The Reckoning Series Box Set

by Lee West

  — 21 —

  Nancy followed Meg over the windowsill and into the shadowy school. The smell of mold hit her right away, further detracting from the school’s gloomy interior. She immediately thought about the poor kids who had to attend this clearly underfunded and neglected school. Playing on a jungle gym surrounded by a high chain-link fence was one thing. Being forced to sit in classrooms and breathe mold was an entirely different sort of problem.

  “What’s that smell?” said Meg.

  “Smells like mold to me. The school must’ve had some leaks that were never properly repaired, allowing mold to grow in the walls and ceilings. Once it starts, it’s hard to get rid of,” said Frank.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t stay here? Do you think it’s safe?” asked Nancy.

  “We should be fine for the night. It’s not ideal, but it won’t affect us in such a short period of time. Unless you’re allergic to mold. Then you’re screwed,” said Frank.

  They walked deeper into the interior of the building. Something about the abandoned school disturbed Nancy. The department store hadn’t had the same effect on her. She couldn’t help but wonder where all the kids were now. What happened to them?

  “We should go to the cafeteria and see if there’s food,” said Joe.

  “You’re always looking for food!” said Meg, playfully punching his arm.

  “I wouldn’t expect to find too much. I once read that school lunches are preprepared and shipped to the schools. The local cafeteria merely reheats the items. No real cooking happens in these places anymore. The kids are basically fed reheated garbage,” said Mike.

  “Reheated garbage sounds pretty good to me right about now. I can’t stomach the thought of downing another one of the bars we took from my neighbors’ brownstone,” said Marvin.

  “I’m going to duck into the ladies’ room to wash up. With any luck, there will be some water left in the pipes,” said Nancy.

  “We’ll wait here for you,” said Brett.

  Nancy’s flashlight broke the pitch-black darkness that awaited her in the bathroom. The tiny sinks, stalls and toilets were pint-sized replicas of regular ladies’ rooms. It was endearing and deeply disturbing to see. The first faucet yielded enough water to rinse her face and mouth, which was good enough for now. She might come back later and try to sponge down the rest of her filthy exterior.

  She emerged from the bathroom to find Brett standing alone. “What happened to the others?” she said.

  “Hunger got the best of everyone. What can I say?”

  “Hunger is doing a number on me right now,” she said. “Why don’t we join them.”

  ***

  Mike had been right about the kitchen. They found row after row of neatly stacked cans on the shelves in the kitchen. Mostly vegetables and fruit. There was no sign of individual ingredients that might be used to create an entrée.

  “Pull down the peaches!” said Meg excitedly.

  “I’ll grab some plates!” said Marvin.

  They managed to open several industrial-sized cans of peaches, green beans and mixed fruit. Despite the sad look of the contents, she had to admit, the food tasted like gourmet fare after eating nothing but bars, nuts and cookies for the last few days.

  Nancy sat on the kitchen floor next to Brett and said, “It’s so odd that those soldiers didn’t drag all of us into a civilian processing center or whatever they called it.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Frank.

  “I was just thinking that if their orders were to collect all civilians, then why not us? They caught you guys. It would’ve been just as easy for them to grab the rest of us, but they didn’t.”

  “Maybe Joe’s right and they were engaged in an extracurricular activity,” said Frank.

  Joe walked over to them and sat down. “What am I right about?”

  “We were trying to figure out why the guards didn’t haul any of us into one of the camps. You might be right that they weren’t supposed to be where they were, or it could be something else,” said Nancy.

  “What else could it be? They let those three go and didn’t pursue the rest of us,” said Joe.

  “I don’t know, but something doesn’t add up. It seems pretty straightforward. They are either under orders to grab civilians, or they’re not. Something is off with everything. I just can’t seem to wrap my head around it. It’s like we’re missing something big,” said Nancy.

  “I think we got lucky, for whatever reason. Sometimes people get lucky. Could be nothing more than that,” said Brett.

  Nancy considered his words. He might be right, or they could be really missing a large part of what was happening around them. The interaction with the guards made her question everything.

  — 22 —

  The nurse’s office only contained two cots, so they decided to let Marvin and Frank, the two loudest snorers, bunk on the cots. The rest of them migrated to the gym, where Joe grabbed several tumble mats from the storage closet while Meg held the flashlight for him. The dark interior of the school made it feel like midnight, but it was only about eight in the evening. He could hardly wait to get the mats out. He knew sleep would come easy and run deep tonight. Fortunately, Frank agreed to take the first watch, giving Joe a four-hour block of time to sleep. He couldn’t wait!

  “I wish we had taken some of the blankets from the department store. I’m freezing,” said Meg.

  “I thought of taking more than just blankets from Ulters, but decided against it. I’m too lazy to carry more than necessary,” said Joe.

  “I guess that’s true. I probably would’ve ditched the extra weight at some point today.”

  Joe laid out their mats before returning to the closet for a few more. Once he got the others situated, he planned to crash.

  “You want to give me a hand with these last two?” he said to Meg.

  “Sure. I’ll get this end.”

  Together they carried the heavy mats into the gym. He put their mats by the door and then put the others a distance away from them. Unlike last night, he wanted a little privacy for sleeping.

  His body melted into the mat with relief as his mind went to work. Nancy’s doubts about why the guards didn’t arrest their group made Joe question everything about what they had seen so far. The thought of running and hiding like fugitives for no reason unsettled him. Finally, his mental business gave way to the dark expanse of sleep.

  — 23 —

  Nancy sat in the classroom with the others, slurping warm peach can water from her bowl. The sugary syrup seemed almost better than coffee at the moment.

  “Where do we head from here?” asked Joe.

  Frank pointed at his mouth and held up a finger, indicating they should wait for a response. “From here we just need to head due west. We can follow the road out of the neighborhood. Then just sort of pick our way through the yards until we get to the forest.”

  “How long do you think that’ll be?” asked Brett.

  “I have no idea. I’m not sure of the route. All I am sure of is that we need to head due west. Cutting through yards seems to be the best way. Otherwise we’re forced to take the side roads, which could take us in all sorts of directions. Without a map, we’re really just guessing.”

  “We need to find a map. Cutting through yards and hoping for the best doesn’t seem like a good idea,” said Meg.

  “Maybe someone has one in their car? We should check the glove boxes of a few cars and see what we can find,” said Joe.

  “That’s a great idea! Maybe we’ll get lucky,” said Nancy between mouthfuls of peaches.

  “That would help me a lot. I would hate to lead us the wrong way or make our trip harder than necessary,” said Frank.

  Taking the last sip of syrup from the bowl, Nancy said, “I’m ready to roll out of here whenever you guys are.”

  “Us too,” said Joe with a glance to Meg.

  Meg nodded her head and stood up, dusting off her dirty jeans.

  The group climbed out of
the school into the light of the morning. Nancy took several deep breaths in an attempt to clear her lungs from the mold-infested air she had been forced to breathe all night. Frank might have been right that one night of breathing the dirty air wouldn’t kill them—but it sure didn’t feel good.

  A dozen cars sat in the lot, tempting them. She tried the doors of several cars before concluding that most of them were locked. The few that had been left open hadn’t contained any maps.

  “Maybe people just don’t use maps anymore?” said Mike.

  “I sure don’t. I use my phone or the car’s navigation system. We never pull out a real map,” said Brett.

  “Maybe this is useless? We should just go,” said Nancy.

  “I’ve got one! Look at this! This car is like a rolling garbage can!” yelled Joe from the other side of the lot.

  Peering into the back window of the older sedan, Nancy understood what he meant. Piles of fast-food wrappers were thrown haphazardly all over the back seat foot wells. The front seat was likewise covered with discarded wrappers, soda bottles and CDs. On the seat—shoved in between gym clothes, socks, shoes, jackets, wrappers, junk mail and several dog leashes—sat a well-worn map with torn edges.

  Finding the doors of the vehicle locked, Frank went to work with his ax. A few swings later, the window lay shattered on the parking lot and rear driver’s side seat. He reached inside and unlocked the door before pulling it open to grab the map. He held it away from his face and waved it in the air.

  “What are you doing?” asked Meg.

  “I’m trying to air it out and get the dog fur off it. That car smells like three-month-old vomit,” said Frank.

  Frank sat on the ground and carefully studied the map. Finally, he said, “We can follow the main road until this point here, then cut through this neighborhood into the forest.” He jabbed at the map with a grimy finger as he spoke.

  “You weren’t too far off from your original assessment, nice job,” said Nancy.

  “Thanks. Not bad. Just a little tweaking.”

  “We’re located about here,” said Brett, pointing to an area on the map next to a lake.

  “That’s a really beautiful area. Near the state park,” said Mike.

  “Our property borders the state park. It’s one of the main reasons we bought it. We just love the access,” said Brett.

  “How long will it take us to get there?” asked Meg.

  “Looking at the map, I’d say we’re looking at a few hours at most. It won’t be too bad of a walk,” said Frank.

  “Nothing could compare to the trails at the park. I’m sore in places I didn’t even know existed!” said Marvin.

  “We’re all sore in places we didn’t know existed,” said Nancy. “Some of us just won’t admit it.”

  — 24 —

  Frank led the group away from the little school and through the surrounding neighborhoods. Although he felt pretty confident about the direction he had chosen as their route, finding the map really put his mind at ease. After everything they had been through, the last thing they needed would be to walk aimlessly in circles looking for Brett and Nancy’s house.

  “Hey, man, how are you holding up?” he said to Mike.

  “I’m holding, mostly. Just still wondering what good it’s going to do me to go to their house. I should be looking for Sharon and the kids,” said Mike.

  “For starters, it will enable us to take a break and collect our thoughts. Think clearly for once. We’ve been through a lot in the past couple of weeks. Getting to their home will give us a chance to let our guard down and come up with a game plan.”

  “I know you’re right. Maybe we’ll run into more people resisting whatever is going on out there.”

  “I wish we would’ve been able to ask more questions of the group Marvin encountered or the man who gave us a lift. It’s a little frustrating to be in the dark about everything that’s happening around us.”

  Meg jogged up behind them and said, “Did you hear that?”

  “What?” asked Nancy.

  “I don’t—” started Brett.

  “Shh!” said Nancy.

  The faint sound of vehicles could be heard in the distance. While they struggled to identify the direction of the noise, it increased in volume. The houses around them made this task even harder, because the sound ricocheted off the various buildings. One thing was certain. It was getting closer by the second.

  “RUN! We need to hide! They’re coming this way!” shouted Joe.

  Meg and Joe sprinted toward one of the nearest houses. The others followed quickly on their heels. They ran around the back of the house to hide in the yard, but were met by an eight-foot stockade fence. Joe grabbed the handle of the gate and tried to open it. The door wouldn’t budge. Someone had locked it from the inside.

  “Let me at it!” shouted Frank.

  The noise grew to a loud crescendo as a caravan of trucks rumbled in their direction. Frank struck the lock in a fever pitch to gain access to the yard. Splinters flew in every direction. Finally the gate flew open, and the others dove inside seconds before the caravan passed the house.

  “Keep the gate open a little. I want to see what’s coming,” said Nancy.

  Truck after truck passed. Some were armored Humvees, but most were large cargo carriers like the one they had traveled in the other day. The vehicles moved rapidly through the quiet neighborhood, free from the concern of hitting other vehicles or pedestrians. At one point, Frank was certain a soldier in the turret of one of the Humvees looked right at them. However, the vehicles never slowed.

  “Geez! That’s a huge caravan. Where the hell are they going?” said Brett.

  “Let’s hope they’re not heading toward our house. I’d like to relax a little without worrying about them coming,” said Nancy.

  “Let’s get out of here! We’re close enough to where we could have cut into the forest. We should head straight through this yard into the trees,” said Frank.

  “You sure? I don’t want to add any more distance than we already have to travel,” said Nancy.

  “I’m sure. We’ll have to cut through the woods a little more, but we’ll be fine.”

  Calling the fenced-in area behind the rundown house a yard was a stretch, in Frank’s opinion. An old couch and a ripped-up recliner sat under a rusty, corrugated metal overhang attached to the house. The grassy area was nothing but tall weeds punctuated by bare dirt areas. A large pile of discarded household garbage sat stinking in the corner, the owners too lazy to bring their trash to the curb. The saddest part of the yard was the doghouse.

  “Oh shit. What’s that smell?” asked Meg.

  “Don’t look. I think they left their dog behind,” said Joe.

  The sad-looking doghouse was situated in the corner of the yard. A heavy chain led into the dilapidated little house. Numerous piles of feces dotted the dirt around the dog’s abode. The tips of a dog’s feet poked out of the house.

  “They just left him here to die? Who would do such a thing?” cried Meg.

  “People who used the animal for their security, not companionship. In a neighborhood like this, they must have needed an early warning system,” said Joe.

  “They might not have had a choice,” said Brett.

  “Maybe animals weren’t allowed wherever they were taken?” said Frank.

  “Let’s hope that’s not the case,” said Nancy solemnly.

  The back of the yard did not contain a second gate for them to exit through. Frank looked at the fence carefully and then selected a section that looked as though years of neglect had caused it to lose some of its structural integrity. Ax in hand, he chopped at the wood over and over again until he made a hole large enough for them to exit.

  — 25 —

  Nancy stood back and let Frank hack away at the dense undergrowth of the forest with his hand ax. She couldn’t tell if they had reached the boundary of the state park or if this was a thick cluster of undergrowth common to the area. She
hoped it was the former. Once inside the park, they should be able to find a trail that would allow them to make solid progress home. The slow pace felt agonizing, especially after seeing the poor dog left behind by its owners. She worried about Rudy, their aging little mutt.

  They had left Rudy at home with Nancy’s mom when they departed on the cruise, thinking they’d be gone for a week—not more than three weeks. If her mother had been taken by the soldiers, Rudy might have been left behind without food or water.

  “You okay?” asked Brett as he took her hand.

  “Barely. That really freaked me out.”

  “Me too. But we don’t know what happened. For all we know the people who lived there might have left their dog behind under any circumstances. Or the dog could have been dead before they left. We just don’t know what happened. I’m trying not to jump to conclusions about Rudy’s fate.”

  “You’re right. I’ll try to do the same. With any luck, we should be home soon and can see for ourselves what happened.”

  Joe approached Frank and said, “How about if I take over for a little while? You’ve been cutting our path for a while now.”

  Frank straightened up and handed Joe the ax. “Be my guest. I never realized how hard making a trail could be. My shoulder and arm are killing me.”

  Nancy didn’t want to vocalize her other concerns. Seeing the caravan headed in the general direction of their home had brought up a new host of worries. They assumed their home would provide safety to the group. The caravan’s presence had eroded her confidence in their plan, causing her mind to spin with dread.

  “Hey, look at that! I think we’re almost through!” shouted Joe as he pointed ahead through the trees.

  A well-worn trail was visible through the remains of the thick forest. When they broke through the bushes and reached the trail, Frank stopped to consult the compass. After quick consideration, he confirmed that the trail should take them westward toward Brett and Nancy’s house. They walked the path with renewed vigor, finally getting close to what they hoped would be a sanctuary for them.