Free The Broken and the Dead (Book 1) by Jay Morris Page B

shoulder and with that sly grin of his waved me over saying
    “C’mon Johnny, let’s get some rest since Tucker has rested his eyes a little.”
    I slung mine too and as we walked to the tent Old Man Tucker said,
    “I wasn’t sleeping you know, I just had to rest a bit is all.”
    He sounded mean and grumpy but I was beginning to believe that it was all a big act. I didn’t know what the truth was about him but I figured it would all come out in time.
    Billy and I shared one room with Mrs. Driscol, Mom and the girls had the other. I never did like sleeping on the ground but after the day we had I don’t think I had ever felt a softer bed. I don’t know when I fell asleep or when I woke but it had to be early in the morning, 3 or 4 I guess, I heard the zipper open on the other room and peeking out I saw Elaine, she was quietly leaving the tent. I kept an eye on her just in case. I was just about to get up and drag her back when I heard Old Man Tucker’s voice,
    “Well, look who got up to keep me company.”
    Elaine didn’t respond but I decided that since no one else was having any luck, Old Man Tucker might as well take a shot, so I just rolled onto my stomach and listened.
    I could see their outlines from the light of the fire, Old Man Tucker was standing, the long Russian rifle slung over his shoulder and Elaine stood next to him for a minute then sat on the cooler. Old Man Tucker didn’t say anything after that, he just waited. I don’t know how long he waited but eventually Elaine said something, if it hadn’t been so quiet I doubt I could have heard her but given how hard I was straining my ears I guess it worked out because I did hear her. Elaine said
    “How?”
    Old Man Tucker didn’t look at her he just kept watching the slope leading up to our encampment.
    “How what Elaine?” he asked.
    Again there was a long delay and ‘ get on with it !’ was going through my mind when at last she answered.
    “How can you be brave?”
    I thought he would laugh, that seemed to be his modus operandi but he didn’t, instead he said
    “Oh, well, I’m not. I am scared as any of you, probably more.”
    She didn’t say anything for a second more then said
    “The crazy was trying to get me; it rammed its head into the car and…”
    Her voice trailed off for a minute, unable to finish her sentence.
    “And then I saw you, you were running towards us, running towards the crazies.”
    Old Man Tucker didn’t answer at all so Elaine continued
    “Why did you do that Mr. Tucker? Why?”
    Elaine was crying and it was all I could do to not cry too. Old Man Tucker sighed deeply and then he walked over and knelt in dirt next to where Elaine was sitting.
    “Elaine” he said, “before this, before all of this shit.”
    He swallowed hard before continuing
    “I was dead. Nothing mattered to me. I spent my entire life loving one woman, I loved her more than life itself, and I know it was a sin, but I loved her more than I loved God.”
    Now it was Elaine’s turn to remain silent.
    “I tried to love her best I could, but whatever I did seemed to be wrong. The one person I loved more than anything, I drove her crazy, I hurt her feelings, and we fought over everything, over anything. She was beautiful, smart, and talented. I adored her and she couldn’t be happy with me. We stayed together until the kids became adults and then she left me. I spent five years in the bottle after that. She got married again to a professional musician and last I heard she was living the life she always wanted in Boston. But I honestly don’t want to know, it hurts too much.”
    He reached into a pack and took out bottled water; opening it he drank and slowly let his breath out. I suddenly felt guilty like I was listening in on a confession.
    “I was waiting to die. I hoped for it, prayed for it, I just wanted it to be over.”
    He was silent then, not even a cricket disturbed them. Just the light of the fire shared their secrets.
    “And