The farther they traveled down river, the farther the banks of the Wongenema grew apart. Along each side, the slopes grew steeper and thicker with trees and undergrowth. Making the river almost inaccessible. It was becoming easier and easier to understand how Eddlewood’s location had remained a secret for so long; it was almost as inaccessible as the Wongenema River. It took approximately two-hours for them to finally turn into the cove beneath Eddlewood where the steamboats all docked. They stepped up onto the long wooden planks leading to the shoreline. Oscar led them to a hidden trail that went up straight into the trees until they reached a hidden- narrower path that would take them up a steep incline almost straight up into the hillside. He turned to look at Mars and Ari.
“Eddlewood is about and mile or so back into the woods. It’s well guarded and Michael has eyes everywhere. As far as anyone knows, going in- you’re our prisoners, safer for you that way.” Oscar said.

They reached Eddlewood itself about 20 minutes later. At first glance there was no way to know for certain just how big it was; there were buildings of all sizes, some out buildings, some homes, some looked like makeshift operations buildings. Like a finely woven tapestry; Eddlewood wove its way deep into the heart of the woodlands. Mars could easily tell that it was a very well thought out community, the buildings were well kept, fences had been built designating individual plots of land. You couldn’t see the end of it, and it was well guarded and highly organized. They led Mars and Ari into a long rectangular building that looked like a gigantic log cabin, with a long wrap around front porch. Two guards opened the front door and moved aside so they could enter. Oscar led them down a long hallway to two large wooden double doors; he paused to knock and waited before pushing them open. A small, thin older man with black and grey speckled hair; removed his spectacles and rose to his feet before stepping out and around from behind a large oak desk.

He extended his hand to Mars and Ari and introduced himself as Michael. They all sat down and he listened closely to Ari as she recalled her entire ordeal inside the labor camps to him, his look of concern never changing. He turned to face Oscar.
“How far behind you were the Mercy and the Trident?” he asked.
“The other two scout teams hadn’t reported back yet when we hit the cove, but they should be along soon.” Oscar replied.
He returned his attention to Mars and Ari.
“See to it that our new friends here get fed, properly debriefed, especially the girl, we need all the information we can get on what’s inside of those compounds. In the meantime we need to put together another scout team when everyone has checked back in.”

Oscar took them to the dinning hall and sat them at a small round table, a short- slightly pudgy older woman brought in a bowl of fresh berries and fruit with two glasses of cold water.
“They’re preparing roasted pork and potatoes in the kitchen, eat your fill then we need to talk about the compound where you were held Ari.” Oscar smiled.
A young boy entering the dinning hall went straight for Oscar, he leaned forward slowly as the boy whispered something in his ear. He stood up straight and excused himself as he and the boy made their exit.
Ari eyed Mars from across the table with suspicious glances. She leaned closer.
“What do you think Mars?” she whispered.
“Well darlin, I think at first impression, there may be more to this story than meets the eye, if you catch my meaning.”

She cocked her head slightly to one side, casting nervous glances back at the door. An uneasy feeling tugged at her.
“Do you think they’re holding something back?”
He didn’t get the chance to answer as Oscar walked back into the room. He pulled up a chair and sat down close to Mars. Ari handed him a plum and smiled.
“We appreciate your hospitality Oscar.” she told him.
He told them that the last of the three working steamers had returned from up river and the scout crew had made an interesting discovery. Although Eddlewood and other settlements like it were well established a long time ago; there were still parts of the river region that were as of yet to be explored. They had sent charting crews mostly, up river looking for previously unknown trails along the northern bank of the Wongenema.

They were sixty-five miles past Saddlerville when they grounded into a cove where they found five new trails that hadn’t been surveyed yet. Jonah Cutler, the scout team leader told him that they were mostly grown over with brush; but the trails were clearly defined and led deep up into the woods in several different directions. He’d guessed that they hadn’t been traveled in quite some time. Unfortunately for the scout team, they were low on supplies and had to abandon their exploration of the area. But Cutler and his crew were eager to return. The following morning at dawn they would be getting that chance. After dinner they showed Mars and Ari into two different rooms where they would be sleeping that night, the following morning Mars would agree to go with Oscar, Jonah Cutler and a crew of twelve back up the river to investigate the five new trails that Cutler’s crew had found. They would load supplies aboard the Trident and head to a small settlement near the trails called Euphoria. The trip would take them most of the day by steamer so they would rest there for the night and hit the trails the following morning.

Ari would stay behind to give Michael all of the details that she could remember about the labor camps where she was held. Just before dawn Mars boarded the steamer called the Trident and left with its crew to venture up river. Just before noon they were moving past the cove where Mars and Ari had grounded the canoe. They moved as quickly as they could through the area keeping a close eye on the shoreline for Klecko’s henchmen, who were usually in the area. They finally managed to pass without incident. There were two members of the crew on either side of the upper deck of the Trident behind two armored plates to protect them from enemy fire from the banks. Mars sat just below deck and watched the guards curiously as something odd struck him. These four guards weren’t armed with crossbows like the others, these had rifles. He turned to face Oscar.
“Where did they get those guns?” he asked.

Oscar smiled and patted Mars on the shoulder as he sat down beside of him.
“When we have run ins with Klecko’s raiding parties, They haven’t been here as long as us, they don’t know the woods and usually walk right into our line of fire. We take the weapon and ammo and we’ve been storing them for the past two years. We stock pile them in a makeshift armory and only use them when we take long trips such as this.”
“How many guns do you have?”
“Not enough to make a move on Klecko’s camps.
“That is going to take a lot of planning before we’re ready for that. Our men aren’t ready.” Oscar told him.
“Have you ever considered forcing them out?” Mars asked.
“How would we do that exactly?”

“By cutting off their heating oil supply. Look at the big picture Oscar. There’s only one road in, and you can’t get to the ranch without going through Saddlerville. And seeing as how Saddlerville is fenced in, that is the only likely possibility. You hide along side of Old Church road and wait. When you stop the wagons, you stop the heating oil from getting in, and then see what he does.”
Oscar carefully considered the possibility, He knew that Mars was onto something, but there was still the possible collateral damage to consider; namely the seventy-five or so prisoners that were still inside of the Labor camps. Winter was quickly approaching and there would be snow soon, temperatures would drop to below zero; and everyone inside of those camps would suffer right along with Klecko and his crew. They would have to formulate a plan to get the prisoners out before winter and before they made a move on the supply line. Either way, they would have to attempt something sooner rather than later. One of the guards leaned in and told them that they were approaching a part of the river known as Eastbend. They would soon be out of Klecko’s reach. Euphoria however, was still three hours away.

~Scratch. A.B.T. Copyright © 2011~

Once she was safely inside the canoe, he handed her the pack, settled in behind her, and pushed them away from the bank. She was a bit nervous at first but he managed to calm her nerves and once they got moving, she actually found the experience to be rather enjoyable. The natural current of the river- as it turned out, did most of the work leaving the two of them to figure out how to steer. Watch paddling on either side of the canoe. They weren’t long in the water before Ari spotted some movement along the banks giving them time to take the canoe ashore on the other side. They pulled it up to the opposite bank, covered it with brush, and proceeded to investigate the movement on the other side of the river. He scoured the trees on the other side through the field glasses before he turned to look for Ari.

“Three fully equipped horses but no riders. They’re just sort wandering around eating grass. Could be bait too,” He told her.
Thirty yards down river, he saw a leg sticking up out of the water. He cautioned Ari about staying quiet and out of sight until they knew exactly what they were dealing with. He moved down along the bank until he was directly in view of the body. There were three of them all dead as dead.
Someone shot them and stole their clothes and boots and no doubt their guns and ammunition. This meant whomever done it, were now armed and could still be watching for other riders or people to show themselves. Resources of any kind could get you killed and were of great value even in this remote area of the countryside. He made his way back to Ari.

She was hiding in the brush trying to keep an eye on the canoe and the opposite side of the riverbank at the same time. He came up behind her and gently tapped her on the shoulder; both of their voices fell into a whisper. He pointed to the trees across the water.
“Looks like they were part of a scout team, someone ambushed them. They could still be around we need to be careful.” he said.
He used the field glasses again and slowly scanned through the trees, stopping when he saw someone laying low in the brush.
“They’re up there alright, about thirty yards down river. Probably waiting for us to come floating by, we’re not getting past them in the water, not now anyways.” he said.

They pulled the canoe up on the bank and discovered it to be lighter than expected, and together they managed to move it on land up to where they could get it far enough to launch it safely undetected by the men across the river. Ari however was beginning to get tired; so they put it down behind the brush cover while Mars watched the opposite side of the river for movement.
Now he could clearly see all three men moving in the opposite direction from their position.
“I don’t believe they know we’re here.” He told her.
She was leaning up against his back when a dreadful thought crossed her mind; she tapped him on the shoulder lightly.
“Hey Mars. What if this was their boat that we took.”
He slowly lowered the glasses and looked back at her.

“Then I suppose we’d best get it back in the water and get moving before they realize it’s missing.”
They waited another ten minutes before launching the canoe back in the river and into the current and continued on their way. They went another five hundred yards when the sound of gunfire began to faintly echo around them. The current seemed to get stronger and it pushed the canoe to the left, and they quietly slipped into a small cove unnoticed. The woods drew strangely quiet as they climbed out of the canoe and worked their way up into the first path leading deeper into the trees. He looked back at Ari who was right on his heels.
“Do you have any idea where we are?” He whispered back at her.
She gave him a confused look.
“No. I’ve never been this far west before.” She whispered back at him.

They moved up the side of the hill trying to be ever so quiet until they knew exactly whom it was that they were dealing with. Once over the rise, they found themselves standing amongst several dead bodies. Mars slowly moved through the grim scene with Ari still fast at his heels.
“Who do you think did this?”
She’d barely gotten the question past her lips when they heard the unmistakable sound of boots running through the woods. They soon found themselves surrounded before they could so much as move; and not long after, at the wrong end of several crossbows pointed directly at them. The largest of the five-armed men slowly walked toward them, he motioned behind him for two of the others to collect the guns from the bodies.
"Get the weapons to the boats, we'll take these two to Eddlewood ."
Mars looked him up and down cautiously. He was huge, perhaps well over 6 feet tall, with broad shoulders and long blond hair that fell well down his back.

He had menacing blue eyes that gave him a stern look.
“Klecko just doesn’t give up does he? So what? He just keeps sending more men into our territory expecting us to just lie down and surrender?”
Mars returned his stern look.
“I don’t know anyone named Klecko, and I certainly don’t work for them. We are just up here trying to figure out a way to help free her friends from the labor camps.” He said nodding toward Ari.
He gave Ari a surprised look.
“You were inside of the camps?” He asked.
She Nodded.

She went into detail about how she was beaten every time she refused to do the assigned tasks; many times the guards at the ranch would tie her up with ropes around her wrists and beat her relentlessly. Until such treatment had reached well beyond the point of being unbearable. That was when her and one of her fellow prisoners had begun to formulate a desperate plan of escape. One day while pulling weeds near the fences while the guards were distracted, they crawled under the wire, ran for the wooded hillsides, and never looked back. Five man hunter teams had followed them through the woods for nearly three days before they’d decided to split up to make themselves harder to track. That was when she’d run into Mars.

The Leader of the scout team told them his name was Oscar and he was from a settlement down river called Eddlewood. He explained that Klecko had been sending men deep into their territory trying to get his hands on a person called the Builder to make the machines for him. Mars walked along the trail with him.
“What machines Oscar?” He asked.
“Like the ones that power our boats.” He replied, nodding toward the river.
They took Mars and Ari with them farther down the trail before they began to turn down back toward the Wongenema River. With his curiosity growing, Mars eagerly followed behind him. He just had to see this machine.

They led them down a steep cliff face over looking the Wongenema River, along a narrow winding trail that seemed almost hidden from the naked eye. There were wooden structures built directly into the cliff, each had two guards armed with what looked like more crossbows. Below there was a secluded cove with three wooden docks extending at least thirty feet out into the river. Moored beside them were two large river cruisers. For the first time things were becoming clear to him, Klecko was running out of resources and he was out to get whatever these people had at any cost. Oscar led them down to a large boat, nodding to the two armed guards as they walked past. As they stepped down into the upper deck, the first thing that struck him was two neatly piled stacks of wood on either side. He gave Oscar a curious look

He took them down below deck to the engine room, where there was more wood stacked along the sides of a long room. They watched as two men fed wood into a firebox. To Ari, it seemed rather noisy, and the fumes were most foul down there made her want to hold her breath.
“This is a steamboat?” Mars asked turning to Oscar.
He nodded.
“Yeah, I’m not exactly sure how it works, but we use that firebox to heat the boiler which is full of water, which creates a pressurized steam system that makes the engine run. That’s kinda it I think.” Oscar said.
“This is what Klecko is after; he’s running out of resources so he wants the steam engines to use as generators for electricity.” Mars said.
Oscar led them back above deck into the wheelhouse.

Mars and Ari followed along behind them now listening carefully to every word he spoke with a renewed sense of interest.
“That’s not all he’s after, he wants these boats intact. Our leader Michael believes that he’ll try to use them to travel up and down the banks of the Wongenema; he wants to raid the smaller settlements that are currently out of his reach. He isn’t just running out of fuel oil- he’s running out of the gunpowder that he uses to reload his ammunition with. Very soon they’ll be down to crossbows, swords and knives too. Somewhere along the along this river there is a depot full of gunpowder, Klecko has been trying to find it for the past two years now, Michael seems to think that its about 70 miles or so from here, but so far- we haven’t been able to locate it ourselves either. We have 4 fully functioning steamboats on the river right now, and another one that is under repair. If he takes Eddlewood, that’s only the beginning. We lose our crops, our livestock, the steam engines and our ability to protect free trade along the river. If he gets control of the river, he’ll find that powder depot and then no one within 150 miles is safe.”
The cruiser slowly glided out into the middle of the Wongenema and turned towards Eddlewood. Michael was going to want to hear the latest news.

~Scratch. A.B.T. Copyright © 2011~

They kept themselves at a safe distance, up along the northern slope of the mountainside that overlooked Saddlerville because Ari knew that there wouldn’t be any guards posted there. Mars always had a small pair of field glasses that he carried in his coat and he spent several minutes scanning every part of the small township that he could lay his eyes on.
“They usually plant crops by mid to late July so they’ll be ready for harvest by fall,” she told him.
The buildings were small and old and had fallen into quite the state of disrepair, and it appeared that very little was being done to them in the way of maintenance to keep them upright and fully functional.

There were probably twenty or so out buildings nearest the edge of town that were overlooking large fields of un-harvested vegetables while some others nearer the center of the township seemed better kept up. All of the buildings were of the same color, a dreary looking battleship gray. None of which held any particularly distinguishing markings. And finally, all roads in and out of Saddlerville were completely fenced off, as was the entire township. From what he concluded it, for all intensive purposes, it looked like and indeed was- a fully functioning concentration camp. Ari gently nudged him in the ribs and gestured towards the road leading up to the main gate of the complex.

Four armed guards were walking towards an approaching horse drawn wagon that carried eight large metal drums in the back of it. Two walked around the sides, inspected the contents, and motioned for them to open the gate. Mars looked sideways at Ari.
“What’s all of this then?” He asked.
“Heating oil vendors… They bring it in from a processing plant that is still in operation somewhere up along the coast. They make the 10-day trip up twice a month to trade for livestock and fresh vegetables and whatever else they find useful. They unload it at a docking station at one of the out buildings at the other end of town. It’s right next to the depot where they store ammunition for their guns.”

“So they rely mostly on heating oils in the winter?” He asked.
She nodded.
They watched the comings and going of the guards for several hours, with Mars tracking and taking notes of their every movement meticulously. From what he could see that largest part of the force was at the center of town and consisted of between thirty and forty men. Again, Ari nudged him.
“Lately though, I heard some of the guards saying that there was a problem with the heating oil.” she whispered to him. He gave her a curious look.
“Like what problems?”

“The stuff they’ve been getting lately isn’t of the best quality. It doesn’t burn clean; it can make you sick if you breathe in the smoke directly. Conway- the head guard, seems to think that they are diluting it with something at the processing plant, because the supplies might be running out soon. And I also hear that they are doubling up on their patrols higher up into the mountains along the river.”
Again, he gave her a curious look before returning his attention to the scene below..
“Why? What are they looking for?”
She shrugged.


“I don’t know. It must be important though, I mean for Klecko to send half of his forces up river on patrol.”
“Klecko, Is that the person in charge?” He asked.
She stared down at the fences of Saddlerville, her face contorted into a frown as if recalling some bad memory.
“Yeah, He runs this place from the ranch. That’s where he lives I think, I can take you there if you like; we’ll have to go deeper in the woods though. There’s supposed to be a path farther up so you can see anything coming up from below. It’s the highland trail. It connects directly with the trail that takes you to the ranch,” she said.

She led him higher up through the trees to where the highland trail was, and then they hiked undetected for almost two miles until they a second trail that sloped down along the mountain side. She motioned towards the downward slope and began the walk down, followed cautiously by Mars.
“For someone who was new to the area, you certainly know your way around.” He told her.
“Yeah well this wasn’t the first time that I escaped. They caught me the first time though.”
She slid down into a ravine and held her forefinger up to her lips.
“This place they do watch rather closely. If we get caught they will kill both of us.”

They moved slowly up in between two pine trees careful to stay low and in the underbrush, it was in a small valley still laden with fog and mist. A long elbow shaped building again with a fence encompassing the entire compound; surrounded by open fields on all sides but two, which had been cultivated for more vegetables.The one in front and the one on the west side nearest the main road in were open. More armed guards roamed the outside of the building; he slipped back down behind the cover of the trees and underbrush and looked at Ari.

“Well Ari.” He said. “Whoever he is, both places are fairly well organized as far as their defenses go it’s going to take more than two of us to free the people in both camps. We’re probably going to need to find out what they are looking for up river, maybe we can use whatever it is against them. Come on. Let’s get to the river I need to think about this.” He told her. They made their way back up the trail and followed it three hundred more yards west until it began to wind downward in the direction of The Wongenema River.
Once along side of the water they found the hoof prints of the search party along the grass and mud riverbank. Mars knelt down to inspect them.

“Not more than a couple of hour’s old if I were to venture a guess. They’re heading west from the looks of things. They could be ten miles or ten yards from here by now. If we move we’d best do it carefully.”
They followed along the riverbank for almost another mile before they stopped to rest, Ari could feel the familiar rumble of hunger in her belly, and soon she would be hungry enough to eat a raw fish. Mars went back into his pack while she investigated along the banks of the river. When he caught up with her, she was staring down at a rocky cove covered by heavy foliage. As he handed her a piece of dehydrated beef she gave him a quizzical look.
“Hey Mars? What do you suppose that is?” she asked pointing at the cove.

He walked up beside took the field glasses from his inside pocket. He trained them on the small cove of water where her finger was pointing. A smile slowly spread across his lips. He patted Ari on the head.
“That my dear, is a canoe. You have great eyes Ari.” He said.
They had to climb down the get to the cove; she almost lost her footing in the rocks more than once. He removed the pack from his back and began to inspect the canoe for possible leaks, when satisfied instructed her to get in while he steadied it.
“Ummm, Mars? What do we need this doo-hickey for again?” She asked
“It’s a canoe Ari, and we can move a lot faster down river in this than we can by going on foot. Just sit still once we get in and do exactly what I say. You just keep your eyes open for that patrol along the banks.”

~Scratch. A.B.T. Copyright © 2010

Steam Pirates Of The Wongenema
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They will come to you sometimes while you sleep, you will see their faces, hear their voices as they softly call out your name

October 20th 2110.
Saddlerville 10 Miles. The last 22 years had not been kind at all to what was left of Old Church Road, another 10 miles of potholes in front of him, and what seemed like a million behind. Another ten miles of walking towards what, he didn’t know, would there be people there? Would he find shelter? Would he find hope? Or maybe Saddlerville would be like any one of a thousand other small towns he’d gone through that had been long since abandoned by people who could no longer find comfort in the arms of a dead or dying community.

Maybe it would be just another in a long string of ghost towns, haunted by a life- long since buried in a past that seemed more and more distant with the turn of each and every new day. Now there were too many holes left in this world to try and fill. Society trying to cling to fragments of memories. Somehow it made sense- one could suppose, for people to try to rebuild, to hold together whatever was left, whatever they could salvage from the ashes of a nation without a governing body. All that remained were pockets of civilization now, one giant patchwork quilt that lay spread across a scarred landscape with nothing to go on, each making up the rules as they went along.

He turned back towards the sign and began walking again, the rain stopped and streams of sunlight made their way through the thick gray storm clouds. He heard the strange noise, it made an odd popping sound that echoed through the woods. He heard it once and it slowed him- made him turn to look to the tree line along side what was left of Old Church Road. When he’d heard it the second time he stopped altogether to listen more carefully than before.

There were soft cursing sounds, and then silence, and then somewhat closer than before- the sounds of muffled heavy boots falling against wet sod and leaves. Feet running, now towards him. He turned his back around a large pine tree and ducked out of sight, just in time to see the three men dressed in dark gray battle fatigues carrying guns, the one in the lead giving them hand signals .
They looked in several different directions, kneeling down in the wet grass, eyes searching in almost a panicked state through the afternoon mist and fog. before all three finally rose to their feet all at once.

“Well congratulations boys! We’ve managed to lose them, we should have followed the west fork back there along the trail. They haven’t even been through here.”
Another two emerged from the trees. The first looking at the leader shaking his head frantically.
“They didn’t back track either, somehow they lost us in the woods. Shall we go back to the beginning and start again sir?”
“No- its getting to be too late for that now. Wrap it up, lets get back to the horses.”

He looked around slowly for any sign of whoever- or whatever they were tracking, before circling his forefinger in the air, making an odd little sweeping motion before they all ran down the road and disappeared around the bend. Now his curiosity had gotten the better of him and he found his feet almost involuntarily moving down the path heading deeper into the woods. “What in the hell were they up to in here?” he followed it deeper and deeper, to where the trees grew taller and taller and he could no longer see the sky.

The sounds of rushing water beating softly against rocks filled his ears and he knew that he was near a river. It was getting late in the day anyways, time to stop for a rest. He gathered wood, built a fire, made a shelter. He sat by the fire at the waters edge and whittled away, until he heard the snapping of twigs in the woods behind him.
“Patience. Not yet”
He would let them get closer, gathering more clues as to who it might be before he made a move on them. They stumbled around, pretty big, definitely an adult, rather clumsy on their feet- probably a male. Finally he rose to his feet and removed the long black leather coat before producing a pearl handled long blade.

He stared into the thick underbrush following the sounds with his eyes as they drifted back a bit deeper into the trees. Moving slowly forward, He could make out a figure some thirty feet in.
“Look you can stay in there all night for all I care- or you can come down here and share my fire, I’ll be getting some fresh fish pretty soon here and I’ll be having dinner. You are welcome to join me just as long as you don’t try anything.” He said.
They appeared in the clearing some twenty feet from him. Small. Frail. Thin framed, and quite dirty.

It was hard to tell what color hair they even had because of all of the dirt.. Could have been blond, could have been brown but definitely not black. They wore a dirty long sleeved shirt and ragged old blue jeans that were ripped in several places. And a pair of old sandals strapped across dirty feet. And most telling of all were the thick coke bottle glasses, and when they finally got close enough to actually see- Mars could tell that the person was female. He stared silently up at her, before motioning with his long knife to a tree stump by the fire. He returned his attention to the spear that he was whittling.

“I had assumed from all of the noise you were making that you would be somewhat larger.”
She didn’t answer.
“Do you have a name or am I going to have to make one up for you?”
“Ari. My name is Ari.” She said.
“Ari.. That is a very pretty name.”
She didn’t answer.
“I’m Mars. It is nice to make your acquaintance Ari.” He said extending his hand to her.
She sat down on the tree stump.

“So. What kind of name is Mars?” She asked.
“It’s Southern. I believe so anyways.”
He reached into his pack and pulled out a red apple and threw it to her.
“I would imagine that you are pretty hungry; so that should do until I can spear us a couple of fat trout from that river. You sit tight Ari. I won’t be long.”
He always carried a bar of soap with him for whenever he would have occasion to camp near fresh water lakes and rivers, and Ari bathed in the river- at his insistence, while he fished for dinner. After a great deal of trial and error he managed to spear them four brown trout and already begun removing the guts and heads when
she came back to camp fully cleaned and looking as fresh as a mountain breeze.

They sat and ate fish and talked long after dark, and she told him that she was seventeen years old and that she was originally from a small place called Clarksville Pennsylvania, and she had been alone and on the road since she was fourteen. And he told her that his name was Marston Alan Michaels and he was originally from a place called Decatur Georgia, and people had always called him Mars. Because he was always considered by most people to be- well, Different. They exchanged small talk until finally he could no longer hold his tongue.
“You know Ari, when I was out on the Old Church Road I saw five armed men searching the woods for something, they seemed rather desperate to find whatever it was, they were looking for you weren’t they?”
She lowered her eyes and nodded.

“I had the distinct impression that they were looking for two or more people.” He eyed her carefully.
“There were, two of us, but we split up back at the first trail fork, went our separate ways.” She said
“Who were those men?”
“It was a five man hunter team. They go out on horse back almost daily looking for drifters and people too little or too weak to fight back. I was on the road for almost a year when they forced me to go with them. I- that is we escaped from one of the labor camps in Saddlerville two days ago, they held me there for over a year against my will. I couldn’t take it anymore."

Her eye lay fixed staring into the fire as she recalled the ordeal, Mars leaned forward listening even more intently than before.
"They make the camp people work all day and sometimes at night, harvesting fields, feeding animals, building fences, digging holes. All they gave us to eat was half rotten fruit and vegetables and we were lucky to get that. Sometimes they take the younger ones back to a place called the ranch I’ve heard stories that the girls they took there and even some of the boys were raped and beaten sometimes to death. It‘s a horrible place.”

He leaned back against the log staring into the fire; letting her letting words roll across his ears as if he were carefully examining each and every one.
“You know Ari, after the world changed when it did, there were a lot of lost hopeless people, wandering across what was left of this country. There were no more rules to live by, the only real laws were the ones that people made for themselves. I’ve been all over and you know what I have discovered Ari?”
She shook her head no.

“That there aren’t but two kinds of people left in this world, there are people who will help someone in distress, they do it because it’s the right thing to do mostly, because they want to. Human dignity didn’t just stop because the world stopped, that isn’t a right that we gave to one another as human beings, human dignity is a God given right Ari. One that God and only God has a right to take from us. And then there are those people that are of a lesser caliber, that would strip away your basic human rights simply because they derive great pleasure from inflicting pain."

She listened quietlkly slowly shaking her head from side to side.
"They impose their will on others simply because they believe that they can, and most often do get away with it. The frail, the weak, they are the easiest prey. And when faced with a strength, and resolve that they are not familiar with; these people are more easily exposed as the cowards that they truly are. They will run and hide when faced with a terrible resolve. Such challenges fill them with a great fear, for they are cowards and are unjust.”

He took a piece of fish and slowly rolled it around in his mouth as he stared into the fire.
She sat quietly with her legs pulled up to her chest. His eyes slowly rose to meet hers.
“Now. You take my coat and cover up with it, because I want you to get a good nights rest. And when the morning comes, you are going to take me to see this Saddlerville. I would very much like to see it with my own eyes.”

~Scratch.. A.B.T. Copyright © 2011~

They met at the stables nearest the southern end of Longstown just before sunrise, Crawley had procured two animals for them along with enough supplies for one day. including two hand guns complete with 12 rounds of repacked ammunition each. Although Joplin was only a four mile ride and it wouldn’t take them long to reach it, Crawley wanted to play it safe. He handed a revolver to Mars as they were leading the two animals from the stables.
“We only have twelve rounds apiece so use them sparingly.” He told Mars.
They both mounted their horses and headed south down Stackmill road, the moon was still out enough for them to tell that there would be plenty of ground fog to help keep them hidden from anyone who may have been watching for intruders from the woods. To Mars though- if they only had seven men with them, it would make more sense to keep them as close to the wagon as possible for protection.. Providing too that they would even still be at the old Joplin Settlement where Crawley had sent them. True to prediction they never even saw the sun come up as the light slowly seeped through the thick fog along Stackmill Road as they drew nearer to where the trail led off into the woods. Crawley cautioned him that the fork heading east would be coming up soon and then it would be about a mile and another half back into the woods until they reached Joplin.

There were only two trails going in and out of the settlement on that side of the lake and Crawly suggested that they only rode the horses so far back in and then went the rest of the way on foot. Mars agreed but was starting to get anxious about finding Chi’s mother. They walked about three quarters of a mile back into where Joplin sat by the lake and sure enough there was the skin head wagon right out in plain view. Crawley and Mars both patiently watched and waited, looking for just the right approach. But it wasn’t until they saw the mistake in their math that they decided to split up where each one would hit them at opposite ends. There wasn’t seven men to contend with there were eleven. He noticed that two were near the woods, so Mars crept along until in just the right position to make a small noise tempting them towards the trees. He took the first near the under brush covering his mouth with one hand while burying his knife deep into his throat with the other. One down and ten to go, and when the second came searching clumsily for the first- he was met with much the same fate. Crawley at the other end was having similar luck showing that he was equally as adept at stealth as was Mars. And when another skinhead unawaredly blundered into his path Crawley covered his mouth and quietly snapped his neck like a twig. Quickly the odds were becoming more even. Three down- eight to go.

Mars quietly inched his way closer to the back of the wagon when he began to hear splashing in the water followed by muffled sounds of laughter. There were three in the lake splashing around naked in the water, cowering near the shore half naked and soaking wet was the little oriental woman. He looked to the other end of the wagon and Crawley was already within striking distance. He held up the pistol and pointed to the lake and Crawley nodded silently as he crawled under the wagons front axle and watched for the rest of the gang to show itself. Once he was settled in Mars rose to his feet and calmly walked to the edge of the water and opened fire on the three unsuspecting skin heads, all three took direct hits. Two more barreled out from the mouth of the wagon where Crawley was waiting for them, Mars loaded three more bullets into the revolver and turned back towards the wagon looking for more.
“That’s only five.. Plus the three in the trees, that makes eight, I counted eleven before.. Where are the other three?” He asked Crawley.
He kept the gun up and out in front of him ready to fire, cautiously looking around the encampment.
“I dunno, maybe in the woods looking for food and fire wood.” Crawley said.

Mars looking around- silently nodded in agreement. He took two steps forward as the first came rushing towards him with club in hand, Mars quickly raised the pistol and fired striking him in the skull, he stumbed forward and fell just three feet from Crawley. He turned to the little oriental woman shivering at the waters edge. He turned and motioned for Crawly to check the wagon for a blanket to warm her with, and there cowering in the back of the wagon they found the other two skin heads. Crawly urged them down from the wagon at gunpoint and forced them to the ground. He reached in the back and pulled out a blanket and threw it to Mars.
“So you fellers like kidnapping and thievery do you?” He looked at Mars and then back at the two men. “So what did you do with the stuff that you stole from Longstown?”
Mars walked to edge of the water and held the warm blanket open for her which she cautiously accepted.
“It’s ok, your safe now. I came here to get you for a friend, she’s waiting for you back at Longstown.” He said.
She tried to smile but could only manage a blank stare.
“They are all…. Dead?” She asked.
He turned to look at them, and then her.
“Mostly.. Those two cowards over there are probably going back to Longstown to be punished.” He told her.

They tied the prisoners up separately until Mars went into the woods and brought both of their animals down to the lake. The horses that had been pulling the skinhead wagon were still in their harness so they both agreed that Crawley and Chi’s mother would ride up in the wagon, the two prisoners would remain tied and forced to walk behind the wagon where Mars would trail behind with their two animals to keep an eye on them until they all reached Longstown. The trail leading out was rocky in places but they managed to reach Stackmill Road before eleven o’clock in the morning, which meant they would be in Longstown well before sundown.
They stopped twice along the Nil Creek that ran beside of Stackmill twice to get water, and just when Crawley had thought that the tired undernourished animals pulling the wagon weren’t going to get much farther without food and rest- they rounded the final bend and Longstown came into view. Mars followed close behind as the wagon pulled to a final stop in front of the constable’s office, Four men came from the building and took the two prisoners into custody. Crawley tended to the tired animals and Mars carefully helped Chi’s mother up onto the horse before climbing up in the saddle behind her.
“We’ll need to be finding a doctor to check her over before we reunite her with her daughter.” Mars told Crawley.
“Large gray two story brick building at the end of the street, Doc Langsford should be there.” Crawley answered.

He dropped her off at the doctors office and rode back down to Alice’s to retrieve Chi who as it turned out was already sitting on the porch with Alice. When they saw Mars coming down the street they both stood abruptly, Chi’s young eyes lit up with anticipation. He pulled rein on the horse right in front of the porch and slowly leaned forward looking down at Chi.
“Young miss.. Have you ever ridden a horse before?” He asked.
She hastily shook her head no.
“Well, C’mon then, this will be your first time. Someone is waiting for you at the doctors office.” He smiled.
Alice helped her up into the saddle. And he turned the animal around and headed back down the street. He pulled rein just in front of the doctors office and told Chi to hang onto the saddle horn until he reach the ground and could get her down safely. He led her into the doctors office and once inside the door she tore loose from his grip and bolted towards her mother. The two- from that point on were inseperable. Chi’s mothers eyes swelled with tears as she looked up at Mars. He nodded and turned to the door where Crawley was waiting outside.
“You know you could stay on here, we could use your help.” He said.
Mars shook his head.
“What about them?” He motioned Towards Chi and her mother.
“Alice is already making a spot for them.” He answered.
“I best be on my way in the morning then.”

As he walked back to Alice’s he could almost feel the voice roll across the back of his neck like a cold breeze. He turned towards it and he saw her standing there, he looked up and down the empty street but knew as he watched Crawley walk back into the doctors office, that no one else could see her. No one ever did. He turned to face her.
“I’m not good with goodbye’s I should probably be heading east tomorrow.” He told her.
“And what of the child?”
“She has her mother now, that’s all every child needs is their mother.” He answered.
But as with everything in Mars Michaels life it wasn’t that easy, and when he stepped out onto the front porch of Alice’s at dawn the next morning he found Chi standing there waiting for him.
“I know that you’re going to leave now, because you have to.” She said.
He knelt down in front of her.
“I didn’t want to disturb you Chi, I mean with goodbye.” He answered.
“I wasn’t waiting to say goodbye, I wanting to say thank you for helping me and my mother. We won’t forget about you.” Chi said.
“Could you do me a favor little one?”
Her eyes widened a bit and she nodded yes.
“If you could take out that little flute of yours- you know, just every once in awhile, and just find a breeze to stand in and play it, and no matter where I am- I’ll hear it, and I’ll know that you are safe. Will you do that for me?” He asked.
She smiled and opened the door and watched as he walked down the street and slowly faded into the rising dawn. She went inside and softly closed the door behind her.
~FIN~

~Scratch.. A.B.T. Copyright © 2010~