by Billy Dering
Kid saw the pain in her eyes as she added, “…and stole your soulmate from you. He should be worried about confronting you.”
His anger transitioned to grief, and he was unable to respond.
As she stared at him, Maria’s fire also seemed to die down. “I’m sorry.” She embraced him and whispered, “Please don’t be too hard on Heidi. She meant well.” She furrowed her brow and added, “I can’t believe I’m actually saying that with how you guys used to hate each other, but she was really worried about you and didn’t want you to take the fall.”
“I know. But, she needs to understand how I operate,” he said as they pulled apart.
“She will. You’re a stand-up guy, Kid. You have a foundation based on things that most people just don’t value enough anymore, like character and integrity. You’re Mr. Old-Fashioned-Values. That’s why you’ve always been a rock for people, including me.” She put her arm around him as they walked up the hall.
He put his arm around her shoulder, his fury now subsiding. “You know me well enough to know how I would react, so why did you go along with Heidi and call Mr. Hyland?”
“Let’s just say it was the lesser of two evils. Deal with your wrath, or deal with you taking the fall for something that wasn’t your fault. I knew how hard we were stepping on your toes and how you would react, but I don’t know if Heidi did. I’ll bet she does now. Speaking of, let me go talk to her and bring her down. We’ll fill you in on what Mr. Hyland said.”
He stopped. “No, I’ll go talk to her.” She went to open her mouth, and he cut her off. “This is also my call to make.”
Maria put up her hands and surrendered without hesitation.
Upstairs, Heidi faced the window but stared at the open arrowhead locket in her palm. Her tears dripped onto her hand. I blew it. I don't know if he will ever forgive me. Although she wanted so much more than a friendship with Kid, she thought that saving him would at least solidify the relationship they had been building. Instead, her actions destroyed any progress and probably set her back to square one. So much for Rome being built, ever...
Kid walked up the stairs and entered the widow’s walk. Heidi was facing away, and did not seem to know he was there. He watched her for a moment, feeling waves of guilt, pity, and even flickers of anger. She was sitting in the chair, holding her head up with her fist under her chin and her elbow on her knee. Her posture showed fatigue as she sat with an aura of sadness and solitude. True to its name and purpose, she looked like a widow up in her cupola, gazing upon the sea that claimed her spouse.
“Heidi?” he said in a soft voice.
She turned, startled, “Oh, hello. Is it your turn up here? I’ll get out of your way.” She stood up and stuck her hands into her front jean pockets. “I’m sure you don’t want me around right now.” Kid walked over, took her gently by the arm, and sat her down. “Or ever,” she added with somber resignation while dropping her rear end onto the edge of the chair.
He crouched down on his knees and asked for silence with a single finger pressed to his lips. “What you did was not alright with me. For us to build a solid friendship, we have to understand what makes each other tick, and we need to respect those things. For me this was an issue of responsibility, and even accountability, and doing what I felt I needed to do, regardless of how much it would hurt me to do it, or how Mr. Hyland would react.”
Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she nodded her head.
He added, “But I also know you were well-intentioned so let’s work our way past it.”
She fell into his arms and hugged him hard. “I’m so sorry, Kid.”
“No more apologies. I’ve already forgiven you,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her.
A few minutes later Heidi pulled strands of hair off of her tear-soaked cheeks. “We only talked to Mr. Hyland for a minute, but he gave us some important instructions. We need to get some medication to his Mom in Vermont. She was running out and can’t survive without it, and it’s only made at one place here in New Jersey.”
“He also mentioned that in the diary entry he wrote for Sara,” Kid noted as he stared at her, and then past her as he stood up. “Speaking of,” he said and picked up the diary he had whipped on the ground earlier. He handed it to Heidi and she put it in her coat pocket.
Approaching a window, Kid faced the dark silhouette of the Tunney–Mathis Bridge.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“I’m thinking… tragic irony. Mr. Hyland influenced and manipulated everything so that those he loved the most would survive. Then his daughter perishes at the hands of his own soldiers, and now we have his mother. She survives, I assume she survived, a cataclysmic event only to die because she runs out of medication?”
“Sounds very Shakespearian,” Heidi noted.
“It does… if it happens that way, and if there is another tragic ending. He already lost his daughter. I’ll be damned if he is going to lose his mother too.” He turned to her with a look of determination in his eyes. “Tell me everything we need to know. What medication, where do we get it…”
Kid devised a quick game plan in the conference room. He was exhausted, but every minute could make the difference in saving General Hyland’s mother. He knew he had to sleep, but after mapping out the route they would take, he decided they needed to start off right away. They could sleep in the vehicle and take turns driving. Kid, Heidi, Jess, Maria, and 801 were all going, and they could fit into one vehicle. Kid wanted the entire group to stick together but Drex did not want to make such a long trip and said he would stay behind and track the movement and progress of the soldiers. They established a rendezvous point in Toms River where they would meet up if Drex had to flee from the Good Luck Marina.
Kid and Jess loaded the truck with supplies, food, and water. “Want me to drive?” Jess asked.
“I got it. I won’t be able to close my eyes until we get the medication anyway. Why don’t you sleep until we get to Rahway and then we can switch. With the road conditions, it’ll probably take a couple of hours to get there. Come on everyone, let’s get on the road.” He then yelled up the stairwell to the current lookout, “Drex, we’re leaving!”
Drex came into the conference room. “Hey Kid, since you are the captain of your crew, I designate you as the one responsible for bringing me back some genuine Vermont Maple Syrup.”
“Why does everyone peg me as the leader?”
“I see it myself, but Maria here said you’ve always been the unofficial head of the group. When I asked why you were unofficial, she captured the entire essence in her simple response. She said because you don’t try to be the leader, you just are.”
Kid did not know what to say.
Jess waved to Drex. “See you later. Stay alert and don’t let boredom get the best of you.”
“I’ll be alright. Hell, I could probably kill a few minutes drafting up the new legal doctrine Kid proposed when we were talking yesterday.”
Kid thought for a second and then recalled, “You mean the doctrine of S.H.?”
“S.H.?” Jess asked.
“S.H.… shit happens,” Drex answered and chuckled. “With such a doctrine, most of the court cases would’ve been thrown out immediately. What is the complaint? In accordance with the applicable legal doctrine, shit happens, move along. Next case…”
Maria strode over. “You’ll be alright here alone, Drex?”
“I’m used to being alone. And I have heat, a hot shower, and food so I’m all set. I’m as comfortable as I was in my rickety old beach house. Maybe even more so.” Maria opened her arms to hug him and started to smirk. He added, “I know what you’re thinking, anything is a step up from that… dump?”
“I’m not saying a word.” She laughed.
Kid shook Drex’s hand and said, “We’ll get back as soon as we can.”
“Got it. I assume when you get back we will come up with a plan of our own? You seemed determined to, as you put it, awaken
the humanity in the automatons on those ships?”
Kid and Heidi both nodded. “That’s the idea, but we’ll figure that out when we get back. For now, the priority is to save Evelyn Hyland,” Kid noted.
Heidi waved good-bye and headed outside to the waiting vehicle.
The older man patted Kid’s shoulder as he walked him out the door. “Good luck, and remember, real maple syrup. Up in Vermont you’ll find the real deal, not imitations.”
“In Vermont we’ll find the real deal, not imitations,” Kid repeated and paused for a moment. As he stepped outside, he said, “Oh, remember, we left the items the girls picked up at Mr. Hyland’s house, including a laptop computer bag, in the conference room. The computer must be important to him so protect it at all costs.”
“I will, but I wish I knew why. This General Hyland is a pretty mysterious guy. I hope to one day ask him how he pulled off what he did. How did he do it? And what was his plan after the smoke cleared?”
Kid climbed into the driver seat of the red pickup truck and rolled down the window. “So many revelations to come. But don’t worry. I suspect that we will meet up with him one day.” He hesitated. It was a stinging reminder that regardless of the shared responsibility for Sara’s death, Kid would one day have to face the general, and would have much to explain.
Then again, so would General Hyland.
Author's Notes
First and foremost, thank you for reading this book and for sharing in the Utopia Project series journey! I am humbled and beyond appreciative.
Stay tuned! The story continues in the soon-to-be-released second book in the trilogy: Utopia Project- The Frayed Threads of Hope. What surprising twists and turns await Kid and the last remnants of humanity, and can they continue to survive against all odds?
To stay abreast of the release of the next installment, please check the utopiaproject.com website, follow us on Instagram (utopiaprojectseries) or Facebook (Utopia Project by Billy Dering).
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