by Boris Licina
Josh opened his eyes and looked at Oliver. He sat up in his seat and rubbed his eyes. Oliver pointed to the Listerine bottle on the dashboard. Josh washed his mouth and spat through the window.
"There's food", Oliver told him and pointed at the backpack in the back.
"Thanks, maybe later", Josh said. "How long have you been driving?"
"A few hours. We're filled up and don't stop until Sandusky!"
"I'll take over after you", Josh offered.
"Thanks. When I get tired, I'll tell you", he was usually nice, but talking to the father of his girl, he was measuring his every word.
"Did you call Eli?", he asked.
Oliver waved his head aside.
"Then don't. I think they listened in on our conversation. Radio silence mode is better until they call us. With Eli taking over the wheel when Benjamin fell."
"Benjamin is only wounded, Morris heard him shout out, but who knows. We may have lost him, too", Josh sighed.
They were driving on through West Virginia in silence. If that was a regular road trip, they would enjoy the beautiful scenery. But, they only looked at the landscape briefly, trying not to worry too much about the team on the boat. Oli knew that his mother, Lika, had gone through some rough patches in her career. She was street smart and knew how to take care of herself. Josh was sure Eli was also smart, wise and capable girl that would be careful. And those video games, "he really believed that they helped her thinking and finding fast solutions."
"What did you want to be when you grow up?", Josh asked him to stop thinking. Although they were sure that Lika, Eli and Ben were safe, the worry could not subside so quickly.
"An astronaut", Oli smiled.
"Oh, then you may have your wish after all", Josh laughed.
"I wanted to be a firefighter", Morris said yawning out of sleep, "but my mom said no. She said it was dangerous. If she lived to see me now …"
"I'm sure she would be proud", Oliver yawned, too.
"And worried", Josh added. "Mothers are always a little worried. She would ask you if you'd eaten and if it was cold."
Everybody laughed. They were leaving West Virginia and entering Ohio. Morris had a chocolate bar Oliver had taken at the gas station for breakfast and was studying the map. They had only a few hours to Sandusky; the road lead them through several larger cities. The potential for trouble was always higher there. Still, there was no point in counting on the cities to be insecure. They could find trouble anywhere along the road. He hoped that Jacksonville was the last trouble they would find. And just at that moment he saw a man waving his hands in the distance in the middle of the road. Oliver saw him too and started to slow down.
"No stopping", Morris said, "drive on."
The Silverado rushed by. The man was still waving with both hands. As they moved some two hundred meters from him, the man suddenly bent down, took a gun from the grass and started shooting at the car! Everybody in the car bowed down instinctively, while the bullets whizzed and hit the car! One bullet went right through the middle of the front window and missed Morris by inches! The man stood in the middle of the road, put one hand behind his back and aimed at the driver. Oliver swerved first to the right, then left, and pressed the accelerator pedal! The man with the gun threw himself to the side, but it was too late. Oliver hit him with the right flank of the car and threw him some ten meters into the grass! Oliver wanted to break, but sped up at the last moment!
"What was that?! Why are people shooting at us! Fuck!", Oliver shouted.
"Hey, hey, everything's all right! It's OK!", Morris was telling him. "Breathe! In! Out! In … out … in … out …"
Oliver exhaled.
"Fuck", he repeated quietly.
"We're fine", Josh said, "that's important, that we're all fine. You saved us."
"Yeah, sure", Oliver was irritated.
"Seriously, these were road robbers", Josh started to explain, "a classic ambush. One is waving, the others waiting in the bushes."
"I saw no one else", Oliver was skeptical.
"I did", Morris said, "but everything went fast. They did not have the time to shoot, your reaction was excellent."
"I killed a man."
"Tough luck, kid", Morris put his hand on Oliver's shoulder, "that's the world we live in today. It wasn't your intention, it happened this way. Don't fret about it. You saved us and yourself."
"Anyway", Josh added, "maybe you didn't kill him. We'll never know."
Oliver sighed deeply again. But, Josh was right. Perhaps it was better not to know. They passed Philadelphia towards Sandusky. Somewhere in the distance they could see black clouds.
44.
Benjamin was sleeping in a small room behind the cabin. Lika bandaged his leg and stopped the bleeding. The wound was not big, but there was always the danger of infection. There were no first aid kits on the boat. They did not see whoever was following them, only the engine could be heard. As soon as the shooting started and after Benjamin had fallen, Eli went full throttle. She remembered the map and the river turning right towards the sea. That was their chance to escape or hide. After Lika had put Benjamin to rest, she stood by Eli.
"Good job, you decided well. Those games really help", Lika said.
"Is this some psychological trick, to loosen me up after the stressful event? That with the games?", she laughed a little.
"It's useful", Lika admitted, "in my experience, a lot."
Eli smiled to herself.
"Don't worry, Oliver and your dad are fine. They escaped", Lika said. She took her mobile device and opened the map, hid the light with her hand and showed it to Eli.
"We have no idea how fast their boat is. The best option is to sail the river behind the two islands and hide in Timucuan Park. Then we can pass through to the sea and go on", Lika suggested.
Timucuan was a nature park stretching over nineteen thousand hectares; mainly marsh areas with some land patches and a lot of forks to hide in. Vegetation was low, but the park should offer them sanctuary, as well as direct them to the sea.
"Waters won't be too shallow?"
"Axa has a shallow gauge, and I'm hoping the tide is high", Lika told her, "and I think this is our best chance. I'll lie down for a while, wake me up when we enter Timucuan."
Eli nodded as she was carefully passing by several smaller islands on the river. It was dawning slowly and she could see much better. But, so would those behind them, whoever that might be. She monitored the waters in front of her for any cays, which would have been a catastrophe and no way out. They would have to escape swimming! The instruments in front of her showed her the depth, the GPS showed her the way ahead. Still, she was happier to monitor the river herself. Eli took the boat behind the Blount Island, some five-miles-long island full of shipping containers. She would go around and reach the Clapboard Creek leading to Timucuan.
Eli dropped the speed and silenced the engine. Somewhere in the distance she could hear the other boat engine. She estimated it was stronger than theirs, but it was difficult to tell due to the way sound was transported over water.
"Lika!", she whispered.
"Coming", Lika opened her eyes.
"We're entering the park", Eli said.
They were sailing by a small marina that offered boats and fishing equipment for rent. Eli turned into the deeper fork to the right. In the distance, on firm ground, there stood a raccoon watching their boat. She waved. Slowly, they were advancing through a marsh area. They could no longer hear the other ship's engine. Eli was choosing their path according to the depth but also the height of the greenery along the river. The higher, the better. Something was supposed to hide them and every chance should be used. The water was greenish, sometimes even bluish in color.
"Good morning", Benjamin waved at them from the cabin, trying to stand up.
"Hey!", Lika stopped him with her hand. "Do not get up. You have to rest."
She came over and gave him a bottle of water.
"Drink",
she ordered him.
Benjamin took some water and asked:
"Where are we?"
"In Timucuan park", Lika replied as she squatted next to him, "so that we could reach the sea to see what's next."
"Excellent. Good", he commented.
Eli watched the river and the banks as she drove the boat through the river fork. Soon, they would see the Kingsley plantation, hundreds of years old, and after that the open sea! Eli accelerated and speeded towards the right turn on the river. Behind that bend, as the map showed, would be the sea. And it was! But also a small ship, similar to theirs. Eli stopped and put the engine in reverse. She backed up a little and then stopped.
"What's happened?", Lika came from the cabin.
"A boat ahead", Eli whispered. "I have no idea if there's anybody on it. It looks abandoned, but we won't risk it."
"I agree", Lika was now also whispering.
The water brought them the sound of the boat engine. It was silent, barely audible, as if sneaking.
"Shit", they said at the same time.
Eli turned the ship towards the plantation they had just passed by and stopped by a dock. In front of them there were two white buildings with white porches. There were high palm trees in front of them. Behind the houses, as the map indicated, there was a path leading to the two marinas. Lika showed the map to Eli. Both of them took out Benjamin, held him up by his arms, so they disembarked and headed towards the houses. They had to find some means of transport, they would need half a day with the wounded Benjamin. They went behind the first house to find a parking space. Empty, so they continued on the southward path. It was hidden by tall trees and looked beautiful. Millie and grandfather would love it here, Eli thought. Behind them they suddenly heard voices! The women were carrying Benjamin's arms on their shoulders, but were advancing too slowly. The voices got louder!
"There!", Lika pointed towards the forest around them.
They entered the woods and lay down on the ground. Lika gestured them to be silent as never before. Even if the largest fucking Florida snake came along! They held their heads low. The steps got closer, but they were not running, just walking, then they stopped, started again, stopped. The language was unknown. There was a rustle next to Eli, Lika and Benjamin. The steps went on, away from them. Lika raised her head and saw three people returning towards the plantation. In uniforms. So, they stayed there some half an hour more, barely breathing, when Lika showed them to stand up. They returned to the path and continued their way.
"Did you see them?", Benjamin asked.
"I did. Three people in uniforms", Lika told them.
"What uniforms?", Eli wanted to know.
"No idea", Lika said and changed the subject. "We have to find a new boat. From what I've seen on the map, there are two marines here. One is bound to cater us. At least for a portion of the way. Perhaps we'll find a car. But, for now, as soon as we can, to the marina."
It took them a little over an hour to cover those three miles walking at a normal pace. Now they needed two to three hours. They had to stop every half an hour because of the wounded Benjamin. To rest, to check the wound. And it was getting warmer. Luckily, the trees gave them some shade. Finally, they reached a paved road. A large yellow building across the road was hiding the marina. Lika crossed over first, checked the area and returned.
"It's empty."
So they crossed the road and entered the marina's main building. There was a small reception desk with a short, wooden stand. Behind it, on a large cork plate, there were two keys. She took both and they descended to the docks. Only two boats were moored there. One was the Hunter 20 sail boat, the other the motor boat Vicem, of the Winsdor Craft series. They chose the latter. It looked better and was fast! Lika turned on the engine. The fuel tank was nearly empty.
"This one won't take us far", Lika told them.
They went over to the Hunter. It was a small sail boat from the nineteen eighties. It was unbelievable it was still operational after all those years! Eli cut the boat loose, Lika turned on the outboard engine. The boat sailed out of the marina slowly and headed back towards the city. Close to that marina, there was the entrance to the Intracoastal Waterway - a water highway for boats, which would take them to the first large marina where they would take a bigger boat to Kennedy. As they entered the waterway, a military patrol boat appeared in the distance, several miles away.
45.
The Grand Cherokee was rushing down Road 85, crushing the snow gusts in front. It was a mighty jeep, easily used in the hills or anywhere, fit for all weather conditions. The version Rachel and Amanda acquired had the software for self-driving. They could just let it take them to their location! Nevertheless, the Snow Outbreak required the full concentration and control. Amanda was driving and Rachel monitored the map leading to Kennedy. They had a choice of several ways. The fastest lead them straight to the highway, but neither she, nor Amanda were sure the fastest road was the safest. Therefore, they decided to cover a part of the trip on local roads, however dangerous. Those roads were narrower, covered in snow that was often hiding black snow and ice that might cause the car to skid and crash aside. Amanda was holding the wheel firmly hoping they would encounter no ice and no other obstacles. Sometimes they could see cars by the road. Some were parked, some crashed at the railing. There were some dead bodies, but Amanda and Rachel tried not to pay them any attention. The snow was relentless. The Cherokee's wiper were operating at top speed.
"It's weird, you make some plans your entire life and postpone them thinking there would always be time", Amanda said.
"What plans did you make?"
"To drive from the east to the west coast. I thought after my studies, but I got the job almost immediately. There was no time. Then I postpones it again. Until I do this, when I finish this big step … years pass by. But, hey, if not for the Snow Outbreak, this would be a nice road trip."
"And if not for the snow! But, here we are", Rachel did not want to think about the flu too much. "What is important now is to come to Kennedy safely. As I can see on the satellite image, the snow will soon cease and we'll be entering the southern, sunny part of the world."
"Great, some warm weather for a change", Amanda commented.
"A road trip - and then space. I bet you did not dream of this! It's a mother of all road trips."
Amanda smiled at her.
Rachel turned on the radio and switched through digital channels. Many stations continued to broadcast automatically, following prearranged playlists. Most of them were operated by AI's smart software that knew exactly what the listeners needed at that moment. The number of parameters it took to calculate that was large, but the software was smart. It knew the weather conditions and the listeners' locations. Rachel stopped at the station offering music from the nineteen fifties.
"What a retro!", Amanda commented. "Actually, I've never asked you … what do you like?"
She winked, Rachel smiled.
"I like retro music. The fifties are close to my heart", Rachel revealed modestly.
The radio played "You Sent Me" by Sam Cook.
"I fell in love with them when I was little", she continued. "Because my parents used to listen to that music and watch the fifties movies. I watched "Grease" and "Back to the Future" a million times, knew them by heart from the first to the last sentence. I even had a small online store in college with things from the fifties. I would find them around, online and offline, buy them and resell. But it did not last long. When I think about that crush today, I seem to have liked them because life was so much simpler then. Of course it wasn't. I'm just idealizing it because of the good music and films."
"That's sweet", Amanda said.
"And you? Do you have a favorite music genre?"
"It depends. If I'm dancing, I like soul, funk, groove. If I'm working, then it's film music. If I'm driving a long route, everything rare. The music I've never heard before, music directions to surprise me. Usually music from the world. B
ut not world music. More like … covers of American hit songs. In a foreign language. Movie and series music is very important to me. It is key! When I did various coverages, I always tried to include some music to accompany the story."
"What is your favorite coverage report?", Rachel wanted to know.
"When I was a student", Amanda did not think for long, "about the kids who won the competition in programming artificial intelligence. They were total outsiders. A small, poor school against large universities. Nobody expected them. Several big sites took up the story. It was a huge success for us students. The world was ours!"
The snow stopped.
"When I got to New York, I thought I would be doing big and important stories. But, you know how it is, you have to prove yourself. My first cover stories were fun, but unimportant. Something like in that film "Groundhog Day". Punxsutawney Phil! The Snow Outbreak was supposed to be my way to the top. Until then, I was just a small, funny reporter."
"Hey, don't judge yourself too harshly."
"And the stupid editors", Amanda continued, "they send me to Times Square to film a story on the flu. What an futile idea. But, hey, it would cause worry and increase ratings. Sometimes I'm glad the world has come to its end."
"Well, we could have improved a lot", Rachel agreed, "but now we have the opportunity to build it all up again. Better and smarter."
"Maybe, maybe", Amanda said yawning.
Rachel also yawned.
"You should sleep a little", Amanda told her.
"So should you. But, nobody should drive alone. Perhaps we can stop somewhere for a few hours?", Rachel suggested.
