Hell Happened (9 page)

Jerry even gave him a bible, one of the small ones with just the New Testament and Proverbs, when Terrill was seen reading from one Jerry kept in the living room. He never said a word, just handed Terrill the bible and went back to what he was doing.

Terrill kept the bible with him always and read it when he felt the need. He remembered a passage from John 14:1, and it was the last thing he thought before the grenade extinguished his life: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

~     
~
     
~

Terrill grabbed the grenade, pulled it deep into his curling up body, putting the light pole between himself and Jerry and Tony, and his life ended.

The concussion from the blast stunned Jerry, but between the concrete which held and protected the light pole from cars, and Terrill’s heroic sacrifice he was able to get Tony in the truck.

There was still sporadic gunfire from Eddie and the building as he reached for Jeff.

Jeff’s head lolled to one side and Jerry knew that the neck was obviously broken. Jeff’s life had been shortened long before he’d been discovered by Jerry. He left the former auto mechanic where he was and jumped in the truck. It was still running thanks to Terrill and Jerry was able to drive it up to Eddie. He heard two hits on the truck, but they hadn’t hit anything important and the truck kept on running. Eddie dove into the bed of the truck before it had even stopped and hollered at Jerry to “Go! Go! Go!”

Jerry matted the accelerator, tears rolling freely down his face at the sacrifice Terrill had made for them.

“Get a good seat up there, soldier,” he said as the truck raced out of town. “You deserve the best.”

Chapter 3

J
erry
drove the truck away from Odenville at a speed which was not fast enough to outrun the memories, but fast enough that if anyone was following them, they’d play hell catching up.

Eddie, having jumped in the back, hung onto one of the quads with one hand and his rifle with the other. He was watching out for anyone following them as well.

Jerry stayed on the highway to put as much distance between them and anyone following from the store. He drove faster than he had since high school and kept a firm grip on the wheel. He paid very close attention to what was ahead of him. There weren’t many vehicles left abandoned on the road, but there were enough and Jerry didn’t want hit any of them. If someone was following, Jerry was sure Eddie would let him know by shooting first.

After several minutes he slowed to a more reasonable rate of speed and cresting a hill he saw a dirt road off to the right. He slowed quickly and made a wide turn so as not to raise any dust. He hoped Eddie was hanging on tightly to the quad in back. He drove slowly until the highway was out of sight and he pulled over and shut the truck off.

The silence was nearly absolute, except for a few birds complaining about having their territory infringed upon. He quietly got out of the truck and listened. He heard vehicles in the distance so he grabbed his rifle from the front of the truck as Eddie jumped out of the back and stood behind him. Both had their rifles at their shoulder, ready to shoot, but the vehicles never slowed at the dirt road and soon they were far enough away that both men lowered their weapon.

They looked at each other.

The smile Eddie had perpetually worn was gone. He’d been the only one who had a perfect view of Terrill’s sacrifice and it had changed him…aged him.

For Jerry, it had been a trial he’d never expected having to face, but he’d done it without thinking about it too much, though he knew he’d play it over in his head for the rest of his life.

No words needed to be said and neither of them really wanted to talk about it anyway. They turned their attention to Tony in the back seat. Jerry opened the rear door on the crew cab. Tony, who Jerry had unceremoniously manhandled into the truck, was lying on the back seat, feet on the floor and arms hiding his eyes from the light.

Tony’s
clothes were dirty and sweat dried. From the stains and smell, it looked like the boy had been tied up there overnight. He was obviously in a lot of pain.

There was dried blood from his nose on his face, and more in his blonde hair. He had taken a beating, and it was plain to see bruises on his face and arms. His right ankle was at an odd angle, but Jerry didn’t know how to set it and he knew Eddie didn’t either.

“How you feeling, Tony,” Jerry asked gently.

Not moving his arms, he rasped “Not good, Jerry. I feel real bad. They beat us up real good.”

“We’re going to get you home,
Tonedeaf
,” Eddie added, using his friend’s made up nickname.  “Don’t you worry,” It was Eddie and Jerry who worried when Tony leaned over and threw up on the floor. There was blood in it.

“Sorry,” he barely whispered. Jerry grabbed a red handkerchief to wipe the young man’s face and Eddie held the canteen up to his lips.

“No sweat, Tony. Just take a sip of this. There you go, not too much,” Jerry said to him. “I’ll clean it up after we get you home. That’s what we’re going to do right now, as fast as we safely can.” Eddie took the hint and went around the other side of the truck.  Jerry shut the door, careful to not shut
Tony’s
foot in it. The way the foot was angled, it might very well be broken.

Jerry climbed in to the driver’s seat and started up the truck. Once they were on their way he indicated the CB and told Eddie to tell the shelter that they were on their way back with Tony.

“Don’t give them any details except that we got Tony,” Jerry told his son’s friend. “Tell them we’ll be there in less than an hour and coming in the same way Kellie had.” Eddie knew Jerry was going to drive the long way around and enter through the back gate of Jerry’s farm. It would take longer, but it kept them off the main roads, away from anyone who might be looking for them and Jerry would drive right up to the entrance of the shelter. If someone were listening on the CB to their conversation, they’d be looking for someplace an hour away instead 20 minutes from where they were now.

Jerry drove in silence and Eddie sat quietly with his thoughts. Tony moaned, but there was nothing Jerry or Eddie could do to help him except get him back to the shelter.

He arrived at the back gate which was off a dirt road and well hidden by over growth. Jerry pulled out the key from the ashtray. He hadn’t been here in months and Eddie had to move some brush out of the way. The chain was rusted, but the lock had been coated with grease to protect it from the weather. Eddie opened the gate and after Jerry had pulled through he closed and re-locked it before climbing back in the truck.

Eddie gave the microphone three clicks then waited. Then he gave three clicks more and received a two click response. It was their way of telling the shelter they were a couple minutes away without sending any information over the air.

Kellie, Monica and Mike were waiting for them as they drove up to the partially hidden entrance. Jerry hardly got the truck in park before Monica had the back door open while Kellie opened Eddie’s door and hugged him.

Mike opened the driver’s door behind Jerry to help Monica with Tony while Jerry walked around the other side to help. Before he could ask, Kellie told him Randy was on the antenna making sure no one had followed them at a distance.

Jerry told her the bad news. “Terrill didn’t make it,” he said as gently as he could. “I’ll tell you about it after we get Tony settled.

“Eddie, how ‘bout you take the truck down to the barn and clean it out for me, while I help here.”

“Okay, boss,” he said, but not with the lightness he usually had. Jerry figured the young man could use some time to himself. Maybe in a little while he’d send Randy down and the two could talk without the adults around.

Mike had gone into the shelter and brought out the long folding table to use as a stretcher. Jerry kicked himself for not thinking ahead. He and Mike helped Monica get Tony onto the makeshift stretcher and then the both of them grabbed each end while the women made sure he didn’t fall off as they took him inside. As they were carrying him, Jerry saw
Tony’s
foot and was now sure the ankle was broken.

Kellie opened the door to the shelter and Jerry was glad that he’d put in the double doors instead of just the single 36-inch door. They were able to get Tony through the door and onto the saw horses the table usually sat on.

Jerry was again out of his element. He knew how to sew up cuts, stop bloody noses, cure headaches, sore muscles and bruises, but he’d never set a broken bone except for fingers and noses. He didn’t know any of these people well enough to know if they did either.

He thought it would be Kellie, who had been a teacher, who would have stepped forward and taken over, but instead it was Monica who was shoving people out of the way. “I need the first aid kit, some bandages, hot water, ice packs and some quiet,” she said pushing Mike out of the way and looking into
Tony’s
eyes. “He threw up in the truck and there was blood in it,” was all Jerry could think to add.

Kellie and Mike went to get the supplies Monica wanted.

Looking up at Jerry she said in a tone that was not the drama queen attention whore he’d come to know. “Stop standing there. You’re making me nervous. Go find me a flashlight. And if you have them, two small funnels and a plastic hose about this long,” she said holding her hands about 15 inches apart.

Jerry went to find what she’d asked for, having no idea why she wanted them. The flashlight he had in the cellar, as well as a couple of the cheap plastic funnels he had left over from when he tried reloading bullets. He went down the steps and overheard Monica asking Kellie if she had any rubbing alcohol.

In the cellar he found the flashlight and the funnels. The only hose he could find was an old garden hose he used to drain the hot water heater. He used his knife to cut off a piece about as long as Monica asked.

By the time he got back up stairs, Monica had
Tony’s
shirt off and was gently probing him for injuries. Kellie had gotten ice packs made and Mike had hot water and a blanket ready.

“Oh good,” she said taking the flashlight from Jerry. “Now everyone get out of here until I call you. I have a lot to remember.”

Jerry, Mike and Kellie went into the living room and sat, not talking and trying not to watch Monica. She looked in
Tony’s
eyes with the flashlight, then in his ears with a child’s plastic magnifying glass someone had found. She also looked up
Tony’s
nose then opened
Tony’s
mouth as gently as she could.

She turned the flashlight off and picked up the two funnels. She forced the hose on the small end of each and used it as a make-shift stethoscope. Where she’d learned that little trick, Jerry hoped to learn some day, but it seemed she knew what she was doing.

The ingenuity of the girl sparked some words from Jerry. “There’s a lot about that girl I didn’t know. Who is she?
MacGyver’s illegitimate daughter?”
Kellie smiled and Mike snorted.

“She does look like she knows what she’s doing, though,” Kellie added.

Placing the stethoscope first on his chest, then his stomach she listened. “Mike, I need you.” He got up and hurried over. She told him in a low voice what she wanted and Mike rolled Tony gently onto his side while Monica placed one of the funnels on several places on his back while listening to the other end. She nodded to Mike and he gently laid him back down flat on the table.

“His heart is beating strong,” she said. “That’s a good sign.”

Then she called Jerry and Kellie in to help hold Tony down.

“I’m going to set this bone while he’s still out of it. We don’t have any anesthesia here and if we did it while he was awake, he’d probably pass out again,” she said. “I’ll eventually need a splint for it when we get it straight, but want to get the swelling down before we put it on.

“He’s lucky, if you can find any luck about this. I think it’s a simple break and not a compound fracture. Looks like someone stomped on his leg above the ankle. It feels like a simple break and setting it now, even if it is wrong, has got to be better than having it off kilter like it is.

“Mike, push gently down on his shoulders because this is going to hurt. Yes, I see the bruises, but they are superficial and nothing is broken up there.

“Kellie, use that towel under his head and hold down on his forehead. He might have a concussion, but there doesn’t appear to be any bones broken in his head. There are two bumps, so be careful.

“Jerry, lie across his legs and hold him as still as you can. I hope I remember how to do this. Everyone
take
your place,” she ordered, a quiver in her voice betraying the confidence she had been showing. Mike and Kellie had to work around each other to get in position Jerry just leaned over the prone Tony and held on tight. Tony, not fully unconscious tried to move some, but the three held him still.

Jerry started to look away from what Monica was going to do before deciding this procedure might be something he’d have to do in the future so didn’t look away.