Granny B said, “Put the book down and get your butt up the steps to the barn. Now! Before I have to cut a switch.”
Lucy laughed. “I can outrun you.”
Granny B yelled. “Remember, I know where you sleep!”
Lucy put the book down and beat Granny B up to the barn. She saw Tom and Kate in the back of the truck and waved. “Tom, Granny B said you needed help unloading the truck.”
Tom saw Jackie, June, and Granny B hustling to join them. “I have someone in the back here that would like to say hello.”
He helped Sam rise up. Sam saw her daughter. “Lucy! Come here.”
Lucy was in shock and didn’t move for a minute. She tried to speak, but no words came out for another few seconds. “Mom! You’re alive!”
Lucy then passed out and hit the ground before anyone could react. Jackie ran to Lucy and lifted her head. “The ground is soft here. I don’t think she hurt herself. June, please stay with her while we carry Sam down into the bunker.”
Tom called out. “Hey! Carrying a hundred and ten-pound person looks easy in the movies. In real life, it’s darned hard. Help me make something to carry her.”
They made a stretcher out of some poles and two blankets. Tom, Jack, Jackie, and Doris carried Sam down the steps and through the doors to one of the spare rooms. Granny B rushed ahead, pulled the covers back on the bed, and made the room ready for Sam.
Granny B tucked Sam in and watched while Sam dozed off. A few minutes later, Tom helped Lucy down the steps into her mom’s room. He borrowed a recliner from his room for Lucy to sit in to stay close to her mom.
Lucy watched them leave until Granny B was the only one left in the room. Lucy said, “I wonder what happened to her and how she survived?”
*
Chapter 20
The Clark Ranch – The Bunker -
Lucy came running from her mom’s room. “Tom, Mom wants to see you! Come quick!”
Tom motioned for Kate and Granny B to follow him into the room. Lucy left to go to the kitchen. Sam was sitting up with a smile on her face when Tom entered. The smile quickly turned upside down when she saw Kate and Granny B enter the room. “Tom, could I talk with you in private?”
Tom smiled, “You can talk in front of my wife Kate, and Granny B. I’m so glad to see you gain your strength back. Carlos had us convinced he’d killed you.”
Kate felt the room freeze as Sam glared at her. “Tom has told me so much about you. We’re so glad to see you safe and back home with us.”
Sam slumped a bit on the pillows and then said, “I guess I’ll need to fill in the blanks on what happened since I last saw you. Obviously, there were many changes here at the ranch. I’ve seen several folks that weren’t part of the original team who lived through the plane crash and journey to the ranch.”
***
Sam’s Story
“One of Carlos’s men dragged me to the back of the store when the shooting started. I fought him to get back to Tom, but he overpowered me. Carlos joined us a few minutes later and stood me next to one of his lady henchmen. He smiled and told the lady to swap clothes with me. We were both confused when suddenly, Carlos blew her head off with two blasts from a shotgun without warning. I didn’t understand why he kept me alive until later that week.
I rode to Ashland in the back of a truck bound, hand and foot. The men didn’t abuse me, but they weren’t gentle either. They certainly didn’t treat me like Carlos’s girlfriend, so I knew I was in for rough times ahead. I thanked God many times that Lucy had been saved from the degradation. The second day, I was taken to a mansion and told to clean up and put on some nice clothes that had been laid out on the bed for me. Now, everyone was friendly to me and gave me plenty of food and nice clothes to wear. A lady waited on me as though I was a princess. This went on for several days until one day, Carlos sent for me.
A rather beautiful, blonde lady wearing an evening gown walked into my room. She placed a stunning black evening gown, stilettoes, and handbag on my bed. All she said was, “Carlos likes his women to dress nice. Be nice to Carlos, and he’ll be nice to you.”
This made me wonder if Carlos had told his new people that I’d been his main woman for several years. I played along, dressed in designer clothes, and found a Rolls Royce waiting for me. The chauffeur didn’t speak during the short ride, and then opened the door when we arrived at a school gym that looked more like a king’s palace on the inside. Carlos sat in an ornate chair at the far end of the room. One of his men took my hand, kissed it, and told me he’d escort me to my king.
I almost laughed when I heard that this butcher thought he was a king, but kept my composure. We stopped about thirty feet from Carlos, and my escort said, “Stand still, and don’t talk unless spoken to if you want to live.”
Carlos pointed to me and said, “This beautiful lady used to share my bed. She was the lady of my
