by Mark Mathews
“Is it okay if I give these to the boys? They’re fresh.”
The man looked up from the large amount of food in his arms, to the fresh fruit in Wade’s hands, then to his family. He had tears in his eyes when he nodded. Wade slowly approached the family, doing his best not to look threatening in any way. The woman opened the door, the two boys clinging to her legs. Wade crouched down, with an orange in each hand.
“I’ve got a little girl in my wagon who just loves these. I think that you boys would love them, too.”
The boys’ faces lit up, and they came out from behind their mother long enough to snatch the fruit from his hands. They thanked him, already peeling the oranges. When Wade stood up, they dove back behind their mom and she closed the door in his face. It wasn’t to be rude, and Wade understood that. It was a big risk for her to trust this man who she didn’t know when she had two children with her. He smiled and waved at them through the window and went back to the wagon.
“Okay, sir, you are gassed up and ready to go. Thank you so much. I have this for you, too.” He gave Wade an extra gas can that was brimming to the very top. Wade was confused.
“Do I need to give you more for this?” He was starting to think that maybe the man was trying to get more out of him, and it rubbed him the wrong way.
“Oh no! I’m giving you this to make it even. You gave me way too much food for the gas that I could fit in your wagon, so I wanted to give you some extra.” Wade smiled at him.
“Thank you so much.” He shook hands with the man, and when he knocked on the window, Sarah opened the door for him. Wade reached around and unlocked the back door so he could put the gas can in, then crawled up into the driver’s seat.
“That went well. Now let’s get out of here before everything goes to hell.”
Emily peeked out the window. She saw the boys eating their oranges, with the biggest smiles possible on their faces. It made her grin back at them and wave. Only one saw her and returned the wave, because the other one was too busy stuffing his face. As they left the town, they could see that traffic was picking up. They were seeing more and more people on the side of the road. They made sure to steer clear of them because they never could tell if these people were on the side of good or bad. A couple of hours out of town, a gray van drove up and rammed them from behind. Wade swore, doing his best to keep them on the road.
“Is it the bikers?” Fear colored Sarah’s voice as she opened her window and looked out.
It turned out to be just a man and a woman, and the shifty way they were looking back at Sarah told her they were on the side of bad. Over the course of the next five miles, Wade did his best to outrun and outdrive the van, but the couple was doing just as great a job of keeping up with his maneuvers. The ramming continued for the entirety of that five miles. Emily suddenly growled low in her throat. She crawled across Sarah’s lap, opened the window, then took a deep breath, and opened fire. The sounds of the shots startled both Wade and Sarah, and both of them reached for their guns. Sarah felt hers, Wade didn’t. Emily had grabbed Wade’s pistol out of its holster without him even noticing. Wade met Sarah’s eyes, and he couldn’t quite conceal the smile. Emily was just like Sarah. He gave her a look as if to say, “like mother, like daughter.” It made Sarah blush and smile, but then she grabbed her pistol and joined Emily in shooting at the van.
“Aim for the tires! Maybe we can slow them down!”
It was a brilliant idea, and Sarah kicked herself for not coming up with it. Wade was right, she was turning out to be a miniature Sarah. The girls spent a few minutes shooting, and with a satisfying pop, Emily hit one of the tires. The ramming had stopped once the first shot rang out, because the couple became too busy trying to swerve away from the bullets. If they had had any brains, Sarah thought, the couple just would leave them alone and try finding somewhere safe to hide. No such luck. So be it. She took aim again, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. Another loud pop made her smile. Now both front tires were flat. The van started swerving out of the man’s control, tilting haphazardly. The back end over-corrected, dragging the van down into the ditch. The girls watched as it rolled over and over again, finally coming to rest on its top against a tree. There was silence from the van, but Wade didn’t stop to see if they were alright. They had put his family in danger, and to be honest, he would have been shooting at the driver himself.
Not too long after the crash, Wade swore loudly and slammed on the brakes. The road now was so choked with abandoned cars there was no way for them to squeeze through. All of them were dead, taken out in the EMP attack. Emily never had seen so many cars at once, and it was a wonder for her. She stared out the window, mouth open. A chill ran down Sarah’s spine. It reminded her of the opening of The Walking Dead, which she had loved watching before all of this had happened. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her as she nervously looked from side to side for zombies. She knew she was being silly and unreasonable, but it was just so similar that it was hard for her to tell her mind this was real life, not a television show.
“I’m going to start driving on the shoulder and see how far I can get.”
It was a good plan, but it only lasted for so long. It turned out that Wade hadn’t been the first person to think of that, because some of the cars that were standing still were blocking the shoulder, too. Wade thumped the steering wheel angrily.
“The only thing we can do is try driving in and out of the ditches, maybe through some of the trees, anywhere the wagon will fit. It’ll be a bumpy ride, but it beats walking. There’s no promise we’ll be able to drive the whole way there, but I’ll do what I can.” He hoped his defensive driving courses would help him get through it all so they could keep the paddy wagon.
“It’ll be okay.” Emily hugged her and tried calming her down as best she could. Sarah smiled at the little girl and drew her into a fierce hug.
“Thanks, honey. We’ll make it work. Wade is pretty smart, and I’m not that dumb. So we can figure out something.” She winked at Emily, making her smile. Wade chuckled at her comment. He turned off the paddy wagon, leaving the keys in the ignition.
“We can check some of these cars for backpacks and bags to carry our supplies in.”
It took them about a half an hour of searching every car to find some bags, and one looked to be pretty big. Emily and Sarah started packing up any supplies they found while Wade kept watch to make sure no one could take their things. It was eerily quiet, and deserted, not helping Sarah convince herself that this wasn’t The Walking Dead. A few dogs ranged around, looking for food, but these ones were completely different from those that had chased Sarah and Emily into one of Wade’s hunting traps. These dogs were feral, but skittish, not vicious. They ignored the people walking along the road, unless they got too close, then they barked or whined and ran away. The silence stretched on.
“I have an idea. Let’s try to figure out where everybody was going when their car stopped. We can make it a game.” Emily was ever the optimist, and Sarah silently thanked her for the distraction. They passed a blue smart car, and Wade burst out laughing. It was crammed full of suitcases, but was otherwise empty.
“What’s so funny?” Sarah asked. She didn’t see anything wrong with it.
“Well, I’m going to say that this car belonged to a rich socialite who was going on vacation and brought too much stuff with her. None of it useful, of course, and that’s why it’s still here.” The girls looked at it for a minute or two, trying to come up with an alternative story, but now that that one was in their heads, they just laughed and moved on. A station wagon full of cat food bags came up on their left, and Sarah took a stab at it.
“Okay, this one belongs to a crazy cat lady who was making sure she had more food and supplies for her cats than for her. Then she had to let them go on the side of the road, one by one, because she realized if she didn’t, she would eat them.”
It was morbid, but she wanted to outdo Wade’s story. Emily double
d over laughing. It jarred Sarah a little to see her laughing at the prospect of someone having to eat their beloved pets, but then again, she had to take in the concept of the world around her now. She wasn’t very happy about it, but Emily was adapting, and that meant a changing way of thinking.
“I got this one.” A big Hummer sat full of boxes that were padlocked shut in the back seat.
“This was one of those big, tough, survivalist guys who had prepared for the end of the world early and had made sure he had gas, food, and everything else he needed. Until the car died.” That was what it looked like.
“Once he gets a place that’s safe, he’ll come back for the boxes in the back because he padlocked them so no one else can use them.” They continued on, trying to pass the time by making up stories about the cars.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
AFTER THE INCIDENT with the couple, Emily was a little shaken up. She jumped at small noises when they weren’t in the safety of the paddy wagon and it hurt Sarah. She’d thought after everything that had happened to her, little things wouldn’t bother Emily, but now she realized it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The farther they travelled down the road, the more haphazard camping spots they found. Some people actually had tents, others were in cars, and a few even looked as though they had sewn together sheets, blankets, whatever they could find just to make some sort of shelter. It made Wade think about the patchwork quilts his wife used to make. She had loved arts and crafts and doing things like sewing, crocheting, and quilting. It reminded him that scraps of anything, different colors, even different textures, can come together to make one amazing thing to keep him feeling safe and warm. A pang went through him, and it hit him how much he really missed her. It had been easier not to think about her when Sarah and Emily were around.
“How do we know who to trust?” The question slipped from Sarah’s mouth before she had a chance to register it.
Her cheeks heated with embarrassment that she had let it get past her filter. It was a sign of weakness if she didn’t know who to trust or how to proceed. She only hoped that Wade wouldn’t see that. He was looking around uneasily at all the people, keeping his eyes wherever movement happened. Emily, on the other hand, was pressing herself as far back as she could in the paddy wagon, doing her best to hide. They kept driving until they could see a sliver of blue on the horizon. They had made it. The Great Lakes. Sarah smiled, thinking to herself that they actually had done it. They’d really made it. Maybe this would be the best decision of their lives up to now, and maybe it would be the worst, but they had made it. That meant they didn’t have a plan anymore. All this time, the plan was to get here. All their focus and efforts had gone to that simple plan, but now they were here, and it hit her that they didn’t have a plan past that. Fear crept in on her, and she slid her eyes over to Wade. After a few minutes, he felt her gaze on him, and when he turned to her, he recognized that look. It was one he’d had himself. The fear of the unknown, the uncertainty. The fear that they couldn’t take care of the people they loved.
“It’ll be alright.” He whispered it so only Sarah could hear, and she appreciated that.
She wanted to be strong for Emily, and she only could do that if Emily saw her as a protector, as someone to run to when she was afraid. Should that image change, and Emily start looking at her as she looked at herself, fearful and flying by the seat of her pants, then Emily might not want to run to her for everything. That would kill her. If she couldn’t protect Emily from the world, then she didn’t deserve to live. Granted, if she ever told Wade how she really felt, then he would shut down her way of thinking immediately.
Little groups of people were everywhere, and even though they all seemed to be getting along, she noticed something strange. All the little groups were staying away from each other. Even though there was a sense of peace, of a community even, the little groups weren’t interacting at all. They avoided each other almost like the plague, and it made Sarah wonder. If they all could get here and be together, why would they ignore each other? Wasn’t the whole point of going to the lakes to start over? To try taking control of the world again? And that’s when it hit her. This whole time, she had had no idea as to what was driving her here, what innate power and instinct was pulling her to this precise location. Now she knew. It was a last hope for them to come together and make a community. She wanted to tell Wade and Emily, but she also didn’t want to seem like one of those doomsday prophets. Those people you used to see on the side of the road, talking about how the apocalypse was coming and how they all would be punished. She laughed wryly.
“I think it would help if we pulled over and tried talking to people.” Sarah privately agreed. What would they do with Emily, though? She didn’t want to take her with them when they talking to people because not all of them looked like they were savory.
“That’s a good idea, but what about Emily?” At the sound of her name, the little girl looked up. There was fear in her eyes that the adults hadn’t seen before.
“What is it, sweetheart?” Sarah instantly was concerned for her.
“I…I don’t really know. I think…I’ve lost my ability to know when bad things are going to happen. I can’t feel anything here. Maybe there are just too many people with too many intentions, but I can’t tell.” She burst into tears and Sarah gathered the little girl up in her arms. She met Wade’s eyes over Emily’s head, and the pleading in them made him nod.
“Okay, you stay here in the wagon with the keys and lock yourself in. I’ll leave you my gun. If anyone tries breaking in, you shoot them. We’ll come and knock on the windows when we’re done, okay?” The little girl nodded, putting on a brave face.
Losing this gift made her feel as though she had nothing to offer for them to keep her. Emily nodded and hid herself as best she could. Wade took off one way, and Sarah watched him for a few minutes, worrying about him leaving without his gun. She regretted giving the majority of the weapons to the family who had traded them the gas for the food. Wade had had a soft heart and given them a lot so they would be able to protect themselves and their children. He was a tough guy, though, and he had knives hidden in his clothes. She took a deep breath and tried to still her mind into what she had to do. There was a little group to the right of the paddy wagon, and she headed toward them.
An older woman sat at a fire, looking as though she was weaving something. Two men sat beside her, and they were young enough that Sarah was sure they were her sons. She hoped they were friendly.
“Um, hello. I was wondering if I could talk to you guys for a minute?” Sarah put on her most disarming smile, but both men went for the knives tucked into their belts, stepping in front of the woman as if she were the queen of England, and they were her bodyguards. Sarah put up her hands, fingers splayed, to show them she wasn’t armed. Hopefully, they would understand she wasn’t here to hurt them. The younger looking one had a scar down half his face, which looked as though it hadn’t healed well. It was puckered, and angry-looking.
“Who are you and what do you want?” He was to the point and no nonsense.
“My name is Sarah.” She’d been going back and forth all the way over here on whether to give them her real name. She hadn’t decided yet, and this was a spur of the moment trust thing.
“I just wanted to talk to a few people and see what exactly was going on here. When did you come here?” There, that was easy enough. Nothing too invasive, and nothing revealing about herself, the people with her, or how many supplies she had. He looked her up and down, as if trying to assess if she was telling the truth.
“I’m Darryl, and this is Glen. Our mom is Melanie. We came here a long time ago. We actually were out camping before the electricity stopped working, and our supplies got stolen by a bunch of guys with guns.” That was interesting.
“Wait, so you guys were here before everything stopped? What made you want to come here?” They shared a glance, and she was pretty sure they silently were asking each othe
r if she would believe what they would tell her.
“Yes. We got here about a month before it all happened, and the only reason we came was because mom had this feeling we needed to get here.” Sarah’s heart started to pound. Was this a grand design of nature? Had everyone had that feeling to just come here, with no explanation?
“And you’ve been here ever since?” The man nodded.
“Mom says she thinks this is the place to be, but when we ask her why, she can’t answer us. She believes in different things that we don’t necessarily agree with. She was coming here one way or the other, and we couldn’t just let her go alone and unprotected.” She admired them for going with her, protecting her and caring for her.
That made them good men in her book. She smiled at them as she walked off. A little farther down, she saw a group of seven. Four men with leather jackets, scars, and scowls, with three women who looked so scarred and rough that she hadn’t realized they were women at first. She put on her friendliest smile and started walking toward them. One of the women saw her coming and said something to the man who was cooking some kind of food for them. He looked in her direction and his eyes hardened. He rose to his feet, drawing a pistol from his belt. It made Sarah pause for a moment, but then she continued on.
“Turn around, bitch, or I’ll put a bullet in you,” the man growled.
Death gleamed in his eyes, so she turned back around and headed quickly to the paddy wagon to check on Emily. Wade was having a better time on the other side of the wagon, talking to a young couple who just had gotten married before the electricity stopped working.
“She wanted to come here on our honeymoon. I didn’t really have a problem with it at all, but when I asked her why, she just kind of stared at me. I didn’t know what that meant, and she couldn’t tell me why she wanted to be here, either. I didn’t question it, though. What she wants, she gets.”
