Chapter Sixty-One: Taking a Break to Live
"What happened to her?" Colt asked Comanche a short time after the Indian had returned. Jedidiah and Rachel were preparing the prairie dogs that Comanche had managed to get and Evangeline was busy trying to comfort Ox and Susette the best she could.
"She was alone with no one to watch her back. She was bitten and already changed when I found her. There was a cow nearby. I tried to catch it but it ran off and I did not want to waste time taking chase."
Colt cursed under his breath and paced a few steps away only to pace back again. "Did you take care of it—Katherine I mean?"
"Yes."
Colt slumped down on a rock and stared out over the lake. Damn this! They were all going to die. That fact settled down on Colt like a dark cloud. Quickly he shoved himself to his feet and strode back to camp. He grabbed Jedidiah's arm, ignoring the shocked gasps from Rachel and dragged the old man over to the lake where Comanche still stood.
"Well, Colt, if you wanted ya some alone time with me all ya had to do was ask." Jedidiah said, forcing a smile.
"Now is not the time for your jokes, old man." Colt warned. Jedidiah's mouth slammed closed. "Now, you have some serious explaining to do. Why the hell are my people dropping like flies without a warning from my great prophet? I mean, shit, I got two brain-addled crazies who claim to see visions and none of you saw a suicide, a head beneath a cart wheel or Katherine leaving... what good are you?"
"No damn good." Jedidiah offered in response. Colt felt his fist twitch and barely controlled the urge to rearrange the man's crooked and broken teeth.
"Jedidiah, I'm serious. You told me Rachel was going to die but you never said nothing about all these other people—and Rachel is still alive!"
Jedidiah sighed sadly as he sat down on the rock. Colt noticed that Comanche seemed surprised by the revelation but Colt was damn tired of being saddled with the load himself and he damn sure couldn't share this one with Evangeline. He trusted Comanche.
"Colt, I wish I could give you a clear idea of what your journey will hold but I can't. That has always been the greatest curse of my gift. I have no control over what I see or when. Perhaps Rachel was supposed to die back in the town when she and I were attacked and I saved her life. There will be more death, Colt. I don't know who and I don't know when and I don't know where but the rabid have not taken their last victim."
Colt swallowed hard and looked up at the sun. "Are any of us going to make it, Jedidiah? Is there some great promised land or was this all some damn joke from the Big Man upstairs to keep us running?"
Colt wanted Jedidiah to assure him there was a purpose to all of this—that there was some great cure or sickness free land waiting on them. Colt wanted to hear that he wasn't leading what was left of their dwindling group on a pointless quest to nowhere—the old man did none of that.
"I don't know." Was Jedidiah's only response. "I thought I was sure before but now—I don't know."
"I have heard it said that the destination is not the thing," Comanche spoke up. "The thing is the journey; the trip you take."
"So enjoy what life is left and quit racing to get somewhere that is really nowhere, is that what you're saying?" Colt asked, a dull ache beginning to build behind his temple.
"You're the leader, Colt." Jedidiah informed him as if he didn't already know. "We'll do whatever you say."
"What about Susette's vision? The whole reason we're heading to where we're heading?" Colt added with a frown.
"She's young." Jedidiah replied with a shrug. "Her visions are even less reliable and dependable than mine. I need time to work with her; time to help her understand them. And I think it will be some time before she feels well enough to work on meditating."
Colt nodded and headed to his saddlebags. He searched through them until he found the map that he'd planned their trip by. Colt had been working hard to keep up with their steps and paces so he could mark their progress on the map each night.
"What are you doing?" Evangeline asked as she came up behind him.
Colt glanced over his shoulder and saw Ox and Susette walking toward the lake together. "They okay?"
"No." Evangeline whispered, swiping at her wet cheeks.
Colt sighed and laid a gentle hand on her cheek. "I didn't think so. And I'm taking out the map because I need to check something."
Colt spread the map out and studied it carefully. He wasn't sure how long he stared down at the wrinkled bit of parchment but when he looked up he realized that the group was gathered around him and watching him expectantly.
He stood up straight, folded the map and looked at them all in turn. "Yesterday Katherine said that I'm leading you all with some kind of false hope—some dream that we'll get somewhere new and things there will be just fine and untouched," Colt rubbed at his chin which was once again sporting a rather impressive amount of stubbly beard. "I apologize if that's the case. There is no untouched land and I'm not fool enough to believe that there is. Truth is I'm just as damn confused and scared by this new world as the rest of you.
"All I know is that there are eight of us left and I'm going to do the best I can to make sure we live as long as possible. I think what we all need after the last few weeks is a good long break. If we leave at daybreak and head southeast for about three days there should be a town there... I've been to it before."
"But what about California?" Rachel questioned.
"Me and Susette are gonna talk about that just as soon as she's feeling up to it." Jedidiah assured the woman. "We're not giving up on our plans, Rachel, we're just taking a break."
"We're taking a break to do what?" Evangeline asked Colt and he looked into her deep green eyes, praying she would see how much he loved her.
"To live, Evangeline. We're taking a break to live."
***
Evangeline nearly cried out with relief when the town Colt had been leading them to for nearly three full days came into view. She had no idea how the man seemed to know exactly where he was going out here in the middle of nowhere but she was thankful for it. She supposed all those years he'd spent on horseback running from the law were coming in handy now.
"There's no rabid." Ox stated bluntly from the cart where he sat with the reins held loosely in his hands.
"That's strange." Colt admitted. "Y'all stay here. I'm gonna have a look around." He motioned for Evangeline get down from the brown mare. Silas's mule was hooked to the cart and the only other horses available to ride were Comanche's Paint and this brown mare. The Paint would not allow any rider other than Comanche on his back and so the rest of the group had been taking turns riding the brown mare or driving the cart.
No one was allowed to ride in the back of the cart because Colt said it was too hard on the mule. Evangeline had noticed that in true Colt fashion, the man had not ridden more than two or three times in the last three days. Instead he chose to walk and allow everyone else the rest that he so desperately needed as well.
She was going to make sure he rested well tonight; even if she had to tie him to the bed to get it done.
Evangeline hopped down from the mare, hanging onto the saddle horn for a moment as the blood flow returned to her legs. "I'd rather you didn't go alone." She admitted.
"I'll be just fine." Colt assured her. He stooped closer to allow his lips to brush her ear. "No point in more than one of us being in harm's way."
Evangeline wanted to scream at him that she didn't want him in harm's way either but knew there was no point. Colt was going to do what Colt was going to do and Evangeline had learned the hard way over the months to pick her battles carefully.
Without waiting for her to reply Colt swung himself into the saddle and motioned at Comanche. "Keep your eyes peeled," he warned. "And everybody else get in the back of the cart until I give the all clear. If I don't give the all clear and I come high tailing it back here then you need to be ready to high tail it as well."
With those parting words Colt rode off toward town leaving Evangeline to sit, wait and pray that today wasn't the day she was going to lose him.
***
As Colt rode slowly down on the main streets of this rather large town he felt as if he had stepped into a time machine and gone back to this same time last year. He had been in this town once nearly ten years before and it had grown some since then but other than that it appeared untouched.
Up until now every place they had gone had been full of death and destruction. Boarded windows, broken doors, dead animals and people alike littering the streets—none of those things were here.
The streets were tidy, the buildings clean and orderly, the windows shining in the sunlight and curtains blowing in the light breeze—what the hell was going on?
It was silent and not a single other live soul, rabid or otherwise, was stirring as he rode further into town.
He pulled up on the reins and stopped the mare in her tracks when a sight met his eyes that had shivers running down his spine.
Flowers.
Perfectly groomed and trimmed flowers were growing in several boxes in front of a tidy yellow house with red checkered curtains and a bright white door. "Hello the house!" Colt called out, feeling a million kinds of a fool as he did so.
He wasn't sure what he wanted to have happen. Did he want an actual living breathing person to respond or was he hoping for a rabid to leap out of nowhere and need killing? He glanced back toward where he'd left the group and could see them waiting expectantly for him in the distance.
His attention went back to the yellow house when the door was suddenly thrown open and Colt found himself staring at a giant of a man nearly the same size as Ox only a hundred pounds softer around his middle. The man had wild hair so golden it was nearly white, thin-rimmed glasses and a smile that seemed just a bit too happy.
"Hello there!" the man called back as he pulled off the white doctor's coat he'd been wearing and tossed it over the banister of the porch. "Not very often we get newcomers here anymore. My name is Doctor Harris. What is your name sir?"
The man held out his hand and Colt slowly dismounted the mare and stepped forward, placing his hand in the doctor's. "Colt."
Doctor Harris waved his hand around as his smile broadened yet more on his full face. "Welcome to Bathton, Colt."
Colt took a step back so he wouldn't have to look up to see the other man's face clearly. "Uh—thanks.' Colt mumbled in response. "I was here once before about ten years ago.... It was a bit busier then."
"Yes sadly the current turn of events has put a damper on our population. But there are still folks here, they just don't leave their homes often and I'm sure you can understand why."
"Right. And they keep up on their landscaping?"
"That would be my wife, Judith. She never could stand to see a dirty porch or an unkempt flower bed. Some habits die hard I suppose."
Colt wasn't sure what to make of this man. He didn't seem dangerous; maybe a little odd but then again most folks were nowadays. "My friends and I need a place to stay, Doctor. We've been traveling a long damn time and we're mighty tired."
Doctor Harris clapped his hands and rubbed them together excitedly. "Of course! We've got plenty of room here. Why the hotel over there has a bathhouse, stocked kitchen and cellar, dining hall, plenty of bedrooms and a smokehouse out back with a stable right next door for your horses. You're all welcome to it."
"Uh.. Doctor, where are the rabid?"
"Rabid?" the doctor asked with a frown.
"Yeah—you know the cannibal people that are eating other people's faces off?"
Something flickered in the doctors eyes. Temper? Indignation? Colt wasn't sure and didn't care. "The sick people you mean? They are gone. I take care of them as they come through here. Those of us that are left here are just fine."
"What about supplies? Are there supplies here?"
"Plenty! This town was booming and then the sickness hit." Just like that the doctor seemed cheerful yet again. Colt wasn't much for cheerful people. It was one thing to be calm and happy but cheerful and bubbly just weren't character traits he admired in a person.
"It's just seven of us. We'll do what we can to pull our weight around here and help the town." Colt assured the doctor.
The other man just smiled more and Colt felt unease wash over him. Damn but he really didn't like this man. "I'm sure you will do just that." Doctor Harris replied. "Now go get your friends and settle on in over there at the hotel. You look plumb beat."
"Thank you, doctor. I reckon we are." Colt replied with a tip of his hat. He slid back up in the saddle as the doctor looked down the street and waved at the group. Colt saw that no one waved back other than Ox and it made him chuckle. Good ol' Ox could always be counted on to be polite.
"And you're sure the hotel is rabid free?" Colt questioned.
"Cross my heart. There are no sick people in the hotel." Doctor Harris promised. "I have to get back in to Judith now. Y'all enjoy your stay here in Bathton, Colt. The folks keep to themselves so it would probably be best for y'all to do the same. If you need anything just come on back down here and I'll see what I can do to help you out."
"Alright then." Colt clicked his tongue and edged the mare to the side. "Thanks Doctor." Colt rode down the street to the massive hotel and glanced at the board free windows and doors. No offense to the good doctor but Colt was going to check that place out himself before he had his family stepping foot in it. It looked like one hell of a normal hotel and these days normal was enough to make a man's skin crawl.