by T A Williams
“Roger that, father time.” Ally said as she made a dash for the woods before Gruff could throw something at her.
The man shook his head in disbelief as he came up to Jess. “Now I know you’re helping her out, Father time? That’s almost before your time.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Jess said trying to look innocent.
Gruff placed the squirrel in his tote bag for easy carrying. “Are the rumors I’m hearing about the military base true?”
Jess grimaced. What started as a rumor had been for the most part confirmed during a brief chat with Wash. The base was turning back into a military base only, meaning that all non-military personnel were going to be required to head out to one of the many refugee camps that dotted the southern coast.
“Seems that way.” She answered.
“What are you going to do?”
“Not too long ago a man told me that Ally and I were welcome to stay with him as long as we wanted. Unless the man has started coming down with Alzheimer’s I planned on taking him up on that offer.”
Gruff nodded his head in mock seriousness. “Let’s hope the man didn’t say that prior to realizing just how annoying you two are.”
Jess laughed and gave him a slight push. “I don’t plan on going anywhere. Ally needs consistency and to be totally honest this place is starting to feel more like home than any place I’ve ever been.”
“Looks like they’re actually going to get everything back to normal.” Gruff said in disbelief.
She agreed. Every inch of the base was covered in electric lighting and nearly all of the soldiers were walking around with walkie-talkies. Wash had told her it was only a matter of time before the refugee camps were transformed into actual towns. None of that mattered to her though; she had no intention of going back to the way things were.
“You know the invitation to stay didn’t include the dog.” Gruff said with a smirk.
“Fair enough but you’re telling Ally.”
“Are you kidding me, I don’t have a death wish. You see how good she is getting with that bow?”
Ben
The last of the snow had melted into the earth with the only evidence it had once existed being the still damp ground. While the weather had warmed considerably the air was still cold enough that it burned Ben’s lungs as he ran through the forest. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and hear a slight wheeze as his lungs struggled to pull in more and more of the cool air. He didn’t want to admit it but after the long winter he was horribly out of shape.
The boy stopped and rested all his weight up against a large tree as he tried to catch his breath. Ben hated winter but he had not wanted this one to end because he knew once it left Mason wouldn’t be far behind. For the last several weeks Mason had been running around the property testing out his healed leg and trying to get back into shape. The man had been on his back the entire winter while Ben had been able to get out of the house to check the snares and bring in wood, despite that Mason was able to run miles without showing any signs of fatigue. Ben could barely run to the trees and back, roughly 200 yards, before it felt like he was going to cough his lungs out.
The rising and falling of his chest lessened slightly but it still felt like he wasn’t able to catch his breath; he was done for the day. Ben pushed off the tree and let his legs support the full weight of his body, they tightened in response and for a second he feared they would cramp up, after a few moments the feeling went away and he began his trek back to the house.
As he approached he noticed Jack sitting on the porch watching him. He hesitated for a brief moment. The man meant well and had been there for Ben after everything that had happened. Ben knew that was part of the problem, every time he saw the man he was reminded of everything he had lost.
Jack saw him approaching and gave a warm smile. “Enjoying the warm weather?”
“It could be warmer.”
Jack laughed.
Ben struggled up the steps and collapsed in one of the rickety chairs next to Jack.
“I thought I was supposed to be the old one?” Jack said smirking.
Ben smiled back.
They sat there in the still morning air listening to the few birds that had stuck around during the winter months.
“I’m proud of you Ben.” Jack kept his gaze on the empty field. “I can only imagine how hard things were, and still are, for you. In spite of all that you still worked your ass off and helped me get through winter. Your father would have been proud.”
In the past Ben would have shut down at the mention of his father. He would have curled up in his shell and ignored the world. This time he sat there and let the feeling of loss wash over him. His father was gone, Joseph was gone, Ally had been taken, and Alec had left and chances were he would never return, running away from these things weren’t going to stop them from being true.
“You’ve grown up quicker than most people ever have to, or at least had to, back in the day.”
“Thank you.” Ben said quietly. “Thank you for being here, for helping me, and for putting up with me…I know I didn’t make it easy.”
Jack patted him on the back. “Don’t mention it.”
Mason opened up the back door and stepped out. The look on the man’s face suggested he had been standing there for a while. Mason walked to the edge of the porch and looked out at the same nothing they were all staring at.
“Heading out soon?” Jack asked.
Mason nodded.
“Need help packing anything up?”
“No, I’m pretty much good to go.”
Ben stood up and walked over to Mason with his head low. He stretched his hand out to Mason. “Thank you.”
Mason was quiet for a moment then he grabbed Ben by the wrist and pulled him into his chest. The man gave him a firm squeeze. “Keep your head up and remember what we talked about.”
When the hug ended Ben walked over to Jack. “I’m going out to walk for a while.”
Jack glanced to Mason. “Mason is leaving here in a little, don’t you th-“
“There isn’t any need for Ben to sit around and wait for me to leave. You all will be seeing me again.”
Ben turned and headed out towards the woods. As he walked away he heard Jack telling Mason that he would be ok. Ben was going to miss him. They had not always gotten along but the man had been there for him. He just hoped the man would understand that he was doing what he had to do.
Ben
It meant a lot to Ben that Mason had waited for him to return. The man had stood out near the loaded truck waiting for over an hour. When the sun was nearly overhead he finally told Jack he had to go and to tell Ben that he would get back around eventually. Even once Jack went back inside the house Mason had waited a few more minutes for him to return.
The truck that Mason had gotten from Whitaker wasn’t anything fancy but it ran well and had plenty of space in the truck bed. The bed had a plastic toolbox that stretched the width of the bed and half of it was full with the supplies Mason had been able to collect, the other half was empty, or at least had been before Ben snuck into it.
There wasn’t anything left for Ben at the house, only bad memories. If he stayed there he would spend his entire time waiting for a brother that would never return and be constantly babied by Jack. Going with Mason gave him his best chance to grow into the man he wanted to be.
The first day in the plastic toolbox wasn’t bad. The rumbling of the truck engine was soothing and he was able to open the toolbox just enough to see some of the countryside as it flew by. The second day was much more difficult. While he was able to stretch his legs out in the toolbox there wasn’t much room for him to do much of anything else. Mason stopped occasionally to siphon gas and go to the bathroom but the rest of the time was spent on the road, leaving Ben cramped in the toolbox for the entirety of the day. On the second night Mason parked the truck on an isolated gravel road and slept outside in a small tent. This allowed
Ben to sneak out of the toolbox, empty his bathroom jars and stretch his legs. He spent most of that night sitting on the road staring off into the night sky. As the night sky began to give way to the sun he reluctantly dragged himself back into the cramped toolbox.
It felt like his sanity was slipping away on the third day. His legs felt stiff, the air coming into the toolbox was hot and humid, and his meager food supplies that he had brought with him were nearly exhausted. As the sun began its descent Ben had had enough. Just as he had made his mind up and was going to get out of the toolbox Mason pulled down a bumpy side road. The jostling of the truck tires against the uneven road forced him to push himself up against the far side of the toolbox to prevent his head from slamming all throughout the interior. After a few minutes the truck came to a sudden halt.
Ben heard Mason get out of the truck and he listened as the man’s footsteps got fainter and fainter. The smart thing to do would have been to wait a little longer but the cramped toolbox had sapped any intelligence he had left. The boy hastily got out of the toolbox and fell into the truck bed. Suddenly it felt as if he could breathe for the first time since he had gotten back into the toolbox and the air seemed so much fresher. Ben began to let out a satisfying sigh but stopped midway when he saw a gun swing over the side of the truck bed and point directly at him.
“Ben? Are you fucking serious, Ben?”
Ben sat up and met Mason’s eyes. The man stepped back and walked away from the truck in a huff.
“What the hell do you think you are doing? I could have shot you. Does Jack know-of course Jack doesn’t know, the man must be worried sick.”
Ben’s legs groaned in protest as he pushed himself up to his feet. “I’m sorry but there isn’t anything left for me there.”
Mason turned back to Ben and the man’s face was full of rage. “This isn’t some game Ben. It’s dangerous out here. This isn’t some vacation I’m taking. Do you realize how hard it was to get here? The truck is nearly bingo on fuel and now I’m going to have to find a way to get you back to Jack.”
“I’m not going back.” Ben said defiantly. “I won’t go back to that place with you. If you won’t take me with you then I will just stay here.” Mason’s gaze was intense and Ben looked away.
“I wasn’t asking you if you’d go back Ben, I was telling you. Don’t push me.” Mason’s voice was as solid as stone. “I’m going to see what supplies are left, take you back home, than meet up with command. I know you think what you’re doing is brave, but it is foolish and it is putting both of our lives in unnecessary danger.” Mason turned and began walking into the thick weeds towards a group of trees.
Ben looked around and couldn’t see a building insight. The road that led them here was barely visible due to the overgrowth of weeds and grass. They were in the middle of nowhere, was this the supply cache? The boy jumped out of the truck and chased after Mason. When he caught up with the man Mason didn’t even look his way. Ben couldn’t help but feel a little bad. Mason had always been straight with him, he had never treated him like a child or acted like he wasn’t capable of taking care of himself, and Ben had betrayed his trust. But he couldn’t spend another day in that house.
They approached a worn sign that read Restricted Area and Mason took a right and headed into a large collection of bushes and shrubbery that were taller than the both of them combined. As Ben followed and pushed his way through the brush he saw what it was hiding, a large commercial storage trailer was sitting in the middle nearly perfectly hidden from anyone that would have walked by. Mason approached the door, pulled out an odd looking key, and used it in the large lock on the door of the trailer. Ben heard the lock click over and Mason pulled on the handle and the door pulled over a couple of inches
“I might need a little help pushing this open.” Mason said, the strain of opening it a few inches clearly on his face.
Mason grabbed the handle again and Ben slipped his fingers between the door and the open portion and pulled. The door appeared to be nearly a foot thick and was the heaviest thing that Ben could remember ever trying to move. As it swung open the large hinges let out a low groan.
Mason stopped once it was half way open. “That’ll do.”
It took Ben’s eyes a few moments before they adjusted to the dark trailer but as they adjusted the sight of assault rifles hanging on the walls and crates pushed against the sides filled his eyes. Ben sat there flabbergasted; he had never seen so many guns in his life. A few of the grates had been pried open and it was evident they weren’t the first people to access the supplies.
“Mason, someone was already here.”
Mason walked along the wall and searched through the crates grabbing a few things and putting them into his pack. “This wasn’t placed here just for me Ben.” The man grabbed one of the large assault rifles and slung it across his shoulder. “These caches have been strategically placed all over to help resupply the squads that are maintaining order.” Mason threw him a large pack and pointed towards a crate on the far side. “Fit as much of that ammo in here as possible, there isn’t another cache around here for a while.”
Ben began to fill the pack and watched as Mason grabbed a large back pack from the wall and walked outside. The man pulled out an antenna that was attached to the pack and pointed it towards the sky. It was like a giant walkie-talkie.
“Big House One, this is Eagle six do you copy?”
Static.
“Big House One, this is Eagle six do you copy?”
There was a squawk then a response. “Eagle six this is Big House One, Mason?”
“Yes, sir.” Mason answered and a smile broke over his face.
“Been a while Eagle six, thought we might have lost you all.”
Mason’s face turned grim. “Our Helo went down on our way to resupply…rest of the squad and the pilot are KIA. I was injured but was picked up by Civies and have been recovering since.”
There was a long period of silence on the other end. When the voice returned it was somber. “Roger that Eagle six, are you resupplied?”
“Yes sir.”
“We need you to rendezvous with Eagle three.” Mason’s face lit up. “They’re cleaning up sector seven and should be there for another 48 hours.”
Mason sat back on the ground still smiling. “Roger that.”
The voice returned. “Eagle six I need to report that as of 72 hours ago the Island is being overrun.”
Once again the smile on Mason’s face disappeared but this time it changed to a look of shock. Mason sat there with his mouth slightly ajar.
“Eagle six, do you read?”
The man caught himself. “Yes sir, I copy. Any other details you can give me?”
“Negative, Eagle three can brief you completely.”
“Roger that.” Mason said slowly as if he was in a trance.
“We’ll contact Eagle three to advise. Big House One over and out.”
For a brief moment Mason sat there with the same shocked look on his face, then just as suddenly his face turned to stone and he got to his feet and began picking up the bags and heading towards the truck.
Ben chased after him with his own pack slung across his shoulder. “Mason, what is the Island? What does it mean it is being overrun?”
Mason got to the truck, threw his bags in the back and turned to grab Ben’s pack but the boy stepped back.
“Mason what does that mean?”
The man’s face remained stoic. “It means we’re being invaded.”
Ben didn’t understand. “Invaded? Who’s being invaded?”
“America.”
Alec
The clear sky gave way to dark clouds that served as a herald for the oncoming storm. Alec could feel the breeze turn from warm to chilly in a manner of moments. Unless he wanted to get caught out in the middle of it he needed to hurry up and finish clearing out the weeds from their garden.
Trevor came up behind him and gave him a comforting slap on the back. “Pe
nny for your thoughts?”
Alec didn’t know where to start. Part of him was excited about going back home and seeing Ben again. But he couldn’t dismiss the fact that he was returning home without her. His family wasn’t complete and he was returning to the place where they had been torn apart – to the place where his father and youngest brother were buried.
“We can’t force them all to come with us.” Trevor said delicately.
Trevor thought he was down due to a large portion of the town refusing to leave. Margie said that for most of them this had been their home their entire life, and after the world went black this place became their safe haven. Of the forty plus inhabitants only a dozen were willing to leave.
In all honesty he couldn’t care less. He wasn’t going to force anyone to save themselves, if they wanted to be sucked dry until Revis and his following decided to kill them that was their choice.
“It’s not that, I’m just ready to get on the road.”
“I’d say we’re about as ready as we are going to be.”
Alec agreed. There was a run-down barn just on the southern edge of town that they used to store their supplies. Inside was Trevor’s truck along with three other cars, all filled to the brim with gas. Each vehicle had several containers of gas in the trunk, or in the case of Trevor’s truck the bed, along with as many wicker baskets full of food that they could fit without sacrificing room for the passengers. The only thing they were waiting for was Margie. She was convinced she could talk more people into leaving with them.
“Give her time.” Trevor said sensing what he was thinking about.
“The longer we stay here the longer we’re in danger.”
“They took us in and gave us a place to stay. We can give her another day or two to talk to the others.”
Trevor was right even if Alec didn’t want to admit it. While they had not been welcomed with open arms they had been allowed to stay. He cared for Margie and had to admit he enjoyed Malcolm from time to time, it was only fair to give them a chance.
