The Lucky Ones (Evergreen Book 3)

by Matthew S. Cox

  Her friends wanted to go to the mall. They’d all been hanging out at the house, and everyone randomly decided to pile into the Explorer. Madison, Jonathan, and Lorelei popped up to peer at her over the rearmost seat, smiling. The tiny platinum-blonde sprite and the Chinese boy shouldn’t be there. Why had they called her parents ‘Mom and Dad’ too? She kept staring at them in the rearview mirror, trying to figure out how she knew them.

  A few minutes after they left home, whole city blocks pulled away on both sides, flying off into the sky like pieces of a movie set being removed by the hands of invisible giants. Soon, she found herself driving along a desert highway, all signs of civilization having vanished.

  Harper realized she dreamed. Surprisingly, not a nightmare—at least not yet.

  With that realization, she understood why the kids in the back looked familiar. Also, Darci, Veronica, Andrea, and Christina changed… fading out to ghosts rather than real solid people.

  Christina and Andrea yelled about not having any cell reception to check maps. Veronica nagged her to turn around and go back. Darci sat silently in the middle of the rearmost seat smoking a joint. The kids in the far back all pulled their shirts up over their noses, glaring at her.

  “Dude, you’re gonna get her in trouble.” Renee grabbed Darci by the arm and shook her. “If her parents smell that crap in here, she’s going to be grounded until she’s out of college.”

  “It’s legal,” muttered Darci, the smoke leaving her lips shifted to form the word ‘legal’ in midair.

  “I still can’t believe her father let her take the new car,” said Andrea.

  “They didn’t,” whispered Harper. “Dad wouldn’t let me drive it at all. None of this is really happening.”

  “Harp!” called Madison. “Lorelei’s streaking again! She won’t listen to me.”

  Lorelei giggled.

  Harper drew in a breath to yell at her, but didn’t bother. I’m dreaming.

  The stink of pot changed in an instant to the aroma of toast and wood smoke.

  Everyone started looking around for the source, opening every compartment, cup holder, pocket, and handbag. Harper noticed a glint in the side mirror and glanced at it… only to see Logan riding up from behind them on a mountain bike that he somehow pedaled as fast as she drove.

  “I don’t have the toast,” said Logan once he pulled alongside her window, then pointed. “He does.”

  Harper looked out the passenger window at Cliff, on a big Harley, dressed in his mall security guard uniform, holding a big plate of toast up to the Explorer like a waiter. He turned his head toward her and flashed a giant, cheesy smile.

  The absolute oddity of that shocked her out of the dream.

  Her eyes snapped open to the now-familiar sight of her new bedroom in Evergreen, in a house that used to belong to someone she’d never met, a house they’d been assigned to. Lorelei cuddled up against her left side, back to the wall. Madison lay half on top of her on the right, her head at Harper’s chin.

  Sharing the bed with the girls reminded her of the time they’d visited Mom’s sister in Nevada when Harper had been about eleven. The woman had three large dogs, and the golden retriever decided to sleep with her at night, an immovable weight pinning her down.

  She’d grown to adore having the girls with her in bed at night for two reasons. One, her little sisters took on the role of teddy bears without the obvious embarrassment of a seventeen-year-old clinging to stuffed animals so she could sleep. Second, having them close reassured Harper of their safety. If anything happened, she wouldn’t have to wonder about them. Eventually, they’d outgrow co-sleeping. By modern standards, they already had… but modern standards had gone out the window. Emotions aside, sooner or later, physical size would get in the way. Three adult women couldn’t fit in that bed together without piling on top of each other. And that wouldn’t be comfortable at all. Not to mention, some day, Harper might prefer the company of whatever passed for a husband in a society without actual laws.

  She wondered how long it would take Madison to want a bed to herself. They’d already used up all the space they really had in the house. A second bed could be squeezed into their room, but it wouldn’t leave much open floor. They’d end up sitting or standing on beds to get dressed.

  Whenever she’s ready, she’ll want space. Harper smiled, finding she didn’t mind how long that may take. Lorelei, on the other hand, would likely want to cling to someone at night for the rest of her life. Eventually, she’d move on from Harper to someone she fell in love with. Considering the girl’s vulnerability, any potential boyfriend—or girlfriend if it happened that way—would need to be watched. Someone could easily take advantage of her. Dr. Hale said Lorelei fit the criteria for attachment disorder. The kid would run up and hug anyone no matter how dangerous or shifty they appeared. Would she ever grow out of that?

  She’d walk right into a horrible relationship and not even know it. Harper exhaled out her nose. I got her covered. I won’t let anyone hurt her again.

  Soon after she stirred, the girls woke up.

  “Hey,” said Madison in a sleepy voice, not bothering to move.

  “Morning.” Harper lightly scratched at her sister’s back. “Sleep okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  Lorelei sat up, blinking dazedly around at the sunlight. “It’s too bright.”

  “Time to get up,” said Harper, right before yawning.

  “I hate this,” muttered Madison into Harper’s shoulder.

  “What?”

  “I gotta pee but I don’t wanna move.”

  Harper chuckled.

  Lorelei crawled over them, slithering off the bed to the floor. She pulled open the dresser drawer containing her clothes and rummaged.

  Cliff knocked on the door but didn’t open it. “’Bout time to get up. Breakfast’s ready.”

  With a resigned groan, Madison rolled off Harper.

  “Okay.” Harper sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, sitting on the edge while the girls changed from their nighties to day clothes—a simple dress for Lorelei, jean skirt and tee for Madison.

  Jonathan ran by in the hallway outside.

  Madison pulled the door open and the girls raced out. Despite the frustrations of having to share one small bathroom with five people, Madison hadn’t yet complained even once, a stark change from how she’d been back home before the war. Somehow, in a house with two-and-a-half bathrooms, Harper always ended up in the one Madison had to use. Part of her wanted to hear her sister scream hurry up just one more time.

  Heart heavy, she pushed herself up to stand and traded her nightgown for the jeans-and-T-shirt outfit that had become pretty much her uniform on weekdays. By the time she exited the bedroom, the bathroom lay open, the kids’ voices all murmuring from the end of the hall to the left.

  I hate that a still-working toilet feels like a luxury.

  A few minutes later, Harper entered the kitchen. The kids sat around the table feasting on toast slathered in brown stuff. Cliff had splurged with a small fire to make frying pan toast for a treat. A far cry from pancakes, but it still satisfied Madison’s request for the occasional warm breakfast.

  “Heading on a scavenging run. Probably be out most of the day,” said Cliff. “Expecting to be back tonight, perhaps a little late.”

  Harper diverted course from an open chair to go around the table and hug him. “Please be careful.”

  “Hey, if the internet still existed, and you looked up careful, you’d find my picture.” He winked. “Now, eat.”

  She smiled and took her seat. “What’s that brown goop?”

  Madison mmm-ed her approval past a full mouth.

  “Good!” chirped Lorelei.

  Jonathan grinned. “Yeah. I never had it before, but it’s awesome.”

  “Apple butter,” said Cliff. “Last time I had this stuff, I was like your age.”

  She took her three pieces of bread and smeared some of the stuff on a corner t
o test it. It tasted quite a bit like applesauce, only with a consistency slightly runnier than jam. Deciding she liked it, she liberally smeared it over the rest of her toast.

  “What’s the scav?” asked Harper.

  “Checking on a bunch of pharmacies up around Wheat Ridge and so on.”

  She lost her appetite. “Lawless.”

  “We’re expecting contact.” Cliff nodded. “Not going hunting, but we’re going to thin them out if we can. Makes no sense letting them build up to an unmanageable number.”

  Mixed emotions swirled around inside her. She didn’t want the blue gang to take away the man who’d essentially become her second dad. On the other hand, she didn’t mind the idea a few thugs would be removed from the gene pool. Cliff didn’t show the slightest bit of worry, so he either expected minimal risk or knew something she didn’t.

  Deciding to trust him and try not to worry too much, she resigned herself to eat in silence.

  “Did you have fun on your date?” asked Madison in a tone that almost sounded teasing.

  “Yeah.”

  “Kiss him yet?” asked Madison.

  “You should know. You were watching us the whole time.” Harper started smirking at her but ended up smiling. “Not yet.”

  “He seems cool,” said Jonathan.

  “Yeah. He is. Just making sure I trust my feelings before listening to them.”

  “Good advice.” Cliff stood and moved his plate to the sink. “Sorry for running out the door so fast, but we need to get going.”

  Harper and the kids swarmed him with hugs. He pretend fought the little ones off like Godzilla battling smaller monsters.

  “Be careful,” said Harper.

  He clasped her shoulders, stared into her eyes, and almost seemed to be fighting a grin. “I will. You keep the little ones safe ’til I get back.”

  What’s up with him? He’s acting real weird for a scav run. “Okay.”

  Once the kids finished the last of their breakfast, Harper sent them off to get their shoes and collected the Mossberg from the bedroom. She returned to the front to find all three standing by the door wearing flip-flops. She stared at them for a second, shrugged, and headed out the door with her last piece of toast in her teeth.

  The sunny late-spring day greeted her with the chirps of birds, a surprisingly cool breeze, and the continuous thwapping of small flip-flops behind her. Her siblings eagerly chattered about the imminent end of school, looking forward to summer break almost as if no nuclear war happened. Jonathan didn’t sound too thrilled with the idea of farm work during the vacation, but Madison countered that none of them had turned twelve yet, so they didn’t have to this year.

  She guided them up the highway, taking Route 74 past the bus wall as usual since it offered a much faster route than weaving around the curvy streets by houses. The little green ‘Bergen Park’ sign on the side of the road up ahead let her know they’d reached the school. They scaled the chain link fence beside the highway, then crossed a short bit of woods to the athletic field and track, went past the baseball diamond, and around the side of the school building to the front.

  Harper hugged each kid in turn and waved as they scurried into the building. She lost herself in a momentary daydream, imagining lines of buses stacked up on the road in front of the school, rushed parents zooming in to drop their oversleeping kids off. After a moment, the scene of ghostly morning chaos gave way to the near total silence of reality.

  Lorelei paused at the doors to smile back at her. The poor kid looked as grimy as a child from the news in some foreign country suffering endless war or famine. Hair wild, face smeared with dirt, she’d become the very picture of a post-apocalyptic feral survivor—except for the big grin.

  “Have fun today.” Harper returned the girl’s wave.

  “’Kay!” she darted inside.

  How is she so damn happy after everything she’s been through? Harper kicked her sneaker at the sidewalk, trying to understand how a six-year-old could disregard so much awfulness and bounce back like that. Why couldn’t she be the same way? Granted, Lorelei probably didn’t miss her horrible mother, and in all truth, her present circumstances were better than before the war.

  “How sad is that?” whispered Harper. She turned away from the school, gazing out over the empty parking lot at the tree-lined streets. “What kind of world did the politicians leave us?” A dark chuckle escaped her lips. “Well, I guess since no one’s driving anymore, carbon emissions are way down.”

  It happened. We’re still here.

  A chorus of childish laughter came from deep within the building.

  Harper managed a smile. “Okay. Enough thinking about sad stuff. Time to play cop.”

  She crossed the lot to the road and proceeded to walk the streets of the residential area surrounding the golf-course-turned-farm. Her birthday still weighed heavy on her mind, mostly the guilt of still being alive while her parents had died. Tegan, Dr. Hale, said that such ‘survivor’s guilt’ happened to people all the time and she shouldn’t be ashamed of feeling that way. Harper didn’t consider herself undeserving of life, though. More, she’d become furious with whoever set off the war.

  Thinking about Lorelei chipped away at her gloominess. It would probably be a long time before Harper felt truly happy about anything, but perhaps she could allow herself a few moments of joy here and there. She distracted herself with pleasant thoughts, like Madison abandoning the dead phone or finding Renee alive and okay.

  People waved from various houses as she passed. By now, all the residents of her assigned area knew her. They all smiled, except for Rachel who eyed her warily. That woman probably still blamed Harper in part for her husband Tommy’s death even though she’d been nowhere near him when he died. The guy beat the hell out of his wife. He died because of his own stupidity. No one forced him to pull a gun on Walter. Though, Rachel tended to give everyone the eye these days, so Harper didn’t feel too singled out.

  An odd—and quite unexpected—sense of contentment came out of nowhere.

  Harper had never asked for this life she’d crashed into, but in that moment, surrounded by trees and the quiet of a late-May morning, it almost seemed possible she could accept it.

  A little after mid-day, Harper found herself in the midst of a pleasant conversation with Doreen Mack, a former day care owner who also used to live in Lakewood. The woman had a short but stocky frame and a squarish chin that gave her an intimidating presence completely at odds with her personality. Like many people in Evergreen, she’d lost a considerable amount of weight owing to the food shortage from a couple months ago, but remained a little on the thick side. Due to her experience, she’d been asked to look after a handful of orphaned children too young for school.

  Three infants and five toddlers made for quite a handful.

  A brief rapid peppering of gunfire went off not too far away in the residential area, trailing off to three stray bangs.

  “Oh, that doesn’t sound good.” Doreen’s face paled. “Excuse me.”

  She ran inside to collect the toddlers.

  A long 911 air horn blart came from the same direction as the shots.

  Shit.

  Harper swung the Mossberg off her shoulder and ran down the street. At another series of gunshots, she instinctively ducked. A bullet hissed far overhead, nipping at branches. She spotted Marcie Chapman hunkered down behind a thick tree across another street and up a short hill, taking cover from a building she recognized as the home of Katherine Bowden. A dark figure in one of the windows aimed an AR-15 type rifle past the curtains. Staying low, Harper sprinted up the hill, ducking behind a tree wide enough to shield her, as close as she dared to Marcie’s position.

  “Marcie,” whisper-shouted Harper.

  The woman looked back, cringing at another shot from the house blasting splinters from the trunk above her head. “Christ… Stay down!”

  “What’s going on?” Harper peered briefly around her tree at the house, but di
dn’t trust using a shotgun at that range.

  “Ran into two guys carrying rifles, not ours. Didn’t recognize them. Asked who they were. Right in the middle of me explaining how stuff worked here, they tried to shoot me, ran into that house, and kept right on shooting at me.”

  “Lawless?” Harper sounded an alarm tone from her air horn.

  “Don’t think so. No blue scraps. Kathy’s still in there. Heard her screaming.”

  Grr. First those kids steal from her, now she’s a hostage… that poor woman is going to want a different house.

  Another shot kicked up dirt by Marcie’s foot. A man in a second window fired at Harper, blasting a shower of bark over her hair and face.

  “Gah!” Harper jumped back and flattened herself on the ground behind the tree. “What the hell is wrong with them?”

  Darnell and Ryan appeared, jogging down the road from the southwest. The same shooter who fired on Harper sent a few bullets in their direction, forcing them to dive for cover.

  “Yo, what the hell?” shouted Darnell.

  Harper waved until he looked at her, held up two fingers. He nodded. She mouthed ‘one hostage,’ to which he also nodded.

  Dennis and Roy approached from an angle off to the right that would force the shooters to lean out the window to be able to fire. The one who put a bullet into Harper’s tree disappeared into the house. The other fired again at Marcie’s position, kicking up more dirt.

  “Marce!” whispered Harper.

  When the woman looked back, Harper made a circling gesture with a finger.

  Marcie gave a thumbs-up.

  Shots came from the right side of the house. Dennis and Roy dove out of sight.

  Harper shifted up into a squat, leaping to her feet the instant Marcie stuck her Beretta around the tree and opened fire at the guy in the window. She ran in a curve across Katherine’s side yard, stopping by a huge tree that lined up with the corner of the house. Thicker than an industrial refrigerator, this one looked like it could stop bullets, even 5.56.