W by Terry McDonald

Author:Terry McDonald [McDonald, Terry]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Terry McDonald
Published: 2013-04-22T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOUR

Well lived and well done.

Two old women stood under the sweeping arms of a great oak growing on a low hill.

One, her mahogany skin turned to leather by age and time spent outside in the grueling Alabama sun, used her apron to dry her eyes.

“The mean old bitch just about outlasted the evil. Baby’s having to roam farther afield to find bad folk. Here tell she’s up in Michigan.”

Alicia laughed out loud. “Don’t know about W outlasting them. Seems Baby’s leaving a big enough trail of dead in her wake. She’s no spring chicken herself. She turns forty-two this year.”

“Not like the old days though. W found and killed so many murderers and rapists, a body couldn’t walk ten miles on a highway without finding their marked remains.”

Alicia kicked a loose clod of dirt toward the low mound of freshly dug earth. “Lived to be ninety four and went down blazing away. Three bullets in her and she still managed to take out the last of the slavers at that farm she came across. Dang. I shouldn’t’ have kicked like that. Now I’ve got sciatic pain shooting in my hip. Feeling dizzy too.”

Sassy looked at her with concern. “You want to head back to the village.”

Alicia adjusted her stance on the crutch used to support her swollen right leg. “In a bit. It’s such a beautiful spring day. Diabetes isn’t going to give me many more. Damned sawbones thinks I might lose the leg.”

Sassy knew Alicia was on borrowed days. “It was nice of those slaves to bring Wanda’s body in.”

Alicia nodded, but added, “Self serving too. They didn’t waste any time applying for citizenship.”

“You can’t blame them for wanting to be safe. Besides, they’ve got children.”

Alicia agreed. “Yeah, there is that. Most precious things on earth. God, how many generations have we lost. Eight hundred adults living in the township of Dubya Bee and only forty-three kids among them all. At least with the school they’re getting an education.”

Sassy pointed toward the gates in the wall surrounding the town of Dubya Bee. “Here comes Mattie to tell us we need to come in. Doc told her not to be walking.”

Alicia turned to look at the old woman shuffling her way to them. “Doc told me the same, but Mattie shouldn’t even be trying. That last stroke almost took her. Won’t be long before she’s up here with Wanda and Arlene.”

Sassy laughed again. “I think it comes from the head blows she took from the slavers. She never was right after our escape attempt. Fact is, it won’t be long before we’re all up here.”

Mattie joined her friends beside the graves. “You still rambling on about Wanda?” Her speech was slurred, but understandable. She was pale and her legs were shaking from the effort of walking.

Sassy moved to put her arm around Mattie’s waist. “Just talking about old times and how the farm grew to be a town.”

“Thanks to her and Baby. Between marking half the people left in the world with W’s and B’s, they made it safe enough for a town to grow.

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