Sudden Independents

The industrial warehouse that was the Chicken Shack smelled like death. His decision was made after plucking the second chicken—Hunter hated his new job.

Chickens clucked freely inside a fenced area, and then someone would place one of the birds on a bloody stump and lop off its head with a hatchet. The headless chickens would run circles until its body figured out something was missing. Finally somebody would tote the feathery carcasses over in a plastic bin to Hunter’s table for plucking.

Hunter understood the basic needs of a town, like food, water and shelter. He never considered the pluckers. Back home, he left the plucking to the other kids while he traveled the countryside, seeing different sights with each new mile.

He reached for his third dead chicken and gripped the soft feathers, rolling his wrist and removing the feathers from the skin the way the other pluckers had taught him. Hunter knew he would soon go crazy if he spent every day doing this monotonous routine.

Billy swept by with his broom, gathering what feathers he could into little piles on the sticky floor. He hummed a happy tune, performing his pointless job. A water hose and steel brush were the only tools capable of scouring up these bloody feathers.

Hunter scowled when he noticed that Billy was the youngest kid in the place. Billy should be doing something else besides odd jobs in this house of death.

“How do you like it so far?” Billy asked.

Hunter wiped sweat from his brow. He jutted out his bottom lip and blew a feather off his forehead. “It’s a blast.”

The comment earned a round of chuckles at the table. “Beats the Hog House,” someone said. Hunter joined the chorus of agreements before all heads bowed back to their chickens.

Billy leaned into Hunter. “I asked Phillip about oceans and continents.”

“Who’s Phillip?”

“He’s the smartest guy I know.” Billy swept some more at the pile gathering around Hunter’s feet. “He said you were right about all that stuff. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

Hunter smiled. “That’s all right. It’s not your fault nobody’s taught you anything. Maybe during lunch I can show you a place where you can learn about other stuff.”

“Really?” Billy’s face beamed pure pleasure.

“Sure, why not.”

A pear-shaped kid waddled over with his beady eyes sunken behind massive cheeks. The boy’s dirty shirt crept over his belly button. He had an outie.

“Hey, you two quit screwing off and get back to work.”

“Right away, Phillip,” Billy said, furiously sweeping the sticky feathers.

Hunter refused to budge. He eyed Phillip until the fat kid turned around and headed back the way he came. Phillip climbed atop his stool next to a wall, crossed his arms and continued his search for slackers.

“That’s the smartest guy you know?” Hunter laughed, shook his head and finished plucking his chicken.

Billy fidgeted with the broom handle and glanced over his shoulder. “Patrick says to listen to Phillip, so I listen.”

Hunter tossed his naked chicken into the plastic bin, and claimed another dead bird. “Where is Patrick?”

“I don’t know. He hasn’t gotten here yet. He pretty much comes and goes whenever he wants. That’s why Phillip’s in charge.”

“Why? Are they related or something?”

That brought a round of warier chuckles, but everyone stayed focused on their plucking.

“Be careful saying those kinds of things. The wrong person might overhear and you don’t want to get fired, or worse.” Billy dumped a dustpan full of feathers in the trash. “Phillip’s dad owned a chicken farm. That’s why he’s in charge. Phillip taught us what to do.”

“Then what does Patrick do?”

“He likes chopping off chicken heads,” Billy said. He grabbed a plastic bin of plucked carcasses and transported them to another part of the building.

• • •

A nearby church bell rang, signaling lunchtime. Phillip passed out casino chips and told everyone to hurry back when the bell rang again or they could find a different job. The last thing Hunter felt like doing was eating. He considered checking in with Jimmy, but that was too far away and he might not make it back in time. He decided to educate Billy instead.

Billy skipped after Hunter like they were going to the toy store, as fresh air and warm sunshine brushed away the remnant of chicken death. They approached a sparkling pond occupied by Canadian geese dressed in mottled shades of brown feathers. Hunter washed off at the muddy edge and the geese congregated close-by seeking handouts.

“I’m glad we’re not plucking those things.”

“That’s only on Thursdays.”

Hunter would be out of Denver by Thursday. If not, then he would make sure to skip work at the Goose Shack.

They continued walking through a neighborhood until Hunter spotted the tall metal pole standing in the grassy area of a circular drive. He led Billy to the building named Henderson Elementary. They stepped inside, choosing a careful path across a pair of shattered glass doors lying on the floor.

“What is this place?” Billy asked.

Hunter glanced into a room and then traveled farther down a hallway cluttered with paper, books and broken furniture. “This was a school. A place where they used to send kids to learn about things before all the grownups died.” He walked into another room and pulled down a rolled-up map. “See, this is the world. The blue parts are the oceans and the brown and green are the continents.”

Billy inspected the map closely and narrowed his eyes. “It’s flat.”

“Well, yeah, maps are flat. But here…” Hunter crossed over the scattered notebook paper, broken pencils and other debris that littered the classroom. “This is called a globe.” He lifted the dingy orb off a filing cabinet and gave it a spin to whirl away the dust. Then he handed the world to Billy.

Billy set the globe down on a desk and traced his finger over the oceans and continents. “Where are we?”

Hunter pointed to Denver. “Feel these bumps here? They represent the mountains.”

Billy touched the bumps and gazed out the window where the mountains rose to challenge the western sky. “That’s amazing.”

Hunter smiled. “At least now you know where you are.”

• • •

When they returned to the Chicken Shack, Hunter wished he could do anything besides rip the feathers from a dead bird. But he started plucking when Phillip mounted his backside to the stool and shouted, “Work!”

Billy bustled about his duties, telling everyone about school. Some kids nodded their heads, saying they remembered, and it wasn’t that great. Billy would disagree, explaining the importance of an education. Hunter smiled at the monster he had created.

Then Phillip waddled over and ruined it all. “Get back to work!” He slapped Billy in the back of the head and knocked him to the concrete floor.

Hunter charged Phillip, aiming his punches at the fat kid’s dumbstruck face. Hunter pounded his fists into Phillip until his anger faded into shame. Phillip hobbled away, sobbing.

Underneath his heavy breathing and the growing distance of Phillip’s crying, Hunter noticed the silence surrounding him. He shrugged and addressed his coworkers. “I think we all know how to pluck a chicken without him yelling at us.”

A few halfhearted cheers rose from the crowd before everyone carried on with their plucking. The mood in the Chicken Shack lightened as several quiet discussions sprouted about how Phillip had been asking for that butt kicking for a while.

Hunter helped Billy up from the floor. Billy rubbed his head as Hunter patted the little boy on the shoulder and brushed some feathers off his shirt.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Tomorrow you should find somewhere else to earn your chips. Maybe I can help.”

“Sure,” Billy said, wiping his nose. Then his eyes grew wide and he stumbled backwards.

Hunter spun around in time to see Patrick and his bandaged head. Patrick threw the first punch with a solid fist that hit Hunter like a baseball bat and knocked him flat.

Hunter sat up and rubbed his jaw. “Hey, Patrick, I missed you at breakfast.”

“Cut the undercover shit, baldy. Where are your friends hiding that little girl?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Wrong answer.”

Patrick stepped in line for a kick, but Hunter rolled and the big kid fell off balance when he met the empty resistance. He growled in frustration and both boys scrambled to their feet. Patrick rushed forward, swinging his fists through the air. Hunter sidestepped and punched the clumsy giant in the kidney. Unfazed, Patrick pivoted around, throwing another wide-arcing shot. Hunter dodged left, registering the breeze from the passing swipe. Pain pulsed in his face from the first punch. Another connected strike like that and he would be the one getting plucked.

Everyone in the building retreated to a safe distance but remained close enough to keep their spectator status. Billy stood alone, looking scared and anxious, which was exactly the way Hunter felt as he backpedaled from Patrick’s fury.

“I like the new look, Patty,” Hunter said, sidestepping another onrush. “What happened? I didn’t think brain surgery was possible anymore.”

Patrick frowned. “Your black buddy surprised me, but it won’t happen again. I’m going to leave all of you for dead, just like your brother.”

Hunter clenched his fist and ignored his common sense screaming at him to run away. Patrick’s hungry eyes flashed, but instead of trading punches, Hunter dropped and kicked Patrick’s right knee out. The kid yelled with pain and toppled over like a broken stone statue. Hunter pounced on top, clamping his legs around the boy’s barrel chest and punch after punch rained down.

Patrick bucked him off and Hunter rolled clear. They both got up, Patrick just a little slower, spitting blood on the concrete as he limped forward.

Hunter smiled, heaving for air as the initial adrenaline surge that brought him along this far dissipated. Was he prepared to kill Patrick? He realized he’d have a hard enough time just knocking him unconscious, while Patrick would certainly kill him if given the opportunity. Chances were slim on Hunter’s side all the way around.

He spread his hands. “Well, I’ve done everything I can. Maybe we can catch up again at breakfast tomorrow.”

Patrick grinned and lurched closer.

Billy yelled something and Hunter wished his new friend hadn’t announced his allegiance, but Patrick didn’t notice or seem to care. He continued his slow advance. Hunter swallowed his pride and turned to run just as Phillip swung his stool. Hunter’s teeth smashed inward with a brilliant sparkle of pain. He collapsed in a heap on the stinking floor.

“Thanks for the help, Phil,” Patrick said, kicking Hunter in the back of the head.

Hunter’s eyes rolled. Unconsciousness replaced the pain and swept him away.

• • •

A dragging sensation jerked him awake.

“Good,” Patrick said from somewhere above. “You’re still with us. I have to ask you a couple questions before I let you go. First off, where’s the rest of your group hiding?”

Hunter’s vision blurred, which explained the multiple Patricks gathered around him. “I’m not telling you shit,” he muttered, forcing the words out through his broken mouth.

Patrick began clubbing him with a hard object and Hunter tried to cover up without any hope. His arms, his legs, his body, his head were pummeled over and over and over again.

Suddenly the beating ceased with Patrick’s scream. Something huge and heavy landed on top of Hunter. He struggled to breathe and push the thing from his chest but his injuries wouldn’t allow it. Billy, crying, drifted close, and the heavy object slid off. Hunter wanted to reach out and touch the little boy’s face. He wanted to tell Billy to run far from this awful place.

Gradually, his worries slipped away.





The Chicken Shack. That’s where the grumpy girl with the rainbow cap said Jimmy could find Patrick. After receiving directions, Jimmy raced back into the Escalade, shifted into drive and stomped on the gas. The engine roared and he jumped the curb. A monster was stalking his little brother. It didn’t matter that Scout knocked Patrick unconscious. Someone had woken up the beast by now, and Patrick only had one target left: Hunter.

“Slow down, Jimmy!” Scout yelled after a nasty pothole sent everyone to the roof. “We’ll be screwed if we get there and can’t drive out ’cuz the truck’s wrecked.”

“He’s got a point,” Molly said from the backseat. “Drive around the potholes.”

Jimmy had only asked Scout and Molly to go with him. Raven was too shaken, they’d all worked way too hard to find Catherine to risk losing her again, and he refused to let Ginger anywhere near Patrick now that their cover was blown. He just hoped they’d find Hunter before Patrick did. Then they could simply load up and go.

As they circled in front of the Chicken Shack, Jimmy honked the horn and kids scrambled out of his path until he stopped outside the open bay door to the warehouse.

“Molly, sit behind the wheel and be ready when we come out. Let’s go, Scout.”

The fear that grew in the pit of Jimmy’s stomach climbed into his chest as he ran under the bay doors and into the back of a crowd. Everyone stood in eerie silence. Jimmy and Scout cut through the middle of the pack, stumbling to a halt when they broke through the ranks.

Scout whispered, “Holy shit.”

Those were the exact words screaming in Jimmy’s head. He squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath of rank air and reopened his eyes.

Patrick lay in a pool of his own blood. A short-handled axe protruded from his back. His lifeless eyes frozen in a death mask etched with shock.

A stirring of feathers and clucking brought Jimmy out of the horror and into the moment. Dozens of black-eyed chickens stared at him. Jimmy heard a little boy crying, and then realized the boy knelt next to his brother.

“Hunter!”

The little boy fell protectively over Hunter’s body, grief-stricken anger twisting his face. His hands shook with violent trembles like no one his size should ever shake.

“It’s okay, kid,” Scout said, lifting the boy away. “That’s his brother.”

“Oh my God,” Jimmy said. Hunter’s face was barely recognizable and his breathing came in harsh, strained gasps. Tears stung Jimmy’s eyes. Blood covered everything and determining the source was impossible.

The kid fell to his knees on the sticky floor close to Hunter and continued weeping. Jimmy knelt on the other side.

“What’s your name, kid?”

“Billy.”

“Billy, tell me what happened.”

“Phillip hit me and Michael beat him up and then…” Billy pointed at Patrick and wept as he continued telling the story. Jimmy shuddered from the description of his defenseless brother’s beating. Billy sobbed at the conclusion of how he had stopped Patrick’s attack.

“Which one is Phillip?”

Billy searched the crowd. He pointed at a fat kid wearing a dirty shirt that didn’t fit.

“If I see you again, I’ll kill you.” Jimmy meant every word.

The fat kid spun around and charged out the door. The crowd watched him leave and then turned their attention back to Jimmy.

Jimmy looked up at Scout. “What can we do?”

Scout rubbed his hand up and over his head to the back of his neck, his eyes loaded with sorrow and uncertainty. “Get him to Catherine and hope the move doesn’t kill him.”

“We need to get him to her now.”

Scout nodded. “Give me a second to figure out how to move him.”

Billy scooted closer and touched Hunter’s hand. Jimmy somehow managed a smile.

Hunter stirred and a bloodshot eye popped open. The other one looked like an eggplant growing out of Hunter’s face. “Jimmy?”

“I’m here. We’re taking you to Catherine.”

“Billy?”

“He’s right here also.”

Hunter’s good eye searched for Billy and then tracked back to Jimmy. Jimmy had never seen intensity like that blazing in his brother’s eye. “Take him.”

Jimmy held his brother’s hand. “He’s coming with us.” Hunter sighed and closed his eye.

“Billy, move over to the other side,” Scout said. He laid a table with its legs folded up next to Hunter. “Okay, roll him towards you, Jimmy.”

Hunter cried out in pain when Jimmy lifted his brother’s right side with Billy’s help. Scout pushed the table under Hunter’s body through the blood. They slid him to the center of the table like a fragile piece of stained glass.

Hunter coughed up more blood onto his chin. Billy bent forward and wiped it away with the hem of his shirt. Jimmy and Scout picked up different ends of the table. As Scout walked backwards and led them out, Jimmy studied his brother’s broken face, praying they’d make it to Catherine in time. Billy stayed at Hunter’s side, touching his hand.

The silent crowd watched the litter approach with solemn expressions on their faces. They parted without any type of malice. All but one.

Chase waited at the back of the pack, a crooked smile underneath his feverish dark eyes. He stood in the center of the bay door with the Escalade idling behind him.

“We’re leaving,” Jimmy told him.

“That’s fine.” Chase shrugged. “I’m just here to say goodbye. I hope you’ve enjoyed your stay.” He stepped to the side, allowing them to pass. The crowd shifted away from him.

Jimmy and Scout carried Hunter outside. “Billy, open up the back,” Jimmy said.

Billy staggered off and swung open the Escalade’s back hatch. Scout placed his end inside and Jimmy guided the table as far as he could, while Scout ran around and folded the backseats down.

“Hunter!” Molly cried from the driver’s seat and rushed out. She leaned over Hunter’s face, her tears falling on him. She raised her head, but Jimmy couldn’t meet her eyes without losing what little control he had left. He heard her hiss. “Bastard!”

Scout grabbed her from running at Chase as Jimmy pushed Hunter’s table the rest of the way inside.

“Molly, let’s go!” Jimmy’s voice was hard, snatching her attention. Scout helped her into the back with Hunter. “Get in, Billy.” The little boy followed Molly.

“I’ll drive,” Scout said, leaving for the driver’s side and climbing in behind the wheel.

Jimmy closed the hatch and found Chase standing next to him. Chase didn’t scare him now with Patrick dead. Jimmy turned for the passenger side of the Escalade so they could leave the creepy kid and his rotten city far behind.

“Happy Birthday, by the way,” Chase said. He patted Jimmy’s bare arm with burning fingers.

Jimmy flung off Chase’s touch and noticed a tingling in his arm, like a million ants were suddenly crawling underneath his skin.

Chase grinned. “I wanted to give you my present a little early. Make sure to tell Catherine I said goodbye. She’ll appreciate all the extra work I’ve sent her way.”

Jimmy gawked at Chase, trying to get a handle on what he was saying even as his vision blurred and his stomach pitched. His arm hung numb and useless at his side.

Chase stepped closer and gazed up at Jimmy. “See? Even though I lose, I win.”

The inside of Jimmy’s body burned as though boiling water replaced his blood and now bubbled through his veins. The world started spinning. Chase walked away, laughing. Jimmy’s legs trembled from the struggle of keeping him upright. He crashed to the dusty ground in a tangled heap of limbs that no longer responded and realized that Chase just made his biggest fear a reality.

He was going to die. Soon.





Jimmy drooped in his seat with his head hanging out the window. Long shadows from the trees lining the street flickered sunlight across his face as the late afternoon prepared to move on. Convulsions rocked through him as he puked again and again. There was nothing left inside and still he wretched violently out the window of the Escalade.

Scout gripped the steering wheel, feeling the small-perforated holes in the leather wrapping. He met Molly’s eyes in the rearview mirror. She openly wept for her boyfriend and probably out of fear for what was happening to Jimmy.

Scout knew the symptoms. He’d seen them enough six years ago. Jimmy contracted the plague that wiped the planet clean. It was alive and well, eating its next victim.

The Escalade sped up, Scout pounding the horn at kids walking in his path. They scurried with shouts and waved fists, but still they scurried, most likely because they’d never seen a vehicle hauling-butt down their crumbling avenues. Scout managed to miss kids and potholes as he drove faster and faster with his foot stomped on the gas.

When he recognized the street their hideout was on, relief washed over him like rain after a long, hot day. He drove over the curb pulling into the back alley, reversed the Escalade into the driveway, and shot out the driver’s side, scrambling up the deck to the backdoor of the house.

He burst inside and yelled, “Catherine!” At the kitchen table, all three girls jumped in their chairs. “We need you,” he told the youngest one.

Scout turned and flew through the garage, detaching the opener and lifting the heavy door with metallic groans. Tear stricken, Molly climbed down from the back of the Escalade. Billy crawled out and stood to the side, looking lost and confused.

“Raven, help Molly with the other end of the table after I slide my end out,” Scout said.

“Where’s Jimmy?” Ginger asked. Fear rose in her voice. She stopped and covered her mouth when she saw Hunter bloodied and bruised like a piece of meat right after the slaughter.

“He’s in the front seat,” Scout said. He called upon yet another boost of energy to carry Hunter into the garage. Leading Molly and Raven, they laid the table down carefully.

Catherine knelt next to Hunter. Sadness filling her face, she touched his hand. “So much pain,” she said softly.

Hunter opened his one bloody eye. “You should see the other guy.” His body shook at his joke until the lines on his face drew into a tight grimace of suffering. A line of blood split his lips and trickled over his chin as he choked and gasped.

“Somebody help me!” Ginger cried.

Catherine gazed at Scout and he shook his head with despair. “Jimmy’s got the plague,” Scout said, rising to go help Ginger.

Jimmy’s bottom-half still sat in the Escalade, but his top-half draped heavily over Ginger. Scout grabbed Jimmy’s waist and ducked underneath his other arm. Together, he and Ginger carried Jimmy with his feet dragging across the pavement into the garage. They laid him next to his brother.

Scout stripped off his black sweatshirt and placed the padding underneath Jimmy’s head. “Raven, go find some blankets and pillows. Billy?” Scout found the boy all alone on the driveway like the new kid at school. “Go help her, okay?”

Billy nodded and hustled over toward Raven. He stopped, his eyes widening with recognition.

“Yes, it’s me, Billy. Let’s go.” Raven said. She held the door and pointed inside. Billy slipped past her quickly.

Dark circles ringed Jimmy’s eyes and every one of his limbs quivered. Sweat poured out of him like a squeezed sponge. He tossed his head, mumbling incoherently. In contrast, Hunter lay silent within the shell of his broken body.

Catherine shook her head. “He did this to me.”

“What?” Scout asked. “Who did what? Chase?”

“Whatever he wants to call himself,” Catherine said. She pointed at Jimmy. “He did this to me.”

“What’d he do, give Jimmy the plague?”

Catherine flipped an irritated hand. “That little toad is the plague.”

Scout ran that through his head and then processed what he could. “But you can save him right. You can save Jimmy.”

“Yes,” she said. “Healing Jimmy will be the catalyst to end this plague.”

“But how is that possible?”

“Because, that is what God sent me here to do.”

“Where is God?”

“He’s right where He’s always been, Scout. He is all around us, giving us hope and the freewill to choose between right and wrong.”

“What about Hunter?”

Catherine shook her head. “I can’t save both.”

“What?” Molly cried. Her face strained with anguish. “But you can’t let Hunter die. You can’t!” She leaned over Hunter and kissed his forehead.

Ginger quietly wept across from her, kneeling over Jimmy. He suddenly stirred, picking up his head and gazed heavily at Catherine.

“You save my brother. I’m not afraid to die anymore. Save him.”

Hunter’s bloody eye popped open. “No way,” he said, his voice gurgling in the back of his throat. He turned his head to face his older brother. “No way.” Hunter released one long breath and his chest deflated. His eye stared, fixed and unblinking.

Jimmy pushed himself up on his elbows. “Damn it, Catherine! You save him right now! Now! Hunter, don’t, Hunter, wait, don’t!” Jimmy glared at Catherine, but the little girl wasn’t budging to place her hands on Hunter. Her mind obviously made. Jimmy rolled over and kissed his brother’s bloody cheek. “I love you, Hunter. Don’t ever forget that.”

Scout looked around at everyone, as everything fell apart. Molly sobbed, wiping the blood from Hunter’s face with the end of a long sleeve shirt. Ginger pressed Jimmy’s hand to her lips and closed her eyes. Raven and Billy stood in the doorway, blankets and pillows piled in their arms, tears streaming down their cheeks.

Scout dropped to his knees and gripped Hunter’s boots. He heard Catherine say again, “He did this to me.”

Jimmy rolled over to his stomach. He dragged his legs up under him with his face flat on the concrete floor of the garage. “Then you can stop him. But not with me.”

Ginger scooted closer to Jimmy, “What are you doing?”

Slowly, and with unbelievable will, Jimmy’s infected body stood. His breathing was loud and harsh in the garage and the strain for him to stand there was incredible to witness. He stepped towards the light outside. “I love you, Ginger. I always did.”

Scout scrambled to his feet. “Jimmy, it’s too late.” The words almost choked him on the way out. “Hunter’s gone. Let Catherine heal you, man.”

Jimmy stumbled two more steps and leaned on Scout. His body was on fire and sweat smothered Scout like Jimmy just climbed out of a hot bath in hell. Jimmy’s hands fumbled over Scout. “Take care of them, Scout. Get them all home safe. You’re in charge now.”

“What are you talking about?”

Jimmy shoved Scout into Catherine. Scout twisted in midair with the little girl in his arms. He fell hard with Catherine on top of him and without plowing his head into the concrete. His breath rushed out from the landing. He lay on his back, trying to suck in air and watched Jimmy lope sideways, zigzagging and staggering to the Escalade. Scout moved Catherine off and patted his pocket.

Scout looked up at Ginger who was standing there staring as her departing boyfriend reached the Escalade. “He’s got the keys!”

She snapped her attention at Scout and then whipped it back to Jimmy, who slid around to the driver’s side door and was struggling to open it. For a second, it appeared he wouldn’t be able to do it. Then he was inside and the Escalade’s engine turned over with a deep rumble.

“No!” Ginger sprinted for the Escalade and dove into the open back hatch as the big SUV lurched forward, crashed through a corner of the wooden fence and tore through the alley out of sight. Jimmy was gone.

Scout finally caught his breath, jumped to his feet and ran to the alley. The Escalade was nowhere in sight and with a squeal of tires, the roar of the engine quickly faded from earshot deep into the neighborhood. The surrounding space fell silent except for the singing of birds.

“Scout, we need you over here!” Molly yelled from the garage.

Scout ran back and found everyone huddled around Hunter’s body. Molly’s hands rested on the sides of Hunter’s head. Billy held one of Hunter’s hands and Raven held the other.

Catherine knelt next to Billy on the right side of Hunter’s chest. She glanced at Scout with her shoulders drooped and sorrow lining her face, but he saw the determination set in her blue eyes.

“Can you bring him back?” Scout asked.

“He’s not that far away yet. I need all of you to help me pull him back.”

Amidst the tears, everyone nodded. Scout took the open spot at Hunter’s feet again and grabbed hold. Losing two friends in one day was not an option he wanted to live through.

Light flowed from Catherine’s palms and Scout bowed his head. The little girl’s power spread beneath him and brightened in blinding intensity. He tightened his eyes shut as the radiance coursed through the garage and everyone within, crackling like a livewire, pulsing with energy and force.

Fearing for Hunter and especially for Jimmy, Scout did the only thing he could, no matter how little he thought it would help. He prayed.

Scout asked for forgiveness for his many wrong-doings, including his absence, and then he asked for blessings upon those around him, the two that had left, and those that were back in Independents, and finally he accepted God’s will. Amen.

The searing light hummed in a renewed crescendo, the vibration pressing against his eardrums. Once more, Scout felt the tug to his inner essence. His emotions tumbled out of control. He laughed hysterically without knowing why, and then felt crushed into the ground by grief. Unexpected sensations invaded him: the smell of summer flowers in a wide open meadow, the crunch of autumn leaves underfoot, the cold taste of winter snow on his tongue, and the patter of spring rain splashing around him. The pull of Catherine’s will, drawing more power nearly ripped him across Hunter.

Someone cried out, but Scout couldn’t be sure who. At this point, the cry could have come from any one of them as Catherine took what she needed to heal Hunter’s broken body so his spirit could return.

Hunter’s feet jerked with spasms like he’d been plugged into a socket. Scout thought about the things they had shared, the good and the bad, the many times they argued and fought, along with all of Hunter’s glorious crashes. They had lived through so much together, so many experiences. He wanted his best friend back and allowed Catherine access to everything he could spare to make that happen.

A final brilliant flash clapped like an up close supernova. Total darkness doused the light. Scout fell over exhausted and passed out.





The motorbike raced beneath her, threatening to throw her off and she wrapped her arms tighter around Hunter. She faced the coming wind as the sun’s heat lathered her skin from up high. They climbed a hill that overlooked a green valley. A solitary tree stood tall in the mid-morning sunshine, casting its shade across the valley. Hunter rolled to stop.

Ginger drove up beside them in a yellow jeep with a rusty front bumper. Her seatbelt strapped low beneath her growing belly. Billy and Catherine were buckled in the back for safety and when Catherine saw her tree, she rocked forward like she was seized with an urgent need. If her power and ability allowed it, and Molly thought it just might, she would have teleported them the rest of the way.

“What are we waiting for?” Molly asked, shaking Hunter’s shoulders and sharing in Catherine’s eagerness.

Hunter twisted his head and nodded at Catherine.

She smiled at him and pointed. “That’s it! That’s it right there! Let’s go already!”

Hunter laughed and revved up his motorbike that drowned out the little girl’s pleading cries. He popped the clutch and guided the group the rest of the way before cutting the engine.

“Catherine, wait!” Ginger yelled. “We haven’t stopped yet.”

The little girl rushed past Hunter and Molly, bounding through the green grass like a deer heading for fresh berries. She hugged her tree and squealed. “Hello, tree! Did you miss me?”

Molly hopped off the back of the big bike. Hunter swung his leg over and removed his Ray-Bans with the scratched up lenses. The scratches were worse on the left side, but the eye was no longer there to make a difference.

Hunter walked over to the tree and threw his arms around it, pressing his cheek against the bark. “Hello, tree.”

Molly giggled. Her boyfriend had been changed by the events in Denver. She felt blessed for everyday they were together.

Catherine seemed very pleased. She hugged Hunter. “Thank you so much for bringing me here. I’ve missed my tree an awful lot.”

“I know. You’ve told me.” His face tightened and he hissed in a breath. “Be careful, I’m still not a hundred percent.”

Catherine released him and placed her tiny fists on her hips. “I wish you’d let me finish?”

“The pain helps me remember. I want to remember.”

Catherine wasn’t able to save his eye or the teeth that he lost in the fight. She did bring Hunter back from Death’s door and Molly was grateful for that. Nothing else really mattered, except for the price that Jimmy had paid a mile away in the front seat of the Escalade with Ginger in his arms. Hunter didn’t need the pain to remember. Molly guessed he wanted it so he didn’t feel the guilt. Jimmy wouldn’t have wanted that either, but Molly was having an impossible time convincing her stubborn boyfriend.

Ginger waddled over with Billy holding her hand, helping her on the uneven terrain. “Catherine, how many times do I have to tell you to wait until we come to a complete stop and I turn off the car before you unbuckle?” Ginger’s maternal instincts had shifted into overdrive when she found out she was pregnant.

Catherine sidled closer to Hunter. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” Ginger held out her free hand and Catherine hopped over and took it.

Molly grabbed Hunter’s hand and tugged. He pulled her close and smiled brightly at her. Her cheeks warmed all over. She loved his smile even more now. He was quite beautiful with those couple of missing teeth.

“Tree,” Catherine said, “You remember Hunter. These are my other friends Billy, Molly, and my roommate Ginger. Ginger’s pregnant and it’s a boy!”

“Catherine! I didn’t want to know that!”

“You didn’t?”

“No,” Ginger said, placing her hands protectively over her stomach. She looked down and the corners of a smile twisted up. “Is my baby really a boy?”

Catherine stared at her with her lips pressed tightly shut. A squirrel chattered at them from a branch high above.

Ginger looked up. “Well?”

Catherine mumbled as she gripped the green grass between her toes.

“Speak up. I can’t understand what you’re saying?”

“You said you didn’t want to know.”

Ginger glared, which was kind of funny seeing Ginger glare. She’s as threatening as a basket full of puppies.

Billy smiled up at her. He had assigned himself her personal protector after they buried Jimmy in the corner of the cabbage field outside of Independents.

Molly pressed her face against the tree’s rough bark. “Hello, tree.” She was submerged in happiness like she just slid into joy’s bathtub. Hunter gave her a hug when she let go and a big kiss followed.

“You sillies sure do kiss a lot.”

They smiled at Catherine and she looked at Billy with a giant grin on her face. Billy scooted around Ginger and hid.

They ate lunch and talked to the tree, sharing all the news that had happened in Independents since their flight from that awful place. Two months after their return, Vanessa turned eighteen and survived. Catherine was on hand just in case, but she said that Vanessa would be okay because she was touched. Molly was thankful that she was also touched, but worried for her brother and Samuel and the others in the world. Maybe it had been selfish of Jimmy to get up and walk away just to save Hunter. Or maybe everyone followed a larger plan without knowing why.

Scout now preached sermons every Sunday in the newly renovated church with the fresh coat of white paint. His services maintained a steady attendance that included Hunter and Molly in the front pew.

Catherine and Billy always sat together in the balcony writing notes to each other. Billy loved to write. Hunter taught Billy how to ride a motorbike, but the boy was more excited about what Vanessa taught him at school.

The warm sun checked into afternoon and it was time for them to leave. Everyone hugged the tree and said their goodbyes. Catherine promised to visit again real soon, with a hopeful glance at Hunter who nodded and smiled.

Hunter started his motorbike with the blaring echo bouncing around the valley. Molly climbed up behind him and squeezed. It would be a long trip back to Independents, but she knew they would survive.