by Alex Gunwick
“I think she’s going into shock,” someone said.
Bile rushed up from her belly. She lunged forward, vomiting nothing but water. She dry-heaved until someone started rubbing her back. She turned her glassy gaze on Adam, who scooped her into his arms.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured. “I’m taking you home.”
Sierra went limp as darkness pressed in from every side, eventually rendering her unconscious.
23
Luke rolled up the sleeping bag Boyd had lent him for the night and set it on the coffee table in the living room. Even though the sun peeked over the eastern horizon, the air remained chilly and still. This morning was much colder than the previous day. Cold enough to make him wish he’d stolen a jacket from one of the clothing stores they’d passed several days earlier.
He hadn’t spoken to Boyd since their conversation about leaving. He’d been too exhausted to get up for anything beyond a trip to the bathroom. Even now, after almost twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep, he could have crawled back in for another twenty-four.
As he walked into the kitchen, Boyd strolled in from the hall. He carried a pack on his back and had a jacket in his hand. He’d changed into fresh clothes and had somehow managed to wash up a bit. He’d also shaved. At least he’d look somewhat presentable if he decided to come to the cabin. Although he had his pack on, it didn’t mean anything without confirmation.
“I figure we could make a thermos of coffee before we head out,” Boyd said.
“You’re coming?”
“If the offer still stands.”
Luke held out his hand. Boyd grabbed it with a firm grip and shook it.
“Well, now that we’ve got that all worked out,” Boyd said. “We need to decide who gets to be the pack mule.”
“I only plan on carrying what I can hold in my pack.”
“Well now, that might be a problem.”
“Why?”
“Because I loaded up a couple of wheelbarrows full of food, courtesy of those assholes across the street. At first I wasn’t going to touch their shit, but then I decided since it wasn’t theirs to begin with, I might as well make use of it.”
“We’re about twenty miles from my house. I can’t imagine pushing a wheelbarrow that far. It’ll double the amount of time it’s going to take to get there.”
“But it will stretch out the food supply by another couple of months,” Boyd said. “I think losing a day in transit is worth it.”
Luke sighed. He had a point. But they’d already taken the extra day to rest. Now that he was back on his feet, he was ready to do the whole twenty miles today, if possible. He wouldn’t be able to making the entire journey in one day while pushing a wheelbarrow around.
“Let’s just try it,” Boyd said. “Worst case scenario, we ditch the supplies somewhere and go back for them.”
“All right.”
After a breakfast of hot coffee and chili, courtesy of a camping stove, Luke slipped his pack on.
“Did you ever find your gun over at the other house?” Luke asked.
“No. Never did find where they put it. But I did find the ammo. It’s in one of the wheelbarrows. It’s mostly 9mm, but I found a box of shotgun shells too. There’s about eighty rounds of 9mm and twenty-five slugs.”
“I need to reload.”
“Be my guest. We don’t have anything else to put the 9mm in. Those bastards. I loved my Taurus 85.”
“Small gun.”
“It’d still put a hole right through you. And I could hide it pretty much anywhere.”
“I don’t want to know all the places you used to hide it,” Luke said with a smirk.
“Smart ass.”
“Okay, let’s try the wheelbarrows. If they get to be too much of a pain in the ass though, we have to ditch them.”
“Works for me. Everything in them would be a good bonus, but if you’re already stocked up…”
“Food for at least a year. Maybe eight months with you there.”
“Six if you’re lucky.”
“Don’t make me rethink this.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
As they headed out the front door, Boyd turned to lock it. He hesitated with the key in his hand.
“Guess I don’t need to lock it anymore.”
“Not really.”
“We lived here twenty years. Raised the kids here. Thought we’d grow old together and die in this little house. I guess I got the dying part right and the timeline wrong.”
Luke shook his head slightly.
“Maybe I’ll be back one day,” Boyd said as he slid the key into the lock and turned it.
The trip through the neighborhood proved to be uneventful. Luke hated to think about how many other families lay massacred in their homes. Two weeks ago he never would have dreamed of walking down the middle of a four-lane road. There wasn’t a single car in sight. No people either.
At one point they had to push the wheelbarrows up an off-ramp on the 91 Freeway. As they headed toward the 241 Toll Road, Luke shivered.
“Does it feel like it’s getting colder to you?” he asked.
“It never warmed up. The sky looks funny too. Gray, but there aren’t any clouds.”
“Yeah, it’s weird.”
“Do you think there’s a fire someplace?”
“I haven’t smelled any smoke.”
“Me neither,” Boyd said. “Maybe up in LA though. After they nuked Hiroshima, the whole city burned down.”
“I hope that didn’t happen in LA. I’ve got a HAM radio at the cabin.”
“Maybe we’ll be able to get some news.”
“Maybe.”
After pushing the wheelbarrows all day, Luke’s arms were ready to fall off. The sun rested low on the horizon as they reached a fork in the Toll Road. One section continued, while the other became an off-ramp to Santiago Canyon Road. As Luke heaved the load up the steep off-ramp, his calf muscles screamed. Boyd huffed behind him until they reached the top of the grade.
“Are we there yet?” Boyd joked.
“You sound like one of my kids.”
“Mine used to say it all the time.” A far-off expression crossed his face.
Luke set the wheelbarrow down and pulled a bottle of water out of his pack. He took a long swig before setting it back on the pile. As he reached for a Snickers bar, Boyd turned his back. His chin sagged toward his chest for a moment before he heaved his head to each side to crack his neck. When he turned around, his red-rimmed eyes reflected the sunset.
“It’s all I think about,” he said.
“I know.”
“No. You don’t. You still have your family,” he said softly, without bitterness.
“I hope so. I’d give anything to be able to call them.”
“About how far do we have to go?”
“Maybe another eight to ten miles.”
“We still have another hour of light or so. I found a couple of headlamps at the house. They’re in my wheelbarrow when we need them. I figure we’ll keep on through the night.”
“Aren’t you exhausted?” Luke asked.
“Yeah, but if I was this close to my family, a pack of wild hyenas couldn’t keep me away.”
“Let’s do it then.”
After finishing off the bottle of water, Luke tossed it back onto the pile. About two miles up the road, Luke pointed to a lake.
“That’s the one I was talking about. The water’s really low from the drought and they stopped stocking it with fish, but there might still be some.”
“We can check it out after we get settled. That’s an easy day trip, even on foot.”
As darkness stretched across the rolling hills, Boyd pulled the headlamps out. He handed one to Luke.
“If anyone’s out here, they’ll be able to see us from a mile away.”
“It’s kind of weird we haven’t run into anyone considering how many people live around this area.”
“I wonder why.”
“Maybe because of that?”
Luke squinted against the night. Up ahead, four men carrying rifles stood across the road. Great. Just what he needed. It was too late to dash into the trees. They’d already been seen for sure. Since they hadn’t started shooting already, maybe they weren’t standing around waiting to kill people. Or maybe they were. Either way, he was about to find out.
Liz gingerly touched the knot on her forehead. She sat at the kitchen table in her cabin. Adam sat across from her while Melinda poured three steaming cups of tea. She carried the mugs to the table and passed them out. Liz took a shaky sip before setting the cup down. She glanced at the ceiling. Kyle lay sleeping in the loft. Sierra had locked herself in the bedroom and was refusing to come out.
“Are they sure everyone’s dead?” Liz asked.
“Harvey and the others went back. They rounded up everyone left at the church and demanded to know who else was involved in the kidnapping. No one knew anything,” Melinda said.
“And they believed them?”
“Yes. The people were unbelievably clueless. I never understood how no one could see him for what he really was.” Melinda shook her head.
“No one knew the preacher was kidnapping and murdering people?”
“No. And if they suspected, they probably ignored their suspicions. People want to believe the best about the powerful people around them. The alternative is too horrifying to imagine. If I’d told people my suspicions about Elijah, no one would have believed me. Before the bombs, it happened all the time. All kinds of atrocities happened, but a single voice doesn’t stand a chance against powerful people.”
Liz nodded slightly. She stopped as a band of pain tightened around her forehead.
“You need to rest,” Melinda said.
“We don’t have much room, but please stay here tonight. We’ll figure out something more permanent tomorrow.”
“Permanent?” Adam raised his head.
“I know you don’t really have a place to go, so unless you’re planning on rebuilding the church group...”
“I don’t ever want to go back there,” Adam said.
“You don’t have to,” Melinda said. “I appreciate your offer, but I don’t know if we’re ready to join another group yet.”
“Consider it,” Liz said. “In the meantime, you’re welcome to stay with us as long as you want.”
They sipped tea in silence for several minutes.
“I should check on Sierra,” Liz said.
“Leave her be for now,” Melinda said. “She’s in shock. She killed a man. She watched him die. You don’t get over something like that after a couple of hours.”
“How are you holding up?” Liz asked.
“I did what I had to do to save my son.” Melinda dropped her gaze to the mug and studied its contents as if she were trying to divine the future. “I never thought I’d take a life.”
“Mom,” Adam grabbed his mom’s hand and squeezed. “You could have run away, but you didn’t. You stayed and you fought for me.”
“I love you more than anything in the world,” Melinda choked.
“I love you too, Mom.”
Liz looked at the front door and sighed. No one would be the same after tonight. Would Luke even recognize them when he made it home?
Her heart clenched as Melinda and Adam leaned against each other. Family meant everything, but right now Liz’s wasn’t complete. Not until Luke came home.
“I’m going to check on Sierra.”
She pushed back from the table and walked to the bedroom door. She knocked softly.
“Go away,” Sierra called from inside.
“Unlock the door.”
“It is unlocked.”
Liz twisted the doorknob and slipped inside. She sat on the edge of the bed and reached for Sierra’s hand. She rolled away.
“I know tonight was a nightmare,” Liz said. “But you did everything right. We’re alive.”
“None of this would have happened if I’d listened to you in the first place. You warned me not to talk to other people, but I did it anyway.”
“You made a mistake.”
“And now people are dead. Everyone died today because of me.”
“No one from our group died. Franklin’s going to be all right. He was hit in the shoulder, but they patched him up. He’ll be fine in a few weeks,” Liz said.
“You should have seen the look in his eyes when he died. It was like staring into hell.”
“I’m sorry you had to do that, but you were the only one who could save me. You had to do it.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Sierra said.
“Okay.” Liz didn’t want to push her too hard. It would take time to process everything, and eventually Sierra would realize she had no choice but to pull the trigger.
She tucked Sierra in, then closed the door. Melinda and Adam had moved into the living room. Melinda lay on one of the couches, while Adam sat on the other.
“Try to get some sleep,” Liz said.
“What about you?” Adam asked.
“I can’t sleep. Harvey checked and doesn’t think I have a concussion, but I should stay up just in case.”
“I’ll stay up with you.”
“No. Rest. I’ll be fine.”
As Liz padded toward the kitchen, a perimeter bell rang. She froze. Adam jumped up and quickly crossed the room to peek out the curtains.
“I don’t see anyone.”
“Wait here.” Liz grabbed a shotgun and stalked toward the door. “Don’t come out until I give the all-clear.”
Liz shivered as she reached for the doorknob. She’d thought all the men were dead, but maybe she’d been wrong.
24
Luke set the wheelbarrow down twenty feet in front of the men on the road. He needed his hands free in case he needed to draw on them. He didn’t want to reveal that they had a gun unless necessary. The shotgun lay hidden underneath a blanket in Boyd’s wheelbarrow. He’d had the foresight to load it before heading out that morning.
“Hello,” Luke called as he approached the men.
The man standing on the far left side stepped forward. He wore jeans, a pair of well-worn tennis shoes, and a backward baseball hat. Mid-thirties, relatively fit, but Luke could probably take him in a fistfight. A gunfight? Maybe. Depended on who was fastest to the trigger.
“What’s your business here?”
“Just heading home,” Luke said.
“Where’s that?”
“Up in the canyon.”
“Which one?”
“White Oak,” he lied. Until he could figure out their intent, he wasn’t about to give them a damn bit of information.
“You got a cabin up there?”
“Yep. How about you guys, you up in one of the canyons too?”
“We’re at the church.”
“Up Modjeska Canyon?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve been there a few times.” Long enough to realize the congregation wasn’t a good fit for him. Too literal for his taste.
“What’s in the wheelbarrows?”
“Some supplies for the house.”
“You’re gonna have to pay a toll.”
“A toll? I have every right to be on this road, same as you. Why would I have to pay a toll?” Luke demanded.
“Consider it a tax for keeping people who don’t belong up here out. I’m also gonna need to see some ID.”
“I lost it.” Somewhere on the Pacific Crest Trail the damn thing had fallen out of his pocket. Probably a blessing in disguise since they wouldn’t be able to get his address.
“We can’t let you past unless you got a license with your address on it.”
“This is bullshit.”
One of the other men trained his rifle on Luke.
“Watch your mouth, buddy.” He sounded like he’d been chewing on glass all day.
“Look, I’m just trying to get home to my family.”
“Make him pay
the toll,” Glass-Chewer said.
The man who seemed to be in charge spit on the side of the road.
“Here’s what we’ll do. You give us one of those wheelbarrows, and we’ll let you keep the other one.”
Luke clenched his hands into fists. If these assholes thought they were going to take his stuff, they had another thing coming. If only he could figure out how to turn the tables on the situation. They were outnumbered. He glanced at Boyd who shrugged.
As much as Luke wanted to retain everything they’d been pushing around all day, there was no way they’d get past these guys. If they tried to backtrack, these guys would gun them down and take everything. They may have been from the church, but that didn’t mean they were men of the cloth. Far from it. He’d bet his left nut they’d broken at least five out of the Ten Commandments in the last week. They had that look.
“Okay,” Luke said with an exaggerated sigh. “I just want to get home, so take my friend’s wheelbarrow.”
“We’d rather have yours,” the leader said.
“You could at least let me choose.”
“The choice has been made. Rusty, go get it.” He turned back to Luke. “Now you boys have a nice rest of your day.”
“Asshole,” Boyd whispered under his breath.
“What’d you say?”
“Nothing.”
“I thought so.”
“Let’s go,” Luke said.
A mile up the road, Boyd turned to him.
“What the hell did you do that for?”
“They were going to take the stuff either way. I figured we might have a chance to salvage one if we gave them the other one.”
“You’re lucky they didn’t take the one with the shotgun.”
“Not lucky, smart. I knew they’d pick whichever one I tried to keep, so I made it seem like I wanted mine so we could keep yours. Either way, we still have more than what we came with.”
“I don’t like it,” Boyd said.
“Neither do I, but there’s no way in hell I’m getting myself shot this close to home. They said they’re with the church. Trust me when I say we’re getting every bit of what they took back, and then some. Those sons of bitches don’t know what they started.”