Chapter 29
Luke drove onto the expressway leading into Las Vegas; an area once congested by high traffic and lit by bright lights was now dark with cars left in an awkward positions. He had come here once with his dad when he was a teenager to take part in a seminar on horticulture, which he found boring, he was more interested in exploring this fast paced city. It seemed like a lifetime ago though as the city sat dark and quiet. Suzy snored loudly as she usually did when she slept in the front seat all balled up. EnCharles took his turn stretched out in the back seat sleeping silently as always, most likely with one eye open. He would have to wake him shortly, the gas light just came on and he would have to find a pump soon. EnCharles would have to use his electric gadget and Suzy would surely have to pee, it seemed her bladder was activated by just a drop of liquid.
“Wake up!” Luke shouted.
EnCharles grunted, “What now?”
Suzy sat up, “I have too pee.
Luke smiled at Suzy, “we are stopping for gas, the lights on. You can use the restroom there.”
EnCharles sat up looking over the back seat at the dash, “Ok find a station and I will turn on the pumps. If I was going to live on this planet I would build a better engine, something with electron absorption. Then you would never need a fill up.”
Suzy laughed, “You do live on thith planet uncle En.” She had started calling him that a ways back and he’s starting to get used to it, even her slow talking too.
“Yeah Uncle En,” Luke said with a chuckle.
Luke pulled the car into a gas station not noticing, or expecting the men standing around one of the pumps looking as if they were trying to figure out how to get some gas. Suzy pointed to them as Luke parked by the closest pump. “How about you set up while I take Suzy to the bathroom, then I will come back out and pump?” Luke said to EnCharles as he opened his door.
“Ok, but don’t take too long and try not to tell them too much if they ask.”
“I won’t and hurry up I’m no good at small talk,” Luke said as he closed the door.
EnCharles took his backpack slinging it over his shoulder ignoring the looks given by those standing by the pump and went through front door.
“Stay close,” Luke said to Suzy as they went in through the back door.
The lights came on just as Suzy walked out of the restroom, “ooh, it mell in there,” Suzy complained holding her nose. Luke laughed as he took her by the hand and hurried out to the car. The other men who were there earlier had went back to their vehicles and was pumping gas seemingly unconcerned as to how the lights came on. A large broad-shouldered man every bit seven foot tall, in Luke’s estimation, was pumping gas in a jeep across from his car; Luke gave him an ignored wave. He wore a black sleeveless tee-shirt with an American flag printed on the back. A large gun was mounted on the jeeps roll bar with a magazine clip with ammo hanging down into the back seat. The scene reminded him of a GI Joe character from his childhood. Luke, intrigued by his look, was compelled to ask him a question.
“Hey there, where you headed,” he asked though he knew full well the answer.
The man looked his way giving him a blank stare, then spoke in a loud voice, “are you dumb or what, everybody has had the dream. There’s a battle against an alien force about to take place up north real soon. I Figure we were all headed there.”
“All,” Luke asked remembering the dream. He was a farmer not a fighter nor did he feel compelled to take up arms, but he knew he needed to be there.
Again the man stared, “Everybody,” he continued to look intensely at Luke. “Heard there was close to ten thousand there already,” he added before Luke could speak.
“I didn’t know there was that many people left alive in this country,” Luke said.
“Country, what do you mean country? It’s the whole world. Somebody told me they are coming from across the globe to fight this battle,” he said as he finished pumping his gas. Getting back in his already running jeep the man sped off down the road. Luke watched him drive off leaving him alone with Suzy as he too finished pumping gas. He yelled for EnCharles who after a few minutes came out carrying his pack and a box of chocolate donuts, “Found these in the storage room, figured Suzy would like them.”
She smiled and took them from his hands, “thank you, Uncle En” she said. “I would.”
Luke was happy to see that EnCharles was taking a liking to Suzy, it was hard not to. Some of the things she would say could melt a heart of steal especially when she talked about her mother who loves her.
While Suzy sat in the backseat stuffing her mouth with donuts Luke informed EnCharles what the man with the jeep had told him. EnCharles wasn’t surprised; the greatest battle this planet has ever known will take place if he fails. If ZonTaylor’s army comes through that portal this planet is doomed as most of the people living on the planet will be drawn here. I wonder if ZonTaylor had something to do with the dreams, he thought. He remembered that Suzy said that she had talked with a princess and ZonTaylor is no princess. Maybe something or somehow someone from this planet was calling them together; he wasn’t sure if gathering humans into one place would be the right call. Shutting down the portal became more urgent, he cannot fail these people. He decided to lay his head back and rest. He closed his eyes and then felt a chocolaty kiss on his cheek hearing “good night uncle En. No, he could not fail her. I will not fail her.
Big John had come to America before but this is the first time for the west coast. It was hot this time of the year for Los Angeles; sweat began to bead on his forehead. His long hair didn’t help; he would have to put it into a ponytail soon. It didn’t help that the rifle he slung across his right shoulder was starting to get heavy and he struggled to carry his pack with his left hand. For a world devastated by a plague he noticed, there seemed to be a lot of people on the docks today. The distant laughter of a child caught his ear making him think if he didn’t know any better things were back to normal.
A tall fence with one small gate separated the docks from the road with people lined up to go through. Two men with white shirts seemed to be directing the people as they filtered through. The thing that struck him funny was that there were people of all ages and gender heading towards a portal they haven’t seen and to do what, he wasn’t sure. When he got close he realized the men were helping the children, they just waved him on by.
“Hey, Big John, over here!” he heard someone yell after walking past the gate. Looking in the direction he heard his name called, the ship’s Captain was talking to a driver of a large covered truck. Leon stood beside him with the handle of an old wheeled trunk in his hand. The captain glanced in Big John’s way briefly, motioning for him to come, while still talking to the driver.
“He says he can get Leon real close to the alien portal. He says he already been there twice before. Interested?”
“I guess, somebody needs to watch Leon to make sure he doesn’t kill us off before the aliens get a chance,” Big John replied while staring at Leon. Leon just smirked.
“I need my other two crates,” Leon spoke to the Captain then turned to Big John, “I’m trying to save the human race, so step back.”
“I believe you but you still need a voice of common sense tagging along and that will be me,” Big John said returning his smirk.
“Then it’s settled, let’s unload the crates off the ship and put them on the truck.” Pointing to the wide open gate near the dock house, he gave the driver instructions on where to pull his truck then turned to Big John. “Hey, have you ever run a dock crane?” the Captain spoke pointing to the crane sitting near his ship. “Leon you come with me, we will get them ready,” he continued to bark orders as he walked towards his ship, with Leon tagging behind him. Big John walked towards the crane mumbling under his breath. He had run a crane before but not on a dock, but what could be the difference, he thought as he shrugged his shoulders.
The Renewal Page 30