R. Ruggiero - Reckoning

There were none.

His hand came away blood-stained and he furiously wiped it clean on the bedspread. He was a man possessed until his hand was clean once more. He ripped the closet door open and rifled through it until he found an unused blanket that he used to drape over the children before stumbling from the room.

He re-emerged into the dull gray sunlight and squinted for a moment. Calvin was on the porch, finishing up bandaging Hodges’ wounded men. He stopped when Cooper stepped past the front door. He looked at him expectantly.

“The children,” Cooper whispered, disbelief clouding his words.

Calvin looked confused, but asked nothing else.

“The entire Stott family dead. In one day,” Cooper continued, trying to convince himself that it was real.

Calvin went back to his work, affixing a bandage, and left him in silence. Cooper looked out, past all the death that lay about him, to the tree line that fronted Hodges’ property. The wind blew through them and tall evergreens swayed at their tops in the wind. In shock, his mind drifted. Why can’t I just go walk among those trees? Their sweet smell could erase the stench of blood and gore that is all around me. He spotted a hawk circling just above the trees and was hypnotized by its graceful flight. He followed it as it circled and circled until it suddenly dropped out of sight behind them. That moment catalyzed him. Jake and Dranko.

“Let’s go,” he said abruptly, startling Calvin.

“I’m almost done,” he replied.

Cooper leapt off the porch. Angela was still on the ground, bandaged, and with her legs propped up. She was resting. Her eyes fluttered open at his approach.

“Can you walk with help?”

“Yes,” she answered.

He gently lifted her to her feet and slowly walked her to the Jeep, his arms supporting her. She moaned and gritted her teeth as he helped her in. As he quietly closed the door and turned, Calvin was at his side. His arms were full of the weapons from Hodges’ and Miles’ men. Cooper helped him stow them in the Jeep’s cargo area.

“Hodges said the Governor was sending people for me. We need to get back to Jake and Dranko. They are at Miles’ place.”

“The ammunition,” Calvin said simply.

“Right. Let’s hurry.”

“Wait, was Junior Hodges inside?”

Cooper stopped in his tracks and shook his head, having not even thought about him, “No. I wonder where he has slunk off too?”

“Probably still too wounded and hiding like a hurt animal.”

“And, with the same moral code,” Cooper finished and Calvin nodded in response.

Then, both men returned to those who had fallen on the porch and gathered up the ammunition they carried. They rushed through their work and returned quickly to dump the bandoleers and loose magazines into the back of the Jeep. Cooper bounded into the driver’s seat and fired up the engine. He was jerking the transmission into ‘drive’ when he stopped suddenly.

“Damn!”

“What?” Calvin asked.

“It’s on empty.”

“That is not good.”

Cooper yanked the door open, “Dranko has a siphon in here, I’m sure of it.”

The small gas can was easy to find. Then, he clawed through the firearms, ammunition, and other gear in the back.

“Where is it?” he asked frantically.

“Would he hide it? You know, to keep it out of sight?” Calvin asked, at his side once again.

Cooper pointed two fingers at his head and mocked shooting himself, “Duh. Of course he would!”

He pulled open the cover where the tire jack was held. Sure enough, a siphon hose with an attached hand pump lay within. Within ten minutes, they had siphoned the two other vehicles on Hodges’ property and managed about seven gallons of gas into the Jeep. The two men were moving fast, so they were bathed in sweat by the time they finished. Cooper was back in the driver’s seat as he sped away from Hodges’.

“So, what did Hodges say? Exactly.” Calvin asked him as they pulled onto the main road.

“Just that the Governor was sending men after me. And, that the conspiracy behind the Brushfire Plague was much bigger than even I knew.”

“Did he say how many men?”

“No.”

“What are we going to do? We are not exactly in fighting form right now.”

Cooper thumbed his temple, “I don’t know.” He turned the Jeep through a tight turn before continuing. “We can’t run with the wounded, either.”

“Do we know how much Hodges’ told them about you? Where you were staying? Things like that?”

Cooper shook his head, “No. Bethany shot him before I could interrogate him more. They might know of Dranko’s place. On the other hand, Hodges’ might have been keeping the information to himself. To get paid in person. Hell, I don’t know if he was even interested in the reward.”

“Where does that leave us, then?” Calvin asked.

“In a bind. And, a bind of unknowns.”

“We should assume the worst. That they know of Dranko’s place,” Calvin added.

Cooper nodded slowly, “You’re right about that.”

“So, where can we go?”

He started to shrug his shoulders, but then his eyes sparked, “Miles’ place.”

Calvin took a moment to go from confusion to understanding, “Right! That is good.”

“We can move as many supplies from Dranko’s to his as possible. He’s got crops in the ground. It’s a well-supplied mini-farm. At the least, it will buy us some time with anyone the Governor sends in. At the best, it might work long-term.”

“We need some disinformation,” Calvin said, his voice mischievous.

He grinned at him, “What are you thinking?”

“Maybe we send Buck into town to make a squawk about you having went in and killed Hodges and that you were last seen racing out of town or something like that,” Calvin was animated as he talked.

Cooper smiled, “Great idea. We could have Buck stay at Dranko’s. If the Governor’s men show up, he could repeat the story.”

“One final thought.”

“What’s that?” Cooper asked.

“At Miles’ place, we could try to keep you and Jake hidden as best as possible. If the Governor’s men show up there, Angela and I could say that we took that place over after you skipped town on us.”

Cooper grimaced and Calvin looked at him, perplexed.

“Dranko isn’t dead yet,” Cooper responded.

Calvin frowned, “I did not mean that…”

“I know you didn’t.” Cooper gathered himself. “I think this is the best plan possible. Hopefully Buck will be up for it.”

The rest of the drive was in silence. Cooper was plagued by thoughts of how Dranko was doing and he raced to get there as fast as possible.

Cooper bolted from the Jeep as soon as they had come to a stop outside of Miles’ house. He found Doug standing on the porch, smoking a hand-rolled cigarette. It smelled like pipe smoke.

Doug caught the odd look on Cooper’s face, “Yes, that it is. Beggars can’t be choosers.”

“How is he?”

Doug’s face grew grave and the corners of his mouth turned downward.

“He needs surgery. I’ve sent word for the best doctor we have around here…who isn’t licking Hodges’ boot, that is.”

Cooper gritted his teeth in frustration, “When will he or she get here?”

He shot a glance at his watch before answering, “Soon, I’d guess.”

“Does he have that long?”

Doug’s eyes grew worried and he shrugged his shoulders in response.

Cooper staggered backward. Doug’s response stole his breath and he struggled to inhale. His heart fell into his stomach and his head grew fuzzy. He grasped the nearby table to keep his feet steady.