by Claire Kent
Mack is a handsome man and not nearly as intimidating as he seemed at first. He’s got dark, intelligent eyes and a low, pleasant voice when he’s not standing his ground.
“We use this cabin as a rest stop,” he explains after the rest of us sit down on the floor. “We got a kind of network. To keep people safe who want to make it to Fort Knox.”
“So that’s where you’re headin’ too?” Travis is sitting beside me, our backs to the wall, so close our thighs are touching.
Mack shakes his head. “We were just there. Trying to get away now.” His mouth twists. “Guess you wouldn’t know. Had to give up on Fort Knox.”
I gasp, and Travis stiffens beside me. “We had a message to give you about a drove comin’.”
“Yeah. We got the message.”
Someone Maria sent must have gotten there before us. Thank God the message hadn’t come too late.
Mack says, “We held it for a long time, those of us who were left from the Army and stationed there. We took in whoever we could and tried to keep ’em safe. But we’ve been attacked by gang after gang, trying to get in and get our people and supplies. Made it almost impossible for us to go out on runs for provisions. Too many people came looking for help in the past six months. We were finally running out of food and supplies, and then we got the message about the drove coming. So we couldn’t stay any longer. Had to give up on it and evacuate. It’s been too tempting a target for assholes.”
“So... so everyone is okay?” My voice breaks.
Mack gives me a sympathetic look. “As okay as they can be. No safe place in the world anymore.”
“Where did everyone go?” Travis asks.
“They split into five different caravans. Too big a target if everyone tried to travel in one. They all left throughout the day today and are heading in different directions. They’re trying to sneak out covertly so they won’t be attacked on the road.”
“Why aren’t you with one of them?” I ask.
“I’m not big on traveling in large groups. Always seemed safer to move in small numbers so you can stay hidden. Anna, Maisey, and Jenna wanted to head to West Virginia. There’s a group of women there who take care of women. They’re the ones who sent the message about the drove. I said I’d help try to find them.”
I perk up at that. “Maria and her group?”
“Yeah.” Mack’s eyes hold mine with interest. “You know ’em?”
“We met them as we were traveling. We were actually the ones who passed the message on to her.” I look at my English teacher, trying to switch her name to Anna in my mind since it would be silly to still call her Miss Jenson. “So you want to join them?”
“We ran into them along the road. I was really impressed. There’s nothing much left for us now that we lost Fort Knox, and I don’t have any family left, so I figured...” She gives a shrug. “What else can I do?”
We sit in silence for a minute.
Then Anna asks softly, “So you and Travis were heading to Fort Knox?”
“Yeah. We wanted to find the rest of Meadows.” I swallow. “Are there any... are there any of us left?”
“Yes. Not many. But some.”
Travis clears his throat. “You happen to know Cheryl? My ex-wife?”
Anna nods. “She was there. She was still alive this morning. She left with one of the caravans, along with everyone else from Meadows.”
Travis takes a shaky breath. I feel the response in his body.
Of course he’s worried about Cheryl.
Of course he needs to know she’s okay.
And of course he’s going to go find her now, following the caravan she went with.
It’s what he wanted all along.
“I know where that caravan was heading,” Mack says. “If y’all want to try to catch up with it. We’ll be moving in the same direction for a while. So we can travel together for a bit if you want.”
“Sounds good.” Travis turns his head to look at me. “That’s what you want, right? To find the rest of Meadows?”
I nod.
What the hell else can I do?
I wanted to reach Fort Knox, thinking it might offer safety.
Now all that’s left for me are the few people I still know alive.
“Okay.” Mack stands up. “I’ll take first watch. Y’all should get some sleep.”
After a brief discussion, Anna gets into the bed with Maisey and Jenna. There’s just enough room on it for all three of them.
I spread out our sleeping bag on the floor and lie down on it, the dog settling nearby. Travis stretches out beside me. He turns on his side so he’s facing me.
He doesn’t say anything.
Just looks at me.
There’s an ache in his eyes that matches mine.
All this time, what we wanted was to reach Fort Knox.
Now even that hope is gone.
After a minute I scoot closer until I’m pressed up against his front. He wraps his arms around me.
I hold on to him as tight as I can.
This is it.
Everything will change tomorrow.
We’re not alone anymore. And soon we’ll be around people from our town.
His ex-wife.
I know what’s going to happen.
Maybe they were fighting before impact. Maybe their marriage fell apart. Maybe he claimed he doesn’t want her anymore. But they have a history that Travis and I don’t. And in a crisis like this, you turn to the people you’ve known longest, that you’ve trusted most deeply.
I’ve only been with him a few weeks. He’s never said a word to me about feelings.
He’s never even kissed me.
It’s significant. It means something.
As soon as we find the others, he’ll have Cheryl again. I won’t be his responsibility anymore.
I’m about to lose him.
Tonight will be our last night together. I know it for sure.
The knowledge is a tight coil in my gut.
I can’t make him feel guilty or put any pressure on him. He’s done right by me since the moment I held him at gunpoint over that motorcycle, and I’m going to do right by him too.
It matters—even at the end of the world. Doing right by the people you love.
I’ll hold on to him tonight.
And I’ll let him go tomorrow.
Eleven
THE NEXT MORNING DAWNS hot and sticky, and I still have that same knot of dread in my belly.
It’s strange to get ready and eat breakfast surrounded by a crowd.
Five is a lot more than one. A group is a lot different than just Travis.
I tell myself to deal with it without wishing for something else, and I chat softly with Anna as we get dressed.
When I was in ninth grade, she felt like an adult to me. But now she seems close to my age. She treats me like a companion rather than a former student, and I’m pretty sure she could be a real friend if we ever got the chance.
Travis talks mostly to Mack. I catch him looking at me a couple of times, and once he reaches out to touch my arm. But mostly he ignores me.
I tell myself to deal with that too.
This is what the world offers now.
Nothing good is going to last.
We load up and get an early start. Travis, the dog, and I ride in the Jeep, and the others pile into Mack’s large pickup. Since both vehicles can drive off road, we’ve planned a route that should cross the path that the caravan is taking. They’ll be moving a lot slower than us, so we can probably beat them to the intersection. At that point, Mack and the others can take off on their own to try to track down Maria and her group in West Virginia.
Part of me wonders if I should go with them. Maybe I’d be happier with the women than I would be with the remnants of Meadows.
The only option I had before was to find my town. But now I have another choice. Stay with Anna and join Maria’s group.
I’m not used to having options, and I’m not s
ure which one would be best.
It’s not like I’ll really be with Travis in either scenario.
I think about it as we drive in silence.
I can’t see myself leaving him. Not now. Not yet.
But how will I feel when he finds Cheryl and decides he wants to be with her again?
How will I feel when his life becomes something other than me?
I know he likes me.
And he certainly likes having sex with me.
And he’s going to do his duty by me, no matter what.
But when his duty is done, when we reach the survivors of our town, there’s not going to be anything holding us together.
Maybe I’d be better off with Anna, heading into West Virginia, joining up with Maria.
Maybe that’s the only place I can belong now.
We make pretty good time and don’t run across any trouble during the morning except a wide expanse of swampy ground. Our wheels will sink and get stuck if we try to drive through it, so we’re forced to go out of our way to get around.
We stop at around noon to eat, rest, and go to the bathroom. Anna, Maisey, and Jenna are thrilled by the tuna and crackers we share with them. I throw a stick for the dog, and Mack goes off on his own to scout ahead. Travis paces with his gun propped against his shoulder.
He’s on guard. I know that, and I can hardly resent the fact that he wants to keep us safe.
But he feels very far away from me now.
Mack doesn’t return for almost thirty minutes, and I know immediately that something is wrong.
He calls us over. Anna and I exchange glances as we hurry over after Travis.
“Let me show you on the map,” Mack says, spreading out a map on the hood of the pickup. He’s got a larger map of Kentucky than the pages that Travis and I have been using. He points at a spot near Fort Knox. “We’re here. The caravan with the Meadows folks will be taking this route here.” He traces a line with his finger. “They’ll be going real slow since they got a few hundred people to move. We’re aiming to meet up with ’em around here.”
I lean over to look, absently holding on to Travis’s arm as I do. He adjusts slightly so I can see better. His attention is focused on Mack.
The other man runs his finger over a section of the map. “So we need to get through this valley right here to intersect their route.”
“That doesn’t look too far,” Anna says.
“It’s not. But I just checked it out. And there’s a big group camped out in that valley.”
“The drove?” Anna’s green eyes are wide now.
“Not the whole thing. About a hundred and fifty of ’em. But some of them had the sign of the wolf, so they must be an advance group or something. They’re acting like a drove. Real ugly. And they’re camped out in the middle of the valley we need to cross.”
“Shit,” Travis mutters.
“Can’t we go around them?” I ask.
“Not with the interstate right here and the river on the other side. We’d have to go days out of our way to find a safe crossing in either direction. We need to get through right here.”
“Maybe we can wait for the group to move on. Won’t they be heading for the fort?” I’m trying to be hopeful, but the expression on Travis’s face is bleak. It’s not encouraging.
“I’m sure they already know it’s been evacuated, and there won’t be much there to scavenge. Looks like they’re just waiting for the rest of the group. Don’t think they’re going anywhere anytime soon.” Mack is shaking his head, his eyes on me. I like the man a lot. He looks at me like an equal. Like an intelligent human being. Not as a helpless, brainless appendage like a lot of men do. “I think they must’ve just raided somewhere along the way, and they’re hanging out, eating and drinking and partying until the rest of the drove catches up.”
“How spread out are they in the valley?” Travis asks, leaning over to peer more closely at the map. “Can we get by on the edges without ’em seeing us?”
“They’re right in the middle, but there’s a clear view all the way around. There’s a thin row of trees along here, but not enough for us to hide in.”
“Unless we cross at night,” Travis says.
Mack nods. “Yep. That’s what I was thinking too. It’ll have to be night. Only way.”
My stomach clenches at that conclusion.
You never travel at night. Everyone knows it.
All the worst things happen to you at night.
And you can never see them coming.
Travis meets my eyes. “You up for it, Layne?”
I nod. “Yes. I’ll do it.”
Travis’s eyes are searching, but he doesn’t say anything else. After a minute he turns toward Mack. “You and the others could try to go around the long way. No sense in taking the risk if you’re not on a timeline like us.”
“We are on a timeline. I know the general area where Maria will be for the next week or so. But after that, I’ll have no idea. We got to get there soon enough to find her or she could be anywhere.”
“How do you know where she is?” I ask, genuinely curious.
“We got that network I mentioned last night. Of folks willing to help others who need it. The guy you got the message from was part of it. We’d get people to Fort Knox or Fort Bragg or some other safe place. Maria helps out when she can. We have a system for communicating. Through notes. Last one I got from her said where she’d be for the next couple of weeks.”
“Oh.” I smile at him. “That’s really great. That you do that.”
He clears his throat, ducking his head and then giving me a sheepish smile. “Yeah. Uh. It’s not that great.”
“Yes, it is. You really help people.” I glance over and see Travis was watching me, but he turns away when I look in his direction. “So we’re all going to try to cross that valley when it gets dark?”
Anna looks as nervous about it as I feel.
Travis says gruffly, “You sure y’all wanna do it? Be makin’ yourself a target.”
“The women can decide for themselves,” Mack says, meeting Travis’s eyes. “But look at me, man. You think, even before it all went to shit, I had a lot of days when I wasn’t somebody’s target?”
I stare at him, strangely affected by his words. He’s big and handsome and rock hard. He’s still a soldier even though the Army as we knew it doesn’t exist anymore.
Travis’s mouth tightens almost imperceptibly as he holds Mack’s gaze. “Yeah. Yeah. Got it. Thanks. Be glad to have you with us.” He looks over at Anna. “You’re in too?”
“I’m in. I’ll talk to Maisey and Jenna, but I’m sure they’ll follow our lead.”
“Okay. It’s a plan then. We wait till dark.” Travis catches my eye. His expression softens just slightly. He raises a hand to brush his thumb along my cheek.
The gesture surprises me. Makes my heart palpitate. My lips part as I gaze up at him.
“Got some dirt,” he murmurs. He drops his hand and turns away.
I see Anna watching me as our little group disperses. I have no idea what she’s thinking, and I’m not about to ask.
THE AFTERNOON IS LONG and nerve-wracking as we wait for the sun to set.
We get as close as we safely can to the valley we need to cross. We’re close enough that we can hear the rumble of engines and the pounding beat of whatever music they’re blaring at full volume.
It sounds dangerous.
I don’t like it.
And I don’t like that we have to get so close to them.
There are six of us. Four of us are women. And women are always more at risk from groups like this.
But our only other choice is to give up on our plans.
And we have nothing else to do.
All of us are quiet and tense as the sun finally dips below the horizon.
We wait until it’s completely dark. It’s probably just around eight thirty, but it’s so pitch-black that it feels more like midnight.
We’ve
already decided how we’re going to travel. I’m going to drive the Jeep, and Anna is going to drive the pickup. We’re going to move as slowly as possible since any sound—even the crunching of leaves and branches—might bring attention. Travis and Mack will walk alongside the vehicles. We’re going to stay as close to the row of trees as possible, keeping out of the light of their bonfires.
The group in the valley might sound like they’re having a party down there, but they’ll definitely have posted guards around the perimeter. Those are the ones we need to watch out for. If even one of the guards sounds the alarm, it will be over for us. They’ll all come after us.
Then the worst would happen. All of us know it.
“Remember,” Travis says softly to the group before we disperse to get in our places. “Don’t fire a gun unless you have no other choice. You fire even one shot and everyone down there’ll hear it.”
Then we’re set. I walk to the driver’s side of the Jeep. It’s so dark that I almost trip on a tree root, and Travis reaches out to catch me.
I cling to his shirt, and he gives me a quick, hard hug. “Y’okay, darlin’?” he murmurs into my ear.
“Yes. I’m ready.”
“I know you are. We’re gonna be fine.”
I don’t know if he really believes the words, but they make me feel better just the same.
Our little convoy starts off slowly, moving at about five miles an hour. We crest the hill, and I can finally see the lights of the group in the valley.
The camp is a lot bigger than I expected. They’ve got bonfires burning at all four corners. Music is still pounding. I hear shouts and raucous laughter.
I’m almost shaking with fear as I creep forward.
I’m first, with Travis walking beside the Jeep. The dog is curled up in a tight ball on the floor of the passenger side. Anna follows with Mack keeping pace with the pickup. I’m somehow the one responsible for setting the speed of our journey, but I figure Travis will let me know if I’m going too fast.
It’s difficult. Terrifying. To drive in the dark without any headlights. It’s not pitch-black now that the almost-full moon is out and the lights from the camp are casting a dim glow up in our direction. But it’s mostly dark. I can’t see more than a foot or two ahead of where I’m driving.