by Phil Maxey
Zach then walked slowly back into James, radio room. A number of the plastic and metal boxes that he was impressed with just a week before were gone, and what was left was smashed into parts unknown. He stood there for a moment trying to absorb what must have happened. People did this.
“Zach?” Bass stood in the doorway.
“Yes.”
“They are all moved into the back room. Shall we start moving everyone off the bus?”
“Make sure any pools of blood on the floors are covered with something, but after that, yes. Thanks.” Zach wasn’t sure why he thanked him, but it felt right. Bass left, and Zach followed him out, but then walked to the end of the building. He opened the door to the room that Abbey had told him about after they had left this place of life and hope. The long room that was going to be an area for growing, had now become a morgue for the very same people that were going to plant there.
Carefully, moving solemnly from person to person, he shone his flashlight beam on ashen faces. Eventually he found, Jim and his wife Jen. Both shot in the head. He felt emotion swelling up inside him, but then he realized, he had not found Jim’s son, James. Escaped? Taken with them? He clicked on his radio. “Bass, have your people found any bodies outside? Over.” The response came back negative. Zach stepped outside, and closed the door. He then found a nearby upturned chair, and placed it against it.
*****
Caroline sat with her legs mostly inside the blue sleeping bag that she had found. She couldn’t bring herself to completely climb inside, due to it belonging to someone who had died just a few hours earlier. She also knew that as the temperature dropped, the discomfort would leave her the colder it became and she would soon be zipping it up to her chin. But for now, just keeping her feet warm would suffice. She looked around at the large chamber like room. She hadn’t asked, but she picked up bits of conversation that led her to believe that a large number of people died in this room, people that were making a go of it, who had survived. What she couldn’t understand was how things went so wrong that they would let in an E.L.F that would then go on to kill all of them. Maybe they lost hope and killed themselves? She wasn’t sure, but for now she was glad to be a good way into her journey to the camp near Austin and the chance of a new life.
She felt bad not having talked to Esther much, but they had been living in the same cramped space for over three months and now they were outside, there seemed to be a kind of repulsive force that meant they kept their distance from each other. A new life. She lowered herself a few inches more into the sleeping bag, and smiled.
Zach stood just outside the large metal shutter, and rubbed his hands together. Bass, Cal and Fiona stood with him.
“We’re going to need to have patrols throughout the night, two people at a time, doing four hour shifts,” said Zach, looking up at the stars above their heads.
“Do we have any idea who did it?” said Fiona.
Zach sighed, and then told them the same story that the priest had told him.
“Fucks.”
“They must have grown in number, because a small motorcycle gang, even with a lot of firepower wouldn’t have been able to take down Jim and his people.”
“They probably talked their way in, then killed everyone,” said Cal. Fiona was pleased to hear him talk in a clear and concise way for the first time in days, even if it was about something so horrible.
“That’s my thinking too.”
Bass looked around into the darkness. “They could still be in the area.”
“Yup, that’s why we won’t be getting much sleep tonight. We also need to leave on time at sunrise. Lots of road to eat up tomorrow.”
They all agreed on how the shifts would work between them, and then those that weren’t on patrol straightaway made their way back inside, back into the concrete box that smelled of death.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Zach stood, his head lowered in front of the bodies of Jim’s outpost. Inside he said a few words to a higher power he wasn’t sure existed but words he felt those in front of him were owed. As he finished his silent tribute he took one last look at Jim’s face. “I’ll find your son,” then left, and closed the door behind him. Pulling out a marker that was found amongst one of the body’s belongings, he scrawled the words “Dead inside.” On the door and dropped the pen to the ground. He then walked to the entrance, where Bass was waiting for him. Icy rain fell like silent needles and the sun was a few minutes away from making its first appearance of the day.
“Next stop, Roswell,” said Zach, as he and Bass pulled the shutter down.
Soon the convoy was back on the road, moving with speed along highway 60. The planned route back to Roswell, would take them a different way than their journey to Portland. They wanted to avoid Albuquerque so that meant going to the east of that city, and passing through Santa Fe instead. As a watery sun rose, they turned right and headed south.
Zach watched the road ahead and thought about what he needed to do in Roswell. To accomplish his task, to make Tinley pay, he had to stay detached from his emotions. If he couldn’t it might go bad.
Fiona looked out into the gloomy morning sky, aware of Cal to her right, but not wanting to look at him in case he noticed her. He had changed again. His eyes seemed alert and he seemed to want to be part of their team. The old Cal was back. So why wasn’t she happy? Why did something still feel wrong? She looked to her right, and smiled at him. He smiled back. He’s healed. Stop worrying.
“What’s the plan when we get to Brads?” said Michael, sitting right of Cal and behind Abbey.
“We should be joining up with the larger convoy,” said Zach.
“What’s left of it,” said Abbey.
“I’m not looking forward to taking any commands from that asshole in command, what’s his name? Rimley?”
“Tinley,” said Zach, trying to hide the tension in his voice.
Cal cleared his throat. “There’s some stuff I need to say.”
The space inside the Humvee went so quiet, Fiona thought she could hear her own and everyone else’s heartbeat.
“You all must have thought I’d gone crazy. And truth be told I did. I’m not making excuses for what I did back at the fort. There’s no making that right, but I just want you to know that I’m thinking clearly again. You don’t need to sideline me anymore.”
The silence continued.
“So I just wanted to say that,” continued Cal.
Michael awkwardly smiled at his friend to his left.
Zach looked in the rear mirror. “It’s good you’re feeling better, but we need to take things one step at a time.”
Abbey looked to her left slightly in Cal’s direction. “Do you remember anything about what you said to me at the ski lodge?” she immediately regretted asking the question.
“It’s all pretty hazy. I remember being in the hotel room with Fiona. I remember looking at the ceiling and then it’s just a blur of sounds and images that don’t make much sense until I woke up in the kitchen in the lodge.”
Abbey feigned a smile, then returned looking out towards the highway ahead of them. In that moment she wanted to be outside, somewhere she didn’t have to confront the connections that were being constructed in her mind.
After driving for miles through desert, they drove through a large town with wide avenues, and single-story buildings offering refuge for truckers. Leaving the town the road dipped and rose over hills until they entered a heavily forested area and the highway started to steeply ascend.
Rob’s eyes flickered to his right. Tyler was writing in a small notebook.
“I was thinking,” said Rob. Tyler looked up at him. “When we get to the camp, I want to try and get some work fixing up people’s cars, and then if that goes well, setup our own auto repair shop. We haven’t really had a chance to put our boots down in that camp yet, but some folks must want their vehicles repaired.”
Tyler smiled. “Yeah, I think that would be a great idea. I’ll
help too.”
“Ha, when have you ever been interested in fixing cars?”
Tyler’s expression changed to one of frustration. “I helped, fix up nana’s old car!”
Rob smiled. “That you did,” he sighed, and then continued. “I know you want to help, but your future is not with your head in an engine, it’s your head in a book. We all knew you were the brains in the family, and you gotta make something of it, become a doctor, or a scientist, like that Indian guy you were talking to.”
“I guess. But I have to pay my way, I’ll get a job doing something.”
Rob reached out with his right hand and scrunched up Tyler’s hair. “Oh yeah you will.”
They both laughed.
As the convoy pushed through the snow, and the incline got steeper the buses struggled to keep up with the Humvee.
“We better slow it a bit, the buses are falling behind,” said Fiona looking out the rear window.
“I don’t want to slow too much, in case we lose traction,” replied Zach.
“Couldn’t we pull over when we see a rest stop, and let them catch up?” said Michael.
“If we stop in this amount of snow, we might get stuck. Even though there’s reasonable light, I don’t want us to be stuck in these mountains.”
Zach clicked on his radio. “Rob, Bass. You both know the route, if you lose sight of us, we will pull over and wait for you at a point where there’s less snow. Over.”
Snow laden tops of trees on their right, and white gray slopes that ran down to the road on their left, flew by as they all did their best to keep their vehicles traction and not to slide. After a few miles the highway leveled out, and started to descend, but it quickly became more of a winding dirt track, which took all of the drivers concentration to stay on.
“Maybe Albuquerque was a better choice,” said Michael as the Humvees back wheels slid dangerously close to a sheer drop down to the valley below.
“At least we know there’s not going to be anyone coming the other way,” said Abbey, and they all laughed.
As the road straightened out Zach looked up at the rear mirror and saw Greggs in the first bus come around the bend they themselves just navigated, he then looked away and looked back to see Rob’s bus do the same. Just as he was about to look away again, a large hippopotamus looking E.L.F slid down a rock face to Rob’s left, slamming into the side of the bus, sending it in the direction of the fall off.
Zach could see Rob struggling with the steering wheel while intermittently waving behind him, but Zach couldn’t see why. The bus’s wheels skirted the boulder strewn cliff edge, and then it was gone. The sound of branches breaking echoed around them. The other bus and Humvee were now stopped, and everyone sat frozen.
“Look out!” shouted Abbey, even though no one in the other bus would hear her as more creatures slid down the rock face, hitting the back of the other bus, which was shunted forward, slamming it into a rock face.
Zach blinked a few times, then clicked on his radio. “Bass, hold everyone inside, let these things pass!”
The herd of E.LF’s ran past the bus, and the Humvee, buffeting both and causing a plume of dust, rocks and ice to fill the air like they were in the middle of a tornado. After a minute, the creatures continued their stamped down the road into the valley. Everyone in the Humvee sat silent, until Zach clicked on his radio. “Bass, what can you see around you? Over.”
Bass’s voice responded from Zach’s radio, together with the sound of fear in the background. “I think we’re okay, no injuries, the front might be a bit banged up. But… Rob…”
“I’m coming to you, stay around your vehicle. Over,” Zach then turned to those around him. “Cal, you’re with me, everyone else, watch our surroundings, if anything moves, let me know,” he and Cal then got out into the settling dust and snow, and ran back to the other bus. As they did, no one talked inside the cab of the Humvee, except for Abbey silently voicing the words “Oh God.”
Bass was already outside the bus, when Cal and Zach got to it. Ignoring the crumpled front bumper they looked into the white cloud of dust and snow that was slowly settling where the other bus left the road.
“What is that?” said Bass, as they all strained to see a dark form lying on the ground.
Running forward, they ran past the tire marks and the loose rocks on the edge of the road and up to Tyler who was sitting up feeling his head. Blood trickled down his face and mixed with his tears.
“He told me to jump out the back…” said Tyler crying. “He… he... left me… they all left me,” he tucked his head between his knees and his body started shaking.
“We need to get him back to the bus. Cal keep watch around us,” said Zach as he and Bass, leaned down and picked Tyler up. Cal unslung his rifle and scoured the surrounding trees and hills. They walked Tyler back to the bus and put him down on a seat towards the back. Zach then asked Mary if she could get some bandages on Tyler’s head wound, and he ran back to where Rob’s bus dropped into the valley below. Zach looked down, but nothing could be seen of the bus, only a two hundred foot drop into rocks and trees. He took his rifle off his back and looked down onto the valley floor with the scope. There were some broken tree tops but not much else. It was obvious that nobody could have survived that fall. He ran back to the bus, where Bass and Greggs were examining the front.
“How’s it looking?” said Zach.
Greggs kneeled down and slid her hand over the cold metal “Just looks like a bent bumper. I don’t think it’s going to affect us.”
“We need to keep moving, try and keep as far from the edge as you can. And keep an eye on the forests.”
Bass and Greggs nodded, and retuned to the bus. Zach ran back to the Humvee, which was still silent when he got in the driver’s seat. He then turned the ignition and pulled off.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Soon the road transitioned back into a tarmacked highway, and the going was easier. Not much was said during the next few hours as they wound their way through the mountains and finally the valley’s. Even the children sat in silence with only the occasional whisper, for when they needed a bathroom break. It wasn’t until they were on a multilane highway heading south, that Fiona spoke up.
“We’re at the halfway point, another three hours and we should be close to Roswell.”
“I can’t help but think we should have gone through Albuquerque,” said Abbey.
“Rob lost his brother there, that’s the last place he wanted to revisit,” responded Fiona.
“Poor Tyler,” said Abbey her voice strained.
“The best thing we can do for Rob is to get Tyler to Roswell, and then Bravo,” said Zach.
On the bus, Tyler’s sobs had grown quiet, and in unison people started talking again in a hushed tone. Addison looked through her backpack and pulled out a few candy bars. Choosing one, she slowly got out her seat and walked up the aisle to where Tyler was sitting against the window and held the candy out to him. He looked at her with red eyes, and smiled, taking the candy. She smiled in return and walked back to her seat. Mary watched this play out from a few seats in front of Tyler, and tears filled her eyes. She grabbed Irene’s hand who was sitting next to her. Irene could hear Mary swallowing and didn’t need to know why her friend needed to grasp her hand.
Mary thought about all the kids under her care, and wondered how she would cope once she got to the camp. She had no money and nothing to sell, all she had was legal expertize and she doubted that lawyers would be in demand in the chaos of the camp. In her mind she briefly saw herself as the literary character Fagin, looking after a young team of thieves who would survive on their wits and skills to deprive the residents of the camp of their possessions. A smile started to push its way onto her face, at this vision of absurdity, then fell away as she remembered the young man at the back of the bus. I have to find a way. Maybe we can stay at Morgan’s. Maybe Tyler would stay with us? Maybe he could be persuaded to join their troupe, perhaps that is why A
ddison offered him her food.
Zach clicked on his radio. “Bass, we’re about to head into Santa Fe, be alert to threats. Over.”
Bass acknowledged and as they moved into the city, a wall of snow-covered vehicles met them in the opposite lane.
Abbey wondered to herself where all the cars and trucks, drivers went. What had caused them to leave their cars? and then she saw a clue to the answer. As they approached a junction, the cars on the other side of the road sat crushed and flat to the ground at regular intervals. It was as if a giant had strolled along that piece of road, instantly snuffing out the inhabitants lives. Elsewhere, vehicles lay on their roofs and sides, scattered by an unknown wind, in all directions.
“What the fuck happened here?” said Fiona, amazed at this new scene of horror.
“I’m not sure we really want to know,” said Michael.
Zach slowed to squeeze passed an upturned rust red pickup, and scrapped along the side of it, causing icicles to drop to the ground and shatter. The bus followed quickly behind, scraping and then pushing the pickup to the right.
“Greggs, pickup speed if you can, I don’t want us to be in this city for much longer,” She responded to Zach’s request, and the small convoy sped along the wide highway, passed sandy frost covered stores and homes, until the buildings pulled back from the roads and the desert like plains of New Mexico appeared once again.
Zach clicked on his radio. “It’s now a straight run to Roswell, maybe two hours. Over.” Bass, acknowledged and Zach looked over to Abbey, who was smiling. He knew her well enough by now to know it was a fake smile, perhaps as much for the others in the Humvee as for him.
“I’m going to try Brad, we might be in range now,” and with that, he clicked on the radio again. “Brad, you out there? Over.”