“I know it’s hard to believe but you guys really are safe here. We want things to go back to how they were. Maybe it won’t happen but we should be able to at least be a community again. People coexisting.” Morgan threaded her fingers together. “Working together to make things easier, not harder.”
She was right it would be hard to believe because outside of Winnipeg it was every man for himself.
“Morgan,” I said taking a step closer.
“Yes?”
“I’m just curious, were there two men that worked for you. They’d go out and try to find survivors.” I asked.
“Yeah, there are a lot of people who go out to find others, sometimes they don’t come back. Why do you ask?” Morgan crossed her arms as she cocked her head to the side.
I chewed my cheek momentarily. “We met some people out there. Peter and Kellan.”
“Ah, yes. They did go out and find survivors but we hadn’t seen them in a while. Good to know they are still out there, I guess,” Morgan said.
“You guess?” I asked.
“Some folks assumed they were dead since they hadn’t come back since the last time they were here. They got in a little trouble but were forgiven. I guess they just chose not to come back,” Morgan said with a shrug. “Anyway, I should get going. Catch you later.”
She gave a quick wave before turning on her heel and bouncing away. I watched her walk back toward the center of town where most of the tents had been.
“Well,” I said closing the door when she was out of sight. “I guess Peter and Kellan hadn’t been lying about that part.”
Morgan probably didn’t know about Peter’s ex living out in the middle of nowhere afraid to leave her home. I wondered if she knew about what had happened between Peter and Amber. Or if she even knew about Amber at all.
It didn’t matter if she did. They were out there and hopefully they’d never come back. I didn’t want to ever see any of them again, and that included Kellan. If they came back, I would tell Nolan their story. I would tell them what happened. If Peter was smart, and I think that for the most part he was, he wouldn’t show his face around here again.
I sat down on the sofa with my arms crossed. Random thoughts about everything that had happened swirled around my head. I wasn’t even sure how much time had passed when Nick’s face popped down in front of me.
Nick waved his hand in front of my eyes. “Hello? Earth to Gwen. Ready to go get some food?”
Twenty-Eight
Nolan had invited Nick, Molly, and I to sit with him for the meal. He told us how things had been for them since everything started and asked what things had been like for us. Nick had done most of the talking. I hadn’t felt like talking about what we’d been through.
In fact, I wanted to forget everything because when I thought back to the red sky, I pictured Bronx knocking on my door. I remembered how he had made me feel. Our first kiss.
I blew out a breath. “Do you know who started all this?”
“We lost communication pretty quickly. We heard that the US had been the target of some kind of massive attack and that we all needed to seek shelter,” Nolan said. “People here refer to it as World War III. It’s beyond that though. It’s world destruction.”
Nolan shoveled food in his mouth and I thought it was because he didn’t want to talk about it any longer. When he continued on, I was almost surprised.
“We all have our theories as to who started it but no one knows for sure. I don’t think we’ll ever know. How could we know? No communication with whatever is out there… if there is anything out there,” Nolan said. “The world will never be the same after this and to be honest, I don’t think they’re done yet which is why we’ve been working on a bunker.”
“A bunker?” Nick asked.
Nolan nodded. “That’s right. Further up north, it’s a bit cooler. We’ve been working on a base that’s safer and we plan to move up there over the next few days.” Nolan set down his spoon and placed his hands on the table. “I hate to spring this on you like this but we’re going to take everything we can and head to the new location. We hope that you’ll join us.”
“Um, we’ll talk about it,” Nick said.
Nolan pressed his palms to the table. “I understand but it’ll be better for all of us, including that baby you have on the way.”
“Why will it be any safer up north?” Nick asked.
“The attacks stretch beyond our area but we’ve sent out scouts. They found a location that didn’t have any evidence of any of the attacks,” Nolan said sliding his hands closer to his body. “Of course, that doesn’t mean it can’t happen, but that’s why we’ve constructed the bunker. A safe place to hide while they pass. Every time there has been one of those attacks, we’ve lost people. We can’t stop the attacks but we can find ways to survive them.”
Nick’s head bobbed. He liked the things Nolan was saying.
“These attacks are unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. They’re chemical. They’re biological. They are weapons that we can’t stop and I don’t believe we are one hundred percent safe here. I want to get these people somewhere safer,” Nolan said. “Some of the smarter folks here think that all these attacks are damaging our atmosphere which is why it’s getting hotter and hotter. Another benefit of moving north. Our scouts say it’s cooler.”
“But will it stay that way?” Nick asked.
“Cool or safe?” Nolan asked with a chuckle. “We can’t know the answer to that. But hopefully yes to both. We have some older vehicles we’ve repaired and we’re going to use those to travel to the new location.”
Nolan picked up his spoon and started eating. Nick and Molly exchanged a glance I couldn’t read.
“We’ll never know what happened, why or even how but what we can do is survive. That’s how we win this,” Nolan said balling up his hand into a fist and slamming on the table top.
I wished we could know who did this and why but Nolan was right, there was no way to know. There was no way to find out.
“I hope you’ll join us,” Nolan said looking at us individually. “You all seem like good folks and we need more good people. We think it’ll take several trips before we get everything moved up there.”
“We’ll discuss it,” Nick said but I could tell by the look in his eye which way he was leaning.
“Good,” Nolan said standing. He picked up his bowl and excused himself. He said he had trailers to pack and people to organize.
Nolan was a busy man and it seemed as though everyone liked and respected him. As he walked away, everyone waved or smiled and he didn’t rush by, he gave them their own wave or smile in return.
“What do you think about all that?” Nick asked his voice low.
“I think you and a Molly should go. Stay close to the doctor,” I said.
Nick’s eyes narrowed. “The way you say that makes it sound like you aren’t coming.”
I chewed my fingernail and looked away from him. Two women walked up to our table and gestured at my bowl.
“If you’re finished, I can take that for you if you’d like,” one of the women said.
“Oh,” I said looking at the bowl. “I can take care of it.”
I stood and then looked around. The women smiled and one of them reached out and took the bowl.
“Thanks,” I said as they took Nick and Molly’s bowls too.
“No problem,” the girls sang as they walked away.
I watched them join a group of women collecting the dirty dishes. They had a large tub filled with soapy water and another with clean water. Water splashed around as they talked and laughed.
Nick stepped in front of me blocking my view. “We have to discuss this.”
“What is there to discuss?” I asked innocently blinking my eyes.
“The fact that you don’t think you should go to the new place,” Nick said. “Gwen, I really don’t think we should separate again.”
I drew in a breath so deep it inflated my chest like a ba
lloon. “It’s not like I want to but what if he does come here? You said so yourself that he’ll come.”
“Then we’ll stay with you,” Nick said glancing at Molly who nodded.
“You can’t.” I held up my palm. “She needs to stay near the doctor. You’ll be better off with someone that knows more about delivering a baby than with me.”
Nick looked off at something in the distance. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You have to come with us,” Molly said pulling on my arm as if she was afraid I was going to make a run for it. “We need you.”
“I don’t want to lose you guys either but I didn’t save you from Peter and Amber for nothing. You’re going to go. You’re going to go have a baby and be a family. You need this. Both of you need to be safe,” I said with a smile. “Hell, maybe you guys will get to make more babies.”
“Gwen,” Nick said but he didn’t say anything more. My name floated away in the nearly nonexistent breeze.
He exhaled softly and closed his eyes for a long moment. I knew he understood why I had to stay. He might not have liked it but he understood.
“I’ll be fine here,” I said pointing to the tall buildings in the near distance. “There’s plenty here and I’m sure there is tons still in the city. If he doesn’t show, I’ll try to find you.”
Nick sighed. He stared at me before pulling me in for a long hug. When he let go, Molly grabbed me and squeezed me tight.
“This doesn’t feel right,” Molly whispered.
“It is though. If it were Nick, what would you do?” I asked her.
Molly’s eyes became glassy and she gave me a final squeeze. “I’ll never let go of him.”
“I know you won’t. Take care of him,” I said.
“I will,” she said taking his hand. A tear rolled down her cheek and she swiftly wiped it away. “Dammit.”
Nick and Molly were both rather quiet as we walked back to our little home. It was almost like they already thought of me as missing from their lives. They didn’t know how to talk to me and maybe I didn’t know how to talk to them.
Maybe it was easier that way.
Twenty-Nine
We’d only been in Winnipeg for two days and already I was helping everyone pack up for the big move. If we would have taken any longer to get to Winnipeg, it would have been a ghost town.
Nolan had paid a visit to us asking us again to join them. He was trying hard not to put pressure on us but he was relieved when he learned that Molly and Nick would be joining them. I could still picture the confused look on his face when I revealed that I wouldn’t be going along.
Nolan told me to reconsider but when I told him why I had to stay, he didn’t ask me again. He revealed he’d lost his wife in one of the attacks. It was like he knew there wasn’t anything he could say to change my mind.
Nick and Molly were going to join them on the first trip. It was getting hotter each day and the doctor was concerned for Molly and the baby. He insisted they go first so that they can get to cooler weather. Of course, the doctor didn’t know I was staying behind. He didn’t realize what he was asking of them.
Leaving on the first trip wasn’t going to be any less difficult than leaving on the last. Nick and Molly talked to me but I had been able to convince them to go. There was no need to put the baby at risk just so that they could have an extra week or so with me.
I leaned back against the nearly full truck and wiped the sweat from my brow. Nearly one-third of the town was going to be leaving in a few short hours. Nolan had told me more about their new safe location. He promised to give me a map. He almost made me promise to guard it with my life which of course I would.
They were going far. Even taking the vehicles, it was going to take a few days for them to get there. I told Nick and Molly that I’d go north when I was ready but the truth was, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to travel that far alone. We’d done nothing but walk since the beginning and I wasn’t sure I had it in me to do it all again. At least I was told there would be fewer people to the north. I wasn’t sure I could believe that because with the heat, maybe everyone that was still alive had the same idea… head north.
The last few hours ticked by in a blur. When Nick and Molly were standing in front of me to say goodbye, I almost couldn’t believe it. Time had moved impossibly fast.
“Are you sure about this?” Nick asked.
“I’m sure,” I answered quickly before I could give it any thought. If I admitted I was scared, it might change their mind about leaving and I didn’t want that for them.
“You can always jump on the last convoy,” Nick said with a half-grin he pushed out from his sadness.
I pressed my lips together in an awkward smile and nodded. “Yeah, maybe.”
“I’m going to miss you,” Nick said wrapping his arm around Molly’s shoulders. She was chewing her lip so she wouldn’t cry.
“I’m going to miss you guys too,” I said swallowing hard. “Thank you for everything you’ve done, Nick. You kept us alive. You got us here.”
Nick laughed. “Oh, my dear, sister. It wasn’t me any more than it was you or Molly. We made it because we worked together.”
“Such sweet words coming out of your mouth,” I said scrunching up my nose.
“Hey,” Nick said throwing up his hand. “I’m a sweet guy.”
I smiled but on the inside, it was like there was a swelling storm about to be unleashed inside my entire body. I secretly pinched the skin on the back of my hand hard to stop myself from crying.
“I know you are,” I said. “You’re going to be a great dad.”
“Never thought I’d hear you say that,” Nick said.
“Great or dad?” I teased.
Nick snorted. “Both.”
“Jesus, I can’t take this,” Molly said hugging me hard. Her tears soaked into the fabric of my shirt at the shoulder. “This is stupid. I wish you were coming. I’m going to miss you so damn much. Thank you for everything.” She looked into my eyes. “Everything.”
“You’re going to make me cry,” I said pinching hard.
“So what? Then cry,” Molly said.
Nolan hollered from the front of the first truck in the convoy.
“You should get going,” I said taking a step back. Nick grabbed me and pulled me back to him for another hug.
“Take care of yourself, okay?” Nick said.
“I will.”
He grabbed me by the shoulders and looked into my eyes. “And when he gets here, make sure you come find us. I want to see him again too.”
“Of course,” I said.
Nick gave me a final look as if he was trying to memorize what I looked like. Molly wiped her tears but she smiled at me as Nick wrapped his arm around her and led her toward Nolan.
Watching them walk away was quite possibly one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. Top three, no question.
They’d been gone only twenty-four hours but it had felt like a lifetime. I wondered if I had made a mistake. Had Nick thought that Bronx was dead but hadn’t wanted to be the one to tell me?
I sighed as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. It was hard to sleep at night alone in the small house. It was hard to sleep anytime really because of the heat.
I walked over to the window and watched everyone as they worked. Those that were still in the town were busy piling up supplies getting them ready for when the trucks came back. Nolan was still directing everyone, doing his best to make sure everything would be in order for when the trucks pulled into the town in roughly six days.
When they got here, the drivers would rest and new drivers would take over. Another third of the town would leave the town behind for their new home.
No one seemed worried or scared. They all believed they were doing the right thing, and really, they probably were. Those who knew I would be staying probably laughed at me behind my back.
I let the curtain fall back into place as I made my way back to the bed. If I could jus
t get an hour of sleep, I’d go out there and help. My bones and muscles still ached from helping the previous day.
Overall my body had felt better. I’d gained a little weight, even in just the short time I’d been in Winnipeg. Food was abundant ad we hadn’t needed to ration anything. It was a strange feeling. A wasteful feeling. But I couldn’t do anything other than eat what was available to me.
Nolan had told us that up north they were working on a greenhouse. He’d told us that there would be fresh fruits and vegetables and I salivated at the thought even though I couldn’t remember what a tomato tasted like.
I closed my eyes trying to force myself to sleep. Less than five minutes later, my fist slammed into the mattress near my thigh and I got out of bed. There was no point in trying. Sleep wasn’t coming for me, I might as well make myself useful and help with the preparations.
I was hot, sweaty, and hungry by late afternoon. The sun had been beating down on me all day and I hoped it would help me sleep at night.
Some of the others were working on a meal. There were fewer people to prepare the food and fewer people to serve.
I sat down with my plate at the end of the picnic table by myself. It had been painted white years ago but most of the paint was peeling. The paint that remained felt like it was sticking to my damp clothing.
I looked up and saw the tall man running toward the town. He was waving his arms and shouting for Nolan. Nolan rushed over to meet the man. They discussed something for a few seconds before they turned and quickly ran from the town in the direction the tall man had come from.
“What’s going on?” I asked the young woman who always collected my plate.
“I don’t know,” she said shaking her head. She looked concerned, but she didn’t stop her work. “Don’t worry though. Nolan will take care of it.”
“Right,” I said forcing a smile. I got up and started walking in the way they’d gone. Maybe I’d be able to see something.
There was more shouting and someone ran past me causing a breeze that cooled the side of my neck. From the other side of the town, I could see more people running.
Yellow Heat - A Post-Apocalyptic Novel (The Red Sky Series Book 6) Page 14
