Heather was already shaking her head. “No way. That is way too dangerous.”
Regan shot Heather a look. “Travis doesn’t have to go.”
“It’s too dangerous for anyone,” Wolf pointed out.
Regan stepped forward, meeting his eye and then looking around the group before facing him again. “We have to accept the fact that the only way Lily is going to get better is with medicine. You yourself said there are very few options out here. We’ve got nowhere else to look,” she insisted.
“The tribe will have medicine. I can almost guarantee it,” Heather said confidently.
“And if it doesn’t work?” Regan shot back.
“They’ve been surviving with their medicinal remedies for centuries. It is as good as Western medicine,” she replied.
“I like the idea of a sure thing,” Regan said, not backing down.
“It’s too risky. We’ll head north instead of heading into the preserve,” Wolf said.
Fred groaned. “We’re going to go around? I thought you said the reservation was essentially sandwiched in by the Everglades. Aren’t we taking a long detour?”
Wolf shot him a stern look. “It’s maybe ten miles, which is not the full forty miles Regan is proposing we walk.”
“Is there somewhere to look?” Regan asked, completely clueless over the area’s geography.
Wolf nodded. “A few small towns.”
She sighed. “Fine, but if we come up empty-handed and we can’t get medicine at the reserve, we have to go back.”
“I could drive the van back to the city,” Geno offered.
Regan’s eyes lit up. “That’s an excellent idea. I could go and scout what we need, and we’d be back today!”
“Gas,” RC said simply, the single word deflating her excitement.
“Oh, yeah,” she mumbled.
Wolf looked at her. “Can we load up and go now?”
“Yes,” Regan grumbled, hating that she couldn’t do what she felt was necessary.
“Are we ready?” Fred asked.
“Yep,” Tabitha said, climbing into the van with RC closing the doors behind her.
“We should get pretty close today. We’re going to be heading into the swampy areas skirting the Everglades. We’ll keep heading north. If I remember right, there are some small farms along the highway,” Wolf announced.
“Oh joy,” Regan muttered, not exactly thrilled by the idea of heading into alligator territory.
They set out once again with that, Geno driving the van ahead while the rest of them walked behind. They hadn’t wasted time eating breakfast. It made more sense to walk in the cool morning hours and take a lunch break.
“I think we should keep looking for the white willow bark,” Heather chimed in as they walked.
Regan nodded. “I agree. Are there any other medicinal plants we can try? I think at this point anything would be better than nothing.”
Heather shrugged. “I can’t think of anything that would help, beyond the garlic or honey. There are a couple specific plants, but they’re not native to the area.”
“Should we split up?” Travis asked.
“No,” Wolf snapped.
“We need to get her some medicine,” Regan said gently.
“I know that, but we don’t need anyone else getting hurt. We’re away from the towns, but we don’t know what’s out here,” he said in a low voice.
They walked in silence for another hour or so, keeping an eye on the vegetation surrounding the road. The sun came out to make things more uncomfortable for them, and Wolf barely spoke a word as they walked. Regan knew he was stressed over his daughter. They all were. Tabitha had been very clear about the risk of infection and what would happen as a result of it.
Regan couldn’t imagine how their fragile group would handle a loss like that. It was unfathomable. Her chest felt tight simply thinking about it. She couldn’t imagine what Wolf must be going through.
Suddenly, she heard him begin to chant from behind her. It was a combination of singing and chanting. She listened closely to the words, unable to make them out. She didn’t think it was English. Travis slowed his pace from where he’d been walking alongside her, dropping back to walk with Wolf. He joined in the chanting, the deep bravado of both men becoming oddly soothing, like a warm drink flowing through the body.
Regan looked to her right and saw Heather smiling proudly.
“What are they saying?” Regan whispered to Heather.
Heather looked wistful. “It’s a song of healing.”
Regan turned back to look at Wolf’s long hair blowing in the breeze as he stared straight ahead, not seeing her as he sang. She hated that he was in so much distress. She wished she could make it better, but the only way to do that was to get that medicine. She thought about ditching the group and heading back to the city on her own. He’d be mad, but when she returned with the life-saving medicine, he’d have to forgive her. But, he and Tabitha were right that it was a long walk—there might not even be time for it.
Heather left her side and slowed her pace to walk next to her son and Wolf, joining in the chanting. Fred, who had been a good twenty feet ahead of them all, slowed his gait and started walking alongside Regan. She actually appreciated his company, and the companionship of having someone to listen to the chant with. Regan was mesmerized by the beauty of the song, even if she didn’t understand the words. Wolf’s voice had a lulling quality that made her want to sway back and forth.
“It’s beautiful. A little spooky, but beautiful. Why do you think he never sang before?” Fred asked.
Regan shook her head. “I have no idea. Maybe he only sings when he’s stressed. Some people pray, others cry, he sings. I like it. It makes me wonder what other songs he knows,” she mused quietly.
The two of them led the way forward, listening to the group behind them transition to new songs, each one a little haunted, but still with that underlying beauty that made her feel at peace. Maybe it was the increase in thick foliage reaching onto the road or the smell of the swamp to her right that made her feel connected to the earth on a spiritual level, but the atmosphere felt different now. It was strange and comforting at the same time.
Fred reached out and grabbed her arm. “Shh,” he said.
“I’m not saying anything,” she shot back.
From off to the left, deep in the thick trees and shrubs, there emerged an older couple, their heritage evident from their long black hair hanging down over their chests in traditional braids. They were chanting the same song as they walked toward Wolf with smiles on their faces. Regan stopped moving, waiting for Wolf and the others to catch up.
Wolf went quiet, watching the people come closer as they carried on with the melody. Regan had no idea what it meant or who the people were, but she hoped it was a good thing. Wolf didn’t seem to be too worried, she noted, and started moving toward the couple.
“Hello,” Wolf greeted them simply.
The middle-aged man stepped forward, extending his hand. “We know your song. Your family is from the Ashkii?”
Wolf smiled. “It is. We’re headed to the reservation. Do you live there?”
“I’m Ray, and this is my wife Diana. We live in north Naples. Or, lived. We came out to the lands shortly after everything went dark and have been very grateful for the generosity of the people still there.”
Wolf made the introductions, leaving out those in the van for the time being. “Are you heading back to Naples?” Wolf asked.
For her part, Regan felt a little concerned by the fact that these people were leaving the reservation. Did that mean they had been kicked out? Or was the reservation being overrun by outsiders? Either option didn’t bode well for them. They could be wasting time—time they didn’t have.
Ray nodded. “We’re headed back, but we aren’t planning on staying in the city. It isn’t safe.”
Wolf nodded. “Yes, we know.”
“Are you from Naples?” Ray asked.
“South of it,” Heather volunteered.
No one was giving out too much information Regan realized. They were purposely being vague and keeping their weapons out of sight. And it was clear that the couple was as leery of strangers as they were. One couldn’t trust anyone, no matter how friendly they appeared.
“We are going to visit our daughter—she lives on the coast line. She wouldn’t come inland with us when we left. She insisted it was better to stay put.”
“South of Naples?” Heather asked with alarm.
Ray nodded his head. Regan schooled her features to remain calm, and sensed her companions doing the same. No one had the heart to tell them what had been happening in the area when they’d left.
“We wanted to check in on her and try to persuade her to come back with us. She’s a stubborn one,” Ray said, a prideful smile on his face.
“Stop, Ray. She has her own life,” Diana lectured.
“I understand,” Wolf said with a friendly smile.
“Does your daughter know how to get to the reservation?” Heather asked hopefully.
Ray shrugged. “Maybe? It’s been a long time, but if she sticks to the highway, she’ll find her way. Maybe we’ll run into her on the way,” he said with a grin.
Regan felt terrible. This couple was likely going to be headed into danger. If their daughter hadn’t fled, it was hard to say what her fate would have become at this point. There was nothing they could do for them, though—it wasn’t as if they’d given up hope. She wasn’t a parent, but knew that if it had been her kid, she’d have been doing everything she could to save her.
“Is it an easy walk to the lands?” Heather asked, changing the subject.
Diana and Ray looked at each other and grimaced. “There is a small town at the junction. They are not the friendliest people. They weren’t friendly before everything changed, in fact. The people at the rez will tell you that. Now, the town is better than an armed fortress. We chose to go around it rather than encounter any of the inhabitants,” Ray explained.
“Are they openly attacking people?” Regan asked, horror creeping into her throat at the thought of it.
Diana shook her head. “Not that we know of. There were some raids on the reservation while we were there, however. They are locking the place down pretty tight now. Resources are scarce, and they expect there to be more raids from that town. I’m sorry, but I don’t know how welcoming they’ll be to newcomers.”
Fred groaned. “Of course. Why can’t everyone just get along and play nice?”
Regan smirked. If only the apocalypse had a rule book everyone had to play by. It would make life much easier.
Wolf nodded his head. “Thanks for warning us. We’ll make sure to avoid them.”
“You can go around the outskirts of the town, although I would suggest taking a wide berth. It’s going to add close to a day’s walk to your journey, but it is safer,” Ray assured them.
“Thank you, we’ll keep that in mind.”
“How was it coming here?”
Wolf shrugged a shoulder. “Not too bad. There’s a small suburb outside the city that had a group of ruffians who were looking to cause trouble. It seems to be a bunch of kids. Don’t let their ages fool you. They’re dangerous,” he warned.
“Good to know. We’ll be on the look-out.”
“Be careful on your journey,” Wolf said, shaking their hands again.
“You, as well. We’re old, but we’ve been roaming about this area since everything happened. We always wanted to travel when we retired. I had hoped it would be in some fancy RV, but I guess you are stuck with the hand you’ve been dealt. At least this way we don’t have to worry about the crowds of tourists!” Diana said with a small laugh.
Regan couldn’t believe the woman was so upbeat in such a dangerous world. She seemed to be truly loving life. It was all in the spin a person put on it, she supposed.
They said goodbye to the couple and continued along the old highway that ran parallel to the more traveled freeway. The town the couple referred to was nearby, she knew. It put her on edge as she realized they could be walking close to a situation that was similar to the one they’d left behind. She prayed Geno hadn’t run the van straight into trouble.
“We need to catch up with the van,” she muttered, not speaking too loudly in case the older couple overheard. They’d seemed friendly enough, but a working vehicle loaded with supplies could be enough to make the nicest person dangerous.
“You’re right. I think we settle in early for the night and decide what to do next. If there’s a town, there’s a chance they have medicine,” Wolf said hopefully.
Regan nodded her head. “I agree.”
Fred was vigorously shaking his head, though. “No way. We’ve seen how this works. We know better. I think we heed the couple’s warning and stay away.”
“We’ll talk tonight,” Wolf said, putting his hand on Fred’s shoulder. “Everyone will get a chance to voice their opinions.”
Regan had a feeling it was going to be a very tense evening. The group wasn’t short on opinions. The more people that joined the group, the more opinions they had, and rarely did anyone share the same one. She sighed, dreading the evening meal.
13
Regan perched next to Wolf as the group sat along the roadside in the fading sunlight, eating their bland meal, which tonight consisted of energy bars and peanuts they had happened to stumble upon. It had been an exciting moment when they’d realized they were walking past a field of them. At first, they hadn’t even noticed, they’d been so intent on the more overgrown foliage and looking for herbs, but Fred had stopped and pointed them out. When they’d pulled that first plant up, there had been a lot of cheering. The peanuts were a huge find so early in the season. Fred reasoned that they’d been left over from the last harvest and were now sprouting early. Whatever the reason, it was a nice treat.
“I want to go into the town and ask for medicine,” Tabitha blurted out, effectively getting the conversation going.
“The van is loaded with stuff I’d rather keep. Making our presence known could lead to a lot of trouble,” Fred noted.
She shot him a glare. “I’d rather keep Lily, Fred. That’s how serious this is. I need medicine for her. The townspeople don’t need to know about the van.”
“We could hide the van—send Geno and a couple others up the road with it and the supplies, and a few of us walk into the town,” Regan suggested.
Tabitha nodded. “We can hide it off the road again.”
“The ground is soggy beyond the gravel shoulders,” Geno pointed out.
“We don’t want the van getting stuck, and it isn’t like we can call for a tow,” Heather added.
Wolf had remained quiet until now, deep in thought. “If we are dealing with a group of unfriendly people, they are going to come looking for others if we show up there. They’ll want to see if we have a camp.”
“We’ll tell them we’re it,” Regan said, shrugging her shoulders.
“Would you believe that?” he asked, one dark brow raised.
“Maybe. If a couple of us go and dirty up our faces and maybe tear our clothes, we can sell the story we’ve been surviving on our own for a while,” she argued. “Remember what we looked like when we came out of the swamp the first time?”
“What if they have the roads guarded and they see the van? It does kind of draw attention to itself, considering it’s the only working vehicle on the road,” Geno pointed out.
Wolf frowned, nodding. “That’s a good point.”
“The van would need to go pretty far out of the way to avoid detection. Can we really risk being separated from the van and Lily by that much?” Fred asked on a long sigh.
Regan thought about it for a second. “Maybe we unload the van and hide as much as we can in the trees. We’ll make a bed for Lily to rest on while we go to town. We can then hide the van farther away in case it does draw attention.”
Geno actually looke
d impressed by the suggestion. “That could work; it would mean only moving a sickbed at that point even if they did find it.”
“All our supplies,” Heather whispered. “What if we have to run? We’d have to leave everything behind.”
Regan knew what she meant. They had filled the van with goods from her house and had been slowly adding a little here and there as they went. It would be devastating to lose everything. Heading into the swamp with only the clothes on their backs wasn’t appealing to anyone. One of the main reasons she had agreed to go back into the swampland in the first place was because there’d been the promise of having an easier go of things. She couldn’t deal with the swamp and nothing else.
Tabitha was shaking her head. “Will it matter if we have all the supplies in the world, but didn’t do enough to help Lily? The infection is making her extremely ill, you guys. She can’t eat, she’s vomiting, and her fever is getting higher.”
Heather’s features softened. “A small fever is a good thing. It’s her body’s way of fighting the infection.”
Tabitha glared at her. “I know that! But her fever has passed low-grade and is now making her uncomfortable. She’s going to be dehydrated before long if I can’t keep fluids in her. I would guess her fever is at least 103 degrees. That’s getting too high. It isn’t helping her at this point.”
Heather nodded her head. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I know you know more than I do about this stuff,” she said softly.
Wolf looked sick himself as the gravity of the situation weighed in more heavily on his shoulders. Regan wanted to yell at them that they should have gone back to Naples. Lily would already have medicine if they’d driven back. Regan had no doubt in her mind that she would have found what was needed. She was that confident in her scavenging abilities, even if the others weren’t.
“Maybe there is medicine on the reservation,” Travis volunteered. “Like, real medicine.”
Heather nodded. “There could very well be. They will have western medicine as well as natural medicines. I’m sure of it. There used to be a clinic on the reservation, if I remember correctly.”
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