The World of Tom Stafford by D.A. Sanford - HTML preview

Chapter 7 Sadie and the wanderers

“I’m back on the road” Sadie says to herself. She ponders what has happened since the world was turned upside down. The best way to get her mind untwisted is by talking out loud to herself.

She remembered that day in the hospital. She had received the first part of the anesthesia. She went to sleep. It was not the one that would be used during her surgery for her cancerous brain tumor but when that first anesthesia wore off, there was no one around in the operating room.

I remembering waking up and panicking. I touched my head where they had shaved my hair. There was no pain, no trace of an incision, nothing. I was wondering why had I been left alone. I did get up, grabbed the IV rolling stand and left the room. I yelled up and down the hall for someone and received no answer.

“What the heck is happening? Hello, HELLO!”

I screamed but received no answer. I realized that there was only the emergency lighting working. All monitors at the nursing station were black. There was an acrid burnt electrical smell in the air all over this floor.

I felt as if I needed to get back to my room but the elevator is out. Never use the elevator in a black out, I remembered. I had to climb the stairs so this IV had to go. I found the closest nurse’s cart that had pads and tape. I pulled out the IV and put the pad on the site then some tape.

I made for the stairs where to my horror there was a man dragging himself down the stairs. I told him to wait there,

“I’ll find someone to help. Wait there.”

“Water, I have to get to water” is all he said and kept on pulling himself down the stairs.

“I’ll get you some water just wait here.”

He had a blank look on his face and just kept going.

I could not stop him so I went up the stairs to my floor. Almost all the rooms were empty and on this floor was that burnt smell. This floor was completely clear of people. I started to really freak out. Found my room and got dressed. I went down a different set of stairs. As I went past the intensive care floor there were voices saying the same thing.

“Water, I have to get to water”

I ran until I was outside. The town was empty, devoid of anyone. No cars moving, some of which were on fire. Again, everywhere that smell. I ended up walking the five miles to

my home. Funny thing was when I ran by the river, there were people walking into the river until they disappeared below the surface.

After what seemed forever, I made it to my home. There were some people that did not have that insane urge to go into the water. One was a neighbor that had moved in around a year ago. He was a little confused but he was a nice middle aged man.

“Where were you?” He asks. I told him about what happened and what I saw then I excused myself and went the remaining block to my home. I lived alone. My husband ran off a few years ago and my son took off a month ago after I told him about the tumor. I told him that I was going to have it removed because the doctor told me that if they didn’t operate my life expectancy was two to three years maximum.

For the first few months it was okay. That neighbor said to me that he was heading out to better hunting grounds as he put it and asked me if I wanted to come. I thanked him but said that I needed to wait for my son to come back. He shrugged and left.

I tried my car but got nothing, it had that smell. My son had that rusty eye sore he called a classic in the rough. From the sixties, it was one of those pickups that had a car front end. No electronics. I uncovered it and it started up. I could drive now.

The decision to leave came shortly after I found that my sons car worked.

One day a group of men and a few women came to my street and were taking any food they found. The men kicked in my door.

“How dare you break in. What do you want?”

“Not you, you old cow, the wanderers only want food and breeding age women. You are all dried up and useless.”

They took what meager food I had and left with a parting warning.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get out of our town.”

I waited until I was sure that they were long gone. Knowing that something like this would happen eventually, I had moved my son’s car to a local junk yard and hid it where no one could see it. I also put some old parts on the hood and in the bed to make it blend in. I hid some canned goods in the yards various cars.

Now that I was sure that they had moved on. I grabbed the keys and a small bag of things I wanted to have and left for the junk yard. I was hoping that my ruse worked while I walked the few blocks to the yard. I was in luck, I found that the car was still there. I gathered my stashed supplies. Some food and water. I also had three full five gallon gas cans.

I got out of town without seeing those men again.

On the road I saw a woman sitting on the side of the road. She just sat there and did something I thought was very funny, she stuck out her thumb, she was hitchhiking.

Laughing I rolled to a stop.

“Need a lift?”

“Depends where you are going.”

“I’m going nowhere special.”

“That’s exactly where I’m heading so, yes I need a lift.”

She gets in and introduces herself as Gladis.

We ended up aiming for a town named Thornton. Gladis had been there once before.

That was where she was walking to. I said that it was as good as any destination.

Needing food, we took our time to search homes along the way. Some good finds and we stopped at some of them overnight. It was only a hundred miles to Thornton but driving all side roads it took us quiet a few days, we were in no hurry because we discovered that we liked each other’s company and comfort.

When we arrived in Thornton, we were greeted by Tom and Nadean Stafford. A nice couple. They had an impromptu interview. Read us some of the simple rules. Once we agreed to them, they actually accepted us into their community. They even had a house for us. Gladis and I were welcomed. It was a great life until my old neighbor showed up at our door.

After a few days of living with us, just to rest up, he murdered Gladis. Then came after me. Tom killed him. I lied to the group. I said that he seemed like a good person but I did not tell them that I knew him.

It shook up the people. The council decided not to expel me due to my age. Tom and Nadean had me living with them. I feel as guilty as I am. I killed Gladis, my friend. I didn’t wheel the knife but I killed her.

After thinking about it, in my original town, there were a series of women being murdered by a knife to the heart. It started during the time he was living in the town. It was the classic, he was such a nice neighbor, helpful and quiet. I realized what he meant when he had told me that he was looking for better hunting grounds.

You would think I would have learned. When the news from people passing through talked about a group raiding towns, killing the males and taking breeding women.

Calling themselves the wanderers. I said nothing. Then a chance for redemption.

The council called another meeting. Tom informed us of the need to find all the information we could get on the wanderers. To that end, he was trying to say that he was going to find them but the council voted him down. They then asked if anyone would be willing to go. I surprised myself by raising my hand and said I would go.

I gave my reasons. They knew I was right, they let me do the spying. I took the car I came in knowing that they may recognize me, I knew that I would hide it in the same place I hid it before, in the junk yard. I figured that I would go home and make the most of showing that I came back. I drove all those back roads just in case I was spotted.

Sure enough, when I got home, they showed up. The one leader that originally told me to leave was the one that came back.

“Why did a dried out hag like yourself drag herself back here?”

“I live here and had really nowhere else to go.”

They looked for food but found none. They talked among themselves. I noted the mixture was about the same but the numbers were larger. They seemed to have their own council of six people. The rest went along with the group.

They came back to me and dragged me out of the house. I was roughed up quite a bit but nothing that I thought would kill me. Then the leader came out of the house. There was a growing glow behind him. After only a few minutes, my house was fully engulfed in flames.

“This is the last time I tell you. You are a waste of a bullet but if you show up again, we will drag you to death behind one of our cars. Now walk.”

I follow what they said. Seeing the roof collapse into the flaming shell, I walked away.

They watched me until I walked down the street leading out of town. I was starting to feel fuzzy. The roughing up had a few hard hits to my head. I made it back to the junk yard and headed back to Thornton.

This time, I took less side roads but stopped to relieve myself at a house. In there I found a pad of paper and a pencil. Knowing what was happening to me, I wrote down everything that I found. I also wrote about my condition, my lies and my regrets. I wrote, asking for their forgiveness for those lies and for being possibly followed but I needed to get back to them.

Finally, I asked to be buried next to Gladis.

I knew that I was fading fast. My time was extremely short. It was night time so I took the chance and drove back straight to Thornton. I pulled into the gas station around 3

am. I drove with my lights out and coasted the last with my engine out of gas. I finally came to a stop.

I was very tired and having trouble breathing when Gladis came over to the car. She leaned in then asked if I wanted a ride. I nodded then we left.

Tom woke up to the banging on his front door.

“Jim, what is it? Why so noisy?”

Jim points to the gas station.

“Sadie made it back last night.” he said as he handed me the pad. “She just made it before she died.”

That day we had a town meeting where I read Sadie’s report about her journey, her encounter and her medical condition. The only thing I did not read to them was what she wrote about hiding the truth from them.

“The last thing she wrote” I told them “Was that she wanted to be buried next to Gladis.

Anyone want to help with that?” All hands went up.

The women washed her, dressed her up in her normal pants and tee shirt. We men dug next to Gladis. Then we laid her to rest. Later in the week we put a wooden marker just saying that this was Gladis and Sadie’s final stop.

Chapter 8: Are we vigilantes?

Sadie more than made up for her error in trusting an old neighbor. The information she brought us is very valuable. The wanderer’s probably will be a threat. We gathered the

counsel to decide what we needed to do about them. The general consensus was that we bring the fight to them.

Leave it to Jim, a voice of reason.

“Are we vigilantes?” he asks. “We still have only rumors about them. Sadie did a good job with what she wrote for us. What I need to point out is the fact that they did not kill her.”

“What do you mean Jim?” I say “They told her that they would kill her if she came back.

They burnt down her house.”

“With the exception of burning down a house, isn’t that what we do? When someone does not fit into our vision of what we want our town to look like, we drive them out. How many times have you said at these meetings and town meetings that if someone we drove out came back, we would need to ‘take care of them, Your exact words, Tom.”

That hit me like a ton of bricks. They did not kill her. They just drove her out and when she returned, they drove her out again. We would have killed. Their vision was one of procreation. They even said to her that she was dried up. In their vision, they wanted only the young useful people.

“I can see that you can see a broader picture Jim. You are able to see things in a different way. They actually, even though the hit her, showed her mercy one more time.

Better than what we do. So, our resident sage, what would you do in this case?”

Jim answers “I don’t know about the title sage. What I propose is that we see for ourselves what the area around them is like. Is it strewn with the male bodies as the tales say? Does it really make sense to kill every male? Could it be that they used muscle to take supplies?”

Doris tells us, “As a student of history, I remember that at the end of the Pacific portion of World War 2, the Japanese commanders told the natives that the Americans were coming to rape and murder them. It was so believed that the villagers were killing themselves. This may be the case here. Aren’t we doing the same?”

Now Nadean speaks, “As much as I don’t want to say it, they are both right. We need more firsthand information on them. We need to find out if there is truth to those rumors.

Who knows, we could be perceived as the villains if we were to attack them. It is not inconceivable to think that we could actually come to terms with them. To some of our visitors, we look like we are the old fogies.”

Susan now says, “Tom, you read Sadie’s report to us. Correct me if I am wrong, there is no mention of coming across bodies that were shot. She would have mentioned it since the majority of people just walked off. Even finding human remains is very rare. Since she did not write about bodies, it implies that she found none.”

“I can see your points” I say. “There is a need for caution here. We must, for our safety, assume that those rumors are true. We need to prepare to defend ourselves but, to your points, I can see that we may be reacting prematurely. There is a need to map out locations that would be the most likely for them to raid. Avoid any contact, just look, drive through. If they are blood thirsty, there will be a trail of devastation in their wake. I want to go.”

A resounding no is voiced.

“A prisoner in my own town.” I say and fake a pout.

We did find a couple that want to see their old family town. It would be in the area of the wanderers. Brian and Reba were from that area originally but were not there when this all went down. They found each other while trying to get to their home town but settled here in our town.

Reba told us that she knew that there was little hope of finding anyone they knew alive but this would be a memory trip. A trip for closure that they both knew would end up just that, closure. Regardless of what they find, they promised that they would be back.

Even if they found that there was a community of friends they knew and decided to live there, they would fulfill their responsibility to us.

They had their own car so we loaded them up with food and gas. Enough for a few weeks, with scrounging. We had their route laid out but they said that they would not carry a copy. That may be a giveaway to someone that may stop them. It was decided that Sadie explored most of the east side roads off the main road so they would travel mostly the west side roads.

As they drove, they were amazed at how quickly nature was reclaiming its property.

Once manicured lawns are now becoming natural small meadows with wildlife making homes there. Deer can be seen roaming. Birds using house eves as nesting areas.

Some of those houses had broken windows so the animals now call them home.

Brian and Reba stopped frequently to look for signs of violence. They found no evidence of massacres. The did find that there was evidence of scavenging. At one house they found the remains of a man sitting in his chair. He did have a gunshot to the head but there was a pistol on the floor where it dropped. No doubt in their minds that he shot himself. That really was the only body they found.

Making it to their town, Reba’s home was the first one they visited. She walked in and instinctively said “Mom?” She got no answer, she knew she would not. The sight of her childhood home’s condition made her sad.

There were signs of neglect. Dust and cob webs on most everything. Signs of mice and other vermin. There were no windows broken, no signs of leaks, the house was relatively the same as the day it was abandoned.

Reba found the family photo album. She cried as she looked at the pictures. They were both comforting and they hurt. Knowing that that world had come to an end. Memories played in her head like the old time super eight home movies. After a final look around she, almost reverently, gently put the album back in its place, touched her fingers to her lips then touched the album. Quietly she left the house and closed the front door.

Then they stopped at Brian’s home. All he did was open the front door and did what Reba did. “Mom?” No answer. He closed the door. Reba asked

“Don’t you want to look around?”

“What’s the use. It hurts me as much as your house hurt you. Let’s look around town.”

They drive around and again find nothing. A look in the store they found that there was still some food that had not spoiled so it appears that this town has not been scavenged yet.

“I’ve seen enough” Brian says out loud. “Let’s start back to Thornton.”

She agrees but asks, “Can we stop by the park. The one by the river. I always liked going there and I would like to see it one last time.”

Brian sees no reason not to go so he drives over.

The park was once a train track. Once the tracks were pulled up the track bed was paved over and a black wrought iron railing was installed. There are large gaps on the railing to allow access to the riverside for fishing or just for the ability to dangle your feet in the water.

Park benches are on the opposite side of the tracks.

They are amazed.

Sitting on one of the benches was an old man. He was just looking at the water go by.

As not to startle him, we make some noise then say “Hello”

He was a little startled but returned our greeting.

“Hello. What are you two doing here?”

“We both grew up here and wanted to visit one last time. Can you tell us what has happened here?”

He explained that almost every one walked into the river and that was that. He couldn’t figure out why but he now sits here and talks with his friend.

We are a little confused. Reba asks, “When does your friend get here? Does he live around here?”

The man points to the river. “He lives in the river. He has invited me to come live with him but it is a combination of being stubborn and frightened that has stopped me. Now I have made up my mind.”

Thinking that he is talking about someone that used to live across the river but now is in his imagination, Reba asks him if he would like to come to a nice community with them.

He tells them that he will stay with his friend.

Figuring that he is too far gone and they do not want to force him, they say their good byes and walk back to the car. The parking spot faces the river where the man was sitting.

Looking at the now empty bench, they see the man up to his shoulders in the water and there is another man with his arm on the man’s shoulder. In the next moment they both disappear below the surface. Both Brian and Reba rush to the river’s edge and see two shadows under the water swim away. They both look at each other in disbelief.

Remembering what the man had said that everyone walked into the water, Reba could not help herself. She said in a loud voice, “MOM.”

There was a ripple in the water, then nothing. Must have been a fish. They said almost nothing as they drive the main road back to Thornton.

I was the first to notice that they were different when they returned.

“Reba, Brian, Welcome back.”

Brian says “We need to talk to the council immediately. We drove the main road back.”

With the counsel assembled, they give their report. “We saw no evidence of any murders. There was one suicide that we found. The town we went to looks like it has not been scavenged. The whole time we were on the road we saw only one person.”

Reba choaks up.

“What’s wrong?” I ask

Brian takes over because Reba can’t continue.

“We met one man in the park by the river.” he hesitates but continues, “He was sitting on a bench looking at the river. He said that when all this went down, he saw everyone walk into the river and go under. The problem we are having is that this man said that he was waiting on his friend to come to talk to him. He said that his friend wanted him to come to live with him. We asked where does he live and he pointed to the river. He said that he had decided to live with him. We asked him to come here but he declined. When we were getting into the car, we looked to see him shoulder deep in the river. He was not alone. A man was with him and had his arm on the man’s shoulder. We watched as both disappeared below the water. Both of us saw two figures swimming under the water.”

Reba while crying “I went to the water and yelled for my mother and there was a disturbance in the water. I believe that the ones that disappeared are living under water.

I believe we all have been changed to be able to live under water. I want to go back and find my mother.”

Nadean pleads, “Do you know how those sounds? It sounds like you have given up.

You are basing this on a reflection and a ripple.”

She answers, “I know how it sounds but we know what we saw. They were underwater just swimming away. The man survived the initial calling. Yes, I now believe it was a calling, a summoning to come home. This world was so messed up, it still is. They looked at peace. I want that peace.”

I look at her. Then ask Brian, “What is your take on this?”

“I think that there is a distinct possibility that it was, as Reba voiced it, it was a calling. I saw a man that was sitting on a bench one minute and swimming underwater for longer than a person of his age could possibly do without coming up for air. Yes, I think it is real. Am I ready to find out, I don’t know but in the back of my mind I hear ‘but what if’

You have to ask yourself the question, with almost all the world’s population walking into the water, if they all drowned shouldn’t there have been at least 40 percent of the dead washing ashore?”

None of us could answer.

Charles, being a doctor, tells us that the bloating bodies would float to the surface.

Floaters in rivers would eventually snag on debris. We would have seen or heard of that. As preposterous as it may sound, there may be some truth to what they are saying.

Reba is a little more composed.

“What if all those tales of mermaids that were dismissed as fairy tales, what if they do exist? What if our ancestors are those mermaids who went ashore and forgot about our origin? What if we are being called home?”

Brian finishes for her, “What if everyone that we thought were lost actually went home to the sea? We believe what we saw. We’re going back. The only reason we are back here is because we promised that we would tell you what we found.”

I am totally floored with their resolve. “Can we ask you to remain with us for a little while longer? This way we can find out some more about what you saw. We really need to investigate.”

They look at each other. Brian says, “The only thing we talked about on the way back here was what we were going to answer you when you proposed just that idea. We both agreed that we are going to do this but we will only give you one week. We know that you said that, if anyone wanted to leave could do so. We are giving you our one week notice. We will drive back to the river. If we are denied fuel, we will walk but in one week we go home.”

They stated their intention and one of our cardinal rules. This is not a prison. “We will not stop you and rest assure we will give you enough gas to get you back to the river.”

I address the council

“There is no longer an option. We need to go to the wanderers for a meeting. We need to find out what their intentions are. We need to find out what they have observed.”

Nadean finishes my thought

“I agree that now there is an urgency. Yes Trevor, you will need to go but I’m going to go with you. Jim and Doris can hold down the fort here. It is imperative that we get their information especially with respect to the lost people. This needs to be done now so the two of us can go with Brian and Reba,”

She continues,

“Brian, Reba, would you agree that when we get to the river, you call out to try to summon someone to come up to the surface to talk? If that man talked to his friend, then they can come to the surface. We need to find out for sure. Would you at least give us that?”

“We will allow you to come with us but you will not be able to stop us. We will call out but we will only do that once we are in the water and you are on the bank far enough to make it impossible to interfere.” Reba informs us of her conditions. “If you cannot abide by that, we will leave today. There is enough gas to get us back.”

“What if no one shows?”

“We go under anyways. We are that sure.” Brian states.