Last Detour

by Renata Martin

  "I think I want to stay."

  "Here?"

  "Yes, here."

  "Are you sure that's wise?"

  "It's what I want."

  "Okay." Olivia glanced over at the others waiting by the car. "How come you don't want to come with us?"

  "It just feels right. I feel at home here. Is that wrong?"

  "You like Corey. I get it. What's not to like?"

  "I don't know. I don't know if I'm ready for all that, but I do like him."

  "Just be careful, okay." The beep of the horn startled them. "Just a minute," Olivia shouted. "Listen, if for any reason you need us, or you've had enough, we should arrange a meeting point, you know, just in case."

  "Where?"

  "How about Venice beach? If we don't find anyone in LA, that's where I would want to stay."

  "That sounds nice. Do you know where you'd stay?"

  "Let me write it down for you." Olivia pulled a scrap of paper from her redundant wallet that she still insisted on carrying around. She pulled a pen from her bag and scribbled down the address. "Here you go. It's been quite a ride hasn't it."

  "Yeah, you could say that."

  "You guys coming or what?" Dana yelled. They walked to the car and Zoe said her goodbyes.

  "God speed." Corey shouted and waved them off as the car pulled away.

  ***

  Despite the clear skies and glistening ocean views from the Highway, everyone in the car was subdued. Watching the world go past from their respective windows, the Pacific appeared to have lost its magic. Olivia kept a close eye on Luke. Something about his demeanor deeply disturbed her. The empty soullessness of his eyes and his mechanical movements. She still hadn't been able to get anything out of him about what happened in that room, but she wasn't sure if she even wanted to. She decided to broach the subject with him another time, when they could be alone.

  The car veered sharply and dipped to one side, tossing the passengers in the car. The wheel arch scraped across the road, causing sparks to jump up. An explosive sound rang in their ears as the front bumper slammed against a tree. They jerked forward in their seat belts like crash test dummies, and a smoke rose from the front of the car with a hissing sound.

  Olivia sat in the front seat clutching the steering wheel like her life depended on it. Her heart thumped in her chest and she couldn't speak, couldn't move. Her brain worked in slow motion, taking in what had just happened. She gasped, not realising she had been holding her breath the entire time.

  "Is everyone okay?" Olivia looked her passengers over. Luke sat there, staring, like he had been the whole journey. Michael had a small gash on his forehead, and a trickle of blood ran down his temple. He said he was fine, but she was not convinced. Dana got out to check the damage.

  "What did I do wrong?" Olivia's legs wobbled and almost gave way as she got out the car.

  "Nothing." Dana examined the front side of the car. "Tyre blow out. It looks just like when it happened to my mom's car."

  "What shall we do?" Michael asked.

  "Let me look at that." Olivia got on tip toes to inspect the wound on his head. There was minimal blood for a head wound, but she didn't want to take any chances. "I think we still have some bandages somewhere."

  "It's fine. Chill out."

  "Seriously. You're telling me to chill out right now?" Olivia's voice carried for miles.

  "Panicking isn't going to help."

  "We need to get another car. Mine's fucked."

  "Well we don't have to look far." Michael walked towards a Subaru parked on the side of the road.

  Olivia ran after him. "What about your head?"

  Michael opened the car door and found a set of keys still in the ignition. He turned the key, trying to start the car. "Battery's dead."

  "Who just leaves the key in the ignition. I'm telling you, everyone just vanished. Look." Olivia peered in through the back window. "There's a picnic basket." The sight of the wicker basket complete with a blanket and unopened bottle of wine gave her a pang of sadness. "Where did they go?"

  "Dammed if I know. Time to try another car." Michael carried on down the side of the highway. Olivia glanced back at her car. Dana and Luke were leaning against it, looking out at the sea. "Holy shit!" Michael blurted. "Is that a car?"A distant engine hum emanated from around the bend and something, fast moving, flashed between the gaps in the trees.

  "It must be." She bounced up and down, waiting, until the van came hurtling around the corner. "Ha ha." She jumped and waved her arms in the air to get the driver's attention, not that they could miss them there, on the side of the road. Waving, smiling and laughing.

  The van came to a stop right in front of them; it was grey with dust and looked like it needed a good wash. No matter the situation, Olivia always felt the urge to write something in the dirt with her finger. The van door opened and an overweight man with a beard and graying hair stepped out and looked them over.

  "Is that your car?" He adjusted his glasses and looked at the car against the tree, still steaming. "What a mess."

  "Yes. Who are you?" asked Michael expectantly, as if this man would have all the answers.

  "I have a farm not too far from here. Had a whole load of folks come for help, after everyone went missing. We need to stick together. Way I see it, things could be like this for a while, maybe even forever. Whoever you are, you're welcome to join us. There's almost a hundred of us now."

  "A hundred. Are you kidding?"

  The man smiled. "Nope. I'm deadly serious. My name's Jesse, by the way."

  "We should tell our friends. They're staying somewhere about an hour from here."

  "Do you have the address? I could get my friend to pick them up in something a little nicer than the back of this van. It's for storage, you see, so there ain't no seats except for the one next to me up front. You lot could go in the back if you want, but you may slide around a bit."

  Olivia looked at the others, gauging their reactions. Under normal circumstances, she would never consider getting in the back of some strangers van.

  "I'll give you a while to think it over. Just so you know, we have livestock. Pigs, sheep, you name it. We're also growing plenty of vegetables in case you were interested."

  "That sounds great. If you don't mind us talking it over," said Olivia.

  "Sure, take your time."

  Olivia ushered them out of Jesse's hearing distance. "So, what do you guys think?"

  "I think we owe it to ourselves to see how this pans out," said Dana.

  "I'm not so sure. Something about this gives me a bad feeling. I mean, come on. Have you guys not seen any post apocalyptic movies? If someone was going to kill us, eat us and wear our faces as a mask, this guy would be it." Luke was suddenly very vocal and animated.

  "I think we should check it out. Don't be so paranoid. Plus, who here would say no to a proper meal?" Michael asked.

  "Okay, but I'm not taking any chances and I suggest you do the same." Dana gestured to the gun she had been keeping on her since the night at the mall.

  "It's a compromise, I suppose. I mean, we have plenty of knives in the trunk. If I get any sign things are going south though, I'm straight out of there," said Luke.

  Olivia nodded. "Agreed. I don't think we should let them know where Corey and Zoe are either, not until we get a feel for the place." The group approached the van and Olivia shook Jesse's hand and introduced herself.

  "So nice to have you on board. I'll let them know." He leaned in through the driver's door and picked something up from the dashboard.

  "Is that a satellite phone?" Michael asked.

  "Oh no, nothing like that. Just a high-powered walkie talkie." He opened the back doors to the van whilst holding the walkie talkie to his ear. "Eli. Yeah, I've found more survivors. Four of 'em." He listened and nodded his head. "Yeah, cook 'em up something special. They look like they've had a right time of it. Crashed their car and everything."

  Michael was the first to get in the ba
ck of the van which was smattered with plant matter that had dried and stuck to the floor. There was also a faint smell of manure, but no remaining evidence of it.

  "Sorry about the back there. Normally move about the animals in there. Wasn't really expecting any human company." He slammed the back doors closed, and it went dark.

  OTHERS

  The van rocked from side to side as it traversed the bumpy terrain. Olivia didn't fancy touching the floor of the van with her hands and slid into Michael as the van tilted. "Sorry." Her voice juddered with the vibrations underneath her.

  "You can get leverage on our bags. Works for me." Michael stuttered, wedging himself the corner of the van and steadying himself by pressing his feet against the luggage. He almost lifted completely off the floor as they went over a large bump. The ground must have levelled out as the journey smoothed out and they could sit upright without clutching on for dear life.

  "How long's it been?" Olivia asked.

  "About 40 minutes," Michael responded. The van started slowing down and made a great clunking sound as it ground to a halt. As the back doors opened and light flooded in, Olivia gasped in relief and was the first to leap out.

  "This is where you're going to stay tonight."

  She squinted against the sun. The barn stood alone in the field. Old timber that looked one short breeze away from collapsing in on itself. The dilapidated roof was missing plenty of planks of wood, and Olivia was thankful for the blue sky.

  "Where is everyone?" she asked.

  "The main complex is a few miles from here. We keep newbies separate for a while so we can get a feel for ya. You can't be too careful. There are some dangerous people out there and I need to keep my community safe."

  "Okay. That makes sense." Olivia was unexpectedly grateful. She wasn't ready to meet a load of new people.

  "I'll bring Eli by to say hi. He can get a feel for you all. Just make yourselves at home. We'll bring dinner to you as well."

  "Thank you." Olivia shook his rough, calloused hand, and they then unloaded their bags from the back of the van.

  "Take this." He passed her his walkie talkie. "Just in case you need anything." He got into the van and drove off up the dirt road, leaving them stood in front of their pile of bags.

  "Okay, screw this. This is bullshit. I can smell it from a mile off." Luke paced.

  "I think it's a bit soon to be making snap judgements. Of course he wants to make sure we're good people." Dana interjected.

  "Well, what about if they're good people? We don't even have a car now if we want to leave."

  "He seems nice. I'm sure he'd give us a ride back to town if we asked."

  "Okay, why don't we give it a try, and if anyone wants out, at any time, then we all honor that and leave together. We stick together," said Michael.

  "Definitely," Olivia agreed. Luke agreed pensively, and they made their way into the barn. Beams of light shone through the rafters, hitting the floor below. Dry straw crunched under their feet as they walked through. Beds with rusty metal frames lined the walls on each side.

  "Wow, this is pretty basic." Luke struck one of the bed frames and a hollow metallic sound rang out in the vast, empty space.

  "Yep. This is definitely... something." Michael lifted the corner of the thin mattress, revealing the metal bars underneath.

  "I'm sure the main place will be nicer," said Dana with a hint of doubt in her voice.

  "Doubt it," said Luke. "I wish we were back at Corey's. We could be playing pool, not sitting in some shit hole with nothing to do."

  "It's going to be pretty cold at night too, I imagine." Olivia looked through a gap in between the planks of wood to the world outside.

  "Come on, it could be worse," said Dana. "I'm going outside to have a look around."

  Luke followed behind her. "Well, I'm not staying in here. It's depressing."

  Michael watched them leave and then smiled at Olivia. "Fancy testing out the beds?"

  "I think I'd rather take my chances on the floor." She held up a grotty fleece blanket from one of the beds with the tips of her fingers.

  "Whatever you say." Michael placed his hands on her hips, pulled her close to him and kissed her. She shuffled backwards, manoeuvring him behind one of the supportive wooden beams, so they were hidden from prying eyes. As he lifted her up against the beam, she hiked up her skirt and wrapped her legs around him. The wood was hard and rough against her back and a shiver ran through her whole body as she felt his deepening breath, warm on her neck. This was how she always wanted it. Spontaneous and anywhere but a bed. Not being able to wait. Having to have that person there and then, against whatever surface you could find.

  ***

  Out of breath, Olivia straightened up her clothes, picked off strands of straw that stuck to the fabric, and with a smile plastered on her face, pondered the cliché of having sex in a barn.

  "I'm going out to smoke. It's a fire hazard in here." She leaned over him, reached into his jean pocket and pulled out a crumpled pack. "You coming?" As she emerged from behind the beam, she saw Dana and Luke loitering in the doorway.

  "Is it safe to come in now?" Luke called, cupping his hands in front of his mouth.

  "Of course it is. What are you talking about?" She asked wryly.

  "Well, let's just say you weren't exactly quiet."

  "No comment." A warm flush rose into her cheeks.

  "Anyway, we got a message on the walkie talkie. Eli is coming to meet us."

  "It seems weird don't you think?"

  "Yeah, I know what you mean. It's like my body can tell I don't belong here and is fighting it.

  "Fighting it how?"

  "I just feel really weird. Uncomfortable, you know?"

  The sound of tires on soil rumbled in the distance. "I guess he's here." Olivia walked towards the dirt path, and a vehicle appeared on the horizon. A dusty pick-up truck stopped in front of them, and a thin man with a long blonde ponytail and goatee exited the vehicle.

  "Hey guys." He smiled warmly. "I just need to grab something from the back." He shut the door and grabbed a large pot from the cargo bed. He rested his chin on the lid and shuffled over to them. "Coming through."

  "Here, let me help you." Michael held it from the bottom and they placed it on a tree stump that had been used for chopping wood, judging by the axe marks.

  "We made a whole batch for ya. Thought you might be hungry."

  "Thank you," said Michael and Olivia in unison.

  "There's more where that came from." Eli headed back to the truck and pulled out something covered in cloth. "It's freshly baked." He sat it down next to the metal pot. "It's kind of somewhere between bread and pizza. Do you like goat cheese?"

  "Love it." Olivia caught the yeasty, savoury smell of warm bread, and her stomach groaned in anticipation. "I think you're my new favorite person," she laughed.

  As Eli lifted the lid off the pot, steam rose into the air. "It's like a ragu, ratatouille thing. There's slow cooked goat, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and peppers." Eli leant against the wall of the barn. "So I hear you guys crashed. Hope you're all okay," he said, looking at Michael's head.

  "Oh yeah, that. I think I bumped my head. I feel fine though."

  Eli inspected Michael's eyes. "You got to be careful of concussion. You feel tired at all?"

  "No. Feel completely normal."

  "Well, if that changes, let me know. Anyway, let's dig in. I'll just grab the bowls." Eli headed back to the truck.

  "See he's nice right?" Dana whispered.

  "I'm a fan," said Olivia, sniffing the pot of stew.

  "So where you guys all from?" Eli ladeled out stew into rustic wooden bowls and passed one to each person.

  "I'm from England."

  "London?"

  "No, not too far though, about two hours away."

  "Cool. So what are you doing here?"

  "Uh. Well I've been to California before and wanted to revisit some places."

  "It's pretty great,
right? So this all must be quite scary for you? Being so far from home and all."

  "Do you have any idea what's going on? Where everyone has gone. Why we're left?"

  "That's the million dollar question, isn't it? Truth is, we have no idea. We wasted time trying to figure it out, and then it occurred to us. This is the way it should be. Living off the land. Sustainable. Maybe now the planet will stand a chance."

  "Yeah, I suppose. But why us, and how did everyone vanish without a trace. You said you have about a hundred people living here. Did they have anything in common? Do they know why they're here?"

  "Just lost souls coming together. That's the way I see it. No point in questioning it. This is our reality now."

  "But how can you not question it?"

  "We can discuss this tomorrow. I'll give you the grand tour in the morning, and you can meet everyone. Enjoy the food." He swiftly got into the truck, leaving the pot of food behind, and drove off.

  "That was kinda abrupt, don't you think?" said Luke not no-one answered as they tucked into their food. Olivia could feel its warming goodness as if she was being nourished instantly.

  The sun hung low in the darkening sky as they ate their food.

  "Do you think if we leave leftovers it might attract bears?" Dana asked.

  "Unlikely. Maybe a coyote," said Michael with his mouth full.

  "We best finish everything then."

  "I don't need an excuse." He stuffed another piece of bread into his mouth before he'd even finished swallowing the food he was already chewing on.

  A slight chill in the air made Olivia shudder. "I'm going in." The barn looked even less inviting as the light dwindled, but she didn't care as she was overtaken with tiredness. She got into the bed and could feel each individual bar of the frame poking through the mattress as she pulled the musty blanket over her head. The sound of the other's voices outside were comforting somehow and helped her drift off.

  ALL IN THE MIND

  It was dark. Olivia tried to move but couldn't. Not a limb, not even her little finger. The only thing she could move was her eyes. Tight straps secured her wrists and ankles. She wanted to see if she was alone, but couldn't lift her head up. There were no sounds, so she assumed she was alone. The only was she could look was up. The LED lighting on the white-tiled ceiling was redundant and a strong smell of chemicals stung her nostrils. The smell reminded her of something. When she made some effort, she could see something white in her peripheral vision, some sort of machine. It was a hospital, definitely a hospital.