“Business as usual,” Blake shrugged. “Jackson was looking for you guys earlier. I think he got preoccupied with something else instead, thankfully.”
“Yeah, Gemma mentioned that,” Riley replied, excited to get involved in the conversation. “Mike and Rylan went to go and find him.”
“Ah, good,” Blake nodded. “Hope they have a strong excuse for where you all were today.”
Chase, Riley, and Leo looked at each other with worry for a second, realizing none of them had discussed what their cover story was going to be. Hopefully they could hook up with the others before they ran into Jackson themselves, none of them wanting him to find out the truth due to a poorly formulated excuse.
“Anyway,” Vic continued the conversation. “How did it go out there? Did you find what you need? And was there any sign of the Authority?”
“No sign of the Authority,” Chase shook his head, lowering his voice as he spoke. “But man, the visibility out there is low. We could barely see each other, let alone anyone who didn’t want to be seen. There was no contact though, which I guess is good for a group of seven children walking around.”
Blake and Vic both chuckled to themselves, agreeing with Chase wholeheartedly. “You could say that,” Blake replied. “Not being snatched on the streets like last time.”
Riley winced, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the joke Blake was making. She could still remember how it felt to be traded into the Authority—handed over like their lives weren’t worth anything. It had not only been degrading but highly embarrassing as well. She and Chase had trusted those people and they had let them down. It was one of the reasons why she was more reluctant to trust Blake and Vic. The other adults had seemed nice too, and look how that had ended up. Despite everything good they had done for them, Riley just couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was part of an elaborate trap.
“Luckily we managed to avoid that,” Riley replied, a thick note of sarcasm present in her voice. “And we got all the equipment too. The only issue now is how we get it all out of the city.”
“Yeah,” Chase continued. “We loaded it all into a truck, then the engine wouldn’t start. Leo had a look at it—what did you say was wrong? The carburetor or something?”
“Yeah,” Leo took over the conversation. “It’s just filthy. Needs to be cleaned. The way the engine is designed, I think we need to take it out to clean it. And it’ll need to be properly soaked in fluid, not just a quick wipe down.”
“Wow, okay,” Blake leaned back in his seat. “Do you know how to get it out?”
Leo thought for a moment. “I think so, if I can find the right tools. I’d need someone to help me out though. And like I said, we need to find the proper fluid, though we should be able to get that at any old garage. It’s not hard to find.”
“You know a lot about cars, my friend. Are they a hobby of yours?”
“Kind of,” Leo nodded. “I used to rebuild old cars with my dad. We worked on smaller things, but they’re all basically built the same. Once the carburetor is cleaned, I reckon the truck will be fine. Nothing else looked wrong with it.”
“So can we do it?” Chase asked when no one replied for a second, looking at Blake and Vic for confirmation. He wasn’t sure why he felt like he needed their permission, except there was a part of him that wanted them to come with him and Riley. He had been the responsible one for so long now; he sort of liked having adults around whom he could defer to when he didn’t want to be in charge.
Blake looked over at Vic and raised his eyebrows, silently asking his friend what he thought. A few concerns ran through Vic’s head, knowing that they would have to speak to Jackson about it all. The leader wouldn’t force them to stay, but Vic couldn’t help feeling a bit divided. He wanted to help Chase and Riley get back home, and he also wanted to defend his city and he knew there was a lot more to be done in that department. Just because the kids hadn’t spotted any of the Authority when they were outside didn’t mean they hadn’t been there. Even though they had all done their best to keep the day’s adventure secret from Jackson, as Vic and Blake shared a look, they both knew they needed to speak to him about it. There was no way the five of them were going to progress without doing that first.
“I said I’d help you get home,” Blake replied. “And I will honor my word. First, I think we need to speak to Jackson about all of this. We can’t really keep this a secret, there’s no point. We could go and speak to him now, if you want.”
“Uhh, yeah, sure,” Chase replied, a little taken aback by Blake’s response, especially considering he had been so anxious to keep their activities from Jackson earlier that morning. But it made sense. If they were going to go back to the farmhouse, they couldn’t manage it without Jackson knowing. They weren’t doing anything wrong and telling Jackson would likely help them. “Let’s go,” he nodded, rising from the table first and waiting for everyone else to stand with him.
Riley gave her brother a curious glance as they walked out of the cafeteria, suspicions still rife in her mind. She couldn’t help but feel apprehensive about the way Blake’s mind seemed to change so quickly, wary about walking into Jackson’s office and declaring that they were going to leave. Chase gave her a cheerful nod though, her brother confident that what they were doing was right. Riley knew she would never be completely comfortable until she was back home. She just hoped talking to Jackson wouldn’t slow them down.
“Hey guys,” Mike called out to their group as they marched into the stairwell, preparing to climb to Jackson’s self-made office upstairs. “Where you going?”
“Up to see your dad, actually,” Chase replied, dropping back while everyone else continued. “We’re just going to tell him where we’ve been. It makes sense if Riley and I have to leave.”
“Aw, man,” Mike rolled his eyes. “I just spent, like, half an hour convincing him we’d been playing war games on the top floor all day. Now he’s going to give me another lecture about how important the truth is.”
“Oh, dude,” Chase genuinely felt sorry for his friend. He was aware that he was the one who had convinced everyone to leave the office building with him—he didn’t want anyone getting in trouble because of him. “I’ll just tell him you weren’t there, no worries man. He doesn’t need to know.”
“Aha, I don’t know whether he’d buy that,” Mike shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, man, I’ll figure something out. Catch you later?”
“Okay,” Chase replied. “I better go.” He nodded to the stairwell, everyone else already climbing upwards without him.
“Yeah, sure, see you.”
Jogging up the stairs after everyone else, Chase caught up with them just before they reached the door to Jackson’s office.
“What was that about?” Riley asked as her brother appeared, his absence not going unnoticed by anyone.
“Oh, nothing,” Chase brushed her off. “Is Jackson in there?”
Forcing confidence into his walk, Chase rapped his knuckles against the door a couple of times and then pushed it open, walking in with Riley, Leo, Blake, and Vic all behind him. Jackson looked up at the group with a surprised expression on his face, though the look quickly faded as he leaned back in his chair and exuded the natural charisma and charm he always did.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Hey,” Chase started, “we need to talk to you.”
“By all means,” Jackson opened his arms, gesturing to the five people in front of him. “Go ahead.”
Opening his mouth to speak again, Chase suddenly realized he didn’t know what to say. It was a prime example of him not wanting to be the one in charge and thankfully, both Blake and Vic knew how to tackle the situation. Clearing his throat, Blake launched into an explanation of what had happened that day and how Chase and Riley were determined to make it home. It made Chase feel slightly like he was a child again, but he couldn’t deny he was glad for it. The pressure lifted from his shoulders and he was able to just rel
ax and absorb what Blake said.
Jackson listened carefully, nodding along and making noises where appropriate. It was hard to determine whether he was impressed, disappointed, or just uninterested in the conversation, the man’s face completely void of emotion. Once Blake had finished, everyone waited with bated breath for the self-appointed leader to respond. Chase felt a bead of sweat forming on his brow, his nerves rising as they awaited the response. It felt silly, but technically his future rested on what happened next. Surely Jackson wouldn’t stop him and Riley from returning home—surely this man wasn’t like that?
Chapter 10
Jorge blinked through the tears that formed in his eyes, refusing to let them fall. He had put himself in this position and he was not going to admit defeat, no matter how bleak the situation seemed. He was just on the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona, and it looked like that was as far as he was getting—in the car at least. Sniffing while silently telling himself to stop acting like a child, he wiped a dirty hand across his face and tried to snap himself out of his sudden panic.
Since leaving Mia and the others behind, Jorge had changed his mind about what he was doing almost every hour. The blind rage that had torn through him in the moment he left had faded after only a few minutes of driving; his pride had stopped him from turning back that early. He was still frustrated and annoyed at Mia. It angered him to no end that she refused to see the fracking matter for how important it truly was—it was quite literally the reason behind everything.
As a result, Jorge had slowed and accelerated constantly as he put more distance between him and Lois’s house. He struggled with the decision of whether he should return and apologize or not, realizing pretty quickly that life would be considerably more difficult by himself, but his pride forced him away. He was a proud man and after leaving in such a manner, Jorge didn’t think he’d be able to walk back with his tail in between his legs.
The longer he deliberated, the more time passed and, in the end, that made the decision for him. So Jorge kept driving. He quickly reviewed a map and headed toward the biggest nearby city: Phoenix. He knew there would be thousands of people there and likely some in a position of power. That was his plan: to connect with those people and work together to find where the culprit responsible for everything was hiding and then bring him to justice.
It was a lot easier said than done though. Jorge drove until the roads became so impossible that they forced him to stop. He was so close to the city, but as the highway became more congested, he knew that driving would be more dangerous than stopping for the night. Ash coated the pavement in excess of probably ten inches, the effects of the eruption present everywhere he looked. Cars had either been abandoned just outside the city as people decided they could move quicker on foot, or crashed and left to ruins.
“Dios mio,” he muttered to himself as he turned the key in the ignition again the next morning, his body already bringing him grief from the uncomfortable night’s sleep. “Please start. Please start.”
Despite his desperate pleas, the engine of the trusty Mazda refused to turn over. It was typical. Jorge slammed his fists into the steering wheel over and over again, feeling the emotions rising inside of him once more and forcing his eyes to stay closed until the prick of tears behind his lids faded. Looking up at the road ahead of him, Jorge knew it would’ve been difficult to weave through the gridlocked streets, though it would’ve still been considerably easier than walking. He didn’t like the idea of wandering into the city on his own on foot, but now it didn’t seem like he had a choice.
Looking around the car, Jorge located one of the filtration masks they’d pilfered from the fracking site and tugged it over his face. Stumbling out of the car into the street, he walked around the back and bent down to inspect the exhaust to see if it was at all salvageable. Every other time they’d needed to leave the car overnight, they had been parked inside and protected it from the elements. Jorge worried that the first night the car had spent outside since the weather got truly bad had been too much for the engine. It was a miracle it had worked for this long really; it seemed like the journey from the comfort of a vehicle was finally over.
“Bueno,” he said to himself. “Time to go solo.”
Climbing back into the car on the passenger side so he had more room to move around, Jorge started pulling items together that he felt he’d need for his journey into the city. In addition to the mask he already wore, he packed all the others that they had taken from the site to make sure he wouldn’t be without his most valuable asset. Alongside them in his rucksack went as much water as he could physically carry and several handfuls of protein bars, stolen from vending machines on the site. He added a flashlight, first aid kit, a spare, lightweight jacket, and the few weapons the five of them had possessed. It wasn’t much, but Jorge knew he would have to make do. He couldn’t complain and get worked up about things now. He’d put himself in this position and he was going to have to get himself out of it.
Refusing to let his longing thoughts for Mia circulate too frequently in his head, Jorge forced himself to get out of the car again and start moving. Indecisiveness was a bad trait of his—one of the main reasons why he had enjoyed being around Mia so much—but now he didn’t have that fallback.
As he started walking, Jorge realized this might be one of the first times in his life where he was being forced to be truly independent. He had always been a self-assured individual and had never had any trouble putting his needs first. He had also always had someone else watching over him and making sure that he was all right. Back in Spain that had been his parents, and then when he moved to Texas it had been the university. Following the eruption it had been Mia. Now he was completely alone.
It was something that brought the Spaniard a lot of discomfort as he walked into the city, deciding it was finally time that he made a change. Phoenix was a new battlefield for Jorge, and so he vowed to reinvent himself there. He was going to make a difference and people were going to see him for what he truly was: a hero. Once he broke the news to people about the fracking, there would be no way he could be overlooked again. He wouldn’t need people to watch over him, he would be the one watching over others—making sure the world was safe once again. Phoenix, he decided, was going to be his clean slate. If only the city hadn’t looked quite so daunting.
As he approached, Jorge gazed up at the few high-rise buildings which broke through the sky in the middle of the city. They disappeared into the cloud like the top of castle lost to a fairytale world, although Jorge knew this was no fairytale. Darkness entombed the city and he had no choice but to walk right into the belly of the beast, with no way of knowing whether he would ever make it out again.
Unlike many of the other places he and Mia had passed through since leaving Yellowstone, Phoenix seemed alive. People walked in the streets like they had before the eruption, their faces almost all covered by a breathing mask or filtration device like Jorge’s—though most were merely pieces of clothing or ripped cloths. Other than that, things seemed to be moving as normal. No one really turned to look at the new addition to the city, the place already so full of people that one more body was insignificant.
“This looks promising,” Jorge muttered to himself, joining the throng of people heading toward the middle of the city. There were a few vehicles parked on the side of the roads, none of them seeming operational. People walked both on the sidewalk and in the streets, going about their daily business almost like nothing had happened.
“Hey,” Jorge nudged a man who was walking in the same direction as him, trying to get his attention. “Who’s in charge here?”
The man looked at him weirdly, raising his eyebrows as if he’d just heard the most ridiculous question in the world. “The same people who always have been, dummy. Get out of my way.”
Jorge backed away quickly, wanting to avoid any conflict in the new city yet determined to make his way to the top somehow. He fell into line and trudged through Phoenix, marvelin
g at how well everything still seemed to be working without the obvious aid of power or electricity.
Men, women, and children all communicated and cooperated in the streets, perhaps even more so than they would’ve before the eruption. People walked between their homes and what Jorge could only guess were new places of work. There was no chance people could all still be fulfilling the same roles as before, but based on the state of the city he was certain that some sort of regime and order had been put in place. The people of Phoenix all seemed to have a purpose, and that was definitely more than Jorge could say for anywhere else they had passed through. Perhaps Mia’s decision to avoid the larger cities had been wrong after all. If they were all like this then the world would likely be rebuilt a lot sooner than any of them had anticipated.
“Excuse me,” Jorge tried again, this time asking an elderly woman who walked hand in hand with a child. “Please, can you help me?”
“What’s the matter, dear?” The old woman asked, pulling her young companion out of the stream of people so they could stop and talk to Jorge. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes,” Jorge nodded, grateful that the woman had stopped. “I’m fine, thank you. I’m just,” he paused, “I’m confused. How is the city like this? Who is in charge of it all?”
“Oh, we’re all in charge,” the woman laughed faintly. “We’ve all got to work together to keep the city going. To rise up from the ashes. Like a phoenix, you get it? The fire can’t destroy us, only make us stronger.”
“I know,” Jorge agreed, trying to not let his initial perception that the woman was crazy show in his voice or how he responded to her. “I’m looking for the person in charge of it all? The mayor? The government? Who started all of this?”
“The leader?”
Jorge looked down at the young boy who had spoken. He was wearing a full-face diving mask that had been modified in some way to protect his lungs from the toxic air. His voice was muffled as a result, but Jorge had still heard the words clearly. The leader. That was exactly who he was looking for.
Escaping Darkness (Book 5): Debris Page 7
