by Kim McMahill
Killing the car’s lights, Ethan accelerated and the thumps increased with frequency as their speed grew. Nyla saw Ethan shiver even though the car was uncomfortably warm and his eyes remained focused straight ahead. She craved a word of comfort, but knew he had no words to ease her fear.
Nyla stared into the review digital monitor until the slithering shapes began to fade and a movement up ahead caught her eye. She spotted a number of dark shadowy figures trotting through a side street toward them. Their bodies slipped stealthily between old buildings under the cover of night with such fluid grace that it made her wonder if she was seeing anything real or if the beings were just terrifying apparitions.
The ghostly beasts stopped and glared at them, and then strode toward the road. The wolf pack gathered at the intersection, eyes tracking the vehicle with curiosity, and a look and posture Nyla could only interpret as hunger. Chills raced over Nyla’s skin under the predator’s intense stare. She tried to look away, but couldn’t. She had studied wolves in school and had a difficult time accepting their reintroduction as essential to an already overly manipulated ecosystem. The animals had existed in small numbers in remote areas, but now they roamed everywhere. The beasts were of the order of Carnivoraflesh eaters. They hunted in packs and took down their prey by slashing through the tendons on the victim’s hind legs and dragging it down to its death.
The shapes mingled restlessly, but soon all Nyla could see were small orbs glowing in the darkness. The pack continued to grow in number until the black night was pierced by twinkling lights, as if the stars in the sky now resided just a few feet above the ground. The number of individuals gathered to produce such an effect was disconcerting and from her studies Nyla knew it wasn’t normal behavior, but even the most remote wild lands had long since ceased to be natural.
The pack ruled the town and did not welcome strangers. She heard no yelping or howling, so she figured the beasts felt no threat by their presence. The snakes and carnivores had clearly struck a deal and flaunted their confidence in their superior numbers. The predators and serpents controlled the streets, working together to ensure humans never returned.
As she tried to force the images from her mind, her thoughts drifted to her grandmother and a Bible verse came back to her with vivid clarity. Every word seemed to echo what she was witnessing in the uninhabited, barren expanse around them. Despite the educational system’s insistence that the Bible was just mythology, the implications made her shudder as the words kept replaying over and over in her mind, growing louder until her head hurt.
And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate (Leviticus 26:21-22).
Nyla leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Ethan turned on some music and the gentle rhythm helped Nyla push the foreboding thoughts of wild beasts and desolate highways into the recesses of her mind, though the words of the verse refused to go away completely and continued to haunt her.
She rocked lightly back and forth in her seat until Ethan took her hand and brought it to his lips. The warm caress of his gentle kiss forced her focus to return. She stilled her nervous movements and smiled at Ethan, and was thankful when he didn’t release her hand.
They drove through the night, cruising through one deserted town after the next. When they approached a town, Nyla closed her eyes. Though she couldn’t see the creatures of the night, she could feel living beings all around them, closing in, watching her tiny car pass by, licking their chops, salivating at the thought of a meal big enough to sustain them all for days, wondering if the vehicle was small enough prey to take down if they worked together.
With the last town finally behind them, Nyla felt able to breath normally. She glanced over her shoulder and watched as Jared stroked Claire’s hair, gazing affectionately at the woman sleeping peacefully in his arms. The look on his face was pure bliss and Nyla was thankful he and Claire had been spared the site of the vengeful eyes scrutinizing them as they drove through the ramshackle towns.
“Seeing them together and at peace makes you believe we’re doing the right thing, doesn’t it?” Ethan whispered as he looked over at Nyla.
She smiled at him and tightened her grip on his fingers. His touch gave her the strength she desperately needed now. She didn’t really have any doubt they were doing the right thing, only that they might not be able to pull it off. Knowing their mission was a life or death venture for Ethan and Jared made her shiver.
“You cold?”
“No, it’s plenty warm in here. Maybe I’ve got a bit of cold feet. I was just thinking about you and Jared and about what we saw back there, and I got a little scared. There are so many unknowns out here and it terrifies me to think about maybe running into something even worse than what we just saw. I hope I didn’t push you all into this.”
“Don’t forget, Nyla, my usefulness in this society has about run its course. I have nothing to lose. You and your family have given me hope that I’ll have the opportunity to grow old and I’m grateful. What we saw back there isn’t normal. We never saw anything like that at the farm and Jared and I were out a lot at night. We heard wolves, but the animals seldom ventured close to the farm and they generally ran in packs a fraction of that size. It must be the shelter of the buildings and the lack of human habitation that brought those animals together in such mass.”
“I know you’re right, but you have to admit the scene back there was a little terrifying.”
He only shook his head and shuddered—no other response was needed, so Nyla let the subject drop and stared out into the vast expanse ahead.
The night was getting darker. The further south they traveled, the more clouds drifted in front of the moon, making it difficult to drive without lights. Ethan had slowed the car to cope with the waning visibility and Nyla feared they were falling behind schedule. She slipped her hand out of Ethan’s grip and focused on the road. They were heading south in the middle of the night with few belongings, minimal information, high hopes and a sketchy plan. Her friends had joined in without hesitation, but Nyla couldn’t help feeling responsible. If they failed, she would never forgive herself, even though she knew they would.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The moon cast a warm glow throughout her cell and for that, Rachel was thankful. She had awakened from a peaceful sleep, the first she had experienced in a very long time. An unusual sense of contentment flowed through her body, yet tears rolled down her cheeks.
Rachel got out of bed and walked to the reflector embedded in the wall. She combed her skeletal fingers through her course graying hair and stared at her face. She hardly recognized herself anymore. Her eyes were sunken, lifeless and ringed with deep dark circles. Her skin had lost all its color and firmness and her complexion had taken on a dull pasty texture. While looking at her reflection it was impossible to believe Carlos had ever found her beautiful. If she had indeed possessed beauty, the loss of her freedom and her family had stolen it from her.
A cup of water sat by her bed and she looked at it longingly. Rachel knew the time had come to take control of her destiny. She would no longer live like a caged animal. She had accepted her punishment for her family’s sake, but Nyla’s decision to leave had released her from her duty to protect her daughter from society’s cruelties and Ruby was resigned to her bleak existence.
Rachel grasped the edge of the mattress and pulled. She only managed to scoot it a couple of inches away from the wall and feared she was too weak to accomplish her goal. She sat down, panting, gazing around the dreary enclosure. There was nothing from her past decorating the cell or anything alluding to a life outside its walls. The cell oozed hopelessness and despair.
Forcing the feeling of defeat from her mind, she put all her weight into a desperate tug. The mattress slid and Rachel stumble
d, barely catching herself on the edge of the sink before tumbling to the cold concrete floor. She pushed herself to her feet and stared at the stained pad, a memento from the cell’s previous inhabitant, relieved the worn mattress had moved enough for her to retrieve the needed items.
On the side facing the wall, a zipper ran the length of the mattress so the cover could be removed and washed. No one had ever cleaned her bedding, so she used the place to hide her personal belongings that had been smuggled in by Ruby and Nyla. Rachel unzipped the cover several inches and removed two photographs and a small plastic-wrapped bundle. In one photograph, Carlos held Daniel and smiled at his newborn son. Daniel was swaddled in a hand-crocheted blanket made by Carlos’ mother. She missed the dear old woman.
In the other picture, Ruby held Nyla on the day they had brought her home from the hospital. Nyla wore the required white T-shirt with her twelve-digit identification number printed across the front in bold black script. A bandage circled the tiny hand clinging to Ruby’s arm where her chip had been inserted. Despite Nyla’s attire, she looked happy and healthy. Nyla still looked healthy, but Rachel couldn’t remember the last time her daughter had looked truly happy.
She stared at the photographs, stunned by a sudden realization. Something was missing from both scenesshe was missing. The revelation made her sad, but the more she thought about it the more appropriate it seemed.
Sitting on her bed cross-legged, she placed the photos in front of her. Rachel gazed lovingly at the pictures as she slowly unwrapped the plastic bundle. Over the past several months, she had amassed twenty pills. She wasn’t exactly sure what the ovals were, but if one was supposed to help her sleep through the night surely twenty would make her sleep for an eternity.
One at a time, Rachel raised the photographs to her lips and gently kissed the faded surfaces. She then arranged the treasured images side-by-side in front of her and took one of the pills between her fingers. She stared at it for several seconds and prayed her actions wouldn’t hurt Ruby too much and that her mother and God would understand and forgive her.
Rachel placed the pill in her mouth and washed it down with tepid water. The act was easier than she thought it would be, so she continued on. One by one, she repeated the process until the precious photographs began to blur. By the time Rachel had swallowed the last pill, she could no longer recognize any of the people in the photographs, but knew she loved them very much. She felt warm for the first time in a very long time and the sensation was strange yet comforting.
The room around her began to spin so she leaned back, placed her head on the pillow and grabbed the sides of the bed in an attempt to steady her swirling world. Rachel closed her eyes, forcing the buzzing out of her head and fighting the nausea threatening to dislodge her means of escape.
Her mind reeled through all the things that had happened in her lifetime and the pity she felt for herself lessened. She thought about the massive earthquakes, plagues and acts of terrorism which had killed thousands of people; great tsunamis that had annihilated thousands of miles of coastlines; volcanoes that had buried cities in ash and lava with no warning; and of the west coast of America which had been caving off into the ocean at an alarming rate. The people who had died and suffered in those catastrophes had no control over their fate, but she did. Her actions had landed her in the Facility and it would be her decision to leave.
As Rachel began to drift in and out of consciousness, a new thought warmed her soul and the disasters of the world and in her own life faded from her mind. She suddenly realized she would soon be with her father. Though Nyla would never know her biological father, Rachel knew Carlos would be a perfect substitute for her daughter. Girls needed their fathers and Rachel missed hers so much. The thought of seeing him again brought a smile to her lips and allowed her to let go and leave all the pain behind.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
After hours of driving, they entered Big Bend National Park, named for the great U-turn of the river that formed the border between the United States and Mexico. Those to the north referred to the temperamental river as the Rio Grande and those to the south called it the Rio Bravo, and both sides agreed it could be a formidable divide between countries and cultures.
They saw no buildings or cars and the signs were faded and dilapidated, making the Park look abandoned. Sagebrush at the sides of the road was littered with trash blown in from distant cities and potholes dotted the cracked pavement. Several javelina eyed them as they passed by, stunned to see another form of life entering their sanctuary.
Fear crept into Nyla’s mind as she absorbed the sheer remoteness of their location. The place felt intimidating and dangerous. She was so distracted by her thoughts that she flinched when the first raindrop plopped on the roof of the car with a hollow thud.
“Watch for Dagger Flat Auto Trail,” Ethan stated. “We can’t afford to miss it, we’re probably already behind schedule.”
Nyla strained her eyes into the darkness. They didn’t have time to backtrack if they missed the turn and they had no idea what lay ahead. The auto trail was as far as they were to penetrate into the Park on the main road in hopes of avoiding any motorized patrols.
“There it is.” Nyla pointed to a broken sign marking ‘ger Flat Auto Tra.’
Ethan eased the car off the pavement onto a rough dirt road. They drove a short distance and the road forked. Ethan steered the car onto the south fork as Carlos had instructed and the road instantly deteriorated. The surface was rocky, rutted and stubborn desert shrubs grew in patches wherever it could grab hold, forcing Ethan to slow the car to a crawl.
They zigzagged back and forth, weaving the car around large rocks dotting the faint track. Nyla held on to the door handle to keep from hitting her head on the ceiling of the car as it bounced down the road. Closing her eyes, she tried to picture where they were on the map she had pieced together using the information Carlos had sent. She doubted they had driven as far as Carlos had anticipated they would, but kept her worries to herself.
No one spoke as they were jostled around, each grasping onto anything firmly attached to the car’s interior. The front tires dropped into a deep rut and the bumper ground into the dirt, slamming the car to a halt. Nyla’s head flung forward, colliding with the dashboard, and for a moment black dots raced in front of her field of vision.
“Sorry. I didn’t see that hole. Is everyone all right?”
Grunts and groans replied as the group got out of the car and stretched their aching muscles, thankful to be out of the cramped vehicle. They stared in silent awe at the desolate landscape around them as rained poured down upon them.
“I think we only have about an hour of darkness left at best,” Nyla said, breaking the spell the desert had cast over them.
She saw concern in Ethan’s eyes as he reached into his pocket, pulled out a handkerchief, and dabbed at the blood on her forehead.
“It’s not a big cut, but you’ll probably end up with a nasty bump and bruise. I’m sorry my poor driving is responsible for your injury,” he said with a weak smile.
“Your driving is fine. It’s the road and the lack of light that’s to blame.”
Nyla was embarrassed, though touched, by Ethan’s attention. She was determined to be strong and hated the fact she had already sustained an injury so early into their long journey. She turned away from him and walked back to the car to survey the damage with Ethan following close behind.
The car’s front bumper was shattered. Small pieces of fiberglass littered the ground, its color blending in well with the natural materials of the road. Fluid drained from beneath the car, but was quickly sucked up by the thirsty earth. Nyla wasn’t sure what the fluid was, but suspected it was the lifeblood of the vehicle and when it was gone, the car would be dead.
“Let’s get to work. We have to hide the car before daylight,” Ethan stated.
“Do you think anyone misses us yet?” Jared asked.
“You and I buddy will never be ‘missed
,’ but if you’re wondering if they’ve noticed we haven’t shown up for work, probably not for a couple more hours.”
Jared nodded and gave a crooked smile, and then picked Claire up and twirled her in a circle. “Heck it just feels so darn good to be out of that soul sucking place that being stuck, lost and running late doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.”
Nyla smiled, though she couldn’t quite muster Jared’s enthusiasm. She could understand his excitement at having left the past behind, but feared they still had many obstacles standing in their way of total freedom.
“Ignition on.”
Noting happened.
“Ignition on,” Nyla pleaded again. Nothing. “Ignition on,” she nearly cried.
“Let’s try this the old-fashioned way,” Ethan said as he squeezed his body underneath the steering wheel. “Nyla, move to the other side and shine a light under here.”
Nyla did as Ethan instructed and said a silent prayer. After moving some wires around Ethan was able to bypass the voice command and start the car. Nyla scrambled out of the car and joined Claire and Jared poised near the shattered front bumper.
“Cross your fingers,” Nyla whispered.
Ethan put the car in reverse and gunned the little motor as his friends pushed. The power in the solar cell was nearly spent, but after several tries, the car slowly crawled out of the rut. Once free, they finished unloading the car as the rain continued to beat down on them.
“Carlos doubted any law enforcement patrols would venture off the paved roads, but we can’t be too careful, so don’t cut any brush that can be seen from the road,” Ethan ordered.