The Longest Road (Book 3): The Other Side

by A. S. Thompson

  "Shut up, all-a-yas! I've survived because I'm good at it; always have been,” Vincent continued. “From Vietnam ‘til this damn outbreak. That is what I do, what I was made for. Survival is all about making the right choices and not just the right ones but the bad ones; the ones most people can't or aren't willing to. Tell me, Spencer, what do you choose to do in this situation?"

  The fuse lit and Beth turned to her dad.

  “Nah-ah,” Vincent said, firing a shot into the mud in front of Beth’s feet. “Tell her if she makes a move to you again, I won’t miss.”

  “Daddy!” Beth screamed through tears. She unintentionally shuffled forward, but Drew stopped her.

  “Baby don’t move!”

  "Clock's ticking...what’s it gonna be, Spencer?"

  Drew didn’t think twice. He lowered his gun from Bobby-D’s head and pushed him away. Slowly, he trekked toward Beth saying, “It’s okay. Everything will be okay, baby. I promise.”

  He looked left and saw Julianne and Emily at the mouth of the escape tunnel. He gave her the smallest of smiles, and mouthed the words, "I love you." Then he looked back at Vincent and tossed his gun down. "This is my choice,” he said snatching the TNT from his daughter's hand.

  “Cover me!” Kim whispered. Moving quickly, he swooped up Beth and carried her to Julianne.

  "Self-sacrifice," Vincent said as though pondering the choice. "See, now that's the difference between you and me. That's your weakness-"

  "No," Drew interrupted. He looked at his family then back at Vincent. "They are my happiness."

  In a surprise move, Drew went to toss the explosive, but Vincent planned for that and fired as Drew’s hand came forward.

  The bullet entered Drew’s chest followed by an explosion of red and bone bursting from his back.

  The TNT dropped to the ground alongside his body.

  From the mouth of the cave, the lookout with the whitebeard and the two ruffians from the truck initiated an assault. Bullets whizzed and popped throughout the Sanctuary.

  Charlie shot Vincent two times squarely in the chest, but a bullet resistant vest took the rounds.

  Coughing, Vincent blind fired and kicked his way back toward the far tunnel.

  Simultaneously, Matty ran over and kicked the explosive. The TNT spun along the cave floor, bounced off the wall, and changed directions before settling a foot away from the crates.

  “Everyone, retreat!” Kim shouted.

  The corralled bandits fled to the far wall near the elevator.

  The aggressing guards from the mine entrance had no idea what they were stepping into.

  No one had a chance to duck for cover.

  First came a bang.

  Then came the boom.

  ***

  "See, I told you this was the way!" Matty growled, lifting the escape tunnel hatch. He arose from the mine, dropped his bags and weapon, and then collapsed from exhaustion.

  Alissa came out next and helped Charlie up, before settling down herself.

  Charlie tossed two large bags aside, and then turned to help Emily, Beth, and Julianne.

  “Thanks,” Julianne said, corralling her daughters with both arms.

  Lastly, David Kim pulled himself through the hatch and exhaled a sigh of relief. Unlike the others, though, he did not waste a second on rest.

  “Wait here. I want to make sure the guards at the front entrance aren't on the other side of the mine waiting for us."

  "Don’t have to tell me twice,” Matty replied. Happy to be alive, he cared not about the pouring rain and the mud, nor the dust and filth his body was covered in.

  Their collective rest was short-lived as Agent Kim returned. "Looks like they might have gotten trapped inside. The front tunnel collapsed in on itself."

  "Andrew," Julianne mumbled.

  “Mommy, I want Daddy,” Emily said, too young to comprehend her father’s sacrifice.

  “Me too,” Beth followed, but it was shock that inhibited her understanding. “What does that mean? Is Daddy finding another way out? Is he going to be okay?”

  “I know you do, girls,” Julianne answered rocking back and forth. There was a strange comfort in the uneasy words that followed. “Your father is no longer with us. But he loved you girls so much. Always remember that.”

  Kim bent down on one knee and said, "I could tell your husband was a brave man, a good man. And I made him a promise, ma'am. We are going to a government facility. It'll be safe there. Drew wanted you to come with us, and you are still welcome to if you choose."

  Julianne stared at Kim with red, tear filled eyes. She wanted to blink, to release the tears and let them flow, but her eyelids remained open. "Hewas a good man…”

  Julianne’s tone conveyed mixed emotions, ones of hate, ones of gratitude. Weakened, she closed her eyes and buried her face on the top of her daughters' heads. She sobbed for some time before looking back up.

  "We have no one else, nowhere else."

  Thoughts of Agent Kim’s own family being taken from this world saddened him.

  Charlie, Matty, and Alissa, too, appeared to feel the pain radiating from the widow and her daughters. Despite not knowing Drew personally, and despite his involvement in their recent plight, they respected the man for doing what he had to do to protect his family.

  "We’re good people, too,” spoke Charlie.

  Matty rolled his back off the mud and said, “Stay with us as long as you'd like."

  Julianne nodded, smiling sadly.

  “Guys, come here for a sec?” motioned Kim.

  "I hope that Vincent guy is still alive down there, trapped for days and dies really, really slow.”

  "I second that.”

  "What's the plan, David?"

  “We have to get going. The others will wonder where we've been. Let’s try and get one of the buses running. That would be ideal for storage and transporting Dylan."

  "I'll take the truck and draw the infected away from the school," Alissa said, nominating herself. "Then you can pull up and load everything.”

  "Sounds good. Everyone else, scavenge whatever you can find, the bandits sure as hell won't miss it. All goes well we should be at the The Fox Hole by dusk."

  Chapter 9

  “The Release”

  New Jerusalem

  December 3, 2009

  1150 hours

  “What time is it?” Nick asked, rolling out of bed. He sat on the edge with his hands supporting his head.

  Back up against the couch cushions, Jenny was playing a game of checkers with Eddy but looked up at the clock on the wall. “Almost noon.”

  “Noon? I’ve been asleep for-”

  “Seventeen hours? Yup. Out like a light. Believe me, I haven’t been able to sleep a wink without painkillers.” Eddy made a double jump against Jenny, then paused, reaching for his leg. “G-ah, I can’t tell ya how bad I wanna scratch it. Feels like it’s burning too.”

  “I’ve been asleep for seventeen hours?” Nick mumbled. He reached for the lump on his head, and tested the tenderness. “Why didn’t anyone wake me up? We have to-”

  A light rapping on the door interrupted the conversation. It was Landon carrying a tray of small portions of lunch food and a kettle of hot tea.

  “Hey everyone. Nick, it’s good to see you awake. Sorry, can’t stay and chat. Got more cooking to do, but I’ll come back a little later on and check on ya’ll. Just wanted to drop this stuff off.”

  Landon pulled the door shut behind him, but a bit stronger than intended. The subsequent smack caused Steve to stir awake.

  “Guys, Steve’s finally awake!” Jenny noticed, abandoning the game to kneel by Steve’s side. “How do you feel? What can I get you?”

  "I’m, I feel okay I guess...what’s going on? Where am I?" Steve asked, teeth clattering from full body tremors. From the layer of blankets, to the ember fire, to three of his friends, Steve’s weak eyes dragged around the room.

  “We’re in this weird town called New Jerusalem. What
’s the last thing you remember? Nick pulled you out of the river, then you passed out from hypothermia.”

  “That would explain why I feel like an ice cube, but I'm sweating like a sauna.”

  “Then we made it to this town and-” but Jenny stopped herself.

  Despite his current state, Steve managed to keep up. “And what?”

  Eddy’s eyes narrowed, his lip curled, and his forehead creased with anger. “It’s Kelly...she was killed.”

  "Drink this," Lisa said, handing Steve a cup of hot tea. "You are still recovering."

  Nick pressed the back of his hand to Steve's forehead. "Almost there. Make sure you keep those bottles of hot water tucked under your armpits and groin."

  "That’s what that is,” Steve said, identifying and adjusting the bottles. Awkwardly keeping his arms together, he gladly accepted the cup and diagnosis. "Man, Kelly’s gone...what happened?”

  Jenny’s animated face began to retract and frown as she told the story. “Well, you got most of the infected to go away from us, but there was more. I even got to shoot some of them. I did like you taught me, sight alignment and trigger control, but I didn't hit any in the head-"

  “Ya, I remember that. I remember leaving you guys, then getting knocked into the river…”

  Steve’s shivers increased momentarily as he recollected the frigid rapids and underwater battle.

  "But you said I was awake for a minute? I don't remember that. I don’t remember anything until right now.”

  “You don't remember after I pulled you out?” inquired Nick. “You were awake but weren't making much sense; said something about seeing your dad."

  That’s right...Dad. I remember talking with him, Steve thought but said, "No, don't remember that.”

  He sipped on the tea to hide the lie.

  "Well, after you were unconscious for the second time..."

  Nick took over the account, explaining how they followed Neil’s tracks to the town, Kelly’s accidental murder, and meeting the Preacher. He finished with the Preacher’s unbelievable sermon and unexplainable actions.

  "Doesn’t sound like an accident to me. That’s murder.”

  “Exactly what I said, Steve! Worst part is, they ain’t doing shit about it. When I get my leg back, I swear I’ll-”

  “Do nothing for now,” Nick interjected. “We are already on thin ice as it is. We can’t afford to stir up any trouble...even if it’s justified.”

  “I’m sorry, I think you guys are gonna have to repeat the last part,” Steve said, shaking his head. “What's this about this preacher guy healing people, levitating, and controlling the infected?"

  "All of the above apparently," Nick replied unconvinced. “Oh, and we are not allowed to use that term.”

  “Right...demons. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

  "Believe me, I know. And I'm not one to be amazed easily, but I saw it with my own eyes. I think Jenny and Nick would agree."

  “And you said he actually let himself get bit by the infected? What was he thinking? He’s gonna turn!"

  “I warned him. I warned all of them,” Nick said matter-of-factly. "But it’s not just the Preacher. These people are so...something just doesn’t feel right. But no matter, the virus will get him. By now, he should be showing signs. I’ll stop by and check on him.”

  Steve set down the cup. “Make sure you bring a weapon with you, just in case.”

  "Well I think the Preacher is creepy and the people here are weird,” Jenny blurted, leaning her shoulder close to Steve’s.

  “Agreed,” followed Lisa.

  "Make that three. And like Steve, I wasn't there, but I'll take your guys’ word for it.”

  Eddy shifted his leg from the inclined position and immediately regretted it. "Ow! Damn that hurts! Feels worse than yesterday."

  “Here, let me see.”

  Nick unraveled the bandage, exposing the wound. It was still fresh and puffy, but he noticed distinct markings. "This isn't good. The skin is redder along the sides, and it looks like some pus is forming.”

  "What does that mean?”

  "I can't say for sure but I think it's infected."

  "Damn. What do we do about it?”

  “They made it pretty clear that the Preacher handles all the healing," Lisa answered sarcastically. "But I don’t put much stock in it."

  "So what are we going to do?"

  Steve removed the water bottles from under his arms and put them off to the side. "I'm pretty sure there aren't any more antibiotics in the RV. We gave all our med stuff to Charlie for Dylan."

  Nick nodded, concerned. "What we need is penicillin."

  The word triggered a memory for Steve. His mind flashed to nearly one year before when Mike had made the antibiotic.

  He, Collin, Alex, Mike and Billy were traveling through Pennsylvania. Alex had cut up his leg on a fence on his way back from hunting, and despite adequate care, the wound showed signs of infection. Camping out in the middle of a prairie, miles away from any form of civilization, made it that much more dire.

  Billy passionately suggested finding the nearest pharmacy no matter how big the town, but Collin was hesitant. Fortunately, the decision never needed to be made as Mike proposed a solution. Using his background and knowledge, Mike created homemade penicillin.

  Mike, Billy, Collin… Steve thought, frowning. For a moment, it saddened him to reminisce about the loss of his brother and two cousins, but despite the hurt, the memory was a good one, a healthy one, for it triggered thoughts of happier, better times.

  "I can make penicillin!"

  Eddy’s head nearly spun around. "What? Are you serious, Steve?"

  "Ya! My brother taught us how. He was a chem major at Berkeley and was always messing around with different drugs like that,” he said, leaving out the numerous attempts at illicit varieties. “But I remember the steps, and I know it works because it saved Alex. It'll take a couple days, but I can do it. I just need a few things."

  "Would the infection spread too much by then?"

  "Do we have another choice?"

  Lisa brought over a basket of medical supplies. "We can keep it somewhat controlled if we clean it out every few hours. It'll hurt getting soap in there, but it'll help."

  Eddy frowned dismally. "Homemade antibiotics, no pain meds, I don’t know how much more I can take...no offense, Steve, but this Preacher guy might be a better bet.”

  “What about Donner? Maybe it has a pharmacy, and Steve won’t need to make the penicillin?” suggested Lisa.

  “What about the satellite phone Mr. West left for us there? Maybe we could call Charlie and them for help?”

  “What? West left one of the sat phones there?” Steve asked, confused.

  “Yes, we think so. We got a radio call after I pulled you out of the water. It wasn’t clear, but we think West or Alex said that they left a satellite phone in the tallest building in Donner.”

  “Then we need to get there.”

  “Jenny, Lisa, would you mind cleaning the wound for Eddy?” Nick asked politely, before motioning Steve away from the others. “I’ve seen infections like Eddy’s, and it’s not good. It will spread and fast. We need antibiotics."

  "Maybe the girls are right? Maybe Donner will have what we need? And if the sat phone is there, then they wanted us to get in touch with Charlie, and he can get the government to send help, right?”

  “Yes, it is a possibility.”

  “I just wish there was some way to know if-" Steve stopped and for a moment his lower lip trembled and not because of the cold.

  "If Alex got the vaccine."

  Steve nodded slightly; his shoulders slumped forward. “Alex doesn't have much time left...and there’s no way to know."

  “No, there isn’t.” Nick instinctively looked to his wrist, but a watch had long since been strapped to it. “It’s been well past forty-eight hours already."

  “Don't say it!"

  Steve hadn't realized the volume of his voice nor his han
ds curling into fists.

  Nick waved the girls’ worried looks away with a smile. "I've seen that look before, Steve. Regret is a terrible energy...but is also a good sign."

  Steve’s forehead creased with confusion. “How is terrible energy a good thing...and why are you smiling?”

  "I’m smiling because I’m happy for you. Because this, you, your attitude...it means you can feel. I knew you weren't completely lost."

  "Ugh, not now, Nick,” Steve exhaled, distraught. “I don't want to hear your self-healing shit." He walked back over to the rest. "I need to get out of here, to get the phone, and see if there are any meds or materials to make penicillin."

  Eddy shifted and cringed as Jenny scraped away a section of pus with a warm, moist towel. "The Preacher was pretty stern that no one leaves and returns without his blessing."

  Jenny relayed the conversation, albeit condensed, to Lisa.

  "I think if you press the matter it'll just get worse.”

  "Why don't we talk to this Lawkeeper then? He has to understand our situation?"

  "Might not be a bad idea," Nick thought out loud.

  "I agree,” followed Lisa. “We'll take care of Eddy and meet you back here.”

  “I’ll go. Steve you should stay here and rest,” Nick said, grabbing his coat that hung next to the furnace.

  “Not gonna happen,” Steve said, already tying his shoelaces. “I know you’re gonna tell me it’s a bad idea, and I get it, but it’s only a few minutes, and I promise I’ll rest when we get back. If anything, I need to get my blood flowing.”

  “Fine,” Nick sighed, opening the door. “Let’s go.”

  "Steve wait!” Jenny exclaimed, hurrying over. She wrapped her arms around his back and smashed the side of her face into his chest. "I'm glad you made it."

  "Ya," is all Steve could say. He slowly slid his arms around her back, but didn’t apply any pressure.

  Then, before Steve realized it, Jenny stood up on her toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Really glad.”

  Steve watched her pony tail flop from side to side as she returned to Lisa and Eddy.

  His lower lip quivered as he turned and closed the door.