The Gathering of the Clans

Book 1 Chapter 10

The Gathering of the Clans

Book 1 Chapter 10

<<<Pepepski >>>

Rail Yard

Ian chuckled as he drove to the rail yard. He had worried his mate and he would need to spend time calming and comforting him with a pleasurable diversion they'd both enjoy. "Convoy left turn." Ian laughed. From the moment they had pulled away from the tracks where the trains had been Dan had been playing at caravan leader over the radio.

Todd came over the radio. " This caravan master is a slave driver I vote for a mutiny!" "Hey, I thought we were pirates today not pioneers?" Mark giggled. Brian broke in "I don't care what we are. The caravan master needs better GPS, the rail yard is on the northeast end of town, not the southeast." "If he passes the Tailgators bar one more time I say we stop for a tall one" Issac voted.

Ian turned his head and sure enough, there was the bar in question with its sign of a big grinning gator with a football helmet on its head. "Uhh, guys how many times has Dan led us past this bar?" "IT SPEAKS!" Dan roared we've been trying to raise you for a while bud so I thought I would give you some time to think on whatever it was you had on your mind. While your brain was on pause I took the boys on a scenic tour of Pepepski."

"Mark here, If this is the scenic route you suck as a tour guide, Dan." "Where's the complimentary drink and peanuts," Karl complained. "Where's my inflight movie?" Brian whined, "I want a refund, as my son would say, this trip blows!" George Meeske laughed into the mike.

George hadn't expected to have this much fun with the other men. His son had heard about the train through Jerry and the other boys on their rounds and had begged his father to let him go. He had refused and his son had nailed him to the barn door about him not being a man anymore.

Unlike the other men of the community, his father was hiding on his farm instead of joining the others and helping where he could. His father had taught him to help his fellow man, not park his head in a hole and wait for something to come kick him in the butt. The worst blow of all was when his son looked him in the eye and told him it was the first time in his life he was ashamed to call him father.

George had thought long and hard that night about what his boy had said and realized his boy was right. He'd been hiding like a frightened child since the Sickness had come to his house. It was just him and his boy in the house. His wife had passed on when Jordan was a little boy. An undiagnosed aneurysm had taken her from them.

He had been the first to come down with the Sickness and his son had nursed him through the Sickness. Ian and Kyle had helped with the nursing to let Jordan sleep and provided meals for them. Two nights later They were nursing Jordan as well because he wasn't up on his feet yet. Without their help, they probably would have died and here he was hiding out on his farm. He'd never felt so ashamed in his life. He dropped to his knees and prayed for forgiveness.

The next morning after breakfast he told Jordan to bundle up and hop in the truck they were going to help the others. Jordan jumped up and gave him a big hug and kiss on the cheek. Telling him he was proud of his dad. He'd shown up at the train with hat in hand and apologized to Ian for not helping like he should have been. Ian had just smiled at him, patted him on the shoulder, and told him thanks for coming. Jordan was on the train with the other boys and here he was following along in this caravan of crazed lunatics having the time of his life doing it.

The first train was stopped at the outer edge of the rail yard waiting as the line of cars and trucks pulled in. Dan wondered why they were stopped when he spotted the armed men standing on the platform with Royce Hillyer in the lead. "Well, shit not again." Ian hailed the train on the radio.