Alone (14 page)

“Let’s try this again. But more carefully.” He said to Jason. He plowed the road all the way home and he and Jason entered the house. The Christmas decorations were stored in the attic. Ralph glanced outside and knew that he was going to have to spend the night before heading back to the farm in the morning. He fired up the small generator in the garage, and turned the heat on in the master bedroom. The heat was electric and the room soon began to warm. He used a propane camp stove to heat some beef stew and he and Jason shared the meal. Fully clothed, he climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep. In the morning, he hauled the decorations from the attic and loaded them in the truck. The sky was overcast and the clouds were dark. Just as he placed the last box in the truck, it began to snow.

“Jason. Let’s get out of here.” He called. They piled into the truck and headed back to the farm. By the time they arrived, the snow was falling heavily. Ralph transferred the boxes from the truck into the house and by the time he finished, there were several inches on new snow on the ground.

“Looks like the tree will have to wait a little while longer.” He said. He quickly started a fire and soon it was roaring. He fixed a meal and afterwards sat by the fire and looked thru the boxes. Each item he found brought back a rush of memories and he sat long into the night laughing and crying. The next day, with the snow continuing to fall, he and Jason hiked into the woods. Ralph found a nice tree and quickly chopped it down. He drug the tree home and set it in the front hall. He spent the remainder of the day decorating the tree. When he finished, he stood back and surveyed his work.

“Looks pretty good, don’t you think?” he asked Jason. Jason sat and stared at the twinkling tree. He gave a quiet woof and walked back to the fire. Ralph laughed and then followed him.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The winter days dragged on. The greenhouse plants continued their growth and Ralph enjoyed fresh greens through out the winter. The supplies dwindled and Ralph was concerned that he would not have enough to last the entire winter. During the first part of January, Ralph took down the Christmas tree. When the tree was first up, he had enjoyed it cheery glow. As time went on, the memories it brought back became too painful and Ralph had got in the habit of entering and leaving the house thru the kitchen door. Now he walked to the front of the house and stood staring at the tree. With a sigh, he carefully packed away the decorations and stored them in the attic crawlspace. As he had when he unpacked them, each item brought a rush of memories. He spent the time packing alternately laughing and crying. He carried the tree outside and tossed it into a brush pile near the barn. Christmas had been a time of depression and he didn’t think he would put up any other Christmas trees. The memories it brought back were too painful and he missed his family too much. In late January, the hay supplies ran low. There were a few days of warmer weather and the snow started to melt. Ralph awoke and looked outside.

“This looks like the day.” he said to Jason. Jason stretched but did not leap off of the bed. Since the blizzard, Jason had slept at the end of the bed very night. He followed Ralph everywhere and stayed close to him at all times. Ralph showered, brushed his teeth and dressed warmly. Together they ate a quick breakfast in the kitchen and headed outside. He started the truck and checked that the plow was working. After raising and lowering the blade and tilting it from side to side, he was satisfied. Jason sat in his place and watched the blade slowly move.

“Let’s head on out.” Ralph said. They headed down the drive toward the neighbors farm. Ralph had stored the majority of hay in the neighbor’s barn simply because he had cut it from the neighbor’s fields and his small barn would not hold enough. They had to break their way through several drifts and spent the better part of the morning, plowing the road between the two farms. Finally with the road as clear as he could get it, Ralph returned to the farm and hitched the flat trailer to the truck. He got to the neighbor’s house and tried to back the trailer into the barn. After several tries, and one slight bump as he struck a wall, he had the trailer in the barn. He killed the engine and hopped out. Jason looked at him from the cab and then bounced from the truck. He immediately began to sniff the air. The hackles on his back rose and he growled deeply.

“What is it boy?” Ralph whispered looking around. He could see no obvious signs of trouble. He drew his pistol and walked slowly into the barn. The bright sunshine was immediately gone and he struggled to see in the dim interior. Finally his eyes adjusted to the gloom and he looked around. Bright shafts of sunlight peppered the interior, slipping between the slates in the barn’s sides. Hay was stacked along all four walls and the loft above was full. Dust danced between the bright beams, as he slowly looked around. To the rear of the barn, light spilled from an open door. Inching slowly across the barn, Ralph and Jason approached the open door.

“I know that I made sure that both of the doors were closed the last time we were here.” Ralph said beneath his breath.

Jason huffed and continued sniffing the air. His lips were pulled back in a snarl and his eyes darted around continuously. The closer they got to the door, the more Ralph became aware of a lingering odor. A heavy musky smell, it quickly became overpowering. Back here, at the far end of the barn, the hay had been disturbed. It was strewn across the floor and several bales had been pulled from the stack. Slowly the two reached the door and peeked through it into the field beyond. There was a well beaten path from the barn into the nearby woods and Jason stepped out and sniffed at it. Ralph followed and gazed in amazement at the tracks around the rear of the barn.

“Those are bear tracks!” he said bending down to examine the tracks closely. He laid his hand beside one print and marveled at the size of the huge print.

“And that is one big bear.” he said nervously. “I guess it’s been hibernating in the barn. This warm weather probably brought it out. There’s no telling when it will be back or where it is now. I gotta hurry.” he said as he stood and gave one final look around.

Ralph headed back into the barn and began piling bales into the bed of the truck. As soon as this was full, he began stacking them on the trailer. Jason patrolled the barn while Ralph loaded the bales. Dust filled the barn and Ralph sneezed thunderously. Jason gave a short yelp and jumped. Any other time, Ralph would have laughed, but not today. He looked around to see if the noise had brought the bear and when it didn’t appear, he breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to hurry and get out of here, but he also wanted to make sure that he had enough hay to last until spring. He didn’t want to push his luck with another trip. Finally, the trailer had as many bales as he could pile on it.

“That’s just going to have to last.” he said as the last bale was stacked. He looked around for Jason, but didn’t see him anywhere. He gave a short whistle and Jason stepped into the barn.

“Let’s get out of here.” Ralph said and opened the truck door. Jason hopped into the cab and Ralph followed. He drove the truck out of the barn and when the trailer had cleared the doors, he put the truck in gear.

“I’ve got to close the doors.” he said to Jason. “I’ll be right back.”

He hopped out of the truck and closed the driver’s door. He quickly walked to the barn and tugged on one door. He got that one closed and went for the second. He heard Jason bark from the truck and his ears were filled with a great roar. He looked over his shoulder and there coming out of the barn, was the biggest bear he had ever seen. His mind recorded details as time seemed to slow down. Behind the bear, he could see two small cubs cowering together. He instantly knew that he was in terrible danger. If she felt her cubs were threatened, she would attack. He could see the muscles rippling beneath her fur as she barreled toward him. He quickly placed the door in his hands between him and the charging bear. He wasn’t sure if he could make it to the truck, so he flung the door at her and leapt for the barb wire fence at the corner of the barn. His hands grabbed the top strand and he could feel the barbs penetrate his skin. In one fluid motion, he vaulted over the fence and dropped to the other side. Within seconds, the bear had reached the fence. She gave a mighty roar and began to squeeze between the middle and bottom strand. He could see her fur being torn out in long strands, but she kept coming. Dismayed, he raced toward the rear of the barn. If he could race around the barn to the front, he could jump the fence again and make it to the truck while she fought with the fence again. He hear a loud ping and looked back to see the strands separate and the bear charge after him. He made it around the barn and to the fence with the bear gaining ground. He jumped for the fence as she caught up with him. He was mid air, when something slammed into his body. He felt a rib crack and his side was lanced with a white hot pain. His body flew through the air and hit the ground. The wet grass was slick and he slid across the field. Some luck was with him, because he slid beneath the fence. He could see the truck and could see Jason clawing frantically at the window. He tried to get his sluggish mind to work and he screamed at himself to get up. He struggled onto his hands and knees, but before he could stand, the bear was upon him. He instinctively ducked and felt the wind as the huge paw missed his head by inches. He tried to fling himself away from her, but her claws caught him on the shoulder and ripped through his clothes. Several claws raked his back and he felt warmth as he began to bleed. His breath was coming in gasps and it seemed like the bear was everywhere. He felt another sharp pain as her jaws closed on his leg. With his vision graying, he heard two loud booms and then the breath was driven from his body as the bear was on him. All was darkness as the pain retreated to a small hot point and then was gone.

In the distance, he could hear something. He couldn’t quite figure out what it was. He had dreamed that he was staying with his grandmother and he was sleeping beneath several of her homemade quilts. They were warm and the weight of them was comforting at first and then he began to feel as if they were tightening around him. It was becoming harder and harder to breath and suddenly he was awake. All was dark and for a few seconds, he didn’t know where he was or how he had gotten here. Then in a rush, memories flooded in. The bear! He realized that it was dark because he was covered by the lifeless body of the bear. He moved to get out from beneath her, and pain threatened to knock him out again. He slowly squirmed out from beneath the carcass and drew in great lungs full of crisp cold air.

He gradually became aware that he was holding his pistol in his right hand and that smoke was still curling from the barrel. He looked down at the bear and saw that her head was split. He had shot and killed her and yet he couldn’t remember drawing his gun. He looked in wonder at it and then slid it back into the holster. He swayed on his feet and realized that the ground beneath him was red with blood. His blood. He took a step and pain lanced through his leg. He looked down and saw several punctures on his calf which were freely bleeding. His back was on fire and his clothes hung in shreds. He looked around in a daze and saw the truck. He stumbled to it and opened the door. Jason was immediately on him, whining and licking his wounds. Each touch of the dog’s tongue threatened to cause him to pass out.

“I’m ok boy.” he croaked.

His vision swimming, he closed the door and put the truck in gear. Slowly the truck crept away. The drive home was filled with feverish images. At one point, it seemed as if the truck was surrounded by strange shapes. They called to him and told him to hurry up.

“You must go faster.” one glowing object intoned.

With a sharp bump, the truck stopped moving. Ralph raised his head and looked stupidly around. Home! They were home. The front of the truck rested against the barn. Somehow, Ralph made it out of the truck and into the house. He pulled his bloody and torn clothes off and stood beneath the shower as the blood sluiced away. He stepped from the shower and staggered to the medicine cabinet. He had filled it with everything he could think he would need if an emergency arose. He reached for something for the pain and swallowed several codeine pills. He stumbled to the bedroom and fell heavily onto the bed. He was asleep before he hit.

Sometime during the night, he awoke to find Jason licking the wounds across his back.

“Stop it!” he mumbled.

His throat was dry and his bladder full. He tried to rise and found that he was unable to stand. He crawled to the bathroom and relieved himself. His stiffened and bruised muscles relaxed somewhat and he was able to reach the kitchen. He grabbed a jug of cold water and headed back to the bedroom. Stopping in the bath, he took more pain medicine and some antibiotics. He made it to the bedroom door and fell onto the floor. There he slept. Jason had watched him the entire time he stumbled around the house and now sniffed at him as he slept. Seeming to be satisfied, he started licking the wounds on Ralph’s back again. The great gashes, which had broken open and bled again, soon stopped. Jason curled up next to Ralph and slept.

The next few days were a blur to Ralph. He drank when he woke and stumbled or crawled to the bathroom when he needed to relieve himself. He took antibiotics and continued to use the codeine. He wanted to be very careful with any pain medicine but he often awoke and took some without regard to his last dose. On the third day after the attack, he awoke early in the morning with a clear head. He was still in considerable pain, but his thoughts were no longer muddled. He slowly made his way to the bathroom and then inched down the hall to the kitchen. There he opened one of the few remaining cans of soup he had left. It was chicken noodle and as soon as the can was opened, the smell caused his mouth to fill with saliva. Without heating it, he drank straight from the can, reaching into it to pull out noodles. He crammed them into his mouth as fast as he could manage. He almost choked on the sodden mass. He gagged and then swallowed. When he had finished all he could from the can, a wave of drowsiness filled him and he started down the hall. At the bathroom door, he paused for just a second to catch his breath when his legs trembled and he sank to his knees. With a sigh, he curled up on the carpet and fell asleep. Jason had watched this whole time and had slowly followed Ralph. When Ralph fell asleep, Jason walked around and sniffed gently. Satisfied, Jason left Ralph and headed into the kitchen. He too had had nothing to eat for the last three days. He stood on his hind legs and grabbed the soup can in his mouth. He dropped it to the floor and licked the can until not one iota of food remained.