“Don’t they have a child with them?” One of the reporters in the crowd asked.
“Yes, they do. They are putting that child in extreme danger. And rest assured that once we have custody of that child, we will make sure that she is given a good home.”
Travis snorted.
Jaxon had no doubt that the reporter was told to ask that question so Franch could answer it and make himself look like a good guy.
“At least they aren’t lookin’ for ya here,” Travis said. “It sounds like they won’t be for a long time, either.”
Jaxon felt sick. He hadn’t thought about what they would do to Zoe if they got caught. This didn’t affect just him and Olivia, it affected Zoe too. He thought about everything Olivia had told him about her life before she met him. He didn’t want that for Zoe. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
“Ya doin’ alright, bud?” Travis asked.
“I don’t know,” Jaxon answered weakly.
“Hey, look, I didn’t mean to scare ya. I just thought that you had the right to know what’s goin’ on.”
“I appreciate it,” Jaxon told him honestly. “I just, I didn’t think about Zoe.”
“I could put her on a boat and send her straight to Hawaii if you wanted. They ain’t lookin’ for her.”
Jaxon shook his head. He couldn’t part with Zoe. She was his child. His only child. She meant the world to him, and he couldn’t imagine being away from her for even a few hours.
Travis shrugged. “Suit yourself. If it makes any difference, you’re safe in that warehouse. No one ever goes in there.”
Jaxon nodded, but he wasn’t listening. “I’m going to get back to the wife,” He said.
“Alright. Sorry to get ya worried.”
Jaxon didn’t say anything as he walked away. He had some things to think about.
Albert
Albert walked into The Dungeon. It was technically just a basement in Washington D.C.’s prison, but it was known as The Dungeon because the only people kept there were the ones awaiting execution, and the conditions down there were horrible.
“It’s the president,” A few people whispered.
“Let us go!” Some people screamed at him.
“You’re a monster!” A couple of people yelled.
Albert just walked through the basement smiling and waving as if he were in a parade.
One woman spit on him. “Fuck you!” She yelled. “You’re killing people who you have no right to kill!”
“Shoot her,” Albert ordered one of the prison guards.
The guard’s voice shook as he said, “Um, sir-”
“Did I stutter? Shoot her,” Albert said with a deadly calm.
The guard slowly turned toward the woman with his hand on his holster.
“You don’t have to listen to him.” She said as the guard drew his gun. “He’s crazy. They all are.”
Bang!
The gunshot echoed off the brick walls. People started screaming and yelling profanities at Albert and the guard. They reached their arms out toward them, but no one could reach.
One of the Secret Service men handed Albert a bullhorn.
Albert pressed the button and spoke into the bullhorn. “Listen up, people. The executions start tomorrow. I will not tolerate anyone trying anything. You are all to behave. If you don’t, well, I’ll kill you.” He laughed and got angry when no one else did. “That was a joke, people! No wonder you didn’t vote for me, you’re all morons.”
Everyone had grown quiet at this point.
“You will keep your heads down and stay quiet. You will not try to run. We will shoot you if you try. Do I make myself clear?”
No one said anything.
“I said, ‘Do I make myself clear?’!”
“Yes,” A few people mumbled.
Albert grinned. “Fantastic.” He thrusted the bullhorn into the hands of the person closest to him. “Let’s get out of here,” He said as he turned and walked toward the stairs. “This place is really bringing me down.”
When Albert got back to the White House, he found Edwin waiting outside the Oval Office.
“Ah, Edward. Do you have good news for me?”
“It’s Edwin, sir. And I’m sorry to say that I do not.”
Albert peered down both sides of the hall. When he saw a maid dusting a vase of fake flowers on a table, he said, “Come in here for a moment, would you?”
“Yes, sir,” Edwin said, following Albert into the Oval Office.
“Give me the details,” Albert said as he sat down at his desk.
“Well,” Edwin laughed nervously. “There aren’t any details to give. We just can’t find these people.”
Albert pushed everything off his desk. He kicked his office chair over. “How is this happening?” He yelled. “How could anyone have the nerve to run away from me? Don’t they know that I’m the fucking President of the United States?”
“I’m sure they know that,” Edwin told him. “These people will be found, and they will pay the consequences.”
“You promise?”
“Yes, I promise. I will make it my personal mission to find them.”
Chapter 5
Jaxon
“Jaxon. Jaxon,” Olivia whispered.
Jaxon rolled over to look at her. “What?”
“Did you hear that?”
Jaxon glared at his wife. “I was sleeping, Liv. The only thing I heard was you saying my name.”
Olivia looked at Zoe to make sure she was still asleep. “I heard a door opening.”
They had been living in the shipping container for the last few days, but Olivia was still paranoid. Even though she said she trusted Travis, she still seemed jumpy. Not that Jaxon could blame her, they were on the run from the President after all.
“I’m sure it was just the wind.”
“Can’t you go out and check?”
“What if someone is out there? We’ll get caught.”
“I thought you were sure it was just the wind.”
“Fine,” Jaxon whispered loudly, standing up. “I’ll go see what it was.”
He slowly opened the container door just enough to see outside. He was Travis walking down the aisle. He stuck his head back in and said to Olivia, “It’s just Travis.” He turned back and climbed down the ladder. “Travis, what are you doing here? I thought you went home hours ago.”
Travis had a grim look on his face as he said, “They’re gonna start searchin’ boats and the boatyards.”
“What does that mean for us?”
Travis frowned even more as he said, “It means if ya stay, you’ll be found.”
Jaxon looked up at the container. Olivia was watching them. “We have nowhere to go,” He told Travis.
“I don’t want that to happen to y’all, so I’ve been makin’ some calls. My girlfriend’s sister said she’ll take ya in.”
Olivia spoke up. “Fantastic. Let’s leave now.”
Tavis let out a laugh. “There’s just one problem. She lives in Texas.”
“Texas?” Olivia and Jaxon cried in unison.
“Yeah, it’s no big deal. I already have a plan. We’ll hire a moving truck, right? And you guys will hide out in the back. It’s a two day trip. Besides, it’s not summer. So ya shouldn’t have no problems with it being too hot.”
Jaxon and Olivia looked at each other. Over the years, they had developed a way to silently communicate.
Olivia raised her eyebrows to say, It’s not the worst idea.
Jaxon chewed on his bottom lip. He was seriously considering it. They had to go somewhere. He nodded at Olivia, who grinned.
Jaxon turned back to Travis. “We’ll go to Texas.”
The next day, Jaxon, Olivia, and Zoe were all put in the back of a moving truck. Travis made sure they’d have enough food for the trip and told them that the guy driving the van would let them out every hour so they could go to the bathroom.
“Are we hiding?” Zoe asked as the truck started
moving.
“Yes. We’re playing hide and seek, so you have to be quiet, alright?” Olivia said.
Zoe nodded.
Being on the road gave Jaxon a lot of time to think. If they got caught, maybe they’d be able to strike a deal. A deal that would get Zoe to Olivia’s cousin in Hawaii. But that wasn’t very likely. They never allowed things like that, and Jaxon doubted that they’d make an exception for him and Olivia. They were fugitives, after all.
After an hour, the driver stopped at a gas station and let everyone out so they could go to the bathroom. He handed Jaxon a pair of sunglasses and said, “Wear these. I only have one pair, so you’ll have to go in one at a time.”
“Zoe can’t go in by herself,” Olivia said.
Jaxon thought for a moment before saying, “I’m sure it’ll be fine if you take her in. No one’s going to be looking for a baby.”
Olivia didn’t look so sure, so Jaxon said, “I’ll take her then.”
Jaxon took Zoe and came in and out of the bathroom with no problem. Olivia went in and came back out quickly.
“What’s wrong?” Jaxon asked when he saw the look on her face.
“I think someone recognized me. They were staring.”
Jaxon smiled. “I’m sure they were just admiring how pretty you are.”
“It isn’t funny, Jaxon. I knew we shouldn’t have gone in there.”
Jaxon climbed back in the truck. “You’re being paranoid. I’m sure everything’s fine.”
A few hours later, the truck came to a stop. However, it shouldn’t have stopped. It had barely been twenty minutes since their last bathroom break.
There was yelling outside, but it was too muffled to understand what anyone was saying. Then there was a gunshot.
Zoe cried out, and Olivia shushed her.
“We’re playing hide and seek, remember, baby?” She told Zoe, stroking her hair.
“Yes, Mommy,” Zoe said quietly.
Suddenly there was pounding on the door of the back. No one said anything. They were all that was in the truck. They had nowhere to hide.
Someone unlocked the door, then pushed it up.
“Shit, shit, shit, shit,” Jaxon muttered.
Two men in sunglasses and black suits stepped into the back of the truck. “Jaxon and Olivia Ribelle?”
Jaxon and Olivia didn’t say anything.
One of the men held up his badge. “We’re with the Secret Service. You need to come with us.”
No one moved for a second. Then the Secret Service men started walking toward them.
Jaxon looked at Olivia and Zoe, who were terrified. He needed to do something to save his family.
He tackled the one closest to him. “Run!” He yelled at his wife and daughter.
With the second man distracted, Olivia picked up Zoe and ran. The man ran after them.
Jaxon ran after them before the first man could get up. The man chasing Olivia and Zoe had his gun drawn, but Jaxon heard the man he had knocked down yell, “Don’t shoot! Franch wants them alive!”
The man reluctantly stopped to put his gun away.
“What are you doing? Keep running!”
Jaxon had passed him at this point, but he heard the second man say, “We’re out in the middle of nowhere. Let’s just leave them to die. We’ll tell everyone we didn’t find them.”
Jaxon kept running. He didn’t look to see if they were still chasing him and Olivia. They ran for a long time before stopping.
“What now?” He asked Olivia when they had finally stopped.
Olivia handed Zoe to Jaxon. “I don’t know. I should have grabbed the food.”
“We were running for our lives,” Jaxon reminded her.
“I know, but still.”
Jaxon looked around. They were in the middle of nowhere. Maybe they should have grabbed the food.
They walked for a long time. The sun was setting when they saw smoke coming from up ahead.
Olivia stopped. “Maybe we shouldn’t go that way.”
“Why not?”
“We’re on the run. They could be anyone. They’ll probably turn us in.”
Jaxon grabbed her arm and kept walking. “We need help. Maybe they have food.”
“What if it’s those secret service men?”
“We’ll incapacitate them.”
“How? I don’t want to kill anyone,” Olivia told him.
“We’ll figure something out.”
When they got closer to the fire, they could see that a man and a woman were sitting there. There was a small cabin behind them.
“Stay here,” Jaxon told Olivia. He walked up to the couple. “Hello,” He said, waving.
The man and the woman both looked up. “Can we help you with something?” The man asked.
“My wife, daughter, and I are lost. We need somewhere to stay for the night. Can you help us?”
“We don’t have any room,” The man said gruffly.
“Oh, William, they can sleep in the living room.” The woman turned to Jaxon. “I’m Crystal, and we’d be glad to help you.”
“Great. Thank you,” Jaxon said, waving Olivia over. He said, “I’m Jaxon. This is my wife, Olivia, and my daughter, Zoe.”
Crystal got up. “Come inside.”
Jaxon and Olivia followed Crystal inside.
“We don’t have much here. We live off the grid. No electricity, no working water, no air or heat. We catch all our own food. We built this cabin ourselves, but we like it here.”
“So you don’t have a tv?” Olivia asked.
“Nope. Most people don’t, though. But you know that.”
“No,” Olivia told Crystal. “We didn’t. We’re from New York. I’ve heard before that most people outside New York live in motels.”
Crystal nodded. “Yep. How old are you?”
“I’m thirty and he’s thirty-one,” Olivia said, gesturing to herself, then Jaxon.
“Oh, so you don’t know anything about the times before 2016, huh?”
“Nope.”
Jaxon stayed out of the conversation. Olivia was usually reserved around people she didn’t know. So, Jaxon let the two women talk as Crystal gave a history of the 2016 Presidential Election being such a big shock, and about how the country was run into the ground after that.
“So, you’re lucky, in a way,” Crystal said. “You never knew the world when it was nice. You don’t have anything to miss.”
Olivia and Crystal talked long into the night. Crystal even told Olivia about how even though they were in the desert now, the spot they were standing used to be called a plain. It was full of grassy fields. But not anymore.
Jaxon sat next to William, who wouldn’t speak to him. Jaxon sighed to himself as he watched Zoe, who was sleeping on the floor. At least this was only for one night.
Albert
Albert laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. He listened to Aurora’s steady breathing next to him. He looked at the clock. It was three thirty-three in the morning. If Aurora was awake, she’d tell him to make a wish. Albert didn’t believe in any of that. Wishing for something was like asking God for help, and there was no God. Even though religion had only been outlawed four years ago, Albert had never believed in any kind of God. Religion was for fools, as far as he was concerned.
Albert sighed to himself as he went back to staring at the ceiling. They had been so close to catching the Ribelles today. But those damned men refused to chase them through the desert. Well, Albert would show those two. They were being executed tomorrow. Albert would make an example out of them.
The executions. They were going well. Nobody had tried to cause too much trouble. It was interesting how people stopped acting tough when faced with death. So yes, the executions were going well. But Albert didn’t really care about them anymore. What he cared about was capturing the Ribelles.
Albert rolled over. He had to call an emergency meeting. The Ribelles had run into the desert, they couldn’t have gotten far.
H
e pressed the talk button on the intercom, waking up one of his servants.
“Yes, President Franch?” A tired sounding woman named Deedra responded.
“Demi, get everyone important,” Albert demanded. “I need to have a meeting.”
Half an hour later, everyone Albert deemed important was gathered in the Oval Office. Everyone was patiently waiting for Albert to speak.
Finally, Albert said, “We need to take care of the Ribelles.”
“We know, sir,” Edwin said. “We’re trying our best.”
“Well, your best isn’t good enough. These people are becoming a real problem. People are starting to talk. They’re saying we aren’t a good enough administration. That we don’t have any authority.”
“Maybe we should forget about the Ribelles,” One man said nervously.
Albert stared at him. “Excuse me?”
“We’re spending a lot of money and time looking for them. And really, they’re insignificant. They’re-”
“Arrest him,” Albert told the Secret Service men standing in the room. After the man had been removed from the room, Albert asked, “Any more suggestions?”
No one said anything for a moment. Everyone looked at each other.
“Well? I’m waiting!” Albert yelled.
“Perhaps we could send out a search party,” One man suggested quietly.
Everyone in the room turned to Albert.
Albert nodded slowly. “A search party. I like it.”
“Shall I send men out, sir?” Edwin asked.
Albert nodded again. “Yes. You can all go now. I have work to do.”
Everyone but Edwin left.
“What do you need me to do, sir?” He asked.
“Send men to the location these people were last seen at.” Albert didn’t like to refer to them by name in front of people. It gave the impression that he cared. Which he did, of course, but he didn’t want others knowing that. “Spread the men out over a hundred mile radius. Have them put up posters. Do whatever it takes to find these people.”
Edwin nodded. “Yes, sir,” He said before walking out of the office, already speaking into his walkie-talkie.
Albert leaned back in his chair, smiling to himself. Surely they’d find the Ribelles and catch them this time.
Chapter 6
Election Year 2050 Page 3