L Akers - Shoot Like a Girl

“I said I don’t,” Curt answered stubbornly.

Tucker stomped off, met halfway by Katie, hurrying through the yard and out onto the road.

She grabbed his arm and turned to walk back toward their house with him. “What’s wrong?”

“Sarah’s baby is sick. She’s literally starving . She’s not able to make any milk with…” he waved his hands in front of his chest.

“Oh…” She hurried to keep up with Tucker. “What are you going to do?”

Tucker kept walking. “I’m going to go door to door to our group. See if anyone happens to have some. If not, we’ll siphon the last bit of gas from everyone’s car, and hopefully get enough to take a trip to town. There’s got to be some somewhere.”

Concern was replaced with panic on Katie’s face. She gripped Tucker’s arm tighter. “Isn’t that dangerous? I thought the stores were all wiped clean? And what about all the fights and shooting we’ve heard about?”

Tucker stopped and stared into his wife’s eyes. “Katie, I can’t let Sammi die. What kind of leader would that make me?”

Katie crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “A live one.”

Olivia walked out on the porch to find everyone standing around taking a break from their many assigned chores. Grayson was missing… which was probably why they were all standing so leisurely at the moment.

Grayson was on a mission now that his family was nearly all together, to get everything done right now , that they may need long term. If he saw one moment of idleness he was assigning a new chore from chopping wood, to weeding the garden, to hand-washing laundry and/or hanging it. It was almost as though he was anticipating this new homesteader life-style with excitement.

Tina and Tarra exchanged a glance at Olivia’s arrival, and abruptly stood up from where they were perched. They walked away together—away from Olivia. Ozzie padded along behind them, always looking for adventure.

Olivia glared at the two women’s backs. “Where’s Grayson?”

Jake pointed toward the opposite way from the women, toward the barn. Jenny was casually walking around, inspecting the yard. “Grayson’s chasing the chickens. He wants to put them up early. Getting worried about someone stealing them. We’re going to make them a movable chicken pen in the next few days. No more free-roaming.”

Olivia frowned. She loved her chickens and that seemed mean. They would hate being cooped up like that.

She looked around. “Where’s Emma?”

Gabby and Jake exchanged glances, neither saying a word.

“Where is she?” Olivia asked again, seeing the look that passed between them. When neither answered, she looked at Graysie and raised her eyebrows, expecting her to answer.

Graysie stared at the ground, unable to lie to her step-mother, or be the bearer of bad news.

Gabby cleared her throat. “She’s gone.”

Olivia looked confused. “Gone? Gone where ?”

“She took off with Elmer, hiding in the back of the wagon inside the hay-fort with Graysie’s bike. He probably doesn’t even know she’s there yet. I hope she doesn’t give him a heart attack with her Pop Goes the Weasel routine,” Gabby said, and laughed.

“Wait. What? Why would she go with Elmer?”

Gabby shook her head. “She left to find Dusty and Rickey. She’ll pop up and let Elmer know she’s there when he gets close to her turn off. It’ll put her hours closer to Bald Head Island riding with him at least that far.”

Olivia’s eyes widened. “You let her go? She’s going to go alone ? What were you thinking, Gabby ?”

Gabby was speechless. Olivia turned to Jake. “Did you know about this, too?”

Jake held his hands up, palms out. “I tried to talk her out of it, but she was headstrong. There was no stopping her. I wasn’t getting between a mama and her cub. I told her I was going to take a look at the gas situation and maybe we could figure out a way to drive her, but she said she would refuse. She didn’t want to risk anyone else out there. I made sure her bug-out bag was equipped and wished her well.”

Olivia burst into tears. “You’ve got to be kidding me? After what we went through? She could be raped, or killed… or… worse. She’s our little sister! How could you let her go?” She looked around with wide eyes full of fear—and anger.

Graysie jumped off the porch. “I’m going to help Daddy!” she said, and dashed off.

Gabby stepped up to Olivia, hugging her twin sister. “She was going one way or the other, Olivia. She’s a grown woman. A wife and a mother. We can’t tell her what to do. She couldn’t just sit here and hope they found a way off that island. She has a plan… and she’ll only be alone on the road a few hours without Elmer. She’ll have Dusty with her on the way back.”

Olivia swiped at her tears and sniffled. “Why didn’t she tell me ? She didn’t even say goodbye.”

Gabby chuckled. “Because she knew you’d act like this . She didn’t want to argue with you.”

“Why are they even there, anyway? Where is it?”

Jake explained, “Dusty and Rickey were invited to go on a fishing trip to Bald Head Island in North Carolina. It’s off the coast of Wilmington—actually very close to the little town of Southport. He told me he was going, and he tried to tell Emma, but the day you girls left for the beach, he and Emma got into a little tiff. She had him on ignore, not answering his calls. He wanted to talk to her, not text her, so he kept trying. I guess the power went out before he could talk to her.”

“But why doesn’t he just come home? Why isn’t he here yet? He knew the plan,” Olivia asked through her sniffles.

Jake shrugged. “He probably can’t. There’s no way on and off the island, other than by boat. They rode the ferry over. I’d imagine, knowing Dusty, he’d send everyone else over to the mainland first, with whatever gas and boats that were there. If he’s not home by now, it means he’s stuck. And it’s way too far for him and Rickey to swim.”

Olivia put her hand over her mouth and turned around. She gave herself a moment, and then turned back to Jake and Gabby. “If the ferries can’t run, how is Emma going to get onto the island, and get them off?”

“She said she’d think of something, and I know she will. She’ll fight tooth and nail to get to that kid, not to mention Dusty. Just try not to worry,” Jake answered.

Olivia was right to worry, and Gabby was wrong about only being on the road a few hours alone. If Emma and Dusty made it back alive with Rickey, they’d have quite the story to tell. A story filled with terror, tension, chaos and mayhem.

But only if they survived.

Elmer hocked up a ball of phlegm from deep down in his throat, and spit, sending it flying onto the dusty road. The old man scooted around on the leather seat of his John Deere tractor, and rearranged his shotgun. Then he lifted his rear off the seat, reached underneath to adjust himself, and sat back down.

The tufts of his normally cotton-white hair were tinged red from the clay-colored dirt that hovered around them like a cloud, which was also caked over his shirt and overalls. He lifted his hat with the bent and frayed bill, and scratched his head.

He was bored—his rump hurt—and he was worried to death about his bride.

Not to mention the little filly in the back.

He worked his jaw around as though he was chewing a mouthful of air, and out popped his teeth, hanging half out his mouth. He plucked them out and dropped them into a pocket, grumbling under his breath. He reached into another pocket and came out with a can of dip, taking a pinch and jabbing it around his gums.