HARD ROAD: Heaven Bound

by Terry McDonald

  “They were wrong. About three months after the die-off in Australia, the same pattern began in the UK. The videos posted on the internet were horrifying. The people panicked and seemed to go insane with fear. In the end, the entire city of London was burning. The different governments of the world accused other countries of spreading the plague. Since both countries afflicted were democracies, the Muslim extremists, China and North Korea, reaped most of the accusations. The United States and Russia used every diplomatic means to calm things down, while at the same time, moving their militaries to full alert.

  “China got hit by the plague next. They knew their country was doomed. They launched every nuclear missile they had. Luckily, they didn’t have as many as everyone thought, but they had enough to destroy most of Japan, several of the Hawaiian Islands, and South Korea.

  “They made the mistake of targeting Russia. They managed to hit Moscow, Saint Petersburg and several other cities. The Russian and American responses took out the major cities and industrial areas in China. For some reason the Russians hit North Korea and several former satellite states too.

  “The launch by China triggered other countries to use their nuclear weapons. Pakistan and India went at it, and they had a lot of missiles. Of course, Iran and Israel couldn’t resist the urge to commit mutual suicide. Israel also hit many other neighboring states. I read one report that they nuked over forty targets, even so, the Iranians managed to launch at least ten nukes, effectively eliminating their historical enemy.”

  Beth interrupted. “Most of what you just said don’t mean much to us. Sometimes you get to talkin' and soundin' like a teacher. We don’t even know where most of those places are.”

  “That’s okay,” Jake responded. “I guess the main thing is, the west, that’s us and Canada and South America, weren’t hit with any nukes… big bombs. Even so, the ones used over there threw enough debris… junk, into the air to cause a three year nuclear winter, not to mention a large jump in radiation levels worldwide.”

  Jake paused and rubbed his hands across his face.

  “I’m having a rough time with this. Since the fall of civilization, I’ve mostly been in guarded enclaves…places, colleges and universities where the people were highly educated. I’ve been on the road for three years locating these places and helping them organize. While actually traveling, I avoided people. Since I met the three of you it is really beginning to hit home how much we’ve lost.”

  Beth’s face flushed with anger. “I know what you’re saying. You saying we’re stupid. If we’re so dumb why don’t you—”

  “Nothing of the sort,” Jake denied, cutting her off. “The three of you are very smart. What I am saying, and I am sure you will agree with me Beth, is that with no schools and the lack of electronic information, the young are not getting the education we once took for granted... Beth, you have to admit you know things your brother and sister do not. Have either of them ever seen a movie?”

  “No, but…, no.... I was going to say I told them about them, but that’s not the—.” She paused in mid-sentence. “Maybe you’re right … hell, if an airplane flew over right now it would probably send them running.”

  “Especially if it was a propeller job, and buzzed low,” Jake agreed, chuckling, “but seriously, one of the main reasons I want to get to Haven is to set up a central place where at least some of our cultural and educational heritage can be reintroduced to as many as possible.

  “I promised I’d teach you as much as I can, and that will probably bleed over into areas other than simple survival. Knowledge and the ability to coherently…er…properly process information and express thoughts and ideas are also powerful survival tools.”

  “We’re willing to learn anything, but don’t get to talking at us like we’re stupid ‘cause we ain’t… aren’t…damn it.”

  “I won’t, but if you ever feel I do, call me out on it... Beth, let me tell you. If your mother was here, she could spend the greater portion of her time correcting my grammar.”

  Jake stood and stretched. “I’m going to take a break and check outside again.”

  Beth stood as he did. “I’ll go with you if it’s all right?”

  They left together. The evening chill was setting in and they went back to don jackets. Jake led the way to the screening stand of trees close to the road.

  “What we do is hide, watch and listen,” he whispered. “In a few minutes our eyes will adjust to the light, and we’ll be able to see better. Always stay out of sight.”

  “What are we listening for?”

  “Anything out of the ordinary, any noise a human would make, the sound of birds being disturbed, anything that doesn’t seem natural or right.”

  They stood in silence. The only sound they could hear was the movement of the trees in the light evening breeze. Beth took the opportunity to study him.

  “He’s not bad looking,” she thought, “and he seems kind enough. Mamma told me there are good men and nasty men. He seems like the good kind.” Images of the men who had touched her flowed through her mind, she shuddered, turning away so he could not see her tears. Jake noticed her shake from the corner of his eye.

  “Are you cold?”

  “I’m okay,” she replied without turning towards him. “I like being out here... Jake, are you sure it’s okay for us to be with you? I mean, if we’re too much for you to worry about, we’re a lot better off now. I think if we’re careful, we’ll be all right.”

  Jake did not answer for a moment. He saw her shoulders were moving and knew she was crying. Beth took the pause negatively.

  “Tomorrow you can just go to the place you told us about and we can stay here. We’ll find a place of our own.”

  Jake realized she was looking for validation.

  “Will you turn around? I know you’re crying and you don’t need to be.”

  She turned to face him. “I wasn’t crying about you. I was remembering the men who did things to me, like animals with no feelings, and they stank so bad.

  “A while ago, while you were talking, I got to thinking how you told me back at the farm you would die for us. Why couldn’t it have been you, or somebody like you, came along before I got hurt so much. Before Mamma and Daddy got killed?”

  Jake’s’ heart wrenched with sympathy. He reached out to comfort her but caught himself.

  “I told you once before, when you cry like this I have a natural tendency to want to hold and comfort you. Let me tell you how it is. When I leave tomorrow, I want you traveling with me. That’s what I want because I like the three of you. I won’t stop you if you decide to stay, but I don’t want you to.”

  “Are you sure?” She asked through the veil of tears streaming down her face.

  “I’m sure.”

  “Will you hold me like you said?”

  Jake opened his arms, and she stepped between them and buried her face in his chest, her head tucked under his chin. He held her close and let her cry, patting her back gently. He could feel the wetness of her tears soaking through the fabric of his thin jacket and shirt. Her body shook as she cried. Finally, her tears slowed. She clung to him for a while longer before stepping back and wiping her face with the sleeves of her jacket, regaining her composure.

  “Thank you for being like a daddy for a minute. I needed to cry. Those men hurt me. I’m strong inside, but I ain’t used to kindness.”

  “Everyone needs comforting sometimes.” Jake said. “It's part of being human, getting past the hard parts. After what you’ve been through, I’m amazed you haven’t cried more.”

  “I cried plenty by myself, but I couldn’t let Allen and Janie see how afraid I was. I need to get stronger and smarter. Dangerous like you. I don’t have to be weak.”

  Jake smiled. “Does that mean you’ll be traveling with me tomorrow?”

  “You’re silly sometimes,” she replied, punching him sharply on his upper arm. “Of course we’re going with you.”

  Jake rubbed his arm where s
he hit him, and noticed she was sniffing the air near him.

  “What is it, do you smell something?”

  “I smell my daddy’s cologne. I smelled it in the cave too, that night we was…were talking.”

  “All I’ve got on me is today’s sweat. It’s probably something blooming. We’ll give it a while longer out here. I‘m pretty sure it’s clear, but it won’t hurt to be double sure. All we have done is talk since we came out. We need to be more careful.” He did not bother to mention, that for the third time, if he counted the one when her face appeared at the Loggins house, he could taste chocolate from close association with her. After a few minutes he was satisfied no one but themselves were out there and they returned to the workshop.

  “Are you all tired or do you want to hear a bit more before we turn in?” Jake asked.

  “I’d like to hear more,” Beth said. “Give me a minute to fix Janie a place to sleep.”

  “You might want to lay out some clothing to pad the concrete,” Jake suggested.”

  Beth prepared an area next to a wall. She unrolled Janie’s new sleeping bag and helped her wiggle into it.

  “Sleep tight, honey. You can listen if you want.” She rejoined the others.

  “Where were you when the death started?” She asked.

  “In Madison, Wisconsin. I was the instructor in charge of the ROTC program for the university there.”

  “What’s that?” Al asked.

  “The letters stand for Reserve Officers Training Corps. I was a Major in the Army Reserves.”

  “You are a teacher. You were teaching Army stuff. How old were you when everything went bad?” Beth asked.

  “I was thirty seven when it started in Australia, almost forty by the time the dying started here. By the time it did arrive, the global network was already history. With the junk from the war floating in the air, and the rioting and destruction that went on during the food and fuel shortages, the local and national communication systems weren’t much better.”

  “You’re forty six. You don’t look or act that old. Were you married?” Beth asked.

  He stiffened and grimaced, letting the question hang unanswered. After a moment, he rubbed his face with both hands and stood.

  “It’s getting late and I’m tired. Why don’t we continue another time?”

  “I’m sorry Jake,” Beth said softly. “I shouldn’t have asked you.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about,” he said. “The question caught me by surprise. I was married. I’ll leave it there for now.

  “Do you think we’ll make it to Bainbridge tomorrow?” Al asked.

  “I doubt it,” Jake replied.

  CHAPTER 5

  Still moving forward in short scouted sorties, they continued searching likely houses as they traveled towards Bainbridge. Thanks to the dehydrated meals, they had adequate provisions for their trip to Lakeland, but Jake was determined to procure two-way radios, saying that being able to communicate at a distance would speed their travel, and make them safer.

  They claimed more items from the homes. Jake had to caution against overloading, since any added weight would reduce the rations they could carry, but windup watches, and good hunting knives were welcome additions.

  Al fell in love with a large four passenger ATV in the garage of one of the homes. It took Jake a while to convince him that, ‘Yes, it could be made to run if they had gas, but to ride in something so noisy, would be an invitation to be ambushed’.

  A couple of hours before sunset, Janie began to lag behind. He could tell she was worn out, though she gamely trudged, leaning forward to shift the weight of her pack from her shoulders.

  When they caught up with Beth, who was waiting for them after scouting ahead, he asked everyone to watch for a place to bed down for the night. No sooner had he spoken, Janie asked. “What about that place?” pointing toward a low tree-covered hill on the west side of the road. They stared hard in the direction she was pointing, but could not see anything, even though she insisted she could see a house.

  As Jake was leaving to take his turn as scout, Al called to him.

  “Wait, I see it.”

  He had to sight along Al’s pointing finger to see what Janie had seen.

  “Wow, Honey, you have great eyesight. If you take your eyes off the bit of roof, it’s hard to see it again. Let’s cut cross country and check it out.”

  The bit of roof belonged to a small, sturdy building, with fake log siding, most likely a hunting cabin. To the left of the house was a large open-topped wooden tank on a tower. The interior was one large room incorporating, bedroom, living room and kitchen, with a bathroom and closets at the far end. Jake promptly declared Janie the hero of the day, stating it to be “the most perfect of places.” Janie beamed in the praise her siblings added to his declaration.

  “Does that mean we can have spaghetti again?”

  “Absolutely, honey,” Jake said. “We’ll make a whole ration just for you. The rest of us can have chili.”

  “What’s chili? I want chili too, and spaghetti.”

  “It’s not like you’re too fat. What do you think Beth? Can she have both?”

  Beth smiled at Jake. “Like you said, she ain … isn’t too fat.”

  Jake went to the small gas range and turned a knob. To his surprise, gas hissed out.

  “Hey Al, There’s a water tank on a tower out back. Check the toilet and see if it flushes.”

  Al went to the bathroom. They heard the gush of water when he tried the lever. He popped his head out the door.

  “It was bone dry in the bottom part ‘till I flushed it. I can hear it squirting into the top part. There’s toilet paper in here too. I’ll be out in a minute.”

  “You better hurry,” Beth, shouted, “the water sounds made me have to go too.”

  “Me too,” Janie added.

  Jake removed a roll of paper from his pack and headed for the door. “You two can wait if you can, but I’m going out back.”

  When he returned he was carrying a rusted gallon can and a roll of roofing felt. Al was by the stove setting out rations and cooking utensils.

  “The water in the tank is stagnant rainwater and not fit for drinking,” Jake announced.

  “I washed my hand in the sink,” Al said.

  “Rinse your hands with clean water from a bottle and wipe them well. There’s not telling what’s mixed in with the sludge at the bottom,” Jake responded to his concern. “Take a minute and see if there are any kerosene lamps in the closet.”

  Jake went to the nearest window to set his burden down and unrolled a length of the roofing felt. Al called out that he had found three lamps, and came out carrying two of them. “They’re empty though.”

  “Kerosene in the can here,” Jake said, pointing to the rusted container. “I found supplies in a shed out back. As soon as I cover these windows, we can have light.” He went outside to retrieve the hammer and plastic container of roofing nails he’d set down when he opened the door.

  There were three small windows at the front of the cabin. When the girls returned from the bathroom, Beth, seeing the guys were busy, went to the kitchen area to start preparations for the meal.

  Al filled the lanterns and went to help Jake. While finishing the last window, Jake lit one of the lanterns in order to see where he was nailing.

  “Janie, I’ve got an important job for you,” Jake said. “I want you to go outside with your brother to see if you can see any light through the windows or around the doors. It’s very important to look hard.”

  “I will, Jake. I got good eyes.”

  Al took Janie’s hand and they went outside. Jake lit the remaining lamps and placed them where the light would do the most good.

  “I like the way you are with Janie,” Beth said, turning to him as he placed a lamp near her. “She’s happy with you.”

  “How about you. Are you happy?”

  “I’m not sure. Sometimes I think I’m getting there, and then I get to feeling
like something bad is fixing to happen any minute.”

  “Not a good feeling to have,” Jake replied with sympathy. It had to be a tough job taking on the responsibility of your brother and sister. From what I gather, your uncle was pretty much useless.”

  “I don’t feel so by myself since you come along.”

  “Say came along,” Jake corrected.

  “Since you came along,” Beth repeated with a smile.

  “I hope this means an end to having to sleep with one eye open for your big butcher knife,” Jake responded, matching her smile.

  Al and Janie came back in.

  “We saw lots of light Jake,” Janie declared. “Especially around the front door.”

  “Yeah, lots,” Al added, “and she saw some places I couldn’t see.”

  “What about the side door?” Jake asked.

  “Nope,” Janie said, “the little room with the other door blocks the light.”

  “It’s called a vestibule,” Jake said.

  “What’s a vegetable?” Janie asked, confused.

  “No, honey, vestibule,” Jake corrected, pronouncing each syllable. “That little room stops the wind from coming in and helps keep bugs out.”

  “That’s a funny word.”

  “It sure is,” Jake agreed. “Al, you and Janie work at blocking the light while Beth and I get the food ready. Hurry it though, before the sun goes down. We’ll have to check again when it’s dark.”

  They set to work, with Janie bossily directing Al.

  “See what I mean.” Beth said. “We have to hide our light ‘cause we're afraid somebody will see it. I thought we were being watchful back at the farm, but since we joined with you, I know we didn’t know how.”

  “You’re just kids.”

  “But even Mamma and Daddy got killed. They weren’t careful, and that’s why they’re dead.”

  “Beth, you asked me if I was married. I was. We had twin boys close to Janie’s age. I loved them and my wife deeply. They didn’t die of the death. They died because I wasn’t careful.” He grimaced, took a deep breath and let it out. “Supper can wait a few minutes. Let’s go outside and talk. It feels too tight in here to breathe.”