Chapter 11
Kate heard screams. She moved to the burrow's opening so she could hear better. She heard other sounds but they were indistinct.
Kate and her father were working out in the field one day when she was nine. Jerome stopped and started talking to Kate.
“Kate there are four things you have to do to survive in this world,” he stated.
“One – Be honest with yourself. If you don’t take an honest appraisal of what you think, what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, what you should be doing, you are not being honest with yourself.
Two – Think before you act. Analyze every situation. Examine your possible actions. Decide what you want the outcome to be, then act. Sometimes you will have to do all those things in an instant.
Three – Respect yourself and others.
Four – Trust your gut. By that I mean you are a smart person. Don’t over think things. Trust yourself to make good decisions. Does all that make sense?” he asked.
Kate kicked at the dirt then looked up at her father shook her head no. “How can I do all those things in an instant,” she asked.
Jerome laughed and keeled beside Kate and pulled her close. “There’s an old saying, I don’t know where it comes from but it says, ‘There’s the rub.’ And that means, ‘that’s the problem.’ And that is the problem. How do you do all those things?”
Jerome kissed Kate on the top of her head and held her tightly. “Don’t worry about it, Kate. You have to trust in yourself.”
-They have found the twins. That means they have Mom.-
Kate edged closer to the opening.
-I have the knife.-
“You stay quiet no matter what! Do You hear me?”
Kate heard a roar go up from across the field. Then there were repeated shouts of “Wolf.” Then silence. Kate sank back against the cool, earth wall. Her head sank down.
“Be brave.”
Kate’s body shook as she silently sobbed.
It was dark when Kate opened her eyes. She was cold. Why was the house so cold? She reached out for more cover with her right hand and touched the burrow wall.
-Where’s the knife?-
Kate fumbled around near her, feeling with both hands, until her left hand touched the bone handle. She snatched up the knife and held it tip out defensively. She shook her head and pinched her cheek with her free hand to wake up. It was no time to be asleep. Through the burrow’s opening she could see the light from the house. She heard nothing.
-How long was I asleep? Everything hurts. I must have been asleep for a long time. I need to get up and get moving!-
Kate crawled out of the burrow and sheathed her knife. She quietly moved across the field to the right hiding spot. She found where the men had traveled, the field and roots were cut, torn and mashed into the earth. She followed their path to the hideout.
Outside the burrow’s opening there was no field any longer. All the roots and plants had been smashed. The burrow opening had been ripped wide. The contents of the burrow, the water, the food, and the clothes had all been pulled out. Empty containers were lying tossed about.
So was Kate’s mother. Kay lay off to the side of the clearing, naked, on her back, her head at an unnatural angle.
Kate walked closer. She had never seen anything like this, but she knew what it was. Her mother had been raped by the Raiders. And beaten by the Raiders. And cut by the Raiders. In brutal fun. Were those people human?
Kay’s dress was tossed aside near her feet. Kate picked up the dress and covered her mother’s body the best she could with the thin material. Kate did not focus on her mother’s body. Her mother was gone. Kay was no longer in the torn form.
Kate stood up and looked around.
-I don’t see anything of Kayla and Kaylie. Maybe they took them. Maybe they are alive. I need to check on Dad.-
Kate followed the torn path of the Raiders back to her home and found her father’s body tossed outside, beside the door. He looked like he had died instantly from a blow to his head. Kate stepped past him into the house.
The Raider’s had taken everything out of the house. There was only a hole in the floor left where the escape tunnel started. Kate stepped back outside.
The Raiders had left things, like the table, which was too big to carry away. They had broken it up into pieces. The same with the beds and other things to heavy to carry. They were destroyed. Everything small was gone.
Kate stood over her father’s body. “All your work Dad. This is what you get.”
Kate shook her head, tears welled up in her eyes.
“You can’t stay here. This is no home now. I’ll take you to Mom. You two can stay out there in the field. You both liked the fields better than the house.”
Kate got behind her father and pushed his body up into a sitting position. Holding him upright she moved under his back then slowly stood up, lifting him from the ground. Kate took a shaky step forward, then another, then another telling herself Mom was waiting for them.
Kate used her knife to breakdown the burrow’s opening, filling it in with earth, sealing in her parents. She patted down the earth with her hands, making the exterior smooth to her touch.
She stood up and looked down at her work. Without a word she turned and headed back to the left hiding place. She needed to gather up her supplies and clean up the burrow before she left. She had the plan, follow the Raiders, find her sisters.
Chapter 12
Kate stepped out of the tunnel into a large open cavernous area. She had followed Raider tracks this far. Now a small town of twenty some buildings was spread out before her.
The electric lights scattered about the town were dimmed for the night, creating a dusky darkness. Kate had no idea of the time. She had moved as fast as she could following the Raiders, who had struck at dinnertime. It was probably close to lights up for morning.
The town had no central street. The shanty buildings were scattered about in no predetermined layout. From her conversations with her father Kate figured this was Sutphin, named after the old location above ground.
Kate was tired. The Raiders’ tracks had started as a wide swath of footprints but during Kate’s pursuit small groups had broken away and the tracks had dwindled. Now she followed maybe six to eight people, but some of them where children. The Twins could be anywhere, with anyone, but she told herself they were here in this group.
Kate was thirsty. She had only a small water jar from the burrow to drink from as she followed the Raider’s tracks. She had emptied it long ago. She needed to drink.
Kate was hungry. She had eaten a handful of dried oats from the burrow’s food cache. The rest of the food was in the small bundle hung over her right shoulder. She was prepared to make the food last as long as needed, by not eating.
About one hundred meters away, through the dim light, Kate saw motion outside the nearest house. A house that looked eerily like her own. Kate fixed her gaze on the house and watched and waited.
There was another movement. Kate discerned from the differing shadows in front of the house that someone was watching her as she watched them. Kate started to the house.
As she got closer to the house the shadows became clearer for Kate. The figure was that of a tall, slender woman. When Kate was close the woman called out to her.
“Good morning, Sister,” the woman called out in a strong, pleasant voice.
“Good morning,” Kate answered. “I’m following some Raiders. Have you seen anyone pass by?
“You look a little young to be chasin’ Raiders,” the woman offered.
“These Raiders killed my Mom and Dad. They took my sisters,” stated Kate in reply.
“Sorry to hear about your folks, Sister. Haven’t seen anyone who looked like Raiders,” the woman answered. “Just a few folks stragglin’ by during the day.”
“Seen any twin girls?” Kate asked. “They’re my sisters. Hair same color as mine.”
“I haven’t seen or heard about any twin girls passing by,” the woman answered. “Jolene’s my name.”
“Kate. Kate, daughter of Kay and Jerome,” the Kate replied.
“Jolene, daughter of Joel. I have never known my mother,” Jolene explained. “I am sorry to meet you in this way, Kate. What can I do to help?”
“Could I have a drink of water?” Kate asked.
“Yes, yes of course. I should have already offered. Please come in and rest a minute. I’ll get you some water,” Jolene answered moving back to her front door.
“Kate, if you have a change of clothes there in your bundle, why don’t you stop here and change before you go into town?” Jolene asked. “Maybe take a bath? Water is on today. Be another two days before you get another chance. People will talk to you easier if they can see your face.”
Kate looked down at her blood and dirt covered hands, then towards the buildings in town and back to the wilderness in the tunnel.
-My face must look terrible.-
Kate looked at Jolene.
“You won’t find any twins in town today,” Jolene stated. “There haven’t been any Raiders pass through.”
“But there must have been,” Kate stammered. “My sisters?”
“I’ll help you search in town, but you need to look civilized.”
“There is nothing civilized about murder, rape, kidnapping,” Kate cried. “I have got to find the Twins.”
Jolene looked down at the crying young woman. “The Softwar companies unleashed evil times on us all Sister. But we can help each other.”
Kate raised her head and nodded to Jolene, “Thank you for your help,” she quietly said.
“I’m here for a reason,” Jolene answered. “I am happy I can help. Come in.” Jolene stepped to the edge of the porch and motioned Kate toward the front door.
“Thank you,” Kate said and moved to follow Jolene but she stumbled over something.
“That’s the porch, sorry. You can’t see it in this light. You’ll need to step up a little bit. But let me get the light on inside first and you’ll see,” Jolene instructed and she opened her front door and fumbled against the wall feeling for a switch. She found the switch and turned it on.
The light was not bright but it blinded Kate for a few seconds. She raised her hand to shield her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Jolene apologized. “I wasn’t thinking about the light being right in your eyes.”
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Kate answered. She had not expected a light to be turned on so quickly. They had only had the one hanging light in their house. Nothing fancy like a wall switch.
Kate stepped up onto the porch and crossed over to the front door and into the house. The house was no larger than the house Kate had lived in but it was immensely more luxurious. There were real glass windows on two of the walls and a deep cushioned reclining chair with a floor lamp beside it. An opened book had been set on one of the chair’s arms face down to hold its place. Along one wall was a big couch with bedding spread out on it. Behind it, in the back right corner, was a small electric stove and a sink with water faucets.
Kate stared and asked, “Is that a sink? I’ve heard of such things but I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“Of course it’s a sink,” Jolene answered. “It even has hot water. How do you wash?”
“I’ve always washed from a bucket,” Kate answered. “At home we went outside to the pump and brought the water in, used it and when we were finished we tossed it on the crops.”
Jolene closed the door behind her and walked around Kate to the sink. “How hot do you want the water?” she asked.
Kate stared incredulously.
“I don’t know,” stammered Kate. “Are you rich?”
Jolene turned on the faucets, felt the water and adjusted the hot and cold mix before she turned back around to answer Kate.
“No, Sister,” she laughed. “It’s different here than out there in the wilderness. When the grids went down and people were forced down here to avoid the violence, they were able to patch into the local supplies above ground. Not every town is as lucky as we are. We have water every third day from the lakes and electricity 24/7 without needing batteries. There’s a working wind turbine in a field above us.”
Kate watched the sink filling with water. “Don’t the Raiders attack it?” she asked.
“Above ground there is a big electric fence protecting the turbine on the entrance to the tunnel. We have a militia that patrols. We’ve had no problem for about twelve years now.”
Jolene turned back to the sink’s faucets and closed them. She said over her shoulder as she moved her right hand through the water, “Sister Kate, The water feels good, not too hot. If you don’t have a change of clothes we can wash what you have on before we go into town.”
“I don’t have time to do clothes,” Kate answered. “I need to find my sisters before the Raiders get too far away.”
“Okay,” Jolene soothed. “Wash your face and hands, then we’ll go. There should be some people out.” Jolene stepped over beside Kate and rested her right hand on Kate’s shoulder in comfort, then moved away toward the stove. “Hungry?” she asked.
“Starving,” Kate answered over her shoulder. “Before I wash, do you have a chamber pot or out house I can use?” she asked.
“I am so sorry. I wasn’t thinking at all,” Jolene answered in embarrassment. “There’s actually a toilet back there behind the curtains,” she said pointing the back of the room.
“Really, indoors?” Kate answered.
“Yes, indoors?” Jolene said with a raise of her eyebrows. “Help yourself.”
Kate hurried back behind the curtain. When she returned she carried a small package and said with her own embarrassment, “I didn’t see any trash back there. Do you have somewhere I can put this?” indicating the small package.
Jolene looked at Kate’s hand then hurried over to the stove, where she picked up a small container she used as a trash receptacle. “Just drop that in here,” said. Adding as she returned the trash to its place, “Now hurry and wash up.”
She pulled her sleeves up exposing her hands and forearms. Kate stared at the caked on dirt, stared at areas which she knew to be blood. She slowly lowered her hands into the warm water and moved her hands slowly back and forth watching the trails of dirt left floating in the sink.
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“I have some bread and bacon,” Jolene stated. “Is that okay?”
Kate turned around to facing Jolene, “You have meat?” she asked incredulously.
Jolene smiled, “I have a little.” Then she pointed back at the sink, “Soap is there on the shelf. When you have your hands clean let me know and I’ll run some fresh water in the sink so you can wash your face.”
Kate turned to the sink and looked for the soap.
Chapter 13
Kate ate ravenously, clearing her plate faster than Jolene could fill it. Jolene fried bacon and cut bread like for an army. At last Kate slowed down.
“Some coffee, tea?” Jolene asked.
“This water is fine,” Kate nodded toward her glass. “I’ve never had any coffee or tea. Mom and Dad talked about it some but they never bought any.”
“Good, I don’t care for any either,” Jolene replied. “It’s bad for your eyes,” she added jokingly.
Kate did not notice.
“Lights should be up now,” Jolene stated. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes,” Kate immediately stood up. She checked that her knife was in its sheath. “Let’s go,” she said and headed to the door where she picked up her bundle and slung it over her shoulder.
It was all a little fast for Jolene who said, “You can come back and get your stuff if we find something.”
“Thank you for all you help and the food,” Kate answered, “but if we find a trail, I’m following it. The Twins don’t have time for me to be wasting it.”
“Right. Okay,” answered Jolene. “Then I think we should start on the South side of town. If they had come through here I would have seen them or at least heard them. And I didn’t.”
“I followed them up to the edge of the town,” Kate stated.
“Right, but they must have seen the town and skirted around the edge trying to say hidden. Let’s start where you entered the clearing, where I first saw you.”
Kate nodded.
“Let me grab some water and we’ll go,” Jolene said and headed to the sink. “Do you have plenty of water?” she asked.
“No,” Kate answered and set down her bundle to retrieve her water jar.
Jolene was at the sink when she saw Kate’s small jar. “That will never do. That didn’t last you half a day, did it?” she asked Kate but did not wait for an answer. She bent down and rummaged under the sink and pulled out a four-liter military canteen.
“My late husband, John, bless his soul, was a ‘prepper.’ Duh,” Jolene said and smacked herself on the forehead. “He left all kinds of stuff you can use,” and she began hurrying around the house pulling out things and digging under stuff. When she was done there was a pile of things at Kate’s feet. Along with the canteen there was a backpack, a large, sheathed knife twice as big as the one Kate carried with a compass and flint in the handle. There was a spool of fishing line, fishing hooks, a wool blanket and a waterproofed poncho. Lastly from a high cabinet back in the house Jolene pulled out a large canvas shoulder bag and handed it to Kate.
“This here stuff is old but it’s still good. It’s beef jerky,” Jolene explained. John made this stuff before the collapse, but it’s still good. It’s just dried beef with some salt and pepper on it but it’ll last forever.” Jolene grinned, “You just have to chew on it a long time. It’s like eating a shoe. But it’s good!” she added.
“Get all your stuff into that backpack while I get the canteen filled, then we’ll go,” she said.
Kate picked up the big knife and drew it from its sheath.
“I’m sorry I don’t have any guns,” said Jolene watching Kate. “I traded them for this house. You could use one when you find those bastards.”
Kate felt the balance of the knife and checked its edge. “This is good,” she said quietly. “My dad tough me how to use a knife. He said, ‘Knives don’t run out of ammo.’”
Jolene watched Kate return the knife to its sheath and place it in the shoulder bag. When Jolene handed Kate the canteen she added it to the bag. Everything else went into the backpack.
“I can’t pay you for any of this,” Kate said.
“You can find your sisters. That’ll be payment enough,” Jolene answered. She swooped down to pick up the backpack. “Here, slip your arms in and let’s go.”
Kate put her arms through the shoulder straps and raised the pack up on her back. She wiggled around under the weight, shifting it into a comfortable spot and then picked up the shoulder bag. “Ready,” she stated. Jolene opened the door letting Kate pass out onto the porch and then she followed turning off the room’s lights as she stepped out.
The town lights were on and filled the large open area with light. There were many men and women, even some children, out beginning their day. Unlike Jolene in her dress, most of the women and children were dressed in a hodgepodge of pants and shirts all worn and tattered beyond any style, held together by patches.
Kate was a little amazed. “I’ve never seen so many people. Back home, even the fair wasn’t this crowded. What do they all do? They aren’t farmers.”
“They do lots of things,” Jolene answered. “Like me, for example. My mother once taught me how to make soap. After John passed I had to do something. I didn’t want to marry again, so I started making soap.
Then the next thing I know I’m hiring another widow to help me make soap. People didn’t have it and they wanted it. I even own a little building where we make it. You can find my soap all up and down the tunnels.
I went all the way to the Hall and Bridge once setting up traders. Now that was a lot of people.” She shook her head at the memory. “I hope you don’t have to go there. The people were horrid. ‘Money, money, money,’ that’s all I heard. No one had anything. I’d rather be dropped in the Green Zone anytime.”
Kate turned around to face Jolene to ask about the Green Zone, if it was real, when Jolene pointed out to the edge of town and said, “That’s where you came in, the north bound tunnel. We’ll start over there.” Jolene stepped off the porch and headed toward a dark opening in the cavern wall, away from the lights. Kate hurried after her.
The tunnel looked a lot smaller to Kate now that she could see it in the light from town. But it was still wild inside. As she and Jolene neared the opening there were multiple sounds of moment inside. Some of the sounds were small and furtive but a couple sounded like declamations. Jolene stopped short of the entrance.
“We can start here,” Jolene suggested.
“Okay,” Kate answered and relaxed her grip on the hilt of her small knife.
Jolene pointed at the town, “From here the town looks off center. There is the main street, kind of off to our right. Do you see that?”
“Yes,” Kate answered.
“So, if someone wanted to stay as far away as possible from the town, they would follow along this wall. Right?” Jolene asked.
“Yes,” Kate agreed.
“We’ll follow the wall and look for tracks,” Jolene continued, “until we reach the south tunnel. If we haven’t found any sign of them, then they probably walked through town and we’ll have to question people in town.”
Kate shook her head. “They are either in town or they have headed to the next tunnel. Looking for signs would be a waste of time. I tracked them this far. I know they made it here.”
Jolene looked at Kate and replied, “Okay, then let’s start asking people if they saw anyone. See if they saw your sisters. Okay?”
“Right,” Kate answered and headed back to town. Jolene hurried to catch up.
Chapter 14
Kate headed resolutely toward a small group of men talking outside a small building.
“That’s William there,” Jolene informed, “He’s kind of the head munchkin here. Billy! Billy!” she called out waving her hand.
The men all looked up at Jolene’s call. One raised his hand and waved in acknowledgment.
“All William does is talk,” Jolene whispered to Kate as they drew close to the knot of men. “By now he’s probably already talked to everyone in town this morning. He’s a good place to start.”
The knot of men had spread out a little to allow Kate and Jolene to face them all. They nodded politely as Kate and Jolene stopped in front of them.
As Jolene nodded quietly in return Kate started talking as fast as she could: “Have you seen any Raiders pass here? Have you seen my sisters? They’re twins. Seven years old. Hair is same color as mine. Raiders took them.”
The men looked at Kate with a mix of contempt and bewilderment. The man Jolene had identified as William, a tall, gangling man, looked at Kate and asked, “And you are?”
Jolene answered, “This is Sister Kate, daughter of Kay and Jerome. She’s from up the tunnel. Yesterday some Raiders murdered her mother and father and kidnapped her sisters. She followed them here.”
“That’s not possible,” one of the men exclaimed.
“No one has come in from that direction,” another added.
Kate pointed at the stains on her clothes and challenged the men, “This is blood from my mother and father.” Holding out her hands she said, “I buried them with these two hands. The Raiders didn’t get past me and go up the tunnel. They came this way.”
The men began chattering.
“Maybe they are going to attack us,” said one.
“They are probably going after the electricity,” said another.
“Or the water!”
“They’re going to rob us and take all our goods!”
“They’ll rape our women!”
“And take our kids and sell them as slaves!”
The knot of men had tightened together and they fired worsening ideas back and forth. Slowly others out in the street heard them and moved in closer, adding more panic. Suddenly it was a mob looking for a leader.
Kate was squeezed in on all sides by the frenzy. She lost contact with Jolene. She struggled and fought her way through the townspeople till she reached their outer edge. She burst out of the mass of people in tears. No one cared about her sisters.
William spoke up, shouting above the multitude of voices, “We need to set up a defensive perimeter,” he shouted. “We need some volunteers to guard the entrances into town!”
The crowd roared in agreement.
Kate staggered away from the crowd tightly clutching the shoulder bag of food Jolene had given her. She shifted the backpack on her shoulders and headed to the opposite end of town from where she had come in. She was heading down tunnel for her sisters.
Kate was ahead of the towns people when she reached the tunnel entrance She could still see and hear them trying to organize themselves back in town.
The entrance was edged in ornate brickwork and was twice as large as the one on the other side of town, large enough to handle two trains. There was a well traveled path inside, not the wild undergrowth and debris like Kate was familiar with. This was a road with no Raider trail to follow. Kate stepped inside.
There were lights running along the center line of the tunnel ceiling for as far as Kate could see. The light was not bright in the tunnel but she would not need a torch to find her way. At the far end of her line of sight she saw movement. It was a single person, not a group, moving away from town. Kate wiped across her eyes with the back of her hands and started walking.
The pathway was smooth and easy walking. Kate saw quickly that she was narrowing the distance between herself and the person ahead. She increased speed.
Ahead of her, Kate could see that it was a short person, probably a man, with an odd gate throwing worried looks back at her. She moved faster.
Kate recognized the figure trying to flee in front of her. It was the crippled man with the Raiders.
Kate slid out of the backpack and pulled the big knife out before tossing the bag to the ground. With a frightful shout Kate broke into a run clutching the knife in her right hand.
The man ahead tried to move faster but quickly realized he was caught. He turned to face the on rushing Kate.
Kate leaped into the air brandishing the knife in front of her.
The man twisted about and dropped to one knee.
Kate missed the man with the point of her knife and crashed into his shoulder, bowling him over. She fell heavily to the ground on top of him.
Kate was dazed by the hit and the fall but still held the knife tightly in her right hand as she landed. The man pushed her over off of him onto her back. He rose up onto his knees and reached over for the knife. The pressure of his hands on her wrist threw Kate into action. She screamed and bucked, twisting around him to get her kicking legs a better angle.
He held onto Kate’s wrist for dear life and fell on top of her, smothering her beneath him. He slid over her writhing body until he was able to sit up and move his left knee onto her right forearm immobilizing the knife.
Kate snapped at him with her teeth and flailed at him with her left arm as he moved higher on top of her, ultimately pinning her left arm to the ground like the right. He shifted more weight onto her right arm and slowly pried the knife out of her fingers. He tossed it aside.
“Who are you?” he shouted. “Why are you trying to kill me?”
Kate spat at him, “You killed my parents you damn Raider! Where are my sisters?” she shouted.
“I didn’t kill….”
A shout, “Let her be!” cut the man short. He turned his head in time to see another body launched at him. It smashed into him knocking him off Kate and rolling him several feet away battling a dervish of fists and feet.
Kate rolled up onto her hands and knees casting her eyes about for the big knife.
Kate and her father sat outside the right burrow relaxing. She was ten and they had just spent half a day together enlarging the secret space and scattering the fresh earth about the field to hide it
“Kate, you know I don’t approve of violence.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Well, times have changed,” Jerome continued. “With the collapse, life has turned into anarchy, chaos, survival of the fittest.
Parents always hope to pass on a better world than the one they inherited to their children,” he continued. “My generation failed with that. You and your sisters are going to have to fight for your existence. Do you understand what that means?”
“Yes, Sir. I think so,” Kate answered.
“It means you can’t expect anyone but yourself to uphold the law. Society, civilization will not be there to support you. You’ll have to make your own determinations of right and wrong. You may have to make some difficult decisions along the way.”
Kate nodded.
“If you ever find yourself in a fight for your life, fight to win,” Jerome ordered. “Don’t worry about rules. If you are fighting a man he will be larger than you. That puts you at a great disadvantage. The faster you end the fight, the better for you.” He pulled a short dagger out from his boot top.
“Be swift, be decisive,” he instructed handing the knife to Kate hilt first. “There is a lot I need to teach you. We’ll start tomorrow.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Kate’s right hand snapped down to her right hip and whipped her short knife out of its sheath.
Chapter 15
The Raider and his fresh attacker were grappling, rolling about the tunnel. The Raider came up on top. Kate sprang to his side and pressed the point of her knife against his neck.
“What do you mean you didn’t kill my parents?” Kate shouted. “I saw you there!”
“I was there, but I didn’t hurt anyone,” the man answered firmly.
“Can you get him off of me?” a thin voice squeaked.
Kate looked down at the prone figure underneath the Raider.
He was a young man, a little older than Kate. His hair was cut so short at first glance he did not seem to have any. His face was grimy and his clothes filthy and ill fitting. The dirt on his face made his light green eyes all the brighter.
“Don’t get up or I’ll kill you!” Kate swore. “Just let go of the guy and raise you hands slowly. And you their, thanks for your help, but stay on the ground till I say you can move!”
The Raider released his hold on the guy’s shirt and raised his hands up. “My name is Humphrey. I was with Larson and his mob but I didn’t do anything to your parents or sisters.” Humphrey slowly turned his head to face Kate. “Larson has my wife.”
Kate’s knife point stayed steady on Humphrey’s neck. “Who’s Larson?” she demanded.
“He’s the boss of that group. Sometimes they call him Wolf, ‘cause he’s an animal.”
“I heard them shouting that,” Kate acknowledged.
“He seems to know all the entrances and exits to the tunnels,” Humphrey continued. “He slips in and out of the tunnels without being seen. That’s how he caught me and my wife.”
The guy on the ground interrupted, “He’s getting a little heavy setting on my chest.”
“Shut up,” snapped Kate. “No one asked you to be here.”
“My wife and I had a little place in a side tunnel near Woodside,” Humphrey continued. “Then one night Larson and his men broke in. I tried to fight them off but they beat me down. Broke my back. Larson liked my wife Maude so the men didn’t touch her, but Larson took her. When they cleaned out the house I crawled after them. Larson laughed. He’s a monster. He didn’t kill me. He let me crawl after ‘em. When he found out I could track, he made me help him.”
Humphrey shook his head, tears on his cheeks, “I did. It kept me close to Maude. But I couldn’t get her away.”
Kate glared down at Humphrey. “Then what are you doing here?” she demanded.
“Larson was looking for an exit up to the top. He didn’t find an open one here. When we got past town he was in a hurry. I don’t move very fast. They left me behind. I’m following them, tryin’ to catch up.”
“Are my sisters okay?”
“Larson took a set of twins yesterday. If that’s your sisters, they’re fine,” Humphrey answered. He continued quietly, “They’re valuable to Larson. When they get older he can get a better price for them, especially since they’re twins.”
“Stand up,” Kate ordered angrily.
Humphrey grunted with effort as he pushed himself up to a standing position. Humphrey was not able to stand fully upright. He could not straighten his back so he leaned forward from the waist at a sixty-degree angle and leaned to his right. He seemed unsteady on his feet.
Released from Humphrey’s weight the young guy on the ground leaped to his feet.
Kate pointed her knife at Humphrey. “You follow them. I want my sisters. You do anything to prevent that, I’ll kill you. Do you understand?”
Humphrey nodded and said, “Thanks.”
“Go!” Kate shouted. “I’ll get my stuff and catch up with you. You won’t get away.”
“I don’t want to get away. I want your help to free Maude,” Humphrey answered and started away in a shambling trot.”
Kate turned to go after her gear.
“What about me?” the young guy asked.
Kate stopped. “What about you? Who are you?” she asked turning back to face him
“I’m the guy who saved you ass, that’s who I am,” the young guy answered.
“I already thanked you for your help. What are you doing here?” Kate snapped. She took her eyes off his face and looked up the tunnel, following Humphrey’s progress.
“Back in town I heard you say the Raiders took your sisters. When everyone went crazy back there I saw you head this way. I followed. Wanted to see if I could help.”
Kate’s eyes moved back to the young guy’s face.
“Then I saw you and that guy fighting so I jumped in. My name’s Luke,” he stated and stuck out his right hand.
Kate looked down at Luke’s hand then back up to his face. “My dad told me to never shake hands. Puts you in a man’s grip immediately.”
Luke pulled his hand back sheepishly. “Probably good advice,” he added.
“Name’s Kate,” Kate stated. “If you want to go with us, I won’t stop you. It’s a free country. I might can use the help.” Then she leveled her knife at Luke, “But you get in my way...”
“You’ll kill me,” Luke finished her sentence then he grinned. “Got it.”
Kate looked at the grinning young man and slid her knife back into its sheath. “Do you have any gear?”
“Just what I have on,” Luke answered.
“No gear. Great. She shook her head. “Three mouths to feed now.” She looked to check on Humphrey’s progress. He was way up the tunnel.
“He moves faster than I thought he could,” she stated and turned to Luke, “Run up there and slow Humphrey down to a walk until I can catch, okay?”
Luke snapped to “attention” and tried a salute, a Boy Scout salute. “Yes, Ma’am!”
“Well, Go!” Kate ordered and Luke took off running after Humphrey. “Brother,” Kate mumbled to herself.
Kate quickly found the big knife near where she had bowled into Hump then headed over to pick up her backpack and shoulder bag. Kate resheathed the knife and stowed it back in the shoulder bag. She swung the backpack up onto her shoulders, grabbed the bag and took a hard look at Humphrey’s and Luke’s lead.
“Great. That must be two kilometers. I guess I need to hustle,” Kate said and took off in a trot after them.
The backpack was chaffing Kate’s shoulders and the bag banged heavily against her side and after a long run she finally caught up with the guys.
“Any sign?” she asked Humphrey as she came to a fast walk beside him with Luke on the far side.
Humphrey looked over at Kate with an ashened face. His breathing was forced and irregular. He looked ready to collapse. “Lots,” he gasped. “They’re all moving forward still. Haven’t seen any sign anyone has dropped out,” he panted. “No exits yet,” he assured. Then he stumbled.
Humphrey tumbled to his knees and rolled over in front of Luke bringing him down as well. They were exhausted. They lay in the dirt of the tunnel gasping for breath.
Kate leaped over to help them up and back on their feet.
“Let’s move over to the wall and take a break,” she suggested.
“We need to catch up with them,” Humphrey panted.
In disbelief Kate her herself saying, “My Dad said, ‘The race doesn’t always go to the swiftest.’” And she understood. She added, “And he use to always talk about beating a dead horse, too. This pack is killing my shoulders. Let’s take a break,” and she headed over to the tunnel wall and swung the pack off her shoulders and set down against the wall.
“Great idea,” Luke stated and followed after Kate. He flopped to the ground near her.
Humphrey followed slowly after them and sat down next to the pack with his back pressed against the tunnel wall for support.
Kate pulled the big canteen Jolene had given her from the top of the pack and tossed it to Humphrey.
“Thank you,” he said softly and unscrewed the lid. He took a long drink, recapped the canteen and handed it back to Kate.
Kate saw Luke was watching the canteen closely. His lips were dry and cracked. She tossed the canteen to him. “Don’t drink it all,” she ordered and turned back to Humphrey.
“How far do you think we are from the next town?” she asked.
“We have to be more than halfway there,” Humphrey answered. “The stations weren’t built that far apart. Of course, that was train distance not walking distance,” he answered with a straight-lipped grin.
“Right,” Kate acknowledged. She reached into the shoulder bag and pulled out some jerky. She handed some to Humphrey then turned to Luke.
“Hey!” Kate shouted. “I said don’t drink it all. That may be all we have for a while.”
Luke pulled the canteen from his lips. “Hump said the next town isn’t far away.”
Kate reached over and snatched the canteen away. “That doesn’t mean we can get water there. They may not even let us stop there. They might think we’re Raiders!” she snapped.
“I didn’t think of that,” Luke answered sheepishly.
“Obviously,” Kate responded and handed Luke some jerky. “Chew on this, slowly,” she ordered. She held the canteen up close to her ear and shook it, estimating its contents.