Forced Exodus (Pandemic Book Two)

by Christine Kersey

  “Let him go!” the woman yelled, her voice frantic.

  What was wrong with her? Chris stood and looked at her in disbelief. “He hit you.”

  Tears shimmered in her blue eyes. “But I need him. I…I can’t make it out here by myself.”

  Was this what this world had come to? A woman would rather be with a man who hurt her—who endangered her child—than be on her own?

  Chris glanced at Alex. “Is he your husband?”

  She shook her head.

  “Boyfriend?”

  She shook her head again.

  Chris tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “The father of the child?” Which he found hard to fathom, since the man had sent the girl into the path of an oncoming truck.

  “No.”

  This was getting stranger by the second. “How long have you known him?”

  “A…a week.”

  Jessica stepped up beside Chris. “What’s your name?”

  The woman, who looked so young and vulnerable, turned to Jessica. “Paisley.”

  Jessica held the toddler up. “And this little cutie?”

  Paisley smiled. “That’s Serena.” She took Serena from Jessica. The child wrapped her arms around Paisley’s neck and laid her head on Paisley’s shoulder. “It’s okay now, baby,” Paisley murmured.

  It wasn’t though, was it? Not if she was going to stay with a violent man she’d met the week before.

  A crazy thought jumped into Chris’s mind. Bring her with us. He shook his head to dislodge it, but it wouldn’t go away. Bring her with us.

  By this time, Matt had gotten a rope out of his RV and had bound Alex’s hands and feet and put a wide piece of duct tape across the man’s mouth.

  Chris walked over to Derrick. “We need to talk.”

  Chapter 24

  Derrick

  Derrick couldn’t believe what Chris was proposing. Bring the woman and child with them? What was he thinking? Why would they want to add two more mouths to feed? And mouths belonging to people who wouldn’t add anything to their group? It made no sense.

  “I don’t know,” Derrick said as he and Chris stood off to the side. He motioned for Matt and Jessica to join them.

  “Let me get Amy and Emily,” Jessica said.

  A short time later all the adults—except Jeff, who was sleeping in the truck—huddled together to discuss Chris’s suggestion. Derrick kept a sharp eye on Alex, who glared at them. Brooke and Kayla had brought Cleo over to show Serena, who giggled with delight at the antics of the rambunctious German shepherd.

  She and Paisley were a good distance away from Alex, with Paisley glancing nervously at Alex, like she was scared of what he would do once she was left alone with him. That didn’t sit well with Derrick.

  Shoving down the feeling, he focused on the conversation.

  “She’s all alone,” Chris said. “She and her kid.”

  Well of course Chris would say that. He had two little kids himself. And a wife. He probably saw Paisley and Serena as stand-ins for his family and imagined what it would be like for them if they were on their own. “Don’t be so sentimental, Chris. They’re dead weight.”

  Jessica’s mouth fell open as she looked at him. “Really, Derrick?”

  Now he felt like a jerk. Was he wrong to think that way? He looked at the others to gauge their feelings, stopping on Matt.

  Matt stared back. “We have plenty of food. Anyway, shouldn’t we get to the farm soon? Like, by tomorrow?”

  “In normal times,” Emily began, “it takes us about twelve hours. Sometimes longer, depending on how often we stop.”

  She was making his point for him. “So, in normal times we should be there in a couple of hours. Instead, we’re not even halfway there.” They all looked at him. Why did he always have to be the bad guy, the one who pointed out logic? “Just sayin’ it might take longer than you expect. Which means we can’t assume anything.”

  Matt gazed at him steadily. “We have enough, Derrick.”

  “Look at her,” Amy said. “I don’t think she’s capable of eating much. And if her little girl is anything like Aaron, she won’t each much either.”

  Clearly, no one was on his side. He threw his hands up. “Fine. If you all want to be responsible for some woman and her kid, be my guest.”

  “Where’s she going to ride?” Emily asked. “I mean, Jeff’s stretched out on the back seat, so I don’t think I can fit her and her daughter in our truck.”

  Not meeting the eyes of anyone, Derrick fiddled with the knife in his pocket. He knew what they were thinking. She and the kid should ride with him. He was all alone in his truck. He had plenty of room, blah blah blah. But no, he wasn’t about to offer. He was the only one who didn’t want them to come. He wasn’t about to be their chauffeur.

  “They can ride with us,” Amy said.

  Derrick lifted his eyes to look at Chris, who, to Derrick’s surprise, looked fine with Amy’s idea. Well, their SUV could seat seven.

  “That works,” Chris said.

  “Just one problem,” Emily said. “What if she doesn’t want to come with us?”

  That wouldn’t be a problem at all. No. That would solve the problem.

  Derrick kept his thoughts to himself.

  “I’ll ask her,” Jessica said, then she trotted right over to the woman.

  Derrick couldn’t hear their conversation, but he watched as Jessica presented the idea. Paisley’s eyebrows shot up, then her eyes went to the group, stopping on each person as if to see if they meant it. When her eyes met Derrick’s, he glanced away. He’d never been great at hiding his feelings.

  A couple of seconds later he looked at Paisley again. She was hugging her daughter and talking excitedly to her. Great. Clearly, that meant she was coming.

  Jessica waved everyone over. While the rest of the group helped Paisley move her things from her car to Chris and Amy’s, including a car seat, Derrick went over to Alex to have a little chat. He tore the duct tape from the man’s mouth, which immediately released a round of vigorous swearing.

  “Shut up,” Derrick growled, “or I’ll put it back on that ugly face of yours.”

  Alex quieted down.

  “Looks like you’re on your own.”

  Several emotions washed across Alex’s face, then he looked in the direction of Paisley before shifting his eyes to Derrick. “Good riddance to her.”

  Derrick hoped he was saying that out of spite and not because he was really glad to be rid of her.

  Because now she was their problem.

  Chapter 25

  Chris

  Chris half-listened as Amy and Paisley chatted comfortably. They’d had to rearrange a few things to make room for the two additional passengers, but they’d made it work. Chris was still kind of astonished that he’d insisted on bringing these two with them. They’d passed many people on this journey, but he’d never felt the desire to invite any of them along. So, what was different this time?

  With no idea, he shoved aside the question and focused on driving.

  “How did you end up with Alex?” Amy asked.

  Chris glanced in the rearview mirror to see Paisley’s reaction. She reached out and touched Serena, who was sleeping in her car seat beside her. “It’s a long story.”

  “I don’t mind.” Amy chuckled. “I don’t have anything else to do.”

  “Okay. Well, Serena and I were living in Idaho with my parents, but then…” She went quiet for a moment. “They got sick and…they died.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Amy said, her voice gentle.

  “Thanks. It was…it was hard.” She softly sighed. “Anyway, I just, I couldn’t stay there after that, so I packed up Serena and left.”

  Chris found himself getting caught up in her story. “Where were you headed?”

  She laughed. “That’s the dumb thing. I had no idea where to go. I just…went.”

  Was she normally so impulsive? Or had the trauma of losing her parents sent her over the ed
ge? No matter. She was part of their group now.

  “What happened then?” Amy asked.

  “Like an idiot, I ran out of gas. In the middle of nowhere. In the middle of the night.”

  “That must have been terrifying,” Amy said. “I mean, now that things are so crazy.”

  “It was. Which is why when Alex came along and offered to help, I accepted. I mean, he seemed like a nice guy at first. And he actually did help me a lot. But sometimes he…” Her words trailed off.

  Chris glanced at her again, then thought about the way Alex had put Serena in extreme danger and had kept Paisley from protecting her daughter. Not to mention punching her in the stomach. The man was clearly evil.

  “Never mind,” Amy said. “I’m just glad we came along when we did.”

  “Me too.” Earnest gratitude filled Paisley’s voice.

  They drove in silence for a good ten minutes before Derrick’s voice came over the walkie.

  “Pulling off up ahead. Over.”

  Two minutes later their convoy had pulled well off of the shoulder into the grassy area to the right of the road. Unsure of why Derrick had stopped, Chris turned too Amy. “Wait here while I see what’s going on.”

  Jogging over to where Derrick, Matt, Jessica, and Emily were gathering, Chris let his gaze sweep the surrounding area. Nothing was in sight. Just short grass and sagebrush.

  “What’s going on?” he asked as he joined the group.

  “We’re about halfway to the farm,” Derrick said. “Feels like it’s time to stop for the day.”

  They’d been on the road all day, and after everything they’d been through, Chris didn’t disagree.

  “There’s no way we’ll make it to the farm today,” Derrick said. “And I want to be fresh when we pass through Reno.”

  “How far is Reno from here?” Matt asked.

  “Less than two hundred miles.” One side of Derrick’s mouth quirked up. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready for a break. A long break.”

  Chris nodded. It had been a crazy day, and if the next day was anything like it, they would need the rest. He glanced around. “Where do you want to set up camp?”

  Derrick shrugged. “This place seems as good a place as any. We’ll need to take turns keeping watch tonight, but if we circle our vehicles and camp in the middle of the circle, we should be safe.”

  “Circle the wagons,” Chris said with a grin. “I like it.”

  Derrick smiled. “Exactly.” He paused a beat. “How’s it going with the new people?”

  Lifting his shoulders in a shrug, Chris said, “Fine. She seems legit.”

  “What’s her story?”

  Chris repeated what Paisley had shared—which wasn’t a whole lot, really.

  Derrick nodded, then he looked at all of them. “Let’s get set up.”

  After a bit of maneuvering, they formed a rough circle with their vehicles. Matt and Emily left their trailers hitched to their trucks. Everyone gathered in the interior of the circle, including Jeff, who said he was feeling better.

  Chris helped Derrick and Matt set up the two large tents that had been stashed in Jeff and Emily’s small utility trailer, then they laid out sleeping bags.

  Chris was a bit concerned about how well he and Amy would sleep that night, what with the kids not sleeping in their beds like they were used to. Regardless, they would all have to adjust to sleeping wherever they were. He doubted they would ever return to their home. Instead, home would be wherever they were, not a structure where they had their stuff.

  Chapter 26

  Jessica

  Jessica turned away from the tents and gazed at the RV. She bit her lip, then swiveled to face the others. It didn’t seem fair that she and her family would sleep in such comfort while the rest of them slept on the ground. “We can fit a few people in the RV. On the couch and the floor.”

  Everyone turned to look at her.

  “I’ll probably sleep under the stars,” Derrick said with a smirk before going back to checking the tent cords tethered to the hard-packed dirt.

  Jessica looked at Amy and Paisley, who were keeping a close eye on their children. Amy regarded Chris, her eyebrows raised in question.

  “The kids might sleep better indoors,” he said.

  Amy smiled at Jessica. “If you’re sure you have room.”

  “I’ll sleep in a tent,” Chris added.

  Jessica smiled at Amy. “We’ll make it work.”

  Amy glanced at Paisley before meeting Jessica’s gaze with a meaningful expression.

  Jessica didn’t know this new person. Didn’t have the history she had with the rest of the group. Could Paisley be trusted? Maybe putting out the open invitation to sleep in the RV had been a mistake.

  “That would be wonderful,” Paisley said, putting an end to Jessica’s hope that maybe she would decline the offer. “Thank you so much.”

  The woman seemed sincere. And she had a little girl for heaven’s sake. Besides, Jessica had wanted the chance to help someone. Here was her chance. Of course she would welcome her into their RV. At least for the night. She smiled, and it wasn’t all forced. “You’re welcome.”

  Once that was settled, Jessica had Dylan and the girls set up the folding table they kept in the RV’s basement before putting their red-checked tablecloth on it and taking out a stack of paper plates. Matt set up his Camp Chef stove and used some water from their fresh water tank to fill a large pot before turning on the flame to boil the water.

  Matt took out one of the buckets of freeze-dried food and read off of the front. “We’ve got cheesy lasagna, creamy pasta, chili mac, and savory stroganoff.” He smiled at the assembled group. “Take your pick.”

  To her surprise, Jessica’s mouth watered at the prospect of any one of those choices. They’d been trying to conserve their food, so she hadn’t eaten much that day. Since all the madness had begun two weeks earlier, she’d lost at least ten pounds—weight she’d been trying to get off for a while before the pandemic hit. This wasn’t the way she’d planned on losing weight, but The Apocalypse Diet was the only one that had worked so far.

  Holding back a chuckle, she helped get the meal ready, then sat down with her plate of food. Paisley sat across from her.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with Serena and me sleeping in your RV? I mean, you just met me today.” She glanced at the tents. “We’d be fine in a tent.” She laughed. “It wouldn’t be much different from sleeping in the car, which is what I’ve been doing for days now.”

  The poor woman had been under a real hardship. And now she was giving Jessica an out. “No,” Jessica said. “I insist that you sleep in the RV.”

  Tears sprang into Paisley’s eyes. She looked down at her lap for a moment, then met Jessica’s gaze. “Thank you. Truly.”

  Feeling silly for having doubts earlier, Jessica let the warmth of knowing she was helping out someone who really needed it wash over her.

  After everyone ate, they cleaned up—which didn’t take long as almost everything was disposable. How long would their paper plates hold out? Eventually they’d run out and then what would they do? She and Matt had eight real plates, but with water such a precious commodity, they didn’t want to have to use it to do dishes.

  “We’ll set up the latrine back there,” Derrick said, pointing to a place a fair distance behind their camp. He gestured with his chin toward Matt and Dylan. “I could use some help setting it up.”

  At the look of disgust on Dylan’s face, Jessica held back a laugh. “It’s just dirt right now, Dylan.”

  An embarrassed smile curved his lips. “I know.”

  Off they went, and while they were gone, the rest of the group pulled up camp chairs to create a large circle. Cleo curled up on the ground between Brooke and Kayla. Jessica smiled at the sight.

  “Too bad there’s nothing to burn around here,” Jeff said. Emily had wrapped a warm blanket around him. Besides looking a bit pale, he seemed to be doing better than he had b
een earlier that day.

  “Yes,” Emily said from beside him. “A campfire would be perfect right about now.”

  Jessica agreed. As the sun began to descend toward the horizon, she felt a definite chill in air. It was still April, after all.

  Matt, Dylan, and Derrick joined them a short time later.

  “Okay,” Emily said with a smirk as she stood, “I’ll try out that latrine.”

  Everyone laughed. When she got back—and after several more people had put the latrine to use—they began talking about their plans for the next day.

  “We’ll leave at first light,” Derrick said.

  Heads nodded in agreement.

  “Do you think we’ll make it to the farm tomorrow?” Amy asked.

  “With any luck we will,” Jeff said.

  Matt laughed. “There’s the catch. Our luck hasn’t been the best.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” Jeff replied. “I mean, we are all still alive.”

  They all chuckled.

  Jessica deeply hoped they would get there the next day. She was beyond ready to be done with this road trip and settled in to their new place where she assumed they’d be safe.

  “Hold on a sec,” Paisley said, looking confused. Everyone looked her way. “If you don’t mind me asking, what farm?”

  “Of course you can ask,” Emily said, clearly having no issue with the newcomer joining them at her aunt and uncle’s farm. “My aunt and uncle have a farm in the San Joaquin Valley in California. That’s where we’re headed.”

  Paisley’s eyebrows rose. “That sounds awesome. I mean, I grew up on a farm, so…” She let her words trail off.

  Chapter 27

  Derrick

  Maybe Paisley wouldn’t be dead weight after all. At least once they got to this farm they were headed to.

  Trying to be subtle, Derrick scrutinized Paisley a little more closely. She didn’t look like she could lift more than thirty pounds. And with her flowing blonde hair, she looked more like a flighty actress than a farm girl.