made it back before me,” he replied with a disturbing, blank grin.

“Thought y’all was huntin’ together.”

“We were at first,” he answered. “We hadn’t found even a track, so we split up. I haven’t heard any shooting either, I’ve been listening.”

“Well shit, alrighty then, where’s everbody else hidin’?”

“Well, Levi and them girls are over there,” he answered, nodding toward the pigs. “John and Jen Higgs are off somewhere. My guess is trying for a boy. And the rest of the bunch haven’t been back from his place,” as he pointed a long skinny finger at me.

I glanced at Eric, reading the ‘Ang and I beat them to it’ look in his eyes as we unloaded the supplies. A short time later Billy, Jax and the women returned. Their laughs and giggles verified that Angie had shared the news with Rae and Mary Jane. We pulled out the coffee that we found and set a percolator over some coals as we planned a bit of a feast to celebrate.

We prepared some food and enjoyed the coffee, although our concern grew with the absence of Kev. We did our best to stifle our worries, knowing he was more than capable of handling himself, as he had proven his worth time after time. He had indeed grown into a solid mountain man and it was certainly not the first time he had been out on a long hunt, sometimes tracking throughout the night so as not to lose a blood trail. He had been born and raised in these mountains, having learned every inch of trail and a multitude of skills, well before manhood took hold. If ever a body could survive in these mountains, it was his.

He had many times over, educated the rest of us on the dangers and life saving skills of the mountains. He knew every cry and call of the critters, the poisonous plants and mushrooms. He showed us how to determine if a snake was poisonous by the shape of its head. ‘Them ones with the diamond shape are what ya gots ta watch fer’, he said, ‘them’s the poison sacks up side they face’. He had even taught us that dandelion, violets, even thistles and pine could be edible in a pinch. He knew many other wild edibles and hidden treats of the mountains that the rest of us had never heard of. For a mere teenager, he had acquired a wealth of knowledge.