by Maxey, Phil
“You know it sister.”
The land flattened out around them, and a mixture of frost covered shrubs and mounds of snow flowed past them for hour after hour. The only change in the landscape was a town they went through that Bass informed everybody was roughly the halfway point in their journey.
The snow started to take on a blue hue as the winter sun hung low in the sky. For a lot of the journey Raj has been writing notes and thinking about the events of the past few days. As he looked out into the Nevada plains, he noticed lines stretching for miles in different directions.
“What are they?” Said Tyler sitting behind, noticing what Raj was looking at.
“I think they’re tracks, but of what I have no idea.”
“All these new creatures, it must be an exciting time for you.”
“We’re going to have to rename this bus the Beagle,” said Dr. Tanner sitting next to Raj. Tyler looked confused and Raj laughed.
“I’m not sure I would put myself in that kind of company,” said Raj with a smile but then looked more thoughtful. “But I guess it is a similar situation, anyway somebody has to do it if the human race is to find a place in this new world.”
Towards the front of the bus Zach opened his one good eye and looked out onto the fading light. Turning to his right, Bass was sitting next to him.
“How’s the finger?”
“Probably better than your eye.” said Bass smiling.
“Good thing about my eye is I can’t tell how bad it looks, and I’m avoiding mirrors best I can,” They both laughed, then Zach paused before continuing. “I can’t tell if you’re happy to be on this trip of ours, or not.”
“I’m happy to be serving, making a difference”
“How you end up in the camp?”
“Before Bravo I was in Delta, when it was obvious we were fighting a loosing battle, I helped with the evac to Bravo.”
“And before that? I detect a New York accent.”
“Brooklyn, until I enlisted.”
“Did your family get to a camp?”
“It was just me and my sister, she got to the camp in Boston, but then I lost touch with her some months back. They told us that you were an MP before ending up in prison?”
“Did they tell you why I was in there?”
Bass looked away. “Nah, above my pay grade, but it must have been something bad for you to be in New Mexico.”
“It was…you got someone special back in the camp?”
“Sophia, she’s my girlfriend. She was one of the people I helped evacuate from Delta.” Bass reached into his inside jacket pocket, and pulled out a small photo of an attractive woman in her late twenties.
“Looks like a nice young woman,” said Zach handing the photo back.
“Don’t let her looks fool you, she keeps me straight!” They both chuckled.
“How close do you think we are to the third staging post?”
“Maybe thirty to forty minutes.”
“I think it’s time we tried them on the radio.” Zach clicked on his radio and sent out a message to see if there was anyone out in the gloom ahead of them. Nothing came back for about five minutes then Zach’s radio crackled and came to life.
“This is Robert Frisk, I read you loud and clear Captain. You might have trouble getting to us, as the roads are quite thick with the white stuff. If you can make it onto highway eighty we will meet on the highway near the old inn. If not, let us know and we’ll try and come out. Over.”
Zach pulled out his original map, unfolded it best he could and tried to focus on the small words and place names but couldn’t. “I think you might have to find out where we are on this.” He said passing it to Bass, who looked at it closely.
“Right, I think I know where we are, or should be.” Bass then got up and moved alongside Rob, telling him the directions of how to get to the highway Frisk mentioned. After a few minutes they drove slowly up a snow-covered slope and onto a highway. Outside small white blurs fluttered around the convoy as it pushed forward. Their progress slowed as the snow on the highway started to stack up.
“Just so you know, I’m slowing down because we’re losing traction, and I don’t want us to end up on the side of the road, stuck.” Shouted Rob.
Frisks voice came from Zach’s radio again. “We can see your headlights. We’re going to get out in front of you and drive slow. You’ll catch up pretty soon then just follow us. Our base is just up ahead. Over.”
Soon after Frisks message, Rob spotted headlights in front of them belonging to a pickup, which they followed along the highway, then down an exit. Turning left they crossed a small bridge and passed a sign. “Argo Correctional Facility”. After a short drive Rob pulled up behind the lights, which had stopped outside a three story grey building with slits for windows. A door opened at its base and a point of light swayed behind the white filter that had descended from the dark grey sky above. Everyone started getting off the bus. Two men directed everyone from the parking spot to the open door and into the prison block.
“I’m Robert.” A medium height man, with ski glasses, and other winter clothing started to unwrap. Zach stepped forward and held out his hand as the others wondered slowly into the main hall of the block.
“I’m Zach Felton.” Robert took his glove off and shook Zach’s hand firmly. He was a man in his sixties with a good head of short-cropped grey hair.
“It’s good you made it here when you did, knowing these place, in another thirties minutes nothing will be moving out there, including any of those things.”
“How much problems have you had with them here?”
“Not much, as you probably know they like population centers, and we’re pretty remote out here. We get the occasional one poking around, but we take of them. Let’s get you all a warm drink and food.”
Robert led Zach into the large high ceilinged room, with a balcony running around the top of it, and cells off of that. More cells ran around the bottom of the room and extra tables and other pieces of furniture had been put in on the ground floor. About half the cell doors were open with people peering out of them at the newly arrived group. Another small group of people were already sitting at one of the larger tables eating and drinking.
“Please, everyone find a seat where you can, and help yourself to the food and drink that you see on the table there.”
Everyone started taking their coats off and sat where they could, Zach, Abbey, Jacob and Michael sat on one side of a table, while Robert and two other men sat on the opposite side. They each grabbed a plastic bowl and poured some soup in it from a large plastic container.
“We eat a lot of soup here!” said Robert smiling.
“Easy to make.” Grumbled a straggly longhaired bearded man sitting next to him.
Robert took a few sips of soup before continuing. “So you’re going to try and rescue the people in the Portland camp? We’ve heard it’s pretty bad up there.”
“We sure are,” said Zach trying the soup. “How you get started up here?” Zach could feel the bearded mans eyes on him as he spoke.
“I was the warden here. When it all went to hell out there in the world, the order came down from high to release all the prisoners,” said Robert.
“Not because they gave a shit about us,” said the bearded man as he was eating. “They just figured if there’s more of us to be eaten by those things out there, more of the other folk wouldn’t be.”
Robert frowned. “Anyway, most of the inmates up and left, and as Dex says most were taken by the creatures within days of leaving here. My home was in town, when it became obvious there was no government anymore, me and some others thought the prison here would be a safer place to be. Some of the inmates thought the same.”
“And now we’ll all one big happy family,” said Dex smiling through brown stained teeth.
“Well we won’t be in your way for long, just the night then we’ll be off in the morning.”
“I noticed you got yourself a b
ig old army supply truck out there, you got guns in that?” said Dex.
“Dex,” said Robert trying to disguise his anger.
“It’s just we could do with some that’s all.”
“What do you have?” said Abbey.
“A few AK-47’s, bit of ammo and a few handguns,” said Robert.
“We could spare a few M4’s and ammo, if you could spare some of your food,” said Zach. The air became tense around the table.
Dex banged his fist on the table, making some of people sitting at it jump, others had their hands on their guns. He then smiled. “Damn, why couldn’t we have always just bartered like this! No more greenbacks, or plastic doodies. Just good old fashioned you give me what I want, and I give you want I don’t want.” Dex laughed and everyone started eating again.
CHAPTER 27
After a few hours, most had found a cell and a bed to sleep on. Zach had told Bass to make sure that there were some of his men keeping watch on the supply truck throughout the night, and that everyone else should sleep with their guns close by. Zach approached the cell that had been offered to him by Robert with some caution. The door was a different style to the ones in New Mexico and peering into the cell, the space seemed smaller even though it must have been bigger.
“We can find a place out here to sleep if you would prefer,” said Abbey standing close behind him.
Zach glanced behind, taking a deep breath then moved over the threshold. He waited for a wave of emotion to hit him but none came. He was just a guy standing in a small room, nothing else. Abbey came past and threw her backpack at the bottom of the bed then sat down heavily on it.
“Sit, let me look at your eye,” she said.
Zach sat, and while she looked at the blue and purple of the skin around his right eye he realized he wasn’t the same guy that left New Mexico a few weeks earlier. He also wasn’t the guy that had gone into prison a decade before either. He wasn’t sure who he was anymore. At least I’m sure of my purpose he thought as he laid back on the bed, kicking his boots off. Abbey closed the cell door and climbed into the small bed next to him. She went to say something, but realized he was already asleep. The night passed off uneventfully and the sleep did both of them good.
The sound of cell doors opening made Zach sit up with a start, Abbey was already awake and re-platting her hair standing in front of a grimy wall mirror. He blinked and turned, letting his feet fall out of the bed onto the cold floor. Last night he hadn’t fully taken in the room around him, but now it’s light blue grey dimpled walls were in full focus due to the morning sun streaming through the slither of a window. He also noticed he didn’t have any pants on.
“I took them off, don’t panic they’re just over the bottom of the bed, thought you would be more comfortable,” said Abbey.
Zach smiled “Well I slept half decently for once so I guess I was. He stood up and put his pants on.
“Water come out of that?” he said pointing at the rusty looking single tap hovering over a stained enamel basin in the corner.
“Yeah seems to, it’s bitterly cold though.”
After a few minutes Zach had washed and clothed and was pulling the cell door open. The main hall was a hive of activity with people, eating and talking. Most of his group were already out of their cells, including Fiona and Cal who were talking with a few people at their table. Bass looked up and seeing Zach came up the metal stairs.
“You’re looking a whole lot better,” said Bass.
“Feeling it too. I take it there were no problems,” said Zach looking around.
“None.”
“Sleep well?” shouted Robert from a table down below.
“I did,” shouted Zach back, and then turned to Abbey. “I’m going to get some food, I can bring you some up if you want.”
“I’ll be down.”
Zach, Bass and Robert organized the exchange of guns for food, while Fiona and Cal sat and watched.
“How you sleep? I admit it was strange being back in a cell, I think half the night I spent just looking at the wall,” said Fiona.
“I slept fine.” Cal wasn’t lying. Once he closed the cell door, he felt like he had returned home, like the previous few weeks had never happened and the dreams that had plagued him decided to leave him alone.
“That’s good then,” said Fiona.
Soldiers placed two M4’s and a box of cartridges in one of the cells and returned with a medium sized box of canned food, which they loaded into the back of the truck. Zach and Robert stood in the snow which the morning sun was doing it’s best to turn to slush.
“Those guns are going to come in real handy,” said Robert.
“You sure it’s a good idea to have lots of guns here?” said Zach looking past Robert into the main hall where people were eating.
“I know what you’re thinking, the inmates are running the asylum!”
“Well…”
“When I made it back here, I brought some others as well, good people, not inmates. Then we were attacked by those things and some of us were killed, Dex and his friends saved us. From that day on we made an agreement, that whatever went before stayed in the past, and now it’s about survival.”
“That sounds like a good policy…if it lasts.”
“It has so far,” said Robert smiling. “So you still got some way to go before getting to Portland.”
“Yeah two days maybe.” As Zach finished talking, Raj appeared from the entrance behind them.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” said Raj. “It’s 8 am now, if we left soon we could get to the Portland camp today, but it would mean driving through the forests near Mt Jefferson, which has seen a lot of E.L.F activity.”
Zach looked thoughtful. “Usually when we don’t stick to the plan it doesn’t go so well.”
“Is that how you got that?” said Robert pointing to Zach’s eye. Zach nodded. “We’re in radio contact here with Portland, and they are under attack daily, the sooner you can get them evacuated the better, having said that, all you got is this old bus and a handful of soldiers, I’m not sure how that’s really going to help them.”
“We have fought a lot of these creatures over the past few weeks, and survived, we also have Dr. Joshi here, who knows a thing or two about how to deal with them.”
“I’ve heard the name Joshi mentioned on the airwaves a few times, good to meet you.” Robert stepped forward and shook Raj’s hand. “Anyway looks like you both have a lot to talk over, if you need anything let me know.” Robert then walked back inside, passing Bass coming back out.
“I don’t know Raj, those are dense forests in Oregon, from what we have heard it could be a hotbed of things we really don’t want to deal with,” said Zach. Bass joined both of them. “Raj, thinks it’s worth trying for Portland today, but it means going through some areas which are full of E.L.F’s.”
“I just got off the radio from Portland, last night they lost another fifty-seven people, most of the camp is now overrun and they have retreated back to a small area at the southern wall, which they are defending best they can.” Said Bass.
“I need to talk to them. Who’s in charge?” said Zach starting to walk back inside.
“It was Brigadier General Halsted, but now it’s Colonel Tinley.”
Zach walked a few more feet into the gloomy corridor separating the hall from the outside world and stopped. “What name did you say?”
“Colonel Tinley Sir, why?”
“Eric Tinley?” It can’t be.
“I think that’s his first name, he’s been the one that’s held the Portland camp together, real hero from what people say.”
Images of the night that he came home and found his family started to play in Zach’s mind, images that he had long forgotten and he fell to the side and leaned on the doorframe. It can’t be. He could hear Bass’s voice behind him sounding concerned, and he could see Dex’s manic smile in front of him, but none of it made sense, maybe he really did go crazy in his cell,
maybe this is all just an illusion to cope. But then why would he want this man to be a character in this fucked up play?
“Sir! Are you ok Sir?” Bass was shouting at Zach as he sat on the floor, his back up against the doorframe.
“How did I get here?” said Zach looking around him at the concerned faces.
“You seemed to pass out or something,” said Bass, as Dr. Tanner ran up and kneeled down to examine him. Zach pushed her hand away, grabbing Bass’s lapel, pulling him forward.
“Are you sure, Eric Tinley?”
“Yes. Why? Have you served with him?”
“Let’s get him up, his forehead is burning.” Dr. Tanner and Bass pulled Zach up and walked him over to a chair at a table. Abbey came running down the stairs and rushed up to him.
“What happened?” said Abbey to anyone who would have an answer.
“I’m fine, I just need some water and I’ll be fine. Bass get Portland back on the radio, tell them that we’re going to be there by nightfall, and find out if they have found enough vehicles…” He slid his hand over his forehead then continued. “Enough vehicles for the evacuation, and…get Fiona to coordinate multiple routes back to Bravo with them.” Bass went to run off. “And I need to know what their military status is, what troops, weapons they can rely on and what they know about E.L.F’s on our route to them.” Like a waiter trying to take a large order Bass noted everything then disappeared down a corridor with Fiona, at the back of the hall.
“Wow man, you don’t look so good,” said Dex. “I mean, like more than just the messed up eye.”
“He’s fine,” said Abbey dismissively.
Dex turned in his chair and put his feet up on the table. “Hey I know what it’s like, the way the world is now? Can turn a man upside down.”
After finishing a glass of water Zach was feeling better, on the outside. Inside he tried to push the name of Eric Tinley as far from his mind as he could, as far as he was concerned this was a different person, it had to be and he had to think that to be able to do his job. Bass and Fiona appeared from the corridor.
“They have enough vehicles for the evac. Sir,” said Bass.
