Chapter Eighteen.
Alejandro remained quiet, waiting for Kathleen to start the conversation again. A quarter mile had gone by when she pointed at the river. "You think that maybe we could cross there?”
He looked at where she was pointing. “Not really. Is narrow, but the water is deeper there and is faster. The water carves a deeper path. Wider river is usually meaning more shallow and slower.”
“Oh.”
Alejandro shared some of what his family had done. “We kept the wagons on the west side of this river. Only the hunting parties did crossing overs. Before we are reached the Rio Grande, we had to crossing a few rivers.”
“Mi padre always made the hunting parties go upping and downing the river for five miles each way, to scout for a ford. He never admitting to being afraid of losing one or having an accident. He would says he was just “concerned.”
Kathleen chuckled at that, remembering the words Alejandro had spoken when they had first crossed the river.
“We were very lucky in our traveling. We never had a wagon breaking a wheel. Or one of the mules get hurted.”
“When the Skyfire burned bright, we would circle the wagons near a place with heights where the men would wait. If the Terrores Nocturnos were being seen, they would making lots of noise and the Ghouls would be taking the bait. The women looked after the Walkers who came across the wagons. From the insides of the wagons, the women would beat the Walkers’ heads in.”
Kathleen nodded, “Very smart.”
“There were some nights we could overnighting in a safe town. But those nights were rare, and papa did not like it. He remembered when he was young and lived in a town with a cruel man in charge. Papa would worry constantly that we would being robbed or enslaved.”
He pointed to a small hill. “We should climbing there and scouting with the telescope, I think.”
***
They studied the river, as well as the terrain. Seeing nothing that would change their plan, they started off again. Kathleen monitored the sky. As they jogged back to the river, she wondered what the night would bring. After catching their breath and walking slower, Kathleen explained to Alejandro about the weather in this part of Nuevo Mexico.
The clouds were covering the sky, but they were high and solid grey. Not the purple thunder clouds of summer, with the dark and flat bottom and the billowing white tops that reached the heavens. Clouds like that would bring every man, woman, and child in from the fields.
Just last year, a man working on the Gutierrez property had been struck by lightning. He had ignored the warning signs and paid for it with his life. There had been muttering in the city that the landowner had forced him to stay out until he had finished his work, but all the workers had defended the don.
A man named William Holbert was struck by lightning at Fort Maclusky when she was twelve. He survived the lightning, but had nearly died from infection. The doctors had removed the cooked flesh and bone that had been his right leg and his balls. His life afterward had been one of great pain and hardship.
The sun showed that noon was two hours away. They started jogging again. Alejandro called for them to stop when he noticed Kathleen stumbling.
They stopped to rest. Kathleen insisted they keep moving, but Alejandro told her she wasn’t used to moving like this while he was.
Alejandro was getting annoyed with the girl.
He finally stopped her protests by snapping at her, “Kathleen. You are doing very well, but you are tired. When your muscles are tired, you can losing control of your feets. I mean feetsteps. Keep going like this and you will twisting your damn ankle. Think how much that will slowing you down, and for a long fucking time, too.”
He continued. “I will making a meal, and you rest. When we starting off again, we will ride the horses quickly for a few miles. From the hill is was not looking like there being a place to crossing the river. So we will move on the horses and start looking for shelter. Take a breath, is starting to smelling like raining.”
Kathleen glared at him for a moment, then deflated, “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“I have been doing this for over a year. For how long have you been running miles every day??”
“Maybe two weeks?”
He gave her a look. She couldn’t identify what kind of look it was, but it was a look.
“What you said is eight days since you started chasing your man.”
Shit, she’d forgot about that. She gave him her best innocent look. “I said that?”
Okay, that was definitely a look.
“Si.”
She would not pout. Kathleen Maria-Camilla Renata Maclusky did not pout. “Fine, we’ll stop and make lunch.”
“Stop pouting. While I doing lunch, you can taking the telescope up that ridge over there. See what you can be seeing.”
He admonished her, “No falling asleeping though.”
That earned him a look. It didn’t work. He just made shooing motions with his hand as he started gathering the cooking utensils.
***
She hated to admit he was right, but her legs were a bit wobbly. And a sprained ankle would fuck everything up. She reached the top of the hill and scanned the sky first. It was much darker than it had been this morning and it definitely smelled like rain was coming. She scanned the landscape, working in sections.
There was something way up north. She pulled out the telescope. It appeared to be a corral and an awning. No smoke came from the building. Nor was there any movement around it.
She studied the area surrounding the buildings.There was an enormous field with grass in it. Maybe a corral for sheep. If that was the case, that roof was for shelter while sheep were being shorn. She turned the telescope down by the river. She spotted a small wooden dock jutting out into the river. Maybe they could cross the river there.
She knew that Los Gatos got wool from shepherds upriver. This must belong to one of them. Or maybe a shared community place. Either way, it was close enough that they could reach it before the rain started. It would provide protection from the weather. She started laying out a route in her head.
***
Alejandro had finished preparing the meal and looked up at the hill. Kathleen was looking through the telescope and making marks on her sheet of willow bark. That was a good sign. He gave a short whistle and made a beckoning gesture when she looked at him. She raised her arm with her palm facing him and shook it at him, then went back to what she was doing.
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He was going to have to teach her the sign language he and the other hunters and scouts had developed. She was obviously trying to finish what she was doing. Well, he wasn’t gonna let his lunch get cold, so he started without her.
He was nearly finished eating when she walked up. Still seated, he held out her bowl for her to take. She looked very pleased with herself when she handed him the sheet of bark. Sitting next to him, she ate while he examined her map.
In between bites, she explained what was on the map and what she thought about their afternoon plans. Alejandro was impressed. He went to the hilltop with the map to get a better idea of what to expect. By the time she finished eating, he was coming down the hill.
Alejandro was feeling pretty good about the rest of the day. If they could reach shelter before they got soaked by a rainstorm, he would be much happier. They mounted up and set off.
***
A slight wind was picking up from the north, bringing an aromatic scent of rain. They were about a mile from their destination. Thunder boomed.
Alejandro said, “Time to run.”
Kathleen didn’t say a word. They sped up to a canter. Alejandro checked on Henry, but the mule seemed to keep up with no problems. The mule could handle the pace as long as they don't go at full gallop.
Henry was fully aware of what he could do. Henry, the unstoppable mule.
Alejandro smiled. Henry was the most excellent mule ever. He hadn’t tried to bite or kick him once. Henry was an honourable mule. Most mules were even-tempered. But there had been some in his family’s wagon train that had been very unlikable. And kicky. And a bit bitey.
On reflection, those had been hinnies.
They approached the sheep ranch. The northern side of the corral had a refuge. It had adobe walls about seven feet high. The inside base of the walls had a wide ledge. Perfect for standing on with just enough of a height advantage for a person to reach over and bash in some heads. Human bones littered the ground around the outside of the wall. Another open structure with a good roof. The flat roofed adobe house had a chimney and a door but no windows. A square building, about thirty feet on a side. The door facing southward. Deep shadows beyond the doorway. Alejandro approached the house. He had his tomahawk, but in daylight, his pistol was his primary weapon. Any dark place could conceal Night walkers. They would bury themselves in the ground, like ticks in a dog.
Alejandro motioned for Kathleen to come up to him. He whispered, “I’m going to go in there and make sure there's no Walkers, okay? I need to know you won’t shoot me if I come out of there in a hurry.”
She nodded. “I’ll be to the left of the door. Anything comes out after you, an' I'll shoot'em right in their fucking head.”
Alejandro implored her, “Señorita, I’m begging you, please don’t shooting me. I has lost two friends to accidental shootings. “
Kathleen patted him on the back. “I won’t shoot you. I promise you Alejandro, I will not shoot you.”
He nodded. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet. Meirda. He squared his shoulders and gripped his pistol. He removed his hat and set it down on the ground. Going into dark places was fucking dangerous.
Lightning struck the ground two miles from them. Thunder boomed in the distance. Staying outside was fucking dangerous. Meirda. Lately, it seemed his life was nothing more than choosing between two different ways to die. You could shoot the sky, but it wouldn’t change a thing. At least you could shoot a zombie. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet and shook his head. He went in.
***
He let his eyes adjust to the darkness. The dirt floor was undisturbed. No Ghouls were buried in the ground. There was a hearth with dried firewood stacked next to it.
Once he had gotten control of his shaking, Alejandro walked to the door of the building, then paused.
“I’m coming out. It’s safe.”
When he peeked out the doorway, he saw Kathleen with her pistol pointed at the ground. He nodded at her and received a nod in return.
He walked out and Kathleen patted him on the back. “That wasn’t so bad, now was it?”
Alejandro started laughing. She joined him. They laughed until lightning struck the ground a quarter mile distant.
Meirda. Rather than leave the animals outside under the roof with no walls, they brought their friends into the house.
Kathleen said, “Ya know, if leav'em in here there's gonna be horseshit everywhere.”
“Since I made sure there was no Ghouls, I thinking you should deal with the horses' shit.”
“You are an ass. You have probably always been an ass. And you will always be an ass!”
He snickered. “But I’m funny and smart.”
Haughtily, Kathleen announced, “You are not that funny and smart.” Then she ruined it by laughing.
***
The rain came down. A light rain. The lightning was light as well. They made a fire and started a meal. They would need to harvest another animal soon.
Alejandro announced, “There is looking like a place we can cross the river. You think it’s a good idea?”
She nodded.
The rain fell. Lightning struck. The two stood shoulder to shoulder in the doorway and looked out across the valley.
Kathleen said, “This weather is beautiful. It brings water to the crops in the fields. I love days like this.”
From behind the building, thunder cracked and boomed through the valley.
“I mean, I would if the sky wasn’t trying to kill us with lightning.”
Alejandro agreed, “Si. I think we should crossing the river before it’s getting dark and the raining is stopping. The river will be harder to cross tomorrow. It doesn’t look like this rain will not last long.”
Kathleen stared at him. NOBODY could fuck up the English language like that. He HAD to be fucking with her.
After a moment, she said, “That sounds like a good idea. And if you say it’s because you thought of it, I’ll fucking shoot you.”
Alejandro did his best innocent look for her benefit. They both knew what he wasn’t saying. He was not saying it very loudly.
“You’re an ass.”
He snickered and came back with, “You are a very angry señorita.”
“Course I am. I gotta deal with people like you.”
They both laughed. They drew straws to see who would get to sleep. Alejandro won again. They marked time with a stick next to the smoking rack's shadow.
After helping her unsaddle the animals, he didn’t say a word as he pulled out his blankets and fell asleep. Kathleen sat at the door, keeping watch. She kept an ear out. If there were other people in the area, they would make their way to this shelter.
To occupy herself, she played with ideas about how they were going to get their loved-one’s back.
She got a little depressed. Kathleen couldn’t think of a single idea. With a start, she saw the shadow had reached the stick. Time to wake Alejandro. Let him think about this for a while. She walked over to the animals and patted Manchado on the nose. This made Margarita jealous and caused her to neigh. Manchado neighed back and Alejandro sat straight up in his blankets with his pistol in hand.
Kathleen peered around Margarita’s neck. “It’s okay. It’s your turn to guard.”
Alejandro rubbed his face. “Giving me a moment, por favor.” This went on for a few moments. He snorted then said, “Is a good thing I am not needing to shaving often. Ignacio could growing a full beard in two days.”
Kathleen asked, “Why shave at all then? Just grow a beard.”
Alejandro yawned and then stood up. Then stood on his tippy toes and looked at the ground. He scowled and put his left hand on his hip, and used his right to point down and shook his finger. He deepened his voice. “Niñito, a beard is something an enemy can grab and used to control the movement of your head. Same is also going for long hair or a braids being in your hair.”
Kathleen laughed. “Does he have a brother named Josiaha?”
Still chuckling, she moved the stick next to the shadow and gave herself about two hours of sleep. “Do we move if it stops raining before my time is up?”
“No. But as soon as your time is up we will crossing the river and move as fast as we can. I will getting my stuff ready for crossing. You want I should do the same for Henry? Or do you wanting to do that yourself?”
“I’ll do it. I know what can get wet. Alejandro, I can’t think of no way to rescue Pattie or Connie. Please think about it while I sleep.”
“We will find a way. Go to sleep.”