He looked around his new home and knew that his fate might be sealed. Having no expertise in jail breaks, he’d have to use the only thing he had left, his silver tongue.
Staring at the plaster ceiling, he mumbled, “Trav, what the hell ya going to do?”
A loud clang echoed down the hall.
He sat up, anticipating who was coming.
A man appeared at the door to his cell and said, “Good, you’re awake.” He took out a set of keys and unlocked the door. “Don’t think about trying anything. You can’t escape from here.”
Travis did have the thought, it was instinctual for him, but he dashed the thought. He imagined the man was correct; there was no escape. Then he thought to himself, ‘Yet.’
“Down the hall and out the large metal door,” the man instructed. He was short and chubby, something not seen often seven months after the outbreak. With the scarcity of food many people lost the excess body fat created from living the American lifestyle. His face was adorned with a thick white beard, almost Santa Claus-like in appearance. If Travis were to guess, the man looked in his late fifties.
Travis did exactly as he ordered and made it to the door.
The man unlocked it and said, “Straight through, second door on the left.”
The hallway in front of him looked like any other small local governmental office building, tile laminate floors, drop ceilings and plastered walls where framed posters of McGruff the Crime Dog were hung next to pictures of sponsored Little League teams.
He entered the room and found two people, a man and a woman. Both were middle-aged, but these two people were dressed in semi-professional attire. The man, in his forties, wore a clean pair of khakis, brown boots, and his green polo shirt was tucked in. The woman was wearing an almost similar outfit, khakis, light brown hiking boots, but a thin sweater replaced the polo shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a long ponytail while his hair was cut short and combed to the side.
Travis took a seat in a metal chair opposite them at the small table in what looked like a briefing or interrogation room.
“Thank you, Sam,” the woman said to the old man.
“I’ll be right outside,” the old man responded and closed the door.
Travis’s mind raced with different stories to tell. He thought about giving a sob story about traveling with a pregnant woman, but that would tell them about Lori and possibly put her in jeopardy, so he quickly dismissed it. Telling them he was a lone wanderer wouldn’t win him any points either. Stealing a car from someone was akin to stealing a horse in the Wild West; he just hoped the consequences weren’t alike too.
The woman leaned on the table and said, “My name is Carolyn, and this is Franklin. We’re town leaders.”
“Hello.”
“We normally would say welcome to our town, but that’s not the case here,” she said.
“Can I have a start over?” Travis asked.
“Unfortunately that’s not going to happen, and that saddens us,” she responded.
Travis didn’t like what she just said. He asked, “What’s going to happen to me?”
Carolyn looked at Franklin, who took the lead. “What is your name?”
“Travis.”
“Travis, our little town has survived because we have rules and laws that we all live by. We run a tight ship here and have zero tolerance for crime, such as theft.”
Now Travis’s mind was going a hundred miles an hour. The thought of just fighting his way out started to sound appealing. If he was going to die, why not die fighting?
“However, we are also a practical people and believe that the punishment should fit the crime,” Carolyn added.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but can I explain myself?”
“Of course you can, but we don’t know what explanation you can give that warrants attempting to steal a car,” Franklin said.
“What was I supposed to do, ask?” Travis said mockingly.
Carolyn and Franklin looked at each other, and Franklin continued, “We’re a fair people, so we’ll give you time to offer your side of the story and to ask for forgiveness from the woman you attempted to steal from.”
Travis felt his fate was sealed, so he just wanted to get it over with. He didn’t want to agonize over it too much, so he said, “Let’s get this show going, then.”
“If you were in need of a vehicle, why didn’t you just come into town and ask for help?” Carolyn asked.
“Serious? Ask for one?”
“Yes, ask. We would have helped you out,” Carolyn answered.
“I don’t believe it,” Travis blurted out.
Franklin stood and lifted the metal blinds up. The bright light of day splashed across the room. “Travis, please come and look.”
Travis stood and walked to the window. He gave Franklin an odd look before seeing what he was showing him. When he peered through the blinds, he saw the main street of town, people walking, coming and going in relative peace. A few of the shops along the street were open, with customers shopping and browsing, and a couple cars passed with their drivers waving to those walking the sidewalks.
“What do you see?” Franklin asked.
Travis replied, “A town.”
“But not like any town you’ve seen since the outbreak, I’d wager.”
“How do you keep—how did you?”
“The covenant.”
“How did you do it?”
“Welcome to the town that will be the model for a new America. Welcome to Hope.”
Lori found sleep was impossible, so she spent the hours awake planning how she could help Travis. However, not knowing what exactly happened to him was an issue. She thought about just leaving, but she vanquished that thought immediately. Travis was like family to her. She cared for him and couldn’t abandon him if he was in need.
The rumble of a car outside the main building startled her. She peered out the window but saw nothing.
The front door of the building she was in opened.
Panic set in, and without thinking she ran out the back door right into a chain-link fence. Looking both ways, she decided going left was best, not because of anything specific; it just seemed like the best way to go. When she reached the end of the alleyway, she remembered that she had left her backpack. Not willing to get caught going for it, she pressed ahead and came to the edge of the far building and large gravel parking lot. She peeked out, and to her left about a hundred feet away saw the car she had heard, a blue sedan, but no one was around. To the front of her was the parking lot and beyond was the road. Her indecision was becoming a liability; unsure of what to do, she remained frozen in place. With her back firmly planted against the cold metal siding, she closed her eyes and prayed for an answer to her dilemma.
Lost in her prayers, the sound of the car starting brought her back. She poked her head out and saw it pulling away towards the road. She exhaled deeply and squatted to the ground, relieved that her prayers were answered.
“That was close,” she muttered.
She jogged back to the main building using the alleyway and opened the back door to find out her prayers hadn’t been answered. Standing there like a massive tower was a huge man; he looked down and asked, “Who are you?”
Lori screamed, turned and tripped over herself. Her body slammed the ground hard, her head hitting the exposed edge of the concrete foundation. She rolled onto her back. Blood was flowing from the cut on her head and her vision was blurred. She could feel the almost dreamlike sensation that presaged passing out. She blinked hard to clear her vision, but she saw double.
The man stepped out and looked down at her.
She tried to move, but the darkness was overtaking her. The last thing she saw before the darkness came was the man reaching out for her.
North Topsail Beach, North Carolina
Devin and Tess walked the street, discussing the new objective of rescuing the older kids from the clutches of James Renfield and his men. They wanted to be free t
o say what they wanted without hurting anyone’s feelings, specifically the children.
After being confronted by Brianna twice in as many days about their inability to calmly talk, they took to heart her direct and truthful criticism and pledged to work together without the conflict.
“Before we get into the nuts and bolts of just how we’ll find these kids, I wanted to confess something,” Tess said.
“Go ahead.”
Tess stopped and said, “You’ve been right the entire time.”
He stopped and looked at her. Tess appeared downtrodden. The upbeat and confident woman he was so use to seeing wasn’t there right now. He saw a fragile woman standing before him. “What was I right about?”
“You have no idea how painful this is to say.” She laughed.
“Oooh, now I’m excited to hear what it is.”
The laughter quickly subsided and a more serious look gripped her face. “You’ve been right about Travis and this entire journey here. I agree that him not telling me straight out was stupid, silly. Yes, I can come up with excuses for his inability to tell me, but he’s always been a by-the-book person, and you know something, I can respect that, but the moment I needed him not to be, he still was. He could have told me somehow. He could have gotten word to me if he tried, but I know him, and he was just following orders, being that ever-obedient Marine. It pains me to say this, believe me, I needed him and I felt he let me down. I needed to know so much that I risked my life to find out, and even then, his message is bullshit,” she said, her emotions were at a peak and the octaves in her voice had risen a few notches. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the paper Travis had left for her and continued, “I came all this way to find this—this doesn’t tell me anything. That day we found this, you again questioned why he would do this, and I argued with you. The thing is, you were right and I was just defending a man I love but has let me down. I feel embarrassed. I feel…”
Devin took a step towards her and said, “There’s no need to feel embarrassed.”
She put her arm out signaling for him not to approach closer. “You see, I needed purpose, and finding this stupid map that says nothing gave that to me.”
He wanted nothing more than to hold her and comfort her, but clearly she needed this moment to vent.
“I’ve thought a lot about this, and you were right, but where I’m grateful to Travis is the journey to find this map has given me you and Brianna. You two are amazing and wonderful people. You’re my family.”
“I feel the same way.”
“So I’m grateful to Travis; he gave me purpose and helped me to find two people who have helped me survive this fucked-up world. But now we have these children. They need us, and you know what they give me? They give me purpose, a purpose greater than finding Travis. I now know what this was all about. Travis started this quest, but it was so I could be here with you and Bri to help save these children. I can’t think of a greater thing than that. This is my new purpose, and I hope that you’re in this with me till the end.”
Tess’s speech hit him. Holding back from allowing his emotions to flow, he simply answered, “I’m in till the end.”
She reached out, took his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you.”
“So how are we going to save these kids?”
“Something else I’m grateful that Travis gave me is knowledge and training. So with respect to him, I’ll quote one of his favorite sayings, ‘The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.’”
“So we’ll outsmart them?”
“That’s right. It worked for us in Reed, and it’ll work here.”
“And like in Reed, it doesn’t hurt to have a .50 caliber to help say fuck you,” Devin joked.
“No, it doesn’t.” She laughed. “C’mon, Dev, let’s go find where these assholes live so we can get these kids back.”
Brianna and the kids watched Devin and Tess as they strolled along the road. She wondered what they were talking about, but suspected it had to do with finding the older children but done at a distance in case they had any further disagreements. By their body language she could see Tess was emotional and Devin was for the most part reserved. When she heard them laughing accompanied by a buoyant stride, she felt at ease. The increase in their combative behavior towards each other had reached a tipping point for her. She was tired of hearing it and demanded they stop, specifically in front of the young children.
Tess walked up, a slight grin upon her face and a glow about her. “Everyone gather around.”
The kids rushed from the top of the stairs down to the driveway and encircled her.
Devin took a seat on the hook of the Humvee and awaited Tess’s briefing.
“As you know, we’re committed to finding your brothers and sisters, but in order for us to begin, we need to know where they might be. So raise your hand if you have an idea of where they were taking them.”
Alex was the first to raise his hand.
“Yes, Alex,” Tess said.
“I heard one guy mention the farm.”
“Okay, the farm, that’s clue number one. Anything else?” Tess asked.
The kids looked at each other, hoping for an answer.
Brady blurted out, “I heard the same thing.”
“So the farm, that’s what we have,” Tess said.
“Tess, did you ever search the truck?” Devin asked.
“No, let’s do that.”
Devin and Tess went to the truck and began to inspect it. She pulled everything from the glove box and center console. He took out every piece of trash he could find on the floorboards, under the seat and thrown on the dash. Once they finished, they stood over the heap of papers and garbage.
Many of the kids volunteered to help but were rebuffed. Tess and Devin needed to ensure that every item was examined, and to do so meant they had to keep control of everything.
Morning turned to afternoon as they attempted to decipher each item. When they finished, three things stuck out, a local map with circles, a set of keys and the registration for the truck.
“Looks like we have a lot of places to go recon,” Tess said, referring to the dozen circles on the map and the address on the registration.
“I’d see if the address corresponds with one of the circles,” Devin commented.
“Exactly, but these keys, they’re not house keys or car keys. What are they?” she asked, holding up the keys. One was a brass Schlage door key. The other was unidentifiable; it was small and stainless with a black rubber end.
“Well, the brass key is for a door. The other, not sure, a locker of some type?” Devin said.
“The key chain, does this large rope ball mean anything to you?” Tess asked.
“Nope, looks like a big rope ball. I don’t think anything specific when I see it.”
“Alex referenced a farm. Besides the address from his regs, we need to see if one of these circles is a farm. I’m betting that if one is, then that’s where the kids are.”
“I don’t see a Blackthorn Street marked on the map anywhere, so the registration address doesn’t jive,” Devin said, his eyes focused on the city street map.
“I guess we need to plot the routes and do this the hard way, go from one circle to the next,” Tess said.
Devin looked up into the early afternoon sky then to her and said, “There’s no better time than now.”
“You and me, Bri stays to hold the fort down?” Tess asked instead of stating.
“Nice of you to ask,” Devin remarked.
“Just trying to hold up my end of the peace treaty.”
“Sounds like a plan. Let’s get our gear and get going,” Devin said with a smile.
Pine Bluffs, Wyoming
Lori slowly opened her bloodshot eyes and panned them across the room, from right to left and back. Blinking heavily, she hoped to clear her blurred vision. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she focused on where she was. It was a small bedroom, and by the way it wa
s decorated, it was a child’s room. On the wall were posters of superheroes, and dangling from the eggshell-colored ceiling were models of jets and spaceships. She wondered what time it was. Looking for any sign of the time, she found a digital clock on the nightstand, but it had long since stopped working. The blinds were drawn tight, but enough light crept in from the outside to help her see. Unsure of where she was or when it was, she rested back into the bed and tried to remember any details.
As she searched her memory, she soon found the exact moment and then remembered her last vision, the man reaching for her on the ground. The image frightened her, not because she was afraid he had hurt her but that he might have raped her. She quickly tossed the blanket and sheets off her and found that she was dressed in a nightgown. She pulled it up and discovered she was wearing panties that weren’t hers. Her panic grew as she discovered more and more new things. She pulled down her underwear and examined herself. Everything seemed fine, no bruising or abrasions, and she didn’t feel any pain from her groin. This gave her comfort, but she still wished she could remember what had happened to her after she had blacked out. She reached up with her right hand and touched a bandage on her head. Strange, she thought, that someone would find her snooping around their property and after she hurts herself they take her in and bandage her up. It wasn’t impossible for people to be kind, it’s just that she hadn’t experienced much of it since the outbreak.
Across the room sat a small brown cushioned chair. Lying on the seat were her clothes, folded neatly. On the floor in front of the chair were her backpack and boots. On the small dresser next to the chair, she saw items from her pockets; however, noticeably missing were her knife and pistol. It made sense, whoever had taken her in didn’t know who she was and therefore couldn’t trust her. She didn’t like that her weapons were gone, but she would have done the exact same thing.
She was about to get up when a light tapping at the door stopped her. She got back in the bed, covered herself up, and responded, “Yes.”
The Death: The Complete Trilogy Page 33