Chapter 7 #2
His eyes are hooded by the wide brim of his dark brown leather sunrider.
The edges are worn and slightly curved at the sides.
The long sleeves of his shirt are rolled up to his elbows.
In one hand, he clutches a blue cloth handkerchief.
I think about the injuries he’s hiding beneath that shirt.
With everything we’ve seen so far, and the scars I saw last night while he lay in bed, the weight of this place settles in—we could die out here if we stay.
This place is all about surviving to live one more day.
Is that the kind of life I want to live?
And would I stay if Nina didn’t want to? There’s a power here that has her unnerved, and it wouldn’t be right for me to ask her to stay if she didn’t want to.
With metal sheets between walls, not going out after dark, and living underground, I’m starting to believe the rumors people say about Graveyard Territory. Then, to add to it all, they expect me to be some kind of dustslinging protector.
It’s only morning, and I already know I’m going to need another relaxing hot bath tonight. I look to Garrett again, still talking with those men, and think how I’ll be locking the bedroom door before my bath.
He stands there, so confidently, listening to the two other men talk, arms crossed, focused on them. And then, he’s not focused on them…but on me. He finds me staring back, standing in the middle of the dirt road while Maureen, Nina, and Ruby make their way along a stone path between two buildings.
Garrett tips his hat forward, which causes the two men he’s talking with to turn and look my way. The sudden onslaught of attention snaps me from my reverie, and I hurry to find the others. I keep my gaze to the ground, and don’t give the men a second glance.
The three buildings in the middle are smaller structures, while the large building at the town’s entrance is set a good ten feet from the rest. The last building—the oversized barn—is long, almost twice the size of the three in the middle combined.
Nina waves to me from the closest barn door, which is pushed open.
The door frame could easily fit a carriage through it.
“This is their barn!” she says excitedly. “Maureen says they have to lock up everything inside each night, so they built a barn big enough to house every animal, every carriage, and all the hay and animal feed. It’s quite impressive.”
And she’s right. The exterior is quite misleading.
Inside, stalls and pens are laid out at the far end, with a small corral space in the center.
The opposite end, where we stand, holds two carriages, a stagecoach, and an open carriage with a buckboard driver’s bench and an open back.
All the farming tools are kept organized, either hanging on the wall or stacked neatly on shelves fixed to the walls.
There’s even stuff stored up in the rafters.
And I spot a loft area at the other end with a ladder hiding in the corner.
“This is extraordinary,” I say, taking in as much as I can.
“Well, we do what we can to make sure the animals are protected.” Maureen picks up a bucket half full of cracked corn and carries it to the open back door. “Come on, let’s feed the chickens.”
“Oh, you’re going to love it out here!” Ruby says, looping her arm through mine.
It’s not the number of chickens or the sizable garden area growing in the back that steals my attention, but the giant cage they’ve built over the entire outdoor space.
Everything is contained within the enclosed space.
And as dividers, they’ve incorporated waist-height wood fencing to separate the chickens, pigs, and sheep from Ruby’s garden area.
The exterior cage—the walls and ceiling—is constructed out of chicken-wire fencing.
“Is this so the animals don’t run off and get lost in the prairie?” I ask, taking in the elaborate caging system they’ve created.
“It’s mostly to keep things from getting in, but also because there’s no sunlight underground.
We had to come up with a way to grow our food and let the animals get some fresh air, while being smart about where we live and the threats out there.
” Ruby turns and holds a hand over her eyes, shielding the rising sun.
She then quickly adds, “And we’ve rigged it so that at night we can charge the metal, making it so anyone who touches the fencing gets shocked, like if lightning were to strike them. ”
Ruby’s grin clearly expresses how proud she is of what she’s done here. I can’t help but admire her skill and innovation about the way she’s protecting the animals and her garden.
Both my sister and I turn to the closest section of chicken-wire fencing and approach it. Ruby comes up from behind and grabs it, her fingers clasping between different sections of the chicken wire. “It’s not on right now. I’ll charge the cage right before the sun sets.”
“Because we stay inside after dark,” I say, repeating what Ruby told me during our midnight conversation.
“That’s right,” Maureen confirms, grabbing a tin bucket full of cracked corn. “Going outside after dark is dangerous. You run the risk of something evil catching ya.”
I’m not exactly sure I want to know, but I ask anyway, “What kind of evil? Unlawful bandits? Wild dogs?”
“Maybe, but I’m talking about the kind you didn’t even know existed. The kind that you’d only think existed in your nightmares.”
Nina’s hand slips into mine. “And these are the monsters you’re expecting my sister to fight?”
With a doubtful raise of her brows and a sigh, Maureen says, “Yes. Though, you both look like the only thing you’ve ever punched is a bowl full of rising dough.”
That’s an excellent point. I wouldn’t even know how to throw a punch, or dodge one for that matter.
The thought of being assaulted has me inhaling deeply, anticipating what the pain might be like.
Our cow accidentally knocked me over, and I landed hard on my backside, and that bruise was so painful I could barely sit for over a week.
I could only imagine the bruising from an attack would feel much worse.
“You’re much stronger than you think, physically I mean.
” Maureen tosses some of the feed out onto the patchy grass where the chickens congregate.
More of them come running out from inside the coop, eager to get their morning breakfast. When done, she continues with her explanation, saying, “Well, Persephone was strong, and fast, and most folks around here fear and respect her for what she does…I mean, did…for those of us who needed protecting. Even the evil out there knew that going up against her wouldn’t end in their favor.
So, wherever she went, evil avoided her or complied and did as she asked. ”
“I can’t imagine I’d ever get that level of respect from anyone,” I murmur, wondering what it would be like for people to fear me.
Maureen dumps the rest of the cracked corn out and sets the pail down. “You will, if you choose to embrace the power and magic within you.”
“Magic?” I ask, glancing at Nina.
“Yes, yes.” She waves a hand through the air like it’s nothing. “Magic exists, along with other things. I don’t really know how to explain it, so don’t ask. And I don’t know the different kinds. That’s a question for Ruby’s friend next time she visits town.”
“Two weeks!” Ruby shouts over from where she’s got one leg stretched out into her garden and she’s reaching for something behind a tall, leafy plant stalk. “She’ll be here in a couple of weeks, if I’ve been counting my days right.”
Maureen chuckles, then shouts to Ruby, “Looking forward to having her!” She resumes her chores and picks up another bucket.
This one contains food scraps from the kitchen.
Facing the pen near the chickens, she clicks her tongue.
Two large pigs and three pink piglets come rushing over as Maureen dumps the contents into their trough.
Looking at us, she asks, “So, do you want to see more, or are you thinking you might cut and run?”
“More, please,” we both say in unison. Hearing Nina agree eases my guilty thoughts about considering the idea of staying.
“Good,” she says with a smile. “I’ve got to take care of a few things, so why don’t you two go and get your horses and bring them out into the corral for a bit.
I’m sure they’d like some fresh air.” Before she heads off, she adds, “Oh, and Bex. You and Garrett will head out to visit Persephone’s friend within the hour. ”
I nod, nervous and excited to be seeing more of this territory.
After parting ways, leaving Ruby to her garden, we head back inside the barn. The horse stalls are at the other end, and as we walk, I take in the overwhelming scale of how big and long this barn is. They aren’t kidding about locking everything up inside at night.
We find our horses together in the same stall, nibbling on fresh hay. It’s nice to see Tumbleweed, and Nina goes straight to Frostbite.
“This place is pretty amazing. Not what I was expecting,” Nina confesses, slipping the horse’s halter over Frostbite’s head.
I do the same with Tumbleweed before attaching the lead line.
We walk the horses out the open end of the barn where there are multiple corrals.
A beautiful black mare is in the one closest to the barn.
“I wouldn’t put your horses in there with her,” Garrett says, coming up from behind us. He and a young man, maybe in his late teens, head toward the black mare. “Davie, make sure that gate is locked. We can’t have her getting out again.”
“Yes, sir!” Davie says, pulling out his gloves from his back pocket.
Garrett gestures to the second corral. “Let’s put them in this one.” He unlatches the lock and opens the gate. Nina goes first with Frostbite.
I offer a polite, “Thank you,” while following my sister into the enclosed area.
He locks the gate and walks over to Davie, who is leaning against the wooden fence and watching the mare.