by Olah, Jeff
“Yeah,” Megan said. “We got cut off.”
“How close to home were they?”
“I’m not sure; the phone was breaking up pretty bad. I don’t think they were very far, the last time they checked in I think they were about six hours away.”
“Do you think Mason and Randy have—”
Their voices echoed along the walkway seconds before the first two men became visible. The first ran as if the building was on fire, followed closely by the smaller man with the jagged scar. As they reached the doorway, the first waited as the second entered the building, leaving the door open behind him. “They’re back!” one of the two shouted.
Silence for few seconds and then the same voice continued. “I don’t know. They were on foot and in bad shape.”
Another pause and again the same person spoke, although now at an increased speed and volume. “They’re bringing them in now… yes… I don’t really know; but he looks like he was shot in the leg.”
The remaining men rounded the corner. Two were carrying an injured man and another who looked only vaguely familiar, limped at the rear.
A new voice, much deeper and with a slight southern drawl, filtered out of the building as the last man stepped through the doorway. “Yes, both of them… Well we need to get him fixed up, and like quick. I don’t know, just a bit after we left… They were alone and we didn’t actually see him, but he was there.”
Sliding up next to Eleanor, Megan whispered, “What’s going on?”
“It looks like one of theirs is hurt, maybe more than one. I’m betting Randy or maybe Mason got the best of them. Savannah and the guys must have made it back.”
“I sure hope so,” Megan said. “I don’t understand why these people didn’t just try to come to an agreement with Brian. Once my dad got back, I’m sure he would have helped any way he could. Don’t you think?”
“I’m not sure your father is going to want to do anything to help these monsters. You do realize they set our homes on fire and killed at least ten of our people… right?”
Megan dropped her head. “I wasn’t in the main house when they came; they pulled me out of my living room and threw me in the car. When they came through the front door, I thought it was Randy coming back. I didn’t see very much before they brought us here.”
Megan heard it first, a few incoherent voices talking over one another and then the movement of what sounded like a few pieces of heavy furniture. Then nothing but absolute quiet.
The larger man who’d threatened them earlier exited the building, slammed the door behind him, and began removing the other women from their cages. Through the early morning air, Eleanor counted four others. Although filthy and on their hands and knees, she recognized the women from her community. Staying to herself for much of the last few months, their names were a bit hazy, although these women were still her family.
“Get up!” the man shouted. “You two go in here and you and her get into this one.”
He paired them up and forced them into the smaller cages, each one scarcely big enough for one person, let alone two. The women cried as they crawled along the frigid, wet concrete. They moved slowly into dark stainless steel cell, one labored inch at a time, flinching as the large man slammed the doors shut.
Before they had a chance to retreat, he’d already walked the short distance to their cage. Megan pulled back, although Eleanor remained near the door. The man crouched a few feet away and with the light at his back, his face remained in the shadows. Pausing briefly to collect his thoughts and take in a large breath, the huge man finally spoke. “Megan, it looks like your father made it home last night after all. That’s good news, trust me. My boys are going out to get him and when they do, we won’t need you… any of you.”
189
The middle seat had only slightly more space than the third row and as Dr. Lockwood sat next to his son, the others readied themselves. Mason and Brian stood inside the door, both shouldering their semi-automatic rifles. With Randy behind the wheel and Jack in the third row, the garage door began its ascent.
Window open and on the opposite side of the vehicle, Savannah sat back and covered the men as they started out into the street. Next to her, Sean and then his father near the opposite window made up the second row of seating.
As the SUV rolled down the driveway, the doctor questioned Sean about the lab and what items had been saved as he and Mason left the house. “Sean, are you certain? Without those two things, all of the research we’ve done was for nothing.”
“Yes, everything you said to pack is there. I checked it again while you were helping Randy load the car.”
“Thank you, Sean.”
“Dad?”
“Yes…”
Sean turned in his seat and in facing his father, lowered his voice. “You think we’ll ever get a chance to use any of your work? I mean, do you think we’ll ever cure this thing?”
Looking over Randy’s shoulder and out into the unexpectedly empty streets, Lockwood matched his son’s tone. “Cure… I’m not even sure that’s possible at this point. Although I think it may be within our control to stop the spread of the infection. And by stop it I mean to get to a point where it no longer poses a threat to our world.”
“I’m not sure I understand, like a vaccination? Sort of like a flu shot?”
“In theory,” Lockwood said. “That’s a long way off, although we can never stop trying. And by the way, I’m very impressed with the work you did while I was away. The delivery agent you created may just work. Once we get your sister back and to our next destination, you and I will get to work.”
“You think we will?” Sean asked.
“Will what?”
“Find Megan and get her back.”
“Sean, I have no doubt we’re going to get to her. She’s a fighter and from what the others have said, they didn’t appear to hurt any of the women or children. Those people must want something from us and this is their way of asking for it.”
“Dad, I think I know what those men want from us.”
“What?”
Sean dropped the volume of his voice yet again. “You… they were searching for one person only. Those men who killed our people were looking for you.”
Lockwood didn’t respond. He simply continued to glare out the front window as Randy waited for Mason to clear the front of the vehicle and then pulled alongside the generator.
“Dad, why did those men come for you?”
Fueling the SUV took less than ten minutes and in that time, Mason was only forced to fire his weapon once. Although the sound undoubtedly traveled for miles, very few additional Feeders breached the entrance to their community.
With Brian now seated along the third row with Jack, Mason waved Randy out into the street. Taking one last scan of the area before opening the passenger door, Mason looked to the sky as the rain began tapering off. Climbing in next to Randy, he nodded toward the entrance to the community. “Here we go.”
Out onto the highway and less than five minutes into their journey, the conversation turned to next steps. Randy kept his focus on the open road and only interjected when necessary. Mason detailed out the plan that he and Randy had agreed on and left little room for conjecture.
“I agree with Randy; the cover of night is our best option. We get into the city and look for any and all light sources. These people appear organized and must have established a home base.”
Brian leaned forward and asked the first and most obvious question. “How do we know for sure that they are even in the city? They could be set up anywhere, and the city is a big place.”
Without averting his attention, Randy said, “We’re gonna find them, isn’t that right, kid?”
“What’s he talking about?” Brian asked. “I realize you all have actual family, but how do we really know anything?”
Turning in his seat, Sean addressed the question. “In the last conversation I had with that person over the Sat Phone, he told me
that they were in the city. He may have been lying, although he quickly changed the subject and didn’t want to give any more information, so I’m assuming he may have slipped up. He quickly got off the phone and that was the last time I heard from him.”
“That’s what we’re basing our entire strategy on, a hunch?” Brian’s face began to turn a deep shade of red as he continued. “Mason, please tell me you have more than that. That we aren’t running off into the city based on—”
“Brian,” Mason said. “That’s enough. We’re going into the city we’re going to get our people, which include at least four of your own and there’s no room for second guessing ourselves. Either you’re in or you’re out, but if you’re in, then you are all the way in. I need every single person in this vehicle to be pushing in the same direction. So, do we need to stop and let you out, or are you going to help us do what needs to be done?”
No response. Brian turned to the window and looked out over the highway. He didn’t agree with the plan, although knowing that the chances of ever finding their people were slim at best, he figured it better to keep the peace, at least for the time being.
Reaching into the front seat, Lockwood tapped Mason on the shoulder and pointed to the idle car sitting alongside the road illuminated by their headlights. “Is that the car those men were in?”
Jack peeked from the third row and began to smile. “Yep, took out the front tires, the grill, and the windshield. I sighted them from about a hundred yards and they never saw it coming. Like taking candy from a baby.”
Randy coughed. “A hundred yards, huh? I bet the kid here gives you a run for your money at twice that distance. You’re good, Jack. I mean real good, but the kid here is a genius with a—”
His voice trailing off mid-sentence, Randy leaned forward and squinted into the darkness. Quickly fumbling for the knob and then flipping on the high beams he said, “You’ve got to be kidding me… is that Grant?”
190
Slowing to within thirty feet of the late model truck, Randy left the lights on and the engine running. He and Mason opened their windows and gave the others instructions in the event that things turned out the way they normally did.
Checking their weapons, they each stepped out of their respective sides and reconvened in front of the SUV. With the engine running and the wind beginning to assault the shore, Randy was confident their exchange would stay between him and Mason only.
“So, we go check it out and then we get back on the road, no hero stuff. If Grant is around we take him and the truck. If not, we just take the truck and go.”
Peering back into the SUV, Mason said, “We’re gonna leave Grant? Brian may have something to say about that.”
“We’re not leaving him, but we’re also not running out onto the beach or into those woods looking for him. He’s on his own, but we may need the truck.”
“Why?”
“No room left in the SUV, when we get to our people, we’re gonna need somewhere to put them.” Randy stepped away from the SUV and started up the highway, the headlamps glaring against his backside.
Back in the SUV, Lockwood leaned into the front seat and raised both windows, “Getting a bit drafty. I just finally warmed up; I have no intention of freezing to death inside this vehicle.”
“Hey doc,” Jack said. “My head is pounding something fierce. Do you know if I hit it on something back at the beach?”
Lockwood turned to face Jack and said, “Probably not, although due to the lack of oxygen and blood flow to your brain when they were on top of you, it’s pretty normal. You’ll be fine in a few hours.”
“Great.”
“Just lay back and relax, I’m sure a bit of rest wouldn’t hurt.”
“Rest? That’s a joke, right?”
Leaning around his friend, Brian motioned toward the door. “Let me out, I’m going to help them find Grant, and if he’s in the same state of mind he was earlier, they may need me.”
Lockwood, Sean, and Savannah slid out and let Brian pass, before hurrying to jump back into their seats. Brian slid his weapon into his waistband and jogged off to catch the others at the truck.
As he broke free of the glare of the headlights, Brian made his way up to the truck. He nodded toward the highway as Mason and Randy came near. “Any sign of Grant?”
“None,” Randy said, looking off into the trees. “I can’t seem to locate any tracks leading away and no signs of a struggle either. It’s like he just disappeared into the night.”
The men peered into the cab and as Randy reached into the front seat to pick up the keys left behind, Mason pointed toward the shoulder of the road. “We’ve got company.”
Brian joined Mason around the front of the truck as Randy slid in behind the wheel and shoved the keys into the ignition. He watched as the others moved off onto the shoulder to get a better vantage and then slowly backed down the highway.
Pulling the truck alongside the SUV, Randy got out and stepped aside as Savannah opened her door. “Any sign of Grant?” she asked.
“Nope.”
“What are they doing?”
“Looks like a group of Feeders,” Randy said. “I think they went to see if maybe Grant headed off in that direction. Doesn’t matter though, we’re leaving.”
Mason trotted out first and within another ten seconds, Brian exited the trees. They met near the truck as Randy shifted into park and stepped out. “Anything”
“Nothing,” Mason said. “But we do need to move. Grant is on his own—this was his choice. We can’t wait around. Brian, you and Jack alright following us in the truck?”
“We’re taking the truck?” Brian said. “What if Grant comes back?”
“It wasn’t his to take in the first place. We’re gonna need this vehicle to transport the others once we—”
“Hey,” Brian said. “Not everything we do here needs your blessing. We are also individuals with our own needs. Listen Mason, I respect that you want to do what’s right and you feel the need to step up as a leader, although no one actually appointed you as such. I think we should put it to a vote.”
“Brian, we are leaving,” Mason said “But I’ll tell you what, we’ll leave you the truck and some supplies. You can stay and wait around for Grant and possibly get yourself killed for him… or you can come with us.”
Mason stepped to within eighteen inches, both men locking eyes. “But, this is the last time you ever question me. I’m doing what needs to be done for the good of everyone. Individuals have no place here; we work together as a team, or not at all.”
Brian bit into his lip and stared at Mason. Turning away, he simply held out his hand and waited for Randy to hand him the keys. He paused for a moment and then turned to Sean. “You got a walkie for us?”
Stepping into the truck, he motioned for Jack to hop in the cab beside him. He still wasn’t completely satisfied with how things were progressing, although for now he’d play nice. Brian could justify leaving Grant and if that meant finding the rest of their family. The sacrifice may just be worth it. He just prayed Mason was right.
Switching on the walkie as they pulled back out onto the highway, Jack depressed the talk button and killed the static. “Mason, you read me?”
Static again and then a voice. “We’re good, let’s only use these things if we have to. We’ll turn them off for now and if I need you, we’ll put a hand out the window. You do the same. Let’s save the batteries; no telling when we’ll have the chance to charge them again. You guys good with that?”
As the road opened up and the caravan of two bolted down the highway, Jack put his window down, switched the walkie into his left hand, and reached his right out into the cold night air and began to wave. “You guys able to see me?”
A brief pause and then a voice shot back through the speaker. “Just barely, we’ll keep an eye out for you guys as we roll into the city. Just stay close.”
“Sounds good,” Jack said. “Switching off now, let’s all be safe.�
�
Cresting the next peak, the city sat visible on the horizon. Multiple structures thrusting up toward the night sky dotted the landscape with visible spot fires. In the year that the world forgot about humanity, the once bustling metropolitan area was transformed into a desolate jungle. Every corner held another hazard simply waiting for the opportunity to strike.
If the stories held true, many of the smaller cities were now run by separate groups of local insurgents. Even surviving a night contending with them would be astonishing, to say nothing of the massive hordes that seemed to be drawn to the larger more populated areas. They had their work cut out for them.
Mason switched off the walkie and dropped it into the center console. He turned to Randy and said, “Am I being too hard on him?”
“Mason, you know where I stand. I’m going to find Megan. Everything else just falls under the process of getting there.”
“I just feel responsible for bringing Brian and his people here. So far that hasn’t really—”
A silhouetted figure less than a mile away struggled to walk along the shoulder. Mason turned away from Randy and leaned into the dash. “You have to be kidding me… it’s him.”
191
His head still pounded. It’s getting worse, Jack thought. Every spot of light in the distance became a brilliant dagger slicing deep into each cornea. The rhythmic movement of the truck tires bounding against the roadway twisted his stomach until the option of vomiting appeared enjoyable.
Placing his hands over his face, he leaned back into the seat and closed his eyes. The blacked out environment doubled the nausea, although it dampened the sledgehammer doing work on his frontal lobe. Jack silently begged for mercy.
