by Mike Kraus
“Come on and get in. We don’t have long till it gets dark.”
Frank opened the passenger door and climbed inside. “So when do you want to stop for the night and leave me behind again?”
Linda rolled her eyes. “Do we really have to keep rehashing this?”
Frank laughed. “Anyway, when do you want to stop? Some of these roads get pretty twisty and I’d rather not damage our only means of transportation.”
“Honestly I’d rather not stop at all.” Linda started up the truck and slowly pulled back onto the road. “It’s gorgeous up in here, but there’s something about this place that gives me the creeps. Let’s just take it slow, keep going till it’s dark and then figure out what to do from there.”
Frank buckled his seatbelt and settled in. “Works for me.”
As the pair drove along, Frank kept Linda’s pistol tucked in a holster beneath his right leg, ready to grab at a moment’s notice. Her pronouncement that she found the area they were driving through to be creepy had initially surprised Frank, but the more they drove along the more he started to feel the same way.
Before they had gotten off of the highways and started taking back roads, they had started to see more vehicles driving on the highway as they passed through Vermont and Massachusetts. All of them had been passenger vehicles, but the fact that there were still other people driving around had brought some small comfort to both him and Linda. They had tried to flag a few of the cars down, but no one stopped, and every single driver they caught a glimpse of looked paranoid, terrified and like they were on a desperate mission to get somewhere without delay.
After leaving the highway, though, the number of other vehicles they had seen had dropped to zero and they were once again alone. The feeling of solitude didn’t exist on a wide highway where there were at least the remnants of destroyed vehicles to remind them about the existence of other people. Being on a back country road surrounded with woods and fields and little to no sign of other people grated on Linda’s nerves and Frank was finally realizing that it had been grating on his as well.
The arrival of darkness brought with it some small relief from the anxious feelings, but it also brought along a new set of challenges. The map that Frank had found wedged behind the seats in the truck had helped them navigate the roads easily enough in the daylight. In the darkness, however, each intersection and street sign turned into an agonizingly long stop as they studied the map, verifying their location and ensuring they were still on the correct path.
It was around midnight, after Frank had taken the wheel for a couple of hours before giving it back to Linda, when he spotted a light in the distance. “Do you see that?” Frank rubbed his eyes as he spoke, wondering if he was imagining things.
Linda looked to where Frank was pointing and nodded. “Looks like a fire to me.”
“Want to go check it out?”
Linda looked at Frank like he had grown a second head. “Are you insane?”
“What?”
“Did you suddenly forget what happened earlier today?”
“Hey, you were the one who said that not everyone’s bad. We should at least check it out, and see what it is. If there are people there, they might be friendly. We could stand to talk to someone else and see if they know anything about what’s going on.”
Linda rubbed her eyes. “Dammit, Frank…”
“Park the truck along the road somewhere and we’ll hike up to it. If it looks clear we’ll talk to them. If things don’t look right we’ll get back to the truck and keep moving.”
Linda wanted nothing more than to get away from the source of the light as fast as possible, though Frank’s argument did have some merits of its own. “I swear to you, if we end up getting killed out here…”
“Yeah, yeah. And if it turns out to be okay then you owe me one.”
Linda sighed and continued driving while Frank rolled down his window and listened intently. The light source was still too far away to hear anyone who might be near it, but the closer they got, the more he thought he was hearing music coming from that general direction. His suspicion was confirmed as Linda pulled the truck over to the side of the road and turned off the engine. Without the wind and vehicle noise he heard the faint warbles of the music through the trees and he grinned.
“Steppenwolf! I can get down with that!”
Linda rolled her eyes yet again in what was fast becoming a habit. “Can we at least get a look at them before we decide whether they’re friendly or not?”
Frank and Linda both grabbed their backpacks and Linda handed him the rifle. “Here. You carry this.”
He looked at her warily as he took the rifle and handed over the pistol. “Uh. I’m thinking you should be the one carrying this, given your shooting skills.”
Linda didn’t look at him as she tucked the pistol into her waistband. “I’d rather not use it unless I have to. You’ll do fine.” She walked ahead down the road towards the lights at a fast pace leaving Frank to stand and stare at her with a confused expression for several seconds before he followed after her.
“Can you explain that for me?” Frank caught up with Linda and probed again.
“Just leave it, Frank. Besides, we need to be quiet if we want to actually be stealthy.”
Frank said nothing else but made a mental note of the odd exchange and hoped he could get a more satisfactory answer at some point later.
The two walked down the edge of the road until they came to the base of a small hill. A gravel road branched off from the paved one and went up the hill in the direction of the lights and music. Frank could just see the sparks and smoke thrown into the air by the fire and intermingled with the music he heard people talking and laughing. As the wind changed direction to blow in his and Linda’s direction, the smell of cooking meat made him realize that he had eaten nothing but energy bars and water since his stop at the diner.
“Something smells divine.” Frank whispered to Linda and she held a finger to her lips.
“This way.” She whispered and headed up the gravel road. When they were halfway up the hill she turned and headed into the trees with Frank following close behind. They stopped just short of the top of the hill and crouched down, hiding behind a pair of pine trees as they watched the activity going on in front of them.
At the top of the hill stood an old strip motel that had undergone a serious amount of change and now appeared to be a home rather than a commercial building. The outside had been repainted, there were copious amounts of plants and flowers around the building and the strip of pavement where visitors would have parked had been turned into a large vegetable garden. The roof of the building was covered in solar panels that appeared worn but still usable and each of the windows was decorated with colorful patterned curtains and the doors to what used to be the individual rooms had either been sealed over with bricks or had been painted bright colors.
In front of the building, beyond the gardens, was a large circle of rocks surrounding a shallow pit in which was burning an enormous fire. A spit with several medium and large sized pieces of meat hung over the fire and were slowly being turned by a person sitting nearby. Tables and chairs were arranged around the fire and Linda counted at least fifteen people sitting and standing, with more going back and forth between the building and the fire.
There were smiles on each person’s face as they talked and laughed. A few were dancing near the fire as the music played and others sat in the grass nearby, holding hands as they talked. There were several children playing as well, and each of the adults worked to ensure that the children didn’t stray too close to the fire. Clothing appeared to be the common thread between everyone in the group. Every shirt and pair of pants was brightly colored and most of the men and women had long hair, though each appeared to have their own personal hairstyles.
The atmosphere in the group was, in a word, joyous, and Linda and Frank looked at each other with raised eyebrows. “Do you think they’re all high or something
?” Linda whispered to Frank and he nearly choked as he stifled a laugh.
“I doubt it, but maybe. I think regardless we can assume these are pretty safe people. They’ve got kids running around for Pete’s sake.”
Linda’s eyes narrowed as she studied the people milling around outside the building. “Just because they have kids nearby doesn’t mean anything.”
Frank gave Linda an odd look and shrugged. “I think we should risk saying hello. Worst case we can just hold them off with our guns as we get back to the truck.”
“I still don’t know if it’s a good idea.” Linda sighed and stood up slowly. “But what the hell, right?”
Frank kept his rifle on his shoulder and Linda kept her pistol tucked away in her waistband as they slowly stepped out from the trees and into the light. The first person to spot them was a man in his early twenties wearing a long-sleeved tie-died shirt, wrinkled blue jeans and flip-flops. When he saw the two strangers emerge just a few dozen feet away from the building, he immediately dropped to a knee and reached behind him to pull out a pistol which he leveled at Frank and Linda. At the same time he gave a loud yell and shouted at the others near the fire.
“Oy! Intruders! Form up!”
The response to the call was instantaneous. Several of the women rounded up the children and took them around to the back of the building away from Frank and Linda while the men clustered together, each of them producing a firearm of some sort from a holster strapped to the inside of their pants. The men moved quickly as they drew their weapons, forming a firing line and a protective barrier between the two strangers and the building.
“Holy shit.” Linda whispered. “I thought they were a bunch of hippies! How the hell do they all have guns?”
“Now what?” Frank replied.
“You two!” One of the men at the end of the line stepped forward, lowering his gun slightly as he shouted at Linda and Frank. “What business do you have here?”
Linda was reaching for the gun tucked in the small of her back but Frank put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. “Just let me handle this.” He whispered to her then took a step forward. He reached for the rifle strap on his shoulder slowly, noticing that nearly every gun in front of him shifted slightly to focus on him over Linda.
“Hey, easy there. I’m just going to lay this on the ground. That okay with you?”
“It would be a great relief to us all, brother.” The man who was advancing stopped and watched Frank closely. Frank’s movements were slow and steady as he slipped the rifle off of his shoulder, put it on the ground and then raised both hands to chest level.
“There we go. Look, we’re sorry for startling you. We’ve been on the road for a long time and have barely seen anyone else. We’re exhausted, saw your lights and heard the music and figured we’d see what was going on.”
“Why the sneaking around in the trees?” The man glanced between Linda and Frank.
“We had a pretty bad experience with a couple of fellows who decided to take advantage of whatever’s going on out there right now. Figured it was better to play it safe than sorry. What’s your name, by the way? I’m Frank and this is Linda.”
The man slipped his gun from his right hand to his left and lowered it farther towards the ground. “I’m Jacob. Nice to meet you, Frank and Linda.” Behind Frank, Linda slowly walked forward until she was even with Frank. The two of them shook Jacob’s hand and the man holstered his gun. Behind him the line of men with guns out lowered theirs as well and put them away before slowly turning back to their previous activities.
“Sorry for the scare there, Jacob. We were just trying to protect ourselves and not get into a tight spot.”
“I understand.” Jacob smiled and glanced at Linda. “I noticed you reaching behind your back a moment ago. Are you carrying?”
Linda glanced at Frank and nodded. “Yes. Is that a problem?”
“Only if you intend to try and visit harm on any of us. If you do not intend to do so, however…” Jacob walked over to Frank’s rifle, picked it up and held it out. “Then it is not a problem whatsoever. Each and every adult here is armed and capable of defending themselves.”
Frank accepted the rifle with a nod and slung it across his back. “I’m sorry, Jacob, but I have to ask—what is this place? And who are you people?”
“Looks like a cult to me.” Linda mumbled under her breath and it was Frank’s turn to jab her in the ribs.
Jacob laughed and turned around, waving for them to follow him. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but we’re not a cult. At least I hope not.”
“Hippies, then?” Linda spoke louder this time and Frank jabbed her again and gave Jacob an apologetic look.
Frank leaned in to Linda and whispered in her ear. “What the hell’s your problem?”
“I don’t like hippies, Frank!” Linda hissed back at him. Jacob turned back and smiled at them again as he shrugged.
“I’m not sure that’s an accurate description of our shared community here. We do embrace a peaceful way of living and try to keep to ourselves and work together as a group.”
“You call everyone walking around with guns peaceful?” Linda scoffed at Jacob’s comment.
“Living peacefully doesn’t mean that we won’t defend ourselves. We will do so violently if we must, but we prefer other methods if at all possible.”
“So, uh, you all live here at this motel?” Frank tried to change the subject.
“It was once a motel, yes. A few of us pooled our resources and purchased it and the surrounding land several years ago. We spent a great deal of time, money and effort on turning it into a place that would be a self-sustaining home away from the world.” Jacob sighed and his face darkened. “Recent events seem to show that our plan may have been fortuitous, but not in the way in which we would have hoped.”
“You mean all the destruction that started a couple days ago?”
“Indeed. But allow me to ask a few questions of my own, if you would.”
Frank suddenly realized how well-spoken Jacob was and wondered what that indicated. “Sure, ask away.”
“Where are you two from?”
Frank looked at Linda and she glanced uncomfortably at the two men. “I have a small place up in Maine. Been living there for a while now and I’m trying to get to Tennessee.”
“I’m a trucker. New at it, too. I was an accountant but had to take a job driving eighteen-wheelers. I’m trying to get to Texas.”
“Ah.” Jacob nodded sagely. “So you two don’t know each other?”
“Not before yesterday we didn’t.”
“Interesting.” Jacob smiled again and Linda raised an eyebrow but decided not to inquire further.
“So, Jacob.” Frank spoke again. “What do you know about all of this stuff that’s going on? I saw some of it happen firsthand and Linda’s heard about a lot of it on the radio.”
Jacob sat down at a table near the fire and motioned for Linda and Frank to join him. “We’ve heard a great deal on the radio as well. None of it good, I’m afraid.”
“You can still get radio transmissions out here?” Linda sat up in her chair. “How far out can you get them?”
Jacob motioned upward and Frank and Linda looked up above the motel. “We have a reasonably powerful transmitter and receiver setup. We’ve been monitoring transmissions from across the world.” Linda stared at Jacob, her mouth agape as he continued. “Most of what we’ve heard has been about the United States and Canada. Our brothers up north were hit pretty hard. Not as hard as us, but with all the trade back and forth they took a heavy beating. Mexico, too, though not as much.”
“Any word on how the military’s been responding?” Linda leaned forward as Jacob spoke.
“There were troop withdrawals from several fronts overseas and the National Guard’s been deployed to most major metropolitan cities to try and quell the uprisings. Food shortages are the worst part right now, but with the power out to pretty much everywhere it’s
going to get ugly in the next day or two.”
“It’s been ugly since it started.” Linda said, edging even farther forward in her seat. “People were basically rioting within hours. I can only imagine what it’s like in the cities with the power out.”
Jacob was about to reply when one of the women who had taken the children inside earlier came running up to him. She whispered something in his ear, he glanced at Frank and Linda and then nodded at the woman. She cast a quick glance at the duo before running back to the motel.
“Sorry about that. The children wanted to come back outside.”
“We appreciate you trusting us like this, Jacob.” Frank smiled. “Even after that awkward first impression.”
“I fancy myself a good discerner of persons, Frank. It’s all right.” Jacob stood up. “Come on, I think you’ll find this interesting.”
Frank and Linda followed Jacob into the motel and were shocked at what was inside. Although the exterior appeared run down the interior was anything but. The walls appeared freshly painted and the carpet and hardwood floors were immaculate. Clothing, toys and personal belongings in the rooms they passed were all clean and the building had a fresh, lived-in scent to it that made Frank feel instantly at ease and comfortable with the place.
The biggest surprise, though, was the fact that the lights inside the building were on, as was a heat pump that was keeping the building warm and comfortable against the cool of the autumn night. After walking halfway down the building, Jacob opened a door and stepped through. “In here.”
Frank and Linda walked through the door and nearly gasped in astonishment. Computer monitors lined an entire wall from waist-height all the way up to the ceiling. A long desk stretched beneath them and two people—one man and one woman—sat in chairs at the desk, both wearing headphones and speaking quietly into microphones that sat in front of them. On the wall opposite the monitors was a row of computers set behind a glass barrier that were whirring away.
Jacob tapped the shoulder of the woman sitting at the desk and she turned around and took off her headphones. “Jacob! We have guests?”
