Chapter 31
I was feeding the chickens when I realized that I was obsessing. I tried to keep my mind on what I was doing, but I kept circling around to the same thought: It seemed like it had been forever since Dec left. It was nearing the end of our short summer, and the days were becoming cooler. Along with the coming of the cooler weather, a problem had arisen. We heard that the Eastern Slope Warlord's gang had retreated to Denver. They'd been up in the Estes Park area, but something had happened, and now there were reports of Pug-bears and Pugs coming from the nearby homesteaders. The Eastern Slope gang had apparently been given a stinging defeat by the Pugs and had moved back down the front range to their primary position where they were preparing to fight.
There had been no Pugs in our area, but a few Pug-bears had found their way into the Grand Lake region. They were ferals without any intelligence. They showed no signs of the symbiont-imparted cunning that made them superior to the Pugs.
Our local organization had made short work of the ones that had shown up. As soon as someone reported one in their area, the men would track it down and destroy it. We'd lost a number of animals to the nasty things, and a couple of men had succumbed to their poison also, but we felt we were holding our own.
Michael and I were doing fine. Our few animals stayed close to the homestead, and I was able to protect them from any marauding predators. Jefferson also helped by alerting me to anything amiss. These days, he was staying close to the house, where he could pop through the cat flap for safety. I guess that he was feeling a little less secure, although how he knew about the Pug Bears, I don't know. There had been none in our immediate area.
We usually went into town on a weekly basis, and our friends stopped by at least once every few days. This gave me a feeling of community and a little additional security.
My primary consideration was that it had been a little over three months since Dec had gone over the mountains, and I'd somehow lost the ability to sense him. I tried and tried, and it was like there was just a vacancy in my mind where he'd previously been constantly present. I know that this sounds like I'm crazy, but I'd come to depend upon my developing psychic senses, and his absence made me desperately worried.
My worry became worse when I started counting the weeks since my last period. I was not only late, but I'd missed twice. I had become very slim; living as we did. I sometimes didn't eat enough; I just didn't have any appetite, and as a result, I occasionally missed a period. I'd come to view this as normal, but then I realized that I'd missed twice in a row. I stood in front of our full-length mirror in the bedroom, lifted my dress, and looked critically at my stomach from the side. I was definitely showing a little swelling. When I realized that, I knew that Dec had left me with a present from some time before he rode off.
I was happy, but this added to my worries. Well, there was nothing for it but to begin to prepare. I started to save up extra wood, realizing that I wouldn't be able to cut as much in the later stages of winter. I also started to plan on building up additional stores of food. I hadn't told anyone as yet. I wanted to wait until I'd missed again. I figured that, due to my slimness, I wouldn't be able to conceal my state from Mollie and my other women friends beyond that time.
The thing was, my pregnancy and the intrusion of more Pug-bears into our area made me aware of just how vulnerable we were. I had a young son to protect, and I'd have a new baby in six or seven months. If Dec didn't come back, I just didn't know what I'd do. My first pregnancy had been difficult during the final trimester, and I'd not been able to do much. If this one was going to be the same, I was not sure that I'd be able to manage by myself.
I thought that I might have to move us into town for a few months. We could probably move in with Mollie and her husband for a while. I really didn't know what else I could do. Dec's absence, both physically and mentally, weighed heavily on me during the day and even more during the night.
Jefferson was the one bright light. I'd come to depend on him as a kind of early warning system. He would always let me know if there was anything problematical around. Coyotes were no problem. He'd come through the flap and then look back at it with an expression of disdain that I'd come to associate with their presence.
Wolves and larger predators were different. He'd continue across the room, perch on the kitchen table, and hiss at the door. That was my signal to get my rifle and peer out the door in case the creatures were minded to make a pass at our livestock.
We did have a cougar in the area, but it mostly stayed away from our homestead. I didn't know how Jefferson would react to it, but I presumed that he'd be very wary. The big cat wouldn't hesitate to take him for lunch if it could catch him.
My resolve to discourage William hadn't been tested. He'd been busy in the hills a considerable distance on the other side of town all summer. I'd heard that the main flock of sheep was being grazed down there, and since he'd been placed in charge of all of the herders, he hadn't found the time to ride by our place. I was just as happy with that. I had a funny feeling about him. He'd been nothing but kind to us and seemed to like Michael, but when he was around, I felt that he was perhaps overly interested in me. Despite Dec's absence, I felt that all men should respect my husband and my status as his wife.
The weeks passed, and I missed my cycle again. I was definitely expecting, and my body slowly began to prepare me for the event. Dec was still missing and I felt totally alone. It was a disconcerting feeling that was shortly to become worse.
It was during the first colder period of the year when our neighbor, George, who lived up near the old border of Rocky Mountain Park, came riding by in considerable haste. I was chopping wood when he came through the trees. I dropped the ax and put my hand on my rifle until I recognized him. Michael was playing in the house, so I didn't have to worry about him.
“Hi, George!” I called. “What brings you this way?”
“Hey, Liz,” he responded, riding closer at a fast pace. “I'm on my way to town. There's a problem, and you'd probably better get your stuff together to evacuate.”
“What's going on?” I was alarmed.
“I was up on the hill to the east of my place. You know, the one that gives a good view up the mountains towards the Divide. It was clear, and I had my binoculars. I saw something, and when I focused on it, I saw a group of Pug-bears and some two-legged creatures coming down the old asphalt road towards the park entrance.”
“The two legs must be Pugs,” I guessed. “They would be the only things that would accompany Pug-bears. No humans would be tolerated by the things. Where do you think they were headed.”
“Well, it looked like they were just following the road, but that will bring them into town eventually, and on the way, they'll pass close to your place. You know the old road is just a little more than a mile away,” he responded.
I didn't know how acute the Pug-bears' senses were, but I suspected that they wouldn't know we were out here unless they saw a column of smoke from my cook stove. On the other hand, they might not stick to the road, and they might also be exploring the trails that led off the road. It was clear that we lived where we did. The trail from the road was well-worn and showed that we passed that way often.
“George, how long do you think we have before they show up here?” I was mentally calculating how rapidly we could evacuate.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and answered, “Maybe several hours. They were way up when I saw them, and I don't think they were moving very fast. I'm headed into town to alert people. If I can get enough men together, I intend to ride back to the park gates and try to stand them off there. We can't afford to have them come into town.”
“You'd better get on, then. I'll start to pack and get us ready to move into town, if necessary.” Turning, I headed towards the house, but then I realized that I'd forgotten my rifle, so I came back to pick it up, blushing in embarrassment at my oversight.
George looked at me critically, and then I saw a change pass over his face. “Liz, I don't mean to pry, but are you expecting?” He blushed at his forwardness but seemed to think that my status was important enough to pry about.
“Yes. It happened two or three weeks before Dec left,” I answered. “I've been working to get ready.”
“You'd better get your son and get on into town, then. I wouldn't want to bet on what those critters will do as they get closer, and you aren't in a condition to take as good care of yourself as you might be. Now, don't you be worrying about your livestock. I'll keep an eye on 'em.”
His way of putting it was a little crude, but frankly, I appreciated his care, so I thanked him and walked back to the house as he rode across the yard and crossed the stream.
We packed quickly and rode into town a couple of hours later. Molly agreed to put us up in her spare room in back of the store, so that was fine.
I was in front of the store when a large group of men, led by George and the Sheriff, headed up the road. They were all heavily armed, and I waved at George as they went by. They were on their way to the park gates to try and intercept the Pug-bears.
About an hour later, we could hear a distant rattle of gunfire echoing through the hills. It was faint, but the park gates were several miles away. The battle continued for over an hour and gradually died out with a few sporadic shots echoing across the trees. I was one of a group of women who stood on the street and listened. More than a few of us were also armed. If the enemy made it through the men, they'd find that the town was equally heavily defended.
Another hour went by, interspersed by a few single shots. We figured that the deer hunting rule held true here also. If you hear one shot, that's one dead deer. If you hear two shots, there's maybe a dead deer. Three shots usually meant that the deer got away. In this case, I realized that the Pug-bears were harder to kill, so a multitude of shots probably meant that a Pug-bear was the target.
Eventually, the men began to straggle back into town. Their story was horrifying. There had been thirty-one of the townsmen that had gone up the hill. Only nineteen came back down. The rest were all dead. It was horrible, the mourning and wailing from the women as they found out their husband or intended hadn't survived. There were no wounded. The aliens' weapons either missed completely or killed. There was no halfway status.
By then, there were a lot more men who'd gathered in the gazebo park, and they were all ready to set out to recover the bodies. The survivors of the battle assured us that they'd killed every alien that had come down the mountain, so we thought there wouldn't be a problem riding up there. However, it was getting on towards dark, and none of them even seemed to be thinking about that factor. They were just getting organized and ready to head out. I thought that they had better wait until morning. There was no point in trying to rescue any survivors; there weren't any. Having a large group of armed men wandering around worrying about alien attacks in the dark wasn't a good idea. They'd be more likely to shoot each other than do any good.
With that in mind, I stepped out into the street in front of them and got their attention. After arguing a few minutes, I won my point and the guys resolved to wait until the morning. It was a long night.
The next day, they rode up to the site. Hours later, they came back with several bodies. Some of the killed had been hit with anti-matter weapons, and there were no remains. It was a hard time for the town. We had a mass funeral and tried to cope as best we could. It got so bad in town, that Michael and I moved back out to our cabin. I couldn't take the mournfulness of the place. The only good that came of the battle was that all of the aliens had been killed, and the remainder of the population was more prepared. They'd formulated a battle plan and had stationed look-outs on the park access road. It was unlikely that the aliens would catch us by surprise again.
Shortly after that episode, we got word from a traveler that the aliens had come down to the Denver area, and there had been a huge battle there, as well. There were enough of the creatures to take part of the Broomfield area and hold it for awhile. There had been extensive house-to-house fighting required to drive them out. The upshot was that the Pug-bears and Pugs controlled Boulder and its environs while the Warlord's gang patrolled just south of that town in sufficient force to keep them at bay, at least for the time being.
I didn't know where the things were coming from, but there were apparently plenty of them. Of course, their weapons were far more effective than our rifles, and they were harder to kill, so it didn't take too many Pugs to keep our guys busy.
A couple of days later, at our homestead, Michael and I were by the wood pile. I'd enlisted his aid in stacking kindling, and he was helping somewhat. I was splitting a log when Michael drew my attention to William, who was riding across the stream.
His horse clopped up to us, and he swung down, tossing the reins over the saddle.
“Hi there, young feller,” he said, greeting Michael, who responded with a large smile. Then he turned to me with a long glance. “Hello, Elizabeth.”
“Hello yourself,” I answered. I could see that his eyes strayed down my body, pausing at my breasts and continuing down to my slightly rounded stomach. As he saw my condition, his pupils narrowed momentarily.
“It looks like you're in a family way,” he observed. “Your husband still not back, I understand?”
“No, William, he's still not back, but I'm hoping that he will be soon.” What else could I say? I didn't know where Dec was, but I truly wanted him back with all my heart.
“Are you going to be able to cope through the winter in your condition and without your man?” William asked.
“I'm sure I... we'll be alright. I've been preparing. I've got a lot of wood stored up, and we've got plenty of supplies –“ I started to explain, but he interrupted.
“Don't worry, Elizabeth. I'll make sure you're taken care of.” Something about his attitude was proprietary and a little off-key as he added, “I like your son, and I'm sure that I'll like your new baby as well.”
This wasn't going well, I decided. It seemed like he thought he had some claim on me and my small family. I resentfully said, “Well, don't worry about it. I'm well set, and my friends from town check on me often.”
Seeing that I was angry, he changed his attitude and tried to make it seem as if he was just concerned.
“That's good, then. The sheep have been moved back into this area, and I'll be staying in town a lot more. I'll be happy to check on you more often. You can depend on me.”
I responded, somewhat mollified, “OK, thanks. Now, I'd better get back to my chores. Don't let me keep you.”
Seeing that he was being dismissed, he decided to accept it gracefully and said something about having to go check on a new shepherd who had just been hired. He swung back up into the saddle and started off. Then he paused, turned back to me, and said, “A beautiful woman like you with a family shouldn't be left alone out here. It's too dangerous. I'll be sure and stop back by often.”
I waved and grabbed my ax as he rode off. I wasn't too happy about the way this visit had gone, but I couldn't see what he'd really done except to seem concerned. I didn't know why I was upset with him.
I returned to splitting kindling and wondered again when Dec would be back. My mind turned to thinking about the worst possibilities. If Dec didn't return, I would either have to move into town or get someone to help me out here.
What if Dec never returned? I couldn't sense him. What if he were dead? The thought was horrible, but it persisted. I tried to be reasonable about it. I had a son and would have another child. I'd need help. The land was far more primitive than it had been before the aliens had exploded the EMP. A single woman with two children would be in danger.
I'd need a man around – I dropped that thought like a hot potato. It didn't bear thinking about. Everything would be fine, and Dec would return, but when?