long have you been traveling by horse?'
'Those are Sela's horses. I hooked up with her and those beautiful animals…hmm…I think it was sometime in…um…' I said looking to Sela for help.
'It was in the early fall, I think. I've lost track of the months,' Sela said.
'They are beautiful,' Missy offered.
'What are you folks planning to do?' Jack asked.
My insides squirmed and I flashed a concerned look at Sela. She smiled at me.
'Not sure. We were just trying to get somewhere for the winter. Heckel said he had a brother-in-law who used to live in McKinney who bragged that it had a mild winter.'
'That's true. You are welcome to stay here. There are several empty houses around, and we'll put you to work,' Jack said taking another slice of beef.
'Great,' Sela and I answered together.
Leaning back in my chair, I rubbed my belly and thanked Vonnie for an outstanding meal.
'Did you save room for pie?' she asked.
My eyes widened and I felt my mouth watering once again. 'You're kidding. Pie? You have a pie?'
'Apple. We still have some trees around here and I get a couple of good crops off them.'
'Fantastic. Yes, I'd love some,' I said eagerly. 'Soon, I'll be in a food coma.'
Missy and Jack both laughed.
Vonnie asked Missy to clear the table and suggested we all migrate into the living room.
Following us into the room, Jack asked, 'So, tell me what you know of Madeline.'
My heart felt like it had dropped five stories. The palms on my hands felt sweaty like I was going into an interview for a job.
'Madeline Blackwell,' I uttered the repulsive name nervously.
'Yes, that's her name,' Jack said as he sat down in a large overstuffed chair.
Sela and I sat close to each other on the sofa. She put her hand on my knee as if to assure me that I could tell them what we knew.
'Well, what do you want to know? I've been aware of her evil and malevolent intentions since I was in junior high.'
'Yes, I know what you mean,' Vonnie said, walking into the room with three plates of pie. Missy followed her with the other two.
For the next three hours, Sela and I shared our experiences for the past year. Jack and his family also contributed their stories of Madeline's influence.
However, I nudged Sela with my knee when she was about to divulge my supposedly supernatural powers. She got the hint. I was still struggling with the whole prospect of me being somehow a superhero or force or whatever you want to call it to confront Madeline and I didn't think anyone would believe me anyway. The last thing I wanted to be was locked up in a straitjacket somewhere in McKinney, Texas.
Jack looked at his watch and said it was almost midnight. Missy had fallen asleep leaning next to her mother. Sela was fast asleep on my shoulder as well.
Just as Jack stood up, a wolf bayed. Its bloodcurdling sound was especially loud.
'Oh, don't worry. We hear that every night. We have people patrolling the area and they keep our livestock from any harm. The wolves have increased in number along with coyotes. They're all hungry.'
'It's not the natural wolves I'm worried about. It's Madeline's demons with glowing red eyes that concern me,' I said.
Jack assured us that we'd be fine. I suddenly realized that Jerky had been outside for the longest time and I went to the front door. The cat was curled up in a tight ball on the front porch swing.
'Can she come in?' Sela asked Jack.
'Absolutely,' he answered.
I gently reached down and picked Jerky up. The cat purred loudly. 'She's our best advanced warning system.'
Jack smiled, closed the door and bolted it. 'I'll show you to the guest room.'
After he left, Sela went into the bathroom and showered. I put Jerky on the bed and waited for my turn. As I walked around the room, a weird creepy feeling welled up inside me. I went to the window. There was a half-moon so there weren't many shadows, but from the edge of a tree line where the shadows morphed into complete darkness, I could see a faint set of red eyes staring at the house.
Chapter 13
Starting with Bloody Super Bowl Sunday, Madeline's power grew exponentially after each tragic event. It wasn't long before chaos and anarchy spread across the globe. The year martial law went into effect in the United States, Madeline Blackwell had assumed power and from that point on there was no stopping the machinations of evil.
Madeline sat on a park bench next to the reflecting pool at the National Mall. Four of her bodyguards remained close behind, all the while scanning the area. A huge grin spread across her face as she thought of the famous quote from John F. Kennedy-'One person can make a difference and every person should try.' And Madeline Blackwell did make that difference and without having to try very hard. All she did was give humanity a simple push down a path to destruction.
It wasn't a nuclear bomb.
It wasn't a pandemic.
It wasn't a plague.
It wasn't another world war.
It wasn't even global warming or a new ice age.
It was Madeline…one person who made a difference.
'I bet Mr. Kennedy didn't think that it'd be little ol' me who'd make such a dark difference.'
Turning to one of her bodyguards, she said with a lecturing tone, 'You know, throughout history, there have been events that have…hmm…shall we say culled the population. I'd say humanity is doing a splendid job of helping out the planet by reducing some of the riffraff. It warms my heart to know that the survivors are eager to try something new. And I will give it to them.'
She looked over at the bodyguard whom she was having a one-sided conversation with and saw that all four men were gone. She jumped up scanning the field behind her. No one was in sight.
'Yes, you
Madeline sighed heavily, recognizing the voice. She turned around and extended her hand. 'Hello, Mr. Barker. Nice to see you.'
Barker ignored the salutation and sat down on the park bench. 'You've done a remarkable job bringing our plan to this point. The events that you have orchestrated have demonstrated some astounding numbers. I am very impressed.'
'Thank you, Mr. Barker. It is going very well.'
After several minutes of silence, Barker leaned closer to Madeline, making her more uncomfortable. 'I take it you discovered a bit of a problem emerging.'
Madeline wrinkled her brow, trying to portray a questioning facade. 'Not sure what you mean.'
Barker stood up slowly from the park bench and began to pace in front of Madeline. 'Casey…Heckel Casey. I know you are aware of him and you've been tracking him. That's good. It has come to our attention that he could be the…' Barker stopped and tapped his mouth as if he were hoping the right expression could be coaxed out.
'The proverbial fly in the ointment,' Madeline said proudly.
'Yes, that's very good, Ms. Blackwell. I like that. At any rate, your attempts to eliminate him need to be ramped up, and that is precisely why I am here.' He continued his pacing in silence. With each pass in front of Madeline, she became more visibly irritated.
'The dogs I sent were almost successful. They took out that stupid friend of his. Then that little thunderstorm
