7. Trent's Goodbye

Early the next morning, Stephanie McPherson sat in the back of the mini-van, an open romance novel near her right leg. As Odell drove and sang along with some older rock song, she looked over something she had found in her search of the truck.

After Odell had killed the men, she had carried different items from the truck to the minivan and even told him about the weapons, which he carried. She picked up one pill bottle and looked it over. Craig Dubois was prescribed thirty pills of Ambien for insomnia, ten milligrams each, and apparently still had four refills. Not anymore he doesn't, she thought. Bottle looks pretty full.

The teen glanced at Odell briefly, then looked back down at the pills. I wonder what all thirty pills would do if they were taken at one time?

"Hey, Stephanie!" Odell yelled.

Dammit! She looked up and said, "Yes, sir?"

"Stand up a second, let me see your beauty."

Not again! "Yes, sir." She stood up and pulled up her shirt. As the man stared at her chest through the rear-view mirror, she kept a straight face on. Inside, however, she seethed with anger...and despair.

"Last night was great, girl," he said and licked his lips. "Just remember that I'm your protector and when you make me happy, I'll make you happy."

If you really want me to be happy, then let me go. "Yes, sir."

After Odell turned his attention back to his driving and Stephanie covered up again, she spread out several pills inside a plastic bag. She used the paperback book spine to quietly crush the pills.

oooooooooo

Much like Pam Garrett's habit of calling her parents daily to try and reach them, Daria also had a daily habit: checking her e-mail account for anything from Amy Barksdale, her aunt and Helen's sister.

The last message had also been the only one that she received right before the party left Carthage. Not much had really been said, except that she had been away from home when Black Saturday occurred and was very busy.

She had also been very worried that she was the only one in the family alive, a feeling that Daria understood and remembered all too well.

After breakfast, the auburn-haired teen shuffled into the living room, placed a pillow on the hard wooden chair and sat down in front of the computer. As she waited for the device to warm up, she thought back to Black Saturday and the electromagnetic pulse. I would have expected there to be widespread electronic damage everywhere, she thought. But I'm glad there wasn't.

From what she had heard on different news sources, the EMP damage was worse closer to the bombed cities, but even then it was sporadic. The cell phone towers, for instance, were nearly all burned out, but the cell phones themselves were undamaged.

A small smile appeared on her face as she got online and went to her e-mail account. "Ooooooh," she muttered. "Eighteen new pieces of mail today. Let's see what crap I got this time."

Daria opened the inbox folder and sighed as she read off each sender and subject line. "From Mrs. Salami Wahani, DEAR FRIEND..."

"Salami?" Jane walked up beside her and looked down at the screen. "That's 'Salah', Daria," she said.

"You read it your way, I'll read it mine."

The raven-haired teen shook her head and said, "I'm surprised that those African e-mails keep coming after what we've been through."

Daria shrugged. "Still a lot of untouched money in this country, apparently. Or else, they're automatically sent out." She deleted most of the mail, then smiled. "Finally, something from Aunt Amy. Would you get Mom for me?"

"Sure, I'll send her in." Jane walked out of the room.

Helen walked in quickly and she watched as Daria opened the e-mail. In silence, they read:

Dear Helen and Daria, sorry I haven't written back sooner, but I've been working harder than hell since Black Saturday. First off, I'm sorry about what happened to Quinn and Jake, but thank God that you two are still alive. It means that I'm not all alone. I haven't found out anything about Rita and Erin yet, but I was able to find out about Mom. She's dead. The radiation must have got her. They found her on the couch, under a blanket as if she were taking a nap.

I'm sorry if that sounds cold and impersonal, but I'm numb as it is now. Part of my job is dealing with the dead. What really gets me is the children. A final tally of the dead hasn't been made yet, but as of right now there are more than 17 million known dead in the U.S.

We were almost caught with our pants down, but we won the war against China. In the end, however, it doesn't matter. We and Russia still got the crap kicked out of us. Thank God that the Canadians, British and Japanese stayed out of it.

"I thought that Aunt Amy was an art appraiser," Daria said.

"So did I," Helen said and sighed. "It appears that there's more to Amy than meets the eye."

I'm still checking the databases for Rita and Erin, but by now, I don't think there's much hope left.

Sorry, I'm being a real bummer, but these last few months have not been pleasant.

Love, Amy

Daria blinked and looked up at Helen. Tears ran from the older woman's eyes and she exhaled loudly.

"I...I need to be alone, Daria," she said.

"Mom, is Amy with the CIA?"

Helen rubbed her right eye and said, "I don't know. I really don't know." She turned and walked out of the living room.

Daria logged off and shut down the computer.

oooooooooo

Outside, Jim, Martin and Danny helped Trent load the SUV. As the younger two men tried different ways of fitting the boxes in the back, Jim took Trent aside and said, "I hope you don't mind, but I have some advice for you."

"Hey, not at all, man," the singer said. "Anything that helps is appreciated."

"First off, have you driven in this part of the country before the war?"

Trent nodded. "Mystik Spiral played once in a bar outside of Roanoke more than a year ago. We got lost and ended up in four different states before we found our way out."

Jim smiled. "Easy to do there. Well, like Pam was told by her dad, stick to the interstates. I would keep your guns handy, but not out in the open. If there are British or Canadian troops in Virginia, you may see them on I-81 and they may stop you. Just don't get excited around them."

"I'm not very excitable," Trent said.

"I've noticed that," Jim said. "I'm thinking that having the children with you will help you there. My next question may seem a bit personal, but I think it's important. Are you planning on marrying Pam?"

A small smile appeared on Trent's face. "To tell the truth, I've thought about it."

The older man nodded. "Expect her parents to ask you about it. When you do, let us all know about it. We may not be able to come, but we will send you a present." He looked at the work Danny and Martin were doing, sighed, then looked back at Trent. "I recommend that you don't leave the interstates at all until you get past Charleston. There's not much in many of the smaller towns, and what they are getting is usually just sold to the local folks. The closer you get to Kentucky, the better off things will be."

Trent looked towards where the girls watched two of the chickens as they pecked at the ground. "Pam and I think that a tank full of gas should get us to her home."

"Take one of the five gallon cans with you anyway," Jim said. "Play it safe."

"We will, man, we will."

Jim then walked towards Martin and Danny, shook his head and muttered, "If you want something done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself."

oooooooooo

Everyone gathered in the driveway at a little before ten. Trent shook everyone's hand, except Daria, who he hugged briefly. "Take care of Martin," he whispered in her left ear. "I think he likes you."

The auburn-haired teen felt a tear well up in her right eye and smiled. "I think so, too," she whispered back. "I hope you and Pam stay happy together."

"Thank you, Daria. We will."

Trent and Jane hugged tightly and the raven-haired girl cried hard into his shoulder as he held her. "It'll be O.K., Jane," he said. "It'll be O.K."

"I'll miss you!" she said.

"I'll miss you, too. You and Danny can come out and visit us when we get settled in."

She broke the hug and looked at him through tear-blurred eyes. "We will," she said. "We will."

Pam hugged everybody, as did Amber and Vickie. The curly-haired brunette cried as she hugged them. She looked at Martin and Daria and said, "Be patient and understanding with one another."

The two little girls hugged Jane at the same time, and Amber said, "Auntie Jane, come with us."

Jane's smile was weak and a tear ran down her left cheek. "I can't," she said. "I'm staying here with Auntie Daria and everyone else. But I'll visit you. I promise."

"That'll be great!" Vickie said. "I can show you my bedroom! I have a lot of fuzzy animal dolls we can play with!"

"I look forward to it."

Helen took Trent aside and said, "You take good care of Pam and the girls, Trent."

"I will, Helen. I will."

"She loves you, very much. You love her back with all your heart, and she'll always be there for you." Then she walked back to Daria and Martin.

Martin walked up to Trent and they shook hands again. "I think I'll miss your guitar playing," the teen said.

"I'll still be practicing. Hopefully, I can get a new band started up and perform around there." He looked at Pam, who shooed the girls to their seats in the SUV. "It's time for us to go."

"Be careful," Martin said.

"We will."

"Call us when you get home!" Diana told Pam. "You have our number...and our e-mail addresses."

Finally, the four were inside the vehicle and Trent pulled out slowly. On the highway, he honked the horn and all four waved as he drove off.

The others watched them leave until the vehicle disappeared around a curve.

oooooooooo

Odell Jones got back into the minivan and sat there for several seconds in silence. They were parked in a driveway of a two-story house with a privacy-fence around the back yard.

Stephanie McPherson sat in the back and watched him nervously as she waited for his orders. Finally, she asked, "Uh...are you O.K.?"

"You have a job to do," he said and shook his head.

The girl felt her dread build up and swallowed hard. "What do I have to do?"

He turned around and looked at her, the disgust he felt evident on his face. "Wash his car."

"What?"

Odell sighed and shook his head again. "All he wants you to do is wash his car...in the nude. He'll watch you from the inside of his car...and play with himself while you wash it."

The brunette wasn't sure that she heard him right. "Is that it?"

The man grimaced. "Yeah, that's it. He's already paid me and I get to watch, too. Damned freak! Why can't he have sex like a normal man? Well, Stephanie, this one'll be easy for you."

"Not easy enough!" she said under her breath and moved up to the seat behind him.

"Keep in mind that I'll be outside the car and not in there with him. I'm not stupid, girl."

"Don't sell yourself short," she then said, also under breath.

Odell didn't hear her and pulled the van closer to the garage. They got out and walked to the sidewalk gate, where a middle-aged man waited on them.

oooooooooo

"Lunch'll be ready pretty soon," Jim said and wiped his forehead off. Both he and Martin had just finished scanning the last of the farm animals. Jane and Danny mowed the yard, while Daria worked on her school work and the two women cooked.

"Good," Martin said and looked at the chickens as they moved around them. "I'm hungry. Never thought that a chicken would be that hard to scan."

"Chickens aren't the most cooperative animals in the world," Jim said, and sighed in relief. "Even when they want food. Anyway, that's a major load off of my mind. It's one thing to kill an animal for food, but at least I didn't have to kill one for being hot." He shook his head. "I don't like killing a sick animal. It's like compounding an error."

"Yeah, Jim, but it's a mercy, really."

"I know, Martin, I know. A man shoes his own horses, and shoots his own snakes."

Martin looked around and made sure that they were alone, then glanced back at his uncle. "Is Koenig's still open?"

Jim rubbed his chin as he thought. Then he nodded and said, "Sure is, son, but he hasn't had much business since..." He looked at Martin quickly. "You planning something secret, boy?"

The teen looked embarrassed and glanced out into the barnyard. "I haven't bought her anything, Jim. I love her, but I've never given her a real present."

"Son, Koenig's is a jewelry store. It's not Wal-Mart, Costco or Payday. What message are you trying to convey to her? Cause if you send her the wrong signals, you could easily hurt her feelings."

Martin looked at him quickly. "It's still early for that." Then he smiled. "But I have to admit, I like the sound of Daria Peters."

"Well, what do you want to buy her?"

"I'm thinking of a necklace or a bracelet."

"How are you set for money?" Jim asked. "Despite the war, Koenig hasn't really lowered his prices much."

The teen looked at him and said quickly, "I have money."

Jim looked at him briefly, then sighed. "Last year, I and your Uncle Wayne spoke with your daddy about your financial situation."

Martin looked confused. "Mine? Why did you talk about my finances with him?"

"We knew where most of the money came from when he and Martha remodeled your house. The whole family knew about it. We pushed him to repay you for that 'loan' you made."

"I loaned them nothing!" Martin said. "Dad's name was on my savings account and he withdrew everything without asking me."

Jim nodded and said, "I know. When we talked to him, he said that he thought you were squirreling away money, hiding it from him and your mother. He couldn't find it."

The teen smiled then and said, "I have money, Uncle Jim."

"Keep in mind, son, that you may need that money in the not too distant future. Sure, a bracelet from Koenig's would be a great gift for Daria. But don't bust yourself getting it." The man cleared his throat. "Plus, there's talk of the government refiguring the currency."

"What?"

"The war's hurt our country bad, Martin. It's a good bet that they may redo the monetary system. Something to keep in mind."

The teen nodded and looked down.

oooooooooo

The clock in the minivan had just read three-ten when Odell pulled into a driveway.

"Where are we?" Stephanie asked quickly, her voice nervous.

"Calm down," he said. "We're at my uncle's house. He's very old, and very forgetful, but I know that he'll let us stay here tonight. Maybe even tomorrow night, too." He looked around and smiled. "Give us a chance to relax and screw in a real bed for a change. I'm tired of humping you in the back of the van, despite how fun it is."

The teen shuddered and looked at him. "What will he say about me?"

Odell turned and looked at her briefly. "I'll tell him that you're my girlfriend. You kiss me in front of him. Do it willingly and don't give me any grief, or I'll give you a lot of grief later on. Got it?"

Stephanie looked down. "Yes, sir."

"After I hug him, you hug him and tell him that you're glad to meet him."

"I have no bra on under this shirt. Will that bother him or cause any trouble?"

He shook his head. "Nope. He may be ninety, but he likes pretty girls, and you're downright beautiful, Steph."

She shuddered again.

"Don't be too surprised if he 'accidentally' touches you every so often. He's been doing that for more than twenty years now. Used to tick Nora off big time."

"Who's Nora?"

"My ex-wife," he said and braked to a stop, then put the minivan into park and shut it off. "Come on, let's go see Uncle Joe."

"Uncle Joe, huh?" she asked.

He nodded. "You remember Uncle Joe. He's the one who was afraid to cut the cake."

Stephanie looked at him, totally confused. "Huh?"

Odell sighed and shook his head. "Never mind."

The two got out and walked up to the house. When they reached the front door, he knocked hard for several seconds and they waited.

"Hold on!" a male voice yelled from inside. "I'm coming! Hold your horses!"

The door opened and an elderly man stood there. He looked at Odell briefly and nodded, then looked over Stephanie in confusion. "Good to see you again, Odell," he said and nodded towards the girl. "Who's this?"

"Uncle Joe, this is my girlfriend, Stephanie. Stephanie, this is my Uncle Joe."

The girl held up her hand to shake his and said, "Pleased to meet you."

The old man took the girl in an embrace and hugged her tightly. "Hell, girl, we don't shake hands here. We hug."

She saw her captor glare at her and she quickly wrapped her arms and hugged the man back tightly. "O.K."

When he broke the hug, the old man kissed her left cheek and looked her front over. He smiled as he looked at both her chest and face and said, "You're a pretty one, girl. Real pretty."

"Thank you," she said and blushed.

Joe laughed, then turned and hugged his nephew tightly. "Been awhile, Odell. Where've you been and what happened to Nola?"

"Nora."

"Yeah, Nora. She was always so uptight. What happened to her?"

"We split up," the younger man said. "If it's O.K. with you, Steph and I would like to stay with you a day or two."

Joe looked at Stephanie, smiled at Odell and then nodded at the girl. He patted her left hip lightly and said, "You're picking 'em young, aintcha?"

"Yes, sir," Odell said.

The old man nodded and said, "Can't say I blame you for that. You two can stay as long as you like. You remember that I ain't got any running water, don't ya?"

"We're tough," Odell said. "Come to think of it, Uncle Joe, Steph and I need to take a bath. How's the creek out back in the woods?"

Joe shook his head and said, "I ain't been back there in two or three years." He pointed at a small brook that ran on the property's south side. "Still flowing fine, though. It'll be cold on you."

Odell looked over the girl with a leer and said, "Not for long."

Stephanie felt like crawling under the house when he said that.

"Boy, you're making me jealous. Go on, but watch out for snakes and wild dogs."

"Let's get our towels and soap, girl, then we'll go back there."

The girl fought the impulse to scream - and cry - as she followed Odell back to the minivan.

oooooooooo

Right after supper at the Peters home, Helen's cell phone rang and she answered it, a little surprised. "Hello?"

"Helen?" the voice on the other end said. "It's me, Pam. We made it. We're home."

"It's Pam and Trent," Helen told the others in the living room. "They made it!"

Jane ran up and Helen handed her the phone. She said, "Trent? Are you O.K.?"

"Hang on, Jane, I'll give the phone to him. Trent, Jane wants to talk to you."

After a few seconds, Trent came on the line. "Hey, Janey."

"How do you like it there?" Jane asked.

"The bed's real comfortable. More than mine ever was."

"Considering how much you slept on it, I find that hard to believe."

"Heh. That's funny. I've got to go now, Jane. We've got to fix the girls some food and Pam's family wants to meet me. We just wanted to let you know we made it."

"I love you, Trent," Jane said and wiped a tear from her left eye.

"I love you, too, Janey. Say 'hey' to everyone there for us."

"I will."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Jane closed the phone and handed it back to Helen. Then she moved back to Danny, sat beside him and laid her head on his left shoulder.

The young man put his left arm around her and kissed her forehead. She gave him a weak smile.

oooooooooo

Daria and Martin walked outside and into the back yard. The twilight was fast fading and the two held hands as they moved past the garden and near the barn.

"How would you like to climb up into the hayloft?" he asked quietly.

"Kind of dark for that, don't you think?" she asked. "Not to mention that everyone would eventually come looking for us with flashlights." She shook her head. "As much as I've heard that making out in haylofts is fun, I prefer a nice warm bed for that."

"I meant that you could work out your legs by climbing up and down the ladder," he said, a smirk on his face.

She looked up at his face and returned his smirk. "You are so full of bull, Martin Peters. I'd get to the top of the ladder, then you'd pull my pants down like you did that one time in your garage."

"Can't blame me for that," he said.

"Yes, I can. I'd feel like an idiot if you had my ass bared right when your uncle walked in. I'd want to die...and so would you, by the time I'd be done with you."

The teen boy suddenly remembered Helen's hand around his throat and rubbed his neck briefly. "I have an idea," he said. "You run and I'll chase you."

"Run? It still hurts some to walk."

He smiled at her and kissed her briefly. "Good. I'd catch you and win."

"Oh? What would you win?"

In response, he kissed her left ear and lightly bit on her earlobe.

Daria shivered and wrapped her arms around him. "You caught me. You win."

They hugged and smiled at each other. Then they kissed again.

oooooooooo

Odell and Stephanie returned to the house before dark. She looked depressed, while he looked relaxed...and happy. As they reached the back porch, he said, "You know, girl, if you could make me a decent drink, then I'd really be happy...and let you sleep tonight in peace."

The brunette turned and said, "I can make an Orange Bomb."

He blinked. "I don't mean some kiddie drink, girl."

"I don't know what its real name is," she said. "I just know it's made with milk, orange juice and rum."

Odell stopped and put his left hand on the girl's right shoulder. "That sounds familiar...and good. Check my vodka box in the van. There should be a bottle of rum in it. Bring it and my canned orange juice in, then make me that drink. If I like it, I'll let you relax tonight."

She smiled at him and said, "Yes, sir."

After she took the items from the box, she moved to the back where she normally slept and retrieved the plastic bag with the crushed Ambien pills. She smiled as she opened the rum, emptied the bag into the bottle, then closed the lid again.

Stephanie lightly shook the bottle as she walked into the house and saw that Odell had already pulled a can of PET evaporated milk from the refrigerator.

"I'm watching TV with Uncle Joe, girl!" Odell yelled out. "Bring it to me when you get it done!"

oooooooooo

By the time Stephanie reached the living room, Joe had fallen asleep in his lounger, while Odell was reclined on a couch. She handed him the drink and he sipped it. He tasted it and said, "Good. I like it. Could use a tad more orange juice, but good." He motioned at a nearby rocking chair. Sit down and watch Revenge of the Nerds with me. You'll like the scene with the spy cameras and the nerds see all the naked sorority girls."

Oh, joy, she thought and sat down. She watched Odell as he drank and suppressed the instinct to smile. Let's see if it works.

It took less than twenty minutes for Odell to close his eyes and pass out. He dropped the empty glass on his right side.

Stephanie stood up and took the glass into the kitchen, where she rinsed it out carefully. Then she walked back into the living room and up to Odell. "Hey!" she said, her voice slightly raised. You awake?"

Odell didn't move, except for the raising and lowering of his chest as he breathed.

The girl moved her right hand into his pants pocket and fished out the van keys and the wad of greenbacks he kept there. Then she took the SIG Sauer from its holster, as well as the two extra clips he had in his other pocket. She smiled at Odell and said, "See you later, asshole."

Before she left the room, she spread out a coverlet over the old man and smiled at him. "You sleep in peace, sir," she whispered. "You were nice to me, even though you're probably just as filthy as Odell is."

As she walked back through the kitchen, she saw a medicine cabinet set up near a window and wash basin. She opened the cabinet and looked over the various medicines and items that Joe had. Her gaze settled on a nearly full tube of Bengay and she smiled as she glanced back towards the living room.

Her footsteps were light and she felt better than she had in days. She reached Odell and calmly opened up his pants. After she pulled both his pants and underwear to his knees, she opened the tube and squeezed out the entire contents on his exposed genitals. She breathed in and sighed from the pungent methyl salicylate fragrance. Then she pulled the garments back into place and rubbed the front of his pants firmly.

Her smile widened as she thought of his reactions when he woke up. "I'd love to see what happens, but I'm going to be many miles from here when you wake up, freak." She spat on his face and added, "You're really going to be hot stuff now."

The teen walked back into the kitchen, tossed the empty tube into the trash and stepped out the back door.

(To be continued...)