Seeking Sanctuary (Walkers) (11 page)

             
The tree had grown out of the rock at an angle about two feet above  the ledge. So, after I removed the walkie from my pants,  I got down on my stomach and started to inch forward to get Andy's feet.  The walkie talkie chose that moment to squawk, scaring the crap out of me.  “JD, have you found her yet?”  Sounded like Joe but I wasn't sure.

             
I grabbed the walkie talkie and yelled, “Yes, but she's hurt.  Give me a minute.”  Putting it aside I got on my stomach, trying very hard to ignore the open space inches from my arm.  Sally moaned again as I grasped Andy's feet and began to pull him backwards, under the trunk of the tree.  It was harder than I thought it would be.  I was flat and he was too but had the added weight of Sally hanging off his side so as I lay on my stomach pulling him backwards the strain was unbelievable.  I raised up a bit too soon and scraped my back on the tree, then I hit my head on it.  When I finally got away from the tree and could stand, pulling him was easier.  The walkie kept squawking but I ignored it as I managed to get him pulled back far enough that I could reach over him and grab Sally.  Between the two of us we managed to get her onto solid ground mere moments before she woke, screaming.

             
Of course, Joe choose that moment to slide around the corner, nearly tripping over us and doing a header over the cliff.  I grabbed his shirt, jerking him around and into me, knocking me off my feet as he grabbed the tree to steady himself.  “Don't move Joe.  Just stand still a minute.  Anyone else behind you?”

             
Panting he just stared at me, wide eyed at nearly falling to his death.  “Jesus”, he said as he looked around, “of all the places to find to nearly kill yourself, JD, you picked a damned fine one this time.”  Now why did he think I picked this place?  I was chasing after Sally and Andy so technically they choose the place, not me.  Shaking my head, I indicated the two kids lying on the ground and when he saw them, the medic in Joe took over and he went to work on Sally who had quit screaming and was crying while Joe held her tight.  I helped Andy stand up, checking for any serious injuries.  His stomach was scratched up pretty good from the rocks on the ledge, mine was a pretty good match.  He was favoring the arm he'd held onto Sally with, and had a nice cut over his eye, but looked pretty good otherwise.

             
Joe picked up Sally and was preparing to go back to the trailer when Mason and Clint rounded the corner at a good clip.  Me and Andy managed to stop them before they went over the edge and after a rather embarrassing session of hugging we managed to move around the rock wall and back on the trail.  “That was a pretty view up there,”  Clint said as he helped Andy along.  I looked at Clint then back but couldn't see the drop-off or even get the idea that one would be there, let alone a 'nice view'.  There was wide open space on the incline leading to the rock wall, but you'd never guess a hundred foot drop-off was just feet away after rounding that corner.

             
Mason had his arm around me and Clint was helping Andy who had developed a limp, while all of us followed Joe who was carrying Sally.  That's the way we were when I heard the sound of footsteps behind me.  I stopped with Mason taking another step which propelled us in a small circle to end up facing a walker. Since I had one arm full of Mason and the other cradling a walkie talkie I wasn't prepared.  Lucky for me, Mason was feeling pretty darned protective because he jerked out his fancy model 1911, .45 caliber automatic pistol and blew a nice hole in its forehead.  The pistol had belonged to his dad and was the only thing he had left that was his.  He wore it like Wyatt Earp, in a nice, leather tooled holster, on his right leg, low and sexy.  The walker had been a forest ranger once upon a time because it still had its uniform on, although one arm was missing along with one ear and its shoes. 

             
After Mason shot it we spun around and continued to follow the others who had just spared a backward glance at the walker, and returned to camp where a lot of fussing went on.  Then a lot of blame was heaped upon every head for letting Sally wander off, Andy for chasing after her and me for not taking a walkie talkie.  I just sat there and let the noise wash over me cause I had faced a hundred foot drop and survived.  I was feeling pretty darned good.  I caught Andy's eyes across the compound and when he grinned at me and winked, I knew we'd formed a bond out there on that cliff.  I grinned back and gave him a thumbs up just before Joe got a hold of him to put his shoulder back in.               

             
Sally ended up with a nice concussion after chasing the pretty bunny rabbit.  Andy got two stitches in his forehead and a sling for his shoulder.  He had hoped it would be more than Flynn's but not that time.  I got my belly and chest scrubbed down, removing several rocks embedded in the cuts and of course,  a gallon of peroxide poured on it.  Mason  mumbled soft words of nonsense while he tortured me but didn't stop no matter how much wiggling I did.  Although we all had minor injuries it was decided we'd spend the night while Joe hovered over Sally and Mason tried to get back on my good side.  Evidently being a heroine does not mean you get privileges, you just get left alone.  That worked just fine for me and Mason cause he had a lot of making up to do and all night to do it.

             
                                          Chapter 10

              We finally got back on the road the next day.  Everyone had orders not to get hurt. Ken was recuperating well and would be able to find a new plane soon.  Jill has been giving him hell about it but that wasn't going to stop him.  He loved to fly.  Flynn was just embarrassed about not getting hurt in the line of duty, Andy was basking in the glory of  being a hero,  ignoring the dislocated shoulder and stitches and Sally was being spoiled rotten.  I itched a lot and kept scratching my belly like an old hound.

             
It didn't take long for us to reach Rogers Pass which was a good thing after eating about a pound of dust.  We were surprised it was blocked though, and Howard had to use the tow truck to push the cars off the road along with some walkers so we could get around the corner.  It quickly turned into one hell of a mess.  The snow plow didn't sit directly on the road, so some bodies would either get stuck under the blade or get rolled under it and the big tires of the truck would squash them.  The road turned into a gory, slick, quagmire of blood and guts.  The radio was swamped with reports of kids getting sick and I knew some of the adults were having trouble, so as soon as he made enough room, we hurried down the road.  Randy and Clint inspected the two cargo vans left on the road but one was full of sugar substitute and the other with mail.  They didn't waste any time following us out of the pass.  We didn't have any trouble getting through Lincoln and soon we turned north, headed towards Kalispell.

             
We were coming into an area that was very mountainous.  We were west of the Continental divide and Glacier National Park. It was dotted with waterfalls, rock slides and scenic view that took your breath away.  There was mountain goat, moose and elk everywhere now that they weren't hunted like before.  The small towns that were strewn about were quaint and friendly at one time.  Now we tried to avoid them all but mostly we were going to avoid the bigger towns, so we pulled onto a  gravel road to bypass Kalispell on the south.  This took us through the mountains and valleys of the Mission mountains but we didn't mind.  I could still remember Texas.

             
The ranch Ken was taking us to was in the mountains anyway and damn, it was a beautiful drive.  We stopped at a campground and prepared to spend the night next to a creek set back in the pines and away from the road.  The pines were thick and the smell of sap was heavy in the air.   Howard had to park his truck a bit from us and downwind because of the blood and guts . The kids were still a bit green by bedtime but the rest of us had rallied and admired the view of the mountains till it got too dark to see.

             
About the time we were getting ready to call it a night, the  UFO appeared again.  I don't know if it was the same one we'd seen previously, but it was the same shape and size.  It hovered 1000 feet above the ground, gently swaying back and forth.  No one said anything as we watched it, then my mind was hit with a blast of light.  Well, maybe light wasn't the right word but it felt like lightning cutting through my brain and I awoke in Masons arms, again.  The headache that appeared right about then bent me double and I was violently ill.  Mason gently moved me to one side so I wouldn't get any on him.

             
A bottle of water appeared and I was able to rinse my mouth, then I took the Tylenol that was offered and rested back against Mason who was resting back against a log.   It was really dark and when I peeked, the UFO was gone.  The headache went away after a few minutes and I was able to stand with a little help.  I noticed Lacy, George and Ken was having the same trouble.  Mason just seemed to enjoy the ground.  I then realized it was the people with telepathic abilities that were affected.  I found out the next morning some of the kids had headaches and nausea so I think they had gotten hit too.

             
I asked Sarah if she saw any kind ray or missile or anything but she said I just moaned, grabbed my head and fainted. So did the others.  She said the UFO took off after a few minutes and didn't return.  We were all unconscious about an hour and awoke at nearly the same time.

             
“It was like lightning struck my brain.  I think they,” pointing in the direction the UFO had been in, “did something to us but all I feel now  is buzzing in my head like it's full of angry bees.”  I rubbed my neck then started to walk but my legs felt like they had no bones in them and I nearly fell.  Flynn helped me to a chair where I sat shaking like a junkie.

             
Joe wrapped me in a blanket before he proceeded to torture me with a bright light in my eyes.  The blanket helped although I didn't know I was cold.  He said it was shock, that we all were experiencing it and although we were improving it was best if we just rested till we felt better.

             
“What the hell is it, Joe?”  I asked, my teeth chattering.

             
“I don't know.  It reminds me of severe shock but I don't know what caused the blackouts, nausea or headaches.  Your eyes were dilated way out of proportion and there's a rash on your face and neck but it's fading.  You all have the same symptoms but I don't know if there's any permanent damage.”

             
“They did something to us but I don't know what it was.” I  said, warming up to the conversation.

             
“Well, they come back and I'm gonna take them out with a missile.  See how they like it.  That was an act of aggression, and we will meet it with aggression the next time it's stupid enough to show itself.”  I turned and saw Flynn standing behind a misty eyed Melody.  “We can't let them attack us and get away with it.  If we hadn't been so busy taking care of our wounded, we would have retaliated right then.”

             
“I don't think it was meant to be mean.”  I held my hand up to silence them.  “What I mean is, it didn't feel like it was an attack.  It felt like...oh, I don't know.  I can't think right now.  Just don't get excited yet.  Let's sleep on it and see what develops tomorrow.”  I leaned into Mason and he took the hint to help me up and into bed.  I acted meek and mild to get the others off the talk of attacking an other worldly being because I just didn't know what had happened to us.  Joe allowed us to go to sleep simply because he didn't know any other way to help us.  I'm glad cause I slept like a baby and woke happy and content for the first time in weeks.

             
We were going to get to our new home today, I just knew it.  I threw on some clothes and jumped from the truck into Mason arms which was a neat trick, since he wasn't expecting me.  He'd come with coffee and in his surprise dropped the cup on the ground, leaking all that yummy goodness into the gravel.  I laughed at his expression and kissed him hard before wiggling down and heading for the smell of coffee, pulling him by the hand behind me.

              It seemed like I wasn't the only happy camper in camp.  Lacy, George, and Ken along with most of the kids were in a merry mood. The exact people who were knocked unconscious last night.  Some of my merry mood diminished as I accepted a cup from Sarah who wasn't happy in the least.  Her fine groomed eyebrows were nearly touching she was frowning so hard and I knew my mood wasn't going to last any longer.  I sighed, found a chair with the rest of the happy group and waited, sipping my hot coffee and studying the people around me.  They'd get to it in a minute and I was determined to wait them out.  Thank God it didn't take very long.  Joe stepped forward.

             
“From what I've been able to figure out, you were all hit by some kind of mind ray, for lack of a better phase.  Each of you are telepathic and exhibited the same symptoms such as severe pain in the front of the brain, unconsciousness which lasted about 45 minutes, headache, nausea, signs of shock, shivering, and rash.”  He was pacing and when he said each symptom he pointed at each of us in turn, like it was our fault. “The kids were affected to a lesser degree, I don't know if it's because most of the...ah ray...was directed at the adults or if the aliens didn't...ah, shoot...them with the same...um,strength...ray. Dammit, I don't have a single idea of what I'm talking about.”  He sat hard on a log and hung his head.  I kinda felt sorry for him, he looked so sad.  Sandy, his assistant, stood next to him, her hand on his shoulder.

             
“I don't feel bad at all this morning.  The headache is gone and so are the other symptoms we had last night.  I don't know if I'm 'happy' so to speak, but I'm just thrilled not to feel like I did last night.  I don't think my telepathic abilities have been enhanced,”   I stared hard at Ken and thought,
do you?
When he glared at me and thought
no,
I smiled and continued,” or hurt and I doubt it will have any lasting effects.  What I do know is, it's over, we're alive and happy and there isn't a damned thing we can do about it.  Watch us like a hawk, cause I know you're going to anyway and let's get back on the road, after breakfast.”

             
“What if it comes back?”  asked Lacy, rubbing at a spot on her neck.  “I don't want to go through that again.”

             
“Honey, there isn't anything we can do about it and worrying isn't going to help.  We go about our business, find a home and get settled.  Worrying about what might happen doesn't help anyone.  Now I'm hungry for some fried spam and itching to get back on the road.”   I froze, with my coffee to my lips.  I have never liked spam and bitch every time I even smell the stuff.  I gag it down because we don't have anything else to eat.  When we had a home, they would have to wait for me to leave to eat the stuff, I hated it so badly.  So to say I was hungry for some was just plain out of character for me.  Everyone knew it too, cause they stopped in their tracks and stared at me.  Sigh.  It's going to be a long day.

             
Boy was that an understatement.  Everyone watched everyone, dissecting every single word to the point that by afternoon no one would say anything.  The kids bounced back the way kids do and didn't seem to notice the crazy adults.  We managed to make it to the ranch in question by late afternoon with a minimum of problems.  We encountered a few walkers that didn't present a problem and two traffic jams we were able to get around with little trouble.  The guys even stopped long enough to scrounge the contents for supplies, grabbing a CB radio and GPS unit.  Guys are so funny.

             
The road leading to the ranch was gravel with pine trees lining it on both sides and log rail fence running about a mile.  You could see the ranch itself, which I didn't like because it would be hard to defend.  After you turned on the very nicely groomed, gravel road it was maybe a half mile to the lodge.  There were several outbuildings, and according to the signs one was a gift shop, an office, laundry and pool hall.  The main building was shaped like an H and was huge.  It was two story and I counted ten windows upstairs.  It was all log and the prettiest I've ever seen other than my lodge.

             
We sat and stared at it for several minutes.  Mason nudged me and pointed and I could see several wind turbines sticking up behind the lodge.  They were still.  I thought okay, that helped but I still didn't like the setting...it would be almost impossible to defend.

             
“It'll be hell defending this place.”  Duke said over the CB.  I just shook my head.  That man had to be telepathic.

             
“Well.  Are we gonna get out or sit here all day?  Flynn asked.

             
I sighed, reached across Mason and pulled the big horn on the truck. 

             
“Damn, JD, you want every walker within miles to come running?”

             
“Yep, just to get it over with.”

             
Several people got out, armed and ready and waited for the walkers to show up.  We waited and waited and nothing happened.   I looked over at Mason, who just shrugged  and looked around.  Soon I heard a squeak and looked towards the front door, which was slowly opening.  I thought at first it was a child, they were so small and after the reception we got in New Mexico I wouldn't have been surprised.  It turned out to be an elderly woman and the gun she held was almost bigger than she was.

             
“Good Lord, I hope she doesn't hurt herself with that thing.”  Mason said, quietly.

             
“No shit, what the hell is it?” I asked.

             
“Stop that damned whispering.  I hate it when people whisper.  You got something to say, say it, dammit!”  she yelled.  She hadn't pointed the gun yet and I hoped she didn't.  It might go off by accident.

             
“Ah, hello,”  Mason said loudly.

             
“Too late for that shit.  State your business or leave.”  Then she pointed the gun.  It wavered up and down before the barrel finally hit the floor.  “Damn fool thing,”  she muttered, as she wrestled with it, ”I don't know how he handled this piece of crap, it's heavier than a fucking bull moose.”  Finally giving up on it, she leaned on it.  I figured if it went off now it would blow a hole the size of New Jersey in the porch floor but shouldn't hurt anyone.