Chapter Twenty.

Josiaha’s group was on the east side of the river. They had found a spot to cross, but it had been a rough crossing. The river was fast and rising and showed no sign of slowing down. There must have been much more rain upriver. more than here in the valley. They could cross now or wait four or five days. Josiaha decided that it was now, not later. They had picked up the trail of three sets of hoof prints.

Tomás explained he was certain it was Kathleen and her new friend. There were two sets of boot prints paired with hoof prints, the third set of hoof prints belonging to Kathleen’s mule.

Josiaha agreed with his assessment. Once it was explained to him, it became clear. They stopped and made a quick meal. The river crossing had been very taxing. Josiaha had the boys unsaddle and unload the horses. They deserved a break. Josiaha took the first watch. The kids took a nap. He sat staring into the flames of the small fire. Lost in thought until movement close by made him sit straight up.

Fuck. It was just Austin. Fuckin’ Austin.

Austin moved closer and sat down. “Jefé, I’m sorry.”

Josiaha didn’t say a word. He stared at the fire.

“I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t be fightin’ you like this and I shouldn’t be arguin’, but I’m scared.”

Josiaha turned his head, looked Austin in the face. Searching, he realized Austin was being unusually honest, which was unusual for Austin. Austin normally kept his feelings locked inside.

Austin wasn’t deceitful or a liar. He just never showed his emotions, moving through life quietly. Austin had a reputation as a good worker and a deep thinker. He was upfront about his about his ambition to take Josiaha’s position as ‘The Guardsman’ some day. Unfortunately for him, he was very young and Josiaha was nowhere near ready to retire. Young men were famous for their lack of patience.

Josiaha and don Maclusky were both in agreement on one thing. The young man wouldn’t be considered for a position as a guard anytime soon. He needed to become more open and approachable. There was no place in Fort Maclusky for a guard who was unapproachable or sullen. The people had to trust the guards. They had to be willing to follow a guard's orders even when those orders might seem dumb or dangerous. The people needed to trust the guards, and Austin simply didn’t have enough charisma. He was stand-offish. Josiaha and don Maclusky both agreed that Austin had a lot of potential, if he could overcome his problem.

Austin spoke quietly. “I’ve known her my whole life. She was always pesterin' me and Edwin when we wasn’t working. No matter what mischief we was plannin' or tryin' to do, she wouldn’t leave us alone. Even when we was workin', she was always followin' him around. After he died, she was so lonely.”

Austin stared at the fire, then resumed his rambling. “I always tried to help her out when she was working her people. I was one of her workers whenever I could swing it. When she was younger, the other kids was talking about her behind her back an' I would shut’em down and git after them. I don’t think she ever noticed. Watchin' out for her is what Edwin would have wanted. I was real happy for her when Michael and Pattie showed up. She really loves Michael.” He sighed, “An' I don’t have the slightest fucking notion how we’re gonna get her to come home without him.”

Josiaha held out his hand and snapped his fingers. Austin looked up.

“Austin, let me tell you what I think. I think Michael is alive. We never found his body. We never made sure that taller body was him. We just assumed. You been seein' what those fucking animals are doing. Those men have Patricia. And Mike is going to rescue her. He is chasing the men that killed his friends and burned his fucking home to the ground. He ain’t gonna stop until he’s dead.”

Austin nodded. “That’s what I’ve been thinkin', and that’s what I’m ascared of. Kathleen won’t ever stop ‘til she finds him.”

“That’s good. You’re thinking. That means you ain't as dumb as you look.”

Austin whipped his head around, ready to snap at the older man, then saw the smile on Josiaha’s face.

He made a face at him, stuck out his tongue and said “NYEEAAHH.”

They both chuckled.

Josiaha shook his head, “Damn kids.”

“So what do we do, jefé?”

“We catch up to her. We explain that we are gonna help her so she don’t shoot our fucking asses. She has Gabriel’s pistol, so that is a real threat. Then we figure out how we are gonna help her. Hopefully, she has a plan already. There are five of us. Kathleen and her new friend make seven. Mike will make eight. There are the other two sets of tracks. Maybe them folks will help us. We all have guns and we are gonna make them pay for killing our neighbors. That's how we’re gonna get her home safe.”

Austin’s face lost a little of the tension that was showing. Josiah gestured toward Austin’s blankets and said, “Get some rest, son. I’ll tell the boys what our new plan is when we get ready to move out. I can’t tell’em to do this, they gotta volunteer. Now go on, git.”

Austin went to his blankets. Josiah went back to staring at the fire. He had almost forgotten how close Austin and Edwin had been. He smiled, remembering the pranks the two of them tried to get away with. And now that he was thinking about it, he remembered little Kathleen tagging along behind the two older boys. Twice they had used her in their pranks, more as a diversion rather than as a willing accomplice. Thinking back, he was sure she would have been the willing accomplice if given the chance.

***

After an hour, Josiaha woke everyone up. When the horses were ready, he gathered ‘His kids’ around him and said. “Men, I have something to tell you. We’re gonna do something different from what we set out to do. Tomás, Damón, Gabriel, we won't be catchin' Kathleen and bringing her home. I’ve thinkin' 'bout this ever since we took another look at the Stevens’ place. I think Michael is alive, and he's chasing after them men who burned his farm. Those men that took Patricia and killed his friends, just like they been takin' women from the burned homes we been finding all along the river.”

He looked north. He turned back and reiterated, “Austin and I won't be returning Kathleen to her father. We're gonna help her find Mike. We’re gonna help him get Pattie back from those animals. I can’t make you men disobey orders from the don. I…”

Damón interrupted him, “We’re with you.”

Josiaha snapped, “I taught you fucking idiots to think before you made important decisions!”

Gabriel promptly said, “I’m a quick thinker.”

Tomás said, “I thought of this yesterday.”

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Austin burst out laughing, while Josiaha just glared at his kids.

“Austin, you shut the fuck up. You men listen to me. This is gonna be fucking dangerous. Really fuckin' dangerous. We are gonna go up against armed men. Killers. Men killin' everything in their path if they aint fucking stealing, raping or burning it. We could fucking die.”

Josiaha glared at them, “If you follow me, you are gonna kill some men. Human beings. That is something you never come back from. It’ll be something you'll live with for the rest of your life. Killing a man is a terrible thing. I still have nightmares.” He paused.

“All my years as a lawman, I only ever killed one man face to face. There was four others I killed, and that was in a gunfight where they ambushed me an' my deputy. His name was Carlos Hansen, an' he died. Shot through the heart. It was pure fucking luck they shot him first! I still see all of their faces in my dreams. That was fifteen years ago. This aint no fucking joke.”

Tomás looked at his friends and said, “Jefé, the world will be a better place if those assholes ain’t in it. Michael is our friend. Them folks that worked his farm was our friends. And those bastards murdered them.”

Austin said, “I don’t think you hafta worry about this jefé. They know what you’re askin'.”

Josiaha shook his head. “All right then. Mount up, and move out.”

***

It was getting late afternoon. Kathleen and Alejandro were about ten miles from the northern lake. Something was wrong. They just couldn’t put their finger on it. Henry, the normally stoic mule, and the horses were acting strange. Their unease grew. It was Kathleen who noticed it first. She gasped and brought Margarita to a halt. Alejandro stopped and whipped out his pistol. When he could see no immediate threat, he faced her with a question in his eyes.

Kathleen pointed at the eastern sky and said, “Fuck!”

Alejandro looked up and felt a chill run down his back. Against the slightly darkening sky, the Aurora Borealis was faintly visible. The Skyfire. Strong enough to be visible in daylight. When the sun went down, it would still be bright enough to see as clear as daylight. And Nightmares would walk. On a night as bright as this, it was guaranteed they would run into Night Walkers, and not just a few wanderers. Herds of them.

Kathleen decided that one “Fuck” wasn’t enough to convey her actual feelings and so she said it again. “Fuck!” And again, and again. “Fuck fuck fuck! We need to find a shelter! Some place high where we can bash their fuckin' heads in!”

Alejandro vigorously nodded. He needed no clarification on whose heads needed bashing in. “We need to move now! Wait!” He got out his telescope and stood up in his saddle. Normally this would have Kathleen cursing internally.

It didn’t phase her at all this time. She sat up taller in her saddle and scanned the countryside. Nothing that looked like it would offer sanctuary. Even a burned farm or fort would be welcome right now. No matter how many rotting bodies were in it or how bad it smelled.

Alejandro dropped into his saddle and said, “I see nothing that could shelter us! We need to move fast and hope we find something in the next few hours or we’re fucked!”

Kathleen nodded her head and pointed down to the river. “We need to water the animals and then we run.”

***

Josiah was getting more and more nervous. He couldn’t figure out why. The boys were getting nervous too. He wasn’t sure if they were noticing the same thing he was, or if they were just reacting to him. The horses were acting skittish as well. They were all on edge, scanning the countryside, looking for threats. Something was really fucking wrong.

It was Austin who cried out, “Look at that!” as he pointed to the east. They all stopped and looked. Not seeing anything.

“Look at the fuckin' sky!” Suddenly, Josiah saw what was bringing Austin close to panic. The Skyfire, in broad daylight.

Josiaha barked, “Look for shelter!” He handed Tomás the telescope. Tom spurred his horse and galloped to the top of the small ridge. Josiaha looked at the position of the sun. Maybe three hours until sunset. Three hours to find shelter. He studied the valley.

Worst-case scenario, they would end up in the saddle all night. Trying to outrun or outmaneuver herds of walking dead in this valley, with the fucking river and the small mountains to the east cutting their options in half. That would be a miserable fucking night, that would. If they lived through it.

“Austin, calm down, son. We’re gonna be okay. Do you understand me?”

Austin was as brave as any man could be, but he had a healthy fear of the Night Walkers.

Back at the fort, a night like tonight would have had every able-bodied man and woman on the walls.

Standing against the night with tomahawks and axes at the ready. They would lock the youngest children in the dining hall with the older kids being used as runners, delivering food, water, and instructions.

Tomás yelled from the top of the ridge, “Jefé!”

Josiaha looked up and yelled at Tom, “Report!”

“There’s a building and a corral about five miles from here, there’s walls! But I don’t see no fuckin’ people!”

“Should we come to you?!”

“No! I’m coming down!”

Josiaha looked over at Austin, “It’s okay son, we’re going to be okay, ¿comprender?”

Austin nodded. Good, the boy was calming down. Gabriel and Damón relaxed as well. Josiaha pointed, “You two, make sure them pack horses are squared away. We are going to make a run for it and I don’t want our fucking food falling off on the way to safety!”

“Entendido!”

“Austin, look to your horses and equipment.”

***

Kathleen and Alejandro were moving as fast as Henry would let them. Heading northward close to the river. Kathleen had pointed out that if they could see shelter, they could cross. It would be dangerous. The river was rising. It would do so for at least three days. They had an hour and a half until the sun went down. They rode to the top of a small ridge. Once again, looking for shelter.

Alejandro had the telescope to his eye. “Kathleen, there!” He was pointing at something.

Angrily she asked, “How am I supposed to see somethin' through the telescope on your face?!”

Sheepishly, he handed it over. “Sorry, here. Look there near the horizon between the mountains. There is a flat place there in the plain. There is a small rise there in the center.”

“Okay, I see it.”

“Look toward the left of the center. There is a pile of rocks on the small rise.”

“Ooh, I see it! Think we can make it there before nightfall?”

“I think we better fucking try. And try hard.”

***

Josiaha and his group reached their haven just before sunset. Josiaha and Gabriel entered the building with pistols drawn. It was empty. They came out just as the three boys finished a sweep of the grounds inside the walls.

Tom waved at Josiah. “There ‘aint no walkers in the ground!”

“Good! Listen up, here is the plan! You boys get the gate closed and barred. Austin, you get the horses in that building. Get the saddles off. Get all the nose bags out. Put some feed in them. When the Walkers show up, we’re gonna put them on to keep the horses from making any noise.”

“No fire. We are all gonna eat cold rations 'til tomorrow. We are hidin', okay? All of you is to whisper, if you gotta talk at all. All of you, stay calm. We are going to be okay, ¿Comprender?”

The boys all nodded.

“We’re gonna live through this. This is a good spot. Keep a sharp eye out. Other people may be headin' for this place. If anyone approaches, you fucking make sure that they speak clearly 'fore you lett'em in the gate. If there's walkers after'em, you leave the gate shut an' help them right out of the saddle and right over the fuckin’ wall. We can get them horses back when the sun comes up.”

Austin was still looking very nervous.

“None of you are to draw your pistol or shoulder your rifle unless I fuckin' tell you to. Gunshot will draw them fucking things for miles. Axes only, do you understand?”

He faced them all. “Get ready.”