by Phoenix Hays
Leaving the airport behind, the car headed north toward the Space Vision headquarters. Mr. Campos turned right onto a small road.
Why are we going this way?
After a series of additional turns, Patrick couldn’t contain his curiosity.
“Duke, why aren’t we going straight to the office?”
“Unfortunately,” Duke said, “this is the most direct way. Look”
Following Duke’s pointing hand, Patrick looked further up the street. A group of five people dressed in tattered clothes were in the road and throwing rocks and sticks at the windows of a gas station. The window finally broke and they ran inside.
“People are really starting to get desperate,” Duke said.
Campos made another turn before reaching the mob.
“So the government’s food rationing programs to keep people fed are failing,” Patrick said as he watched the looters through the car’s rear windshield. They ran out of the gas station with arms full of bags and boxes of food and scattered.
“Of course they are. Those programs were never going to be a long-term solution. And what’s worse is the very idea of making people more dependent plays into the Fatalists goal of gaining power.”
“What kind of power could they possibly get by causing disorder and committing assassinations?”
“Patrick, there will always be people who thirst for power over other men. Even if that very power ensures their own demise. They have easy targets since it’s tough right now, and people don’t see a future for themselves. People who feel hopeless will gravitate toward things that offer meaning.” Duke looked up at the sky through the sunroof. “It’s my job to show at least some of them an option other than extinction. A solution based on preserving life that we can work toward.”
The car snaked its way through downtown Memphis and Patrick saw the familiar Space Vision building towering over the buildings next to it. Back at street level, he saw a mass of people in front of the skyscraper.
More protesters.
Campos turned the car right to avoid getting too close to the crowd. After turning another corner, the crowd of protestors reappeared around the base of the headquarters. Space Vision security stood behind sawhorses that created a barrier preventing the mass of people from getting too close to the entrance doors. Those closest to the building were marching, holding signs, and chanting loudly. Further back, the organization broke down into a jumble of people screaming random things at the security staff in the street.
“I can see now why you’ve put out a message about having openings for security staff,” Patrick said.
“It’s a sad reality that we have to face. Reports about our efforts to work on a solution to this crisis have gotten out and the Fatalists have made their presence known,” Duke said.
Moving slowly along the side street, the car avoided the crowd in front of the building and made a left after passing another building. It slowed to a near stop.
“We’ve had to take some additional precautions,” Duke said.
Almost on cue, a part of the building next to them slid away and revealed a ramp leading down into darkness. The driver moved the car onto the ramp, and the building’s wall returned to its normal place.
“Well, that’s new,” Patrick said as he turned in his seat to see the building close behind them.
“We found this to be the best option to provide a safe entrance for staff. We positioned a large security presence at the front of our building to make a show for the protesters, and we give access to employees through this hideaway entrance. We’ll be parking in a sub-level of the Space Vision building and go from there.”
The car crept through the employee parking lot and stopped in front of a set of elevator doors. Both men got out and entered the elevator after a short wait. Campos pulled away just before the doors closed.
When the elevator doors opened again, Patrick saw a typical office layout in front of him.
“We’ll be handling final interviews with Richard in the conference room up on the right,” Duke said. “The people we will be talking to will have cleared background and security checks and will have already passed preliminary interviews.”
The remainder of the day was a blur of faces and conversations. As the final candidate left the conference room, Patrick leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. He stretched his arms and yawned. Richard reached across the table, picked up a bottle of water, and refilled his glass. Duke stood up and began laying out manila folders on the desk. On top of each folder was the profile of a candidate they met over the course of the day. He organized them based on what jobs their qualifications matched. Reviewing their notes for each one, the three men decided whether or not to hire each candidate.
Through the window, lightning flashed in the distance.
CHAPTER 14
Joe looked up at the trees and the morning light fighting its way through the canopy above him. He took a deep breath and got back to the task at hand. Removing the final pole from the tent, he folded it and watched the last upright corner float to the ground.
“I hope we’re all rested from staying here an extra day,” Victor said while he started folding the tent. “We weren’t going to get far walking in that storm.”
After working to get everything back in the cart, the group headed back out to the highway. Victor lugged the cart up the shoulder of the highway and onto the pavement, and the family turned toward Memphis. No one spent the energy to talk during the long, slow walk.
About once an hour, a car heading away from the city passed the family. Each vehicle slowed as they neared the Bayhams, but none stopped.
Heat from the early afternoon sun baked the pavement as they reached the 240 junction.
“Look at that,” Victor said, lifting his hat to wipe the sweat from his brow.
They stopped for a moment taking in the sight before them. Sweeping highway ramps rose and arced up in multiple directions. The family craned their necks to look at the towering web of concrete and metal. They took a moment to drink some water they had collected in their filter bags. A pair of cars passed them as they started walking again, and the family moved to the shoulder to stay out of the way. Black smoke billowed upward from a couple of fires in the distance to their left.
Shouting drew their attention to the east bound lanes of traffic. A small group of people were trying to stop cars leaving Memphis. One swung a thick tree branch and broke a vehicle’s tail light.
“Let’s get going,” Mary said.
The family turned and started walking again.
A man yelled from the direction of the crowd.
“Hey!”
“Walk faster,” Victor said.
Mary, Joe, and Ayrin picked up the pace with Victor right behind them.
“I said, ‘Hey!’” the man yelled again.
Victor turned to see a hulking mass of humanity climb over the highway divider and step down onto the pavement. He was taller than Victor by a few inches and easily outweighed him by 50 pounds. His torn shirt stretched across his bulging gut. His face was covered by an all too familiar black mask with a red stripe but his beard was broken by a curved scar running up his cheek. Scar-face stepped forward.
“I bet you have some good stuff in that cart,” Scar-face said. “I want it.”
“Go. Run,” Victor said over his shoulder.
The Bayhams broke into a run. Joe managed to glance back at his dad.
“This is our property, and we are just passing through,” Victor said to Scar-face. “We don’t want any trouble.”
Scar-face smirked, crossing the first lane of traffic. “I don’t care what you want. I want that cart.”
Victor waited until Scar-face reached the middle of the highway and drew his rifle.
“This is our property,” he repeated. “And we are just passing through.”
Scar-face paused. “You wouldn’t shoot an unarmed man, would you?” He smiled and held his arms out to his sides, hands open.
He took another step forward.
Victor raised the rifle and fired a single shot at the pavement in front of Scar-face. Mary, Joe, and Ayrin were startled and covered their ears from the crack of the gunshot. This time, the man took a step back.
“We’re leaving now,” Victor said. He started walking backward, pushing the cart away from the confrontation.
Scar-face’s jaw clenched, and his fists trembled at his side. But he stayed silent and didn’t make a move.
Victor caught up to the others and they walked along I-40.
Their walking slowed as the afternoon began changing over to evening. Traffic died off to the point where the Bayhams were the only people around.
Joe stopped and put his hands on his knees.
“Are you alright, Joe?” Victor asked.
“I’m thirsty.”
“It looks like there’s a small river up ahead. Let’s refill our water pouches.”
One by one, the Bayhams climbed over the highway’s retaining wall and slid down the incline to the riverbank. They drank through their straw filters and then filled their pouches. After a break, they headed back to the highway. Climbing back onto the pavement, they walked toward downtown Memphis. An incline in the road brought them to the top of an overpass. Shouts, glass breaking, and other familiar sounds of unrest traveled up to them.
Victor motioned everyone to the center of the road. A small explosion rumbled through the asphalt beneath their feet, and they all ducked in reaction to it. A puff of black smoke wafted up from the side of the overpass.
“Hurry, let’s go,” Victor said.
The Bayhams ran across the bridge and continued on toward their destination. A half hour later, the sun started to hang low in the sky.
“We are getting close. Memphis is not far ahead,” Victor said.
“Victor, we need to set up camp before it gets dark,” Mary said, stopping and placing her hands on her sides.
“Yeah, I know,” he said. “Let’s use that wooded area up there on the right.
They crossed a bridge passing over another waterway and approached the woods on the far side. Dusk began to creep across the sky. The Bayhams left the highway, headed down the hill next to it and cut into the woods. Shortly after clearing the first hundred feet or so of trees, darkness started to envelop them. Victor reached into his bag for a flashlight, and turned it on.
“Be careful,” Victor said. “And take your time. I don’t want anyone to trip over anything.”
Light from the flashlight guided their way into the forest. The cart hindered their progress as did the fallen trees, sticker bushes, and underbrush that forced the Bayhams to weave their way around them. After a few hundred feet, they found enough of a clearing to set up camp.
“We’re going to set up the tent tonight,” Victor said. “We can worry about everything else tomorrow.”
The Bayhams set up the tent in spite of the difficulty caused by the darkness. Everyone climbed inside, and Mary passed out plastic bags with crackers, meat, and cheese.
Crinkling from opening the plastic bags was the only sound inside the tent. The family sat quietly and ate. Tired and hungry, Joe was happy to just be able to relax and calm his rumbling stomach. One by one, they laid down and nodded off to sleep. Joe watched his dad lay his head down onto the pillow. Chirping crickets were the last thing he heard before exhaustion finally took him into the darkness of slumber.
CHAPTER 15
Early morning light pierced the woods and hit the sides of the tent. The sun increased the heat in the tent until the family began to stretch and stir, unable to sleep any longer. Joe covered his eyes and kicked himself free of his sleeping bag, and rolled over. After a few minutes, even he had to give in to the coming day.
“What do we need to do today?” Ayrin asked.
Victor got up and moved to the door of the tent. He leaned down and unzipped the door.
“I want to make sure this is a good place to stay for a while, so I’m going to check out the area,” he said. “I need you all to start collecting stuff to set up a camp fire. I won’t be gone long.” Victor left the tent and pushed the door closed. Wind pulled at the velcro tabs holding it shut.
Mary looked to the side of the tent where the two kids were sitting.
“Why don’t you go ahead and start collecting wood for the fire?” she said.
“OK, Mom,” Joe said.
Ayrin followed Joe toward the tent door. As Joe opened it, his mom spoke up again.
“Make sure you stay close enough that you can see the tent, please.”
Ayrin nodded as she stepped through the open door.
“OK, Mom,” Joe said again.
The boy stepped through the opening, and the door swung shut behind him.
***
Joe looked around the campsite at the multiple piles of wood for the fire. One grouping was of tiny kindling to start a fire. Another pile was of longer, larger logs for making a fire big enough to sustain a longer burn.
Mary dug out an area to use as a fire pit with a shovel.
“This is great,” Victor said, walking up. “You guys have been busy! This spot is pretty good, actually. There’s really nothing nearby other than a stream about 10 minutes that way.” He pointed behind the tent. “We’ll hold off starting a fire for now, but we’ll make one when I get back.”
They all looked up at him.
“Get back?” Mary asked.
Joe’s eyes were wide. “Where are you going, Dad?”
“We came down here to help Space Vision,” Victor said. “They are offering jobs, and I believe I can help them. I’ve checked out the area, and you guys will be fine here. Don’t make any more noise than you have to, though. There’s no need to draw attention to our spot.”
He disappeared into the tent and reemerged with his go bag on his back.
“I’m headed down to their offices. It’s going to take me a good bit of time just to get there. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Victor walked over to Mary as she stood up. He hugged and kissed her. He looked over to where the kids were sitting.
“Take care of your mother. Do what she says.”
The two nodded in unison.
With that the man looked down, checked the handgun in its holster and then set off. As he disappeared, Joe looked at his mom.
She smiled at him and nodded reassuringly.
“It’ll be OK,” she said. “Let’s take a walk down to the stream to get water.” Mary walked to the tent and came back with two bags full of empty bottles. She handed one bag to Joe. “C’mon. Let’s go.”
Mary, Joe, and Ayrin walked quietly in the direction of the stream.
***
Just as the sun was setting and the darkness began to reclaim the woods, a rustling sound in the distance reached Joe and Ayrin’s ears. Ayrin looked at Joe with raised brows, wondering what he would do. The noise got slightly louder as it approached. Joe reached for the bolt action rifle at his side. He slowly raised it and heard a familiar but tired voice.
“Race car.”
Joe recognized it as his dad’s, but it sounded different, haggard. He lowered the rifle and called out the “all clear” response.
“Green flag.”
Victor stepped past a large tree and came into view, but he looked totally different than the man who had left earlier this morning. He leaned against a tree and lifted his red ball cap to wipe the sweat from his brow. He slid his backpack off and dropped it to the ground. Large patches of sweat covered his shirt which was torn and his jeans were dirty. His hair was messed up. He put his hat back on and bent over, resting his hands on his knees. After taking a couple of deep breaths, he looked up to where the kids were standing.
“You got any water for your old man?”
“Y-Yes!” Joe ran back to the tent with Ayrin close behind. Within a few seconds, they were back with Victor and handed him a water bottle with one of the water filtration devices attached to the top.
Victor took the water bottle and looked at it. On top of the bottle, the filter looked like an over-sized crayon with a small straw sticking out of the top.
“We saved the blue filter for you,” Joe said.
Victor smiled at his son.
“Thanks. It’s good to know I can count on you out here while I’m gone.” He drew a mouthful of water into his mouth and gasped as the water refreshed him. “Thank you, that’s the best water I’ve had in a long time.”
Joe watched his father resting against the tree.
Dad’s face reminds me of the look he had when he stormed out of the kitchen. Something is wrong.
Victor stepped forward, and the kids followed him back toward camp. Before he reached the clearing where they were set up, Mary ran to Victor and hugged him.
“I was so worried,” she said into his neck.
They embraced for a moment and then he put his hands on her shoulders.
“I guess I’d better tell you about my day,” he said.
CHAPTER 16
Patrick walked into his apartment carrying a pile of paperwork. He set the stack on his desk and ventured to the kitchenette. Reaching into the fridge, he removed a few items and began making himself a sandwich. He poured himself a glass of milk and sat down. He took a bite of his sandwich, leaned over the table, and looked over his day planner in front of him.
“Let’s see here,” he said to himself. “Looks like a meeting with the human environmental systems team at 12:30. Then a rare long break until our working dinner sess—“
Buzz!
The man looked up and saw the red light on his intercom blinking. He got up, walked over and pressed the button.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Patrick,” a man’s voice came in over the COM. “I have a gentleman here in the lobby who is asking to be interviewed to work for Space Vision.”
“Did you tell him that all of the positions had been filled?”
“Yes, sir. He insisted on talking to someone and everyone else at the Director level is in a meeting right now. He claims he brought his family here from Ohio just for the chance.”