The Expedition

by Chris Babu

  Drayden drew his head away from the blade, though Lindrick maintained the contact. It was Lindrick’s move. Either he would pull the blade away, or he would slit Drayden’s throat. Otherwise, they were stuck in a stalemate.

  Drayden had studied several techniques in jiu-jitsu to escape a situation in which someone held a knife to his throat. But in their simulations, the attacker usually stood behind him. He would never have imagined it this way, on top of someone who held a knife to his throat from below.

  A gun cocked behind Drayden. “Drop the knife, Captain Lindrick,” Charlie ordered.

  Lindrick’s eyes flashed to Charlie, somewhere behind Drayden.

  Lieutenant Duarte stepped forward, raised his rifle, and aimed it at Charlie. “Drop your gun. Private.”

  Lindrick reduced the pressure on the knife, and Drayden could turn his head enough to see behind him.

  Sidney aimed her Glock at Lieutenant Duarte. “You drop yours.”

  Sergeant Greaney stepped forward and pointed his rifle at Sidney. “I don’t think so, sweetheart.”

  Sweat dripped down Drayden’s cheeks.

  Catrice stepped forward, drawing her pistol from her holster. The gun shook in her hands. Her eyes fiery, she pointed it at Sergeant Greaney without a word.

  They still had a stalemate.

  One person remained to break it.

  “What are you waiting for, Corporal?” Captain Lindrick asked Eugene.

  Drayden was the only person who couldn’t train a weapon on someone. They were outnumbered because of it. The privates had lost.

  Eugene remained expressionless, his pistol hanging down by his side.

  “Corporal Austin!” Lindrick screamed.

  Eugene released a deep breath. He stepped forward with authority and raised his Glock.

  “Drop the knife, Captain.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Captain Lindrick stood with his shoulders back and straightened his uniform, as if he were alone in front of a mirror getting ready for his day. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood from his face.

  Drayden lingered around the privates and Eugene.

  Everyone else’s weapons remained live, locked on one another.

  “I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other soon.” Captain Lindrick walked backward to the rear door, spun, and strode through it.

  Sergeant Greaney and Lieutenant Duarte backpedaled with their weapons raised. Greaney slipped out.

  “You’re a dead man, Corporal,” Lieutenant Duarte hissed to Eugene, disgust written all over his face. “You too, punk,” he said to Drayden before leaving.

  The whole room exhaled.

  Drayden touched his neck, noting the blood on his fingertips. The cut was superficial, but his immediate concern was infection.

  Probably for the first time ever, Eugene looked unsure of himself, chewing his lower lip while taking stock of the room. The reality of what he’d done appeared to be sinking in.

  Drayden thought what he’d done was remarkable, the stuff of legend.

  The privates stared at him, their respect for this young man growing by the second.

  Before Drayden could thank him, Catrice rushed Eugene and clung to him, burying her face in his chest. Sidney and Charlie glanced at Drayden.

  He lowered his eyes. Despite the situation, and the seriousness of everything going on, seeing her do that still hurt.

  Catrice whimpered. “Thank you. Oh my God, thank you so much for staying with us.”

  “You’re welcome,” Eugene said emotionlessly, hugging her with one arm.

  Drayden needed to focus on the job at hand and worry about Catrice later. Eugene’s courageous act was huge for them. Just when they needed him, he delivered. He also saved Drayden’s butt, once again.

  “Eugene, she’s right,” he said. “Thank you. That was incredibly brave. We could use your help, especially now.”

  He remained solemn. “Okay.”

  “Charlie,” Drayden said, “thank you for having my back. Everybody. Thank you.” He knelt by his pack and found the antiseptic wipes, gauze, and tape to dress the wound on his throat.

  Charlie holstered his weapon. “Now can you stop telling everyone about how I tried to kill you? I told you I got your back, bro. You’re my boy.”

  For someone who had been the best buddy of Drayden’s nemesis Alex, Charlie had become such a loyal friend.

  Sidney tapped her foot. “What do we do now?”

  Drayden taped the gauze on his throat. “For starters, we need to get out of this building without the Guardians ambushing us. And we need to find more food. Then we need to make it to Boston without them following us. They don’t have any maps. Eugene, what’s their next move?”

  Eugene scratched his chin. “I doubt they’ll try to kill us when we walk out of here because it would be an emotional, impetuous move, and they’re smarter than that. They’ll evaluate the situation first. Since I don’t think they know the way to Boston, they’ll likely allow us to leave, and trail us. I could be wrong about that though. Captain Lindrick studied the map before we left New America. He may know the way, or another way. He’s been letting you lead the way, but he may just not have shown his hand. He hasn’t said anything about it to us. If they do know the route, they may attempt to beat us to Boston.” He faced Drayden, his lips pressed together. “He’s actually real smart.”

  “I know. He called me weak, so I called him dumb. I didn’t mean it.”

  Sidney held a hand in the air. “Should we just walk out of here?”

  “We still need to be careful,” Eugene said. “Lieutenant Duarte is a hothead, as you can tell. Despite what I said, there’s always a chance he goes rogue, waiting to pick us off with a rifle when we walk out the door. Dray, are there any other ways out of here besides Route 6?”

  Drayden snatched his maps from his pocket. Thankfully the scientists had included zoomed-in maps of various cities, including New Bedford.

  Eugene almost fell over. “You have a map?”

  “Yup.”

  “Ah, you were hiding it. Very smart, kid. Living up to your reputation.”

  “Let’s not count our chips yet. According to the map, for the next five blocks or so, we can walk on a side street that runs parallel to Route 6. Unfortunately, we have to cross a river after that, and the only other way across other than Route 6 is far out of the way. Our goal for the day will be to reach the city of Bourne, about twenty miles away. That’s where the narrow canal is that we should have sailed through.”

  “Roger that,” Eugene said. “This is what we’re going to do. They’ll be expecting us to leave through the front door, since they went out the back. We’ll go out the back too. I’ll go out first, with Charlie covering me. Then I’ll cover him, and we’ll both cover Sid, and Drayden and Catrice will come out. Dray, you lead us to a side street and we run.”

  “We see if they’re following us when we reach the bridge,” Drayden took over. “I think we should sprint across. It’s almost a mile. After that we’ll find somewhere to hide, and we’ll eat. Plan?”

  “Let’s do it.” Eugene swung his rifle over his back. He pulled out his pistol and screwed on the silencer.

  The privates strapped on their backpacks and drew their weapons.

  Drayden decided to go with the pistol again. Not that it mattered for him. Normally he would have checked on Catrice, but at the moment, he couldn’t even look at her.

  They lined up at the back door while Eugene inspected the lot, assessing the situation.

  “I’m going to that tree right there,” he said, pointing. “When I make it and I give the signal, you each follow.” He darted out the door.

  Eugene, Charlie, and Sidney crouched beside a tree. The tall grasses of the rear parking lot provided outstanding cover to escape the building. So far, no snip
er shots had rung out.

  The Guardians weren’t waiting outside the door to shoot them. If they intended to kill the privates, they would squeeze some value out of them first and follow them to Boston.

  Drayden and Catrice stood side by side. He still hadn’t processed her very public display of emotion toward Eugene. Drayden couldn’t exactly blame her. He wanted to hug Eugene too.

  Yet if Eugene were a pretty girl instead of a handsome boy, Drayden wouldn’t have, because it would upset Catrice. That was the difference. Either she wasn’t aware it would upset him, which implied she didn’t think they had any relationship, or she didn’t care if it did. Or even worse, she did it to upset him. To push him further away. He must have freaked her out when he’d referred to her as his girlfriend, although he didn’t get why. She acted like his girlfriend when nobody else was around. Then once they were in public, he was invisible. She’d never had any qualms about holding his hand during the Initiation. What had changed? Ah, right. Eugene came along.

  Eugene furiously waved at them to exit the building.

  “You go. I’ll cover you,” Drayden said, without a hint of tenderness.

  “I’m scared.”

  He found it hard to be mean to her. “You’ll be fine. Three people are covering you out there, and me from inside. Get to that car, beside Charlie. Run; don’t stop.”

  She ducked low, ran, and made it.

  Drayden didn’t wait. The Guardians obviously weren’t going to strike. He bolted until he reached Eugene.

  “Your move, chief,” Eugene said to Drayden. “Where to?”

  Drayden viewed the road in both directions. “We go backward on Route 6, west, to the intersection. Throw the Guardians a curveball if they’re watching. We’ll go left on Summer Street, two blocks, and left on Elm. Elm runs parallel to Route 6. We run five blocks and rejoin Route 6 where it turns into a bridge. We pause there, and make sure nobody’s following us. Once we’re on the bridge, there’s nowhere to escape.”

  “Listen up,” Eugene said to the privates. “We follow Dray. We got about seven blocks of running. Then we rest. Keep your weapons drawn. Yell out if you have a problem or see something. Drayden goes first; I’ll be in the rear.”

  Charlie giggled. “The corporal in the rear again. He’s having a tough trip.”

  “Charlie, focus,” Drayden said. Staying low, he scurried to the street. Moving stealthily was not easy with a weighty pack. His pulse beating in his ears, he peered left down Route 6, which ran in a lengthy straightaway to the bridge.

  The street was deserted. No sign of the Guardians.

  Drayden ensured everyone was behind him and darted into the street, heading right. He turned left down Summer Street, setting a brisk pace. Pain shot through his ankle and up his leg every time his foot touched the asphalt. After finding it clear, he turned left on Elm Street.

  One block later he stopped at County Street, a major intersection. While most of the buildings here were in total ruins, a red-brick church in superb condition towered on the near corner. A dilapidated restaurant sat kitty corner from it. A tall post rose above the remnants, displaying a sign with a rectangular base, supporting two yellow arches, forming an “M.”

  No Guardians in sight. They continued running until they found the on-ramp for the Route 6 bridge over the Acushnet River. The group huddled around a cluster of bushes.

  “Okay,” Drayden said, between heavy breaths. “It’s a mile across the river. There’s an island in the middle, Pope’s Island. It’s the one place we could be ambushed. Keep your guard up. Once we’re on the bridge, there’s no escape if we get trapped by the Guardians. We’ll have to fight.”

  He checked once again for any sign of them, but they remained mysteriously absent. “You guys ready?”

  “Booyah,” Charlie said.

  They ran for it. The bridge was more like a highway overpass until they hit the section before Pope’s Island. A steel suspension structure rose above the roadway, which morphed from asphalt to a metal grating. Despite the rust, it seemed sturdy enough, and they passed over it with no problem.

  Drayden’s legs and lungs burned, much sooner than normal with the uncomfortable bouncing pack on his back. He checked behind him.

  No Guardians following. The river below was choppy and moved with a moderate current, likely exacerbated by the recent rain. Decrepit stores and businesses housed in short, wide buildings lined Pope’s Island.

  When they approached the end of the bridge after the island, Drayden stopped.

  “Oh no,” Sidney said.

  The roadway had collapsed, and the river now flowed through it, having carved a new path. Forced to travel in a narrow channel, the water rocketed through.

  “If we go back, we can go about a mile north, and there’s another bridge,” Drayden said. “But we could get there and find that one’s out too. I think we should go for it. It doesn’t look deep.”

  Catrice inspected the waterway with obvious trepidation.

  It might be too dangerous for her. If she slipped and the river swept her away, she would die since she couldn’t swim. This was like a challenge. What was the best way to ensure they crossed safely?

  “I could carry Catrice,” Charlie said, anticipating the same problem.

  “Swimming’s not the problem,” Sidney said, visibly annoyed at Catrice. “You could slip. Then you’d have to worry about swimming.”

  Charlie’s raised his arms. “You guys, I have an idea. An actual idea. We all go together, with our arms interlocked. Keep everyone safe. Hopefully it’s not too deep. What do you think?”

  “Great idea, Charlie.” Drayden holstered his pistol. “Very smart.”

  “I’m sorry I can’t swim, you guys,” Catrice said. “How about in addition to locking our arms, we line up parallel with the flow? We have the strongest—Eugene or Charlie—at the top. The water will hit him first and break a bit. If one of you guys is willing, I mean. It’ll be rough for you, but much easier for everyone else.”

  “Wow, that’s brilliant, Catrice,” Eugene said. “Go, team. I’ll be the guy.”

  Catrice must be terrified. Normally Drayden would comfort her, yet if she chose to hitch her trailer to Eugene, she should seek that reassurance from him.

  “Here’s the order,” Drayden said, taking charge. “Eugene first, then Charlie, Catrice, me, and Sidney.” Someone strong needed to hold Catrice, and from his perspective, better Charlie than Eugene. “If anyone gets swept away, we go after them. Eugene, Charlie, and Sidney, you guys are good swimmers. We would need you to step up.”

  They lined up, arms hooked, and tiptoed into the water. As expected, it was frigid.

  Pain engulfed Drayden’s feet and ankles within seconds.

  “Holy shkatnuts!” Charlie yelled.

  “How many times are we going to be in freezing water?” Sidney asked. “It’s like every few days now.”

  The rushing water reached knee level. The river floor proved treacherous, with broken asphalt jutting out at different angles. Everything, including rocks and sand, was slick with river slime. Eugene absorbed the brunt of the river’s force, the brown water splashing all around him.

  “How you holding up, Eugene?” Drayden shouted over the roar of the flow.

  “I’m good.”

  At the halfway mark, the water reached to waist level on the boys, and lower-chest level on the girls.

  “Jumpin’ Jesus!” Charlie yelled. “We’ve hit ground zero. That’s the big one. I never wanted kids anyway.”

  Eugene cracked up. “Charlie, stop. You’re killing me.”

  “That’s not the only reason you’re not having kids,” Sidney said. “You’d have to find someone who’d buy your cheesy lines.”

  “Eugene buys them,” Charlie grunted.

  “I hope you two are happy together,” Drayden said, through
chattering teeth.

  Ten feet to go. The water returned to knee level. They were almost out.

  Charlie whooped. “This water’s colder than penguin du—”

  He slipped. He splashed down onto his butt, dragging Catrice with him. She screamed. Eugene stayed on his feet, locking up Charlie’s arm before he could slip away. Charlie could barely hold Catrice, struggling for his own balance now that he sat in the water.

  Although Drayden remained on his feet, he’d lost his grasp of Catrice’s arm.

  She was sliding toward him on her back. “Help!” she shrieked.

  Drayden panicked, unsure what to do. He dropped to his knees, stomaching the cold water, and the jagged roadway that tore into his flesh. He needed to catch Catrice before the river swept her away.

  She slid a foot downstream, nearly breaking away from Charlie’s weakening grip.

  Drayden wrapped his arms around her legs and squeezed. “I got you!”

  Water splashed onto Catrice’s back and over her shoulders, spraying Drayden in the face. But she’d stopped.

  Sidney wrapped her arms around Drayden’s waist to stabilize him.

  Charlie regained his footing with Eugene’s assistance. “Catrice, I’m going to grab you under the arms and pull you up to standing!” Charlie yelled.

  “Okay!”

  Charlie scooped her up with ease, and Drayden released her legs. Sidney supported Drayden as he got to his feet, and everyone locked arms again.

  Throughout the excitement, Eugene had to remain still, enduring the force of the water. “Everybody all right?” he asked, looking fatigued.

  “Sorry, you guys,” Charlie said. “Charlie’s bad.”

  They inched their way another ten feet and climbed up onto the roadway. Everyone collapsed to the ground, shivering.

  “Who’s hungry…for some…wet…food?” Sidney asked through chattering teeth.

  Charlie had removed a boot and wrung out his sock. “Remember when we used to think swimming in the Dorms was fun?”

  Drayden regarded the continuation of Route 6, his hands on his hips.