“You’re quiet,” Alex said.
“Oh, sorry, lot on my mind,” Tess responded.
They were walking towards a large house at the far end of the street. One she was familiar with, especially during Halloween.
“These people had the best decorated house during Halloween,” Tess remarked.
“I know, they gave away full-sized candy bars, not the snack size,” Alex said, a slight grin on his face.
“I loved houses that did that, always the best.”
“The man would dress up too. Last Halloween he was dressed like a vampire. He’d have a large plate with all the candy bars lined up.”
“What’s your favorite candy?” Tess asked.
“Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, hands down!” Alex answered, his grin expanding.
“Mine too, love them. In fact, last Halloween my fiancé and I ate all the Reese’s out of the candy we were giving away. God, we were so bad. I think I gained ten pounds.”
“Your house had cool decorations too. I loved the boiling pot with smoke, oh, and the large spider, that huge one, bigger than me.”
“I love Halloween,” Tess said and put her arm around Alex’s shoulders.
They were now standing at the front door of the house. Alex looked at her and said, “I loved it too, but it’s gone now. It’s all gone.”
Tess rubbed his shoulders, put her attention to the task at hand and said, “Well, kid, ready to go to work?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Outside Pine Bluffs, Wyoming
The minivan sputtered and jolted until it came to rest on the side of the road. The hopes of finding another vehicle never materialized, but the sign for the small town of Pine Bluffs, Wyoming, provided hope, literally, or that’s what the sign had painted on it. The town’s name, Pine Bluffs, was crossed out and the word HOPE was stenciled below it in bright yellow paint.
Unable to carry most of their things, Travis buried them near a small dry creek bed a hundred feet off the road.
“What do you think?” Travis asked, pointing to the sign. He cinched down a strap on his large backpack and adjusted it so it hung evenly.
“We don’t have a lot of options,” Lori answered. She too donned a small pack.
“Let’s go see what Hope is all about,” Travis said and began to walk farther away from the road.
“Where are you going?”
“Not safe to walk the road. We’ll walk parallel to it but a thousand feet or so off it. I don’t want some marauder coming along.”
“Makes sense,” Lori replied and jogged up to him.
Gone were the rolling hills, replaced by a long flat and dry plain. The sun was quickly receding; soon the warm rays would disappear, but the protection of the darkness would be welcome.
Both remained silent during the slow march towards Pine Bluffs. Their attention focused on each step over the uneven ground.
Travis dug through his memory to recall the name Pine Bluffs. He hadn’t traveled north but knew some commanders who had. Nothing popped into his mind, and why would it, really? he thought. There were tens of thousands of towns across the old United States. Unless something happened here that was important, it would be just another small town out of the many.
After two hours of drudging along, dim lights came into view. This told them two things. The town was just ahead, and people were there.
Travis pulled a set of binoculars out of his pack and surveyed the dark silhouettes of the town buildings.
“You see anything?” Lori asked above a whisper.
“Yeah, there are definitely people there. Nothing like the glow of a cigarette to give one away,” he replied.
“What should we do?”
“Go find us some wheels.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Do you want to walk the rest of the way?”
Lori was nervous; her imagination ran wild with visions of being captured, tortured and a myriad of other horrible acts that could befall them.
“C’mon, it’ll be easier in the dark,” he said, standing and putting his pack back on.
“Maybe I’ll stay here,” she said.
“No, you have to come; I’m not going to drive over here.”
She stood begrudgingly and said, “Fine.”
“Wait, how do you feel?”
“Tired, my feet hurt, my back hurts, and I…well, I just feel like shit,” she answered.
“I guess we can take a short break. We have all night. Might be best to go for a vehicle in the wee hours.”
Lori dropped her pack and sat back down. She began to dig through the pack and pulled out a thin blanket.
“Well, you didn’t need to be told twice,” he joked.
“I’m tired. You can’t forget, I’m pregnant.”
“I haven’t forgotten.” He took off his pack and placed it next to hers. He then took a seat on the ground and leaned back.
Lori looked into the star-filled sky and struggled to remember the constellations she’d learned as a child. “Is that Orion, the three bright stars in a line?”
“Yep, that’s it.”
“How do you get a hunter from three stars?” she asked.
“Oh, that’s just his belt. Go down and you see two stars, there and there, and over to the right is an arc of stars. That’s his bow.” He had taken her hand and lifted it, using it to pinpoint the stars.
“I see.”
“And over there is Taurus. Orion is shooting his bow at it. See the V shape?”
“Travis, what will happen to the world?”
He sat for a bit, not knowing how to answer her question. It was commonplace for him to be motivated and inspirational, but deep down he felt the world was doomed.
“Is this trip worth it? Are we just putting off the inevitable?” she then asked.
“God no, we have to try.”
“Do we? Why not be like some people and just take the easy way.”
“You mean kill yourself?”
“Why do I want to bring a baby into this world? We’re too afraid to even walk into a town renamed Hope for fear we’ll be attacked. Who wants to live like this?”
“Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll stay up,” he said, deliberately avoiding the conversation.
“Here, take some of this. You must be chilled,” she said, offering him part of her blanket.
He was chilled, and as the evening wore on, the temperature would continue to drop. He already felt a bit chilly from the cool breeze that was coming in from the northwest.
“Thanks,” he said.
She squirmed towards him. “Don’t get any ideas,” she joked.
“Wouldn’t think of it.”
Laying her head against his shoulder, she closed her eyes.
He wasn’t sure how much time had gone by, but by the sound of her deep breathing he could tell she had fallen asleep in a matter of minutes.
As he looked above at the dazzling tapestry of stars, the brilliant streak of a falling star caught his attention. He closed his eyes and, much like a child, made a wish. Pressing his eyes tighter, he wished he, Lori and her baby would survive to see a world reborn, a world where they weren’t afraid but one that held promise and peace.
Day 211
April 30, 2021
Pine Bluffs, Wyoming
The early morning air had a chill that hit Travis. He was beginning to feel the early stages of fatigue overcoming him, so getting up and moving around both helped him stay awake and stay warm.
Lori was still asleep. He wanted to go find a vehicle, but that would require him to wake her, something he didn’t want to do. However, the sun would be rising in a few hours, and he wanted to find a vehicle and get back on the road.
The continued observations of the town proved that it was occupied, but with who and how many was the ultimate question. He needed to get closer to get better intelligence on what they could be dealing with.
After one last scan, he looked over his sho
ulder at the now snoring Lori. He hated to have to do it, but he couldn’t risk just leaving her there. He strode over to her and tapped her foot.
She stopped snoring but continued to breathe heavily.
He tapped her foot harder.
This made her roll onto her side, but she was still asleep.
“Damn, woman, you sleep like a rock.” He laughed and kicked her a bit harder.
She opened her eyes and said, “Everything okay?”
“Good morning, sleepyhead, sorry to wake you, but you’ve gotten a good six hours. I’m getting tired and soon the sun will be up. Time to go snoop around town for a vehicle to take.”
She sat up, stretched and yawned.
He started packing up what little gear he had out while she stood and began the same process.
After some small talk and a quick summary of exactly what their plan was, they set off. Based upon his observations they were a little less than a mile away, so within twenty minutes he’d know if the town held promise.
After fifteen minutes they reached a three-foot-high wooden fence. It resembled something more decorative than functional. They scaled it and continued till they reached a small grove of trees. He pulled out his binoculars and looked north towards a light.
“Ha, just what I expected. It’s a roadblock.”
“What do we do?” she asked.
“We keep going, but now we know they have manned roadblocks, something we can’t forget once we snag a car.”
He stuffed the binoculars in his jacket and got up to stand when she grabbed his arm. “Hold up.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t want to take someone’s car that needs it.”
“Exactly how will we know that?”
“If it’s parked in front of a house, I’d say no, but sitting on the side of the road, well, then it’s fair game.”
“Now you’ve made what was already difficult practically impossible,” he griped.
“Not impossible, more challenging. Just don’t want to leave a family without a car.”
“I can’t make guarantees.”
“I trust you’ll do the right thing.”
He grunted and stood up. “Enough happy talk, let’s go.”
She followed behind him as they ran from the cover of the grove to a series of small metal buildings. The darkness was providing great cover, but within a few hours that protection would be gone.
“What I’d give for a set of NVGs.”
“What’s that?”
“Night vision.”
“It’s so dark out, there could be a truck not thirty feet away and I swear we’d walk right by it.”
What should have taken them mere minutes was taking them three times as long. Once on the other side of the metal buildings, they found themselves next to a large field.
“Not too much farther now, I think,” Travis said.
Hiking across the field improved their time, and soon they were at the edge of town.
Other than the two men he had seen at the roadblock, not another person could be seen, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. While the darkness shielded them, it also provided the same cover for anyone and anything.
“I can’t see a damn thing,” Travis groaned, the binoculars still pressed against his eyes.
He pondered what they should do. His training told him to be cautious, as he didn’t know a thing about the town. Not wanting to walk them into an ambush, he turned to her and said, “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to go by myself. I know exactly where you are. When I find a—”
“No way, you’re not going alone.”
“Listen, I don’t know what’s out there. I can’t risk both of us walking into something bad. That’s not our deal. Now make sure your pistol is handy and sit tight. If I take longer than need be, make your way back to those metal buildings. There you might be able to find shelter till I come for you.”
She grabbed his arm tightly and said, “Not happening.”
“This is not a time to argue. You have a way of doing that a lot, but do this and I can move faster, and I don’t think I’ll be gone long.”
“What if you don’t come back?”
“Then that proves my point; it was too dangerous.”
She relented and said, “Be careful.”
“Always,” he replied. He stood and sprinted off into the black of night.
North Topsail Beach, North Carolina
Tess woke suddenly. She reached out and felt for Meagan, who was breathing heavily. Unsure of why she woke so abruptly, she rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. Sleep was a privilege in this world, and she never took it for granted. Especially after surviving on her own during the time she’d spent on the road. Having a group of people to share the burden of watch made life easier. Just as she was about to doze off, she heard chatter in the other room and then crying. This brought her back from the edge of sleep. She sat up, interested in identifying who was in distress. Suddenly it stopped and the chatter began again.
She jumped up, and before she left grabbed her pistol. Going anywhere, even in the safety of a house, the tools of protection needed to be taken.
Once in the hallway she heard the chatter. It was coming from the living room. She walked into the space and the conversation stopped. She looked but found it impossible to see anything. The heavy breathing of the other children, now camped with them, filled her ears.
“Everything okay?” she said in a whisper.
No response.
She imagined it was a couple of the children, and just when she was about to abandon her investigation a small voice chimed, “I miss my sister.”
Tess turned and asked, “Who is that?”
“Becky.”
“No, who’s talking?”
“Brady, it’s Brady.”
She remembered Brady was one of the younger boys, six years old and never let you forget it. He was short and little for his age and often mistaken for much younger. Tess specifically remembered Brady because of the way he introduced himself. “Hello, I’m Brady. I’m six years old.”
“Brady, what are you doing awake?” she asked.
“It’s my fault,” Alex said.
“Is everything fine?” she asked.
“Yes,” Alex answered.
“No,” Brady responded, then squealed out in pain. “Ouch!”
“I told you to keep your mouth shut!” Alex exclaimed.
The increased volume caused the other children to stir.
“Sssh, you’re going to wake the others. Both of you, get up, come with me, outside,” Tess ordered.
The boys listened and promptly got up.
Outside they found Devin perched at the top of the stairs, rifle at the ready. “I think Brianna is relieving me but not for an hour.”
“These two were being loud, and apparently something is going on,” Tess explained.
“Boys will be boys,” Devin joked.
Tess sat the boys on the stairs and asked, “Brady, were you crying?”
He hesitated but relented after Tess’s hard stare. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“My sister, I miss her.”
“Okay, that’s understandable. Now, Alex, what did you mean by keep your mouth shut?”
He wouldn’t answer; he wouldn’t even look at her.
Tess looked at Brady, and just before she could ask, he blurted out, “He said our sisters are probably dead or worse.”
“Why would you say that?” Tess asked.
Alex leered at her and barked, “It’s the truth and you know it. You saw those men; they’re horrible.”
“That doesn’t mean they’re dead.”
“They might as well be.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because we’re not going to save them.”
“You think we’re not going to help you find your sisters?” Tess asked.
“We are?” Devin asked.
“Boys, I promi
sed to help you, and that includes finding your sisters.”
“Tess, wait a minute. You can’t make that decision for all of us,” Devin fired back. He had already expressed his displeasure with her making unilateral decisions, and this was the last straw for him.
“We can’t leave these boys’ sisters in those men’s hands,” Tess replied.
“That may be what we all decide, but you need to have us all agree. You have to stop acting like a queen.”
“Fine, what do you think we should do?”
Alex and Brady watched the argument like spectators at a tennis match.
Tess and Devin went at each other. The intensity of their exchange woke the children inside and prompted Brianna to come out.
“Seriously!” Brianna shouted.
Tess and Devin stopped and looked at her.
A couple of the kids got upset and started to whimper.
“Now look at what you’ve done!” Brianna hollered and slammed the door.
Tess and Devin looked at each other with regret written all over their faces.
“Hey,” Devin said but was cut off.
“It was me, all me. You’re right. I need to stop just making decisions for everyone.”
“We both need to stop it and just talk things out like adults,” Devin added.
The boys remained quiet and watched as Tess and Devin expressed their apologies for the uproar.
“What should we do?” Tess asked.
Devin wanted to come back with a joke or snarky comment because that was his personality, but he resisted. He looked at Tess and at the boys. To him, she was right; he couldn’t in good conscience leave their sisters captive. “We go.”
Alex jumped up, excited about what he was hearing, “Really?”
Devin looked at him then back to Tess. “Yes, we go get your sisters. That’s what we’re going to do because that’s what good people do.”
Brady stood and took Tess’s hand. He squeezed it and looked up at her. He then grabbed Devin’s hand with his other and smiled.
“Devin’s right, that’s what good people do, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
The Death Trilogy (Book 2): The Death: Eradicate Page 7
