Wine Woods

2. Broken Wagon

Wings beat as Belize flew through the sky, Alfred on his back with Delaware on his lap, the child in awe of the surrounding sky. It was beautiful out, large clouds sneaking over the horizon. Not a chance of rain.

It was cooler up here, with the smell of the water in the atmosphere. Not to mention the loss of air.

"Mama, what's that?!" Delaware asked, pointing to the crack, the gap, in the mountain. He called it Death's Crack, Americans called it the Cumberland Gap.

"Cumberland Gap, I've always called it Death's Crack though," Alfred replied, looking out over the mountains. They were gorgeous- a part of him that could not be replaced.

"Ooh... what's that," Delaware pointed to a covered wagon, sitting sideways on the road.

"One of the travel wagons..." Alfred said, looking up at the sky. It wasn't even noon, that traveler should be on its way.

Flying down, he pulled up in the woods, landing between the trees.

"Mama? Do I need to call you dad right now?" Delaware whispered as the two snuck through the trees and to the wagon.

"Yes." Alfred replied vaguely, "Wait here."

Delaware stopped as Alfred left the treeline, his head high and his ears picked for any sound. His eyes were keen for movement, trying to see whatever his eyes could pick.

Nothing.

Stepping up into the wagon, he looked around. It reeked of sickness and death.

That would be it.

A dead woman lay on the ground, blood streaming from her mouth. Probably pneumonia, he guessed. Breathing in a deep breath, he could smell the scent of an older man and a younger one, as well as children.

Finding his way out, he left a little flame, the entire wagon engulfing in bright blue flames in a matter of seconds.

He called Delaware out, the kid running to him, watching the fire burn with awe.

"Mama, where do we go next?" Delaware said, excitement filling his tongue.

"We follow the scent," Alfred said, "breath in deeply, what do you smell?"

"Uh..." Delaware breathed in, looking around, "smoke."

"What else?" Alfred said, laughing a little.

"... uh... dirt and trees. Grass." Delaware shrugged, "Some weird stinky smell."

"That's sickness," Alfred replied, smiling at his son, "there's something else. The only thing you need to smell."

Delaware breathed in deeply again, going completely overboard.

"People," Delaware realized, breathing out. Alfred pat his head, and started walking, following the scent of man that had passed here... two days before. It didn't make sense, why would they leave their wagon after the death of the mother?

Alfred followed the trail, Del following him.

He could smell it getting stronger now, as well as bear and blood.

'What a sight,' he thought, finding the deaths. Two men, one older and one younger, sprawled out. The obvious indications of a bear mauling was present. There was also a child, looking as if he had tried to protect and then get away. He was dead too, looked like he bled out.

Delaware seemed kinda off about the deaths, understanding what it was but never expecting to see human death.

Alfred picked up a rickety gun, looking it over. It wasn't as destroyed as his old bayonet shotgun. He could count the shells. Only two. The man who the gun was closest to didn't look like he had any more either. None in the barrel.