10:37 Read online

  The man in white lowered down to grab Judd once more, but this time, he didn’t get too far.

  A single gunshot rang out, the Man in White’s head jerked up and back and then he fell over.

  Dawson didn’t think about who shot the Man in White until he ran to Judd. When he wrapped his arms around him was when Dawson saw the new guy.

  He stood a little bit away, holding a gun with both hands, like a professional. He lowered it and placed it in a harness he wore over his shoulder and walked to Judd.

  His eye and cheek were swollen as if he had been in an accident or something. “You okay?” He offered his hand to Judd.

  “Yeah. A little shaken. I’ll be fine.” Judd took his hand, while still embracing Dawson. He took a moment to peer down to Dawson, reassure him he was fine, then faced the new man again. “Thank you very much.”

  “You’re welcome. It wasn’t the way I wanted to make my introduction.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I don’t know how you got here, but I sure as hell am glad you arrived,” Judd said.

  “Good. You may be, but I’m not quite sure how pleased…” the stranger pointed to Morgan, “She will be.”

  THIRTY-THREE - PLAN

  The extra person was going to come in handy. Even though he looked pretty injured, Judd knew Ross was a strong guy and he told them he was a police officer. He told Judd that he saw them somewhere after Columbus and followed them.

  There was still a bit of daylight left and a lot to do before settling in for the night. Judd wanted to build a fire for warmth and light. They had to feed everyone, and even though they had food, Judd put Dawson in charge of checking out the kitchen of the restaurant, while he scouted the area.

  He went out alone, it was better that way. He left in the middle of a one sided bickering session between Morgan and the new guy, Ross.

  Morgan was doing most of the talking.

  When he returned, Father Basko, even in his delicate state had gotten a small fire started in the fireplace using what had remained. Ross was moving tables, while Morgan tailed him like a scolding mother. Dawson darted into the dining area, set down a large can of something, then darted out and Sister Helena was wiping down a table while she sipped from a big old glass of what looked like whiskey,

  “Indulge much, Sister,” Judd said then set the bags of items down on the bar.

  “Always enjoyed a sip or two, today calls for more than that.” She nodded her head at Morgan.

  “Ah,” Judd winked. “I get you. Hey Ross, I found batteries for your radio. There are a lot of supplies out there. It’s still doing that rain and snow thing but no power, getting gas at the station is gonna be impossible.”

  “Excellent about the batteries,” Ross said. “You know a lot of restaurants have small generators in case the power goes out. Did you look for one here? Maybe we can find one and shut down everything but the pumps. We could run an extension to the station next door so there would be enough power to get some gas.”

  “Worth a shot,” Judd replied. “Good idea.”

  “Fucking asshole,” Morgan quipped.

  “Whoa. Whoa,” Judd held out his hand to her. “Hey, now. Think you dropped enough F bombs around here to flatten a small city.”

  “Aren’t you cute.” Morgan shook her head. “With your witty hick comments.”

  “What is up your fanny, lady?” Judd asked. “We’re all in this together. Okay? Whatever differences you two have you need to put aside.”

  “Fuck you.”

  Nervously, Sister Helena approached Morgan. “I don’t know why you’re so angry, but can you be angry without the swearing, there are children around.”

  “Really?” Morgan scoffed. “You think swearing is going to affect Dawson? I’m pretty sure he’s heard worse on a video game and those … things in the bus can’t hear me. Even if they could, they aren’t children.”

  “They’re still children,” Sister Helena snapped. “That reminds me, Judd, they’ve been out there long enough. We can’t leave them in the cold.”

  Morgan shook her head in disbelief.

  “Maybe it’s for the better,” Farther Basko suggested. “I mean for safeties sake.”

  “They are still children,” Sister Helena argued.

  “What about bringing them in,” Ross said. “Put them in one room. Watch them like a hawk.”

  “How do you think my injuries happened?” Father Basko asked Ross. “I had them in the back room of a building. They did this to me while I slept.”

  “Jesus,” Ross gasped out in shock. “Sorry Sister. Father.”

  “See.” Morgan pointed. “Come on Judd. You have this protective thing about Dawson, you really want to take a chance with those kids around him?”

  “I know Dawson doesn’t,” Judd replied. “They are technically still children. I can’t bring myself to do anything to harm them.”

  “Me either,” Ross said.

  Morgan huffed. “No shock there. I’m surprised you killed the one today.”

  “You can say I had a rude awakening,” Ross said.

  “Look.” Morgan peered around to everyone. “I wouldn’t bring them in here and I certainly wouldn’t let Ross be in charge. For all I know, he’d let them loose on us, steal everything and take off.”

  “Why would you say that?” Judd asked.

  “Because he left me to die. Those things had me and he left me to die. I didn’t. My only regret is when he came back for me, they didn’t get him.”

  “Okay. Okay.” Judd held up his hand. “Obviously there are issues here. We need to deal with priority things first. Get it warm in here, get gas in our vehicles and get to Branson. From my calculations we are one gas tank away from getting there.”

  “If you cut lose the boat,” Morgan said. “And we don’t know if Branson is still viable.”

  “It’s our best hope of something to shoot for,” Judd said. “You got a better idea?”

  “South,” Morgan said. “Go south. This weather is bad. We all know it’s going to get worse. South is our best option.”

  “Branson is south. Not as south as you are talking,” Judd said. “If Branson doesn’t work out, then I see no reason why we can’t go south.”

  Sister Helena interjected. “We need Branson to get south. I don’t know why. It’s what Bill said. He’s the only gateway. His pilgrimage. That’s why he needs to leave in a couple of days. The reason for the hurried evacuation. The two storm systems that are coming are not only causing a mini ice age but dumping enough water to break dams and flood low lying areas so deep …” she looked at Dawson. “We may need a boat and that’s only before it freezes. They’ve already hit out west, it’s only a matter of time and they’ll be where we are.”

  Morgan lowered her head.

  Ross pointed at Morgan. “That shut her up. She knows it to be true. She was all over the weather maps.”

  “How do you know this, Sister?” Morgan asked.

  “Bill. I spoke to Bill before the quake,” Sister Helena answered. “He received the message and information and was sharing it with everyone who replied.”

  “Message, like prophetic?” Morgan questioned.

  “No.” Sister Helena shook her head. “From a weather observation station in Leadville, Colorado. There’s life there. One of the areas not hit at all by whatever caused people to drop dead.”

  Judd’s eyes widened and he spun to Sister Helena. “Don’t you think you could have shared this info?”

  “I thought you knew,” she said. “Why else would you be headed west?”

  “We didn’t get that information either,” Ross said. “We couldn’t communicate back.”

  “Life out there is all the more reason not to bring the bus of kids,” Morgan said.

  “No,” Sister Helena shook her head. “They may be able to help the children. Maybe they have a way to bring them back.”

  “They are brain damaged homicidal time bombs waiting to explode,” Morgan said. “They aren’t c
oming back.”

  Judd whistled. “That’s deep. You wanna just leave them behind. Let them freeze and starve?”

  “Yes,” Father Basko said. “Hating to agree, we can’t bring them. We look around this town for another means of transportation and leave them behind. Sister, they’re dangerous. We have a healthy child, right here. We can’t chance his life. We leave them.”

  “End it now,” Morgan said. “Run a hose from the exhaust into the window of the bus, start the engine, seal the gap and door with duct tape and let them go.”

  “Holy crap,” Judd explained. “Did you just whip that off the top of your head or have you been mentally plotting ways to knock off a bus of kids?”

  “You can’t kill them,” Dawson spoke up emotionally. “Yeah, I think they’re bad, but you can’t kill them. Judd, tell me you aren’t gonna do that?”

  “Buddy …” Judd turned to him. “Do I seem the type?”

  Dawson shook his head.

  Ross stood and spoke abruptly. “Okay! I’m gonna look for a generator. Dawson, you want to help me?”

  Dawson nodded.

  Ross placed his hand on Dawson’s back and headed toward the kitchen. “Wait until we’re out of earshot before you continue the slaughter of the innocent conversation.”

  Once they were gone from the room, Judd faced Morgan. “I know this is a worry for you and Father. However, we don’t have to make this decision right now. Do we? We have other thigs to do.”

  Father Basko nodded. “We can discuss it later or tomorrow. But tonight, they can’t be in the same room with us.”

  “I’ll scout the upstairs. We’ll lock them in a room. No one needs to be near them.”

  Sister Helena laid her hand on Judd’s arm. “I appreciate your kindness, Judd. I cannot look at them and see evil. I see children who need help. I also can’t, with a good conscience, leave them behind. If we do, I’ll stay with them.”

  Morgan moved closer. “You would give your life for them? You’d stay behind and die?”

  “No one says I would die,” Sister Helena replied. “I’ll put my fate in God’s hands.”

  “I supposed you have put your fate in God’s hands thus far?” Morgan asked.

  “I have.”

  “How’s that working out for you?” Morgan snapped. “World’s falling apart, freezing over, flooding, people dropped dead, everything is a wasteland. Those things when they turn on you are strong. Big bodies, small bodies, doesn't matter, they are strong. Look what they did to Father Basko. What would they do to Dawson? You for that matter. You’re small. Don’t take the chance. They’ll turn on you. You’ll put your life on the line and they will turn on you.”

  “If it’s God’s will.”

  Morgan chuckled. “God’s will. Then you’re a fucking fool and deserve the fate you get.”

  Before Judd could comment in shock, Sister Helena was fast. She didn’t just slap Morgan, she backhanded her across the face.

  Judd immediately intercepted anything that could further happen between the two women.

  There was a tense moment of silence in the room, then Morgan turned and walked away. Sister Helena backed up and lifted her drink.

  Once Judd knew it was safe he went back to getting things ready for the night, and the next day. Everything was heavy on his mind, the journey, the weather and those children on the bus.

  As crass as she was, as hard as Morgan came across, a part of Judd knew she was right. Those kids on the bus were a time bomb and he really hoped Dawson wasn’t anywhere near them when the human time bomb went off.

  THIRTY-FOUR – FREEZER

  Judd watched Morgan sitting off alone, peeling potatoes with more conviction than he had ever seen. Legs slightly parted, elbows on her knees she worked that peeler with a vengeance, she was fast, too.

  Nothing had been said to her all evening, she grabbed her dinner and walked off by herself. Things had quieted down. Both Father Basko and Dawson were asleep in the camp they made around the fireplace. Sister Helena was dozing on and off. Judd believed she was three sheets to the wind. She hit the bottle pretty hard, especially since it had been difficult to corral the twelve kids and Tire Man from the bus to an upstairs room. Twelve kids no younger than Dawson, but no older than about eleven. They wouldn’t budge from the bus at first, but when Judd pulled out the prepackaged peanut butter and jelly sandwich, they all followed. That one sandwich was used to lure them up to the steps and into the room.

  It was funny and scary the way they all dove for it when he threw it inside. He and Ross put them in a small room, the only one they could lock and Judd could hear the footsteps on the ceiling. They were contained, that was good.

  Ross made a joke that it sounded like a, “Party in the upstairs apartment.”

  It was a great analogy. Judd knew before long, the “party sounds” would be buried beneath the storm that was brewing. The thunder that roared in the distance during dinner, increasingly grew louder and stronger.

  Judd was hyper. He had accomplished a lot with Ross, getting gas and supplies for the next day. He wanted to play his guitar, it always calmed him, but he didn’t want to wake Father Basko. He knew it wouldn’t wake Dawson, he was a heavy sleeper. After watching Morgan work those potatoes, he finally walked over to her. It was time to break the ice, to maybe try to smooth things out.

  Judd cleared his throat. “That’s some impressive peeling. You working out frustration.”

  “No.” She looked up. “I’m peeling potatoes.”

  “What for?”

  “I don’t plan on sleeping tonight. Not with Village of the Damned above our heads. So I’m gonna put these in the pot on the fire and we’ll have them for breakfast before we hit the road. The hot dogs were good. We just need substance.”

  With a closed mouth, Judd nodded and sat down.

  Morgan paused in her peeling and looked at him intensely.

  “What? I can’t join you?”

  She huffed and shook her head. “Suit yourself.”

  “You know … When I was …”

  “Stop,” she said. “You are gonna try to tell me some stupid story.”

  “You don’t want to hear it?”

  “No.” She shook her head and peeled. “Spare me.”

  “So says the girl who got beat up by a nun.”

  She glared at him.

  “Don’t let it get you down. You’re in good company. Many of Catholic school kids back in the day had a run in or two with a wayward ruler and a wicked sister.”

  “You aren’t funny.”

  “Yeah, I am.” Judd nudged her.

  “Really? You just touched me.”

  “Oh, stop. What is up with you? Why are you so nasty?”

  “You really want to know?” she asked.

  “I do.”

  “I’m angry. I am really angry and I can’t shake it.”

  “About the kids?”

  “No, that worries me. It really does. I saw how they can be. They attacked once, they’ll attack again. That’s not why I’m angry. I’m not a bad person, I’m not. I was always the unselfish one. A lot of good that did me. I’m mad because I didn’t resolve my life. The world dropped dead when I was screaming at the only man I ever loved. Despite the fact …” she tossed a potato and grabbed another. “That he cheated on me and left me, I still loved him. I’m pissed it never got resolved. I’m mad because the last words I said to him I’m pretty sure weren’t very nice.”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure of that, too.”

  She shook her head. “Ross tells me to forgive him. I want to forgive him, but I am so mad because he died and I didn’t.” She paused. “It sounds stupid but I can’t shake it, and it comes out in everything I do and say. Eventually I’ll stop, if you know … someone else doesn’t leave me to die.”

  “Well, I’m sure he had his reasons.”

  Morgan chuckled in disbelief. “Did you really just say that?”

  “I did. And I can promise I won’t leave yo
u to die.”

  “I believe that.”

  “If it makes you feel better you’re not alone with those feelings. When this thing happened, I was at a construction site, standing on the ninth floor of an unfinished building with my best friend. He was joking about falling over, I was too and then he did.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Is that what you did?” she asked. “Construction?”

  “Actually, no, I was a country music star.”

  Morgan laughed. “I never heard of Judd Heston, but hey, thanks for the laugh.”

  “On that note, you’re no longer as nasty, I’ve accomplished something this evening. I’ll let you get back to your potatoes.”

  “Thanks.”

  Judd stood.

  “And Judd, really, thanks.”

  Judd tipped his head and made his way over to the only other person awake. Ross. Ross was on the floor with a toolbox next to him. He was unscrewing legs from chairs and tables for the fire. Judd sat down a few feet from Dawson and joined Ross.

  “So,” Judd asked. “Did you really leave her to die?”

  Ross stared at him for a moment. “Yeah, I did. That’s not me. She was bitching at me when they attacked and I just bolted.”

  Judd looked over his shoulder at Morgan. “Yeah, I can see where that can happen.”

  Ross laughed. “I changed my mind. She let me have it.” He pointed to his face. “I deserved it.”

  “It works for you.”

  “Can I ask you something? This is gonna sound off. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that you have that guitar and you look like him, but are you Judd Bryant?”

  Judd smiled. “I am.”

  “Oh, man, me and my kids loved 'Carrot Cake and Karen'. We’d dance to it all the time. Man … I am a huge fan.”

  “Thank you. That means a lot.”

  “So is Heston your real name?” Ross asked. “I know Dawson called you Mr. Heston one or two times.”

  “Now that …” Judd waved his finger. "Is a long story for another time.”

  Both of them looked up when a loud ‘crack’ of lightening shook the ground and lit up the room.