The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Who is it? Hal mouthed.

  Elliot cleared his throat. “Creed AKA God.”

  Hal smiled arrogantly and nodded,. “See, it’s a sign.” He took the phone. “Mr. Creed, how are you? Good. Good. No . . . my father is fine. He’s just under the weather, more than likely tired. He spent the entire day yesterday with Frank.” Hal chuckled. “What’s up? Really? That’s impressive. I have to say we didn’t expect you to make that much progress on the railroad this soon. Of course . . . we totally sympathize with the fact your men can’t be outdoors for extended periods. Absolutely. I’ll speak to my father regarding sending you men for the next phase. Um . . . Creed. It’s only three in the morning out there. Do you start that early? Celebrating? Wow. May I ask what?”

  Eliot watched as Hal nodded and listened.

  “And this is a new thing? Ah, a yearly event. Well, we must look into celebrating that ourselves. I’ll speak to you tomorrow. Good day.” Hal hung up and grabbed his coat. “I’m off.”

  “So the railroad is done.”

  “To the point where we must send help.”

  “Captain,” Elliott called out as Hal neared the door. "Can I ask what they were celebrating?”

  “It seems today, or rather last night, was their yearly Omega Man Day.”

  “Omega Man as in plague world Neville competition?”

  “Yes, another society obsesses over bad Charlton Heston films. Creed said some even celebrate by going into the street and calling out into a dead world just to hear the echo.”

  Elliot restrained his chuckle. “Really?”

  “Really. Imagine that. Honestly, Elliott, I swear the entire world is insane.” Hal opened the door. “And we here in the UWA are the only sane ones.”

  As Hal left, Elliott snickered and whispered. “So he says as he exits wearing a Civil War uniform in an apocalyptic world.” Shaking his head with a slight whistle, Elliott turned and moved to the desk. “Yes, we’re sane.”

  ^^^^

  Jimmy and Jess, along with their bags, perched in a makeshift cart attached to the mule that Everett rode. They moved slowly, a tad more than human pace, but they moved steady and didn’t have to walk. That was a bonus.

  Jess finally woke up. Jimmy started to wonder if he would. He stopped to rest his eyes and before they could regain their direction, Jess was fast asleep, which ended up working in their favor because they kept moving. Everett may not have found that mule while hunting for squirrel. Jimmy had to admit that Everett was fast becoming an asset. He led the way, was a scout of sorts, and found new inventive ways to eat. Jimmy liked him. Jess verged on tolerating the little man with the thick accent.

  Jimmy did a lot of thinking on the forty-two miles he rode in that cart while Jess slept. He thought about home and some of the stories Jess had shared. Through those tales, Jimmy could tell his bothers hadn’t changed. Had he? He doubted it. How perfectly Slagel the whole scenario was. He hoped he’d fit right in. In a way he supposed his brothers were enjoying the post apocalyptic work that surrounded them. The Slagels, in a sense, had trained and prepared for it their entire lives. It was as if the ‘end of the world’ was Joe’s dream vacation and, like any parent preparing their kids for a trip to Spain would educate them in Spanish, Joe educated his children in survival.

  Jimmy had to admit that he, himself, didn’t have to rely too much on those survival skills. He woke from a cryogenic freeze to a world pretty much rebuilding. Sure, he had to pick up a hammer and work on training men, but it was nothing compared to having to build your own world, grow your own food, and starting a brand new world as his brother and fathers did. It was a world of their own, one that seemed perfect to Jimmy and one he anticipated with enthusiasm. Though most of his life he tried to be the slightly different Slagel, Jimmy hoped this time he wasn’t. He was without a doubt that missing piece and he hoped with his heart and soul he would fit right in. There was a chance he wouldn’t, that he’d be that oddball out. There were too many miles to count ahead of them, miles that afforded not only a lot of thinking time, but enough time for Jimmy to get nervous.

  ^^^^

  Pace. Pace. Pace. A foot or so past the cryo-lab door, Ellen would pace then stop, turn around, and go back again. She did this for about ten minutes, which in turn seemed about an hour. She went back and forth until the door opened.

  Frank slipped out.

  “Well?” she asked.

  Frank put his hands on her shoulders and moved her from the door. “He kicked me out.”

  “Fuck.”

  “He says he’s busy.”

  “I’m taking it you weren’t trying to be inconspicuous.”

  “Of course not. I was trying to be sneaky.” Frank nodded. “It didn’t work. He didn’t buy it and kicked me out. He has everything ready though, El.”

  “Did you?”

  “Yep.” Frank smiled. “Countdown. Four hours thirteen minutes. Synchronize our watches.”

  “I have eight ten,” Ellen said.

  “Me too, so we meet back down here in four hours.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “El, you don’t think he’ll get mad?” Frank asked.

  “I don’t think he’ll care at that point. With two children waking up from cryo, he’ll need our help.”

  “He’ll be running back and forth.”

  “Trying to stay calm.”

  “He’ll need us.”

  Ellen agreed, “Oh, without a doubt.”

  Frank inhaled deeply through his nostrils,. “Good.”

  “You okay?”

  “Yes. No. I mean . . .” Frank shrugged. “I don’t know how to feel. Excited. Scared. Nervous.”

  “All of the above,” Ellen said. “I do have to admit I am excited.”

  “Yeah. Me too.” Frank grinned. “I just keep thinking of holding Brian again.”

  “Hearing him laugh.”

  “Walk. He was walking. El.”

  “Yes he was, or trying to.”

  Frank looked at his watch. “Four hours.” He kissed her on the cheek. “I’d better go. I want to get ahead of my work before we come back down here. See ya in a bit.”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be doing the Elliott agenda?”

  Frank fluttered his lips. “Right. My Dad called off sick.”

  “Joe’s sick? Have you talked to him?”

  “I tried. I called. He said he was laying down. El, you don’t think it’s his illness do you?”

  “No.” Ellen shook her head. “No, he’s been feeling too well lately, but if it helps, I’ll go by and check on him,.”

  “Would you?”

  “You know it.”

  “Thanks.” Again, Frank looked at his watch. “I got to go. You coming?”

  “Um . . .” Ellen shifted her eyes to the door. “In a minute.”

  “He’ll kick you out.”

  “Not if I’m not going there about Brian.”

  “Good plan.” Frank gave thumbs up. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”

  “Four hours.”

  Frank smiled, wide and happily. “Brian.”

  “Brian.”

  After an exhale and a tap to Ellen’s cheek, Frank walked away.

  Ellen waited. She listed to Frank’s boots make that heavy walking sound in the echoing tunnel. When there was silence, she punched in her code.

  Buzz.

  Slowly opening the door, Ellen slipped inside.

  “I thought I kicked you out,” Dean said quietly as he leaned into the counter.

  “No, I believe you kicked Frank out.”

  Dean turned around. “El.”

  “Hey.” With her hands behind her back, Ellen walked to him.

  “What’s up?”

  “What’s up?” Ellen shook her head.

  “Look, I know why you’re here. I told Frank that . . .”

  “Stop.” Ellen held up her hand. “You don’t know why I’m here, not completely. First, I want to wish you luck. I’m excited. Despite all that I h
ad said to you, I’m pretty excited.”

  Dean could only nod.

  “Second, I haven’t talked to you.”

  “I’ve been busy.” He held out his hand in a point around the lab.

  “I realize that. Dean?” Ellen softened her voice. “What’s going on?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean. We’ve barely spoken. I got back but you haven’t wanted to make time. I know you’ve been busy. I know that. I appreciate that.” She stepped closer. “We’re divorced due to your microchip problem, but in hindsight, how much of that decisions was yours? I made all kind of arrange . . .” She chuckled. “Planned a speech and all about how you gave me up. I did that, you know, for when you asked to stay at the house. But . . .” Ellen went serious. “You never asked.”

  The chuckle flowed a little bit more nervous than Dean probably intended it to do. “I knew I wasn’t allowed to come back.”

  “It never stopped you before.”

  “You’re thinking of Frank, not me.”

  “No, Dean.”

  “El, what do you want me to tell you?”

  “Do you still love me?”

  “Oh my God,” Dean whispered. “Yes.”

  “Then tell me. Are you just feeling bad? Guilty? Do you just not know how to approach me, what?”

  “No.” Dean shook his head. “None of those. Listen, I have so much work.” He turned.

  Ellen laid her hand on his shoulder. “I’m not dumb, Dean. What s going on? Are you staying at Frank’s house?”

  Dean didn’t answer.

  “Dean.”

  “For the time being, yes.”

  “You don’t want to come back to the house?”

  “I thought I did.”

  “Dean?”

  Dean slowly turned around. “I did some thinking over the past couple days, some really deep thinking. Hal brought something to my attention. I raged around bitter about the divorce, bitter about what Misha did, but then I had started the whole thing before the chip went bad. I told Frank it was his turn. I was side-stepping for Frank.”

  “But don’t you think that I should have something to say about that?”

  “Yes, absolutely.” Dean nodded. “But during these past couple days I sat down and I thought why? Why was I so easily side-stepping for Frank? Why? Was I subconsciously admitting something I consciously wasn’t aware of.”

  Taking a long blink, Ellen stepped back a single step. “Dean?”

  Dean swallowed. “Don’t me get me wrong? I love you more than life itself. Since the plague, I have done nothing but love you. Our relationship has been nothing but me loving you, wanting you, chasing you, and losing you. How much of my time have I spent worrying about never having you? These past couple of months have been the worst but they also did something else.” Dean’s head lowered.

  “You’ve barely seen me these past couple of months.”

  Slowly Dean’s eyes rose.

  “Oh my God.” Ellen whispered.

  “El, this is so hard to say.”

  “Then say it. Just . . . say it.”

  “I . . . I have spent so much of my time living for you, I think it’s time that I lived for me. and find myself.”

  Ellen’s silence seeped out loudly more than any words.

  “I don’t want bitterness. Are you . . . are you bitter?” Dean asked moving to her.

  “No.” Ellen spoke soft. “I’m shocked. Are you saying it’s over?”

  Dean pouted, puckering his lips in hesitation. “I don’t think we’ll ever be over. We’ll always be together with work and the kids. In sense we’re never apart. I know I stand a chance of you saying to me that you’ll never take me back and that I blew it. I know this is a chance I take, but for now I don’t want to say it’s over. I’d just rather say I’m just setting you free.”

  Ellen exhaled loudly, turned her body, and leaned her back against the counter.

  “El? Please don’t hate me. I think . . . I think you know we need this.”

  “It’s the end of the Dean and Ellen era.” After a single nod of her head, Ellen stepped from the counter. “Well, I guess I got my answer, now didn’t I?” She continued to walk. “I’ll see ya’ later, Dean.”

  “El, wait.” Dean moved to her.

  Ellen stopped at the door,. “I’m fine. I am.” She gave a peaceful smile. “Good luck with today.” Taking one more look at Dean, Ellen opened the door and left.

  ^^^^

  “The boat has arrived,” Bertha announced as she stepped into George’s room at the old hotel.

  Still staring out the window, George shook his head. ‘What the hell happened?”

  “Our scientists believe that perhaps a small meteor fell into the Atlantic.”

  “That would make sense. Will the waters ever recede?”

  “Maybe not.”

  George turned from the window. “How far does the water extend?”

  “The new shore starts about ten miles from here. The cars are waiting,” Bertha answered.

  “Then we should get started. I hate boats. I get sea sick.”

  “Sir.” Bertha bodily stood before him. “I have some odd news.”

  “Go on.”

  “A message arrived with our transport. It seems when we sent a messenger to Lodi, the messenger spoke to Chief Manis. During the conversation he spotted a phone on Manis’s belt . . . A cell phone.”

  George’s attention was caught. “I thought Lodi didn’t have phone capabilities.”

  “They do now. They have one. We have the number.”

  “But how . . .” George grumbled. “Beginnings. They hooked up with Beginnings somehow.”

  “Manis would not confirm that but, realistically, if Doyle covered for Lodi, Doyle told Beginnings about Lodi.”

  “Christ.”

  “At least setting up a meeting with the chief will be easier now that we can call.”

  “So will threatening him.”

  Bertha chuckled as she opened the door for George.

  “UWA, Lodi, Beginnings.” George stopped. “We certainly opened up another chapter in this war now, haven’t we?”

  ^^^^

  Like it was a brand new invention Mike stood before the fax machine, watching the last of three pages flow through. He chuckled with each page. With his hands on his hips, he shook his head in astonishment. It was something he never thought he’d see again. Last page and last beep so Mike disconnected the cell phone, hooked it back on his belt, and picked up the pages. It wasn’t the end of the day, or even time to go home but Mike lifted the radio and reached Tigger with instruction to put a pot of coffee on.

  In a sense, it was mail and though he enjoyed speaking directly to Ellen, he wanted to read her letter. She called said she spent the last hour typing something up and then told Mike how to hook up the fax machine. What started out as a progress report, or a ‘watch’ sheet for Lars, became something else she assured Mike.

  He didn’t read the pages, not at all. He rolled them carefully, kept them in his hand, and walked home.

  No pleasant salutation came from Mike as he entered his home, just a simple, “Boys. Tig. Coffee done?” He headed straight to the kitchen.

  If Tigger wasn’t a curious person by nature, he probably would have just answered a simple ‘yes’ to the coffee question and let Mike’s rapid move to the kitchen go, but that wasn’t Tigger. He was enjoying the game of Scrabble he played with Jenny/Johnny but Tigger had to find up what was up. Surely his father wasn’t just dying for a cup of coffee.

  Hoping that Johnny didn’t turn back into Johnny before the end of the game–he had been turning himself more and more–Tigger chanced it.

  “Dad?” He folded his little arms and leaned in the kitchen doorway. “Is everything okay?”

  “Oh hey, Tig. Yeah.” Mike lifted the rolled up paper as he poured the coffee. “Thanks for brewing this.”

  “Sure.”

  “Thanks.” Mike stared intently
as if waiting..

  “What?” Tigger asked.

  “Go.”

  “Where.”

  “Away. I have something I need to do alone.”

  “Can I ask what?”

  “This.” Mike held up the paper. “Ellen faxed me a letter. I got mail.”

  “Cool. Okay. Enjoy.”

  “Thanks.”

  Tigger was slow in leaving the kitchen. He watched his father sit down at the table, position his coffee, light a cigarette, and unroll the paper as if it was something he had been waiting for his entire life. Tigger saw enough to feel good about how his father was feeling. A sense of happiness had arrived via fax into his father’s life and that made Tigger grateful.

  Walking back to resume his game, Tigger cringed when he heard Johnny call out. “Fuck, Tig. What the fuck?” Placing on his best fake innocent smile, Tigger walked into the living room. “Hey, Johnny did you say something? What!” Tigger dropped to the floor in a hurry. “What are you doing?”

  Johnny was clearing the Scrabble board. “I hate when you do this. You cheat when I have my blackouts. We’re starting again.”

  “Fine.” Tigger got comfortable. “My dad’s home.”

  “Why so early?”

  “Check this out. Ellen sent him a fax. He’s acting like the pony express arrived. Man.”

  “Why’s Mike reading a fax?’

  ‘I think it’s more. I think it’s personal. Hey, Johnny, you think it’s a dirty letter?”

  Johnny laughed. “No, but knowing Ellen, it probably rambles.”

  Tigger began to select his tiles. “I know she’s your stepmother and all, but when she was here, she claimed she was a free agent. I want to know if it will upset you if her and my dad hook up?”

  This made Johnny snicker. ‘No, it won’t upset me because it will never happen.”

  “I think my Dad likes her.”

  “Duh.”

  “Duh.?” Tigger shook his head. “I think Ellen likes him too. I’m gonna push for fixing them up when she comes back.”

  “My dad won’t let it happen,” Johnny argued.

  “What does he know? He’s a thousand mile away.”

  “One mile, a thousand miles, when it comes to Ellen he’s always there. It won’t work.”