by Hunt, Jack
Nate grimaced. “I just feel awkward. I think we should tell him.”
“And we will,” Erika said tracing her finger over his chest. “I need to find the right time. With everything that’s going on in town and with the raiders...”
Nate turned his chin and kissed the top of her head. “You think for a few hours we can not mention them? It seems it’s all anyone talks about. I just want to forget that we’re even in this predicament.”
She rolled and looked up at him with those gorgeous green eyes of hers. “But we are.”
He groaned. “I know that. I just don’t need reminding every two seconds.” He crawled out from under the covers exposing his naked ass and slipped back into his cargo pants. He looked at Erika who curled up in the blanket eyeing him.
“You want an espresso?”
She chuckled. “Yeah, and a latte, and a burger and...”
He smiled. “Suit yourself. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
Erika frowned. “Espresso?”
“I’m serious. Wait here,” he said, rushing to the far end of the semi and hopping out. Bailey lifted her head, and perked up her ears.
“Nate.”
A few seconds late he reappeared holding a yellow contraption in his hand. “Wala!”
“What is that?”
“An espresso machine.”
“Are you kidding me?”
It looked like an oversized pill or a closed travel mug. “It’s a Wacaco Nanopresso. This thing is so damn cool. It’s an espresso machine for those on the go.” He acted all excited as he began taking it apart and showing her where everything went. “You throw your grinds in here, you add some hot water here, seal it up and begin pumping here. The pressure pushes it through and boom, sweet crema coffee.”
Erika rested on her right elbow and looked it over. “Where did you get this from?”
“When we were scouring those storage units in Evergreen. I also picked up a few bags of coffee.”
“No, I get that. But we were supposed to give anything we found to the EOC.”
“Screw that. You think I’m handing over everything? We’re the suckers out here doing all the scavenging, risking our neck. No, I’m taking a few things for myself.”
“Uh huh.” Erika smiled. “Only one problem. No hot water.”
He tapped the side of his head. “I was planning on boiling some up. You see, I also got me one of these while I was down there.” He pulled out of his jacket a butane torch lighter.
She snorted. “Don’t let Andy catch you with that.”
“Ah, who the hell has the time to start fires the way he wants? The guy is a caveman. Come on, let’s go. Get that sweet ass of yours dressed. I’ll make us some breakfast.”
“Breakfast?”
“There’s a river just through the trees. I’ll catch some fish and brew us some coffee, and maybe we can chat about that place I mentioned to you.”
Her smile quickly disappeared and she got up and slipped into her underpants.
“What is it?” Nate asked, seeing her mood change.
“About that. I was thinking we should hold off.”
“Hold off? You like staying with Andy the Caveman?”
“No, but he’s treated us well so far.”
“Yeah, that’s because he’s made us his lap dogs. We’re the ones cleaning the shit out of the stables, we’re the ones bringing in eggs from the chicken pen, we’re the ones milking those cows, and…”
Erika screwed up her eyes. “Nate. Just drop it.”
Puzzled, he studied her.
“I thought you wanted us to spend more time together.”
She pulled up her tight blue jeans and slipped into her untied boots. “I do. We are.”
“But not living together.”
“I…” she trailed off, looking as if she’d just swallowed a sour candy. “I just think we should take our time. You know, this is all new and…”
“You don’t know if it’s for you. Right, I get it,” Nate said turning away and dropping down out of the semi.
“Nate. Come on! Don’t be like that.”
“Like what?” He replied over his shoulder.
“You know.”
“I just suggested that we move into our own place. There are enough homes that aren’t lived in right now. We could—”
“It’s too soon,” she said, cutting him off.
“Because you still have feelings for Tyler?”
She furrowed her brow. “No. Because it’s too soon.”
“Whatever.” He waved her off as he headed back to the horse and tucked the espresso maker into a pouch on the side. “We should probably get back and meet up with the others.”
“What about catching some fish, breakfast, espresso?”
“I think I’ve lost my appetite,” he said mounting the horse. He waited there for her as she collected her shirt, and eyed him with a scowl. The morning had started so well. He was actually beginning to think that there was a silver lining to the darkness they were in. But who was he kidding? She was just using him for what she wanted. He felt cheap. He felt… Okay, it wasn’t a bad way to be used but still…everything had to be secret with her. She didn’t want others knowing they were seeing each other. Like, as if anyone cared?
As Bailey jumped to the ground and trotted over, Erika climbed down and was about to get on the back of the horse when an eruption of a gun was heard in the distance. Nate’s head swiveled. It was coming from where their group was. The road stretched before them; a chaotic mess of vehicles that had been abandoned. Erika mounted the saddle behind him and Nate snapped the reins, gave the horse a nudge and they took off heading back. An exchange of gunfire ensued. It was getting louder the closer they got. “C’mon, girl,” Erika yelled to Bailey to keep up.
Nate craned his neck towards the south at the sound of all hell breaking loose. Blood pumped fast through his veins at the thought of what lay beyond the bend. Holding the reins in one hand, he reached down and unclipped the radio from his belt. “Matt. Come in, over!” he yelled but got no response. Erika patted Nate on the arm and leaned in so he could hear her over the strong wind whipping against their clothes.
“Drop me off before we reach the bend.”
“Why?”
“Just do it!”
He brought the horse to a halt and Erika swung her leg and slipped down. She pulled an M4 carbine from a scabbard and darted into the tree line with Bailey. Right then a scratchy voice came over the radio. “We’re under attack. I repeat.” It wasn’t Matt’s voice but a woman known as Julia. She sounded as if she was hurt bad.
“We’re coming,” Nate said giving the horse a nudge and continuing on. As he rounded the bend, the rest of the road came into view. He yanked on the reins and dismounted. Bringing the horse over to the edge of the road, he tethered her to a tree and ran at a crouch over to the vehicles, taking up position at the rear of a truck with his AR-15. He cut the corner and peered through the scope trying to get a bead on their group. Nothing. He could see a group of four guys dressed in camo gear but they weren’t with them. One had a thick beard and a shaved head, another was sporting a red bandanna, the third was wearing dark sunglasses, and the fourth had a green baseball cap. They were moving around vehicles checking for survivors. That’s when Nate caught sight of Matt lying motionless on the ground, his gun a few inches from his hand. Shit. He unclipped his radio and tried to get in contact with Julia again. In a whisper he spoke through the radio. “Julia. It’s Nate. Come in, over.” No reply.
He tried again but this time it wasn’t Julia who answered, it was a gruff male voice. “I’m afraid your friend is unavailable right now.”
Nate peered around the truck and saw the individual. It was the bald-headed guy. Nearby, Julia lay dead, a bullet through her head. Baldy raised a finger and without saying a word motioned to the others to head his way. Nate pulled back. His pulse sped up. His mouth went dry. Okay. Okay. Stay calm. Don’t lose your shit. You got
this. He exhaled hard and had closed his eyes for no more than three seconds when a slew of gunfire shook him up. At first he thought it was aimed at him as the sound came from the direction of the group. He dropped to his belly and looked beneath the truck trying to get a better view without sticking his head out into the line of fire. That’s when he noticed three of the men were on the ground. Erika?
Another three round burst and the fourth man dropped.
That’s when Erika emerged, Bailey walking beside her as she stepped onto the road. What the hell? Nate rose to his feet and rushed forward to find her crouched over one of their group checking to see if they were alive. She glanced at him as he jogged toward her. “How the…?”
“They’re all dead,” she said rising to her feet. “We need to collect what they’ve found and head back.”
Nate looked around nervously. “You think they were raiders?”
She shrugged. “Who knows? Who cares?”
Nate went over to one of the attackers and pulled back his shirt to check the shoulder. Andy had told them that the raiders had some kind of branding on them. None of these men did. He gathered up their weapons. He filled up one of the saddle bags with several magazines. All the while he noticed Erika was just staring at Julia as if she was in some kind of trance state.
“Erika.”
She ignored him, so he went over and reached for her arm. As he clasped it to pull her around, she brought up the Glock with the other hand so fast it scared him. Her face was stern. It was as if she was reacting on instincts to survive and didn’t know who he was. “Whoa, whoa, it’s me.”
Rifle in one hand, Glock in the other, she blinked hard a few times then lowered the Glock and shook her head. “Sorry. I just…”
Erika took a few steps back and turned away.
Something was not right. The way she reacted.
Still, he let it slide.
Few words were exchanged between them on the journey home even though several times Nate tried to engage with her regarding what happened. She seemed lost in her thoughts. It was only when they made it to the outskirts of Whitefish did she respond when he said, “Back there. That wasn’t like you.”
She snorted. “Of course it was.”
“I’m not talking about killing those men. After. It was like you saw me as a threat. You looked at me like you didn’t know me.”
“What are you talking about? I’m fine. I was just pumped up on adrenaline.”
He nodded slowly but he wasn’t buying it. It was the second time he’d noticed her act as if she was about to be attacked. “Look, we shouldn’t mention that we were separated from the group,” Erika said.
“Why?”
“It’s better we just keep that whole thing in the back of the truck to ourselves.”
“Because?”
“Because their families won’t understand.” Her chin dipped. “They’ll blame us.”
“They knew the risks,” Nate added.
“Yeah, well…” she trailed off.
The horse trotted slowly up 93, and they took in the sight of what remained of Whitefish. Over the past four weeks, many more fires had started, homes had burned to the ground and the once picturesque mountain town now resembled a war zone. “We should really talk about what happened,” Nate said.
“We just did.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Why is it when I bring up the incident of what happened in those woods you change the topic?”
“Uh, maybe because I don’t want to remember.”
“Did he do something to you? Jessie, I mean?”
“No.”
“Zara?”
“Can we just drop it?” Erika said.
“But—”
“Enough!” she bellowed before groaning hard.
“Erika? What’s the matter?”
“My head.” She groaned hard and then…one second she was holding on to his hips, the next she slumped over and he barely caught her before she slipped off the horse. Bailey barked several times as Nate tried to bring the horse to a halt while trying to hold on to her.
As soon as the horse slowed, he swung his leg over and slipped off and brought Erika down to the ground. Her eyes had rolled back in her head and her body seemed to be going into convulsions. “Erika. Erika!”
Not wasting another second, Nate hoisted her back up, slumping her over like a saddle bag and then mounted the horse. He snapped the reins. “Move it!” he yelled at the horse, digging in his heels to get the mare to hurry. It didn’t take him long to reach North Valley Hospital. By the time he made it there the convulsions had stopped but she was still unconscious. Since the assault at the hospital three weeks earlier, there were no windows, or even doors. Nate ducked as he rode the horse straight into the hospital lobby to the surprise of the security officer, and a cop who was manning the front desk.
“I need a doctor. Now!” he yelled as he slipped down and with their assistance put Erika on a stretcher. Nurses still volunteering their time moved into action wheeling her off down the corridor.
“What’s her name?”
“Erika.” Nate tried to follow but was told to stay back. “It’s her head. She said it was her head,” he shouted as he was held back. “It was her head,” he said again in a quiet voice as an officer guided him away from the hallway.
“Come on, take a seat over there. I’ll get you a coffee.”
Still shaking he called Bailey over and they took a seat while Officer Rutland had the security guard get him a hot drink. Bailey whined so he ran his hand over the dog’s head. “She’ll be okay. Don’t you worry.”
The truth was he didn’t know if she would. In all the time he was with her on the road from Vegas to Whitefish, she had never complained of headaches, nor had she had convulsions. There was nothing that would lead him to believe that this was some form of epilepsy, and yet it came across that way. The security guard returned and handed him a drink and he thanked him and waited for news.
An hour later, a doctor in white scrubs appeared and spoke with the security guard. He gestured to Nate and the doc came over. “Are you the spouse, friend or family member?”
“I’m…” he thought for a second about their intimacy and connection, then replied. “A friend. Is she okay?”
He didn’t outright say yes, neither did he say no.
“She’s… Listen, we have to run some more tests but it appears she suffered some kind of brain trauma. Would you know about this?”
He thought for a second and then replied, “She did take a knock to the head back at…” Nate’s mind went back to Denise, and Erika’s first escape attempt. He remembered them bringing her in with a bloody gash.
Nate swallowed hard. “Can I see her?”
3
Northwest of Libby, deep in the heart of the Kootenai National Forest, Tyler pulled the map and compass from his jacket and checked to see if he was close to the rendezvous point. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The forest encompassed over 2.2 million acres and was nearly three times the size of Rhode Island. As a kid he’d spent many a day hiking and camping out inside the dense woodland and even his father admitted to getting lost in it. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he crouched at the foot of a Douglas fir, looking through a curtain of pines. Hours of hiking had taken its toll. His ankle was sore after twisting it on a rocky trail. A dull ache reminded him that no one, no matter how prepared, was incapable of falling prey to nature’s terrain. Navigating modern society while living in Las Vegas had been a walk in the park compared to years of being tested by his father in the great outdoors. After confirming he was on track, he pulled out a canister of water from his backpack and chugged some of it down. He wiped his mouth with his forearm, and screwed the top on. This better be worth it, he thought as he rose to his feet. Only the gentle babble of a creek, birds chirping in the canopy above and insects could be heard. It was peaceful. He closed
his eyes for a few seconds and rested against the tree to catch his breath. He’d been up early that morning in preparation for his long trek. Jude was under the impression he was heading back to Whitefish for a couple of days to touch base with Corey but that was just a ruse. As instructed by Allie, he’d left his horse tied off to a tree several miles back. He was a little hesitant to do so with so many stealing whatever they could get their hands on but Allie had reassured him that the horse would be fine. She’d done it many a time. Her familiarity with the area seemed almost akin to his own, and yet he still knew very little about her.
Since his arrival in Camp Olney three weeks ago he hadn’t returned to the town. The need to know his biological father had consumed him. Fortunately, Jude had been more than willing to share his reason for not telling him, and it was the same as Andy’s. They’d both made a promise to his mother. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought if he knew the truth, he would think less of her, but after spending the majority of his childhood around Andy, he began to see why his mother might have sought comfort in the arms of someone else. Andy was a cold-hearted bastard even before his mother died. What she had seen in him was a mystery, then again love could make a person blind to another’s faults. When asked, Jude spoke of Andy in a very different light. Childhood friends, they’d grown up together, spent most of their waking hours in each other’s company. Jude spoke of a funny, caring and adventurous individual. A man that inspired and made him believe the world could be a different place, that their lives didn’t have to follow the same mundane route their parents had. That all changed when Dianna entered the picture.
She was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Continuing on, Tyler scanned the trees, gazed up into the blue sky and glanced at the mountain range that soared above the treetops. It would soon be fall, and the colder weather would sweep through the county bringing with it even greater challenges.