by Logan Keys
Chapter 2
New York
Cameron stoked the fire. “I sent them with most of the burnable items and wood so we have very little left. Best we keep this only going as much as we need to.”
Michelle huddled into herself for warmth. Reese was pale and quiet, and sitting off to the side. She wasn’t going to chat them up or be friendly and that was fine by Michelle.
“What’s the plan?” Bob asked, seeming as eager as Michelle was to keep the love birds from thinking this was a vacation. Like her, he wanted to figure out what Cameron meant about trying to stop the weather.
“Tell me again about the crawling ice you mentioned, Michelle?” Cameron asked, ignoring Bob.
“It just…I dunno. Everything froze so fast. It wasn’t normal. It came down the chimney and into the house. It was on everything. I’ve never seen ice move like that.”
Cameron nodded. “I feel like that cold front will continue to move south. It’s caused the earthquakes and storms. Now this.”
And “this” was the end of their lives if they didn’t stop it. The end of everyone. Michelle knew that. She prodded, “The plan?”
“I want to try to get into headquarters. Reese can help with that. I want to see what I can do to link up with our satellites. I don’t know that it’s even possible. The freeze has most likely damaged all of our equipment…”
“Whoa,” Michelle interrupted. “Let’s not defeat ourselves before we’ve even begun.” Sure, she’d had negative thoughts of this last-ditch effort to stop what was happening to their planet. The bad guys were out there like wolves among the sheep. New York was in their claws now. But she wanted to try to stay as positive as possible. As long as possible.
“I thought you said nothing could be done,” Reese said. Her expression finally revealed interest. Good, Michelle thought. It was about time she thought about cleaning her own mess.
Cameron sighed, rubbing a hand through his frazzled hair. “I know. And I’m ninety-nine percent sure that I cannot.”
“And if you’re right?” Bob asked.
Cameron gazed at Michelle then Bob and lastly Reese. He touched Reese’s chin, but she shrank away. “Let’s hope I’m wrong,” he said softly.
“When do we leave?” Bob asked.
“Now.”
**
Michelle had extra ammo for her gun; she and Bob had gone over how to load it several times. “You have to make sure to pull this one back to slide the bullet it,” he said. “It’s not like the revolver.”
She nodded and showed proof that she could do it, and do it fast.
“Ready?” he asked, and she shook her head.
“No. Can we still change our minds and cut and run? I’ll try not to fall skiing this time. Promise.”
That got half a smile. Bob was still mourning his son, and he naturally wasn’t his usual self.
Michelle sighed. “Do you expect trouble? Is it your partner?”
Bob nodded. “I think we haven’t seen the last of Al or Seagerman.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I know how to load this then.”
That got him to give another half-smile and Michelle felt it was a baby step in the right direction.
They made their way back into the snow. They had Cameron’s car but it was anyone’s guess if it would make it far enough. If they got stuck, they’d have to walk. It made Michelle anxious. If they didn’t head south soon, they’d be trapped in New York until they froze to death. But she was determined to help this final time.
The car was running for a full half hour to warm up, even though they wasted precious gas to do it. They all got inside, and then Cameron was light on the petal, inching towards the headquarters building. Bob and Michelle kept their eyes peeled for the rogue groups that she knew could be around every corner.
It was eerily quiet in the city. The people were either inside and hiding or worse…dead and gone. One good thing about the cold was that it was too dangerous to be out hurting people.
“Where is everyone?” Bob asked and Cameron and Reese shared a glance.
“You didn’t know? No one told you?”
“Told us what?” Michelle asked.
“The military came through and evacuated the city while you were gone. Most everyone that could leave right then, did. It took all day, but…you were gone for two.”
“How did it only take a day to evacuate millions of people?”
Reese shook her head. “I don’t even think a million were left. People have been leaving, fleeing the city since it all began. Anyone with gas started leaving long before you and I tried to get to the hospital. That’s not to say that probably half of the city is dead in their homes by now...not everyone had heat afterwards. Once the fires died, I figure most just froze.”
Michelle was shocked. She’d been so busy that she hadn’t noticed the exodus of her beloved home. She’d been so stuck in her own problems, she never realized that people had been leaving and doing the smart thing all along.
“It’s true,” said Bob. “The people across the bridge, if they haven’t left yet they probably froze when Michelle and I almost did.”
“My God,” Michelle whispered. “So many dead.”
Cameron nodded. “But there were a lot of people leaving. They brought buses. They knew the weather would turn. It’s like they were planning that everyone across the bridge was already gone because they didn’t even bother to try to cross.”
So that’s why the city was a ghost town now. Well, except for the unsavory types. Michelle bet they’d stuck around. They ruled here now. They probably hid from the military until they were clear.
“My family could have gone,” Bob said. “The could have left me.”
“Jensen and his group, too,” Michelle added.
But they’d all waited for Michelle and Bob to return. They risked everything to see if they were still alive and would make it back.
Even with the heater going, it was so freezing in the car that Michelle shivered. The temperature dropped every day it seemed. It became deadlier and more dangerous as they stayed north for any length of time.
They made it to the headquarters without trouble.
“It’s quiet,” Cameron said.
“Too quiet,” Bob added.
“Let’s go through the parking garage,” Reese offered.
There were tents set up inside, but Michelle knew they’d be empty now. It was too cold to sleep like that even with some sort of space heater.
“Let me check this out,” Bob said. “You guys wait here.”
Michelle nodded, but Bob turned to her and warned, “I mean it.”
She nodded again. “I’ll stay. Promise.” Unless he got into trouble that was.
Bob exited the car and pulled his weapon. He carefully approached the tents. The nearest one, he slowly unzipped keeping his gun trained on the opening. Once the flap was loose, he used his gun to push it to the side and then turned and coughed-gagged into his hand.
“They’re dead,” Reese said quietly before she pushed open the door. Cameron got out too, and Michelle pulled out her weapon just in case as they headed for the back entrance.
Bob approached Michelle and motioned for her to go ahead.
He had a strange look on his face. “Whats up?” she asked as they followed Cameron and Reese to the door where she used her key to get inside.
“I’m thinking we’re in a dead zone and if we don’t leave soon we’ll be no better off than those sorry sons-of-you-know-whats in that tent.”
Michelle felt dread coil within her.
“The freeze….” she said to Cameron who glanced back as they stepped inside the dark stairwell. “It’s going to get us if we don’t hurry.”
Reese started up the stairs. The building, like all the rest, had no power, no heat, and so Michelle was shivering as they began their ascent.
“How many stories?” Bob asked.
Reese sighed. “Twenty.”
Bob whistled betwe
en his teeth, and Michelle knew there was no way they’d make that in one go. Not since it felt like they were inside of an ice box. The stairwell seemed to trap the cold inside of it being just open enough to feel like outside, but closed enough and in darkness that added to the chill.
“Wait. Shh.” Cameron held a hand up. “Did you hear that?”
Reese glanced up, as did the rest. “It came from above.”
Bob quietly walked over to the nearest door. “Get inside,” he said pulling it open. “I’ll check it out.
Michelle, Cameron, and Reese did as he told them, and it wasn’t much warmer in the office, but better than it was on the stairwell. Michelle hugged herself, trying to get warm. Cameron pulled Reese into his arms and rubbed her shoulders.
“You’re frozen through,” he said and Michelle snorted before she could catch herself.
Reese gave her a glare, and Michelle shrugged.
“What?” Reese asked.
“It’s fitting is all.” Because Reese’s heart was already made of ice wasn’t it?
“What is that?”
“What?”
“I heard someone cough,” Cameron said and they backed up toward the door.
The office was dark. The place seemed empty, but across from them was a window that separated one side of the building from the other.
“Get down!” Michelle whispered in a yell.
They each squatted just as someone strode by with a flashlight.
“Who was it?” Cameron asked. “Did you see?”
Michelle shook her head. “Shh.”
The door behind them flew open and Michelle jumped as did the rest, but it was Bob. “All clear,” he said, and Michelle latched onto his arm.
“Shh,” she hissed into his ear and pulled him into a squat as well. “Outside the window. A flashlight. We aren’t alone.”
They all waited for a long minute for the person to return but no one did. Michelle felt like she was starting to see things.
“Quietly,” Bob said. “Let’s climb.”
They returned to the stairwell and started back up, this time without speaking and while trying to take lighter steps. It seemed like forever before they were at the door to Reese’s office.
Just as they were opening it, a light from below flashed upwards.
“Get in!” Michelle whispered. “Hurry!”
Reese fumbled with the keys.
Footsteps pounded on the stairs below. “Is someone up there?” a deep voice shouted. The light shined near their place, and Michelle knew they could see their feet through the slats. The voice shouted for help and other people stomped onto the stairway below. They were rushing upward just a few stories behind.
“Go go go!” Michelle called, no longer being quiet.
“Give them to me!” Cameron snapped but Reese merely shot him a glacial glance before forcing the key in and turning the lock.
The three of them piled inside and Bob locked the door behind them.
They stood breathing at the door. The footsteps grew louder and louder.
“Do they have…” Before Cameron could finish the clear clank of keys could be heard and Reese gasped. “Only one other person has those keys!”
“Al,” Bob provided, pointing at some filing cabinets. “Cameron, help me with those.”
But it was Michelle who rushed over and started pushing.
The door handle moved, and Cameron lunged for it and held on. Reese pushed a desk against the door.
Together, Michelle and Bob slid the heavy cabinet against the door as well.
“Is this the only way in here?” Michelle asked Reese.
“Other than the elevator, yes.”
Bob nodded. “Good. That should hold them for a while. Do what you need to Cameron. Get it done.”
Cameron was already headed towards Reese’s office. “Reese, I need you to let me in and then let’s see if we can access the emergency backup power long enough to link up with the satellites.”
Reese frowned. “I’m sure they used the backup power already. It would have come on all by itself, right?”
“No, there’s a code.”
“A code…” she sputtered, and Cameron looked guilty.
He pushed a hand through his wild hair. “I worried this might happen. I’m the only one with the access to the backup power. I couldn’t risk it being used up before I needed it for…emergencies.”
“Just do it,” Michelle interrupted as Reese sank into herself. Cameron hadn’t trusted her even back before he’d pretended to kill himself.
No one did.
Michelle tried not to feel bad for the woman. Tried.
They all funneled into Reese’s office. Cameron worked quickly but then paused. “I need to get into the basement for the last part. Damn. I forgot about that.”
“We can’t! How would we?” Reese asked.
Michelle closed her eyes and heard Bob say what she knew he would say. “I’ll go.”
She spun around on him and pointed a finger. “No. No you are not.”
Bob pulled Michelle aside. “Isn’t this why we came? Isn’t this why we’re here? I’ll go.”
Michelle crossed her arms. “We didn’t stay so you could play hero and die trying to do something that may not even work. No. That wasn’t the plan.”
“Then think of a better one with that giant brain of yours!”
Michelle couldn’t help it. She laughed. And then Bob started to chuckle too, and that warmed her. She was so happy to finally see him through the cloud of grief. Even for a moment. A glimpse of himself. It made her brave.
She grinned. “I have an idea.”
“Am I going to like it?” he asked with a quirked brow.
“Not at all.”
Chapter 3
Southern Illinois
Colton smiled at his brother.
“What?” Bart asked.
“Nothing. Its just so good to see you, man. And the kids.”
“You too, bro. You too.” Bart’s eyes filled, and he glanced away. “You think Mom and Dad are okay in this?”
Colton slapped his brother on the back and coughed and sniffed. He did a better job at hiding his happy tears than his brother. “Better than us, I bet. They say down south is the place to be.”
“It’s where I was headed.”
Bart placed his hands on his brother’s shoulders. “Colton, I know you want to look for her. I do, too. But we have to think about our own family.”
Colton shrugged him off. “I know. I am.”
“Are you?”
Colton called Rex over and patted him on the head while he tried to compose himself. Even talking about ditching the search effort for Brittany felt like a failure on his part. “I want to look for her in that direction. How does that sound?”
Bart frowned. “It won’t slow us down? We got these kids to look after. We have to keep them in mind, too. This cold is going to get worse. They’re saying the northeast has areas frozen completely over. Completely.”
“You heard that?”
Bart nodded. “Yes. South is the safest bet. And our family needs us.”
Colton rubbed his chin in thought. He wasn’t certain what the best plan was, but any plan was better than none at all. Brittany was smart. If she heard talk about the south being the best bet, she’d probably got there. Hopefully she wouldn’t still try for New York. “I hear you,” he said. “I do. Let’s head that way and look for her at the same time is all I’m wanting. Bart, I need this. I can’t let her go so easily. It’s not right. You know she’d be looking for these kids until her last breath. You can’t argue with that.”
“True. Okay. We search and head south.”
They finally rejoined the survivors from the tornado. The truck was trashed, completely totaled and on its side. Rufus was busy checking it out, but it was a goner, Colton could tell.
“Ah, man, I’m sorry,” Colton said seeing Rufus’ distress over the old vehicle.
Rufus shook his h
ead, hands on his hips. “Had this truck longer than I had my first wife.” He sighed. “She did me good all those years.”
He patted the truck’s side and Colton and Bart shared a small grin behind his back. He was truly upset over the loss of his truck, and Colton understood it. But it was funny nevertheless.
Colton squatted down, and Benton and Lily rushed into his arms. “Man, I can’t tell you how much I missed you guys.”
They both talked over top of one another. “We missed you!” “Did you find Brittany?”
Colton pushed them back a ways to look them both in the eye. “No. But I’m not giving up until we find her, okay?”
When both kids simply stared at him wide-eyed, Colton faked a smile. “You guys hungry? I bet Rufus has some food left in that wreck that I can forage out.”
When they both nodded so eagerly, he glanced at Bart.
His brother shrugged. “The squatters took almost everything. We were lucky to find shelter, and then a ride ourselves. But the couple that was driving us isn’t here. I don’t think they made it.” He swallowed, and Colton cut him off.
“Let’s see about some beans and beef jerky!”
The kids shouted. “Yay!” To that.
Colton picked through the glass near the bed of the truck until he found lunch for them all. Rufus was busy trying to get them a ride out of town, but it seemed nearly impossible.
Colton told Rufus he had an idea, and after the kids ate, he brought them to the side of the road. He felt bad using the kids but when they pushed Benton and Lily up towards the front, with their little pale faces and dirty thumbs, a woman and her son stopped to let them aboard their SUV. “We’re headed to Oklahoma City. S’were my daughter is,” the woman said.
“We’re trying to go further south.”
“I can take you as far as OKC. How’s that sound?”
Colton and Rufus and Bart were beggars, so they couldn’t be choosers. Colton told his brother, “We can then try to find a ride to Texas straight down after.”
“Yeah,” Bart said with a smile. “Home.”
Colton hadn’t thought about home in a long while. “I hope I’m right about Mom and Dad being okay.”