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Post by papaof2 on Mar 27, 2018 12:35:07 GMT -6
Considering the circumstances, Paul won't be in the "never worry again" state but he seems to have a useful support network.
But what does our accountant have hidden in that other set of ledgers - the set that Bobby was hiding in?
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Post by accountant on Mar 27, 2018 15:17:41 GMT -6
papaof2, as an accountant I've always tried to be as efficient as possible. This goes for my writing as well. No character gets written without some purpose. They are there either to help or hinder our Odysseus in his quest. Take that as a hint as to what Paul's future might hold. A. ps. We made it to page 5...WOOOHOOO!!!!
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Post by 2medicinewoman on Mar 27, 2018 17:46:22 GMT -6
Very good story! No one really can post how someone is going to feel, cope or act in these type of situations. Most of us have had bad times but, losing your whole family, your home and your spirit will make you a different person. Seems Paul is trying to come around. He is tougher than he knows.
Keep it going. I am a groupie now.
2med
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Post by 2t2crash on Apr 1, 2018 22:35:07 GMT -6
Okay, I'm hooked. MOAR! 😀
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Post by texican on Apr 2, 2018 16:09:24 GMT -6
A,
The Moar Hounds are getting hungry and will hungrily devour another chapter....
Texican....
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Post by accountant on Apr 3, 2018 14:26:18 GMT -6
Chapter 35
Over the next few days, Paul rested in the bedroom of the farmhouse. Thanks to the medication provided by Chad, he slept and allowed his body to heal. Sometimes when he woke, Carol would be there and other time she would not. If she was there when he woke up, she would feed him soup with buttered bread and sit with him.
Gradually, the pain in his head subsided and he was able to walk to the window and look out on the farm. It was not a large farm by any means, but it appeared to be enough to raise a few dozen head of cattle. There was a large barn, a small shop, a silo, a large grazing field with a pond, a smaller fenced in field for growing some kind of crops, a well, a vegetable garden, and a hen house. In the distance, Paul could see that there were similar farms adjacent to the one he was on. He was amazed to think that in the middle of all the chaos that was happening around them, this place seemed to be going along as if nothing had happened.
During the course of his convalescence, Paul also had many visitors. It seemed that everyone wanted to meet the man who took on a pack of wild dogs with only a bottle of hot sauce and even managed to keep one as a pet. Being a private person, he had always felt uncomfortable talking about himself, so he let Carol tell the stories as much as possible, speaking only when asked direct questions.
One of the first visits was from an older couple, Sam’s parents, Wendy and Albert Dixon. Albert had been a structural engineer and had done quite well in his profession. Wendy had been a high school science teacher with a passion for teaching. While they was working, they had made some wise investments and saved a lot as well. When it came time for Wendy to retire, rather than buy a condo in Florida and take cruises around the world, they decided to invest their nest egg in the farm. With both of them receiving regular pensions from their former employers and selling the milk from their dairy cattle, they were content with their day to day lives until the day. “I want to thank you for what you did for Sam and Pam”, said Wendy after shaking Paul’s hand and taking a seat on the chair, “We don’t know what we would have done if they hadn’t showed up when they did. Our other son, Jeremy, is stationed in Afghanistan and we don’t know what happened to him. We just pray that he is safe. We are just so grateful to God that Sam and Pam were able to come.”
Paul just nodded. “Grateful to God?”, he thought to himself, “For what? For this? For possible not being able to see their son ever again?”
“We know you’ve both had a rough time and we are truly sorry that you have both lost your families. From what Sam and Pam had told us, they were all fine folks and we genuinely feel your pain. God has taken them to a better place with Him. And He has brought you here to us. It is all part of His divine plan and over time we hope that you can consider us as your family.”, said Albert, standing behind Wendy.
“Thank you. We appreciate that and everything you have done for us.”, said Carol.
“Can you tell me a little about your farm?”, said Paul, wanting to change the subject.
Wendy’s face lit up with the question.
“We purchased this property after we retired, mainly as a way to keep active. We have thirty dairy cows and ten heads of angus beef. Before we lost power, the farm almost ran itself. The milking machines were used on the cows twice a day and we sold the milk. We didn’t want to keep them penned up in the barn so we let them graze in the field during the day. We wanted to keep everything organic as much possible so we didn’t use anything to boost milk production or antibiotics. Unfortunately, with the power no longer working, we have to milk the cows by hand now so it is a lot more effort. Thankfully, we have more people to help with the farm work now. We have a vegetable garden where we grow potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and other vegetable, and a field where we planted corn from heirloom seeds, not the genetically modified seeds that you have to keep buying season after season. The corn isn’t as big as the GMO type, but it works for us. We were using the corn to supplement the cattle feed and the rest we would have ground down for corn flour. We also have a hen house that we can get eggs from.”, she said proudly.
“That’s great. You seem to be quite self-sufficient. You’re doing better than a lot of other people right now. Is there anything you need help with?”, asked Paul.
Albert and Wendy looked at each other and appeared to be having a silent conversation that only a couple who have been together for a long time could have.
Finally, as if by a silent consensus, Albert said, “Oh, it’s nothing for you to worry about. You just get better.”
“Please, “, said Paul, “If you are having problems, maybe I can help.”
“Well, it’s not a worry right now, but we are concerned about a few things. When we bought the place, we installed a large propane tank for the house. We used that for heating, cooking, and hot water in the house and for the barn since the natural gas lines don’t come out this far. Since the day, we haven’t been able to get it re-filled and we are worried about it running out once winter comes.”, said Albert, shyly.
Paul smiled. Finally, there was something he could do to repay the couple.
“I think I may have a solution for you that just might work. What do you do with the manure generated by your cattle?”, he asked.
“Right now, we store it behind the barn for use as fertilizer on the fields when we need it.”, said Albert.
“In some third world countries, poor villagers would take cow manure and shape them into cakes. They would then put them in the sun or on the side of their homes to dry out. Once dry, they would take these cakes, crack them apart, and put them into their outdoor clay ovens as fuel. The methane is trapped in the manure and is released once it is lit. We can build outdoor cooking areas and use the manure as fuel to cook and boil water. It’s clean burning and doesn’t create a lot of smoke. We can also build a similar oven in the barn to keep the animals warm during the winter. We just need to make sure the barn is properly ventilated. As long as you have cattle, you will always have a natural supply of fuel. This way you can save your propane for heating the house during the winter.”, explained Paul.
“And we can use the ashes in the fields as fertilizer since the phosphorous and potassium content in the ashes is relatively high. By mixing the ashes with cow urine, which is rich in nitrogen, we would have an excellent source of fertilizer.”, said Wendy, realizing the science behind the solution.
“And since the cows won’t stop generating manure as long as they are being fed, you can use those manure fuel cakes to trade for other necessities you might need once a barter system gets put into place. Other people will need fuel for cooking over the winter and will gladly trade for warmth. It will also keep you from having to cut down trees and wait for the wood to age before you can use it.”, added Paul.
“I don’t know what to say. With so many people to take care of, this was one of our main worries. Now I know that there was a reason why God sent you to us.”, said Albert, smiling.
“Yeah”, thought Paul to himself, “God destroyed my life and killed my family so that I could tell you about cow shit cakes.”
“I’m glad I could help.”, he said to Albert, “When I’m feeling a little better, I’d love to take a walk around your farm to see if there is anything else I can help with.”
“Whenever you’re ready, I’d love to take you around.”, said Albert as Wendy got up from her seat.
“We’ll leave you to rest now.”, said Wendy, “If you are feeling up to it you should come down for dinner later. I know being cooped up here in this room can be dreadful.”
“That would be wonderful. Thank you for the invitation.”, replied Paul.
Wendy and Albert walked out of the room leaving Carol and Paul to themselves.
“That was very nice of you.”, said Carol.
“I’m just trying to earn our keep. I noticed that you weren’t here sometimes when I wake up.”
“Well, now that you are on the mend, I thought I would help out as much as I could. Plus it gave me a chance to take a shower and get cleaned up.”
“By the way, in case I haven’t said so, thank you for changing my bandages while I’ve been out of it.”
“Chad showed me what to do and what to look for to make sure you’re healing properly.”
“He seems nice. I’m glad they have a doctor here on the farm.”
“He’s not just a doctor, he’s a veterinarian. On a farm, he can keep the animals and the people healthy and that’s really needed now.”
“You seem to like him.”
“Yeah, he’s okay.”
“Do you like it here? I mean, could you live here?”
“The people are nice. There’s food. It appears to be safe, so, yeah, I think we could live here, you know, after.”
Paul closed his eyes. His mind was busy analyzing the data he had just absorbed and performing calculations.
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Post by papaof2 on Apr 3, 2018 15:13:30 GMT -6
Knowing how to use EVERYTHING is a part of living close to nature. I'm sure there are some who never want to get close enough to be burning cow patties ;-)
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Post by 9idrr on Apr 3, 2018 20:53:57 GMT -6
Knowing how to use EVERYTHING is a part of living close to nature. I'm sure there are some who never want to get close enough to be burning cow patties ;-) Yeah, but if that's the case, you hope for the good fortune of havin' lots of cow patties.
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Post by solo on Apr 4, 2018 9:06:18 GMT -6
Knowing how to use EVERYTHING is a part of living close to nature. I'm sure there are some who never want to get close enough to be burning cow patties ;-) Isn't this the truth. Most don't really realize how rich they really are if the are throwing away useful materials.... I hated shoveling out the chicken coop as a kid, but now realized how much we saved on fertilizer and probably vastly improved the quality of the soil, safely, which provided us with produce that actually had taste. Never had such a good tasting BLT since....
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Post by 2t2crash on Apr 4, 2018 9:14:08 GMT -6
Im hooked, I love it.
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Post by accountant on Apr 4, 2018 13:10:44 GMT -6
Chapter 36
Later that evening Carol and Paul went down to the dining room for dinner. They had found some clothes for Paul to wear and he was finally out of those pyjamas and slippers. He had on a t-shirt with a flannel shirt on top, a pair of his old jeans, and a pair of hiking boots that turned up from somewhere.
Sam and Pam were busy setting the table for dinner when Carol and Paul came down. Sitting at the table were Wendy, Albert, Chad, and, Sally and Chris Erickson. Chris was married to Sally, Sam’s cousin. Rex had found his way into the house and was, as always, by Carol’s side. Animals normally weren’t allowed inside the house, but Rex seemed to have received special dispensation.
Albert said grace and the family dug into the meal. It consisted of roasted chicken with gravy, cornbread, corn, and mashed potatoes. Paul ate with gusto. It had been a long time since he had eaten a good meal and even longer since he had eaten meat. Rex had been busy during the meal eating the crumbs that fell on the floor as well as some bits of chicken, which had been slipped to him by several of the diners.
After dinner, coffee was served and Albert invited Paul to come out to sit on the front porch with his cup. Sitting down on the cushioned rocking chair, Paul felt good. He had a full belly, his head wasn’t hurting, and the soreness in his body was decreasing. The evening spring air still had a nip in it but the coffee helped to offset the chill.
“You’ve got a nice set up here.”, he said to Albert, “But I thought I saw more people working on the farm earlier today than just the folks at dinner.”
“Oh yes. We get help from a few of the neighbouring farms. Jake Winters owns the horse farm next to ours on the north, Allen Crawford and his family have the farm to the west of us where they were growing soybean, then there’s the Wilson farm to the east, and the Oliver farm next to the Winters place. Between all of us, we have put together somewhat of a mutual aid group. All of us help with the upkeep on all the farms, security rotations, and generally looking out for each other.”, explained Albert.
“That explains a lot. It’s good to have neighbours working together, especially now.”, said Paul, “How did Chad get into the mix?”
“Chad is from Peterborough originally but was in his final year at the Guelph Agricultural College studying animal husbandry. He’s got the strangest story. He was a constitutional lawyer working for the federal government in Ottawa when one day he just felt like he needed to do more to help others. He liked working on his Grampa’s farm and decided that he would become a farmer. He quit his job and enrolled at the college. He was in his last work term at the Johnson vet clinic just south of here when everything fell apart. He took what he could and wound up here.”, said Albert sipping his coffee.
“No family in the area?”, asked Paul.
“Nope. He was married when he was in Ottawa, but they divorced. She took the house and could very well still be there.”, said Albert.
The two men sat quietly, enjoying their coffees while watching the sun setting on the horizon. After a while, they saw two men coming up the driveway on horseback. They both had assault rifles strapped to their backs and Glocks on their hips.
“Hi Albert.”, called one of the men.
“Hi Mark.”, Albert called back.
The two men dismounted and tied their horses to the railing of the porch. They climbed the steps of the porch and the older of the two shook hands with Albert before Albert introduced them to Paul.
“Paul, this is Mark Winters, and I think you have already met his brother, Bobby. Would you boys like some coffee?”, said Albert.
“We would love some, thanks very much Albert.”, said Mark as he shook Paul’s hand.
Albert went into the house as the three others stood on the porch.
“We just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing.”, said Mark to Paul.
“I’m much better than I was. I’ll be alright. Thanks for asking.”, said Paul, “That’s some pretty heavy hardware you have there.”, motioning towards the rifles the two men were carrying.
“Yeah, it’s the standard police Colt C8. I was with the Guelph police department and after everything went down, a bunch of us decided to raid the police armory before the gangs could get to it. I took as much as could carry along with ammo and brought it up here with my family. I figured it would be better used here protecting the people than the gangs using it to terrorize them.”, said Mark as Albert came back with two steaming cups of coffee.
“How were things in Guelph before you left?”, asked Paul.
“It was okay at first. People really didn’t know what was happening. They just thought everything would be fine in a few days. People were barbequing and just relaxing like it was a long weekend. When they realized that things weren’t going to be fixed, there was looting and rampaging. Too many people were out on the streets, the police couldn’t handle them all. I knew it was going to get bad so that’s when I decide to leave. At least I had Dad’s farm to come back to. Some of the other guys were just sheltering in place hoping it would all blow over.”, said Mark, solemnly.
“It’s bad all over.”, is all Paul could say.
Bobby had been standing there on the porch with a stressed look on his face while Mark was talking. Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer and spoke.
“I was told to come down here and say sorry to you for what I did. But, truth be told, I’m not sorry. I did what I had to do. I was doing what I did to keep the rest of us safe. I didn’t know you and didn’t know if there was a gang coming up behind you. I’m okay with what I did and I’d do it again to keep these people safe.”, he spat out.
“Bobby, we talked about this..”, started Mark.
“No, that’s okay, Mark. I’m glad that Bobby was able to explain to me why he did what he did.”, said Paul to Mark.
Turning to Bobby, Paul said, “Okay. I understand your think, but let me ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure, go ahead. I ain’t got nothing to hide.”, replied Bobby, defiantly.
“Okay, so when you saw Carol and I, what did you think?”, asked Paul.
“I saw a couple of people walking down the road in the middle of the night. I thought you two were scouts for a larger group who would want to take what was ours.”, said Bobby.
“Fair enough. Do you remember the first thing you did when Carol and I were on our knees with our hands behind our backs?”, asked Paul.
“Yep, I had both of you separated so you couldn’t give each other secret signals.”, said Bobby.
“Yes, yes you did. Then what did you do?”, asked Paul.
“Then I started questioning you. I had to make sure there wasn’t a bigger group we needed to be careful of.”, said Bobby.
“That’s when you started to hit me, yeah?”, said Paul.
“That’s right. That’s when I started hitting you.”, said Bobby.
“How long did you beat on me before I blacked out.”, asked Paul.
“It couldn’t have been more than three minutes.”, said Bobby.
“Did it work?”, asked Paul.
“Did what work?”, asked Bobby.
“Did beating me give you the information that you needed about the supposed group?”, asked Paul.
“What are you talking about? There was no group!”, said Bobby loudly, becoming agitated.
“Okay. Let’s say there was a larger group and we were the scouts. How far behind us do you think a larger group would have been? An hour, two hours, half a day?”, asked Paul, calmly.
“I don’t know, maybe a couple of hours. How am I supposed to know?”, snapped Bobby.
“Okay, let’s say the larger group was a couple of hours away. If I was blacked out in three minutes, how were you going to get the information about the group? If you asked Carol and she told you, how would be able to check her story? The only other person with her was me, and I was already unconscious.”, said Paul.
“What’s your point?”, said Bobby.
“My point is that, and I’m sure Mark will be able to back me up on this, when you are questioning someone, you can’t just beat on them. You need to keep them secure, in a safe place, get them talking and check their story against what others with them are saying. At the same time, you want the road cleared and extra sentries put up to watch for anything suspicious from the way they came. The most important thing is to keep everyone safe, including the people you are questioning. They might slip up and give you some information that would be the difference between life and death for your people. If they are unconscious, you get nothing and you wouldn’t know anything about the larger group. I know you thought you were doing the right thing. I honestly do.”, said Paul in his most compassionate voice.
“Okay. I’m sorry. I see your point. I’ll do better next time.”, said Bobby, finally understanding.
“Okay. That’s all we can hope for.”, said Paul as he held out his hand.
Bobby took his hand and shook it, understanding that Paul was just trying to help.
“I don’t get you.”, he said to Paul, “I almost killed you. Why didn’t you try to hit me, or yell at me, or put me down at least?”
“First of all, I’m still not one hundred percent so I doubt that I could land any blows that could do any damage. Secondly, your brother has the firepower to stop me even if I tried. And finally, You didn’t kill me. I’m still here and I just want to be able to help Albert and his friends. You made a mistake. You understand the mistake you made. You’re going to be a better man. End of story.”, said Paul.
“Thanks Paul.”, said Mark, “Even though this dumbass didn’t show it, I know that this was eating him up inside. We’ll all do better next time.”
“Actually, I was thinking about that while I was resting. I’m hoping I could have a chat with someone who is in charge of security. When Carol and I were walking, we were able to come right up to the gate before we were engaged. In my mind, that’s way too close for comfort. We should have been stopped a lot earlier.”, said Paul
“We do have a security team. I’m part of it. Let me get the guys together and we can discuss it. Can we meet tomorrow?”, asked Mark.
“I don’t have anything else planned.”, said Paul with a smile.
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Post by arkansascob on Apr 4, 2018 13:53:58 GMT -6
Dont know i could be as forgiving as Paul.
COB
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Post by accountant on Apr 4, 2018 15:37:12 GMT -6
COB,
The thing you have to remember about Paul is that he is suffering from extreme depression, guilt, and emotional pain. When Bobby almost killed him, he smiled because he thought that the nightmare was finally over.
He doesn't want to live. He thinks God has taken everything away from him. He has been crushed.
He feels guilty for not doing more to save the people in the cul-de-sac. He feels guilty for Leroy taking the bullet that was meant for him. He feels guilty for taking the lives of the two gang members who were trying to rape Carol.
He has tremendous stress for being responsible for Carol when they continue on their journey. He's worried that she will be killed and it will be because of him.
He doesn't have the emotional strength to feel anger at Bobby. He forgives Bobby because to him there is no point in being angry with him. He feels that no matter what anyone does to him, he deserves all of it and more.
The only thing keeping him moving along is the hope of finding Shawna and he wants to help others along the way if he can since this gives his tormented mind a little bit of peace.
I hope that gives you a little bit of insight into Paul's mindset.
A.
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Post by arkansascob on Apr 5, 2018 8:57:05 GMT -6
Thanks for the insight accountant. Guess i never looked at it that way. I know when i had a bought with depression all i wanted to do was hurt people mentally and physically.
COB
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Post by accountant on Apr 6, 2018 7:41:47 GMT -6
This chapter starts off with not a lot of dialogue. I was getting tired of all the quotation marks.
There's some explanation of the farm life in the community as well as some new security measures proposed. Also, near the end, Carol makes a stand.
I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks. A.
Chapter 37
That night Paul fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Although he hadn’t take any pills, he was exhausted. He was vaguely aware that Carol had come to lie down beside him but when he woke in the morning, she was already gotten up.
He went downstairs just as breakfast was being served and sat down to a helping of scrambled eggs, toast, and fresh milk with the family.
After breakfast, he walked outside and noticed the bathing area that had been set up. Noticing the smell emanating from himself, he asked Sam if there was any warm water and Sam brought a bucketful to the bathing room. Paul went back in the house, grabbed some fresh clothes and a towel and took a long shower, scrubbing himself clean while taking care to avoid the last of the bandages.
After putting on the clean clothes, he felt refreshed and decided to roam the farm when Albert saw him.
Albert took him around the barn, the henhouse, and the fields. Rex found them on the tour and decided to tag along. In the fields, Paul noticed that there were two Angus bulls with tires around their necks joined together by a makeshift yoke. When he asked Albert about it, Albert beamed with pride. Since none of the tractors were working, Albert had designed the yokes to train the bulls to pull things. Once the bulls became comfortable enough, the farmer would attach the tiller and other farm implements to the back of the yokes and use bovine muscle power to do the farm work that a tractor would have done, he explained. In the barn, Paul saw how everyone was involved with milking the cows and how some of the milk was being used to churn butter, and make cheese. Albert and Wendy shared the milk, butter, and cheese with the other farms in their group. Needless to say, Paul was impressed with the ingenuity of the people on the farm.
Wanting to see how some of the other farms operated, Paul thanked Albert for the tour and decided to go and visit the Winters’ horse farm. He walked to the front gate with Rex by his side and, after saying hello to the people protecting the gate, walked along the road and up the other road to the horse farm. At the Winters’ gate, he saw Bobby manning the gate and waved. Bobby smiled and waved him into the farm. It wasn’t much different from the Dixon farm. It had a barn, a grazing area, and a small vegetable garden, but rather than a field of crops, there were corrals for training and exercising the horses. Bobby took him up to the farmhouse and introduced him to Mike and Leslie Winters, his parents. While he was talking to the couple, a pair of small heads peek out of the front door of the farmhouse. Mike saw them, smiled and asked them to come out. He introduced them as Jared and Michaela, Mark’s kids. Jared was seven and Michaela was five. They were giggling and excited about something.
“Are you the man would took on a big pack of wolves by yourself?”, asked Jared.
“Well, it wasn’t a pack of wolves, they were dogs and it wasn’t a big pack, only four.”, said Paul, “This is Rex. He was part of the pack and decided to come along with us. Say hello, Rex.”
Rex let out a small bark, wagged his tail vigorously, and trotted up to the kids. He was greeted with big hugs from both of them. They were laughing, giggling, and snuggling each other. Paul let out a big sigh. It seemed like a lifetime ago since he had heard the laughter of innocent children.
Mark came out of the house along with two women, one noticeably pregnant. He introduced Paul to his wife, Justine, and Bobby’s pregnant girlfriend, Cheryl. Mark explained that Bobby had been a mechanic and Cheryl was a hairdresser. They had been together for the past three year, and were planning to get married in July after the baby was born.
Since it was almost lunch time, Paul was invited to join the family for lunch. During the meal, Mike explained that the horse farm had been in their family for generations. Now, they mostly boarded horses for owners from the city, but since no one showed up for them after the day, the horses became their responsibility. Mike knew just about all the other farmers in the county and would use the horses to travel to the other farms in the area to make sure they were okay. It was quicker than walking and it gave the horses some exercise. Mark packed up some food and had Jared and Michaela take it out to the people at the gates. Rex, naturally, ran along beside them.
After the meal, Mike showed Paul the property, while Mark went to gather up the security team. Like the Dixon place, it wasn’t as large as a commercial operation, but it was neat and tide with low rolling meadows. It backed onto a provincial park with a secret fishing hole, wild beehives, wild berries, and plenty of wildlife.
“This is a real nice area, peaceful, quiet, and safe.”, thought Paul to himself, “A great place for a man to rest his head and raise a family. The people here are truly fortunate.”
Upon returning to the farmhouse, Paul noticed that Mark had brought together a rather large contingent of men and women to the farm. He introduced the security team to Paul, who immediately forgot most of their names.
After the introductions, Paul explained that to them that there were some serious holes in their defenses which could be and should be fixed quickly. He told them how he and Carol had been able to make it all the way to the gate without being challenged. If he had been part of a group of ten or more looking to make trouble, they could have easily taken out the team at the gate. He suggested that the group make roadblocks at least a hundred metres on either side of the furthest entrances of the community to stop walkers from getting through. He also suggest that they put up deer stands hidden in the trees by the roadblocks which should be manned as look out posts and sniper nests. These look out posts could use signals made with simple fishing line, large washers, and nuts, which would sound an alarm at the gate to let other sentries know that there was activity coming down the road. The team could also dig camouflaged foxholes along either side of the road beyond the barricade, which the security team could quickly slip into, unnoticed if the need arose.
After his explanation and the detailed plan, there was a discussion as to the merits of what Paul was proposing. A few thought that it would be a lot of effort for an unknown scenario, but the majority thought it was a good plan. In any event, the lookout posts could double as deer stands when the animals came around in the fall.
As it was getting late, Paul decide to leave the detail of who was to do what to Mark and the rest of the security team. Saying his goodbyes and calling for Rex, Paul headed back to the Dixon farm.
Since it wasn’t quite dinner time yet and there were people working in the barn, Paul walked over. Pam waved him over with a smile and asked if he wanted to try his hand at milking one of the cows. After his hand got sore and the cow had kicked over the milk bucket a couple of times, Paul thought it best to leave it to the experts. Instead, he grabbed a push broom and pushed the cow manure out of the barn. Once the cows had been milked and the barn was cleaned, everyone headed back to the farmhouse for dinner, making sure to clean themselves off first. Once dinner was finished, Paul tried to help washing the dishes but was shooed away by Wendy. Sam took Paul by the arm and led him out to the back porch. Sitting down, Sam pulled out a flask and offered it to Paul. It seemed that one of the other farmers had a secret still behind his property and was producing some pretty good moonshine. The two friends sat on the porch for a long time, talking a little, but mostly just sitting quiet and enjoying the company. Soon, Paul realized that he had had enough, thanked Sam and went up to his room. Carol had just finished putting on a pair of pyjamas when Paul came in.
“Hey”, she said.
“Hey”, was Paul’s reply.
“How was your day?”, she asked.
“It was good. I saw the farm, then went up to the Winters’ place. I talked to the security team about some changes they could make. It was a good day.”, said Paul.
“You’ve been avoiding me.”, she said.
“Have I? ”, said Paul.
“You know you have. Yesterday, I didn’t see you after dinner, you were asleep before I came up, and you took off right after breakfast this morning.”, she said.
“I’m sorry. I’ve had a few things on my mind.”
“Yeah? Like what.”
“I’m a lot better than I was and I’m thinking about leaving tomorrow night.”
Carol paused for a moment.
“Okay. We can pack up tomorrow and be on our way.”, she said.
“Carol, I think it would be better if you stayed here and I go on alone to try to find her.”, he said softly.
“No! She’s mine, you hear me? She belongs to me too. You can’t take that away from me!”, she said defiantly.
“Carol, you said yourself that this is a safe place and there are good people here. You can start over here,… maybe with Chad.”
“So that it then”, the anger barely contained behind her words, “You’re just going to pawn me off on the first unattached man you find? Is that it? I’m just some kind of property you can hand over, eh?”
“No, it’s not like that. It’s not like that, at all. I just want you to be safe. It’s dangerous out there. You’ve seen what can happen.”, he tried to explain.
“You’re weak. You’re a weak little man.”, she said, quietly.
“Yes, I am weak. I don’t know if I can protect you by myself. We have to be practical. Please try to understand.”
“Okay, if we are being practical, then you need me to go with you or did you forget what happened at Crewson’s Corners? If I wasn’t there, those rednecks would have killed you. Is that practical enough for you?”
“Carol, I care about you. It would kill me if anything happened to you… especially if it was because of me.”
“And what about me? You think I don’t care about you?”, her voice rising as she starting hitting him on his chest, “You don’t think I would be worried sick about you every single day and night, not knowing if you were alive or dead??? Why are you doing this to me, you jerk? You’re the best man I have ever met and I won’t be able to live without you. If you need me to say the words then I will…”
“No, please don’t say them. I couldn’t bear to lose you after you say them. And you can’t say I’m the best man you ever met. I’m not.”
“Yes I can and you are. You tried to save us when we couldn’t save ourselves. You were a mess yourself but you still wanted to save us all. You saved me from the gangbangers. You saved me from the wild dogs. You even offered food to one of them. When we had no food, you provided for us. You gave me my smile back when I had lost it. You brought us here to this safe place. And you saved this for me.”, she said, tears streaming down her face, as she reached into the side table and pulled out the picture of her, Brad, and the kids, which Paul had brought along with them from Brampton, “What kind of man does all that? You’re a good man, Paul. I know you can’t see that for yourself, but I see it in you every day and in everything you do.”
Carol fell into his arms and held onto him, crying.
“Please, don’t leave me here. I’ll die without you.”, she cried.
Paul held her tight. He knew that she was right. As bad as it might be out there, he knew that his heart would break if he left without her. He knew that if Shawna was to be found, they would find her together.
“Okay”, he said, as he wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Okay? That’s it? Just okay?”, she said with a little smile and a blush, “I pour out my heart to you and all you have to say is okay?”
“Yep”, said Paul with a smile.
“You’re such an idiot.”, she said, as she pushed him down on the bed and climbed on top of him.
They held each other tight all night long. This time, Paul felt it and knew it was right.
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Post by solo on Apr 6, 2018 8:35:12 GMT -6
This worked for me. It was like seeing the farms through his eyes in the description. Maybe you could start adding some of this through Carols eyes too. People see things differently and sometime seeing the same thing from two or three different perspectives will provide the right amount of tension to the story without the necessity of a running gun battle or physical altercation; or the right amount of levity should the need arise to break a tension or the tension you just created. Let's face it, you have the ability to elicit any response from the reader that you really want to. The payoff is when the reader comments on exactly what you were trying to do... Mission Accomplished. Right? You are doing a good job and as you hone this craft, you will see a big difference. And it even happens when you have written for as long I have; You find it satisfying. By all means! Keep feeding us!!!
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Post by accountant on Apr 6, 2018 9:50:45 GMT -6
Thanks for the insight accountant. Guess i never looked at it that way. I know when i had a bought with depression all i wanted to do was hurt people mentally and physically. COB COB, I apologize for not responding sooner. Your comment was just too important to let pass without a comment. I know how hard it can be living with depression and understand what you went through. It is a vicious, vile ailment that grabs you by the throat and doesn't want to let go. One day you're angry at the world and want to lash out at everyone and everything. The next you want to just hide away from everyone and everything. Other days you want people to hurt you. You feel like you deserve it or the pain is the only thing that reminds you that you are still alive. Still other days you want to help others because you feel terrible that they have to see you feeling depressed. You feel that no matter what you do it's never enough, and you feel like you are failing constantly. And perhaps the worst part of it all is that you can hear the devil laughing his damn head off in the back of your mind. Or maybe that's just me. Stay strong, brother.
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Post by texican on Apr 7, 2018 13:33:16 GMT -6
A,
It was pass time for Carol and Paul to come to grips with their dependence and need for each other....
Thanks for the chapter....
Texican....
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poppa
New Member
Posts: 17
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Post by poppa on Apr 7, 2018 19:48:52 GMT -6
I like a good story and yours is excellent
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Post by accountant on Apr 10, 2018 14:50:38 GMT -6
Chapter 38 The next morning Paul woke up to the sound of the rooster crowing. When he opened his eyes, he saw Carol’s big blue smiling eyes looking back at him.
“Hey”
“Hey yourself.”
“Did you sleep okay?”, he asked.
“Yeah, it was nice. You?” “Yeah, best sleep I’ve had in a long time but we should have slept in. We have a long day ahead of us and a long night too.”, he said.
“We’ll be okay. I think we’ve rested enough here.”, was her response as she got up, “I’m going to go heat up some water so that we can shower before we leave.”
Paul took her hand before she stood up. “I’m sorry about last night.”, he said.
“I know. It’s okay. I know it was just you being an idiot trying to keep me safe like you do with everybody.”, she said as she kissed his hand and put it against her cheek.
“Jeez, you make me sound like I’m some kind of superhero or something.”, he replied as she walked toward the door.
“Ha, hardly.”, she said with a smile as she slipped out into the hall.
Paul sat up and put on his glasses. It was going to be one of those days.
After they both showered, Paul told Albert that they were planning on leaving that evening. While he was disappointed, Albert understood why they had to go. He told the rest of the family and everyone started helping to make sure the pair had everything that they needed to continue on with their trip. Albert sent Chris to tell the Winters that Carol and Paul were leaving and Chris came back with a pair of ALICE packs for the travellers. Albert tried to give Paul a small tent, but he refused. Paul explained that the garbage bags and paper clips were a lot lighter than the tent, didn’t take as much room in their packs, and was just as good.
After breakfast, the rest of the morning was spent getting the packs ready and by lunch time everything was ready to go. Paul and Carol were sitting on the front porch chatting with the family after the meal when the Winters clan showed up on horseback. Of course, Rex let out a happy bark and trotted off to play with the kids.
“Hi everyone.”, said Mike, waving to the porch, “We heard that you were leaving and we thought we could provide you with some transportation and an escort for a while.”
Paul smiled and waved back, “Thank you. We appreciate it. It would be great to not have to walk for a while, but I’ve never ridden before and from what I’ve heard, it would be killer on my butt and my head.”
“Hang on a sec. Honey, can you come with me for a minute?”, said Sam as he headed off towards the garage.
“We’d still like to escort you as much of the way as possible today.”, said Mark, “Beside, it will give me a chance to see how some of the other folks Dad knows are doing out.”
“I’ve also got this for you.”, said Mike as he handed Paul a letter, “Since I know most of the people in the county, I hope this letter of introduction can help you find shelter and a meal along the way.”
“Well, that’s might kind of you. I don’t know what to say.”, said Paul.
“You don’t have to say anything. We help our own around here.”, said Mike with a smile.
By that time, Pam and Sam had come back with the two mountain bikes they had used to arrive at the farm with the adhoc baskets in the front of each of them.
“We can’t take those”, said Paul, “What if you need them?”
“Nonsense. Take them for now and leave them at the farm where you stop for dinner. We can pick them up later. We need them right now and they will help you along the way.”, said Pam.
“Paul, how about you, me, Bobby, and Sam go hit the back porch for a bit?”, said Mark with a knowing smile to Sam.
The four men head back to the back porch. It was slightly cooler as it faced north. Sam somehow came up with four glasses and poured each of them a shot from his flask.
“To safe travels and quick returns.”, said Mark, raising his glass.
The other three men raised their glasses and swallowed the shot of alcohol. Sam gave the flask to Paul.
“We should have invited the ladies. I’m sure they would have liked a glass as well.”, said Paul.
“I would have, but I’m not sure how they would have felt when I gave you this.”, said Mark as he showed Paul a Glock in a shoulder holster and a block of ammunition.
“Umm Mark, I really don’t like guns.”, said Paul.
“I can understand that. Guns aren’t for everyone. But, it’s a wild world out there. You’ve already seen that. I just want you to be safe. We take care of our own and you are one of us.”, Mark said as he handed the weapon to Paul.
“I can’t. I appreciate the gesture, but I don’t think I would ever want to use it.”, said Paul, apologetically.
“Paul, I think you should take it.”, said Sam, “If not for yourself, take it for Carol. Let’s face it, you got lucky getting here. It could have been worse, much worse. You need to be able to protect her.”
Paul sighed. He knew they were right. He didn’t know what and who else was out there on the road. He just nodded. Mark explained that the weapon didn’t have a safety so it was just point and shoot. He also showed Paul how to detach and re-attach the clip and how the load it. Satisfied with Paul’s understanding of the weapon, Mark adjusted the holster and Paul put it on under his jacket. The ammunition went into his pocket next to the bottle of hot sauce. Paul knew he was supposed to feel safer carrying the firearm, but he didn’t.
“What are you boys doing out there?”, called Wendy from the house.
“Just talking about boys stuff.”, said Mark with a chuckle.
“Well quit it and get in here, I have a care packet prepared for the Olster farm, where you’ll be stopping for supper. Come take it out front.”, she said.
The four knew it was time to go, and headed out to the front porch. Mark hitched one of the ALICE packs to the horn of his saddle and Bobby did the same to his horn. The walking sticks were stowed away on the horses. Paul put the care package into the basket of one of the bikes. He saw that Carol now had a new hunting knife in a sheath on her belt as she handed him one as well.
“These are from Albert.”, she said, softly.
The group slowly made its way to the gate of the farmhouse.
At the gate, everyone stopped.
“Before you depart, I would like to say a prayer, if I could.”, said Albert.
Everyone bowed their heads and those wearing hats removed them.
“Lord, please watch over our new family members on their journey. Provide them comfort, safe passage, and good fellowship along the way. Give them Your blessing that they may find their lost child safe. By your Grace, may they return to us safely and swiftly. Amen.”
There were hugs and handshakes all around and more than one teary eye as the two travellers on bikes and the two horsemen left, followed closely behind by a trotting Beagle cross.
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Post by texican on Apr 10, 2018 19:33:17 GMT -6
and the journey continues....
Texican....
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Post by accountant on Apr 11, 2018 15:33:37 GMT -6
Paul and Carol make some new friends along the way.
Chapter 39
Over the course of the next three hours, the travellers made good progress on their journey. Rex tired himself out trotting behind the bikes at the half hour mark and barked to let everyone know. Paul picked him up and put him in the basket of Carol’s bike where the canine quickly curled up and fell asleep.
The spring weather was perfect for bike riding and the horses. It wasn’t too hot and a slight cool breeze kept the humans and animals from overheating. The plan was to avoid Guelph and stick to the old country roads. They moved north on Weston road, then west on regional road 51 until they hit the Kissing Bridge Trailway. The trailway was a dusty path not made for cars but was perfect for the horses and bikes that cut through the heart of farm country. This was followed by a short jaunt down Weisenberg Road to Line 86 where they again headed west.
The group took a short rest at the point just past Zuber Corners where Line 86 crossed over the Grand River. The horses were watered and fed and Rex went to explore the river’s edge. Mark could see that there were people watching them from the trailer park by the river. He kept his Colt trained towards the trailer park during their rest period but no one came to confront the group.
Soon they were on their way again with Bobby leading with his Colt across his saddle and Mark trailing the group. They followed Line 86 and skirted the small village of Elmira before heading south on Hergott Road until they reached their final destination, The Olster farm.
“Hello, the house,”, called Mark at the gate.
There was no reply but a shotgun barrel sticking out of a second story window was soon visible.
“Hello, the house.”, called Mark again.
“Who are you and what do you want.”, came a man’s voice from the house.
“Mark and Bobby Winters from the Winters farm up near Guelph with a couple of friends. We are here to see Grant Olster and his family. He knows our dad, Mike Winters.”, said Mark.
“You’re an awful long way from home, aren’t you boys? Hang on. I’m coming down.”, said the man.
“Grant can be a little rough around the edges but he’s always been a good man.”, explained Mark to Carol and Paul.
A grizzled man in his sixties came out the front door of the house along with a golden retriever. Carol could tell that Rex wanted to meet the new dog so she let him out of the basket. He trotted up to the gate as the retriever did the same on the other side.
“Let me take a look at you boys. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you. At least you both still know the right side of a horse. Well, don’t just stand there, come on in.”, he said with a chuckle as he unhitched the gate and let the group into the farm.
“It’s nice to see you as well, Mr. Olster.”, said Mark as he shook hands with the older man, “These are our friends Carol and Paul.”
“It’s nice to meet you Carol, Paul. We don’t get too many visitors these days, so Milly will be pleased.”, said Grant as he walked with the group to the farm house.
“Milly, Jesse, we’ve got company. It’s the Winters boys.”, he yelled at the house.
No sooner had the words come out of his mouth when the front door opened and an older woman and a girl in her early twenties came out.
“Mark, Bobby? Is that you?”, asked Mrs. Olster.
“Yes, ma’am. How are you?”, said Mark.
“Well, all things considered, we are managing. But let’s not talk out here. Come into the house. Jesse take the horses into the barn and water them. Oh my goodness gracious, it has really been too long.”, she said.
“Bobby, could you give Jesse a hand with the horses?”, asked Mark.
Bobby and Mark took the packs and other items off the horses and Bobby helped Jesse walk the animals into the barn.
Mrs. Olster led everyone else into the front parlour of the farm house.
“Oh my goodness, I wasn’t expecting company today. I’m sorry about the state of the house.”, she said as she busied herself cleaning up a non-existent mess.
“It’s fine, Mrs. Olster. You don’t need to apologize. By the way, our neighbours, the Dixon’s sent this care package for you.”, said Mark as he handed Mrs. Olster the bundle that was sent by Wendy.
“They didn’t have to do that. That was awful thoughtful of them. Now, you’re staying for supper and I won’t hear a word about it. Oh, it’s so nice to have company again.”, said Mrs. Olster, as she took the parcel and headed off toward the back of the house.
The group sat down in the parlour and Grant brought out glasses of water for everyone.
“You two don’t like horses?”, he said looking at Paul and Carol.
“It’s not that, sir. I’ve just never ridden before so we thought it would be better if we came by bike.”, explained Paul.
“I see. Where are you headed?”, asked the older man.
Carol explained what had happened and that they were looking for Shawna in London.
When Carol had finished, Mrs. Olster said, “Oh, that poor girl. I hope she is alright. It’s terrible that she is away from home. If something happened to our Jesse, I don’t know what I would do.”
Just then, Bobby and Jesse came into the parlor. Mrs. Olster rushed up to Jesse and gave her a big hug and a kiss.
“My sweet baby. I just love you so much”, she said.
“Mom stop. We have company.”, said Jesse, blushing.
“You’ll have to excuse my wife. She’d hug that girl half to death if she had a chance.”, said Grant, “The doctors told us that we couldn’t have any baby, but then this one came along all by herself.”
“Oh, hush you.”, said Mrs. Olster as she headed off to the kitchen.
“Carol and Paul will be heading out tonight after dinner, but we are hoping that Bobby and I could stay over tonight and head back in the morning.”, said Mark.
"Well, that'll be just fine. Like I said, we haven't had company in a while.", said Grant.
"Have you had any trouble out this way?", asked Paul.
"No, not much. We did get a few scavengers up from Kitchener one night. Old Lester gave me the alert. A couple of rounds of rock salt and they were on their way.", said Grant with a laugh.
The rest of the evening was spent in the farm house with Grant telling stories of his time with Mike growing up and Paul talking about the route he was planning on taking to get to London. After dinner, Paul was in the hallway looking at some of the picture that were hanging. In one of them, Mr. Olster was in a Freemason lodge in all his regalia.
“That was when I become master of our local lodge.”, said Grant, seeing that Paul was studying the picture closely.
Paul silently cut the sign of a master mason.
“A fellow brother of the Order, eh?”, said Grant, “Well come on over here.”
The two men shook hands like true mason brother.
“We have brothers all across the district. If you need help, tell anyone you see that you are a brother and mention my name. I’ve visited all the lodges in the area so most masons would know me. You should be able to find one of the brethren to help easy enough.”, said the older man.
“I appreciate that. Thank you.”, said Paul.
“No thanks required. I would do the same for any brother, just as I would expect any brother to come to my aid.”, said Grant.
The two men headed back to the kitchen just as the dinner dishes were being cleared off.
Paul looked out the window and noticed how dark it was outside.
“Well, I guess it’s time.”, he said, looking at Carol.
Everyone headed back outside and there were hugs and handshake as Paul and Carol put on their packs.
Paul called Rex and the threesome started their walk into the darkness.
“They are nice people.”, said Carol as they walked down the road.
“Yeah, they were nice. It’s nice to see that everyone’s heart hasn’t hardened after what happened.”, said Paul.
“What were you and Mr. Olster talking about in the hall?”
“it seems that he is a fellow mason.”, said Paul.
“You’re part of a secret society?”, said Carol.
"It's not a secret society. It's just men helping each other become better men", explained Paul.
"What else don't I know about you?", said Carol, putting her hand in Paul's.
“There’s still a few things. You’ll learn them all soon enough.”, he said, smiling.
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Post by texican on Apr 11, 2018 23:21:40 GMT -6
"A"
Thanks for the chapter.
Now its off to find Shawna....
Texican....
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Post by arkansascob on Apr 12, 2018 10:27:38 GMT -6
Thanks for the reads. Caught up and ready for MOAR. Really enjoying this story and look forward to coming here to see whats next.
COB
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Post by sniper69 on Apr 12, 2018 17:54:36 GMT -6
this is a great story that I'm enjoying. Thank you for another great chapter.
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