Day 36
Darlene heard the voices before she saw the people.
She’d put up her hand for Herbert and his family to stop, and when she was sure they had, she inched her way forward.
The trail split into two paths, neither more than a thin rut between the bushes animals used, and she decided she’d heard talking to the left.
It sloped down into a natural depression and Darlene licked her lips when she saw the fast-moving stream cutting through the middle.
She guessed they were only a few miles from Chico. They’d walked most of the night, keeping to side streets once they’d gotten through the woods, hiding in the tree line if they heard any noises or saw lights.
No one had slept well, jumping at every sound. Darlene had no idea nature could be so damn loud. She’d figured all of the animals were silent, trying to sneak up on one another for a snack. Instead, they didn’t stop calling out, squawking and grunting.
Darlene was tired, but the sight of the running water was a good sign, as well as what else she saw.
There was an encampment setup next to the stream. She could see a few women and children moving around the camp.
Herbert came up next to her.
“Maybe a dozen people,” Darlene whispered. “But I don’t see any men.”
Herbert was looking around. “Maybe they’re hiding in the woods.”
“Maybe they know we’re here,” Darlene said. She bit her lip. “We have three choices: we boldly walk into their camp and hope they’re not Sawyers, we leave and go our own way, or we wait and see what happens.”
Herbert shook his head. “I say we announce our presence or we leave. Hiding makes us look bad. Besides, that stream looks downright delicious.”
“I’ll go,” Darlene said.
“I’m coming with you.” It was Austin. “If they see a kid they might not fire right away.”
Herbert was shaking his head.
“No argument. I’m going.” Austin stood and took Darlene by the hand. “Let’s go. I need a bath and a drink of cold water.”
Darlene shrugged. She handed Herbert her weapon. “Cover our six. If you see anything wrong do not hesitate to run.”
“I’ll be firing,” Herbert said. The look on his face told Darlene there was no arguing that point either. She smiled. Everyone was stepping up and watching the group’s back. She might not be blood family, but Darlene knew she was as much a daughter to Herbert and Pheebz as she was an aunt to Austin and Aiden. It felt good. She’d come to California to get away from family and friends, and despite everything going on, she’d found a new sense of family.
Darlene walked down into the valley with Austin, both with their hands in the air. They got halfway down when a man stepped out from behind a tree with a rifle.
“Hey, uh, how’s it going? I’m Darlene and this is Austin. We’re unarmed and friendly.”
The man didn’t say a word, but Darlene could see he was looking over her shoulder.
Darlene turned to see three more men, all armed, coming from behind a small outcropping. She’d walked right past where they were seated in the shade.
“Hi. I’m Darlene and this is…”
One of the men, a burly guy with a shaved head and wearing nothing more than a sleeveless gray t-shirt and blue gym shorts, put up a hand. “You can tell the rest of your family to come down, too. We saw you coming in about an hour ago. We’ve been shadowing you.”
“We come in peace,” Darlene said. “We’re just trying to keep moving.”
The man was staring at Darlene but it wasn’t in anger. He seemed to be thinking. Choosing his words before he spoke. “Are you coming from Chico?”
Darlene decided to tell him the truth. If they were an outpost of the Sawyer menace, so be it. She knew lying wasn’t going to get them anywhere, either. She rolled the dice.
“We came from outside of Chico. From a farm a group of locals decided needed to be burned to the ground and all of the people we were trying to protect killed,” Darlene said. “We escaped, but there’s only a few of us.”
“Who torched your place?”
Darlene took a deep breath. “The Sawyer clan. Heard of them?”
He was staring at Darlene.
“Who hasn’t?” His face softened and he extended his hand. “I’m Phil. This is actually part of my property. Those animals stole most of our stuff a couple of days ago. They rode out in their pickups acting like they were friendly. Killed too many of us.”
Darlene shook his hand.
Herbert and the rest of the group came down.
Phil began to laugh and grabbed Terri in a bearhug. At first, Darlene thought the big man was attacking her, but Terri started to laugh.
“We went to school together,” Terri said after finally extracting herself from Phil. “We had homeroom and English.”
Phil clapped his meaty hands. “I had the biggest crush on you.”
Terri blushed and looked at her feet. “Really?”
Herbert smiled. “This high school reunion is great…but can I get a drink from the stream?”
“Help yourself,” Phil said. “We also have some fresh fruit we’ve picked, too. Sorry, but we don’t have much to offer.”
“We’ll add in whatever we have, too,” Herbert said. He took Aiden and Austin by the hand and went to the stream.
As they began walking, Darlene got next to Herbert. “Are you thinking of joining with them, or keep us moving?”
Herbert shrugged. “It seems safer to join in for now. See what their plan is. Terri knows him, which is a good thing… I hope. He might be as crazy as she is.”
Darlene laughed. He hoped Phil wasn’t crazy at all, had a plan and a good defense. She knew the Sawyers were going to be coming at them hard. Very soon. They’d need to be ready. Joining another group of people, this one much bigger, would be a good thing. A positive step, especially if they were armed and had a good feel for the land they were on.
Darlene met everyone in camp, Pheebz and Rosemary following Herbert.
They totaled thirty, equal parts men, women and children.
After a quick meal of apples, cherries and grapes, washed down with water boiled from the stream, Darlene took up a spot under a tree and felt exhausted.
Terri came and sat down next to her. The two hadn’t talked much since they’d met. Most of the interaction between them had been Terri with a weapon aimed at one of them.
“Do you think he’s cute?” Terri asked.
Darlene looked at Phil. He was a big guy. Not very handsome, though. She thought, even with a bath, a shave and clean clothes, he’d still be below average in the looks department.
Listen to you being a bitch, Darlene thought. I’m just cranky and tired. He seems like a cool guy. “I think he’s very handsome and he really likes you.”
Terri was blushing again. “I haven’t seen him since high school. Of course, after I graduated I stayed on the farm with my parents.” She sighed. “Do you think they’re safe in Florida? Be honest.”
Darlene shrugged. “I just don’t know. We’re so cut off from the rest of the country. Hell, we don’t know what’s happening a few miles from this spot. We need to find some information.”
Terri nodded. “Phil says they have a radio. They turn it on every six hours to get news, if there is any.”
“Really?” Darlene felt hope now. “Please tell me when he’s doing it again. We need to listen, too.”
“I’ll let you know.” Terri stood. “I’ll come get you. He said they caught some snakes and they’re going to cook them for dinner.”
“Snake?” Darlene smiled. At this point she’d try anything.