by Mark Goodwin
“Which is great, because your pack is filled to capacity already.” Emilio looked for another tractor-trailer where he might find a change for himself.
Moments later, she came back out with her own clothes folded up in her arms. “I think this is mustard down the front of the shirt.”
Emilio squinted to examine the stain. “Yeah, if you’re lucky.”
“Shut up!” She pointed up the road. “Can we just find some clothes for you so we can get going?”
He fought back a mischievous grin. “Sure.”
The next big rig also had clothing. The pants were a little short on Emilio, but they would do for a river crossing.
They pedaled back to the precipice of the crumbled concrete structure. Emilio got off his bike and removed his shoes. “I’ll lower myself down into the water, then you can hand the bikes to me.”
She eyed the short trousers which came just below his calves. “Sure thing, Huckleberry.”
He glared at her. “I guess I deserved that for the mustard comment.” He put his feet into the river. He was standing on a section of the fallen bridge which was just over his ankles, but the water was like ice. A shiver shot up his bones.
“Is it cold?”
He tried to hide his discomfort. “Like bathwater.” He took the bikes down then helped Mackenzie off the ledge.
“It’s freezing!” She scowled at him. “You could’ve told me so I could have prepared myself!”
“Let’s just get this over with.” He waded through the water as the section of the broken roadway angled into deeper water. He tried to stand on his tippy toes to keep the frigid water as low on his legs as possible. He turned to see that, while the river was only mid-thigh for him, Mackenzie was nearly waist-deep in the chilly water. He felt terrible for her, but his hands were full and he could do nothing to help. They had to straddle a few sections where no ruins offered them a footing, but eventually, they made it across.
Upon leaving the water, the coldness set in. Mackenzie hurried back onto the highway leaving Emilio in her wake.
“Wait up!” he called. But she kept going, rushing to the nearest tractor-trailer where she could use the sleeper cab to change back into her dry clothes.
Emilio went to the big red semi where she’d gone and waited for her to come out. His teeth were chattering by the time she emerged.
“Look what I found.” She carried a large 6-volt flashlight.
“That’s great. I’m going to get changed.” Emilio rushed to get inside the semi where he quickly got out of his frigid wet clothing. He came out and climbed back down.
She still held the light in her hand. “Do you think we could affix this to the handlebars of one of the bikes? Maybe it would be bright enough to ride at night.”
“Possibly, but we’d need two. The person in the rear wouldn’t be able to see the cracks well enough to avoid an accident.”
“Okay, then we’ll find another one.” She took a pair of zip ties scavenged from the van and secured the flashlight to her bike. The two were soon on the road pedaling at an even pace southbound on I-65.
Mackenzie looked over at Emilio. “Have you thought about what we’re going to do when we get to Louisville?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m saying, we’re going to need more than a dry pair of pants to cross the Ohio.”
Emilio frowned. He had not thought about that obstacle. It was all he could do to navigate the peril of the moment.
They saw at least another hundred travelers on the road that day. With slightly better road conditions, they managed to cover thirty miles by noon. Emilio ceased pedaling and coasted until the bike stopped.
“Are we breaking for lunch?” Mackenzie asked.
He looked out at the trees stripped bare of their foliage. “According to the map, this should be the state forest. If we find a secluded spot, maybe we can build a small fire.”
“You want to stop already?”
“The asteroids haven’t typically started until after 10:00 PM. If we eat, set up camp, and get settled in the next two hours, we could get a full eight hours of sleep. We need it. We’ve been through a lot. Once we get near Louisville, the stakes are going to go up. We’ll be exposed to more people and more hazards. We need to be at the top of our game.”
“Okay.” Mackenzie dismounted and pushed her bike into the trees.
Emilio led the way back into the woods about a half-mile. “This looks like a good spot. We’ve got a small creek here which should provide better water than the river. And, it’s far back enough that a fire won’t draw much attention, as long as we keep the flames low.”
“That sounds great.” Mackenzie dropped her pack and stretched.
Within the hour, they had the tent set up, had eaten and refilled their water receptacles, built a low fire, and were both fast asleep.
CHAPTER 8
I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee. And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord God. I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known. Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall.
Ezekiel 32:6-10
Emilio was abruptly awaken by the first boom of an asteroid striking in the distance. The light from yet another meteor streaming across the sky provided a soft light in the tent. He turned to look at Mackenzie. “How did you sleep?”
She lay in her sleeping bag still bundled up, but with her eyes open. “Pretty good. I feel rested. That was a good idea to knock off early.”
Emilio rolled onto his back waiting for the next interstellar missile to assault the earth. “It’s going to be a long night.”
Mackenzie crawled out of her sleeping bag. “Yeah, I think I’ll stoke up the fire and try to make good use of the time.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Use the light of the fire.” She pulled the worn Bible scavenged from the faded Mercury. “I’m going to try to figure out what comes next.”
“As in the next judgment?”
“That too, but I think I need to get things sorted out on a personal level first.”
Emilio smiled. “That sounds like a really good idea.”
***
The night was indeed long, but Emilio continued to let his body rest even with the periodic disturbances from the meteors that kept his mind in a state of constant worry. The bombardment stopped just before first light.
Emilio rolled up his sleeping bag, emerged from the tent, and opened one of the breakfast pouches. He sat on a log next to Mackenzie. “Were you able to read by the light of the fire?”
“Some.” She poked the coals which still had a few flaming sticks inside.
“Did you get anything figured out?”
“I did.” She nodded. “I prayed—asked God to forgive me for being such an idiot. I cried a lot. It felt good. I feel like I needed that. I asked God to help me forgive myself for being such an imbecile. I think that part is going to take some time. I read the entire Book of John. It’s good stuff if you haven’t read it.”
“Okay, yeah,” Emilio said. “I’ll do that.”
Mackenzie wiped a tear from her eye. “I used to pray—when I was a kid. But then the other girls at school thought the Bible and everything was all nonsense. The teachers did too, for that matter. I guess somewhere along the way in my teenage years, I got too smart for God. All those lies got re-enforced further and further in college.”
“I know what you mean,” said Emilio. “My parents were Catholic. We we
nt to mass, but it was sort of a superstition to me. It was never anything like the God Josh believed in. At least that’s not how I understood Him.”
“Better late than never.” Mackenzie stood up. She kicked some dirt over the coals to extinguish the fire. They broke camp, loaded up, and headed back to the interstate.
The first leg of the journey was uneventful. They had to get around an increasing number of overpasses, the closer they got to Louisville.
Then, Emilio coasted to a complete stop. The road ended suddenly at the ledge of a deep crater. He looked around the rim of the crater. “This is the spot one of the meteors landed. It must be two hundred yards across.”
Mackenzie looked down. “Probably a hundred feet deep. Do we go around?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to risk getting caught in soft dirt and not being able to climb back out.” Emilio pushed his bike around the perimeter of the crater.
They soon found their way around the massive pockmark in the earth and got back on the road. Once they reached Sellersburg, Indiana, the number of people they saw on the road increased dramatically. Emilio located a small patch of trees and signaled for Mackenzie to follow him. They got off of the interstate and retreated into the woods.
“We’re not stopping are we?” she asked.
“No. I want to look at the map. I wasn’t planning to encounter this many people. We need to find a better route. We can use the concealment of the woods to eat lunch, take a break, and figure out an alternate path.”
“Sure.” Mackenzie followed him deeper into the trees.
Emilio stopped short.
“What is it?” Mackenzie asked.
He pointed forward. “It’s an encampment. Tents, tarps, and people, lots of people.”
“Wow!” She peered through the trees. “I guess they’ve lost their homes and have nowhere to go.”
Emilio began backing out quietly. “I’ll take a quick look at the map, and we’ll get back on the interstate. This isn’t a good spot. Can you wait a while before lunch?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I could go another hour or two.”
“Keep an eye out.” Emilio softly let his pack drop to the ground. He took out the map and examined their location. “I-265 is only a few miles from here. We’ll take that west and follow it all the way to New Albany. Once we get through there, it seems to get much more rural. Then, we can follow the river south until we find an opportunity to cross over.”
Mackenzie looked over his shoulder. “Won’t that take us out of the way?”
“It will, but going through the suburbs isn’t worth the risk.” Emilio tucked the map into his bag, then lifted the pack onto his shoulders. He slung the rifle over his back and made sure his pistol was readily accessible before pushing the bike to the interstate.
A renewed sense of urgency motivated Emilio to pedal faster toward the interchange, which would hopefully get them around the masses of desperate people.
They reached the western termination point of I-265 where it merged with I-64. They had to walk the bikes around the jumbled rubble of concrete and rebar where overpasses and flyovers had once stood. After getting around the mess, they pushed their bicycles up the embankment and onto I-64. They got back on and began pedaling.
However, the trek was a short one. A few hundred yards from where they got back on the highway, a cluster of vehicles formed what appeared to be an impassable traffic jam. Emilio stopped the bike.
A voice from behind one of the vehicles called, “Drop your gear, your weapons, turn around, and walk away. You’re completely surrounded!”
Emilio held up his hands. “We’re with the government. We’re inspecting the damage. We’ll be sending help.”
“Ain’t no government—not no more. It’s every man for himself,” called another voice.
“We’re armed, you better do what we say,” said a third voice.
Mackenzie yelled, “How do we know you’re not bluffing?”
The sound of a shotgun racking a round echoed from behind one of the vehicles closest to them. “I can think of one way,” said a voice.
Emilio looked over at her. “In this part of the country, they’re not bluffing.”
“How do they have guns?” she whispered.
“Probably stashed all their firearms when the ban went into effect. Then dug them up after the quake hit. I hate to say it, but we don’t stand a chance. We need to accept their offer to leave.”
“But how will we make it back without food?” she asked.
“We’ll resupply, somewhere.” Emilio slowly stepped off the bike. He placed his rifle on the ground and took off his backpack.
Mackenzie did likewise. Emilio began to get back on his bicycle.
One of the voices called out. “Oh, no. I said walk away. The bikes stay here.”
“Can I at least keep my water bottles?” Emilio asked.
“We don’t need your water,” said the voice. “But don’t ask for any more concessions. You’re about to get yourself killed.”
Emilio hung the length of cord holding the two water bottles together around his neck.
Mackenzie whispered, “We need our bikes. We should fight.”
“No,” he said in a hushed voice. “Even if we manage to draw our pistols before we’re shot, they’ll gun us down.”
“We aren’t even sure the others are armed!” she insisted.
“One of them has a shotgun, has the drop on us, and is behind cover. That’s all I need to know. One of us would be dead before we even got off a shot. Whichever one of us is still standing, would probably die before hitting any of the enemy. We’re going to leave the bikes, walk away, and live to fight another day.”
Heavy lines set in her brow. “How do we know they’ll really let us leave?”
“If they don’t, then we’ll draw our pistols and go down shooting. But this is our best chance of living through the situation.” Emilio put the kickstand down on the bike and backed away with his hands stretched out toward the vehicles.
Mackenzie walked backward beside him. As they got farther from the barricade, they picked up their pace. Once they were fifty yards away, Emilio said, “On my signal, turn around and run!”
“Okay,” she said, still facing the danger.
“Now!” Emilio made a rapid about-face and began sprinting away from the ambush.
Mackenzie moved in lockstep with him. Both kept their legs pumping until they were almost back to the collapsed interchange. Emilio slowed his pace and put his hand on his side. He panted heavily, his lungs pleading for oxygen.
Mackenzie put up her hand and bent forward, resting her hands on her knees.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I just need a second.”
“Keep walking. It keeps the blood circulating. You’ll recover faster.”
The two kept moving, traveling back down the embankment to the tall grass and weeds below the highway.
“We’re right back to square one,” she complained.
Emilio was still breathing hard. “We’re not back to square one. At square one, we were in the back of a Unity Enforcement prisoner transport van, headed to an extermination facility.”
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. After that.”
“After that, we were 200 miles away from our destination. We’ve made it halfway. You have to count your blessings.”
“What blessings?”
“We still have our pistols. We still have water. We’re still alive.” Emilio ticked off each positive asset by raising a finger on his right hand.
“It took us four days to get here, and that was with bikes. We’ll never make it on foot, not in these conditions. I say we circle back around and slip up behind them. We can pick them off from cover and take our stuff back.”
“Absolutely not. We have no idea how many of them there are, or where they have lookouts set up. And they have at least two shotguns plus a rifle. We’re no match, not with a couple of pistols.”
“A couple of pistols and the element of surprise.”
Emilio shook his head. “No. We cut our losses and keep moving.”
“Why do you get to decide?”
“Because, I used to kick in doors for DHS. I know a thing or two about what’s tactically possible. What you’re suggesting is a recipe for disaster. Stop fretting. We’ll make it back to the cave.”
She huffed. “So where are we going to go?”
“We’ll take I-64 west, away from the danger. As soon as we see a southbound exit, we’ll follow it. The Ohio runs southwest. We’re bound to run into it.”
“How will we get across?”
He tightened his jaw over the frustration of the predicament. “I don’t have any idea.”
Emilio glanced down at the badge hanging around his neck. “Without the long guns, these don’t have any teeth.” He removed the badge, balled up the chain, and put it in his pocket. “You better take yours off also.”
She took the shiny shield off her belt. “I feel like we’ve been downgraded from predators to prey.”
“We still have pistols. We’re a lot less vulnerable than most people out on the roads.” Emilio opened one of the bottles and took a drink. He offered it to Mackenzie.
She gulped down a long swig and handed it back to Emilio. “I think I just felt a raindrop.”
Emilio held out his hand with his palm facing up.
She frowned as the drops began to fall steadily. “Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse.”
He looked up the road. “Come on. Let’s jog until it starts raining harder. Then, we’ll stop at the next available semi with a sleeper cab.”
The two began running up the interstate. The light sprinkle soon morphed into larger drops of rain falling at an ever-increasing rate.
“Right here, the big black rig!” Emilio charged up the steps and pulled the handle. “Locked.” He used the butt of his pistol to knock out the glass. He reached through and unlocked the door. Emilio stepped out of the way so Mackenzie could get inside. “Hurry!”
Once she was inside, Emilio crawled across the shattered glass to the passenger’s seat. He looked back into the sleeper. “Are you wet?”