The China Pandemic (9 page)

Sheriff sniffed. He knew there were people there, not far from his young one in the night. He could not see them yet, but they were coming. He had lost one of them already and he was not going to let anything happen to this one. It was his job to keep her safe now. He was not sure what to do. The ones approaching did not smell like the bad one that hurt the last girl, but they smelled familiar.

Because his eyes weren’t good in the dark, Sheriff moved his head more in the direction of the approaching people. He started a menacing growl, trying to warn them off. His young one still slept and he didn’t want to wake her but needed to warn off these intruders.

Then, the closer they got through the darkness he could see movement. A man and boy approached out of the night and into one of the silver beams. The man lowered himself to his knees as the boy beside him did the same.

Sheriff warned them not to come any closer. Occasionally, he stopped his threatening to take in their scent as best he could without leaving his girl.

The man stayed on his knees in the light with the boy now hugging his side in fear. In a hushed voice, the man said, “It’s okay. I’m not here to hurt you or her. It’s good you’re keeping her safe. I’m not going to hurt her.”

Taking the man for his word, Sheriff stopped growling and simply lowered his head to his paws but kept the man and boy within sight. He wasn’t sure why he trusted the man, but he did.

Graham followed the low-pitched growl. He hoped like hell that the dog was the one he saw with the girl and not a wild one. His body told him by shaking that following the warning might be foolish. His senses told him to get the hell out of there, but his mind told him this was the way to the girl.

Dragging a reluctant and scared boy behind him, he finally could see the dog and the girl asleep behind him. Bang took in a sharp breath and pointed at the dog beyond the brush. Slowly, Graham walked with Bang in tow through the remaining brush, and lowered himself because that seemed the thing to do as this dog clearly was in no mood for intruders.

Graham tried to calm the dog’s fears by speaking his intentions low. Finally lowering himself against the pine covered floor, he leaned against a tree trunk and pulled Bang up against him. He tried to warm the frightened boy, who kept his bow and arrow aimed at the threat twelve feet away. Knowing the probability of separating the sleeping girl from her protector tonight wasn’t the best course of action, he decided they would camp right there.

At least the bedding remained dry under the tall pines and though the temperature was cold, it wasn’t freezing. He used his hand to lower Bang’s bow gently, urging the boy to put it away. As he did, Graham pulled the boy’s hood over his head and settled him into the crook of his arm. He pushed loose pine needles up the boy’s exposed side for extra warmth. All the while, the dog kept a close watch on his every move. The dog was not really afraid of him or he would have already attacked, Graham reasoned. He seemed to be tolerating their presence at least. That was a good sign. In the morning, he would convince him that they were on the same side.

“Go to sleep, Bang,” he whispered. “We’ll try to make friends with the guard dog in the morning. For now, he seems not to mind our presence. I’ll stay awake and keep watch for a while and we’ll figure things out in the morning, okay?”

Bang nodded and lowered his eyelids, cuddling into Graham’s side, welcoming his warmth. Graham looked over at the dog staring at him and noticed the similarity in the way they were both protecting the ones they were with. Graham silently nodded to the dog, who blinked once and then resumed his scanning the depths of the forest, as if somehow knowing they were now in this together.

With the dawning light, Marcy woke. At first, her subconscious thought the prior days had all been a terrible bad dream. Then the smell of her mother’s coffee wafted through to her and she knew deep down that couldn’t be right. Her mother had run out of coffee and—she struggled to regain full consciousness. Her head pounded and then she remembered the nightmare from the night before. Her fear came back in a rush and she gasped for breath and woke to her new reality.

Quickly pushing through the shadows, she sat straight up too fast, increasing the pounding in her head.

“How are you feeling this morning? Hungry?” Campos asked.

She just stared at him, ready to scream again, shaking with fear.

“We have lots to do today,” he said.

She knew this man from last night and he terrified her. Marcy began to inch away, pushing herself further from him. She looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings and noticed her backpack and her shoes were neatly placed beside the sofa. She looked up at the man. “I have to go,” she said, not certain what to expect. She threw off the blanket, grabbed her shoes and backpack, and ran for the door.

It took little effort for Campos to close the distance, after setting his coffee down on the kitchen counter. “Hey now, you bumped your head pretty hard last night when you fell,” he said. She stopped short just three feet from him and stared at the door.

Marcy looked at the man. She knew that even if she struggled, he could easily overpower her. She backed away a few steps and remembered how his outburst last night had terrified her. Yet today, he seemed different somehow, nicer. What happened last night became clear in her mind now and she remembered being careless, leaving her sister out there.

She had to get away from him and to do that, she knew she’d have to play it cool. She felt like running, but chances were, she’d never make it. Making up her mind, she looked up at the man and said, “Yeah, it kind of hurts. Do you anything for a headache?”

Campos sensed her urge to flee. He gently guided her by the arm to the open kitchen. “Yes, I think I do. Here, you sit down and I’ll get you something. In fact, you should have some breakfast. I’m all out of eggs and bacon, but I still have cereal and instant milk. It’s not as good as the real stuff, but it works in cereal. How’s that sound?” he asked as he turned around with the found bottle of painkillers.

She held her head trying to stop the pounding, and reached up to feel her split lip as more memories came to her. Obviously, he had hurt her but something told her to act as if she didn’t remember. He watched as she touched her scabbed lip. “Can you tell me what happened last night?” he asked.

“I don’t really remember,” she said.

Looking at the girl, Campos turned to fill her glass with water as he said, “I saw you coming up the road last night. You must have been worn out by the time you got to the top of the road. You collapsed right in front of me. Then I heard a dog barking right after so I thought that maybe you were running from him. It’s lucky you found me. I brought you here and stopped your bleeding lip. Let’s start with names. I’m Campos. Who might you be?”

He handed her the water and meds, then went to the cupboard and returned with a bowl and spoon while he waited for her to answer.

Marcy kept doubting herself. This just couldn’t be the same man from last night. She knew she’d let the question linger too long unanswered. “My dad lives in the apartments here,” she looked down to her lap. “I wanted to see if he’s still there. Mom died, you see. I haven’t been able to get hold of him.”

“I see. I’m sorry for your loss. Well, I can take you over there later but I’m sorry to say I haven’t come across anyone alive in that direction, other than a lady who died of an accident shortly afterward. Where did you come from?” Campos asked.

Marcy was glad he’d let the name question go for now. You never tell strangers your name and personal information. She had always been taught that. This conversation broke so many rules, but then again, she knew she had to survive. “I walked from Gilman,” she said.

“Did you see anyone else along the way?” he asked.

“No, no one. Is everyone gone here?” she asked, trying to divert attention from herself.

“Looks that way. I’ve seen a few but no one worthy of staying here, except maybe you.” He nodded in her direction.

“Excuse me?” Marcy asked, not knowing what he meant.

“Well, I’ve been cleaning up this town, you see, and since your dad lived here, as long as you’re willing to work, you can stay here too. We’ll set you up in your dad’s place if you like or another house closer to me if you don’t feel safe there. I must warn you though, he’s probably not alive at this point. You may not want to live there if he’s been shut up all this time. It might not smell good, if you know what I mean,” he said.

Marcy sniffed and tried to stem the tears. Even though she knew it was probably true, she felt more scared and alone now with the certainty Campos spoke the truth. He wasn’t unkind in his revelation and this confused her more than ever.

Suddenly the tears broke through to stream down her cheeks. She sobbed and sniffed hard. “It’s all right. I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he said and knelt at her knee. He handed her a paper towel. “Wipe your eyes and blow your nose. Things like this are a commodity quickly running out, so try not to waste paper,” he said. “You’ve been through a lot, you poor girl, but you’re safe now.”

Marcy looked at the man. He seemed genuinely kind, but she knew something wasn’t right with him. She wanted to believe his sincerity. It was all so confusing, because she definitely remembered the harsh way he’d spoken to her last night, and he even hit her. He had not seemed like the same man who knelt before her. She was not sure why he was so nice to her now. She’d have to get away from him as soon as possible. He just couldn’t be trusted.

“When do you think we could go check out Dad’s place?” she asked.

“Well, I have a few things to get started this morning and then we can go over there. If you’d like to finish up eating, you can then use the restroom to clean up down the hall and meet me over at the gas station next door. Do you know where you are now?” he asked her.

“Yes, so the gas station is right next door?” she asked and pointed, glad to have a reference to where she was finally.

“Yep, right that way. Take your time. Um, just one thing. Make sure you clean your dishes and put the milk back in the fridge. I like to keep things nice and clean. I really don’t like bugs running around,” he said.

The way he said, “bugs” kind of made her skin tingle. He means he
really
does not like bugs. She nodded and Campos headed for the door and added, “I’m glad you’re here. It’s nice to have someone else to talk to. What did you say your name was?”

She smiled and knew she couldn’t get out of it this time. “My name’s Marcy. Thank you for having me,” she said, and smiled at his retreating form and pretended to go back to her cereal which wasn’t worth eating with the pain the split lip caused her.

Once the door closed, Marcy looked into her bowl as if the answers might be in there among the floating flakes. She wavered.
He doesn’t seem so mean, now. Maybe I should have told him about Macy so he’d help me find her. She’s probably scared to death about now.

Getting up from the table, Marcy went quickly over to the window. Unfortunately, the house was situated on the other side of the gas station, blocking her view of where she knew Macy must be hiding out.
She must have gone through the woods to Dad’s. Maybe she’ll be there.

Quickly, she emptied the bowl down the drain and cleaned up her breakfast as Campos had said to do. She didn’t want to provoke the temper she feared lurked inside the man. Afterward, she walked a little dizzily to the restroom. She felt quite guilty that more than likely, Macy had slept outside, probably freezing.

One look in the mirror brought reality sharply into focus. Her reflection stunned her and left no doubt in her mind what had taken place. Not only was her lip swollen and crusted over with a scab, her eye was black and blue with hints of green. She also displayed a painfully sore lump on her forehead. No wonder she was woozy.

Seeing the results of what she was sure she remembered from her meeting with Campos conflicted with this morning’s events. Tears flooded her eyes as she accepted that the man was, without a doubt, crazy and dangerous. She could not trust him and had to find Macy. She needed to get away before he showed his temper again.

The mistake she’d made by telling him where her Dad lived could be a problem if Macy were hiding there. She did not want to put her in danger too. She’d just have to play it cool and hopefully tonight she could escape and find her.

Running her hands through her hair to straighten it as much as possible, she splashed a little water on her face. It stung. She dried off, patting gently, and with one last look, she broke herself away from her horrible reflection.

Marcy headed out of the little house, scanning the woods beyond, and tried to subdue her worried reflections. She knew Campos watched her approaching. She found him pulling back a crude fence from across the main road where she had come in the night before.

“Hi there, Miss Marcy, you’re looking better,” Campos said.

“Thank you, Mr. Campos. What can I help you with?” she asked him.

Graham woke in the night with Bang murmuring and lashing out in his sleep. To quiet the boy, he pulled him up into his lap and tucked his head under his chin, cuddling him into his warm jacket to keep him warm. “It’s okay, Bang, shhh,” he soothed the boy, who settled down against him. Looking over to the other guardian, he noticed the dog shutting his eyes again after the brief disturbance and continued his light vigilant sleep.

Listening to the night quietly for a few moments, Graham also fell back to sleep lulled by the rhythmic breathing of the boy he held. God, how he wished it was his Nelly or their child that he held. Knowing there was no room for those thoughts now; Graham forced them from his mind and fell asleep once again.

The next thing he knew a wet sniffle in his ear disrupted his sleep. He pulled away slowly and opened his right eye to see if the animal was friend or foe. Indeed, the guard dog from last night had come up close and personal.

Bang held very still in his arms but started to move his hands towards his bow and arrow lying beside him. Graham used one arm to lower the boy’s. The dog sniffed the boy then turned to look at the girl, who was staring at them.

Graham watched as the dog walked around the boy and licked his face. Bang quickly wiped off the goo saying, “Ugh.” Then he giggled.

Graham smiled at the scene, and then he noticed the girl waiting for his attention. Sitting across from him holding out her ruler and looking none too happy, she demanded in a hushed tone, “Who are you?”

Holding up his hand in a peace gesture, he said, “Hi, my name is Graham and…”

“Like the cracker?” she asked.

“Uh, yeah, like the cracker and this is Bang,” he said in a reassuring tone, and pointed at the boy.

“We saw what happened last night to your sister. I’m sorry I didn’t stop the man before,” Graham said.

“Wait! You know him?” she asked, getting angry or scared or both.

“No, I don’t know him. I was warned about him and I was watching him, trying to figure a way around him last night when you and your sister walked up,” he said and lowered his head. “I should have shot him when I had the chance, or stopped you girls before you got too close. I’m sorry.”

She merely looked at him. “He must have heard you coming,” Graham went on. “So afterward he hit your sister and carried her away. I followed you in here to make sure you were safe. When I finally found you, your guard dog here was taking good care of you after all. Are you doing okay?” he asked.

“No, I’m not doing okay!” she snapped, “Do you know where he took her?”

“Yes. Into that little house next to the gas station,” he said.

She jumped up. “Right. I’m going to go get her.”

“No,” Graham said. “Trust me. He’s really crazy, though. You can’t just storm in there and get her yourself.”

“I don’t even know you,” she said angrily. “Why should I trust you? That guy hit my sister last night and took her. I don’t know who to trust,” she started.

“I know,” he said. “All I can tell you is that I’m really sorry that I didn’t intervene. I already have Bang here to take care of.” He glanced over at the boy becoming fast friends with the German Shepherd, who’d lain on his side so the boy could give him a belly rub.

“I’m trying to get through town so I can get to my cabin up near Cascade. Where were you two trying to go?”

“My dad’s place over at the apartments a few blocks down through town,” Macy said.

“All right. What’s your name?” he asked.

She stared at him, her expression filled with doubts and questions. “Macy. My sister’s name is Marcy and this is,” she said pointing to the dog, “Sheriff.”

“Oh jeez, so we have a Bang and a Sheriff?” he said.

She turned her head and watched Bang brush his hand along the dog’s side. “Yeah and they seem to like each other. We found him yesterday with his dead owner. He’s a police dog.”

“I thought so after I noticed his collar. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to be reverting like the others,” Graham said. He drew a deep breath and let it out in a long, resigned sigh. “All right, Macy, I think we should get ourselves together and figure out how to get your sister away from that guy. Then I’ll take you over to your dad’s and we can see what to do from there. Sound good?” he asked.

“Yes.” Her lips trembled. “Do you think he hurt her?”

Dreading this was likely the case, he said, “I just don’t know. I couldn’t really see much last night. When I watched him yesterday, he changed his voice a lot, so I’m not sure. He seemed normal sometimes and then he sounded like someone else entirely as if he’s arguing with several people. He’s certainly dangerous. Hopefully, he’s been nice to her because she’s a kid and not a threat to him, but I just don’t know. I think the longer she’s with him, the more danger she’s in. We need to watch them and then try to snatch her when he’s not looking.”

He noticed she was still holding her ruler towards him unconsciously, only it was not shaking ominously now. “I see you’re pretty good with that ruler you’re holding, but I don’t think that’s going to do it, Macy. I feel really awful I did not warn you two so I’ll help you get her back. Then, you can do what you want but I don’t think you should stay around here.”

~ ~ ~

Neither did Macy. “Listen,” she said as a screeching, metal-on-metal sound came through the trees. “Did you hear that?”

“Yeah, sounds like he’s up. Let’s be really quiet now,” Graham suggested and got up, dusting the forest debris off his jeans.

She noticed Graham’s gun lying nearby and knowing the man carried it made her more comfortable. She hoped she would see her sister again soon. Sheriff, leaving the boy behind, ambled his way over to her and licked her hand.

She stared at Sheriff and said, whispering loud enough for Graham to overhear, “Good morning, handsome. Thanks for keeping me warm last night. I think you must trust his guy or he wouldn’t be here right now.” She scratched him under the collar to show her appreciation.

“You bet he did. He’s a great guard dog. There’s no way I was getting anywhere near you. You’re lucky to have him,” he said, reaching down to let the dog smell his hand.

Another metallic screeching sound came and the dog suddenly went on the alert, ears perked up. A low growl came from his throat.

Graham started to reach for Sheriff’s collar, but Macy shove his hand away. She squatted by the dog, one arm around his neck. “Hey, boy, no barking. Let’s keep it quiet,” she whispered, hoping the dog would listen to her commands.

“Macy, you take Sheriff and Bang farther that way,” Graham said, pointing away from their direction of the ominous noise.

“I’m going to sneak closer over there and look with my binoculars to see what’s going on down there. I don’t want him to hear you guys. I’ll come back and find you after I know what’s happened. Do you understand?” he asked them.

“I’m coming with you,” Bang said, holding his bow and arrow and pulling on Graham’s jacket.

“I need you to keep Macy safe, Bang,” he said, looking the boy in the eyes. “I will come back for you. Girls need looking after.”

Macy shot him a look but didn’t contradict him. “You and Sheriff will keep her safe, okay? Stay together. I won’t be long,” he continued without waiting for the boy’s reply, and headed off towards the tree line holding his rifle ahead of him.

~ ~ ~

If I can get a clear shot, I should take it and get this all over with
. Graham nearly felt sick at the idea. He’d never been the kind of man to harm another, but he knew he should have taken care of this problem last night. He just hoped he had the guts to pull the trigger when the time came.

He recognized the path he and Bang must have taken last night as he backtracked his way through the forest. All the while being careful of the noise he made because he could quite clearly make out two voices now, as he got closer to the gas station.

Pulling up his binoculars, Graham hid behind a pine tree, large enough to conceal his presence. He could see the man now talking to the girl who mirrored Macy. She stood about five feet from him. He could see she had quite the shiner and seemed a little nervous but didn’t appear to be too afraid of the man she was talking to. The guy pointed up towards the market, telling her what it appeared he wanted her to do.

So far, he hadn’t touched her. She seemed to be there of her own free will, except that she kept scanning the tree line where he hid. She was probably looking for her sister. He hoped she wasn’t beginning to trust the dangerous man. If so, that could be a big problem if she told him about Macy.

At least she looked healthy, so far. Graham knew it would be a matter of time before the nutcase changed his demeanor again. Graham watched them as they walked towards the blue trash bin. It made him nervous the closer she got.