Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2016 14:06:17 +1300
From: arthur carkeek <artcart65@gmail.com>
Subject: The Runner Chapter 7

THE RUNNER

CHAPTER 7

BY ARTHUR

CONTACT AUTHOR:

artcart65@gmail.com



Clarry had cleared away the few branches that had blocked the side road
they had used to get into the cabin; it was now time to move on.

With everything checked for a second time; Clarry watched Liam get settled
into the passenger seat with his sawn off at the ready. Clarry did a final
check of his own weapons and their position in the Land-Rover; it was time
to find some new lands.

It did not take long for Clarry to realise the winter had been far harsher
than any other he had seen. The damage to roads and the surrounding land
was now very obvious and, without the needed up keep that had been
available before the virus; there was little hope they would ever be the
same again.

Fences had been broken by the heavy snows and not repaired. Roads had been
damaged; some so badly that Clarry had to find another way around
them. Some homes had also been damaged by heavy snow falls as there had
been no one to clear it away and some roofs had collapsed under the strain
and weight of the snow.

Where fences had been brought down; there were now freed animals wandering
over the roads and along the verges; they also now presented a hazard for
the two boys in the vehicle.

Progress was slow at best; even when Clarry finally decided to try a few
back roads so they were away from car and truck wrecks; it only served to
get them into places that were not even on his maps. Within five days of
leaving their winter home; Clarry finally had to admit he was lost. They
were in strange lands with nothing on the map to tell them where to go;
Clarry decided to just follow his nose and head south west; it was as good
a direction as any other he could see.

Without realising it; the time flew by. How long they had been driving
around and where they were seemed to lose importance as the two boys tried
to live in the new world of today.

A number of times; Clarry tried his hand at hunting. Fortunately for him
there was now a marked increase in wild life and; although it turned out he
was more of an opportunity hunter than a good tracker; he did manage to
keep some fresh meat in their diet.

It had not taken Clarry very long to realise he had a great need for the
few "How To" books; they had become very valuable. His first attempt at
butchery was almost a disaster although he had managed to take what he
hoped were a few choice cuts of meat for their meal that night; when he
returned the next morning to finish the job; there was little left of the
carcass.  It was a lesson he never forgot again.

The days seemed endless and time stood still; there was no longer a feeling
of urgency to get somewhere; their days were more about finding a good
place to camp for a few days and for their own safety.

They had been travelling around for sometime; Clarry thought it may have
been as much as three months; the time just seemed to get away from them so
he was not sure.

They had made a camp by the side of a small stream two days ago; there were
plenty of small game and; in the stream were small fish that made for a
change in diet although catching them proved to be more fun than beneficial
for the pot.

While Clarry had tried to keep an eye on their direction; it seemed at
times as though they were going in circles. At first this had worried
Clarry until he realised that both of them were really quite happy to just
wander.

Fuel for the Land-rover was not yet a problem although it was getting to
the stage he had to start thinking about it; it was for this very reason
they had stopped where they were to reconsider their next step.

When they had come across an abandoned farm; they would search out any form
of garden and look through for vegetables that may have been seeded by last
year's crop; it appeared that corn was the most reliable although some
other root vegetables also took to the wild and untamed nature of the new
times.

Clarry's next move was to find a small town and search for gas in the hope
of refilling the large gas cans stored on the trailer and vehicle. By his
estimation, they had about three hundred miles of gas left; they would have
to find something before then.

Some would have thought that Clarry would become tired of Liam's youthful
exuberance; his penchant for relating everything to Harry Potter or one of
his other fantasy books; could have driven someone else to despair had they
not been so close.

Clarry found it amusing at some of the suggestions made by Liam; the
smaller boy's belief in magic and everything in the world was protected by
good wizards; only went to make the days more fun for the older boy.

The two boys stayed in the camp for nearly ten days before feeling the need
to move. With the maps meaning very little to Clarry now; he turned the
Land-Rover west and started to drive; everything for the last three months
had been almost hit and miss; so far they had made out alright so why
change a good plan.

They had been driving slowly for two days; Clarry had only a half jerry can
of gas left in reserve and knew he had to find some soon; if he failed to
get more gas they would be stranded wherever the vehicle stopped.

He had been driving along what looked to have once been a side road; now it
was well overgrown with new growth. Around them were tall ridges and there
was little sign of any town in the immediate area.

Most days Clarry only drove for one or two hours; they had not been in a
hurry since the winter snows had begun to fall and now in the New Year they
just continued with their slow progress. The going was slow and Clarry
thought they did not cover more than thirty or forty miles in any one day.

Clarry pulled the Land-Rover to the side of the road; he thought he saw a
good place to camp for the rest of the day and that night. There was what
looked like a small stream for water and a large flat area to park in. The
animals they could see were mainly deer and even the odd cattle that must
have turned wild as they wandered around unfenced and free.

Unknown to Clarry there were four pairs of eyes watching them from the
surrounding woods. Two pair were higher up on the ridge and well hidden by
the tall trees. The other two pair were closer but also well hidden. The
sound of birds in the afternoon air was nothing new to Clarry or Liam; it
had almost become a part of the everyday sounds, unlike when they lived in
Maine.

High up on the ridge above the two boys; the green eyes turned to the
darker eyes; nothing was said apart from the green eyed boy sending out
another bird call to the two far below them. The answering call came back
from down by the roadside; those eyes were also dark and even a little
amused at what they were watching around the small camp being set up in
front of them.

The two up on the ridge communicated in whispers as they watched the two
boys setting up their camp; there appeared to be little to fear from them
as one was very young even though he never put down a small sawn off shot
gun for more than a minute.

The setting up of the camp did not take long; it was obvious the two had
had some practice; it was even noticed how they had converted the trailer
to being part of their living quarters.

The main concern was the strange vehicle; it was in military colours but
was like no other vehicle they had ever seen; for a start the steering
wheel was on the wrong side and the squarish stubby vehicle did not look as
though it would turn away any bullets and looked as though it would be very
uncomfortable to travel in.

Closer to the camp; the two pairs of dark eyes watched every move of the
two newcomers. There was a feeling in the air that the new boys were not
dangerous but still; they did not want to take chances. They would wait for
darkness and then see what they had to deal with.

The slightly taller of the two leaned back and put his fingers to his
mouth; almost immediately the sounds of another bird filled the quietness
of the woods; it was the signal to let the other watchers know these two
would be staying below to watch. The two high on the ridge looked at each
other and smiled; it was time to report back to those in the clearing below
their perch.

Clarry now had the fire banked for the night; their evening meal was nearly
ready and the quietness of the surrounding land made for a sense of peace;
it was times like these that Clarry gave thought to their situation. They
had not seen anyone for months; even driving on roads or past deserted
farms had not produced any more people; there were times like now, that
Clarry thought they may be the only survivors of the virus.

Clarry looked over at Liam as the younger boy got up from his place near
the fire. While Liam checked his shot gun to make sure it was ready if
needed; Clarry asked him what he was doing.

"I gotta go."

"OK, but don't go too far, stay within sight of the fire."

Liam nodded and turned towards the dark woods. By this time he was used to
doing his business out in the open places; this time he only needed to piss
and so looked for a tall tree; there were plenty around. Going to a tree
just out of the fire light; Liam juggled the shot gun until he could open
the fly on his jeans; as the stream came out, his sigh was audible almost
as far as the fire.

Clarry was sitting on a log by the fire; he was just about to remove the
cooking pot when he heard Liam coming back. Clarry took a quick glance at
his brother; and then his heart stopped as he reached for his rifle which
was lying on the log beside him.

As Clarry tried to take up his rifle, he felt a resistance and looked down;
there was a moccasin covered leg holding his rifle down on the log. Clarry
was now in a quandary; Liam was being pushed forward by a slightly taller
boy with a vicious looking knife at his throat; Liam's shot gun was now in
the other teen's hands.

Clarry could only follow the moccasin covered leg up to its owner; the next
thing he saw above the leg was the muzzle of a rifle pointed at his head
but the owner of the rifle had what could almost be a smile on his young
face as he looked down at Clarry.

"What do you want? Please don't hurt my brother."

The voice that answered him was also young but Clarry heard the underlying
threat.

"We don't want to hurt you unless you give us a reason; and the reason will
not have to be much."

"Who are you? What do you want?"

Clarry took his eyes off the rifle as he looked to see Liam sitting down on
the log on the other side of the fire; the teen behind him stood on guard.
Clarry was surprised to see the teen was only partially dressed. He had on
a pair of jeans that were tucked into his calf length moccasins but no
shirt. Around the teen's neck was a green bead necklace and his long black
hair was tied back in a single pony tail.

Clarry quickly glanced at his own captor and gasped. His captor was also
young looking; he wore a pair of white cotton trousers also tucked into the
tops of his moccasins. Around his waist was a cartridge belt on which he
had a pistol on one side and a large hunting knife on the other; across his
chest was a bandoleer of bullets for the rifle. This teen's hair was also
long but was not tied back but hung loose over his shoulders.

Clarry gasped again at what he was seeing.

"You're Indians; what do you want?"

The teen beside Clarry smiled.

"Depends on what you do; for now we just want some information; like your
names for a start; then you can tell us what you are doing here. Good
answers means good results; bad answers could mean you both go to bed with
no hair."

Clarry heard the other teen softly giggle but did not want to take his eyes
off the teen beside him.

Clarry gulped as he tried to find his voice; this day was not ending like
all the others and he was not really prepared for what had happened;
perhaps they had got lax from not seeing anyone in their travels; of course
the fact these two were Indians would explain why both he and Liam were so
easily caught.

"My name is Clarence O'Rourke and this is my little brother Liam."

Clarry noticed that, at the mention of his brother's name; both teens
looked at each other and raised both eyebrows and shook their heads while
still smiling.

"I didn't know this was Indian land; we've just been going around looking
for a safe place to live. If you want we can leave your land in the
morning; we don't want to upset anything or anyone."

Clarry watched as another glance was passed between their two captors; he
also noticed that Liam was not a happy chappy at being so easily caught
out. Clarry also hoped his little brother would keep his temper for which
the O'Rourke's were famous; this was not a good time to throw a hissy fit.

Clarry watched as his own captor pushed aside Clarry's rifle with his foot;
with a gesture from his own rifle; he indicated for Clarry to remove the
pistol from his belt and toss it over beside the rifle. Clarry followed his
instructions and waited for whatever came next; he was surprised by the
next words from the teen.

"What's in the pot?"

"Stew for our dinner."

"Better take it off the fire or you will be eating ashes."

Clarry looked at the pot and then reached for it while still trying to keep
his eyes on the rifle pointed at his head; it had not wavered once since
the teen had arrived.

"Smells good; got enough for four?" His captor asked.

"Yeah I think we can make it go four ways." Clarry decided to take the bull
by the horns. "Want to join us?"

"That's the idea; now we are going to put our weapons up; don't do anything
silly that you may be sorry for later; so far you're both doing good; let's
try to keep this friendly."

Clarry glance over at Liam and scowled at what he thought the younger boy
might try to do; Clarry could see that Liam was wound up as tight as a
spring; he hoped the scowl would remind Liam to take things slow and not
cause trouble.

Clarry went to the trailer and brought out two more plates along with two
more forks; there was plenty of stew; he had made enough for their
breakfast in the morning as well although now it would be mostly gone
tonight. Hopefully with the two Indians having full bellies they would not
be quite so dangerous.

Clarry noticed the other teen break open the shot gun and then lay it on
the log on the far side and away from Liam; he then rested his own rifle on
the log beside him as he took the plate from Clarry; as yet this teen had
not said a word.

The four boys began to eat in silence until they had had a few mouthfuls of
food. Clarry's captor was the first to break the silence.

"Good stew; you cook well. My name is Lazy Rider, I'm of the Comanche
Nation; that one over there is called Navajo; he is Dine, or as you whites
call them; Navajo; hence the name.  Now so we keep this friendly; I'll tell
you a few things so you don't get on the wrong side of any others you may
meet. We call ourselves `The People' or, if it is easier, `First Nation' to
us the term Indian is not liked. So tell me, do you know the Kelly's?"

"Well as you can tell we are from Ireland and there a lot of Kelly's there
so which ones do you mean and why do you ask?"

At the mention of an Irish name, Clarry's brogue had grown a little
stronger.

"Well they don't talk like you but they have the same red hair and a few
other things that are similar. This stew is really good. Now why are you
here; what are you looking for?"

"Well as to why we're here, it's simple; I'm bloody lost; what are we
looking for, somewhere safe for my little brother to grow up and not have
to be afraid or in danger all the time."

Lazy Rider continued eating until he had finished his plate before
answering; Clarry noticed the other teen, Navajo had also finished and was
now watching the two boys talk although he obviously had one eye on Liam at
all times.

"Well I might be able to help you but it's not only up to me."

As Lazy Rider finished speaking, there came a shout from out in the
darkness.

"Hello the camp; two coming in."

Lazy Rider called back into the darkness.

"Come ahead Philippe, we got some visitors for you to meet."

"I can see that; any of that stew left; someone was in a hurry to get back
here and couldn't wait for our supper."

Lazy Rider looked over at Clarry; getting a nod from the boy he called back
to the newcomers just as they came into the firelight.

"Yep, just enough for two scrawny white eyes."

Clarry watched as a tall Latino teen accompanied by a red headed boy walked
into the camp leading two horses each.

"Thought you might want you bed back so we stopped to untie them and bring
them in. Who have we got here?"

"A couple of wanderers looking for a safe place to settle down."

The two newcomers squatted by the side of the fire; it appeared that the
one called Philippe did all the talking for both of them.

"So what's your name?" Philippe looked at Clarry as he lifted the lid on
the pot.

"Clarence O'Rourke and this is my brother Liam."

"Oh shit; not more bog jumpers and another damn Liam as well." Philippe
said

Clarry was not surprised to see Liam jump to his feet in anger; his little
brother chose the worst of times to show his anger and frustrations.

"What's wrong with a name like Liam; who do you think you are?"

"Calm down little boy; this here is my partner; his name is also Liam and
so is his grandfathers. Now that you are here there will be three Liam's;
you think that's not going to be trouble?"

Clarry looked over at the teen called Lazy Rider.

"What do you have in mind now?"

Lazy Rider looked at his three companions; once he got a small nod from
each of them, he turned back to Clarry.

"We were thinking of inviting you both to come and see our little home;
there are others who will make the final decision if you like it and want
to stay but; it will be as safe as you can get today and there are
opportunities if you want to add to the community. We even have a school
going for the young ones." Lazy Rider said this final part with a smile on
his face as he looked at Liam.

Clarry looked over at Liam; his brother looked back and then asked.

"Can I keep my gun?"

In reply, the one known as Navajo took Liam's shot gun; opened it to eject
the two shells and handed the gun over to Liam; the two shells followed
soon after.

"There's your answer." Lazy Rider said. "We like everyone to be armed; you
never know when some idiot white eyes will try to take your home from
you. Some have tried in the past."

"How far away is this place; I'm running low on gas for the Land-Rover?"

"Not far; we just go down this track to the end of the ridge and then turn
east and it's about three miles further on but; I think we should all stay
here tonight and go there in the morning; it will give the others time to
get ready for your arrival."

"They know we might be coming?"

"Yup, they know."

"But how? I don't see any radios on you four; how could they know?"

"Ah...well that's Indian magic; if I told you I would have to scalp you."

Clarry could only look perplexed as the four new comers laughed loudly in
the night stillness; they were surely a strange bunch but he could detect
no real threat from them and he really needed a safe place for Liam to grow
up in. This may be the only chance they get; there had been so little out
there so far and he did feel they needed real help if they were going to
survive.

"I think we would like to go with you and see this place. Thank you."

"Well let's get settled for the night; you and your brother get a good
night's sleep and we will keep watch just in case; there are other things
out there apart from dangerous men."

Clarry nodded and signalled for Liam to join him under the trailer tarp
where they had made their beds for the night. As he settled down, Clarry
looked out towards the dimming fire; he was just in time to see the four
newcomers go to their horses and take off a blanket before hobbling the
horses for the night.

Three of the teens settled down in their blanket while the fourth took a
seat near the fire to be on guard. For the first time in a long while,
Clarry felt he and Liam were safe and he could finally get a good night's
sleep undisturbed.

The morning came sooner than he thought although he felt well rested and
somehow at peace with the surroundings; it was the first time since the
virus that he had felt like that.

Clarry saw that Liam was taken in by something close to the dying fire; his
little brother seemed entranced as he stared unashamedly at where the
others slept. The one called Navajo was just starting to stoke the fire for
breakfast when Clarry saw that; instead of three blanket covered bodies,
there were only two although one did seem larger than any of the teens had
been.

It was to be another few minutes before he saw the answer to the unusual
scene. First the single blanket stirred and Lazy Rider popped his head up
to quickly look around before starting to get up. Beside him the other pile
began to stir and it was then that Clarry saw what had entranced Liam;
there was not one body under the blanket, but two and he could see that the
older boy Philippe was cuddling the smaller red headed Liam; now he
understood what had caught his brother's attention. The two boys were a gay
couple.

Clarry tried to hide the blush that was heating his face as he thought of
what might have been going on under those blankets last night; he quickly
turned to Liam to distract him from what was going on with the two teens as
they argued over who would get the other a coffee.

It was decided to just have a cup of coffee and then move on to the new
place where Clarry hoped they might find a safe home; within an hour they
were almost ready to move out.

Philippe and Liam Kelly would go over the ridge while the Land-Rover was
escorted through to the clearing by Lazy Rider and Navajo as they had to go
the long way round. Ten minutes later and Clarry started the old Land-Rover
and followed slowly behind the two mounted teens as they rode their horses
towards the far end of the ridge.

It was not long before Clarry saw the two riders point to a side track;
turning down it, he drove a short distance before he came to what looked
like a large clearing only it wasn't what he expected.

The clearing was larger than he thought it would be. On one side there was
a line of large trucks and trailers neatly parked under the trees. Deeper
in the trees he could just make out what appeared to be a number of wooden
cabins spread out and partially hidden by the tall trees around them.

At the centre of the clearing was a strange stone circle and what looked
like a small round hut made from tree branches and animal hides.

Off to the side of what he assumed was the main cabin was a large new
building and standing out in front of it was a large crowd of people. The
one thing he noticed immediately was the fact all of them wore a necklace
made from large polished green stones or beads; the welcoming smile on
every face did not go unnoticed by Clarry either.

At the front of the large crowd stood a smaller group of six older teens
and adults and one small long haired blonde boy who could not have been
more than six or seven years old.  Why Clarry noticed the little boy was
because of the marks of three large scars on the young boys cheek; that and
the fact the boy was dressed in a very fancy beaded shirt and; of all
things; wore a single large feather in his long blonde hair. The little boy
had a huge and wide smile on his face as he saw Clarry pull to a halt in
the clearing.

Clarry also took note that there were older people there and not only teens
or kids; some of the teens seemed to be paired up with another boy and
others were holding hands with a girl while the older ones looked on with
affection for all those younger than themselves.

Clarry suddenly felt a feeling of family come over him as he looked at the
tableau before him; he almost sighed as he realized that he and Liam were
now safe; as long as they were allowed to stay. The first to approach them
was a young teen aged Native American boy; the young blonde boy walked
beside him as he approached.

"Welcome Clarence and Liam O'Rourke, my name is Ravenhawk and this is my
son Little Bear; will you join us for breakfast? Maria has it ready in the
dining hall."

Clarry could only watch as the little boy called Little Bear walked up and
took Liam by the hand and said.

"You can sit at our table; Maria always gives us the yummiest cookies and
we have more fun than the oldies do."

Clarry could only shake his head at the friendliness of the large group;
even though he saw that each and every one there was armed, none of them
were threatening; it was as though all the weapons were just a part of
their lives. Clarry instantly got a feeling of coming home; there was a
peace in the clearing that he had not felt since before the virus.  He
sighed heavily as he took in everything around him; yes, he and Liam had
found a new home; of that he was certain.


TBC.