*
Abby watched Clyde turn off his cell after having a long conversation with Lorna, who had apparently cried through most of it. He looked up at her, wiping his traces of tears away.
“I think she got most of it. She knew enough not to try to go up the coastal highway. She’ll go north until she hits Sandusky, Ohio, then head east on Route 80 until she hits Sussex County. I gave her the directions to Lily Pond Road. I sure hope she can find the rock in the woods.”
“Are you kidding, Clyde? All she needs to do is follow the trail of elephant, lion, tiger and bear dung. She’ll find it okay.” Abby patted his arm reassuringly. “How long do you expect her drive to take?” Clyde pursed his lips.
“On a normal drive, I can do it in twenty four hours. In a truck with a load, two and a half days. Law only allows drivers to be on the road for a prescribed time. Lorna reported chaos at the stores, looters already taking advantage of the situation. Traffic’ll get bad real soon as people try to flee the cities. I think it might take them a good week, worse case.”
“You going to be okay?” Abby searched his face, finding him difficult to read.
“Yeah. We better get a move on now. Hard to say what the parkway is going to look like.” He turned and headed toward a tractor trailer, wanting to give it a last eyeball before they set out.
Abby ran to the back of their small caravan. Spotting Crystal standing by the last truck, she realized they would have to ride together with Crystal doing the driving. Johno stood respectfully waiting for Abby, having loaded the infant elephants. Abby walked around to the side peering in. Oh, boy. She knew the trip would not be as comfortable as she had hoped.
Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she turned with surprise to be confronted by Karen, the copilot of their transport.
“Miss Preston, I happened to overhear your conversation with the gentleman regarding his wife in Florida. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I heard you offer him a safe place to stay.” Karen’s smile slipped, the desperate hope in her eyes getting the best of her. “Do you perhaps have room for one more? I’m very good with animals and I’m willing to do most any kind of work to pull my weight.”
Abby smiled at her direct and earnest manner. “I think you’ll fit in just fine. You realize the siege might last longer than you think?”
“It is what it is. I’m mighty grateful, Miss Preston.”
“Abby, please call me Abby.” With the decision made, she gave Karen a hand up into the back of the truck where she found a seat near Kenya, who welcomed her with a stingy smile.
Scotty, Kane, Dezi and Cobby wrestled affectionately with the three babies. Jose sat in a corner surrounded with the six elderly monkeys. Ginger Mae and Daisy leaned against a wall, as comfortable as possible on the moving blankets. Kenya watched the elephants’ antics from a distance, her hand cupping her expanding midriff and the macaw trying to compete with the baby bump for a spot on her lap.
Chloe sat nearby with the posse, trying to entice Teddy off her lap. Echo and Barney huddled together like forlorn lovers destined to be separated by the vulgarities of fate. Almost everyone appeared settled—except Peter. He sat alone, his pasty face and owl eyes inviting all to stay away.
The interior of the truck felt pleasantly cool as Clyde joined them, giving Johno and Abby a hand up. She could smell the sweet aroma of sweat coming off Johno as he found a seat between her and the baby ele horseplay. Taking a subtle sniff, she detected other odors; animal and human, feces and fear. Light streamed in from opposing window slides that allowed observation from outside. She thanked her forethought for requesting temperature-controlled trailers. At least that would help keep the smells to a reasonable level.
From the corner of her eye, she watched Teddy rise from Chloe’s lap and trot over to Peter, lifting his leg on Peter’s trousers, his stream not much more than a dribble. Even this indignity failed to elicit a reaction from Peter.
Crystal stuck her head in the door opening. “Okay folks. This is it. See you on the other end. Abby, if you need to talk to me, you have my cell.” With that she shut the door, locking them in.
Abby asked for everyone’s attention to introduce Johno. The response was mixed with tentative smiles. Kenya picked up the slack with a friendly wave.
“Hey, chicky, why don’t you come over and sit by me? I can use some company.”
Johno turned to Abby, his expression hopeful.
“You don’t need my permission, Johno, go relax for a while. A pretty girl is always good medicine for stress.”
As Johno made his way carefully across the truck to sit in front of Kenya, they felt the truck start to move. Abby’s heart quickly jumped to her throat as she wondered how much time they had left before the next bomb fell. She suddenly felt an aura strike her mind.
“We must hurry, Sister. We are not safe. My Barney is not safe.” She looked across the truck to meet Echo’s eyes.
Squatting down next to Clyde, who couldn’t pull his attention from his XiPhone, she asked for an update.
“The news is bad, very bad. Israel is in shambles. The Times claims it was Iran. They couldn’t resist with all the confusion diverting our attention here.” His voice sounded flat and hollow, bereft of all hope.
“Clyde, tell me. Did Israel strike back?” She saw no change in his expression. “Clyde, what happened?”
“It’s all over, Abby. We’re done. Israel dropped the bomb in Iran and Pakistan. Russia announced plans to strike Israel, not that much can be left. The President has declared war on Russia. The Chinese have threatened to back up Russia. What difference does it make now? We’re toast. I’ll never see my wife again.”
“Can we keep this between us right now? I don’t want a panic. This is our only chance to get to safety.”
Clyde nodded blankly. Abby knew that promise wouldn’t last long.
“Sister, we must hurry.”
Without speaking, she sent back her own aura to Echo for the first time. “We’ll make it, Echo, I can feel it. Tell Netty to pray for us. It’s in God’s hands now.”
Chapter 9
Chloe dozed off and on as the caravan of trucks inched along the parkway headed for Route 24 that would take them to Route 287 and then Route 80. Scotty said they would be in good shape when they hit Route 80. She straightened up, yawning, and readjusted her position as the dogs crowded in on her, each one trying to compete, striving to be the closest to Chloe’s body for comfort, Teddy triumphantly refusing to be outdone.
She sniffed her shirt as a happy snort from one of the baby eles woke her for good. She noticed the ripe smell in the truck, discovering it came from all of them, not just her.
Catching Jose watching her, she acknowledged his interest with a stingy wave, wondering how long it would take her to adjust to the fact that she now had a big brother. She remembered how often as a child she would pester her mother for a brother. Guess that never stood a chance now that she knew her father—rather Omar—the man who had kidnapped her, actually hated her mother. Sighing, she realized Jane really wasn’t her mother either. What a bunch of screwed up psychotic nut jobs. Uncle Brooks too—not her uncle. It became more and more difficult to wrap her mind around the reality of her new life. How could she have thought those people loved her when they had turned out to be such sickos? And what did life hold for her now? Seemed she might have gone from the frying pan to the fire.
At least she still had Scotty and Teddy. She scanned the truck, giving everyone a quick assessment.
Kenya looked interesting, although she didn’t have the faintest idea who the black man with the big wide smile and green scrub coat could be. Noticing the gorgeous black girl cup her belly, she wondered where the baby’s father was. Poor thing, she knew that infant was in for a tough road.
She watched as the poor lady with the knife wound on her face whispered to her little girl, who seemed to be snapping out of her funk, exhibiting a smattering of interest in the baby elephants.
A skinny weird-looking man suddenly slid down to rest next to her. His breath wheezed as his exertion with the eles made him breathless.
“I could sure use a smoke right now.” Breathing heavily, he turned to her and the dogs. “These guys all belong to you?”
“No, Teddy is mine.”
“Teddy? He looks like a ratty pain in the ass. You got a smoke?”
She picked up Teddy, holding him defensively in her arms. “You can’t smoke in here, can’t you see that?” She eyed him contemptuously. “You’d be able to breathe if you didn’t smoke those disgusting things.” He didn’t appear to be listening.
“Gee, those elephants sure can wear you out. We shoulda left them behind. They’re gunna be a real pain in the ass, I can sure see that right now.”
“Why did you agree to help out if you don’t like them?”
He nodded suggestively, his weasel face and pisshole eyes directed at Abby, who crouched next to Jose. “The babe made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. She’s got it bad for me.”
Chloe burst out laughing, causing Scotty to look over in surprise, a happy smile on his lips. Sobering, Chloe snorted at him. “You better take your skinny butt out of here. Abby is my boyfriend’s sister and that’s her boyfriend she’s talking to. Looks to me you are shit out of luck, bud. And if you don’t like animals you sure are in the wrong place.”
Dezi shrugged, her words sliding off his back like Crisco on a roasted ham hock. “What do you know, kid? The Dez begs to differ.” He slid over to the wall of the truck.
“Okay, you smelly mutts. I’m gunna get myself some shuteye. Now back off.” In a second, he began to snore, chasing Mimi to the other side of Chloe, oblivious to all.
*
After their progress inched slowly over a drive of more than six hours, Abby felt the truck slow, coming to a complete halt. Under normal conditions the drive took two hours. She looked out the window, calculating they were far along Route 80 near the exit for Route 15, about a normal thirty-minute drive from Lily Pond Road.
Jose, Cobby and Clyde joined her at the window.
“Holy Mother, look at all those people.” Clyde’s demeanor had failed to improve during the drive, the crowds clogging the highway causing his face to fall further.
“Don’t worry, Clyde, she’ll make it.”
“How’s she going to make it here if we can’t even get through?”
Abby pulled out her cell phone, the signal still available. “This is Abby, I want you to inch right through the crowds. They’ll move. Easy on the horn, the animals are already agitated from the long ride. The crowds should break up once we’re on Route 15.” Within minutes, she felt the truck move forward.
They watched as they passed the crowds filled with poor people; families without vehicles lugging children, blankets and bags of food and water. The sides of the road were littered with discarded family valuables and possessions. Strength drained, their most valuable possessions now their lives.
Abby spotted two children trudging along the road, a girl of about ten holding hands with a boy of about three; tears falling from the toddlers eyes as his mouth cried soundlessly for his mama.
“Jose, look, can’t we stop for them?” Abby’s hopeful voice tapered off after a bitter laugh from Cobby.
“If we stop, we’ll be overrun by the horde fleeing into the hills. They’ll toss these baby elephants off this truck so fast you won’t know what hit you. What do you think they’ll do to Echo? God forbid they find out about your ehm . . . changes.”
They heard a poorly suppressed sob and Clyde turned from the window to sit in a corner away from everyone.
A stone suddenly hit the window, then a rock. The rocks from the crowd pelted them heavily as the slow-moving tractor trailers became the focus of the crowd’s anger. The sliding window shattered, sending Abby to the driver’s side of the truck. To her horror, she observed men with long poles trying to pry open Crystal’s door. As it caved in from the onslaught, she felt Crystal rev the engines, blowing a bone-shattering warning to the crowd.
As a man jumped up to Crystal’s window wielding his pole, she tramped on the gas. The huge truck bucked, threatening to stall, then caught, springing forward into the crowd. The man with the pole fell from his perch along with those standing inside the truck. Abby fell to the floor, landing on Scotty and Kane. She felt the truck pick up speed, tires riding over bumps in the road, thumps vibrating through the truck, the horn still spewing its threatening salvo.
Peter, Johno, Cobby and even Chloe tried desperately to calm the babies, the unfamiliar sound setting them to panic.
Dezi clung to the rim of the window, managing to stay upright.
“Holy shit . . . oh my God.” He hung his head, the palm of his hand rubbing tears that threatened his macho pose. Abby screamed from the floor, rising to run to the window. Dezi caught her, holding her back in his skinny arms.
“You don’t want to see this, babe, I promise you.” His voiced cracked with emotion.
“Let it go, Abby.” Jose’s voice rang loudly. He stood motioning for her to join him. Dezi released her and she flew to Jose’s arms to sink down on the floor of the truck, trying to forget the feeling of the bumps that weren’t road under the wheels of the truck.
“It was them or us.” Jose’s voice sounded with the bitterness of deathly reality, the trucks finally making time on the road.
*
The moon gleamed happily high in the sky, indifferent to the misery of the occupants of the truck caravan as it pulled into Lily Pond Road. Abby scrambled out of the truck, avoiding the blood splattered on the bumpers of Crystal’s big truck.
She flew to the front door to be met by Mama Diaz with open arms.
“Oh, my child, it’s so good to see you.”
Abby cried as Mama stroked her hair, making her feel like a youth again, wanting to disappear into her capable arms and never emerge.
“Oh, Lord, what do we have here?” Mama Diaz faced the trucks to see a stunning Siberian tiger standing on the lawn, his head swaying from side to side as he scanned the people emerging from the last truck in line, eyes glowing as he spotted Scotty.
“Mama, you must follow Scotty. Take the girls into the woods. He’ll show you where to go. We must hurry. There is little time. I’ll be there shortly. I need to get the rest of the animals headed to the woods. They won’t hurt you. It’s okay.” Mama hesitated.
Abby called to Dezi. “Dez, I’m putting you in charge of getting Mama and the girls to the woods with their stuff. Don’t leave their side. Clear?”
Dezi winked. “Sounds like a chance to do you another solid there, babe.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Dez, I’ll owe you.” And she ran off.
The unloading progressed nicely. Abby ran from trucker to trucker, reminding them not to forget their personal pets, counting a pregnant tabby cat, a pair of bunnies, a male German shepherd, an aquarium of mice (rescued no less) and a female poodle. Her fear of trying to persuade the truckers to join their refuge no longer worried her as they all expressed their gratefulness over the shelter. She secretly shuddered at what their reactions would be when they realized what they were really in for.
She loaded Karen, their ex-copilot, with suitcases from Mama Diaz. Loaded down heavily, Karen caught up with Dezi to climb the hill that led into the woods.
Echo and the dogs stood to the side, waiting to bring up the rear with Abby.
“Go, go, go.” She moved everyone on as they tried to encourage her to join them.
Abby scanned the dark houses in the neighborhood wondering why they failed to attract any curious eyes. Must all be hunkered down in their basements. No sooner did the thought cross her mind when she spotted a small figure running down the hill towards her, nothing less than a turtle in his small hands. Kimir. Oh, no.
“What are you doing outside at this hour, Kimir?”
The young boy stopped in front o
f Abby, breathless. “I watched every day for Scotty to come back. I want the monster in his shirt to fix my turtle again. Something’s wrong with his shell. It’s all soft. And he won’t eat anymore.” Kimir started to cry. “He won’t eat his favorite donuts.”
“Donuts? That’s not what a turtle should eat.”
“Where’s Scotty? I need him.”
Abby made a quick decision. She knelt down and pointed to the trail of animals disappearing over the hill. Glancing toward the last truck, she spotted Crystal hooking her pig up to its halter and leash. Kimir’s tear-stained face and dark beseeching eyes pleaded with her for help; a simple request from a little boy who counted the biggest thing in his life to be the health of his turtle.
“See that nice lady over there? She’s taking her pig to Scotty. Crystal. Over here.” Crystal trotted her pig over to Abby. “Can you take Kimir up the hill with you? Help him find Scotty.”
“Sure. Come on, doll, we have to hustle.” She took Kimir’s hand and started for the hill leading into the woods. Kimir glanced back at Abby, lost and pitiful.
“It’s okay, Kimir, I’ll be right behind you in five minutes.” She smiled encouragingly. As she reviewed the remaining trucks, she felt a strong aura probe her mind.
“It is time, Sister Abby. There is no time left. We must go now.” Abby noticed that Mimi, Penny, Barney and Echo remained behind waiting for her.
“Abby, come on.” Jose ran down the hill, waving for her to come. She scooped up Echo and Mimi, heading for the hill.
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