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by Kyle Danvers

  “Colonel,” Scott said, saluting him. The Colonel nodded, apparently giving them access, and Scott ushered Nate and Cass inside, leaving Austin and the other guards to wait out by the door, seemingly by custom.

  “Scott,” the Colonel answered. Evidently, military decorum had gone out the window along with the rest of the world after the EMP. “Who’s this?” he asked, eyeing Nate and Cass. Nate could only imagine what he must look like to the Colonel, covered in dirt and whatever else he must’ve picked up along the way. It’d been days since Nate had seen his reflection, and he figured that was a good thing.

  “Some old neighbor kids of mine. Somehow, they made it here, and they’d like to talk to you about earning their keep,” Scott said. The Colonel raised his eyebrows at the two of them.

  “What’s your names?” he asked, his voice booming. It made Nate jump, which also made Scott chuckle.

  “Don’t mind them, they’re a little on edge, understandably,” Scott said and clapped Nate on the shoulder.

  “I-I’m Nate, sir,” Nate said, his voice coming out much more meek than he’d intended.

  “Cass,” his sister answered. The Colonel sat staring at the both of them for a moment, seemingly unsure of what to say or do, then abruptly stood from behind the desk to come and stand before them. He glared Nate down, which forced Nate’s eyes to the floor, before moving on to Cass.

  “How did you get here?” he asked.

  “We drove, sir,” Cass said, seemingly picking up on Nate’s on comfortability and making up for it. It didn’t make Nate feel better. He couldn’t even speak up over his sister, two years younger. Now more than ever, it was time for him to be a man, a real man, and stand up for himself rather than being taken care of all the time. He couldn’t afford to be scared anymore, couldn’t afford to let others take the reins.

  “Did you come alone?” he asked, turning his gaze to Cass.

  “Of course we did, just us,” Nate said, drawing the attention back to himself. “We wouldn’t have made it if we had anyone else.”

  “Were you followed?” the Colonel asked. That was a bizarre question, given that anyone within a few miles from here would’ve have seen the base and thought to come here, but Nate shook his head anyway.

  “Not that I know of,” he answered.

  “That you know of?” The Colonel asked, getting closer to him. Nate’s heart hammered in his chest. The Colonel was trying to intimidate him, but Nate couldn’t let it happen. He took a deep breath and stared into the Colonel’s cold blue eyes, refusing to look away despite the fear clenched in his chest.

  “No, sir. We weren’t followed,” Nate insisted, his voice steadying.

  “Good. Why did you come?”

  “We had nowhere else to go,” Nate said.

  “Why?”

  “Because both of our parents are…” Nate couldn’t finish the sentence; it hurt too much to admit. And, more than that, he wasn’t sure if it was true. Joel might still be out there somewhere, looking for them, coming back for them, but the Colonel didn’t need to know that, didn’t need to be given any more reason to be suspicious of he and Cass.

  “Come on, Robert, they’re just scared kids,” Scott said, interrupting just as the Colonel had opened his mouth to ask another question. Nate dared to let the breath out of his lungs, doing his best to make his sagging shoulders unnoticeable. Was this all a game? Was Scott sitting by and letting him sweat just to see what Nate would say?

  “You know these kids?”

  “Yeah, like I said, they used to be my neighbors. The girl dated Austin for a while,” Scott said. The Colonel turned to look at Cass, who stared down at the floor in embarrassment and smiled at her. “They’re good kids, at least as far as I know. I’m sure they’ll pull their weight, won’t you kids?”

  “Absolutely,” Nate answered, though he had no idea what he'd agreed to do. What did pulling their weight even mean?

  “And you?” The Colonel asked Cass. She looked up at him, her brow furrowed.

  “Of course,” Cass said.

  “Fine. They can stay, but if anything happens, it’s on you, Scott,” the Colonel said, and Nate felt as if the weight of the world had lifted off his shoulders. He couldn’t believe his ears. They were being allowed to stay, but why? Just because Scott said they were good kids?

  Weren’t all the people outside fundamentally good people too? Nate didn’t understand the difference between him and his sister and all those others. Still, he couldn’t fight, didn’t want to throw away the first real break he'd gotten. He had to make the best of it and try not to get hung up on the particulars.

  “Understood,” Scott said.

  “Take them to the bunks,” the Colonel said. “We’ll get them acquainted with how things work around here in the morning.”

  “You heard the man, let’s go,” Scott said and ushered them back outside. As they passed the door, Austin slipped his hand into Cass’s, smiling at her. Nate didn’t know what to make of that, but he hoped it was a good thing. It would give them some leverage if, in fact, things didn’t work out for them at the base. It was a different world now, but Nate found it hard to believe anyone with a heart would try to tear apart a young couple—or a young brother and sister.

  They stepped out into the fresh air, Nate drinking down gulps of it to calm his nerves. They walked wordlessly toward the front of the base and Nate felt like he was on a march, toward what he didn’t know, but it had to be better than being at home, exposed and alone.

  “What did he mean by the way things work around here?” Nate asked, and Scott chuckled.

  “Everyone has to earn their keep. We have limited power and supplies here, but it’s not for nothing. If you want to live on the base, you’ve got to pull your weight,” Scott said.

  “How?” Nate asked.

  “However you’re told. Welcome to the military, son,” Scott said and kept walking without another word. Nate didn’t like the sound of it, but he resolved to do whatever he had to do to earn himself and Cass their places on the base. Scott wasn’t wrong; it was the safest place in the area to be right now, at least until things settled down—assuming they ever did.

  They were approaching another large building, not unlike the one the Colonel called his base when a soldier came running to Scott, yelling after him.

  “What is it?” Scott asked when the soldier caught up.

  “Commotion at the gate, some crazy man out there screaming,” the soldier said. Nate’s heart leaped into his throat. The gate loomed not far away, but far enough Nate couldn’t see the particulars. Several other soldiers stood in front of it, their guns raised, their bright lights pointed to whoever it was outside.

  “Stay here, and don’t do anything stupid,” Scott said to the two of them. Given the number of soldiers around them, Nate would never have dreamed of it. “Austin, come with me,” Scott said, and together they ran toward the gate.

  “What the hell’s going on?” Nate asked Cass. She shrugged, but she looked concerned.

  “I don’t know, but it probably isn’t good. Why else would they have all those guys at the gate?” she asked. It was a good question. “Only one way to find out,” she continued, and she started to walk after Scott and Austin.

  “What are you doing?” Nate hissed at her, reaching out to stop her. “Scott told us to stay put. Are you trying to get us thrown out of here already?” Nate asked. He was never the troublemaking type, but his sister had always been the exact opposite, and if anything were going to get them thrown to the wolves, it would be her.

  “Come on,” Cass said and yanked him forward. Though every voice in the back of Nate’s head told him it was an awful idea, he couldn’t resist. They stepped forward, carefully, but no one seemed to notice or care because they were too focused on the gate and the commotion going on outside.

  As they got closer, Nate heard a voice, a man’s voice, screaming, but he couldn’t make out the words. The light was so blinding that Nate couldn’t se
e the person on the other side of the gate either—but it wasn’t just one person. Two figures were lit up in the blinding light. They stepped forward, holding each other’s hands, and Nate let out a gasp when the people outside the gate came into focus.

  One was a younger woman he didn’t recognize. The other was his father.

  27

  Joel had nothing left to lose.

  With lights blinding him, so bright they watered his eyes, he refused to stand down. Men screamed at him from every angle, their guns raised, ready to pull the trigger.

  Joel couldn’t prove it, had no concrete evidence, but his kids were inside the base, and he had to get to them. He had to know they were alive, that they were safe if nothing else.

  “Stand down!” one of the men shouted, and though Joel couldn’t see him, from the sound of his voice, it was clear the guard was close.

  “My kids are inside; you have to let me in!” Joel shouted back.

  “Yeah right, you expect us to believe that? If we believed every schmuck who came here claiming their kids were inside, the place would’ve collapsed days ago,” the man shouted back.

  “Then ask for them. Cass and Nate Baker. Tell them their father is here and wants to see them,” Joel shouted. He knew he must look crazy to them, covered in dirt and blood, unshowered and unshaven, but he was telling the truth. How could Joel make them see it? How could he convince them?

  The man didn’t answer. Maybe that’d done the trick. Joel waited, holding his breath, and heard a commotion from behind the gate. Voices were talking, a hushed conversation he couldn’t make out, but seconds later the blinding light fell away. Joel’s vision melted back into focus, overcome by darkness, and he found Ashley standing next to him, her hands raised in self-defense as well.

  “Who are you?” a different voice shouted, vaguely familiar.

  “Joel. Joel Baker, father of Cassidy and Nate Baker,” Joel shouted back. “I know they’re in there somewhere; they have to be. Please, just let me see them, just let me talk to them.”

  “Well, slap my ass and call me Shirley, if it isn’t Joel Baker after all!” the voice laughed back, tickling Joel’s ears with recognition. Who was that talking?

  “Who are you?” Joel asked.

  “Scott Matthews,” the voice shouted, and Joel blinked a few times until finally, the man he was speaking to came into focus. Beyond all believability, it was his neighbor, the man who had turned him on to survival preparedness in the first place. Joel had known Scott was a service guy, but he had no idea he would find him there, no idea they would end up on opposite sides of the fence like this.

  “Scott! Scott, is that you?” Joel asked. He still couldn’t see very well, but the man nodded.

  “In the flesh. How the hell did you come to be separated from your kids anyway?” Scott asked.

  “It’s a long story. I was on a trip; things fell apart, I don’t think I need to explain,” Joel said. “Please, Scott, you know me, you know I’m not a risk. Just let me in, let me see them.” Joel had come so far and had lost so much; he wasn’t about to give up hope on his kids now. They were so close he swore he could almost see them.

  “You say you’re not a risk, but you don’t exactly look like you aren’t,” Scott said. “Who’s the girl?”

  “A friend I met along the way,” Joel answered. There was no sense in lying about it, especially not to somebody like Scott, who probably would have put two and two together already before asking anyway.

  “And I’m supposed to trust her too?” Scott asked. “You gotta admit, you look a little fishy, standing out there covered in blood and screaming like a crazy person.”

  “I’m only crazy because I know who’s inside. This is Ashley. She’s a medic; she’s trustworthy. She helped me get all the way here from Woodacre,” Joel said.

  “Woodacre? Damn, Baker, I knew you were a tough mother fucker, but I’m impressed,” Scott called back, and Joel rankled. Why was he laughing? None of this was funny.

  “Please, Scott, you have no idea what I’ve been through to get here,” Joel begged. “Can you at least tell me that they’re there? Can you do that?” Joel was desperate, and while he would’ve preferred to see them, just knowing they were alive and inside would be enough for now.

  “Sure are,” Scott said, and Joel fell to his knees, overcome. His kids were alive. He wanted to believe it so badly, wanted to know they were safe, but until now, he hadn’t been able to convince himself of it.

  “Are they okay?” Joel asked through the tightness in his throat. He didn’t want to cry, not in front of all these wiry military guys, but he couldn’t help himself. His kids were alive, after everything, they were alive.

  “They aren’t bad. A little roughed up, but I guess that’s to be expected,” Scott said. “Now get up off your knees, and get in here,” Scott said and Joel couldn’t believe his ears. Was Scott going to let him inside?

  “What about Ashley?” Joel asked. He turned to find Ashley with wide eyes, looking scared.

  “Ashley? Well, I guess she can come too. Lord knows we could use someone who knows how to patch people up,” Scott said. “Come a little closer to the gate, slowly. We don’t want anybody else sneaking in,” he continued. Joel climbed to his feet, brushed the dirt off his knees, and reached for Ashley’s hand. He didn’t want to do this alone; he needed her now as much as he’d ever needed her.

  They stepped forward slowly, as told, but Joel couldn’t shake the eyes watching him—both people on their side of the fence and the armed men on the other side. His body tensed with each step, afraid at any moment things could ignite.

  A circle of armed guards formed a human shield in front of the gate as it started to open, their guns aimed and ready to fire if anyone besides Joel and Ashley tried to rush inside. Joel couldn’t hear anything over the pounding of his heart in his ears as he stepped forward, and when rough hands grabbed him and threw him through the gate before it slammed closed again, he nearly fell forward.

  He was inside. Ashley was with him, still holding his hand, and tears were in her eyes.

  “Where are they?” Joel asked. He didn’t care about anything else. He was through the gate, he was relatively safe, and he wanted his kids.

  “Look,” Ashley said, pointing. Joel followed her finger, some hundred feet away, and saw two teens holding hands, a mirror image of himself and Ashley. Joel didn’t hesitate, he ran for them, threw his arms around the both of them, enveloped by their presence and their tears.

  “Dad?” Cass asked, her words barely understandable through her crying. Joel couldn’t speak, all he could do was hold Cass’s face in his hands, afraid that if he let go, she might disappear. What if she wasn’t real? What if none of this was real, just some fevered, dehydrated delusion?

  But Nate was there too, his arm slung around Joel’s shoulder, and when he looked into Nate’s eyes, he realized just how real things were. Somehow, against all the odds, his kids had survived. They’d made it to this base, the safest place in the area, and now they were all back together—almost all of them.

  “I went to the house. Your mother, what happened?” Joel asked. Both Nate and Cass looked away, unable to speak. But it didn’t matter to Joel. Whatever it was, it was probably just as painful for them to relive as it’d been for Joel to find. Now that they were together again, safe behind the walls of the military, there’d be plenty of time to talk about it later. They didn’t have to relive it all now.

  Joel couldn’t imagine what they’d been through, the horrible things they must’ve seen. If their journey was anything like his, it was unspeakable at best and unimaginable at worst. Instead, he pulled Cass and Nate both close to his chest, wrapped an arm around each of them.

  Whatever else happened, Joel would make sure they were never apart again.

  Joel would never leave them alone the way he had before. He had no choice. Now that Shelby was gone, now that he was the only parent they had left, he owed it to both of them to make sure they
were never alone, never unprotected.

  He owed Shelby that.

  “Who’s that?” Cass asked, stirring Joel back into reality. Without letting go of either of the kids, he turned to find Ashley with tears in her eyes. He wished that Ashley could’ve had a reunion like this too, that things had been better for her. But maybe this was a chance for them all to start over, to be a group that got through whatever came their way.

  Though things had improved beyond Joel’s wildest imagination, it was far from the end. It’d only been a few days, maybe even a week—Joel had lost all track of time—but there would be challenges to come. Even inside a heavily fortified military base like the one Joel stood in, there would be no end to the assault from the world outside.

  The kids would need Joel to be strong. And Joel would need Ashley to keep him that way, so he reached out to her, beckoned her over.

  “Kids, this is Ashley,” Joel said, breaking the awkward silence between them by introducing her. Ashley smiled at the two of them, her eyes full of tears, and waved. “Without her, I wouldn’t be here; I would never have made it.”

  “It’s nice to meet you finally,” Ashley said. “You look just like your father, both of you.” Joel couldn’t explain it, but the comment warmed his heart. He was grateful that after all Ashley had seen and done, she’d somehow managed to hold on to some shred of her humanity, something that kept her kindness intact.

  Now that his kids were in his arms and his family was reunited, Joel hoped he’d be able to find something like that within himself as well. Because as much as this new world would require strength to survive, it would also need connection. Joel didn’t know when or if things would get better, he didn’t know if the world might ever return to the way it’d been before, but he couldn’t lose himself to it. Joel had come close, more than once, to falling off that cliff, but with his kids and Ashley at his side, he felt hope for the first time in what seemed like months.