“Better get used to it,” Eddy started to say, “not gonna be warm up in Vancouver.”
“How cold?” Matty asked. Although he was not entirely sure that he wanted the truth.
“Let me put it this way. It dumps snow a few hours north in Whistler.”
“Great.”
Steve and Nick met the others in the kitchen.
“Morning Nick. Steve-O. What are you guys doing up?” Collin asked, still waking up himself.
“You've been living here how long, Collin?” Nick asked, playfully. “Broadcast time.”
Three times a day, every day, Ranger Nick used the Com-room to transmit an open broadcast to any survivors within its range. Like clockwork, he would send one out at 7 AM, 12 PM and 7 PM. This radio message had saved many people including Collin and his group. To Nick it was his responsibility and his duty.
“And I am here to see you guys off,” Steve said, shaking hands and wishing them luck.
“Whooaaa, do not go in there,” Alex said, giving his best impression of Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura. He closed the bathroom door behind him, so the others didn't have to smell the toxic fumes. “I think I'm twenty pounds lighter.”
“Alex, good, you're here,” Nick said, walking over to him. He caught a whiff of the smell, and instead, plugged his nose and waved Alex over to him. “I wanted to give you this before you left. It's brought me good luck all these years. I know it'll do the same for you,” the Native American said, giving Alex his hatchet in a not-so-ceremonial-type fashion.
Alex was speechless. He knew how much the blade meant to Nick. How Nick’s father’s fathers had passed it down generation after generation.
“Nick, I can't accept this! It’s yours!” protested Alex. He tried handing the weapon back, but Nick wouldn’t accept the return.
“Yes, you can. To give it back would be offensive.”
Reluctantly, Alex held on to it. He found a suitable place for it in his belt line, wearing it the same way his mentor and friend did.
“Fine. I'll take it, but consider it a loan,” he said, pointing a stern finger at Nick. “It's yours when I get back.”
“Deal. Wait, Alex before you go, indulge me.” Nick closed his eyes and held up his hands over Alex's face. In his native dialect, Nick offered a quiet Sioux prayer that sounded like muttered speech infused with random chants.
Alex wasn't a believer in Nick’s ancestral spirits or any sort of Supreme Being, but he listened and waited patiently. He had seen too many of his friends and family die so unfairly, so brutally to believe that there was a “good” Being up there pulling the strings.
When the prayer ended, Nick and Alex embraced much like a father and son.
“You and your Indian voodoo,” Alex joked. “See ya in a couple days.”
“One last thing, Alex. Remember what I told you about life?”
“It's a bitch?”
Nick chuckled. He had grown fond of Alex’s obtuse sense of humor. “Close. Life is too short. Hold no regrets. Anger grips the heart first, and then drains the soul.”
Alex nodded. He knew what the old man was referring to.
The other members of the Vancouver-bound team said their goodbyes and filed out of the station. Following up the rear, Alex was stopped at the crest of the door.
“Yo, Alex, wait up.”
“Ya, just going to leave without saying goodbye?”
Collin and Steve said, shuffling over to see him off.
Alex remained bitter. Both Collin and Steve had broken promises, ones that hurt deeply. Still, he allowed them a proper goodbye.
“Didn't think you guys would notice,” said Alex dryly.
“Dude, come on, man. I don't know how many times I can say I'm sorry,” Steve begged. “I know I messed up. And when you get back I swear to you, things are going to change. We're going to hang out a hell of a lot more than we have been.”
“A hell of a lot more,” Collin repeated. “We're going to get back to our roots. Be a family again.”
Both Steve and Collin threw out ideas and suggestions ranging from workouts to family movie and poker nights. Alex stood there and listened to everything; listened but didn't believe. Seconds before, Nick advised him to hold no regrets, but he was having a hard time. He loved his family, he'd do anything for them, but he felt as though he had been abandoned. Day by day, he felt more and more alone, but he wouldn't dare admit it. He would confide in Billy, but his best friend was no longer around.
So, Alex stood, torn. It was like getting back together with a lover who had cheated on him. He missed his family. He wanted to believe them, but trust needed to be verified.
“So what do you say?” Steve asked.
“Ya, are we cool?” Collin followed.
Both waited for a response.
Alex's mind ran.Forgive and forget?He contemplated.But they have let you down so many times, it’s like you don’t exist...then again, they are blood. They’re your family. If you give them another chance, you can’t just pretend like nothing had happened. They hurt you! But Nick was right...
A series of short honks from the idling truck interrupted Alex’s mental debate.
“I guess we'll see what happens when I get back,” Alex answered, turning and walking out the door without a goodbye.
Outskirts of Seattle, Washington
0705 hours
“Yo, Jimmy! Come here for a sec,” said a man with a Mexican-American accent.
“What is it, pendejo?” the leader of Los Tres Demonios responded. “Carlos, this better be good, I'm trying to fuck!”
Jimmy Sanchez walked out from the back of the bus, nude. He left the curtain open, exposing his naked girlfriend, Estrella, who was resting on a sea of soft pillows.
Carlos Rodriguez used his fat fingers to fiddle with the radio equipment. He twisted the knobs, trying to achieve the best signal.
“It is jefe, it is. Listen to this,” he said, turning up the volume.
Jimmy stood next to the receiver and waited.
“I don't hear anything puta!” he said, getting increasingly upset. “You're about to get your ass beat…”
Jimmy's rant was interrupted by a broadcast. He heard the first part, but couldn't hear the second because of his girlfriend.
“What is it, Jimmy?” nagged Estrella Lopez. Her naked brown body rolled around on the pillows. She was horny and wanted her man back. “I'm wet baby. Get back here!”
“Shut the fuck up, bitch! I'm trying to listen to this!” Jimmy roared.
Estrella grabbed the curtain and yanked it closed. From behind the fabric, she yelled a variety of curses and obscenities in Spanish. But Jimmy didn't care, he was far too interested in the message. He squatted down next to the speaker and listened.
“Attention all survivors. If you are receiving this, my name is Ranger Nick Stronghead. I am broadcasting from Providence State beach in northern Washington. We have created a safe compound. We can offer you food, shelter and protection...”
The message went for another minute, giving further instructions for contact times and frequencies.
“Good job, Carlos,” Jimmy said, standing upright. His lips curled into a wicked smile.
“Thanks, jefe. Whatchu you wanna do?”
“Get Tyler and tell him to get everyone ready to leave. We have another town to visit.”
Providence State Beach
1147 hours
After months on the road, Sweetie had gained a bachelor pad aesthetic. Alcohol bottles, loaded guns, and dirty laundry used to lie in piles on the floor. Trash and empty food containers rested on top of overflowing waste bins.
Upon arriving at Providence, the Galligers, Joey, Travis, Jenny, and Alex, had all found new beds. Collin and Steve were the only ones who remained in Sweetie. Not long after, Sarah officially "moved in,” and the RV received a feminine makeover.
Dirty laundry was cleaned on a regular basis and trash bins were emptied upon reaching capacity. Even the smell of vanilla and cherry
scented candles lingered throughout the cabin. But Sarah didn’t stop there. She enjoyed art and in an attempt to make the RV feel like home, she pinned up her own sketches.
As he dragged his feet across the clean carpet, Steve stepped on a tack. “Damnit!” he cursed, squatting down to pull the needle from his toe.
He noticed one of Sarah’s drawings next to his foot and picked it up. It was a detailed portrait of Sarah’s mom and dad. Since she no longer possessed any photos, she felt compelled to draw their faces from memory.
Steve smiled and then pinned it back up and made his way to the kitchen. He did his best not to wake Collin, but accidentally shut a cupboard too hard. He heard Collin groan from the bunk above the driver’s cabin and immediately apologized.
“Sorry, cuz. I was trying to be quiet,” Steve said, unwrapping a protein bar at the kitchen table.
After an exhausted sigh, Collin pulled the curtain back and hopped down from the bunk. “It's fine. I normally wouldn't sleep this late anyway, but after we got back, I basically stared at the ceiling for three hours.”
“Me too. Sarah woke me up when she got up, and then I couldn't fall back asleep,” he replied with a mouthful of a Cookies and Cream flavored nutrient bar.
“I know she woke you up. I heard you get woken up for twenty minutes,” Collin chuckled, going to the same cupboard for food.
“Hey, man, I can't help it,” Steve said smiling. “We both like having sex. And don't even act all high and mighty. We both heard you and Diane last night.”
“Touché,” Collin said, pouring a glass of water to accompany his protein bar.
Steve finished his light breakfast then licked his fingers clean. Afterwards, he pulled out a leather-bound book.
“I thought you left your journal back at the Eye?”
Steve opened to a blank page and started writing. “I did, and it had my picture of Mom, Dad and Mike, too,” he replied melancholically. “I picked this one up in Willop at an arts and crafts store.”
“So the writing is still helping you?”
“Ya, kinda. I mostly do it now to chronicle everything. So when the world recovers there’ll be a first hand account, ya know?”
“And you can sell it and make a ton of money!”
Steve chuckled. “I don’t know if I’mthat good of a writer, but we’ll see.”
“Well,whenit gets turned into a movie, you better cast me to play myself!”
“Deal. So, what are you up to today?”
“I wanted to try and make some more headway with the Colonel's files, but we'll see. With four people gone, I'm probably just going to offer up my gimpy services.”
“Ya? And how is everything going with it? Any progress?”
“Matty finally got us access yesterday. So, I'll let you know what I find. How about you?”
“I think I am going to head out with Nick in a little bit. Try to see if there's anything left we can hunt. Then, I have the overnight shift up in the perch tonight.”
“I still can't believe Ryan dropped his gun and Gregg knocked himself out. You really can't make that story up.”
Both laughed at the odd turn of events from the night before. After the laughter died down, silence filled the RV.
“Look at us,” Collin said, adjusting to a position where a glare from the open window wasn't as blinding. “Both our women off to work, leaving us behind. Never thought we'd be a couple of stay at home husbands.”
Collin thought that comment would surely gain a laugh, at the very least a chuckle, but Steve stared quietly out the window.
“Collin,” Steve started to say, “I know this is going to sound nuts, but there's something I wanna ask you.”
“Piece of advice, never start out a sentence with 'this is going to sound nuts'. Just messin’, what’s up?”
“So I have been thinking about this for a while,” he said, pausing to make sure he wanted to vocalize the idea. “And I think I wanna ask Sarah to marry me. No, I know I do.”
Collin was about to bite into another mouthful of breakfast, but he stopped, looked up at his cousin and smiled. “Bro, that's not ridiculous at all. Everyone can see you guys are in love.”
“I know, it’s just that I know it's a crazy thing in this world. But the way I feel for her, I've never felt before. She makes me better. When I went on that supply run a few weeks back, I may or may not have broken into a jewelry store and may or may not have borrowed a ring,” Steve said, opting not to incriminate himself.
Steve went over to one of the cupboards. Behind the back paneling, he pulled out a ring. He brought it back to the table to show Collin.
“Wow, Steve-O,” Collin said, pinching the ring.
It was simple but beautiful. A white gold band, with a pea-sized diamond cased on top.
“She's going to love it. If she says no, I call dibs.”
Steve laughed. “Shut up, man.”
“Ah, I'm only kidding. I know she's going to say yes.”
“I know we are going to leave here soon, but I really wanted to take advantage of this spot. I mean The Eye was beautiful, but this place...the beach, forest, everything is incredible. It reminds me of this place I went with Alex that one year...it was just south of Hearst Castle,” he said, snapping his fingers to try and produce the name of the location. “Ah, I forget, but it’s just as beautiful. I want to have a little something for Sarah. You know, nothing crazy, but just something we can call a ceremony.”
“Sounds real nice, cuz. And come to think of it, Jigger is a captain, so he can legally marry you guys!”
“Haha isn’t that a myth?”
“I don’t know, just go with it. But seriously though, look at you, all grown up and in love. I'll definitely make sure not to sleep in here on the wedding night...I can only imagine how much crazy wild sex is going to fill this place.”
Their laughter was silenced as the RV's side door flung open.
Steve scrambled to hide the ring as Sarah rushed inside. “Steve. Collin. Sorry to bug you guys, but there's a problem out near the beach. We need you.”
Without hesitation, Steve hurried to the back to get dressed.
Collin scrambled to do the same, grabbing old clothes from his bunk. As he gently navigated his bad leg through a pair of cargo pants, he asked, “What’s the problem?”
“Not what,” Sarah started to say, “Who.”
“Larry,” Collin growled.
1203 hours
At the request of Nick, Travis and Elias had taken over the night shift, guarding the entrance. Ryan Gill had joined Captain Jigger Tamlin for a fishing and crabbing expedition in the morning. The Galligers had been busy harvesting fresh produce from Betty's greenhouse. Sarah had volunteered to help Josue and Jenny with Camp's massive amount of laundry. With the exception of Gregg Hanson, who was still recovering from a concussion, everyone else had tended to his or her daily duties. That is, until Larry MacArthur stirred the pot.
On the sand west of the helipad, a group of Camp’s residents were involved in a heated argument. On one side stood Joey, Jenny, Wally, and Lisa Spencer. Across from them, arms folded into his chest defiantly, stood Larry MacArthur; Kelly peered timidly around his side.
“Whoa, everybody, calm down,” Collin said, using his newly acquired cane to limp his way to the middle of the quarrel. “What's going on here?”
Joey spoke up first, taking the lead for his side. “Apparently, Larry and Kelly here think that they don't have to work anymore.”
“Ya, Lisa and I had to do their chores today, because they 'didn't feel like it',” Wally added. He looked over at his daughter who was signing something at him. He spoke back to Lisa so she could read his lips. “Oh, that's right, thanks, honey. Lisa just told me she saw Kelly sunbathing during her shift. Sunbathing!”
The beautiful deaf girl took a step forward to be alongside the others. She wasn't one to be scared of a fight.
Kelly looked at Larry, and in a barely audible tone she asked, “Lare-bear, I t
hought you said we had the day off? I thought-”
Larry cast a fierce glare, causing her to cease further questioning.
“And this isn't the first time, Collin. Just last week I was told by Betty Galliger that they ditched out on laundry duty,” Joey concluded, although not without a series of curse words in Argentinian.
Collin turned around to face Larry. He knew the CFO was a pompous, arrogant bastard who would weasel his way out of anything, but being a leader meant staying objective even in the most emotionally invested times. So, he gave Larry a chance to explain.
“Is this true?”
“Psh,” Larry snorted. “I'm not even going to dignify this witch hunt with a response.”
Collin took a step forward and positioned himself in front of Larry's face. The CFO flinched and stepped back, forcing Kelly to do the same. With a little more than a whisper, Collin said, “I'm tired of your shit, Larry. I'm giving you the opportunity to explain yourself. You can either take it, or I'll just walk away and leave you with them.”
Collin half-turned to look back. The opposition was becoming unruly and tension boiled with each passing second.
Larry knew Collin's mediation was the only thing separating him from a beat-down.
“Fine, ya, whatever,” he admitted. “So we were maybe late to our chores, so what?”
“Do you see anyone else in Camp taking a day off?” Collin cut in. He was about to shell out some disciplinary duties as a punishment- extra shifts, dishes, or water gathering and purification- but he was interrupted.
“Well excuse me!” Larry yelled. He had been on the defensive the entire time, but now he saw an opportunity to spin the blame and went with it.
“At least I have done my part. What have you done, Collin? All you do is sit in that communications room and work on your secret project. What are you really doing? Playing computer games or something? I don't see you doing any heavy lifting. At least I go out and risk my life on supply runs! You just stay here and use your leg as an excuse not to work! You call yourself a leader, but you're as two-faced as a politician!”
The Longest Road (Book 2): The Change Page 12