Echoes of a Dying World (Book 3): A Dream of Tomorrow

by Esquibel, Don M.

He smiles, casually rolling his eyes. “Of course,” he says. “Who would have been able to stop you?”

  I return his smile. “I am pretty unstoppable.” He laughs, his eyes soft and peaceful as they delve into my own. But slowly I watch them harden, that peace leaving him as the moment passes.

  “C’mon,” he says, taking my hand. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

  We join the others, Richard and Frank joining us as they finish checking the corpses of the fallen Animals. Lylette wastes no time explaining what happened, starting with finding Morgan outside their gate and the escape that ensued.

  “There were so many of them,” she says. “They rushed the place so fast, from so many different places. We never had a chance.” She turns to Frank. “What will they do with them?”

  Frank sighs, deflating slightly at the question. “Ordinarily I would say they would be taken to the DoubleTree. Barr’s always looking to expand his army. He would take children and wives and use them as leverage to force the other's compliance...But there is nothing ordinary about this situation. Barr’s never hit a place as big as yours, and he’s never wanted anyone like he wants me and Morgan.”

  Morgan tenses beside me. “He saw me,” he says. “Just before we escaped. That’s why there were so many after us.”

  Frank nods. “Then you can bet he’ll send more. Probably already has.”

  Richard curses. “We’ll have to leave the cabin,” he says. “It’s only a matter of time before they find the place.”

  I feel my stomach sink as the truth settles over me. I never had the illusion of safety there. It was never meant to last forever. But I at least hoped it might last us through the winter. I should have known better than to hope.

  “Agreed,” Frank says. “We have to—” He stops mid-sentence, his entire body going rigid in an instant. He’s not the only one, Richard and Felix look just as tense, their rifles suddenly raised and at the ready.

  The rest of us follow suit, eyes scanning the trees, searching for whatever has grabbed their attention. Nothing. Just darkness and silence. Richard tosses one of the recovered flashlights to Felix with a nod. Frank turns on his own and the two beams sweep down the hillside as Richard steps forward. Then there’s movement, a sudden blur of shadow bolting from behind a thick tree at the bottom of the hill.

  Like a hound after a hare, Richard, Felix, and Frank give chase. Morgan and I are only slightly behind them, Morgan yelling over his shoulder for the rest to wait behind. All do aside from Angela who quickly draws level with us. Shots ring out from up ahead as Richard, Felix and Frank try and bring the Animal down. None hit, however, and the Animal only continues to pull further away. Not even Felix can keep up with him. He skids to a halt, firing one last shot at the fleeing Animal. It misses.

  “He’s too fast,” Felix pants as the rest of us reach him. “We’re not going to catch him. We need to get back to the cabin before he brings more after us.”

  None of us contradict him. If there was any hope that Barr might not find the place, it’s disappeared along with the Animal we chased. Barr will know of everything we just discussed. And whether it’s from a scouting party following our tracks or torturing it out of those at the ranch, he will find the cabin.

  “Then let’s move,” Morgan says.

  We backtrack to the others and set out immediately. Richard takes point, setting a quick pace only slightly less frantic than the one that brought us here. It’s rough, but none of us complain, knowing every minute that passes is precious and that another wave of Animals could very well be on our tail. The youngest of Lylette’s charges are carried rather than have them slow us down, two girls and a boy passing between us to share the burden.

  We emerge from the treeline onto the narrow county road, the driveway to the cabin on the other side. Coming up to the gate we erected I’m overcome with a bizarre urge to laugh. Two days it took to finish it. Another two to finish the barricade and interior defenses inside the cabin itself. Seeing it now after learning of how easily the Animals took the ranch, it looks little more than a toy, like something a child would build to keep the monsters away. Only our monsters are real, and these toy defenses will do nothing to keep them from getting us.

  We scale over the gate in threes and fours, lifting the younger ones over rather than have them climb it themselves. Sentries call out as we come within sight of the cabin, withdrawing once they realize it’s us. We flood into the cabin, winded and exhausted. And the night is far from over. I find Grace, the smile falling from her face as she sees the look on mine.

  “What’s wrong?” she asks as I hug her tight. To answer, I turn toward Morgan who addresses the family.

  “The ranch has fallen,” he says. “It was the Animals. They hit hard and they hit fast. My warning didn’t make a lick of difference. It was all I could do but get out of their alive...but not before Barr saw me.”

  There’s a round of curses and angry muttering, not all directed at the hated Animal. Some are aimed at Morgan—anger that he chose to risk his life warning the ranch instead of returning to his family. I can’t say I totally disagree. Morgan senses it too.

  “I know not all of you understand my reasons, but we don’t have time to get into it right now. Barr knows we are in the area and we are the real reason he came out here. He’ll have sent more people after us, which means sooner or later they will find this place. We need to be out of here before that happens.”

  “Yes,” Uncle Will says. “If Barr is out there we need to pack the trucks and get out of here.”

  “No trucks,” Richard says. “There’s only one road in and out of here and both are impassable. The road north is blocked by the Animals vehicles, and the south is blocked by wrecks. No chance we clear them in time. Even if we could, the plowed road would lead them straight to us.”

  The Animal who Angela branded a coward isn’t happy with the news. “So what?” he sputters. “You’re suggesting we leave the trucks behind and set out on foot?”

  Richard levels him with his stare. “It’s our only option,” he says. “But if you wish to stay behind with the trucks, I won’t stop you.”

  He doesn’t argue the fact further, nor does anyone else.. There are curses and grumbling, but they can see the hard truth of the situation: either stay and die or flee and possibly live. There’s only one choice they can make. With the argument settled we spring into action, family, Animal, and rancher alike, we strip the place. We take only the necessities: our remaining pork, guns and ammunition, the supplies we traded for with Philip, we include it all. Anything unessential gets left behind.

  We’ve gathered what we need and are out of the cabin in under ten minutes. We approach the vehicles we’ll be leaving behind. Knife in hand, I slash the two rear tires of one of the trucks. The act feels like blasphemy. Working vehicles are a rare and invaluable asset in this new world. Now we’re forced not only to abandon them but defile them as well. But better that than let them be added to the Animal’s fleet.

  With the tires slashed, we pour into the trees. I don’t look behind me as we leave. There is nothing back there but an illusion I should never have believed was real. What’s real is the snow beneath my feet, the cold wind that pierces through my jacket and leaves its icy mark upon my skin. The terror and desperation that fouls the air is real. So long as the Animals remain in power, I fear it is the only reality we can expect.

  Chapter 6: (Morgan)

  I’m freezing, but a fire is out of the question. Exhausted, but I know sleep is a long way off. The tension in the hallway is so thick I feel smothered by its presence. Tired, fearful faces surround me. They steal glances as I pace, hating the feeling of confinement. Some seek assurance. Others look for doubt. I try and exude the former, but find it difficult when I’m so full of the latter. Being here is a risk, one I convinced myself was necessary. Now, I’m not so sure.

  We pushed through the night, what few breaks we had lasting a couple of minutes at most. That we made it witho
ut anyone collapsing under the sheer physical exertion is a miracle in itself. My own legs feel like rubber after the hellish night I had, but my nerves are too shot to rest them. I need movement, a distraction. If not my mind will work twice as hard, steering me to places I’d rather not go. I look out the window. Still no sign of them.

  Slowly, the murmur of conversation grows quiet, the fatigue we all feel winning out. People sleep in little clusters, all of us together yet still separated. My family. Former Animals. And now ranchers. Only a handful remain awake. Lylette sits with her arms hugging her knees, a gesture that makes her seem years younger. But she is young, I realize. Hardly older than some of the charges her father asked her to look after. She surveys them as they sleep, her face unreadable. Then her eyes meet mine and I can see how heavy they are with concern, the same concern I feel over my own family. We look away at the same time, both glancing out the window once again. Nothing.

  I pass near Angela, who also turns to me as Lylette did. Unlike Lylette though, she does not watch over her fellow Animals as they sleep. No concern fills her eyes as they find mine. She maintains eye contact only a second before resuming her stare outside. Like Lylette, like me, she waits.

  I turn and approach my own family. Richard sits vigil over his sleeping daughters. He alone doesn’t look outside, instead, studying his girls the way a connoisseur might study a work of art—as if he’s never seen a sight so beautiful and wants nothing more than to preserve every detail to memory. Past him sit my mother and Lauren, their whispered conversation the only noise throughout the room aside from snores and the tread of my pacing feet. I approach them.

  “You really should get some sleep, mom,” I say. Her smile is slow and tired, her eyes puffy with exhaustion.

  “I couldn’t even if I wanted to,” she says. “I would suggest you get some sleep yourself, but I imagine you know the feeling.”

  How right she is. After the night we had, all I want to do is curl into a sleeping bag and fall into the sweet oblivion of sleep. I’m so tired, I doubt even one of my nightmares would wake me. But until they return, until I know we’re in the clear, I won’t manage even a wink of sleep.

  “Unfortunately, I know the feeling all too well,” I say. I slide to the floor beside them, unable to keep pacing as I have. We sit in a long hallway of Animas High School, a small alternative school on the western edge of town. It’s also less than two miles from the DoubleTree. Being so close to where the Animals call home has everyone on edge. If Barr finds us, it’s over. It doesn’t matter how fast we move, we won’t be able to outrun them. Not this close to town. But as Felix said: it’s the one place he would never expect us to be. And it’s not as if we had many alternatives.

  The damned snow. It was nearly our undoing. No matter how careful we were, we were going to leave tracks behind. No doubt, Barr and his people are trying to track them at this very moment. I can only hope we took enough measures to ensure we weren’t followed.

  “How are your feet?” I ask Lauren.

  She waves my question away, not wanting to worry me. “They’re fine,” she says. “It’ll take more than a little water to take me down.”

  One of the measures we took was wading through the creek, following it downstream to mask our footprints. Thankfully nobody suffered frostbite, but it was a miserable hike after that. I just hope the move was worth it.

  I try and force a smile, but my face will not cooperate. “I know,” I say. I can’t think of anything to add, my mind focused far outside these walls.

  “A watched pot never boils,” my mother says. I pull my eyes from the window and face her. “Felix and Frank can handle themselves. I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

  I wonder if she actually believes that. I mean, they’re as capable as any of us. Certainly. But will that matter with so many Animals out hunting us? Barr’s face, angry and glowing from the fires burning around him comes to mind. I almost had him at the ranch. Even after I missed my shot, I could have gone after him. I should have gone after him. Right? It would have cost my life, but would it not have been worth it to take down Barr once and for all? Or is that just the martyr in me that Leon warned me about?

  “Of course they will be,” I say, getting to my feet. The poisonous thoughts don’t disappear, but they dull as I resume my pacing. I’m still on my feet when I see movement outside the window. I freeze. Then I bolt for the front door. I hear the others follow behind me as I sprint down the hallway and skid to a halt at the entrance. I push it open and stand aside as Felix and Frank rush in.

  “We’re clear,” Felix says, needing no prompt. “Masked the prints from the creek to the road. Stayed and watched the intersection with the highway for over two hours. Not a sign of them.”

  For the first time since entering the school, I exhale a breath of relief. There is still much we need to figure out, but at least I no longer feel as if the Animals are breathing down my neck.

  “What about their vehicles?” Richard asks. “Any sign of them?”

  “No,” Frank says. He looks out the door, toward the highway visible through the thin scattering of trees. “I take it they haven’t been through here either?”

  Richard shakes his head. “All’s been quiet.”

  “What does that mean?” Lylette asks. “They’re still on the ranch? What reason would they have to stay?”

  We look to Frank, his time with the Animals giving him more insight on Barr's potential motives. “I don’t know,” he says. “Typical protocol when raiding is to capture or kill the people and then loot anything worth taking. But a ranch that size? They’ve never taken anything even half as big. Barr might want to try and keep the place. If that’s the case he’ll need people to run it, and who better than those who were already doing so? Or maybe he’s just waiting to decide what to do until his search parties report back. I wouldn’t be surprised by either.”

  Neither scenario is a comfort to her. I can see in her eyes how troubled she is, how she’s barely holding it together. She looks away and walks a short distance, her hands gripping the hair at the back of her head. She pauses, standing with her back to us for a long moment before turning around again.

  “I have to go back,” she says. “I have to know what’s going on.”

  “You’ll be caught or killed,” Richard says.

  “Then so be it!” she snaps. “They’re my people, my family. Wouldn’t you want to know the same?”

  Richard doesn’t need to answer. I know he would want to know the same in her situation. We all would. But I also know that if Lylette leaves now, she won’t come back.

  “You’re dead on your feet, Lylette,” I say. “You won’t make it halfway there without collapsing.” The defiance I’ve come to expect in her flares at my words. I continue before she can reply. “I’m not trying to stop you. I’m just saying give yourself some time to rest and maybe we can figure out a way to go about it that won’t end badly.”

  She wants to argue, I can see it in her eyes. But deep down she knows that I am right. “I’m going to find out what’s happened to them,” she says.

  “I know,” I say. She nods and then heads back down the hall. "You all should get some sleep as well,” I say. We are all in severe need of it, Felix and Frank especially. “I’ll keep watch for a while and wake Leon to relieve me.” Now that the immediate danger has passed nobody objects, the weariness of their bodies finally too much to resist. They follow Lylette down the hall. All except Lauren.

  “You shouldn’t be alone with your thoughts,” she says.

  I force a smile. “Probably not,” I admit. “But you need some sleep. I don’t want you forcing yourself to stay awake because of me.”

  “I sleep best when I’m in your arms,” she says.

  There’s nothing forced about my smile this time. “In that case, I’d love the company.”

  We settle down in one of the abandoned classrooms, its window giving us the best view of the highway and the most logical approaches to the sch
ool. True to her word, Lauren is soon fast asleep in my arms. Not long after, the thoughts she warned me of take hold. I remember the terror that gripped the ranch as they were attacked. I remember the sound of their screams above the thundering staccato of gunfire and their fleeing forms against the flames that tore through the place. I remember fleeing from the Animals and the sound of their bullets zipping around me. Most of all I remember thinking we wouldn’t escape, that that was how it would end. And then it wasn’t.

  I look down at the girl I love, her face blank, mind far away into the oblivion of sleep. I’ve lost count of how many times she’s saved me, of how many times we’ve saved each other. Holding her, feeling her chest rise and fall against my own, the warmth of her breath against my heart, I can feel those dark thoughts lighten. I lean in and kiss her softly atop her head, careful not to wake her.

  I shouldn’t be surprised that she knew not to leave me alone with my thoughts. Everything's better with her by my side.

  The sun rises, its long rays warm and welcome, warding off the morning chill. Frost crunches underfoot as we travel, Felix running point in front of me, Leon trailing at my back. The forest is quiet, the melodious singing of birds overhead the only sound to break the stillness. I listen to their songs with a smile on my face, eyes soaking in my surroundings. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve been as at peace as I am now. Cause though we carry rifles, eyes peeled for an antlered head, a whitetail moving through the trees, it’s with no real urgency. If we get a kill, great. If not, that’s fine too. The hunt itself—these quiet mornings with my brothers, appreciating the beauty of the forest and getting ourselves lost from the rest of the world has always mattered more than any animal. At least it has for me.

  I don’t know how long we’ve been hiking when Felix comes to a sudden stop. I pause, searching for whatever has grabbed his attention. He sniffs and turns toward Leon and me.

  “Do you smell smoke?”