by Dave Bowman
Liz stared at Charlie with her mouth open. “Charlie, what happened to you? It’s so unlike you to just turn your back on her like this.”
Charlie crossed his arms and leaned against the truck. “Things have changed. I saw that when those guys tried to kill us. We have to look out for ourselves. It’s a new world, and the rules have changed. Staying alive is my priority.”
Nick was surprised that Charlie would choose to give up on Jessa. But he could understand Charlie’s change of heart. The invasion had changed him too. It had changed all of them. They had woken from their naïve slumber. Still though, Nick couldn’t turn his back on Jessa.
“I understand where you’re coming from, Charlie. But I believe that Jessa will return to New Mexico. The fact that she hasn’t come back yet makes me think she could be in some kind of trouble. And my conscience won’t let me leave her to blow in the wind.”
“So we’re going to go look for Jessa?” Mia asked hopefully, sniffling.
Nick rubbed his jaw, watching the flames consume the mountainside. “I’m going to look for her. The rest of you are going to White Pine Falls.”
Nick was met with a chorus of protests.
“If you’re going to Colorado, I want to go too,” Matt said to Nick.
“We’re not going to let you go by yourself, Nick!” Liz said.
Charlie took his eyes off the burning mountain range in the distance to turn to Nick. “If you insist on going to Colorado, I’m going with you. There’s no way you’re going up there alone. After everything you’ve done for us, we can’t let you face whatever is going on up there by yourself.”
Liz and Mia nodded in agreement.
“I think we should all stick together,” Bethany said. “It’s too easy to be separated, and how would we find each other again? Messenger pigeon?” She smiled, her ringlets bouncing.
Nick looked at the ragtag group that included a heavily pregnant woman, an injured woman, a child, a young teenager, and two men. If they all wanted to come with him, he didn’t want to leave them behind. But if they ran into trouble, he didn’t want to put the more vulnerable members of the group in danger.
He shook his head. “I’ll take Charlie along, but the rest of you need to stay with Daniel’s family. It’s safer that way.”
Liz scoffed. “We all know the biggest danger is running into people with guns. My injured calf muscle won’t matter if I need to shoot somebody from the seat of that truck. We have enough guns for everyone to be armed, and that’s better than just the two of you going up there.”
Matt piped up. “I’ve got my shotgun, and Bethany found a rifle in Juniper Pass.”
Bethany smiled and nodded. “I just need to learn how to shoot it, is all.”
Nick cringed, then looked at her. “I don’t like the idea of you going, Bethany. It’s not safe.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m healthy as a horse, and I’m tougher than I look. I spent so much time sitting on my butt in Abilene all alone. I could use a little excitement.”
Nick turned his face away. Bethany didn’t seem to realize how dangerous this mission could be.
"And besides, I don't want to be alone anymore. It's stressful. I've gotten used to this guy here," she said, tousling Matt's hair. "I'd rather be around someone familiar. These days, familiar faces are few and far between."
“But do you think you can handle the trip?” Charlie asked. “It will be a lot of long hours in the truck.”
“As long as I’m not driving all of those hours.”
“Maybe we should leave a vehicle behind,” Liz said. “Out of the path of the fire. So that Matt and Bethany don’t have to drive. I mean, I can drive a little, but not the whole way.”
“Oh, I don’t mind driving,” Matt said. “Actually, I really kind of like it now.”
“Colorado sounds like an adventure!” Bethany said excitedly. “I always wanted to travel. I almost never left Abilene, and here I am going to two new states.”
Nick looked at everyone as they chattered. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. Once again, he was faced with a decision without good options. Making the trip with several people who could shoot a gun did increase their overall safety. But how could he let a pregnant woman and a child go along on a potentially dangerous trip? Would he be able to protect them all?
On the other hand, he hated the idea of splitting up the group and leaving some people behind to wait. There were too many things that could go wrong with that plan. The huge forest fire consuming the hills and mountains to their south could spread as far as White Pine Falls. If that were to happen, everyone would be forced to evacuate once again, including anyone he left behind from his group. And there would be no way to find them.
Traveling into Colorado would put the whole group at risk only to save Jessa. Maybe Charlie was right – Jessa’s choice to leave had made everything more difficult. But how could he throw her under the bus?
Nick couldn’t give up on her. His conscience wouldn’t allow him to leave her alone in Colorado when she might need help. And he couldn’t let her return to find the lodge burned to the ground and the only people she had left in the world vanished.
Jessa had done what she thought was best. Nick knew her motivation partially came from her desire to find Chris, but she also had the group’s best interests in mind when she set off across the Southwest looking for him. She had wanted to bring another capable person into their ranks.
She had been trying to help; she couldn’t have known a forest fire would change everything. His gut told him that Jessa was still alive. If he didn’t go looking for her, he would never see her again. If the tables had been turned, he knew Jessa would be looking for any one of them.
Mia caught his eye, and she looked at him hopefully, waiting for his answer.
“Fine,” he said. “We’ll go together to look for her. I don’t want to leave a truck full of supplies behind – that’s just asking to lose them. And we might find some more supplies along the way we want to take with us. We’ll take a three-vehicle convoy.”
“I think that’s best,” Charlie said. “We’ll follow your lead.”
The others nodded, steeling themselves for the long journey ahead.
Nick took one last look at the raging fire approaching from the hills. They would need to leave soon.
“Charlie, is there anything you want to grab from your house before we leave?”
Charlie shook his head. “There’s nothing left that I want to take. But I would like to have one last look at it before this fire gets down here and burns my hometown up.”
They followed Charlie to Cottonwood Drive, where his family home stood – a modest, wooden, single-story home with an inviting porch out front.
Charlie looked at the home where he had lived for his entire life with his family, and where that family was buried in the backyard. He looked at the tire swing where he had pushed each of his little sisters at one time or another, his father’s truck parts, and his mother’s dried-up garden patch. He bowed his head, then turned away.
“Okay. Let’s go find Jessa.”
26
Jessa dreamed of water.
She woke with her mouth parched.
She and Trina shared another can of peaches and set off on the road as the sun’s first light was approaching the horizon. The only food and water they had fit in one small backpack, which Jessa slung over her shoulders. The Bushmaster hung in front from its sling, and the Glock was secure in its holster. Trina carried the fuel can and hoses.
They walked on the shoulder of the winding two-lane highway, taking in the sweeping mountain views and quaking aspens turning bright orange in the cooler September days. Today though, sightseeing had to take a backseat to surveillance. Every so often, one of them would stop, thinking they heard an approaching vehicle. But so far, they were completely alone on the deserted highway.
“So the plan is to run for cover as soon as we hear a car?” Trina asked.
&nbs
p; Jessa nodded. “Right. So we’ve got to make sure we hear any approaching vehicles before they come into sight.”
“Hearing them won’t be a problem,” Trina said, looking at the hilly road before them. “This highway has so many ups and downs you’d hear a vehicle way before you see it.”
She paused to catch her breath as they climbed a steep slope. The elevation was higher than Denver, and the air was thin.
“The problem,” Trina continued, “is that there’s not always a place to take cover. Like right here.”
Jessa looked around warily. She knew Trina was right, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. To their left, the land dropped off a cliff, and to the right, the road curved around a steep mountainside. There were many stretches like this with nowhere to hide. If a vehicle caught them on a curve like this, they would be spotted.
“I know,” she sighed. “That’s why we have to move fast on curves like this. We can go more slowly in areas with places to hide. But we have to make it through this kind of terrain as quickly as possible.”
Trina nodded, pushing her body to climb the steep road faster.
They continued onward in silence, pushing themselves up and down the mountain road. The sun rose high in the sky, and they tried to ignore their growing thirst. When they arrived at the occasional stand of trees, they stopped to rest out of sight of the road. They took small sips from the water bottle, careful to keep strict rations.
During their second break of the day, they nibbled on snack food as they lounged in the shade of some pinyon pine trees to the side of the road.
“It’s too bad most of this food is dried,” Trina said, holding a handful of raisins. “It just makes you thirstier. But I’m so hungry –”
She stopped short when Jessa held a finger to her lips. They looked at each other, their eyes wide. A car was approaching.
With her heart pounding, Jessa gathered the brightly-colored food packages and shoved them into the backpack, nestling it among some weeds. She and Trina each positioned themselves behind a tree as the sound grew louder.
Wiping the sweat from the palm of her hand, she drew her Glock from its holster with her trembling hand. She pressed the back of her head against the rough bark of the pine, pinning herself to the tree trunk as the car cleared the hill and approached them.
Jessa’s stomach clenched as she heard the car slowing down. Trying to be as still as possible, she held her breath. The car decelerated as it hugged the tight curve.
Please don’t stop, please don’t stop.
The car’s engine revved as it accelerated, following the bend in the road and continuing onward. Jessa exhaled as the sound decreased in volume, the silence returning to their little wooded area. The driver hadn’t spotted them.
Trina looked over at Jessa, her shoulders dropping as the tension subsided. “I thought we were goners for sure,” Trina whispered, too afraid to risk being heard even though the car was long gone.
“Yeah, when they slowed down for the curve, I just knew they saw us.” Jessa’s voice was still shaky.
They stayed frozen in place for several minutes, making sure the car didn’t return. Finally, they returned to the road. This time, they were even more quiet than before, constantly on edge for any engine noises.
An hour later, they spotted a house. Trina yelped and pointed it out as they came over a hill, and they both broke out into a run. As they got closer, they saw what looked to be a small settlement. A handful of houses were spaced out along a side road a short distance from the highway.
Trina let out a whoop of joy and headed for the first house.
“Wait!” Jessa said. “We have to be careful. There might be people here. Let me go first and make sure it’s clear.”
Trina waited as Jessa tried the door. It was locked, but she could force a window open. The stench of the dead greeted her, making it clear that no one was living inside. She wrapped a bandana around her head, covering her nose and mouth, then climbed in through the window. Trina wrapped a scarf around her face, then stepped in through the front door once Jessa had unlocked it.
There was no drinking water to be found, but they grabbed a box of sodas and a stash of candy bars and chips before escaping the horrid smell once again. Outside, they each guzzled a soda and packed the rest of the cans and junk food in their bags.
They turned down another side street, where several houses lined the road. Jessa headed toward a late-model Suburban. Trina followed her, watching anxiously.
The Suburban's doors were locked, and Jessa turned to the sprawling home it was parked in front of. She again broke into a house that was filled with an overpowering smell. This time, the pantry was loaded with canned food and bottles of water. They each downed a bottle of water.
“Damn, that’s good,” Trina proclaimed as she set her empty bottle on the counter and looked through the cupboards. “And look, there’s even alkaline and vitamin water back here. We’ll be all kinds of hydrated.”
Her face lit up as she looked at Jessa. “Something tells me I might find some clothes that will work for me here.” She wrapped her scarf around her nose once more and ran up the stairs two at a time.
While Trina was busy upstairs, Jessa packed a couple bags full of food and expensive bottled water. By the time Trina showed up lugging a suitcase full of athletic clothes that looked remarkably similar to the ones she had on, Jessa had moved on to searching for the car keys.
“Found them!” Jessa called, jangling a set of keys she retrieved from a designer purse in the corner. They filed back outside with their scavenged goods and Jessa unlocked the vehicle.
“Are you feeling lucky?” Jessa asked as she climbed inside.
“We didn’t get spotted by the car, I found a closet that belonged to a woman with my size and taste in clothes, and now you’ve got keys to this thing. I’d say luck is on our side today,” Trina said with a grin.
The sound of the engine roaring to life was like music to their ears. Trina did a victory dance, making Jessa laugh, then climbed in on the passenger side before Jessa sped off, covering the miles they had just walked.
Soon, they were back at the Forest Service truck. Jessa drained the fuel from the suburban and added it to her truck’s fuel tank, bringing the fuel gauge up to the halfway mark.
After the Forest Service truck was once again operational, they set back out on the road in high spirits. Now that they were no longer traveling by foot, the miles flew by. In less than twenty minutes, they had passed the small settlement that had taken them so long to reach by foot. They continued through the valley, leaving the grouping of houses behind.
“I think it’s just over the next mountain pass,” she said. “We’ll be there soon.”
“And you never would’ve made it without your trusty copilot,” Trina said, smiling.
“Do you know how close we came to dying out there?” Jessa asked, looking at Trina sideways.
“Oh, come on. We wouldn’t have died.” Trina made a face to emphasize the last word, sticking her tongue out like a corpse in a bad movie.
Jessa rolled her eyes, but laughed anyway. Trina was right – luck was on their side today. She drove anxiously, impatient to arrive at the cabin and reunite with her best friend.
“This is it,” Jessa whispered, her eyes moving between the map and the cabin they were approaching. Chris’s directions had led them up a dirt road that climbed the mountain to a remote location. “He wasn’t kidding when he said he came here to get away from it all.”
“It’s beautiful, though.” Trina looked around at the majestic expanse of blue-green mountains and the line of receding puffy white clouds in the sky.
She drove down the long driveway and parked next to Chris’s black truck. The house was a small log cabin with a wide porch, hidden from the dirt road by the surrounding trees. Behind the cabin were several outbuildings, where Jessa imagined he kept a workshop and stored supplies.
She was grinning and moving fast, her
fingers not able to undo the seatbelt quickly enough. She jumped out of the truck, not bothering to close the door, and ran to the front porch.
“Chris! It’s me, it’s Jessa!”
She yanked the screen door open and turned the doorknob on the heavy wooden door. It budged a little, but was stuck in the frame and stubbornly refused to open all the way. Calling for Chris the whole time, Jessa slammed her shoulder into the door, forcing it open with her body weight. Finally, it gave way, and she stumbled inside breathlessly.
Her heart pounded as she paused for a moment to glance around the room. She instantly recognized Chris’s flannel jacket and a wood carving project that looked like his work.
“Chris?”
This time, it was no longer a joyous cry. It was a plea.
Her footsteps were heavy on the wooden floorboards as they carried her to the bedroom. The door was closed. She whispered his name one more time, then pushed it open.
He was on the bed. His body lay shriveled and twisted, long since passed on.
She was sobbing, or maybe screaming. She was on the floor, and then suddenly Trina was there. Trina was saying something to her, but Jessa couldn’t hear. She felt hands pulling on her shoulders, urging her to get up, and she finally yielded to their pull.
Then she was outside, back in the bright sunlight. Trina was still saying something to her, but Jessa just couldn’t focus on the words.
He was gone, and she was lost.
27
Nick had led the convoy to lower country as they traveled along the northern New Mexico highways. They arrived at Espanola and could only see the glow of the forest fire in the distance to the west. He had chosen the northern, more mountainous, route to Interstate 25 to save time. It was still dark out – his watch showed the time to be 2:30 a.m.
Matt, driving his father's Ford truck behind Nick, flashed his lights, and Nick pulled over to the side as Matt drove up beside him.