For a moment, Solly didn't know how to respond. "What do you mean?"
Ross turned to him. "You want to find your family, I know that. So, one day you're gonna leave."
"I'm honestly not thinking that far ahead, at the moment."
"Don't lie to me," Ross said. "They're on your mind all the time. Every stop we've made has been temporary. As soon as you can, you'll be back on the road."
Solly shook his head. "I won't leave until it's safe for me to do so."
"Safe for who?"
"Come on, Ross! Safe for them, of course. I didn't want to take responsibility, but it seems I have, we have. There's no way out for me, not that I can see, not for a while."
They sat listening to the hiss of the gas and the bubbling of the kettle as it approached the boil.
"What's Jake like?" Ross asked.
Solly smiled. "He's a lot like you," he said. "Clever, resourceful and a moody pain in the butt."
"Take me with you when you go," Ross said.
"It'll be safer for you to stay."
Ross shrugged. "I don't care. You're not my dad, but..."
Solly felt a lump in his throat. He reached out and put his hand on Ross's shoulder. "I said at the beginning that good folk should stick together, but d'you know what else I've learned in the past two weeks?"
The boy shook his head.
"That family isn't just about blood, it's about trust and love. You and Janice, you're family now. Whatever happens, you'll get to choose what you do. I won't leave you behind unless you want to stay."
The kettle began to sing. Solly lifted it from the stove and poured it into the enamel mugs. The air filled with the scent of warm chocolate as he handed one to Ross, who smiled.
He left the stove burning and they took turns warming their hands over its blue flame. They could have been father and son sharing a camping adventure, but Solly couldn't hide from the truth. For better or worse, he was a literal man.
This farmhouse could become an oasis of safety and warmth in a crumbling world. A place full of life in an America where highways and homes were inhabited by the dead. They sat in front of the fire, a glimmer of light in the darkness. And out there, in the shadows, was his family. His true family.
One day, he would seek them out. One way or another, he would find out whether they were alive or, as seemed far more likely, that they'd died two weeks ago.
He would go because he could not live with the uncertainty. He would go because he loved them.
Solly sat watching the fire and fighting back the despair that gripped his heart. It had taken an apocalypse to discover just how much he loved his family and it was almost certainly too late. A tear rolled down his eye as he felt Ross lay a hand on his shoulder. Whatever the future held, they would face it together.
Scattered
Book 2
Chapter 1
It was too cold to enjoy fishing, but they had to eat, so Solly Masters cast his line again and pulled the blanket around him. Ross, Jaxon and two other boys were sitting by the bank with fishing poles they'd found on an expedition into Hagerstown. None of them had ever fished before and their attempts to assemble their rods, thread line, tie on hooks and impale bits of earthworm would have been comical if the situation hadn't been so deadly serious.
Until now, they'd been relying entirely on scavenged supplies, but their safety depended on remaining unnoticed. Every time they went into town they risked being attacked by desperate individuals and the more organized groups that were now springing up. So, they had to become as self-sufficient as possible as quickly as they could, though Conococheague Creek was not proving generous so far.
Solly glanced at the boys along the bank. Ross sat next to him, hunched over the rod that sat across his legs and gazing out at the river where his float bobbed on the sullen surface. Since they'd discovered the farmhouse that was now serving as their base of operations, Ross had transformed from a taciturn teenager to an open, kind and generous young man. Most surprisingly, he and Jaxon had become firm friends and the two of them were chatting from time to time as they sat on the bank.
The transformation of Ross was one small miracle in a world gone dark. Five weeks ago, Solly had been an unemployed and newly divorced app developer from Texas living in a rented apartment in downtown Manhattan.
"What's so funny?" Ross said.
"Funny? Nothing. Call it gallows humor," Solly responded, realizing he'd chuckled out loud. "I was just remembering how I'd thought my world had ended when I lost my job. And then it actually did end, and I realize just how insignificant my problems were back then. Nothing I couldn't fix. And now..." He shrugged.
Ross tightened his line and then blew on his hands to warm them. "You're pretty awesome, Sol, but I don't think you can fix the entire world."
Jaxon called from the other side of Ross. "How do you eat an elephant, Solly?"
"One bite at a time," Solly and Ross chimed in response.
"Well this farmhouse, it's our first bite," Jaxon said.
Solly smiled and transferred his gaze out to the creek where his float bobbed. One bite at a time had been their mantra as soon as they'd chosen the farmhouse as their new base of operations. There was so much to do to make it habitable and secure, then to bring the children and babies—not to mention Arnold who'd long ago lost his legs to diabetes—let alone find a way to care for and feed them. So Solly had explained the principle of breaking a task down into manageable chunks and only worrying about the next one. The unintended consequence being that it was quoted back to him at every opportunity.
"My eyes are going funny," Ross said. "When I look away from the river, it seems as though the bank's moving."
With a blur of movement, Jaxon raised his arm. A fish leaped out of the water before plunging back beneath the surface. "I got one!"
"Gently does it!" Solly called. "Don't break the line. Just reel it in slow." He watched as Jaxon guided the fish into the bank, then handed his rod to Ross before bending down.
"Yuck, it's slimy!" he called out, recoiling.
Solly went to join him. "It's not slimy, it's cold and wet," he said, feeling the thing wriggling in his hands. He had no idea what species it was, but it was a good size, a foot or so in length, and looked edible.
"Nice one, Jaxon. Now, a few more of these and we can have fried fish tonight."
His mouth watered at the prospect and he was just picturing it in his mind's eye when a cry went up from the direction of the farmhouse.
"Uncle Solly!"
He turned to see a girl standing on the bank above him, puffing. "What is it Kayla?"
"There's a man!"
He leaped up and drew the gun from his pocket. "Where?"
"At the farm. Landon's got him covered, but Auntie Janice told me to come fetch you."
Ross and Jaxon stood up, but Solly waved them back down again. "You stay here but keep your ears open."
He climbed the bank and headed off at a trot toward the farmhouse, fear coursing through his veins. They'd been discovered.
The man stood with his hands held high at the foot of the steps leading up to the farmhouse. Landon sat in a rocking chair, his shotgun aimed directly at the man's head with Janice beside him. As soon as she caught sight of Solly, she waved, and the visitor turned to face him.
He wore a long brown leather coat with a matching wide brimmed hat that cast a shadow over his eyes. He was white, lean and unshaven, but he didn't look desperate. And he wasn't frightened.
"My name is Jeremiah," he said in a cut glass English accent as Solly approached. "I have come to collect the package Khaled entrusted to you. Is it still here?"
"What does he mean?" Landon called. The young man had largely recovered from a bullet wound to the leg but still wasn't fully mobile. He was spending his convalescence in a rocking chair on the porch wrapped in a blanket made of crochet squares of seemingly random colors.
Solly didn't answer either Jeremiah or Landon. He approached the s
tranger and searched him for weapons, emerging with a snub-nosed revolver and hunting knife that he handed to Janice.
"Follow me," he said before leading Jeremiah up the stairs and in through the door.
Arnold wheeled himself out of the living room, but the question died on his lips as Solly shook his head before crossing the hall and opening the door to the room that had become his. He gestured the man into his desk chair and stood over him, revolver in hand.
Throughout, the man had remained calm and relaxed, as if everything was happening exactly as expected.
Solly opened with the most important question. "How did you find me?"
The man's face spread in a self-satisfied smile. "So, you are the man Khaled gave it to? Excellent."
"Answer my question," Solly said. "How did you know I was here?"
Jeremiah shrugged. "I didn't," he began. Then, holding his hands up to quell Solly's fury, he said, "Look, I will answer, but I am hungry and thirsty. Could we not discuss this like civilized men over a pot of coffee and a bite to eat?"
"I don't feel inclined to be 'civilized' when I don't know whether the safety of the people here is under threat."
"Then I can reassure you that your secret is safe with me. You are in no more danger now than you were before I located you. Now, do you have the means to make me a coffee or must I remain uncaffeinated?"
Solly took him through to the large kitchen of the farmhouse, ordered the children out and poured a mug of coffee from the pot warming on the stove.
"Ah, that's so good," Jeremiah said, sipping the rich black liquid with relish. "It's been a few days since I had a freshly made cup of joe."
Solly watched the man's face carefully as he drank. His joy was genuine, unless he was a masterful actor, and the lines around his eyes opened as he swallowed, revealing pale pink skin beneath a layer of dirt and grime that suggested some days on the open road.
"Now, tell me how you found me," Solly said.
Jeremiah put his cup down. "I didn't find you, I found the cylinder. It has a tracking device, though it is no longer transmitting. This was the last known location and, when I saw that you match the description Khaled gave me, I knew it must still be here."
"But if you found me, that means others can," Solly said, "which puts the children here in danger."
"No, the frequency is only known to a few people, none of whom are a threat to your safety. I must say, though, I was expecting to find you, the boy and the woman, not an entire community. A community made up largely, it seems, of children. There is an interesting story behind this, I perceive."
Solly shook his head. "No, you don't get to change the subject. What do you want of me?"
"I wish you to hand over the package that Khaled gave you."
"Assuming I still have it," Solly said in as noncommittal a voice as he could manage. "If you really do come from Khaled, you'll know the codeword he gave me before handing it over."
Jeremiah chuckled. "Yes, he is not the world's most sophisticated secret agent, is he? I believe the codeword he chose was raven. Inspired, no doubt, by the carrion birds gorging themselves on the former population of New York."
"It's no joking matter," Solly said, icily.
"I'm sorry. You are quite correct. Five weeks ago, a virus was unleashed on humankind that, in one night, killed more people than the bubonic plague managed in centuries."
Solly reached out and grabbed his arm. "It was a virus? How could it possibly get around the country so quickly?"
"Not a biological virus, to be sure, but just as deadly. And it didn't affect the US alone—this was a global killing. In one night, 90% of the world's people died and another 5% joined them over the following couple of days." He leaned back and pushed the mug away. "We have to seek solace in simple pleasures in the face of such devastation."
Rubbing his eyes, Solly slumped onto the table, allowing his revolver to rest inches from Jeremiah, who seemed to ignore it. Global? Solly hadn't given much thought to the rest of the world until the past week or so. He was still working on getting the farm's wind turbine working so they'd have at least some access to electricity and, hopefully, any news transmissions.
"So you mean a technological virus," Solly said, finally. "BonesWare?"
Jeremiah nodded solemnly. "Yes. Developed to save human lives, it turned into the carrier for the deadliest weapon ever created."
"But I've got Bones, and so have most of the older kids here. Why did we survive?"
"That is a difficult question to answer, but I will say this—it was unleashed by the Lee Corporation and they intend to release another wave that will bring the survivors of the apocalypse under their control."
Solly felt all at sea. Half an hour ago, he'd been fishing in the local creek and now he was talking about the end of the world, mark two.
"What do you mean?"
Shrugging, Jeremiah said, "I don't know much more, but 98% of the US population had Bones devices, and the vast majority of those died immediately. That still leaves 10 million alive, plus another six million who hadn't been implanted. Imagine if the Lee Corporation could gain control over the remaining implants. They would hold an ax above the head of everyone with the device. That would be power indeed."
"So, tell me Jeremiah," Solly said, "how is it that you are so very well informed?"
Jeremiah sighed. "There is only so much I can reveal, I'm afraid. I ask you to take it on trust that I am working against the interests of the Lee Corporation and that your life and those of the people here will be all the safer once the package is removed."
"What is it exactly?"
"As I said, I cannot tell you everything because I do not know everything. I merely know that the package is of vital importance in preventing the second wave and I have been given a grid reference to deliver it to."
Solly got up from the table and, keeping his eye firmly on the visitor, poured them both another cup of coffee. "Where is it going?"
"I am under strict instructions to keep that confidential," Jeremiah said, again sensing Solly's temper flaring and holding up his hands. "Not because you are not to be trusted, but because the fewer who know, the less the risk of the Lees getting their hands on it. That really would be the end."
Solly sat down again opposite the man. "So, you're all that stands between the Lee Corporation and the second wave?"
Jeremiah let out a rich laugh that bounced around the kitchen. "It seems ridiculous, does it not? I see why you struggle to believe me—I do not look like much of a hero. Now, will you help me?"
"I haven't decided yet," Solly answered, noting how Jeremiah's face darkened. "You look and smell as though you've been on the road for a long time. Luckily for you, it's bath night tonight, so we'll be heating water. I suggest you enjoy our hospitality today and we'll make a decision tomorrow."
"You will allow me to roam freely?" Jeremiah said, his face clouded with suspicion.
Solly shook his head. "You can enjoy my company for the afternoon, we can go fishing."
It was dark. The babies had been bathed and the children and adults had taken precisely timed showers. Solly had been rather proud of his somewhat Heath Robinson method of getting the hot water from the fire pit outside to the hot water tank in the attic, but he'd foregone his shower and had sent Jeremiah in instead.
He left Ross outside the door of the bathroom and ran downstairs to the basement, leaving the intervening doors open so Ross could warn him if there was any trouble. Using a candle to light his way, Solly went over to the thick oak table that had once, presumably, graced the kitchen but had then endured a second life as a workbench. On it sat a metal safe.
Luckily the safe had been open when he'd discovered it and the combination had been written on a paper label on the inside of the door. Designed to withstand the house falling on top of it, the safe seemed the best place to put the cylinder that Khaled had given him.
Solly's paranoid streak had not lessened since the end of the world, and he ju
st wanted to check it was still there. It wasn't beyond the bounds of possibility, after all, that Jeremiah had a confederate who might have infiltrated the building while Solly was occupied.
He keyed in the combination and pulled the door open. Solly breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the silver cylinder lying there untouched. He examined it, looking for any indication of which part might be transmitting its location.
Suddenly, as he pulled it clear of the safe, he heard the electronic wail of an alarm coming from the upper floor.
Chapter 2
Bella Masters stood on the balcony and watched the waves rolling in. It was a gray winter's day and a chill breeze blew in off the ocean. A few months before, Crystal Beach had teemed with families enjoying the golden sands and now the only sound was the wind in the palm trees and the crying of the gulls.
She hadn't told anyone of her plans, not even Nathan, the injured soldier whose sacrifice had bought time for Bella, her father and her two children to escape. Solly's parents had owned this beach house for many years and she had fond memories of days spent together enjoying the simple pleasures that now seemed lost forever.
Bella had been relieved to find the house empty when they'd arrived in their shot-up SUV. She'd stopped at the home of Solly's mother and left the children in the car as she went inside to find the old woman long dead in the living room. It had taken every ounce of self-control to stop herself from running back out again, so overwhelming was the stench and the sickeningly compelling sight of the remains of someone Bella had loved. Grief and guilt hit her like buckshot out of a double-barreled shotgun. She had thought of the old woman many times since the Long Night but had decided the trip was too far to risk. She was disgusted with herself, especially since she'd braved a similar distance to fetch her own father. But then, when she'd set off for his care home, she hadn't known that the world was falling apart around them. Bella almost felt that Solly's father, who'd died the previous year, had gotten off lightly.
The Long Night Box Set Page 18
