by T A Williams
“Who is it?” Whitford asked, standing up.
“Don’t know but they have guns.”
Whitford grabbed his rifle, which was sitting down beside him. “Alert the militia.” Whitford turned to Mason and Alec. “Stay here, I’ll check it out.”
Mason grabbed his rifle and turned to Alec. “I would tell you to stay here but-”
“You know I won’t listen,” Alec finished for him as he used his cane to stand up.
“I figured, but stay back; you still can’t move as fast as you used to.” Mason ran out into the rain.
“Thanks for the reminder.”
Alec’s bones creaked as he moved forward as quickly as he could. His legs were stronger but his balance was still slightly skewed. Sometimes he felt himself leaning to the right, or when he got really tired the world began to whirl about just like it used to. He was unarmed, not by choice but due to his limitations. Walking with a cane was hard enough; trying to walk with a cane and carry a gun was next to impossible. Despite all this Alec moved forward.
At the edge of the marketplace, just a few yards from the buildings that surrounded the area, were nearly a dozen men on horseback. Their rifles were aimed up in the air but visible enough that everyone knew they were armed. Mason, Whitford and two other men stood fifty yards away, also clearly armed and facing them directly. Alec watched as other members of the militia entered the buildings to the right and left of the unknown men, getting into position. As Alec got closer the unknown man in the middle seemed vaguely familiar, as if it was a face from another time. The man’s face was covered in a dark beard and behind that beard were eyes that seemed younger than the face would suggest. Alec stopped twenty yards away from Whitford and Mason and stood behind a tree peering out.
“What do you want?” Whitford yelled.
The familiar man spurred his horse forward a few feet and stopped. “Did you get a supply drop?”
“A what?”
The man glanced back at his men then returned forward. “Word is that you all got a supply drop from the government.”
Alec knew who the man was. Before the Chinese occupied their town Alec and the others had gone to a town called Sturgeon, looking to trade supplies. While there they had also found out that group had gotten a supply drop filled with food and medicine, more than they could use up in years, and despite that, they still refused to trade. Whitford had wanted to raid them and it had taken everything the Council had to talk him out of it.
“We haven’t,” Whitford said coldly. “Even if we had it wouldn’t affect you.”
The man smiled and cleared his throat. “We have sick people. We’re going to need you to share those supplies.”
Alec looked closer at the men behind the leader and realized two of them weren’t men; they were women. They were all haggard looking, with tattered clothing and dirt covering their faces. Even their horses seemed malnourished.
“We trade, we don’t share. And from what I remember you all don’t have any interest in trading,” Whitford said, confirming he recognized the men.
“It seems we may have gotten off on the wrong foot,” the man said with a fake smile. “The name is Dante and these are my soldiers. You all have a lot of stuff here. Lot of people too. I’m sure it’s tough trying to protect it all.”
Silence.
Alec saw Whitford’s hand tighten on the grip of his rifle but he left it up.
“Not really,” Whitford said. “Every now and then we have a group stupid enough to try and test our defenses. I can show you where we bury the bodies if you would like.”
Dante’s smile disappeared. “It would benefit everyone if you found some supplies to share.”
“It would benefit your people if you found something to trade. We work for what we have here,” Whitford said. Mason whispered something in Whitford’s ear but the man pulled away, clearly not listening.
“Fair enough,” Dante said. “We’ll be seeing you all again real soon.”
“Looking forward to it,” Whitford said with a growl.
Dante spun his horse away and they made their way out of Centralia and down the road.
Whitford turned to one of the men beside them. “Follow them at a distance. Let me know when we are clear.”
The man nodded and took off into the woods.
As Alec approached he heard Mason talking to Whitford.
“I understand what you are saying, Whitford, but providing them with a few medical supplies would be a good way to rebuild that trust.”
“We asked for the opportunity to trade with them a long time ago when they had more than they needed. They spat in our faces and because of them I lost people that I shouldn’t have. They sat around using up their supplies without putting in the work to replenish them. They’re on their own as far as I’m concerned.”
“Whitford,” Alec said as he approached, “I’m sure I can talk the Council into sparing a few. It’s not worth possible bloodshed.”
“No, it is not worth anyone getting hurt or killed. But I’m not going to let them come here and threaten us. If they return with an offer, even if it’s a piss-poor one, I’ll consider it. If we start giving into threats they won’t stop.” Whitford turned and walked away before anything else could be said.
“You think that’s going to become a problem?” Alec asked Mason.
“They look like they could use food, medicine and who knows what else. I’m sure we outnumber and outgun them.”
“So they would have to be stupid to attack,” Alec said.
“Or desperate. And desperate people are capable of anything,” Mason said, staring out toward the men riding away on horseback. “I would alert the Council; we should take precautions, regardless.”
Ally
“You want us to do what?” Dena asked in disbelief.
Ally stood next to Maclin and tried with all her might not to smile, but she failed.
“I would like for you to come with me to meet the President,” Maclin said.
Adam took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses and then plopped them back down on the bridge of his nose. “The…President…is there something wrong?”
Maclin glanced at Ally and shook his head. “Nothing wrong, she would just like to meet with you.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Ally said causally. “She’s an old friend.”
Coby was puzzled by his parents’ reaction. “Yeah, what Ally said; it’s not a big deal.”
Maclin finally laughed. “There is nothing wrong. She actually has a proposal for you all if you’ll hear her out.”
“Of…course. She’s the President,” Adam said hastily.
The trip was quiet at first as both Adam and Dena sat stunned in the backseat and Coby was next to them, confused as to what the fuss was all about. By the time they were halfway there Adam and Dena had recovered and began to drill Ally for information. What is she like? Are we under-dressed? What do we call her? What does she look like up close? When they finally came within sight of the new White House, Ally was overjoyed and tired at the same time.
Instead of going to the President’s Office they were directed into what had once been a courtroom but had now been transformed into a really large meeting room. They had no sooner sat down than President Carter came in from a side door with a large smile on her face.
“President, Mrs. President, Madam-” Adam fumbled.
“Just call me Sylvia,” she said as she shook each of their hands. “Good to see you again, Ally.”
“Hey,” Ally said with a wave.
“Can I get you all anything? Water? Food?”
“No,” said Adam.
“No, thanks,” said Dena.
“Sure,” Coby said.
“Coby!” Dena said loudly. “No, Mrs. President…Sylvia, we are fine.”
“It’s not a problem. Maclin, can you make sure they bring us up some water and a bite to eat, please?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I appreciate you a
ll coming to meet with me. I know that trip isn’t anything to write home about,” Sylvia said as she sat down.
“Of course Mrs.…Sylvia,” Adam said.
“I’ve very much enjoyed meeting Ally and I understand you all helped get her to California.”
“Actually, she probably helped us more than we helped her,” Adam said with a smile.
Ally didn’t disagree with that.
Sylvia laughed. “You know there was a time when I might have scoffed at that but I’ve talked with Ally enough to know you’re probably telling the truth.”
Ally nodded; they were.
“I also understand that you lost your daughter.”
Dena looked down while Ally looked up. She hadn’t told Sylvia that, which meant that Maclin had. She was going to have to watch what she said around that man from now on.
“I’ve also lost a daughter. It was well before the power went out but I understand the pain,” Sylvia said.
Dena kept her head down. “She…she’s lost. We don’t know that she’s dea-”
“We haven’t been able to find her,” Adam said quickly.
“I understand and that’s part of the reason I asked you all here. I don’t know how much Ally has told you.”
“She hasn’t told us anything,” Coby said. “All she does is play with the new bow you gave her.”
Again Sylvia laughed. “I’m glad she is getting use out of it.”
“Coby, hush,” Adam said.
“The war is over and despite appearances, we actually won. With that behind us, we have the very difficult task of trying to rebuild this country. Your safe zone is just one of nearly two dozen we have here in California and those are just the ones we set up. My first goal is to start bringing people back together, and that is where you come in.”
“I’m sorry?” Dena said, sitting up straighter. “How do we do that?”
“We’re clearing out the debris and creating several large permanent settlements. I am putting together groups to reach out to the other safe zones to convince them to resettle and to assist them in getting there. I would like you all to be a part of that.”
Dena and Adam looked to each other and didn’t say a word. Even Ally caught herself with her mouth open.
“Um, Mrs. President,” Adam started.
“Sylvia,” she corrected.
“Sylvia, why us?”
“I need people I can trust…and if your daughter is in the area it may be the best way to find her.”
Dena again dropped her head.
“I know the war is over but there are still some rough people out there. We decided a long time ago not to put the rest of our family at risk searching for a needle in a haystack,” Adam said.
“That I understand, but you all won’t be on your own. Each group sent out will be accompanied by a unit of my finest soldiers. They will be fully armed and you will have enough supplies to get to your location and back.”
Dena looked up at Adam and it was clear what she wanted; still, Adam appeared uncertain.
“Look,” Sylvia said, taking in a deep breath. “I’m not going to lie; it will be far more dangerous than staying put in the safe zone. I understand if you all want to stay put there and then come along when the rest of the group is relocated.”
“We’ll go,” Adam said and the room went quiet. Dena laid her head on his shoulder. “We’ll go,” he said again.
Sylvia smiled, Dena cried in Adam’s arms and Coby looked about as if he was about to embark on a grand adventure. Ally just sat back and realized she was going to need to make some more arrows as soon as possible.
Ben
The wind died down as their Helo disappeared into the afternoon sky. Ben scanned the area past the abandoned playground equipment and the empty buildings behind them. The weeds were nearly waist high on him and ivy had twisted itself up and around most of the equipment, making it look like they were in the middle of the Amazon.
“We’re clear,” Crimson said as she dropped her rifle down to her waist.
They walked out of the park and looked upon the deserted streets. There had been a battle fought here at one time. Several cars were overturned and several others had been burnt down to the frame, while a large brick hotel on one of the corners had one side reduced to nothing but rubble. What had once been a paved road was now brown as a layer of dirt completely covered it. The palm trees stretched up high above the rest of the buildings. An eerie quiet floated above everything else. Crimson led them to an old bank, which was one of the only buildings on the block which had not been damaged, and they set up a temporary base.
“All right, this will be a FOB,” Crimson said as she pulled out a large map and straightened it out on an empty table. “From here we will scout the nearby area and see if we can find any clues to where that unit ended up.”
“I got a contact,” Chavez said from the front of the building.
Everyone’s guns were out and at the ready within seconds, and they crept to the front as they looked down the sights. A lone man sat a hundred yards away, just staring at the building they were in. The man wore a stretched-out white shirt with stains covering nearly every inch; his head was covered by a dirty baseball cap turned backwards. The man stood there for a moment, then waved.
“Thoughts?” Dexter asked.
“He’s unarmed but could have friends,” Crimson said, not taking her focus away from the sights. “Dexter, sweep around back and make sure he’s not a distraction.”
The man in the white shirt began causally walking up to their building, his hands just swinging at his side. When he got within fifty yards he raised his hands over his head. “I’m coming in peace.” He spun in place as he walked. “Not armed. Not looking for trouble.”
Crimson nodded at Ben so he walked outside and waited for the man to approach. As the man got closer he began to smile.
“Hey, nice to meet you. My name’s Keith. That your helicopter that just left?”
“Keith, no offense, but I’m going to need you to turn around and walk backwards toward me, understand?” Ben asked.
Keith frowned but shrugged his shoulders as he turned around and began to back up. “Guess you can never be too careful.”
Ben stopped him when he got within a few feet and patted him down. The man’s sweaty musk hung off him and dried mud fell off his jeans as Ben checked his ankles. He was unarmed. Ben pulled him inside with the others. Keith walked in, still with a smile on his face.
“Wow, so you all with the military or something?”
“Anybody with you, Keith?” Crimson asked.
“Nope, just me, myself and I.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Looking for supplies, but I could ask the same. I at least live near here. Where are you all from?” Keith asked as he crossed his arms.
“I’ll ask the questions from here,” Crimson said, glancing outside for a moment. “When I’m done I’ll answer yours, understand?”
“You all with those other military guys that came through here?”
Ben and Ty shared a look.
“When did they come through?” Crimson asked.
“A couple of weeks back. They came through my town and stayed for a day before they headed out.”
“Do you know where they went?” Crimson asked.
“I don’t,” Keith said. “But they don’t always tell me everything. You should ask Jane; she’s pretty much in charge over there.”
Crimson was quiet for a moment and then nodded her head. “How far away is your town?”
Their trek took them from the abandoned town they were in, over an ivy- and grass-covered highway, and soon Keith’s town was on the horizon. A single man sat on a rooftop and yelled down to the rest of the town as they approached. As expected their unit had a welcoming party waiting for them. A woman stood in the middle of the street wearing a black wife-beater with a pink visor on top of her head. To either side of her were two men, each armed with a hatc
het.
“It’s ok, it’s ok,” Keith said, stepping forward. “They’re with me, Jane.”
The woman looked from Keith to the others. “You all with the U.S. military?”
“We are,” Crimson answered.
“You’re not here looking for supplies or recruits or anything like that?”
“We’re looking for information on a military patrol that came through here.”
Jane nodded her head and the two men stepped away. “I might be able to help you with that; just follow me.”
They walked down the trash-strewn street where dozens of roughly dressed civilians watched them with a look of distrust clearly in their eyes. Jane walked them down the street, where she stopped outside what used to be a café. The brick exterior had spray-painted images covering it all over and there were several tables and chairs sitting just outside. Jane gestured toward the seats.
“Feel free to take a load off.”
“We are fine,” Crimson said, looking around. “If you don’t mind, we’d like to get information on the unit ASAP.”
Jane paused for a moment and looked Crimson up and down. “Awfully pushy for someone who needs our help.”
“We’re not trying to be pushy,” Ben said, stepping forward. Crimson was good at a lot of things; being personable just happened to be one of her weaknesses. “We lost contact with them a while back. We just want to find them and make sure they are ok.”
Jane rolled her eyes. “All right, all right. They came through here about two and a half weeks ago. They were looking for some kind of military base and were looking to trade.”
“How were they?” Ben asked. “Any injuries or anything like that?”
Jane shrugged. “Not that I could see. They stayed for a night and then they were on their way.”
“Where were they headed?” Crimson asked.
“South.”
Ben looked around and noticed their gathering was attracting a lot of attention. The sides of the streets were quickly filling up with people straining their necks to see what was going on. Most of them were women and children, but there were a few young men mixed in. In all there were about thirty people standing about, but Ben noticed two in particular. The two men stood back behind the others but their eyes weren’t filled with awe or curiosity; they were simply watching. It felt like they were waiting. Ben causally looked behind them and saw another group of around a dozen people watching them back where they had come from.
