Age of Winter

by Logan Keys

  Chuck seemed grateful. For her help and for her support. She finally felt like she was starting to pay him back for everything he’d done for her. He said, “Thank you for that, Brittany. And since you are here, why not hang out for a bit. That way the other guys…” he glanced around. “That way no one else tries to shoot you.”

  Brittany agreed, and Chuck showed her where he’d been hiding. “I saw a doe here not long before you came around.”

  “I probably scared her.”

  Chuck huffed a laugh. “Probably, but that doesn’t mean she won’t come back. See the grass.”

  “Oh, yeah, I see it.”

  **

  It wasn’t long before the deer returned. Brittany squeezed her eyes shut because she didn’t want to see it die. But then, when Chuck was busy aiming, she opened them again. She should see this. It was a sacrifice, and she owed it to the deer to watch the suffering between its end of life and her life-sustaining food.

  When Chuck shot it, Brittany didn’t even flinch. She forced herself not to. She would face this. She could help Chuck keep his secrets.

  She would stop hiding from it all and she would come to terms with the idea that she was an outsider, but she didn’t have to be a weak one.

  Chuck showed her how to dress the deer and though it was something that would have horrified her before, she took careful note of how to do it. He even offered to teach her to shoot. She wasn’t even sure when it happened, but she realized by the end of it all, she’d finally become a survivor.

  Chapter Five

  Plainview, Texas

  Colton felt rain on his face, but it was warm and inviting. It gently lapped his cheek like…like…a dog’s wet tongue. Rex whined, and Colton tried to answer him but instead let out a groan of pain. His entire body was sore like he’d had the flu. Like he’d had ten different kinds of flu.

  “What is it?” Colton murmured, opening his eyes.

  Big baleful brown eyes stared right back.

  Colton licked his dry lips, noticing cracks and blisters that weren’t there before. “I told you to go,” he croaked.

  “He won’t leave your side,” a familiar voice said. “H-he brought me back.”

  Colton tried to sit up. “Rufus…?”

  “Is fine,” Kandace said, coming into view. “I g-got him his medicine and he said he’d be good enough in an hour or so. But Rex ran up to us, barking and carrying on. I kn-knew something was w-wrong, and so I followed him back here.”

  Colton put his arm over his eyes, not that the light was bothering them—it was dark. “How long have I been out?”

  “Not long. I got back here and found you laid out, s-sizzling like a turkey on thanksgiving.”

  “Funny,” Colton said. “You should go. It could happen again.”

  “N-nah, it’s come and gone. Spent itself in that b-burst, but now you get a reprieve. Think you can walk?”

  Colton wasn’t sure why, because she wasn’t being that sweet to him, but he really liked Kandace. He felt like he understood why she was still around, and other people weren’t. She was strong. So strong.

  “I think so,” Colton said, working himself into a sitting position, one arm propping him up from behind. “Just give me a minute.”

  Kandace was sitting in a squat, and she held up a hand like she had all day.

  Rex was pacing around Colton, occasionally bumping him with a cold nose, trying to get him to move. It made the dog nervous to see his friend down and out. Colton was actually surprised the dog hadn’t stayed with the children.

  “Benton and Lily?”

  “Everyone’s fine. Everyone b-but you that is.”

  Colton rocked forward, fighting the spinning feeling. He might not have been struck hard enough to kill, but whatever it was, the charge had baked his noodle good. He was seeing stars.

  Rex moved under his arm to help him to his knees. From there, Colton finally got to his feet. He stood, swaying side to side until, with a sigh, Kandace came and pulled his arm over her shoulder.

  “Thanks,” he said, and the girl shrugged, clearly uncomfortable.

  Together they walked, albeit slowly, to the highway.

  They found Rufus where Colton had left him before, and the kids both rushed forward to hug Colton, crying out in excitement that he was okay. It was clear that Rufus and the children had thought the worst.

  Colton slowly squatted down and hugged Benton and Lily. “You guys aren’t getting rid of me that easy.”

  Rufus pulled him into a hug when he stood. “Glad to see you, son.”

  Colton patted Rufus on the back. “Glad to see you on your feet, too, Rufus.”

  “How will we get to your parent’s house now?” Benton asked.

  “We walk, I guess,” Colton said. “It’s gonna take a day or two, but as long as the weather holds, we can make it.”

  **

  It did take them three days of walking to make it to Lubbock. And the city was half burned, half deserted, and half covered in snow when they arrived. From Colton’s time in the small ghost-town, he’d found enough food to sustain them for the trip. They’d been so cold at night, but somehow, they managed to find places to hide from the elements and light fires for warmth.

  Now that Colton was back in his hometown, he felt lighter than he had in days.

  “It’s just two more miles, guys. I bet my mother and father will love to meet you all.”

  Colton didn’t miss the glance that Kandace and Rufus shared between them. Sure, he was being too optimistic, hoping they were okay, but he didn’t care. He could have what little hopes and dreams he had left until proof forced them to be washed away like everything else.

  They quickened their pace and made the final two miles their quickest.

  On the last block, even though Colton was in pain, and had a limp from a sore on his leg after being hit by that powerful surge, he started running for his house.

  Even from where he was, he could see the burn marks on the outside of the house, but it was still standing. That was good, right?

  He pushed himself to his limits, feeling faint, and running towards the front door. He stopped, thought about knocking, but pulled on the knob instead. It was unlocked and though it appeared to have been burnt, the door opened and the house inside wasn’t as bad as outside. But why wasn’t the door locked?

  “Hello!” Colton called. “Mom…? Dad?”

  Colton ran around the lower floor’s bedrooms before he started to climb the stairs. He was only a few steps up when the boards creaked beneath his feet, and then snapped.

  Colton went right through the flooring, straight up to his knees.

  He stopped climbing, stepping out of the hole he’d created in the weak and burned stairs. He was calling for his parents once more when Rufus and Kandace and the kids entered.

  “They aren’t…” Colton’s voice cracked. “They aren’t here.”

  Kandace flopped down on the couch marred by soot as if this were a normal day and she could flip on the T.V.. Rufus came over to Colton, his eyes sad. “Son…” he said.

  “I don’t understand.” Colton pushed a shaky hand through his hair. “Where would they be?”

  “Maybe they left a note.”

  Colton lifted a finger and ran for the kitchen. The fridge had an erasable board on it that his mother always put little love notes on for him and his brother when they were younger. Sure enough there was some writing there now. It was quick and short. “Love you, boys. Carrig.”

  Colton sighed with relief. “The Carrigs. Of course.”

  “Who are the Carrigs?” Rufus asked.

  “A friend of my father’s. His boss actually. He’s an extreme prepper. He would be ready for this type of thing.”

  “Should we go there?” Rufus asked, and Colton nodded.

  “But it’s almost dark. Why don’t we eat, rest, and then head out? I’ll see if I can find the keys to the spare pickup.”

  “Good idea,” Rufus said.

 
Colton found some of his clothes in the spare bedroom and took a freezing cold sink bath with water from the well. He then changed and stared at the stranger in the mirror. He’d left this home for bootcamp half a man, and now he looked like he’d aged a few decades, at least.

  He could hear Kandace and Rufus feeding the kids, and he figured he’d lay down for just a few minutes, just to rest his weary self, but when he next woke up, it was full night and there wasn’t a sound from the other room.

  Colton jumped from the bed, his heart racing. Maybe something had happened to them.

  He rushed into the living room and found Rufus there propped up in his dad’s favorite chair. “Shh,” Rufus said pointing to the front door.

  Colton saw that Kandace and the kids were sleep in various positions around the fireplace.

  Colton stepped outside, and he spoke quietly to Rufus. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  Rufus gave a smile. “Because you needed the rest.”

  “Well, I’m up now.”

  “Good. I’ll get some shut eye and we can talk in the morning. Night.”

  Rufus was weary, too, but he’d sacrificed himself for Colton’s rest. Colton would repay it by letting the man sleep himself as long as he needed. There was no rush to get to his parents now that he knew they were with Jefferson. Mr. Carrig was the most prepared man on the planet as far as Colton knew.

  He took a moment to savor the return. Colton was on his own porch at the house he grew up in. He tried to take a mental picture of the sight before him, because he wasn’t sure he’d have one like it again. In the yard hung a tire swing he and his brother had played on, and gotten hurt on, so many summers. Colton hadn’t even glanced at the photospheres Bart on the wall, because it hurt too much to finally make it home and not be with his older brother.

  “I miss you, bro,” he said, his face hurting when it pulled tight with emotion. “It’s not fair.”

  “So, your b-brother is dead?” Kandace had snuck up on him like a ninja.

  Colton sighed. “Yeah.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said awkwardly.

  “Me, too,” Colton answered. “About your mom.”

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  They sat in silence for a while before Kandace asked him, “If you do find your parents, what then? Are you just going to stop here? Like for good?”

  Colton shrugged. He’d been so focused on getting to his home he didn’t really have any other plans. Brittany popped into his mind. He had always sort of planned to get home but then maybe start searching for her once again. But where?

  “I’m not really sure yet.”

  Kandace started to speak but Colton cut her off.

  “Kandace,” he whispered. “Go into the house and wake up Rufus.”

  “B-but…”

  She quieted when she saw them, too. At the end of the driveway stood three men, and they each held a weapon.

  Chapter Six

  Nogales, Arizona

  Luckman expected to die. So many times. He’d lost count of how many moments he was saying goodbye to the world. What he didn’t expect was to see a light shining through the storm instead. And then a line of people moving up the pathway toward the mouth of the cave.

  “What’s happening?” Cal asked, but Luckman could only shake his head.

  German said something in Russian. “It’s Jean,” he muttered with disbelief.

  Luckman rushed into the hail when he realized that German was right. He dodged the balls of white until he was at her side. She held a flashlight and a tarp over her head that others held the edges of. They were moving like a giant caterpillar covered by tarps.

  When he got to her side, her eyes went wide. “I’d hoped…I’d prayed. Oh, Lucky!” She wrapped her arms around him, and he gripped her tightly.

  Then he motioned for them to come inside. There were dozens of people.

  Luckman got inside the cave, and then he pulled his jacket down to show Jean his throat. When she glanced around in confusion, Cal told her. “He was hung. German saved his life. All of our lives.”

  Jean gripped Luckman’s hand like a lifeline. Luckman motioned to the people who were now filling the cave. It was large enough that there was room for everyone and then some.

  “I got to town. I tried to get people to come help free you but no one would risk it, that is, until a family arrived from the border claiming that everyone had frozen to death. I told them what had happened before in New Zealand, and the plane crash, and I also told them that you were the one to help them live, if they could, through it. I told them first we had to save you. When we got to the house no one was there, but we followed the tracks back this way. Hoping…”

  Luckman squeezed her hand and gently touched her brow with affection. He was trying to convey how it moved him, that she’d done everything that she could to free him.

  “So,” she said with a half-smile. “What do we do?”

  Luckman shook his head. He wanted to tell her there was nothing they could do. He wanted her to understand that she’d done all of this in vain, but then again, was that true?

  German tapped Luckman’s shoulder. “These people want us to try. Is that so bad?”

  Luckman frowned and stepped away. He needed to think for a moment, and not just about seeing Jean again and how that made him feel. He needed to figure this out. How to beat the cold.

  Without an answer in sight, Luckman decided to leave the cave. He held up a finger to German and Jean that he needed space but with a glance of affection to the latter, so she’d know he wasn’t ungrateful.

  Luckman stepped out into the storm. He ignored the glancing blows of the hail and the howling wind that screamed at him to take shelter. He took a moment to stare into the Killing Cold. Right now, it looked like a blizzard. It had many faces. Some were tsunamis. Some just sheets of ice falling from the sky. Other times the creeping frost, silent and deadly. But in this moment, it was shouting down on him as if it were gunning for a fight.

  But so was Luckman. He’d had enough of the running and fear and the almost dying.

  If he could, he’d yell and shout back at the storm.

  Instead, he forced his brain to think. Think hard. That was his weapon to fight back with. God’s gift of a scientific mind.

  **

  Luckman returned to the cave after a few minutes and motioned for a pen and pad. He scrawled quickly as Jean read it over his shoulder. “How deep does this cave go?”

  Cal answered. “The size of it suggests fairly deep. There are a few different tunnels though, and we would have to choose the right one.”

  Jean read as Luckman wrote, “Okay. We split up into groups. Before that, we need to take a small group to the house and get as many food supplies and water as we can. Anything with empty calories is a bonus.”

  Cal nodded, and German was already grabbing a horse.

  Jean read, “Not you, German. You’ve already pushed yourself too far.”

  Luckman was grabbing the other horse and German laughed. “Not me? Not you, then. I go if you go.”

  Jean was climbing up as well. “And me.”

  Cal had German’s horse by the head. “Me, too.”

  Luckman rolled his eyes but the four of them mounted. This time Luckman was armed, but he was still wary of meeting Holtz and Kent on their way back to the house. Even so, they cajoled the horses back into the storm, and German slapped the reins on his horse’s rump which made it leap forward into a gallop for the house.

  Luckman’s and Jean’s horses took off after it’s herd-mate, and they held on, trying to keep from falling off.

  Jean had told everyone in the cave they’d be back with more supplies. Luckily many had already brought supplies enough for a day or two. But still, they had no idea how long it would be before freedom.

  They arrived in the yard of the house, and like Jean had said, it seemed empty.

  Luckman motioned to everyone and German voiced his sign as, “Be careful.” German laughed. “Go
t it. But if I see that little weasel again, he’s dead.”

  Everyone had a weapon. Jean lifted her gun and said, “I got it from one of the guys traveling with us. He gave it to me, saying he wasn’t sure that everyone in the group was safe. Most of them are desperate strangers.”

  Luckman nodded, his heartbeat quickening at the thought of Jean in town, alone and unarmed. Jean put a hand on Luckman’s arm. “My sister?” she asked as he gestured what he wanted to know. “She went on to find her family.” Her gaze turned sad. “I’m not sure how far she’ll get…in this.”

  He squeezed her shoulder while meeting her eyes, trying to convey that she was a strong woman like Jean. She’d be just fine.

  “Let’s do this,” Jean said with a half-smile, and Luckman agreed.

  Together they entered the house behind German and Cal. Cal’s hands were shaking but he seemed determined. It surprised Luckman how much Cal had changed since meeting the doctor. At first, he had been a timid young man, obviously focused only on his profession, even after the fall. Now, he was starting to become a real fighter.

  The house was dark and quiet. The bodies lay still where they fell but Luckman ignored the urge to have a proper burial his friends and the officers. They would have to wait until after the Killing Cold arrived. Unless they didn’t survive, and then they would join them as the unburied masses who had fallen prey to it.

  “I’ll check the kitchen,” German whispered.

  “We should go upstairs,” Jean said, and Luckman shot her a glance that made her lips twitch. “For the medical supplies,” she added.

  Cal helped German downstairs, shoving everything they could find into backpacks. Jean and Luckman carefully worked their way up the stairs and into the room where Joseph’s body still lay, and they gathered a bag of supplies together. Gauze for wounds, some antiseptic, and even antibiotics for German to keep the infection away. Luckman was happy to find some anti-inflammatory medicine, too, for his throat.

  They were leaving the room when Luckman heard the floorboards creak. Not from downstairs, but on the same floor where he and Jean was.