by J. P. Castle
Her pulse quickened when she caught sight of Caleb lying next to Troian. The constrained dinette area forced Troian’s back to nestle up to the side of Caleb’s body. Her long dark hair draped over his arm.
Caleb stirred, half awake. He opened his eyes to meet Bryce’s baby blues glaring at him intensely. If I’m reading her mind correctly, she wants to cut my head completely off. This amused Caleb, the awkward exchange they were sharing. Several seconds passed before he smiled slyly at her.
Ledger noticed the silent language between them. He didn’t say a word and decided to mosey on outside. He warmed himself by the fire.
Bastian marched over, stood beside him, and crossed his arms. “I really hope you do not think I’m okay with . . .”
Ledger cut him off before he could finish. “Hahaha, the look on your face, man—priceless. I won’t lie. It gave me immense pleasure. But no, I’m not the one you need to be worried about.” He laughed out loud again and strolled on over to the bushes to relieve himself.
Bastian glimpsed over his shoulder. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he growled.
Ledger shuffled along, with a satisfied expression on his face.
AN HOUR LATER, the group hit the road.
“We need to stop in Cheyenne, get new rides, an R.V., a van, or some combination. We need to ditch the beast in case the store owner reports it stolen. Besides, I’m guessing it’s not all that reliable,” said Bastian.
“Yes, I agree, but we have to stay away from car lots,” said Mr. McCrady. “We also need to get some throwaway wrist-units and computers. They’ll try to track our location on every camera with face recognition software and follow every piece of information entered into the system. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to go into my office, get the Science Club roster, then locate our yearbook photos.”
“So, let’s go to a One Shop Hub, get new electronics, and find private sellers online afterward using the Hub’s free Wi-Fi,” said Bastian.
“Food,” said Troian, “we need more food.”
“Got it,” said Bastian. “Um, why don’t you ‘n Rani make a list. Or maybe you, not sure how much help Rani would be. I don’t imagine she’s overly familiar with anything that has to do with a grocery store.”
“Okay,” said Troian. She purposely made direct eye contact with him, but he didn’t notice.
The old R.V. fired up with a roar. Smoke rolled out from under the hood. Everyone crammed inside once again with camping gear stacked all around.
In Cheyenne, they found a One Shop Hub. Bastian stayed behind with Ledger to watch the soldier and keep out of sight.
Inside the store, everybody had a personal mission with a goal to keep socially distanced from one another. They went in three minutes apart. Bryce followed Youlie to find travel maps, new wrist-units, hats, and glasses for everyone to wear if needed.
Rani, Troian, and Ollie went for the food items. Joaquin bought two computers, along with, more throw-away wrist-units. Mateo purchased the same but checked out in the back of the store instead of upfront. Timmy picked up another laptop, then strolled through the self-check-out system.
People rarely used cashiers these days, but one remained in each store for customers who preferred a more personal experience. Rani and Troian placed the food on the belt.
“Hello,” said the cashier. “Did you find everything okay?”
“Yes, thank you,” said Troian.
Near the end of the transaction, Ollie’s attention span started to wane, and he got bored. “Yeah, we need this stuff for our escape. People are trying to kill us,” he said, looking gingerly at the cashier.
Troian’s eyes widened. She didn’t know Ollie well enough to understand how to handle the situation.
Rani laughed it off and kicked her theatrics into high gear. “Never mind him, he just finished watching his favorite spy movie.”
“No, I didn’t, Rani,” Ollie shook his head, completely disgusted. “Why do you make stuff up on me all the time? I’m trying to tell the lady our story.”
At this point, his eyes focused solely on his sister. He absolutely couldn’t fathom these lies spewing from her mouth. “ANYWAY, we killed one earlier. Well, I didn’t, but my friend did.” He pulled out his comb and slicked his hair back with a few strokes.
The cashier recognized Ollie’s handicap and engaged with him. “What is your favorite spy movie?” she said, sliding the items on through.
“Escape From Damascus. It’s the best. We have a soldier tied up outside in our truck, same as the one in the movie.”
“Really?” said the cashier, winking at Rani. “What’s his name?”
“He never told me yet,” said Ollie.
“You all have a wonderful day,” said the cashier, handing out the change.
Troian pocketed the receipt. Once outside, the girls headed straight for the R.V.
“Never again,” said Troian. “I almost fainted in there.”
“Me too,” said Rani. “Oh my gosh, me too.”
“Why you gonna faint Troian, you sick?” said Ollie.
“Never mind, Ollie. I’m fine now. Come on.”
They climbed into the R.V.
“Everything go alright?” said Bastian, peeking out the window to see if anyone was following.
“Troian and Rani almost fainted,” said Ollie. He sat down to read a book they’d purchased for him in the store and forgot all about the matter.
“Are you all okay?” said Bastian, concerned.
“We’re outstanding, let’s get out of here,” said Rani.
Everyone returned, Amir set up two computers, and Joaquin worked on the wrist-units.
“Search local, private sellers for a passenger van or an SUV. Find one R.V. used but decent. We’ll take whatever we can find in the area. Mr. McC, are you up to go check out the R.V. alone?”
“Yes, I can manage that. So long as you kids don’t go all ‘Lord of the Flies’ on me while I’m gone and kill the soldier,” he said.
“Huh? ‘Lord of the Flies?’ What’s that?” said Bastian.
“Oh, nothing . . . a figure of speech. It’s an old movie, almost a hundred years old now,” said Mr. McCrady with a grin.
A loud noise rumbled overhead.
Ollie peeked out the window. “Hey, an air-bus.”
Air-busses supplied the second largest mode of public transportation within cities now, next to the underground shuttles. The large computer navigated units hovered above vehicular traffic about one to two hundred feet in the air, carrying twenty to forty passengers at a time.
“We could use the underground system . . . the Hyperloop,” said Troian.
Around 2020, a man named Elon Musk constructed a massive underground system that could cut travel time down by 75 percent.
“We could, but we’d have to use I.D.s to activate ticket passage. We need to find some other identification ‘n documents to move through society,” said Bastian.
“True,” said Troian. “I might know where we can get some documents and I.D.s.”
Bastian made real eye contact with her now. He listened—to only her.
“Where?” he said.
Her legs trembled; his deep voice made her forget the conversation. What were we talking about? Her mind went blank.
He brushed his dark wavy hair back a couple of times. “Troian, where?” he said again.
Everyone focused their attention on her.
“Oh, um . . . a friend of my brothers from the South Side of Chicago. They served together before the man got hurt overseas. He does whatever he has to now to make ends meet. Black market items”—she made quotation marks in the air with her fingers—"are his specialty.”
“Super, try to get him on your unit when it’s activated,” said Bastian. “We’ll take a minor detour and go right through there.”
A brief time later, Amir found three vehicles online. He set up the meetings. Bastian sent the muscle, Mateo and Joaquin, with cash to go to the private res
idences.
Everyone waited anxiously to get a move on. The beast stuck out in the parking lot, like a rodeo clown at a funeral. Mr. McCrady also embarked on his way to purchase an R.V., a rare and almost hard to find item these days due to the excessive cost of ownership.
Joaquin and Mateo went to the first address by taxi, and the second one in the SUV they purchased.
“Sweet ride,” said Mateo.
“Yeah, did you get a load of his face when we pulled out that cash, hehehe,” said Joaquin, slapping the steering wheel. “He’d have given it to two bank robbers to get that cash in his hand.”
Joaquin used the wrist-unit to locate the second address. The vehicle sat out front with a for sale sign on it, but gang graffiti decorated the side of the garage.
“We shouldn’t risk it. I’m not sure what all those painted tag signs mean. Right now, we can’t afford trouble,” said Mateo.
“I long for the day man when no more gangs exist,” said Joaquin. “Don’t get me wrong, society’s come a long way, but I still don’t understand why they allow violent gangs to be a part of it. Police arrest people for such MINOR offenses these days. A million laws are written against so many things. Kids even gotta have a license to sell lemonade on the sidewalk. But hey, it’s okay to be a member of a murderous gang . . . no problem.”
“Oh Joaquin, come on, they’re probably just in there playing chess, haha,” he joked. “In all seriousness, though, I agree with you. But you’re African ‘n I’m Mexican . . . so let’s not go in there and try to sort it out with them today. ESPECIALLY since we’re already wanted.”
“You know it, brother, you know it,” Joaquin chuckled. “Where’s the other place.”
The pair trudged on and ended up with a decent passenger van, too. Joaquin text Bastian on the disposable wrist-unit to inform him they’d rounded up two vehicles instead of one.
Bastian also received a call from Mr. McCrady, “Hey, I got the R.V. It’s nicer than the one we have. It even has three slide-outs. The man said he used to take it to a campground not far from here. We should meet there to switch out instead of drawing unwanted attention in the parking lot. Too many cameras there. Can you drive to the campground?”
“Yeah, what’s the address?” Bastian loaded the address into his wrist-unit.
Joaquin and Mateo arrived back. After a brief discussion, the group pulled out.
Once Bastian found the campground, he bought a two-week pass for the old R.V. He planned to abandon the outdated clunker in the park permanently. They’d be in another state before the park ranger came around asking questions about the expired window tag.
An hour passed by while they transferred gear and got organized. Everyone had plenty of room now. They all agreed to spend the night at this campground since most of the day had already passed.
Bastian nailed down the travel route with the new maps. Troian and Bryce made sandwiches while the others prepared places to sleep for the night.
The park offered free Wi-Fi. Youlie sifted through the headlines, monitoring trends across the nation and around the globe. Amir bounced his signal out of a foreign country to avoid tracking and checked local news channels. Both knew in advance any kind of search, about Breckenridge or vaccines, would have the laws on them in short order.
The government tracked, watched, and listened all the time, on every device possible, even in places one would never suspect, homes, restaurants, public transportation. If a person’s lips were moving or their fingers entered data anywhere, someone behind the big curtain recorded it.
“BASTIAN, I’ve got the news on,” Amir said. “It’s Breckenridge.”
Everyone gathered.
NATIONAL NEWS TONIGHT
“GOOD EVENING, I’M Kaley Crane, Howey Newlund has the night off. Tragic news out of Breckenridge, Colorado tonight. A virus called “Red Fang” has made its way into the town. So far, it’s killed over 95 percent of the residents at the location.
“Authorities told us the virus first appeared late Thursday or early Friday morning, taking its first victims by mid-afternoon on Friday. They suspect the virus arrived from someone who’d recently returned from overseas travel. Though that fact has not been 100 percent confirmed yet.
“The military arrived Friday evening to aid in the administration of a vaccine, given to them by the CDC in Atlanta. A spokeswoman said this is the first time in history that this particular virus ever reached American soil.
“We’re told the virus has reared its ugly head in both China and Russia as well. It’s believed the original infected may have shared an international flight with people from around the globe.
“Over 4,550 residents in Breckenridge have died. Authorities have authorized immediate cremation due to the violent nature of the virus. If you are a resident of Breckenridge, Colorado, and currently out of town, you are urged to call the number below. Operators will provide accurate information regarding the safety of your return to the area. And after donning specialized gear to protect herself, our correspondent Lisa Herrick has entered the town to interview a few survivors,” said Kaley. “Tell us what you’ve found, Lisa.”
“Survivors,” said Amir in question.
“Sure, Kaley. With us tonight is Mr. Greendale, a resident of Breckenridge. Mr. Greendale, can you enlighten us on what you’ve witnessed here?”
“People started getting sick on Thursday,” he said. “I noticed a lot of people coughing around town. Friday, people began to die. Thank goodness the military arrived with a vaccine before everyone died. I got lucky, but my wife ‘n son didn’t make it. Rumor has it one of our teachers committed suicide out of fear. Right in his own classroom. He did have a history of mental health issues.”
“Do you know his name, sir?” said Lisa.
“No, I’m not sure. I can’t remember,” said Mr. Greendale.
Lisa turned her microphone to another resident. “And you, Mrs. Roland, can you share your story?”
“I live further out of town,” she said. “By the time I knew about the sickness, the military doctors were already here to give me the vaccine. It saved my life. I lost other relatives down the road. I’m thankful to be alive. Thankful, our government responded as quickly as they did to get the situation under control.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Roland. I am terribly sorry for both of your losses. Both of these people are lucky to be alive after the viral outbreak that killed most of their friends and family here in Breckenridge. Hopefully, this will be the last we see of Red Fang.”
The cameraman tightened his shot to focus on Lisa while she continued with other local news.
“Another tragedy has also occurred in this area. Saturday morning, two news crew from WTR 5 apparently skidded off the roadway into a deep ravine. The vehicle exploded before onsite military personnel could reach those trapped inside. Both men lost their lives in this horrible crash.
“Many terrible events have plagued this unfortunate town in recent days. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. I’m Lisa Herrick reporting live from Breckenridge, Colorado. Back to you, Kaley.”
“Thanks, Lisa. Hopefully, they have contained the virus. Remember, a vaccination is available if it should reach areas outside of Breckenridge. There is no need to panic. In other news, the government-approved trials next week for a neuro-chip system.
“Initial trial participants will include inmates held in the largest prison systems across the United States. The chip will implant harmlessly beneath the surface of the skin at the nape of the neck. It will monitor the health status and whereabouts of all inmates. This will aid first responders who address medical concerns in emergent situations, as well as assist in the location of escapees.
“Officials tell us this new state of the art technology will also alert personnel any time an attack occurs on fellow inmates. The hope is to lower health care costs and create a safer environment within the prison system. If the trials are successful, the government hopes to expand this amazing techno
logy to the general public. I’m told it will replace the need for a driver’s license, debit and credit cards, monitor vitals, and other useful things,” said Kaley.
“WOW,” SAID LEDGER, “Did you notice those people in Breckenridge? I didn’t recognize them at all. I mean, I don’t know everybody, but does anyone here recognize them?”
“No, I didn’t, and Mr. Greendale didn’t seem real broken up over losing his wife ‘n kid,” said Bastian. “I’ve never even heard of their last names. They have to be impostors. Actors.”
“They said a teacher committed suicide, another lie,” said Ledger. “And Mr. Seng didn’t have mental health issues.”
“Yeah, trying hard to cover their tracks, in case we go public,” said Bastian.
“What do you think about the chip thing?” said Caleb.
“I’m not gonna worry about it right now. I’m not sure if it’s even related, but they’ll never chip us. None of us if I can help it,” said Bastian. “It’s anybody’s guess what the government has in store, I mean, you see what they’re up to right now. They always try to make everything sound so good for the public when really it only benefits them somehow.”
Bastian didn’t want to mention what he had read in the files. He figured since they only wanted to chip prisoners right now, he’d worry about that issue later.
“What about the news crew crash?” said Caleb.
“Yeah, what a total lie. We witnessed exactly what happened—murder,” said Bryce. “They’ve laid a pretty solid foundation to cover their lies so far.”
“They’re trying to lessen the public fear . . . minimize the situation,” said Bastian. “They never mentioned the dead or missing soldiers either . . . or Girard, which means they’re after us in a silent, dark way.”
“Maybe he’s not after us,” said Rani.
“Don’t be naive,” said Troian. “They don’t want to expose their mistakes . . . they’re trying to keep it quiet. Manage it internally, so to say. Otherwise, your faces and maybe some of ours would’ve been plastered all over the news.”
