46 Hours To Home

by Pat Riot

  At the intersection they both looked both directions, then crossed at a run. They moved straight into the field, electing to use it as cover so they could rest and also knowing that the hospital was just to the north. They came to a cattle fence and Rob made a small opening big enough to crawl through by stepping and pushing down on the lowest barbed wire and at the same time pulling up on the middle one. “Pass your bag through then go through yourself, then do the same for me.” Rachel complied, and Rob was quickly through himself. They jogged several hundred feet into the field until they reached the first rise and dip in the terrain.

  “I’m going to check behind us to make sure no one is following. You scout ahead and find somewhere we can rest. Make sure it’s in a spot that can’t be seen from the houses,” Rob said. He knelt and studied the neighborhood they just left, watching for movement.

  “Got it,” Rachel replied as she walked further east. Rob waited several minutes before deciding it was long enough, then got up and followed Rachel. He moved a couple hundred yards through the field before he heard her, just off to his left. “Hey over here Rob.”

  Rob found her in a slight depression that was flat and clear of brush and holes, but more importantly out of the line of sight of the surrounding areas. “Good job, this spot is perfect,” he told her.

  Drained of energy they both took off their bags, collapsed onto the hard ground, and rested.

  Chapter 5

  Rob and Rachel laid on the ground for about twenty minutes before he noticed the sky was starting to get lighter. After checking his watch, he told Rachel, “It’s 6:55. Let’s rest for another thirty minutes or so before we make the last push to your neighborhood.”

  “Good idea,” she responded. “I’m exhausted.” Rob could hear it in her voice and was sure he sounded just as tired.

  “It’s the adrenaline dump combined with all the stress. It’s an exhausting combination.” Rob took off his shoes and socks and started rubbing his sore feet. While the Merrell hiking shoes were comfortable to walk in, they weren’t exactly the best footwear to run in. Fortunately, once he left Rachel’s neighborhood most of his journey would be through mainly rural ranch and farm land, with a few smaller neighborhoods to navigate in Moreno Valley, until he reached his own city of Yucaipa. Rob draped the socks over his shoes to let them dry out while they rested. He also decided to take some more ibuprofen. His knees weren’t hurting too bad, but he wanted to make sure they didn’t get any worse before making the final push.

  Rob took out his canteen and between drinks asked Rachel, “Hey, you’re sure your husband is home?”

  “On my last break last night, before everything went to hell, we talked on the phone. He said after he got off work he stopped at my mom’s house and picked up our daughter and went straight home, made dinner then started getting her ready for bed after they ate. The last thing he texted me was that she was asleep, and he was in bed. That was around 10:00 or so.”

  “That’s good. Question for you: when we get to your place, if it’s okay with you and your husband of course, would you mind if I rested up for the rest of the day? I’ll leave sometime around dark. Feel free to say no, you won’t offend me. I’ll understand if you would rather I not.”

  Rachel snorted as if the question was ridiculous, “Don’t be stupid. Of course you can stay. Stay as long as you need to. Carlos, my husband, won’t mind. Especially when I tell him what we’ve been through.”

  “Thank you,” Rob replied with obvious relief. He would rather keep going, but knew he needed to rest. If he kept pushing himself, he would eventually collapse from exhaustion and never make it home. They spent the rest of their break eating, rehydrating, and telling each other about their families. Rachel’s husband, Carlos, worked a Monday through Friday, eight to five job as the manager overseeing obtaining new contracts for a local construction company. He had worked for the company since he was twenty-four and worked his way up from a journeyman electrician, to a lead electrician, to a site foreman, and finally to his current position. Rachel’s daughter was Samantha, “A sassy three years old going on fifteen,” as Rachel described her. It was good to be able to sit and talk, almost as if everything was normal again. Except for the fact that they were in the middle of a field. After having walked half the night through the city. And breaking into a gas station. And almost being attacked by a dog. And shooting a guy and threatening his friends with their lives. Yeah, normal, except for all that, Rob thought to himself sarcastically.

  They ended up trading stories of their families and resting for almost an hour before Rob checked his watch again. 7:44 am. “Last push. Let’s get up before we fall asleep right here,” he said as he began putting his socks and shoes back on. Rachel gathered up all her stuff before wearily getting to her feet and putting her messenger bag over her shoulder. Before putting on his own backpack he took the Oakley sunglasses out of his backpack and put them on. They would be walking directly into the rising sun.

  Rachel stared at Rob for a minute before taking a quick look through her bag. “Dang it, I left my sunglasses in my car,” she said while shaking her head. “Oh well, almost there. Just a little bit longer and we can get some real rest.”

  As they started walking east through the field Rob said, “Let’s just stay in the field. I want to avoid the hospital as much as possible. There’s no telling what the situation is over there. The power has been out almost eight hours now and people are going to start getting desperate. I’m sure it’s becoming a living hell in there.”

  They walked through the field, taking an hour to cover just three quarters of a mile, their progress slowed by the uneven terrain, numerous gopher holes, and brush that hadn’t been cleared in quite some time. They were getting close to the end of the large open lot when they crested a small rise and looking north they could see the hospital. Rob’s instincts had been correct. There was a large crowd near the front entrance, maybe one hundred to one hundred and fifty people, many pushing wheelchairs or holding up family or friends that needed medical care. A line of ten security guards were doing their best to hold them back but starting to fail.

  Rob and Rachel watched in horror as one man in the crowd threw a glass bottle towards the guards. He didn’t hit anyone, but the crowd became emboldened by the action and started to press forward. The security guards backed up until their backs were pressing against the glass windows and doors that comprised the front entrance of the hospital. One guard, deciding his own well-being was more important than attempting to keep the crowd out of the building, suddenly tried to dart away. He was horrifically unsuccessful as the crowd, now more a mob than anything, grabbed him and started to take their frustrations out on the poor security guard.

  Rob watched sadly as the mob beat the guard unconscious, then turned their attention on the other guards. By this time the other guards realized they were no longer going to be able to accomplish their assigned task of keeping the people out of the hospital, and one by one quickly slipped through the partially opened front door. Once they were through the sliding door was pushed shut again. This only held the mob back for another minute or two before three people in the crowd used a metal bench like a battering ram against one of the glass front windows. They hit the window and caused a spiderweb effect on it but didn’t completely take it out. It didn’t matter, the mob made short work of the glass and by this time the front doors were also being destroyed, completely ripped off their hinges and pushed into the lobby.

  The mob entered the hospital with anger in their hearts and Rob did not want to imagine the mayhem they would cause on the inside. And this was only the main entrance to the hospital. He wondered what it was like on the opposite side of the hospital where the emergency department was located.

  Rob shook his head in disgust. What did these people hope to accomplish? Yes, they wanted medical care, either for themselves or a loved one, but they knew as well as Rob that the power was out. What kind of services would the hospital be able to off
er? Yes, they had the means to administer medications via injections, but in most modern hospital all narcotics and expensive medications, basically anything what was not considered over the counter, was kept under lock and key and the staff would need power to operate the lockers to obtain the medications. Maybe in their anger they would just pull everything from the walls and rip it open until they found what they wanted. It would be little solace in the long run though as without trucks to move supplies from factories and warehouses to hospitals they were only delaying the inevitable.

  Rob turned to Rachel, “On the other side of this field, is there a street that cuts through and goes to your house?”

  “Yes,” Rachel replied, a look on her face that conveyed both sadness and horror. The events they witnessed and were part of during their journey had them both emotionally and mentally depleted. “Delphinium starts up again and cuts through the neighborhood next to mine. But it doesn’t go all the way through. At Oliver it turns into Rockwood, Rockcrest, something like that. It doesn’t go all the way through, but the street it ties into lets out onto Moreno Beach. My house is right there.”

  “That’s the plan then. I don’t want to go anywhere near that hospital, and these neighborhoods coming up don’t have the same gang and drug problems that the ones we passed through earlier. That and the sun now being out, I’m sure we can make it through with no problems.” They both turned and continued their trek east.

  “If that’s any indication of what’s to come, we are in for a hell of a time,” Rachel contemplated as they walked.

  “You got that right. And it’s only been like eight hours since the EMP. Can you imagine what it’s going to look like in twenty-four hours? Or forty-eight hours? Or when people start running out of food? Most stores only hold something like three days of stock in their storage areas, relying on almost daily deliveries to keep the shelves full. And starvation makes people do some horrific things. Especially people with kids. If someone thinks that they can keep their kids alive another day, then most people will do just about anything to make that happen. This world is quickly going down the toilet.”

  It took another twenty minutes of trudging through, over, and around heavy brush, holes, and mounds of dirt before they reached the east end of the field and found a fence blocking their progress. This time it was a woven barbed wire fence, no way were they going to be able to use the same technique to get out as they did to get in. They walked south along the fence line until they were even with the T-intersection where Delphinium started up again off Nason Street. Here they found a standard six-foot-high chain link gate. It was chained and padlocked closed but there was enough slack in the chain that Rob was able to move the gate enough to create a foot and a half opening in the middle of the two swinging sections of the gate. Rachel squeezed through first and Rob passed both their bags through, then followed. Due to his larger frame it was a bit of a tight squeeze, but he was soon through and picking up his Eberlestock backpack.

  They double checked their surroundings then crossed Nason and started walking east once again on Delphinium. At first, on their right, there was an open field and on the left were tract homes. Soon, Delphinium curved left and they entered an area with houses on both sides. Rob was exhausted but kept up a vigilant watch. They reached the intersection of Delphinium and Oliver Street and stopped to check all directions. On the southeast corner there was another school. This one La Jolla Elementary. “We can stop and rest if you need,” Rob suggested.

  “Nope, I’m almost home, we are pushing straight through,” she replied while shaking her head no to emphasize her point. After what they endured during the night Rachel was in the final stretch before reaching home. Rob knew his answer would be the same if the roles were reversed.

  They crossed Oliver and entered Rockwood Avenue, the street name changing from Delphinium at this point. They walked without being confronted by anyone, though Rob was sure he could see curtains being gently moved at several houses, no doubt by homeowners concerned about who might be walking through their neighborhood during a time like this. They walked to the end of Rockwood, stopping at side streets to check their surroundings, Rob occasionally walking backwards, until the street took a sudden ninety degree right turn and changed names once again to Shady Valley Way. They walked south for a few minutes to Auburn Lane, which allowed them to head east again to Moreno Beach Drive. This was a major street that ran through the city, with three lanes in both directions and a large dividing island in the middle.

  “How much further is your house?” Rob asked.

  “See that large house with the gray tile roof?” Rachel asked, pointing. He could hear the anticipation in her voice. “That’s my house.” As tired as she was, the weariness in her voice had been replaced with excitement.

  Rachel turned right at Moreno Beach with Rob following and she started to pick up her pace. He almost told her to slow down but stopped himself. She’s anxious to get home, I’m not going to slow her down now. He followed as she made a left onto Artisan Street where she broke into a jog which quickly turned into a run. Her house turned out to be the first one on the left, right where the street made a ninety degree right turn. Her house was a large tan stucco two story which backed up to a flood control channel that helped drain water off the golf course during the heavy rains that sometimes swept through the area.

  By the time Rob reached the sidewalk in front of the house Rachel was at the front door trying to put her house key in the lock while simultaneously yelling for her husband. “Carlos! Carlos it’s me! I’m home!” She managed to get the dead bolt unlocked and started working on the door knob when the door flew open and a large Hispanic man threw his arms around Rachel and lifted her off her feet in a bear hug. Rob waited respectfully at the sidewalk while they both disappeared into the house.

  As he waited Rob studied the house and neighborhood around him. The house was tan, two stories, and had two driveways at the front with one leading to the three-car garage and the other leading around the side of the house. In the side driveway was a large white enclosed trailer hooked up to a newer model diesel pickup truck with a company logo on the side. The neighborhood was newer, with all the houses being on somewhat large properties and having well maintained lawns. As he looked Rob started putting together a basic plan of defense for the house and neighborhood, his plan being to give his ideas to Rachel and Carlos if they wanted it.

  It was about five minutes, which Rob was sure was filled with happy tears and joy, before the front door opened again and Rachel waved him over while wiping her eyes with a tissue. “Sorry about that. I should have better manners. Rob this is my husband Carlos, Carlos this is Rob. He’s my boss at dispatch.”

  “Seriously Rachel, you don’t need to apologize. I probably would’ve done the same thing,” Rob said as he extended his hand to Carlos. “Nice to meet you Carlos.” Up close Rob could see just how big Carlos was. He had to be at least six feet four inches and close to two hundred and fifty pounds, almost none of it fat. He was huge compared to Rob.

  Carlos had a glint in his eye as he gave Rob a firm handshake, “Nice to meet you too man, c’mon in, I know you have to be tired. Rachel said you guys walked all night to get here.” The happiness was evident in his voice.

  “Yeah, it’s been a long one,” Rob replied tiredly as he stepped into the house.

  “Rachel mentioned you staying here a little while to rest up before you take off for home,” Rob just nodded. “You can stay as long as you need, mi casa es tu casa. Follow me upstairs and I’ll get you set up in our guest room.”

  Rob followed Carlos into a large guest room equipped with a queen size bed. It was as if seeing the bed had a physical effect on Rob. He suddenly felt an exhaustion deep in his bones. “I really appreciate it Carlos. I promise it won’t be for any longer than necessary. If you don’t mind I’m going to clean up as much as I can then get some sleep. Once I wake up we can chat some more.”

  “Absolutely buddy,” Carlos r
eplied. “That door there leads to a bathroom you can use but the water pressure is way down, so I haven’t been using the toilets. Other than that, if you need anything just let me know, I’ll be downstairs.”

  “Thanks man, I appreciate it.” Rob walked into the bathroom as Carlos left and closed the bedroom door behind him. In the bathroom Rob found some baby wipes. Perfect, I can clean some of this stink off me. He stripped out of his clothing and used a few wipes to clean himself as best he could then from his backpack he removed some clean underwear, socks, jeans, and a shirt.

  When he was done he left the bathroom, put on the clean underwear, put the rest of the clean clothes and his belt with the holster, knife, and magazines on the dresser, and put his dirty clothes and backpack on the floor in front of the dresser. The Springfield XD he put the nightstand next to the bed. The last thing he did was take off his watch. It was 9:03 am. He placed his watch next to the gun and collapsed onto the bed. It had taken them about nine hours to make it to Rachel’s house, but in some ways, it felt like an eternity. As he faded into a deep sleep his thoughts turned to his own family. He said a quick prayer for them before his body finally submitted to the slumber it so desperately needed.

  Rob fell into one of those deep sleeps where your dreams feel like real life and time has no meaning. He dreamed of his family and relived some of the trips they had taken. First him and his wife, then with Jackson after she gave birth. Except the trips in his dreams were all mashed up and made no sense.

  When Rob woke up it took him a few minutes of looking around and trying to get his bearings to remember where he was at. When he spotted his watch and gun on the nightstand it all came crashing back to him.

  He laid there for a few minutes reveling in the blissful dreams when he realized he could smell coffee. That got him moving. The first thing he did was check his feet again. They were sore, but had no blisters or anything serious so he got up and put on the clean clothes from the top of the dresser, put the holster, magazine holder, and Gerber knife back onto his belt, buckled it, and holstered the gun. He would have left it as he didn’t feel the need to have it with him while in the house, but there was no where he could see to keep it secure, and with a little kid running around the house he wouldn’t risk an accident. He picked up his watch and strapped it on. 4:12 pm. He’d been asleep for a solid seven hours and felt almost human again. It was amazing what a little sleep could do for a person. He flexed his knees a few times. Sore, but manageable. He left the bag with his dirty clothes on the ground and made his way out of the bedroom then down the stairs, following the smell of coffee.