by E S Richards
Mia burst out laughing. She couldn’t blame the boys at all for what they had done; she’d said so much earlier, they deserved to have a bit of fun. While she was absent, they might as well have been enjoying themselves with the cars. They hadn’t slowed them down at all and the boost of morale that all of them seemed to share could only be positive for the remaining days ahead.
“Which car, then?” Mia gave in; relinquishing control to the three college boys and letting them each fight their corner for a vehicle. They had started up pretty much every single one in the showroom, including several which only had two seats. It was obvious to Mia now that they had known there was a solution to the problem from the start and they had taken her invitation to test the cars out as a chance to blow off steam. Mia was glad of it. When the four of them finally climbed into a large Jeep, the atmosphere was light and airy, not tense and uncomfortable like it often had been over the past few days.
Mia sat behind the wheel, Jadon to the right of her in the passenger seat, while Marcus and Jesse occupied the back. Before leaving, each of them had done a full, individual search around the auto center, gathering whatever supplies they believed would be useful for the rest of their journey. They emptied vending machines, broke apart water coolers for the plastic containers and pillaged drawers and cupboards for other useful equipment. Mia planned to stop several times for them to repeat the process, hoping that the car would be filled to the brim with food and other supplies by the time they reached her parents’ farmhouse.
The conversation was quiet but relaxed in the car as they drove, Marcus and Jesse leading it from the backseat, with Jadon joining in occasionally as they reminisced about their time at school and the things they’d gotten up to on the football team. Mia was happy to focus on driving and just listen, the inane chatter keeping her mind occupied enough to forget about all the horrible things they’d encountered, yet not distracting enough to make her lose focus on the road. Even though the storm had passed by then, the driving conditions were still pretty bad and the road surface was often slippery underneath the tires. The dark coating of ash had spared nothing, the wheels of the Jeep kicking it up from the road as they drove and forming small clouds in the air around them. Thankfully the windows and doors were airtight, otherwise they were all aware filtration masks would be needed to breathe.
“Hey—isn’t that the camping ground Lois was talking about?” They had been driving for just over half an hour when Jadon pointed out the front window at a camp site just off the road, the very one that Lois had told them her husband, father, and two sons had been to before Yellowstone erupted.
“Oh, wow,” Mia breathed, slowing the car down as they moved past it so everyone could look and she didn’t need to concentrate on the road so much. “I think it is.”
“That’s insane,” Jesse remarked from the backseat, leaning across Marcus so he could have a better look. “What do you think caused that?”
“I have no idea,” Mia shook her head, her mouth agape at the sight in front of her. “That’s just…” She didn’t have the words to finish her sentence, shocked and appalled by the sight beyond her window.
“Lois isn’t ever going to see her family again,” Jadon whispered. “Is she?”
No one needed to reply. The answer to Jadon’s question was obvious. Lois and her daughter were on their own now and that was the way things were going to stay for them. Forcing her eyes back to the road ahead of her and away from the camp site, Mia tried not to think about it. She had promised Lois she would look for her family, but now she wished she hadn’t. Lois’ family was long gone and Mia could only hope that the same fate hadn’t befallen her own.
Chapter 4
“Ease up, Blake,” Chase argued with the man, his patience starting to fray. “You know we’re not going to run off. We need to go out and try to find the gear we came here for. You can come with us if you really want.”
“It’s not that, Chase,” Blake tried to reason back, remembering the direct order he’d received from Jackson not to let any of the children out just yet. “It’s not safe in the city. I trust you, but the Authority is still out there and we can’t trust them. I need you to wait just a little bit longer, then we can go and find the stuff you need to fix up your farmhouse and I’ll even escort you back there myself and help fix the place up. You just need to give it a bit more time. I can’t let you run out into the city like this.”
“Oh, come on, man!” Chase threw his hands up in despair. “What do you think I did before you guys came along, just sat around and twiddled my thumbs? Just because you rescued us from the pit doesn’t mean we all need saving. I can look after myself, you know!”
“Hey, hey, chill out, kid.”
“I’m not a kid!” Chase exploded, the frustration and helplessness he felt ever since the first day they witnessed the effects of the eruption all pouring out of him like a volcano. In truth, there was more than just a few weeks’ worth of emotions firing out of Chase. He was venting the buildup of pressure that had rested on his shoulders ever since his parents died over a year ago.
He stormed away from Blake and the others; he, Riley, Joel, Hazel, Leo, Mike, and his younger brother Rylan all planned on heading out into the city together that day. He was instantly embarrassed about the way he’d reacted to Blake, knowing he should be able to handle himself better and especially ashamed that his sister had seen him react like that. He couldn’t help it, though. For months now, Chase had been feeling like the pressure was too much, but at the same time knowing that he couldn’t let it show. That feeling had only intensified since Yellowstone erupted, and everything that had happened in Houston had just been too much for him. He needed a minute to himself, he needed time to breathe.
“Chase?”
Riley’s sweet, soft voice filled her brother’s ears, Chase swallowing as he stood facing the wall, trying to force himself to calm down quicker. There wasn’t really anywhere for him to run to inside the office facility, so his tantrum and subsequent storm-off had left him just around the corner from everyone else. He knew they would all hear anything he said and Chase desperately didn’t want to embarrass himself any more. As much as he wanted to be honest with his sister and open up to her, he knew the pressure and the responsibility was his to bear alone. He wouldn’t drop that burden onto Riley.
“I’m sorry,” he began, turning slowly to look at his sister. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”
“It’s all right,” Riley shrugged. “I doubt Blake took it personally. It’s stressful as hell for everyone in here, bro.”
“Thanks,” Chase smiled, still embarrassed by what he’d done. He would need to apologize to Blake as well, an act that he never enjoyed doing. “I just hate being treated like a kid, you know?”
“I know,” Riley laughed. “That’s the whole reason I’m here, remember? If I’d been fine with it then I would’ve never snuck out of the farmhouse in the first place.”
Chase joined his sister in laughter, walking forward a few paces and putting an arm around her. “That’s very true,” he smiled. “I guess you probably even messed up a bit more than me in that department.”
“Hey,” Riley objected, punching her brother lightly on the arm. “Always so quick to shunt the blame away, aren’t you?”
“It’s a skill,” Chase grinned, allowing his sister to guide him back around the corner to where everyone else still waited. He was still embarrassed. However, Chase had learned over the years that the best way to avoid embarrassment and ridicule was to act like it didn’t affect you. It might not be doing him a great deal of good on a mental level, but to Chase it was important to save face and appear strong to his peers.
“Sorry, Blake,” he admitted. “I didn’t mean to shout at you.”
“It’s cool, man,” Blake smiled. “I’m sorry I called you a kid. I guess I haven’t really spent much time thinking about what all of this is like for you guys. We just assumed we were saving you; I never really consider
ed how it would feel going from one facility to the next.”
“It’s not the best,” Leo remarked, everyone aware of the difficulties that were facing him in particular since leaving the theater district. His parents were still walking free in the city—to the best of his knowledge—the fact that they might well have died already not escaping anyone.
“A bit of freedom would be nice,” Chase continued, willing Blake to let him and his friends go out into the city for the day. “We’re obviously going to be sensible about it.”
“What exactly did Dad say?” Mike asked, irritated that Jackson had thwarted their plans. “He’s always like this when he’s planning something.”
“That you’re to stay inside the building,” Blake stated simply. “We’ve got a few eyes on the Authority, but nowhere near enough. We think they’re trying to regroup and come back for you guys. We can’t let you just walk into their hands.”
“Let us be your eyes, then,” Mike suggested. “We can report back on what we see in the city and let you know if they look like they’re doing anything. Like Chase says, we’re not going to run off and we’re not going to get caught. Just let us do this, Blake.”
Blake looked at Mike for a second, and then moved his gaze across each of the seven children in turn. Chase had been right earlier, none of them were kids exactly; the youngest among them was twelve, certainly old enough to take care of themselves. While Jackson had specifically decided against it, there was something inside Blake that struggled to say no again. At that moment, he knew he was going to let them go out into Houston; he just had to make sure they were sensible about it.
“Okay,” Blake eventually exhaled. “This didn’t come from me, okay? If anyone asks, you snuck out of here of your own accord—I knew nothing about it, got it?”
“Yes!”
“Got it—thanks Blake!”
“Hold up!” Blake continued, determined to share some knowledge and wisdom with the group before they ran off into the city. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to know every detail of what happens out there, okay? I want you back here by the time the cafeteria opens for dinner and I want you all to debrief me immediately after. Okay?”
Chase, Mike, and Riley all nodded, the others just listening quietly as Blake laid out his instructions. He made it clear to everyone how careful they needed to be, detailing not only the threat from the Authority, but from the city itself too. Each of the seven carried the best filtration masks they could find, Blake ensuring none of them were stuck with just a scarf wrapped around their face.
“Come back in the west entrance,” Blake said as he finally stepped away to let the children go outside. “I’ll brief Gemma and make sure she knows. I assume we can trust her, Mike?”
“Yep.”
“All right then. Good luck out there. Make sure you come back alive.”
With Blake’s words ringing in his head, Chase led his friends out of the office building and into the street. They all pulled up their shirt collars around their necks as they stepped outside and fastened any buttons on their clothing even tighter. Houston had dropped in temperature considerably since they were last outside, even twenty-four hours making a massive difference to the climate.
Everyone knew which way they needed to go so they set off at a considerable pace. No one wanted to spend longer than necessary outside, even though they had all fought to be allowed out in the first place. The city was dark and quiet. It felt like there could be anyone waiting around the next corner: someone from the Authority, a random adult, or even another lost child. They all knew they couldn’t rule anything out and as a result, each of the seven was on high alert, the tension in the air around them elevated.
Chase and Mike were at the front of the group, both carrying maps that they had studied earlier that morning. They were aiming for a couple of manufacturing sites nearby, although the route there wasn’t exactly as they had told Blake. A dangerous detour had been planned, taking them along the street where Leo had lived with his parents. They were lucky that his home happened to be nearby, but beyond that, everyone was nervous about what they might find.
None more so than Leo himself. As an only child, he didn’t share a sibling bond like everyone else in the group did. He couldn’t help feeling like an outsider—things had been different inside the pit, no one was united with their sibling back then—but now it was obvious. Leo felt like an outsider and he knew he looked like one as well. Going back to his parents was something he felt like he needed to do in order to find a bit of direction in his life. He had to know why they hadn’t joined up with Jackson’s team and tried to break him free. So many other parents had done it, why didn’t his seem to care?
Leo couldn’t decide what would be worse, turning up at his house to find his parents there and knowing for certain that they hadn’t cared enough to try and free their only son, or turning up and finding the house empty, his parents dead.
“It’s the next turn,” he mumbled quietly through his filtration mask as Chase and Mike started to lead the group down the wrong street, Leo recognizing the surroundings. “Not this one.” Acknowledging the instruction, everyone turned back slightly, allowing Leo to shuffle forward to the front of the group and lead with the others.
“You okay, man?” Chase asked once Leo was beside him, sensing the trepidation in his friend.
“Yeah,” Leo forced himself to reply, unwilling to show how nervous he was about what was about to happen. “Not far now.”
It was obvious the young man didn’t want to talk and so conversation halted immediately. Leo turned right into the back alley that ran along the rear of his row of houses, access possible through small gates that led into individual yards from behind. He counted along the street carefully as they walked, even though he knew without question which door belonged to his family. He’d scratched his name into it as a child, a reminder that helped him identify the right house when he was young. It wasn’t needed anymore, but Leo still couldn’t help tracing his thumb over the faint markings when he reached the door, the name signifying that he was home.
“Do you want us to come in with you?”
“No, it’s okay,” Leo shook his head. “I need to go in alone.”
“Okay,” Chase replied, opening his mouth to wish his friend good luck as well and then thinking better of it. This wasn’t something you could be lucky about. Neither of the possible outcomes were something that Leo wanted. So, like everyone else, Chase remained silent as Leo pushed in through the gate and made his way up into the house. He looked over at Riley and tried to give her a reassuring smile, his sister merely shaking her head slightly at him and remaining quiet. There was nothing any of them had to say; their only option was to wait for their friend to return.
“Let’s go,” Leo whispered several minutes later, finally appearing again in front of the three pairs of siblings. “Which way?”
“What happened?” Mike asked immediately, not picking up on Leo’s clear desire not to talk about what had happened inside his house. None of them had heard a thing. No voices, no conversation, not even the sound of footsteps. They had no idea what had happened inside, no idea if Leo had found his parents or not.
“They’re not there,” Leo shook his head. “The house is empty.”
“Aw, man,” Mike laid an arm across Leo’s back in condolence. “I’m sorry, Leo.”
“It’s fine,” Leo shrugged casually, avoiding looking anyone in the eye. “It’s sort of what I expected anyway. Let’s just go. No point wasting any more time here.”
“Are you sure?” Chase asked, narrowing his eyes at Leo and trying to determine what was really going on. Something told him Leo wasn’t being completely truthful with the rest of them, he just couldn’t be sure why exactly. “Do you not want to get anything from inside?”
“No,” Leo replied bluntly. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
Chase didn’t want to argue with his friend, looking up and seeing Mike preparing to talk ag
ain and managing to silence him with a glare. They would talk to Leo when they were back in a safe place. Chase wouldn’t let one of his friends suffer like this; even if Leo didn’t want to tell them what had happened or the truth about his parents, they would be there to help him grieve however he needed.
Leo was right, though. There wasn’t any point in waiting around outside his old house now that their job there had been completed. They needed to find the gear Chase and Riley had originally come into Houston for; they needed to find a way to fix the farmhouse roof. Chase wasn’t certain what had happened between Leo and his family, but he was certain that his still needed saving and he was determined to finally make some progress in that department.
Chapter 5
Glancing in the rearview mirror, Mia couldn’t help looking once more at the camp site where Lois’s family had been staying before it faded from view. The sight of it frightened her a great deal, worrying that she would find her own family caught up in the same way. It was the sign at the entrance that struck her. The archway that the cars drove through onto the site had an old-fashioned sign hanging from it just like the one that hung above the driveway to her parents’ farmhouse. It was all that was left of the entire site.
Lois had shown them all a photograph of her husband, Danny, standing with her two sons and daughter at the campsite, taken on a previous trip. They’d all looked at it, promising Lois that they would do their best to try and find her family at the site if they passed by. Now they had passed by, but the family was nowhere to be seen.
In the photograph there had quite clearly been three brick buildings on the site, alongside the numerous rows of tents which friends and families occupied. When Mia had driven by the site, there hadn’t been any left, all of them completely destroyed by the massive airplane that had fallen from the sky and landed directly on the site. It was a huge Boeing 747-8, capable of holding over 700 passengers. Mia knew none of them would have survived, the airplane crushing everyone in the campsite below and—from the state of the wreckage—consuming those who might survive in a terrible fire.