HARD ROAD: Heaven Bound

by Terry McDonald

  Silas fought to regain his composure, clamping his hands to his face as if to physically stem the flow of his tears. He shuddered and drew a deep breath.

  “You’re right, of course,” he said, dropping his hands from his face, the tears diminished, but still slowly trickling down his cheeks. “It just hurts so much. You have no idea the hope Aunt Maria gave us, swearing you would come. Even though we thought she was crazy, there was still that hope.

  “When you came roaring into camp firing the machine gun, we in the men’s truck could hear her screaming, “He’s here. Jake Markett has come for us. Be ready. Be ready to go.” “My heart was racing so fast I thought it was going to explode.”

  Jake stood and moved to Silas, reaching out to take his hand. He motioned for Beth to move aside as he slowly pulled Silas to his feet. He enveloped him in his arms, patting his back as he spoke.

  “We’ve all been hurt, and had to do things we don’t like to think about. The pain will fade, and the memories will dim. But we’re strong. You’re strong. You are with us and together we're stronger.”

  *

  Aunt Maria’s visit was different. She was short in statute but long in strength. She appeared to be in her sixties, grey hair with distinctive Hispanic features. She was nearly as skinny as Beth was when Jake first met her. She came bustling into the room and took the chair Silas vacated when he left. She skipped the introduction part of the conversation and began talking animatedly. Her voice was devoid of any accent.

  “I’m sure Silas has told you all about the crazy old lady who tried to convince them you were a savior coming to our rescue. Just so you know. I know you are not the embodiment of the second coming, and I damn sure didn’t think you were coming to rescue us. I made that up so they would have a modicum of hope. John was getting heavy handed with his beatings and short rations, and more than a few of them were only a half-step from suicide.”

  “It’s a relief to know you don’t believe I’m the messiah,” Jake said. “I know it must have been terrible there, for so many to think about killing themselves.”

  “Terrible doesn’t even come close to describing conditions in that place, but Lord, the more people you killed, and them not being able to find you, the more it drove John crazy. The more frustrated he got, the rougher he was on everyone, especially his slaves.”

  “It’s too bad we didn’t kill him,” Beth interjected. “I hate to think of him still out there, maybe building another gang, and doing the same things again.”

  “That’s something I want to speak to you about. Silas and a few others, even some from your group, want you to arm them so they can hunt him down. I would counsel against letting them. They don’t have any training, and they’re more likely to get killed themselves, as they are of killing John.”

  “Justice for John Saint will have to wait,” Jake responded. “His time will come, but our duty is to get as many people safely to Haven as we can. The people with us represent our genetic heritage. There are so few humans left. We can’t afford to continue losing the good ones to trash like Saint. I’ll let Silas know that Saint will have to wait.”

  “Thank you. Silas is a good man, and we do not need him dead. I like the sound of your phrase, ‘our genetic heritage’. You’re not planning on any separation are you? You have yourself a black wife and two adopted black children. You risked your life rescuing what some consider being lower races.

  “The people who were with you from before seem to think you’re the best thing on two feet. I think I am going to like going to Heaven, and I think I am going to like you, Mister Jake Markett. You are not the second coming of Christ, but you are the closest thing we have. I'll have to tell them I made a mistake, and convince them you are just a man. The one thing you don’t need is them to be seeking perfection in your every action or word.”

  “I’d appreciate that,” Jake agreed, “but the name of the place we’re going is Haven, Heaven is only a nickname.”

  “You’ll have to work on that, we all call it Heaven.

  “I notice you call Saint by his first name. Were you around him a lot?” Beth asked.

  “Every day,” Aunt Maria replied. “I was his personal servant. Maria, fetch me my tobacco, Maria my feet are sore, would you mind rubbing them, Maria cook me some of your special biscuits. Yes Sir, John. Right now, John. Let me do that for you, John. I did my job well, and sometimes I could get concessions for the other slaves.

  “It was a good position for knowing what was going on, too. You should have heard the way he cursed you. It got worse and worse for him, especially after the two of you taunted him on Puckett’s radio. He was obsessed with capturing you and the different ways he was going to torture Jake.”

  Aunt Maria paused in thought and then started laughing.

  “What?” Beth asked, puzzled.

  Aunt Maria regained her composure, but a smile lingered. “I was just remembering one of the ways he was going to get revenge was to make Jake watch you being tortured. He was going to start with cutting off your fingers, beginning with your thumbs. What is funny, it was so bright from everything burning, he had to see it was you machine-gunning his men to pieces. I could see you clearly, when I looked through the air slot on the trailer, so I know John had to see you too. You flipped it around and shot off one of his thumbs. Ain't life is a bitch sometimes?”

  “It sure is,” Beth responded, unable to suppress a smile at the thought, “but you need to be careful about saying ain’t. Jake usually kills people who say that word.”

  “Huh?”

  “It’s an inside joke,” Jake responded to her puzzled expression. “Beth gets silly some times.”

  “You’ll have to fill me in later. Right now, I am going out to do messiah containment. Before I leave, I want to say, even though I know you two are not holy, you sure are beautiful, and so are Allen and Janie. Bless you for having the heart to come for us. Bless you.”

  A few minutes after Aunt Maria left there was another tapping at the door, Beth opened it to admit Eva and led her to the chair.

  “I’m here as a Doctor,” Eva began. “Most of the former slaves are in horrible physical condition. They have multiple lacerations from being whipped and beaten. Some are crippled from broken bones not set properly. They are all suffering malnutrition. A few are so vitamin deficient; they’re actually showing symptoms of dementia.”

  Jake rubbed his hand across his face. “Avis told me he provided and stocked a rather extensive treatment facility in Heav…er, Haven. We will make it a point to locate it as soon as we get there... Jesus. I wonder how many people Saint has killed over the years. It has to be in the hundreds.

  “Eva, I appreciate, as a Doctor, the challenge these people present seems overwhelming, but believe me, if the facility is intact and functional, every able bodied member of our group will do everything we can to help mend them. I have to tell you though. I am very tired. I need more sleep.”

  “I understand,” she replied. “Did you finally get full?”

  Jake smiled at her. “As a matter of fact, I think I’ll have one more meal before I lay down. Getting reborn sure makes a person hungry. Could you have someone wake us about six or seven tomorrow morning? The sooner we get to Heaven, the sooner we can begin treating the victims.”

  Neither of them mentioned he said Heaven.

  CHAPTER 23

  The following morning, Jake and Beth exited the lobby of the Holiday Inn. They found the parking lot full of people hurrying to and from the five vehicles parked in the front receiving area. On the roadway were two more tractor-trailers that looked like rolling chemical factories. Jake spotted Agnes and Connie standing off to the side, and took Beth’s arm to guide her in their direction. Agnes saw them approaching and said something to Connie. Connie turned towards them, his expression turning to astonishment.

  “Damnation! Seeing is believing, but I ain’t believing what I’m seeing,” he said as he reached out his hand towards Jake. “I think I might wa
nt ta get shot in the head iffen it’ll take twenty years off me. You sure are sprightly for a man that’s had half his brains blowed out. You’re looking mighty pretty too Miss Beth, how ya liking your man now?”

  “Same as before, I like him with all my heart,” Beth answered, giving Connie a hug. “I guess we’re packing,” she said looking around to take in the bustling activity of people with purpose.

  “You better believe it,” Agnes said emphatically. “I want to know if Heaven exists, and I want to know today.”

  “I see you brought up Saint’s fuel refineries,” Jake said, addressing Connie.

  “Yep and the technicians to run them.”

  “Do you have the time? Jake asked. “I left my watch in the room.”

  “It’s close to seven.” Connie answered, glancing at his wrist.

  Jake did some mental calculations, “If we are able, and that’s a big if, to drive nonstop, there’s a chance we could be at Haven by five or six this afternoon. I noticed there’s a conference room adjacent to the lobby in the hotel. Before we leave, I’d like to say a few words to everyone as a group.”

  Agnes spoke excitedly, “Then get your things from your room while we finish the last bit of packing, and let’s get going. Connie can pass the word about the meeting.” She paused and frowned, “Don’t expect Butch to help with anything,” nodding to where Butch sat on low concrete wall near the entrance to the inn. “I hate to say it again, but he’s a useless piece of shit. Yesterday we had to scrub the two container trucks out three times to get rid of the stink. The slaves were not provided anything to poop or pee in. It’s a good thing the trailers had metal floors or they’d still be stinking. He refused to help. Said he wasn’t cleaning any nigger shit.”

  “Agnes,” Jake said, pretending to be shocked.

  “It’s the truth, you wait and you’ll see what I mean. He’s a nasty piece of work.”

  “Yep, it don’t take long ta find that out,” Connie agreed.

  “I‘ll have a word with him,” Jake said.

  Butch pretended not to notice as Jake approached him.

  “I’m not going to waste many words on you, boy, and if you are wise you’ll keep your mouth shut and hear every word I say. If I have one more complaint about you not doing your share of work, or hear of one more instance of racism from you, you will not travel another mile with us.”

  Butch flushed red. “You can’t tell—.”

  “Don’t speak, boy, or I’ll run you out of camp right now. There are lines you should not cross, and you have already crossed them. Consider yourself warned.”

  Butch gave Jake a sullen look and turned his back to him.

  Jake and Beth made short work of packing their belongings. Janie spent the entire time they were organizing the MaxxPro pleading with them to, ‘please’, let her ride in the bus with the other children, a request they adamantly refused. When she realized they were serious, she ran off crying. As they were finishing she came running back with a young Hispanic girl in tow.

  “Julia’s mom, Mercedes, says it’s okay for her to ride with us, if it’s okay with you.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Jake said, winking at Beth, you might want to play and make noise and stuff.”

  “We won’t play, I promise,” Janie said, “and we’ll be so quiet you won’t even hear us.”

  “Janie honey, your daddy’s messing with you,” Beth said. “You can play and make all the noise you want. Why don’t you two go tell her mom it’s okay for Julia to ride with us?”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t tease her like that,” Jake said, watching them run full tilt back to the bus.

  “Don’t ever stop,” Beth said emphatically. “Just keep being the same person she wanted for a daddy.”

  A short time later, Connie and Sam began herding everyone into the Holiday Inn. Jake sent Beth ahead with Al, explaining he needed a few minutes alone to organize his thoughts. When he entered the room, he went directly to a podium on a low platform and stood there silent until the movement and ongoing conversations of the group slowed and finally ceased as people noticed him and took their seats. There were over a hundred people gathered in front of him.

  Jake, waited for absolute quiet in the room, and let the silence linger, allowing a level of expectancy to grow as they waited for him to speak. He smiled and began to talk softly, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “My name is Jake Markett. Today we are finally going to a place properly called Haven. My daughter got us into the habit of calling it Heaven. I do not know if this facility is still intact. If it is, compared to what we have gone through, the nickname is appropriate. There is a possibility that we will arrive there and find it not viable. That will not matter, because here in this room are some of the best humanity has to offer.

  “As I look around, I see many I know, and I see people I’ve yet to meet. Everyone in this room is a survivor. In all your faces, I see the loss and pain you have endured, but I also see the reason for your survival. I see hope. We have stories we could share, and I’m sure we will share them, but what makes us the best of the best is, we lived through the horrors of the past six years, and from this day forth, it will be us who forge a new beginning. If the Haven is not viable, we will make it viable. Despite the disasters that have happened, the world’s resources are still available to us.”

  A shout from a woman at the back of the room interrupted him.

  “I ain’t being a slave for nobody again.”

  Jake did not miss a beat.

  “No, you won’t be. Each person in this room represents a portion of the genetic heritage of the human race, and you are extremely valuable and important. One of the things I want to address directly concerns that. I am going to use the terms used before the plague. If there is anyone in the room who thinks they have a right to discriminate against another person because of their race, gender, or sexual orientation, you can leave now. Our genetic heritage and the community we’re going to establish will have no need for your input.”

  Several people glanced to where Butch was sitting. Butch squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. His face flushed with anger, but he remained seated.

  Aunt Maria stood and waved for Jake’s attention.

  “I want to ask, what is the purpose of this? I would like to know why you even care. Do you picture yourself as some kind of God who is going to save what is left of mankind? I know I did my best to make the other slaves believe you were a saint…please pardon the use of that word, I meant savior, and you did save us, but you damn sure are not holy. A holy man would not run over people sleeping in their tents and he would not have his wife using a machine gun to cut people in half. You’re as human as any of us and that’s why I’m asking.”

  Jake smiled at her questions. “Thank you, Aunt Maria. You are correct saying I am not a saint, but I was honor bound as a fellow human to rescue you and the others. It is also my nature. As far as the purpose of going to Haven, it may be that we are the new beginning of humankind. It is my hope we can stay together not only for self-protection, but to also to form a more humane, and fair society than what existed before the death.

  “Whether the facility is intact or not, we have a lot of hard work ahead of us, and we will have to draw upon the skills each of you had before the death, and the skills you have had to develop to stay alive. It is time for us to leave, but as we travel, I want each of you to know how important you are, and to think about how you can help make a place worthy of us. Let’s make a place where a child can play, where a kid can be a kid.”

  Jake looked out into the crowd, searching for a face.

  “You there, the woman who says she’s never going to be a slave again. What’s your name?”

  “Name’s A.J.” she called back hesitantly and then stronger, “A.J. Jackson.”

  “Folks,” Jake said, raising his voice a bit louder, “Are we going to let anyone use A.J. as a slave ever again?”

  There was a scattered chorus of no and
hell no from a few people. Jake moved from behind the podium to stand in front of it.

  “I guess most of you aren’t sure if we are going to let A.J. be a slave. Let us try that again and this is what I want to hear. He drew in a deep breath and shouted loud and strong, “NEVER AGAIN!” startling the people gathered in front of him. He drew another breath and shouted again, letting pent up anger loose with his voice, “NEVER AGAIN!”

  Jake paused for a moment and looked at Silas standing in the front row beside Sam.

  “Silas, are we going to let anyone enslave A.J. again?”

  “Hell no,” he said, caught by surprise at being singled out. “Hell no,” he shouted, gathering his wits. “NEVER AGAIN!”

  “Sam,” Jake said, looking at him.

  “NEVER AGAIN,” Sam shouted with emotion, “NEVER AGAIN!”

  Jake spoke again immediately.

  “That’s what I want to hear. I want it shouted at the top of your lungs. I’ll ask you again, are we going to let anyone enslave A.J.?”

  This time the walls of the conference room shook with the power of the response, many of them rising to their feet to add force to their voices.

  “NEVER AGAIN!”

  “I ask you this,” Jake, shouted into the reverberations of their passion. “Are we going to let our women be raped and our children killed?”

  ‘NEVER AGAIN!” The mantra shouted, growing in strength.

  “That’s right,” Jake shouted. “Never again.” He raised his hands in front, elbows bent and fists clinched. “We are a strong people. We are a free people and we are going to stay free.” He turned and moved back behind the podium and again surveyed the sea of faces in front of him.

  “I see some embarrassed faces out there,” he said in a calmer tone. “Never be embarrassed to speak your anger about injustice. We are about to leave here and go to … Maria, what do my children call the place we’re going?”

  “We are going to Heaven,” was her strong reply.

  “Then we will call it Heaven. I appreciate you listening to me and I wish we had more time so I could fully explain the things I hope we accomplish. We are running short of food and other supplies. We need to get loaded up and moving if we are going to get to Heaven before nightfall.”