One time I shot a bird and Dad scolded me. He said we should never kill anything that wasn’t going to hurt us or feed us. He was a teacher, so of course I had a lengthy lesson on how everything on Earth is connected.
He didn’t talk much of the ROAMERS. I think he didn’t mention them so we wouldn’t get scared and also Mom would get mad at him when he did. But I think they were always in his thoughts.
Occasionally if there was an unexplained noise in the distance, like a boom or such, he’d scurry us to the house and make us stay close till he knew for sure everything was safe. I’d ask, “Was that the ROAMERS? Are they coming?”
He’d look at me gravely and answer something like, “I don’t know, Tyler. They might be. I want you and Tanner to stay close to home today. No going into town today or over to Sam’s. I don’t think there’s any danger, but it’s best not to take any chances.”
One time I asked him how many ROAMERS there are. I thought they might be like packs of wolves –dozens maybe. I wanted to be able to share with Sam what my dad knew about the ROAMERS.
He shrugged his shoulders. “Not sure Tyler. But there must be a lot of them. They take over whole communities in a single day. I don’t want to scare you Tyler, but you need to know so you realize how careful and attentive we must be.”
“Do they come from the cities?” I asked.
Dad nodded. “Most of them. Some come from the very communities the ROAMERS attacked. I don’t understand that.”
“Why doesn’t anyone fight them?” I asked.
My father laughed softly and patted his heavy hand on my shoulder. “You’d think that, wouldn’t you? But we have nothing powerful enough to fight them with. We’re a small town with few guns. Hard to fight someone with an axe that has machine guns, explosives, cannons, and anything else destructive.”
My mom would get mad at my dad if ever she caught him talking to me about the ROAMERS. She’d say something like “Stop asking so many silly questions, Tyler. I told you not to do that. Bill you’re just going to worry him”
Dad would always try to answer my questions though. He’d tell Mom “He should know these things, Ashley. He has a right to know. This is all affecting him too.”
We ate a quick meal Mom prepared while Dad loaded the wagon. It was getting dark by now, and my dad went around the house locking all the doors and setting loose all the livestock. When I saw him let the livestock loose, I knew this was for real and we weren’t coming back anytime soon.
We loaded into the wagon with our few belongings. My father had prepared the wagon a couple months ago for this very occasion. It was packed with canned goods, a couple axes, blankets, pillows, rope, seeds for planting, water jugs, extra clothes, medicines, ammunition, etc.
Before we set down the road, Dad handed everyone a backpack. He explained each bag was vital to our survival if ever we get separated and should never leave our side. He went on to explain that each bag had a pistol with ammunition, a knife, a first aid kit, two MRE’s (military Meals Ready to Eat), a thermal blanket (which looked like a roll of tin foil), a couple lighters placed inside zip lock bags to keep them dry, a whistle, a wetsuit from our triathlon days, and a water bottle with purification tablets.
Then he got really serious and showed us the maps he placed inside each bag. He explained, “These maps are our only chance to find each other if ever we get separated. If you keep anything safe, it must be these maps. These maps show how to get to our destination. The destination is Grandpa’s farm up north. If we get separated, you must follow these maps to Grandpa’s. Otherwise we will never see each other again. Don’t lose them – ever! Do you understand boys? Do you understand how important these maps are? You can never lose them. Look me in the eyes and promise me you will not lose them.”
Dad was very serious and was scaring me. I couldn’t imagine getting separated and having to find Grandpa’s on my own. But then a huge part of me was distracted by the fact that my dad had just GAVE ME A GUN! Who gives a couple kids guns? I have to admit, it was scary but also kind of cool. I felt pretty tough carrying that thing around.
Dad made us put our packs on including Mom. He made sure they fit snug and clipped in the front around our chests. They were not falling off unless we took them off. Surprisingly, they weren’t very heavy, considering all the stuff in them.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! The sky around town lit up. The attack had begun on the small town of Laingsburg. The shelling was loud and you could hear the faint sound of gun fire. It reminded me of fireworks, but without the fun.
My mom hugged my little brother tight. My dad took a long look our house and said softly, “Say goodbye boys. Say goodbye for now. Someday we’ll come back. This can’t last forever. Someday we’ll come back home.” And with those few words, we left.
I watched as our home got smaller and smaller - until it was finally too far away to see. It was sad. I had a very good life there and now we had to leave.
With my backpack strapped on, I sprawled on the floor of the wagon. I kept thinking about the ROAMERS making their way towards my house. I thought of my friends in town and how much I hoped they got away. I wondered about Hailey and how she was doing.
I wondered about Sam and his family. They chose to go west. Dad said we were heading east towards Owosso, then north towards Grandpa’s.
I felt my backpack to see if I could feel the pistol inside. It was the only thing I could think of to fight the ROAMERS with. I began to wonder if I could shoot someone if I had to. I hoped I would never have to find out.
Tyler’s Journal Entry: 352
Date: May 14
Day: Thursday
Weather: Cloudy and cold
Days Since the LAST DAY: 2yrs, 10 months, 13 days
It was early this morning (still dark) when we finally reached the city of Owosso. Owosso was the neighboring town about 20 miles away. My parents talked in low voices, but I could hear them.
Mom said, “It’s too dangerous to stay here long. We need to keep moving.”
My dad agreed. “We’ll take turns steering the horses, but the horses will need rest after a few hours.”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! You could still hear the faint sounds of cannons. I tried to hear any gun fire, but we were too far away. The sky still lit up from the cannons and it was an eerie reminder of the monsters behind us.
The news of the ROAMERS had reached Owosso and there was a gloom over the small city. The people of Owosso were much like the rest of us - surviving.
However, Owosso was more of a small city than a town. The people there are tough too – even before the LAST DAY they were tough.
Before the LAST DAY they were primarily blue collar workers working the factories in Flint and Lansing. Then there was a mix of farmers and miscellaneous workers like mechanics and construction workers.
The city was in a frenzy with people running every which way.
RRRRRRRRR! RRRRRRRRRR! RRRRRRRRR! They had a hand cranked siren sounding. It was loud. You could probably here that thing for miles. The city seemed to be organized and everyone seemed on a mission, knowing exactly what their job was. It was very impressive.
As we strolled down the main street we could see men gathering in military formation. They looked as though they had rehearsed this and had some sort of militia organized.
“They’re going to fight!” I yelled pointing.
Dad patted me on the shoulder and motioned for me to sit down. He ignored them and cracked the reigns to the horses. The horses sped up to a fast pace trot.
I looked back and watched the men. They reminded me of the minute men from the Revolutionary War I studied in American History. There was no noticeable uniform other than a red arm band for each.
Each man had their own gun and was standing at attention listening to a large man in front of them barking orders. They stood tall and looked so brave.
“Finally, someone will stand up to those ROAMERS.” I whispered to myself.
About a dozen horses
pulling small cannons pasted by us going in the other direction. Another dozen were pulling an assortment of weapons. And another couple dozen were pulling wagons full of armed and ready men.
People cheered them on as they passed. But mostly everyone seemed to have a place to go and wasn’t stopping for anything. The streets were lit with lanterns and torches. It was quite a scene and one I won’t soon forget.
Dad was hurrying to get out of town when suddenly someone shot a gun in the air out of excitement. Our horses bucked and wildly took off running - towing us behind. “Whoa! Whoa!” Dad yelled. But the horses weren’t stopping.
They ran up onto the sidewalk knocking over everything in their way.
“Whoa!” Dad yelled again pulling back on the reins. Finally they clipped a bolted down bench and the entire wagon flew into the air. We landed on our side with everything we owned spilling out on the streets.
Dad jumped to his feet and yelled, “Anyone hurt?” He pulled my mom to her feet and my mom grabbed me as Dad helped Tanner. Everyone was shook up and had minor scratches - but for the most part was ok. Our stuff was scattered everywhere, the jugs of water broke open, and the front wheel was broke completely off.
“The wheel is broke! We won’t be able to fix it in time. We need to keep moving.” Dad said as he inspected the wagon. “Grab what you can and let’s go.”
I could see the disappointment in Dad’s face, but he wasn’t the type to dwell long on things he couldn’t fix. So onward we went. “There’s going to be a battle here. It will give us time to get away and out of danger.” Dad said trying to reassure us. But somehow I felt he wasn’t convinced.
Dad released the horses and attempted to harness some of our belongings onto them. But something spooked them and they ran away. Dad didn’t bother with them after that and trudged on.
We walked down the edge of the street toward the east. I watched the remaining militia march by. As we were about to head down a side street, there was an explosion and we looked toward the west in the direction the ROAMERS were coming from. The empty darkness on the outskirts of town vanished in a wall of red flames and black smoke.
A woman screamed, “They’re here!” We looked off in the distance in the direction of the flames, about a quarter mile away, and saw the ROAMERS cannons shooting fire from their mussels.
The militia spread out and headed towards the ROAMERS in small groups. Some stayed back and dug in ready to be the final line of defense. Some of the children began crying as gunfire drowned out their cries of desperation.
Many parents grabbed their children and tears filled their eyes – my mom’s included. It didn’t seem possible that only a few hours before I had been at home working in our garden. I was no longer excited about the ROAMERS. I realized that they meant nothing more than death and destruction.
Dad and Mom grabbed Tanner and I and began to run away from the fighting. The militia continued fighting the ROAMERS, defying them. I wondered how many were going to die. Neither my mom or dad said anything; they were just running pulling us with them.
We ran down a side street toward the old train station. Owosso still had an operating railway they used to transport people, mail, supplies, etc. Luckily they had vintage steam engines in storage.
Before the LAST DAY, they brought them out every year for a festival they called Rail Days. Families would come and tour the trains and some trains even gave rides. My dad took me when I was in my train phase as a younger kid. It was a good memory.
We ran into a crowd and were sorting our way through when a large man grabbed my dad and said, “Women and children only!” My dad cocked back and was ready pop the man in the face when the man grabbed Dad’s clenched fist and repeated, “Women and children only. We don’t have enough room for the men. Women and children only.”
My dad looked over his shoulder and noticed the steam engines and boxcars. Owosso was evacuating women and children via the trains. My dad’s faced gleamed with excitement as he grabbed the man by the shoulders thanking him. The man gave my dad a confused look and proceeded to direct people into the boxcars.
“You have to go Ashley.” Dad said as he grabbed Mom by the shoulders. “It’s our only chance.” He looked desperately into my Mom’s eyes looking for understanding. My mom began to tremble and tears filled her eyes. “What about you? We should stay together.” She said. Dad replied, “They don’t have enough room for the men. Women and children only.”
Mom let go of Tanner’s hand and wrapped her arms around Dad. “We’re a family. We’ll find a way out of this. We can keep going together. We’ll head north. Don’t leave us – please.” Tears were now pouring from Mom. Her voice tremble and she could barely stand. I wanted to yell at Dad too. I was so scared for him, because I knew what it meant if we got on that train. It meant Dad was being left behind.
Dad said in a soft yet stern voice, “We don’t have time Ashley. The boxcars are almost full. You have to get the kids on that train. This is their only chance to get away. They won’t make it otherwise.”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Shells from the ROAMERS began to go off. Everyone fell to the ground covering their heads. Dirt flew and fire consumed the air around us.
With a loud clunk the train began to move.
WHOOOOO! WHOOOO! The train whistle blew. Dad picked Tanner up and Mom grabbed me. Dad yelled, “Go now! I’ll find you! Go to our meeting place! I promise I will find you!” Mom picked up Tanner and told me to run.
WHOOOO! WHOOOO! The three of us ran along the side of the moving train. Someone grabbed me and pulled me up into a boxcar. I reached out behind me to grab Mom’s hand. She stumbled with Tanner in her arms and fell to the ground.
WHOOOO! WHOOOO! I went to jump out of the boxcar but someone grabbed me by the neck collar pulling me back as the boxcar door slammed shut in front of me. I screamed and fought my way out of the persons grasp.
I frantically attempted to open the door but it was no use. I was stuck in that boxcar – separated from my family. I didn’t even get the chance to say good-bye. I laid down in shock and stared up at the boxcar roof. The train steamed on into the darkness of the night. I was now alone.
Tyler’s Journal Entry: 353
Date: May 15
Day: Friday
Weather: Cloudy and cold
Days Since the LAST DAY: 2yrs, 10 months, 14 days
I woke to the smell of garlic and black licorice which emanated from a chunky kid sleeping next to me. His mouth was wide open and only inches from mine. He had drool flowing down his cheek and he was murmuring something about baseball in his sleep. I rolled over to my other side to find his even chunkier sister staring at me holding a Barbie doll which was missing an arm.
Not wanting to look at either, I rolled unto my back and stared at the roof of the swaying boxcar. It was dimly lit by a kerosene lamp and had a dusty coating all around it. It must have previously been used to haul animals, being the floor was covered by dirty straw strewn with clumps of what looked like animal feces.
Women and children filled the boxcar. Some were talking in small groups, some were sitting by themselves, and others were sleeping. I checked my wind up watch and it read 5:16 am. I estimated I must have been asleep for around eleven hours.
I quickly did the math and realized this train was not heading north towards Standish where my grandpa's cabin was, the place where I was to meet up with my family.
I thought about my math lessons in school and did the math again. If I'd been on this train for eleven hours traveling around 40 miles per hour, that would mean I'm a good 440 miles from home. Grandpa's was only about 120.
I jumped to my feet and asked a nearby adult, "Where is this train heading?"
She politely said, "Hudson, Tennessee."
"Tennessee! I need to go to Standish, Michigan!"
"Oh my dear, you're going in the wrong direction."
"No kidding!" I said realizing I was being a bit rude.
"Where can I...." I began to ask but
then was interrupted by a loud CRREEEEEEKKKKK, SCCRRREEEECH, and then a BANG!
Before I could finish my sentence I was thrown to the front of the boxcar, along with the kind lady, the two chunky kids, and everyone else on board. We all collided at the front of the boxcar together. Screaming women and children were all flying around me, and I couldn't understand why. It all happened so fast.
We all fell to the floor of the boxcar in a huge clump. There was a quiet pause then the boxcar started to buckle and jump violently. One by one the boxcars following ours began to run into each other.
There was a loud series of banging and crunching, the boxcar tilted to one side and then went completely upside down. The kerosene lamp burst and the oil spread all over igniting the walls and some passengers into flames.
I know it only lasted a few seconds, but the ordeal seemed to last forever. We tumbled and tossed over each other. I caught glimpses of flames, feet, hands, hair, and then the feeling of falling was prevalent. For a brief moment we all were floating in a free fall, followed by a sudden crash and then a huge splash. We had fallen off a bridge into a raging river below.
Will of Man - Part Two Page 4
