This Dark Time [The Chronicles of Bear #1]

by Tim Fisher

Overview

"An Action-packed Post-apocalypse Thriller!" raves Janrae Frank, author of the #1 bestselling dark fantasy saga, Dark Brothers of the Light, about Tim Fisher's extraordinary first novel. In this 21st century take on the classic disaster novel, everything that relies on electricity suddenly stops working all over the world, plunging civilization into chaos. Worse, due to the failure of their electrical fail-safes, some nuclear and biological weapons have gone off, causing many humans to mutate into wild beasts. Raphael Edmonds, aka Bear, a good-hearted former vet, gathers together a group of friends who belonged to a historical reenactment group that specialized in the powder weapons of the Wild West. The members of the community consist of ex-military, artists, electricians, woodworkers, cooks and others. They are a diverse group of individuals who recognize that strength in numbers can provide protection through experience and knowledge. Bear and his friends hope to live in peace. But when gangs from Austin, a survivalist militia headed by a power-crazed madman, and mutated humans, attack the newly formed community is forced to fight for its life. As their situation grows more perilous and their need for each other grows, each member begins to watch out for the others as they are truly forged into a family. Here are strong, pungent characters in a story mixed with action, heroism and enthralling adventure. As Janrae Frank says, this is a book "I tremendously enjoyed reading. The character of Bear will always be one of my favorites. And when strong, stubborn Davata charges into his life, be prepared for anything!"

Product Details

BN ID:	2940000093344
Publisher:	Renaissance E Books
Publication date:	10/10/2005
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	207 KB

Read an Excerpt

PROLOGUE

Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth,

the egg of the phoenix.

Christina Baldwin

What if..." Forget it, it's happened. Why? It doesn't matter. The world's electricity has ceased to exist.

The people of North America woke up, the first of November, to a life without electricity. Cars sit like ancient dinosaurs, where they were when the power went away. There is no radio, no TV, electric stoves and heaters are useless. Nothing depending on the flow of electrons to supply power works--and help is not on its way.

* * * *

PART ONE

TRANSFORMATION

We never understand how little we need in this world

Until we know the loss of it.

J. M. Barrie

Every farewell combines loss and new freedom.

Mason Cooley (b. 1927)

* * * *

CHAPTER ONE

A sound in the dark pulled Rafe from his sleep, dragging him back to the reality of his current situation. The world had shrugged off its ability to produce and support electricity. He was in the Hill Country of Texas on his way from Austin to Rollingblock. Now, from sounds in the night, something stalked him in the dark.

If someone saw Rafe--dressed in the western wear he used as a member of an entertainment group--and his camp, they would swear they were looking at a person displaced from the days of the Wild West. The Hays County Regulators staged skits all over the country. They wore authentic western clothingand gear including black powder weapons, presenting comedy routines, which included the use of those weapons. He now wore the outfit due to its versatility and the very real possibility of needing those weapons.

Something or someone moved in the darkness outside the glow created by the dying embers of his fire. Twenty years of military training dictated caution. He was wide-awake instantly. However, instead of moving, Rafe lay still listening. He heard the horses at their tethers stomping and snorting nervously, shifting from side to side. They too sensed something was amiss.

With only a sight movement of his head, Rafe looked around the camp. On this cold November night, the dark beyond the greatly diminished circle of light was complete. Looking from the meager glow of the dying campfire was like trying to see the bottom of a deep well. He could barely make out the shapes of the horses only twenty or so feet away.

He saw nothing to cause his feeling of unease. Slowly, he retrieved his pistols and rose, putting them in their holsters. Still seeing no danger, he went over to calm the nervous animals.

This was his first night outside Austin since humanity slid centuries into the past. I'm probably just jumpy because of what's happened, he thought. There's nothing here now that wasn't here before.

Reaching the first horse, he heard another sound. It sounded like an animal moving just outside the reach of the light. Scanning the darkness, he saw nothing. The night seemed to block the outside world from view. Again, he heard the rustle of movement, tiny twigs cracked and dead leaves rustled as something moved through the night. There were at least four animals out there and, by the sound of it, they were stalking him.

He cautiously returned to where his 30-30, lever action rifle lay. Picking it up and levering a round into the chamber, he moved away from the now dying embers. The fire was no longer a flame, but enough of a glow to silhouette him and ruin his night vision if he wasn't careful.

Another rustling off to his left, and a single yellow glow appeared in the darkness, followed closely by a second beside the first. Rafe relaxed, realizing, by the color and height of the glowing orbs, he was seeing the eyes of a deer. In a matter of seconds, numerous pairs of eyes were staring at him as the herd looked up from their grazing.

As Rafe began to relax, another sound came from beyond the herd. It sounded like something moving fast in the night. Two sets of red eyes appeared much higher than the first. They bobbed as if the animals were running and in less than a second converged on the deer. There were two distinct thumps and the deer's eyes ceased to glow.

The movement seemed to continue on in one direction for a couple of seconds then there was only silence. Rafe was sure he heard two thumps and the deer's eyes disappeared streaking sideways. The movement of the eyes was as if something had struck the animal and moved it sideways before the deer had a chance to blink--before it knew what was happening.

Rafe stood still listening to the rest of the herd bounding rapidly away from the camp. That was weird, he thought trying to see into the night. Something isn't right with this. Cautiously, he piled more wood on the fire. Taking a burning log from the flames, he crept over to where he thought he had seen the deer.

The light from his torch didn't illuminate enough to see everything clearly. Checking the area as well as possible and finding nothing, he decided he'd get a better look the next morning and returned to the camp.

He sat up for another fifteen or twenty minutes listening to the night. All seemed to be back to normal. The horses stood relaxed at their ropes, no longer skittish or nervous.

Austin seemed to have already lost its collective mind. People were killing each other. With the total loss of electricity, there were no emergency services of any kind--no police, no firefighters, no electronic communications, Cars sat where they were, when their life-giving spark disappeared--which left people to fend for themselves. The city had gone crazy.

Within forty-eight hours, the city descended into anarchy and Rafe knew it was time to leave. While traveling, he saw a number of bodies lying beside the road. A dog eat dog mentality had quickly taken over the population.

Rafe finally climbed back into his sleeping bag and surprisingly, it only took a few minutes to return to sleep. This time, however, he slept lightly and kept one of his pistols inside the sleeping bag with him--just in case.

* * * *

Unknown to most people, numerous nuclear and biological bombs had exploded in various parts of the world. The bombs combined with the new atmosphere, resulting in human mutations. Not many, just those people with a blood type of AB negative and a specific gene sequence. Some of those affected survived the mutation, while others went insane and died in the process.

The survivors of the change took on the appearance of extremely large Neanderthal men and women. The mutants were tall, varying from about seven to eight feet. Their skin took on a yellow-brown color and leathery texture. The hair, covering most of their powerful, new bodies, was thick and coarse. Large fangs protruded from their mouths, which were somewhat canine in appearance. They had small pointed ears and red eyes with elliptical pupils like a cat. The mentality of most matched their appearance. However, the intelligence of others increased exponentially. This second group would prove to possess extreme resourcefulness and cunning. All were vicious, and it was almost impossible to tell which type one was dealing with--until it was too late.

The progression of the disease took only a couple of days. Whether due to knowledge or instinct, the newly mutated creatures avoided humans and sought their own kind. The ones with extreme intelligence rapidly built packs, teaching them to hunt, track, and kill all other animals, including humans. Both, male and female, proved equally vicious, and bound only by the laws of nature. A new predator now existed in the tedious balance of nature.

* * * *

The next morning, after cleaning up and, with his breakfast warming on a chemical heater, Rafe checked the area where the deer had been the night before. There, he found the hoof prints of the deer and something else, extra footprints, obviously made by something traveling on two feet. The stride was enormous and the impressions were deep. The prints resembled that of a human except for the extraordinary size. The animal making these was huge--and by the prints, there were two of them.

Rafe ate quickly, took care of the horses, loaded them and broke camp. He knew he needed to be on his way if he was to make it to Rollingblock tomorrow with any daylight left. After last night, he didn't want to stay in the area any longer than he had to.

Rollingblock was a small town located in the Texas Hill Country. It was nestled in the Hays Valley and surrounded by forests and thick underbrush. There were few roads, and individuals wanting to escape the confines of large cities populated most of the area. Only a few other small towns, ranches, and homesteads occupied the rest.

Most people in the hill country valued their privacy and weren't willing to allow commercial endeavors to encroach too closely. The homesteads varied from less than one to about fifteen acres in size, with a few ranches up to a hundred.

After traveling two days, Rafe arrived at the outskirts of the small village of Rollingblock, Texas. The afternoon was almost gone as he skirted the village and cautiously headed over to where the Lazy R Ranch was located. Approaching the ranch, Rafe saw Kyle and Lynn Jennings working, feeding the horses at the ranch stables.

The ranch consisted of about one hundred-fifty acres. The main area of the property was a resort, which included an old "Wild West" town, named Sagebrush. It boasted several businesses, all with facades looking as though they were built in the 1800's. The resort housed the majority of tourists visiting Rollingblock.

The stables were out, a short distance from the resort area of the ranch. Kyle and Lynn operated the stables used by the ranch for its guests. They owned the horses and all the equipment for training riders and taking guests on trail rides. For the use of the stables, they paid a percentage of each ride or private lesson to the resort. Neither of them ever dreamed the horses would become so important to their survival.

* * * *

As Rafe approached the perimeter of the stables, he called to his friends, "Hello, the stables."

Both Kyle and Lynn turned, Kyle reaching toward the gun strapped on his hip with Lynn simultaneously moving toward a rifle propped against the building. Recognizing who it was, both waved. Seeing the string of animals accompanying Rafe, Kyle motioned toward the gate and Rafe turned his horse to meet his friend there.

By the time Kyle made it over to him, Rafe had dismounted and was opening the gate. The two men shook hands, patting each other on the shoulder. They led the animals into the acre sized holding area of the stables.

Kyle, like Rafe, was wearing both the black powder pistols he used in the shows. Even though he couldn't see it, Rafe knew his friend was wearing at least one other pistol hidden elsewhere on his body, probably in the back of his pants. Kyle, wore western wear with a duster over everything. His flat brimmed hat, sitting squarely on his head and true to the style of the old west, would serve him well in the cold months to come. It also gave him the appearance of Wild Bill Hickock as seen in early pictures. The only thing that ruined the effect was his speech. Born and raised in Great Britain, he had never been able to rid himself of the accent.

Looking to his left, Rafe saw Lynn approaching the pair with a big smile. Her three boys, Carl, Will, and Paul followed close behind. She walked up, gave Rafe a big hug and said, "Kyle and I were just talking about you not more'n ten minutes ago. We were wondering if you were okay. We weren't sure if you would come here or go somewhere else."

Lynn was in her early forties with a likable personality. She was slightly heavy set, with long, dark brown hair. You could tell by looking at her that she spent a lot of time outside, in the elements. She was used to hard work and able to throw hay bales around as well as most men. When she spoke, it was usually straight to the point and most people knew she could back up anything she said.

The boys stepped up and each, in turn, shook Rafe's hand. Carl was seventeen, Will thirteen, and Paul eleven. The boys were tall and lanky for their ages. All knew their way around the stables and could handle a weapon as well as most adults.

"I had to get out of the city, and this was the best place I could think of," Rafe responded. "Any family I have is at least a couple of months travel from here by horse and I've already seen what happens to a diesel vehicle. You'll get your ass shot off in one of those."

"Diesel," Kyle said. "What about diesel?"

"It looks like a diesel engine is the only thing that'll run right now," Rafe explained. "I talked to Pete, at 'Guns Are Us' in Austin. He has a diesel rig and it'll run if you give it a push. Seems like everything that's happened has to do with electricity, diesels run off compression..."

"Right, they don't need a spark," Kyle cut him off. "But what do you mean about getting your ass shot off?"

Lynn called for her sons to help with the horses as the group led the animals back toward the tack room. "Pete used his diesel truck to go to the store. On the way, people shot at him several times. He figures it was because of the sound of the vehicle. Plus, I was shot at twice just riding here. There's some crazy people out there right now."

"We've heard some shots coming from over near the square," Lynn told him. "In fact, the night before last, and yesterday sounded like a war going on in town. There was constant gunfire and some explosions. We figure folks are probably protecting anything they own about now. Of course with it being Halloween weekend, the town was full of tourists."

"Have you seen any other members of the Regulators?" Rafe asked.

"Ben came by yesterday morning. He left to go see about some relatives on the other side of town," Lynn told him, "should be back today or tomorrow. Kyle saw Hal Sloan in town two days ago as well. He had come to town gathering information. He said he was heading home to get Sandy and should be back today or tomorrow also. He was on foot and you know how far out they live. I doubt we'll see them before tomorrow afternoon."

Lynn assigned each of the boys a couple of horses to care for. Everyone else pitched in, took the horses over to the stables, and started removing Rafe's gear. "How the hell did you bring a string of horses this large in with you?" Lynn asked.

"Wasn't easy," Rafe answered. "I had to travel a lot slower than I expected, but attaching one horse to the other by a length of rope helped. The fact that they all seemed to get along, helped out a lot."

Kyle looked at the packs on the animals. "What the hell's all this stuff?" He was pointing to packs on three of the animals.

"Like I said, I stopped by and saw Pete," Rafe explained grinning. "He packed some duffels for me. You'll be surprised when you see what's in 'em."

Inside the duffel bags, they found weapons and ammunition of all kind, MREs, the food used by the military in a war zone, and extra sleeping bags. "He certainly tried to take care of you," Lynn said with a grin.

As they finished feeding and watering the horses, a voice called to them from the other side of the exercise area. Looking over, they saw Ben Williamson standing just inside the tree line. It seemed that western clothes were the order of the day. He too, was dressed in the same getup he wore for the gunfights--his old western hat, shirt, jacket, blue jeans with chaps and a 45-caliber pistol strapped around his waist. Except for the guns, it was the way he dressed every week when he came to the stables to ride.

* * * *

CHAPTER TWO

Ben, in his middle sixties, was a well-known figure in the valley. Having lived there about fifteen years, he was an outstanding actor, storyteller and writer. His ability to assume any character or accent on an instant's notice kept people astounded as well as laughing until their sides ached. In spite of a slight paunch, he was very active and had, just the year before, decided to retire from physical labor in favor of working on his storytelling, acting, and writing novels full time.

Immediately switching into a deep southern drawl, he said, "Well I see we've been joined by that infamous outlaw 'The Brazos Bear'." The Brazos Bear was the name Rafe used in the gunfights. His friends had shortened it to simply Bear. This was fine by him since it had been his nickname in the Navy.

"Hell yeah," Bear answered in the same accent, "wouldn't miss this shindig for nutten."

Ben came over, gave Bear a big hug, and a pat on the back. "It's good to see you, man," he said, then turning serious. "Wasn't sure what had happened to you since the power was turned off. Ain't this a hell of a note? Looking over at the extra horses, motioning toward them with a point of his thumb, he continued. "By the looks of the extra mounts, I'd say Rollingblock isn't the only place that's lost its electricity." He reached out, shook hands with Kyle and hugged Lynn.

"Nope," Bear answered. "Everything between here and Austin appears to be in the same shape."

"What about your relatives, Ben?" Kyle asked. "Did you find 'em okay?"

"Well," Ben said. "I found 'em alright. They were all at home, but every one of 'em was down with some sort of bug. They were all throwing up and carrying a high fever. A couple of 'em had some discolored splotches on their skin. Don't know what it was but," he looked at them, a concerned look on his face. "It weren't good. They seemed to be gettin' worse in the couple of hours I was there.

"Figured I might try and find a doctor and get some help. I looked for a couple of hours, but none of them were home, or at least none of them answered their door. By the time I got back to my aunt's house, my cousin and a friend had gone into a coma. This morning they were dead. By noon, all of them had died." Ben looked away, tears stinging his eyes.

"Died!" Kyle exclaimed, shocked at the delivery of this news.

"Oh Ben, I'm sorry," Lynn said putting her arm around his shoulders.

Ben looked back at his friends. "They're gone now, but I'll tell you the truth. I think their sickness was a result of whatever happened. I've seen a lot of sick folk in my time, but I never saw any get so bad so fast. Before they died, each of them had big sores all over their bodies and were talking out of their heads. I may be wrong, but I think we're in for a heap of trouble before this is over."

"Hey man, is there anything we can do?" Bear asked. "What about their bodies? Do you want us to go with you and help bury 'em?"

"No. Thanks just the same," Ben answered. "The neighbor that died with them was digging a new septic tank. I put all of them in there together and covered 'em with a layer of dirt. That'll have to do for now. There's no way to dig through this rock without heavy equipment. Maybe later..." His voice trailed off.

Changing the subject, hoping to give Ben something else to think about, Kyle said, "Ben, go get Trace and bring him in. We've got food and hay for him."

Even though Hal and Lynn owned the horse, it was the one Ben used when he came out for his weekly ride.

"He'll like that," Ben said turning to get the horse. "I fed him this morning, but didn't have enough left for this evening. Be back in a second."

"Shame to hear about his family," Bear said to Kyle and Lynn, watching the man walk off. "Has to be hard on him." Ben had been a close friend since Bear first moved to Rollingblock about five years before. They had stayed in contact when Bear moved to Austin, and had even acted in a play together.

"Sure is, but I think he is right," Kyle agreed. "We're going to be seeing a lot more death in the near future, if things stay the way they are. Now, what about you, Bear? Was this your destination or were you heading on somewhere else?"

Bear looked at Kyle; Lynn had gone to get food for Ben's horse. "Well," he said, "it really depends on what happens here and who else comes. I've read enough of those horror and fantasy books to know that if this situation stays the way it is, there's a logical progression society will follow. Cities will turn into a battleground between gangs. Decent people will have to fight to defend what they think is worth saving. For a while, anything that moves is at risk of being shot. I damn sure don't wanna be in the middle of that. On the other hand, I'm not sure that, after a short time, the same thing won't happen out here in the small towns. Of course, some people will try to escape the madness in the cities and come to the hills. Without meaning to, they'll just add to the problems out here."

"You may be right," Kyle conceded. "Like Lynn said, it's already happened here. I'd bet there's not a handful of people left in Rollingblock itself. I think those of us here need to get organized somehow."

"That's what I'm talking about," Bear said. "If we can put together some type of organized group around here, we'll stand a better chance. Right now though, I'm gonna be very careful where I stay and sleep. I may be wrong, but I think any house with a light in it will just be asking for trouble. Besides, except for those with gas in 'em, it gets just as cold in a house now, as it does outside. Not to mention, outside, at least you can build a fire and sleep around it. Put out watches and you'll probably be pretty safe." Bear thought back about two nights before, but said nothing.

A yodel came from the direction of the road Bear had come up. "That's gotta be Spyder," Kyle said with a grin.

Sure enough, Spyder was standing there with Ginny beside him. Spyder and Ginny were actually business partners, but close enough friends, many people thought they were married. In fact, they argued just like an old married couple.

"Spyder, Ginny," Kyle yelled. "Get your asses over here." To Bear he said, "Thought something had happened to 'em. Hadn't seen hide nor hair of either of them since the day before the blackout."

Lynn came out of the storage room carrying Hal's Sharps rifle. She had heard what sounded like a commotion outside with some yelling and figured it was better to be safe than sorry. "Who is it, Kyle?" She asked, seeing no immediate danger.

"Spyder and Ginny's here," Kyle answered.

Spyder was the only one of the Regulators that didn't have to change his style of clothing to look the part of the old west. He was about five feet, eleven inches tall, had brown hair down to the middle of his back and a beard to match. The only things added to his normal attire were the four guns he wore on his body.

Ginny, his "little tea cup", as he called her, fit her role as well. She was the right height for and was always dressed as a saloon girl in the shows wearing her long brown hair pinned up under a headdress. She was pleasant and easygoing, but could only be pushed so far. It appeared she was comfortable with the style and habits of the women of the old west. Today, however, she wore jeans, a shirt, and jacket.

From the opposite side, Ben reached the stables at the same time. Everyone was glad to see the couple and after hugs and handshakes all around Ginny asked, "Where's everyone else? We might as well put on a show, almost everyone's here."

Kyle and Lynn told what they knew about Hal and Sandy Sloan. Then Lynn asked Spyder and Ginny if they knew what was happening.

Spyder answered, "Hell no, we don't know what's goin' on. Best we can tell is, the only thing that's different is that there ain't no electricity--that and the fact that it's sent some of the people around here off their nut. Shit, Dennis Hanner took a shot at me this morning. And that's after I told the pecker-head who I was. Crazy bastard almost hit me too."

"We heard some shots while walking over here," Ginny told them, "and we saw someone running off into the woods in their shorts, didn't we?" She looked at Spyder for confirmation.

"Hell yeah," Spyder snorted. "Some goofy son-of-a-bitch was running off through the trees, towards Woodcliff. Silly fucker was just screaming and running like he didn't have good sense. Probably didn't, running around in his underwear with the temperature around fifty--dumb ass."

"Where'd you get all the horses?" Ginny asked, noticing the extra animals standing around.

"Bear brought eight with him," Lynn answered. "It's a good thing too; we might wind up needing the extra mounts."

"Why?" Ginny asked. "This can't last too long. They'll get the power back on soon."

"Well, maybe and maybe not," Kyle said. "Bear said all the power's gone in Austin too. Hal didn't have any over at his place. This seems to be pretty wide spread."

"Has anyone seen any airplanes? They're always flying overhead, going somewhere--I haven't," Bear threw the question out to the group. "That tells me this thing's a lot bigger than we might think."

"You know," Lynn said thoughtfully. "I haven't. Bear's right they fly over all the time and that damn helicopter that flies over every afternoon hasn't been by either."

"I figure within a week we should see a sign of some sort of authority, if there's any such thing left in place," Bear said, a doubtful tone to his voice. Being retired from the military, and having been in combat led him to believe something really bad had happened. He was sure everyone should get used to their current situation for a long time to come.

The group exchanged stories of where they had spent the last few nights and the strange people they had met. It seemed like many of the people around were starting to act strange, even dangerous.

A few moments later, Bear said. "Speaking of places to stay, it's getting dark quick. We'd better find a place for the night. I'm going to the Chuck Wagon Area and start a fire there. It's protected from the wind and it's hard to see a fire there with all the trees and the stage barn around it. Anyone that wants to join me's welcome."

"Sounds good to me," Spyder said. "Not sure what I'll sleep on, but it sounds like the right place to be."

"I'll join ya," Ben answered. "Can't be no colder than that house of mine."

"Then, I suggest we gather everything up," Kyle said.

They used the Chuck Wagon Area when a group had contracted with Spyder and Ginny to have a special dinner catered. They would present a show, eat barbecue, and listen to a story by Ben.

Spyder's regular occupation was as an electrician. He could work on new construction or fix just about any existing circuit if needed. In the past, he had been in a number of scrapes with the law. Some were due to his involvement with a motorcycle club, and others because he was one of the highest members of the Ku Klux Klan in Texas.

Ginny was married to Spyder's best friend. She had gone into business with Spyder cooking barbecue a few years before. With a trailer they could set up just about anywhere and anytime, they could be ready to feed the public in a matter of minutes. Ginny acted as one of the 'Saloon Girls' in the Regulators, and regularly wore her outfit when she served patrons at a catered dinner.

The Chuck Wagon Area was located at the far end of a rutted loop created by the constant rides on the restored stagecoach used by the resort for sightseeing. It was also where the stagecoach was parked nightly, in a barn, out of the weather. Beside the barn, there was an old covered wagon, a fire pit, a barbecue pit and some tables for the customers.

Trees surrounded the area on three sides. The fourth looked out over part of the Hays Valley. The slope was extremely steep, which would make it almost impossible for someone to approach from that direction. The area provided shelter from the elements and would hopefully hide their fire. They all agreed that if it started to rain or got too windy, they could break the lock on the door of the stage barn, push the stagecoach out and all sleep in there.

"One thing I am worried about," Lynn said. "I don't like leaving the horses here unguarded. I mean Bear stole those, what's to stop someone from stealing these?" Looking at Bear she said, "No offense Bear."

"None taken," Bear said with a sheepish grin. "We'll just take 'em with us. We can run a line between some trees out there and keep 'em up close. I'm like you, I don't wanna leave mine where someone can just walk up and take 'em. Nope, he goes with me."

"Good idea," She said.

"We're taking 'em with us then," Kyle said. "Let's get going, boys and girls. It's gonna get cold fast when the sun goes down."

* * * *

The group began gathering the supplies Bear had brought and reloading the horses. By the time they finished, Kyle and Lynn had all their supplies out of the tack room and lying on the ground. Being survivalists, they had even more supplies than Bear.

Before long, the horses were loaded with all the supplies and weapons. Kyle and Lynn informed them the supplies were only about half of the total they had on hand. Things were looking up for the small group of survivors, for the time being anyway.

Lynn and Bear ran a line for the horses before night descended. With all their supplies against the stage barn, they fixed supper, hooked the horses to the line and fed the rest. After eating, and with the chores done, the survivors decided on a watch schedule for the night, and settled back to rest.