Not wanting to watch anymore, Reid paused the video. So there it was, a vaccine had been developed then destroyed. It didn’t matter though; nothing had been created to save Hannah from the point she was with the virus. She would die and soon.
***
Left hopeless, Reid carried Hannah down to the beach. He found a nice place clear of rocks and laid her down.
She had been going in and out of consciousness, and the last time he’d spoken to her, she was talking gibberish. This was no doubt the telltale sign that soon she’d convulse one last time then go into a catatonic state, with death not far behind.
Above his head, seagulls soared, and the rich briny smell of the ocean air filled his nostrils. He stared into the picture-perfect cloudless blue sky and said, “I wish you could see this.”
He cradled her in his lap, his right hand locked in hers. He lowered his head and kissed the top of hers. “I failed you. I’m so sorry, baby.” Tears welled in his eyes and streamed down his stubbled face. They gathered along his jawline and dripped onto her forehead and cheeks. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t fix you.”
Hannah began to convulse violently. Her body stopped for brief moments but remained rigid.
He held onto her more tightly each time she started a convulsion, and whispered to her his love. “I hope you can hear me, I really do. I want you to know that Daddy loves you so much and that soon you’ll be in Mommy’s arms. Tell her I’m sorry that I failed her too,” he said, his salty tears hitting his lips.
Her convulsions stopped and her body went limp.
He’d never experienced this with Evelyn. The nurse had her taken away before this point. He placed two fingers against her neck and checked for a pulse and found a faint one. She was alive but barely. When he’d stood alongside Evelyn’s bed, watching her die, he’d felt helpless. Now here he was witnessing the death of his only child, and again he was helpless to stop it. He wondered what purpose life would have now without Hannah in the world. Why go on living? Why even take another breath? There was no reason to wake each day; there wasn’t a reason to live.
He reached into his coat and pulled out his pistol. He didn’t need to confirm it was loaded; he knew it was and knew a round was in the chamber. All he needed to do was place it against his temple and pull the trigger. It was that simple, and then he could join Evelyn and Hannah.
He checked her pulse again and found it.
He then made up his mind. He would take his own life the second hers ended. The thought came of putting her out of her misery, but he couldn’t bring himself to ponder the idea for more than a second.
Instead he decided to just wait and talk to her.
“It’s beautiful here,” he said, looking up and down the shoreline. “When I worked here, I never looked at the ocean and the beach like I’m doing now. I was blind, really, to the beauty of it all. I was too focused on the trivial details and meaningless things that I thought were so important to take notice of the breathtaking scenery and splendor of the world around me.”
A fish jumped out of the water and came splashing back down.
“A fish just hopped out of the water,” he said excitedly. “God, how I wish you could see this. The seagulls are squawking to my right as they race around the sand, looking for anything to eat, while others are flying overhead. The fish are swimming and jumping, and the waves, they’re crashing into the beach. The sound of it is so soothing, I could lie here and listen until I fall asleep.”
He lay back on the sand, Hannah in his arms. “Can you hear the waves, honey?” He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of life around him, the warm sun hitting his face. Tears kept pouring from his eyes and down the sides of his face. His thoughts were of Hannah, some from when she was an infant, then a memory of her as a child. He could hear her first words, then pictured the first time she walked. His mind wandered through the years, her smiling face to her angry scowls. Oh, how he’d wanted to see her grow into adulthood and find love or become an adult to be proud of.
Unaware of how fatigued he was, he dozed off unintentionally.
***
The cold ocean water rushed up between his legs. He opened his eyes and saw that the morning sky had been replaced by an early afternoon one. He sat up and looked around.
The tide had come in, leaving his trousers soaked.
He looked down at Hannah, who was still cradled in his arms. Checking her pulse, he found she was still alive, but he noticed that it was stronger.
“Hannah, can you hear me?” he asked. “I’m going to move up on the beach or we’ll be swimming soon.” He set her down and got to his feet.
Gazing down on her, he paused before scooping her up. “You look like an angel lying there.”
Hannah stirred.
“Sweetheart?” he asked.
Her body jerked and her head twitched.
“Can you hear me?” he asked. “Are you with me?”
Again her body moved, this time both legs and an arm fluttered.
He dropped to his knees and held her head in his hands. “Hannah, sweetheart, can you hear me?”
A wave rushed up and washed over her.
She opened her eyes and looked around for a second before setting her gaze on him. “Daddy?”
The first thing he noticed was the whites of her eyes weren’t blood red. “Yes, sweetheart.”
Another wave crashed and coursed its way along the sand until it washed up on her.
She lifted her head and asked, “Where are we?”
“How do you feel?”
“Sore, tired.”
Tears of joy now filled his eyes. “Your eyes, I don’t understand,” he said. He searched through his thoughts, trying to find a symptom such as what she was displaying, but couldn’t come up with one. Was it possible? Had she just survived the dog flu, or was it the medicine that Hillary had given her?
“Daddy, are we at the beach?” she asked as she sat up slowly.
“We are. This is the beach and that’s the ocean,” he said, taking her hand in his and sitting next to her.
“Am I dead and this is heaven?” she asked, finding everything very confusing. She had no recollection of the past day and a half.
“No, you’re not dead, you’re very much alive,” he replied. “I can’t believe it, to be honest, but I think the medicine Hillary gave you worked. She said the first sign that you’ve been cured is your eyes would return to normal, and they have.” He peppered her face with countless kisses.
She giggled from the loving attention.
“I can’t believe this, I can’t, I thought you were…” he said, pausing before he said the word dead.
“It smells exactly as you said it would,” she said, inhaling deeply.
“And the seagulls,” he said, pointing at one flying by.
“They’re beautiful.”
He kissed her hand and said, “I love you, Hannah.”
“You kept your promise.”
Thinking of the promise he’d made to Evelyn, he replied, “I guess I did. I told your mother I’d do anything to protect you.”
A weakened smile stretched across her face, she looked at him and said, “No, I’m talking about this.” She motioned towards the water as another wave crashed and washed over them.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Can we go for a swim?”
“A swim? How about when you’re a hundred percent?”
“Okay, but can we stay here and watch?” she asked sweetly.
“Of course, Hannah, anything for you.”
EPILOGUE
TEN MILES WEST OF GILA BEND, ARIZONA
“I knew we’d find a car, I knew it,” Michael exclaimed happily. It had taken him and Brienne two weeks to find an old Dodge Ram truck that ran on old degraded gasoline.
While Michael was thrilled, Brienne kept her enthusiasm at bay, knowing that the engine could slow and gum up easily. “Let’s just see how far we’ll get before you get all
excited.”
“Well, it’s made it forty miles so far. I’m feeling lucky,” Michael chirped.
Brienne spotted something in the distance. She leaned over the steering wheel and looked carefully. “Is that what I think it is?”
Michael peered through the windshield and spotted the same thing. “Yeah, it looks like a man and a kid. Oh, wait, they just ran off the road.”
The two people were Reid and Hannah.
Brienne pulled the truck up to where they’d last seen the people and pulled over.
“What are you doing?” Michael asked.
“I’m seeing if they need help,” Brienne said. She taken a new tack in life and would help anyone if she could. “Roll the window down,” she ordered Michael.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, they’re just over in that brush,” Brienne said and pointed to large brittlebushes fifty feet off the road. “Hey, are you all okay?”
No reply came from the two.
“My name is Brienne and this is Michael. If you need a lift somewhere, we can help,” Brienne offered.
Reid poked his head out and said, “No, we’re fine.” Firmly in his grasp was his rifle.
Hannah clung to Reid’s jacket and was just behind him. She peeked around his arm and asked, “Are they gonna hurt us, Daddy?”
“I don’t know yet, but don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” Reid said.
“I know you don’t trust me, I probably wouldn’t either, but we’re headed to somewhere safe. You’re welcome to join us,” Brienne hollered.
“No, you just go ahead, we’re fine,” Reid shouted back.
“Are you sure?” Brienne asked.
“Yeah, you just keep moving,” Reid said.
“Daddy, are they going to Deliverance?” Hannah asked.
“I doubt it,” Reid said.
“Safe travels, I hope you make it wherever you’re going,” Brienne said. “Okay, roll up the window.”
Michael cocked his head and shouted, “C’mon, we won’t hurt you. We’re headed to Deliverance, Oklahoma, it’s a safe zone they say.”
Hearing the name, Reid lifted his head farther and asked, “Did you say Deliverance?”
“Yeah, we’re headed there,” Michael replied.
“Daddy, they’re going to our home,” Hannah said.
“Yeah, I heard,” Reid said, not just shocked but perplexed by hearing the name.
“Are you sure you won’t join us?” Brienne asked.
“They won’t let you in,” Reid shouted.
Brienne gave Michael an odd look and asked, “Why’s that?”
“They don’t let strangers in,” Reid replied.
“And how would you know that?” Brienne asked.
Reid stood, his rifle at the ready. “On account that I’m from there.”
“You’re from Deliverance? If you are, then why are you in the middle of nowhere Arizona?” Brienne asked.
“That’s a long story,” Reid asked. “But you won’t get in without us on account that they're expecting me.”
Michael got out of the truck, keeping his hands up high to show he wasn’t armed. “Is it like they say? Is it safe?”
Reid paused for a second to think about his answer, then decided in an instant to be honest. “It is, it’s safe, clean. It’s a good place to be.”
“It’s home,” Hannah shouted.
Michael turned back and gave Brienne a smile. “It’s real.”
“It sure sounds like it,” Brienne replied and gave him a wink.
Facing Reid again, he asked, “Why don’t you hop in?”
“Yeah hop in, you can tell us all about why you’re out here and not there,” Brienne said.
Reid gave Hannah a look and asked, “What do you think?”
Hannah stepped out from behind Reid, gave Brienne and Michael a long look, then glanced at Reid. “They seem nice, and it is a long walk back home.”
“It sure is,” Reid said.
“Do you think we can trust them?” Hannah asked.
“I never trust anyone completely, but they have a truck and we need to go a long way. I say we hop in.”
Hannah nodded.
“I think we’ll jump in,” Reid said. He took Hannah by the hand and emerged from the bushes. He stopped a few feet from Michael and gave him a quick look up and down. “You’re really headed to Deliverance?”
“Yes, sir,” Michael replied.
“Say, is there any way we can stop in Santa Rosa, New Mexico?” Reid asked as he removed his backpack and put it in the bed of the truck.
Brienne had climbed out of the cab and was leaning against the edge of the bed. “What’s in Santa Rosa?”
“It’s a long story,” Reid answered.
“You have a lot of long stories,” Brienne quipped.
“I suppose I do,” Reid said. He picked Hannah up and put her in the bed, then climbed in himself. “But if we want to get inside Deliverance, the key to that is there.”
Brienne slapped the side of the truck and said, “Then I suppose Santa Rosa is our next stop.” She turned to get back in the truck but stopped. “I’m rude, my name is Brienne and that’s Michael.”
“I’m Reid and…”
“I’m Hannah,” Hannah said sweetly, a large smile stretched across her face.
Brienne returned Hannah’s smile and said, “Nice to meet you, Reid and Hannah. How about we get you back home?”
THE END
ABOUT
G. Michael Hopf is the best-selling and acclaimed author of THE NEW WORLD series and other novels. He spent two decades living a life of adventure before he settled down and became a novelist full time. He is a combat veteran of the Marine Corps and a former executive protection agent.
He lives with his family in San Diego, CA
Please feel free to contact him at [email protected] with any questions or comments.
www.gmichaelhopf.com
www.facebook.com/gmichaelhopf
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