“Maybe someone needs to save you,” she said. “Maybe you’ll get there and realize you’ve got to stop trying to save others instead of yourself.”
“I’m going to get your sister,” Leland said with a tone of finality.
“I’m capable of helping,” she said.
“I know, but I don’t want you to help.” The words seemed harsh, but it was the only way Leland knew how to make her stop arguing.
She looked up at him with tears filling her eyes, then left the garage.
Leland felt like a rotten mess.
Chapter Eight
Other than prison, Henry had never wanted to leave a place more than he wanted to leave Hope, Wisconsin. There was an obvious aversion to his presence by the people there. The looks they gave him as he walked through the town made the thought of an apocalyptic Chicago seem warm and welcoming.
As he got into the SUV on the passenger side, he couldn’t help but notice the pained look on Leland’s face. He had just worked so hard to try and save one daughter, and now he had to leave her to go and save another. From what Henry understood, Gwen had as much of a part to play in her own rescue as her father did. A part of him actually wondered if having Gwen along would be beneficial. Then he shook the thoughts away thinking Leland would only be distracted if his daughter were accompanying them to Chicago. It truly did defeat the purpose of what they were trying to do.
Henry thought about Sam and wondered if he even still lived where he thought he lived. The last conversation the two of them had was three months before, but he also knew his younger brother didn’t feel obligated to tell him about everything that went on in his life. No matter how much Henry prodded, Sam always remained guarded and was private about what he liked to do.
Henry wasn’t sure what he would do if he couldn’t find Sam. Really, he wasn’t sure what he would do if he did find Sam. He wouldn’t be staying up north, that was for sure. With no power and winter coming up on them quickly, heading south was the best plan. But that was as far as his plan extended. He didn’t have any family or friends other than Sam, so the possibilities for Henry were endless. That said, Sam might not want to travel with Henry, especially once he found out that Henry had escaped the prison. The jury is still out on what was supposed to happen with escaped prisoners during all of this. Henry was still a fugitive, but at the moment, there was no one in the world to care. He certainly wasn’t the only fugitive taking advantage of the freedom that this attack had offered. He didn’t know how long the power would be out, and he didn’t know when the pursuit of fugitives would start up, but he was going to waste no time in getting someplace where he could lay low.
Pulling away from Hope felt strange to Henry. He couldn’t help but notice the absurdity of his current situation. He was an escaped convict sitting in a car with a cop who no longer wanted to be a cop, headed for Chicago where they would likely face chaos and destruction. He couldn’t help but notice Leland didn’t look in the rearview mirror as he pulled away from the town. It was as though the sheriff didn’t want to look back because he had no plans to return. Perhaps that was the case. If Leland didn’t find his daughter in Chicago, Henry wasn’t sure what he would do. Leland didn’t seem like the kind of guy to give up the hunt.
The two of them had already discussed the fact that they may come across people on the side of the road who needed help or were in danger. But considering their mission, and because time was of the essence, the two of them agreed that they wouldn’t stop unless it was absolutely necessary to their own survival. Getting sidetracked by other people who were in danger would only keep them from getting to their loved ones. Any stopping, any deviation at all was a danger to Leland’s daughter and Henry’s brother.
Henry pulled the small radio from his belt and studied it. “So, do you expect us to be separated?“
Leland shrugged. “Not necessarily. Doesn’t hurt to have them though.“
Henry thought about the days when he and his brother were kids. The two of them had gotten a set of radios and pretended to be on secret missions. They would talk in code, sometimes changing the code on the fly. None of the words ever meant anything, but it was fun nonetheless. One code Henry remembered Sam came up with was supposed to mean one of them was in danger. The code phrase was “My left elbow hurts a little bit, but I’m okay.”
It was a simple sentence. It would seem like casual conversation, a throwaway line. If he or Leland were in a dangerous situation, this was an innocuous phrase that wouldn’t attract attention. It would perhaps even sound like the ramblings of a nervous person who didn’t know what to say over the radio.
Henry looked at Leland. “We should have a code phrase.“
Leland looked at him but didn’t say anything.
“You know, in case one of us gets in trouble. We just need a specific code phrase that lets the other person know one of us is in danger.”
“Well, you could just press the button and say hey, I’m in danger,” Leland said.
Henry shook his head. “No, it needs to be something that someone else wouldn’t be able to figure out.”
“And why do you think we would need that?”
“Well, why do you think we will need radios at all?”
“Okay,“ Leland said. “What do you have in mind?”
Henry thought for a moment and was about to come up with a different line, then decided just to go with what he was familiar with. “If you find yourself in trouble, just say my left elbow hurts, but I’m okay.”
Leland stared straight ahead at the road in front of them, his mouth pressed in a firm frown. It was probably his natural look and not a representation of how he was actually feeling. Finally, he took a deep breath and nodded. “My left elbow hurts, but I’m okay.” He nodded. “Easy enough to remember.”
It felt good for Henry to use something he and his brother used all those years ago, even if it was just for play. Leland didn’t seem to think they would need the code phrase, but it certainly didn’t hurt to have one. There was no telling what they would face when they reached Chicago—if they were able to reach it at all. It was several hours away, and there was no telling what they would face between here and there. Henry figured they would find too many people in need of help. He knew himself, and he knew Leland a little bit. Neither one of them would want to turn their heads away from a mother and children or a family stranded on the side of the road. But both of them would have to prioritize. Was it more important to help a family on the side of the road or was it more important to find their own family? The problem was they didn’t know whether or not their family was in trouble. The odds were high that things weren’t good for them, but when faced with a desperate family on the side of the road, would they be able to ignore the need? Henry wasn’t a cold-blooded killer even though that was why he had been sent to prison for life.
He wondered what Sam would say when they met each other again. He understood why Sam had kept his distance over the last few years. Sam was ashamed. He didn’t want to face his brother if he didn’t have to.
Hopefully, Henry would see Sam soon. He just hoped Sam would come with him.
Chapter Nine
The weather was sunny and hot as the seniors gathered on the football field, and Henry was thankful to be there in his cap and gown. He wondered what it was like being Richard McCinch, the one giving the valedictorian speech, whose parents were supportive and pushed him to make good grades.
Henry was lucky he hadn’t had to repeat a grade. He was smart enough to do what he had to do to pass, but only that much. Classrooms were never a realm of learning for Henry. He didn’t learn by reading books or studying papers. He learned by doing something with his hands. Watching someone tell a story.
“One thing you will always be able to cling to when things get tough is family,” Richard said, his voice cracking.
Henry couldn’t imagine someone saying that in their speech. How could Richard know everyone’s family status? If Henry had had to
cling to his family when things got tough, he wasn’t sure he would have survived.
He looked back over the sea of red graduation hats and found his brother, Sam, in the crowd. There were two seats open next to him, and the dean was about to start calling names for students to shake hands and grab their diplomas. Henry’s declaration of independence would be in his fingers in a matter of minutes and his parents were nowhere to be seen.
Their father? Nobody knew where he was. Their mother and stepdad? Henry had a few guesses. There would be excuses and none of them would be good. That was the way of things in his family.
Henry wondered what he would say when he came face-to-face with them after not showing up to their son’s graduation. Would he say anything, or would he just move out?
The thought of moving out pained him because that left Sam alone with them. It wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren’t for Scott, their stepdad. He’d been in the picture for the last five years and had been nothing but a source of pain for the boys, especially Sam. For some reason, Scott hated Sam with everything in him and let it show any moment he could. Their mother tried to put a stop to it, but Sam didn’t do himself any favors by antagonizing Scott. It seemed that the more Scott treated him poorly, the more Sam egged him on.
Sam wasn’t afraid of him. Henry wasn’t afraid of Scott either, but he was afraid for Sam. Henry had looked Scott up. He didn’t have a clean record, and he had a history of abuse. Apparently, that hadn’t been enough evidence for their mother to stop seeing him; she was out for revenge on their father who had left and told her she could burn.
Scott had spent six years in and out of prison, usually for domestic abuse-related crimes.
“He’s a changed man,” their mother would claim, but it was coming from the mouth of someone who popped a new cork at the end of every bottle, using any and every occasion as an excuse to drink. Somehow Scott was rich. In and out of prison, but rich. He swore it wasn’t drug money, and Henry believed him. Instead, he figured it was money laundering through the businesses he owned throughout the city. Henry never understood how it might work, and he never bothered to investigate it, but he was sure something illegal was going on.
The ceremony dragged on and on, and there was a small part of Henry that understood his mom and Scott for not coming. The weather was miserable and what was the point in watching someone walk across a stage after his name was called just to grab a piece of paper? It wasn’t as though he were the one giving the speech.
Henry looked back into the crowd as he received his diploma. The dean looked at him with an almost sorrowful stare as they shook hands, as if he wanted to say, “Good luck with everything, kid. You’re gonna need it.”
He saw Sam clapping and he thought perhaps his little brother was actually proud of him. Henry felt ridiculous that he was looking for approval from his brother who was several years younger. But wasn’t this supposed to be one of the best days of his life? Wasn’t this the beginning of a new journey? Didn’t someone need to wish him well on his way to the beginning of his adult life? If it wasn’t going to come from Sam, then who was it going to come from?
Henry took a deep breath as he made his way off the stage. This was supposed to be a joyous occasion. This was supposed to be a day he had been looking forward to for many years. But to him, it felt like just another day. The only difference was that he had to wear funny clothes and a hat.
There was nothing about Henry’s life that gave him any direction. He hadn’t been accepted into any universities, and he didn’t have any marketable skills. He’d learned to fight with a knife and was really good at punching the lights out of jerks, but that wasn’t going to get him a decent job. He had no idea what he wanted to be.
He felt like students his age should probably have had a solid five years to think about what they wanted to do. Instead, they were pushed through the school system learning only the things they needed to know in order to pass the tests that would allow schools to keep their accreditation and for teachers to keep their jobs. There was little to no career preparation or time to think about it.
Henry had always envied his peers who knew exactly what they wanted to be. But those students usually had parents who were present. They might be taking over a family business or following in the footsteps of their parents. And Henry didn’t have the stomach for money laundering or scheming his way to success.
He sat back down in the seat and watched as the rest of the students accepted their diplomas. A cacophony of cheers rang out through the football field. Everyone seemed happy and excited. Henry just wanted it to be over.
After the last person received her diploma and the final speech was made, Henry found his way to Sam.
“Congratulations,” Sam said as Henry approached. “I never thought you would actually do it.”
“I made better grades than you ever will,” Henry said.
“That would only be possible if I never go,” Sam said with a grin.
Henry wasn’t going to berate his little brother about his grades. He had done all he could to encourage Sam to do well in school, but Sam was too smart for school. It was the same kind of problem Henry had: he didn’t learn the way the school system wanted him to.
Sam spent so much of his time on computers when he should have been working on his homework. And he wasn’t just gaming either. He was teaching himself code and ways to get into parts of websites that he shouldn’t have had access to. Essentially, Sam was a low-level hacker. Henry knew that Sam could eventually turn that skill into a lucrative job one day, but he also knew that it was something that could land him in a lot of trouble if he wasn’t careful.
Henry was about to suggest that the two of them get some food somewhere when out of the corner of his eye he saw Scott and their mother.
His stomach dropped and he felt his face drain of blood. His hands started shaking.
“That was an absolutely beautiful ceremony,” Scott said. “Just three more years and we get to see another one.”
“Did you even see this one?” Sam said as his eyes narrowed.
“We caught the tail end of it,” Scott said.
“The traffic was terrible, honey. You wouldn’t even believe it,” their mother said.
Henry didn’t believe it. He didn’t have to look around to see that most, if not all, of the other parents had come to see their kids graduate. He didn’t have to breathe too deeply to smell the reeking alcohol on his mother’s breath.
“Yeah, you can just skip mine,” Sam said.
Scott stumbled forward a couple of feet and grabbed the front of Sam’s shirt. He stuck a long finger in Sam’s face. “You shut your mouth and show some respect.”
Sam didn’t miss a beat. “You shut your mouth and earn it.”
Scott slapped Sam on the cheek twice. Sam stood his ground, staring at Scott like he was about to burst. Henry jumped between them and grabbed Scott by the wrist. The man yanked his arm away quickly and reared back like he was going to take a swing at Henry, but thought better of it.
“Why are you even here?” Henry looked at his mom when he said this, then at Scott. “Instead of coming here drunk, why didn’t you just do us a favor and stay home?”
“Sweetheart, we’re not drunk,” his mom said. “We had a few drinks before coming over here, but we’re perfectly sober.”
Henry squinted at Scott, unable to comprehend what his mother was saying.
“If you lay a finger on him ever again, I’m gonna break your hands.”
Scott didn’t say anything. People were starting to notice.
Scott muttered a curse under his breath and turned away, motioning for their mom to go with him. Henry glared at his mom, bewildered at her for doing nothing and going along with Scott.
“Congratulations, honey,” she said, her eyes apologetic.
“I can’t believe you’re going to walk away with him,” Henry said.
“He’s my husband.”
“We’re your children,” He
nry said.
She pursed her lips and stepped back as if Scott was pulling her by a rope, then she blew a kiss and turned away from them.
“You can’t go back with them,” Henry said.
“What do you expect me to do? I’m not old enough to leave home legally.”
“You can move in with me,” Henry said. “We can find an apartment.”
Sam sighed. The two of them wouldn’t be moving anywhere together. Henry had no legal right over Sam, and their mom wouldn’t budge, even with a raging Scott who loved to bully him.
They didn’t say anything else about the matter as they left the football field and hopped on the El train to grab a burger and shakes.
They ate in silence for most of the meal, and Henry couldn’t help but stare at the red handprint on Sam’s face.
Henry’s blood boiled.
Chapter Ten
“I give it two weeks until we’re out of food,” Alex said to Gwen.
She didn’t answer.
He had gone out to see Leland and Henry off, but when he reached the garage he saw they had already gone. He assumed they had wanted a quiet depature, but the whole town was already talking about it. Their mayor had been executed right in front of them, and their only law enforcement officer had just abandoned them.
Alex had seen Gwen leave the garage and make her way to the edge of town. Now, he stood beside her, the two of them looking at nothing in particular. He could sense her anger.
“You feel betrayed,” Alex said.
“He’s going after my sister,” Gwen answered. “I feel like I have the right to help him.”
“I’m sure you could, but you have to get where he’s coming from. If this power outage is as big as we think it is, then Chicago is one of the last places you want to be.”
“It’s the only place I want to be,” Gwen said, looking at him. “Do you think I want to be stuck here?”
Fallen Earth | Book 2 | Aftermath Page 5
