“What is up there?” Paul asked. “Where are they funneling traffic?”
Julie studied the map. “I think it leads to a hospital. At least that’s what I see on the map.”
Paul thought it curious. Why a hospital? Was that their refuge? Would they be safe there? Were they truly in danger from radioactive fallout in the air? If only someone would tell him exactly what was going on, Paul felt like he could make a decision. If there was radiation in the air, it meant that someplace nearby had been struck with a nuclear weapon. But why? And by whom? It would also mean that they were at war with someone. Another nation? A terrorist group? Whoever it was remained nameless and faceless.
“There could be danger out there that we don’t know about yet. Maybe we’ll be safer at the hospital.”
“All these people are not going to fit in that building,” Julie remarked.
“True, but it looks like we have no choice but to follow the herd.”
“Do we have enough gas?” Julie asked with a worried tone.
She looked ahead and noticed the back road on their right. It was slightly concealed by looming trees that encompassed it. Ironically, the large orange plastic barriers that blocked its path made it noticeable to the passing eye.
“The back road is right up there,” she said, pointing to the side.
Most troubling to Paul, however, were the individuals directing traffic up the road. It was discomforting to see HAZMAT teams in full uniform. They made the situation seem deadly serious as they waved instruments in the air, measuring the air levels. They were indifferent to the drivers stuck on the road as they walked in groups acquiring data. Paul picked up his cell phone to try Samantha. Again, there was no answer. Again, he sent a text and received no reply. They had no choice but to follow the traffic to its inevitable destination. Julie tried the radio again. Not a single station had anything beyond the monotonous pitch of the emergency broadcast tone. Paul felt hot and uncomfortable and turned up the air conditioner to its max level.
Not a half mile from the barricaded exit, Paul noticed that their car was coasting. He was certain that he could get at least ten miles out of any empty tank. The actuality of the Passat stopping in the middle of traffic seemed a distant concern, partly because of the emergency reserve tank the car claimed. Paul pressed on the gas pedal to assure himself that everything was fine. His foot was dead weight. It did nothing to accelerate the car. They glided forward as the car slowed to a halt. Once stopped, Paul turned the engine key in denial. The car choked and sputtered.
“We ran out of gas, didn’t we?” Julie asked.
“What makes you think that?” Paul asked in return.
The engine rattled but wouldn’t start. It was dead. The fuel reserve had been tapped and then some. As traffic ahead of them started to move, cars behind them grew impatient. A rhythm of impatient horns steadily grew. Paul turned around and realized they were honking at him to move. He hit the steering wheel repeatedly with a string of profanity. Julie watched him with pity.
“Maybe someone has some fuel they can give us,” Julie said.
Paul shook his head then stared into nothing. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. “We need to push the car off the road,” he said.
“Just you and me? Are you crazy?” Julie asked.
“I’m sure we can get someone to help,” Paul said.
“Good luck with that,” Julie said, opening her door.
“And you’re going to help,” Paul said.
Julie rolled her eyes. The car horns didn’t cease as Paul stepped out of the car, they only grew. He could no longer hold in his frustration.
“I’m out of gas!” he shouted. “Anyone want to give me some fuel or help me push this thing out of the way?”
Julie looked at Paul with disapproval as he paced around the car. “No one is going to help us if you act like a crazy person,” she said.
After slamming the door shut, Paul calmed himself at Julie’s behest. Julie reluctantly walked to a green pick-up truck behind them. A fifty-something year old man sat at the wheel, looking tired and agitated, with a young boy in the passenger seat. He took his hand off the horn as Julie approached. She peered through his window.
“Excuse me. Can you give us a hand? We ran out of gas and now we’re stuck. Do you have any fuel or could you help us push the car out of the road?” she asked.
The man shifted his eyes in her direction. He displayed a slight sense of discomfort with Julie’s request. “We ain’t got no fuel. Only what’s in the tank, but my boy here, he can give you a hand.”
The man got his son’s attention.
“Give the young lady a hand, will ya?” the man asked the boy.
The boy nodded his head in agreement and took a step out of the truck.
“Our car is over there, do you see it?” Julie asked, pointing to Paul.
The boy observed Paul--who looked weary and defeated--leaning against the front of the Passat. “Him?” the boy asked.
“Don’t worry, he’s just a little frustrated. Just go talk to him. I’m going to ask other people if they have any gas.
The boy nodded and went to Paul. Julie went to another car to her right, a family of four, and asked if they had any fuel. They politely said no. She went to another car, then another. Each person said no. Julie began to wonder if she was asking for too much.
After a long line of cars, she was about to give up. She was hungry, thirsty, and growing impatient with the lack of care people showed. She decided to ask one more person and approached a blue Lincoln ahead. At the wheel was a sharply dressed man with a silver goatee. Julie didn’t know any better, but Edwin was immediately suspicious of her presence.
“Excuse me, my dad and I ran out of gas and we’re stuck. Do you have any fuel we could use?” she asked in an exhausted tone.
She had startled him because only moments before he was in deep concentration. His eyes were fixated ahead, searching for signs of Greg or Paul. Edwin tilted his head slightly to address her.
“Not much I can do for you, little lady,” he answered.
Edwin took a careful look at Julie and then thought to himself for a moment. “Where’s your car?” he asked.
“Way down there,” Julie pointed. Edwin turned around, shifting in his seat. About a quarter mile down the road he saw a familiar-looking Passat with a familiar-looking man pushing it to the side.
“I don’t have any extra fuel on hand, but I may be able to help.”
“How is that?” Julie asked.
Edwin leaned over and opened the passenger-side door. “Why don’t you hop in and I’ll give you a ride back to your car?”
Julie looked around and hesitated. “Um. No thanks. I should be fine.”
Edwin shut the passenger door and shrugged. “Suit yourself,” he said.
“Thanks anyway,” Julie said, walking away.
Edwin followed her movements in his rearview mirror. He gently guided his Lincoln over to the side of the road and parked.
“Push her to the right,” Paul commanded as he leaned alongside the driver’s side door while steering the car. The boy pushed from the back, giving it all his might. They carefully maneuvered the car onto the side of the road, over the white line, among the dirt and pieces of tire rubber. Once stopped, Paul put the car in park and shut the door. He approached the boy with one hand extended in gratitude.
“Thanks so much for your help,” he said, smiling.
The boy wiped the sweat from his brow and shook Paul’s hand back. “No problem, mister,” he said.
“Do you guys happen to have any extra fuel on hand?” Paul asked.
“I already asked them, they said no,” Julie said, appearing out of nowhere.
“Perfect timing,” Paul said sarcastically.
“Sorry, we don’t have any extra fuel,” the boy said.
“That’s okay,” Paul said back to him.
The boy walked back to his truck with a sense of satisfaction. He felt fortunate to n
ot be in their situation. His father always kept a full tank of gas just for emergencies and it had clearly paid off.
“We have to get some fuel,” Paul said to Julie.
I know,” she replied. “I’ve asked a bunch of people. No one has any.”
“They have it, they just don’t want to give it up,” Paul said.
“Would you?” Julie asked.
Paul looked to each side of the road. They could always hitch a ride. Someone was bound to help them somehow.
“I don’t know, Julie. I think I would.”
“Well, we can always take the back road on foot,” Julie suggested. The road was close. The barricades could easily be maneuvered around on foot. The path to the back road looked inviting in its solace.
“We can’t just leave the Passat here,” Paul said, scratching his head.
“Why not?” Julie said.
“Because we need it,” he answered.
“What about the Tahoe?”
Paul thought for a moment.
“We get the Tahoe then we can get fuel for this one,” Julie suggested.
The Tahoe was Samantha’s car, left behind whenever she went on business trips. Now it could be their solution. Paul looked at Julie in agreement.
“Are you okay to do some walking?”
“I think so,” she said.
“Get the map out of the car. We’ll have to make it home on foot.”
“How far?”
“A few miles. Might be worth a shot.”
Julie took a moment to comprehend exactly what a few miles might look like.
“So what happens when we get the Tahoe?” Julie asked.
“We get out of this town as soon as possible.”
Chapter Eight
Nowhere Bound
The problem with walking through the forest in Beech Creek was accidentally being shot by a hunter. This could be a problem if it was hunting season, and sometimes even when it wasn’t. Other times there was the risk of accidentally walking on private property and not noticing the “No Trespassers” sign. Paul took this into account as he and Julie walked along the narrow one-lane back road that, according to the map, led back to the other side of town and to their house. Paul walked ahead, holding the map as Julie followed.
“It looks like this goes to the creek and stops. I guess it was supposed to be a shortcut back into town, but they never completed it. Or they never made the bridge to go over the creek,” Paul said, staring at the map
“So what does that mean?” Julie asked.
“It means that we’re going to have to go through the forest,” Paul said.
“Great,” Julie said.
Paul held up their guide like a precious commodity. “We have the map,” he said, “and it’s only a few years old.”
“Lead the way,” Julie replied.
The sound of alert sirens had dwindled. Paul tried not to think about the danger they were in, still faced, or what possibly awaited them. He was driven by pursuit. All they had to do was get to their house—by way of the forest—get Samantha’s car and get out of town. It was possible that things could go back to normal, but despite anything else, his greatest concern was for Samantha. Her absence left them especially hollow and directionless.
“I’m thirsty,” Julie said.
“I know. Just try to hang in there for just a little bit longer,” Paul said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
“I’m hungry too. But more thirsty than anything,” she said.
Paul pointed to a small path off the back road that led into the forest. “Let’s take this path down the hill.”
“I miss my mom,” Julie said.
“Me too,” Paul said. He took her hand as they walked down the hill together.
“You should try to call her again,” Julie said.
“Julie, I’ve called her more times than I can even count.
There’s something wrong with the signal. We’ll hear from her soon, I know it.”
Edwin stood over the front of the abandoned Passat and examined it. There was no one in the car or anywhere around it. He knelt down beside the car and looked at the gravel below. There were some footprints of varying sizes that led to a side road with barricades in front of it. Edwin stood up, adjusted his hat, and walked towards the barricades, whistling with each step.
There was no turning back now. Lush forest, tall trees, and winding vines surrounded Paul and Julie from all sides. Sun trickled through the openings of the looming redwood overhead. Dusk was approaching. The darkening pink sky radiated the misty woods. The map made getting home seem like a brief walk through the woods, but he knew that inches on the map equaled several miles in actual distance. He looked at Julie and wondered if they should consider going any farther.
“Maybe we should go back to the car,” Paul said.
“Why?” Julie asked.
“I’m having second thoughts. These woods are no place to get lost in.”
“I thought that was what the map was for,” Julie said with clear frustration in her voice.
“Yes, it’s our guide, but it’s not going to feed us or keep us warm,”
“Well, if you had put gas in the car, we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place,” Julie said.
It was a cheap shot, but she couldn’t resist. Paul was taken aback at her sudden tone.
“Hindsight is—”
“I just want to get home, okay?” Julie interrupted.
“We’re going to be fine as long as we stay calm and determined,” Paul said.
His words faded as Julie looked around. The trees, brush, and rustic hills ahead looked constrictive. She felt dizzy with a sense of claustrophobia coming over her. Paul noticed her lagging behind. He stopped and turned around.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. Julie didn’t respond.
She placed one foot in front of the other at a monotonous pace. Paul held up the map and waved it in the air. “Look, if we stick to the map, we can’t go wrong.”
He looked back again.
“Come on!” he shouted.
Julie looked up from the ground as if coming to some realization. “I’m going back to the car before we get stuck out here,” she said.
Amazed, Paul watched her walk away without looking back.
“Julie, get back here,” he said.
She continued to backtrack without acknowledging him.
“Young lady, stop right now. Don’t make me have to run after you,” Paul said, trying to sound authoritative.
His tone failed to deter her from her stubborn path back to the car. Julie’s pace quickened. It felt good to ignore Paul, but it would be all for naught if she ended up getting lost. They hadn’t traveled that far, maybe a mile or so, but with no compass or sense of direction, things would get even more complicated.
Paul folded the map and stuck it in his pocket. He balled his fists and breathed in deeply. His authority only stretched so far in her eyes, and he knew it. Samantha, on the other hand, had been able to control Julie with a simple look of disapproval. Paul had been working on his methods. He had offered incentives and other rewards for good grades and took away her things when she misbehaved. At heart, Julie wasn’t a bad kid. She made good grades and participated in extracurricular activities. The main area of contingency had always been her relationship with Paul. The issue before them was again rising to the surface.
Julie turned to look for Paul and wasn’t surprised to see him hurrying through the forest after her. She accidentally made eye contact and could see that he was angry.
“Julie! We don’t have time for this nonsense,” Paul shouted.
Again, she ignored him and continued walking away. The road back to the car was within range. One part of her questioned her actions, raising doubt. But another part of her enjoyed seeing Paul get upset. Why then and there, she couldn’t understand. As she continued her walk back to the car, Edwin stepped out in front of her from behind a tree. His immediate appearance stopped her dead
in her tracks, though she didn’t recognize him, at least not at the moment. A chill shook her, immobilizing her and rendering her helpless. Edwin smiled without saying a word. His eyes were concealed behind dark sunglasses.
“I was thinking that maybe I can help you out after all,” he said.
Julie looked at Edwin carefully as she began to recognize him. “What are you doing out here?” she asked.
Edwin glanced behind her at the sound of someone stumbling through the forest. Julie turned around quickly to look for Paul. His pending presence brought comfort to her amidst the unusual situation.
“I haven’t introduced myself properly, my name is Edwin, and you are?”
Julie turned back to face Edwin. She was unresponsive and observed him with a blank stare.
“Are you okay?” Edwin asked with feigned concern. “Is there something wrong?”
“My-my dad is right over there,” Julie said, pointing behind her.
“Excellent,” Edwin responded.
The time spent waiting felt like an eternity to Julie. It was similar to the times she waited for Paul to pick her up from soccer practice. Back then, it seemed that whenever she stood outside the school, nearly every car that passed looked like his. But they never were, until she had long given up. Edwin had one hand in his side pocket and the other held out as if to beckon Julie.
“Why don’t you come over here so we can talk?” he asked.
Julie wanted to run, but her legs had seized. She was frozen. All she managed to do was to shake her head in disagreement. Edwin was undeterred.
“Come now, don’t be like that,” he said in a calm voice. He lunged at her like a hawk, grabbed her by the shoulders, and swung her around in front of him. She started to scream but was silenced by his large hand over her mouth.
“There, there,” Edwin said, forcibly pulling her against him. Paul came jogging around the bend out of breath and slowed down. He stopped immediately upon seeing Edwin, much with the same confusion as Julie had.
“Julie?” Paul said.
End Days Super Boxset Page 120