Ever Onward

by Wayne Mee

  “There it is, Sir!”, Rat beamed. “Just like I said!” All trace of arrogance had vanished from his voice, if not from his heart.

  Jocco pressed a button inside the hatch and the turret swiveled to face the large church doors. He then spoke into a hand mike, booming out instructions for anyone inside to come out with their hands up.

  Silence. The hot California sun baked down. As arranged, Pussbag and Tim Galt moved up on either side of the APC. Both carried assault rifles. Jocco fiddled with a switch and the turret gun lowered. On the small console in front of him the double doors were now lined up in the computer’s cross-hairs. He thumbed a red switch and the heavy gun spoke. The APC rocked slightly and the thick doors exploded inward. Smoke poured out of the gaping hole. Flames licked at the charred wood.

  Tim Galt wiped sweat out of his eyes and ran forward, Pussbag flanking him on the right. From the cab of the Troop Transport, George the Man could be heard swearing merrily away. The rest waited anxiously.

  Then someone was staggering through the smoke. A man dressed in a long robe. He held a large crucifix up in front of him as though to ward off evil.

  “How dare you attack the House of the Lord?”, the priest demanded, stopping in front of the APC. “The Day Of Judgment is at hand! Repent, ye sinners! Repent!”

  Jocco smiled down at the red faced priest. “All in good time, Father, all in good time. But first, send out the people hiding inside your church.”

  The priest’s face took on a look of righteous indignation. “They have been given sanctuary! God has laid His hand on them! He has chosen us all to await His coming!”

  Jocco’s smile slipped slightly. “Your waiting is over, Father. This side of the grave I’m the closest thing to God you’re likely to find. Now, do you send them out or do I send my men in?”

  The priest kissed the crucifix and held it up like a shield “The devil will claim thee for this sacrilege!”

  A flicker of a smile flashed in his cold eyes. “Too late, Father. He already has.” Jocco nodded towards the church. Tim and Pussbag ran inside. Billy-Joe and Pam the Bitch came up to stand beside the priest. A moment later there came the muffled sound of gunfire. A woman screamed and kept on screaming. The priest hugged his crucifix, muttering in Latin. Suddenly the screaming stopped.

  Moments dragged by. Then a man and two women came through the smoking doorway. The man was clutching his arm. Blood flowed freely. One of the women was carrying a baby. The other woman was slim, pretty, with long blonde hair. Tim and Pussbag followed.

  The priest looked up at Jocco. “What will you do with them?”

  Jocco’sgaze lingered on the distant mountains. “Your God took away their lives, Father. I intend to give them back.”

  The priest’s brow creased. “At what price? Their freedom? Their dignity?”

  Jocco turned his handsome face on the priest and smiled. A fire seemed to dance within his cold eyes. “Their souls.”

  The priest’s own eyes widened. Terror coursed through his frail body. Having neither eaten or slept since God cleansed the earth, he now existed in a permanent state of exhausted grace. Reality competed with Divine Revelation and was rapidly loosing ground.

  “Antichrist!”, he hissed, raising the heavy crucifix to strike at Jocco’s gloating face. The blow, however, never fell, for Pam the Bitch yanked his head back and Pussbag cut his throat.

  Chapter 11: SHOP TILL YOU DROP

  Mount Hawthorn

  Lake Champlain, NY

  June 25 (Day 4)

  By now their number had grown to nine, the latest being Eddy Hascomb, a shy, friendly carpenter from a little village called Moriah about ten miles west of Hawthorn. Eddy had been waiting for them the day after they found Gloria, Willard and Bobby. Apparently Eddy had been Moriah’s only known survivor. With both the TV and radio no longer broadcasting, he’d simply picked out a brand new Chevy camper, stocked it with supplies and headed on down the road. Until he had seen the sign outside the Food Mart, he’d thought he was the only person left in the world. Needless to say, he was more than happy to join their little band.

  Hearing Eddy’s story made Josh think of his cousin. The thought that Brad and his son may still be alive ate away at him. He had phoned twice more, always getting the same recorded message. On the seventh day after the Change, Josh decided he could wait no longer. He was going to see for himself.

  “Well,” Doc said, after Josh had told him of his plan. “If you must go, at least take one or two of the men along with you. New Hampshire is still two states away and God knows what trouble you may run into on your own.”

  “He won’t be on his own, Doc,” Jessie put in. “The dog’s and I are going with him.”

  Doc scratched his bald head, searching for the right words. They were sitting on the back porch. From inside the house Mrs. Wang could be heard humming some Oriental ditty. It had a dreamy, almost sad sound to it.

  “That’s fine, Jess. You and the dogs will be good company for your Dad, but I’ve seen you drive, and even though I’m not expecting any letters, I was rather fond of that mailbox.”

  Jessie blushed, hearing again the crunching sound when he had flattened Doc’s mailbox the day before. To cover his embarrassment, he tried a little humor of his own. “I can drive forward okay, Doc; it’s just the backing up I need to work on. But I know what you mean. Dad would be too nervous to rest much with me behind the wheel. But what about Bobby? And he’s a mechanic. Or that new guy, Eddy.” Jess turned to his father.” When you and Eddy were talking last night I heard him say he liked deer hunting. At least he can handle a gun.”

  Josh, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly felt a stab of fear. How casually the boy had mentioned the need for someone who could use a weapon. As though this was the Wild West! Then he sighed, remembering the bullet that nicked his ear and Gloria’s friend Dude. As a teacher, he of all people should know that the young adapt much quicker than the old. After just a week Josh had already formed new ties, new bonds, new people and things to care about. Oh, the old ones would live on within him, but the human heart has an infinite capacity for love, and youth lived always in the present, while older people tended to dwell on the past. Especially History teachers.

  “Let’s go ask Bobby,” Josh said. “He’s down at the Texaco changing the oil in the Westfalia. I guess he’s already getting a little bored.”

  “And the new guy, Eddy?”

  “OK partner,” Josh laughed. “I’ll ask him too. Right now I think he’s up at Willard’s farm helping out with the animals. We’ll see him at supper time.”

  “Count me in,” Eddy said, passing a steaming plate of roast beef on down the table. “New Hampshire’s a real pretty place. I went hunting there a few times with my brothers. Lot of moose over that way.”

  “Black bears too!”, Bobby Stewart added. “Last summer me and some of the guys went camping there. You know, looking for chicks and stuff. Well, we were swimming in this river right inside the campground, and what do I see looking at me from the far bank? A big old momma bear and her cub!”

  Jessie grinned, eager to join in. “Once we were in a campsite near Lake Placid. I was on my way to the ...” He saw Mai-Ling watching his lips and blushed. “To wash my hands, when I saw a big black bear sitting in the middle of the path! My Mom got all excited, but we just slowly backed away. Dad says its the best thing to do.”

  “Your father’s right, Jess,” Eddy agreed. “Bears usually won’t bother you if you don’t bother them.”

  The talk continued for some time, stories swapped and stories stretched. Bobby was only twenty and Eddy, though somewhere in his mid forties, had that little boyishness about him that kids take to. Soon the discussion swung round to the trip to New Hampshire.

  Josh smiled to himself. This little expedition to North Conway might not be a bad idea after all. Everyone was excited about the project and he was beginning to feel a little like Lewis and Clark himself, with a good deal of Bilbo Baggins thrown i
n. Sitting there in Doc’s crowded kitchen eating cakes, pouring over maps and talking about a ‘grand adventure’, he felt his own blood quicken. They might not meet any angry Wood Elves or ferocious dragons, but, like Bilbo, Josh knew that danger lay at every turn of the path.

  Part of the old poem by Tolkein came back to him.

  The Road goes ever on and on,

  Down from the door where it began.

  Now far ahead the Road has gone,

  And I must follow if I can.

  Until it joins some larger way,

  And whither then? I cannot say.

  Just like it had to those fictional Hobbits, a shudder ran down his spine. He had often read that magical little tale to Jessie at bedtime. Of course, just about everyone in the world had seen the movies. He’d even found a way to include it in his English classes. It seemed strange now to be somehow living it.

  “Dad? Dad! Are you OK?” Jessie’s voice was tight with worry.

  Josh smiled and reached for his pipe. (Another Bilbo illusion?) “I’m fine, Jess. Just thinking of what we’ll need for the trip.”

  Jessie’s eyes twinkled. “Well, Eddy was saying that if we’re going to go as far as New Hampshire, why not make a big circle and see who else we can find? We might even go south into Main! You know, where you and Mom go every summer! The Yorks, where that big salt-water candy store is! And that gigantic camping place at Kittery!”

  Josh laughed. “Christmas in July, eh? I remember last summer how you wanted that hand crossbow.”

  “Ya,”, Jessie grinned. “Mom thought it’d be too dangerous; but now...” His excitement suddenly trailed off as the reality of the situation struck home. Now Mom would never again gently remind him to be careful. Never again would she be there to worry and fuss and do all those little things that silently show a mother’s love for her child. Mom was gone, like every one else he had ever known. Suddenly he was running from the crowded table. Josh started to rise, but Doc shook his head.

  “He’s still in shock, Josh. The young push it aside; not like adults, who worry over it like an old hound with a bone. Talk to him later tonight. Tuck him in like you used to. He’ll like that. But right now he needs to be alone.”

  Bobby Stewart, much closer to Jessie’s age than Josh’s, nodded agreement. “Doc’s right, Mr. Williams. Jessie needs time to sort it all out.” Bobby looked about the room, then continued, haltingly at first, but as the pent-up emotion poured out, so did the words. “Last week when I woke up and found my old man had turned into a pile of dirty gray ashes, I pushed the tears away. My mom’s been gone for years now and me and my old man never got along too well. He never liked me playing in a band. Always after me to ‘get a real job’.” Bobby’s voice sank to a whisper. “I hated him for that. Hated him for his drinking too.”

  Mrs. Wang, hovering in the background, came over and placed her small work-worn hand on Bobby’s shoulder. Bobby squeezed it. Off to one side Gloria, her hands soapy with dish suds, wiped a tear from her own eye.

  Bobby continued. “Today, when I was changing the oil on your van, I started crying. Crying like a baby!” His brimming eyes sought Josh. “We’d argued again. My dad and me. The night before ‘it’ happened. I... I told him I how I felt. It all just sort of came out, all the years of being frightened and ashamed. And then ---”

  Bobby’s voice cracked and he began to sob. Mrs. Wang held him tight. Gloria came and, kneeling down, placed her head on his shoulder. Eddy cleared his throat and left the room. Josh turned towards the porch, seeking his son. With mild surprise he saw the mute girl Mai-Ling slide out the back door. She moved like a gentle shadow towards Jesse’s darker one at the far end of the porch.

  Slowly Josh sat back down and took out his pipe.

  The next day, on the morning of June 26th, they were ready. Bobby and Eddy had tuned up the vans and made sure the motor and winches on the Texaco’s tow-truck were in good working order. The tow-truck had been Doc’s idea, in case they ran into cars blocking the road.

  “Don’t look for us before the end of July,”, Josh said.

  They were all gathered in front of Doc’s small house.

  “We’ll be fine,” Doc smiled. “The girls and Mrs. Wang will keep Willard and I well fed and hopping! Gloria’s got a list of RH negative people from the clinic’s files, and I’ll get more from Crown Point General. Since we found out that both Eddy and Gloria are A B negative, we could have a whole slew of people here when you get back!”

  Josh smiled. “I hope to bring some back with us as well.” His Cousin Brad flashed in his mind. “This old place probably won’t hold us all.”

  Doc scratched his bare head. “Willard and I’ve been thinking on that. Willard said we’re all welcome up at his farm. I’m going to take Mrs. Wang up there this afternoon and see what she thinks. Hell, we might even move into one of those fancy estates up in the park! They’re close to Willard’s and right on the lakes. Then I could go fishing every day and let these pretty young girls do all the work!”

  Willard snorted. “Fat chance there, Doc. Besides, I need someone to help me swill the hogs!”

  They all laughed and then climbed into their vehicles. Josh, Jessie and the two dogs in the old white van, Eddy in his new Chevy and Bobby in the tow-truck. Good-byes were said and horns honked and soon the little caravan was on its way. Just as they were pulling out of the drive Gloria ran up and squeezed Bobby’s hand through the open window. Josh saw Jessie wave hesitantly to Mai-Ling. Pretty and silent, she shyly returned the wave, her long, glossy hair flowing about her like a dark waterfall.

  Their first stop was Crown Point. Though they kept an eye out for other survivors, they saw none. Someone had passed through though, for the large grocery store had been broken into. Josh kept his father’s shotgun close at hand as they loaded up with food and drink. Eddy had his old deer rifle.

  Their next stop was the Crown Point Mall. Since the doors were locked, they had to break in. Josh felt like a thief as he used the butt of his shotgun to shatter the heavy glass. The screaming of the alarm bell did nothing to ease his mind, and he waited anxiously for several long minutes while Eddy found the alarm switch. Once inside, they took a large shopping cart, went to Radio Shack and loaded up on flashlights, extra batteries and a few ‘goodies’ for the road.

  Eddy got a whole box of long range walki-talkies. Jessie found the latest version of whatever video game player was popular and a dozen cartridges. Bobby headed for the music store. Josh told him to meet them at the Friar Tuck’s Books in half an hour.

  Once inside the book store, each of the three sought out their own special interests. Eddy leafed through fishing and hunting books. Jessie picked up several graphic novels, then turned his attention to Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Calendar. Josh browsed alongside Eddy in the sports section, looking at books on canoeing and backpacking. He chose the Farmers Almanac and a Rand McNally Road Atlas, then wandered over to the Fantasy section. His eye caught a hardcover copy of ‘Lord of the Rings’. Though he’d ready it several times, he tucked it under his arm anyway. By then Eddy was waiting for them at the door. When Josh called him, Jessie fumbled the glossy calendar back onto the shelf and joined them by the fountain. Bobby came along a moment later, a expensive looking guitar case in each hand and a smile a mile wide. He handed one to Jessie.

  “You said you wanted to learn how to play. Well, I got us two of the best. A Gibson Special and a Rickenbacker 12 sting! Each one costs over a grand!”

  Josh smiled. “No big amp, Bobby?”

  Bobby’s grin widened. “Hey, Mr. Williams. Give me a break. I’m no Einstein, but even I know that the power’s not going to last for long. Maybe a month or two, maybe longer, but sooner or later the motors are going to burn our. I can’t fix them. Nobody can.” He held up the thick guitar case. “So from now on its acoustic all the way! You know; Eric Clap all those old guys you liked way back when --- Eric Clapton Unplugged, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, maybe even a little Beatles!”
<
br />   Josh chuckled. “Groovy.”

  Their last stop before leaving Crown Point was at Le Baron, a large sporting goods store. Josh wanted them to have the best in camping equipment, clothing, footgear --- and weapons.

  When they arrived they found that, like the grocery store, someone had been there before them. The front door was shattered and broken glass lay on the sidewalk. After they entered, they saw that not only had someone been there before them, they had done a fair job of wrecking the place. Clothes, fishing gear, sleeping bags had been scattered about. Whole display cases had been tipped over. From the holes in various walls, a number of shots had been fired at random.

  Then Bobby found the dead body. Tripped over it really. It was a middle aged male with the top of his head blown off. No papery wasp’s nest here, but real blood, brains and bone. From the look of the body it hadn’t happened more than a few hours ago. A revolver lay at his side.

  “Why?” The question came from Jessie.

  Josh turned his son and walked him stiffly away while Eddy covered the remains. The four of them stood in a tight circle. The large room had suddenly turned sinister. Ring Wraiths seemed to lurk in the shadows, their red eyes glowing.

  Josh felt like a fool. Here he was, the oldest, supposedly the leader, and what had he been doing? Treating this all like some bloody shopping spree! Toying with computers and leafing through books on fantasy while just around the corner some poor, deranged soul had blown his bloody brains out!

  He turned away and suddenly slammed his fist down on a counter. The glass shattered, cutting his wrist on a jagged edge.

  Blood flowed.

  Jessie cried out, then grabbed his father’s hand. Their eyes met. “Please, Dad. We’ve got to hold on. Or we’ll end up like --- like ---” His gaze flicked back to the body sprawled on the floor.