by Hunt, Jack
In a flash of rage, Mick snatched up the radio and answered, “I’m gonna kill you.”
“Likewise,” Sam replied. “Just remember though, you brought this on yourself.”
Through gritted teeth he spat back, “On myself?”
“You wanted to be the helm. Now tell me, how does it feel, Mick?”
Mick balled a fist as he rose above Holden and looked out across the clearing at the dead. “If you think this is over, you are mistaken.”
Sam never answered.
While waiting for a response, Mick hollered over to Lukeman to find out what the update was on his men who’d headed for the docks. The reply was as expected. Multiple casualties. Only a couple of his group survived.
“I am going to hunt you down. You hear me, Sam. I’m gonna find you.”
There was no answer.
21
Unspeakable violence had become normality in a country without power and Landon didn’t know what was more horrific, being a victim or bearing witness to the loss of another. He gave a solemn look at Dakota, on her knees, clutching her eight-year-old son’s blood-caked duvet which had concealed what was left of his remains.
The smell of decay was unforgettable.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she let out an almost inhuman guttural cry that only a parent could understand. It echoed in her home offering back no solace. Landon stepped out of the room to give her privacy and beckoned Beth down to the ground floor. It had been a brutal hike covering approximately two hundred and sixty miles along the roughest terrain in order to reach Gorham, New Hampshire — Dakota’s hometown. Over two weeks of hiking close to twenty miles a day had worn away at their strength and optimism.
Stepping into the living room, Landon soaked in the disarray: couches turned over, cupboards opened, décor smashed or scattered, family photo frames cracked and blood smeared on walls. Was this what he could expect when he reached Castine? Losing Sara and Max could very well send him over the edge.
Beth crouched and scooped up a photo frame. She blew dust off it and picked out some of the glass before removing the photo. It spoke of a time long before the blackout, when all was right with the world.
“You should leave it where it was,” Landon said. “It might upset her.”
Beth looked at him then set it back down.
“So what now? I mean what should we do with Dakota?” she asked.
“That’s for her to decide.”
“Maybe she should come with us.”
“We’ve seen how that worked out last time,” Landon replied.
Beth lifted a hand. “Come on. He was a lunatic.”
“He also said he was a victim. He wasn’t.”
“Yeah but we didn’t know that.”
“We should have known better than to take in a stranger.”
“That’s what you were,” Beth shot back. “And so far that worked out.”
“Slightly different.”
“How so?”
“Geez Louise, Beth.”
He fished into his bag for a map and turned over a chair to take a seat. He flattened it out on his lap and tried to determine the best direction from Gorham to Castine.
“Anyway, I’m gonna ask her,” she said.
He looked at Beth. “And I don’t get a say in it? What if I don’t want her to come?”
Beth put a finger up to her lips. “Keep it down.” She strode over to him to keep the conversation quiet. “Then you’ll only have to put up with her until we reach Caratunk.”
Landon frowned. “Caratunk? That’s northeast, we’re heading east.”
“I know but to reach Mount Katahdin we’ll need to go through Caratunk and Baxter State Park.”
“Who said we’re going to Mount Katahdin?”
“You did.”
He shook his head. “I don’t recall saying that.”
She shifted from one foot to the next with a look of concern. “Back in North Carolina. You said we would hike the Appalachian.”
“Yes. Not all the way.”
She widened her eyes and put a hand on her hip. “I told you that my father and I wanted to hike it this year and that I wouldn’t get to do it but you said if I came with you we would hike the AT. Landon, I know what you said.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “The journey back to Castine from where we were meant going by way of the AT. I didn’t say we were going all the way to the mountain. Do you know how far out of the way that is from Castine? It makes no sense. No, look,” he said showing her the map and running his finger across it. “We get on US-2, and go from here to Bethel, then Augusta through to Bangor and then on to Castine. By my estimate we are looking at roughly… A hundred and sixty miles, maybe a little more. If we put in twenty miles a day, we’ll be there in eight days, give or take.”
She slapped the map out of his hand. “That’s not what we agreed.”
He looked at her dumbfounded. “Beth. I have to get home to my family.”
“And I need to reach Mount Katahdin.”
“No. You need to stay alive. There is absolutely no reason why we would go out of our way, and spend…” He looked at the map. “Say, twelve or more days reaching the summit, and then have to spend another week to reach Castine. That is stupid.”
She stared back at him. “I promised my father I would one day make it there with him. And I’m keeping that promise.” She turned to walk away and he got up and grabbed her by the arm.
“No, you’re coming home with me.”
She yanked her arm away and gave him a stern look. “Don’t touch me or tell me what to do. Just as you said… you’re not my father. If you want to go to Castine, fine. But I’m going to that mountain with or without you.”
“Beth. Just stop and think about this. This isn’t a game. Look around you. You’ve seen how many homes were destroyed. How many towns are overrun with lunatics. You’ve encountered the crazies on the trail. And yet you want to continue hiking just so you can… what? Say that you made it? You know how stupid that sounds right now? Your father is dead. Gone.”
He let his frustration get the better of him.
Her eyes roamed over his face.
“But I’m not,” she said. “It might be stupid to you but it means something to me. A promise is a promise. And you made one to me and broke it.”
“What? I didn’t promise to take you to the mountain. I said we could hike the AT together. I didn’t say until the end.”
“So you lied. And after everything I did for you.”
“No. Hold on! God. No. I have a family to get back to, Beth. I don’t have the time to go traipsing miles out of the way just so you can reach the top of a mountain. And listen, I appreciate all you did but at some point you have to use your noggin and know when it’s wise to get off the trail.”
“And you think it’s going to be any less dangerous in Castine?”
“I don’t know. I won’t know until I get there,” he said.
“And you will. All I’m asking is for a little more time.”
He gazed at her, contemplating, and then shook his head. “I don’t have more time.”
“Then I guess this is where we part ways.”
She strode out of the room, and slammed the front door. Landon considered going after her but with the mood that she was in, he thought it would only add fuel to the fire. He groaned as he sank into his seat and glossed over the map again. He shook his head and brought a hand up to his mouth. They’d already traveled hundreds of miles. It made no sense to go north and then head south. He’d be looking at over two weeks before he saw them and that was if nothing untoward happened. History had already proven that the trail was rife with danger. The sooner they got off it and reached Castine, the better. At least there he knew the town, the people and the area. If things were dangerous they could board a boat and head over to one of the many islands.
He looked up and slammed a fist down against the arm of the chair.
Maybe it was time to go their sepa
rate ways.
Hours passed before Dakota reemerged, her eyes swollen from crying. She’d changed out of her previous rags and donned a fresh pair of black jeans, a white undershirt and a wrinkled plaid shirt that looked slightly too big for her. Landon assumed it was her husband’s. “Where’s Beth?” she asked, wrapping her arms around her chest. Landon turned and gave a strained smile. He rose from his seat and pointed to the window.
“Outside.”
Dakota pushed back the drapes letting in a band of warm sunshine. She checked as if needing reassurance that a female companion was still with them. She had yet to tell them what had occurred and he didn’t expect it for quite some time. In the weeks on the trail she’d said very few words, and the odd time he or Beth brought up the subject, she would sob hard and they would back off. With her back still turned she just began to open up. “Two months. We had survived that long without an incident.” She took a deep breath and lowered her chin while he listened. “Those animals waited until we were asleep before they broke in. It happened so fast. I just remember waking to find a gun pointing at my face. They made me watch as they slit my husband’s throat. I was dragged out of the house and they held me while one of them went inside to…” She could barely get the words out. “They killed my little boy. Took his life. He hadn’t done them wrong.” She looked over her shoulder at him. “I didn’t know how he died or if he was even dead as they wouldn’t tell me. They seemed to enjoy watching me suffer with the unknown.”
“That was the first time you laid your eyes on him since you left?”
She nodded.
“What was his name?”
“Thomas.” She got all choked up again but managed to keep herself from breaking down. She’d already drained the well of tears. There was a long period of silence. Landon joined her at the window. Outside Beth rocked gently back and forth on a porch rocker, her feet up on the wraparound railing, a rifle on her lap at the ready.
“Do you have any other family?” Landon asked.
“My sister is in California. My parents passed away before the blackout.”
He nodded, his eyes shifting from left to right down Bangor Road. Across the street they saw someone dart out of a home with a bag and race into the surrounding forest. They weren’t the only ones trying to survive. Although they’d had a bad experience with Billy, he got a sense that Dakota was just in an unfortunate situation. Perhaps fate had played a role in their paths crossing, or this was another test by life in trusting a stranger. He decided to roll the dice. “Look, Dakota. I’m heading for Castine, it’s about an eight-day hike from here. Beth wants to go to Katahdin and complete the AT but umm—”
“I heard you,” she said, shooting him a sideways glance.
“You did?”
“The floors are thin and the vents always carried our voices.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Was she thinking of family? Reliving a memory? All of them were tarnished by the past. They were broken individuals trying to do what was right even if at times it had led them to make decisions that had landed them in hot water.
“You are welcome to come to Castine with us.”
“Sounds like Beth has other plans.”
He scoffed. “Beth is strong-willed. It’s probably why we’ve survived this long. I’ve never met a girl like her.” He snorted and looked out. “I really would have liked to have met her father.”
“You know, she still needs a father,” Dakota said, pausing for a second before continuing. “Even if she won’t admit it.” She looked at him. “You’re probably the closest thing to that. What she did for you on that mountain, that has got to be worth something.”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “Yeah. I mean, of course it is but…”
“Can you predict it will be any safer going your way?”
“No but—”
“Then what’s an extra few days on the trail going to matter?”
Landon exhaled hard and ran a hand over his face. “I don’t know. It’s been so long since I’ve seen my family and…”
“You miss them. I understand. So does she. This hike to complete the AT means a lot to her. I’m not going to tell you what to do, Landon, as I’m still unsure myself but give it some more thought.” She turned and went to walk out of the room. “I’m going to collect a few things before we head out.”
“So you’re leaving?”
“With Beth. Yeah.”
He nodded slowly. Dakota went back upstairs and he looked out the window and sighed before joining Beth on the porch. She looked at him for a second and then turned away as he took a seat beside her. There was silence for a minute or two before he said, “Do you know there are very few people I have spent time with as long as you? I mean — in hours, days, weeks, even months. You’ve taught me a lot about myself. My weaknesses. My strengths. Hell, this entire journey has been one big learning experience. We’ve come a long way. I guess Castine can wait an extra week.”
“Really?” she asked in a surprised way. “So you’re coming with me?”
“Yes, no, I mean — you are going with me, as I promised.” He paused and clarified further. “Though I don’t recall saying I would take you all the way to Katahdin, but nevertheless. Why not? The reality is I shouldn’t even be here right now. And…” He sighed. “I think it’s what Ellie would have wanted me to do.”
“Smart girl,” she replied, her lip curling.
“Yep, reminds me of someone else,” he said, smiling as he tapped her leg.
22
Reaching Caratunk had one massive watery hurdle — the Kennebec River, a strong, 170-mile long, 70-yard wide river that split the state of Maine in two, snaking down from the northern region of Moosehead Lake to the Gulf of Maine. The first sign of its existence was the powerful sound. The forest dissolved before Landon, opening into a clearing where grassy banks rolled into the rushing waters. They’d come across many water crossings along the AT, but they all paled in comparison to the Kennebec. With a dam and hydroelectric generation plant, the depth and speed of the current could change in a matter of minutes but even with the power out it looked daunting.
“Where’s the bridge?” Landon asked, cupping a hand over his eyes and scanning the river.
“Between Richmond and Dresden, though there is also one between Bath and Woolwich,” Beth replied without hesitation as she dumped her backpack down and rolled her head around to work out tension in her shoulders.
Landon screwed up his face. “But that’s…”
“About ninety miles south. Yeah, I know what you’re about to say, Landon, but people have forded this river successfully before.”
“Forded? You expect us to ford across this river?”
“Actually I wasn’t expecting that… most hikers use the ferry. A canoe ferry, I mean.”
He squinted. “Where’s the canoe?”
She swallowed hard and pointed. “On the other side.”
Dakota had been a little slower at keeping up with them but Grizzly had stayed back with her to make sure nothing happened. She emerged from the forest with a smile on her face and exclaimed, “Wow, that’s beautiful.”
“The other side? The other side!” Landon shrugged off his backpack and threw it down hard. “When I agreed to go with you I didn’t expect to find myself facing this.”
“You’re from Maine. Surely you would have known about this.”
“I’m from Florida. The only section of Maine I have traveled in is the eastern side. I haven’t really been farther than the county.”
“It’s common knowledge, isn’t it, Dakota?”
“The Kennebec River. Yeah,” she said, her eyes bouncing between them with a look of confusion as to what she’d walked into.
“Oh well thank you for that valuable insight.” He huffed.
“Look, if I knew you were going to be such a baby about it, I would have headed north and used the bridge at Forks, or south to the Wyman Dam but that would have taken us even longer, and you said y
ou didn’t have time.”
Landon threw his hands in the air. “I meant to hike north. Had I known about this I would have looked at what our options were.”
“There aren’t many!” she said trying not to lose her patience. “Those who hike the AT go this route and use the canoe ferry. A few brave souls ford the river. But that’s uncommon nowadays.”
“The canoe?”
“Yeah.”
“Which so happens to be on the eastern side of the river, Beth. We’re on the west.”
Her brow furrowed. “Like I didn’t already know that.”
He blew out his cheeks. “Well we can’t ford this river.”
“Give me one reason why not?”
“I’ll give you three. Hypothermia. The current. And…”
“And?”
He gritted his teeth. “Alright. I don’t know how to swim,” Landon said.
“What?”
“You heard me. I never learned.”
“But you live by the water.”
“You don’t have to remind me.”
“You don’t have to swim. You walk through this. It might come up to your chest in a few areas but you mostly have your feet on the stones,” Beth said.
“And get soaked.”
“We’ll dry our clothes on the other side.”
“And the guns?”
“Hold them above your head.”
“While I try to not lose my footing on the slimy rocks beneath the water. Right, yeah, that’s a good idea, Beth.” He looked at Dakota, hoping she might side with him. “What about you?”
She shrugged. “I can swim.”
“I didn’t ask if you could. I’m asking, do you feel okay with this?” Now he felt a complete fool. A man afraid of bugs, now water. He groaned.
“Well, it’s not ideal but like she said unless you want to hike north or south for another…” She waited for Beth to fill in the details.
“About five hours south, two and a half north. However to use the northern bridge you would still have to ford another river as the Kennebec forks with Dead River.”
He chuckled with a frown. “Of course it does.” He clenched a fist. “Fuck!”