Existence

by Jeff Olah

  But that was before. Now he had the opportunity to be someone else, someone who no longer had to struggle with anxiety and depression. If there was ever a time to reinvent himself, this was it. “Real Estate, luxury homes mostly.”

  Kevin looked genuinely interested. He turned briefly to Owen and shook his head. “I had you pegged for a personal trainer, maybe a former athlete, private security. You look like you’ve seen the inside of a gym more than a few times.”

  “Yeah, well sitting in open houses and listing appointments all day long destroys your body as well as your mind. I like to tell myself that the gym keeps everything in balance.”

  “Ain’t that the truth.”

  “What about you? You look like you could lift a house.”

  “Part of my job, can’t do what it is I do without a certain amount of strength and agility.”

  “Makes sense.”

  Kevin rolled his neck side to side, took a long pull from his water, and again eyed the Glock. “So Owen Mercer, you know how to handle that thing? You gonna be ready to do the things you may have to do?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I can guarantee things are gonna get a whole lot worse before they get any better. We’re gonna have to do some things that we wouldn’t do under normal circumstances.” He looked into the backseat, lowered his voice. “Things that are going to push your moral compass.”

  Owen didn’t initially see it, but he should have. Maybe it was the exhaustion finally setting in or maybe he was just too close. Either way, it now seemed crystal clear. Kevin wasn’t asking just to pass the time or even because he felt the need to bond with him; he was trying to gauge his breaking point and how much to trust him.

  “Yes,” Owen said, “I’ll be ready, there is absolutely nothing that is more important to me than my family … nothing.”

  “Good, just make sure you remember that, because there is going to be a time when it’s going to be hard, but that’s when you’ll need to remember it the most.”

  Owen felt the need to fire back, to somehow show him that he understood what was happening, that they were actually having the same conversation. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience. Is there anything you want to tell me?”

  Kevin looked beyond the coming intersection. A corner bakery with its windows blown out sat beside an old-world coffee house, more than a dozen corpses lying motionless along their shared patio. “I’m just saying that we need to be ready, that’s all.”

  Owen didn’t initially respond. There were a few minutes where the low hum of the wheels against the road and the breath sounds of Ava and Zeus were the only distraction. He enjoyed the brief interlude, but knew the two men had more to discuss, and most of it was going to turn his stomach.

  “You ever married, any kids?”

  Kevin shook his head. “Nope, the job made sure of that.”

  “Any family out here, anyone you need to go after?”

  “Not for a long time.” Kevin tipped his thumb toward the backseat. “He’s it, been that way for five years. Goes pretty much everywhere with me.” He paused, but then quickly continued, “You know it’s funny, but man’s best friend isn’t always just an idiom.”

  “So what then, what’s the plan? How do you see this playing out, I mean if we find Gentry, what’s the …”

  Owen’s voice trailed off. He pointed through the windshield. There was only one or two, but that’s how it had started the last four times. There would be five and then ten, and then a few more, and then they’d have to turn back and find another way.

  Kevin pulled to the side of the street and shifted into park. “Let’s give it a minute, I’m not sure we have enough daylight to go back and try the bridge.”

  “Maybe we get closer,” Owen said, “see what we see?”

  “That building, the one beyond the next intersection …”

  “Yeah?”

  “Too big of a blind spot.” Kevin flipped open the center console, pulled out a pair of high-powered binoculars, and handed them to Owen. “But where there’s a will.”

  Owen pressed the binoculars to his eyes and quickly brought the scene playing out two-hundred yards away into focus. He scanned the street near the intersection and then the sidewalks on either side. Nothing more than a few abandoned vehicles and the waste left behind by those who fled the city.

  “Looks clear. I say we roll up and take them out, there are only two of …”

  Finally resting on the pair near the sidewalk, Owen fumbled with the binoculars, his mind telling his eyes that what he was seeing was impossible. A woman, no bigger than his wife, stood hunched over another body, in a pool of blood.

  As his heart rate began to climb, the woman stepped back and lowered the body to the asphalt. From the backseat, Zeus pushed away from Ava, sensing his distress, and began to growl.

  Ava sat up and leaned into the front cab. “Dad, what’s wrong?”

  Owen set the binoculars in his lap, his hands now shaking, and his mind unable to make sense of what he’d just witnessed. He released his seatbelt, reached for the handle, and opened the door. “It’s your mother.”

  39

  Owen was in a dead sprint, unsure of exactly what he was running toward. At fifty yards, she came into focus. Turning toward him, her hair, face, and neck were speckled with blood, she slowly started away from the body and looked back at him.

  “Nat.”

  With his heart ready to explode in his chest and his legs on fire, he continued to run. And at twenty yards he noticed the screwdriver in her right hand, the thick smattering of blood, and the man lying on his side pushed into the curb.

  In spite of the voice in his head telling him that something about the scene wasn’t right, and the wave of confusion clouding his every thought, he continued to her. Arms open, but unable to speak, Owen now stood before her and pulled her to him.

  She dropped the screwdriver and began to sob into his shoulder. He pulled away for a second and looked into her eyes. And then brushing the hair away from her face, he kissed her like it was the first time.

  “I love you Nat.”

  As she began to speak, her voice broke. “I love … love you too.” She pulled into him, resting her head on his shoulder and peered into the distance. “Is … is Ava …”

  Owen swallowed hard, he was fighting back tears and having trouble catching his breath. He nodded and looked back toward the massive F-250. “She’s good, better than good.”

  Natalie hugged him again, but quickly let go and started to pull away. “I have to see her.”

  He grabbed her wrist and again just looked at her. He wanted to ask, but didn’t know how. He needed to know, but wasn’t sure he had the strength to hear the answer. She hadn’t come right out and told him, and that spoke volumes.

  She must have read the paralyzing fear in his eyes, the desperation in how tightly he held her arm. He never could keep anything from her, especially not now. Natalie turned away from the black pickup, softened her stance and motioned toward a light-colored SUV parked along the sidewalk on the intersecting street.

  “Noah, he’s there.”

  A tear broke from Owen’s eye. He hugged her once again, slid his hand down into hers, and finally waved Kevin forward. His mind was racing, hadn’t had time to process what he’d seen, the shift of emotions as he sprinted toward his wife, and the body she’d guided to the street.

  As Kevin pulled up and Ava ran to her mother, Owen started toward the SUV. An older boy stepped out from behind the wheel, kept his head low, moved quickly to the back door, and pulled it open.

  His son looked good, unfazed, had something in his hand, but tossed it back into the SUV when he saw Owen. “DAD!”

  Under his breath and only to himself he said, “Noah.”

  The group gathered near the bed of Kevin’s truck and quickly got each other up to speed on the last several days. Natalie sat with her children, unable to contain herself. She had her arms wrapped around Ava,
the smile on her face growing with each passing minute.

  As the others continued to detail their stories, edited for the benefit of Noah, Owen retrieved a canvas tarp that had come to rest on the sidewalk. He nodded to Natalie and then walked the short distance to the body of the man who had saved not only himself, but his wife and his son.

  Owen laid the tarp over Chuck’s body, then dropped to one knee. He wasn’t good at this sort of thing, but felt the need to at least say something. As he began, he felt a knot beginning to form in his throat. “Natalie told me what you did for her and for Noah. I can’t even begin to explain how thankful I am, and I know that there’s no way I can ever repay you, but I promise that I won’t take it for granted, and I won’t ever forget.”

  Owen took a breath and wiped his eye. “Thank you.”

  40

  The sun had buried itself behind the western horizon more than three hours before. Now as Owen sat across from the teen with the grey hoodie and the bruised face, he silently prayed for a miracle. For something other than what the last five days had given. He was hopeful, but also realistic. He and his family were extremely fortunate to have survived the trip here, and parked across the street from Cecil’s, he waited and watched.

  To his right, window down, lights off and binoculars in hand, Kevin sat behind the wheel of his truck, closely watching the second-floor windows of the former garment factory. He leaned out, nodded to Owen. “I think we’re good.”

  “You and I take a walk around the perimeter, then get a look inside?”

  “Yeah,” Kevin said. “I’ll have Zeus get in with them, take your spot.”

  He didn’t like the idea of leaving his family again, but told himself things were different now, that he knew what he was looking for, and that he absolutely wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks. He had told himself many things since reuniting with Natalie and Noah, now he just needed to stand by his word.

  They moved quickly, both men crossing the street under the cover of darkness and reaching the six-foot wall at the northwest corner of the parking lot without incident. Owen glanced one last time over his shoulder and then followed Kevin over the wall.

  The building was massive, seemed much bigger without a lot filled with vehicles and a line of patrons waiting to enter. What was once a prosperous garment factory looked to have had a costly facelift sometime within the last ten years. New windows, refurbished brick and mortar, and a stainless-steel exterior spiral staircase gave the impression that whoever actually bankrolled the remodel of the nearly century-old structure hadn’t spared a single cent.

  Clearing the perimeter, and assured that the neighboring lots held no threats, the men found an unlocked door and made quick work of the interior. Other than a handful of Feeder corpses and an interior that appeared to have been turned upside down, there wasn’t much to consider.

  Once inside, the group was able to put together a small meal from what had been discarded in the kitchen. Four cans of beans, a loaf of bread, and a hidden cabinet full of spices meant they’d fill their stomachs for the first time in several days. The meal, although at room temperature, couldn’t have tasted any better.

  Finished first, Owen took another lap around the interior, paying close attention to the street and the surrounding businesses. Nothing had changed, although he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.

  With every door locked and window secured, he and Natalie gathered up nearly forty table cloths and the seat cushions from two dozen tables. The massive makeshift bed they’d fashioned near the center of the dining room instantly served its purpose. Ava, Noah, and Lucas drifted off even as Owen and Kevin debated who would take first watch.

  “When was the last time you slept?” Kevin asked.

  “At this point, it doesn’t much matter.”

  “Okay then it’s settled. I’ll take the first shift, have Zeus stay near the entrance, and get you up in three or four hours.”

  Natalie had finished with the children and started toward them. She looked at Kevin, narrowed her eyes, and held her voice to a whisper. “So, BXF Head of Security … what exactly are you doing here?”

  Kevin stared back for a moment, turned to Owen. “We’re gonna do this now?”

  Owen shrugged. “Tell her what you told me, the short version.”

  “Don’t the two of you have things you need to discuss first?”

  “The things we need to talk about can wait till morning.” Owen turned from Natalie to Kevin, and smiled evenly. “And like you said, you’re taking the first shift, good luck.”

  Owen moved to the nearest booth, sat back against the wall and closed his eyes, still listening, but already beginning to feel the effects of more than three days without sleep.

  Natalie stood ten feet from Kevin. She pulled over a chair, sat down, and waited. “Well, what’s the real reason you came back?”

  “It’s Marcus Goodwin, but you already know that.”

  “If Goodwin sent you, then why are we still alive? Why haven’t you—”

  Kevin stopped her. “I’m here because of Goodwin, not on his behalf. But there are others, and that’s why I’m really here.”

  “What’s he want with me, my family? I wasn’t part of it, not like that.”

  “He’s looking for Gentry, assumes you’ll know where to find him.”

  “What’s he want with Dr. Gentry? He’s been gone from BXF for months.”

  Kevin grabbed a chair of his own. He sat across from her, leaned back, and folded his hands behind his head. “What does Goodwin always want? Control.”

  Natalie shook her head. “That doesn’t make much sense. This is his mess; why would he want to control it now?”

  “Does anything ever make sense when it comes to Goodwin? He’s already thrown Emma Runner out, and is determined to prove that Lockwood is still out there. It’s like he’s trying to make sure nothing gets in the way of his legacy.”

  “The end of the world is his legacy?”

  “Would it surprise you?”

  Natalie sat back, ran her hand over her face, took a moment to look over her children and then back at Owen. “Our first meeting, back in the city, that wasn’t a coincidence, was it?”

  “I already explained to Owen that we were originally just supposed to locate you, but that all changed by the time everything broke.”

  “We?”

  Kevin looked toward the far end of the dining room, to where it bled into the bar area. “There are others, at least two teams.”

  “And they’re trying to get to Gentry through me?”

  “If this gets fixed, if someone finds a way to reverse this thing, Goodwin wants his name attached to it. He can drive the story, make people forget about how it all started … God complex on steroids. He wants everyone else, anyone who knows anything, eliminated.”

  For the first time, Natalie looked concerned. “So?”

  Kevin sat forward. There was an edge to his already firm tone that hadn’t been there before now. “That’s why I cut off communication, ditched my phone, and went looking for you. I haven’t led the perfect life, but when all of this is finished, I’d like to be on the right side of history.”

  “You do realize who you’ve crossed, right? I mean I could always use what I know about Project Ares to negotiate for myself and my family; however, you’ve drawn a hard line in the sand. You really sure that’s what you want to do, it’s not too late?”

  Kevin nodded. “I’ve made my decision. You and I and Owen, we’re going to find Gentry and then we’re going to save the world.”

  41

  Owen woke before the sun. He relieved Kevin, then walked the perimeter for over an hour, familiarizing himself with every single inch of the property before taking the stairs to the roof. He had hated surprises even before the world fell, but now knew they could mean the difference between life and death.

  Using Kevin’s high-powered binoculars, he scoped the neighboring structures one by one, checking wi
ndows, looking for movement of any kind. And other than a few dozen Feeders at the far end of the block, they were completely alone.

  With a sense of calm finally beginning to settle in, Owen stepped back from the edge and tucked the binoculars into his coat. He thought about going back down, joining the others, but with the devastated world somewhere below his line of sight, he decided to stay a while.

  For the first time in six days, his heart rate was somewhat normal and he wasn’t only thinking about how he may die. His family was, for the moment, safe. And barring any unforeseen circumstances, they were going to stay that way.

  It hadn’t been quite an hour when she climbed the stairs and joined him on the roof. Her auburn hair and blue eyes perfectly back dropped against the light purple sky. Natalie slowly walked over and sat with her back against his shoulder.

  “They’ve just about got breakfast ready. What do you say to some stale chocolate chip cookies and a few bottles of warm water?”

  Owen smiled, wrapped his arm around her and kissed her on the head. “We need to talk.”

  “Yeah,” she said, “I guess I owe you an explanation.”

  He sighed heavily. “I don’t want to know why. I just want to know what I need to know to make this work, to keep you and the kids safe.”

  Natalie turned back to face him. “You may not want to know everything, but I think you need to understand why.”

  “Really, I don’t—”

  She continued. “I wanted to tell you, but there really never was a good time.” She took a breath, let it out slow. “And by the time it felt right, there was just too much. I was worried about your anxiety and the added stress. I can’t even say that I fully understood what Project Ares was all about, so trying to explain it to you or anyone else seemed pointless.”

  “What were you doing for them?”

  “Only trademark advice at first, but that quickly evolved into management of their in-house litigation team, and at the three-month mark, they brought me in to oversee the contracts with the military and Project Ares.”