“Give me a second,” said Cynthia.
“They’re almost here.”
“Trust me.”
It’d be hard to start the bike with him on it.
The whine of the other dirt bikes was loud. Very loud. They were close.
“I can see them,” said John. “I’ll try to hold them off.”
Cynthia engaged the clutch and the brake. She got the kick starter into the right position. She didn’t want to flood the engine by using the throttle.
She kicked it.
It didn’t start.
Stay calm, she told herself.
Going too quickly could flood the engine.
John’s rifle fired. She didn’t turn around to see what had happened.
“Get it started!”
She wanted to scream, “Don’t rush me!” But that wasn’t going to help anything.
She waited a few seconds, counting as slowly as she could in her head.
Finally, she gave it another kick.
This time it started.
John already had his leg halfway over the bike before she could tell him to get on.
“Hold on to me tight.”
He didn’t need to be told twice.
Cynthia released the brake and twisted the throttle. They were off, speeding through the trees.
It was exhilarating, the trees rushing past on either side, the wind on her face. They’d been walking so long, she hadn’t thought she’d ever be in a car again, let alone riding a dirt bike.
There was enough space between most of the trees for the dirt bike. But it wasn’t easy. It would require a lot of slowing down around bends and curves.
And there wasn’t much space between them and the pursuers.
On a bend, slowing down, she shouted to John, “How close are they?”
“Close,” he shouted back. “Maybe 50 feet.”
That wasn’t much.
She’d gotten pretty good, back in the day, at riding. But that had been around a track, not zigzagging through trees, pursued by three armed men. And she was rusty. It’d been years since she’d even seen a dirt bike.
Concentrate, she told herself. Just concentrate and stay calm.
“We need to get that radio!” shouted John.
“The radio?”
Was he crazy? They’d have to stop at Tom’s hiding spot, where she’d left the radio. It would mean putting themselves in more danger than they needed.
Then again, she’d thought he was crazy before. Just minutes ago.
And he’d been right.
Cynthia turned, aiming them on a path that would lead them right to the radio. She pulled the throttle and the engine whined.
26
Max
Max and James had left Georgia and Sadie at the campsite with the deer. Max’s stomach was still mostly empty. They’d walked so far. He was already tired when they’d set out.
His leg hurt, but he was pushing on.
After half an hour of walking, they’d finally come to a creek.
“This must be the one Mandy came to,” said James.
“If she got this far.”
“I think she did. Look.” James pointed to the water containers that Mandy must have left behind.
Max’s Glock hadn’t left his hand since they’d set out, and he kept it at the ready. His eyes darted around.
But he saw nothing.
“What do you think happened to her?” said James.
Max didn’t answer. He was looking across to the other side of the creek. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw something there in the dirt. Some mark or pattern.
He walked across the creek. It was just deep enough to get his boots wet. Whatever waterproofing they had, it didn’t work.
“You see something?” said James, staying on the other side for now.
“Yeah,” said Max, bending down to examine the dirt. “Tire tracks.”
James was there, splashing across the creek as quickly as he could.
“It sort of looks like a road up that way,” he said.
“Yeah,” said Max. “A dirt road. I think we have our answer. Or part of it. Come on, there’s no time to lose.”
“You think they took her? Kidnapped her? Whoever they are.”
“Hopefully.”
“What if they just killed her.”
“If they did, they didn’t do it here.”
“How do you know?”
“There’s no blood.”
“But what about this? I found it on the other side, over there.” James seemed hesitant and nervous as he held out his hand, as if he didn’t want to show Max.
Finally, he opened his hand.
There was a shell casing resting on his palm. “There are more over there,” he said.
Max picked it up and examined it.
“It could have come from Mandy’s gun,” said Max.
“Shouldn’t we look for more over here, to figure out what happened?”
“No time,” said Max. “We can philosophize all we want about what happened. But it’s not going to save Mandy. If she’s still alive to be saved. Come on, let’s get a move on it.”
They set off down the dirt road, which became clearer the more they walked.
“Keep your eyes on the tracks,” said Max. “But don’t forget to look up, too. I’m watching, but don’t rely just on me. We’ve all got to get used to the idea that the other person might not be doing their job. And at the same time rely on each other.”
“Tricky balance,” muttered James, whose eyes were fixed to the dirt road. “I’m pretty sure these are the same tracks. It’s a little hard to tell, because it looks like other cars have been on this road before.”
“It’s probably the same car,” said Max. “Or truck.”
“I wonder where this leads.”
“Me too,” said Max.
They walked for a good half hour, still seeing nothing.
Max’s leg was hurting more than it had been. Carrying Georgia on that stretcher had strained it. But he just gritted his teeth.
“Hey,” said James, stopping. “Do you see that?”
“What?”
“Right there. Some kind of structure.”
Max took the binoculars from where they hung around his neck and put them to his eyes.
As he dialed in the right adjustment, the image came into focus.
It wasn’t a building, but some kind of old tent.
“Take a look,” said Max, unslinging the binoculars from around his neck and handing them to James.
“What is that?” said James. “Doesn’t look like a normal tent.”
“It’s not,” said James. “Looks like one of those old military tents. Not meant to be portable.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we could be dealing with people who are more prepared than average,” said Max. “In the sense that they’re very well-prepared.”
“Maybe it’s just some people who had an old tent from their dad or granddad or something,” said James. “I mean, I’ve seen things like that before. Big canvas tent, steel poles and all that.”
“I don’t think so,” said Max, taking the binoculars back and scanning the area. “There’s a ton of equipment around. Actually, it looks like they’ve been there for a while, before the EMP.”
“What should we do?”
“We’ll do some more surveillance, before we move in,” said Max.
“What about Mandy? Time isn’t on our side. Anything could happen while we’re snooping around.”
“We’re not going to be able to save Mandy unless we know what we’re up against,” said Max. “Rushing in there might be the worst thing we could do.”
It was a hard decision for Max to make. After all, he realized now that he cared about Mandy in a way… well, it was different than how he felt about the others.
But he needed to keep a cool head. He needed to stay practical and strategic. There was a good chance that they’d be u
p against people who were better fed and better armed.
“Come on,” said Max. “Follow me. And try not to make any noise.”
Max set off, heading away from the road, on a course that would lead them around the campsite. He didn’t know how many people there were, or how big the campsite was, and he wanted to circle in on it. If they were dealing with another compound situation, they didn’t want to walk right into the center of activity without realizing it.
27
Georgia
“You doing, OK, Mom?” said Sadie.
“I’m fine, Sadie.”
The truth was, the pain was getting worse. She didn’t know why. But she hoped that it was simply because of the journey. The going had been bumpy. That was the reality of being carried across uneven terrain on a makeshift stretcher. Every bump had gone right to her back, right to her injury.
But Sadie had checked it, lifting Georgia’s shirt up to expose her bare skin. She’d said it had looked fine.
Georgia shouldn’t have been worried. At least that was what she kept telling herself. If there’d been a fragment of the bullet that hadn’t been removed, she’d have a fever right now. And an infection. Maybe she’d be dead.
But maybe the antibiotics had been keeping it at bay. Maybe there was a splinter of metal there, working its way slowly to her heart, or some vital organ.
She had to keep a clear head, though. For her kids.
It was difficult, though. Georgia was not the type to get anxious. So it was a new experience for her. Probably compounded by the injury, the stress, and the lack of food.
“You think they’ll be OK?” said Sadie, looking up at her mom with worried eyes.
Georgia nodded. “James is with Max. He’s in good hands. As good as any.”
“But what about Mandy?”
“We’ll have to wait and see, Sadie. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled. We can’t afford to let something happen to us while we’re here waiting.”
“But maybe we should go help. We can’t just sit here doing nothing.”
“Unfortunately, that’s the reality of the situation. There’s nothing else to do. The truth is that I can barely walk, let alone go running after some unknown threats. Trust me, I feel worse about it than you do.”
It was true.
Georgia was not the type for sitting back and letting others do the dangerous work. And she hated the idea of sending her son out there, while she stayed in the relative safety of the campsite. James and Max were about to face unknown dangers. And there was nothing she could do to protect them.
She kept her worries to herself. It was better if Sadie kept as clear a head as possible. The calmer Sadie was, the more likely she’d be able to spot someone if they were approaching.
“Sadie,” said Georgia. “Listen to me. I’ve got to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“If something happens to me, I want you to…”
Just then, Georgia saw it.
A woman.
Georgia froze, stopping midsentence.
Sadie turned her head to where Georgia was looking.
She was in her mid-30s. Tall, with long hair that hung past her shoulders. She had a pretty face, and an athletic build.
Georgia reached for the gun. She’d already thought over whether Sadie was better off with it, or whether she was. In the end, she’d decided that she was still the better shot, even with her injury. And she’d likely draw the fire, if there was any. If she was shot, Sadie could reach for the gun.
Funny where the mind went. These sorts of thoughts had become completely normal to Georgia.
Unfortunately.
But that was reality.
The hiker saw them. She stopped dead in her tracks.
Georgia was waiting for the woman to reach for her gun.
But she didn’t.
Behind her, a man appeared. About the same age. Also tall.
They glanced at each other, and then back at Sadie and Georgia.
They didn’t seem to have seen the gun yet.
Georgia made a quick strategic decision. She pulled her arm and hand completely under the blanket that lay over her. This hid the gun completely from sight. It was better if they didn’t know she was armed. If they tried something, she’d be better able to take them on.
“Hey there!” called out the woman, suddenly, waving her hand.
“Mom,” hissed Sadie frantically. “What do we do?”
“Stay calm, Sadie.”
The woman and the man started walking over. There wasn’t much ground to cover. They’d sort of come out of nowhere. The trees had hidden their approach.
“You folks OK?” said the man. He was athletic-looking, and was wearing trendy clothes that were now muddy and torn.
“We’re fine,” said Georgia.
Her pulse was racing. The presence of newcomers meant danger.
But, if she was being honest with herself, the impression they gave was of completely trustworthy people. An honest couple. Normal people. Nothing about them screamed danger.
“Mind if we sit down?” said the man. “I’m Jake, by the way.”
“And I’m Rose.”
Georgia nodded. “Just keep a decent distance. Yeah, right there is fine. And keep your hands where I can see them.”
Jake laughed. “We’re not trying to hurt you,” he said. “In fact, we were hoping you could help us.”
“Help you?”
“Yeah,” said Rose. “We’re… well, it’s a long story.”
Georgia realized that they hadn’t noticed that she was so injured she could barely stand up on her own. That she was so weak she wasn’t going to be of any help to anyone.
“How do you know you can trust us?” said Georgia. “Coming here, presumably unarmed, you’re taking a big risk.”
Rose smiled warmly. “You look trustworthy.”
“That’s not much to go on,” said Georgia. “Trust me, I know. And don’t worry, I’m not trusting you two either yet.”
“I guess you shouldn’t,” said Jake. “We’re desperate, basically. If you’re looking to take what we have, well, we don’t have anything.”
“If you’re desperate, then I can’t trust you,” said Georgia.
“I know you’re a good person,” said Rose. “I can see it in your aura.”
“My aura?”
“She’s kind of a hippy,” said Jake, rolling his eyes a little.
Georgia laughed in spite of herself.
“He never believes me,” said Rose. “But I always turn out to be right.”
“I think you’re just picking up other signals,” said Jake.
“What’s an aura?” said Sadie.
“Some silly new age stuff,” muttered Georgia. “Now tell me what’s going on.”
“Well, it all started out great,” said Rose. “We were traveling the country in our van…”
“We’re digital nomads,” said Jake, once again adding explanation to what Rose said. “Well, we were, obviously.”
“What’s that?” said Sadie. “A digital nomad?”
Sadie had already let her guard down. But Georgia hadn’t. She still had the gun trained on them underneath the blanket. They didn’t seem to notice, or suspect anything at all. Apparently Rose’s “aura” detector wasn’t able to pick up on handguns.
“We traveled anywhere we wanted to,” said Rose. “And we worked online…”
They continued talking, telling their story. Georgia listened, and Sadie asked most of the questions. Georgia made sure not to get immersed in the story. She didn’t want to miss a potential attack, if one was going to happen. After all, it could all be a ruse. If it was, though, it was a very, very good one.
Rose and Jake were a couple. They weren’t married, but they talked like they were, interrupting each other, and occasionally bickering over small things. They were remarkably upbeat considering what they’d been through.
In some ways, they hadn’t had it as b
ad as the others during the initial stages of the post-EMP world.
“Yeah,” Jake was saying. “We were already here on the hunting grounds when the EMP hit. We actually didn’t realize it at first. We thought something had just gone wrong with the van’s battery.”
“Wait,” said Georgia. “You said the hunting grounds. You mean the state hunting grounds?”
“Yeah,” said Jake.
“That’s where we are now?”
“Yeah,” said Jake.
They must have made a mistake with the maps. Somehow, they’d come farther than they’d thought.
Not that it mattered much.
“So anyway,” said Jake. “These guys started coming around. That’s when we heard about the EMP.”
“They were nice enough at first,” said Rose.
“But then they turned nasty.”
“They’re these pot farmers,” said Rose. “They had guns, and they came and took everything we had.”
“Everything,” muttered Jake.
Georgia looked at them carefully again. They had seemed healthy, for the most part, when she’d first seen them. But now she saw them in a different light. They looked malnourished.
Jake even had a bad bruise on his cheek, and Rose had a black eye.
“We finally got ahold of some food the other day,” said Jake. “We found some acorns, and we were making these weird pancakes out of them. But they came by again, and demanded them.”
“Jake refused,” said Rose. “And they hit me.”
Jake looked at the ground, growing red in the face. “I tried to defend her, but they just beat the shit out of me.”
“It was horrible,” said Rose.
“So anyway,” said Jake. “Basically, they’re tormenting us. They’ve taken everything from us. And we’ve got to get out of here.”
“Why don’t you just drive off?” said Sadie. “You said you have a van.”
“They stole our gas,” said Rose.
Suddenly, it hit Georgia. An idea. How had it taken her this long to realize it?
Sadie must have realized it at the same time, because she glanced over at Georgia.
“Is there anyone else here?” said Georgia. “In the area, I mean?”
“Not that we know of,” said Rose. “We haven’t seen anyone else. You’re the first ones we’ve seen who weren’t the pot farmers.”
Surviving Chaos Page 18