by Casey, Ryan
Saw his smile widen.
And then, out of the fog, he swore he saw more figures appear.
All of them still.
All of them smiling…
Chapter Forty-Two
Jack squinted through the gradually clearing fog at the long road ahead.
It was afternoon, now. They’d been walking all night and all day. Jack’s legs were growing tired. Everyone else was getting exhausted, too. Nobody said much. Nobody complained. Everybody just seemed focused on one thing only.
Finding a trace of this supposed safe haven in Barrow.
Finding evidence that the helicopters had landed in Barrow at all.
But their search hopes were running out.
Jack could see the road ahead now. He could see the residential houses to his left and right. The British flags still standing proudly in the council house gardens. The long grass, untouched by mowers for months. Empty deckchairs covered in pigeon shit.
And as he walked through this area, he told himself it could just be any day at all. A quiet day in a sleepy town.
He wondered how many people who’d lived here were still left. He wondered how many had died.
He wondered how many hadn’t even left their homes.
He went to take another step when he heard a pained yelp behind.
He looked back.
Susan clutched her ankle. She lay on her side, on the slippery ice. She looked in pain.
Jack walked back to her, trying not to slip himself. “You okay?”
Susan forced herself back to her unsteady feet. “I’ll be f—”
She tumbled back down to the ground with another yelp.
Jack held out a hand, helped Susan to her feet, Trent by his side.
Susan took their hands, then the second she was on her feet, she pushed them both away. “I’m fine, okay? I’ve got it. I…”
But Jack could see she wasn’t fine. Not as she tried to walk. Her ankle, it looked sprained.
It was going to slow them down.
But worse than that. She was struggling. She was in pain.
He put a hand on her shoulder. Moved hers around his.
She looked at him, frowning. “What are you doing?”
Jack walked, Susan’s arm around his shoulder. “We’ve got you, okay? We’re here for you.”
“I told you I’m okay.”
“Well, I’ll be the judge of that. We don’t need to rush. Don’t need to hurry. Just… just take our time, okay? You’re gonna be okay. We’re here.”
Susan looked at him, mouth open. She looked like she was going to protest once again.
Then she just closed her mouth and sighed. “Thank you.”
Jack nodded. He walked further down this icy road, Trent holding Susan’s other side. The rest of the group were just up ahead. And as he looked around at these surroundings, he couldn’t tell the group what he was feeling. His hopes of finding the helicopters or this supposed “safe zone,” they were as good as dead.
But there was something else there now.
His hopes in his people weren’t gone.
And his belief in other people—the possible goodness of outsiders—that wasn’t gone either.
Candice put a hand through her head, sighed. Rifle in hand. “What if we don’t find this place?”
Jack wanted to say they should’ve prepared for this a long time ago. But he felt different, now. He felt like his attitude had shifted.
“We’ll survive,” he said. “No matter what. Because… because we’ve got each other. And that’s what really matters. Right?”
Candice looked back at him and smiled.
The rest of his people, they smiled too. Like they were content with the possibility. Accepting of the possibility.
They hadn’t lost hope.
They might not get what they want, but they hadn’t lost hope.
They were more hopeful than ever.
Jack went to take a few more steps when he saw something up ahead.
In the clearing fog. Right in the distance.
Something caught his eye.
He loosened his grip on Susan’s arm, rested her onto Trent. “Wait here.”
Hazel frowned. “Jack?”
“Just… just wait here.”
He walked up the road, closer towards what he’d seen. Then his walk turned into a jog, and his jog into a run. But the fog kept on holding back his vision. Like he was chasing treasure at the bottom of a rainbow.
“Jack?” Hazel called.
He went to stop when he saw it.
He saw through the fog.
And when he saw it, he couldn’t focus on anything else.
Way ahead in the distant hills, he saw a wall. It looked like a tall steel wall, constructed right at the edge of the town.
And inside those walls, what he saw made a smile creep up the corners of his mouth.
A tear built in his eye.
He saw helicopters.
He saw movement.
He saw life.
Footsteps approached. Hazel reached his side, Candice just behind. Trent and Susan were further back.
All of them stared ahead, right into the distance. “Is that…”
Jack looked at Hazel, a wide smile right across his face. Unable to believe it. Unable to accept it.
“It’s the place,” he said. “The—the safe place. The place with the helicopters.”
Hazel’s eyes widened. He saw tears building. Candice punched the air and cheered. Even Susan, limping across the ice, picked up her pace and grinned.
“We made it,” Jack said, unable to believe his own words. “We—we did it.”
He looked back around at the walls in the distance.
He went to take a step.
And then he saw something.
Movement to his right.
Movement from a street beside them.
He froze.
Lifted his rifle.
His stomach sank.
Martin stepped forward.
His remaining people by his side.
All of them armed.
“Well, hello there,” Martin said. “We really need to stop bumping into each other like this.”
Chapter Forty-Three
“Doesn’t matter where we go. We just seem to keep on bumping into one another, huh Jack?”
Jack looked across the street at Martin, and his stomach turned. There were still people standing beside him. Six now. All of them holding rifles and guns.
And all of them preparing to fire.
And behind them, in the distant hills, the place where the helicopters were. The safe zone, or whatever it was. Within touching distance. So close.
One final blockade in their path.
Martin walked slowly through the snow.
Jack lifted his rifle right away, pointed it at him.
Martin lifted a hand. “Ah, ah. Not a good idea. Come on. We’ve broken the ice enough by now, huh? No need to start on a bad foot. Not again.”
Jack’s jaw tightened. He became very conscious of all his people standing around him. Especially after what’d happened to Bella in their last stand-off. “Whatever you want… enough people have lost their lives. Too many people have died. Nobody else has to fall.”
Martin smiled, shook his head. His rifle was lowered, but the rifles and guns of the people still loyal to him were focused and ready to fire. “That’s your problem, Jack. You’re arrogant. Every time we corner you, you’re all ready to bargain and talk your way out of it. But if you ever had the upper ground… hell, you’d gun us all down in a heartbeat.”
Jack took a deep breath. Kept his rifle focused. “Maybe I would. Or maybe I’m just… maybe I’m just trying to find another way. A better way.”
Martin shook his head. Smile widened even more. “Don’t kid yourself, Jack. You’re not the saint you want your people to think you are. You and me, we’re not so different, really. Only difference is… I’m actually willing to do what needs to be do
ne. You think too much about it.”
He lifted his rifle then, all of a sudden. Pointed it. Not at Jack, but at someone else.
When Jack looked to his side, he saw the rifle was pointed at Trent.
“Truth be told,” Martin shouted, “I want to gun you all down. I want to end this, right here. You took out our people. You’ve shown time and time again you can’t be trusted. But you know what? Maybe you’re right. Maybe we can all go down to this nice little cosy home together. Maybe we’ll be sitting around a fire singing in no damned time at all.”
He paused. That pause hung in the air. Villain stood by Jack’s side, growling.
“I’m sensing there’s a ‘but’ here,” Jack said.
Martin’s grin widened even more. “You’re getting the hang of it, aren’t you? Yeah. Yeah, there is a ‘but’. There’s a price. There’s always a price.” He turned his gaze to Trent. “And that price is standing right there.”
Jack looked around at Trent. Saw Trent looking back at Martin, shaking his head.
“Trent,” Martin said. “Hand him over. He’s one of my people. He broke our rules. He betrayed us. Let me make him pay for what he did in line with how we do things. And then we can move on from this whole sorry mess. Together.”
Jack’s heart raced. His throat dried out. He shook his head. “It’s not happening.”
Martin sighed. “Jack, I know you’re thinking you need all the help you can get, but be realistic, here. Be pragmatic. Trent was a loyal man to me for a long time. He turned his back on me. What makes you think he won’t do the same to you? Or to our new friends down the road?”
Trent shook his head, spat on the ground. “You’re a lying prick. You know damned well I never liked the things you did. You know damned well I always stood against you.”
“And yet you still did them,” Martin said. “You still stood with us. You ate with us. Hunted with us. Drank with us. Travelled with us. All because it suited you. And when you saw what you felt was a better offer appearing on the horizon… you jumped ship.” Martin turned his gaze to Jack again then. “Is that the kind of guy you want on your side? The kind of guy who isn’t afraid to trade you in as soon as the going gets tough?”
Jack turned to Trent again. Saw him standing there, shaking his head. And as much as he didn’t want to hear Martin’s words, as much as he didn’t want him to sway him… he felt his uncertainty about outsiders being triggered. His distrust in those who weren’t his own.
Maybe there was logic in handing Trent over.
Maybe there would be a path forward if only he could do this one final thing.
“Think carefully about this, Jack,” Martin said. “I could give a signal, and my people would fire right now. Take you all down in a flash. We could’ve sneaked up on you. Taken you out instead of talking. But we didn’t. Because we don’t want conflict here. We want something else. A resolution. A fresh start. A clean break. Because you know what? I kind of admire you, in a way. You’re a fighter. All of your people are fighters. We’re the kind of people who should be shaping whatever new world lies ahead. Not snakes like Trent here.”
Jack looked at Trent again, and he felt that urge to hand him over. That urge to just try and reach the agreement Martin was suggesting.
Because as much as he despised the guy… he was right.
He could’ve taken his people out.
He could’ve fired.
But he hadn’t.
And maybe that meant he was telling the truth.
“Jack?”
Jack looked around. Saw Hazel staring at him. Shaking her head.
Then he saw Candice. Emma. The disappointment in their eyes, pre-empting the decision he was on the verge of.
Then Susan, who looked more at ease about this. More willing to do whatever was pragmatic. Whatever was right for their group.
He looked at Trent, right into his eyes. Saw him staring back at him. And for the first time, he thought he saw fear on Trent’s face. He thought he saw him begging.
“Don’t do this, man,” Trent said. “Don’t be like him. Be better than him.”
Jack looked away. Looked back at Martin. At his people, holding their rifles.
Martin sighed, glancing at his wrist. “Time’s running out. Time to make a call. What’ll it be? Hand Trent over and end this? Or keep him on side, and fall? What’s it gonna be?”
Jack swallowed a bitter lump in his throat. Because that really was the extent of the decision before him.
Hand Trent over, and possibly live?
Or keep Trent on side, and almost certainly die?
He looked at Villain sitting there in the snow, and his heart sank.
He remembered the first day he’d seen him. An outsider. A dog who’d come into his life, right when he needed him most. Even when he thought he’d never bond with anyone new again.
And they’d ended up best of friends.
Jack had ended up trusting him, loving him like he never thought he’d love again.
He swallowed a thick lump in his throat as Villain sat there, tilting his head.
And then he looked around at the rest of his people. All standing there. All waiting.
He looked right into Trent’s eyes, and he took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered.
Trent shook his head. “Jack—”
Then Jack turned around to Martin and lifted his rifle.
“But Trent’s one of our people now.”
He aimed at Martin, pulled the trigger, and waited for a cacophony of bullets to rain down on his people.
Chapter Forty-Four
Jack fired towards Martin and waited for the bullets to fly back in return.
But nothing came their way.
He narrowed his eyes. Frowned, as he continued to spray bullets ahead.
And then he saw something.
Martin’s people. The six beside him.
All of them scurried off towards the buildings.
And that’s when it dawned on Jack. That’s when it really hit.
“They’re out of ammo,” Jack said. “They’re… they’re out of frigging ammo. That’s the only reason he offered an olive branch. That’s the only reason he wanted to co-operate.”
Hazel looked around at him, stunned expression on her face. Trent looked even more stunned like he was surprised to even still be standing.
He looked right at Jack. Nodded. Half-smile on his face. “I’ll never forget that, man. I’ll… I’ll never forget what you did for me.”
Jack nodded back, then turned around to face Martin and his group.
All of his people had scurried out of sight.
Only Martin still stood there.
Holding his rifle.
Pointing it towards them.
But for the first time… he didn’t look in control of the situation. He looked afraid.
“What now?” Candice asked.
Jack gritted his teeth and lifted his rifle. “We get the bastard. For Bella.”
He ran across the street, firing towards Martin. More bullets passed by him from over his shoulder, from his own people. And he felt afraid about letting them run into conflict with him; pursue Martin with him.
But at the same time… he felt trusting.
Because he knew his people were strong.
He knew he could trust them.
He knew they’d got this far, and they’d keep on going, no matter whether he was still standing or not.
He raced towards Martin and fired another two shots at him as he scurried off into the distance.
“The bastard’s getting away,” Trent shouted.
Jack picked up his pace. “He’s not going anywhere.”
He ran further down the street. He saw Martin’s people standing in the side streets, watching them pass by. Hedging their bets. Waiting for the outcome of this conflict.
And as much disdain as he held for them… he remembered Trent. Remembered what he’d said about there being go
od people in Martin’s group. People who didn’t want to be with him, but were just doing what they felt they had to do to stay alive.
But Jack had to believe they wanted something better.
He had to believe they wanted a chance at a new beginning; a new beginning that awaited on the horizon.
“What about them?” Hazel asked.
“I’ve… I’ve got an idea,” Jack said.
He looked over his shoulder and saw something. Susan, lagging behind. Still limping along.
He looked at Emma, and he put a hand on her shoulder, not wanting to stop too long. “Emma, I want you to go back there with Villain. To keep an eye on Susan.”
Emma frowned. “But—but I want to help. I can help.”
“You are helping,” Jack said. “I want you there because you’re strong. And I want you and Villain protecting Susan while I’m dealing with Martin. You can do that. Right?”
Emma’s face turned, then, as if she saw things from another perspective.
She nodded, and then she turned around and ran back towards Susan.
Villain ran alongside her, looking back at Jack, waiting for him to follow.
“You’ll be okay, lad. You’ll be okay.”
He looked around.
It was just Jack, Hazel, Candice, and Trent, now.
“Candice,” Jack said, eager to get moving. “Hazel. You go after Martin’s people. Round them up. But do not hurt them. In no circumstances hurt them. Okay?”
Candice looked unsure. “They were going to kill us.”
“Just trust me on this, okay? Round them up. Defend yourselves if you have to. But don’t hurt them without reason.”
“And what about you?” Hazel asked.
Jack looked into Hazel’s watery eyes, and he felt his heart skip a beat.
And then he moved towards her and did something out of nowhere.
He kissed her, right on her lips.
And then he moved away, back alongside Trent.
“I’ll be back here in no time. I promise. Then we’ll go find our new home.”
She stood there, stunned expression on her face. Her wide eyes staring back into his, just like they had all those years ago.
And then Jack walked up to Trent and nodded.
“Let’s go get the bastard,” Trent said.