The Rain | Part 1 | The Beginning

by Standlee, Marietta

  He accepts it, and the expression of gratefulness on Adam’s face is enough for me, not to regret my selfless act. By now, all the poles are gone, and I have to wait my turn until somebody else is done. But it was worth it.

  Munching on the chocolate-infused heaven a little while later, I stare into the flames. Suddenly I remember another camp-out with Martin and Blake. My mom was there as well, as was my sister Lexy. It was one of those trips; my mom loved to organize, to play family, which was why I had resented it. Suddenly the smore doesn’t taste very good anymore, and I toss what’s left into the fire.

  It’s moments like this when it hits me that my entire family is gone. For the most part, I can block it out fairly well. But sitting here, listening to the wood crackle in the fire, it’s like déjà vu, even though we only did it once, and I didn’t even enjoy myself very much. But it was the last time I saw my mom and sister together.

  My eyes meet Martin’s over the flames. He also looks wistful, and I wonder if he remembers the camping trip as well. He gives me a sad smile, and I know he is.

  Chapter 31

  A couple of hours later, people are starting to pack in for the night. Fellow travelers who don’t own an RV or camper have pitched tents or rolled out sleeping bags in the back of pickup trucks.

  One look around makes me realize how vulnerable our group is. Most people are packing heat, but that wouldn’t do us any good if we were attacked in our sleep. I’m glad Martin insisted we post sentries the night before. Something I’m sure we will do again tonight.

  “I want to join sentry duty too tonight if you guys are okay with it,” I tell them.

  Colin looks up, surprised. “What about your beauty sleep, princess?”

  I choose to ignore him and turn to Blake. “You need a partner tonight?”

  “You? Always.” He smiles.

  “Remember, you two are on actual watch duty, though.” Colin’s tone is accusing.

  “What are you insinuating?” I ask, honestly surprised by his words.

  “Just wake me when it’s my turn,” Colin says, avoiding answering my question before he vanishes inside the RV.

  Blake shrugs his shoulders, not understanding what his brother is implying, either. I feel a little uneasy with the things Colin keeps hinting at, does that mean Blake talked to him? Does Blake want me that way? I hope not, because I think of him as a brother and nothing else. That’s the one thing I’m absolutely positive about now. Then again, Blake seems to be just as clueless as I’m.

  Blake reaches his hand down to me to help me up, and I grab my rifle as he pulls me to my feet. I sigh, “Well, let’s go.”

  Three other pairs of guards make their rounds through the camp to protect it. A few fires still burn, surrounded by die-hards, who quietly talk to one another. Mindful not to disturb their friends who already turned in.

  One by one, those fires get extinguished as well, and the night owls find their way to their sleeping spots. About an hour later, all is quiet in camp. It’s cozy in its own way. Somewhere up in the trees, bats fly around, looking for insects drawn to the dying fires. Leaves rustle in the underbrush, but other than that, it’s quiet. The moon is full and casts its light, enabling us to see anything that might try to sneak up on the camp.

  “I have a question for you,” Blake says out of the blue.

  He looks strangely embarrassed. My mind instantly moves to Colin’s insinuations, and I really hope Blake is not going to ask me to be his girlfriend or anything like that. We are good friends again, and I really want to keep it that way. I missed him the last couple of years. I didn’t even know how much, until now.

  “Okay,” I say tentatively.

  He scoots his foot around in the dirt, not meeting my eyes, and my heart skips a beat. ‘Oh no, please don’t ruin what we’ve got,’ I think, dismayed.

  “It’s about Maggie,” he adds, and now his face turns red.

  “Oh, okay. Wait. What? Maggie?” My heart stutters back to its normal rhythm, and I can’t suppress a smile of relief.

  His voice is close to accusatory. “Yeah, Maggie, why is that so surprising to you? Am I that out of her league?”

  I wave my hand around, trying to recover. “No, no. It’s not like that at all.” He seems hurt, and I hurry to reassure. “No, really. Please, Blake.”

  But he turns away from me, ready to bolt. I grab his arm to stop him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to sound like that.”

  “Then why are you acting so weird about it?”

  I laugh, embarrassed. Now it’s my turn to turn red in the face. “Well, for a second… I thought… Colin keeps making remarks….and I thought….”

  “That I would ask you out?”

  “Well, not actually asking me out per se, we are in the middle of a major apocalypse and all. -Wait, why would that be so offensive?” I say, almost a little hurt now.

  “Because you are like a sister to me.” He blurts out before he realizes he might be hurting my feelings.

  “I’m sorry, Viv, are you….do you….” he stutters.

  I smile; I really want him to stew this over for a minute or two. He did put his foot in his mouth. Finally, I pity him and laugh.

  “No, it’s all good, Blake. I really do feel the same way about you.”

  There’s so much relief written over his face; it makes me laugh even harder. So hard, I start to snort, which makes him laugh. For a few seconds, we are both bent over at our waists, giggling. After a while, we wipe the tears off our faces and peer at each other before we chuckle again.

  “I’m sorry. I thought you thought….” Blake starts.

  I lean my arm against a tree, wiping my eyes. “It’s okay. I’m glad we are on the same page on this one.”

  “Yeah, me too.” He admits merrily.

  It takes another minute or so before we can even look each other in the eyes without cracking up again. After we walk for a few minutes in comfortable silence around the campground, Blake tries one more time. “So, about Maggie….”

  I take a moment to think about it before answering honestly. “I really don’t know, Blake. She has never said anything about you. I’m sorry. She has been dating a different guy every month, it seems. She’s never said anything about liking anybody more than another, or you. I’m sorry.”

  I hope I’m not betraying my best friend’s confidence here. But there isn’t much to tell. Maggie is a very carefree person who only wants to have fun, but she doesn’t want to go deep with anybody yet. Once the boys start to pressure her for sex, she drops them and goes on to the next.

  “I’ll ask her if you want me too?” I offer.

  Blake smiles. “No, thank you. I’m a big boy; I can do it myself. I just wanted to test the water before I jumped in. You wouldn’t mind, would you?”

  “My best friend dating my brother?” I give it some thought and shrug my shoulders. “Life is too short. Go for it.”

  Chapter 32

  The next day, I join the others on one of the scouting trips Martin thought necessary to ensure no dangers lurk ahead of us since our detour is taking us through a large forest. Eight of us ride in pairs on four ATVs, miles ahead of the convoy to check for trouble.

  The road we are on has two lanes and is paved but filled with potholes, bushes, and trees frame both sides. The woods we are passing through are thick and dense. From a map app, I know that they stretch for miles in all four directions.

  Every so often, we come upon a dirt road, and Colin sends two vehicles down the path to find out where they lead and if there is anything to be found. Crossing his T’s and dotting his I’s, I suppose.

  Colin is partnered, to my surprise and chagrin, with Astrid of all people. I had no idea she even knew what a gun was, leave alone know how to handle one. But my ignorance was enlightened when she and Sven clarified that in Sweden, everybody is required to learn to shoot a gun from a young age.

  I managed to nudge Colin to couple Blake and Maggie without raising suspicions, while
I’m paired with Cory, and Ty partnered up with the new guy, Hugo.

  The air is not exactly cool, but far from what it was back in Bandon. According to my phone, it’s in the upper eighties. Hot enough to build up a sweat from riding shotgun and absorbing Cory’s body heat, but not unbearable.

  The morning passes by without incidents, but we are all weary from scouting for hours. By two in the afternoon, Colin finally gives the signal to turn the ATVs around, and soon we are on our way back to meet up with the caravan. Suddenly, Colin breaks his four-wheelers, holding up his hand for us to stop.

  “What’s up?” Blake asks.

  “I’m not sure. But we should’ve met up with the others by now.” Colin answers, his expression uneasy.

  I tilt my head to listen. “I don’t hear any engines.”

  “Precisely, Sherlock.” He gives me one of his sarcastic smiles before ordering us to move the ATVs into the bushes.

  “We’ll make our way on foot through the treeline.” He tells us.

  “What do you think is going on?” I ask, ignoring his earlier jab.

  “I don’t know, hopefully, nothing.” He answers evasively.

  He pulls his ATV into a bush, camouflaging it with leaves twigs. The rest of us do the same to the other three vehicles. Ensuring they are hidden well before walking more stealthily through the thick overgrowth on the side of the road. Using anything we can find for cover and blending in with our surroundings.

  Martin, in his infinite wisdom, had also decreed a dress code. Not all of us own patterned cargo pants, but all our clothing is as dark as possible. Once again, I am grateful for the older man’s wisdom. It doesn’t take long before we hear loud, angry voices.

  Colin raises his fist and ducks. We follow suit, and my heart begins to thump erratically. Adrenaline floods my body. Ducked down, we slowly make our way toward the voices.

  Something is happening up ahead, and from the sounds of it, it isn’t good. We were supposed to clear the road for them, and I thought we did. There was nothing suspicious around for miles. I wonder if we got further ahead of them than we thought.

  Colin pulls his gun and drops even lower. I can see the tops of our taller RVs over the trees now and crouch down, following Colin’s example. Whatever our group ran into, I don’t think it’s maniacs. Martin would have just kept driving, same with dinosaurs. So what would make Martin stop the RV?

  And then we see it. Somehow, somebody erected a roadblock, using a felled tree, which obviously wasn’t there when we made it through here earlier. Men, armed with machine guns, are hidden behind the felled tree. More, stand in the open, their ARs trained on our friends, forcing them out of their vehicles.

  To the left is an old forest road we never saw when we came by earlier. I would remember that road because Colin made us investigate every single branching off the path for a few miles. The attackers must have had it camouflaged. Good enough to fool Colin. Which can only mean we are dealing with professionals, making my heart hammer even faster.

  We sneak as close as we dare. Blake mouthes towards Colin, “How many?”

  Colin holds up three fingers on his left hand before adding a zero. My mind races while my heart is beating in my throat. Thirty. We are only eight. How are we supposed to help our friends?

  Colin doesn’t appear perturbed in the least. His eyes are cold and calculating; his face wears an expression of decisiveness and command. He points at the five attackers in front of the fallen tree. Then he points at him and me before indicating ten thugs, taking cover behind the massive obstacle. Colin looks intently into Blake’s eyes before nodding his chin at his brother and Maggie.

  I swallow hard. This is really happening. All my training races through my mind; in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would need it to defend my friends against other humans. I scold myself; I should have known, after California.

  Colin nods at me and the five others. ‘Ready?’ His eyes ask, and we nod. Cold sweat breaks out all over my body, and I keep close to Colin’s side. We crawl closer, ever closer, still hidden by the bushes. I turn back to look at Maggie, who looks about as frightened as I feel. Blake seems determined, even stronger than he was in California.

  I take a deep breath, ready to react as soon as Colin gives the signal. Our families and friends are not only counting on us; they need us. Martin, for sure. As the leader of the caravan, there was probably no other choice for him but to step out of the RV after finding machine guns sighted at him. But he is also relying on our return, probably planning on an assault from us right now.

  We must have barely missed the thugs earlier. They must have put up their barricade right after we drove by.

  The good news is that I don’t think they have a clue we are out here. Otherwise, they would have men swarming the forest on the lookout for us. Or we would have run into a forward team out on the road. So at least something is working to our advantage, giving us the edge we need because of our much smaller numbers.

  We have almost reached the end of our caravan when Colin stops. He points at Cory and Astrid before indicating their targets. He makes sure they are well hidden behind an old fallen log, lying parallel to the road, the perfect hiding and ambush spot. He waits until they have finished setting up their rifles.

  Once that is done, he nods, satisfied, before moving the rest of us forward. It’s only a few vehicles later when we reach the last car, where we find ten more thugs with machine guns guarding the rear.

  Most of them are busy intimidating our group, but two are keeping wary eyes on the road we need to cross in order to get to the other side. Crouched, we observe the men for a few minutes, waiting for an opening to rush to the other side.

  Two of the bandits systematically search our friends for weapons. I clench my jaw when I notice the way the women are pawed. When one of the men touches Ace’s mom’s breasts, she screams in horror and jumps back. The man laughs meanly, and another steps in to restrain Mrs. Gordy.

  Ace rushes forward and decks the thug. The commotion causes all ten men to turn their attention to the spectacle. As much as I want to watch the scene as it unfolds and interfere, Colin pulls me by my sleeve. It’s time. This is our moment. If we don’t act now, we won’t be able to get across and won’t be able to help our friends.

  My heart hammers even faster, and my hands, holding my rifle in a death grip, are slick from sweat. Silently, we cross the open road, noticed only by a few of our friends, who have the good sense to neither call out nor to stare at us.

  Ace is too engrossed in his fight with the bandit to notice us, but his mom does, and she begins to scream and pummel one of the other thugs to create an even bigger diversion.

  One of the men raises his gun, but I can’t see what happens next because we have reached the trees on the other side and duck into their cover. I need all my attention to make sure I don’t break a branch or step on something that would make too much noise. Even though I’m sure, the bandits wouldn’t hear a herd of elephants thundering through the brush right now. Stealth is still our best ally.

  Mrs. Gordy screams and curses, making my heart stutter in worry for my friends.

  Once we are thoroughly immersed and camouflaged by the fauna on the other side, I dare to look through the bushes again. Ace is lying face down on the pavement. Out cold. But hopefully not dead. I don’t see any blood, and I didn’t hear a shot, so that’s good, right?

  Mrs. Gordy has rushed to his side; one of the thugs grabs her by the elbow and pulls her up. There is blood on her lips, and her right eye is about to swell shut. I take a good look at the man pushing Mrs. Gordy back to the others.

  Something surges through me, and I feel myself go cold. Silently I vow that these bandits will pay for what they just did.

  Colin pushes us forward. We are not set up for an ambush yet and would hurt our friends more than we would help by jumping in prematurely. But it’s hard, knowing they need us and having to wait.

  We keep moving until we are almost stra
ight across from where Cory and Astrid are hiding on the other side of the road. Colin nods at Hugo and Ty, pointing at the men who just beat Ace and brutalized his mom. Ty’s expression is ice. Ace is his best friend. His determination to exact revenge for his friend is written all over his face. Colin tilts his head slightly, narrows his eyes at Ty. Silently telling him not to do anything stupid and to wait for his signal. After a short hesitation, Ty nods.

  They find cover behind large, thick bushes. There is nothing for them to lean their rifles against, but both are not only strong, but they are also excellent marksmen. We watch them kneel, adjust their rifles, and wait for Ty to signal when they are ready.

  It’s only Colin and me left now. We crawl forward until we reach the spot where Maggie and Cory are lined up across the road. More to their left, though, not straight across. Following Colin’s moves, I lay down and get my rifle ready, patiently waiting for him to tell me who to aim at and when to shoot.

  We are lucky; we found a spot with a large boulder we use for cover and leverage for our rifles. Another row of dense bushes hides us perfectly. With bated breaths, Colin and I watch our people getting herded one by one until they reach the front of the caravan, while some bandits are already rifling through our belongings. Unabashed, they enter RVs and seem especially intrigued by Brigham’s truck.

  A scuffle breaks out by the truck, and suddenly, a shot rings out. A bright red spot appears on Brigham’s forehead just before he goes down. I barely keep myself from screaming, and Colin throws me a worried look, but I keep it in.

  Somebody else yells at the bandits, Jose. My eyes widen, and I hope and pray they won’t shoot him too. All we can do is wait at this point; the thugs are too spread out. The only hope for this mission to succeed is to get them all, or at least most of them, into one spot, where we can plug them off.