Pedestals of Ash (13 page)

She was so focused on how to word the conversation
with Bishop that she failed to notice another vehicle had caught up to her. Its engine noise suddenly flooded the cabin as the farm truck passed her on the otherwise empty roadway. The old man driving the truck waved as he went around
, and she noticed
two tethered goats in the back.

Diana was struck by that simple image. She
realize
d
t
here were still people in this world
who were
going about
“normal”
tasks
. While she didn’t know where the rancher was headin
g with his livestock, he clearly had so
me agenda for loading his
animals
on that truck.
Why e
lse use precious gasoline?
 
W
hatever his destination or reason
for travel, she smiled at the thought of
people doing routine, productive things. Over the next
few miles, Deacon Brown reminisced
about what life without the constant fear of death, kidnapping
, or murder had been like
,
and longed for that kind of secure existence again.
Most assuredly
,
she would
sleep better at night without wondering if she had just ordered some
father to his death on a patrol.
What would
it be like to savor
a meal withou
t first wondering if the perimeter were
well prepared?

It had been so long si
nce she had experienced such a mundane
lifestyle;
she had forgotten what it was like. A roadside sign ahead announced “Meraton 5 Miles” just as it dawned on her that was what Bishop had been trying to tell her. Bishop was letting her know there was another world out there. He was trying to get her and her people out of the little fortified
cubbyhole
they had been trapped in
so long. They needed to see it was worth fighting for. They needed hope for the future.

Diana’s first impression of Meraton was as much about what she didn’t see as what she did. There were no burned out or discarded vehicles blocking the roads
,
and the storefr
onts appeared to be intact. The place was alive with activity. A section of
the
main street
through town
was loosely blocked off, apparently more for space definition than for barricading. People with tables
as well as
several
cars and trucks
decorated with hand
written signs
were inside the square.

Diana was intrigued by the simple market. Here
was a group of folks peacefully
exchanging goods and services rather than high velocity lead. She eased the pickup to the side of the road and cut the motor. This was as good a place as any to begin her search. In truth, the lure of the bazaar was almost hypnotic, and she longed for a closer look. As she exited the vehicle, Diana
was immediately faced with her first dilemma of the day. Should she
take the rifle along?
Just how civilized a community was this, anyway?
She looked to see what the locals
were doing, but her parking spot was not close enough to make
out many details. In the end, she decided that since
she hadn’t been outside without a weapon for months
, this might be a nice change
. It would feel wonderful to walk around without carrying a firearm, so she shoved the rifle onto the floorboard of the truck, locked the door
,
and proceeded to walk downtown.

It took her only a few minutes to reach the first booth of the Meraton
m
arket. Dian
a was completely absorbed as she slowly meandered through the assortment of goods, animals
,
and services being offered. She had no idea anything lik
e this still existed and believed
this venue would have been popular even before the collapse. She passed tables offering homemade bread, sewing supplies
,
and old books. One of the most popular booths featured a teenage boy
on one side of a table,
taking in shoes that needed repair
. Silently beside him sat an older gent,
his
deft fingers
busy
re
working a piece of
le
ather with remarkable precision,
clearly an accomplished cobbler. At first, Diana
was a bit confused over the
retailer’s
exchange system, but watching the bartering between two women over a batch of noodles being traded for a bag of freshly sheared wool cleared it up.

Deacon Brown was so amazed by the activities going on around
her;
she had no idea of the attention she was garnering. A stunningly beautiful woman caused heads to turn even in these times
,
and Diana was no exception. The sheer joy she was feeling after months of thinking the world ended at the church’s barricade caused her to violate the first rule of survival – be aware of your surroundings.

The two big men wat
ching the gorgeous stranger stroll
through th
e outdoor bazaar were probably experienc
ing a sensati
on of happiness, not unlike the growing mood of exhilaration overtaking
Diana. A visit to Pete’s b
ar, combined with a broad sampling of
the available thirst quenchers
, no doubt added to their euphoria. Anyone who noticed the two men would have probably described them as young ranch hands, perhaps even cowpokes. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for some of the local spreads to provide transport for the hired help into Meraton now and then. Ranch hands needed a break
,
too. It also wasn’t unheard of for these men to visit Pete’s. If there had been any younger ladies in the market that day, they would have probably cons
idered both men reasonably good-
looking and polite. 

Diana turned away from a table offering an extensive collection of canning jars and lids and inadvertently stepped into the chest of one of the cowboys. The tall young man
tipped his hat and uttered a “P
ardon me
,
ma’am,” but made no effort to move out of the way. He remained right where he was and smiled down at the attractive woman who was 20 years his senior.

Diana had been an officer in the United States Navy and immediately understood the man’s leer. The expression on his face combined with the strong smell of alcohol on his breath spelled “immature male hormone surge,” and she mumbled
, “N
o problem
,
junior,” and tried to move out of the way.

Her
well-executed
side step and pivot resulted in her staring directly into the chest of another large male, who immediately
tipped his hat and said
, “Good m
orning
, pretty lady. W
ould you care to join
my friend and me
down at Pete’s for a drink?”

Diana smiled and responded immediately, “No
,
thank you
,
young man. I’m here on business.” The two men looked at each other
,
and one of them let out what was an unmistakable growl – an obvious attempt to imitate a cougar. Despite her rejection, both men moved closer and hemmed her in. This wasn’t Deacon Brown’s first rodeo with drunken, horny men. It was
,
however, the first encounter she had experienced where her rank didn’t automatically give her an advantage. Unaware that the two oversized
,
testosterone generators could care less about he
r service in the United States m
ilitary, she
automatically responded as she always had
in such situations.

“Stand down immediately - both of you,” she
ordered
in her best voice of authority. “I’m here on business
,
and I have a son who is…” The thought of Atlas made her voice
drift off, and the two men mis
took her action as o
ne of indecision. One of the cowpokes
took her roughly by the arm and proceeded to guide the now frightened woman away. His friend put his arm around her shoulders
,
and she was immediately pinned between
the two very robust
ranch hands. After being half carried and half dragged around the corner of a building, Diana regained her composure
,
and her training kicked in. She raised her left foot and kicked hard against a knee. A twisting motion and a hard elbow to the other’s ribs resulted in her being freed, but only for a moment.

Mr. SoreK
nee spoke first, barking
,
“Now just a damn minute
,
lady.” His buddy quickly added, “Sooooo, we like to play a little ruff
,
eh? Nooo problem
, pretty lady. I’
ve busted f
illies a lot wilder than you.”

Diana took a step backwards, but her back was against a wall. The two smiling cowboys took a step forward with raised hands when a clear, loud female voice sounded from behind them, “You boys ain’t causing trouble
, are ya
?”

The two men hesitated and then turned quickly to see who had been so rude as to interrupt their courtship. Between the two hulks, Diana spotted a petite woman standing with her arms folded and a broad smirk on her face. One of the big fellas smiled and looked at his partner saying, “Well
,
looky
here
bud;
now there’s
one for each of us.” His body moved to
step forward when his friend
’
s hand shot out and pressed against his chest, “W
hoooo
ah there
,
buddy. You don’t know who that is - do ya?”

A look of utter puzzlement answered the question. The wiser of the two took off his hat and bowed his head slightly, “Good Morning Miss Ter
ri, what can we do for ya, ma’am?
” Before Terri could even respond, the other cowboy looked at his friend with huge eyes and mouthed the words, “Bishop’s Terri?” That question was answered with a nervous nod and within seconds, both of the large men were standing with hats in hand and heads bowed.

Most of the exchange went unseen by Diana, but she caught enough of it to realize these two drunken bigmouths were actually frightened of the small woman.

Terri’s hands moved to her hips
,
and she began to scold the two men, “Do I need to have Pete cut you boys off? We can’t have two nice
,
young men such as yourselves causing trouble in the market. Now wh
y don’t y’all
go on down to t
he Manor
,
and tell Betty I sent you. Tell her you both need a cup of coffee – strong and black.”

Diana watched
,
fascinated as both men humbly nodded their heads without even the slightest protest.
When
they started to step away, Terri’s left hand went to the shoulder of the biggest one
,
sending a clear message that she wasn’t done yet. As fast as Diana had ever seen, the woman’s right hand produced an automatic
pistol
and for a brief moment, she thought someone was about to get shot.

Terri didn’t point t
he weapon at either man, but wa
ved it in front of their frightened faces. “What is wrong w
ith you two? Where are your manne
rs? You scared the hell out of that lady standing behind you
,
and neither of you has issued an apology. I’m beginning to th
ink you two aren’t such nice fellas
after all.” The pistol stopped moving
, and the woman’s voice became
low and serious, “Maybe you two haven’t heard, but I don’t like rude men.” 

Both men quickly turned and mumbled apologies to an astonished Deacon Brown. She nodded at each, noticing that their faces now carried the expression of teenagers who had been caught and were being punished. Gone was any sign of lust or determination.

After watching the two scolded men shuffle off with heads hung low, Terri tucked her pistol in her belt and stepped forward
,
offering her hand. “Are you okay?”
she asked the other woman.
After a brief introduction, Terri suggested Diana accompany her to Pete’s for a cup of coffee.

Diana, still stunned by what she had just witnessed, ignored the offer. “I’ve not seen anything like what you just did since I was in the Navy. I don’t mean to be nosey or anything, but how did you…”