by Logan Keys
**
The night was quiet, some thunder rumbled in the distance, but no more lightning could be seen. The entire town was dead, that much was sure by the absolute silence and darkness throughout it in all directions. If any people were headed this direction, they might have turned back seeing the roads full of the dead. So, there wasn’t much chance of finding a ride. Rufus and Colton took turns keeping watch, but it felt safe, almost, being surrounded by the dead. Safer than when they were all alive and threatening to take your stuff, Colton thought.
It wasn't until morning that the rain began. Colton stepped outside and watched the sky darken, then it turned a scary, bright green. "Rufus," he said carefully, trying not to scare the kids. "Best get them ready and dressed quickly."
Rufus was already putting on Benton's jacket. Colton helped Lily with hers. "Whats wrong Colton,” she asked, her little voice shaking as the thunder shook the house.
"Nothing. We’re almost home, okay? This place is just a hop, a skip, and jump from where I grew up. We are already in Texas, so we just have to get to the next town over and we are home. You ready to meet my parents? They will love you both! They will take you in, and feed you, and you can rest safe. You know, my dad has been planning for this day for a long while. He has always stocked food and supplies. More than enough. How does that sound?”
“Great!” the kids cried and Colton felt it tug his heart just a little to see how eager they were to finally get settled.
As Colton was saying all of this, he was shoving their hands into their gloves, and their feet into boots. He yanked down their hats over their ears, and he was pushing them out the door.
“Storm’s here,” Rufus said quietly as they headed for the door. “I saw lightning. Not sure how long we got, son. How far is your town?”
Colton answered, “Nearly fifty miles.”
Rufus cursed under his breath.
Colton added, “But we don’t know how long this goes on. Could be that we get out of this town before it’s done. We might not have to get all the way to Lubbock to be safe. Maybe it’s just here?”
Rufus and Colton shared a glance and started down the street. They were almost at a run by the end of it.
“For one,” Colton shouted to be heard over the rain and the wind. “There won’t be anymore cars pulled over at the side of the road like here. Maybe no more dead bodies means we are safe.”
“Good point.”
Thunder rumbled and Colton picked up the pace. "Come on, kids. Let’s play a game. Whoever can run the fastest gets a candy bar I have hidden in my pocket.”
Bentley was the most suspicious. “You don’t have any candy.”
But he also seemed excited, and Lily pushed by her brother, taking Colton at his word.
“Yes, I do,” Colton said. “I found one in that store that someone missed. I was saving it for a special occasion.”
Lily giggled. “I’m gonna win, Bentley!”
“It’s for whoever is fastest. I mean, it could be Rufus or myself!” Colton took off running and the kids made chase.
Rufus was keeping up the rear pretty well and again Colton was struck by how fit the man was.
Lightning flashed, and the kids glanced back at him when he was letting them win. Colton tried to keep his face clear of fear even as it gripped his heart. When would it happen if it did? Would it be fast? Those people had looked as if they'd died in agony, not instant.
"Come on guys you can do better than that,” Colton called.
The kids were pumping their arms and breathing hard. “That’s it,” Rufus cheered. “You both are the fastest kids I know! Look at you go! Like super heroes.”
They were at the main highway out of town, now. Colton had no idea how long they had to run, or how long they had run already, he just knew they had to keep going.
"Wait," Bentley cried. "My side hurts. He stopped running. “We have to rest."
Thunder boomed closer, and the sky changed to green. The wind picked up and Colton could almost feel the atmosphere change.
"Here,” Colton said in desperation. “Get on my back. We have to keep going.”
“What? Why?” Bentley asked, his face drawn.
“Piggy back ride! You and I will split that candy if we win." Colton kept the game up as Bentley jump on and they started running again. Lily also grew too slow, so Rufus let her on his back and then it was a "race" between the adults for which kid would get a candy bar to share with them
Blinding lightning flashed without a second between.
They must have gone another two miles but Colton was going slower and slower, running out of energy as the hair on his arms stood up. "This is it!" he cried pushing himself as hard as he could down the empty highway.
"There are still cars pulled over," Rufus shouted. “We have to keep going.” He was in font of Colton egging him on. “You can do it.”
Colton nodded and he jogged with Benton banging on his back. He pressed on even when he was wheezing and gasping for breath. Rufus’s face in the lightning was beet red. He was flagging too and stumbled a few times making Colton worry.
Rufus started to fall behind this round and it was Colton who begged him to keep on between bursts of breath. "One. More. Mile," he promised though he didn’t know if that was going to be enough.
And once they finally made it through the blowing rain another mile, he said it again. “One more mile! We can do this.”
There were no breaks in the lightning now, just one string of blinding flash that made it difficult to see. The green was gone, and the light painted everything in a strange, ghostly white. The charge built and built as Colton’s heart raced.
"Last mile!" Colton barked, using his best drill instructor voice when they both wanted to give up. They were doing little more than a fast walk, but they pressed on, each having to help the other when they stumbled off the highway, blind, exhausted, and their legs rubbery and spent.
Colton paused when he saw it, leaning his head back to laugh with joy. A sign on the highway read Lubbock Thirty miles. They'd gone twenty of them on foot already. Twenty miles. Would it be enough?
"Woohoo!" Colton shouted, his energy growing again. "Come on! We can do this!"
Rufus held up a hand. "I have to rest a moment. I have to…” He weaved on his feet. “Colton, let me sit down.” Rufus made a terrible noise and he clutched his chest. Lily shimmied down off his back and Colton's eyes bugged as Rufus collapsed on the highway.
Colton set Bentley down and rushed to his side. “No!” He glanced around for help as if an ambulance would suddenly appear. “Rufus,” he pleaded, but the man was out cold.
Colton listened for breath, a heartbeat, but with the storm it was impossible to hear.
The storm grew stronger and Colton told the children, "You guys go over there by the side of the road." Colton lifted Rufus as best he could and drug him out from off of the lane of travel just in case.
Colton shielded his body from the rain as best he could. He felt for a pulse and found one, slow and weak. "Can you hear me?" Colton asked, his voice high-pitched with fear. "Stay with me.” Colton was near tears. “I can’t do this without you.”
Rufus's eyes stayed closed. His face was pale, and Colton realized the older man might have had a stroke or heart attack. He had no remedy for either.
They'd pushed the older man too hard with too little rest. And he must have kept it to himself the whole time that he was feeling ill. He probably didn’t want to put more burden on the kids, on Colton.
Colton stayed over him, knowing he wasn't going to leave the man behind no matter what. Storm or no storm. Deadly lightning or not. He'd watch over Rufus until he woke up again.
Until...even if he didn’t.
Chapter 8
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Paige stood over Brittany who was still flat on her back. Brittany had fainted, and she was awake now but wished she wasn’t. They were going to kill Chuck.
But Paige was gi
ving her a meaningful look like Brittany should understand. Brittany opened her mouth to speak but Paige gave a half smile like words were not necessary. Then Brittany forgot about everything else as she watched Paige fish something from her pocket.
With her feet splayed, Paige lifted an item she clutched gingerly in her hand. “I still have a grenade,” she told Dusty. He froze at his place beside Brittany where he’d been acting like he cared about her wellbeing. “I won’t let you make me some weird kinky sex slave. Brittany either,” Paige promised. “I won’t let you kill my brother. You die first.”
She’d told Brittany before she wasn’t going down like that. She knew that Dusty’s retribution now that they’d destroyed the tanks would be tenfold. But Dusty didn’t seem daunted by her threat. Nope. He turned and stood while Paige backed up.
“You won’t do it. You don’t want to die enough. And you’d die too.”
Paige was equally smug. “Try me.”
“Okay. Then you don’t want him to die badly enough.” Dusty pointed at Paige’s brother Chuck and Brittany’s moment of hope faltered. “Everyone on this stage dies if you pull that pin.”
Brittany shook her head when Paige glanced her way. Then Paige glanced at Chuck and she gave a half smile, almost in apology it seemed. And no, Paige wouldn’t let her brother die, too. Though she tried to keep a straight face, it was obvious when she looked at Chuck, that there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do.
“You are right.” Paige pulled the pin.
Everyone gasped, frozen in surprise. But Paige was already moving, her tall muscular frame racing across the stage towards Dusty.
Brittany was on her feet in that same instant and since Dusty wasn’t stupid enough o stay close in proximity either, he’d started to run. Everyone was taking off in different directions but not Paige. Paige was chasing the madman down, grenade in hand.
She tackled Dusty and the two of them flew off of the stage and into the crowd below. Grown men screamed like girls as they parted ways, realizing what had happened. Dusty, too, was shouting for help.
They hit the ground together and rolled, her arms and legs wrapped around Dusty while Paige called back to Brittany and Chuck, “Run! Go!”
“Paige!” Chuck roared, his eyes wide, not believing what he was seeing.
Chuck seemed torn, but Brittany was close enough to latch onto his arm and drag him off the stage, through the back. Chuck fought loose, racing back for where Paige was, but Brittany screamed at him to stop. “Both of you dying won’t help!”
Brittany bent down and plugged her ears when she knew their time was up. The thought of Paige’s body being moments away from being ripped to shreds by the grenade making her sob loudly, uncaring of who heard.
The grenade went off, and Brittany screamed so hard that it shredded her throat.
Chuck was still running back to save his sister, but he stopped as the explosion went off. He gaped in shock. Having to see it for himself, it seemed, he climbed the steps and peered over the stage’s edge in horror.
Brittany couldn’t see what Chuck saw. She could only see Chuck. Brittany prayed that Paige had somehow gotten clear. She prayed she wouldn’t find something terrible when she stood back on her shaky feet, but those went unanswered.
Paige’s death was confirmed when Brittany heard Chuck make a noise like a wounded animal and come staggering back to her side. He was in shock. Lost. He was pale and looked about to pass out. She pulled him away, knowing she had to do it. “We have to go! Chuck, the others!”
He turned back but Brittany grabbed him by the collar. “She’s gone,” she whispered, voice broken around the edges. “But not forgotten. And what would she say now? Go. Save them. Don’t waste these precious moments while they are in chaos. That was her plan, Chuck. She knew what she was doing.”
Chuck fell into her, sobbing, but he quickly pulled back, nodding. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
They ran the back way, up and around the buildings. Like they’d predicted none of Dusty’s men were trying to regain the control. They stood around dumbfounded. It was over for them. The head had been struck off the snake and that was that. Perhaps some of them would come to feel sorry for what they’d done later, what liberties they’d taken against humankind. They would live with that regret, hopefully, in punishment.
Chuck and Brittany waited at the edge of the crowd and Brittany gasped when a path cleared and she could see the spot where Paige and Dusty lay. Almost in a lover’s embrace, their bodies were still together, ruined on the ground. Brittany covered her mouth to stifle a scream, and she turned away, squeezing her eyes shut to the horror. “We can’t….We can’t just leave her like that,” she said, but it was Chuck who was the reality this round.
“We can,” Chuck said quietly. “Because that’s not Paige. She’s gone. And what’s left isn’t my sister anymore. You were right. We have to go…now.”
Brittany followed him stiffly on numb legs as Chuck lead them away. She could tell he was an inch from going over the edge but holding it together for his people.
**
Someone managed to search the room where they’d been kept and found the keys to all of the vehicles in Chuck’s caravan. Brittany and Chuck had little trouble getting them out of the place where they were being kept because the guards had all fled.
“Everyone get to the cars,” Chuck said and Brittany knew he had changed his mind and wanted to go back. She knew he wanted to leave his group and get Paige’s body at least.
They were on their way to safety now, and Brittany understood because she felt the same way.
“I….I’ll stay with you,” Brittany said but he shook his head. “Yes,” She said firmly. “If you have to do it, let’s do it together.”
George was there, too, “I will do it with you.”
Brittany glanced at him in surprise, but his eyes were red from crying. He’d loved Paige after all. They all had. Everyone in the group was softly crying when they learned about her great sacrifice.
“Tell the group to go on without us. We will catch up in the truck.”
George nodded and did as he said.
Then together, they all waited for the rest to escape. Once they were gone, Brittany, George, and Chuck snuck back to the stage. No one was around so they covered Paige’s body in a blanket and pulled her off of Dusty’s.
“We have no time for a burial,” Chuck said, and Brittany thought for a moment.
“Find an empty house,” she offered.
Chuck agreed, and they carried Paige off towards a row that seemed to have been abandoned. They found a small house that was left with the front door wide open. It was quaint, and sweet. The photographs seemed to be of grandchildren of whoever had lived there. The older couple had long since gone, and Brittany said a quick prayer for their safety.
They laid Paige upstairs, gently on the bed, and kept her covered. Chuck left the blanket on, obviously not wanting to see what was left of his sister once more.
George and Brittany left him upstairs to mourn while they gave him his space. She was exhausted and when she sat down, she started to shake and cry. She realized she hadn’t mourned Paige yet either, not really, and tears began to flow.
She startled as Chuck came over to hold her.
“I’ll keep watch,” George offered, and he went outside, but he was wiping his eyes as well.
Chuck cried, too and together they let go of the anguish until they’d both cried themselves out and then Brittany laid down and went to sleep in a fitful rest.
In her dreams she saw Paige over and over again, taking the grenade and tackling Dusty.
Her friend, one of her only friends in the whole world, was gone. Again.
**
"What do we do now, Chuck?” Brittany asked as she sat down near the campfire with the others.
It was morning and they’d caught up with the group after leaving Oklahoma city. If she ever saw the city again in her life it would be too soon.
&nbs
p; She was exhausted, so was Chuck, having only slept a couple of hours, but he was eager to leave and put the place behind him and so was she. Maybe he was afraid he’d never leave if he didn’t now, since this was where Paige was laid to rest.
“We go south,” Chuck said. “Stick to the plan. It’s what she'd want. No reason to waste what she gave us. Freedom.” He said the last part bitterly, and Brittany understood it.
Chuck nodded. "Tell the others for me,” he added. “It’s time to go.”
“Of course.” Brittany went around to each person, and it felt weird. It was Paige’s job. And Paige was gone. Brittany fought back tears once more. She knew he was right though. If Paige could talk right now she would say don’t waste another minute—she'd done what she did and she would again. Brittany could almost hear her: Make it south. Get Chuck there. Hold the group together for me.
And Brittany had a new goal in mind, finally. She would see it through.
**
The caravan was packed up and ready to go sooner than she thought possible, and they were all driving before the sun was fully up. Brittany Joined Chuck in his truck and it was a silent drive all the way to Texas.
"What is that?" Chuck stopped the truck.
"I think it's a plane. Or what was left of it." Brittany gaped at the particles of what had once been people and their lives. Now it was nothing more than a smear of pieces across the highway.
"No way around it, huh?” He sighed.
"There was a side road a while back. It might loop around.”
Chuck nodded and he stuck his hand out of the window to signal to the others that they'd be turning around.
He made a three-point turn and as he did so, Chuck finally broke the hours long silence on the subject of his sister’s death. "She really liked you. You know that? And Paige didn’t like much of anyone."
Brittany meant to say how Paige loved Chuck. With everything. But instead, she blurted. "Maybe it's my fault."
“What?” Chuck glared across the seat to her place next to him. "What are you talking about?"
