The McClane Apocalypse Book Three (16 page)

"What the heck is going on with these
people? Are they abusing those kids? Because if they are, then man
we should let our guys take care of them," Sue seethes.

"Calm down, Sue," Grams says gently. "It'll
all come out in the wash. We can't make assumptions against these
people. That boy's father is one of them."

"I know but I don't think Sam wants to be
with them or is being held against her will or something. Don't
you? Did you see her lip? Her lower lip looked like someone smacked
her," Sue rambles impatiently.

"Maybe. But maybe not. We can't just say
that to them and accuse them of something we're unsure of. Like I
said, we'll figure it out sooner rather than later, I believe,"
Grams says wisely.

The children come out to tell Sue that both
of the babies are awake from their naps. But mostly they've come to
ask to play in the back yard with the dogs which have become their
constant companions. This is the first day that they have finally
been allowed to play outdoors since the caravan arrived. They'd
simply been too stir-crazy to stay indoors another day. So far it
has been fine, no problems have arisen and the visitors have not
bothered them. Two of the men from the visitors' group even walk
out to the barn with buckets to fill, and when they come back
through, passing the playing McClane kids, they make no notice of
them. At least that sets Sue's heart a bit more at ease. They had
kept right on going toward their camp and talking the whole time.
It is a good thing that they take no interest in her children or in
Em. If they had been staring at or suspicious around the kids, then
Sue would have been forced to call Derek out to shoot them on the
spot.

A commotion at the far end of the cattle
barn alerts Sue, and she shields her eyes against the sun's glare.
When she finds the source of the noise, she's not surprised in the
least. It's John and Reagan, and her sister is yelling at him to go
away and he's standing there taking it, of course. Where does he
get his patience?

A few hours later, the family walks to the
grave site which has been designated right inside the woods at the
edge of the meadow nearest the driveway. Simon is leaning on a
shovel looking sweaty and dirty. Frank has not broken a sweat. He
is either a highly conditioned man to hard work, or he's made Simon
do most of the work digging his son's grave. This area of the farm
is peaceful, tranquil and covered in tiny clusters of white Baby's
Breath flora and thick with forest ferns. The visitors have all
assembled, and the McClane family has gathered, as well, with the
exception of Reagan who volunteered to stay behind in the med shed
to look after Jennifer. John is standing post at the door for her,
and when Sue had glanced over at him before she left, he'd seemed
angry and sullen.

Grandpa speaks a few Bible verses and
blesses the boy whose brother weeps beside Sam, and not near his
own father. Their grandfather gives Frank the chance to speak a few
words for his dead son, but the man declines. When the ceremony is
finished, Huntley surprises everyone when he breaks into a lovely,
haunting song in his native Navaho language. He makes unusual hand
gestures and motions with his arms, and this single act of showing
respect to his deceased brother is so poignant that Sue's tears
start anew. He must feel a great deal of responsibility toward his
brother to do this tribute of honor and manage to get through the
song so bravely.

When he is done singing, he takes a knife
out of his pocket and cuts a tip of his hair off and tosses it into
the open grave where his twin rests. Then he squats and pokes his
finger in the rich, black dirt and smudges his forehead and under
his eyes with it, leaving dark streaks. If anyone finds his
ceremonial show of respect to his great nation of elders bizarre,
then no one says anything. To Sue, it is simply beautiful and
moving and proves how close he was to his mother and grandfather
and their customs as Native Americans.

Kelly and Derek stand watch with their
rifles slung on their backs while the men cover in the hole as the
rest of the group leaves the grave site. Simon is walking back with
them because Derek had taken the shovel from the teenager and
shoved it into Rick's hands whether he'd wanted it or not. The poor
kid looks dead on his feet, and Sue is glad that her husband had
also recognized it. This kind act toward this boy had earned a
deadly glare from Frank, Rick and Rick's cousin, Levon, who already
likes to glare with hatred at everyone all the time.

A while later, everyone in the McClane
family is back at their usual duties and chores, and the men keep
watch. The overall mood of the farm is melancholy and glum.

The children are in the barn because one of
the goats that Reagan brought home from the Johnson's farm gave
birth yesterday to two kids. Her sister hadn't known when she'd
taken them that one was pregnant, but it was fortuitous because
when Isaac is done breastfeeding, Sue eventually wants to put him
on goat's milk which was advised by Grandpa because of the added
nutrients and higher calorie content than cow's milk. The visitors
have allowed Huntley to go with her children to see the new goats,
which is surprising, but Frank doesn't seem to care much for him
anyway nor had he shed a single tear over Garrett during the
service. They have not, however, permitted Samantha to return to
the family, and as Sue picks corn she observes the girl making trip
after trip with Simon to the barn for heavy buckets of water.

Voices near the end of the cattle barn catch
Sue's attention. She crosses over two rows to peer between the corn
toward the source and just about falls on her face when she spies
Kelly and Hannah kissing. She also sees Kelly hugging and
comforting Hannah as she is probably still distraught over the
death of Garrett. They obviously think they are hidden from the
rest of the family, and they would've been right if nobody had been
picking corn. Their secret is safe with her, though, because she
knows how much Hannah loves Kelly, and if he has finally come to
terms with his feelings for her youngest sister, then Sue's happy
for them. It might not be so easy to find happiness anymore.

"Sue!" Cory calls from somewhere in the corn
field toward the center.

She makes her way there and calls back to
him. When she finds him, Sue stares up at him. The kid has grown at
least two inches over the summer.

"What is it, Cory?" she asks. He appears
distressed.

"I just talked to Simon and Sam—well mostly
Simon because that Sam girl won't really talk to me. Anyways, he
said that they're almost out of food at the camp. He said him and
Sam and Huntley haven't eaten since they got here 'cept for what
we've given them. He said the women over there have been making
pancakes for four days straight, and I guess they're about out of
even that," Cory tells her.

This isn't good at all. And why are they
eating the food and not feeding the kids first? What is wrong with
these people?

"Ok, let me find Grams and Grandpa and Derek
and talk to them about this," she tells him, and he hefts her sack
full of corn for her. He's like that. He's a good kid just like his
brother, even if Kelly is not exactly a teenager but a grown man.
Hannah can attest to Kelly's character better than anyone else at
the farm, and the thought makes Sue grin with her new secret.

"Doc and Reagan are with the woman in the
med shed, and Grams is watching the kids in the barn. Derek and
John are setting up demolitions in the outer field and at the end
of the driveway again," Cory tells her.

"Uh, where's Isaac? Grams was supposed to be
keeping an eye on him while I picked corn," Sue asks nervously.

"Oh, sorry. Yeah, Em's got him out at the
barn with Grams. Thought everyone forgot about him? He's a loud
little dude. Kind of hard to forget him," Cory says with a
grin.

"You aren't lying! Hey, let's just go and
get Grams and talk to Grandpa about it with them until the guys get
back. I'll go get Grams and meet you over by the med shed," Sue
says, getting a nod from Cory.

It only takes a minute to find Grams because
she can hear the high decibel voices of the children as they
excitedly talk and giggle over the baby goats. They are awfully
cute bounding around on their brand new legs and she hates to drag
the children away, but she quietly explains the situation with the
visitors' food depletion to Grams.

"Em, do you think you can keep an eye on the
littler kids while I talk with Grams over at the med shed? Maybe
Huntley could help you? Just let Jacob crawl around in the grass,
and I'll take Isaac," Sue asks, and Huntley nods and puffs his
chest just a tad with pride.

Grams is holding Jacob who is bobbing up and
down on her hip while he watches the goats. Sue has always wondered
what little ones at this age think when they look at animals. It
can't possibly make sense to their baby brains. He squeals loudly
again.

They leave the barn and meet up with Cory,
Reagan and Grandpa. A very suspicious-looking Kelly and Hannah also
join the group a moment later, and he releases her hand when they
get there. Nice try. Derek and John jog up to the shed. How the
heck do they have the energy for running after working hard all the
time on the farm? Conditioned bodies, she supposes.

She and Cory relay what is going on with the
visitors, and Sue hangs back while suggestions come forth.

Reagan says, "Good. We'll feed the three
kids with us and the rest can die for all I care."

Grams gives her a look, so her sister
retreats back into the shed as if she could also care less what
other opinions are put forward. She is bitterer today than normal,
and Sue knows it's because of Garrett. It is sad to see her sister
turn so hard and do it with such ease. Sometimes she thinks Reagan
is getting better and then other times, like now, she slips right
back into that well of coldness.

Grams suggests, "We have the goat in the
barn that is producing milk now. We were planning on taking one
milking a day off of her, so they could do it if they want to. But
they'll need to let the babies get the rest of her milk each
day."

"They aren't going in any of the barns,"
John says roughly.

He's in an extremely sour mood. Apparently
he is still sore with Reagan for taking off without her gun. Either
that or they have argued about something, which would not be at all
surprising.

"No, we would have to tie her out there by
their camp," Grandpa agrees. "The apple orchard is in full swing,
so if they'd like to pick apples, that would be fine with me. We
have a dozen trees out there, and we've never used all of the
apples they yield."

"And we could let them pick those last two
rows of corn after I finish the row I'm on," Sue notes and Grandpa
nods in agreement. "We don't need that corn, and it was just going
to be canned or eaten the rest of the summer as fresh corn. With
the amount that we have out there it may have needed to be given to
the livestock anyways. The cellar is so jammed full."

"We could take eggs each day and give them a
basket," Hannah says while toying with her braid. "We're getting
over four dozen a day, and the fridge is overflowing with them.
Plus, in the barn I have twenty-two hens with their peeps that will
be in production in about four months."

She looks like a woman well-kissed and is
standing so close to Kelly that it is hard to tell where she ends
and he begins. If Grandpa notices, he doesn't say anything.

"Ok, fine, but that's all. We don't want
them to get too comfortable. If Jennifer lives and turns the corner
soon, I want them gone from here," Grandpa remarks sternly.

Grams doesn't argue. Perhaps she's seen the
negative side of these people, especially if they are being cruel
to the kids.

"Agreed," Derek says.

John echoes his brother.

"How is the woman doing, Herb?" Grams
asks.

He runs a hand through his white hair and
removes his eyeglasses.

"Not any better. She has moments where she
wakes and is lucid and we can give her broth and she speaks a bit,
but then she's right back out or coughing up blood. She is going
downhill no matter what drug concoction Reagan gives her.
Surprisingly, the fetal heartbeat is still steady and strong, but
the mother is no better, I'm sorry to report," Grandpa expounds and
pinches the bridge of his nose between his thick, gray brows.

Sue lays a hand on his shoulder for
comfort.

"That's too bad," Kelly says kindly.

They all nod in agreement.

"Let's go tell the deadbeats what we're
willing to give them," Derek says to Kelly and Cory as the group
breaks apart to go about their work.

"Derek, wait!" Grandpa calls out, and
everyone turns and walks back. "Tell them that if they want the
provisions, then Samantha, Huntley and Simon must be allowed to
earn keep for the rest of them or something. Just think of some way
to get those kids back over here. And if that other teen boy can
act like he has some sense, then we'll give him some chores, too. I
don't really want to force them into hard labor, mind you. They
seem under weight enough as it is. I'm just thinking of a way to
get them away from those others. I've been observing them and I
don't like the way they are with those kids. They aren't taking
care of them, and they are just using them for doing the work that
they
should be doing."

Sue is quite sure that her grandfather has
been observing them. It's what he does best, introspective
observation, which is why he was always such a fantastic
doctor.

Derek and Kelly give curt nods and leave to
speak with their unwanted guests. Sue is just hoping that neither
of them shoot the visitors during this discussion. Not all of them
seem so bad to Sue.