The Clock Runs Down: Half Past the Apocalypse Read online

  Then something new, a smell like roses filled the air. The darkness began to retreat, and the suffocating stench of rotted blood faded and then was gone.

  “It’s coming, and you will have to help them” suddenly able to move, Jared turned towards the door where the voice had come from. That voice he thought shocked “Be ready son, its coming soon.”

  “Dad?” Jared said in disbelief, unable to clearly make out the figure that stood in the doorway. The Figure and the room faded away like early morning mist touched by the sun and the storm of combat returned.

  Jared woke up violently almost spilling himself from the hammock. The muscles in his arms and legs were jumping, his skin was drenched in sweat. “god I hate that dream” he told himself as he ran a hand through his sweat damp red gold hair. Till tonight the dream had always been the same, the crash the desperate firefight then the arrival of a Air Force Pararescue team that had helped secure the area and tend the wounded till a recovery team and more soldiers had arrived to extract them.

  He turned his eyes to the sky drawing a deep calming breath, his clothes wet with sweat. Millions of stars glittered above him. the soft gurgle of water from the river could be heard over the sighing of a night breeze. He soaked it in, feeling himself grew calmer.

  You okay” Ori McBride asked out of the Darkness. The glow of hot coals flashed off his glasses as Ori turned his head to look at Jared.

  Jared twitched in surprise not expecting any one to be up then nodded to himself. “Yeah, the old dream again. It was different though,” he said as the intensity of the dream faded. “This time I think my dad was talking to me. Something about being prepared to help someone.” He climbed out of the hammock and saw that some of the people he was guiding had emerged from their tents.

  “You were shouting in your sleep” Ori told him as he blew into the coals and small flames came to life. He slowly added twigs and small sticks.

  “Sorry folks, Just a dream. I’m really sorry about waking you up.” Jared said as he stepped towards his concerned clients.

  “Hell of a dream” Jim Wilks commented as he slipped his arm around his teenaged daughter Amelia.

  “Yeah, it was that,” Jared replied. “I was in a helicopter crash a few years back, in Iraq, sometimes I dream about it.” He said with a shrug then smiled shaking off the lingering effects of the dream. The memory of the old Mason place forgotten again, but that was not unusual there were things about that place that had a tendency to be forgotten by almost all who lived in town.

  Jim nodded slowly unsure, there was a measure of concern in his gaze. Jared their guide was one of the calmest, most confident person he had ever met and there was no point in bringing up the fact that it had sounded like Jared had been in the middle of a firefight at least judging by the comments and orders he had called out in his sleep and he had said the crash had happened in Iraq, probably during the Gulf war Jim told himself. Jim, who was not a veteran, had known more than a few Veterans, wasn’t particularly worried about the man he had hired going off the deep end at least not based on one nightmare in the five days they had been on this trip.

  Jared glanced east and saw the slightest bit of color, dark predawn blue. “look why don’t you folks try to grab another couple of hours of sleep. I’ll have breakfast ready for you when you get up and we can push off and get the final leg of this trip started. It’s been a long week.” Jared said. “and I can almost promise you kids will see a bear or two and the fishing is pretty good along this stretch of river.”

  The two families headed back to their tents, to sleepy to stay up and discuss their guides “nightmare”.

  “at least they don’t seem to think you’re going to kill them in their sleep and dance around in their skins.” Ori commented.

  “if that’s an attempt at a joke it’s not funny,” Jared said as he headed off into the bushes to do his business. “then again none of your jokes are funny.”

  “I thought it was funny.” Ori commented as he pushed his glasses up on his nose and gave Jared a smile. “Did you hear the one about the Blonde …”

  “Little man, shut up I am trying to sleep.” Steve growled from his tent saving Jared from having to respond. Just hearing Steve’s voice most people would have pictured an average sized man. Ori how ever knew Steve well. Barefoot the shaven headed muscle-bound man stood just over six foot six. He had, like, all but one of the other guides been in the US Army and been well trained in how best to deal violently with others as he liked to say.

  Ori was shorter, by a lot, in fact he barely topped five six and was slender, granted he was all ropy muscle but Steve outweighed him by a hundred and fifty pounds. Ori grinned at Steve’s tent, the entire group of guides were as close as brothers and like family they twitted each other, poked fun at and on occasion threatened to kill one another.

  “Okay I feel human again” Jared said minutes later emerging from the bushes. “at least Ronny didn’t wake up.”

  “Oh, he’s awake, but laying there turning purple because he can’t say what he wants to say because of the customers.” Ori said tilting his head towards the small tent where Ronny slept. Ronny was notorious for the most inappropriate comments, usually sexual in nature. He could and did exercise control when he had too but around just his friends nothing was sacred.

  “A whole sentence, I be damned.” Jared said with a low chuckle. “and your right. that’s one of the things I look forward to with each job. Watching Ronny almost choke on jokes and comments that he can’t say. Life’s little pleasures”

  “you need a date” Ori said sounding more serious than joking as he poked at the fire sending embers swirling up into the air. He was not known for idle chit chat at the best of times and predawn was not the best of times either.

  Jared recognized the signs and knew Ori was reaching the end of his conversation limit and was getting to his point. The man was the most laconic person he had ever met. Sometimes, most times really, he barely talked. Those rare moments where he went off on a tear were either really amusing or some bit of surprising wisdom or observations. Amusing really because Ori couldn’t tell a joke to save his life. He had screwed up knock knock jokes in the past and none of them had let him forget it.

  “I’m going to ask her out” Jared said knowing that Ori was talking about Jill a woman at his gym. Jared had liked her for four years now but hadn’t asked her out. Partly due to three years of that time one or both of them had been involved with other people.

  “Right, when?” Ori asked quietly. “Jared, I’ve known you for a long time now. I’ve never seen you this interested in a woman so get back on the horse and ask her out.”

  “That’s got to be a record for you. A real conversation and at least two whole sentences. Do you feel okay” Jared joked avoiding the subject. He didn’t like to talk about dating or Charisma, his ex, it had been a bad break up. Truth to tell, he should have ended it six months before he had. But he had kept hoping that they could work things out.

  Charisma had gotten to the point that she had begun to check up on Jared, which ticked him off royally then one day she had shown up at the Gym with an excuse ready. While there she had met and talked with Jill for all of three minutes and hated her from the first moment. Her just showing up had pretty much been the final straw, the string of insults she had later leveled against Jill at his house had ended any idea of patching things up.

  Jared wasn’t a jealous man never had been and because he wasn’t he hated jealousy in others. His outlook was simple either you trusted the person you were with or you didn’t and if you didn’t you left and you damn sure did not go off about another woman for no damn reason other than being paranoid and jealous.

  Enough of that, he told himself. He busied himself setting up for breakfast by the time he had started cooking the rest of his friends had climbed out of their tents and gathered around the campfire and the two pots of percolating coffee, perc’ing away on the coals.

  “Last full day on
the river” Steve said as joined Jared and passed him a cup of coffee. Jared without coffee was not a pleasant sight, he thought, not as bad as Jared around a clown though. “it’s been a good trip.” He observed.

  Jared nodded in agreement then took a drink of the hot steaming nectar of the gods. “it has,” He replied after a moment. “I am looking forward to getting back home tomorrow.” He said savoring the rich aroma of coffee that hung around the campfire.

  “Aaah the dark-haired beauty?” Steve asked as he lifted his coffee.

  “Not you too” Jared protested.

  “I plead the fifth” Steve said with a smile.

  “Asshole” Jared muttered then chuckled.

  “We’ve known each other for nineteen years Jared I know you and your dating record. Ori has a point”

  “So, you two have been talking” Jared asked half amused.

  “Well to be accurate, Ori’s part was mostly monosyllabic responses while I did most of the talking.” Steve explained.

  “Bite me” Ori called out.

  “You’ve been reading a dictionary again” Jared said lifting his coffee cup.

  “Its 2010 Jared, I used google” Steve chuckled.

  “Okay stop right there, first you can’t type, second thing I am going to ask her out when we get back.” Jared replied.

  “You had better, because if you don’t Bridget has stated she plans on going into matchmaker mode and you know the type of women she thinks you should date.” Bridget had been married to Steve for four years now and was determined to see Jared get married. Why Jared had no clue.

  “oh God, anything but that.” Jared protested as Steve laughed. His laugh was deep and infectious. “Now that we have that out of the way, since you’re an employee how about you and mono boy get everybody up. Breakfast is ready.”

  “Mono boy Jared? That just sounds wrong” Ori protested.

  While his friends got their guests up and moving, Jared turned and looked out over the river where darkness still clung there below the ridges fighting the rising of the sun and for a moment his mind dredged up the memory of that night in the Mason house again he shuddered then it faded and was gone once more. It was only a dream, he told himself.

  Their last full day on the river was a lot of fun, they passed through several stretches of rapids, none of them were particular dangerous just class twos and a class threes, but Jared loved threading the rock-strewn channels and the water that sprayed over the group was cool and enjoyable in the days heat. The kids got to see a bear and even a coon that had wandered down to the river’s edge as they passed.

  So many of his friends in the military had never understood why he had gotten out to start a low paying guide business but it was the life he loved, and money be damned and he felt even luckier that his best friends had wanted to join him. Though surprisingly they had done quite well on the money side. Even during the downturn there had been just enough business to keep them afloat. Though all of them had side jobs for extra cash so they had been luckier than most.

  By sunset they had made camp again and the families he was guiding were dragging their feet knowing that tomorrow their time out here would end. Robert Gonzalez’s two boys followed Jared around camp asking questions and attempting to help. It was obvious to anyone that Jared loved kids and spent more time than most adults answering their questions.

  Jim had actually doubted his kids, especially Amelia would enjoy themselves on this trip, but he had woken the second morning of the trip to find his kids had slipped out. He found them, and Roberts kids gathered around Jared down by the mist covered river watching animals drink on the other side. They had even seen a bear wading in the water looking for fish at one point. Amelia had gotten pictures of it on her phone.

  Their last dinner was an elaborate meal cooked over the fire, once the meal was over and the dishes cleaned Ori, Ronny and Steve broke out their guitars and played music to entertain their guests. Jared, to his client’s surprise, had a pleasant singing voice and if it wasn’t the kind of music the kids would normally have listened too it was the right kind of music for the wilderness around them and they enjoyed it.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  “Rapids ahead” Jared called spotting the first of the rocks. They had put in to the river just after sunrise and had covered a lot of water already. Hearing the three boys in the canoes behind him whooping and hollering excitedly at the news he smiled. The channel grew rockier and shallower the water gaining force and speed.

  There were more rocks now and the water was surging against the rocks sending spray over the canoes. Just up ahead is where it gets rough Jared reminded himself. The rapids they were approaching were class three and the channel was one of the trickier sections to navigate and to make things a little more exciting there was a low water fall, no more than three feet high, with an undertow and a sharp turn that made it difficult almost at the end of the channel, and there it is, Jared thought spotting the Rock that reminded him of a statue just at the entrance to the next set.

  With perfect timing he dug his paddle in turning the canoe to the left sliding the canoe into the turn instead of crashing against the rocks. Now, he told himself, as he stuck his paddle deep and J hooked around a massive slab of limestone. A straight shot for almost twenty feet that took quick corrections to stay in the safe lane.

  “Right turn clyde” Jared called out to Mark who rode the bow seat of his canoe, as they approached the next turn, this time it was a sharp right then a left. They turned sharply sliding to one side then deep strokes to swing the bow around at the last moment Jared J hooked bringing the bow into line to thread the narrow channel then began power stroking to get more speed they were going to need it. “Hang on.” He yelled as they shot off the low falls. Mist and spray engulfing the canoe for a second, rainbows sparkled across the spray and then the canoe slapped back down into the water.

  Another J hook took them clear of another slab of limestone that had broken off the ridges to either side centuries ago. His shoulders and back ached with the effort and it felt good. Amelia who was riding the center seat of his canoe was laughing with excitement.

  Jared smiled as he worked through the next two sets of rapids and then drenched to the skin they passed the last of the rocks and were back on flat slow-moving water the rumble of the rapids fading as they slid down river.

  It was disappointing to see the take-out point coming into view around 1300hrs, one pm civilian, he corrected himself. One by one the canoes turned and headed for the rocky beach. Mark who rode the bow seat in Jared’s Canoe leaped out and pulled the canoe half up onto the beach, Jared leaped out and then helped Amelia exit the canoe. She stood there on the beach looking wistfully up river. Jared hid a smile. She hadn’t been excited about the trip at the start and now like so many others before her found herself wanting the trip to continue.

  The two families pitched in to help unload all the gear, delaying their inevitable return to civilization. Finally, it was done and there was no more excuse to delay, Jim and Robert’s families loaded their gear into their waiting vehicles.

  Jared and his people piled their own gear near the three off road trucks that they used for business and began to organize and load themselves, Tired and not really ready to return to civilization, the two families gathered one last time to say their goodbyes and take their last pictures. As they headed towards their cars, ten year old Luis Gonzalez. Who now wanted to be a park ranger or guide when he grew up turned and ran back to Jared impulsively throwing his arms around Jared’s waist. “thank you, Mr. Stone.” He said.

  Gently Jared disentangled himself from the clinging boy “Your more than welcome Luis, if you have any more questions you can email me, or even leave them on the comment section of our website anytime you want.”

  “really?” Luis asked.

  “Really, as long as your parents don’t mind” Jared said as Robert Gonzalez took his sons hand.

  “You’ve been great to my boys” Robert said wi
th a smile. “Thanks again.”

  “I think he would make a great dad.” Sharon Bronson, Marks fiancé said to Ori as she watched Robert lead his son to their SUV. Blonde, trim and leggy she was an attractive woman in what Ori thought of as a normal way. Mark loaded gear into the back of his Dodge Ram giving her a look. Sharon and Bridget had been talking a lot lately about the perfect woman for Jared.

  Sharon, Mary and Shelly had driven the trucks down to the take out point this morning to wait for the group to show up and had probably spent half their wait discussing Jareds lack of a love life. Ori found that idea amusing especially since none of the women were the gossipy, nosey types. But they did like Jared and for some reason wanted to see him married off.

  “Yeah” Ori replied noncommittally glancing at Mark. Who declined to comment which amused Ori to no end.

  “You don’t think so?” she asked turning to look at him.

  “I said yeah” Ori replied with a shrug.