That night they risked entering a home that was more cozy than the rickety shack they had slept in the night before. Kozz scouted it out and found no one in the residence. The home was a large cabin, well maintained but completely abandoned and there were several soft beds for them to choose from. Night terrors still haunted them both. Sleep was more comfortable, but they had little of it.
The following morning Kozz had to rewrap Caleb. The boy had squirmed around so much in the night that he had undone the bandaging. Kozz’s ankle was stiff, but the pain was dull. He checked his own bite wounds and scrapes, all scabbing and healing just fine. He had no symptoms of the “infection” but decided to keep check on it in case he had to run himself away from Caleb. Run away to protect him, thought Kozz, would it be right of me to run away again?
The undulating hills decreased in size as they approached the forest’s edge. They descended to a lower elevation, making their way down the glacier. The deep snow they had been traveling through gained a thin layer of crunchy ice spread across its surface. Caleb's light body stayed on top of the snow and he giggled as he watched Kozz's heavy bulk sink with every step. It was frustrating for the big man.
Blue skies were gradually covered by swirls of gray. Darkness loomed over the lands behind them to the northwest. Given the time of year, Kozz thought Mother Nature had one last ice storm to throw their way before she gave way to the relief of the warmer months. They were going to have to get to Caleb’s house in a hurry.
“It’s not that far,” said Caleb as he and Kozz walked the descending hills at a brisk pace, “I think I can see it sometimes if I look hard enough.”
They directed their path towards the road in order to make finding the home a bit easier. The blackened sky had gained on them throughout the day. Its low rumble reverberated through the hills, allowing Kozz and Caleb to feel it in their feet. The icy teeth of the dragon that consumed the sky would chomp down and swallow them if they were not able to find shelter by nightfall.
Caleb noticed a few land marks in the area and gathered a stronger sense of direction. A large pile of boulders meant they had to go one way, a meadow of turquoise tundra poking through the frost said they had to turn around a hill over there. The snow at their feet was now a dense layer of white ice, broken here and there by hardy, ground-hugging plants. Kozz followed Caleb’s orders, but urged the boy to move faster.
The sun was engulfed by the darkness that hid the western horizon and rumbling clouds filled the sky sooner than Kozz had expected. Sprinkles of hail and wet sleet pelted their backs, the wind growing in strength with every step they took. The low rumble grew into a roar that sounded like the very earth behind them was being torn from its surface.
“There!” Caleb pointed towards a distant light in the field ahead. “That’s my ranch. We made it!”
The patches of dirt and tundra beneath them would soon be blanketed in yet another layer of white. They hurried down the field along a wood and wire fence which outlined the property and arrived at a gateway with a sign that read “Northwood Ranch”. The home was within plain view. Lights were on in all the windows and two people were seen running out the front door, perhaps to greet their son.
“Momma! Dad!”
Caleb hustled forward, but Kozz stood and watched for another moment. The parents did not run towards their son, they ran around the building, both holding objects. Then he heard the screams. They came from the woman, shrill and full of distress. She was being chased. The screams continued, her voice fading as she rounded the building and the cacophony of the approaching storm ascended. Kozz bolted forward, passing Caleb within a few strides. She was in danger and he had to help before it was too late.
A loud crash stopped both Kozz and Caleb in their tracks, and then another one followed. It sounded like thunder, but it came from the wrong direction. It came from behind the house. Caleb went to run forward again. Kozz grabbed the boy by the collar of his jacket and told him to stay put. Red appeared, fully loaded. Caleb shook his head at Kozz. He understood that Kozz thought there was trouble, but he could not let the man go at his parents with a gun. Kozz took a step towards the house and Caleb was ready to fight the gun from his hands. The woman walked around the corner of the home looking worn, disheveled, empty, and with a shotgun in her hands. Red rose up into the air. The woman hollered a sorrowful cry and dropped to the ground. Kozz and Caleb both ran to her.
“Momma!” Caleb yelled over the bustle of the storm. “Momma, what’s wrong?”
“Caleb?” The woman raised her face from the cradle of her hands. “Caleb. Oh my—my Caleb!” She opened her arms and started to rise, but Caleb dove into her as she knelt on one knee. Kozz stopped at a distance and waited for the woman to make the first move. She eyed him in her wariness, holding her child like she had nothing else in the world. Mother and son embraced each other as if they thought they would never see each other again.
“Mom,” said Caleb as he looked back over his shoulder, “this is Kozz. He’s my friend. He saved me.”
“Saved you?”
“Yeah, from the demons.”
Caleb’s mother's concern wrinkled her ageless face. She stood up, her short hair fluttering in the wind. She wore a long, brown dress that held steady in the turbulence with its thickness and weight. “Who are you?” she asked.
“A friend of Caleb’s,” replied Kozz.
She held her son at her side, considering the rock of a man that stood against the backdrop of an approaching storm. His face was stoic and scarred, but she felt a warm energy that emanated from him. “Come inside before we have to pry you off the ice.”
She walked to the front door with Caleb held close. Kozz followed them inside. They had only just entered through the door when Caleb asked “Where’s dad?” and his mother dropped again, succumbing to her emotions.
She tried to speak, but only one word escaped her sorrow.
“Dead,” was all she said.
CHAPTER SIX
Moving Onward
Mother spent the night in her bedroom with her son. She told Caleb that she had shot his father, Harold, just before he and Kozz had arrived, and she said that his father had become sick from the disease that was afflicting the entire world, that he went mad and tried to kill her. She tried to talk to her husband. She tried to hold him back, but he was too strong. She tried to run, but had nowhere to go and there was no one to help her. She did everything she could, but in the end she had to protect herself.
Caleb confessed what became of his grandmother. Talk of murder and betrayal spat from the child's mouth. His mother's eyes widened. What was she hearing? She held her son tight, hushing his cries. "You would never do anything like that,” she kissed his cheek, and then his forehead. "It wasn't your fault."
"That's what Kozz kept saying," admitted her son.
She squeezed her child. She felt nauseous. Harold's mother is gone too? Caleb? This can't be happening.
Their wails mixed with the howls of the wind. The storm unleashed its power throughout the night, shaking the home with its relentless force and pelting it with clumps of ice and snow. The noise drowned out the cries of of the broken family, allowing Kozz to gain some peace despite being surrounded by sorrow and thunder. He rested in a bed too small in a room too similar to one he remembered from his past. Inside Caleb’s bedroom hung a dozen airships from the ceiling. The walls were stripes of bright blues, and the child-sized furniture sat neatly in place where his mother had put it as she had tidied up his room in his absence. The smell of the room was enough to bring Kozz to tears—, its sweet clean scent masking the layers of dirt and adventure Caleb had brought into his home over the years. The weight of his memories caused Kozz's mental barrier to crack, and he let them pour through that night. As the wind cried and his neighbors cried, so too did he. The recollections of his past life hurt Kozz, but they did so in a gentle way, soothing his heart as much as they made it ache, massaging his muscles as they tensed, catching his tears as
they fell. The storm carried on and the residents of the house shed all the tears they could. They all fell asleep to the swaying motions of the home and the bombarding sounds of the sky's icy tears.
The next morning Kozz woke to sunlight beaming in his eye and the aromas of a morning kitchen. Looking out the lone window in Caleb's room, Kozz saw that the blizzard had dumped a good foot or so of snow in its wake. There was a slight chill in the room, but when he opened the door he was greeted with the heat from the stove and fireplace.
Mother and son were quietly eating their breakfasts. Kozz saw the eggs and ham on the kitchen counter and he looked back over to the others. Luciele formally introduced herself and then motioned towards the food, signaling for Kozz to go and grab some while it was warm. He scraped a hearty amount onto a plate and joined the others at the dining table. He participated in the silence, but was drawn out of it when Luciele asked, “Is what my son says true? Was he one of the infected? You saved him?”
“All true,” replied Kozz. Caleb looked up from his plate, telling his mom ‘I told you so’ with his eyes.
“Thank you. I owe you more than I could ever repay. The food and bed are the least I could do.”
“I appreciate it all, but you owe me nothing. I saved Caleb because I wanted to, because I needed to. He’s safe now and I’ll be on my way soon.”
“No. From the way you devour your food between your words I can tell you don’t get many home-cooked meals. You’re going to stay and rest.”
“Thank you,” said Kozz with a piece of ham falling from his mouth, “but I need to be on my way.”
“What you need is a bath and a change of clothes. Your face is a mess of wounds and your shirt is made of more blood than cotton. Caleb told me what you two have been through and there’s no need for you to run away and see more of it all broken and exhausted like you are.” Luciele stood up and walked to her bedroom. “Come. I’ll grab you something to wear while I clean your stuff. You’re a big guy, but I think some of Harold’s baggy pajamas will fit.”
“Mom only acts bossy like this when dad is in trouble,” said Caleb. He looked at Kozz, then back down to his half-empty plate. “He’s gone now, Kozz.”
“I know. He’ll be looking over you from above now, helping you when you’re in trouble.”
“Yeah. That’s kinda what mom said.”
Luciele emerged with a handful of garments and handed them to Kozz. He excused himself to the restroom to change. The pajamas were not a perfect fit, but Kozz was not uncomfortable. For an average sized man, Harold wore large and baggy night clothes. Kozz handed Luciele his stained shirt and pants, but said he would scrub his jacket himself.
Kozz sat himself next to the fire and admired the wall above where a dozen different guns perched, all from the gunpowder and metal era. Caleb brought Kozz a cup of hot tea. Kozz held the cup in one hand and Red in the other. Caleb sat in the chair across from him, wrapped in fresh bandages. He had finally taken some aspirin after his mother told him it was alright. Kozz spouted information about each of the different types of guns above the fireplace and Caleb listened, sharing the knowledge he held that was given to him by his father. The conversation led to the hunting trips Caleb had taken with his parents, a boy reminiscing about a man he loved, admired, and could not yet accept was truly gone from the world.
Kozz stayed for several days. His clothes were cleaned, but they still held their red stains and there was no other clothing in the house that would fit him. He helped Luciele dig through the cold ground behind the house and bury her husband. She planted a wooden tombstone at his grave and a funeral was held outside, wife and son grieving their loss while Kozz waited inside.
Luciele sat down and talked with Kozz the next day as the sun rose over the horizon. She asked him about who he was, about his past, about where he was going to go and what he was going to do. Kozz had little in the way of answers to give her. He held on tight to his secrets and only told her that he was heading to the quarantine zone inside Port Town where he planned on finding a ship to Erde. He told her about his life on Frostarc the last ten years, but she found that about as interesting as a bent nail. She explained how her family had moved to Frostarc from Erde when she was a child. She had met Harold in their younger days on a camping trip with mutual friends back when he was a big game hunter, and years later they decided to get married and settle on their ranch. She shared her story openly, hoping it would encourage Kozz to do the same.
"My past is full of pain," said Kozz. "I'd rather forget about it. Excuse me, doll." He left the room. Luciele sat where she was and stared at the armchair Kozz had vacated. Harold loved to sit in that chair and watch the flickering fire with a cold beer in his hand. His favorite dirty ball cap was still perched on top of the chair. She buried her face in her hands and let another wave of sorrow crash through her. Alone, she wept.
The day came when Kozz could wait no longer. Luciele and Caleb's tears only reminded him of his wife and his need to find her. He had to leave, but Luciele and Caleb did not meet him at the door to say their goodbyes. The morning when he was to head on his way, Kozz was met at the door by the mother and son garbed in their outdoor hunting gear and backpacks.
“What is this?” asked Kozz.
“We want to go with you,” said Luciele, “to Port Town.”
Kozz shook his head. “If out there is anything like Edgetown was, it’s gonna be too dangerous. You’re better off staying here until this mess is taken care of.”
“We have no reason to stay.” Luciele dropped her bags to the ground with conviction and used her arm motions for emphasis as she spoke. “Harold is gone from our lives. There is too much work on the ranch for Caleb and I to do alone. With Edgetown empty like you say it is, we have nowhere to go for supplies. We may be safe from the disease if we stay but we will still be in danger of starvation and loneliness. I have to do what’s best for my son. We will be going to Port Town, to the quarantine zone. If you do not want us to travel with you then so be it, but it will be better for us all if we go together.”
“Why don’t you want us to go with you, Kozz?” Caleb spoke from behind his mother. She moved out of his way. “Is it because you’re scared that I’m gonna turn into one of those bad guys again? I’m sorry. I’ll fight it harder next time.”
“No, Caleb. God no. I just want you guys to be safe, away from the danger. I thought that when I brought you home you would be safe here with your family.” Kozz looked over the woman and child. They were so much like his family. He just wanted them to be protected, safe from harm. His past was evidence that he could not be the protection they needed, but the idea of them traveling alone in such dangerous circumstances, he could not even entertain the idea of leaving them to that. He had to protect them. He had to do better than he had done with his own family. “Let’s get going then,” he submitted. “I only hope my best is good enough this time.”
The others did not know the meaning in those last words, but they were glad to be traveling together. Outside, Kozz was surprised to find two large pack mules fully loaded with supplies. Luciele tied on the last few bags which her and Caleb were holding. “My boy is hurt and you’re not in great shape either, bucko. We’ll need these beasts to carry our load. Gram had our truck.” In truth, Kozz felt fine. His ankle was healed and his wounds were just itchy scabs at this point, but he did not argue since they had a long way to travel on foot if they could not find a working vehicle. Luciele lifted her son onto one of the mules and Caleb grabbed the reins, commanding the creature with ease like he had ridden it many times before.
They set off due south, downhill towards the forest. The consensus was that there was a greater chance of running into people, and the infected, along the warm belt of the equator, but it would also make surviving the forces of nature a much easier task. Luciele and Caleb stopped by Harold’s grave one last time to say goodbye before they were off, then together they crossed to the other end of the ranch before reaching the forest, pa
ssing the herd of wooly cattle the family had raised along their way. “The herd will survive without us to care for them,” Luciele explained to her son, “especially with the last of the winter storms behind us and the warmer months on their way.”
Living far away from town, it was rare for Caleb to have a friend to play with, and so his comic books became his companions. He hung out with heroes and adventurers. They shared stories with him, taught him life lessons, and encouraged him when he was feeling down. The heartbreak of losing his father and grandmother was tragic, but all of the grand adventures in his comic books held some sort of tragedy. Caleb cried when he thought of their deaths, he was afraid that he would become infected again, but he knew that he was now on his own adventure. Already he had seen battles and death, escaped the evil that had captured him, made a new friend, and now he was traveling on the back of a mule to a far away city.
Caleb decided that if he was going on an adventure, he would have to be brave. He opened up one of his books and sought out his favorite speech at the end of one of the tales. He had always dreamed of having an adventure like the heroes in his father’s bedtime stories or in his comics. Now he was seeing how difficult a real adventure could be.
Go then young one, live life! Quit reading your books and watching your movies, instead go find your own adventure to tell. Do not focus on adding days to your life, focus on adding life to your days! Before you reach the clearing at the end of the path, go and blaze your own trails through the muck and grime of life. Do not be afraid to get a little dirt on your boots.
Gather your bearings and head out into the unknown. If you have no goal in life, make one. If you do not have a destination, find one, and when you get there find another. There may be some scary things out in the world, but what is the use of feeling safe inside your own home if you do not know what it is like to feel true fear? Now I am not saying to go out and seek danger, but you need to not worry about running into difficulties on the road of life.
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