Chapter 36
Orion was tipped low to the western horizon and all along the creek the campfires were banked a low red color as Larson returned to the camp. He had been drinking but it did not show in his step. The man with him stumbled and staggered at almost every step.
“Keep on your feet, man” Larson ordered.
“Didn’t know your damn camp was so far away. Wouldn’t have come,” the other man stated loudly.
“You’ll be glad, you’ll be glad,” Larson reassured him as he steered the man around the sleeping bodies.
“Ah, there we go friend. Just another couple of meters,” Larson instructed. When they stopped Larson and the stranger where standing above where Kate was sleeping with her left arm exposed outside her blanket.
“Look there, Johnson,” Larson said pointing down at the sleeping Kate, “Sweet as a bug in a rug, isn't she?”
Johnson leered down at Kate. He grinned and reached down with his right hand to grab her left arm. With a grunt of brute force Johnson pulled Kate up out of her sleep into a wobbling, standing position beside him.
Kate’s eyes snapped open and searched wildly around her. She saw Larson smiling at her and felt Johnson’s grip on her arm. She twisted around facing Johnson, trying to free her arm from his grip.
“Let go of me! What do you think you’re doing?” Kate shouted into Johnson’s face.
“You’re mine, girl!” Johnson roared back at Kate and he shook her about like a doll.
“You’re a drunk fool,” Kate shouted and kicked Johnson in the right shin.
“Ah!” Johnson shouted. He pulled back his left fist to strike Kate.
Larson stepped over and grabbed Johnson’s left wrist. “You don’t do that in front of me friend, or I’ll kill you and keep your platinum and the girl,” Larson threatened.
Johnson lowered his fist, glaring at Larson as Kate still twisted and kicked at him.
Larson released his hold on Johnson. “I’ll speak to her, friend.”
“Kate!” Larson said. “Kate! It’s you or a sister! Which do you pick?” Larson demanded.
Everyone in camp was awake by this time. Hunter was standing nearby, watching.
At Larson’s question Kate stopped fighting. Her right hand dropped down to her waist. She felt the knife handle through her shirt.
Hunter stepped closer.
“Do something stupid and the kids get hurt,” Larson stated. “Johnson here, paid good money for you. He wanted one of your sisters but I told him they were too young and they stayed as a pair. Was I wrong to say that?”
Kate did not speak. She shook her head vigorously.
“Then everything is good, right?” Larson asked.
Kate nodded.
Larson looked at Johnson, “See what you can do just by talking?”
Johnson glared angrily at Larson’s chiding. “Stop by the tent tomorrow, Larson, and see what a little discipline can do.”
“I’ll do that, Johnson. Thank you for the invite,” he laughed. Then he added unemotionally, “She doesn’t have anything but what she’s wearing. Get her out of here. I’m tired.”
“My pleasure,” Johnson answered and he pulled Kate back in the direction he and Larson had arrived. Kate followed winching under Johnson’s grip, looked about wildly for help.
Kayla and Kaylie were the only two people who moved. “Sissy! Sissy!” they called running after Kate.
Maude moved away from where she was standing, watching, beside the tent to intercept them.
Kate saw her and called out to her sisters, “Stay with Maude! Everything will be okay! Just stay with Maude until I get back!”
Hunter moved forward and lifted both girls up off the ground. They continued to call after Kate, “Sissy!”
“Hump! I mean, Maude!” Larson shouted with a laugh. “Get to the tent! I’m tired!” Larson looked around at everyone in the camp and laughed. He headed over to the tent where Maude awaited him.
Johnson pulled Kate along by her arm. He stumbled through campsites and over sleeping people, loosing his feet several times, but never loosing his grip on Kate’s arm, leaving angry, cursing people in his wake.
At one point Johnson stopped and shook his head to clear it. He recognized the location and stepped into the stream, pulling Kate along after him.
The water was cold and rushed fiercely around Kate’s legs as she tried to keep her feet on the slippery rocks below. She fell, pulling Johnson down on top of her. They both went under. Johnson lost his hold on her wrist.
Kate was the first up, sputtering and gasping for air. Johnson rose up beside her and struck her above her left ear with a fierce backhand. Kate staggered under the blow and fell onto the bank, unconscious. Johnson, on his hands and knees, climbed out of the creek and grabbed Kate by the hair and pulled her out of the water and onto the bank after him.
Johnson stood up and steadied himself for a second. He looked down at Kate and shouted, “Get up!”
When Kate did not move Johnson shouted again. Kate did not move. “Get up I said,” Johnson shouted and kicked at Kate. His foot missed and he fell down.
Johnson rolled over onto his hands and knees and raised himself up onto his feet. He reached down and grabbed Kate’s left arm and began dragging her.
“Woman?” Johnson shouted. “Where are you woman?”
Out of the dark, from a tent nearby, a voice answered, “I’m right here you drunk fool. Do you have to wake the world up?”
Johnson ignored the words but homed in on the sounds. He staggered over to a tent pulling Kate along. “This is for you, woman,” Johnson exclaimed and passed out, falling down beside Kate.
A woman stuck her head outside the tent and saw the two laying there. “Fool,” was her only comment as she crawled out of the tent.
Chapter 37
Kate had a terrible headache. She moved her right hand up to feel the left side of her head. Her right leg moved up with her hand.
She opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on the floor of a large tent. Her head was directed to the rear of the tent but she could tell by the brightness inside that the front tent flap was open and the sun was up. There was a cot on either side of her along the tent walls.
Kate moved her right arm again. Her right leg followed the motion.
“You’re awake,” a woman stated. “Good. I thought you might be out all day. He must have really got you liquored up last night.”
The woman’s voice was raspy, a little deep, compared to most women.
Kate looked down to her right arm and moved it again. Her leg followed the motion again. Kate saw a cord tied around her wrist running down to her right ankle. Someone had her partially tied up.
“That cord is just to keep you from being too frisky and running away,” the woman stated moving into Kate’s line of sight.
The woman’s mouth was the first thing Kate noticed. The lips were thin, barely a line on the woman’s face, and drawn tight against her teeth. The chin below receded quickly into a thin neck and narrow shoulders.
Kate eyes moved up and met the woman’s brown eyes, which were bright and energetic.
“That fool was suppose to get me some help,” she stated. “You’re dressed like a boy. You ain’t a boy are you?”
Kate pushed her self into a sitting position and answered, “No, Ma’am. I’m not a boy.” Sitting up Kate saw that the woman was about average height, narrow shoulders and hips, with long black, shoulder length hair that had not seen a brush in a while. What she wore had had once been a dress but now looked more like a sack.
“My, ain’t you got the manners,” the woman laughed exposing a couple of gaps in her teeth. “I wanted someone young, so I could train ‘em to work around the camp. You ain’t young. So I reckon he wants to train you hisself.”
“I wouldn’t know, Ma’am,” Kate answered. “Larson made me go with this man Johnson last night and now I’m here.”
The woman cursed Larson’s name. “Johnson’s a fool dealing with the likes of Larson. Flimflammed him most likely.”
“Ma’am, can you cut me loose?” Kate asked. “I need to use the restroom.”
“Restroom,” the woman chuckled. Then she set her mouth and stated, “You call me Mrs. Johnson. You hear?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Kate answered.
The woman stepped quickly over beside Kate and kicked her in the ribs. “Mrs. Johnson,” she stated.
Gasping for breath, holding her side, Kate answered, “Yes, Mrs. Johnson.”
“You can walk out back like you are girl,” Mrs. Johnson stated. “When I was in your spot they had me hogtied for three days. I had to wiggle across the ground to get outside. Bladder almost exploded. Lucky I’m nice to you.”
Mrs. Johnson continued, “Cut you loose, you’d kill that fool and me to get away. Know you would. I would have.” Mrs. Johnson smiled a little, “Still might.”
Pointing to the open tent flap Mrs. Johnson added, “Slop jar’s there by the door. Take it with you and empty it. Need to start earning you keep.”
Kate looked up at Mrs. Johnson in disbelief.
“Girl! You want to feel my boot again?” Mrs. Johnson snapped.
Kate looked into the two shinning brown eyes and answered, “No, Mrs. Johnson. I’m getting up.” Kate got on her feet. The cord linking her right wrist to her right ankle was about thirty centimeters long. By staying bent over at the waist and moving her right arm and right leg in unison, she was able to take short steps.
The slop jar was easy to find. All Kate needed to do was follow her nose. It was nothing fancy, just a metal bucket without a handle, and it was full to overflowing.
“Girl, don’t you spill a drop,” Mrs. Johnson warned as Kate lifted the bucket carefully with both hands.
Kate moved cautiously out the tent opening into the sunshine, taking even smaller steps to keep from spilling the contents of the bucket. The smell was horrible. Her head felt like it was splitting open. The sunshine was blinding. The small sloshing noises from the bucket made Kate gag. She struggled to not vomit as she moved slowly around the side of the tent.
A different female voice shouted at Kate, “You take that all the way to the back, girl! Don’t stop anywhere near here!”
Kate glanced to her right and saw a woman watching her. Looking around Kate saw several women watching from campsites all around. There was not a single sympathetic face in the group.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Kate called out. “I’ll take it way out back.” Kate was afraid someone would attack her.
“There’s a ditch back there,” another voice stated. “Dump it in there and toss some dirt over it. Don’t want it stinking.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Thank you, Ma’am,” Kate answered as she tried to move a little faster. She finally made it behind all the tents and found the ditch the woman had mentioned. It had been hand dug so there was loose dirt piled on the ground beside it.
Kate gagged and her eyes watered as she poured the slop into the ditch. She quickly covered the mess with dirt and moved away so she could breathe.
Kate’s left-hand felt for the knife handle. There it was. She could cut herself free and run away. She was already far from the campsites. She was at the bottom of a slight rise. Ten seconds or less and she would be over the crest and out of sight. She would be free.
What about the Twins? How could she get them free? She was alone with a small knife in the middle of a town full of Raiders. What chance did she have?
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Johnson would go back to Larson and demand his platinum back. Larson would argue. They would probably settle on a little more platinum for one of the Twins. That is what the woman wanted anyway. Kate could not trade her freedom for her sisters. She moved over behind a juniper bush and used the restroom. Then stood up and shuffled back toward the tent with the bucket in her hands. “I need a better opportunity than this,” she told herself.
Chapter 38
Mrs. Johnson was seated on the left-hand cot when Kate stepped into the tent. Johnson was asleep on the right-hand cot with his mouth open snoring like a wood saw.
“Set the bucket down there by the door, Girl,” Mrs. Johnson ordered Kate.
“Yes, Mrs. Johnson,” Kate answered and set the bucket down. She looked at Mrs. Johnson for more orders.
“Can you cook, Girl?” Mrs. Johnson asked.
“I can cook a little,” Kate answered.
“That means you can’t cook,” Mrs. Johnson replied shaking her head in disdain. “Can you clean?” she demanded.
“Yes, Mrs. Johnson,” Kate answered.
“We’ll find out, won’t we?” Mrs. Johnson stated staring at Katy. Then she said, “Come over here and set down close. It’s been awhile since I had someone to talk to.”
Kate shuffled over near the cot and set down.
Mrs. Johnson pointed a hand at the snoring man. “I heard once about a woman that got tired of her man drinking and beating her. One night, when he came home drunk and passed out, she took a needle and thread and sewed him up in his bed. Just like I could do to that fool over there.”
Mrs. Johnson shifted her eyes over to some pots and pans near the tent opening. She pointed at one, “See that #12 skillet over there?”
“Yes, Mrs. Johnson,” Kate answered.
“You ever use one, Girl?”
“Yes. My mother had one, Mrs. Johnson,” Kate answered.
Mrs. Johnson rocked a little forward and backward on the cot. “Your Mom had one? Well,” she said and paused for a second. “This woman I heard about took a skillet like that and beat the hell of her man while he was sewed up and couldn’t get to her!” Mrs. Johnson laughed thinking about it.
She looked at Kate, “I could do that. I sure could of.”
Mrs. Johnson shook her head slowly. “I could of done it a hunerd times.” She pointed at the snoring man. “I could of done it most mornings,” she stated.
She looked over at Kate, her eyes bright and active. “The story I heard was that when that man got unsewed, he never drank again. That bastard there,” she added, pointing to Johnson, “would break my back and knock out the rest of my teeth if he even thought I thought about it. And he’d have some young girl here to drag out my body.”
“Mrs. Johnson, that’s not going to happen,” Kate quickly stated. “I wouldn’t let that happen to you.”
“I believe you, Girl,” Mrs. Johnson replied still staring at Kate. “But how would you stop it?
That’s my third man there,” she said nodding at Johnson. “Each one’s been worse than the other. I was put to work when I was six. Could have been my mom and dad that did it. I don’t know who it was. Just big people, you know?” Mrs. Johnson added.
“I cleaned night and day for my keep,” Mrs. Johnson said. “And by time I was ten I could cook for a score of men.” Mrs. Johnson looked away but continued, “About then’s when my breasts started to come in. That score of men found other things for me to do then.”
Mrs. Johnson looked back at Kate, “When I was about your age I was sold out as a wife.” She laughed a bitter laugh, “House keeper, cook, whore and investment. That’s what I was. That’s what I am. That’s what you are.
Girl, I am telling you this so you won’t be surprised,” Mrs. Johnson explained. “You seem to be a good kid, brought up nice. But there ain’t nothing nice out here for women like us. Men use us until we’re wore out, then they throw us away.”
Mrs. Johnson smiled her small smile again. “Ain’t nothing special about us, Girl. Every female in this camp is in the same bad spot, just trying to survive one more day. I’ll be kicking you, beating you with that #12 skillet ‘cause I’m afraid to use it on him. I’ll be screaming and cussin’ you ‘cause I don’t want you to take my place. It ain’t much of a place, but it’s the only one I got.”
Kate looked up at Mrs. Johnson and answered, “I understand, Mrs. Johnson. I won’t take it personal.”
“Like I said, Girl, you seem to be a good kid,” Mrs. Johnson continued. “Come over here and lets cut your wrist loose. I’ll need to tie your feet, more like hobblin’ a horse, or that fool’ll beat both of us. But you’ll be able to walk easier. When I’m done, go out and wash your hands. Then we’ll start cooking.”
“Yes, Mrs. Johnson,” Kate replied getting up and moving over beside Mrs. Johnson.
Chapter 39
Kate was at the creek washing her hands when someone asked, “Are you okay?”
She looked up and saw Hunter on the other side. “Are the Twins okay?” she demanded.
“They’re fine,” Hunter answered. “Larson sold off Dorothy and two of the smaller girls along with one of the bigger boys. He’s a monster.”
“All these men are,” Kate replied. “Has he said how long he’s planning on staying here?” Kate asked.
“He’s planning on breaking camp in the morning,” Hunter responded.
“That’s not much time,” Kate stated. She looked up at Hunter and asked, “Can I trust you?”
“Yes you can,” Hunter answered instantly.
“I thought that before,” Kate replied..
“You can trust me,” Hunter stated.
“Girl? What you doin’? Get in here and help!” Mrs. Johnson called from inside the tent.
“I’m coming, Mrs. Johnson,” Kate called over her shoulder.
“What are you thinking?” Hunter asked.
“Just like last time,” Kate answered. “We set fire to the place and escape in the confusion. And now there’s more places to burn and more people to confuse.”
“Okay,” Hunter agreed. “Watch for an explosion down at the end and then come running.”
“Explosion?” Kate asked.
“Yes,” Hunter answered. “Be ready after dark.”
“Girl!” shouted Mrs. Johnson.
Kate stood up. “Yes, Mrs. Johnson. I’m here.” Kate started hobbling back to the tent.
Hunter saw that Kate’s feet were tired together, “You’ve got the knife?” he whispered loudly.
Kate nodded and patted her waist as she ambled away from the creek.
Hunter watched Kate until she entered the tent. He turned and trotted back towards Larson’s camp.
Kate stayed busy all day. She carried water from the creek and washed dishes. She carried more water to wash clothes. She used the wash water to scrub the tent. Mrs. Johnson watched over her closely, giving instructions as needed, but no beatings, all while Johnson slept off his drink.
The day had been long for Kate. She was exhausted and her hands were red and chafed from all the washing. But the sun was starting to set. She looked down the creek toward Larson’s campsite every chance she got. No sign yet.
Johnson yawned and opened his eyes. He looked around slowly, trying to determine where he was. Finally he turned and sat up, his feet hanging off the side of the cot. He ran his hands roughly through his hair and shouted, “Woman, I need a drink!”
From in the darkness at the back of the tent Mrs. Johnson answered, “I’m coming.” She walked into the fading light at the front of the tent carrying a bottle. She handed it to Johnson.
Johnson took the bottle and held it up to the light to check its contents. “You drank some,” he accused her.
“No, sir. I did not,” Mrs. Johnson answered in a shaky voice. “It’s just like you left it.”
‘You better not ever drink any of my whiskey, woman,” Johnson threatened. “If you do I’ll skin you alive.” He looked at Mrs. Johnson adding, “And you know I will.”
“Yes, sir,” Mrs. Johnson answered. “You ready for supper?” she asked quietly.
Johnson held the bottle up to his lips and took a long drink. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and answered, “Not right now. And don’t you ask me again!” he snorted. “I’ll tell you when I’m hungry. You just have the food ready.” He took another long drink from the bottle.
“Yes, sir. It’ll be ready,” Mrs. Johnson answered.
Johnson moved the bottle to his left hand and rubbed his head with his right. He took another drink. “Did I bring a girl home last night?” he asked.
“Yes, sir. She’s there in the back of the tent,” Mrs. Johnson replied. “I didn’t want her bothering you till you was ready.”
“Bring her here!” Johnson ordered.
“Come here quick, Girl,” Mrs. Johnson ordered.
“Yes, Mrs. Johnson,” Kate answered shuffling out from the back of the tent.
Johnson watched Kate come forward. He took another drink. “Girl, who’s this Mrs. Johnson?”
Kate looked at Johnson then at Mrs. Johnson. “Mrs. Johnson is Mrs. Johnson.”
“Haw!” Johnson laughed. Then in a tone mocking Kate he repeated, “Mrs. Johnson is Mrs. Johnson.” He glared at Kate and stated, “Mrs. Johnson was my mother! That thing,” he pointed at Mrs. Johnson with the hand holding the whiskey bottle, “I call Woman when I feel like it. When I don’t feel like it, I just grunt and point at her. She watches, she knows what I mean.” Johnson took a sip from the bottle. “You best do that too. Now turn around and let me look at you. I forgot what you look like. I’ve slept since then.” he laughed.
Kate turned around slowly. Johnson’s eyes followed every curve of her body. She stopped when she was facing him again.
“Looks like Larson cheated me,” Johnson spat. “Got me drunk and cheated me.” He looked over at Mrs. Johnson, “You got a dress she can where? I don’t like her looking like a boy. Folks might get the wrong idea about me,” he grunted.
“I got a dress she can wear,” Mrs. Johnson answered. “I knew you’d want her in a dress but I didn’t want to do anything till you told me to.”
“Bring it,” Johnson ordered. “And get a light on. It’s dark in here.”
“Yes, sir. Let me get that dress, Mrs. Johnson answered and hurried away to the back of the tent.
“Come here girl,” Johnson ordered and pointed to the spot right in front of him.
Kate hobbled over and stopped.
“Woman tied you up, didn’t she?” Johnson grinned. “She’s a smart gal. Knows what I like.” He took another sip of whiskey and ran his eyes up and over Kate.
Kate returned his stare.
“You sassin’ me girl?” Johnson demanded. “I don’t like bein’ sassed.”
“She ain’t sassin’ you,” Mrs. Johnson stated from the back of the tent. “She just ain’t got no manners yet. I’m teaching her though.”
“Don’t sass me girl,” Johnson repeated. “I don’t like it. I’ll beat your naked ass until you can’t sit down or stand up. You understand me?”
Kate did not answer.
Johnson shifted the bottle to his right hand and reached out with his left hand and rested it on Kate’s hip.
Kate’s left hand dropped down to the hilt of her knife.
“Here’s that dress,” Mrs. Johnson called hurrying over beside Kate.
Johnson looked up at her. Mrs. Johnson swung the #12 frying pan she held with all her strength and struck him in the head with it. His eyes glazed over and she hit again. Johnson fell over onto the cot. Mrs. Johnson pushed Kate out of the way and struck Johnson two more times. Johnson did not move.
“Girl, you need to get out of here. I’m going to tell everyone that you killed him,” Mrs. Johnson calmly stated. She reached over to Johnson’s body and pulled a clasp knife from his pants. She opened up the knife, bent down and cut the cord off Kate’s ankles.
When she stood back up she said, “Just walk out of here slow. It’s dark, no one will recognize you. Just keep walking until you get out of camp, then run like devils are after you, ‘cause they will be.”
Kate hugged Mrs. Johnson tightly. “Girl, get out of here,” Mrs. Johnson repeated.
“Will you be okay?” asked Kate.
“I’m fine now,” Mrs. Johnson grinned. “Should have done that a long time ago.” She looked at Kate and repeated, “Get out of here! I have some friends to stay the night with ‘cause Johnson’s busy with his new girl.”
“Thank you,” Kate said and hugged Mrs. Johnson again. “I won’t forget you.”
Mrs. Johnson squeezed Kate tightly then pushed her toward the tent opening, “Now get, before I give you a swift kick.”
Kate stepped out of the tent. It was dark and quiet. Several of the neighboring camps were just building their fires back up. No one seemed to have heard anything.
She walked quietly past several camps and then picked up her pace.
Looking up ahead, Kate saw a bright flash of light that seemed to fill the sky. It was followed by an intensively hot shock wave that knocked her down to the ground. The air rushed past her with an ear splitting boom.
Kate was quickly back up on her feet and running toward Larson’s camp.
There was chaos all along the creek. Men, women and children staggered by the assault fled in every direction. Tents were tossed to the ground. Campfires were blown onto cloth and fires began to rage.
Opportunity had knocked.
Chapter 40
Kate stopped at the edge of where Larson’s camp had been. Everything was gone. There was a slight depression in the center of a large circle of dark, scorched earth. The grass and junipers were gone. The camp bedding, cook pots, water containers, Larson’s tent were gone. It looked like a bomb had exploded in the center of camp destroying everything.
“Sissy! Sissy!” Kate heard the Twins calling. She looked across the open site and saw the Twins, Hunter, Maude and Humphrey standing on the next hill crest, waving and calling to get her attention.
Kate raced across the camp and up the hill and pulled both her sisters up into her arms smothering them with kisses.
“Are you okay? Are you okay?” Kate demanded.
‘We’re fine, Sissy. We’re fine,” the girls answered.
Maude, Humphrey and Hunter had drawn in close to the three sisters.
“We need to go,” Humphrey said urgently, “before anyone has time to recover and determine us missing.”
Kate looked up from her sisters’ happy faces. She saw that Maude, Humphrey and Hunter were all carrying gear, Jolene’s water canteen, the backpack blankets, shoulder bag, and more. They had been ready to leave before whatever happened.
“What happened?” Kate asked.
“Something freakish,” Humphrey said hurriedly. “We need to get going.”
Kate looked at Hunter.
“We’re wasting a good opportunity,” Hunter told her. “If you’ll carry one of your sisters I’ll carry the other. We can make better time that way. We need to move.”
“What about Dorothy?” Kate asked.
“Larson sold her away this morning,” Maude answered. “I have no idea where he took her.” Maude pointed back to the chaotic camps Kate had just run through, “And in that confusion, I don’t know that we could ever find her.”
“Kate?” Hunter asked.
Kate looked at the three adult faces waiting for her decision.
“Kaylie, go with Hunter. Kayla, you’re with me,” Kate ordered the girls.
“I want to be with you,” Kaylie instantly began complaining.
“Kaylie, you’re with Hunter. No arguing! You and Kayla can swap later and take turns!” Kate commanded. She picked up Kayla and started down the back of the hill, away from the camp to the south.
Hunter swung Kaylie up on top of his shoulders, atop the backpack and started after Kate. Maude and Humphrey followed.
The sky was clear with Orion rising on their left. Hunter caught up with Kate and matched her stride. The Twins laughed and chided each other that they had the better ride.
“We need to head SE at about 120 degrees,” Hunter told Kate.
“Why? Why aren’t we heading north? What’s in that direction?” Kate replied testily.
“We were getting ready to come get you,” Hunter said.
Kate looked over at Hunter for a second but did not respond. She kept up a quick pace. There were now three hills between them and the camp.
“You can ask Humphrey or Maude,” Hunter stated.
“I’m sure they’ll agree with you,” Kate snapped back.
“Yes, they will,” Hunter said, “’cause it’s true. I told you to be ready after dark. There’d be an explosion.”
Kate looked over at Hunter. “Yes, you did,” she agreed. “You also turned us over to Larson in the first place.”
“We wouldn’t have gotten away then,” Hunter argued. “And he wouldn’t have trusted me to walk about freely. Would he?”
“No, he wouldn’t,” Kate agreed, her tone softening up a little. “What happened back there? What did you do?”
Hunter grinned broadly. “Well, I know a little chemistry and I found some stuff that I could use to make a small bomb. It worked better than I expected,” he added.
Kate grinned at his comment. “That’s a little bit of an understatement.”
“Beginner’s luck,” Hunter answered. “So I got your sisters, Maude and Humphrey gathered on the far side of the camp and then I put the bomb in the campfire.” Hunter laughed, “I almost didn’t get clear of the blast! I think it singed the hair on the back of my head.”
“What happened to Larson and the others?” Kate asked.
“I don’t know,” Hunter answered. “I didn’t see him and I didn’t go looking for him. I was heading out to find you when you showed up.”
Kate looked back to check on Maude and Humphrey. They were keeping up.
“You didn’t answer what’s out there at 120 degrees southeast,” Kate said.
“There’s a Green Zone out there,” Hunter answered.
Kate almost stopped in her surprise, “What?” she asked.
“A Green Zone,” Hunter repeated.
Kate stopped and stared at Hunter. “What?” she repeated in total disbelief.
Hunter stopped. “You know, a Green Zone, the Emerald City, Land of Oz and who knows how many other magical names.”
“It’s time to switch. It’s time to switch horses,” Kayla shouted. “It’s my turn to go with Hunter!”
“We’re not switching horses in mid stream,” Kaylie answered shouting back at her sister.
“Are too!”
“Are not!”
The Twins were almost grappling with each other from atop Kate and Hunter.
Kate reached up and grabbed her squirming jockey and lowered Kayla to the ground in front of her.
“First off, Little Sister, Hunter and I are not horses! And we’re tired.” Kate reached up and pulled Kaylie from her perch atop Hunter and set her beside Kayla.
“Both of you two can walk awhile!” she commanded. “That’ll give Hunter and me a little time to catch our breath,” she told them. “Then we’ll talk about switching ‘horses.’ Is that okay Hunter?”
“Sounds great. My back needs a rest,” Hunter answered.
Maude and Humphrey joined the group.
“Hunter says there’s a Green Zone nearby,” Kate told them.
Maude and Humphrey looked over at Hunter.
“It’s probably a days walk from here,” Hunter stated.
“How do you know that?” Humphrey asked.
“I’ve seen it,” Hunter answered. “I used to run with some Raiders out here, when I was younger. I saw it once when we skirted way around it. They don’t like Raiders,” he added.
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Humphrey demanded.
“Well, until we had the Twins and Maude with us there was nothing to talk about. And I didn’t really know where we were until we got to the pow-wow. That’s when I realized how close we were,” Hunter explained. Then he added, “We need to keep moving. We can walk and talk.”
“We should keep moving,” Humphrey agreed.
“Twins,” Kate ordered. “Start off in that direction,” she told them pointing out the direction Hunter had indicated. “You two are on the point, so you have to keep you eyes and ear open. Let us know if you see or hear anything. We’re depending on you.”
“Yes, Sissy,” the Twins answered and took off, shoving each other a little to be first.
Maude, Humphrey, Kate and Hunter followed.