Brushfire Plague: Reckoning Read online

  “So…what,” Cooper dared.

  Gus coughed once, “So, you need to leave.”

  Cooper’s wry grin unnerved Gus, “Oh, yeah?” His grip tightened on his rifle as a fulsome rage burned inside. “And, what are you gonna do when I say no?”

  Gus steadied his feet, “Well, the good people gathered here are hoping you will be reasonable.”

  Cooper laughed aloud, “Reasonable? Do you mean reasonable like when I’ve risked my life over and over again to save this neighborhood?” Cooper noticed how half the group looked ashamedly at their feet while the other half tightened their hold on their weapons.

  Gus was unfazed now, “Cooper, I know I speak for everyone when I say how much we appreciate what you’ve done for all of us. But, even you must admit that what has bound us together in this time of crisis has been our mutual desire for safety. It’s not any of the prudent people here’s fault that you are now a danger to that very security.” Many in the crowd nodded enthusiastically at that.

  Cooper shook his head, “Damn, you’re good, Gus. I’ll give you that. You know how to tell the people just what they want to hear.” He directed his attention back to the group, “So, these cheap words from a lawyer are going to absolve your consciences of putting me and my boy out of our home? Is that all it takes?” Not a single pair of eyes would meet his gaze as he scanned the crowd while talking. “Well, guess what? I have a better way of keeping your consciences clear. I ain’t leaving.”

  “Damn you, Cooper! This isn’t our fault. You brought this on yourself! We have to protect our children—those that are still alive!” The voice from the back of the crowd belonged to Michelle Jamison, a homemaker who had lost one of her three children in the plague. Her voice cracked as she finished and tears ran down her face.

  “So, you want to throw me out because I told the truth to the world? Told the truth to you?”

  “Whether your words were truth or not, only time will tell. But, what is clear right now is that you’ve brought untold danger to us all,” Gus fired back. A brief silence hung in the air.

  Then, Cooper heard it. A sharp metallic click, followed by another, as someone chambered a round on a bolt-action rifle. Instantly, his rifle was to his shoulder and flashed across the group. Behind him, he heard Angela and Dranko doing the same. In front of him, half the group fumbled with their weapons because of fear while the other half shouldered theirs without hesitation.

  Gus moved frantically to the side, to get out of the line of fire. He flashed his palms up, open, “Calm down, calm down, everyone.”

  Cooper shouted, “Lower your weapons, now!” Very few in the crowd complied. Seeing their neighbors still keeping their weapons trained on Cooper, they quickly raised them once more.

  “Cooper, please. Be reasonable,” Gus pleaded.

  He pointed his rifle directly at Gus, “You say that word ‘reasonable’ one more time, Gus, and I will blow you to hell, so help me God!”

  From the corner of his eye, he spotted Calvin Little rushing down the street. The President of the Neighborhood Association was unarmed, save the pistol he wore on his hip.

  “What is this? What is going on here,” he shouted as he came up.

  “Gus here and this…ah…lynch mob are telling me I need to move out of my home,” Cooper answered first.

  “What?” Calvin asked, in surprise.

  Gus turned to face him, “We’re doing this for everyone’s safety, Calvin. Surely you understand that, as the neighborhood’s Defense Captain?”

  Calvin continued to move through the crowd until he stood in front of Cooper, “Yes, Gus, you are correct. I take security seriously. But, if anyone wants to drive Cooper from his home at gunpoint, they will have to shoot me first. This is not how we do things in our neighborhood.”

  Cooper tried to conceal his shock at Calvin putting himself in harm’s way to protect him. Calvin’s words had many in the group looking at one another in confusion. The seconds ticked by.

  “Goddammit! Lower your fucking weapons!” Calvin exploded. It was less the vehemence of his words, but more the shock of the normally well-spoken man using profanity that commanded compliance. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard him swear, Cooper marveled to himself. He lowered his weapon first, and slowly, everyone else did, too.

  “Good, that is more like it,” he said and turned to Gus. “Look, you want to discuss Cooper’s residence here, we will do it properly. Let us have a meeting here at five o’clock today. That is how we make decisions here. Not like this,” his infused the last word with scorn.

  Cooper took a long look at his neighbors, including a few who he would have called friends. At best, he saw fear in their eyes directed towards him. Among the worst, he saw fear and hatred. He took a deep breath and shook his head in disgust, “I’ll save you the damned trouble. Jake and I will be leaving. And you, Gus, can go rot in hell.” Gus reacted to Cooper’s pointed finger as if he’d been shot.

  Cooper turned sharply on his heels and brushed past Angela and Dranko. Dranko’s mouth was agape in shock.

  Chapter Two

  Cooper paced his living room in silent fury. His fists were balled and a dark glare adorned his face. Angela and Dranko followed him inside, looks of disbelief still plastered across their faces. They watched Cooper for a long while.

  Finally, Dranko broke the quiet, “What happened, brother?”

  Cooper looked up at him for a moment, eyes still burning. He wilted under his stare. Cooper inhaled deeply, and then fought to control himself as he spoke. Still, the rage laced every single syllable, “Those sons of bitches out there, that’s what. Seeing them turn on me like that. How dare they?”

  Angela moved to him and put a hand on his shoulder, “This isn’t about you, Cooper. They are scared. Scared people do stupid things, you know that.”

  He shirked her hand off, as if it burned him, and continued striding around the room, “Screw that. I kept these people together. I risked my ass for them. How can they forget that so quickly?”

  “Angela’s right. You could have been Christ Almighty and they would’ve done this, given how scared they are. Hell, the people did turn on Christ, too,” Dranko intervened.

  “Whatever. Bottom line is, I don’t want to stay here. I don’t want Jake to be around people like this. You just can’t trust people,” Cooper’s shoulders slumped, as hope melted away from his words.

  Dranko stepped in front of him and grabbed him by the shoulders, “C’mon, Cooper. You just can’t trust these people, right now. Fear is driving them. But, you can trust us.”

  Cooper glared, “Yeah, I know I can trust you two. As for the rest, you are too kind. If these people would turn on me at the first sign of trouble, how can you trust them? Ever?”

  Dranko laughed, “Damn, brother, you sound as negative as I normally am!”

  Cooper stared back, “A man’s true character comes out in crisis.”

  Dranko turned serious, “Your father would never have said what you just said. You know better. Don’t go all dark and negative on us!”

  “My father,” Cooper began, but then stopped himself. “No,” he said shaking his head. “You’re right. My father took people through a lot of struggles and they hung together. But, this. This,” he stammered. “I just don’t know anymore.”

  “Just take your time and let it sit. Let’s focus on getting ready to leave,” Angela said.

  Cooper nodded and refocused, “Yeah, you’re right.” He turned back toward Dranko, “Your cabin still have a vacancy sign out?”

  A wide grin opened across Dranko’s face and he clapped his hands together once, “Finally! The man talks sense. Yes, of course. We will be infinitely safer out there. Especially now.”

  Cooper stopped short, covering his face with his hands.

  “What’s the matter?” Angela asked.

  His voice choked with emotion, “I can’t believe these bastards are forcing me to leave. To leave my home, to leave Elena.” He sat down on the co
uch, hands still shielding his face.

  Angela glided down next to him and put her arm around him, “We know it’s hard. But, you’ll carry your home, and Elena, in your heart no matter where you are.” Cooper dropped his hands and rubbed his chin with his left hand, nodding once, slowly.

  Dranko looked him in the eye, “Brother?”

  Cooper met his gaze. Dranko went on, “Yeah, this sucks. But, you of all men know that the truth often carries a high price.”

  Cooper nodded, “Yes, it does.” He rose from the sofa, “I’ve got to go tell Jake now.” He took several deliberate strides across the room and then turned his head over his shoulder, “Then, we need to get ready to leave.”

  **********

  He found Jake reading a book in his bedroom. He looked up when his father opened the door.

  “I heard,” he said, his face somber.

  Cooper moved to his bed and sat down next to him, “What do you think?”

  “I’m sad.”

  “What are you sad about, son?”

  “Leaving mom,” he said as his eyes filled with tears.

  Cooper put his arm around him, “Yeah, me, too.”

  “It’s like losing her again. We won’t even be able to come back and visit her here, will we?” His little body wracked with sobs.

  Cooper pulled him closer, “Not for a while. But someday, I hope we can.” He choked back his own tears, “But, we can see her every day, right here,” he pointed at his heart.

  Jake folded himself into his father’s chest and hugged him tightly, “I know, but I want her here, with us.”

  Cooper hugged him back tightly, “I do too, son. I do, too. She was the best woman I’ve ever known. And, God, I loved her more than any man has loved his wife.”

  Jake pulled back to look at his father’s face, “I know, dad. I could tell. She was the best mom.” A new round of sobbing took him and he buried his head in Cooper’s chest again.

  They held each other, as Cooper rocked him slightly back and forth.

  “We will take pictures, too, as many as you want.”

  Jake wiped his tears, “I’m angry, too.”

  “At what?”

  “At our neighbors. I was at the window. I heard all of that, too. How could they?”

  Cooper stiffened, “They are scared.”

  “And stupid,” Jake nearly shouted.

  “Yes, stupid too. Scared people do stupid things sometimes, son. In fact, they usually do,” he chuckled.

  “I hate them!” Jake’s voice echoed across the bedroom’s walls and his hands balled into tiny fists.

  “Yeah. I don’t blame you.”

  “We have to get ready to leave, don’t we?”

  “Yes. Yes, we do. Today.”

  “Damn them,” Jake cursed.

  “Hey, it’s okay to be angry, but I don’t want you using language like that,” Cooper mildly rebuked him.

  “You talk like that when you are mad.”

  Cooper smiled, “You’re right. But, I shouldn’t. I want to raise you better than that.”

  Jake stood up, “Why? It doesn’t matter anymore. The world’s screwed.”

  “Now, watch it,” Cooper looked sternly at him.

  “Why? I gotta carry a rifle. I gotta be scared all the time. I’ve had to be ready to kill people. There isn’t school anymore. My friends are probably all dead. My mom’s dead. You could die any day. What the hell does it matter if I say damn? Or shit. Or fuck!” Jake’s voice reached a loud crescendo as he finished.

  Now, Cooper stood up and grabbed him by the shoulders. He lowered himself so he could look directly into his son’s eyes, “You wanna know why? Yes, the world’s gone to hell. But, we don’t have to go to hell along with it. The true test of a man…and, yes, you’re having to become a man much sooner than is right or fair…but the true test of a man is how he acts in crisis. How he acts when things are hard. I want you to hold onto as much of your childhood as you can. So, how you talk does matter.”

  Jake looked back defiantly, “If I have to become a man now, why can’t I talk like a man?”

  “First, not all men talk like that. I’m not proud that I do. Second, your mother wouldn’t want you to talk like that.”

  “She’s dead,” Jake said flatly.

  Cooper raised his voice and spoke urgently, “Yes, she’s dead, alright. But, do you want to honor her memory and live up to how she raised you or throw that all down the drain?”

  Jake recoiled at that and paused. His eyes burned looking back at Cooper. After several tense seconds, he took a deep breath, “Okay. I will try.”

  “That’s all I ask, son. Try not to let this world ruin what your mother raised up. We have to hold onto as much of that…of all of it…as we can.”

  Jake nodded, stepped in, and hugged his father again.

  “Cooper, someone’s here to see you,” Dranko’s voice rang from the other room.

  Cooper pulled back from Jake, “C’mon. Let’s see what this is about.”

  **********

  Cooper and Jake walked down the hallway, back to the living room.

  Calvin stood waiting for them. He stood over six feet. His dark skin and solid nature conjured an image of granite for Cooper as he looked upon him. Their relationship had started out very tense during the first days of the plague, but Cooper had formed a deep respect for the man. After Calvin’s actions this morning, his respect had grown to admiration.

  “Thank you, for that,” Cooper said in greeting him.

  “It was the least I could do. Gus was smart enough not to tell me about that gathering he organized. Fortunately, I received word.”

  “Just in time, I think,” Cooper returned.

  “Yes. Just. Pack of fools.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  “So, are you really leaving?”

  “Yes, we are. I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay here now. Frankly, I don’t want to. It’s clear too many would leave me hanging. And, to be true, I wouldn’t raise my rifle for too many of ‘em anymore.”

  Calvin nodded in understanding, “Where will you go?”

  “Somewhere safe,” Dranko responded, still unsure of the other man’s intentions.

  “Is there room for one more?” Calvin asked.

  Cooper’s face fell open in surprise, “What? You want to come?”

  “Yes I do, if you will have me. I do not have anyone here, and after what I saw this morning, I am disgusted.”

  “You are surprising the hell out of me,” Cooper said, laughing.

  Calvin remained serious, “It should not surprise you. I respect what you have done by risking everything to tell the world the truth about this plague and how it started. Besides, it is clear things will be bad for a while and it is more important than ever to be around people you can trust.”

  “And, who are handy with a rifle,” Cooper joked.

  “Yes, that, too,” Calvin smiled.

  “Well, it’s beyond fine with me for you to join us. But, it’s Dranko’s place,” he said, turning to his friend.

  The corner of Dranko’s mouth upturned, “Let’s see. Lily’s coming, too,” as he began counting on his fingers.

  “Lily?” Cooper quizzed.

  “Yeah, she came by while you were talking to Jake. Her son is out in Estacada.”

  Cooper nodded, allowing Dranko to continue. He dropped the charade of counting, “Of course, it’s fine with me. I wasn’t looking forward to trying to get that AK-47 back from you, anyway,” he said, laughing.

  Calvin grinned, “That part was simple. You could have had it when you had pried it from my cold, dead fingers!”

  Dranko smiled for a second, then turned serious, “One thing you should consider, Calvin, where we’re going, there are very few people who are….well…umm…not white.”

  Calvin looked at him in disbelief and then burst out laughing, “Really, Paul? I have lived in Portland a long time. Going from seeing my fellow black folks once a week to
maybe once a month will be an adjustment I think I can handle.”

  The others fell in, laughing.

  As it subsided, Cooper grasped his hand and pulled him into an embrace, “Thank you.” After the tense morning, Calvin’s support washed over him, like a tonic. The two men exchanged a warm look of camaraderie.

  “We need to make a list of what to take with us and get moving on packing,” Dranko said as Cooper and Calvin separated.

  Cooper turned to him with an impish grin, “I’m guessing you have such a list typed up and ready to go?”

  Dranko looked back sheepishly, “I do have something we can work off of for this situation.”

  Cooper burst out laughing, while wide smiles graced the faces of Angela and Calvin, “You do think of everything, don’t you? I bet you had a list ready to go even before the outbreak of the Brushfire Plague, didn’t you, you sorry bastard?”

  “Sure as shit, I did! And, if you don’t like it, sue me…once the courts open up again, that is.”

  “Oh, I like it. It just cracks me up that you are ready for everything; including fleeing your home,” Cooper returned.

  “That’s funny, because I think it’s absurd that you’d live in the Cascadian subduction zone and within range of Mount Saint Helens and you haven’t thought about how you might have to leave your home for an extended time!”

  Cooper cocked his head to the side, “Point taken. Why don’t you grab your list and we can all meet back here in five minutes and divide up responsibilities for the gathering and packing?”

  The group nodded in agreement, as Dranko moved toward the door to exit.

  **********

  When Dranko returned, he had a copy of his list for each of them. They gathered around the large oak table that dominated Cooper’s dining room. He distributed the lists and each person began intently reviewing them.

  “You will see that the list is divided into sections by the Survival Triangle,” Dranko began. Noticing the blank stares that looked back at him, he hastily added, “The Survival Triangle is a basic concept in being prepared to survive natural disasters or other breakdowns of normal life. There are three major things you need to stay alive: food and water, shelter, and a means to protect yourself and your supplies.”