"Blood Moon"~ part seven

[mlaw]

link to part 1:   http://section7mfu.livejournal.com/582662.html
link to part 2 : http://section7mfu.livejournal.com/589643.html 
link to part 3:   http://section7mfu.livejournal.com/593353.html 
link to part 4:   http://section7mfu.livejournal.com/596121.html 
link to part 5:   http://section7mfu.livejournal.com/2014/05/02/
link to part 6:   http://section7mfu.livejournal.com/601650.html

Christina Cummings wandered through mist-filled the woods, trying to follow the compass her father had given her hours earlier.

Dr. Cummings had been unsure about the job they’d taken on but when he heard about this drug called White Rider growing to epidemic proportions, followed by Red Rider wreaking havoc; it was then the chemist finally discovered he’d been one of the people responsible for creating it all.

It had to be stopped somehow, but Cummings couldn’t do what he had to if he knew his daughter wasn’t safe. He sent her to find his old friend in New York city, secreting her out of the camp... knowing Alexander Waverly and his people might be the only ones able to stop this lunatic responsible for all this terror.

Unlike her father, Christina had never seen the man they called Rasputin, but the description of him alone horrified her; that and the knowledge of what they’d been developing in their lab was killing so many people.

Her last instructions from her dad as he kissed her goodbye were to head to a little tailor shop in the city called Del Floria’s, located near the United Nations complex.

 

 

If the world hadn’t gone so topsy turvy she could have just gotten public transportation...but from the reports on the radio she and the others listened to at night,  public transport barely ran, if at all. It was dangerous out there...

The world was in chaos, and how she was going to get to New York was a conundrum she needed to solve and do so quickly.

She’d been wandering for days, having gotten lost in spite of the compass, when she finally came to what looked like an old farm house.  Christina saw in the darkness a warm and welcoming light, and knew she had to take a chance as she was exhausted, hungry and cold; the cooler fall temperatures had come early.

Climbing up to the porch, she took a few staggering steps towards the door. She intended to knock but before she could, the inside door swung open, and there standing behind the screen door was a dark-skinned woman brandishing a shotgun.

“Get off my porch!” She hollered.

“Please, I need help.”

“No one needing help would be out after dark, now I said git!”

“Please ma’am, I’ve been walking for days. I haven’t eaten.”

The girl fainted.

.

Christina awoke, finding herself lying on a floral sofa, covered with sheets and a cozy woolen blanket.  There were several lit candles scattered around on tables, and a crackling fire burning in the hearth.

“Child I never thought you’d wake up,” the woman who’d been at the door with the gun spoke to her.

“I’m sorry,” the girl answered,” I didn’t mean to make you nervous.

A transistor radio softly playing music in the background was interrupted with a news bulletin, listing the latest outbreaks of rioting and looting, going on mostly in New York city, but had also affected places northward like Albany. It was all blamed on the need for the old drug White Horse and the newest one, Happy Face.”

“I know who’s behind it,” Christina whispered.

“How can you know that girl,” the old woman handed her a mug of hot soup.”

“Because I was working in the lab where these drugs were being made...with my father and others being held against their will and are  forced into stockpile the supplies of these insane drugs.”

“Good Lord? How did you get away?”

“My father helped me...though I’m sure he’s dead as they do doubt found me missing.” Christina couldn’t cry at this point as she was so traumatized.

“Well you can rest here...what’s your name baby? I was so busy waving that gun in your face, I’m so sorry, but an ol’ lady’s gotta be none too careful nowadays.”

“My name is Christina Cummings, what’s yours?”

“Folks call me Miss Lottie, Lottie Henderson.” She poured more soup from a pot into Christina’s mug. “Sorry, this is the best I got, but Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup never none hurt did it?’

“No ma’am, and thank you Miss Lottie for taking me in.”

Several curious faces peaked around the door frame into the living room.

“Children now I told you not to bother this young lady,” Lottie wagged her bony finger at them.

“No, they’re not bothering me. Hi there,”Christina smiled.

“All right you can come in then,” Lottie waved.

Three boys of varying heights walked inside.

“These are my grandsons. Michael the youngest...he’s ten. Maurice, he’s fifteen, Martin is sixteen…”

“I’m almost seventeen Grandma,”

“All right boy all right, Martin is almost seventeen.”

A tall handsome fellow stepped into the room behind them.

“And this fine strapping young man is Roosevelt my oldest grandson, he’s twenty...a whole minute older than his twin Raymond….he’s asleep upstairs, as should be the rest of you young ones.”

“Pleased to meet you all,” Christina said. “You’ll excuse me for not getting up?” She was so tired, and felt as though she couldn’t move.

“Grandma why would she wanna get up?” Michael innocently asked.

“Hush boy. Now you said your hello’s. Time to get upstairs and put on your pajamas, and don’t forget to say your prayers and thank God for another day that we were safe.”

“Lottie, I’m grateful for your help, but I need to leave.”

“Not this time of night child, you’ll get killed out there. Too many of those hopheads wandering the roads.”

“I have to get to New York city as soon as I can. It’s the last thing I promised my father….to find his friend. He said Mr. Waverly and his organization could stop the madman who’s behind all this drug nonsense.”

“Miss Christina, you can leave for the city in the morning if you want. It’ll be safer, you’ll be rested and have a better chance of making it, understand me?”

“Yes Miss Lottie.”

“Good, sounds like your daddy raised a sensible daughter. Now Rosie here is going to be up through the night sitting watch. He has a rifle so don’t let that frighten you child.”

“Roosevelt, make sure Raymond knows we have company before he comes down to take over. Don’t want him getting all excited and shooting Miss Christina here.”

Lottie gathered up the dishes, running her hand against the soft hair of the girl, though she’d already fallen asleep.

“Lord, bless her and protect her on her mission to save Your children,” she prayed before going up to bed, carrying her shotgun with her.

.

In the morning, Christina awoke to a bright sunrise, with the birds happily chirping outside. For a moment all seemed right with the world as she sat up and stretched her arms above her head, until reality came back to her.

“Good morning,” a young man resembling Roosevelt smiled at her. He walked in carrying a rifle in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

“You must be Raymond, I’m Christiana.”

“Grandma says to come back to the kitchen as she has oatmeal on the stove and bread coming out of the oven.”

Christina folded the bed sheets and blanket on the sofa, stacking them with the pillow and headed down the hallway to the kitchen.

“Why good morning Miss Christina, I hope you slept well on that lumpy old sofa of mine. Lord, my late husband Georgie would love to take his naps on that thing.  Now have a seat and dig in. “

She set a heaping bowl of oatmeal in front of the girl.

“I put some cinnamon and raisins in it for more flavor. We’re out of sugar and have been for a while, though we’ve still been able to get the basics like oats, flour and such.  Meat we get from hunting and I had a vegetable garden out back that’s came in handy, and I do a lot of canning. I pray to the Lord it’ll be enough to last us through these terrible times.”

“Well if I can get to Mr. Waverly in New York, maybe he can end all of this like my father said he could...but keep saying those prayers anyway Miss Lottie.

“From your mouth to God’s ears child.” Lottie gave her a few slices of buttered bread and filled her mug with more coffee.  “This is chicory, a little different tasting but it hits the spot just right. Can’t get my Chock full o'Nuts anymore.”

Christina helped the older woman with the dishes and decided it was time to go. Though Lottie wasn’t happy about it, she knew the girl was on a mission and wouldn’t stop her.

“Here, take this child,” she handed her a road map. “Now come with me?”

Christina was led outside behind the house to a garage, and Raymond opened the door.  There inside was parked a green 1950 Oldsmobile coupé shining like it was brand new.

“This was my Georgie’s car and I swear that man loved it just as much as me. Now I want you to take it and get yourself to this Waverly fellow as quick as a bunny.”

Raymond started the car, pulling it out slowly and putting it into park.

“Now my grandson here is coming with you just to make sure you get there safe and sound.”

“I promise she will Grandma.”

“No Lottie I can’t ask him to risk his life. He needs to stay here and protect you.”

“Honey I have four other grandsons to help me and besides Raymond here is to look after his grandfathers prized possession, now aren’t you sugar?

“Yes Ma’am.” Raymond put a bag of ammunition in the back seat of the car along with his rifle.

Lottie sent them off with a basket of food and the last of the soda pop, waving to them as they drove off down the empty road; saying a little prayer.

“Lord watch over them please?”

.