by Rachel Aukes
“Hodge,” the man said, the name dripping with hatred. “That son of a bitch just won’t die. Well, I guess we couldn’t expect to be that lucky. At least you got the rest. Not that it helps the pain. Good people were lost, and the news is going to hit New Eden hard. Especially since the capital had ordered all but one of our remaining squadrons to the south.”
“South?” Marco asked. “Why?”
“A lot’s happened this week. I’ll fill you in once we reach town. You’ve been through enough and probably want to sleep in a safe place tonight.”
“Do I ever,” Marco said quickly. “Give us a moment.”
The man nodded and took several steps back.
Marco joined us. “How about it? You guys ready to give New Eden a shot?”
After a moment of internal debate, I shrugged. “We didn’t drive all this way for nothing. I’d say we give it a shot.”
“Oh, what the hell,” Griz said. “We didn’t come all this way for a Sunday drive.”
Others chimed in before Clutch spoke loudly. “We’ve come a long way. And, we all could use a place to kick up our heels for a bit. Marco’s like us. He’s a survivor, and I believe him. New Eden is worth a shot. All right. We’ve had this debate a hundred times. This is the last vote. New Eden or Fox Park. Each person has to make his or her own decision.” He lifted a hand. “All in favor of New Eden, raise your hand.”
One by one, the hands went up. Benji was watching Frost, and his small hand shot up as soon as his grandfather raised his hand, like always. Jase and then Hali grudgingly lifted his hand after all other hands rose. It was unanimous.
“Okay,” I said, not really knowing what to say. “I guess it’s settled. New Eden, it is.”
Marco grinned at us before waving Justin back over. “You guys won’t regret it,” he said. “New Eden is good people.
The man stepped over, followed by several others. “So you’ve decided?”
Clutch made eye contact with each of us one last time before speaking. “We have. We’ll follow you to New Eden under the condition that we can each retain a weapon for self-defense.”
“That’s not our policy,” the man replied.
“Where we came from, we’d let folks keep knives,” Jase said. “You can’t leave folks completely defenseless, not in this world.”
“No guns,” the man said after a moment. “Not until you’re cleared.”
“No guns,” Clutch echoed.
“Fair enough.” He motioned to their SUVs. “I’ll ride with Marco in your vehicle. You’ll ride with my people and follow us to New Eden.”
“What are you going to do with our Humvee?” Griz asked. “Because I’ve got a lot of hours with her and would hate to see her go.”
“We’ll park it—her—until you’re done with quarantine, at which time she’s all yours again.”
“Including everything inside?” Griz countered.
“Including everything inside, as long as it doesn’t pose a risk to New Eden citizens. Marco’s been with us since the beginning, and I trust his judgment. If you don’t mean to do harm to anyone in New Eden, you’ll have nothing to fear from us.”
He then called to his men to collect our weapons. “The name’s Justin, and I serve as the mayor of New Eden, the safest place in the Midwest. You have my word. You’ll be safe there.”
He motioned to Marco. “Marco, you can fill me in on what’s happened in the past month.”
We’ll see, I thought to myself as I gave up my rifle. Sunlight glistened off the barrel as I handed it over in exchange for the promise of safety. I was relieved we stashed most of our supplies, but I had a tough time believing Marco would keep his word. After all, New Eden was his home. Why wouldn’t he tell them?
I didn’t have long to dwell on the situation, because the short drive felt like it took only seconds before we came to a fenced-in small town flying a huge American flag with an eagle stitched over it.
New Eden.
We had arrived.
AMBITION
Chapter VI
New Eden was the exact opposite of Camp Fox in one manner. Whereas we had protected ourselves through seclusion, New Eden broadcasted their location to anyone for miles. Like most of Nebraska, the small town was surrounded by flatlands for as far as the eye could see.
The New Eden flag proudly flew at the front gate. The size of the flag reminded me of ones I’d seen while eating breakfast at Perkins restaurants, and I realized that was probably where they’d found it.
A mishmash of fencing at least ten feet high—layers of wire, wood, and poles—closed off New Eden from the rest of the world. When we pulled up to the gate, we were all asked to step out of our vehicle. I took a deep breath, feeling better that Clutch, Jase, Griz, and I were still together.
As Justin’s men led us through the gate, I could now see the town, which looked like it had been an old, broken-down, small town before the outbreak. There were wood guard towers erected inside the fence. Every tower was manned, and every guard kept a wary eye and semi-raised weapon pointed in our direction. Everything was exactly as Marco described it except for one thing: there were none of the military vehicles and soldiers Marco had spoken about. If we wanted, I had a feeling we could’ve rammed through the gates in our Humvee, and they could’ve done little to stop us.
People emerged from around buildings. None looked too thin, and most looked relatively clean. Only a couple people could’ve passed as beggars. A medium-sized dog galloped forward to sniff Diesel. Diesel sniffed back, and they did a friendly “nice to meet you” doggie dance around each other.
“Buddy’s harmless,” a man who looked about my age said as he approached. “Unless you’re a zed, then he turns into the Terror of the Plains. The rest of the time, he just trots wherever he feels like around town and startles the feral cats. But, they’re the bosses around town. They keep the mice away.” He walked alongside us. “The name’s Charlie. I’d offer my hand, but we have a twenty-four hour quarantine period for travelers on the off chance you’re infected and turn. I’ll be one of your hosts tonight.”
Justin stepped out of our Humvee, and we all watched as Marco pulled the vehicle into a garage to be locked away during our quarantine. As Justin approached us, Charlie spoke. “You’ll want time to get settled in. I’ll stop by later.”
Justin motioned to town. “Here’s New Eden. Well, sort of. This is the edge of town. The real town starts another block in. You’ll get the tour after your quarantine is up. For your first night, you’ll be staying in the building right over there.” He pointed at a small brick building with a U.S. Postal Service emblem etched into the glass door.
He motioned for us to follow, and he started walking. Several guards kept their distance but made it clear they were herding us toward the building. I swallowed and took the lead, checking to make sure the rest of our group was right behind me. People stood around, watching us.
Justin held open the glass door, and I cautiously stepped in. Inside, six beds filled nearly the entire space. When Clutch entered, I saw him take in the whole place—no doubt searching for weaknesses, surveillance, and whatever it was he always looked for. As for me, I looked for places that would be safe from zeds, bad guys, and animals. Beyond that, I didn’t know much else to look for.
“We don’t have enough beds for everyone. We’ll see if we can’t scrounge up some mats, but at least it’s only for one night,” Justin said. “Truth is, we haven’t come across any groups larger than four in months.”
“Believe me, we’ve slept in worse conditions,” I said.
Justin motioned around. “You have free run of this building, but you can’t leave. There are guards stationed outside every wall. There’s a single toilet and sink right down the hall. It’s not much. What you see is what you get.”
My eyes widened. “You have running water?”
“Yes. We also have electricity, and somehow natural gas is still pumping through the lines, but blackouts are common
. We’re still working on a better long-term solution.”
“Impressive,” Clutch said at my side.
“Supper will be brought in just before sunset. I have a couple errands to take care of, so Charlie and I will be back to talk with you later.”
Justin waited until everyone was inside before he stepped out, meeting Marco on the way. Justin gave him a smile before leaving.
Benji started to jump on a mattress, burning more of that never-ending supply of energy eight-year-olds possessed. Frost sat down on the floor next to the boy’s bed.
Clutch and I stood off to the side as people claimed beds for the night.
Some things never changed. All the men waited for the women to choose beds before claiming theirs. Jase quickly claimed the one next to Hali, though he tried to look all cool about it. I was planning to unroll my sleeping bag on the floor, but I sensed eyes on me and noticed both Griz and Clutch were motioning me to take the last bed. I shrugged with a smile and then jumped onto the mattress. “If you insist.”
Marco sat on the floor next to Deb, and I frowned. “Why are you in here with us, Marco? Guilty by association?”
He looked up. “Standard operating procedures. Anyone who’s been outside for more than a day has to stay in quarantine overnight.”
“We just can’t get rid of him, can we?” Jase muttered, and everyone chuckled.
Truth was, I was happy to have Marco with us. Someone with a foot in our world and a foot in New Eden’s. Especially since as long as he was with us, the less chance he had to tell others about our secret cache. Although, I supposed he could’ve told Justin about it already.
Whether Justin knew about our other Humvee and supplies, he gave no hint when Charlie and he returned a couple hours later with bowls and a stockpot filled with something steamy that smelled of carrots.
“Potato and carrot soup,” Charlie said as he set the pot down. “We don’t have anything fancy around here, but it gets the job done.”
Justin started handing out plastic bowls, cups, and spoons. “Marco had said you’ve done a pretty good job in regards to eating balanced meals, and I can tell. You can’t understand how much hope it gives me to see that you’re not only healthy but thrived out there.”
“Thrived is a strong word,” I said.
“You have a pregnant woman, a child, and none of you are sick. That alone is a miracle. Many people here will be excited to hear about you. Most folks who arrive at New Eden’s gates look half-starved and a day away from getting turned into zeds. Nevertheless, we’re always happy to see any survivors make it here. In fact, the capital has announced that’s our primary directive: to save and rebuild.”
“Hm,” I said as I thought through it. “Shouldn’t the primary directive be holding off zeds?”
“We don’t have to worry about zeds anymore.”
I frowned. “The herds will be back in the spring. We have to be ready for them.”
Justin shook his head. “No, they won’t.”
“What makes you so sure?” Clutch asked as he handed me a bowl of soup and sat down with a second bowl for himself.
“They won’t be back because we nuked the South.”
I jerked back. The spoonful of soup I was about to eat splashed off the spoon. I barely registered the gasps around me. “You—”
“—bombed the South?” Clutch completed the question for me.
“As in nuclear warheads?” Jase added.
Justin replied. “Yes, the government dropped nuclear bombs on the south to wipe out the herds. Any remaining zeds will be dead soon enough, because the capital ordered all available resources to head south to finish off zeds that escaped the kill zone. Marco’s squadron would’ve been sent south as soon as they returned. So, you can see why zeds aren’t our primary issue now. They’re nearing extinction.”
“No more zeds,” Hali said softly.
“But we released nuclear warheads on our own soil,” Griz said.
Justin stammered. “Well, yes. More accurately, what’s left of the United States, Canadian, and Mexican governments released warheads on U.S. and Mexican soil.”
“But, there would’ve been survivors down there,” Vicki said with a frown. “How many innocent survivors were killed?”
Justin answered. “When the herds started to cross into Missouri, the capital sent every plane and bus south to save survivors before the herds reached them. From what I hear, they pulled out over ten thousand total, which is a lot better than the alternative. With the numbers in the herds, it’s safe to say the herds would’ve found anyone alive down there.”
Marco had mentioned some part of the government had survived, but I hadn’t realized they had control over that much firepower—let alone that many resources—that they could support taking on that many survivors. I hadn’t even imagined there could be ten thousand total survivors left in the world. Hearing the number sent a strange sensation through my body. That number, coupled with the idea of the zeds going up in flames…It almost felt like…hope.
Justin continued. “We’ll clean up the zeds in this area as we come across them, but we have to first focus on pulling in survivors before winter hits. Every province has been charged with rebuilding the country. New Eden may be one of the smaller provinces, but we have to pull our weight, just like everyone else. Unfortunately, all we have left is the New Eden security force and part of one squadron. So, every able-bodied man will be a huge benefit to us.”
“How’d the government contact you?” Clutch asked. “Camp Fox was on the radio every day trying to reach someone, and this is the first I’ve heard of it. We were never contacted by anyone in government—no military, no politicians, nothing.”
Justin shook his head. “They didn’t find us by radio. They use drones to fly over the country and take pictures. They map out all survivors sites and reach out to any settlements of significant size. They said that for the longest time, they were losing more sites than they were finding. There were too many zeds spread everywhere for them to provide rescue support. It wasn’t until the migration started in Canada that they started planning Operation Redemption: eradicating the zed threat and building our new country.”
“It’s crucial we find survivors quickly,” Charlie said. “There are so many more deadly risks besides zeds out there.”
“Like dogs,” I said.
“And bandits,” Vicki muttered coldly.
Charlie nodded. “Yes, but there are even far worse threats out there, which we have no control over.”
“Like what?” Jase asked.
“Winter, for one,” Justin replied. “Most folks in the freeze-zones don’t know how to survive without electricity. Outside of New Eden, I expect we’ll lose many survivors this first winter to cold and starvation. Then, there’s dysentery and all the diseases that come with that. It was a miracle you made it here. Marco told me the route you took here, from the Mississippi River to Highway 20, onto I-380, and then across I-80.”
“Yeah, so?” I asked, confused.
“There’s a nuclear plant down between Highway 20 and I-380. Its reactor melted down last week, probably within a day after you drove through.”
“Holy shit,” I muttered, but no one else spoke.
“That’s probably going to happen to every nuclear power plant in the world. Without maintenance—and most of these have had no maintenance for nearly a year—it’s only a matter of time.”
“You made it, but most won’t make it on their own. They need our help.”
“And you have enough food to take on more?”
Justin grimaced. “It’s not easy, but we’ll make it work. The capital has distributed rations and has promised to send more. But, we have to be able to rely only on ourselves.”
“That’s smart,” Clutch said. “It’s never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket, especially when that basket involves politicians.”
Justin smiled. “Marco told me a couple of you were in the military, so you may hav
e a bit more experience with politicians than I have. I sold insurance before this. I could get you the best rates for your auto, house, or boat. I loved what I did. I went home each day knowing I was doing my best to ensure people were protected so when disaster struck, they’d be back on their feet in no time. In a way, I still have the same job, except it’s more important than ever. If we don’t get people back on their feet after this disaster, they’ll die, and we’ll never get the chance at building a new country. It’s going to take every single one of us working hard day in and day out to rebuild this world so our children can thrive. It won’t be the same world as before, and maybe that’s a good thing. But, if New Eden is a sign of things to come, it’s going to be worth it.”
Justin was about to say more, but an armed guard stepped inside, and looked straight at him. “Thea’s looking for you.”
Justin stood. “Duty calls. Charlie will answer any more questions you have. Please remember, you are not to attempt to leave this building under any circumstances. We don’t mess around inside the fence. Security’s orders are to shoot-to-kill anyone and anything that may pose a risk to us. With that said, I hope you make the best of the situation. You are safe within these walls, so sleep well.”
Not waiting around to take questions, Justin left with the guard.
Charlie chuckled. “Funny when Justin talks about sleeping, since he never sleeps. He’d have to stop working for five minutes first.”
“And, Charlie sleeps enough for both of them,” Marco joked. “From what I hear, your wife complains you’re out like a light the moment your head hits the pillow. That’s no way to please a woman.”
“I can assure you, Sarah has never been disappointed in my husbandly duties,” Charlie replied quickly.
“That’s because she’s never been with a real man,” Marco added.
Charlie raised a brow. “Just because you’re popular with the local sheep, doesn’t make you a man.”
“Ha, ha,” Marco replied drily before flipping the other man the bird.
