Becca

by Taylor, Jennie

  “You should let the men do the talking.” Loren added.

  “It is my call, and you’re not staying here. I’m sorry. You understand, we don’t know who we can trust.”

  “Robert,” Ken said, speaking to my dad. “Are you going to put up with this kind of attitude from a little girl?”

  “I just don’t know.” Dad said.

  “You should all leave now.” I said.

  “You should mind your business.” Ken told me.

  “This is my business. I’m in charge here.” Eww, I really didn’t want to say that in front of anyone, especially Dad. “You need to leave now.”

  “Robert?”

  “I’m sorry gentlemen.” he said. “You have a nice day.”

  He got up and left the room. What, he just leaves us out here with these strange men? Nice, Dad. At least I know where this really stands now. I really am in charge. I guess I knew that. I didn't want to humiliate him, though. It has to be tough for your little girl to take over like this, but he just is not up to it. He has proven that.

  “You’re making a bad mistake.” Loren told me.

  “What is your problem, Becca?” Bridget asked.

  “Would you please leave now.” I said to the men.

  “Your lack of hospitality is disconcerting.” Ken told me. He looks about ready to explode.

  “Well I don’t beat women and keep them captive, so I guess I’m at least a little above you in how I treat people, aren’t I?”

  “That’s not a very nice thing to accuse someone of.”

  “Just please go.”

  I glanced over and noticed that Tasha, like me, had her hand on her gun. I wish everyone else would at least get out of the way, in case I have to shoot these guys. There is absolutely no way these people are staying here. Not with my sister. She isn’t going to wind up a part of their little harem.

  They slowly walked past me, glaring at me the whole way. This is bad. This is really, really bad. There’s more of them, and they have bigger guns. This won’t go well.

  As soon as they were gone I sat down for a second. This can’t be happening. Okay, I just said I was in control. I’m making the decisions. Someone has to. So come on, Becca, make a decision.

  “Everyone go pack what you need to take with you. You’ve got fifteen minutes.”

  “What? Becca,”

  “Don’t argue with me, Bridget. Those guys aren’t going to drop this, they’ll be back.”

  “Well then you shouldn’t have pissed them off!”

  “Those are the guys I saw! Do you want to be one of their little sex slaves, Bridget? I’m pretty sure that’s what would happen.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Yes.”

  “Come on, let’s hurry.” Amber told her. “David, get your ass in gear.” She paused and looked over at me. “We’ll be ready, Becca.”

  “What are we doing, hon?” Tasha asked. “What’s the plan?”

  “We have to load up what we can and get out. Quick.”

  “But where will we go?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  She’s right, where do we go? We couldn’t stay here forever anyway, because it will be bad here in the winter and I don’t think we’ll be able to keep warm with no gas and nobody capable of chopping wood. Maybe some place warmer. And if we could head to a major city we would have plenty of stores to raid. Granted, that probably means a lot of infected people around, but we sat on that roof for most of a day without problems. Maybe we could find a place that is easily defended.

  “Dad, we need to go.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “No, we. Us. All of us. Those guys are the ones that I saw, the ones beating those women. They’re going to come back, and they have a lot of guns. We have to be gone.”

  “I don’t think your mother is able to...”

  “I’m not asking, I’m telling you we have to go.”

  “Rebecca,”

  “Dad, we’re leaving. Get things gathered. I’ll help you get Mom to the car.”

  “Do you think this is a good idea?”

  “Yes. We have to. We’re heading south. Some place that will be warm in the winter.”

  “If you think that’s best.”

  We hurried to pack the cars with as much as they would carry. Everyone looked really upset to be leaving. I think they’re blaming me. I don’t really care. Well, I care, I just can’t let it stop me from making the right decision.

  “You should ride with Mom and Dad, Bridge.” I told her.

  “Yeah. I guess.” She glanced over at Dad’s car. “We’re going to be okay, right?”

  “We’ll be fine.”

  “We made it this far, didn’t we?” Tasha said. “We’re going to be fine, Bridget.”

  “Can I ride with them, Becca?” David asked me.

  “Yeah, go ahead.”

  “I’m riding with you.” Amber told me. “It’ll be nice to have the back seat all to myself.”

  Mom was not happy to have to leave. I helped her to the car, and she kept glaring at me like she thought I was being ridiculous. But she didn’t argue. I guess I really am in charge. Even Mom isn’t questioning me. I hate this.

  We stopped for the night just across the border into Kansas. It wasn’t dark yet, but both Tasha and I are too exhausted to continue. We found a big garage that seemed easily protected, and we pulled the cars inside. We spread blankets on the concrete and slept that way. What sleep we got, that is.

  Saturday, May 14th

  “I can’t believe this.” Amber mumbled.

  We were driving back into our neighborhood back home. Houses were still burning. Half the town was gone, burnt to the foundations. Our house was gone. We went a few blocks to Amber and David’s house. It was still there.

  “I don’t know if I want to even go in.” Amber said. Her face was covered with tears.

  “If you want, I can go in and check around for you.” I told her.

  “What if Mom is in there? Or Dad. What if they’re... like one of those things, or even dead?”

  “You just stay out here with Tasha.”

  “You shouldn’t go alone.” Tasha told me. She grabbed my hand.

  “I’ll be okay.”

  Tasha leaned over and kissed me, and then I got out of the car. David was climbing from the back of Dad’s car.

  “Stay out here, David. Go sit with your sister.”

  “I want to go in.”

  “Not yet. Let me check it first, okay?”

  “I want to go in.”

  “Please just wait a few minutes, David. Just a couple. I’ll check it real quick first.”

  I held the gun up, ready to fire on anyone I might come across. The place looked exactly the same as when we left it. Even the note we left was still in the same place. I walked through, checking each room carefully. Nobody was there. It looked like nobody had been in the place at all.

  “It’s clear. They haven’t been here.” I told Amber and David. “You can go in.”

  “There’s no point then.” Amber said.

  “Nah. Let’s just go.” David said, already turning to head back to the car with Mom and Dad.

  “Hey guys, please do me a favor. Just go in and get a few things. Some stuff from your Mom and Dad.”

  “What’s the point?” he asked.

  “I’d feel better. Please.”

  “Do we have to?”

  “No. But I wish you would.”

  They went inside. I made them take a gun and promise to stay together. There’s a chance I missed something, and there’s a chance someone could come in the back.

  “Dad. How are you guys doing? Need a break or anything?”

  “We’re doing alright.” he said. “Any idea where we’re heading?”

  “We should go to south Texas.” Tasha said. She put her arm around my waist. “It doesn’t get very cold there in the winter. It might be a little hot right now, but we can deal with that if we have to. Ope
n windows, or even get a generator to run an air conditioner or a fan or something.”

  “Dad?”

  “I don’t know. What do you think, Rebecca?”

  I think you should step up and make a decision, Dad. Why do I get stuck doing this? I’m seventeen, I shouldn’t be in charge of everything. I’m not the parent here.

  “I think Tasha is right.” I finally said.

  “If you think that’s best, honey.” Dad said.

  I hate this. It’s my call. If I say we should go to the moon he’d agree. I could say we should all shoot ourselves and he’d reach for his gun. This is way too much pressure. What is wrong with my parents? Have they just fallen apart completely?

  Amber and David came back out and we headed away. Amber was riding with me and Tasha again, and she was crying and looking back as we drove off. I feel so bad for her.

  Tasha slowed at the intersection and looked both ways. Don’t really want to get in an accident right now, I guess. But after she crossed the intersection she locked the brakes.

  “What the heck?”

  She was staring straight ahead, not blinking. I looked forward, but I couldn’t see anything. I looked over at her and she turned toward me, her mouth open, her eyes wide. She blinked hard.

  “Tasha?”

  She shoved the shifter into reverse and shoved her foot down on the gas. She backed into Dad’s car. She turned to me with that same blank look again.

  “Tasha, what is going on?”

  She put the car in drive again and spun the tires as she took off, turning down the road we had just passed. And that’s when I saw it. Her Mom’s car. It was sitting in front of their house. Their house that had been sitting empty, waiting for their return from the overseas tour six months from now.

  “Holy crap.” I said.

  She slid to a stop in front of their house and leaped from the car. I was stunned. But then I noticed that she left her gun behind. I hurried from the car, chasing after her. She was banging on the front door with one hand and pressing the doorbell with the other. Hey Tasha, the doorbell doesn’t work when the power is out, hon.

  Mr. Johnson opened the door and Tasha stood there, staring up at him, for probably fifteen seconds. Then she collapsed against him, and he wrapped his arms around her.

  “You’re safe.” Mr. Johnson said.

  “Mr. Johnson?” I said, like a moron. “Is that really you? You’re alive?”

  “Hello Rebecca. How are you? I hope your family is okay?”

  “Um, yes sir.” I waved toward the car with my family in it. “We’re all good.”

  “Natasha!” Mrs. Johnson shouted. Tasha slid from her dad and fell against her mother. “Oh honey, oh I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  “Hi Mrs. Johnson.” I said.

  “Natasha,” her mother said. She looked up at me. “She is okay, isn’t she? She has cuts.”

  “She’s okay.” I said. “Just shocked, I think.”

  “Th-thought you were... de-dead!” Tasha sputtered out.

  I couldn’t think of what to do. I knew we couldn’t just stand out there in the open all day, but I sure didn’t want to interrupt their reunion. Mom, Dad, and Bridget walked up beside me. Dad had a big smile on his face.

  “Howard. How the heck are you?” Dad greeted him.

  “It’s good to see you, Rob.” he said, extending his hand toward Dad. “Libby.” he said, nodding at Mom.

  “How’d you get here?” I asked.

  “Military transport. They evacuated our base when it was all over. Landed us in Charlotte. We had to find our own way here. Been back about a week.”

  “What do you know about what happened?” Dad asked.

  “They hit us hard. We hit them hard. Not much left, I’m afraid. Europe’s as bad as it is here. The Middle East and South Asia are a wasteland after the Russians and us threw ten thousand nuclear missiles at them. I think the only continent that wasn’t completely obliterated is Antarctica.”

  “Damn.” Dad replied.

  “There’s probably around a hundred million or so people left on the planet. Sounds like a lot, but half of those are going to die this first year. We were working out the numbers, my crew at the lab and I, and we figured within five years there may be less than ten million people left.”

  “Why is this happening, Dad?” Tasha managed to ask. She’s sobbing so hard she’s having a hard time breathing.

  “I don’t know.” He rubbed her back. “Someone made a comment that got someone else mad, then they escalated it, then it gets escalated some more. Next thing you know we’re close to extinction.”

  “We need to get inside.” I said.

  They headed in, I went to Tasha’s car to get Amber and David. He had come over to sit with Amber while we were all chatting. We headed inside, where everyone was eating cookies and laughing.

  It was nice to sit and listen to them talk. Tasha telling her Mom and Dad about all the stuff we’ve been through, them telling her about the horrific scenes they’ve seen.

  “Becca has just been awesome.” Tasha told them. “She has kept us all safe.”

  “Well, we’re very grateful, Rebecca.” Mrs. Johnson said. “We’ll take it from here.”

  “It’s not safe here.” I told them. “We really shouldn’t stay here for long. We were heading south.”

  “We wish you the best of luck.” Mr. Johnson said. “I think you’re all going to do just fine. Maybe one day we’ll meet up with you again.”

  “We’re going with them.” Tasha said to him.

  “No, Natasha, we have other plans.”

  “What? No, Dad,”

  “We’re expected in Wyoming. There’s a base in Cheyenne, we’ll be safe.”

  “That’s great!” Natasha said. “It’ll be a little colder, but you’ll all be safe, Rebecca.” she said.

  “I’m sorry,” Mr. Johnson said. “They aren’t going to be allowed in. There’s a limited space. The only reason we’re getting in is because they need a biologist.”

  “But...” Tasha’s face fell into a full face frown. “I can’t go without Becca.”

  “I’m sorry, they just won’t allow it.”

  “But Dad,”

  “They aren’t my rules.”

  “Well then we shouldn’t go!”

  “We have to. There are a million things that could come up, and I need to be there to help sort them out. We’re talking the survival of the human race, Natasha.”

  “But...” She stared over at me, her eyes raining tears. “Can we just take Becca?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  They’re taking her away from me. I feel like I could just die. But at least she’ll be safe. At least I know she’ll be safe. And maybe I can get my family to a safe place in the south. And then I can just shoot myself, because I don’t know if I can live without Tasha.

  “Becca?” Tasha whispered.

  I got up and moved over next to her. She put her arms around me and we cried. It felt really awkward, because everyone was watching us. I pulled back from her.

  “You’ll be safe.” I told her.

  “I can’t go without you.” she whispered. She turned to her parents. “I love her. She has to come along or I won’t go.”

  “Natasha, it’s not really open for discussion.” her father said.

  “You don’t understand, I love her.”

  “I’m sure they’ll be safe, wherever they go, Natasha.”

  “No!” She slammed her fist down. “No. I’m in love with her. We’re together. As in sleeping together together. I proposed to her, we’re going to be married.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” her mother said, laughing.

  “I won’t go without her.”

  “You don’t have an option.” her father told her.

  “Tasha,” I said. I grabbed her face and turned it toward me. “You have to go with them.”

  “What? No, Becca,”

  “I love you.” I gave her a quick kiss. “You’
ll be safe with them. Forever. I can’t keep you safe. Not like they can.”

  “I don’t want to go.”

  “You’re just confused, Natasha.” her mother said. “Understandable. This has been a traumatic experience. But you will see when we get there. There will be lots of boys. Even some of the soldiers aren’t much older than you.”

  “I don’t care!” She shouted. “I’m not going.”

  She really loves me. Clearly. Not that I doubted that. She told everyone we’re sleeping together. But she needs to go. It’s more important that she live. And over time she’ll forget about me. She’ll fall in love with some soldier or the child of one of the other scientists. She’ll be okay without me.

  “I love you so much, Tasha.” I told her. “I want you to survive.”

  “Becca,”

  “You should go with them.”

  “I can’t.” she squeaked.

  “You don’t have a choice.” her father told her.

  “See, you don’t have a choice.” I said. It hurt so much to even say it.

  There wasn’t much else to say. I locked down my emotions and tried hard to not show anything for the next hour. No matter how Tasha cried and sobbed and begged, I held it together.

  She gave me her car. And when we pulled away from the curb, me driving her car with Amber and David riding with me, I tried very hard to think only about how to protect my family. Dad, Mom, Bridget. Except I guess Amber and David are my family, too, now. It’s my fault, I made them come along. So I guess I sort of adopted them. I’m sure Amber would be thrilled by that idea.

  I think I made it ten miles before I had to pull to the side of the road. I leaned my head against the steering wheel and cried. Dad honked from behind us. Amber ran her hand down my back, trying to comfort me. She found some tissues in the glove box and held them out to me.