Kiamichi Reunion: Book Five of the Kiamichi Survival Series Read online

  Helen parked, then put on her jacket and grabbed her rifle. With two handguns and her knife, she felt ready to get out and stretch her legs a little. Besides, she needed to see what lay ahead, further down the little road.

  Carefully locking the RV and zipping the keys into an inside jacket pocket, she stepped out and listened for several minutes. The only sounds were those of nature: the wind gently rustling through the underbrush, birds chirping, and small animals foraging.

  She silently moved around to the other side of the motorhome, still watching and listening, then crossed into the underbrush on the other side. She moved silently, as she had been taught years ago, and once she was several yards into the woods, turned west to parallel the drive.

  A rabbit darted away, leaping and jumping, and Helen smiled. Maybe I should set those traps after all, she thought. She slowed, noticing that the vegetation around her was thinning out. Maybe I’m near the end of that little road, although it hardly deserves the name. I bet it’s a driveway.

  Slipping quietly to a spot where she could see, Helen saw that she was correct. She could see a large clearing ahead, with what might have been a cabin once. It was built of wood, which had weathered to a dull gray. The roof had collapsed in the middle, and it looked like it had been abandoned long ago. All the windows were broken, and even from a distance, it was obvious that the wood was rotting badly.

  Now, there’s a refuge for spiders and snakes if I ever saw one, but there’s nobody around, and that clearing would be a good place to spend the night.

  She took a deep breath then stepped out into the open. Walking quickly to a window, she peeked in, just to make sure that she was truly alone. There was no glass left in the window, not even shards, and she could see where termites had eaten away at the window frame. In the little room beyond, the roof was touching the floor and there were no furnishings at all, just a thick layer of bird droppings and dust. She could see a couple of nests high in the corners. The cabin looked like it had been empty for decades.

  This is a great spot to spend the night, she thought. I can park with the front of the RV headed out, and be ready to go in the morning, or anytime between now and then, if I need to. I think I’ll eat, then study tomorrow’s route a bit, and try to get to sleep early. The days are really short, and it’s gotten noticeably cooler today.

  She walked back to the motorhome, keeping to the narrow strip of gravel that was the only part of the drive that wasn’t overgrown with weeds. She moved the RV to the clearing, then filled the small tub in the bathroom with water, adding a capful of bleach to it.

  Ah, the lessons I learned from Ernie and Talako! A weak solution of bleach water will get rid of the chiggers. After traipsing through the woods, I bet I’m covered with them. I‘m glad I have a tub of almost-warm water to add a capful to, so I can make sure all the creepy crawlies are dead. She sent a mental “thank you” to Quincy for refilling the water tank for her. I know I’ll have to abandon the RV before long, before I could drink all the water. This bath is a blessing, because I feel like there are a million tiny bugs crawling on me.

  After her bath, she scooped up the clothes she’d been wearing and put them in the water, swishing them around to make sure they were thoroughly wet. Wringing them by hand, she hung them in various spots, knowing they would drip all night and take a day or two to dry. Then she did the same with her jacket. Lewis’s jacket would be too big, but being eaten alive by chiggers wasn’t something she was willing to risk, and she knew they had been in her clothing.

  She chose a packet of freeze-dried potato soup for her meal, heating it on the tiny stove, and ate a Hershey bar for dessert. The propane in the tanks was probably running low, but her time in the RV was limited, so using some for her food was okay. The fuel gauge said she was going to be on foot soon, but still, it would get her further than she and Lewis had planned. She knew that she would never forget the kindness that Damaris and Quincy had shown her and hoped that someday she would get to see them again.

  Chapter Seven

  December 22, Northwestern Mississippi

  Helen turned over, then sat up suddenly and cocked her head. Something, some noise, had awakened her, but she listened intently for a few moments and all she could hear was the sounds of insects and the breeze rustling through the trees.

  She sighed and started to lie back down, but sensed that there was something out there. Sighing again, she swung her feet over the side of the bed and shoved them into her boots. I might as well go check it out, she thought, because I know I won’t be able to sleep until I do.

  She’d made it a habit every evening to put on a fresh set of clothes to sleep in, so she’d be ready to handle any situations that arose without having to scramble around trying to get dressed. She’d parked the RV near the trees and hoped that if whatever had disturbed her sleep was human, the black, brown, and bronze colors of the motorhome would provide enough camouflage to help it blend in.

  The night was dark, mostly due to a few clouds that were currently blocking any moonlight, but she had a feeling that wouldn’t last. Slinging her rifle across her back, then tucking a flashlight into the hip pocket of her jeans and grabbing a handgun, which she kept in her right hand just in case, she quietly opened the door and stepped out without turning on any lights.

  She listened, not moving a muscle for several minutes, then she heard it again, clearer this time. It sounded human, like someone crying.

  Helen crept around the RV, and staying in the shadows of the trees, slipped closer to the house. Yes! That’s someone crying. It seems to be coming from the house, but I checked it. No, wait…I checked one end of it. The roof fell in at the middle, and I only went into this end. I didn’t even think to check the rest, which was careless and stupid of me. I hope whoever is there isn’t going to be a problem.

  While she considered this, the clouds drifted away and the moon, not quite full, gave the area a soft light and deeper shadows. Great. Just what I needed, she mentally groaned. I have to cross that open area, and I’ll be visible the whole way.

  The crying grew louder as Helen drew closer to the end of the house she hadn’t checked. She peeked around the corner, then peered in through a doorway. The door hung like a drunk clinging to a lamppost, the doorframe rotted or eaten away, and only one hinge still fastened to it. Helen stared into the darkness inside the old shack, but couldn’t see anything. She could, however, hear sniffling and whimpering, and it was definitely coming from inside.

  Silently reaching for the flashlight, she switched it on and pointed it at the corner where she thought the sounds were coming from.

  A young woman huddled there, one arm thrown up to shield her eyes from the brightness, her feet scrambling, as though she was trying to scurry through the wall at her back. Red hair cut in a pixie style, pale skin, and huge, terrified eyes formed a picture in Helen’s mind. The girl was scared out her wits, so frightened that Helen couldn’t keep her motherly instincts from taking over.

  “I won’t hurt you, unless you try to hurt me,” she assured the young woman, who looked like she might be in her late teens. “Are you hurt? Where did you come from?”

  The child-woman swallowed hard and simply stared at Helen, suspicion evident in her expression. Helen could almost read the thoughts in the girl’s head, because her emotions showed so clearly on her face. She’s scared, but hopeful that I’ll help her, yet traumatized by something, and she doesn’t trust me, even though she wants to, Helen’s brain told her. The thoughts came rapidly, struggling to keep up with the flickers of feeling that passed over the girl’s face.

  The young woman’s brows lowered, as though she was debating with herself, then her expression became resigned, like she knew she didn’t have many options.

  She licked her lips, cleared her throat, and stuttered, “I’m S-S-Stevie…well, S-Stephanie, but I go by S-Stevie.”

  Helen nodded, encouraging the girl to continue.

  Looking resolute, the girl straighten
ed and added, “Stevie Douglas. I’m from Crystal Springs.”

  Helen gave her a sharp look. “You’re a long way from home, especially traveling on foot.”

  “I didn’t walk the whole way. I rode my brother’s bike, but a tire went flat, so I ditched it and kept going. I needed to get off the roads anyway, so they wouldn’t catch me.”

  “Who is ‘they’ and why are they chasing you?” Helen demanded, glancing out the door as though expecting marauders to appear.

  “I guess I need to start at the beginning and tell you the whole story. We lived on a few acres at the edge of town. It was just my mom, me, and my little brother.” The girl rubbed her forehead, and her eyes took on a glazed stare. “A few days ago, some men who have taken over most of the town came to our house and told my mom to give them all our food and supplies. They said the community had to ‘pool our resources’ so everyone got a fair share, but we knew they meant to keep it for themselves. One of them slapped mom when she refused; he hit her so hard she fell against her desk, then he shook her and threw her on the floor.”

  The crying started again, but quietly this time. Tears streamed down the ashen face, but the girl brushed them angrily away.

  “My little brother, Dylan, jumped on the guy’s back and started pounding on him, but the guy tossed him off and…and…slashed his stomach open with a big knife.”

  It took Stevie a few minutes to be able to continue. “I think that was four days ago, but I’m not sure. I was upstairs, watching them, but staying out of sight like Momma taught me. The men grabbed her and started ripping her clothes off, and I got scared. I opened the little door in the back of my closet and hid in the attic for hours. I heard them down there; I heard them asking ‘where’s that cute daughter of yours?’ I heard my mother’s cries, and the men taking turns raping her and beating her, and I hid! I was a coward, and I didn’t help her,” she sobbed.

  Helen knelt in front of Stevie and grasped her shoulders gently. “You weren’t a coward. What chance did you have to stop them, full-grown men willing to kill? They’d have raped you, too, sweetie. I’m a mother, and I know what your mom was thinking. She was praying that you’d stay hidden and safe. She was glad you weren’t getting beat up, abused, and probably killed. I know she wouldn’t have wanted you to try to save her when there was no way you’d succeed. No mother would blame a daughter for staying out of sight under those circumstances.”

  Stevie stared into Helen’s face. “I just feel like I should have done something, anything, to stop them. I know there was no help for Dylan, but my Momma…I know you’re right, but it doesn’t make me feel better, at least not yet. Maybe someday, but not yet.

  “Anyway, I waited long after Momma stopped screaming. I could hear them in the kitchen, stomping out of the house and back in. I guess they took everything, but I stayed in the attic long after it got quiet. I heard them leave in the old truck they drove around in, but I didn’t come out for hours.

  “Finally, I opened the door just a little and listened, then I tiptoed out and listened again. I took a quick look down the stairs, and I could see that the front door stood open and it looked like a tornado had hit the living room. I didn’t go down the stairs. I was too afraid, and I didn’t want to see…well, I just didn’t want to. I packed a few things in my book bag and waited until it was really dark, then I got the emergency ladder out of my closet and let it down from my window. I climbed down, got Dylan’s bike, and walked it until I was out of sight from town, then I rode a ways, and found a barn to sleep in.

  “After that, I rode from early morning until it got too dark to see. I slept in a shed one night, and outside when there wasn’t a building around. Yesterday, the front tire was flat, so I left the bike and walked. I made it to this place, too tired to keep going another step. Those men knew about me; they’d seen me around town, so I knew I wouldn’t be safe there anymore. I don’t know if they will come after me, but all I could think was that I needed to keep going, to get as far from there as I could.”

  Helen nodded and patted the girl’s arm. “Are you going somewhere in particular, or just running? Do you have family somewhere who could take you in?”

  Stevie started shaking her head before Helen even finished. “My dad worked on an off-shore oil rig. He used to come home every so often, but he and Momma had a fight the last time he was home. It was right before the Collapse started. After that, he didn’t come back. He sent money, but never called or even texted us. I don’t think he planned to ever come back. My grandparents are dead, and all I have is an uncle, but I don’t know where he is. He’s in the Marine Corps and hardly ever around.”

  Helen frowned, thinking hard. She had no idea what the situation was back home in Kanichi Springs, but there was no way she could turn her back on this young woman. They’d have to figure things out as they went, but she knew in her heart that she had to help.

  “I’m going to Oklahoma, Stevie. I’m headed home from Florida to the town where I grew up and where my children live. I don’t know what I’ll find when I get there, but I’m Choctaw Indian, and the area I call home is Choctaw country, so I know I’ll find friends there.

  “It’ll be a tough trip. At some point, we’ll have to cross the Mississippi River, and it won’t be easy. I have food, and I have some skills that have come in handy, and you’ve managed to stay alive for a few days on your own, so if you want, we can team up and travel together.”

  Stevie looked incredulous. “Do you mean it? I can go with you? You’d be willing to help me, even share your food? Why?”

  “Because it’s the right thing to do. Because I believe that things happen for a reason. I’ve been so lonely, I’ve been having conversations with myself. You’re not headed to a specific place, so why not? We could help each other, keep each other company, and it’ll make the trip go faster, I hope. I think that your finding this place right after I found it isn’t a coincidence. Call it God’s will, or fate, or whatever, but somehow, I’m certain that we should stick together.”

  “It’s God. I know it is. I prayed more the past few days than I’ve ever prayed before. I asked God to guide me to a safe place, to keep me safe, and yes, I’ll go with you. I’ll help in any way I can, and we’ll stay together as long as you’ll let me stick around.”

  Chapter Eight

  December 22 - Northwestern Mississippi

  Stevie smiled a little, staring into Helen’s eyes as though she was trying to figure out if what was happening was real. Helen stared back, eyebrows raised, then laughed softly.

  “Come on. Get your pack and let’s go get you settled in.”

  Grabbing a purple backpack from a corner, Stevie grinned. “I’m ready. I can’t thank you enough for this, uh…what’s your name, ma’am?”

  Helen paused before going through the doorway, checking for sounds or movement, then she turned back and whispered, “I’m Helen Vaughn, Stevie. I’m a widow, but I have three grown children in Oklahoma, and lots of friends.

  “Now, let’s be quiet until we get to the motorhome. You need to get in the habit of always really listening for any noises, and you should look around, check for danger, every time before stepping out a door.”

  Stevie nodded, and went still, following Helen’s lead and straining to hear. Helen gestured with her hand, and the two women stepped quietly out, slinking across the open area, then gliding through the shadows to the RV. Helen unlocked the door and Stevie got her first glimpse inside.

  “Wow,” she whispered, looking around in awe. “This is a fancy RV you’ve got. I’ve never been inside one of these before.”

  “Let me show you where you’ll sleep. There’s water, and you can take a quick shower if you don’t mind that it doesn’t stay hot very long. We have to be careful not to use too much water or propane, but there’s enough for tonight. You’ll sleep on the sofa. It folds out, but there’s no need, really. It will work for one person just like it is. Towels are in the cabinet over the toilet. If you need anythin
g, ask. And please, don’t waste water.”

  “Oh, I won’t. I’ll get wet, then turn the water off while I soap up and wash my hair, then turn the water back on when I’m ready to rinse. It doesn’t take much shampoo to wash my hair, either. It’s pretty short.”

  Helen grinned, glad that the girl seemed to be so cooperative. She was looking forward to getting to know her, and hoping that she could teach Stevie about survival in the strange world they were living in.

  “It’s a beautiful color, and the style is cute. How in the world have you managed to keep your hair trimmed? A style like that probably needs to be shaped up at least once a month.”

  Stevie’s smile vanished and her eyes got a faraway look, then she shook it off and answered, “Well, it was easy, since my mom owned a small salon. She cut my hair, and Dylan’s, too.”

  Helen nodded. “It’s almost dawn, and it’s been a tiring day and a restless night, but I’m not sure I can sleep now. How about I make us something to eat while you shower, and we’ll get moving right after we have breakfast?”

  “Sounds good to me,” Stevie replied. “You wouldn’t happen to have some clean clothes I could borrow, would you? I only had room for one change of clothes, and I hate to get clean, then put those dirty clothes back on.”

  Helen went to the bedroom and opened a drawer. She pulled out one of Lewis’s tee shirts that she’d kept, and from another drawer, grabbed a pair of her own jeans and a belt. From yet another drawer, she got a pair of panties out of a package and handed the stack of clothes to Stevie.

  “The shirt will be huge, but you can tie a knot in the bottom. The jeans will be a little big, but the belt will keep them up. I bought some new undies right before the Collapse, and they should be okay, since I bought them with the idea that I’d be losing some weight.”