"There are bigger things at stake, Michael. You can't help her here. But you can help us all if you go with me."
"I'm sorry. I can't."
"You must. We don't have the luxury of time anymore for..."
"Gresson, stop. There is nothing you can say that..."
"M... Michael? Why are you talking so loud?" Alice softly asked.
"Alice!" he cried.
"Michael, why is it that the first thing... that I wake up to... is you two arguing?" she slowly asked.
"Sorry," he said, a big smile on his face. "How are you feeling?"
"My chest hurts pretty bad. What happened? Where am I?" she said, peering around the dim-lit hospital room.
"You're at the hospital. You were shot. What do you remember?" Michael asked.
"I remember running. And then... we stopped somewhere. I... I don't know where," she said.
"We stopped at a hotel and..." Michael began to say.
"Samantha..." Alice remembered.
"Yeah. She..."
"She shot me. God, what a..." Alice noticed her children standing next to her and held her tongue. "Well, I'm still the one who has you, right?"
"You sure are," Michael said with a smile, following that with a peck on his wife's cheek.
"What happened to her?" Alice asked.
"She got away," Michael said regretfully.
"Your son got her pretty good in the face, though," Jake added.
"I don't know whether to be grateful or terrified," she said, looking over at her son.
"Don't worry about it, Mom. You're okay and that's all that matters," Adam said, holding her hand. Alice smiled.
"Here, Mom" Marie said, offering a bottle of water.
"Thanks, sweetheart," Alice said. She tried to take the bottle, but found her arms very weak. Marie put the bottle to her mother's lips and let her drink. When Alice was finished, she looked over at Gresson and said, "Did you... save me?"
"I helped. But there's a doctor here who did most of the work," Gresson replied. The doctor walked into the room as he spoke.
"Mr. Gresson is being very modest,"
"Well, thank you both very much. I assume we'll need to get back on the road soon, huh?" Alice asked.
"Alice, you need your rest," Michael said.
"And even when you are able to get up, you shouldn't be walking. That's why I got you one of these," Greg said, pulling over a wheelchair from the wall. "Mr. Gresson explained your situation... to some extent. As much as I don't want you going anywhere anytime soon, I'm not one to argue with a president."
"Thank you," Gresson said and Greg nodded. The doctor left the room.
"Gresson, she needs more time to rest," Michael protested.
"I know. But Alice needs better care than this hospital can provide. Care that my people in New Salvador can provide. We now have two reasons for our trip," Gresson said.
"No, she can't..." Michael said.
"Michael, it's fine," Alice said.
"Alice, it's too dangerous," Michael tried to explain to his wife, upset that no one seemed to share his concern.
"This is my decision. And, if I'm feeling up to it, we leave tomorrow. Is that fair?" she asked Gresson.
He nodded. The world's fate hung in the balance, but he would oblige.
"Now, let me actually get some rest," Alice said with a sigh, laying back on the hospital bed.
Chapter 25
Charleston - August 21, 2072
Late the next morning, the group resumed their journey, this time with Alice being pushed in a wheelchair by her husband. They now carried relevant medical supplies for Alice and themselves, provided by Greg. While Gresson had encouraged the doctor to head south when possible, the doctor's reply had simply been, "This is where I belong," before hurrying off to help other patients.
They were soon out of Charleston and heading for I-95. Progress was slow, but Gresson was content that they would reach New Salvador in a few days. He wondered what would happen to everyone once they arrived. The others at New Salvador would not easily welcome outsiders, but he knew they would need all the help they could get. He simply hoped they would feel the same way.
It was late afternoon when the group started to see smoke rising in the distance. They walked closer, hoping to see its source. Less than thirty minutes later, they found it.
The ash remains of a disintegrated small farming community lay before them. No building was standing and there were no signs of life. Gresson held up a hand for everyone to stop. Whatever had occurred here, though everyone already had a good idea, had happened recently.
"Holy hell. I thought they were farther to the north," Jake said. He eyed the ash and now vividly remembered the rants of the ragged man outside Washington D.C.
"Why?" Sean asked in horror. There were no bodies to see, but he was certain some of the ash was once human. "Why do this?"
"Everyone, stay quiet," Gresson said. "They could still be nearby." He pulled out his gun and readied it. Lash, Jake, and Adam did the same, though all with far less confidence.
They continued to follow the road, or at least the ash that remained of it. The path it had left through the patches of trees became their only guide. They left a trail of eight footprints and a pair of lines behind them as they scanned the surrounding mounds of ash.
"Down!" Gresson whispered. They all did, except Alice, who at first could only slouch in her chair. They all silently peered around, following Gresson's gaze.
To their left, nearly 500 yards away, stood a small group of humanoid "Exterminators." They stood distinct from their surroundings, fully covered in black suits with red trim. Across such a distance, it was difficult to see how many there were or to make out any additional features. But there was no mistaking that these were the creatures others had spoken of. They walked in ordered lines down a road, passing empty fields of previously harvested crops, and setting alight anything of human origin. The group felt strangely aware that whatever they were, they were not from here. Their machine-like synchronistic movements caused more terror than the fire they spread.
"Come on," Gresson whispered. He led them behind some of the nearby trees and from there they watched as the Exterminators walked farther away.
A loud scream arose from the direction of the black figures. This was met by a bright flash of fire. The Exterminators had reached a set of buildings on the far edge of what remained of the town and had begun burning everything in their vicinity.
"We have to do something!" Lash said. She went to stand up, but Gresson grabbed her shoulder.
"No. We need to move on. There is nothing we can do."
"Nothing we can do? There's only about five of them. We can take them, especially with the element of surprise."
"No, we cannot. I counted at least ten. There are far too many."
"Okay, ten. But still! Ten is too many? If we take out four right away..."
"The other six kill us. And we would not kill the four to begin with. They do not wear those suits for fashion. It's armor."
"I... We can't just sit by and let them kill these people."
"No. No we cannot. That is why we are going to New Salvador. That is also why we must survive. If anybody wants a chance to live, Michael and Project Blackout must get there intact."
Lash sighed in despair. She looked over at the Exterminators. They had nearly destroyed everything around them. There were no more screams.
"Come on, while they're distracted," Gresson said as he started to move.
The group followed him, but their eyes stayed locked on the distant black figures. The Exterminators had finished their destruction and were gathered in a circle, possibly communicating to each other.
Without warning, a loud pitched roaring sound blasted across the landscape. "FFFEEE!" it seemed to say.
Jake yelled "Son of a bitch!" but the sound drowned out his voice. No one could hear their own thoughts. The sound painfully penetrated their ears and seemed to reverberate inside thei
r skulls. Again Gresson motioned for everyone to get down, but they all, except Alice, had already dropped to their knees and covered their ears.
The sound continued for a almost an entire minute. Once the deafening blast was complete, the area was silent, except for the ringing in everyone's head.
"What the hell was that?" Michael asked.
"Do they know we are here?" Lash asked.
"Why did they do that?" Jake chimed in.
"I... I don't..." Gresson started to say. He sat silently for a moment, contemplating.
"Should we go?" Lash asked desperately.
"No, they do not know we are here," Gresson said, beginning to understand the reason for the sound.
"Gresson, what was that?" Alice asked.
"A message. They are communicating," Gresson said. "There must be other groups nearby. They are telling them they are done here and moving on."
"They had to do that, though? Can't they just yell 'Hey, we're done' instead of... well, whatever that was?" Jake questioned.
"I am not sure. The other groups must be far enough away to need that to hear them," Gresson said.
"But what was that? Can they really yell like that?" Sean asked.
"No, it's an acoustic device. It..." Gresson began to explain. Everyone stopped and listened. The sound rumbled in the distance, like an oncoming train. Lucas looked up for a moment, half-expecting to see an overhead plane. A second later, the sound reached them.
"RRREEE!" This time it was from the opposite direction and its distant origin made the sound far less deafening. When hearing the sound, however, Gresson's eyes lit up with apprehension.
"We need to go. Now!" he said.
"What? Why? What was that?" the others simultaneously asked.
"Let's go!" Gresson demanded, beginning a fast pace in their original direction. The others did not hesitate. Lash looked back toward the Exterminators and realized the reason for Gresson's concern. The dark figures were coming toward them.
Chapter 26
South Carolina - August 21, 2072
Alice's emotions were a mix of fear and frustration. Her and her family's lives were in peril and all she could do was sit. Michael panted behind her as he pushed her wheelchair. She felt a bump as they returned to the asphalt of the road and the ride became much smoother, but with no less frantic a pace. She tried to turn around to get a glance of their apparent pursuers, but the others running next to her were in the way.
They ran for nearly ten minutes. By the end, Michael was struggling to keep the pace and collapsed against the road once Gresson stopped them.
"What... what are you... doing?" Jake asked, shakily attempting to catch his breath as adrenaline raced through him.
"I don't think they followed us," Gresson said, seeming entirely at ease after the nearly one-and-a-half mile dash.
"Then why... the hell... did we run?" Jake inquired, feeling himself on the verge of puking. He gave in to the urge once he heard Sean's own retching.
"I knew they were coming our way and bound to move fast," Gresson explained. "Our only chance was to run. Even if they did see us, they may have not wanted to bother chasing."
Jake shook his head, both to separate the excess vomit from his lips and because of his dissatisfaction with Gresson's reason for their flight.
"Are you okay?" Alice asked her husband.
"As long as you are," he replied, slowly sitting up. "This is what I get for skipping out on the gym all those years." Alice chuckled.
"How did you know they were coming toward us?" Lucas asked Gresson.
Gresson paused for a moment, then said, "The second sound. It meant 'return'."
"If you know so much about them, then tell me this. What are they doing?" Jake asked.
"What does it look like?" Gresson asked, assuming the answer was obvious.
"Destroying everything... human," Lash said.
Gresson nodded. "We should keep moving. There is no way to know if they will come back this way," he said.
Sean held up a hand. "Just give me a sec," he pleaded, still dealing with a painful side stitch. The group waited for several minutes and then began to slowly walk along the road. They all felt more on edge than they had ever before, looking near trees and across fields for black and red. The eerie silence of the farmland they passed was unsettling. The only movement was caused by the breeze. It seemed even the animals had wisely fled the area long ago.
A cough from Sean startled the group. He apologized, but everyone remained on edge. While the Exterminators had left much on all their minds, conversation was sparse. The disturbing realization of what was truly happening to the world was not one they wanted to confront. Only the even pace of walking kept them sane. It gave them purpose and comfort. Having a destination was enough to overcome the dissonance of their apparent helplessness. Gresson himself struggled to keep his mind from nihilism. Is there really any point to this? he wondered briefly.
They found a motel that night. Several others seemed to be staying there, but the group interacted with no one until finding rooms and closing the doors behind them.
The Case family had found themselves their own room. Michael helped Alice onto the bed. She could stand, but her strength would take weeks to recover. Alice thanked her husband and closed her eyes, enjoying the chance to stretch out.
"Dad, do you really think it's possible that those... Exterminators are really... not from Earth?" Adam asked.
"I don't know. It... It's possible I suppose. But before today I always just ignored the thought. Now we've seen them, though. God, I... I don't know. It feels like everything is happening so fast. I guess it's already been weeks, but..."
"It just doesn't seem real," Adam finished.
"Right," Michael said.
"What are we going to do?" Marie asked. "I mean, Gresson seems to have some kind of idea, or at least his 'group' does. But really, if the Exterminators can do all this, what will stop them? Even if we can turn off the frequency, what are we going to use against them?"
No one had an answer.
The next morning, everyone rose late, but sleep had been limited for them all. They slowly gathered their things and regrouped outside of the motel. There was a light fog covering the landscape as they returned to the road and began the day's journey.
The trip was peaceful and only a few others were seen walking nearby. By late afternoon, they saw signs for an I-95 junction.
"It's been awhile since we've been on that road," Lucas said.
"Feels like it's been forever," Jake said.
"A week almost, right?" Alice asked.
Michael shook his head. "I can't even remember."
"Something like that, though," Lash said. "How far are we now from New Salvador?"
"Another week of walking and we should be there," Gresson said.
"I, for one, cannot wait to get there and just sit. Not having to walk anymore would be..." Jake said, until he realized Alice was giving him a look from her wheelchair. "Ah, hell. Sorry. You know what I mean."
They walked up the on-ramp and headed south. They had only walked another mile when the sun neared the horizon. Near the highway was a small trailer park. They went to it and searched for a place to stay.
They asked one of the locals if there were any empty trailers. He pointed to one, saying, "I think the folks that lived there ran off or died or something."
"Charming," Lash mumbled as they walked over to it.
The nine of them stepped inside. It would be crowded, but there was enough floor space for them all lay down, except for Alice and Michael who took the small bed in the back room. Darkness enveloped the trailer park as they began to fall asleep.
Chapter 27
South Carolina - August 23, 2072
The group was back on I-95 the next day. The sun was bright and the air was warm, leading everyone to take off any outer layers that they wore. After an hour, Jake began walking beside Lucas.
"So, you said we could chat at some
point. I have a question."
Lucas smiled. "Sure, ask away."
"I'll try not to be an ass this time."
"I'll try not to be preachy."
"Fair enough. You said you came along with us because you felt God was calling you?"
"Yes, and I do. What are the odds that a former president, let alone one that was once thought dead, would show up at my church soon after the world's power goes out?"
"Probably the same that he would show up at any church."
"Perhaps. But would you expect me to simply ignore something like that?"
"No, but it seems like you are covering up for your curiosity with some kind of God-given destiny."
"To be honest, I'm not very curious. No part of me wants to find out what the Exterminators are going to do or what we will have to do to stop them. In fact, I would much rather be back in the comfort of my church, simply helping those around me."
"How do you know that isn't what you were called to do?"
"Because I could feel it. It's not something I can simply describe."
"Because it's not something that exists."
"Why? Why must it not exist? Why are you so frightened by the idea of some purpose beyond our own?"
"I'm not frightened. I'm simply looking honestly at the real world. But if I was frightened of anything, it would be of those who believe they have some destined purpose, a purpose greater than anyone else's. Some of the worst things people have ever done has been in the name of some superior purpose or 'destiny.'"
"And yet the greatest things people have done were due to their belief in a greater 'purpose.' Without that purpose, why do anything at all?"
"Oh, come on. So you think nobody can do anything worthwhile unless they think 'God' told them to?"
"Of course they can. But then how do they know it was worthwhile?"
"Because 'worthwhile' is only what we decide."
"If that's the case, then nothing is worthwhile. I believe in God because he gives all things purpose. Without something outside ourselves defining that, what is the point?"
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