by Nancy Isaak
She was wearing a white lab coat and latex gloves; a surgical mask dangled from around her neck. “I told you before not to touch him,” Jay reprimanded me. “We don’t know how infectious he is.”
“But I thought Porter was getting better?” I said. “He’s been sick for so long.”
“Which should have been your first clue.” Jay poured a glass of water from a pitcher on the side table, then held it for Porter to drink. “Whatever he’s got is serious, Jacob…really serious. It’s why I won’t let Porter go with you.”
Porter pushed the glass away. “It’s because she’s a control freak.”
With a sniff, Jay placed the glass on the table. Then, she picked up a thermometer, shaking it. “You really suck at being a patient, Porter, you know that, right?”
“Whatever,” groaned Porter, lying back on his pillow.
“Open,” commanded Jay, holding out the thermometer.
Reluctantly, Porter opened his mouth—just enough so that Jay could insert the thermometer. A few moments later, she pulled it back out, checking the temperature.
“You’re still high,” she told him. “We need to get your fever down.”
“I’m fine.” Porter grunted.
He didn’t look fine. In fact, his skin looked pale and clammy and his eyes were red—rimmed with fatigue and sickness.
* * * *
While Porter slept fitfully in his bed, Jay and I spoke quietly to each other on the far side of the room.
“I’m having a hard time regulating his temperature,” Jay told me. “It keeps going really high. And the coughing all the time is sapping his strength. He coughed up some blood a little while ago.”
That scared me. “Coughing up blood…that’s really bad, isn’t it?”
“It’s not good,” admitted Jay. “But it could simply be that all that hacking away has messed with a blood vessel in his throat.”
“Well, would it be better if we didn’t go on this trip?” I asked. “I mean, if Porter is really sick, wouldn’t it make more sense for us to stay? You’d have Connor to help you, then.”
Jay shook her head. “Look around you, Jacob. There are five guys sick in here, including Porter and Kieran. If there’s an epidemic coming through the tribe, it’s better if we have as much medicine as we can get. Plus, I’ve given Connor a list of stuff that might make it easier for us to diagnose things like this.”
“Is that even possible?” I said. “I mean—no offense, Jay—but you’re not a real doctor. You’re a teenager—a smart teenager—but still.”
“And you’re a 17-year old running a tribe,” she countered. “You and I are both doing the best we can. That’s all we can ask for.” Jay looked over at Porter who appeared to have fallen asleep. “And a good microscope and a diagnosis reference book—I’ll ask for that, too.”
“You think that you can find out what Porter has if you look at his blood under a microscope? That’s what you want Connor to find.”
Jay nodded. “If Connor can find something in the hospital—some sort of reference manual that has photos—we can check what we see under the microscope to what we see in the pictures. Then, maybe we’ll be able to diagnose Porter and anyone else who’s sick.”
“And then you’ll know what medicine to give them.”
“Exactly.”
* * * *
Like Shawnee, Cammie had wanted to come on the expedition. However, with Kieran sick in the Medical Clinic, there was no way that she was leaving the Point.
“His temperature keeps going up and down,” she told me, worriedly. We were sitting together by Kieran’s bed, talking quietly as we watched him toss and turn in his sleep.
“The same with Porter,” I said. “Is he coughing a lot?”
As if he heard me speaking, Kieran coughed a couple of times. Cammie reached over and—wearing surgical gloves—took a wet cloth and held it against my brother’s forehead.
“He’s actually doing a lot better than Porter,” she whispered. “Jay thinks that he’s gone through the worst of it.”
“Has she put him on antibiotics?”
Cammie shook her head. “The supply is low and Jay doesn’t want to use it up unless she absolutely has to. Plus, she said that she can’t even be sure if antibiotics will help until she knows exactly what it is Kieran has.”
“But she’s certain he’s getting better?”
“Absolutely,” Cammie said. “There’s been a big difference in the last couple of days.”
“Then, I wonder why Porter isn’t getting better.”
“Jay thinks that maybe it could be because Porter has something different than Kieran,” Cammie explained. “Like maybe he doesn’t have the flu. Or maybe it’s because Kieran is healthier…like he’s so fit, right.”
“That kind of makes sense,” I nodded. “Kieran hardly ever gets sick. And when he does, he gets better really quick.”
“Bro…” It was Kieran, stifling a small cough as he woke up and turned toward us. Cammie immediately moved forward, helping Kieran to sit up, fluffing a pillow behind his back.
“How you feeling?” I asked.
Kieran wiped a hand across his brow. “Pretty choppy, man. Are you guys heading out now?”
I nodded. “In a bit. I just wanted to talk to you before I left.”
“You worried that I might not be here when you get back?” he grinned.
“Not even,” I sniffed. “You’re too ornery.”
“Then, why the super-serious face?” he asked. “What’s on your mind?”
“Did Josh come and see you?”
Kieran nodded. “Just before he went back up to Agoura Hills. Something going on with him that I need to know about.”
“Kind of,” I said. “Mainly it’s about Kaylee. I need you to look after her.”
“Of course…but what does that have to do with Josh?”
“I’ve asked him to keep an eye out for Victor,” I told him. “I can’t get rid of the feeling that douchebag might come after Kaylee while I’m gone.”
“You want me to shadow Kaylee here on the Point?”
“No.” I shook my head. “She’s got her guards for that.”
“Then, what?”
“I want you to be the go-between—between Josh, the Stars and us. I mean, when you get well, of course. I’d just feel better knowing that you’d be the one taking in the information.”
“And keeping the Victor-news from Kaylee, I’m suspecting,” he guessed.
“She’s going to have so much on her shoulders,” I explained, “what with running the tribe and everything. The last thing she needs is to be worrying about Victor.”
“Yeah, sure. Whatever, dude. I’ll make sure I’m the one heading up to the water tower.”
“And if anything goes down, you know our route. You send someone to get us.”
There was laughter from across the room. I turned to look at Pauly, arm-wrestling with Florenza on his bed. She had one arm pinned and was using the other to try and push Pauly away, while—with puckered lips—he was threatening to kiss her.
“Sheesh,” I muttered. “They’re still at it, huh?”
“They never stop,” Kieran complained. “It’s embarrassing.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” I grinned—raising my eyebrows at Cammie, then at him.
Kieran looked incensed. “We were never as bad as them!”
“Florenza’s getting a Crazy-tattoo,” Cammie piped up. “She says it’s so she can go on missions with Pauly.”
That was news to me.
I took a good long look at the girl who’d almost killed Pauly. She seemed to sense that I was watching and turned toward me. Pauly—seeing my interest, leaned over and whispered something into Florenza’s ear. With a grin, she opened her mouth the tiniest bit and—with a flick of her tongue—teased out a razor blade.
A moment later—the blade disappeared back into her mouth.
* * * *
The eighth member of our little e
xpedition was Topher.
With Pauly sidelined, it made sense to take him with us. Topher was from Ventura—one city away from Oxnard—so he had a good knowledge of the area we’d be traveling in.
Plus Topher had a Crazy tattoo.
While we didn’t anticipate meeting up with any Crazies since their territory lay in the opposite direction—we still thought it smart to be prepared. If, somehow, the Crazies had expanded north out of the Valley, Topher would be able to get us through any checkpoints.
* * * *
Even though we had enough horses, I ignored Rhys’ whining and decided that we would be traveling by bicycle. Because of the situation with the Crazies, I wanted Kaylee and our guys to have the horses—for riding from the Point to the different sentry positions, and up to the water tower and back.
Our expedition team also had a large list of things to bring back with us. Because of that, I felt it would be easier to use bikes instead of horses; I was afraid towing a bike trailer would spook them.
It was actually Topher’s idea to use a trailer. Apparently, he knew of a bike store in Oxnard that sold little trailers that you could attach to the back of a bicycle. If they were still there when we arrived, the trailers would be ideal to carry our supplies. If they weren’t there, our plan was to jury-rig some sort of hooking-system between our bikes and shopping carts which we would pick up along the way.
However—if we did come across any horses—we would definitely be bringing them back with us.
* * * *
We had a massive list of supplies that our tribemates were requesting—everything from new socks to yoyos. Needless to say, our team wasn’t going to be able to bring back everything.
Instead, it was our intention to create supply depots along the way. We would stash our ‘finds’ in safehouses, returning later on to collect everything.
On this trip, the only items that we would definitely be bringing back to the Point right away would be weapons, medical supplies, and any instructional book that would help make life easier for the tribe. Not everyone was happy about that, but there simply wouldn’t be enough room on the trailers for everything else.
We had to prioritize.
At the last minute, however, I added one more item to our homebound-list, when Frank approached me as we were packing up to leave and handed me a piece of paper.
“I need seeds,” he told me. “So, if you’re going past any gardening stores, places like that, I’d appreciate it if you could search for them. I’ve written down the fruits and vegetables I think would be most likely to grow well here on the Point.”
“When do they have to be planted?” I asked, reading over his list.
Frank shrugged. “Yesterday would have been good.”
* * * *
It was incredibly difficult leaving Kaylee.
While the rest of the team secured sleeping bags and backpacks to their bikes, I stood to one side—arms around my wife.
“Please, Jacob,” Kaylee begged. “Please don’t take any unnecessary chances.”
“I won’t,” I promised. “We’re just going to get in there, get what we need, stash the rest and come on home.”
“And you won’t go anywhere near the Valley, right? Promise me.”
“We’re not even going in that direction, Kaylee.”
“Do you have your gun?” She patted my jacket until she felt the shape of my weapon under my arm.
“What about you?” I said, running my hands around her waist. “How come I don’t feel your weapon?”
Kaylee motioned to the armed guards standing off to the side. “They’ll take care of me.”
I shook my head, unhappy. “That’s not enough. I want you carrying a gun at all times. Now, you promise me that.”
There were tears in Kaylee’s eyes as she nodded. I leaned down and kissed her, once on each cheek—and then on the lips.
“I love you, sweet,” I told her. “And I’ll be back sooner than you think…I promise.”
But…I was wrong.
* * * *
My last view of Kaylee was of her standing at the top of the cliff. I had stopped my bike down on the highway, just off of Zuma Beach. She was barely visible, just a shape really—but I knew it was her.
There were two smaller shapes beside her; I expected they were Lily and Hannah. All three of them, seeing me looking back, waved.
“You’re wondering if you’re making a mistake leaving, aren’t you?” Jude came rolling up beside me on her bike. She stopped and leaned over, placing an arm over my shoulders. “Let’s make Kaylee jealous, what do you say?” she grinned. “Give me a kiss, pretty boy.”
I shrugged off her arm. “It wouldn’t work. Kaylee trusts you completely.”
“Dude,” she sniffed, “it wouldn’t work because Barbie trusts you completely.”
Getting back on my bike, I put it into gear and started pedaling. Jude rode beside me. “By the way, your little wife annoys the crap out of me, but I’ll still knock your head off if you hurt her.”
I grinned at Jude. “And that is exactly why she loves you so much.”
“Oh, shaddup!” she growled, embarrassed.
Pedaling faster, Jude moved off in front of me. As she did, I turned in my seat to look back up at the cliff. I couldn’t see Kaylee anymore. Her absence struck me deeply. It felt like something was suddenly missing—like I’d left a part of myself behind.
Which in truth—I had.
* * * *
Our first stop was to be our farthest sentry station at Point Mugu.
Andrei and Ian arrived well before the rest of us. They rode quickly, swerving this way and that along the highway—making a game of it. Because they were so fast, we made them our ‘point men’; they were responsible for making sure that our route was secure.
Rhys and Cherry came next. They chatted easily as they rode along, although I had the feeling that Cherry was grilling Rhys about his feelings toward Shawnee.
Traveling more slowly, Connor and Jude followed about a hundred yards behind Rhys and Cherry. I had been worried about how Connor would do with his bum leg, but he seemed to be handling the pedaling without any problems.
Meanwhile, Topher and I rode at the end of the pack. It gave me a chance to talk to the kid, get to know him a little better. In truth, I barely knew Topher—only that he came from Ventura and that Pauly liked having him on his team.
“When the world went butt-end up,” Topher told me, “I figured I’d head on down into Los Angeles. Maybe go live in Disneyland. Thought that might be fun.”
“But you only got as far as the Point,” I said.
He nodded. “Met you guys. Liked what I saw. Decided to stay.”
“How come you didn’t remain in Ventura? Weren’t there any guys there?”
“There were some,” he admitted. “A couple I knew from school. But honestly—they were dicks. It just seemed smarter to be on my own than to live with them.”
“What was it like when you came through Oxnard?” I asked, wanting to know what we might be heading into.
“That was over six months ago,” Topher said. “It was pretty empty. I mean, I’d see a guy here or there. Mostly, it was just quiet, though. When I came down Pacific Coast Highway and found you guys on the Point, I was shocked at how many you were.”
“Then, you definitely didn’t see any Crazies out this way?”
Topher shook his head. “Didn’t even know they existed until I reached Point Dume.”
* * * *
When we reached Point Mugu, the head sentry—Larry—took great pride in showing me the bonfire Kaylee and her team had put up. “They did a good job,” Larry noted, as I walked around the bonfire, admiring it. “She gave us the dyes to make it change color and everything.”
“How do you start it?” I asked.
Larry moved to a nearby stone and tapped it with his foot. “Kaylee buried the starter supplies in a plastic container under this rock. Some of the dye is in here, too.”
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“Very smart.”
“She’s a smart girl, that’s for sure,” Larry agreed.
“Just one of the many reasons that I married her.”
“I heard that her team is putting up other bonfires.”
I nodded. “There are plans to build a sequence of them along Encinal. Kaylee also wants to put some south on Pacific Coast Highway, but that might be a little difficult with the Crazies moving along it.”
“Still—it’s a good idea. We built a second bonfire, by the way.” He pointed across the road, up the mountain on the other side. “Right at the top of Mugu Peak.”
“Heck of a climb if you need to get up there. I’ve hiked that trail,” I said. “It’s a real bitch.”
“That it is,” said Larry. “But we figure that if the Crazies have us cornered, going up Mugu Peak might be a way out for us. So, if we’ve got a bonfire up there, we can light it as we retreat.”
“Sounds like you’re thinking that the Crazies might be coming from the north—curving around the mountain and coming in from Camarillo way?”
“That’s our worry,” admitted Larry.
“Have you seen any evidence of Crazies coming from that direction?” I asked, concerned.
Larry shook his head. “We don’t think so. I mean, when we’re up on Mugu Peak we’ve got a pretty good view of everything and we’ve definitely seen movement over near Las Posas Road. Anybody coming down that road could certainly be coming from Crazy territory.”
“But they didn’t come near here?”
“Not, yet,” he said. “And when we go to investigate, they’re gone. Coming down Mugu Peak, we lose sight of them by the time we reach the ground, so we’re not really sure where they go.”
“How many guys have you seen coming down Las Posas Road?”
“Well, it’s not just guys. We’re pretty sure we’ve seen girls, too. Probably about eight or nine in total.”
