Children of the AFTER: AWAKENING

by Jeremy Laszlo

  * * * * *

  Creeping upon his toes, carefully selecting places where he could avoid the glass below, Will moved ahead. Slinking here, and springing across the cement ground there, he moved like the wind and no one could catch him. No way, not ever. Jerking his head from side to side, he sought out those who scoured the city for them, but locating no enemies, he returned his super vision to the ground beneath him. It was a fun game, but would have been more fun if Jack and Sam played along.

  Instead, Jack moved up ahead with his shoulders slumped like he had just lost a track meet, and Sam sighed or giggled from time to time behind him, her mind undoubtedly on boys or some other such nonsense, as Mom would say. If Dad were here, he’d play along. Dad was an awesome ninja and could probably destroy all the bad guys. But Dad was probably out saving Mom, so he would just have to be a ninja all by himself.

  Sometime long after his belly started growling, they passed under a big concrete bridge and Will pretended to pass through the enemy’s tunnel, darting from one dark shadow to another to evade detection from enemy sentries. Once out of the tunnel they turned left and climbed a twisty ramp up to the road above and Will realized that he was just about to the top of the enemy mountain fortress. Victory was his!

  Rounding the last bend he skirted the charred carcass of a four door sedan, following closely on Jack’s heels, impatient to reach the highest point. Pouncing atop a fallen sign, he countered for its rocking surface and kept his balance as it tipped under his weight. Bounding back off the sign, Will landed nimbly between any major shards of glass, and began moving once more in a crouch. Whipping his arms about, he pretended to slay the last of his samurai enemies as a grin spread across his face.

  Running to the edge of the bridge where the concrete had been smashed away by a car during the event, he thrust both of his arms up to the sky, carefully celebrating his victory. Bouncing up and down on his toes like a boxer, Will turned all around as Sam smiled her biggest smile at him. But her smile did not last.

  Even though he had done his best to celebrate in silence, had he done something wrong? As Sam’s smile faded she raised her hand to her mouth and he could see her fingers shaking. But she wasn’t mad. Turning his attention to Jack he could see that his older brother had gone momentarily rigid too. Something else was wrong.

  Turning away from the frightened faces of both Jack and Sam, Will looked in the same direction as they were, and his breathing caught in his chest. There, on the street below, raced a man in a long coat upon a horse in the distance. Though he was miles away, it was obvious that they had been spotted as the horse and rider charged directly towards them.

  Chapter Ten

  With a lump in his throat, Jack’s stomach twisted within him. It was the same man on the horse. Even from this distance he knew it, and the man had seen them. There was only one thing they could do. Turning, Jack grabbed Will’s wrist as Sam’s panic-stricken face resolved and she turned to follow his lead, as she took Will’s free hand. Together they turned east upon the interstate and began running. Even from so far away, the rider would be able to see which way they were going. He could move five times faster on the horse than they could on foot. He would catch them in an hour, give or take. Jack was counting on it.

  Weaving in between fallen signs and destroyed cars, Will led his siblings as fast as he could, guiding them on, looking over his left shoulder again and again to mark the rider’s progress. Down the far slope of the overpass they ran, scattering dust and glass as they went. When they reached the divided lanes of the interstate only a hundred yards further he led them into the grass of the median, before dragging them to a halt between the two opposing lanes of traffic.

  “Now you listen and listen good,” Jack said, the sternness in his own voice sounding in his ears the same as his father had that last day. “Follow the grass back towards the overpass. Stay off the glass and ash on the road. Go under the overpass, but be careful he doesn’t see you. You’ll have to be fast and hide up near the top, where the bridge crosses over. Hide and I’ll come back.”

  “You can’t just leave us,” Sam pleaded, tears already beginning from her eyes. “Not like Dad.”

  “I’m not, just trust me, there is no time. Now go!” Jack shouted, shoving Sam and Will away from himself as he turned and began sprinting away.

  Measuring his every breath he stretched out his strides, feeling the air pass over his face and through his hair. Running was freedom. Here in this moment, he could get away from anything. In the past he had used it to get away from Mom and Dad’s nagging about his grades or preparing for college. He had even used it to get over his grandfather’s passing, but he couldn’t use it now. Couldn’t enjoy it. Leaving Sam and Will behind felt like a betrayal, even if he knew it was the only way. Glancing back, just once, he saw their fleeing backs. They had done as he had told them.

  Stretching each stride to the last inch he pushed his sore muscles and veered off course, listening to his boots upon the pavement before moving back into the grass. Ahead, maybe two miles, was a rise and then sight ahead was lost. Two miles. Twelve minutes, maybe more if he was slower now than he had been months ago. He had to keep up pace.

  Again he swerved onto the concrete, leaving tracks in the ash on its surface. They were probably useless, but if the rider had companions who were following, they would follow the tracks. At least that’s what Jack hoped. One mile down.

  On and on he ran, feeling his pulse level out at its normal running pace and he matched his breathing to the perfect clock of his heart. With every beat he took a stride, and with every stride he watched the ground sweep beneath his feet. Minutes slowed as the world seemed to stretch out to infinity in front of him but on Jack raced, refusing to give up. Another half a mile down.

  Faster and faster he pushed himself, feeling his lungs tightening from the strain as his body threatened him with cramps, but there was no time to slow, he just knew he had to keep going. Leaning forward he pumped his legs harder and harder, driving them down into the soft grassy ground and he plunged onward, topping the rise that was his goal. Digging his heels into the soil, he slid to an abrupt stop and turned to witness exactly what he had bet their lives against.

  * * * * *

  She couldn’t believe he was doing this. Not now. Not like Dad had done. Could he be serious? But then she realized that this wasn’t like Dad. He wasn’t stuffing them in a box saying stay inside as long as you can. No. He said hide and I’ll be back. I’ll be back. That was different. Blinking the tears from her eyes, Sam gritted her teeth and pushed away her pain and hurt and grabbed Will’s hand, as Jack turned and did what he was born to do. Away from them, as fast as his legs would carry him, Jack sprinted as if trying to outrun death himself. And perhaps he was.

  Turning, Sam looked into the eyes of her little brother knowing it was not fair to him to say what she had to, but knew that it might be their only chance.

  “Hurry, Will. We have to do what Jack said and let the rider chase Jack, or else he might get us.”

  “But, Jack…”

  “No buts, little man. Let’s go!”

  Jerking her little brother nearly off his feet she tried to mimic her older brother and run, but Will’s little legs couldn’t keep pace. Like Jack had warned, they followed the grass, moving as fast as they could, back in the direction they had come. Already she could hear the rhythmic falls of the horse’s shod feet upon the asphalt of the city streets and with every sound it grew louder. They weren’t going to make it.

  Turning, she spared a look back over her shoulder to see Jack already an incredible distance away. He was so fast. On and on the sounds of the horse came as Sam began to think that they would reach the overpass in time. But her hope was suddenly torn away from her as her hand yanked back driving her to the ground.

  Rolling upon the grass, she spun to look upon Will who had gotten his leg entangled in the tall grass and tripped, pulling her with him. It wasn’t Will’s fault, but his fall ha
d ruined their chances of making it to the underpass and Sam knew it. On and on the horse came, its hoof falls now echoing out from the very underpass they were supposed to hide in.

  Dragging Will back to his feet, Sam pulled him through the grass, her heart pounding in her ears as a scream threatened to spring from her lips. They couldn’t go to the underpass. She knew that without a doubt, and then it struck her.

  All about her, on both sides of the median, charred vehicles sat abandoned and destroyed as if the event had happened sometime around rush hour. Though far from whole and even further from ideal, they provided for her and Will a place to hide, allowing Jack to carry out his plan of leading the rider away. Ahead the hoof beats began to slow.

  Turning abruptly, Sam pulled her younger brother with her as she neared the pavement. Again her arm tugged. As she looked back to her little brother, he swung his head wildly from side to side, reminding her of Jack’s warning. Stay off the road. Good call. Turning again she pulled him another dozen feet nearer to the underpass, dropping to the ground and pointing under a large SUV.

  Watching as Will vanished under the hulking piece of charred metal, Sam dropped her pack and kicked it under before dropping to her belly and pulling her body beneath it too. It was slow going, and with all the rubber melted from the tires the clearance was barely enough to permit her.

  Cursing her bubble butt, as Mom had called it on more than one shopping trip, she nudged Will farther beneath the metallic mammoth and together they hid in silence. She hoped for all of them that Jack’s plan worked. She could not and would not tell Will that Jack was gone too. She couldn’t break his heart like that. Not again.

  * * * * *

  Will slid over, crushing the thick grass beneath him as he struggled for a more comfortable spot and vantage to see the road beyond. He could hear the horse approaching and the sound sent shivers down his spine, causing his leg to jerk, accidentally kicking his sister. Fortunately, she didn’t yell at him. She didn’t even look in his direction. Instead, they both watched on towards the underpass, staring intently across their narrow field of view as the horse’s steps slowed to a crawl somewhere just out of sight. Will wondered what the man was doing out there on his horse. Why was he chasing them? What did he want? He knew people could be mean. Mrs. Dervish, his first grade teacher had been mean, but she’d never tried to hurt him. This was different.

  Flattening down the grass in front of his face, Will dug his toes down into the ground and pushed himself forward for a better view. Apparently Sam had another idea, and grabbing the back of his pants she pulled him back under the truck again. Still the horse moved slow, but Will realized that it was now moving in a different direction. Not only that, but it was getting close. Really close.

  Turning slowly, he watched Sam’s head slowly swiveling to follow the sound and he did the same, listening to every fall of every hoof as they grew ever nearer. Holding his breath for fear that the man would hear him, Will watched as the horse’s hooves came into sight just a short distance away, riding the edge of the road. Then, at his absolute closest to their hiding place, the rider stopped his mount. They had been discovered. Will knew the man had found them. Panic surged within him and when he moved to crawl out of hiding and make a run for it, Samantha’s reassuring hand reached out to him and touched his arm. The rider yelled and his horse leapt forward again.

  Off down the pavement the rider raced, his horse’s hooves pounding out a steady rhythm that grew farther and farther away with every passing second. After a few minutes of listening to the retreating sounds, Sam released his arm and she began to move. Will didn’t know what the plan was now, but instead of asking, which is exactly what he wanted to do, he simply followed her and extracted himself from beneath the SUV. Seconds later they were on the move towards the overpass, just as Jack had told them to do.

  Climbing up the sloped wall beneath the overpass just moments later, Will found that there were several great places to hide, and quickly picked one in the deepest shadow where he could see out and down the road a long way in the direction Jack had run. Jack said he would be back and Will knew he would be. They just had to wait until he got back. Will hoped it was soon. He was hungry again.

  * * * * *

  Standing atop the small rise just two miles from the overpass where he hoped Sam and Will had found a safe hiding place, Jack watched as the rider emerged from under the overpass. Still atop his steed, the man did not notice him at first, but Jack had a plan. Turning, he faced away from the rider, and took a deep breath.

  “Run!” he yelled waving his arms like a stark mad, raving lunatic.

  Then, looking over his shoulder as the rider began to move towards him, Jack leaned forward and began pumping his legs again. His ploy had worked, the rider thought them still running. All of them. Racing down into the ravine between two hills, Jack took to the grass to eliminate leaving tracks for the rider to follow. It was a simple plan, really, and looking around, he spotted the perfect location to complete it. With the thundering hooves growing louder and louder, Jack reached the small car and heaved up on its partially closed trunk lid.

  Inside the trunk were bits and pieces of blackened clothing and a melted tire that smelled worse than death, but there was no time now to find an alternative. More or less rolling into the trunk, Jack reached up to grasp the underside of its lid and pulled it down until it was nearly sealed. All that was left to do no was wait and listen as the rider thundered nearer.

  Chapter Eleven

  Laying in the trunk of the small car with something pressing uncomfortably into his ribs, Jack listened as the thrumming beats of the horse’s shoed feet grew near. By sound alone he knew when the rider reached the crest of the ravine and slowed as he guided his beast down the slope. Jack listened intently as his heart hammered in his chest to match the beat of the horse’s hooves. Down the rider came. Nearer and nearer. The horse left the road as its steps became muffled in the grass. In the darkness of the trunk, Jack shook his head. The rider must have noticed that the trunk wasn’t closed.

  Feeling sick to his stomach, remembering the rider’s steely eyes, Jack braced himself to kick out at the rider as soon as the trunk came open. And then the horse was on the road again, its hooves pounding away from him, continuing on in the direction he had led the man. His plan had worked. Sighing in relief, he waited several moments to let his heart slow and the adrenaline fade from his blood. Now, he just needed to get back to Sam and Will.

  Counting the seconds in whispered breaths, for nearly twenty minutes Jack listened as the rider thundered away until he was certain it was safe to leave his hiding place. Twenty minutes, and it would only take about twelve to get back to his brother and sister. Cautiously, he pushed the trunk lid open.

  Looking about he was surprised to find that evening was already upon him, the sunlight in the sky fading more rapidly than he would have imagined. The day was nearly gone and they were still in the city. There was no way he would stay here another night. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Jack sprang forward into a dead run.

  Keeping completely to the grass this time, in order to leave no trail that gave away his deceit, he pressed himself just as hard as he had earlier, stretching his stride and pushing every step to the limit. It was only moments until he reached the top of the ravine and looking back he could see no sign of the rider. Assured, he continued on as fast as his body would carry him all the way back to the overpass where his siblings should be hiding in wait.

  Slowing to a jog as he approached the ever darkening underpass, he focused on lowering his heart rate and leveling his breathing. It was not until he walked nearly half way through the concrete structure when he heard a familiar gasp and looked up, to be greeted by familiar faces.

  * * * * *

  Sam could hear Jack running in her and Will’s direction and found herself focusing on his muffled footfalls. She had seen him run enough over the last few years to know his stride and pacing, though until now never
thought she would recognize it by sound. Listening to him slow as he came nearer she found herself relieved, knowing he wouldn’t slow if he was being followed.

  Peering out of her darkened hiding spot among what she could only call the rafters of the overpass, she glimpsed over to see Will’s smiling face. Looking down, Jack came into sight, huffing and puffing as he fought to breathe normally. He looked up then, his eyes connecting with her own for a moment in a look that said I told you so. And indeed he had. He had said he would return and he had come back. Sam wouldn’t have to tell Will that Jack was gone. A weight lifted off of her shoulders that she hadn’t even realized had been there. She felt lighter, happier, and more secure. She couldn’t help but smile in reply as Jack turned his attention to Will, who was already scrambling from his hiding place to rush down the concrete wall.

  Down their younger brother half slid to the outstretched arms of Jack, who caught him up like a scene from a movie where a veteran of a war was reunited with his family after years of hardship. But wasn’t this the same? It certainly felt the same. Watching as Jack leaned back, catching Will midflight in his arms, the two hugged each other tightly and Sam found her eyes becoming moist. Again. She was so tired of tears.

  She had been worried when he left but never believed for a moment that he wouldn’t come back. Or had she? Sure she was relieved, and happy beyond measure that Jack was here, as was Will, but had she thought about losing him? Though her mind said the answer was an obvious no, her heart screamed yes within her. In that moment she realized that Jack could have been gone forever, taken from her and Will in an instant and they would have never gotten a chance to tell him goodbye. They would have been alone and lost without him in a world where nothing was left but desolation and loneliness. She wanted to hug the breath out of him too.