The morning we crossed into California, the weather felt especially warm and pleasant. Not only was the temperature perfect, but also everyone's upbeat spirits generated an air of optimism. Jerky rode on my shoulder as usual and for a while purred heavily in my ear.
"Are you going to do that all the way up California? I'll lose my hearing."
The cat licked my ear and went to sleep.
I looked up to see a hawk circling high above. I've seen that bird before, I thought as I shielded my eyes. It seems to be following us.
"Heckel, I have something to tell you that might sound a bit strange," Sela said as she positioned Tempest next to Hope to ride alongside.
"Strange? Sela, in case you haven't noticed, we've been hip-deep in strange for the last several months. Nothing you can tell me will sound strange. Trust me. My mind is so wide open you could drive a John Deere tractor through it."
"See that hawk up there?" Sela asked.
"Yeah. I think it's been following us."
"It's my guardian angel," Sela said proudly.
I could tell she was dead serious. Hmm, now let's think about this for a minute. Strange? Yes, that would most certainly fall under the category of strange. Hard to believe? Maybe not, given our present circumstances.
"And how do you know that?" I asked calmly looking ahead.
For the next half hour or so, Sela described her encounter with Rose. When she was done, I looked over to see the hawk perched on her shoulder.
"This is Rose," Sela said happily as if she were introducing her best friend.
I stared at the bird for a few moments and finally said, "Pleased to meet you."
"Jerky is your guardian angel," Sela reported matter-of-factly.
"Really? Hmm, that would make a lot of sense." Jerky nipped my ear again as if confirming what I just said.
As the morning lingered on, Sela related more about what Rose had told her regarding the additional help in the form of guardian angels.
"All people going into the battle will have their very own guardian angel at their side. That will double our force," Sela said confidently. "That's the extra help I asked for. Isn't that exciting?"
"Yes, it is. However, I wonder if we should keep this quiet for a while. Information like this might be a bit…um…"
"What?"
"The term overwhelming comes to mind. Not to mention hard to believe, fantastic and earth shaking. Sela, I'm just thinking that this might be a bit much for some people to handle. Let's just wait a bit."
"I think it's awesome. I always knew I had a guardian angel."
"Yeah, but did you ever think it was a hawk or a little girl named Rose?"
"No, but how cool is that?" Sela asked as Rose took off from her shoulder and arched high into the air.
After a little over a week, we made it to I-5 somewhere around Los Angeles. A large group of survivors heard about our merry band of would-be warriors and asked to join. News of our quest had preceded us. Our numbers were increasing. We stayed three days in L.A. and rested up. We took one day to scavenge around the area for any food or other usable items. A couple of the L.A. survivors pointed out prospective areas to hunt. We came back empty handed in the food department. However, Sela found a few pieces of nice jewelry.
Our new L.A. members shared food with our group. They had an old grocery store that they stocked from their own scavenging efforts. There were even some fresh vegetables that they rationed off to everyone.
"I imagine this will be hard to leave," I said to one of the L.A. members as I waved my arm across the aisles of food.
"Yes, however, when the battle is over, we will come back. This is our home. We'll work hard together to make Los Angeles a great city again."
I had a twinge of sadness come over me, knowing that some of these folks might not ever return.
The day before we left, Sela and I took a ride out to the ocean. We sat on the beach and watched the waves slide across the sand.
"How are you feeling?" I asked Sela as she laid her head in my lap.
"Very relaxed and I believe our child is quite happy."
"What makes you think that?"
Sela looked up and smiled at me. "I can tell," she said running her hand over her belly. She took my hand and had me rub the area.
"Oh, a kick."
"I felt it too. Guess Bob or Betty wants to say hi," Sela said giggling.
"Bob or Betty?" I said skeptically.
"Well, it's better than saying 'the kid.' We haven't come up with any names yet."
I stared at the ocean and started to think of names. We started tossing out ideas. Some sounded possible while others made us laugh.
"Wow, I never realized this would be such a difficult task," I said.
"How about Heckel Junior?"
"No, no, no," I stated emphatically. "I wouldn't want to subject anyone to such a dreadful name."
"Oh, it is not dreadful at all. It is unique and has character and I think it's especially memorable because of the story behind it."
"Just think…I could have been a bassoon."
"Instead of the world's savior."
I tickled Sela and she said, "Careful, Bob or Betty will get mad at you."
After a few minutes more of discussing names, we got up and walked along the beach looking for shells and smooth glass. As the sun slid closer to the horizon, we decided to head back to our camp.
When we got there, Jack came running up to us.
"Missy is gone," he said anxiously, slapping the sides of his legs and practically running in circles. "We think someone abducted her."
Sela took Hope from me after I dismounted. Jack took my arm and led me to his camp. Vonnie was in their tent crying.
"Tell me everything," I said as I sat down at his fire.
When he was done explaining how Missy was taken, Jack put his head in his hands and started crying.
"Come on, Jack. We'll get her back right now. They can't be that far away," I said, slapping him on the back.
With his face filled with determination, Jack got up. "I'll saddle up a horse."
I ran over to get Hope.
"Take Tempest. He's faster and stronger," Sela said, coming up behind me.
"No, Hope knows me. She'll do great."
Jerky came running up and as soon as I was on top of Hope, she jumped up, landing on my shoulder.
"Maybe you should stay here," I said, turning to the cat.
Sela grinned and raised her eyebrows. "Remember what I told you."
"Fine. We'll be back as quickly as we can." I turned the horse in the direction where Jack was waiting.
"Be safe and hurry," Sela said. "I love you."
"I love you too. Have your guardian close by while I'm gone. Things are…are getting…bad."
I met up with Jack and we rode north hard for about an hour. The sun had set, leaving the full moon to act as our lighting source. An occasional passing cloud proved an annoyance.
"I think I see a light up ahead," Jack whispered as we stopped on top of a small rise.
"Maybe we should leave the horses here and sneak in," I suggested.
"Can't you go in with your powers and just demand her back?"
I shook my head and said, "I'd rather get her without a big display. Besides, we need to find out more about who we are dealing with. I don't want to jeopardize either of your lives. How about you stay here and I-"
"Hell no!" Jack declared. "That's my little girl."
"All right. Let's try the sneak-in-and-grab-her approach." I dismounted from Hope and tied the horse to a nearby small tree. "We'll be right back, girl," I whispered to the horse and petted her nose.
Jerky followed close on my heels. Jack was on my right. He had the look of a crazed lunatic. "You all right?" I whispered.
"I will be. I just hope she's still alive."
I didn't reply. My insides were slowly churning with fear. "Calm down. Everything's fine," I muttered to myself, trying to boost my confidence. As we got closer to the flickering light from an enormous bonfire, I heard hollering. Jack and I inched our way to a cottonwood tree that had a few large bushes surrounding it. We looked out at about fifty people standing around the fire.
"Do you see her?" Jack whispered.
My eyes swept the crowd of people. "No. Let's…wait a minute. Is that her way over on the other side of the-"
"Yes, I see her," Jack said as he started to walk out into the crowd.
I grabbed his arm and motioned for him to stop.
"Stay close to me. We'll hang in the shadows and make our way around to her."
As we got closer to Missy, I started listening to what the leader was blabbering as he pranced around the bonfire.
"Our sacrifice to our goddess will be looked upon favorably."
The crowd roared with favor and Jack quickened his pace.
"Our goddess will bring back prosperity to us and restore our world. There is only one way to bring back what we have lost and that is to embrace our goddess, Madeline. She has promised us a rebirth. She has promised us riches."
The name, Madeline, made me stop in my tracks and shiver, causing all the hairs on my neck to stand erect. So, now there are cults worshipping Madeline. Great! That's not going to be good.
We finally made our way close to where they had Missy bound and gagged. Before we approached her, I whispered to Jack, "We grab her, sneak away and then run like hell."
He gave me the thumbs-up.
We inched our way to come up behind Missy. I whispered in her ear to stay calm. I cut the rope and she spun around and started to sneak away with us.
"Stop!" a voice commanded.
"Oh shit," I said.
"Do something," Jack barked.
"We'll be leaving now," I shouted back.
Just as we took off running, three large mountain lions appeared in front of us.
"What the…" Jack shouted.
"I think they're with us," I yelled back. "At least, I hope so." We ran and the trio of large cats attacked the few men who were closest to us, allowing us some distance. Some of the other men chasing us turned around and fled at the sight of the mammoth cats.
We got to the horses. Jack threw Missy up on the back of his horse and sped off. As I mounted Hope, I looked back to see the large mountain lions fending off several men.
Suddenly a large crack from a rifle ruptured the shouting and quelled the yelling from the cult mob. I looked ahead to see Jack slump.
"Heckel, I think my dad has been hit!"
"Keep going," I yelled to her as I raced ahead. "The more distance between us and that mob, the better."
Slowly, the angry taunts as well as the random rifle shots diminished as we left the cult behind. After about a half hour, I told Missy to stop. I reached up to take Jack down from the horse.
"Is he all right?" Missy asked, jumping down.
"I don't know. He's lost a lot of blood."
I set Jack on the ground and felt for a pulse. It was weak.
Missy screamed when she saw the three bloodstained mountain lions walk into the clearing.
"It's okay. They won't hurt you," I said as I checked Jack over. There was a big hole in the middle of Jack's back, close to his spine. Hell, the damn bullet is dangerously close to his heart or his spine. What the hell do I do now?
"Take it out," I heard Missy say as she stood looking down at her father. "You have to try. You have to save him. We can't lose him. Please."
I felt like I was in shock. My insides were shaking.
"Please, hurry before it's too late."
Suddenly, I felt like someone slapped me in the face. I was sure it was Sela giving me her usual pep talk and my head was as clear as a cloudless sky. I dictated a list of things for Missy to do. The mountain lions studied us as if they knew what their job was. All three cats paced around a perimeter keeping guard.
After we made a good-sized fire, I set my old boy scout knife on a rock to sterilize it. I pulled off my T-shirt and handed it to Missy. "Rip this up into small bandages."
She eagerly complied.
"I wish we had some water," I said softly as I cleaned the area around the wound.
"Wait," Missy said grabbing a handful of wanna-be bandages and running off into the surrounding dark. One of the mountain lions followed her. She came back a few minutes later with wet bandages.
"I remembered there was a small brook over there when we rode into this clearing," she said out of breath.
"Excellent," I said as I picked up the glowing knife. I used one of the wet bandages to wipe the blade. "Okay, you try to soak up the blood as much as possible. We are going in fast and get that bullet. Ready?" Missy nodded her head and had a determined look on her face.
For some odd reason or feeling, I knew exactly what to do. It felt as if the world's finest surgeon was expertly guiding my hand.
"I feel the bullet. I…think…I can pry it out. No, wait a minute." The hole was big enough for me to reach in and grab the slug. "There! I got it," I said, holding up the offensive near-fatal projectile.
Missy had an enormous smile of relief on her face and released a huge breath of tension. She took one of the bandages and applied pressure on the wound. I wiped off the bullet and put it in my pocket, thinking that Jack might like it as a souvenir.
"Missy, you need to go back to camp and bring a cart to transport your Dad. We need to get him back so we can better clean that wound. Hurry. I don't know if those people are still looking for us or not. At any rate-"
"What happened?" Jack mumbled softly.
"Daddy!" Missy said loudly, leaning down to kiss his cheek.
"Don't move, Jack. You've been hit," I said.
"Holy shit, you got that right," Jack said, drifting in and out of consciousness.
"Go now, Missy, and hurry. Bring one of the doctors with you."
Missy got on Jack's horse and rode off. One of the mountain lions raced after her. The other two continued to circle the campfire.
"Thanks," I whispered as I flashed a smile at the two big cats.
Jack's pulse was improving and he continued to regain consciousness. While waiting for Missy and the others, I kept myself busy maintaining the fire and monitoring Jack's condition. At one point, one of the large mountain lions walked up to Jack and licked his face, making him grin. The big cat sat down next to him and purred loudly.
"I'm thirsty," Jack said.
"I'll be right back," I said running off to find the small brook. I tripped on a rock and landed a few feet from the water. "Clumsy," I muttered as I soaked the cloth.
"Open your mouth, Jack," I said turning his head slightly. I drizzled the water into his mouth and he drank eagerly.
"Thanks, Heckel. I could drink a gallon," he said weakly.
"I think the troops are here," I reported as several horses rode into the campfire's light.
One of the doctors quickly checked Jack over. I got up and out of the way. The big cat remained next to Jack.
Vonnie and Missy came running up to Jack and knelt down beside him.
"He's going to be fine," the doctor said. "Heckel, you did great. We'll get him bandaged up and loaded onto the cart."
Vonnie hugged me until I thought I was going to pop. "Thank you so much, Heckel, for saving my family."
As we rode into our camp, we were met by thunderous applause. Sela ran up to take Hope's reins.
"Well, done," Sela said as I slid off Hope. She quickly hugged and kissed me as if I had just won the Kentucky Derby.
"No problem. Well, actually…" Before I could explain what happened, I heard Jack call my name. I went over to the cart where he was lying.
"Save your strength," I said, peering down at Jack.
"About those mountain lions," he said softly.
"Yeah, I'll tell you tomorrow. You'll be…um…wowed, I'm sure. You get a good night's rest."
"Thanks, Heckel…for…saving my little girl," Jack said reaching up to shake my hand.
His hand was cold. I held it for a long time to warm it up. The doctor instructed three other men to lift Jack out of the cart carefully and put him in his tent. After we got Jack settled, I said good night to Vonnie. Both she and Missy kissed my cheeks at the same time. I blushed.
"Take good care of Jack. See you in the morning."
As I walked back to my camp, I saw the three mountain lions lying in the field twitching their big fluffy tails. Gradually, their size was reduced to that of a normal house cat. They played with each other for a few minutes and then two of them took off in the direction of Jack's campsite. Jerky came running toward me and leaped into my arms.
"Thanks, buddy. You were awesome tonight!"