#21
The brewing happening was a minor earthquake, but more insidious was the curling tendrils of smoke that began floating in the wind. The quake was hardly more than a aftershock, scarcely worth a notice.
Finishing his patrol and pausing on the stoop, Wayne got the first whiff of smoke. Lifting his face to the wind, he turned NNW and saw the faint light over the treetops. Forest fire. A chill went through Wayne as he fought for breath and control. His uncle had tried to burn him alive in his uncontrolled rage, and Wayne had a deeply ingrained fear of fire.
Inky appeared and thrust his nose into Wayne's hand. Just a simple, but sanity restoring act for the semi paralyzed man. Wayne rubbed his hand over Inky's head and shuffled into the house. Inky kinda wedged his body in the door as he wiggled inside and that gave Junior ample opportunity to sneak in under his legs.
Evie watched the clever maneuver, and gave Junior the evil eye as he skirted the table to reach his spot behind the stove. Inky stopped long enough to lay his head on Evie's lap, asking for a pat to show she had forgiven them their trespasses. Evie had to smile and scratch her old friend behind the ears. "You are a good dog," she praised, and Inky wiggled like a pup.
Evie took a good long look at the pure white under Inky's muzzle, and the flecks of white in his once coal black coat "You too," she whispered as what Wayne was saying finally penetrated her reverie.
"A fire," Evie repeated more calmly than she felt. "You say a fire is coming?"
"Yes Gram, on the wind from NNW." Wayne replied with a twinge of fear in his voice.
Evie understood instantly. She had listened to confidences from all the children, and knew of Wayne's fire terror.
"Go alert Ev and family. See what fuel he has; maybe enough to get us over the mountain. We need to be ready to go and travel light."
Wayne left at a trot, Grandma's calm directions did a lot to help him keep control.
Ev answered the door, drawing in the initial smell of smoke as the door swung inward. His head snapped up and he peered intently out into the darkness over Wayne's shoulder. "Forest fire?"
"Yeah. Grandma said to ask if you have any fuel at all?" Wayne looked over his shoulder and gestured toward the NW, so Ev could see the glow.
"Just a little," Ev spat out. "Help me siphon out of old Betsy and put that gas in the crewcab. I've got a five gallon can in the barn, some in the tractor. Maybe a little diesel I can supplement in the tank. Here's a flashlight, I'll get Sandy and Cheryl going on the essentials."
Wayne was as familiar with Ev's layout as the home place, so he headed to the hardware room for a length of hose and a can.
Sandy groaned, rolling off the couch. Of all the things she hated, it was being awakened right after going to sleep. Nothing wanted to function correctly, especially her brain.
Cheryl woke up with an even nastier disposition. She wasn't getting enough sleep and it was telling on her. "What do I want to take in an emergency? how the hell should I know," she grumped as she glared at Sandy.
"Important papers, marriage license, deeds, pictures, Christy?" Sandy jibed in return, trying to shock Cheryl into thinking rationally.
"Oh well, yeah. Christy, the Bible, and the three go bags in the closet. Start coffee and I'll get the thermoses, blankets, jerky and water." Once awake, Cheryl started functioning as the practical woman she was. She went in to wake and dress Christy while Sandy assembled the other items.
By the time the guy's had the fuel transfers done, Sandy had the gear loaded in the pickup. Taking a short length of rope, she tied Ruby in the pickup bed for safety. Christy was put in the pickup front seat, still asleep, wrapped in blankets and with her favorite doll.
Cheryl stood in the cabin door, surveying her kingdom. She had run over this scenario many times in her mind, now when it was for real, she didn't know what to take. The guns, My Lord she had almost forgot the guns. Hollering for Sandy, she unlocked the gun cabinet and threw boxes of ammo into a blanket from the couch.
Sandy had to drag the blanket as the amount of bullets was more weight than she could lift. Wayne materialized out of the darkness and boosted her into the pickup bed, handing up the hobo sack of ammo. Next came the guns, a camp grill and a short barrel of water.
"Get the coffee pot and a skillet, utensils, a wash pan, and a wad of towels with soap," Wayne ordered, helping Sandy down once again.
The smell of smoke was getting stronger, causing Ruby to whine from her enforced capture.
Ev helped Cheryl into the front and shouted into the increasing wind, "We've got to go, NOW!" Wayne and Sandy hopped in the back and Wayne rapped the side of the bed with his hand.
Ev gunned the rumbling old pickup, the roar and pop of the muffler showing it's age.
Evie and her crew had been equally as busy. Directing the retrieval of the money from it's many hiding places using Clora and a battered old brown suitcase, Evie tried to secure their future. Lainey collected the things Grandmother couldn't live without. The Bible, the coffee pot and skillet and a tiny wood box from her dresser.
Lainey and Clora raced to the barn and turned the horses loose, and unlatched the chicken house door on the way back. Clora grabbed a length of rope and fashioned a harness collar for Junior, tying him to the woodshed post. Using pillow cases, they encased their treasures and kept an eye on the pickup as it left Ev's.
Lainey and Clora didn't have much so they helped Evie. The guns were passed to Wayne as the pickup screeched to a stop in a cloud of dust. Evie sat in the second seat with the ratty old suitcase and her Grandmother's cast iron skillet in her lap. She had checked a dozen times to be sure the Bible was in the suitcase. They had coats and shoes and prayers, the dogs and themselves.
Half way to town, they met Ben running out to warn them. He jumped in and yelled at Ev they needed to get Will and Cassy and Willie.
On to town they roared, stopping in front of the hardware store.
The Pendelton's were ready, their dry goods and groceries were tossed in and Cassy and Willie loaded up in the second seat.
Will drew his coat tightly around his shoulders and held on as Ev took the corner and started up the mountain road. The wind brought smokey air to the group huddled in the back of the pickup. Clora wet bandannas and passed them around, the group nodding their thanks.
The higher the old truck labored up the ridge road, the further they could see the surrounding countryside. The fire was huge and out of control.