by Kip Nelson
David didn't know how long it was going to take, but he would correct that injustice. God, why was the city so far away? It felt as though he had been walking for miles. The crossbow weighed heavily on his back, and his throat was dry. He looked around for a stream or some source of water, but he couldn't see any. Debating whether to stay on course or venture into the woods for water, he decided to stay on track to the city. There would be a relief effort there, with water and food. The growling in his stomach soon would be satisfied and the thirst in his throat would be sated.
Every step was arduous. The city didn't seem to be getting any closer. David looked toward the skyscrapers towering into the sky. Shadows fell over them. Whenever he closed his eyes he saw Mikey's lifeless face. He shook his head and tried keeping his eyes open. Nausea swam through his stomach. Mikey should have been there with him. Walking beside him. They should have been safe.
He felt something hit his head. He swung around and reached for his crossbow when he realized that it was rain. Holding out his hands, he smiled with relief and then laughed. He opened his mouth to catch the water. It was cool on his tongue. It fell through his hair and onto his clothes. It splashed all around him and only grew heavier. Soon his relief turned to concern as the rain slashed at his eyes and skin. It peppered the ground around him, and he noticed how the edges of the road had turned to mud. The sky turned gray and cast the world in an ominous shroud. The temperature dropped. David shivered, but he continued walking.
The road he was on was open and wide, but trees were to the left of him and open fields to the right. He glanced toward the horizon for any kind of shelter, but it was just a barren expanse for as far as the eye could see. He ducked his head and walked through the rain. It was hard to ignore the sensations of the raindrops pelting him. They were just another thing to make him angry at Nick. That man probably was holed up somewhere nice and warm out of that rain with that pretty young thing cozying up to him for warmth. David was a man of extremes. He was the one out there for survival, living on the edge.
Lightning cracked the sky and thunder rolled. It felt as if the Earth shook. David wondered if the solar flare had been only the beginning. Was there more to come? Thankfully, the road was straight. So, as long as he kept walking in the same direction, he'd soon make it to the city. There wasn't a chance of him getting lost. He held out a small canteen to collect some of the rainwater and then used that to quench his thirst. It wasn't exactly his favorite drink, but it would do.
Walking on, he eventually saw the outline of the city in the darkness. The lightning offered moments of illumination, but they quickly faded. They were similar to the solar flare. That had been over in an instant, too. He was almost to safety. Once he got back to the city he'd be safe. There would be people there to help him, and once he told them about Nick, they'd do everything they could to get justice for Mikey. There still was a sense of righteousness in the world.
David felt his eyes growing heavy. He had been walking a long time, and barely had eaten anything all day. All the emotions that had simmered and boiled over inside him had taken their toll. His body ached. His steps were haggard, and by the time he reached the edge of the city he barely was lifting his feet off the ground. The rain was battering his body, making it feel heavier and heavier until his shoulders sagged. His feet splashed in puddles and he was soaked to the bone.
When the lightning flashed he guided himself to safety, even though the city had an eerie look about it as the storm rained down. In between the lightning flashes he reached forward and fumbled for direction. He was so exhausted. His clothes were so heavy. All he needed to do was rest. He wished he'd brought his tent and supplies with him, but with Mikey dead his mind had been a haze, and that damned Nick had made him so angry all David had wanted to do was storm away. He'd been so filled with rage he hadn't been able to think clearly, and now he was suffering for it. It was all Nick's fault. Everything was.
Maybe when he woke up Mikey might still be alive. What if this was all a bad dream?
He fell to his knees and didn't even care about the storm that was raging. He fell on his back and laid down. Finally, some sweet relief. The rain was almost refreshing as it cascaded all over his face and body, filling his open mouth. He closed his eyes, for all he wanted to do was sleep. He was only vaguely aware of a mysterious figure coming toward him. At first, he thought it was just a shadow of the storm. Then he felt hands upon his shoulders, dragging him away. He didn't have the strength to resist.
Chapter Fourteen
Nick pulled the blankets around him and looked up at the ceiling. The rain pattered against the roof and walls of the barn. Lightning flashed outside. The four of them huddled together. Backdraft was half on him and half on Tanya, while Cosmo was sitting to his right. He still didn't know what to make of Tanya, but he was glad to be out of the storm. It was too dangerous for them to stay out among the trees. The barn wasn't much better. If lightning struck the wrong place, then a forest fire could start, and they'd stand little chance of staying alive. Maybe the city had been the right move, but Nick couldn't fathom going back there. Not with those men still there. Not only had they killed John, but now they had killed Mikey. They had to pay in time, but Nick had no idea how to make that happen. There were just too damned many of them.
Not only that, but now David seemed to blame him for Mikey's death. Nick knew that to be utter bullshit. David was the one who had marched toward the city despite the warnings, and he was the one who had fired at the men. David never was going to accept the blame, though. Hopefully, Nick never would see that man again. He had Backdraft back, and that was all he needed. He could be happy again.
Beside him, Cosmo coughed and sputtered. It was a hacking cough, and Nick felt both Backdraft and Tanya tense beside him. Tanya's teeth were chattering. They all still were sitting in their wet clothes. Nick had hoped the hay and blankets would warm them up, but it was a long process. Their body heat helped, though.
“We should try getting some sleep,” he said.
It had been a long day. Nick was happy that he had been reunited with Backdraft, but it had come at a cost. He'd learned long ago that whether someone deserved it had nothing to do with living or dying. It just happened, and it was a matter of pure chance. Neither John nor Mikey deserved to die. Both were good, honorable men, and they'd just gotten mixed up with the wrong people. In Mikey's case, Nick himself was the wrong person.
“I should have tried harder to persuade David to stay,” he said.
“I don't think anything you'd have said would have changed his mind. Mikey wasn't going to do anything else other than follow him either,” Cosmo said.
“It's just one of those things. David's going to have to live with himself now. He can go back to the city and learn it's not as rosy as he thinks. Then he'll realize how stupid he's been. Mikey's death ain't on you,” Cosmo said. Nick wished he could believe him, but it was hard to let go of responsibility. It was the same whenever he'd lost anyone in a fire. He always was looking back, questioning what he did to see if he could have done anything differently.
Another crack of lightning shot overhead and illuminated the barn. Nick noticed Tanya was staring at him. She turned away immediately.
“What's your story anyway?” he asked, figuring he might as well take the opportunity to get to know her better. The way the sound of the storm was amplified by the barn ensured it would be difficult for them to sleep. Nick didn't know about the others, but there was far too much on his mind for him to sleep anyway.
“I just was gonna try getting home. I was in college and wanted to get to my folks. They're in Alaska. It's a long trek, but I figured I might as well try making it. The city scares me anyway,” she said.
In the darkness it was impossible to tell the expression on her face. “What did you mean earlier when you said you thought this was all a good thing?”
“Uh, well, you know, just that I think people kinda lost sight of what's important along the
way. People were so obsessed with having the next big thing it was just this never-ending quest to have bigger and better possessions. There's not going to be any of that anymore. We're all going to have to relearn what life means. I think a lot of people saw success as being rich, but that's only one kind of success, and it's not going to be the same anymore.”
“Yeah, and I bet those rich bastards all around the world are crying themselves to sleep. I'd love to have seen the looks on their faces when they realized they were just the same as the rest of us,” Cosmo said, and then started another bout of coughing. He groaned as well. Nick turned on his side, but there weren't any parts of his body that didn't ache.
“That's an interesting way to look at it,” Nick said. Tanya seemed very unsure of herself when she spoke, but what she said was interesting and Nick hadn't looked at things from that point of view. “I wish I could agree with you, but it doesn't seem as though people are taking much notice. They just seem to be rioting and causing damage wherever they see fit.”
“It might just take people some time,” she replied in a small voice.
The three of them grew quiet. Nick lay down and closed his eyes. His hand rested on Backdraft's head. He felt a hundred times better for having his companion back with him. Ever since he'd left Backdraft with the enemy he'd felt so guilty. He was sure they would have killed Backdraft as soon as he'd left, so was surprised to see they had kept him alive, although they hadn't been feeding him well at all. That would all come back, though. It was important to enjoy the victories as well as lament the defeats he told himself. That was another lesson he'd been taught in firefighter training. It had been a lesson Nick always had had trouble learning. Even if he rescued a hundred people from a building, if there was even one person who didn't make it out, Nick saw it as a failure. His failure.
The storm didn't show any signs of slowing down, but eventually warmth spread through them, and they were able to doze off. Nick was awoken by a sound halfway through the night, though. He wasn't sure if it was the sounds of the storm or a door opening. Nick nudged the others awake and whispered softly for them to keep quiet. Carefully peeling off the blanket, he leaned forward and looked around. Breath caught in his throat when he saw a shadowy figure lumbering through the barn near the doorway. It took a few moments for Nick to understand the outline fully for it was an odd shape, inhuman. Soon enough he realized why. The man was holding a shotgun. The others saw it, too. Tanya huddled up to him. Nick tried to think how to handle the situation. As long as they stayed quiet the man should just go back to bed and leave them alone.
Cosmo coughed. Nick felt the convulsions. He closed his eyes in frustration. The figure stopped. Nick heard the shotgun being raised.
“Who's there? Who are you?” a hoarse voice said quickly. Nick swallowed hard.
“If you don't answer me in five seconds, I'm gonna start shooting wildly. It's dark in here, but there's a good chance I'll clip you. Now come on out,” he said. Nick got the sense that he wasn't messing around. Leaving them with little choice, the bedraggled foursome emerged from the darkness.
“We're coming out, don't shoot. We don't want any trouble,” Nick called out, making sure his voice could be heard over the storm.
A flash of lightning illuminated the barn for a moment, and everyone in the barn could see each other. The man in the door looked to be in his sixties by Nick's estimation. He wore a thick fleece jumper and heavy boots. A thick white beard hung off his granite face and the shotgun gleamed in the light. As he saw them, the farmer pointed the gun more accurately. The three of them stopped.
“Sorry for intruding. We just wanted shelter from the storm. Didn't know this was your land. It was dark. We just saw the barn and, well, as you can tell, we wanted to get out of the rain.”
“I bet you did. City folk, are you? Probably didn't see the signs,” the farmer muttered.
“Come with me and we'll get you dry properly,” he said, holding the door open for them.
On their way to the house Cosmo muttered something to himself about there not being such a thing as signs. Nick didn't know what he was talking about, so he didn't inquire further. Tanya was staying very close to him and Backdraft. The farmer walked ahead. “I'm Jim, and this is my farm. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for you, as the case may be, my mind is going, so I went to make sure I had locked the barn. Hell of a storm this is, though, isn't it? It's not right for anyone to be out there in this. Come on in then, and we'll get you out of those wet clothes. I can't offer you much, but I'll try giving you all I can.
Nick and the others took a seat at a sturdy oak table after they had introduced themselves. Candles and lanterns had been lit and placed all around the house to provide light, and there was a small stove where a kettle boiled. There was paper and wood burning to fuel the flame. The kettle let off a high-pitched whistle as steam blew out of it. Nick looked forward to a hot drink. Jim's footsteps thudded upstairs and then he came down with some more blankets and thick fleeces.
“You must be doing alright for yourself out here. I can't see much in the way of electrical equipment,” Nick said. Jim rummaged in a cupboard and found some mugs, then offered each of them some of the tea.
“Yeah, just a few things. Other than that, it's all pretty old. Some people laughed at me and said I should update the farm, but I'm the only one laughing now.” There was a trace of smugness in the way Jim spoke. Nick breathed in the warm drink and instantly felt better. Jim even poured out some water for Backdraft.
“Strong animal you got here,” he said, rubbing Backdraft vigorously. “Animals are good in times like these. They know how to survive better than we ever could.”
“You got that right,” Cosmo said as he looked around the kitchen. “It's a nice place you've got here. It reminds me of the farm I grew up on.”
“Oh, you're a farmer, too, are you?” Jim asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement about meeting one of his brethren.
“Not exactly. I, uh, well, my parents wanted me to, but I decided to go to the city.” Nick watched as all excitement and respect fell from Jim's eyes.
“Okay then,” Jim said.
Nick continued examining the kitchen. It all looked well-kept, but there was something a little off about it, although Nick couldn't tell what. Tanya remained close to him, and her eyes darted furtively toward the farmer. Nick tried giving her a reassuring smile.
“We appreciate the hospitality and the warm clothes. We've had a bit of a time of it out there. I must say you're pretty lucky here,” Nick said.
“Oh, I am indeed. The Lord has been very good to me. Saw that bright light and figured I should just hunker down here and keep doing what I'm doing. Best way to live really,” Jim replied.
“Best way indeed,” Nick said.
As his gaze moved around the room, his eyes fell on a family photo. Jim was there with a wife and two children. Jim's beard was shorter, and there was more color in his hair, so the picture seemed to have been from a number of years ago. That meant the children would have been teenagers now at least. Yet, there was no sign of them around.
“You alone here?” he asked.
Jim brought his mug to his mouth and slurped loudly. Some of the liquid got caught on his beard. A pink tongue flicked out deftly to catch it. He leaned forward, his heavy boots thudding on the floor as he shifted position. Hair curled around the backs of his hands. “For the time being,” he said.
“Just couldn't help noticing your family,” Nick said. Jim turned to follow Nick's gaze. The farmer rose from the table, leaving his mug behind, and picked up the picture. He gazed at it for a few moments and then handed it to Nick, who passed it around the table.
“They've gone out on an errand.”
“In this storm?” Nick asked, trying not to sound too suspicious. Jim's eyes narrowed.
“Elsie, my wife, likes to take care of people. She was worried about some of our neighbors and wanted to drop off some supplies to make sure they had enough to ea
t. They left before the storm. I expect they're staying over until it passes.”
“Your wife sounds like a very generous woman,” Nick said.
“She's that indeed,” Jim said, snatching the photo back from Cosmo and putting it back on the counter. Nick wasn't quite sure he believed Jim's explanation. That could just be the paranoia talking, though. He told himself to calm down. Not everyone in this world was like those men.
“You can stay in their rooms tonight, ‘til the storm passes. Stay warm and stay quiet. You should keep to the house as well. The farm is big, and I wouldn't want you getting lost out there.”
Nick couldn't shake the feeling that it sounded more like a threat than a warning. Jim's heavy footsteps echoed into the distance as he disappeared into the depths of the house. Nick and the others finished their hot drinks and then explored until they found their rooms. It was an eerie thing to be in an old farmhouse like this with a storm raging outside, and Nick wasn't entirely sure he trusted Jim. It was something about the way he'd reacted when Nick mentioned his family. He tried telling himself it was nothing, and he should just get some sleep, but the thought nagged at his mind.
Chapter Fifteen
Tanya hadn't wanted to leave the others. This whole house seemed big and scary. The floor was uneven, and when she stepped she stumbled. Nick and Cosmo didn't seem to have the same problems, though. Her heart had caught in her throat when Jim first had burst into the barn. Seeing the outline of his figure gave her desperate flashbacks to when her father would come into her room at night. She closed her eyes. The thoughts had to go away. They had to. He wasn't here. He wasn't anywhere near here. She was safe from the city now. Nobody ever would think to look for her on the farm.