by E A Chance
“A watched pot never boils,” Aunt Beth said, as she came up behind her.
“That’s just a myth,” Julia replied, as she continued to stare out the window.
“Maybe so, but looking out every five minutes won’t bring them home any faster. They’ll get here when they get here.” When Julia still didn’t move, Beth said, “Come away from the window and help me get lunch ready.”
Julia climbed off the couch in a huff and followed her aunt to the kitchen. “Why am I the only one who’s worried? Don’t you care what’s happening to them?”
Beth dropped a fresh loaf of bread on the cutting board and began slicing. “You’re asking if I care about the safety of my husband and sons? You know that answer to that. I just understand that working myself into a state of panic won’t bring them home faster. I choose to keep busy and focus on work that needs to be done. We’re all trying to pick up the slack, even Holly. It wouldn’t hurt for you to pitch in more.”
“I’m sorry, Auntie, but first Mom and Coop left, and now my uncles are gone. After what we saw on our trip here, I’m scared for them. But I’ll try it your way.”
Julia walked to the refrigerator to get the sliced ham and cheese for their sandwiches, but Beth stopped her and tenderly pressed her hand to her cheek. “Sometimes I forget you haven’t been safe here with us since the CME. Your uncles are smart and tough. They know how to take care of themselves.”
“Thanks, Aunt Beth. You’re right. I’ll try not to worry so much.”
Julia hugged her, then went back to pulling containers from the fridge. As they assembled the sandwiches, they heard trucks rumbling up the drive and rushed to the door to see who it was. Julia almost ran out without looking to see who it was, but then remembered Uncle Mitch’s warning to always check first. She peeked through the curtain over the window next to the door.
“It’s the soldiers,” she whispered, as Aunt Kathryn and her cousins came up behind Beth. “Two are coming up the stairs.”
“You kids get in the kitchen and stay there,” Kathryn said and glared at Julia.
“Yes, ma’am,” Julia replied, as she steered her younger cousins out of the room.
She and Holly got the other kids eating, then they leaned out of the kitchen doorway just far enough to hear without being seen.
“What are you doing here?” Kathryn snapped. “Our week isn’t up.”
“We’re just checking on your preparations,” one of the men said. “It doesn’t look like you’ve done anything.”
“We’re not sure exactly what we’re supposed to do,” Beth said.
“Then, I’ll make it clear. Pack up your family and vacate this house,” another man said.
“We were told we could stay,” Kathryn said. “You can’t just take our home.”
“Yes, we can. We apologize for the misunderstanding,” the first man said. “You may stay on the property, but the United States government will take possession of this house.”
Holly stared at Julia and gasped. Julia put her finger to her lips to shush her.
“We may remain here in the cottages to run the ranch as usual,” the second man said. “Where is your husband, ma’am?”
“Out on ranch business,” Beth said. “We expect him back this evening.”
“Tell him to find me when he returns. We’re camped in the north field. We expect you out of this house in two days, so you’d better get to work.”
Julia ran to the living room the instant she heard the door close, with her cousins not far behind. “We heard the whole thing. What are we going to do, Aunt Beth?”
Beth looked into the anxious eyes of her daughter, great-niece, and grandchildren. “We’re going to make a show of packing just in case they come back. Then, we’ll wait for the men to come back and report. As a precaution, all of you pack a bag you can grab if we have to leave in a hurry. Only bring what’s absolutely necessary. That means no toys, Jason.”
Kathryn took the kids who were already living in the guest houses and the rest scattered to their rooms. Julia pulled out her pack and shoved a pair of sweatpants into it, but Holly fell onto her bed and started to cry. Julia stopped what she was doing and dropped next to her.
She rubbed Holly’s back and said, “Don’t give up yet. You said you trust Uncle Mitch and your dad. They’ll come back with a way out of this.”
Holly sat up and wiped her face with a corner of the bedspread. “But what if they don’t? The guest houses aren’t big enough to fit all of us, and I can’t imagine Grandpa will just lie down and let the soldiers take his land. This property has been in the family for almost 200 years. It’s our legacy. What if he wants to fight?”
“Guessing won’t do any good. Let’s just wait for him to get back, then he’ll tell us what to do.”
Holly flopped back onto her pillows and mumbled, “If he comes back.”
Julia got up and pulled armfuls of clothes out of her draws and tossed them on the bed. As she sorted, she said, “Now you sound like me. I must be rubbing off on you. Just get up and pack. We’ll figure out the rest later.”
Holly reluctantly stood and dug her pack out of the closet. Julia watched her for a moment, then turned to her own packing, wishing she felt half as confident as she sounded.
Julia woke to someone shaking her by the shoulders. She bolted upright and frantically looked around in confusion. Holly was standing next to her bed with her pack on her shoulder, quietly weeping.
“It’s just me,” Aunt Kathryn whispered.
“What’s going on? What time is it?”
“3:30. Get dressed and grab your pack, then come with me.”
Julia got up and did as she was told without question for once. She dressed in two minutes, then nodded to Aunt Kathryn that she was ready. She followed her into the dark hallway with Holly close on her heels.
“Stop that blubbering, Holly,” Aunt Kathryn said. “Don’t waste your energy on crying.”
Julia reached back and squeezed Holly’s hand to reassure her. “You can do this. Coop always made everything into an adventure,” she whispered. “That’s all this is. A new adventure.”
Holly sniffled, then straightened her shoulders and quickened her step. They made their way down the stairs by light of the battery-powered lantern Kathryn carried. When they got to the front room, the entire family was there waiting, including all her uncles.
“I’ll make this quick and explain the details later,” Uncle Mitch said. “We’re leaving the ranch.” Holly let out a sob, so Julia put her arm around her. “We’ll make our way to the fishing lodge tonight. We should reach it around dawn, then we’ll rest for a few hours. It’ll be a tight fit, but we’ll manage. Then, we’ll take the south exit, away from the troops, and head west.”
“But where are we going, Uncle Mitch?” Julia whispered.
“You’ll be happy to hear that if all goes well, to Colorado Springs.”
Julia tossed and turned on the lumpy and musty cot for three hours before finally giving up. Aside from being uncomfortable, she was too excited to sleep. Soon, she’d see her mom, Coop, and the rest of her family. She thought of her friends in Colorado, wondering how many survived the CME. What would they think when she suddenly appeared after being gone for so long?
She got up and grabbed her boots, then tiptoed out to the stoop to put them on. She was surprised to see Uncle Mitch leaning against a tree ten feet away. She laced her boots as quickly as she could and went to join him.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked when she reached him.
He winked, and said, “I could ask you the same thing.”
She folded her arms and smiled. “I asked first.”
“Let’s sit over there,” he said, and led Julia to a log bench under the next tree over. “It’s too stuffy in the cabin to sleep, and I needed to think.”
“Please tell me what happened. Why do we have to leave? You can tell me the truth. Nothing shocks me after what I’ve seen.”
H
e studied her for a moment, then said, “All right, the truth. President Kearns’ forces have taken over this entire region. I wasn’t prepared for that. I just expected a few troops fanning out to the farms and ranches. The courts and the government agencies are controlled by Kearns supporters. No one in Blacksburg will help us fight them legally. There are too many for us to fight them. I refuse to stay here and watch them take over my land, so we’re leaving. That’s why we loaded as much as we could take on the carts and horses. They’re welcome to the rest.”
Julia wrapped her arms around him, and he patted her back. “I’m so sorry. I know this is torture for you to abandon the ranch. I’ll do whatever you need.”
“Thanks, Warrior Princess,” he said, using her radio call sign. “What you’ve learned will come in handy on the road.”
She sat up and looked at him. “What if my mom and Coop come back for me?”
“Don’t worry about that. They couldn’t get back it they wanted to. We heard the troops stretch from Maine to Florida and are moving west. The only hope is to head towards Colorado and stay one step ahead of the line. We’re going the southerly route since the terrain will make for easier travel. It’s longer in miles but should be quicker.”
“Do you think that’s how Mom and Coop went? Maybe we’ll catch up to them.”
“With just the two of them on horseback, they can travel lighter and faster. Your mom and Coop are probably almost to Missouri by now.”
“Maybe they’ll be waiting for us at Nana and Papa’s.”
“I pray they will, WP. Then, we’ll be one big happy family.”
Riley sank into the couch cushions, waiting for Coop to start the meeting he’d called so together the five of them could figure out their next course of action. She wanted to be alert but was struggling to keep her eyes open after downing the stew Adrian had whipped up with canned meat and his magic herbs.
Coop whistled to signal he was ready to start, and when everyone quieted, said, “The horror stories we heard at the hospital today made it clear we need to reconsider our options. Before we get to that, Riley has news to share.”
She sat forward and slowly let out her breath. “It’s official. My pregnancy test was positive, so that will factor into whatever Coop and I decide.”
Dashay flashed her a smile. “Not news to me. Your reaction to that breakfast plate this morning was all the proof I needed.”
“I’m happy if you’re happy,” Adrian said, unconvincingly, “but you have to admit this complicates our situation.”
“It complicates our situation,” Coop said. “You three aren’t bound by what Riley and I decide.”
Brooks turned his chair backward to straddle it and rested his arms on the backrest. “Since I’m just tagging along for the ride, I’m open to suggestion, but my preference is to continue west. Last thing I want is to stay here and get caught up in a fight that has nothing to do with us. I’m ready to put land between me and the East Coast.”
“And if we go back to the ranch?” Riley asked.
Brooks hesitated before saying, “Is that still an option?”
“By all reports, the towns east of here are crawling with Kearns’ forces,” Coop said, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t avoid them if we stick to the forests. Having the horses makes that trickier, but not impossible.”
“You’re willing to take that risk?” Adrian asked. “Word at the university today was that the entire eastern seaboard has been colonized by Kearns’ military. Chances are your uncle’s ranch already falls within one of these ‘zones.’”
“My daughter is there, Adrian,” Riley said. “Trust me, that has occurred to me.”
Dashay raised her hand, and said, “But how could they have covered the whole east coast in so short a time?”
Brooks opened his mouth to answer, but Adrian cut him off. In his annoying, know-it-all way, he said, “Kearns’ has control of every military base in the country. Think of the labor force that implies. Those bases are constructed to withstand nuclear attack, so many of the troops may have survived the CME. If she has communication capabilities, she controls an immense military machine.”
As irritating as Adrian was, Riley couldn’t deny his point, but his reasoning overlooked one important factor. “I have it from a reliable source that there have been massive desertions since the CME struck.”
“Then there’s military personnel who got separated from their units like Nico,” Dashay said. “His unit was on a field exercise when the CME hit, and he got lost when communications went down. He was trying to find his unit when Branson’s people captured him.”
Riley nodded. “There were probably thousands more like him in the immediate aftermath. If the forces are stretched so thin, why would they bother with my uncle’s ranch in such a remote area?”
“For the resources. Horses, generators, crops,” Brooks said. “From what you told us, they have a nice setup. That would make it an attractive target.”
Riley stood and walked to the window. As she peered into the darkness, she said, “Our plan this morning was to bring Julia here and stay until the baby was old enough to travel. It seemed like the perfect answer, but with war looming, that option’s out. If we made it back to Wytheville, we’d be forced to stay indefinitely.”
“Charleston doesn’t stand a chance against Kearns’ army,” Brooks said. “Her forces have massive supply reserves and equipment. That’s not the case for Charleston or even the state. Resources and personnel numbers are pitiful in comparison.”
“Such a shame,” Adrian said. “This would have been the perfect place for my family to start a new life.”
“So, returning to the ranch is too risky and staying put is out,” Coop said. “Choice number three, then. We travel to Colorado as planned.”
Their plans had swung a hundred and eighty degrees in the hours since Riley woke in the night, overwhelmed at the thought of continuing west. Those feelings had receded, only to be replaced with confusion and hesitation. She felt trapped in the center of a no-win situation.
If the ranch had been incorporated into a Residential Zone, she and Coop would be prohibited from leaving if they went there. She’d be with Julia and the baby, but Emily and Jared might be lost to her, possibly forever. If she pressed on to Colorado, she’d have three of her children, her parents, her home, but she wouldn’t see Julia for years, if ever again. That risk had existed when she left her behind, so in that respect, nothing had changed. The only difference was the real chance Julia was in danger, and Riley was powerless to protect her. Her only choice was to trust in Mitch and Beth to keep her safe.
Riley turned from the window and faced the others. “Choice three presents new obstacles. We’re under a time crunch of less than two days to gather supplies and plan our escape. That means leaving Nico behind. You’ve been quiet, Dashay. What are you thinking?”
Dashay stared down at her hands clasped in her lap. “I won’t leave him, no matter what everyone else decides. We’re a package deal.”
“It breaks my heart to be forced to separate from you, but I don’t blame you. Problem two, how the hell do we get out of here?”
Coop glanced at her, then stroked his scruffy chin. “Sneaking out with two horses and so little knowledge of the city won’t be easy.”
“Getting out of Charleston won’t be like escaping Branson’s compound,” Brooks said, “That place was small and sealed up tight. As one trying to keep you in, I can say it’s a miracle you two got out.”
Coop gave him a half-grin. “I can vouch for that.”
“Good times,” Dashay said and shook her head.
“They do have patrols on the city’s perimeter, and the major roads are barricaded, but I guarantee they’ve left gaps. If we all agree that we’re leaving, I’ll ride out on Echo tomorrow and scope it out.”
“So, do we vote on this now or what?” Adrian asked.
Riley stepped next to Coop. “Decision’s made. Come to Colorado with us or don’
t. It’s your choice.”
Coop put his arm around her waist. “We should leave tomorrow night. Riley and I need to put in a full day at the hospital to avoid arousing suspicion. That leaves it to the two of you to map our route and gather supplies.”
“They’ll have their heaviest patrols out when it’s dark,” Brooks said. “We should leave early the following morning after daybreak.”
Adrian got to his feet and cocked his thumb at Brooks. “He makes a good point.”
Dashay stood and stretched. “That’s only a delay of a few hours and it will be safer for you to travel in daylight. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure Nico and I catch up as soon as he’s recovered.” She gave Riley a hug, then took her hand to lead her to the stairs. “You need sleep, mama. You look like hell.”
Riley laughed and said, “Which is exactly how I feel.” She gave a slight wave to the others. “Goodnight.”
After dragging herself up the stairs with Dashay, she went to her room and got ready for bed while Coop tended to the horses. By the time he came in, her thoughts were a whirling kaleidoscope of confusion.
He climbed into bed and pulled her into his arms. “I don’t even need to ask how you’re feeling,” he said. “One look at your face told me all I need to know.”
“In the weeks immediately after the CME, we were in defensive mode and would go off half-cocked, taking little thought before we acted. That got us into more trouble than I care to remember. I did the same at the mudslide when I nearly got you killed. This time, we only have one choice, and it’s the most difficult one. I’m devastated we can’t go back for Julia. We’re jumping off into the unknown with a baby on the way. Is there any chance of a positive outcome?”
“I have every hope of that. We can do this, Riley. We’ve survived far worse and we won’t be alone this time. The terrain is gently rolling hills and flat plains from here on. If we stay ahead of Kearns’ forces and the weather cooperates, we’re home free.”