by Payne, T. L.
“Walker, he has a kid,” Savanah repeated.
“So do you, Savanah,” Isabella said, stepping in front of her. “We’re leaving, mister. And we’re taking the food. We have family we need to get to. You can find more. I’m sure these houses have something.”
“They don’t. I’ve looked for days. At least leave us one jar,” the man pleaded.
Savanah turned her back to the man. “Walker.”
He huffed, then nodded to the pack on his back. “Just one,” he said as she unzipped the pack.
Isabella knew that the presence of the man’s child had played on Savanah’s motherly heartstrings. Although they desperately needed that food, Isabella understood. Savanah had been one of the few people that had somehow maintained her humanity through this mess. She also knew that it wouldn’t be long before the harsh realities of the times crushed every ounce of it from all of them, even Cayden, Kendra, and Karson.
Cayden had witnessed horrendous things already, and she’d seen him change before her eyes. He’d gone from a sweet, kind, thirteen-year-old boy to a tough young man willing to do whatever it took to save his family. No matter how hard Savanah might try, she wouldn’t be able to shield her children from the depravity that people had devolved into. It seemed that only two types of people had survived so far—the heartless and the brave.
Savanah approached the man slowly and held out the jar of peanut butter. “I’m sorry. We were looking for unoccupied houses. I hope you and your boy make it.”
The man eyed Walker for a moment before reaching out and taking the jar from Savanah. He placed it behind him and backed away. “Rusty, go into the bedroom.”
“Daddy. No. They gave you the peanut butter.”
Time moved in slow motion as the man’s intention dawned on Savanah. Walker pushed her aside and rushed into the living room and Isabella grabbed Savanah and pulled her behind the wall that separated it from the kitchen. Her eyes fixated on the man and her heart sank as he drew the gun from the back of his waistband and raised it. Walker squeezed the trigger of his pistol, and the man fell to the floor. The boy rushed to his side, sobbing into his chest. “Daddy! Daddy!”
Walker grabbed the kid, who looked to be no more than eight or nine. He was so very thin. They certainly hadn’t eaten much lately. Isabella’s heart broke for them both. She couldn’t imagine the man’s desperation. It would be torture to see your child waste away like that.
“It’s okay, Rusty. I’m okay. It hit me in the vest. It just stings a little.” The man lifted his shirt to reveal body armor.
Walker kicked the man’s weapon away and aimed his at the man’s head. “Don’t you move another muscle, or I’ll put one right between your eyes.”
Isabella grabbed the boy around his waist and lifted him off his feet. He kicked and screamed for his father but she didn’t want the kid to see it if Walker had to follow through on his threat. The man had already proven himself stupid.
“Savanah. You and Isabella take my pack and go. I’ll catch up with you in a moment,” Walker said.
Savanah’s mouth dropped open. “There’s no need for that, Walker. Just take his pistol. He’s not going to try anything else.” Her gaze fell on the man. “Right? Tell him.”
“I’m done. Just take the damn peanut butter and go. Me and my boy will just stay here and starve to death.”
Isabella’s anger boiled in her gut. She stepped toward the man as the kid continued to struggle within her grasp. “You really are one stupid MFer, aren’t you? It is truly a wonder that you have made it this far without someone putting a bullet in that thick skull of yours. All you had to do was keep that big trap of yours shut and let us leave. Instead, you try stupid shit and then whine like a little bitch. Are we supposed to feel sorry for you? I don’t. I feel sorry for this kid, having to rely on you for his survival.”
The man’s eyes narrowed on her.
“Maybe we should just take the kid and leave you here.”
“Isabella, you’re scaring the boy,” Savanah said as she rushed to her side.
She took the kid from Isabella and placed him down beside his father. “I’m sorry. We’re going now. Please don’t do anything stupid. I don’t want my friends to hurt you or your son.”
He glared at Savanah and then Isabella. He really was that stupid.
“Just go. I hope the gangs catch up with you, and then you’ll get what’s coming to you.”
Isabella rushed over to the man and stood over him. Walker took a step closer as well. “What did you say? Are you one of them?” she asked.
He looked away. He was. He was one of the marauders. What were he and his son doing out here all by themselves?
“Why did you leave?” Savanah asked.
“Steve. He’s the leader. He didn’t much care for kids and didn’t want to waste food on anyone that wasn’t contributing. He made it almost impossible for me to care for him properly like.
“We’re going back for momma as soon as we find some more weapons and ammo,” the boy said.
“You left your wife there?” Isabella asked.
He sat up, and Walker kicked him in the breastplate. “Stay down.”
“I had to get my boy out. He was starving to death. His mother wanted me to get him away from there. I couldn’t get to her.” He cleared his throat before continuing. “You can judge me all you want, but I did what I had to for my kid, and I ain’t sorry for that.”
“We need to go,” Walker said. “If they come looking…”
If they came looking for Isabella, Savanah, and Walker, they’d be putting the boy in danger. Savanah rushed to the door and opened it. She peered through the crack. “It looks clear.”
“Get up and go into the bedroom. Stay inside. You come out, and I’ll drop you,” Walker said as he backed toward the door. “Isabella.”
“I have your back,” she said, holding her knife out in front of her.
“You follow Savanah. I’ll watch this asshat until you get to the corner.”
Savanah turned and stepped back inside. “No. You come with us. I’m not going without you.”
Walker huffed and then stopped at the door. “Okay. Let’s just go.”
“Wait,” the man called after them. “Wait. Are there more of you?”
Walker stopped. “That’s none of your business.”
“You can take him.” The man picked up his son and held him out to Walker. “You can take him with you, and I can go back for his mother.” Isabella stared at the man. His eyes were pleading this time. Gone was the contempt she’d seen before. Maybe he really did love his child. It was a self-sacrificing thing to do.
“We can’t. We need to…”
“We’ll take him,” Savanah said, rushing past Walker. “We’ll take him for now, and you can meet up with us in Texarkana.”
“You’re heading to the shelter?” the man asked.
Isabella’s gut clenched. Savanah should never have told him that.
“You go get your wife and meet us there.” Savanah held her arms out to receive the boy who began to cry uncontrollably. He held tight to his father’s neck as he tried to hand him to Savanah.
“Look here, Rusty. I have to go rescue your mom. I can’t do that with you tagging along. I can’t keep you safe and go back for her.” The kid’s cries became more of a whimper as he listened to his father. “You want your mom back, right?” The kid bobbed his head up and down. “Go with these people. We will come for you. We’ll meet you at the shelter.”
“But, Daddy…”
“They have ice cream at the shelter,” the man lied.
“They do?”
“They do. You like ice cream. You go with this nice lady and save your mom and me a chocolate cone, okay?”
The child’s gaze turned to Savanah. He still wore a questioning look.
“Okay, Pappa.”
Savanah took the boy from his father and turned toward the door. “When you and your wife get there, ask for Savanah Fontenot
. I will make sure your son gets there. I promise.”
Isabella knew that Savanah meant well, but she couldn’t promise that any of them would make it to Texarkana. It was highly likely that this boy would never see his parents again. So many children had become orphans during this crisis. He’d likely join their ranks at the shelter, or Savanah would adopt him as her own. The latter was a more likely scenario.
Isabella thought about Will and Cayden. It had been unspoken between them that Isabella would care for Cayden if he didn’t return; a thought she couldn’t bear. Not that she didn’t want to care for Cayden, but the thought of losing Will was more than she could fathom.
“Let’s go, Savanah,” Walker said, holding open the door.
“I’ll see you at the shelter, little man,” the father said.
The boy looked back over his shoulder and waved as Savanah placed him down on the ground outside the door.
Isabella said a prayer for Will and started walking back toward the highway.
Twenty-Six
Isabella
Landry’s Automotive Repair, Vernon Parish, Louisiana
After walking for hours, Walker finally allowed Isabella, Savanah, and Rusty to stop for the day and left the roadway near a long-abandoned automotive garage. Vines covered the bay doors of Landry’s Automotive Repair. Walker went around to the side of the building and a second later, Isabella heard a tinkling sound as Walker cleared broken glass from a windowsill. He disappeared inside and reappeared at the small door to the office.
They entered the musty-smelling place without a word, Savanah and Rusty making their way to a far corner to sit on the floor while Isabella pulled up a well-worn office chair and parked herself by the dust-covered window. Walker left to explore the rest of the small building.
Isabella leaned her head back and stared out as the sun slipped over the horizon, her eyelids growing heavy. She longed for a bed with nice, freshly laundered sheets.
“I’ll take the first watch,” Walker said. “Isabella, you want to take the second shift?”
“Sure.”
“Four-hour shifts?” Savanah asked.
“We should do two hours. There are three of us. I’m not sure any of us can stay awake for four,” Walker said.
Isabella was asleep almost immediately. Two hours felt like two minutes when Walker woke her for her shift. He handed her the pistol and took a position on the floor on the opposite side of the metal desk. Isabella stood and paced, trying to wake up and stay alert. She moved from the window in the office to the window where Walker had broken into the shop. She could still smell the dirty grease, although it was unlikely that the place had been used in over a decade.
She moved to a small window in a bathroom just off the office. Walker had used a dirty shop towel to wipe the grime off the glass in one spot but Isabella had to stand on her toes to look through it.
She picked up the towel from the floor and began wiping the rest of the pane, staring out over the back alley behind the shop as she did. Behind it was a small house and barn illuminated by the three-quarter moon shining down from a clear sky. Both looked to have been abandoned around the same time as the shop. The front door was open and half off its hinges. Windows were broken out. She was about to turn when she thought she saw movement. She dropped the rag and gripped the pistol in both hands as she stared at the space between the house and barn. She moved to the back door and opened it just a crack.
“Go wake Savanah.”
Walker’s voice startled her, and she jumped and spun.
“We need to go,” he said.
“Did you see someone too?” Isabella asked.
“They’re out front as well.”
“Oh shit!”
“We’re going to try to slip away before they know we’re here.”
“You think they don’t know?”
“Maybe not,” Walker said.
Isabella handed him the pistol and moved toward the office. A shadow passed the side window where Walker had entered, and Isabella jumped back, pressing herself flat against the back wall of the shop. Walker spun around, pointing the weapon in that direction.
“Walker,” Isabella whispered. “They’re everywhere.”
“Hurry. Go wake Savanah. Make sure the kid doesn’t make any noise though.”
Isabella crouched and ran to the office. Before nudging Savanah, Isabella placed her hand over the kid’s mouth. He didn’t even stir. He must have been exhausted.
“Savanah,” she whispered. “Wake up. We have company.”
Savanah bolted upright. “What? How many?”
“I don’t know. Several. Walker said to get you and make sure the kid stays quiet. We’re going to try to slip out the back.”
“And go where? There’s nothing but open fields beyond here.
“They can’t see us in the dark. We have to go.”
Savanah lifted the boy. There was no way she could carry a nine-year-old very far. He needed to walk and keep up with them. She strained to get up with the extra sixty or seventy pounds.
“Let me,” Isabella said, helping her to her feet. “You have to let him walk.”
As they moved past the window, the boy’s eyes opened. “Where are we going?”
“Shhh,” Savanah said. “There are bad people outside. We have to get away. I need you to be very quiet.” She lowered him to the floor and took his hand. “Can you do that for me?”
He nodded. Even in the dim moonlight coming from the window, Isabella could see the tears welling in his eyes. “Yes,” he whined.
“It’s going to be okay, son. We’re just going to sneak out the back and find another place to sleep, okay?”
“Okay.” His voice was timid and shaky. There was no telling what kind of violence the boy had already witnessed in his short life. He had reason to be leery now. Isabella led them back through the shop. As she did, she kept her eyes on the window. As they neared Walker and the back door, Isabella saw a man carrying a rifle. For some reason, she wondered if it could be Will or Pete. They had rifles. She hadn’t seen anyone else carrying one for a long time. No one had ammo anymore. They’d been fortunate that Pete had been collecting and hoarding ammunition for years before the EMP, or they’d be in the same boat.
“Walker,” Isabella said, bumping his shoulder. “They have rifles.”
Isabella knew they need to go, but she didn’t want to be shot in the back running from the building.
Walker moved toward the window.
“Where are you going?” Savanah said. “We need to go.”
“They aren’t the scavengers,” Walker said. He grabbed the kid and quickly moved to the door. “That’s the Chinese.”
Twenty-Seven
Will
Jason sped north along the route that Savanah would have led the group getting out of town. They were on foot and had small children with them. It shouldn’t be long before Will and the other guys caught up with them. Will tried to work out how they could quickly get everyone to Kurthwood so he and the others could get back to fighting the Chinese. They had to make sure this time that their families were somewhere safely away from the gangsters and the enemy forces. That might take more time than they had.
Jason was pushing the Dongfeng harder than it was capable of going, speeding through the intersections and past stop signs. They passed a road sign, and Will’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest. “Stop!” he yelled. “Stop. We can’t go this way.”
Jason slowed.
“Fort Polk.” Will pointed to the road sign. They were in a Chinese vehicle nearing an army base.
He’d no more than spoken the words before the vehicle Rob was driving exploded. It veered off the roadway and came to a stop in the ditch.
Jason floored the Dongfeng.
“We have to help them.”
“We can’t help them, Will. They’re gone,” Pete said.
A moment later, a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) came into view. Jason stopped the Dongfeng a
s fast as was possible, which was about three seconds slower than necessary. The JLTV's turret turned, and Pete yelled, “Back up! Back up!
“We need to get the hell out of this vehicle, Pete,” Jason yelled back. He opened the door and dove out. Will followed on the opposite side and hit the pavement hard, landing on his elbow and right knee. He rolled and stopped short of the ditch. Will jumped to his feet, wanting to put as much distance between him and the Dongfeng as possible. He did not want to be anywhere near the target of the JLTV.
He jumped the ditch and crossed an open field. The sun had nearly set, making it difficult to see the ruts in the dirt. Will’s ankle curled, and he went down. Before he could get back to his feet, the Dongfeng exploded. He spun around, looking for Pete and Jason, spotting Jason running through a field on the west side of the roadway. Will scanned back and forth, looking for Pete. He couldn’t see any sign of him.
A minute later, several JLTVs approached the burning Dongfeng. The doors opened, and soldiers stepped out, rifles at the ready. Will pressed himself tight to the ground, not wanting to be seen and mistaken for an enemy.
“Let me see your hands! Let me see your hands!” one of the soldiers yelled.
Will raised his head just enough to see if they’d spotted Jason. It looked as if they were pointing their rifles toward the ditch, not the field. They must have found Pete.
“I’m American! I’m on your side,” Pete yelled back. Light from the Humvee flooded the area. Will raised himself up on his elbows to get a better look.
“My friends and I fought some Chinese and took these vehicles from them,” Pete said.
“Where are your friends?” one of the soldiers said, still standing looking down into the ditch with his rifle trained on Pete.
“They ran when we saw you. We knew you’d fire on the vehicles.”
“Reynolds, take Echo Team and track them down.”
Will waited, watching to see what the soldiers intended to do with Pete. He wasn’t about to give away his position if the soldier was going to shoot them. He wouldn’t blame them; the story sounded sketchy even to him.
