by Kenny Soward
“Thanks a lot, man,” Jake told Riley. “We really appreciate it.”
“No problem.” Riley could barely contain his grin as he climbed into the van and slammed the doors shut behind him. Then he slapped the side panel twice. The driver put the vehicle in drive and pulled off.
Jake looked across at Marcy and Ashley, and he could read a mixture of anxious hope on their faces.
“It’s about an hour’s drive to Providence, give or take,” Riley said. “Might as well get comfortable.” He slouched down in his seat and prepared to pull his hat down over his eyes. “I haven’t slept in twenty-four hours, so if you folks don’t mind…”
“Knock yourself out,” Jake replied.
Ashley slumped in her seat. “I guess there won’t be much traffic, so…” Her words trailed off as she sighed.
“As long as it’s out of Boston, I don’t care,” Jake said, shaking his head and leaning back, fully aware of the thin piece of metal protecting him from the aforementioned small-arms fire.
“I feel like I should be happier that we’re being taken to a camp,” Marcy said with a wincing expression.
“Me too,” Jake said, looking around uneasily. He couldn’t put his finger on why he felt so nervous. “We’ve been dependent on each other for weeks. Doing whatever it took to get out of the city. Now our fate is—”
“Out of our hands,” Marcy finished his sentence.
“Exactly.”
The van ride was relatively smooth, and Jake marveled at the fact they were going above thirty miles per hour; he’d not been able to go more than five miles per hour in the excavator, and that had been a jerky, bone-rattling ride. Soon, the van kicked up to fifty or sixty. After fifteen minutes of driving, Jake felt his shoulders begin to relax as his thoughts turned back to going home.
As soon as they got to the FEMA camp, he’d try to find directions, stock up on some food and water, and be on his way. He chastised himself for not asking where the soldiers were taking their SUVs and supplies. Although, he supposed those questions hadn’t crossed his mind after being held at gunpoint, albeit by friendly forces.
He would ask about their trucks and supplies once they got to the FEMA camp.
Just the thought of going home to Sara and the kids made his blood hum with energy. He wondered what they’d been up to this entire time. If he knew Sara, she’d have the cabin battened down and the kids watching movies all night long, safe and sound as they nibbled away at their ample stocks of food. Wait. Maybe they wouldn’t be watching movies at all. Sara would want to save generator energy, so she’d only use it when she absolutely had to. No, she’d have them out in the yard doing activities or getting the cabin prepped for the coming winter.
Of course, there was a slim chance she’d taken the kids back home to Alabama, but Jake doubted it. They wouldn’t leave the cabin until they knew he was safe, even if it meant missing a semester of school.
“What are you smiling about?” Marcy asked.
Jake looked up to see the woman watching him with her dark eyes. “Just thinking of getting home to Sara and the kids.”
“Me, too.” Marcy’s eyes were glassy with emotion. “I keep thinking this isn’t real. That I won’t be able to hop in one of the SUVs and get on the nearest road to Indianapolis.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” Jake said, glancing over at Riley who still had his hat pulled down over his eyes and didn’t appear to be paying attention to their conversation. “Just because we’re rescued doesn’t mean we’re free to go. Or maybe we’re free to go, but not free to use vehicles that aren’t legally ours.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Marcy said, biting her lip.
“We’ll see.” Jake sat back on the bench.
“Do you think Mom will be at the camp?” Alice asked, looking across at Jake with hopeful eyes.
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Jake replied. “We’ll make sure to register your names as soon as we get to where we’re going. They must have a program to reunite families.”
Alice’s expression was unreadable as she settled back between Marcy and Ashley and rested her head on Marcy’s shoulder.
After another forty-five minutes, the van seemed to pull off the expressway and come to a stop. There was some chatter in the van’s cab as if the driver was speaking to someone outside the van, and then they drove a short distance more before parking.
The doors gave a click and then snapped open to reveal a half-dozen soldiers waiting outside. They were armed with rifles, although their postures were slightly more relaxed than the guards they’d met on the streets of Boston.
Riley came instantly awake and leapt out of the van to greet the waiting soldiers.
“Are we in Providence?” Jake said, peering up into the gloom as he stepped out of the van. For some reason, he’d expected sunlight or at least partly cloudy skies. Unfortunately, the sky was still the lifeless gray they’d been looking at for the past four weeks.
“Just outside the city,” Riley said. Then he jerked his thumb behind him. “FEMA tents are two miles that way.”
Jake looked toward what he presumed was the southwest and noticed the glow of blaring floodlights that might have marked the location of a football stadium or other outdoor venue some weeks ago. Today it marked the entirety of civilization as he now understood it, a literal beacon in a storm.
Looking around, Jake saw they’d gotten off I-95 and pulled into the parking lot of a Holiday Inn that had seen better days. White vans dropped off bewildered people who looked just as battle-worn as Jake, Marcy, and Ashley. Some wore bandages on their heads that stood out clean and white against their dirty faces. Armed guards led the newcomers to one of two dozen tents lined up in front of the hotel and guided them inside.
Occasionally, a person would exit the back of a tent holding a white card in their hands. Then they were guided toward another set of vans where they met their companions and boarded, only to be driven off to what Jake presumed was the Providence FEMA city.
Others exited the tents and were hustled into the hotel without so much as a goodbye to anyone they’d come in with.
Jake turned to Riley. “What happens to the people who are taken into the hotel?”
“That’s not really something I’m at liberty to talk about,” he said, and for the first time Jake noticed his southern accent.
“You’re not from around here, are you?”
“Georgia,” Riley said, then his tone turned disappointed. “I was hoping to get an assignment on the border.”
“What’s happening at the border?”
“You don’t know?” Riley looked at Jake like he’d just walked out of the stone age.
“Hey, man,” Jake gestured helplessly. “We’ve been up to our necks trying to stay alive for going on four weeks. We haven’t been keeping up on current events around the United States.”
“Sorry, man.” The soldier gave him an apologetic look. “It was an invasion force.”
“Invasion force?” Jake’s stomach dropped.
“That’s right. Some kind of terrorist group calling themselves the New Block. They’d holed up in Mexico for who knows how long. After the storms hit, they crossed over by the thousands into Texas. The border wall couldn’t stop them—heck, the border wall couldn’t stop a determined turtle.”
“What happened?” Jake couldn’t imagine a ground force actually invading the United States, and it wasn’t lost on him that it was the first time in recent history any such event had happened.
“Texas was near overrun,” Riley said. Jake expected the young man to be angry or fearful, only his lips lifted into a sharp grin. “Luckily, they’ve got a lot of guns in Texas.”
Marcy and Ashley had been listening the entire time, Ashley with her hands on her hips and Marcy with her arms crossed, her expression caught somewhere between apprehension, fear, and anger.
“So, we’re winning?” Jake asked.
“Word has it the invasion force has bee
n slowed down, but not fully stopped.”
“Who’s responsible?” Marcy asked. “Korea? Russia?”
“That’s just it,” the soldier shrugged. “No one knows. Like I said, they call themselves the New Block, so maybe it’s just a bunch of folks who’ve hated us for a long time. Doesn’t matter, as long as we kick their butts out of here.”
“I agree with you there,” Jake said with a nod.
“Okay, I need to get you inside.” Riley gestured for them to follow him to a cluster of tents where a queue of fifteen people lined up. Once Jake, Marcy, Ashley, and the kids were in line, Riley turned and started back toward the van. “It shouldn’t be long,” he called back over his shoulder. “The line moves pretty fast.”
“Great. Hey, thanks.”
“No problem,” Riley said. “Good luck.”
“Good luck?” Marcy‘s expression was worried. “Why would we need luck?”
“I guess they’re being pretty picky about letting people in,” Jake replied, “and I can’t say I blame them.”
They waited for another hour until their turn arrived, and one of the soldiers came up to guide the next person in line to the tent.
“Take them together,” Jake said. He pushed Alice and Timothy ahead of them. “We all need to stay together if possible.”
“We’ll do what we can,” the soldier said, then she gave the kids a smile. “Follow me, please. There’s nothing to be afraid of. We just need to ask you some questions.”
When Alice looked back at Jake with an expression of trepidation, Jake grasped her shoulder gently. “Don’t worry, we’ll be right behind you. Just wait for us when you get out.”
Alice nodded, took Timothy by the hand, and followed the woman into the tent off to the right. It wasn’t long before another tent on their left became available, and the same soldier asked Jake to follow her over.
“Go on in,” the soldier gestured to the waving tent flap when they arrived.
Jake took one glance back at Marcy and Ashley, then he stepped inside.
Chapter 6
Sara, Gatlinburg, Tennessee | 10:17 a.m., Thursday
Natasha stood on the front porch of the cabin with an apprehensive look as the small group walked over the wooden bridge. A fine mist had begun to settle on the ground, making visibility difficult.
When Sara threw back her hood and waved, Natasha’s pensive expression turned to instant relief. Sara stepped to one side and Natasha to the other as Dion and Barbara brought Todd up the porch steps.
“Hey, Tash,” Dion said, giving his wife a quick nod as they went by.
Natasha’s eyes flashed at her husband before coming to rest on Barbara. “Another stray?”
“Tash, this is Barbara,” Sara replied, tiredly. “Barbara, Tash.”
The young woman said something in the affirmative, though she and Dion had already gotten Todd too far inside the cabin for Sara to hear what it was.
Sara ascended the porch steps to stand next to Natasha. “She’s part of the Good Folk, I guess. She was with Todd when we showed up.”
“I take it everything went okay?”
“It could have gone a lot worse.”
Natasha stared into Sara’s eyes as if searching for some truth. “You had to shoot someone,” Natasha stated, flatly.
“Several someones,” Sara said, handing Natasha the pack of supplies Doctor Smith had given her at the urgent care facility. “Here are those supplies you wanted. And now I just want a cup of coffee and a nice wall to stare at.”
“We can arrange that.” Natasha accepted the backpack, took Sara’s gun off her shoulder, and guided her inside with a nudge of her elbow.
Dion and Barbara were taking Todd up the stairs to his bedroom one painful step at a time. The dogs sniffed at the newcomer’s legs with their tails wagging excitedly, and they turned their attention to Sara as she entered the cabin.
Sara took off her poncho and knelt to greet the dogs, surprised at how their playful exuberance lifted her spirits. She patted Astro on his head, and the pup rolled over so Sara could rub his belly. Rex wasn’t going to have the spotlight taken away from him so easily. The German Shepherd stuck his nose forward and very calmly and strategically planted licks on the side of Sara’s face and neck until she turned in his direction and wrapped her arms around his head to get him to stop.
“Who’s a good boy?” Sara ruffled the tufts of his fur just behind his cheeks and then chuckled when Rex nuzzled her hard in return. The dog whined and fussed over her, almost like he could sense the warring emotions inside her heart and mind. His simple affection made her want to cry, and she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his fur for a moment before Zoe came up and poked her on the shoulder.
“Hey, honey,” Sara said. She pulled her face out of Rex’s fur, wiped a tear off her cheek, and offered her daughter a smile.
“Are you okay, Mom?” Zoe’s expression was all intent concern as she regarded her mother with wide green eyes.
“I’m fine.” Sara held Zoe’s arms. “Just had a rough day.”
“Me, too.”
“Oh, really?” Sara scoffed mockingly. “What happened?”
“First of all, we didn’t have pancakes today since Tash was fussing over Mister Tex. And Rex and Astro have been acting up all day long.”
“That’s why I put you in charge, Zo. You’re the only one who can keep these pups in line.”
“I know, Mom. Tash said I did a good job. But I was thinking…” A sly look passed over Zoe’s face.
“Yes?” Sara drew out the word and waited for the grand request.
“I was thinking we could make pancakes together later,” the girl said, hopefully. “For lunch.”
“Oh, that’s a big request.” Sara furrowed her eyebrows. “We’ll have to check with Tash to see if she has any pancake mix in the food budget for today. She’s in charge of that now.”
“Really?” Zoe’s eyes shifted back to where Natasha had gone into the master bedroom to presumably give Tex his blood-type test.
“Leave her alone for now,” Sara warned her daughter. “She’s trying to find out what kind of blood Mister Tex has. That way maybe one of us can give him some of ours and help him get better.”
Zoe’s face screwed up in mock disgust. “That’s pretty gross, Mom.”
Sara’s eyes fell to a distant place as the weight of the day settled on her shoulders once more. “Life can be that way sometimes, and we have to do yucky chores in order to keep life straight for us.”
“Like cleaning the bathroom?”
“Exactly,” Sara said with a pointed look. “And sometimes we have to do yucky chores to save people’s lives.”
“And that’s what Tash is going to do for Mister Tex.”
“Yep. Because Tash is a nurse, and she took an oath to help people no matter what.”
Zoe absorbed the information and gave Sara a firm-lipped nod. “That’s way more important than what we’re having for lunch.”
“I think you got it, kid.” Sara pushed back her daughter’s curls from her shoulders before she unslung her main backpack from her back and started to unzip it. “And, hey, I brought you some of these.” Sara opened the backpack to show all the snacks she’d taken from the Antler.
“Awesome, Mom!” Zoe exclaimed, staring into the bag like it was Santa’s sack of toys. “Can I have some now?”
“After you feed the dogs and straighten up the entryway, okay?”
“No problem, Mom.” Zoe backed up and grabbed at Rex’s collar. “Come on, guys. It’s breakfast time.”
The dogs’ ears perked up at the tone of Zoe’s voice, and they knew full well what “breakfast time” meant. The little girl backed up, and the dogs followed her obediently, tails wagging like crazy and tongues lolling in anticipation.
Zoe held her hands up to keep Rex from jumping on her, showing exceptional control over the beasts despite Rex’s size and Astro’s boundless energy. Zoe commanded the dogs to sit befo
re she went to the pantry, opened the door, and searched for the food scoop hanging above the dog food bin.
Sara left her pack on the floor, stood on shaky legs, and walked into the open kitchen, making a beeline for the coffee machine. Like a zombie, she dumped the tiny bit that remained in the pot and started a new one brewing. Then she turned to watch Zoe go about her chores. She’d just poured dog food into two bowls just outside the pantry door when Natasha came out of the master bedroom holding a white card in her hand.
The card had four large wet, red circles along the top which Sara assumed were circles of blood. Natasha glanced at Zoe feeding the dogs as she came up to Sara, holding the card carefully away from the bustle of activity.
“What’s the verdict?” Sara asked.
“This is an Eldon card,” Natasha said, lifting the card up. She pointed to the first red circle on the left which appeared to have clotted blood compared to the smooth wet red of the other circles. “His blood shows a reaction to the anti-A circle, but not with the anti-B. Now, this third circle is anti-D, and you can see there is also some coagulation of the blood there. That’s an indication of a positive blood type.”
“For the laywoman, please.” Sara’s tired brain wasn’t ready for complex medical terminology.
“It means Tex’s blood type is A positive.”
“Just like mine,” Sara said.
“And Dion’s.”
“That’s good news, right?” Sara turned to the cabinet, opened the door, and reached for a cup for her coffee.
“It’s great news,” Natasha confirmed. She reached up and covered Sara’s hand where it had just settled on a cup. “Although that means I need a pint from both you and Dion as soon as possible. And that means coffee is off limits for you today, because it’s a diuretic. You’ll need to drink a lot of water and other liquids to keep your energy levels up.”
Sara sighed but allowed Natasha to draw her hand away. “Of course. Let’s do it right away.”
“Follow me,” Natasha said, leading Sara into the master bedroom where she’d already set up a chair and nightstand over near the bathroom entrance. On the nightstand was a bottle of alcohol, a cup of cotton swabs, a blood bag attached to an IV line, and a plate with variously sized needles and other prodding devices on it.