Odd Billy Todd (60 page)

“Like I said, just passin’ through,” the first man replied, not offering his name.

“Where you headed?” Terry asked. “We’re not really on the way to anywhere. Seems odd that you’d pick to come through here.”

“We were hopin’ to find food,” the second man offered. The first man glared at him, anger on his face.

“Shut up Fred!” he hissed.

“Kiss my ass!” ‘Fred’ shot back. “We been doin’ things your way for long enough. We need food for the young’un!”

The man with the AR lifted his rifle in one smooth move and slammed the butt into ‘Fred’s head. Fred hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. His assailant raised the rifle for a finishing blow, but before he could finish it, his own head exploded in a fine mist, his body flipping backwards to rest on the pavement ten feet away.

From start to finish, the entire scene had lasted less than five seconds.

“You guys okay?” Toby’s calm voice came across the radio. A still stunned Terry Blaine raised his hand to his radio without conscious thought.

“We’re good. Was that Billy?”

“Yeah. He didn’t know if the guy was gonna kill his partner or turn on you guys.”

“No problem,” Terry acknowledged. “Tell him nice shot.”

Fred was struggling to sit up, blood running down his face from a gash on his temple. He saw his attacker lying across the road from him, and looked at the body for a moment, then buried his face in his hands, scrubbing his face harshly.

“Sorry about that, buddy,” Terry said, still standing where he had been. Fred looked up at him, eyes widening.

“His friend!” he shouted suddenly. “He’s got a friend with the women and children! If they see what’s happened, I don’t know what the guy will do!”

“What’s he look like?” Pete asked at once, moving to Fred’s side. “I need to know what he’s wearing, and how he’s armed.”

“Uh, he’s tall, tallest one in the bunch. Got a rifle like Todd,” he pointed to the dead man. “He’s wearin’ an old army jacket. Got patches all over it.” Pete keyed his radio mike.

“Billy can you see the main group from where you are?”

“We can see’em,” Toby answered. “One of’em’s yellin’ at the others. Billy don’t think he’s too stable.”

“He’s not! Tell Billy to take him if he. . . .” Pete’s voice was drowned out by the sound of a high powered rifle shot.

“Billy says he’s down. No movement.” Toby said calmly. “Rest are just sitting there.”

“We’re gonna head up there,” Terry announced as Pete pulled ‘Fred’ to his feet. “Keep us covered.”

“Will do.”

“So, Fred, what brings you guys our way?” Terry asked, as the three of them walked toward the rest of the group.

“We been on the move since winter let up,” Fred shrugged. “We cut through here hoping there was something to eat. We been on tight rations for a while. Harder on the kids, than on us.”

“Ya’ll a family?” Pete asked.

“Not really. My wife is along, and there’s another couple. The rest were just friends and neighbors. Todd and his buddy Wilkins showed up a month or so after the virus, offerin’ to help. Pretty soon, they was runnin’ things.” He looked at the two men, shame faced.

“They was soldiers, at one time, I reckon. Wasn’t no way for us to stand up to’em. They always kept on guard, one of’em always awake and watchin’. Long as things went their way, things were fine. If anybody bucked’em, things got ugly.”

“If. . .they threatened to hurt the women and the kids if we tried anything,” he admitted. “I don’t think we could have took the two of them. We couldn’t win, no matter what. If we failed, then they were alone with the others. If we took’em, but they got all of us, then the rest were alone.” He sighed.

“Ever been in a no win situation?” he asked sadly.

“Yeah, we have,” Pete nodded. “You did what you could. And now, you’re free of them.”

“Yeah, and starvin’,” Fred nodded. “We don’t get the kids somethin’ more substantial than dandelion soup soon. . . .”

“Let us see about that,” Blaine told him as they arrived at the small group of huddled, ragged, hungry people. “Why don’t you introduce us?”

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

Fred looked at his people.

“It’s okay,” he told them. “Todd’s gone too. They aren’t going to hurt us. If they were, they could’ve done it already.” The two men, four women, and nine children looked at him wide-eyed, clearly in shock. Their belongings were in several carts and small wagons being pushed and or pulled along the road.

“I think we should move this somewhere else,” Pete murmured to Terry, nodding at the corpse in the road. Terry nodded.

“Look, folks,” he said to the group. “I know you’re scared, but you look like you could use a good meal, too. And maybe a chance to clean up, and get some better clothes. We can help with that. Let’s get all of you somewhere a bit more secure, and these kids away from. . .well,” he nodded to the body himself. “Sound okay?”

A few nods and muttered agreements met his statement.

“Any suggestions?” Terry asked.

“Bring’em to the house, for now,” Billy’s voice made both men jump. They turned to see him and Toby looking at them blandly. No one had noticed them coming up.

“We moved the other. . .fella,” Billy nodded back toward the intersection. “I called Rhonda, too. She’s got Shelly and Miss Em workin’ on a meal for’em, and Jerry and Danny are riggin’ an outdoor shower. Rhonda sent Mary over to get Amy, too,” he added.

“Well, that sounds like a good a plan as any,” Terry agreed.

“You two take’em on down,” Billy ordered. “Me and Toby’ll clean up here.”

“All right,” Terry nodded. “Once we’ve got them to the house, Pete and I will make a round, just to make sure there’s no one else coming. Or anyone following this bunch.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Billy agreed. “Rhonda and them will be waitin’. Toby, run on ahead, and bring back the little track hoe. We’ll get rid o’ them two, and head back.”

*****

“My name’s Fred Williams,” Fred filled the other two in as they walked. “This is my wife, Cora,” he indicated the woman walking next to him. “That’s Harry March, and his wife Bethany, with their sons, Henry and Jacob. These two are Jennifer and Janice Beal, sisters. They parent’s were our neighbors,” he added.

“The rest of the children were kids in our neighborhood, or that we found trying to make it on their own.” He rattled off the names of the three boys an four girls, aged anywhere from six to sixteen. Terry lost the fight to remember them all.

“Well, I’m sure we’ll get to know each other better, over the next few days,” he said kindly. “Right now, let’s concentrate on getting you folks in better shape than you’re in now, okay?” Nods from all around met this declaration.

“How many of you are there?” Fred asked. Terry looked at him, grinning slightly.

“A fair few,” he answered, and Fred flushed slightly.

“Sorry, that wasn’t how I meant it,” he said.

“I figured not,” Terry nodded. “We’re just a cautious bunch. Had more than our share of trouble.”

“Well, you’re being mighty helpful to us, so I can’t question you,” Fred shrugged. “And we’re beholden to you.”

“Nah,” Pete waved him off. “It’s just the right thing to do. Ain’t many people left these days. Those of us left have to take care of each other, if we can.”

“That’s a mighty Christian attitude, young man,” Cora Williams offered.

“Well. . . .” Pete shrugged, but said nothing else.

It was a slow walk to the Todd farm, with the new arrivals in such poor shape. By the time they had arrived, they had already met Toby returning to the scene with the small trackhoe they had ‘liberated’ last fall, and a table of quick food was already set out on the benches behind the Todd farm. A temporary wash station was also available for the newcomers to wash at before eating. Behind Billy’s shop, Jerry and Danny were almost finished with the temporary showers, wooden frames covered with tarpaulins, and water nozzles hanging from three garden hoses.

The small group stopped short, seeing all of this, looking on with wide eyes.

“We haven’t seen so much in. . .a long time,” Fred murmured. The adult men made no move toward the food, insisting that the women and children eat first.

“There’s plenty for everyone,” Emma Silvers promised. “And more cooking. This was what we could get ready before you got here.” Everyone looked goggle eyed at the pronouncement.

“It’s plain fare,” Emma went on, “but there’s plenty of it.”

The men reluctantly headed for the table, clearly glad to be able to eat, but still hesitant to take even one bit away from the others.

“They’ve had a hard way of it,” Em whispered to Rhonda. She nodded.

“It looks like it. Those poor kids,” she whispered. “I wonder when their last good meal was, poor babies.”

“Looking at them, I’d say it was a while,” Em commented. “We need to call Regina over here,” she added. “Some of these kids will almost certainly wind up over there. And she may find some help with those two,” she nodded to the Beal sisters, who were ignoring their own hunger to ensure that each child was clean, and eating properly.

“I’ll send Mary over there.”

*****

“What are we gonna do with that bunch?” Toby asked, as he and Billy finished burying the two bodies. They hadn’t bothered with a marker. Just buried them deep enough that no scavengers could get at them.

“No idea,” Billy shrugged, wiping his brow. It was turning out to be a warm day. But after their winter, he wasn’t complaining. “Ain’t up to me.”

“May not be up to you, but damn sure they’re all gonna wanna know what you think, Billy,” Toby pointed out. “Most everybody here looks to you before doin’ anything. Hell, my daddy always wants to know your opinion before he does much outside our own place.” Billy looked at him quizzically.

“Why? He knows a heap more’n I do.”

“Because you see things differently, I guess,” Toby shrugged. “Every body else is trying to make decisions based on how things used to be. You don’t.”

“Well, ain’t no point,” Billy shrugged. “Things ain’t like they used to be. Gotta be adaptable, ya know. We got to find new ways to do things.”

“And you been better at that than the rest of’em, Billy,” Toby declared. “Plain and simple. When ever you’ve come up with somethin’, it’s worked. None o’ the rest of’em can say that. Sometimes they’re so busy arguin’ over the old ways, they forget none of’em ‘ll work!”

“Well, that may be true,” Billy shook his head doggedly. “But that ain’t got nothin’ to do with a buncha new folks. I ain’t got no dog in that hunt.” There was a note of finality in his voice.

*****

“So, Billy, what’s the best way to go where these new folks are concerned?”

Billy ignored Toby’s smirk as he looked at the assembled faces before him. Jerry was waiting expectantly for an answer to his question, and Terry, George, Ralph, and the Kelvey’s were leaning in to hear what he had to say.

“Why you askin’ me?” Billy replied. “I ain’t even met none of’em, yet.”

“Well, we wanted your input,” Ralph explained. He looked a little sheepish.

“Don’t rightly know what to tell ya,” Billy shrugged. “Reckon if they ain’t trouble makers, we can put’em up around here somewhere. Any of’em know how to do anything useful?”

“You mean you’d kick’em out?” This from Emma, as she and Rhonda joined the fray.

“I didn’t let’em in,” Billy sounded exasperated. “And I done said, I don’t know none of’em. Was just askin’ is all.”

“We can’t just kick those kids out,” Rhonda said firmly, eyeing Billy a bit hard. “It’s not right.”

“Look, I ain’t said nothin’ about kickin’. . . .”

“If Billy thinks they need to go, reckon I’ll back him,” Ralph shrugged.

“I ain’t said they. . . .”

“We are not kicking those children out of here, Billy Todd!” Emma said sternly.

“Miss Em, I didn’t say a thing. . . .”

“If Billy thinks that’s the way to go, then we’ll have to think on it,” Jerry put his oar in. “Though I am surprised,” he added.

“Well, there are a lot of’em,” George shrugged. “Finding a place for that may prove difficult. Where did you have in mind to put them, Billy?”

“I hadn’t thought about that because. . . .”

“Because you were plannin’ on kickin’em out?” Rhonda challenged.

“HEY!!!”

Everyone fell silent and looked at Billy.

“First off, I ain’t said nothin’ ‘bout nothin’!” he declared. “I don’t know them people, don’t know where they come from, how they got here, not even their names. I ain’t said nothin’ ‘bout them being kicked out, where they’d stay, nor nothin’ else, on account o' I ain’t managed to get a word in sideways since I walked into the yard. My own damn yard at that!”

“Now, I killed two men this mornin’, and I just got done helpin’ Toby bury’em. We’re both tired, hungry, and not a little put by. I told you, I ain’t got nothin’ to say about all that. Ya’ll need to get together and come up with somethin’. Toby, I’m gettin’ somethin’ to eat. You comin’?”

“You got it, Boss,” Toby grinned, then ducked hurriedly as Billy sent a backhand his way. He then followed Billy to the table, and dug in.

“Well, I don’t see why he’s so upset!” Emma stated, and Rhonda nodded in agreement.

“Reckon I do,” Jerry admitted, a bit flushed. “Here we are, ever one of us older’n him, and got more experience. Yet we’re so used to turnin’ to him, because he always seems to have the answer, that we did it again. We’re more than capable of dealing with this without bothering him about it.” Just then Toby ran up.

“Billy says not to put’em in the George place, he’s got it put by for somethin’. Other than that, he figures the young’uns that ain’t got no parents should go to the Clifton House, along with them two sisters who seem to be keepin’ an eye on’em.”

“He says too that the Halsey place is in good shape for a family, and that the Crowder place is a fair starter place for someone with no kids.” With that Toby ran back to the table, leaving the other’s to stare at each other.

“Okay, then,” Jerry nodded firmly. “Reckon you heard that. Now we need to start in talkin’ to these folk. Reckon we can at least handle that on our own?” he asked, chuckling.

The others laughed at that, then started circulating among the new comers.