Random Survival

by Ray Wench

  She stopped and pictured him. The day he rescued them, the way he'd handled the people yesterday. She thought of him making the pizzas last night and most of all she remembered his eyes. The tension faded from her. Then just as quick, she forced her resolve to stiffen. No, she would not be lulled and allow herself or the children to fall into another bad situation.

  The past few days had given her new courage. She'd discovered an inner strength she had thought long dead. Lynn knew she could take care of herself if need be and no one would ever control her again.

  Taking the box of remaining bullets, she dug out the pack and slammed them angrily inside.

  Twenty

  After a light lunch, the entire group dove into the projects Mark had on his list. The list included putting the finishing touches on the girls’ bedroom for comfort and security, and completing the underground cavern, including putting in a metal vent with slats in the ceiling that could be opened when needed and wide enough that it could be used as an escape hatch in an emergency. There would only be a little more than eighteen inches clearance in some places, between the ground and the heavy support beams under the deck, so they would have to crawl, but at least they had an option now in case they were trapped.

  The vent in place, Mark gave some thought to digging the cavern out farther so there was room enough for all of them to fit inside comfortably. Right now, the room was full of propane tanks and generators. The more stuff they collected for their survival, the more space they needed for storage. Mark stacked the tanks more efficiently to make more room, but expanding the cave would have to wait for another day. It was dinner time and this night was for enjoying fresh food.

  Lynn had decided to grill the ears of corn and green beans. She brushed them with olive oil and wrapped them in foil, placing them on the grill in the cave. Mark opened the vent and they all sat and waited eagerly for their treat.

  Mark passed around a bag of beef jerky with teriyaki flavoring and opened two cans of sliced peaches. When the corn was done, the room filled with the sound of crunching. The ears were a little pale, not quite fully ripened, but it made no difference to the group; they ate and asked for more. The green beans had blackened slightly but tasted wonderful. It may not have been what any of them would have chosen for a meal a month ago, but, today, it was a banquet.

  They were in the process of cleaning up when Caleb’s ears perked up. “Shh, I think someone’s in the house.”

  Out of habit, they all stopped and ducked.

  Mark whispered. “If you have something in your hand, set it down on the floor away from your feet as quiet as you can.” He didn’t want anyone to inadvertently drop or bump something that would give away their presence. He walked to the stacked car batteries and hooked his security cameras up to one of them. It took a moment for the monitor to come to life. He was angry with himself for being lax. Not only had he allowed the meal to distract him from his normal security routine, but he had failed to hook up the monitors. He hoped his incompetence wouldn't cost them their lives.

  With it dark outside, the images were very difficult to see in detail. They all watched as the screen flicked from one view to another.

  It was hard to see anything out of the ordinary until Lynn said, “There.”

  Mark moved closer to the screen and saw a large dark shadow move toward one of the cameras. The screen darkened then cleared as the body moved past. A second later another form passed by. The second one appeared smaller than the first. The floorboards above them creaked ever-so-slightly. The intruders were in the family room. How had the intruders gotten in without being heard? There had been no sound of glass breaking. They had all been too focused on their food.

  After the monitor cycled through one more time and no other forms came into view, Mark froze the picture on the family room. They watched as the two undefined forms turned around and started back the way they came. The footsteps made it easy to figure out where they were. They moved to the kitchen and Mark hit another button until he had the right camera angle. At that moment, a sudden flash of light illuminated the couple. It allowed them to see that it was a man and a woman, but they could not make out their faces.

  “One of them has a flashlight,” Mark announced. He heard the basement door creak open. “Caleb, turn out the lights. Lynn, take the girls and Darren inside the cave and get ready to close it like I showed you.”

  Mark moved to the wooden dividing wall as everyone moved. He turned his head and placed his ear against the wall to try to hear what was happening on the other side.

  “No one’s here,” he heard a woman say. “Maybe they were attacked too.”

  “Could be, but I’d think their bodies would still be lying around. Or at least there would be a lot of blood.”

  “Maybe they just packed up and left, fearing someone would come looking for them.”

  “Most like. Well, at any rate, they ain’t here. Look, there’s some sleeping bags. Maybe we should just stay here for tonight.”

  “It’s as good a place as any, I guess. I’ll go upstairs and lock the doors.”

  Mark had to make a decision. He had a feeling the two intruders were James and Maggie. He couldn’t be sure from the dark images on the screen. He was afraid to risk their hiding place in case he was wrong so decided to wait until morning.

  In the cave he said, “Two people are camping out in our basement. We’re going to have to be very quiet until the morning. Lynn, let’s wait for about half an hour then get the beds ready. If anyone has to go to the bathroom, use that bucket over there in the corner. We must be as quiet as possible so we don’t give ourselves away.”

  A short time later, Mark and Lynn went to the girls’ room and set up the bedding. One at a time, the girls settled in. When they were done, Mark and Darren set up the boy’s room. Mark let Caleb use the cot because he planned on staying awake to keep watch. He told them he might wake them to take a turn on watch if he couldn’t keep his eyes open. He also told them not to snore, or he’d wake them too.

  His head started bouncing off his chest about three a.m. He shook himself and stood to stretch. He was about to wake Caleb to take his place when movement on the screen caught his eye. He kept the monitor running, depleting one battery already. When the picture flicked from the inside to the outside view, he thought he saw something. He waited for it to cycle through again, but when it did, there was nothing there.

  Before he could take one more step, glass shattered. From the sound, it came from the back of the house. He watched the monitor closer now, tired eyes no longer a problem. Both boys sat up, looking around. Mark hit the button and froze the picture. Three men came through the patio door window.

  The men separated and ran through the house. Their footsteps thundered above him. By the way they were moving it was obvious they weren’t there to ransack. Instead, they were looking for someone. If they came downstairs, they would easily find the two people there. Finding them, they would most likely give up the search.

  Mark could sacrifice them to save Lynn and the kids.

  In his heart, however, he knew he couldn’t do it. He wasn’t built that way. He had played God once. He could not decide who would live and who would be sacrificed for the greater good.

  The boys, wide awake, looked frightened. “Darren, go get the girls. Caleb, get the guns. And be very quiet.”

  He went to the wall and pushed it open just enough for him to slip out. He stood out of sight next to the metal racks, scanning the basement. The two people were whispering and trying to be quiet as they looked for someplace to hide, already aware of the danger they were in. Mark crouched, duck-walking toward them. They were in front of him, using the two sleeping bags to cover them. Evidently their plan was to hope they wouldn’t be seen. Mark crept up behind them. Knowing they would jump and make noise if he startled them, he wrapped an arm around each one and clamped his hands over their mouths.

  “Shh! If you want to live, follow me. Hurry, before they get down her
e.” Mark released them and started back to the opening. He stopped and motioned for them to hurry. The hunters were in the kitchen now. As the man came forward, Mark grabbed his arm and all but flung him through the doorway. The woman was too slow. Mark reached out and grabbed her shirt, snagging her bra in the handful, and hauled her forward as the basement door was swung open. Mark followed, almost falling on her. Running steps tramped down the wooden stairs. Mark was just able to pull the panel shut, but it had made noise. The only thing he could hope for was that it had been lost in the intruder’s thundering footsteps.

  “I know I heard something down here. Tear the place apart.”

  “Don’t worry, if they’re down here, we’ll find them.”

  A third voice said, “You sure this is the house you saw them come in?”

  “Absolutely sure. I marked the spot I was standing in. You saw it. It was this house. Two people, a man and a woman. I think they were older by the way they walked.”

  The sound of things being thrown around the basement came through the thin dividing wall.

  “I think they were here. Look, there’s two sleeping bags here that look like they been used. I don’t see them, though. They must have skated when you came and got us.”

  “Maybe, but I’m telling you it seemed like they were looking for this house, like they expected someone else to be here. One of them even said, ‘Is this the right house?’”

  “Huh, we’ll have to keep it staked out then and see if anyone shows up.”

  Mark closed his eyes and cursed to himself. They could very well be trapped down there for a while.

  “Yeah, let’s go. Ain’t no one here now.”

  In the safe room, Mark could hear the trio plod back upstairs. The large dark blobs moved past the camera and out the rear door. He reset the monitor to go back to roaming. Another camera picked the men up again, outside, as they moved toward the wooded area at the back of the lot. They would have to be very cautious when leaving from now on.

  Twenty-One

  The new couple was indeed James and Maggie. After getting everyone settled back down, Lynn brought the two of them some water then made them peanut butter sandwiches. They scarfed the sandwiches down, so Lynn made two more.

  “God, it’s good to see you,” James said. “We haven’t eaten in longer than I can remember.”

  “What happened?” Mark asked. “I went back to check up on you and found the others dead.” He was aware of all eyes turning toward him when he made that announcement. Earlier, he had lied about what he found there.

  “You never told us that!” exclaimed Alyssa.

  “Did more show up?” Mark asked, without responding to Alyssa.

  “The others were responsible for packing. Our job was to move the bodies and the cars. Then we were finding a new place to live,” James explained. “Maggie and I piled the bodies into the largest cars and drove them away. After unloading the bodies, we drove back. As we came to our street, we noticed two new cars out front. We continued past, driving around the block. Coming through the backyard of the house behind ours, we stopped when we heard the shots. About fifteen minutes later, the cars drove off. When we went inside, well, you know what was there.” His voice faltered; Maggie cried.

  “They had taken much of what was packed. We gathered what we could carry and left, thinking they would be back for the rest of the stuff. We hid what we were carrying then wandered around a bit before coming here. When we didn’t find you, we thought you’d packed up and moved off yourselves. Didn’t realize there were so many of you.”

  Lynn hugged Maggie. “I’m so sorry, Maggie.” When they broke apart, her eyes were moist too.

  “I don’t understand,” Maggie said. “Haven’t we all suffered enough? There are so few of us left in the world. Why do these animals have to kill us? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  James hugged his wife, her crying muffled against his chest. “So where do we go from here?”

  Mark said, looking at Lynn, “I wasn’t going to bring it up until tomorrow, but I think it’s time we moved out of this neighborhood. In fact, I think I’ve found just the place for us.” He started relaying details of the farmhouse.

  When he was done, Lynn shooed the girls back to their room. “Let’s discuss it in the morning.

  Maggie, why don’t you take the cot?”

  Mark said, “Caleb, you’ve got the next watch. Wake Darren to relieve you in two hours. Wake me immediately if you see anything out there. James, pull up some floor and make yourself comfortable.”

  “Will do.” He kissed his wife good night and curled up on the floor next to her.

  Mark was down and out in minutes. The next thing he knew, Lynn shook him awake, wearing a weary smile.

  “Sorry. I know you’re tired, but I didn’t think you’d want to sleep the morning away.”

  “No, you’re right. Thank you.” He rubbed his face. When he lowered his hands, he was looking at a cup of coffee. Lynn wore a bigger smile. “Thought this might help you get started.” He smiled back and accepted the cup. Again, Lynn turned her head rather than face him. It would take some time. Still, it had been a nice moment.

  Mark stood and took a long sip of the hot drink. It wasn’t the best coffee he’d ever tasted, but under these circumstances, it hit the right spots. His coffee finished, everyone gathered around in the cramped room, waiting for him to explain his plan. After laying it all out and answering questions, Mark told them to begin packing. Before they made any kind of move outside, Mark first wanted to sneak upstairs with his binoculars. He wanted to scan the woods and streets to determine if anyone was watching them.

  He opened the basement door, alert in case someone had hidden out of sight. Nothing happened, so he crawled through the kitchen, into the dining room, and around to the staircase to the second floor. Once upstairs, Mark moved to the small bedroom at the back of the house. He slipped the binoculars between the drapes and took a long close look at the woods. Ten minutes later, as sure as he could be that no one was watching, he moved to the front bedroom to have a look at the streets.

  Nothing obvious, or out of the ordinary appeared on the street, no cars or trucks that hadn’t been there before. Two houses sat directly across from his that offered a good view for anyone staking out his place. It was difficult to see inside either house. Mark spent a lot of time trying to catch any movement through the windows. He was about to go look at the back once more when he thought he saw the curtain move in the living room window of the house to the left.

  Focusing the binoculars on that window, he made out a finger poking through the drapes holding them to one side. At least one person was in that house. Mark backed away from the window and gave it some thought. Then he walked to the back bedroom again. There was still no obvious sign of a watcher back there, but it stood to reason that if they were watching the front, someone was hidden there too. He would have to go out and look for himself.

  Back in the basement he said, “Lynn, what did you do with the keys from the car you parked in the senior center parking lot?”

  “Um, I just left them in the ignition, I think. Why?”

  “I’m thinking of taking a test run to see who’s watching. I’m certain there’s someone in the house across the street. But there doesn’t seem to be anyone out back. At least I didn’t see anyone. The way I figure it, if I couldn’t see them they couldn’t see me. They would have to be near the edge for me to see anything. I’m gonna go take a closer look.”

  “But what if someone’s out there?” Ruth asked with great concern.

  “I guess I’ll have to deal with him,” he said trying to sound casual and reassuring about it.

  “They’ll see you coming. You won’t stand a chance,” said Caleb. “What if I stand watch at the back door in case you need help?”

  Mark thought it over. It was a good suggestion. “Okay, but what I want you to do is stay by the kitchen window and watch for my signal. If no one is there, I want to move some o
f you out of here. I think it’s time to relocate. We’ll have to do it quick and quiet and be very organized. It will take a lot of runs to move everything.”

  Lynn moved forward and looked him straight in the eyes. “I know you need to do this, but we would all be lost without you. Please be careful. Don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

  He met her gaze. “I won’t. I promise.”

  Mark gathered up what he thought he might need. At the kitchen window, he took one last look at the woods, nodded to Caleb. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  As soon as he was ready to move, Mark crept as close to the shattered patio door as he could get without being seen. In one long stride, he ducked under the hanging bits of glass and ran down the deck steps. Without hesitating, Mark sprinted for the tree line, stopping midway through and dropping to one knee. The shotgun he carried was up, sweeping from side to side. Nothing moved. He couldn’t believe whoever was watching for them was so incompetent as to leave them an exit route. Waiting another minute to be sure he was clear, he bolted for the parking lot.

  The car was where Lynn left it and apparently had escaped notice. The keys dangled from the ignition. Lynn and the kids had emptied it of their belongings. Mark wasted little time cranking it up and driving off. His eyes flicked from one mirror to another, anticipating someone bursting from the trees after him.

  He stopped the car next to a building about forty feet from the road. There, he got out and moved along the wall until he was able to focus the binoculars down the street in both directions. The roadblock had gone. Nothing moved or waited for him. If someone was in hiding, he was doing a good job.

  Back in the car, he reversed until he was back where he started. Leaving the car running, Mark made his way to the edge of the tree line and waved to Caleb. Several minutes later, James, Maggie, and Alyssa left the house, their arms laden with whatever they could carry.