“I don’t think we have to worry about that horde anymore,” Matt said. “I’m more concerned about other groups like that one. Not to mention, we have no idea how many or of what type bit that damn scavenger that started this whole mess.”
He stood up and paced through the kitchen. “I’d still like to know what brought that man out to our camp to begin with. Why was a single man wandering around by our camp? Doesn’t make sense.”
Jody and Greg looked at each other. Greg shook his head as Jody opened his mouth to speak. They turned their focus back to Matt, who stared back at them with his head cocked to the side and his eyes narrowed with confusion.
“What was that all about?” Matt asked.
“Jody and I have some thoughts on the subject, but now ain’t the time,” Greg said. “Anyway, regardless of the whos and whats, we can’t stay here. I’ve got enough food and whatnot to hold us over for a couple of days, but we can’t very well hide out here for the long haul. We need to move on.”
Everyone in the room looked at Greg now.
“You want us to go back out there?” a shrill voice cried out.
It was Chris. His face was ashen, and his eyes darted around the room in hopes of locking onto something more hopeful than those words of implied doom.
“We have to, son. I didn’t stock this place for much more than a few weeks,” Greg said.
Chris broke down into tears. Tara walked over to console him, but the youngster only pushed himself out of her grip before he ran off into the shadows of the house. The twins didn’t look much happier.
“Any place you have in mind, old man?” Matt asked.
“Yeah, actually. I do. We head north to Denver.”
“What’s in Denver?”
Jody stood and walked out of the room, waving to Tara, Steve, and the twins to follow him. Matt looked around at everyone. Steve shrugged, a confused look on his face.
“What did I miss?” Matt asked.
Greg waited for the room to clear. The waiting made Matt uneasy. He felt as though he were about to be interrogated, but that didn’t make sense. Whatever the reason, Greg didn’t want anyone else to hear what he had to share with Matt, but it was clear Jody knew from the look they’d exchanged minutes ago.
What the fuck happened while I was gone?
When the room was finally clear, Greg spoke. His eyes darted around the room. “Listen, son, that man didn’t show up at our gates by chance. He was sent there.”
“Okay, and we know this how?”
“A piece of paper fell out of his pocket before all hell broke loose in there. I didn’t get a chance to read it until a day ago, before y’all came back.”
Matt ran his hands over his face and through his hair as he waited. Nothing he wanted to hear was going to come out of Greg’s mouth next, but he was going to hear it. The quicker Greg got it over with, the better off they would all be.
“It appears that man came from a large group up in Denver. Well, they were in Denver when he left, anyway. Before that, who knows. They move about, nomads and all, going city to city lookin’ for survivors and doing what they can to kill off the withered.”
Greg took a deep breath, tapping his foot repeatedly on the floor. Matt wasn’t sure if Greg’s nervousness was worse than the wait. What the hell could be that damn bad?
“Okay, so what? There’s a group of survivors out there doing work. Why the secrecy? Why kick everyone out of the room?” he asked, frustrated.
“Son, there ain’t no easy way to tell you this, but that letter was for you. That man was at our camp looking for you.” Greg no longer looked at Matt directly. His gaze dropped toward the ground.
“Me?” Matt’s hands, sweaty with anticipation, trembled. “What in the fuck do they want with me? Better yet, how do they know who the fuck I am?” He stabbed a finger into his sternum.
Then it clicked. His jaw went slack and his shoulders slumped.
All the nervousness and anxiety from the anticipation quickly morphed into a tug-of-war between desperation and dread. There were only two people in this world who would know who he was and where he might be—his mom and his brother Michael.
“Son, your mother sent him. She’s alive and travelin’ with that group. She wants you to come find her.”
And just like that, Matt’s two worlds collided.
5
To Let Go
Later that night, Matt rifled through bags and boxes of supplies as everyone in the house slept around him. The silence was a welcomed break from the day’s events. He would have preferred to be out in the wild scavenging the wastes, but that didn’t matter. He wasn’t being interrupted or listening to everyone’s banter about leaving Greg’s cabin. Just pure silence. He wanted it that way.
He placed a small water filtration system down next to a pile of clothes before stepping away. He analyzed the individually stacked piles of clothes, food, and medical supplies organized into small, clear plastic containers with the basics and some much-needed hygiene products. Matt couldn’t remember the last time he’d brushed his teeth or washed with soap.
He turned to stare out the window. The tiny glow of stars were sprinkled across the night sky. The moon was full but hidden behind thick clouds, revealing only the outermost edges of its shine. He wanted to go outside and breathe it all in, but with everyone lying on the floor sleeping, the sound of the door opening and closing would startle them awake. He looked on from inside the captivity of the cabin walls.
At his feet under the windows slept the twins and Chris, huddled together like friends at a sleepover. They were the youngest and most inexperienced of the group. Matt wasn’t sure any of the three boys had actually gone beyond the camp’s walls other than to clean up at the creek with their parents. Back when they’d still had them.
Tara and Steve had taken his old room for the night. Tara slept on the bed while Steve took the floor. He could hear Steve shifting uncomfortably on the old wooden planks. He would have been better off sleeping in the recliner chair in the living room. Jody snored on the couch; his long hair pulled back in a ponytail that dangled over the pillow. The man was smart, but looked like an eighties metalhead. Greg had taken his old master bedroom, telling everyone he wanted to sleep in his old bed one last time. Nobody argued.
Matt wondered how many of them would survive in the coming days. He hated that the new mission was about him, but was thankful only Greg and Jody knew the truth, at least for now. Regardless, it left a sickly feeling in his gut. Why couldn’t they head to Montana or something? They could make peace with their losses at Camp Oliver and forget about the letter. Forget about his mother. It was bad enough she had forced him away as a teen, but now she was responsible for sending a man to his home and destroying it. The last thing he wanted to do was travel a thousand miles to see her. That was just like her to be selfish enough to send someone out to do her work for her.
Why had she waited so long to reach out? Why now? A thousand questions raced through his head as he tried to rationalize his mother’s intentions. But only one question truly stood out— was Michael alive and with her? The reality was Michael was the only reason he had agreed with Greg to take everybody to Denver. If he wanted to move on afterward, that was always an option.
Matt also considered when would be the proper time to tell his team. Tara had already shown how little she approved of being left in the dark on issues. And this was a pretty big issue.
One of the bedroom doors creaked open. The weight of heavy footsteps sent the sound of bending wood rippling through the old home. It broke the tension beginning to develop in Matt’s head. He was surprised anyone was awake.
Greg appeared, disheveled, rubbing his hands over his face. His hair was tangled up in knots and clung to his beard.
“Morning,” he mumbled. “Any chance you found some coffee in all that mess?”
“I don’t see a sun, old man,” Matt said with a chuckle. “Ain’t morning just yet.”
“Coff
ee?” Jody said as he perked up from the couch. “Somebody say coffee?”
Matt flashed a quick half smile. “Sadly, no. We don’t have any coffee.”
Greg cleared his throat. “Damn shame. Would’ve been nice. I can’t remember the last time I had me a nice cup of hot joe in the morning.”
“Wake me when you find some,” Jody huffed as he rolled back over and smashed his face into the pillow.
“Your pops and I, we use to love a big mug of coffee before setting off into them woods there to go hunting,” Greg said, his face lighting up with nostalgia.
“I remember, old man.”
“I see you didn’t sleep last night. Can’t say I’m too upset,” Greg said as he looked around at the stacks of gear. “You got a lot done. Saved them boys the headache.”
“Yeah, I wanted to make sure everyone was good to go so we could get on the road sooner than later. The boys are going to be in some extra baggy clothes, but I packed them a set anyway. Better to have something than nothing.”
“Can’t say I was ever planning on having a lot of youngsters with me if something like this ever happened.”
“It’s all good. We have supplies, which is more than we had a few days ago.”
Greg walked over to Matt and placed a hand on his shoulder. He squeezed firmly, then let go. “You did good, son. Your father would be proud of you.”
For a split second, Matt could actually picture his father looking down at him with an approving smile and a heavy hand on his shoulder, saying, Damn proud of you, son. He could see his dad’s thick head of unruly black hair that sprawled rebelliously on his head from never being brushed. He saw his father’s full eyebrows sitting low over his eyes, and the thick creases in his cheeks that formed when he smiled with his lips closed to hide his missing tooth.
It made Matt’s heart spin with joy.
The aroma of cooked meat whiffed through the air, finally drawing Jody’s tired body away from the comfort of fleece cushions.
“I don’t smell coffee, but damned if that isn’t delicious-smelling. Who’s cooking, and what?” he asked.
“Bacon, my friend. Delicious, crispy bacon,” Greg answered.
“Where in the hell did you get bacon from?”
“Some things are best left unanswered, my friend.” Greg smiled mischievously.
Matt flashed his usual half-smile before picking up a blue aluminum package containing a ready-to-eat meal off the kitchen counter. “Don’t let him fool you. I found some old, freeze-dried food packages in storage last night,” he said, handing the MRE to Jody.
“Dammit,” Jody said. “You’re a mean old bastard, you know that?”
The house stirred with the patter of feet and the groans of tired humans as they attempted to regain consciousness. They sounded like a horde of withered looking for a feast, and they looked about the same as they shambled out of their respective sleeping quarters and tumbled helplessly into random chairs and bar stools scattered around the living room.
“Okay, y’all, I’ve got food, and Matt packed your bags. After we eat, we leave,” Greg said.
“This was short-lived,” Tara said.
“Maybe so, but we can’t stay here much longer. Depending on how backed up some of them roads are, we could end up spending a lot more time than necessary trying to make our way out there. We don’t want to get caught halfway between here and there with our asses hanging out. So, leaving today is our best chance.” Greg looked around. Everyone sat quietly, not attempting to argue the man’s point. “Good! I see we all agree. Now, come get some food.”
Outside, Greg stared at his cabin and wondered if he had made the right decision to leave it all behind and seek out Matt’s mother. He rubbed and pressed on the small metal key he had held so close for so long. He considered the consequences—would more of them die? Was it worth it to reunite Matt with his mother, or was Greg holding onto a broken promise to a dead man?
Take care of my boys, Matt’s father had said before he passed. Take care of them like they were your own.
The memory stung deep.
His thoughts were interrupted as Matt approached. Greg made a fist and clenched the key in his hand.
“What’re you doing, old man? We’re waiting on you,” Matt said.
“Just milling over some stuff,” Greg said.
“Looks like you’re second-guessing yourself. Never thought I’d see the day.”
“You keep thinking that, son.” He paused to take a deep breath, then released it as a boisterous sigh. “You know…I’ve had this cabin for the better part of my life. To be quite honest with you, and myself for that matter, I ain’t very pleased to be walking away from it. But things being what they are and all, well, I can’t very well keep us here out of a sense of nostalgia. So, I reckon you’re right, son. I am second-guessing myself. But not because I think I’m making a bad decision. Because I know I may never see this place again.”
The two stood in silence, letting the gravity of the circumstances sink in. They stared at the cabin. Greg considered how big of a step they were taking. This wasn’t just holing up in the woods and waiting for the plague to pass. This wasn’t going out on scavenging missions a few days out and back. This was packing up all they had left, going far, far away, and not turning back.
Matt sighed. “Damn, when you put it like that, old man…” He smiled. “We’ll be waiting for you down on the main road.”
“Thanks, son. I’ll be down in a minute.”
Matt walked away, leaving Greg to his thoughts. Greg hadn’t realized it, but he’d been holding the key so tightly in his hand it had left an indentation.
“Got to let go of the past,” he whispered to no one.
Then he threw the key as hard as he could into the woods.
“Damn,” he muttered. His gut turned with uncertainty.
He turned and walked away for the last time.
Several days had passed since the team departed Greg’s cabin. The humid summer days transformed into dry, hot days that slowly bled into cooler summer nights. The end of summer was nearing, which meant fall would be upon them sooner than later, and then winter if they weren’t careful. And at the speed Chris was dragging along behind them, they wouldn’t make it by next summer. Glaciers melted faster than the boy moved.
Matt slowed his pace and allowed everyone to pass him by. The twins pushed and shoved at each other the way brothers did. Tara and Steve kept a watchful eye from the center with Greg and Jody near the rear, stopping every few paces to let Chris catch up.
“Hey,” Matt said to Greg as he approached. “I’m going to stay back with Chris and see what’s up. You mind taking point? If you find a gas station or someplace good to rest for the night, stop and we’ll meet you there.”
“Okay, son. Don’t drag back too long. Night is just an hour or two away.”
Matt looked toward the horizon, then over his shoulder to find the sun. He had forgotten they were moving north, not west, and the sun had dropped behind their convoy.
“Damn, okay. I won’t take long, just enough time to get him motivated.”
Greg gave Matt an affirming pat on the back before he walked away, leaving him to wait on Chris. He looked around for a place to rest and found an abandoned black Nissan with its truck bed already down. Chris had barely made any distance, so Matt unslung his AR, pulled off his vest, then kicked off his boots with a groaning sigh of relief and waited.
Chris dragged his feet lifelessly with his shoulders slumped over and his head down. Bits of gravel skipped across the broken asphalt of the freeway as he kicked them around in a thoughtless stupor. The rocks pinged off melted rubber and clattered about the discarded goods that laid dumped on the highway. The boy was so entranced with his thoughtless meandering, he hadn’t realized Matt sat waiting for him.
“Hey, Chris,” Matt said.
The boy jumped, startled at the interruption, and peered back at Matt with an ashen face and slack jaw.
“You
had no idea I was sitting here, did you?” Matt asked.
Chris shook his head violently, clearly still a bit shocked.
“Look, I’m not what you need to be worrying about,” Matt began. “You’re walking around here a good distance back from the rest of the team. We won’t be able to hear you if someone or something sneaks up on you. It’s best if you at least walk with the rear guard.”
Chris pressed his lips tight and nodded in agreement. Matt chuckled quietly to himself at the boy’s hesitation.
“Why don’t you sit up here with me, little brother. Get you off your feet and rest for a minute.”
Chris attempted pull himself up onto the tailgate. His youth showed in his size and strength. The lowered tailgate rested just above the kid’s shoulders. Matt had to pull him up by his armpits to get him all the way up.
“When’s the last time you drank?” Matt asked as he handed him a full water bladder.
“I don’t know,” Chris said timidly. “This morning, maybe.”
“Drink,” Matt insisted as he shoved the bladder into his chest. “This isn’t an option.”
The boy drank reluctantly at first. He took a sip, then another, and then he gulped so much at once water spilled down his chin. He only stopped when he choked and shot some out of his nostrils.
“There you go, little buddy. You need to stay hydrated. If you don’t, it’ll kill you.”
The boy smiled through his puffy eyes and red nose. “Thank you.”
“Listen, this trip isn’t going to be easy. It’s not easy for us and won’t be any easier for you, so I understand if you’re tired and need to slow down. But what we can’t have is you so far back that we can’t see you and it takes half an hour for you to catch up.”
Matt stared at Chris and waited a second to make sure he comprehended the lesson. He wasn’t certain, but Chris seemed to be aware.
A Thousand Miles to Nowhere Page 6