by Paul Moxham
Lucy looked down at the ground as she thought. “Sanchez was a dictator. You were either with him or against him. And if you were against him, you fled the city.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I remember this one woman. She was caught stealing some food. She said she had a young son who was starving. She pleaded with Sanchez to spare the child but …” Lucy sobbed. “He got the boy and shot him right in front of her.”
As Lucy wept, Logan held her tight. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
Lucy shook her head. “I know you didn’t. It was just so awful.”
“Okay, don’t think about it any longer.” Logan turned to the others. “If we head downstairs now, we’ll get slaughtered. It seems clear to me that we need to spend the night here and wait it out. I have a feeling that once they realize that Sanchez is dead, his followers will leave The View.”
“But what if they don’t?” Jet said. “If we wait it out here, come morning, we might find ourselves up against a tougher group of men.”
“Let’s put it to a vote. What do ya say?” Logan raised his hand. “Raise your hand if you want to stay here for the night.”
Everyone except Jet raised their hands.
“Okay, we’ll stay.” Logan glanced at his watch. “We should have time to grab some food from the party room. We don’t want to be starving when we wake up in the morning.”
“Where are we going to sleep?” Jet asked.
“I say one of the suites farthest away from the staircase,” Logan said.
“Why there?” Xavier questioned.
“If someone comes searching for Sanchez, they’ll search the party room, the penthouse suite, and maybe one of the rooms next to it,” Logan replied. “But hopefully, not every single room, least not the room farthest away from the penthouse suite.”
“Sounds good,” Xavier said. “I didn’t feel like walking down all those stairs again, especially with this flashlight.” He glanced at the light, which was slowly fading. “Let’s hurry before it decides to die completely.”
Everyone stood up, and after one last glance at the smoldering helicopter, they walked toward the rooftop door.
Chapter 3
Xavier’s eyelids were almost closed as Logan walked over. “I’ll take over now.”
“Thanks.” Xavier stood up and yawned. “I’ve been trying to stay awake, but I’m not the young man I once was. All this climbing, running, it’s getting to me.”
“I thought you did pretty well today. You kept up with the rest of us,” Logan said, sitting down next to the door.
“Barely. Anyway, I haven’t heard anything since I took over, so we should be safe to move in a few hours.” Xavier gave Logan his pistol. “Here, just in case anything happens.”
As Xavier walked over to the bed and lay down, Logan stood up, softly opened the door, and peeked out. He saw no one. He slipped out into the hallway and closed it behind him.
Light was shining in at the far windows, which was a good thing, as their flashlight had finally died in the middle of the night. He reached the staircase and glanced down. It was still silent. He waited for a few minutes to see if anyone came up the stairs, but no one did. Not wanting to risk it any further, he strode back to the room and opened the door.
After sliding it closed, he sat down beside it and thought about where they could hide out. He suspected that San Francisco would return to its normal state, at least the normal state it was in before Sanchez took charge, but in the meantime, it’d be best to leave the city.
There was a slim chance that some vigilante would come after them for killing Sanchez, and he didn’t want to be part of any more killing. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was now January the twenty-fifth. He’d arranged to meet his brother on the twenty-seventh at Stinson Beach.
They would need to find a working vehicle and see if the Golden Gate Bridge was still standing. If it was, they’d head that way, up the coast to Stinson Beach. If it wasn’t, they’d have to go the longer route around San Francisco Bay.
Hearing movement, Logan looked up and saw his fiancée approaching. He smiled and put an arm around her as she sat down beside him. Her long blonde hair was messy and her dress was smudged with blood, but her smile still looked beautiful. It was what had attracted him to her in the first place, as well as her kind nature.
Lucy rested her head on Logan’s shoulders. “I was tired, but I couldn’t sleep.”
“I know the feeling. And this alien invasion isn’t helping matters.”
Surprised, Lucy poked her head up and looked into his eyes. “I didn’t know you still got those nightmares.”
Logan hesitated. “I was going to tell you on our wedding day, but you know how that turned out.”
Lucy sighed. “Yes, that was a day I’ll never forget.”
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Logan asked. Lucy didn’t say anything, so he continued talking. “I’m here for you, you do know that, right?”
Lucy smiled and kissed him. “Yes. And I’ll tell you. Just not here. Not now. I fought so hard to get rid of those memories that I don’t want to revisit them just now. I want things to get back to normal.”
Logan squeezed her tight. “Normal. That’s a word I never used to use.”
“You never realize how good something is until you lose it,” Lucy said.
“That’s for sure,” Logan replied, running a hand through Lucy’s blonde hair. “I knew I loved you, but I didn’t know how much.”
“How much?” Lucy asked, grinning.
Logan grinned back. “I’ll show you later when we’re all alone. But here’s a taste of what to expect.” He leaned forward and, holding her head in his hands, kissed her on the lips.
~*~*~
Kenneth awoke to raindrops pelting the ground. Sitting up, he glanced at the sky. A storm had moved in during the night and clouds covered most of the sky. The sun, just above the horizon, poked out from behind one especially dark cloud.
He had meant to stay awake as much as possible in case any more wild beasts came back, but the exhaustion must have overcome him. Luckily, it didn’t look as though any animal had returned. He glanced at the teens, who’d just woken. “We’ll need to move if we want to stay dry.”
The three of them quickly put on their shoes and put their stuff back into the backpacks. Then, with the rugs from the boat slung across their shoulders, the group left the campsite.
Five minutes later, with the rain still coming down, Kenneth kicked open the back door of a run-down house. It was the first one that they had come across. Not wasting time, they climbed up onto the back porch and hurried to the door.
Dropping their backpacks in the entryway, he led the search of the house. It wasn’t much to look at, pretty messy and unkempt, but whether or not it was due to vandals or if that was how the homeowner had lived, he didn’t know.
With the rain really pounding down now, the group made their way to the two bedrooms and lay down, Kenneth taking one bed and the teens taking the other. Their fatigue and the early hours had them all sound asleep inside ten minutes.
Two hours later, as the rain ceased and the sun shone through the bedroom windows, Kenneth awoke. He sauntered to the window and gazed up at the sky. Most of the clouds had dissipated, but the ones that remained looked pretty dark. Not wanting to travel in the rain, Kenneth decided that they’d start the trek to Sparks.
After walking to the other bedroom, he awoke the teens. While they prepared to leave, he went to the kitchen to see if he could find some breakfast. Food had been pretty sparse lately, and it wasn’t that much different in this house.
There was a crusty loaf of bread and that was all. He broke the loaf into three pieces and gave a piece to Molly and Derek.
“Thanks.” Molly sat down and chomped on the bread.
Derek was halfway through eating his piece when he paused, swiveled his head, and hurried to the window.
“What’s wrong?” Kenneth asked, strolling over.
; “Look!” Derek pointed to where three army trucks were rumbling down the nearby road.
Kenneth took one look at the trucks before he raced to the front door, swung it open, and rushed down the path.
The teens followed Kenneth but at a much slower pace. By the time they joined him by the side of the road, he had managed to attract the attention of someone in the back of the third and final vehicle. Within seconds, the truck rolled to a stop.
As the first two vehicles continued on their way, Kenneth hurried up to the third one. “Thanks for stopping. Where are you heading?”
The lieutenant rolled down his window and, with his steely blue eyes, gazed at the disheveled-looking man. “Sparks.”
“Great. Can you give us a lift?” Kenneth asked.
“Please! Can you, please?” Molly asked.
The lieutenant looked at the two teens and then back at Kenneth. “Is it just you and your children?”
“These aren’t my children, but yes, it’s just me and them.” Kenneth gazed at the middle-aged man. “We don’t have food, transportation, anything. Plus, I need to speak to General Loreto urgently.”
The lieutenant frowned at Kenneth. “You? You have business with the general?”
Exasperated, Kenneth quickly explained. “I’ve been to hell and back these past two days. I encountered a soldier who gave me a briefcase, which he stole from the Seods—”
“A briefcase?” The lieutenant quickly climbed down from the vehicle and gazed earnestly at Kenneth. “Was it a white, rectangular one?”
Kenneth nodded. “Yeah, how did you know?”
“Was it Captain Williamson who gave you it?”
Kenneth turned to the teens. “Did the man tell you his name?”
The teens shook their heads. “By the time we found him he couldn’t speak that much,” Derek said.
“Do you still have the briefcase?” the man asked, looking between the three.
Kenneth shook his head. “The Seods took it last night.”
“Damn!” The lieutenant paced back and forth, clearly annoyed.
“How did you know about the briefcase?” Derek asked.
“That’s not important right now,” the lieutenant stated as he stopped pacing. “Do you have any idea where the Seods took it?”
“No, sorry,” Kenneth said.
“Get in the back,” the lieutenant ordered, climbing back into his seat. “I’m taking you to see the general. I’ll explain everything once we get to Sparks.”
“Can we get our stuff? It’ll only take a few moments,” Kenneth asked.
The man frowned. “Okay, but be quick.”
The three rushed back to the house and grabbed the backpacks and rugs. Then, after having a quick look around in the bedrooms to make sure they hadn’t left anything behind, they hurried to the truck.
A soldier gave them a hand as they climbed into the back of the vehicle. The three barely had enough time to sit down before the truck started moving again.
As it rumbled through the town, Kenneth looked at the worn-out faces of the soldiers sitting beside them. Most, if not all of the twenty or so men that were beside them, had bloodied uniforms. Almost all of them were half asleep.
Kenneth turned to the soldier beside him and gave him a smile. “It’s good to see you.”
The man nodded and closed his eyes. Kenneth contemplated asking him a question about the Seods, but seeing that he looked half asleep already, he decided to let him enjoy the quiet. Whatever they had been doing had clearly worn them out.
Kenneth turned toward the teens and found that Molly was leaning against Derek and had her eyes closed.
Derek made eye contact with Kenneth. “Thanks for helping us.”
“No problem.” Kenneth sighed, leaned back, and closed his eyes, wanting to get as much sleep as he could. He had no idea what lay ahead for him and the teens. Hopefully their parents would be in Sparks and he’d be able to make his way back to Stinson Beach straight away, but the chance of that happening was slim, very slim.
On the other hand, the chance that they’d have to visit one town after another, all the while being pursued by the Seods, was a very real possibility. Only time would tell what happened next.
Chapter 4
Kenneth was torn from his long-overdue slumber by the convoy of trucks bouncing through the rubble-strewn streets of Sparks. He peered out from under the canvas tarp as they raced down
Main Street to the far side of town and took a screeching left turn. He caught sight of a cheery, handmade sign that read, “Sparks Relief Center,” but before he could see anything else, the trucks turned right and headed toward a military checkpoint. The trigger-happy guards waved the battle-scarred convoy through without delay, but they only rolled on for a few seconds before hitting a traffic jam. A bored soldier guided them into a small opening between two even larger convoys of idling trucks.
Kenneth leaped out first and gave a hand to Derek and Molly. He and the teens spent the next few moments staring around in amazement. Thousands of shell-shocked survivors milled around a raggedy tent city just outside the checkpoint.
Although none of the refugees looked hostile, most seemed too exhausted to even care about themselves. Kenneth noticed quite a few grim men by the entrance to the military compound.
And they were all armed to the teeth.
As this place had previously been the headquarters for some high-tech electronics company, a wire fence enclosed it, for all the good that would do.
“Come with me,” someone barked.
Kenneth looked around and spotted the lieutenant they'd met earlier. “We’re coming.”
They followed the man as he made his way toward a building. They entered the building and strolled behind the man as he moved down a hallway and past a couple of doors before pausing.
The man held up his hand. “Wait here.”
He showed his pass to the two guards standing beside the door. One held his weapon at the high ready, safety off, while the other examined the card with a jeweler’s eye for a solid minute before grudgingly letting them pass.
The group waited in silence for a few minutes before the door opened and the man beckoned for them to come in.
Kenneth went through first and found himself in a large room flanked by a row of computer screens on either side. In the middle of the room, three men were bent over a huge map of the United States. The man in the center cocked his head, smiling gingerly.
With a limp, the gray-haired man approached them. He thrust his hand out to Kenneth. “I’m General Loreto. Welcome to my command center.”
“Nice to meet you,” Kenneth said as he shook the man’s calloused hand. “I’m Kenneth, and these are two friends of mine, Derek and Molly.”
The general checked his watch. “I don’t have a lot of time, so I’ll get straight to the point. Lieutenant Davidson told me you were handed a briefcase by Captain Williamson, which the Seods stole from you last night. Is that correct?”
Kenneth simply nodded.
“While it was in your possession, did you see what was inside?” Loreto asked.
Kenneth shook his head. “Of course not. Impossible.” At the officer’s puzzled expression, he rushed through everything that had happened in the last two days.
General Loreto interrupted with the occasional question while a staffer kept careful notes. The whole time he never took his eyes off the depressing strategy map on the table.
Only when Kenneth finished did Loreto cock an eyebrow. “Thanks for taking the time to debrief. Lieutenant Davidson will escort you to the relief center. We don’t have much to go around, but we’ll find you and your people a bed and rations somewhere. Lord knows you’ve earned it.”
Kenneth frowned as the man turned away. “That’s all? You’re not going to tell me what’s so special about this godforsaken briefcase?”
Loreto studied the fidgeting junior officers before pivoting back. He raked his hands through his graying hair. “I don’t have
a definitive answer. I’ll just say that if you do get your hands on it again, you come to me and me alone. No one else.” He crossed his arms.
Lieutenant Davidson walked up to them. “Follow me, please.”
Without saying a word, the teens followed the lieutenant through the door. Kenneth hesitated a moment longer before he followed them.
As soon as they were out of the building, the lieutenant rubbed the bags under his eyes. “Do you want me to take you to the relief center, or can you find your way there?”
“Do you know why the general wants the briefcase?” Kenneth asked. “Has he seen what’s in it? Does he—”
“I know you probably expected the talk to last longer, but the general does have a lot going on at the moment, as you can imagine, and—”
“Just answer one question,” Kenneth pleaded. As the lieutenant hesitated, Kenneth continued. “I just want to know what’s in it and whether it was worth George and Doug dying.”
The lieutenant frowned. “George? Doug?”
“They helped us escape when the Seods were chasing us. Had I thrown the briefcase away, they would still be alive.” Kenneth kicked the dirt in frustration. “I just want to know that I was doing the right thing.” He leaned against a military Humvee and stared up at the sky. “I just need to know.”
Lieutenant Davidson put a hand on Kenneth’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, I can’t answer that question, but only because I don’t know the answer. However, I can help you get some food and a place to rest.”
Kenneth sighed at the teens as he remembered what he had promised. “Sir, we need a little more. Can you get us to Boise?”
The lieutenant tensed. “Boise? What for?”
Kenneth eyed the man’s stiff neck. Even the teens picked up on it.
“What’s wrong with Boise?” Derek piped in.
“It’s a ghost town,” the lieutenant replied.
