Prologue

 

The world went to hell in a hand basket when the Earth lost its ability to produce and sustain electricity. Humankind found itself returned to the seventeenth century with no radio, television or any form of electronic communication. Cars sat abandoned where they were when their life-giving spark disappeared. Society rapidly descended into chaos. Gangs took over cities and militia groups formed in rural areas.

One group of individuals banded together growing into a small community named Rebel's Revenge. Before the loss of power, they were members of a gunfighter's organization putting on comedy shows across southern Texas. After the blackout, they banded together for support and survival.

The citizens of Rebel's Revenge had to defend themselves against a militia group to the south and a gang that had taken over the city of Austin, Texas. The survivors won the battle with unexpected assistance from mutants in the area. With the battle over, death and destruction lay across the area of Rollingblock, Texas. It was time for them to leave -- time for each to find a new life.

CHAPTER ONE

 

Raphael Edmonds finished saddling his horse and packed a second to carry the supplies he needed for his wanderings. He had no specific plans, but needed to leave. This was a place of too much death, too many painful memories and loss. Memories, which he knew would haunt him for years.

Rafe, or Bear as his friends knew him, retired from the Navy SEALs following twenty years of military service. Following retirement, he returned to school and earned two degrees in alternative medicine. To support himself through school, he owned and operated two martial arts schools along with his retirement pay from the military. Now, in his late forties, he had lost a number of close friends including Davata, the woman that had meant as much to him as any wife.

Bear looked out of the corral area that housed the horses of the now defunct Rebel's Revenge. Another man dressed in the fashion of the eighteen hundreds strode toward him. His appearance was that of a man who had lived in the mountains for years. He wore a beat up black felt cowboy hat and a dirty, white duster.

Spyder held out his hand. "Looks like you're headin' out." Bear knew from their history, there were at least four pistols hidden under that duster. Spyder's hair hung to the middle of his back. His beard was almost as long and served to complete the mountain man appearance.

Bear shook the man's hand. "Yep," he answered. "I figure it's time to go. There's too much loss for me around here, too many bad memories. I'm not fit for man nor beast right now."

"I know what you mean man," Spyder agreed. "Ginny and me's leaving in a couple hours. Figured we'd go back to East Texas and try to set up home there."

Bear nodded. He knew Spyder's history well.

"Neither of us have people there, but I know the area and won't have to put up with the likes of those assholes yesterday. We'll be traveling with Hal and Sandy for a while and Wind's goin' with us."

Besides looking the part of a Mountain Man from long ago, Spyder was an ex-biker, ex-KKK member and, of all things, a Methodist Minister. His belief in God was the only thing of which he was unwilling to compromise. He was a walking, talking dichotomy who strode among the members of Rebel's Revenge with total acceptance.

"We're heading near the same direction as you," Spyder said, "Ya sure you don't want to travel a ways with us?"

Bear looked hard at the man, this friend who had saved his life many times. "I need some time alone," he said. "Nothing against any of you, but I need to work things out in my own way."

"I understand," Spyder answered nodding. He looked down scuffing the ground with the toe of his boot.

The two men were as close as any brothers could be. Spyder had adopted Bear as family during a rough period in his life. Bear had needed a friend and Spyder was there with no questions asked.

Now, in this place where scores of people died, Bear knew it was time to say good-bye to this true and trusted friend. The two men hugged, Bear patted Spyder on his shoulder and said, "I'll see ya sometime, man. We'll run into each other again sooner or later."

"You'll always have a place with us," Spyder said, referring to him and his new wife Ginny.

"I know. I'll see ya soon," Bear said, and walked away, leading his horses behind him.

Rounding the corner of the only crossed streets in the "Ghost Town" of Rebel's Revenge, he saw Hal and Sandy standing across the intersection. He walked up, stopped his horses and started rechecking his load. The last thing he wanted was to say good-bye to either of them. They were both family to him and he felt as if he would be leaving part of himself behind when he left.

Bear and Sandy were as close as any two friends could get. Even though Sandy was married to Hal, she loved Bear like a brother, and Hal not only understood, but encouraged the relationship. Both men cared about Sandy and wanted only the best for her.

"I'm gonna miss you Bro." She said.

Bear looked up from his work, "So, you're going back to Tyler."

Tears filled her eyes and she struggled to speak.

"Yeah," Hal answered for her. "According to that mutant, Gail, there aren't many humans back there. I figure we'll go back to Sandy's mother's old house -- maybe grow a garden. There's plenty of game around there. We should be okay."

"No doubt that you will be," Bear answered needlessly fiddling with the saddle on his horse. Both his horse and packhorse stood patiently waiting. They were fully loaded with supplies, ammunition and other necessities of the trail.

"Now just where is it you're heading?" Hal asked.

Bear looked up from his work on the saddle toward the trees eastward. "Over there," he said nodding in the direction he looked. "I've got no family to hold me in one place, so I thought I'd look around some."

"You've got us," Sandy said. "You know that."

"Yes ma'am I do," he answered. "I'll come back around sometime. I know where you'll both be."

"I love you Bro.," she said, put her arms around his neck and hugged him hard. "You take care of yourself." She stepped back, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"I love you too," he answered.

"Like she said," Hal told him and held his hand out. "You've got family with us."

Bear shook the man's hand. "I know and I'll be back. You take care of yourselves."

Tears stung his eyes as he mounted his horse, tipped his hat to both of them and turned his horses eastward.

CHAPTER TWO

 

Hal and Sandy joined Spyder, Ginny and Wind just after noon. They were all going to East Texas to start new lives. Hal drove a horse-drawn wagon. Unlike its predecessors, the wagon, now loaded with supplies, had rubber tires and would be able to get traction on the paved roads the entire trip.

"Not quite the kidney buster as the old ones," Spyder had said.

Sandy and Ginny sat in the wagon beside Hal while Spyder and Wind rode separate mounts. Four additional horses followed the wagon attached to leads as they traveled eastward.

Before the blackout, Wind had expected to go to college on a track scholarship. He had received his nickname because of the state high school records he set in Louisiana. As an African-American growing up in the south, he had experienced his share of racial prejudice. However, his mother had insisted that it was what was inside a person that mattered and not the color of their skin. When he and Spyder, an ex-KKK member, became the best of friends, it proved she was right.

It'll be slow traveling," Hal said. "But the use of a diesel vehicle might draw unwanted attention."

If modified, a diesel engine could run since it didn't require electricity. However, their use usually drew gunfire -- times had changed. It was a dog-eat-dog world now. Trust of a stranger was rare and people defended what was theirs.

The small group would use familiar roads for the first part of their journey. "With the gangs gone and the militia destroyed," Ginny said, "we shouldn't have any problems."

"Maybe," Spyder answered. "But once we get past Austin, we'll be in an area we're not that familiar with. There'll probably be other groups or communities formed the same as we did."

"Yeah," Wind said. "Not to mention that there'll still be mutants that don't know Bo or Gail. We'll have to keep an eye out for them too."

"That's true," Hal agreed. "Even if there aren't many mutants over there, we'll probably still face some."

"Anyone know where Bear'll spend the night?" Sandy asked.

"He said he wasn't sure," Wind answered.

"He'll probably stay at the Bar-B-Q Shack," Spyder said.

"Why there?" Ginny asked.

"It's where I'd go. There're uncomfortable memories there for sure," he answered. But, not as bad as in Rebel's Revenge. It's where he and I found Libby and Kai - and it's on his way."

"Makes sense," Sandy admitted. "Will we be going by there?"

"Yeah," Hal said. "But, if he's there we'll give him a wide berth."

"Why," Ginny asked sharply.

"He needs room to think," Spyder said. "He needs to get a handle on what's happened."

"That's no reason for us to sleep in the cold," Ginny countered.

"There are a bunch of houses in the area for us to use," Spyder explained. "It's not a problem."

"But the restaurant is set up for cooking food and... "

"Ginny, there're other places," Sandy interrupted.

"I'd expect you to say that... "

"Ginny," Spyder said, "knock it off. You're just being argumentative for no reason."

Ginny closed her mouth and stared straight ahead from the seat of the wagon. It was no secret that she hadn't cared for Bear since they were in college together.

 

***

 

Keith, Amanda and Dr. Hamilton left Rebel's Revenge later that afternoon for Shreveport. Keith had relatives there and the area would probably need a doctor. Hopefully they could settle down and re-establish lives for themselves.

Dr. Hamilton arrived at Rebel's Revenge with Davata, Wind and a young man nicknamed Melon who died shortly afterward. He was a widower who had returned to the Texas Hill Country after his wife of many years, died of cancer. He was a dear, gentle man, willing to help anyone or anything.

Surrounded by violence, he remained faithful to the field of healing. When possible, he tirelessly treated illness and injuries, set bones and checked the water of the community for contamination, among many other duties. He even delivered two babies in Rebel's Revenge after the blackout. Life was sacred to him and he was a true hero to the people whose lives he'd touched.

The small group used another homemade wagon to carry their personal gear and the doctor's supplies. Dr. Hamilton took enough items to open a single treatment room knowing he could grow from that if needed. The rest of the supplies were food, clothes and the ever-present supply of weapons and ammunition.

They stopped at the same house where they spent their last night before arriving at Rebel's Revenge. "It still looks the same from the outside," Keith observed.

"Ben said the mutants took it over for a while," Amanda reminded him. "If we're lucky, they may have left some canned goods. I'm sure all the rest is gone."

"Be careful when you open the door," Dr. Hamilton said. "There still may be mutants inside."

Keith hesitated then slowly opened the front door. The living room was empty except for the furniture, which once sat orderly in front of the fireplace and now lay scattered about the room. Only the couch and two chairs remained undamaged.

In the kitchen, Amanda confirmed that the mutants had left the canned food, however it was scattered throughout the room. Some of the cans lay crushed, their contents spilled on the floor or squirted across the room and still others were ripped open. However, she was able to find canned vegetables and a canned ham in a cupboard.

"At least we don't have to use any of our supplies tonight," she called to the others.

While Dr. Hamilton and Amanda checked the rest of the house, Keith took the horses and wagon to the barn.

Amanda was preparing a meal while Dr. Hamilton built a fire in the fireplace. "We should be safe here for the night," he said as Keith closed the front door.

"I think so," Keith agreed. "Just the same, we need to lock the doors." He turned the latch on the front door and double checked it. "The horses are fed and in the barn with the wagon. I found some hay, but the grain had gone bad."

The doctor nodded without looking up from his work, "That's probably smart, locking the door," he said.

Amanda appeared at the connecting door between the living room and kitchen. "Is there any reason for hurry?" She asked. "We're ten miles from Rebel's Revenge. Isn't the danger over for a while?"

"I don't see any need to rush," Dr. Hamilton answered. "If you want, we can stay here a couple of days."

"I don't care where we stay," she explained. "I just want to take some time to adjust to what happened. I feel like a hollowed out shell."

"That's normal," the doctor said. "Everyone survivor will probably develop PTSD to some extent. Everyone will have to deal with their feelings in his or her own way."

"I did things yesterday, I never imagined I could do," Keith said. "Even as I killed people, I felt nothing." He removed his coat, hung it on a wall peg and sat in a chair before the fireplace.

"That's the 'fight or flight' syndrome," Dr. Hamilton explained. "All people have it, just some stronger than others. Since it's over, however, you have a grieving process to go through."

"You think I'm gonna grieve for those assholes?" Keith asked incredulously.

"I don't know for whom or what you will grieve, but you will grieve. If you don't, it'll turn you inside out."

Keith still looked doubtful.

Dr. Hamilton leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasp before him. The young man before him looked ten years older than he did just two days before. He could see the experience had taken a physical toll. Amanda quietly sat on the other end of the couch from them.

"Look Keith," he said, "I can give you all the medical terms and fancy phrases. That'll only mean you know the names. It still doesn't change a thing."

"I wish I was more like Bear," Keith said looking at the floor. "He can handle things like this." He pulled his hat off, dropped it beside his chair and slouched to the side, his elbow on the chair's armrest, his hand hooding his eyes as if blocking an invisible sun.

"No you don't," Amanda disagreed. "Why do you think he refused to go with Sandy and that group? He was going the same way they were."

Keith took his hand away revealing tear filled eyes.

"In the last few weeks, Bear lost Davata, Ben and his home," she explained. "Spyder said they asked him to go, but he said he didn't think he was fit to be around people. He's hurting as bad as you, me or anyone else. He covered it well, but now he has to heal. He knows that."

Tears escaped Keith's eyes and rolled down his face. "Maybe you're right," he said. "But, look at me, I am crying like a baby."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of," Dr. Hamilton assured him. "We all will sooner or later."

 

***

 

Spyder was right, Bear made his way to the Bar-B-Q Shack before settling down for the night. The building was once a restaurant. A couple of months before, he and Spyder had killed four men here for taking two young women hostage and refusing to release them. There are some things a man simply won't stand for, he remembered thinking.

The women became valuable members of Rebel's Revenge and both sang Amazing Grace in the Native American language at Davata's funeral for which Bear was eternally grateful.

He put his horses in an extra building beside the restaurant carefully avoiding the structure where he and Spyder had thrown the bodies of the men they killed before. He put his personal items and supplies in the restaurant itself and relaxed for the night.

I'll miss 'em all, he thought. They were good friends, every damn one of 'em. Bear allowed his mind to wander, Davata's gone and it's time to let Sandy go. She has a husband and they don't need me around clouding things up. They're both wonderful people, but I'd just be in the way. They need to make a life for themselves. I'm gonna miss Spyder and Wind too. Both of 'em saved my life. Hell, the whole community did. Most of all, besides Davata, I think I'll miss Ben the most. He was a true and faithful friend.

People described Ben as one of the most talented actors and storytellers in the country. He and Bear were friends since meeting at an audition for a play many years ago. Ben died, shot during the battle the day before.

Rest well my friend, Bear thought as he slipped into a deep sleep.