Age of Winter

by Logan Keys

  Chuck didn’t keep the pace very fast, but he wasn’t going slow either. Everyone had force themselves to stay close to the person in front of them, and it was a real struggle.

  In the first hour, Brittany had to stop and help no less than five people who’d fallen behind. The wind picked up, bringing the chill factor up to painful. Worse than that was the visibility. The snow flurries thickened, hiding everything around them from roughly a two-foot radius outward.

  Without the tracks in the mud and snow, she couldn’t see the person in font of her unless she was close enough to reach out and touch them.

  For the second time, she lost sight of them and panicked, quickly squatting down to check the tracks. She found them once more and followed, rushing and almost missing a person buried in the snow because of her anxiousness to keep up.

  A voice called through the howling wind, and it was young and scared. Brittany followed it, her world nothing but a swirl of gray, until she ran into a solid form in the snow. She reached in and pulled out a young boy.

  “Gregory!” Brittany shouted. “Where are your parents?”

  He shook his head in confusion, hugging himself, trying to get warm.

  “Go.” She motioned for which direction. “Walk. You can do it!”

  He began to take steps through the snow, and they followed the tracks, trying to find the line of people. But before they could catch up, Brittany and Gregory found Mildred, an older woman, sitting in the snow.

  She was completely still, serene almost, and when Brittany touched her, she regretted it instantly. Mildred was frozen solid.

  Brittany grabbed Gregory by the hand and pulled him away. “She’s gone,” she said when the young man struggled to go back. “Come with me, now!”

  He listened, and they turned toward the tracks again…only, they weren’t there anymore.

  **

  Brittany made Gregory stay with her and they went ten paces in all directions but found no tracks. The snow had to have filled them up too quickly to follow. It was really coming down now. Her heart raced as adrenaline spiked through her, keeping her momentarily warm, but how long would that last? How long before she was just like Mildred, a frozen lump in the middle of nowhere?

  Gregory started to panic, and strangely that made Brittany calm herself. She put her mouth close to his ear. “It’s okay. We will find them. I promise.”

  But could she? Brittany had given the map back to Chuck for the excursion, but she had studied it somewhat before that. At this point if she remembered correctly, there was still another hour to go. The paces from the ridge to the valley were a zig zag but Brittany had felt like it was some sort of key or diversion. Like maybe there was a shorter distance between the two lines but if someone had the map and you didn’t want them to find the hidden bunker, you could confuse them with the directions given.

  If that were the case, then they should just head exactly straight from this point deeper into the valley. She wasn’t sure which was deeper…but wait. Brittany walked forward a few steps then back in the direction of Gregory.

  “Steeper,” she said to herself. “This direction is steeper and that one is going down.”

  She grabbed Gregory’s hand and pulled him after her. It was as good a plan as any. Just go deeper into the valley as straight as possible and the group would be doing the zig zag to the same point. The long line of people would eventually cross their paths.

  It was a solid plan, she figured. But soon it started to seem like a psychotic one. Brittany and Gregory walked and walked, trudging on blindly as the hours past, not that she could be sure of the time. She realized what a mistake it was to not turn around. She was taking this poor boy deeper into the valley, to certain death, when maybe they could have gone back when they first got lost to the camp and hoped for the best. Once separated from the group, it would have been wiser to turn back, since the Valley had no shelter and the snow was slowly burying them altogether.

  Gregory pulled Brittany’s hand. “Please,” he begged. “We have to stop. I can’t walk anymore. I can’t feel my legs!”

  Brittany gave in and stopped. “Just for a minute!” she cried into the wind.

  He nodded but sat down looking very much like he might not get up ever again.

  Brittany went over to him and sat close for warmth. She felt defeated, responsible, and scared. “I’m so sorry!” she cried.

  Gregory shook his head, but it was obvious he was crying. His parents had to be frantically looking for him. Brittany’s second charge and what did she do? She pulled another Jonah.

  After a minute of feeling sorry for herself she stood, determined. “Get up,” she told him when she reached out her hand and he refused.

  She put her hands under his armpit and pulled him up. “Come on. We are not giving up.”

  Brittany marched Gregory in the direction they’d been going. It was too late to go back the way they’d come. Either her plan would work, or they’d walk until they froze. Which felt like it could be soon. Her body was sluggish and so were her thoughts.

  Gregory stumbled once, falling to his knees. The second time he fell, he didn’t get back up and he was too heavy for Brittany to carry.

  She pleaded with him, begging him to rise, but he stayed in the snow, looking like he’d fallen asleep.

  Brittany was torn. Chuck had told her to leave if she had to. He’d made her promise.

  But then she thought of Benton and Lily. She thought of Colton. He wouldn’t leave someone fallen in the snow. And she wouldn’t either.

  Brittany placed her body over Gregory’s. She shielded him from the freezing wind and snow. He was still breathing, slowly and quietly but she was hoping she was giving him her warmth.

  Soon, she felt sleepy, and warm. She closed her eyes, promising herself she’d rest for only a few minutes.

  **

  Brittany woke up to the quiet. The wind had calmed, though the snow was falling so heavy and fast that she was completely covered by it. Blinking snowflakes out of her eyes, she lifted her head. Which felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

  Blinking some more, she saw a light in the distance. Was it the sun? No. It was too small, and it was moving. It bobbed and shined in another direction. A muffled sound met her ears that sounded like…it sounded like her name. Being called from under water.

  Her senses slowly returned and this time, she was certain that she heard it. Her name. Shouted across the valley.

  Brittany struggled against the pain in her limbs as she moved. Pins and needles poked every spot of skin as she shoved herself into a sitting position.

  “Over here,” she said weakly. “Here!” she called with more force.

  The light bounced along the ice until it landed on her. She waved her hands. “Chuck!” she screamed as if her life depended on it, because in that moment, it did.

  When she heard Chuck answer and knew he was running in their direction she turned and grabbed Gregory by the collar. Turning him over, she brushed the snow away from his face.

  He was completely still, and her heart fell.

  Then he coughed and wheezed a deep breath, his eyes popping open. He was dazed but alive.

  Chuck ran through the snow, jumping with each step. He grabbed Brittany’s hand and helped her to her feet before pulling her tightly into a hug. “I thought you were…” His voice was filled with great emotion. “I thought I’d never find you. Thank God,” he said, pulling away, checking her over.

  Together, they got Gregory to his feet.

  “You parents have been frantic over you, young man.”

  “The bunker?” Brittany asked.

  “It’s just in that direction.”

  Chuck led the way, and Gregory needed their help walking but he managed to stay awake until they arrived at safety. Chuck showed them the underground fortress his friend had built, and Brittany was amazed as she stepped down into a place that had heat, and water, and beds. Everything.

  “Randy spared no expense,
” Chuck said.

  Gregory’s parents came running, tears streaming down their faces. His mother held him so tightly he looked to be in pain. “You had an angel looking out for you, my boy. A guardian angel! You’ve been out there for hours and hours! We thought we’d never see you again.”

  Gregory turned and motioned to Brittany. “Mama,” he said. “Thank my guardian angel.”

  Chapter Nine

  Lubbock, TX

  Colton backed into the living room area, and he grabbed Rex by the collar. The dog was already rushing forward, trying to bark at the men who were creeping around in the yard. “Shhh, boy,” Colton said, and Rufus quietly moved to his side along with Kandace.

  “My dad’s got some more guns upstairs in the safe. Rufus, you stay here, and Kandace…”

  She held out her hand. “I know how to shoot. G-give me your gun.”

  Colton frowned at her. “You sure?”

  She rolled her eyes. Colton glanced at Rufus with his brows up but shrugged and handed her the gun.

  Colton had to climb the side of the staircase to keep from falling in the hole he’d created before. He moved up the rest of the stairs as quietly as possible.

  He wasn’t prepared for the sadness, nostalgia, and overwhelmed feelings of being on the top floor with all of his family’s bedrooms. His brother’s room was the first one he passed, and he only spared a glanced inside the door, but it was enough to send a wave of grief through him. Bart and Colton had moved away but their mother refused to change a single thing in either of their rooms. In her words, “This will always be your home.”

  Colton rushed down the hallway, forcing himself not to linger. He slid into his parent’s bedroom and punched the numbers into the safe, praying his father had not completely emptied it. When the door swung open, he breathed a sigh of relief to see half of the rifles and pistols were still there.

  Colton grabbed the first two and snatched a couple boxes of ammo before rushing back down the hall.

  He arrived next to Kandace and Rufus just as boots scraped along the porch and the doorknob jiggled. Colton had locked it, but Rufus had propped a crowbar under the handle so even if they picked the lock it wouldn’t open.

  One of the windows was broken with space large enough to reach through. After the person cursed and jiggled the handle for a few more seconds, an arm snaked inside, and Colton approached. He pressed the nose of the gun against the hand and it froze. “What business do you have here?”

  The man pulled his hand back outside and Colton could hear a gun click.

  “Find another house,” Colton said.

  The footsteps retreated but he wasn’t sure they left.

  “Give it a minute, and then we can check,” Rufus said.

  They waited quietly but they heard nothing more.

  “M-maybe they left,” Kandace said, but even she didn’t sound convinced.

  Colton rubbed a hand through his hair and met eyes with the girl. “Why don’t you stay with the children. Rufus and I will do a once over to make sure. You keep Rex with you, too.”

  Kandace nodded, and Rufus and Colton crept up to the door, listening. When they heard nothing, they exited, telling Kandace to lock it behind them.

  “You go left, I’ll go right,” Colton whispered, and Rufus headed in that direction. “Rufus,” Colton hissed, and the older man turned around. “Be careful.”

  In his direction, Colton felt like every shadow could be the men who’d come before. Why were they there anyway? To ransack the place? Probably.

  Colton crept around the side of the house and reminded himself that he’d probably meet Rufus back there and not to shoot him.

  He did meet Rufus, who was focused, staring over his shoulder.

  Cold metal pressed against the base of Colton’s skull and a deep voice said, “Get on your knees. You’re trespassing.”

  Colton was about to when joy flooded through his body. He spun around. “Dad! It’s me!”

  Colton’s father stood there, gun still up, with his mouth hanging ajar. Colton jumped forward and his father pulled him into a hug.

  “Colton,” the man said in awe. “My boy. You’re alive!” He began weeping as he held Colton tightly and it felt like he’d never let him go.

  They pulled at arm’s length finally before hugging once more.

  “Mom?” Colton asked, and his father stiffened. “Where’s Mom?” Colton said, afraid of the worst.

  Colton’s father looked like a taller, heavier version of himself. Bart had gotten his father’s height, but otherwise, they were so similar it was like looking into a mirror of the future. “Son, there’s been an accident. She’s fine. The doctor said she’s fine.”

  “What do you mean?” Colton felt strangled with fear.

  “The fire. She inhaled a lot of smoke before I got her out. She…I’m sorry, Colton. She’s been asleep since the day all of this happened.”

  Colton swallowed. “Where?”

  Colton’s father glanced around. “Where’s Bart?”

  This was the part that Colton had dreaded since he’d arrived. He sagged, wanting to avoid ruining this moment but he had to tell his father before he got his hopes to high. “He… uh. Dad, Bart didn’t make it.” His words broke off as the tears came.

  His father looked as if someone had punched him in the stomach. “He…was it…He’s gone? Really? How?”

  “He was shot while we were running from some pretty bad guys. But he was joking until the end—you know how he was. He was brave, Dad. So brave. I…could have maybe…So many times I think of how it could have gone differently. I…uh, it feels like I could have stopped it. I’m sorry.”

  Colton’s father met his gaze. “As long as you’re here and safe, that’s all that matters for now. It wasn’t your fault.”

  He introduced his father to Rufus then said, “The kids are inside.”

  “Kids?”

  “Yeah. I sort of adopted them along the way.” Colton laughed quietly. “A lot has happened.”

  “Well, any friends of yours are welcome. I just wanted to get some things from the house, but the word is: a freeze has been moving its way up from the south and down from the north. It’s possible it will meet right here over Texas. If that’s true, we can’t be here or anywhere above ground. The best thing to do is get below.”

  “Carrig. The bunker. Is he offering it to us?”

  “Yes. There are more, many more there, too. It’s big enough for everyone.”

  **

  Together they packed up everything that they could from the house. Colton’s heart was heavy, thinking about seeing his mother once more, but not the vibrant happy woman he knew her to be. Instead, her father said she was in a coma, and that she wouldn’t last long if she didn’t wake up and eat. They could give her liquids via IV but didn’t have anything for a feeding tube. She would slowly starve if she couldn’t wake up. But Colton’s father joked half-heartedly that if anyone could wake her up, it was him.

  Colton didn’t like the pressure but agreed that he’d always been his mother’s favorite. The baby.

  Once packed, the group headed out. Colton, Rufus, Kandace, and the children all rode with Colton’s father. Colton knew Rufus was probably worried about his daughter after hearing about the freeze.

  “I wonder if the military knows about this. Got them someplace safe,” Rufus said, and Colton answered, “I’m sure they did.”

  He knew Rufus was helpless to know and felt bad that he hadn’t told the man to go with his family instead of helping him.

  “After all of this, why don’t we go try to find them?”

  “You sure?” Rufus asked, and Colton nodded.

  “Of course, I am.”

  “We go with you,” Benton said from the back, leaning forward.

  Colton grabbed his hand over the seat. “Nah, buddy, you should stay with my parents. They will keep you safe.”

  Kandace sniffed. “Well, I’m gonna g-go with you guys.”

  Co
lton grinned, checking the mirror to meet her gaze. “You’d want to? You sure?”

  Lily cried out. “Don’t leave us, Colton!”

  “Okay,” he said. His father shot him a look of worry, but they’d have that conversation later. “But it’s safer here, and you guys will love my folks.” He patted his father’s arm. “They would be able to feed you and take care of you better than I can. Not that I’ve even asked them if they want to adopt you all like I have. They might say no.” He chuckled.

  “You and Rufus are all we got,” Benton said sullenly.

  Kandace joked, “Hey. And I’m ch-chopped liver?”

  Benton didn’t smile. He was serious. “No offense to your parents, but I don’t want to stay here. Plus…”

  Lily whispered, “Tell him.”

  “Plus, Lily and I want to look for Brittany.” The kids held hope in their eyes and Colton didn’t want to be the one to crush it.

  “And our mom,” Lily said. “We should look for her, too. Because Daddy went to heaven, Benton told me.”

  Colton twisted in his seat. “He told you that?’

  Lily nodded in a matter of fact way, but her lip poked out.

  “Our mom might still be okay,” Benton said. “And Brittany. She was like our mom anyway. I miss her.”

  “Yeah,” Colton agreed. “I miss her, too.”

  He didn’t mistake the glance his father gave him out of the corner of his eye. He’d definitely have questions later.

  **

  When they arrived at the Carrig’s, the man’s wife, Susy, rushed out to greet them. “Colton,” she cried. “I have not seen you since you since you and Bart were knee high to a grasshopper!”

  Colton’s father quietly explained about Bart, and her eyes filled with tears. “Come in, come in. We’re ready to go to the bunker. You few are the last. We waited for you. I said we wouldn’t go until you came back.”