Cole gritted his teeth—the sudden change in direction made the throbbing in his shoulder flare to a new level. “No,” he ground out. “We can’t go back until we have the parts Sean needs first.”
The sun highlighted the cracks in the windshield and looking at them while the truck moved made his stomach do a couple of flips. He swallowed hard.
“Dad, you need to get home and rest. Jenna needs to treat your shoulder.”
“Look, Hunter, I appreciate the concern, but I’ll survive. It can’t be that bad or I’d feel a lot worse, right?” He straightened against the back of the seat and schooled his face to hide the pain. Hunter cast him a dubious look. “Okay, yes, a soft, warm bed sounds wonderful right now. I’m not gonna lie, but we need those parts, and there’s a place a few towns over that sold them. Sean remembers some guy from his crew talking about restoring an antique windmill. If we can find an old phone book in the town, which I think we can do if we hit the library, we can find the house that has the parts.” His plan had called for gathering as many books from the library as well, but that would have to wait for another day.
“House?”
Cole slid down a little, hoping his son wouldn’t notice. He took a sip of water, his thirst seemed unquenchable. He closed his eyes when they passed beside a stand of trees and the sunlight flickered through like a strobe. The water sloshed in his stomach. “Yeah, some guy sold parts on eBay. Not just windmill stuff, I’m sure, but lots of hard to find antique mechanics. Exactly what we can use now.” He cracked his eyes and seeing they were beyond the trees, glanced at Hunter. His knuckles were white as his fingers wrapped around the steering wheel.
“But what if something happens to you?” Hunter didn’t look at him, just navigated the road, but his voice held real fear.
“Infection won’t set in for a few hours, at the earliest—if it sets in at all. I’m awake and lucid. I’m drinking fluids to replace the fluid I’ve lost—”
“Fluid? You mean blood.”
Cole nodded, conceding the point. “True, but unless you have some O-positive blood hidden away somewhere, it’s the best we can do. Relax. I’ll point you in the right direction; then take a nap.”
Hunter sighed. “Fine. Tell me where to go.”
Cole told him the name of the town, and what road to follow, then he kept his word, closed his eyes and napped. Or rather, he tried to nap. His shoulder and upper chest throbbed, and every bump and turn had him alternately clutching the armrest or his shoulder.
The truck slowed, and there was a rattle and a shuffling sound. He slit his eyes to find Hunter shaking out three ibuprofen. “Here. They were in the glovebox.”
Had he left a bottle there on the way to the island? He couldn’t recall. Maybe someone who had previously leased the truck had left them. At this point, he didn’t care. He reached for them and tossed all three in his mouth. Hunter handed him the Thermos. “Drink it all. I’ll get some more water.”
Cole swallowed the pills. “Where?”
“On the way to the island, we found a few farms with hand pumps. We can stop at a few farms and maybe get lucky. We passed dozens on the way here.”
“Or try the state park. There’s one not too far up the highway.” He grunted when the truck hit a bump. He drew in a deep breath and eased it out. “Most have some hand pumps.”
“Don’t worry about it. I‘ll figure it out. Just rest.”
Somehow, Cole managed to doze and when he next opened his eyes, the truck was parked in the middle of a small town. Hunter was nowhere to be found.
Clutching his shoulder, Cole sat forward and peered at his surroundings. It was then he noticed the note on the seat beside him.
I’m in the library looking for the phone books. Be back soon.
They were already in the small town? As he straightened, he reached for the door handle, cracking the door open to get some air. The cab felt hot and stuffy.
He hoped it was just because it was a warm day for fall, but they were parked under a tree, so he wasn’t certain if it was the interior that was warm, or if he was already running a fever. He hoped it was the former, not the latter. His hand bumped the Thermos, and to Cole’s surprise, it was heavy again. He clamped it between his knees and unscrewed the top. He sniffed the liquid sloshing around inside, suspicious of the yellow tint. He took a sip and then smiled. Electrolyte drink. It was exactly what he needed. The closest thing to an I.V. he could have had. Where the hell had Hunter found it?
It was hard to refrain from guzzling it, but his stomach churned despite his thirst, and he didn’t want to bring the precious liquid back up.
The keys dangled from the ignition, and he leaned over, blinking away black spots in his vision as he turned the key just enough to hit the button to roll down his window. He braved the spots to turn the key again. A light breeze tugged at the hair plastered to his forehead, and he drew his forearm across his brow, relishing the cool air. He scanned the street. They were parked in front of a red brick library. The sliding glass door to the building sported a large crack, but the glass wasn’t broken. A yellow, street barricade propped the door open.
Cole spotted a matching barricade in his side mirror. Apparently, someone had tried blocking off the street at some point. That must be where Hunter had obtained the barricade. Obviously, the blockade hadn’t worked if the number of stranded cars was any indication.
Like other places they had seen, cars, some burned as if set on fire for some reason, dotted the main street, but a side street branched off the main road and only a few cars blocked it. Other vehicles were parked neatly along the curb. It was disconcerting to know that someone had parked them a few months ago probably never realizing it would be the last time they would ever drive.
Would he ever get used to this new world? He sighed. The big box store had been on the outskirts of a town and so even with all of the death and mess there, it hadn’t felt as real as seeing this picturesque town now devoid of people. He half expected a Rod Serling voiceover to inform him that he had entered the Twilight Zone.
The barricade shifted in the doorway and Cole tensed until Hunter emerged, two bulging tote bags in each hand, his head down as he struggled to the back of the truck with his load Then came a couple of solid thumps and the rumble of the back door of the truck closing. Hunter jumped back in the cab, a phone book in hand. “How are you feeling? You look a little better. Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“Not as pale.”
“I feel better thanks to the ibuprofen and this.” He lifted the Thermos. “Where did you get the drink?”
Hunter grimaced. “I broke into a few houses—don’t worry, I was fully protected—and found some bottles in the basement of one house. I also found a few rifles and ammo.”
“Really? Wow. That’s great.”
“There’s more, but you’ll see it when we get back to the island.”
“I see you found a phone book along with some other books.”
“Yeah. I got what I could, but I didn’t want to leave you out here too long.” He flipped open the phone book. “What do I look for? Do you have a name?”
Cole shook his head. “No, but look under antiques, windmills, parts—“
“Hold on. One at a time.” Hunter swiped through the yellow pages, skimming a finger down the listings. Apparently, the first few words weren’t successful, but after a lot of page flipping, his finger stopped on a listing. “Here, I think this is it. Or if it’s not it, it might be another one but sounds like it could have what we need.” He looked at Cole then he pulled a folded map from his back pocket. Cole blinked. He hadn’t seen one of those kinds of maps in several years.
“Where’d you get that?” He wished he would have thought to bring one when they first fled his house, but he hadn’t. They should have grabbed the one from Hunter’s truck before leaving this morning, but they had forgotten. Too many years of relying on Google maps or GPS had made Cole rely on technology and forget that for most of hi
s life, he’d needed a map to plan a route.
“Since I was all geared up anyway, I went into a bunch of cars, and this was in the glove box of one—buried beneath the owner’s manual and a registration renewal receipt dated from over a year ago. I’m pretty sure nobody has touched this map in a really long time.”
“Do you have any other surprises?” Cole shifted on the seat. His shoulder felt as if he’d run full tilt into a brick wall, shoulder first, but he was relieved that he could move his fingers and make a fist. He knew bullets didn’t always travel on a straight path and that it could have gone anywhere, hitting arteries or organs even though the wound wasn’t in a vital location. It seemed as if he’d lucked out. Maybe it was a ricochet and he didn’t get the full impact.
Hunter shrugged, but he looked to be hiding a grin. “One house must have belonged to a really old dude. He wasn’t around—no sign of him—but he had a shitload of gadgets in his basement. It looked like a workshop from the nineteen forties.”
“How would you know what a workshop from then looked like?”
“Hey, I’ve watched Turner Classics Movie channel before! Anyway, there were radios and all kinds of wires, clips, ancient looking light bulbs—just a ton of shit. I thought Uncle Sean might know what to do with some of it. Like, remember my science project when I made a potato power a lightbulb? I used some wires like what I found in there.” He flicked a hand back in the general direction of the neighborhood off the main street.
“So you think we’re going to use potatoes to light the house?” Cole didn’t mean to make fun of Hunter’s suggestion, but the vision of them gathered around a potato lamp reading on a cold winter’s night would have brought a smile to his face if his shoulder didn’t hurt so damn much.
The hint of a grin dissolved from Hunter’s face, and he shrugged. “It was just a thought. Whatever. Uncle Sean can toss all the crap if it’s useless. There was plenty of room in the truck so figured why not get what I could?”
Cole grimaced as he struggled to straighten. “No—I’m sorry. You were right to get it. What do I know about electronics? You were always better at that than I ever was.” Cole chuckled. “And I remember your potato lamp. I think you got an A on that project.” Good grades had always been a struggle for Hunter, so when his son earned an A on a big test or project, it was noteworthy. “One thing we do have is a lot of potatoes.”
“Aunt Jenna said we’ll be eating potato soup, potato pancakes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, hash-browned potatoes, scalloped potatoes—”
“I get it, Hunter—or should I call you Bubba?”
Hunter smiled at that and started the truck. Forrest Gump was one of Cole’s favorite movies, and he and Hunter watched it at least once a year. “Okay, well, fasten your seatbelt. We have about thirty miles to go.”
Cole sipped the electrolyte drink between clenching his jaw at every pothole the truck hit. What he wouldn’t give for something with codeine right about now.
Fortunately, the highway Hunter took must have been a lesser traveled road with fewer abandoned cars. That meant less jostling as Hunter didn’t have to navigate around the obstacles. Cole dozed as the truck traveled at a speed that made the trip seem almost normal. Like old times.
8
Elly steered the boat into the slip and cut the engine. They were almost out of fuel and had depleted the tanks from all of the vessels around the dock. Jake secured the boat at the back and hopped out, tethering the front of the boat as well.
First, they had to take care of the horses. Elly would let Jake take the lead there as he’d done more care for them than she had over the last few months. Soon they’d have to find a barn stocked with hay for the winter, but for now, there was plenty of grass and some grain.
She whistled softly for Buddy, commanding the dog to stay close as he practically quivered with excitement to explore the area. She had brought Buddy with them to give them warning of anyone around since they planned to explore the little town. It hadn’t been part of Cole’s plan, but there was no reason they shouldn’t explore a little. They should know the layout of it in case they ever had to flee the island.
Buddy trotted along beside them, only wandering to the sides of the road to sniff in the weeds. Hunter had spent most of his time with the dog by his side and Buddy was very well-trained now. All it took was a few words to keep the animal close.
Chances were they could get some fuel from stranded cars or even boats sitting on trailers in driveways.
As they cleaned up the garage barn, Elly spread sawdust they had brought from the island. It wasn’t much now that they were low on gas and they didn’t use the chainsaw except for the largest trees that needed to be broken down. Once they were smaller, the men split them the old-fashioned way with an ax.
Brushing the last bit of sawdust from her fingers, she made a note to mention that they’d have to look for some more bedding and feed for the horses. She stroked the muzzle of the mare as it butted against her side. “Hey there.”
Jake stood beside Red, scratching the base of the horse’s ear. The horse shook his head and stomped a foot, then lowered his head as if requesting another scratch. Jake laughed and obliged. “Hey, Elly. Why don’t we take them for a ride? We could scout the area that way. Hunter mentioned there were a lot of broken down cars in the town when he came through.” He was already slipping a bridle onto Red, followed by a red saddle blanket.
“Yeah, I suppose they need the exercise.” Hunter and Sophie tried to ride them every few days but said they had only stuck to the immediate neighborhood. There was always something that needed to be done on the island. “Have you ridden them at all?”
Jake grinned. “Sure did. Twice. That doubled my riding experience.”
“You look like a pro compared to me. I haven’t ridden since I was a girl.” She found the other bridle hanging on a hook on the wall. She lifted it to eye level as she tried to figure out how to put it on the horse. “I hope it’s like riding a bike.”
Jake grabbed a saddle from the work bench where it was stored and set it on Red. “Hunter showed me how to saddle them, so if you don’t know, I can help.”
Elly eyed the remaining saddle and then over to Jake as he tightened the cinch. “Where did you get the saddle blanket?”
“Over there on top of the freezer.” Jake pointed to a corner of the garage.
She found it and eventually she had the mare saddled. The horse seemed eager to go, almost prancing as Elly led her out to the back porch of the house whose garage they’d commandeered for the animals.
Jake followed her, carrying a couple of bungee cords with five-gallon gas cans attached on either end. She noted that Red already had a set on him, one in front of, and one just behind the saddle. “Here. I have a rope to tie them down to the saddle.” They draped the cans over the horses. Elly gave each a tug, making sure neither would slide off. They really needed to look for more cans as well so they could collect more fuel at one time.
When the mare was alongside the back stoop, Jake held the horse steady while Elly used the steps to boost herself into the saddle. “Whew! Did it.”
Jake had no problem mounting, and she shook her head, envying him his youth. He said he barely had any experience and yet, he looked very comfortable in the saddle, but then again, she’d noted he was a natural athlete.
“Come on, Buddy!” Jake whistled to the dog and caught Elly’s eye as he pointed west. “I think we need to head north. We’ve already checked all the boats and vehicles west of here until the highway, but I don’t think anyone has gone north yet. We can follow the lake shore.”
“Sounds good. Lead the way.” She regretted her suggestion when Jake immediately nudged Red into a trot.
She clenched her teeth to keep them from chipping as the mare trotted after Red. It was a block before Elly remembered how to move with the motion of the horse. She still bounced around but not quite as much.
The first block passed in a blur because she had been
too focused on staying on the horse and keeping all of her molars intact, but once she gained some confidence, she looked around. While the effects of the virus weren’t as visible as they had been in Chicago, what shocked her was how quickly what she assumed was an average small town with neatly kept older homes, and a quaint main street, had turned into something that looked as if it had been deserted for years instead of just a few months. Grass and weeds had taken over every yard, their height reaching as high as the mare’s belly, higher in some cases. The roads and sidewalks had weeds sprouting from every crack and hole.
The summer had brought a few large storms, and she saw a tree that had fallen on power lines. Judging by the brown leaves on the broken limbs, it had been there a while. In their old world, the power company would have been out the same night repairing the line.
Buddy nosed at a thick patch of weeds ahead and to the right. She didn’t think much of it until she came abreast the patch and was assaulted by a rank stench. Peering closer, she recoiled when she spotted a small skull with a clump of tangled blonde hair clinging to it “Buddy! Leave it!”
The dog whined but obeyed her, trotting ahead. She swallowed her revulsion and looked away. From then on, she avoided the thickest patches of weeds.
Jake halted and pointed to a pontoon boat on the edge of a driveway. “I’ll check to see if it has gas.” He had several strands of rope he used with a couple of washers weighing down the end. He lowered the rope into the tank until the washers hit bottom, then lifted the rope. Only the lower third was wet. Hardly worth the effort, but Jake, who was a pro at siphoning, managed about four gallons from the boat. Better than nothing, she supposed.
They rode the horses up driveways, peering into backyards and garage windows. They found two more boats and filled the rest of Jake’s first can and all three of the others he had.
She spotted cats scattering as they approached and wondered if they had always been feral or if they had been pets. In the distance, they heard dogs bark and Buddy’s ears perked, but he didn’t seem to want to leave their side. Elly worried he’d run off and they’d lose him. Maybe they should have left him on the island.
Sympatico Syndrome Trilogy Box Set Page 34