Destination Ruin

by Norman Christof

  "I had hoped to get out of here by the time they figured out what was going on. It wasn't in my plan, to shoot anybody, but the situation didn't give us a lot of options. Even if I hadn't shot for him, it would've been almost impossible to fire off that flare with all those people around and not hit someone. I figured why not hit him, instead of some innocent plebe that's forced to do what he says."

  "We should just be quiet," Holly said nervously. "Maybe they will go past. This camper is pretty enclosed; they can't see in unless we open the windows or the drapes. Let's just lay low, and see what they do."

  Garrett started to reach for the window curtains, to take one last peek but Holly grabbed his hand. She shook her head adamantly.

  "Don't. There could be someone standing just outside right now. If they see the curtain move, it'll give us away. Just lay here quietly and calmly and wait. That's the best thing we can do right now."

  Garrett looked between her and the window. It was really driving him crazy not to be able to see outside. He needed to know if there was someone there.

  Holly could read his mind by the look on his face. "You tried your approach, you went in guns blazing, and now this is where we are. We're going to do things my way now for at least the next little bit. Just a few hours, and they'll be gone. Hopefully."

  They laid there patiently, hearing some sounds outside the van, but not being sure who or what it was, neither one looked. The quiet was almost worse than the noise. It would've at least been comforting, to hear people outside talking and walking past where they lay. They would know that people were moving past. Now, they had no idea. the others could be anywhere, and doing anything. For all either one of them knew, they could be lining up a firing squad outside the van, ready to riddle the sides with bullet holes.

  Time passed, and they waited. They only spoke in hushed whispers under the covers. Their body functions were calming. Their hearts beats went from frantic to moderately alert. For the first time in a long time, things seemed almost calm. Calmer in a complicated way. Not calm, in the sense that things were there where they were supposed to be, but calm in a way that meant things weren't insane or hectic or crazy or nightmarish. Calm in the sense, that it felt like maybe it was OK, for things just to be as they were. Normal, in a sort of fatalistic kind of way where you didn't have to worry about every little thing that was going to happen next. The new calm.

  Just lying there in the dark, they could almost imagine themselves back in their own home, in the dark, lying in bed. Just waiting for the sun to come up and the alarm clock to go off.

  "So what happens, if they really get their hands on us?" Garrett asked. Holly didn't answer right away. She thought that she rather enjoyed the quiet and the strange perverted sense of normalcy. Garrett persisted. "I mean, what do we do? Do we really fight? Even if we know we're going to lose? Why would we do that? Even when we know what they're going to do to us, and how bad it's going to be. People always avoid confrontation and just give in. They want to survive, but something flips. It's like their brain twists reality into a sense of things being OK."

  "I don't think I could ever do that," Holly said. "That just sounds like a lame way of giving up. Of letting other people take over your life." She looked at Garrett, and the look on his face was far too serene. More relaxed and calm that she would've liked to see. "You look too happy."

  Initially, Garrett didn't know how to answer that question. It wasn't something he'd expected, and he had to think. Momentarily, just briefly. Then it came to him.

  "Maybe, I've been going about this all wrong. I think I've been just wanting it too bad, and I've been rushing things. It's insane and crazy, right? To think we can just run across the country when things are as bad as they are. I mean how can I even imagine that?"

  "it's because you're a parent. You're thinking about Becky, and worrying about her. Of course you're going to want to do that kind of stuff and not let anything stop you. That's perfectly normal."

  "Perfectly normal, but in what sense? In what world, does that help us? Certainly not this one. The rules have all changed, and things are too screwed up just to carry on thinking that just because we're parents, we should go running across the country like superheroes to save our kids."

  "You're scaring me just a little bit here." For a moment, Holly felt like Garrett was a totally different person. She felt like he was giving up, and didn't even know what to do next. This wasn't something she was used to. Garrett was always the guy that knew what to do next, the guy that multiple solutions to any dilemma.

  "I think, I need to take some time just to sort all this out. Look what's happened to us so far. I rushed and tried to force a situation, and everything just went to shit. We're banging our heads against the wall, trying to take on Goliath. Maybe there's a better solution, and maybe the solution starts off with us just laying low."

  "How little of a bit do you mean?" Holly propped herself up on her side, looking down at Garrett. "We don't know how much of a bit Becky has. She could be in all kinds of trouble. She could be hurt, injured, or lying dead in the streets for all we know. Just laying low, isn't going to help her. Exactly how much is a little bit?"

  Garrett couldn't meet her gaze. "I don't know yet. I just don't know. I need time to think. Time to think rationally and strategically, to consider the bigger picture."

  Chapter 27 ~ Just Do It

  "Holy crap, I can't believe I'm hearing this nonsense coming out of your mouth. I thought we were close to being on the same page, but it looks like you're ready to turn tail and run for the nearest hole to hide like a scared puppy."

  Garrett was taken aback; he couldn’t formulate a response. He couldn't remember, the last time he'd heard Holly talk to him like this. As if the world wasn't enough of a shock these days, now she was turning on him.

  "Name-calling? Really? That's where you want to go with this conversation."

  They were both raising their voices. Neither one gave a rat's ass or remembered what their situation was. Just a few moments ago, the big concern was that they were being stalked like animals, by people that executed others in cold blood in the street.

  They were supposed to be laying low, and keeping quiet. Hoping against hope, that the people following them had lost their trail. Now, they were consumed by a difference of opinion.

  "You've been going on ever since we got back, and even before we got on that lifeboat, that what we had to do was get to Becky. The only thing that mattered was getting to Becky. Now listen to you, having second thoughts. I can't believe this. I don't know what could have pushed you over the ledge. There are things we have to do, we can't just sit around and wait, for her to save herself. We don't know that she can do that."

  They both stared at each other blankly. They'd always had the highest of expectations for Becky, and believed she was capable of doing anything. Like most parents have a tendency to do. As critical as parents can be, they often over exaggerated the abilities and accomplishments of their children.

  Of course, they'd won the city soccer championship. Of course, they’d made the Dean's honors list. Of course, they're an amazing piano player, athlete, valedictorian, with the most amazing group of friends on the entire planet. Why wouldn't they? They’re our kids.

  But now, Garrett worried about even Becky. He was her biggest cheerleader and her staunchest believer. But this was a bigger challenge than anything they had ever anticipated.

  "All right, all right. I got it," Garrett blurted out. Holly was looking like she was ready to take on the world. She moved to the front of the van, where the windows weren't covered. Garrett motioned her to come to the back of the van, where it was harder to be seen, but she refused. This felt totally reckless to Garrett.

  "That's it. I'm done with you. Totally and utterly completely done. You do whatever it is you think you need to do, to survive in this world that’s gone mad. For me, right now I'm moving in one direction, and that direction is clearly with the others."

  "Oth
ers?" Garrett looked downcast, and even he seemed to forget the possibility of being spotted by their pursuers. He threw all caution out the door, as he raised his voice. "What makes you think the others are going to be any more stable, or have a vested interest in what it is you want to accomplish? What makes you think, that they're going to give a damn about Becky, and where you want to go?" Garrett looked skyward as if it held the answers. "That's the whole problem right now, acting rashly. We just keep acting like things are going to be fine if we keep bumbling along. We need to take some time and consider our options. Time to think. That's all I'm asking for. Just a little bit of time."

  "Holly shook her head and banged her fist on the dashboard of the van. Her voice got louder. "You take all the time you want. Just keep contemplating the end of the world or whatever the hell this is that's going on, and figure out what's important to you. I only know what's important to me. And there's no doubt in my mind what that is. You … you just go and do what you need to do."

  And with that, Holly flung the door of the camper wide open. The noise of the releasing lock and opening the door was enough to make Garrett cringe. The fact that she flung the door so hard that it banged against the outside of the van, guaranteed that anyone on this level of the parking garage would've heard.

  Holly stormed out of the van, then stopped herself. She reached back in the van momentarily. Just long enough to grab a pack and as many of supplies as she could carry. Garrett started to object, but she raised a defiant hand.

  She pointed at him and said. "No, no, no. This is not your stuff. This is stuff for people that are willing to take decisive actions. People like me, and people like ..." She thought for a moment. Who would she go to now? Her mind was racing to make the right decisions. She'd just chastised Garrett for waffling, and it was her turn to be decisive. It was her turn, to be the one in charge and move things forward. "Sam. Sam's a man of action. That boy's got some skills, and I suspect, some secrets that he hasn't shared. He may just be what I need to pull this off."

  "You can't count on Sam. There's too much we don't know about him. Please Holly, just come back in and think about this. We don't know who's out there. We need to think this through."

  "No, time for thinking is done. Time for wondering is done. Time for pulling your thumb out of your ass is here. Either follow me or get the hell out of my way. I'm going to find Sam and the rest of our group and as many of the survivors as I can recruit to join me. We're going to go find Becky. We're going to go find whoever else it takes, and whoever else wants to join us, and we're going to do it together. As a community. A community of smart, decisive people that are willing to work together and rebuild whatever it is that's been torn down. That's what this is. Today, I'm going to be a hero. And from here on end, I'm going to look for other heroes to join me."

  She stared at Garrett, in silence. As decisive and clear in her heart as she was, a small part of her hadn't written off Garrett. He was on the fence, her finger was on the trigger, her mental gun was loaded, and she was ready to go. But she knew, that final decision had to be his. She was going to give him a second. Just the smallest fraction of a second. The smallest amount of time she could. He could come, or he could stay. Garrett blinked. Garrett blinked again.

  And then, time was up.

  Holly pulled the trigger.

  Chapter 28 ~ Aftermath

  It was just a little bit of organized chaos. The group hadn't been in the YMCA for all that long yet, but they had the run of the place. The building was a stockpile of supplies that would surely help to build up their reserves. Back at headquarters the group was pretty well stocked, but as their leader Jaden had been trying to teach them, you can never have too much. Especially given the state of affairs.

  To many of the people that were members of the group, and especially the newer ones, Jaden seemed like a pretty good guy. He accepted most anyone into the group as long as they could abide by his rules and not piss off anyone else. As open as he was to new members, it took a while for Jaden to trust new people.

  When the attack hit things weren't all that great. There was a lot of looting, and anarchy before Jaden got things organized. The minuscule local law enforcement detachment remaining wasn't much help. Many of them were pulled into the military to tackle bigger problems in the larger cities like New York and Washington. That created a void that Jaden happily stepped into.

  As a rule, most of the people in the larger gang didn't have a whole lot of military or law enforcement type background. They were just regular law-abiding citizens who happen to be in Atlantic City when the attack struck and were looking to protect themselves from an untenable situation.

  Few of them saw anything wrong with scavenging what they could from the YMCA and taking it back to care for other members of the group. Some were a little bit uncomfortable about chasing out the inhabitants that had already occupied the building, but Jaden was pretty good at identifying those personalities within his group and left most of them behind to defend the headquarters.

  Jaden was also good, at identifying those that had an inclination for dealing with individuals whose disposition placed them on the nasty side of the human gene pool. Jaden made sure they were assigned duties that suited their particular skill set. Jaden himself was a bit of a chameleon who could do whatever was necessary at the moment.

  At the time that Holly and Garrett made the run through the YMCA, the building was also populated with some members of Jaden's gang, that were good scroungers but not great fighters. They were in a hurry to get in and get out, so the more bodies they brought, the faster things would get done. That meant, they had a few that had never fired a gun in their lives.

  Firing off a flare gun in multiple directions, incited a lot of confusion and panic amongst this group. It was as if a wild herd of lions had been let loose in the public zoo on a Saturday morning at feeding time. Scared people trying to run from the scene ended up running into angry people intent on taking on Holly and Garrett.

  Garrett probably wouldn't have been so quick on the trigger, if it hadn't been for the reaction of the people around them. He mistook their panic and scrambling about in the dark as a possible attack. He did everything in his power, to improve their chances of escape.

  The flare that was fired in Jaden's direction hit him dead center in the chest, in spite of the commotion. Anyone who's ever fired a flare knows how inaccurate they can be. They're not exactly the weapon of choice for snipers. While lacking in pinpoint accuracy, they are incendiary and potentially lethal if aimed in the wrong direction. Or the right direction, depending on which side of the trigger you happen to be on.

  Emily had had a bad feeling about this from the beginning. She was one of the three observers, to see the survivors on the beach in the lifeboat and Jaden's most trusted confidant. She saw them pulling a dead body from the boat, without any explanation. Given the current state of the boat, and the conditions upon which they'd wash up on shore, there could be a purely rational and non-nefarious explanation for the dead body.

  Emily, however, wasn't the kind of person to take chances or make assumptions about potentially life-threatening situations. Especially these days in this city.

  When she reported back to Jaden, she'd recommended that they steer clear of the group, and wait for them to dissipate and leave the town. Jaden didn't see things that way and preferred to take a more proactive approach. Emily's story of the body on the boat set off alarms in Jaden's head. He had every intention of investigating, and if necessary taking action to keep them in check.

  When it looked like this new group had intentions of setting down roots and raiding resources that Jaden's group considered their own, he felt he had no choice but to act.

  Unlike Emily, Javier had no reservations about dealing harshly with the lifeboat survivors. He had personal and up-close experience with them. Emily and Jaden had no knowledge of Javier's involvement with the lifeboat survivors.

  Garrett and Holly were the two that ha
d ruined his plans for getting off the cruise ship. They'd forced him and his partner to bring weapons aboard the lifeboat. It was supposed to be his lifeboat, not Holly and Garrett's. He'd had other plans that certainly didn't involve surrendering the boat or his weapon. The fact that the captain aboard the lifeboat was killed by his handgun didn't faze Javier in the least. As far as he was concerned the whole situation could've been avoided if Garrett and Holly had simply kept their noses out of his business.

  "Is he going to be alright?" Emily asked the girl attending to Jaden's wounds. The girl had basic first aid training. She'd been a paramedic student here on vacation in Atlantic City just before the attacks.

  "He's been unconscious since he was shot," she responded. "I've never seen scarring or third degree burns quite as bad as this before." She'd never actually done in the field training, as she was only halfway through her academic work. Everything she'd done, had been via textbooks.

  Jaden's shirt was off, and although he appeared to be breathing, he didn't look good. His face was ashen gray, and the wound on his chest look horrific. The flare gun had a range of nearly one-hundred meters. They were less than ten meters when Garrett fired at him. The velocity of the flare was enough to crack bones. Emily hadn't picked up on that yet, given Jaden's non-responsiveness and her lack of training. The burned flesh was distracting Emily's judgment more than she cared to admit. She did her best to patch up what she could with the supplies they'd found.

  Emily had a feeling, that if the girl knew how much she didn't know, she'd demand they get Jaden to a hospital for proper medical treatment. Not that it was even an option.

  Emily turned to leave and didn't get more than a few steps when she ran into Javier. The two of them weren't exactly the best of friends but did their best to make things work under Jaden's watch. For reasons which neither one of them understood, Jaden saw something valuable in both of them and kept them close to him. Emily especially, which Javier suspected was more than professional.