Chapter 26Many Partings - Wednesday, August 8th to September and beyond
The sky was starting to lighten in the east. The light from Weather had died down, but some of the forest around the base was still on fire. Smoke rose and blew to the east away from Fic.
Fic was sitting on the porch of the cabin, his thoughts in turmoil. A lot had happened inthe last several hours and his body was just now realizing the shock of everything and for a few minutes, he couldn’t move at all. He felt frozen in place. The events that had happened kept running through his brain. Rewinding and running again.
Well, the mission wasn’t over yet. They still had to get everyone back to the farm, and he needed to find Kitsune. Brown Shades’ passing had hit him hard. The mission had been a complete success up to that point. Then, with the explosion of Mount Weather, everything had gone to shit.
During the night, they had heard a lot of gunfire. Both across the river and on this side. Some of it was not too far away.
Fic got up and went inside to find everyone ready to go. All they had for weapons was three pistols. He grabbed his small pack and threw it on his back. Turning and walking down the driveway to the road. Just as they were all spread out along the driveway, they heard a vehicle moving at a high rate of speed coming down the road.
Fic could already see bright lights shining down the road in front of the cabin.
Everyone scattered to the side of the driveway. Looking for cover.
A Humvee came screeching down the road and skidded to a stop in front of the driveway. The engine turned off, but the lights stayed on, and a soldier exited the driver's side of the vehicle with a M-14 in his hands.
Fic pulled his pistol and took aim at the edge of the vehicle. Waiting for him to enter the headlight beam. As the man did, Fic aligned the sights of the pistol on the man’s chest and saw that it was Kitsune. “Hold fire,” Fic said to the others. “That’s Kit.”
He stood and waved to Kitsune, who saw him quickly and raised his hand. He came walking over to the other with a smile on his face. “I found us some wheels,” he said.
Everyone expressed their delight of seeing Kitsune alive and well. With a heavy heart, Fic told him what had happened to Brown Shades. Kitsune stood in shock for a few seconds, then took a swallow of air and nodded his head. “He was a good man,” was all he could think of saying.
“So, how did you find this Humvee?” Fic asked.
Kitsune told them of how the force of the blast had knocked him and Brown Shades completely out of the canoe and into the water. He had been knocked unconscious by the percussion and he figured that Brown Shades had been too. “I guess I floated face up for a while, because after several minutes, I came to looking up at the stars, wondering how I had become weightless. As the fuzziness left me, I realized what had happened and made my way to shore.”
“I got to the shore and tried to figure out where I was. Looking around I saw the bridge we had floated under, just yesterday and quickly got my bearings.”
“I had lost everything. The shotgun. My pack. I gathered my wits and started walking north.”
“The brush was really thick next to the river here, so I had to make my way inland trying to find a way through. I came to a small road and just blindly stepped into it. I was still pretty out of it.”
“Suddenly, a spotlight shined on me. It was this Humvee,” Kitsune said, gesturing to the vehicle. “Two soldiers called to me, thinking I was one of them. Instead of trying to bluff my through it, I ran back into the woods.”
“They started chasing me. Of course, they could never catch me. Not in the woods. It did take several hours to completely lose them, but I had led them far enough away from their vehicle, that I was able to fl, uh, get back to the Humvee before they did and drive away. Not only had they left the key, but this M-14 was also in the back.”
“I drove away and made my way back up here. I was going to start looking for you guys around these cabins, but knew you were here when I pulled up. It was just a feeling.”
Finishing his story, Kitsune stepped back and said, “Let’s get everyone home.”
Kitsune and Rodent Whisperer went back into the cabin and brought Brown Shades’ body back out. They placed his body up on the roof of the vehicle. Then everyone else piled into the vehicle. It was surprisingly roomy in the vehicle, but still a tight squeeze with eight people. Fic elected to ride up on the roof with Brown Shades. To make sure he stayed secure and to act as lookout and guard of the one vehicle convoy.
They started off back towards the farm. When they passed the Henry place, they all saw that the place had burned to the ground. Another Humvee sat in the barnyard, a dead soldier on the ground next to the open door. Looking next to where the porch used to be on the house, they saw Maybell, lying dead in her front yard. A shotgun in her hands.
Kitsune pulled into the barn yard, and they inspected the situation. They moved Maybell’s body into the barn. Placing her in the corner until they could come back and bury her.
The soldier, they also put in the barn.
Their equipment was growing. They now had three more weapons, a shotgun, an M-14 and a 9mm pistol and another Humvee.
Everyone repositioned. They moved Brown Shades’ body into the new Humvee and Fic drove that with Davey and Joey with him.
Fic now led the two vehicle convoy down the country roads towards his house. They heard more shooting. Some far off, some close by. Fic hurried along the roads as the day started to get brighter.
As they came to the end of Clay Hill Road, Fic saw another Humvee sitting across the road where he was going to turn on to Bishop Meade Road. One soldier stood at the front of the vehicle, weapon in hand, but not at the ready, looking at their approach.
Fic stayed at a steady, slow speed as he approached. Trying to look as if he was going to stop. When he was about twenty-five meters away, he floored the gas and headed straight for the lone soldier.
The man panicked and jumped behind the Humvee.
Fic turned his vehicle into the parked vehicle and clipped its front bumper as he sped past, pushing the Humvee out of the way. This also had the effect of knocking the soldier into the ditch on the other side of the road.
Fic saw the man crumple into the ditch as he moved down Bishop Meade, watching in his side-view mirror for any movement as he moved away from the scene.
Fic now pushed on the gas some more and in a few minutes, they were pulling into his driveway. They came into the barn yard and pulled to a stop.
Lori and Class Room stood on the porch with weapons in their hands. Seeing her husband getting out of one vehicle and her daughter jumping out of the back of the other, she broke down with relief.
Running to her daughter, she pulled her into a tight embrace. She never wanted to let her go. Fic came walking over and joined the group hug.
Everyone disembarked from the vehicles and Anne and Davey were introduced to the home front girls.
Fic told Lori and Class Room about Brown Shades. Class Room ran to the back of the Humvee and crawled in with the body. Her sobs could be heard quite clearly for several minutes.
“Let’s get these vehicles into the barn and out of sight,” Fic said to Kitsune.
Kitsune nodded his head and headed for his vehicle. They moved the vehicles into the barn and placed Brown Shades in a long wagon that was in the barn. Later that day, they would lay him to rest. After that chore was done, they moved into the house and joined the others.
“We need to lay low for a couple of days and be vigilant. This whole shitshow may be starting to be over, but it isn’t quite there yet.”
As Lori got everyone some breakfast, Fic went into the living room to check on his son. Rodent Whisperer was in there with him and when he looked at Shane, he saw that he was awake.
“Hey Dad,” Shane said with a raspy voice. “When did you get back?”
Fic kneeled down and took his son’s hand. It felt warm, but not hot. He pressed his hand on his son’s brow, feeling a cool surface. His fever had broken.
“I have been working on getting back here since the day the bombs fell,” Fic told his son. “I just had to walk all the way back. I used the AT to get home.”
“Cool,” Shane said softly. “I always wanted to hike up from Georgia. Maybe we can do it again, together.”
Fic ruffled his son’s hair and said, “Sure.” Smiling at him with a little bit of a tear in his eye.
They spent the next several days laying low. Staying inside the house or close to it. Eating what they had on hand and quietly watching what was happening around them in the countryside.
From time-to-time Kitsune or Fic or even Davey, Joey and Daisy would go out on scout trips. Watching what was happening, but not being seen or engaging in any way.
Kitsune reported that he saw several buses coming down the mountain, crossing the river and heading for the highway to the west. He had put away George’s uniform and had borrowed some clothes of Shane’s.
No soldiers came around. They didn’t see any Humvees or other military trucks at all on any of the roads. It was as if, they had departed the area completely.
After a week, Fic and Kitsune donned their uniforms again and pulled one of the Humvees out of the barn.
They road down to highway fifty and crossed the river. Next, they headed up the mountain road to Mount Weather. The trees were burned within a two-mile radius of the base, but it had burned itself out a few days after the blast.
The road was still passible, and they were able to drive up to the main gate. Fic still wasn’t sure if the blast had been any kind of radiation event, so they were careful to stay in the vehicle and not poke around the wreckage. And that was all they found was wreckage. It was hard to tell that buildings once stood where now there were just ruins.
They saw no sign of people. There weren’t even any dead bodies lying around. Nothing.
They returned to the farm and reported their findings. Tossing their uniforms into a burn bin and scrubbing their bodies, just in case.
After the second week, the group started moving about the area. Looking for other families that were still around and seeing what they needed or if they could help others.
Slowly things started to get back to normal again. They pulled out a small radio and started scanning the airwaves until they started finding local stations that reported what was going on.
One report said that Richard Flaherty had left the country, abandoning his coup and giving up all he had taken. A few other reports would say he was dead. Killed in the blast on Mount Weather. As more news started to flow, things started to get back together again.
The Vice President had been found. He had been hiding in New Mexico, trying to plan a way to get rid of Richard Flaherty. He re-assumed command when it was confirmed that the President had been killed in the initial attack on Washington, DC.
Trucks started running and stores were opened again. The electricity came back on and they were able to move around more. One day, a US Mail truck came down the road and actually delivered some mail to their box. Fic walked down with Lori and inside they found a letter from Gnobbit and Finn. They took the letter to the kitchen and gathered all of The Party to listen to Fic read it. He excitedly read about how things had gotten worse for a while in Pearisburg, but then had started to get better. By the end of August, everything had returned to normal. The two hikers had become engaged.
Everyone laughed with delight at the news and all who knew them had to tell a story or two of their exploits together. It was a bright spot in a still dim world.
Later, they were all sitting around on the back porch, enjoying a sunset that had given a spectacular show. The sunsets had been amazing since the bombs had caused so much dust and smoke to get up into the atmosphere, but the cause of those spectacular colors was also a poison that could hurt them all.
They had buried Brown Shades up on a little hill behind the barn. A large oak tree stood at the top of the hill and would shade his grave as time went on. The group had also visited the nearby places that had seen death and laid to rest the Doc, Maybell Henry and even the few soldiers they found rotting in the sun. They never did find Jimmy’s body.
Everyone who needed to, healed. Class Room’s ankle was fine within a couple of days followed by Brittney’s severe sprain. Shane was walking around the house some now but was still weak and on the mend.
“I think I’m going to be heading home to New Jersey soon,” said Class Room. “Traveling should be easier now.”
“I need to go check on my folks too,” added Kitsune. “I know my mother is worried sick. Once I make sure everything is alright, I think I’ll come back, it that’s ok?” Kitsune looked towards Fic first, then to Brittney.
“Of course, son,” Fic said. “You are always welcome here.”
Brittney had a large smile as she looked at Kitsune. They had become close over the last few days. As her ankle got better, she started going out on scout trips with Kitsune. They would talk for hours out on the porch in the dark. Supposedly on watch but looking at each other more than out in the yard or the forest.
“I think I may go see if I can get a flight back to Scotland,” Rodent Whisperer said. “I do miss my homeland.”
Anne and the kids were all sitting in the yard on some chairs. “We should be heading down south soon too. I know our house is gone in Waynesboro, but that is still our home. We need to go see what we can recover.
Fic stood looking at his Party as they all made plans to move on with their lives and try to get it back to some new normal. Everyone here was family. His real family and his tramily. Those he had picked up along the way and helped to get free of the crazy that Flaherty had brought to this land.
Thinking back at all that had happened to get him back here with his family, Fic was filled with emotion. The Trail had provided. The Trail had brough him home.
The End