As luck should have it, the map had the names of the local town and cities printed in English beneath the Chinese characters. The women studied it, and Jeanette cursed under her breath. The G25 split off from the G1 five miles south of Siping and headed southwest at a forty-five-degree angle. According to a red star on the map, the “You are here” marker, they were halfway between the villages of Cilushuzhen and Simianchengzhen, ten miles west of the G1.
Jeanette sighed.
“It’s okay,” said Vicky.
“It’s going to take half a day for us to get back on course.”
“At least we know where we are and how to correct it.”
Jeanette tried to open the outer lid of the display case, only to find it locked. Removing her bayonet, she placed the tip of the blade in the lock and fumbled with it.
Antoine stepped up. “Let me get that.”
Jeanette stepped aside. Antoine raised his elbow and smashed the glass, then used the stock of his AK-47 to clear away the remaining shards. Jeanette reached in and removed the map.
“Should we start heading west?” Vicky asked.
“It’s too late. I want to make sure we have a secure location for the night.”
Antoine pointed to the restrooms. “What about those. They’re sturdy and no one can get in.”
“No one would want to,” said Ian as he returned from the stalls. “Those things have been festering since the apocalypse. You don’t want to go in there.”
Vicky motioned ahead of them. “There are a bunch of buildings further down the road. One is a service station. I’m sure we can find a place to hole up there for the night.”
“Sounds good to me.” Jeanette walked back to the horses. “Let’s get moving before the sun goes down.”
* * *
From the saddle of his horse, Hong watched through binoculars as Jeanette and her group exited the rest stop.
“That’s them,” said Deng. “The ones who arrived in Harbin. They must be the only survivors from the worm attack.”
“Or they became separated from the others during the dust storm.”
“That’s possible, too, I guess.” Deng paused. “Do you want to contact them?”
Hong weighed his options. After they had lost the outsiders’ trail in the dust storm, Qiang had dispatched search parties to locate them again and, if possible, introduce themselves to determine if they posed a threat. His people were in no danger since they outnumbered the outsiders three-to-one. Still, approaching them with horse-mounted troops might accidentally precipitate the encounter he wanted to avoid. Plus, he had no idea of the location of the rest of their group, or if they were still alive. Usually a man of action, this time Hong felt playing it safe was the best option.
Deng asked again. “Do you want to contact them?”
“Not yet.” Hong maneuvered his horse to face Deng. “Take two of the men and go back to Qiang. Tell him we found some of the outsiders and they’re still heading for Shenyang. Ask him what he wants us to do. We’ll follow the outsiders and see what they’re up to.”
“Of course.” Deng gathered two horsemen and rode off.
Hong turned to his second in command, Xiao-ping. “Tell the others we’re going to follow the outsiders, but to keep a safe distance. I don’t want them to know we’re here until we get orders from Qiang.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The next morning, Jason stood outside the door to the garage, the werehounds curled up at his feet. He finished his coffee, long since gone cold, as he scanned the horizon, hoping Sook-kyoung or Jeanette’s group would appear. He hated the idea of leaving, yet he had no choice. The longer he stayed, the more time the demons had to reinforce the portal and prepare for their arrival. Jason could only pray the others had survived the dust storm and the worm attack and had followed the original plan. If so, the chances were good he would catch up with them.
Father Belsario joined Jason. “Everyone is ready to go.”
“Thanks.” Jason poured the rest of his tepid coffee into the dirt and flipped the tin cup several times to flick out any residue.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to keep Matthew and Gabriel here for a few days?”
“I took care of that.” Jason motioned to the two open cans of red paint and the paintbrush that lay beside the door. “Besides, I have to assume we lost the others for good, so I need all hands on deck if we hope to close the portal.”
“I understand.”
Ten minutes later, the horses were saddled and packed, and the remainder of the team ready to depart. One by one they left the warehouse, with Jason in the lead, flanked by Lilith and Lucifer who constantly ran ahead to sniff for potential danger. They made their way east toward the main road. When five hundred feet from the structure, Jason checked on the message he had painted on the garage wall.
Jeanette, Sook-kyoung
We’re heading to Shenyang along the G1
Catch up with us there
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Are you sure we’re going in the right direction?” Jeanette asked.
“According to the map we got from the rest stop, we are,” Ian answered.
“We should have reached the G1 by now.”
“Don’t worry about it, mate. The two roads are at an angle to each other. We’ll get there soon enough.” Ian pointed to a hill off to their left. “Let’s head that way. Maybe we can get our bearings from up there.”
Jeanette maneuvered her horse toward the hill. Ian was right. They had only been traveling a few hours, barely enough time to reach the G1. However, that did little to assuage her nervousness. Part of her anxiety involved being separated from Jason. She realized how much she cared for him, and how her jealousy over Sasha had jeopardized their relationship; she wanted to work things out between them. Another major stress factor was being isolated from the others. Jeanette did not worry about encountering any Demon Spawn because her people could handle themselves in a fight, especially Antoine. However, her group had limited food and water and only ten magazines of ammunition to share amongst them. If they did not meet up with the others within the next day or two, or at least find food and water along the way, their supplies would run out and they would be living on borrowed time. As they crested the hill, Jeanette told herself everything would be fine.
To Jeanette’s surprise, a caravan lay spread out at the foot of the opposite slope. Her body tensed as she went into fight-or-flight mode, remembering their last encounter at the walled town a few days earlier. She relaxed, however, because these people seemed docile and posed little threat. Raising her binoculars, she studied the site. Five farm utility wagons and a school bus rigged to be pulled by horses formed a semi-circle around the main camp where a dozen tents had been erected. Jeanette estimated approximately one hundred people, a third of them women and children, populated the makeshift compound. A group hung clothes to dry along a rope that stretched between the bus and one of the wagons. A man had set up an anvil by a fire pit and shoed horses. Others did various chores while the smaller children played on another wagon. Jeanette searched specifically for armed guards or manned gun emplacements but could not observe any. Even though a few of the men and women wore side arms, and Type 63 automatic rifles were stacked in teepee-like formations at various locations throughout the compound, no one seemed overly concerned about security.
“They’ve spotted us,” said Vicky. “Over there, by the school bus.”
Jeanette swung the binoculars in that direction. Sure enough, half a dozen kids stared and pointed. The adults soon joined in. No one went for their weapons. A young woman made her way across the compound to the base of the hill and waved. Jeanette lowered her binoculars and waved back. The woman motioned for them to join her.
“What do you think?” Vicky asked. “Should we go down?”
“They out gun us,” offered Ian.
Antoine shook his head. “If they were a threat, they would have fired on us by now.”
“
If we run, we appear weak,” said Jeanette. “Maybe they can share some food and water, and hopefully give us information on the location of the portal. Stay on guard, though. If they try anything, we get out as fast as possible.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Antoine.
The others concurred.
“Then let’s do this.” Jeanette led her group down the slope.
The young woman who had invited them smiled as they approached. Attractive and well-groomed, she wore clean leather pants, a white shirt, and a tan leather jacket. Her raven black hair hung past her shoulders and framed a face pretty enough to belong to a model. The woman’s deep brown eyes were warm and welcoming. She stepped up to Jeanette and offered her hand.
“Dobro pozhalovat’ v nash lager’. Pozhaluysta, vkhodite i chuvstvuyte sebya kak doma.”
Jeanette shook her hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t speak Russian.”
“You speak English.”
“Yes.”
“Excellent. My name is Mei.”
“I’m Jeanette.” She introduced the others.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” Mei stepped back and gestured toward the compound. “Welcome to our camp.”
“What about our weapons?” Antoine asked.
“Given what the world is like today, I wouldn’t ask you to give them up. I only ask that you don’t make us regret our generosity.” Mei moved toward the tents. “Come inside and rest.”
Jeanette and the others dismounted, took their horses’ reins, and followed Mei.
“How do you know so many languages?” Jeanette asked.
“I studied linguistics at the Beijing Foreign Studies University. I speak six languages. My father used to chastise me about wasting my time, telling me I would be better off studying medicine or science. I’d like to think he’d be proud of me now.”
As they walked through the camp, people stopped what they were doing to watch the newcomers. Some stared suspiciously; most nodded a welcome. A few of the younger children ran up and waved, while others fell in behind Antoine and gaped at him.
Mei shoed them away. “Please forgive them. They’ve never met someone so big, or someone who is African-American.”
“That’s okay.” When two of the boys snuck back, Antoine spun around with a huge grin on his face and growled. The boys screamed and ran off, laughing. “I’m not from America, though. I’m from Morocco.”
“Are you all from Morocco?”
“No,” said Jeanette, phrasing her answer carefully. “We’re originally from France.”
“You’re a long way from home. Why are you here in China?”
“We’re looking for a safe place to settle down.”
“I can relate. I’d hate to think what my life would be like if not for the friends I made here.” Mei leaned closer to Jeanette. “We’ve heard rumors that things are bad in France and Russia, and that someone is trying to close the portals.”
“We’ve heard the same thing, which is why we’ve kept traveling east.”
“Well, you’re safe now.” Mei stopped in front of a tent and pulled aside the flap, motioning for them to enter. It contained a rolled up sleeping bag and a backpack. Mei grabbed the items and hefted them onto her shoulder. “This is my tent. You can use it.”
“We don’t want to impose.”
“You’re not imposing. I’ll sleep with some of the other girls for a few days. You can tie up your horses in the back. I’ll make sure they’re fed. Get some rest. I’ll have one of the children come for you when dinner is ready. If you need anything, let me know.”
Mei exited the tent and closed the flap behind her. Antoine waited a few seconds before he strolled over and opened it again. “We’re clear.”
“What do you make of that?” Vicky asked.
Jeanette shrugged. “They appear friendly enough.”
Antoine stepped back to the group. “I noticed you were vague in your answers.”
“The less they know about us the better, at least until we know more about them.”
“Agreed,” said Ian. Antoine nodded.
“Maybe we lucked out like we did in Russia and have run across a group who can help us. It’s too early to tell yet.”
“What do we do in the meantime?” Vicky asked.
“Stay alert and play it cool. Tonight, at dinner, I’m going to find how much Mei really knows about what’s going on here in China.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Dinner was plain yet filling. The cooks had prepared vegetables and rice, with hot tea to drink. Everyone stood in line, received their portion into one of two tin cups, and gathered in small groups near the center of the compound where they patiently waited. Once the last person had received their share and sat down, Mei led the group in blessings in Mandarin. Jeanette did not understand the words although she recognized the cadence as belonging to The Lord’s Prayer. With grace concluded, everyone began to eat. When they were well into the meal, Jeanette struck up a conversation.
“How long have you been here?”
Mei was confused. “I was born and raised in China.”
“I mean, how did you all come together after the portal opened?”
“Ah, you mean after the End of Godlessness.” Mei placed down her tin cup. “Everyone has a different story. We survived those first few weeks of what you westerners would call the End of Days and eventually came together under the single cause. For example, my mother lived in Changchun, so I attempted to travel to be with her. Unfortunately, I only made it as far as Shenyang before I could go no further. I wandered aimlessly for months, trying to survive on what little food remained and avoiding the gangs, until Bai found me and took me in.”
“How come the area isn’t swarming with Demon Spawn?” Ian asked.
Mei crinkled her eyebrows. “Demon Spawn?”
“The things that came through the portal,” Jeanette clarified.
“We call them láizì míngjiè, which you would translate as ‘those from the Underworld’. In the beginning, they swarmed across northeast China, especially the soulless hordes. That’s why there are so few people around. Those who weren’t killed ran away. Many headed to Beijing or farther south. Those in the north fled west to Mongolia or east toward Vladivostok.”
“What happened to those from the Underworld?” Vicky asked.
“Bai got rid of them.”
That was the second time Jeanette had heard the name tonight. “Who’s Bai?”
“She’s the one we follow.” Mei spread her arms. “She made it so that we can live again without fear.”
“Is she here now?”
“No.” Mei picked up her tin cup and resumed eating. “We’re going to meet up with her in a few days.”
Jeanette took a chance and asked the question most on her mind. “Is the portal nearby?”
“The what?”
“The portal to the Underworld.”
Mei suddenly understood and nodded. “Yes, it’s located just north of Shenyang, only a few days’ ride.”
Jeanette attempted to contain her excitement. “I have a map. Can you point out its location?”
“We can take you there.”
“I don’t want to put you in danger.”
Mei brushed away the concerns with a wave of her hand. “It’s no danger to us. We check on its status every few weeks. In fact, we’re heading that way tomorrow morning.”
“I don’t want to be a bother.”
“You’re not a bother.” Mei reached out and patted Jeanette’s hand. “Follow us and we’ll show you exactly how to get there. We just need to stop by another village first. Is that okay?”
Jeanette would have preferred to be told the location so she could find it herself. That way, she could stay in the area and search for Jason and the others. However, she did not want to offend her hosts and squander the opportunity. The others nodded in approval.
“That’s fine,” said Jeanette. “We appreciate you doing this for us.”
&
nbsp; “It’s our pleasure. We’ll take good care of you.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jason ate only half his MRE and shared the rest with Lilith and Lucifer. He had been so distracted the past two days that he did not have much of an appetite and survived mostly on caffeine, which did more harm than good. He took his tin cup to the fence of the stable they had spent the night in and stared out over the countryside. Lilith followed, leaving her mate behind to beg for more breakfast.
As hard as Jason tried to focus on the task at hand, his mind kept going back to the missing team members. Death had become so commonplace in this world he had become inured to it. Still, potentially losing eight people in one day was tough, both emotionally and strategically. With regards to Jeanette, he did not know what bothered him more, the fact that he might never see her again or that they had left so many issues unresolved. On top of that, Jason felt ashamed that he had not checked on Sook-kyoung after the attack by the giant worms and took for granted that she had been killed. Lesson learned. In the future, no one gets left behind under any circumstances.
Weighing on Jason’s mind as much as his missing friends was the loss of the anti-matter device. The twin portals in Russia had forced them to use their spare, eliminating any margin of error. If he could not retrieve the one Sook-kyoung had been carrying, then they would not be able to close all the portals and their expedition would have been for nothing. A possibility existed that another means had been found to close the portals, even though the chances of that were slim. If someone had developed such a method, why hadn’t they used it? Jason had to face the realization that all the time his team had spent on the road from Mont St. Michel to northeast China, and all the lives sacrificed along the way, had been for nothing. They would have failed. That’s not true. He would have failed.
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