After much discussion at the graveyard and given the recent assault from Madeline, it was determined that we would pack up and leave as soon as possible. The crowd broke up and almost everyone wanted to come pat me on the back and offer words of encouragement. My cheeks hurt from smiling.
I stood there watching everyone leave. People were engaged in animated conversations. I thought everyone would be depressed and sad with their heads hanging down. Instead, they were pumped and ready for a fight.
Sela slid her arm around my waist and said, "You were fantastic. You took charge so easily. I'm so proud of you!" She leaned down, tilted my chin back and kissed me.
After the long, deep kiss, I came up for air and said, "Wow, thanks. I'll have to engage in public speaking more often."
We walked back to the house, arm in arm, discussing the day's events. As we approached the quaint farmhouse that more and more felt like our own home, I spotted Jerky, curled up on the front porch swing.
She lifted her head and yawned wide.
"I agree," I said, stretching my arms.
"How about a nice hot bath?" Sela asked, walking through the front door.
"Only if you join me," I said with a devilish glint in my eye.
Sela winked at me and said, "You light the candles. I'll bring the hot water."
McKinney, Texas, was a virtual beehive of activity. Everywhere you looked, people were either putting the last-minute repairs to wagons or packing them with their belongings.
"Now I see why we were making wagons months ago. I didn't even think anything of it at the time," I said to Sela as she packed a small wagon that we found in the barn.
"You see…there has been some divine intervention helping us. Did you see the wagon Jack made?" she asked.
"No. What's it look like?"
"Very cool. He took the back of an old Ford pickup and rigged it to hitch up to his horses."
"Hey, good old American ingenuity," I said. "Do you know we are traveling down the old Route 66?"
"What's that?" Sela asked as she finished tying down our cart with an old tarp she found in the barn.
"A piece of Americana. Route 66 is the old highway that people used to go from Chicago to Los Angeles. There also was an old TV show with two guys in a Corvette that were traveling it, meeting interesting people who usually had some sort of conflict. A friend of mine had some of the episodes on the old Blu-ray DVD format. It was one of my grandfather's favorite shows when he was a kid. Anyway, it's a good route to get to California."
"Wonder if we'll meet any more people?" Sela asked.
"Fine with me. Just so long as they don't have horns sprouting out of their heads or flaming-red eyes."
"Well, we lucked out with the McKinney folks. I'm sure there are more along the way that will join the ranks," she said confidently.
We left the barn with the wagon ready to roll. I asked Sela which horse would pull the wagon. She thought that Tempest would be best suited for the job.
As the afternoon wore on, everyone finished packing. Spirits continued to be high. Jack called a meeting for the evening at the local high school gym. He wanted to make sure everyone was ready and understood how to proceed as well as give a good pep talk, kind of like a spirit rally that one had in high school. First, I pictured him in a cheerleading outfit with pom-poms and then the visualization morphed to him as Ward Bond on the old TV show Wagon Train, talking to the pioneers setting up to go West. Maybe I was his Rowdy Yates?Wait a minute; Yates was on Rawhide, I think. Okay, that's all right. I'd rather think of myself as a young Clint Eastwood anyway. Besides it's my visualization and I can have it be what I want.
Sela and I got to the gym a little late. It was packed. When we walked in, the entire room got silent. I smiled and waved. The crowd resumed their conversations. "Nothing like a little stress," I muttered to Sela. She winked at me.
Jack had found an old bullhorn with some functioning batteries. He asked the crowd to settle down.
"I think it fitting that Reverend Marshall lead us in a short prayer. Reverend?"
The prayer was a good one, optimistic, not too preachy. It was heartfelt and just right.
"Well folks, tomorrow we head out to Oregon," Jack bellowed. A cheer erupted from everyone as if their home team just made a big score. I half expected the scoreboard to flash numbers.
For the next twenty minutes, Jack explained how people were to join the wagon train beginning at 7:00 a.m. He went on to talk about the procedure for rest stops whenever there was a water source, when they would make camp for the night and other important points. He asked people to hold any questions until he was finished.
The meeting lasted for almost two hours. Right after Jack answered his last question, he turned to me and asked, "Would you like to say a few words, Heckel?"
A large lump in my throat suddenly emerged and my tongue quickly felt like it had turned into…well, felt. You know the type of thick felt that one finds on the hammer of a piano.
Inspiration struck and I took the bullhorn. I beamed and said, "Recently, I've been thinking of a few old-time TV shows. One was Route 66."
The room buzzed with excitement as many of the older folks remembered the show and shared their memories. Some of those people remembered watching the show on the oldies TV program called TV Land.
"The other show that comes to mind is Wagon Train." More buzz and enthusiastic murmuring.
"So, with that in mind, I have one thing to say."
The room suddenly got silent. People were sitting on the edge of their seats for what I was to say next.
With my best Ward Bond imitation, I lifted the bullhorn and said, "Wagons ho!"
The crowd stood on their feet, cheered and laughed.
Sela leaned into me and said, "What a great way to end the night with humor." She patted me on the back.
When we woke the next morning at around five thirty, I sensed something didn't feel right. I opened the front door and immediately knew. Clouds were building in the east. I could smell rain coming. So much for a pleasant warm spring morning to start our journey.
"Damn, not the best way to start a trip," I mumbled as Sela came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. She kissed my neck tenderly, making me shiver.
"Probably Madeline's doing…just her way of annoying us, I suppose," she said.
I nodded my head. "Well…a little rain won't dampen our spirits," I said confidently. "We are pumped and ready to go."
A little before seven, Jack stopped in front of our house to have us join the head of the line. Sela had just finished strapping our little wagon to Tempest and rode her to the front yard. Jerky was already perched on my shoulder, settled in to continue her morning sleep regimen.
As I turned to smile at Sela, the rain started. First, it was a gentle drizzle, but it wasn't long before it turned into a steady downpour. I looked up at the sky. Was this Madeline's doing or plain old Mother Nature's spring-cleaning?
"Okay God, here we go," I muttered. "Oh, and a little help with the sun coming out would be great, if it's not too much to ask."
Sela heard me. She had the most incredible hearing, I swear. "It will."
Jack turned to look at the long line of people out in the street. He smiled at me and shouted, "Wagons ho!"
Everyone within earshot laughed. It was a good start in spite of the cold rain. No one's spirits were dampened in the least.
Around ten thirty in the morning the rain stopped and the sun started to come out. A cheer erupted from everyone. Jack stopped us all at a nearby stream, taking the opportunity to water the horses.
Sela looked up and let the sun hit her face. "Looks like God listened," she whispered in my ear.
"Let's hope He continues to listen. We need all the help we can get," I said softly. "And then some."
Later that afternoon, the first person got sick. No one thought much of it at the time. The doctor who examined the young woman indicated that it was most likely the flu. She had all the usual symptoms.
By the time we made Abilene, a third of the group was sick and the weird thing about it was that only the women got sick. Jack decided that we would rest up for a while in Abilene and try to get people well again. The first task we undertook was to set up a makeshift hospital using several large tarps.
"Do you think it's Madeline's handiwork?" Jack asked me quietly as I visited some of the sick women.
"I'm beginning to think so. It's not normal for just the women to get sick. The way I see it, Madeline is trying to hit us where we are the most vulnerable, trying to hurt us emotionally. Have the doctors figured anything out yet?" I asked.
"No. They still think it's a strain of flu," Jack offered.
"Well, at least no one has died from it." That statement didn't hold up for very long. The first young woman who got sick passed away later that afternoon. Now people were getting panicky. As the sun was setting, I took a long walk away from the camp to think things over. Okay, yes, I thought a little praying was in order. I still didn't do very well in that department, but thought I'd better try harder.
There were no burning bushes or other spiritual connections. I did have a couple of roadrunners visit me. When I got back to camp, Jack met me. He had a grim look on his face. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"It's Sela," he mumbled.
I knew immediately what was wrong. Jack took me to the hospital where Sela was lying on the ground. Her face was covered in sweat and she was shaking. I glanced around the hospital and saw other women in various stages of the disease. One woman had large red oozing sores on her face. Another woman was losing chunks of her hair. Some women had gushing nosebleeds. The minute Sela saw me, she tried to sit up.
"No you don't," I commanded. "You stay right where you are." I knelt down next to her and redid her covers. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better," she said with a scratchy voice. "How was your walk?"
"The conversation was one sided and now I'm a bit pissed," I said, my voice tinged with anger.
Sela coughed violently and spit up a large glob of green phlegm. I went over to a basin and wet a towel to put on her forehead.
"It'll get better," Sela said softly. "Remember, it's all about faith and hope."
"At the moment, all I want is for you to get better. I'll deal with the other stuff later."
"No," she said sternly. "You can't turn those things on and off."
"I know, but-"
"There is no…but…Heckel. You have to…" she said getting more agitated. Her coughing resumed with a vengeance and chills racked her body.
Jack whispered in my ear, "She should get some rest."
I felt horrible that I had upset her. I wiped her forehead and put my hand on her chest. Her coughing stopped immediately.
"See," she said. "The power is in you. Rely on your faith to help us."
I nodded my head slowly and smiled at her. I bent down, kissed her on the cheek and said, "I will."
Sela fell into a fitful asleep. I stayed at the hospital and kept vigil over her. When I woke, I looked over at Sela. She was sitting up and the color had returned to her face. She was eating a bowl of oatmeal.
"Good morning," she said cheerily.
I jumped off the ground and stood in front of her with my mouth open.
"Close your mouth or a fly will find its way in. You should have some oatmeal. It's really good."
I closed my mouth and stood frozen in front of her.
"Other women are improving as well. Looks like your one-sided talk paid off."
I still couldn't say anything.
"Maybe a word of thanks would be in order," she suggested, taking another large spoonful of the warm oatmeal.
I nodded my head up and down quickly and then bent down and kissed Sela on the head.
I took that same walk away from camp. More roadrunners ran across my path. When I got to a small hill, I hiked up it and turned to look down at the camp. Smiling and feeling a bit humbled, I softly said, "Thank You."
A few days later, the wagon train mounted up and resumed the trek down I-40. Most of the women were back to feeling normal. It was very depressing that we lost one of our soldiers to Madeline's evil. The funeral for her was touching. Again, I thought people would despair, but instead it only confirmed our resolve to stop Madeline.
The next couple of weeks went well. There were no further attacks from Madeline. When we made the border of Texas and New Mexico, we had a small celebration and settled in for a week of rest, repairs and recreation.
Sela and I always camped near Jack and his family. That night after dinner, Jack made a large campfire. The warmth from the fire took the chill out of the air. It was a clear evening and the stars filled the sky. After a while, Missy, Vonnie and Sela fell asleep. Jack reached into his jacket and pulled out a small flask.
"Care for a little nip?" he asked, holding out the flask. "It's Pendleton. I only have a few bottles left. It's nice to have a little adult beverage once and a while…and with all the 'whiles' we've gone through lately, I'd say we deserve it."
Beaming from ear to ear, I took the flask, took a sip and smacked my lips. "Excellent. Thank you."
We discussed the finer points of various adult beverages for a while until our conversation turned back to Madeline. It seemed that Madeline always had a way of creeping into one's thoughts and discussions.
"Do you remember when we had that horrible small pox epidemic?"
"Yes. Yes, I do. I think it was close to ten years ago or so. I was in college, I think. I'm sure it was Madeline's handiwork again. There were a lot of people who died during that time," I said, sticking another log on the fire.
"I lost some relatives to that horrible epidemic. I was always under the impression that small pox had been eradicated," Jack said, taking a sip from his flask.
"Well, it was supposed to have been eradicated. The World Health Organization officially declared the disease…dead and buried…so to speak in…um…I think it was 1979. Hey, I'm sure it was a simple task for Madeline to bring it back to life. Bad puns intended," I said, taking another hit from Jack's Pendleton.
"Thank God things got turned around and the disease got put down again," Jack said.
"Yup, that nasty thing could have been the end right there."
After recounting stories of the epidemic for a while longer, Jack asked, "So, if all our women got sick from Madeline, how come more didn't die? I mean, she could have given them the Ebola virus or something even more devastating."
"Madeline likes playing the game. She's messing with us. Maybe she's hoping we'll all just give up. That would make it easier for her, I guess."
Suddenly, a burst of flame erupted high into the air. A fiery apparition of Madeline stood in the center of our fire pit hovering over the burning logs.
We all jumped up and away from the fire ring. Sela stood next to my side and gripped my hand.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm hoping for," the burning apparition bellowed.
"Hello, Madeline. The flaming red is a nice touch to your color. However, I don't really see you as a redhead."
The fiery figure laughed heartily, the sound mixing with the crackling of the fire. The heat increased, causing us all to take a few steps backward. Several people came running up behind us. Madeline rose higher in the air, hoping to cause more fear, I'm sure. Flames danced in a playful fashion, weaving in and out of her long, windswept hair. She lifted one hand and played with a ball of fire.
"Hope we weren't too hard on your little squirmy serpent friends," I said with my best sarcastic tone. "They made for a good barbecue."
"Snakes. I tell you…you just can't depend on them. Well, at least it kept you entertained for a while," the apparition commented, playing with her hair.
"What do you want?" I asked defiantly.
Laughing again, all she did for the longest time was glower at me.
"Well?" I said.
"Disband and I might spare your lives. Stop this futile, silly journey." The heat from the fire intensified further.
"Are you getting nervous perhaps?" I asked in a taunting tone.
Madeline tossed the small ball of fire at my feet. I stood my ground, knowing that she couldn't harm me. At least, I was counting on that power inside of me to put up a barrier or something.
"Now that's no way to have a civilized conversation, but then again who ever said you were civilized."
More laughter bellowed from Madeline that slowly modulated into a low, guttural sound. "I destroyed civilization and I will destroy you. You puny man…you can't stop me."
The power inside me began to make its appearance. A calm spread throughout my body. "I can and I will," I said, taking a step forward. Sela let go of my hand and stood to one side. My fists clenched tightly.
Madeline emitted a piercing screech and flung a large sphere of flame at Sela.
I immediately stood in front of her. The fire went out inches from my chest.
Madeline's blazing specter flew up into the night sky. Our campfire instantly went out as if a wet blanket had been thrown on top of it. The dark enveloped us. Everyone stood in silence for the longest time. Finally, I turned to whisper to Sela, "Could you see my knees shaking?"
"A rock. You looked like a rock."
Jack inched his way over to me, nudged my arm and held out his flask. "Here, you might need this."
After taking a long swallow, I returned the flask. "Thanks. How many bottles did you say you had left?"
That night, I wondered if anyone slept very well.
For some reason, I felt a sense of relief when we left Texas. However, on the other hand, what the hell did New Mexico have in store for us? I could only imagine.
It took us about a week or so to travel through the eastern part of New Mexico. Thankfully, it was uneventful and everyone was in good spirits.
"We should be in Albuquerque the day after next," Jack said as we sat around the campfire.
"Great," I said. It took us a few nights to feel at ease sitting around a campfire again after our little visit from the Madeline wraith.
"Maybe there are some people in Albuquerque who will join us," Sela said.
"That'd be-" Jack started to say until I interrupted him.
I jumped up and started pacing around the fire. Sela shot me a worried look.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked.
"I don't know. Maybe it's a panic attack."
Jack and Sela just stared at me as I continued to pace around the fire. Jerky stood up and started pacing with me as if she were concerned about the same thing I was.
"Ya know, I have this bad feeling about Albuquerque," I said, picking up Jerky.
No one said anything. Jerky's hair bristled.
Vonnie and Missy came back from visiting friends. "Everything all right?" Vonnie asked. Missy sat down next to Sela.
"No, I…um…"
"Sit down," Sela said patting the ground next to her. "Let's think this through. You too Jerky."
I picked up the cat and plopped us both down next to her. Jerky walked in circles around my lap and finally, finding just the right spot, curled up and settled in.
"Maybe you and I should ride up ahead and take a look. There's a spot off I-40 on the eastern edge of Albuquerque where we can see out across the whole city. I've got some good binos. If there's a problem, maybe we can plot a course around it," Jack offered.
"Yeah, I think you have a good idea. Only, I think I should go alone. Jack, you need to look after the troops."
"I don't think so," Sela said determinedly, grabbing my hand. "I'll go with you."
The look she gave me clearly indicated that there was no chance of arguing with her.
"We'll be back in two days. If we aren't, turn around and go back to McKinney," I said to Jack as he held onto Hope's reins.
"That won't be necessary. I'm sure everything will be fine. You be careful," Jack said guardedly.
It felt good to ride fast for a change. Both horses seemed to really enjoy the pace. We got to Tijeras by lunchtime. Sela spotted a small creek near the road.
"Let's have some lunch and let the horses rest," Sela said as we neared the stream.
"Sounds good to me." Jerky jumped off my shoulders and ran toward the bushes. I knew the cat would find her own lunch.
"Do you have any idea where we are?" Sela asked.
"Yes. We just passed Tijeras which means we should be able to see down into Albuquerque soon. I think we'll get off the highway as we get closer just to be safe. I want to get up high enough to have a good vantage point," I said, taking a bite of some beef jerky. "Hmm…did you make this?"
"No, Vonnie did. It's pretty good, huh?" Sela said, ripping off a big chunk and handing me another piece. "Any thoughts on your premonition about Albuquerque?"
"Oh…nothing I can put my finger on," I said. "I just have a bad feeling."
"And here I always thought that women had the market on intuition," she said, wrapping her arms around my waist.
In a flash, she pushed me aside, drew her pistol and yelled, "Freeze or I'll shoot."
I spun around to see a man crouched behind a large boulder. I slowly slid my gun out of my waist.
"Don't shoot. I mean you no harm," he yelled as he slowly stood up with his hands held high in the air. He walked gingerly toward us.
"That's far enough," Sela commanded sternly. "Where are you from?"
"Albuquerque. I'm a lookout."
"A lookout for who?" I asked.
"Our group," the man answered nervously.
I put my gun down and eased Sela's arm down as well. "It's all right. I think he's one of the good guys," I whispered into Sela's ear. "Besides, Jerky doesn't seem the least bit concerned and she's been pretty good about warning us. Look at her. She's just munching away on…whatever."
Sela relaxed and asked the man a barrage of questions. Before he could answer, I interrupted and asked, "What's your name?"
"Justin. Justin Blake."
"Well, Justin, I'm Heckel and this is Sela." He approached us with an outstretched hand. I could tell Sela was nervous about the introductions.
After a few pleasantries, she asked, "So, who are you a lookout for?"
Justin explained that there was a group of about 250 good people camping in an old KOA campground on the eastern edge of Albuquerque. He recounted how they had been living together for about a year and turned the old campground into, for all practical purposes, a fort.
"We started calling it Fort Albuquerque," Justin said proudly.
"Have you had any encounters?" I asked.
"Oh yeah…most of them with Madeline."
Sela and I looked at each other with big eyes.
"You know about Madeline?" Sela asked, looking around the area as if we'd have a visit from one of her avatars.
"Sure do. We've had all sorts of attacks from the little bitch. Excuse the language."
"No problem. We're in full agreement on that account," Sela said.
We spent the next hour swapping stories about Madeline. Sela recounted the attacks in McKinney and just as she was about to reveal my special talents, I interrupted her.
"I still want to know why you are a lookout? Was something about to happen?" I asked.
"Yes. We'd been getting reports from other scouts of a large band of Madeline's Marauders approaching from the North. I was sent in this direction to scout for any potential problems from the east. Where are you folks going?"
Hmm…Madeline's Marauders. I like that…catchy.
"Albuquerque," Sela answered.
"You might want to go south of the city to avoid any conflict," Justin suggested. Jerky came up from behind him and curled around his leg. He bent down to pet the cat.
At that point, I explained to Justin that we were leading a group of about two hundred people to Oregon. Sela interjected that we were planning to confront Madeline.
"That's nuts," Justin said.
Sela explained everything about me. I held my head down, kicked the dirt and felt very embarrassed.
Justin didn't laugh or make any judgments. He simply looked at me, sizing me up and down.
"Huh, I'll be. There was an old woman who kept saying that there'd be someone to come and save us."
"I am not anyone's savior," I said with a deliberate tone, feeling very self-conscious.
Sela gave me that look which sent me into withdrawal mode. "Heckel, we don't need to get into that discussion again. Savior or not, we have a job to do and let's get on with it."
"Fine with me. Let's go up to that vantage point and have a look."
Justin decided to go with us. When it came time to mount the horses, Sela told Justin to ride on Tempest with her. As he mounted the horse, I suddenly got concerned. We really didn't know this guy. Sela saw me staring at her.
"It'll be fine, Heckel," she said softly.
I realized it wasn't concern, but more like jealousy. Justin had his arms wrapped around her waist.
"We have to trust people," she said, as Justin looked sheepish and embarrassed.
I flashed him a concerned look as he smiled nervously. "Yes, you are right as usual," I said, putting my foot in Hope's stirrup and pulling myself onto the horse's back.
"Of course I am," Sela said with a huge smile. "Let's go."
Justin proved to be very helpful by showing us a good route to a perfect spot to look down on Albuquerque. When we got there, we crouched down behind some large boulders. Taking the binoculars from my pack, I quickly spanned from south to north and abruptly stopped at one point. "Oh shit. We have a problem." Looking down at the old KOA campground, I could see a fight taking place at the entrance. "I guess Madeline's bikers have paid your group a visit."
"What?" Justin asked, holding his hand out for the binoculars.
"Here," I said, handing over the glasses.
Justin observed for a minute and then handed the binoculars to Sela. "Oh, they've been here before. We usually can handle them. Not too bright, more of an annoyance."
Sela slowly moved the binoculars northward. "Well, fellas, there's a much bigger problem up north. Here, look," she said. "That looks much more disturbing."
Looking north of Albuquerque, I could see a large troop of what apparently were Madeline's Marauders. "We need to alert your people. Let's go."
We rode fast down I-40. When we got to the Tramway exit, we got off the interstate and made our way down Central Avenue, the old Route 66. Jerky, perched on my shoulder, hissed loudly in my ear. "It's okay. We'll be fine."
As we approached the fight near the entrance to the KOA, we dismounted. I could feel the power inside me gathering. I looked down at my hands and a tinge of blue slowly emerged. Sela took out one of the rifles and tossed one of her Glocks to Justin. "Sela, I don't think you'll need those. Save the ammo. I'll end this real fast. Stay here with the horses."
Sela shook her head and said, "Not going to happen. Justin, stay here with Jerky and the horses." Jerky curled around Justin's legs.
I grunted something unintelligible and knew I couldn't argue with her. "Stay behind me."
As we walked up to the entrance, several of the bikers spotted us and revved their engines. They punched their gears and sped toward us. The balls of fire in my hands now spun violently in my palms waiting to be released.
"Hello, boys…remember me?" I said as I pitched the flaming orbs at the two closest bikers. My aim was dead on and both assaulting demons exploded, sending bits of motorcycle and chunks of flesh and leather flying into the air. The remaining bikers stopped fighting with the Albuquerque men and headed straight at us. I pitched the flaming orbs at them as if I were a young rookie pitcher trying to impress his coach. The crowd at the entrance of the old KOA cheered as the last of Madeline's Marauders were eliminated.
"Nice pitching," Sela said proudly as she came up behind me.
I just smiled. "I'm still not anyone's savior."
Sela remained quiet but got the last word in silently with a wink.
Justin walked up with the horses as a small group from the KOA came up to us. For a few moments, no one said anything. I finally broke the silence. "This is Sela and I'm Heckel."
The group stared at me as if I had a third eye in the center of my forehead and I was wearing woman's clothes. I actually looked down to see if Madeline had transformed me or something.
Finally, a woman from the back came forward. "It's a pleasure to meet you. How long have you had this ability?" she asked, pointing to my hands.
Feeling self-conscious, I put my hands in my pockets and mumbled something. Sela jumped in and explained that we were leading a group to Oregon.
After several more questions, Justin finally suggested that we get the horses watered and resume the discussion in a more comfortable setting.