Chapter 16

It was three full days before Gabby eventually showed up at the compound with the work team that I’d requested. With her were Rugar, Tonko, Tula, Gabon, Gort, Geeta, Bogdi, Zela, and Thela. They had the three horses with them and our two sleds. Piled on the sleds and tied down, were the travois for the horses and a couple of spares. I welcomed them with open arms. They greeted me with looks of surprise. I had been expecting that.

I could understand the surprised look on their faces. I must have looked like shit. It had been a very long three days for Clara and me. The two of us had essentially baby sat the locals that we’d found in the compound. That job had included fetching water from the river, which was two miles away, cooking meals for everyone, and tending to the locals’ needs, which weren’t that many, but it took up much of our expendable time. On top of that we had worked long hours trying to learn each other’s language.

The afternoon after Gort and Bogdi had left had been spent learning the basics. The women wanted nothing to do with me. That left me with Sygor. It took us ten minutes to just learn each other’s names!

Sygor did prove to be a quick learner. Once we had names down pat we moved on to the basics. I quickly learned his words for ‘yes, no, come, stop, look, sit, stand, eat, drink, and sleep’, and he learned the corresponding words used in the common language that we used in the cave. After that we started on short sentences such as ‘Sygor come’ and ‘Jake sit.’ As I mentioned, it was the basics, but it did allow some communication. Clara progressed a little further, though she’d been at it with the women since we had discovered them. She shared her knowledge with me later that night.

The next day we worked on larger concepts such as the compound. I ran about the place banging my hand on items and naming them for the locals. Here things were one sided for the most part. The locals had no words for ‘gate, fence, and table’. When I pointed to a mattress Sygor gave me the same word he’d used for sleeping furs. I’d shown him my bedroll first. When he did, I told him no in his own language. I then emphasized the difference between a bedroll and a mattress. After that, I did the same with blanket versus fur, showing Sygor the difference in feel of both items. The youth picked up my words quickly.

I also made an all inclusive movement with my hands at one point to teach Sygor the word, ‘compound’. Once he had that down I walked him over to the gate and I taught him ‘in’ and ‘out’. Naturally he gave me his words for the same concepts. From there were did the short sentences again. We tried, “Sygor in compound’ and ‘Jake out compound’. I saved proper grammar for later.

By the end of the day Clara and I had over fifty words that we understood of the locals’ language and they had an equal number plus a few more of ours that they could use if they wanted something. It was a definite start.

We were still hampered by trust and culture. None of the women trusted me. That meant we couldn’t send a couple of women off to fetch water, because they wouldn’t go off without a man to watch out for trouble, and the only man they trusted was Sygor, and he was still limping about because of his wounds. It meant that I had to make the trip at least three times a day to fill our canteens and to fill up the water jugs.

Food became an issue the second day. While we had a ton of dry goods such as flour, oatmeal, cornmeal, and rice, plus dried fruit, nuts, and some canned goods like tomatoes; we didn’t have any meat. It meant I had to go hunting, and because of the cultural issues I had to go alone.

Clara didn’t like the idea. She protested saying that I had to take her along to cover me while I dealt with any kill. I told her no. The discussion had started after breakfast so there was actually plenty of time in the day; however, I was expecting Gabby and the others to show up sometime during the day, and I didn’t know how long it would take me to find a herd and to kill something for supper. I wanted someone at the compound when Gabby got there. It made Clara fume for a bit before relenting.

The good thing was that I was going packing when I headed out. O’Quinn and his buddies had been armed just like Blackmore and company. While O’Quinn had been an asshole piece of shit that deserved what the locals had done to him, he had also been smart enough not to have left any weapons behind when he and his buddies had raided the village, and his buddies had been killed. I had four automatic shotguns that were drum fed to pick from. I grabbed one, stripped it down, cleaned it, and then I put it back together. I made certain I had at least four drums of ammunition with me, plus my sidearm, my hatchet, and my combat knife. I also took my big rifle along with me, just in case I needed it.

When I left, I headed in the direction that Jenkins had originally led us, the first day we were here in the here and now. We’d seen several herds in that direction during our trek and I figured that nothing would have changed.

While one direction was as good as another, there was a plus to heading the way I was going. I hoped that I might stumble over the village where O’Quinn and his buddies had struck. I wanted to see what was still there. It might sound mercenary, but I would plunder it, if there was anything worth taking back to the caves with us when we did go. After all, extra skins and furs could always be of use as could any roots and vegetables that these people had accumulated for their winter storage.

I didn’t come across the village, but I did cross the tracks left by the ATV and the footprints left by O’Quinn and his buddies, both going and coming back with O’Quinn and his prisoners. Fortunately, before I had travelled very far I found a herd of bison. The herd was off the trail by at least a thousand feet, grazing indifferently on the late September grasses that covered the plain. There were at least two to three hundred animals in the herd.

There was no way I was going to take down a bison with a shotgun, especially one loaded with buckshot. There was a lot of open space between the herd and me, and while I could have crawled out there on my belly to get close enough to use the shotgun, I figured why bother. The chances were that I’d more likely spook the herd or get trampled by them when they ran off. I was wishing for my bow and arrows, but I didn’t have them so I went for the next weapon up from them. I put the shotgun down and I slipped the big rifle off my shoulder.

The shot was easy. I dropped a young bull that was on the fringes of the herd. It went down with one shot. The rest of the herd simply moved off a bit, not really knowing what had happened to the bull, and not really caring. While they moseyed on I set to work cutting down a couple of saplings that stood off away from the herd. I would need them to haul the carcass home.

Luckily I didn’t run into any problems dressing out the kill. I didn’t skin it though. I saved that task for later. I actually didn’t want to spend too long out on the plains, alone. Once I had the carcass tied down on the travois, I lifted the poles and I started to head back. I was covered in sweat by the time I got there.

My kill did make an impression on the locals. Sygor definitely appreciated it. So did the women, although their appreciation was more subdued. Still, dragging in several hundred pounds of fresh meat was something that spoke volumes to these people, especially since I couldn’t even drag it through the gate in the steel fence. It would have to be skinned and butchered outside the fence and the butchered chunks taken in. I was sure the meat would be appreciated. I’d been feeding everyone canned beans, chili, and stew since I’d freed them. While the locals ate it, and from the fact they didn’t fuss over it while they ate it, probably enjoyed it as they did; a fresh kill was something different.

I left them the job of skinning it and cutting it up for supper. I also left Clara the job dealing with it once it was butchered. The kitchen unit actually had a chest freezer. It was a small one, but with a little effort it could be utilized to store the meat we didn’t eat tonight until we got the opportunity to make use of it. Personally, I wanted a bison steak for supper tonight. I left Clara with that thought as I grabbed my towel and ditty bag and I headed for the river. I took my shotgun with me and all the spare canteens to fill them up so I wouldn’t have to make the trek later.

I was actually sitting in the cold water of the river when I heard three shotgun blasts coming from the direction of the compound. They were faint, but noticeable. I was on my feet within a second and heading up the bank of the river and off towards the compound a second after that. I had my webbing on with my sidearm, knife, and hatchet, and I was toting my shotgun with a shell up the spout. Other than that, I was totally naked.

Clara met me at the gate when I banged on it to get in. We’d been leaving locked from the inside at all times. Her eyes widened when she saw me standing there in the nude, panting and looking ready for action. She actually smiled.

“What the hell happened?” I demanded to know. “I heard shots. Is anyone hurt?”

Clara smiled again and giggled. That alone told me that everyone was fine. It, however, didn’t tell me what had happened. A second later Clara got a grip on herself and told me.

“Wild dogs,” Clara informed me, waving me into the enclosure and then pointing towards the hole that we’d dug under the fence to get in. “They came in through there while we were hauling the bison to the freezer. They must have come across your trail back there out on the plains. Once they’d picked up the scent of your kill, they followed it to here. There were three of them. They didn’t get to do anything, but stir up a few emotions. I shot them the moment the kids started screaming.”

I looked about at this point. There was an audience. The women and Sygor had gathered while Clara explained the situation to me. The women were holding the girls. Everyone was looking at my naked ass.

“I’ll deal with the hole,” I told Clara, letting out a sigh of relief as I did, “and then I’ll go back and finish my bath. I’ll see you in a bit.”

I placed a storage bin to block the hole. The box was filled so it wasn’t going to budge if another animal came around snooping. I then headed off and finished my bath.

It took three full days for Gabby to arrive. The last day was spent working on more language skills, and cleaning up the enclosure. By midday I had the interior of the enclosure spotless. All the storage boxes had been resealed and packed away, and all the beer bottles gathered and put aside in the vehicle bay. I did find some left over booze hidden away. Not all of it had been consumed. To my surprise I found a couple of bottles of Riesling in Meyer’s footlocker. I put them aside for a special occasion along with a bottle of Scotch and a bottle of amber rum.

Gabby was thrilled to see us. She gave me a big kiss and then she gave one to Clara.

“Don’t ever leave me again,” Gabby demanded adamantly once she had us all to herself. “It’s lonely sleeping without you two.”

“No one joined you in your furs?” Clara asked teasingly. “I can’t believe it.”

“Someone did, but it wasn’t the same,” Gabby replied in all honesty. Then with her own teasing smile painted on her sweet lips she said. “Besides I’ve gotten used to being put to sleep by a man, since moving into that cave. A woman just doesn’t do it, anymore.”

“Oh, is that so, mon cheri?” Clara inquired in mock astonishment. “We’ll have to see about that!”

Then she broke into giggles.

While Clara saw to it that our people got introduced to the locals, I took Rugar aside to have a chat. It was clear from the expression on his face that the compound was too much for him. I led him back outside the walls of the structure and led him off a bit so that he could feel more comfortable.

“It’s all right, Rugar,” I told him in a reassuring manner. “It looks strange to you, but to me it is like the latrine we built, or the stable. The walls of this place are like the palisade that we constructed around the entrance to our caves. Try and think of it like that.”

“It was made by those men you killed?” Rugar asked hesitantly. “They came to kill Gabby and Clara. They were bad people. This place is bad as well.”

I shook my head at that.

“The men were definitely bad,” I acknowledged freely and without hesitation, “and they did bad things, however this place is not bad. It is just a place.”

Rugar didn’t seem to agree with me on that, but he let the matter drop and so did I. Once that had been resolved I turned us about and headed us back to the compound. I had things I wanted to show Rugar. While we walked I asked how things were at the cave. They turned out to be fine. Rugar had left Uttar in charge. Everyone was back to foraging and hunting and cutting grass for the horses. It had become a full time job and it was moving along well.

I was glad to hear about that. I’d been pissed, royally pissed, since Blackmore and his goons had dropped in on my community. Besides the fact that they had threatened to rape and murder Clara and they had been there to specifically kill Gabby, their little incursion had thrown off my plans to go harvest more wild oats. Now with the job ahead of me here at the compound, I had a strong feeling that we weren’t going to get there this year. Hopefully the dry grass would be enough. We’d have to see.

While we talked I took Rugar around and showed him the place and what was there. Rugar was impressed with the bison I’d dragged home on my own. The rest just left him speechless.

I understood that. Rugar was a man who until recently, could tell you everything he owned by memory. Those items probably didn’t total more than twenty in number, and many of them he was probably carrying on his body at that very moment. To a man like that, the opulence of the compound was overwhelming. Unfortunately, I still had to show Rugar everything. My plan was to gut the place if I could. That would mean Rugar would have to help me do it. Someone would have to lead the expedition back and forth between here and the caves, until everything was gone, while someone else stayed at the compound packing it up. That person packing had to be me. That meant Rugar was going to do a lot of walking in the next week or so, and there really wasn’t going to be an out for him.

We ate supper that night as a single group. The locals seemed more at ease with my people being around, than they were with just Clara and me. Naturally the question got raised by one of my people as to what would happen to the others once we left. That question resulted in more questions that I really couldn’t answer. I did however try to explain.

I told my people what had happened to the locals. That drew gasps from the men and women in my group. My people had led a rough life before I came along, however they had lived a relatively safe life. To be told that four men had walked into a community and that they’d wiped it out was just too shocking for my people to accept. To look at the locals and realize that their world had just been torn down and destroyed was something else. It left my people stunned and felling frightened. In fact Rugar actually questioned whether we should stay in the enclosure. It became clear very quickly that Rugar still saw the place as being bad, regardless of my reassurances that it was not.

I patted the man on the shoulder and tried once more to comfort him. I really needed Rugar to accept that the place wasn’t bad. Even though Quantum had set it up, there was no anchor, so Quantum would have trouble focusing on it again. At the same time I could tell that the rest of my people were feeling the same way about the place. It didn’t take long to realize that I needed to talk to them all.

I told them exactly what I had told Rugar earlier. I pointed out to them all, that the bad men had all been killed. That didn’t help matters much. To my people, killing was a bad thing to do. In my head I understood what they were going through. It was a nice sentiment and one that should be fostered under the right circumstances. However in my heart I knew that sometimes you just had to do things that others wouldn’t do so that people could survive. I tried another tack, the one comparing the place to our cave and the work we had done there to make life better for ourselves. I quickly learned that that didn’t matter to them either. To my frustration, I found that once again I’d run up against a cultural impasse. The people thought the place was bad so it was bad. Not all of them thought that way, but most did. There was nothing I could do about it. They would stay in the enclosure because I said they should and because it was safe. They weren’t happy about it, though. I just had to let the matter go.

After supper I left Gabby talking with Sygor, his sister Taka, and Ruba, the woman who’d bowled me over when I’d freed her. It had been a long day for me and I was tired. I headed off to bed in the command post. Clara came with me. We actually slept in separate bunks. We were tired. Some time later Gabby joined us. She slipped in with me. I barely noticed.

I woke late the next morning. It was at least seven in the morning by the time I crawled out of bed and pulled on my boots. Clara was still asleep in her bunk. Gabby had woken with me. I leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips. In return she put her arms about my neck and held me in the embrace for almost a minute.

“I’ve missed you, Jake,” Gabby whispered to me as our lips parted. She was looking up at me with big brown eyes filled with desire.

“I’ve missed you, too, Gabby,” I whispered back to her, leaning in again and kissing her tenderly once more. This time the kiss lingered a lot longer. In fact it went from tender to passionate within a matter of seconds. I felt my body responding to the closeness of Gabby’s sensuous form pressed up against mine and to the urgency that I felt in her kisses. Regrettably we were interrupted.

The hatch down the corridor banged open loudly. Then a voice called out, calling my name. It was Rugar.

“Oh, well,” I muttered with a hint of disappointment in my voice. “Duty calls.”

The rest of the people had been up for a while. Zela and Thela had whipped up a breakfast using leftovers and some supplies that I’d left out for their use. Everyone was ready to get to work. That was everyone but me.

As I ate breakfast I came to a decision. We’d put off packing up and sending off a shipment to the cave today. I was looking at Sygor and the rest of the locals. They were still dressed in the t-shirts and shorts that Clara had given them four days ago to wear. The clothing was soiled by now and in need of a good cleaning. I was certain we could find something else for the group to wear amongst the belongings left behind by O’Quinn and the other bastards that I’d killed, but I was also certain that they’d appreciate having their own clothing. For that to happen it required a trip back to their village or what now remained of it. I told Clara and Gabby my plan, and they both agreed that it would be a good idea to visit the village. Like me they knew that salvaging the village would provide us with resources that we would need later on. With their blessing I went and spoke to Rugar.