Chapter 19
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Jasper Collins returned in less than an hour only to roll onto the drive in front of the gift shop and turn around. As quickly as he had come he was again out of sight.
Johnny said, “Trusting guy, huh?”
Mace replied, “Can't say I'd leave my fortune in the hands of strangers.”
“It's a cave. He scared we're gonna steal his bats?”
Jane stepped down from the RV, with Tres following. “OK, what's the plan?”
Tres added, “Anyone else notice that we haven't seen Mr. Rogers and Cam?”
“It has me concerned,” said Mace. “Not much we can do about it though.”
Jane asked again, “Plan?”
“I guess we should think about a thorough recon of the area. Probably wouldn't hurt to have someone up beside the road, identify a way for them to signal us, or a trail for them to run down here with info if anyone is coming in.”
Tres said, “I'd be happy to take first watch. If the job is to just watch and run back, I'm qualified for that.”
“Consider it your mission. Let's go scout the road.”
A short walk had Mace, Jane, Johnny, and Tres standing beside Highway 63, a lightly traveled road. Nothing moved on the blacktop but a slight cool breeze. The previously cloudy sky above had broken clear.
Mace turned toward Tres. “You'll need a jacket. Gonna get cold when that sun sets in about an hour.”
“I've got a sport-coat to go over this one. I wasn't expecting cool weather over in Norfolk.”
Jane said, “I'll hook you up with a good blanket.”
Mace looked up and down the road and then back toward the RV. “I think you could park yourself here beside this building. Should keep you out of the wind if it picks up any. And you have a straight shot down through the trees if needed.”
“If I stay out here closer to the road I can see what's coming better. If I wait over there for anyone to come around that curve, I may not know what we're looking at before I have to run.”
Mace said, “That'll work too.”
Jane pointed. “I don't think we have too much to worry about with anyone coming from behind us. They'd have to hike out of the mountains for that. If we cover this drive, we should be in good shape.”
Johnny looked up the roadway going north before turning the other way. “Other end of this road is a little town named Caldwell. There's a short tunnel where the road goes under the railroad tracks. Only a nine foot clearance. If things get rough, we could block off that tunnel. That would leave the only way in as up through here.”
Tres said, “We could blow it up.”
Johnny laughed. “And how do you propose we do that?”
“We've got all the saltpeter we could want. You familiar with black powder?”
“I'm plenty familiar with black powder. It takes more than saltpeter to make it. Charcoal we can make ourselves, but I'm thinking we might have a shortage of sulfur.”
Mace said, “If we have to make a few runs into the local towns, it would be worth the effort. Never know when it might come in handy.”
Johnny quipped, “You expecting Yankees?”
Jane smacked him on the arm. “Enough with the smartassery. This is serious.”
Johnny held up his hand. “Just trying to lighten the mood. Didn't know the comedy police were out today.”
The comment drew a sharp poke in the ribs.
Mace said, “I think it best we all walk every inch of this property. I want to know where every rock or stump or divot in the ground is. If Jasper Collins allows us to stay, this will become our fortress. We'll need to know how to best defend it.”
The final hour of daylight was spent circling the property. A path was laid out for a perimeter patrol and water sources were identified. Jane pulled an inflatable mattress from the RV trailer, laying it out neatly inside a tent. Johnny began filtering water from a small creek to fill it.
As Tres turned toward his post at the road, he stopped and asked, “Waterbed?”
Jane replied, “Nope. Water storage. We have eight people, we'll be going through a lot of water.”
Tres frowned. “I'm not drinking from that.”
Johnny laughed. “OK, but would you shower from it or flush a toilet with it?”
Tres nodded. “Guess I wasn't thinking that through.”
Jane said, “I don't know about you, but I like to stay clean if possible. That RV tank is good for two short showers. With this we can stretch that to six. I have another air mattress we can make use of also. It's back in the trailer if you want to go get it for me.”
Tres came back with the second mattress. “You do know that whoever sleeps on those is going to be freezing, right?”
“We have enough blankets to throw over them. We should be fine.”
Tres shook his head. “Just saying, when the temperature drops, the temperature of those mattresses will fall with it. I had a waterbed once, and in the winter, in a heated house, I would sometimes freeze my butt off.”
Johnny said, “Well, OK, you're the mechanical genius. Why don't you design a system that allows us to heat the water and circulate it through here.”
Tres smiled as he turned back toward the road. “I'll do just that. It'll give me something to think about while I'm sitting up there.”
Johnny said, “You make it to midnight and I'll come up to relieve you.”
“Deal.”
Mace finished setting up a third tent. “I've been thinking about our defenses. High ground surrounds this place. I don't know that we can defend it well from out here.”
Johnny laughed. “I think the big reason for success for this cave back in the Civil War was that it was relatively hidden. Tres was telling me that Yankee troops camped out right up there one winter while the Rebs were still in the cave.”
“Yeah, well, the Rebs weren't driving a big shiny RV. If we go out traveling this area, we should look for a way to camouflage it. I don't think your bright red tents here are doing us any favors either.”
Johnny stood from a filled mattress. After tossing the hose to one side, the water from his filtration system poured out on the ground.
Mace said, “Are we wasting that?”
“Reverse osmosis. If we wrap a cloth or two around the intake we should be good for quite some time. The system is self cleaning.”
Jane walked to the RV steps. “Vanessa and I will get started on some dinner. I think tomorrow we should take a serious look at our supplies. Decide on what we will be needing more of in the short term.”
Johnny watched her with a smile as she climbed the steps into the RV. “I do love that woman.”
Mace replied, “She's a gold mine.”
“Just wish she appreciated my humor more. Those little fists hurt when she punches.”
“Yeah, well, be happy she's not a constant giggler. I dated one once, and I can tell you it gets old quick. At first I was like, 'Wow, this is great, somebody that gets my jokes.’ A few weeks later I realized she was giggling at everything anybody said. She even laughed when I told her I didn't think we were a good match.”
“Vanessa seems to like you.”
“Yeah, don't think that's a good match either. She's a sweet girl and all, but we don't have anything in common. I don't have an issue with getting down and dirty if the situation calls for it. I don't see her doing much more than stirring a pot or painting her toenails. Maintenance is what I see. Besides, given the situation, I don't think this is the best of times to start a relationship.”
Johnny sat on the end of the trailer. “I don't know, shared experiences are the best things about relationships, and I'm sure we're gonna have a lot of close sharing if this thing continues.”
“Anything else we need out of there tonight?”
Johnny turned his head around to look. “Might throw a couple more of those blankets into the tents.”
“How many can we sleep in the RV?”
“Six is pushing it. When we designed her, we compromised on extra sleeping space to get things the way we wanted them in there.”
“OK, the rest of you can stay in the RV. I'll take a tent where it's less crowded—and where I don't have to listen to your snoring for another night.”
Johnny laughed as he leaned toward Mace. “I'm not the snorer, that's Jane. But don't say I said anything. She would kill me if she found out I ratted her out. She's like a buzz saw sometimes.”
“You really are a bad liar, you know that? I know for a fact that was you snoring. I actually got up last night and walked over to see if I could get you to stop. You were this close to receiving a gut punch.”
Johnny shrugged, trying to restrain the grin on his face. “Nope. You must have been sleepwalking. When I sleep, I'm like a little mouse deer staying quiet so the mountain lions don't find me.”
Mace shook his head as they stepped up into the RV. “You are about as far from a mouse deer as anyone could get.”
Jane said, “What are you boys talking about?”
“Deer hunting,” Johnny replied quickly. “Should be good in this area.”
Jane turned a piece of meat on the gas grill burner in the RV kitchen. “I'm portioning out four ounces of steak for each of us. We'll be needing to keep up with our protein intake. Mace, you ever gutted and cleaned a deer?”
Mace shook his head as he glanced over at Johnny. “Never shot one.”
Johnny pointed to himself. “Well don't look at me. I have a hard time killing a fish.”
“Wow. Didn't know I was going on survival with a bunch of wimps. You know, we can only get our nutrition out of a box or a can for just so long. You two are gonna have to man-up if we're gonna make it out here.”
Johnny frowned in jest. “Such a harsh taskmaster. Tell you what. You shoot a deer, we'll figure out how to clean it.”
Vanessa said, “If you need help with it, I know the basics.”
Johnny chuckled. “You? You're telling me Miss Priss has killed and cleaned a deer? I thought you were a big animal rights person?”
Vanessa pulled a tray of biscuits from the small RV oven. “My father was a hunter. Insisted that I go with him and insisted that I help gut the deer we brought back. I never shot one. Could have, but missed on purpose. Anyway, it's been a long time, but I know how.”
Johnny replied, “Huh. Never would have taken our little forest nymph for a butcher. You just never know about some people.”
“I quit going with him in high school. I've been pro-animal ever since. And before you say anything, Johnny, I am a realist. I don't have any desire to shoot any of the little forest animals, but I will if I have to eat.”
“I thought you had never shot a gun.”
“A handgun. Plenty of rifles, but not for a long time.”
The meal consisted of rice, beans, the small steak portions, and biscuits with honey. Before they sat to eat, Vanessa prepared an extra plate.
Carrying her food and the spare, Vanessa headed for the door. “I'll run this out to Tres. Go ahead and eat without me.”
Johnny leaned in. “See, you're missing your chance, bro. Tres is already working on your woman.”
Jane asked, “What are you two whispering about?”
Johnny cleared his throat. “Just saying what a sweet girl she is.”
Jane returned a suspicious eye.
Mace turned toward Tonya. “How's the shoulder?”
“Better. If I don't move, it just has a dull ache. I just wanted to say thank you to all of you. I just—”
Mace held up his hand. “You've already thanked us enough. Tell us something about yourself. You have any hobbies, play sports? Draw?”
“I was on the swim team out in Montana.”
Jane jumped in. “I swam in college! I miss it, but I don't miss the early morning practice. We had to swim for an hour every morning before school.”
Tonya frowned. “Left a lot of friends back there. Only thing I've done for the last three months is tend to our chickens.”
Johnny took a bite of his steak, consuming half of his portion at once. “We could use some chickens around here. I could build a coop and a fence. You could be our chicken tender.”
Johnny laughed to himself.
Tonya asked, “What's so funny?”
“I said chicken tender. Kind of made me hungry for a whole basket of them with some honey-mustard sauce. Pop a top on a Mangrove Dark, now we’re talking about a good meal.”
Jane sighed. “You have two cases of beer in the trailer and a half dozen in the fridge. If you get started on those, what are you going to do for beer tomorrow?”
“Hey now. I don't drink that much. Besides, what do you expect? I weigh three hundred pounds.”
Mace asked Tonya, “Were you a good swimmer?”
“Came in second a lot. My best friend was like this swimming machine. She would beat me by eight lengths in the hundred meter. The colleges were all recruiting her.”
After consuming most of a biscuit, Johnny asked, “You have any college aspirations? Any career you thought you might want to pursue once you were out of high school?”
“I don't know, maybe something in the medical field. A nurse or even a doctor maybe.”
Jane said, “Either one of those is a good choice for a profession. Nurses or doctors can work anywhere. You don't get squeamish from shots or getting blood drawn, do you?”
Tonya shook her head. “No. My friends said I was weird for it, but I liked going to the doctor. My doctor always made the visits interesting, explaining the cases she had seen since the last time I saw her. I think she loved her job and was happy to have somebody who was interested in hearing her talk about it.”
Johnny laughed. “OK, you can be our chicken tender / doctor. How does that sound?”
Tonya half frowned. “I've had my fill of chickens.”
The door to the RV opened. Tres came up the steps breathing heavily.
“Car coming up the road. It's turning in.”
They scrambled for their weapons. Mace sprinted across the lot to a position he had identified beside the gift shop building. Johnny and Jane headed for a mass of trees while Tres pulled Vanessa into the RV, closing the door and assuming command.
The car pulled slowly up in front of the gift shop before coming to a stop. The engine continued to run for almost a full minute before shutting off. Jasper Collins emerged from the driver’s seat.
Mace stood. “Jasper. We were wondering if you were coming back tonight. That's a different car.”
The old man waddled around to the back of the new car, popping the trunk before holding out his keys. “Do an old man a favor and go unlock that door.”
Mace took the keys, hopped up the three steps and twisted the key in the lock. The door to the gift shop creaked open.
Jasper waddled up the steps, carrying a small crate.
Mace asked, “What you got? Can I help?”
Johnny and Jane joined them.
“Two more boxes in the trunk. You could bring them in.”
As they climbed the stairs, light from a battery lantern dimly lit the gift shop.
Johnny looked into the box he carried as he set it on the counter. “Liquor?”
Jane said, “Oh my gosh. Your eye? Were you in a fight?”
Jasper nodded. “Yep. Got home and my grand-nephews were in my liquor. We squabbled, one of them punched me.”
Jasper held up his right hand. His knuckles were bruised, with one bleeding.
Johnny said, “You fought back?”
“Punched my nephew Charley in the nose. He went down like a sack of potatoes. Brent came at me. I swung at him and missed. Hit the wall. He backed off, collected his cousin and left. I didn't think it was a good idea to stick around.”
Jane said, “Your family attacked you in your own home? That's awful.”
Jasper waved his hand. “Not my home. Belongs to my sister and her husband. Anyway, they'll be OK tomorrow. Th
ey had a bottle half empty and was just being teenagers.”
Jane asked, “Where are their parents?”
“At their home up in Lewisburg. I rent from my sister. Anyway, they was just being kids.”
Jane turned to Johnny. “Go bring me that little medical kit.”
As Johnny stood, Jasper said, “Now hold on, you don't have to do that. I'm fine.”
Jane insisted. “Bring me the kit please.”
Johnny looked at Jasper. “Sorry, I gotta do what she says.”
Jane asked, “You aren't planning on staying in here tonight, are you?”
Jasper looked toward the back. “I got a padded chair back there. I'll be alright.”
Jane shook her head. “Nope. We've got a bed you can sleep on. Johnny and I can sleep in the spare tent tonight. I'll let Tonya and Vanessa have our room and you can sleep in the cabin with Tres. Plenty of room.”
Jane stood. “Now, have you had any dinner?”
Jasper returned a sheepish grin. “No.”
Jane took his arm. “Come on. We have a little extra.”
Johnny hopped up the steps with the medical kit as they came through the door.
Jane pointed, “We're feeding him and he's going to stay in the RV tonight.”
Johnny turned around. “OK.”
As they walked, Mace moved up close to his three hundred pound friend. “No seconds for Johnny tonight.”
Johnny whispered back, “I was already told that earlier. This survival stuff ain't quite the fun and adventure I thought it would be.”