by Ison, S. A.
He heard another shot. They were getting farther away. He was now gasping hard. The backpack and puppy were heavy and he could feel sweat swimming all over his body. But fear moved his legs. His lungs were burning and he saw ahead that the others were feeling it as well. Liev began slowing down, and walking fast. The others followed suit. He slowed his pace and took in great gulps of air. He kept checking behind him. He heard another volley of shots. Jesus, she was keeping them busy. She’d saved their lives.
She’d sacrificed her own to give them enough time to make it a few miles down the road. She had enough shells on her to keep them busy. But, sooner or later, the blood loss would kill her. Another shot. He saw both Perrin and Liev look behind. Everyone took turns, looking back, scanning their six. His heart was hammering violently in his chest and the adrenalin was starting to bleed away, leaving him slightly nauseated.
Another shot, then a staccato of shots. His heart sank. They killed her; he was sure. He let the tears come and he wept as he walked. The world around him was blurry. Linda had done it. She’d given them precious minutes to get the hell away. No one slowed their pace and from time to time, they each turned to look back. He saw that they too were weeping. Linda had done a very brave thing. She’d saved them. Tomi was pretty sure that they’d have been robbed of all their belongings and perhaps more would have been killed in a gun battle.
He sighed and wiped his eyes on his shoulder. He took a drink of water and caught up to Iris. Keeping pace with her. Then Liev began to run once more and the group took off as well. Their only hope was to put miles between themselves and that group. He was sure they didn’t know how many there were. They’d not been seen by the first road block. But he was sure that group would send out patrols, to see if anyone else was in the area. He would. So, their best bet was to keep running and then walk when they could run no more.
“How is Sakura?” He panted and ran ahead.
“Believe it or not, she’s asleep.” Iris laughed, a sob catching. He couldn’t talk any more and run, so he kept silent and his legs carried him. He kept pace with Iris, and checking behind. After nearly two hours, they stopped running and walked. They were all nearly spent and stumbled and walked. It was quiet now, and they only heard the birds. They passed homes, that were sprinkled around. Sakura started whimpering and he stopped and let Iris take the puppy out. He groaned, feeling light, with the puppy gone. She smiled at him.
“Better?”
“God yes, that puppy is growing fast.” He muttered, flexing his shoulders.
“My mind keeps going back to Linda. I’m so heart sick about it, Tomi.” Iris said softly, wiping at her eyes. Tomi took her hand and squeezed it. It felt chilled. He kept it within his grasp.
“I know. She wanted to die, Iris. She wanted to join her husband, her son and Norman. But she saved us as well. I don’t think it would have ended well if that man had talked on his walky-talky.”
“I know. God love her, she saved us.” Iris sighed.
“Yes, she did.”
ELEVEN
Liev found plenty of firewood, but only made a small fire. There was at least four hours of daylight left, but they’d not be staying the night. He got the fire going and sat down beside Dawn and pulled her to him and held her in his arms. His heart was broken and he didn’t know what to do. Linda was gone and their group was growing smaller and smaller. It frightened him, wondering who would be next? Who’d get shot?
“I think we lay low, get some sleep until about midnight. Then, we break camp and start walking. It’s becoming too dangerous to travel during the day. We’re easy targets.” Perrin said.
“Linda was right. We need to keep traveling at night now. Sleep during the day, hidden and then set out at night.” Tomi agreed. Liev watched as the puppies played and ran around them. He was too tired to stop them, they all were. He wasn’t even sure how far they’d run, maybe five miles, maybe eight? Christ, all he knew, was he was hungry and tired.
“Thank god we have the NVGs. At least we can navigate our way along the road with those.” Dawn added, her head was against his chest and she felt good in his arms. He’d never known so much fear as that when she was threatened. He knew it would have ended badly for them all, if that man had made the call. There was no way out of that. He sent a silent prayer of thanks to Linda, for saving his Dawn and kissed Dawn’s head. She looked up at him and smiled gently, squeezing him hard.
“Maybe everyone eats something and go ahead and sack out. I’ll keep first watch with the puppies. We’ll want to keep them busy tonight, so tomorrow, they’ll sleep.” Perrin suggested and they broke out their pots, filling them with the water from the camel packs. Liev watched their tired faces and a soft smile played around his lips. He was happy for his friend, Tomi and Iris shared a pot and both were adding their food to the water. He watched the interlocutors, their heads together, their speech soft.
They complimented each other well, and Tomi now had an inner glow to him. He looked down and saw that Dawn was asleep in his lap. She was exhausted, as they all were. He’d wake her when their food was done. She was thinner now and he’d make sure he’d fatten her up when they got to the cabin. He’d heard the conversation about the possibilities of having their own cabin. That thrilled Liev, he wanted to live with his wife and maybe, raise a few kids. He smiled at the thought. He knew he shouldn’t be happy or grateful for the EMP, but he couldn’t help it. It had given him Dawn, and he wasn’t foolish enough to doubt that it would never have happened between the two of them, had the EMP not equalized their worlds.
No matter what they had felt all those years, Dawn could have done nothing about it. It would have risked her job and he’d not have done that. Now, he had her and she was his for the caring and loving. He knew they were close, but they still had a long way to travel. He yawned. Christ he was tired and he was sad. But he was grateful that Linda had saved them. He owed her; he owed her big time.
=
There was no moon, yet the road was easy enough to navigate. The group walked in single file when moving around large clusters of abandoned vehicles. Perrin was in the lead and Tomi brought up the rear. Iris was in front of him and Liev and Dawn were in front of her. He smiled, everyone had NVGs and their heads swiveled back and forth. They’d left just after eleven, everyone had slept and was antsy to get back on the road.
It was quiet and the only sounds were of the crickets in the high grass that edged the road and tree frogs. Those were not very talkative. He knew their season was growing to a close and they’d go to hibernate, or what ever it was tree frogs did in the winter. An owl called in the distance and as one, all heads turned in that direction. He grinned. The puppies were quiet and walking along. They’d walk the pups as long as they could, and he hoped they’d sleep during the day.
He looked in the sky, there wasn’t a moon, but there were plenty of stars. He took off his NVGs and looked. The heavens were scattered with billions of stars. There were no artificial lights to block the view. He sighed and looked ahead. He could see their forms and so kept the NVGs off. It hurt his eyes to use it too long, as it did for the others. Periodically, they’d each take them off, letting their eyes adjust to the night.
He felt the cool wind blow and pulled his knitted wool hat down. He was glad Nell had knitted it for him. It was warm and hugged his head. He yawned widely, his eyes tearing up as he did so. He’d gotten about six solid hours of sleep. He shivered and zipped his coat closed. He saw Iris turn and could just make out her face and her smile He grinned and she turned back around. She’d also taken off her NVGs.
They were making good time; they’d turned east and were making their way to Flannagan Dam road. Once they passed that, they’d head east. They were perhaps a day away and his heart picked up speed. They were almost home. Christ. Fear prickled him. They were so close, yet he was sure there were plenty of dangers ahead. They still caught the fug of decay. They’d seen no lights however in homes that they passed. Because it was so la
te at night, they passed silently and cautiously. He was glad to be away from Elkhorn City; the air there had been thick with the smell of rot.
Depending on the shifting wind, there wasn’t much in the crisp air. It was mostly clear and sweet. He also caught the scent of woodsmoke. The thought of falling asleep in front of his uncle’s woodstove made him nearly groan.
“You okay?” Iris whispered, coming along side of him. She took his hand in hers and held it. He grinned down at her.
“I was thinking how nice it would be, just to fall asleep in front of my uncle’s wood stove.” He said softly, squeezing her hand.
“Oh, my god. That does sound wonderful. The only thing that is keeping me warm is the walking.”
“Yeah, thankfully, Nell made us these nice caps. I honestly thought we would have been at my uncle’s cabin by now.” This caused her to grunt and snort.
“Yeah, best laid plans and all.” She sniggered and he bumped her with his shoulder, squeezing her hand again. It was warm and sent warmth through his body. It was very intimate in the dark like this. He put the NVGs up to his eyes and scanned around. He saw nothing in the woods, but two glowing eyes from a raccoon, twenty feet up, in a tree. He also noted that Perrin was wearing his NVGs.
“All quiet?”
“Yeah, saw a racoon. I think he was watching us.” Tomi laughed softly.
“Yeah, thought I felt someone watching us.” She tittered softly. No one wanted to make a lot of noise. He looked down and saw that Sakura was starting to lag. God, she was getting so friggen heavy.
“Let’s put little girl to bed.” He suggested and stopped. He felt Iris tugging on his backpack and then opening it up wide. They’d moved the dishes and pots to her backpack and put her clothing in his, making a cushion for the puppy. He felt the heavy weight of Sakura and grunted.
“I guess it’s a good thing we got her when we did. She reminds me of Clifford, the big red dog.” He laughed as he heard her pull and tie the drawstrings. The puppy groaned and there was a puppy fart, muffled by the bag and clothing.
“Yeah, and my clothes smell like puppy farts.” She laughed, patting Tomi on the shoulder, indicating it was safe to walk.
“She’ll be a good asset to have on the property, I’m sure.”
“When she’s older and hunting her own food, that will be a big help, if not gross.” Iris said and he could hear her make a face and laughed.
“Guess we won’t want any kisses after she eats.”
“Ewww that’s just nasty.” She hissed softly. He took her hand again and held it. They didn’t have a lot of alone time. It was hard with others in close proximity. But it was nice to just walk and hold hands. He brought the NVGs up and saw deer, deep in the woods. He nudged Iris and pointed. She brought her goggles up and looked, a smile playing over her face. She was quite stunning, though it had been difficult to tell with all the swelling and bruising she’d worn for a while.
Christ, it seemed like a lifetime ago. It was as though they were in some kind of time tunnel and time had slowed down and yet around them, it went on, fast and swirling. Almost two weeks. That’s all it was? It seemed like months, and the violence and everything coming at them. Jesus. He knew his uncle must be fretting by now. He wasn’t sure what he’d been thinking. He thought perhaps it would only take a week or less. Christ, he’d been so wrong. He sighed.
“You okay Tomi?”
“Yeah, I just thought we’d be there sooner, but can’t make us go any faster than our feet can walk.”
“This is true. But we’ll get there. We’re close now.”
“We are, but it feels like we’re walking in molasses, you know, how you really want to get to some place quick and it seems to crawl even slower.”
“I used to feel that way when I was looking forward to a fun weekend. The week seemed to just drag.” She laughed.
“Time dragged in prison, especially the last month.”
“I think we are making good time. It just seems like we aren’t.”
“I know. I just wish we were there already. I keep expecting something bad to happen again. Something else. I’m just not used to all this craziness. I’m just afraid for all of us.”
=
Dawn stood guard while the others slept. It was ten am and she was wide awake. They’d stopped just as the light of dawn was erasing the shadows of the trees. They were on a deserted stretch of road. But, more importantly, they were on Flannagan Dam road. Tonight, they’d cross the spillway and then they’d turn southwest and walk the final stretch. She had the pups with her and they were playing and running in the woods. She had them on the leash, tied together, so they couldn’t get too far away.
She walked a wide parameter around the campsite. They’d all eaten and then one by one, her friends had fallen asleep. She listened for any sounds of people. They were a danger now. She never thought she’d see another person as such a personal threat. Even working at the prison, she’d never felt this kind of fear. Of any kind of meeting, being perhaps the last breath, you’d breathe.
She felt the sting of tears and a little anger, she thought of Linda and her desire to die. She just wished that they could have taken her with them. At least given her a burial. She hoped those other people might do it, but she doubted it. She wiped angrily at her tears and walked over to untangle the puppies who were wrapped around a tree. She moved them in another direction.
She stood in one spot and breathed deeply and listened. She heard the birds of the forest, their constant chatter telling her she was alone. It was when they quieted, did she need to worry. She turned, hearing a twig snap and saw Liev’s tall form, moving through the trees. She smiled and waited for him to join her. He pulled her into his arms and she wrapped her arms around his waist. He was warm from sleep and she nuzzled her face into his chest.
“You want to go and get some sleep?” He asked her softly, leaning down to kiss her.
“I’ll spend a few minutes with you, before I do. Everyone else still passed out.” She smiled up at him, moving his long wild hair, out of his face. He had the most beautiful blue eyes. Her hand lingered on his face, tracing the lines of it. He had a beautiful face, but an even lovelier soul. He grinned down at her, causing her to laugh. She no longer noticed the blue lines on his face. She’d also forgotten about her own.
She sighed happily and he rocked her back and forth. It was peaceful in the woods and she was glad. They all needed this peace. Their lives had been a living hell, with all the losses and the fighting and running. She loved being held by this gentle man, and she felt safe in his arms. She’d seen the ferocious warrior in him and knew he’d die, keeping her safe.
“Head on back babe, I’ll keep the puppies with me. Get some sleep.” He said softly and kissed her and then smacked her on the rump, sending her back toward camp. She smiled at him and walked back to camp. She found his sleeping bag and crawled in. It was redolent of his scent. She pulled her knitted cap down over her eyes and snuggled into her sleeping bag and was gone within minutes.
=
They were coming up to the spillway. It was after one in the morning. Tomi had no idea if anyone would be here. He hoped not. They moved quietly, there were quite a few homes in this area. He was sure that it would have been a different story if they’d have passed this place during the day. He was sure they’d all have targets painted on their backs. Perrin was the first across and went quickly. The puppies were stowed in the backpacks.
Iris and Dawn were next to go across. Tomi held his breath. Then Liev followed and he brought up the rear. They moved along the road, keeping to the shadows. All wore their NVGs until they were well away, and could breathe easier. Their pace was a fast one, not running, but neither was it a stroll. He wasn’t sure why he was so keyed up but was learning to listen to his gut. This area was heavier populated and he hoped there wouldn’t be any road blocks. That would add onto their time.
Within an hour, they were well away and Tomi could breathe now. They kept
their pace, everyone seemed to have the energy and wanted to get to the cabin. They’d studied the map and Perrin thought it was possible to reach Tomi’s cabin just after dawn. No one wanted to linger. They would also cut west through the terrain and off the road. That was the most direct route to the Cranes Nest river.
Perrin was in the lead, with the map and they followed him. They stepped off the pavement and began walking the land. Within an hour they crossed Will and Emma Lane. They’d keep heading west to where Will and Emma Lane joined The Lake Road and stay on that. Perrin said that it would take them over to the other side of Cranes Nest river. It was quiet and they heard a dog barking in the distance. Tomi was sure everyone tensed, but the puppies hadn’t woken up.
No one wanted to stop and take a break. It was as though they’d been out to sea for months and now smelled the earthy scent of land. Their goal was near and it was nearly palpable, the desire to end the journey, to reach safety and a haven. He was pretty sure they’d have started running if Perrin had but triggered it. He took another deep breath. He could feel the tingle of getting close. They now turned onto Lake road.
It was only a mile and a half before they crossed the small bridge over the Cranes Nest river. Once cross that, they’d leave the road and follow the contour of the river until they came to the back of his uncle’s property. His uncle had a dock that was painted a deep cobalt blue. It also had a porch swing at the end of the dock. His uncle would sit and swing and fish. The swing had a canopy, and so if it was raining, he’d stay dry.
Crossing the small bridge, they all looked around. The sun was beginning to tinge the eastern sky. They got off the bridge and began to walk along the river. They didn’t get too close, otherwise, they’d end up with cold wet feet. Tomi took his NVGs off. He could now see, though it was still dark. The brighter sky was edging out the night, pushing her away, like an unwanted lover.
