Alone in the Ashes Read Online Free PDF Page A

only true God, Wally,” Judy said. “The God whose words are contained in the Bible.”
    Wally looked at Ben. “May I have a small bit of food for my journey, General?”
    â€œTake whatever you need, Wally. But I wish you’d stay with us. At least, for your sister’s sake, until we get further away from this part of the state.”
    â€œI have to go back, General. I’m called to do so.”
    Ben nodded his head in agreement. “I wish you luck, Wally.”
    Wally smiled. “God is on my side, General.”
    There was nothing Ben could say to counter that.

4
    Ben and Judy stood by the pickup and watched Wally Williams walk slowly up Highway 641. He had told them he was only going a few miles, then would cut northeast, toward Eagle Creek on the Tennessee.
    He rounded a curve in the road, and was lost from sight.
    â€œI will never see him again,” Judy said.
    â€œYou can’t know that for sure,” Ben said.
    â€œI will not see him again,” she repeated. She turned and faced Ben. “Let’s go, Ben. I want to leave this part of the country. And I don’t care if I ever come back.”
    Ben opened the door to the truck. “Your chariot awaits you, dear.”
    Â 
    Â 
    They spent their first night together at a tiny town just off the interstate. They never did find out the name of the town, for they could never find any highway markers denoting the name.
    â€œDon’t you have a tent, Ben?” she asked.
    â€œA pup tent in all that mess somewhere.”
    â€œThat won’t do.”
    â€œOh?”
    â€œTomorrow, first town of any size we come to, we start lookin’ for one of them big pretty-colored tents like I seen in a catalog one time.”
    â€œThose and saw,” Ben corrected.
    â€œYou ribbin’ the way I talk, boy?” she asked.
    â€œNo. Not at all. I used to be a writer, that’s all. It’s habit.”
    â€œYou wrote books!”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œBig books?”
    â€œYes. If by that you mean a hundred-thousand words or more.”
    â€œWhat’d you write about, Ben? Tell me some stories.”
    Ben fought to keep a straight face at her childish excitement. “I thought you told me you went to school?”
    â€œOh, I did. I got to the seventh grade. I can read. But I’m slow at it ’cause I have to skip over the big words.”
    â€œAll right, then. But first things first. We can’t get a bright-colored tent, because the color would stand out and might bring us visitors we don’t want. Understand?”
    â€œOh, yeah. Right.”
    â€œBut we will get a tent—somewhere. Next we’re going to get you some books. Some English books and a dictionary.”
    â€œThat’d be great.”
    â€œWhy didn’t your brother ever help you with reading?”
    â€œWhy ... I don’t know. I guess ’cause I never asked him.”
    Good reason, Ben thought.
    Â 
    Â 
    â€œWhich way did they go, bitch?” the voice rumbled out of the huge chest, exploding in the air.
    â€œI didn’t see them, Mister Campo,” the woman said. “I swear to God, I didn’t.”
    â€œThere ain’t no God around here but me, bitch,” Jake told her. “And you’d best remember that.”
    â€œNo, sir,” the woman told him.
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œI will not forsake my God and He will not forsake me.”
    Campo laughed. The woman thought him to be the ugliest man she had ever seen. His head was shaved clean and round as a basketball, and just about as large. His eyes were small and piggy. His nose was large; with the nostrils flared, he looked like a pig. His mouth was wide, the lips thick and constantly wet from saliva. The man seemed to have no neck. Just the head attached to massive shoulders. His arms were thickly muscled. A huge chest and big belly. But the big belly did not quiver and shake like a fat man’s. It