“Please,” Steve insisted. “Our friend might die if we don’t get him the meds he needs."
“Alright, I suppose it couldn’t hurt to talk with Neil. I’m going on break soon before the dinner rush, so I can talk with him then. But there's still people on the lookout at all hours. How do you expect to get back in? They’ll see you.”
Nick rose from the table and pushed in the chair. "You let us worry about that.”
1642 hours
"It took some convincing and the last of my lollipops," Landon said disheartened, "but I got Neil to tell me how he gets in and out. That kid is crafty, quiet but crafty.”
“How does he do it?” asked Nick.
“Neil goes through the bank. He said there’s a section of loose floor boards in the back. Said he dug a little tunnel just past the fence.”
“Impressive,” Eddy said, before wincing at a fire-like pain in his leg.
“Alright, it’s going to be night in a bit,” Steve said, peering out the cabin window. “I’ll leave in an hour or so.”
“Does it have to be you, Steve?” asked a dispirited Jenny.
Nick finished making tea from the wood of the willow tea and brought the mug to Eddy. “Steve I was thinking about that and maybe it’s better if I go.”
“And I respectfully disagree. It should be me. No hold on, hear me out,” Steve said, calmly. “Look, in the event something happens, Nick, you need to be here to lead everyone. You and Collin always were the leaders. That was your role. You were meant to lead. And before you say it, this is not about me wanting to be alone or go on some midnight suicide run. I’m doing this for the group.”
“To play the devil’s advocate, Nick is the better tracker though, right?” Lisa asked, sitting cross-legged by the fire.
Nick said nothing, but gave Steve a “She’s got a point” look.
“True. He is. I might not have gone out on as many tracking lessons as Alex did, but I’m not a rookie. Between what my dad taught me and what I learned from you, Nick, I’ll be fine. It’s a clear night from what I can see. I know how to use the stars and I will make it to Donner and back.”
Nick pulled Steve aside, and with both their backs to the group, he asked, “Steve, are you sure you’re up for this? You won’t have any weapons; no one there for support, nothing.”
"Nick, I’m good. Really, I am,” Steve replied with the faintest crack of a smile. “I can do this. And for what it’s worth, I do thank you for your guidance...and when I get back and we have the time, we will finish our talk from the church, but for now, let me do my thing. I will come back, we'll get Eddy fixed up, figure out where the others are, and get the hell outta here. That’s a promise.”
Nick frowned, but as he stared into Steve’s eyes, he saw something that overcame the doubt. “Okay,” he said, hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Alright everyone, Steve’s gonna go. I am going to go with him and make sure he gets safely to the point where the path splits.”
Jenny didn’t appear to like or agree with the decision, but she did well hiding her worry.
“I guess I’ll lead you guys out,” Landon said, collecting the plates of food that he used as subterfuge to disguise the real reason for his visit. “That is, if you don’t mind, Nick. I haven’t been out since I got here and want to see what it's like, even if it's dark.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Eddy grumbled. “I thought the same thing when I volunteered to go to the WHO."
“Maybe someone said it and I didn’t hear it, but did you guys figure out how you won't be seen by the guards?"
"No, not yet, Lisa,” Nick answered. “We still have some time to come up with something.”
On his way out the door, Landon said, “Remember, if it’s too big of a distraction, people might get suspicious.”
“Might just have to wing it," followed Steve.
“Alright, well I better get going. I’ll meet you guys inside the saloon after lights out. Remember, you’ll hide behind the counter while I clean up. After everyone has gone to bed, we will sneak over to the bank.”
As Landon balanced the trays and reached for the door handle, it began to turn from the other side.
And to everyone’s surprise, standing in the door frame was Binky.
“Oh, evening, sir,” Landon said, barely managing to stabilize the tray.
“LT,” Binky replied, pinching the brim of his hat. “Mind if I ask what you’re doing here?”
Landon shrugged and looked down at the plates that were nearly licked clean. “Just being polite and bringing by some dinner. On my way out now. Well, nice talking with you folks, I should get these dishes cleaned up and the saloon closed down.”
"Is that so?" Binky answered, not moving out of the way. “Say, LT, funny story, but I had a run in with Neil earlier. Noticed he had a brand new stash of lollipops. You wouldn’t happen to know how he came across those, would ya?"
“I-I,” Landon gulped, and with wide eyes, he looked back for help.
Every person caught on to the suspicious tone of the question, especially coming from a man whose profession relied on attention to detail.
Binky let himself in and closed the door behind him. “Look,” he said, placing his hat on a coat hanger. “Before any of you go on making up some extravagant lie, I know the truth. LT, I know what the lollipops cost in return, and Nick, based on our conversation earlier, I know what you intend to do with the information."
The collective looks of demoralization were evident.
"You have to understand our position. Eddy's leg-" Nick attempted to protest, but Binky lifted his hand.
"Save it, I don’t want to hear it."
"Please! Damnit to hell, our friend could die!"
"No, you aren'tlisteningtome,” Binky replied strongly. “I literally don't want tohear it..."
Nick understood first, and then one by one, the others did too.
“As far as I’m concerned, aside from murder, premeditation isn’t a crime around here. People are free to think about whatever they want.”
“So you’re going to help us?”
“Sweetheart,” Binky said staring at Jenny. “I’m gonna pretend you didn’t just ask me that.”
“Sorry,” Jenny mumbled, lowering her chin.
“I’m confused. Then why are you here?” asked Lisa.
“Well, for starters, you’re staying in my house, so I just wanted to make sure you’re doing alright,” Binky said, collecting his hat. “Second, I came here to let you know that I’m on watch tonight, but not until eight o’clock sharp, when I rotate with Jerome at the stairs leading up to the front gate.”
There’s our chance. No one will be on lookout, Steve thought. He looked at Nick who nodded back as though he had the same idea.
“Well, thank you very much,” Steve began but paused, in search of the best reply, “Forkeeping an eye on us.”
Steve showed the Lawkeeper out, but Binky braced his hand against the closing door.
"Our conversation earlier got me thinking. You said I confused empathy with sympathy, but I didn’t, and I do empathize with you. Maybe I'll tell you about it some other time…”
He looked past Steve at Eddy who was sweating and writhing in pain.
“I'm sorry that I cannot officially help you. I may not agree with the Preacher’s rules of entering and exiting, especially when it comes to exigent circumstances, but those are not up to me. But that’s the exact reason why I am stopping by. You and Nick brought up a good point. It is the Lawkeeper’s job to be concerned with his people."
Without a goodbye, Binky took off down the wooden boardwalk
Steve closed the door and walked back to the others. "Damn, talk about convenient."
1945 hours
It was pitch black inside the bank. On one side, boxes covered in dust were stacked against the wall; on the other, the teller station windows were taken over by spider webs.
“I’ll keep watch,” Steve said, kneeling next to the closed sign.<
br />
Guided by a flashlight, Landon entered the bank manager’s office. “Neil said it should be in here, next to the desk. Take my lighter and check around too,” he whispered, inspecting the floorboards.
Nick spotted the entrance immediately. “There,” he said, pointing to the scratch marks on the ground where the desk had been slid back and forth.
Nick and Landon lifted up the boards, and after the passage way was open, Nick whistled lowly for Steve.
“I guess I’ll go first,” Steve said, accepting the flashlight from Landon.
The dirt passage was snug for the grown men. Fortunately, only minimal time of claustrophobia was endured.
Steve pushed away a piece of plywood that had been covered by leaves and forest debris, lifted himself out, then moved aside. Landon followed with ease, but Nick’s larger frame made it slightly more difficult. Eventually, he managed to breach the surface, though not without some wiggling and help from the other two.
Like Alex getting stuck in the cage at Fort Kennedy, Steve thought, chuckling.
The men moved quickly along the log fence, following it to the main entrance. Steve peeked one eye around the corner and saw Jerome on duty, wrapped in a blanket, sitting next to a torch. “Looks like we’re early.”
Landon looked at his plastic watch. He pressed a button which illuminated the digital display. “It’s one minute to eight.”
The men waited the full minute, then, as predicted, they heard Binky whistle from below and say, “About that time, Jerome. Come on down and get some shut eye.”
Jerome yawned and stretched his back. “Don’t have to tell me twice.”
Seizing the window of opportunity, the men sprinted past the open area in front of the main gate, arriving at the opposite tree line just as the top of Binky’s hat could be seen. From then on, no one looked back as Nick led them through the forest to the split in the path.
“Here’s where we part ways, Steve. Keep east by south east and you should arrive at Donner in no time,” Nick said, pointing off the path to the general direction. “I would wish you luck, but I know you don’t need it.”
Steve tugged the straps on his small backpack. “Thanks, Nick, and you, LT, for your help. If I find some lollipops I’ll bring you back some. See you guys soon.”
“Much appreciated. Oh, hey Steve?”
“Ya?”
“You’ll need it more than we will,” Landon said, tossing him the flashlight.
Landon and Nick watched Steve until he disappeared in the bush; then only his footsteps could be heard until the sounds muffled to nothing.
“Ahh,” Nick said, inhaling and exhaling the open air. “How does it feel to be outside the walls?”
“Honestly, I thought I’d feel a little different, kinda like a dog that’s been kept inside the house, but I don’t. It’s the same as in town, just colder,” he said, tucking his hands deeper into his armpits. “So you think Steve’ll find everything?”
Nick breathed again, this time letting out a slow cloud of warm air. “Steve is a passionate man, maybe more emotional than most, but with his mind set to something, he will do it. No matter what it takes.”
“Okay?” Landon replied, accepting the response even though it did not directly answer the question. “Alright, I’m thinking we should probably head back, ya?”
Nick opened his eyes, ending the meditative state. “We should.”
With Landon by his side, they began following the path back to New Jerusalem.
“LT, have you given any thought about coming with us when we leave?”
“To be honest I hadn't really thought about it. Between everything the Preacher has told us, and what you guys have said, my head’s a whirlwind. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe you guys and what you’re doing, but at the same time, I do have a life here, ya know? A pretty sweet gig, friends, and I don’t have to struggle every day. But another part of me wants to rejoin the world again, ya know? Nick? Nick?”
“Sorry, I was listening to you,” Nick said, dropping to a knee. He shifted his body to the side to allow more moonlight on the path. “But I noticed these tracks.”
Landon nervously looked in every direction. “Is the demons, I mean the infected?”
“Maybe. But infected tracks tend to be more sporadic; they show signs of shuffling, dragging the feet, that is, if they aren’t attacking or sprinting. These seem to be more calculated, almost human walking,” Nick replied, standing up. “And they appear to lead up the hill.”
“To the Duke’s castle? I mean those tracks gotta be infected. No one from town would be up there.”
“Could be other survivors. Could be infected. Could be old tracks or nothing at all. I’m going to go check it out. You’re more than welcome to head back.”
Landon looked at the eerie forest leading back to New Jerusalem. “As much as I think it’s a bad idea, I know it’s safer if I stick with you. Besides, I’m still banking on you to figure out how we get past Binky.”
Nick smiled. “Good choice. Don’t worry, we won’t be gone long.”
Soon after, the trail became windy and the slope steeper. Still, both men labored onward, until halfway up the hill Nick stopped and examined the tracks again.
“Mind if I borrow your lighter? The trees are blocking the moon.”
“Sure thing.”
“See these prints,” Nick said, dragging his hand softly along the tops, just enough so the tips of his fingers could feel the subtle depressions without destroying them. “I count four distinct people walking in unison. See the way the strides are about the same length apart? See the shoe sizes and how deep they go into the earth? I would say they were made from two men and two women...LT, did we have rain last night?”
“Ya, and it sprinkled this morning too. Why do you ask?”
“Then these tracks have to be fresh, and I would be confident saying human. I could be wrong, but tracks from infected wouldn’t register like this. At least none that I have seen. These are coordinated and specific.”
“Did you really just get all that from some shoe prints in the mud?”
“I did. Could tell you more, but it’s not important.”
“Really? Like what?”
“This one is made from a man about two-hundred pounds. The way he pushes off with his heel, suggests he’s right handed. Take this other print, see how it is deeper on the right, size suggest male again, but more importantly, he walks with a limp. This one is female and left handed-”
“Geez man, you’re incredible!” Landon interrupted. “How’d ya learn how to do that? I’d love to be able to do that!”
“If you take your time and observe your surroundings, it’s not that difficult,” he replied modestly. “Come on, let’s keep going.”
Minutes later, Nick and Landon found themselves at the front door of the castle, exactly where the tracks stopped. Despite the chain and lock binding the door, Nick tried anyway. “Locked.”
“Coulda told ya that. Hey, just taking my time and observing my surroundings,” Landon said in a playful manner. “Nick, I don’t mean to sound chicken, but I’m gettin’ a little spooked out here. And since there’s no way random people have a key to this thing, I’d say this Scooby Doo hunt is over, right?”
“I suppose you’re right. Sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me.”
Just as Nick turned to follow Landon down the hill, something caught his eye.
“Is that a light?”
“Where?”
“Up there. Coming out of the window off the right tower.”
“Eh, I can’t really tell. Could just be the moon playing tricks?”
"Interesting."
Landon sighed. “Great, I know what that means…more investigating.”
With Landon’s help, Nick dragged over a concrete gargoyle and used its wings to brace his weight. The wood nailed over the window had been subjected to years of hot and cold, rain and snow, so much that when Nick yanked down the plank the nails sli
d through the frail wood with ease. Before tossing the plank to the side, he used the end to break the window.
“What do you see?” Landon asked as Nick leaned his head through the vertical rectangular opening.
“Cobwebs, dirt and dust, and the ceiling is leaking,” he replied, knowing that wasn’t the answer Landon was looking for. “I don’t see anyone in the hall. Wait-” he said, closing his eyes and tilting his ear inward. “I can hear talking. No, music.”
Without asking Landon, Nick hopped down inside.
Landon shrugged. “Oh great,” he said, hoisting himself awkwardly onto the statue. More than half a foot shorter than Nick, Landon had to stand on his toes to reach up and lift himself through the window. He crawled over the stone frame and dropped. Fortunately, Nick was there to catch him.
“Thanks,” Landon grumbled, wiping the dirt and grime from his pants.
Moonlight poured through the upper windows and bounced off the gigantic mirrors that hung around the large entrance room.
Nick and Landon stepped quietly around the grand hall’s dining table and arrived at a split, rounded staircase.
Twenty-five foot ceilings, the second level was grandiose, and the stone architecture and wooden masonry was exceptional despite the century of neglect and abandonment.
“I don’t see anything,” Landon said, voice trembling. His hand was pressed against Nick’s back. “Maybe we should go?”
“Tracking involves all senses, not just your eyes, LT. So here’s your first test. Close your eyes and listen...do you hear that?”
“Maybe it’s just the old building?”
“Most certainly footsteps.”
“I know I heard it,” Landon frowned.
“Let’s keep going.”
Getting to the third level involved taking a narrow spiral staircase that seemed to go on for ages. At the top, the men found themselves at the mouth of another large hallway, though this time, their eyes needed not adjust to the dark. The reflection of light from a dancing fire emanated from the second of three rooms on the left.
Landon’s hand had now latched on to Nick’s back shoulder. “Why don’t we just go back to town and get the Lawkeeper? Or tell the Preacher?”
The Longest Road (Book 3): The Other Side Page 52
