“Will we ever see Jacob again?”
“Ma’am I’ve been told to always be honest and the answer is simple, no. He’s on another path and he has a mission to fulfill. Believe me, I wish it weren’t the case but Jacob is gone, forever,” Nathan said.
“That makes me sad,” Portia frowned as she put her attention to the shifting water around her and noticed she couldn’t see land anymore. This made her a bit fearful but she also couldn’t escape feeling excited about the adventure she was on.
“Jacob said you were a teacher. Is that true?” Nathan asked.
“Yes, it is true, I was an elementary school teacher in The Collective,” she replied.
The boat rocked as it hit bigger waves.
“Good, then maybe you can show me how read and maybe even write?” Nathan asked sheepishly.
“You don’t…” she said before stopping herself from saying something insensitive. Not every child was given an education like The Collective. She didn’t know Nathan’s story but he was a post-war child and she had a feeling he had been a slave and educating slaves wasn’t a priority. “Of course and if you want we can start now.”
“Really?” Nathan said, his eyes wide with excitement.
“We’ll start with the alphabet. Have you ever heard of that before?”
Nathan shook his head.
She recited the letters of the alphabet then encouraged him to follow along.
As he did, she got up and headed towards the aft. “Any water?”
Winston grabbed a bottle and gave it to her.
“Thank you,” she said taking the bottle and taking a drink.
“Why are you bothering?” Winston asked nodding towards Nathan.
“Because everyone deserves a chance to learn,” Portia answered.
Winston grumbled, “He’s learned all he needs too.”
“If where we’re going is what Jacob says, he’ll need to know,” she said turning back to go sit down when a sliver of deep blue sky penetrated the gray clouds. She stared and longed for a day when she could see the entire sky blue. It had been many years since she’d seen that and sometimes she wondered if it really was blue or just a dream. And just as fast as it appeared, thick gray clouds covered it but didn’t darken her spirits. Whatever lay ahead gave her the promise of a new beginning and even if she were given the chance to turn around she’d turn it down. She didn’t know if anything about Paradise was going to be how Jacob described it, in fact it could all be wrong, however; the one fact she did have was it was going to be her new home.
CHAPTER10
Kyle sat at the intersection. He could go east towards Pueblo. It was the most direct route, but the last reports he’d heard weeks ago had Generates there. The other option was south through more mountains then break east. Going through Pueblo was risky but it saved time and for him, time was everything, with that in mind, east it was.
He didn’t know what to expect when he entered New Texas. All he’d heard were rumors. Though The Collective had an open trading agreement with Baytown the shipments were always exchanged at the western border. Much like the Rocky Mountain Republic, the Texans didn’t take kindly to strangers.
He glanced through the gun port and saw the sun had just dipped below the horizon. Soon he’d need to find a place to bed down for the night. He wasn’t sure what was ahead but he did recall an old abandoned town just north of him. It was off route, but there were numerous buildings and one could provide the cover he’d need for the night. With his decision made, he turned the wheel left and hit the accelerator.
The road was narrow and winding, hugging along the sides of the steep hills to his right. He came up on a sharp S turn and slowed. Debris littered the road just ahead of him giving him pause as it looked like the perfect place to get ambushed. He carefully maneuvered around everything taking notice of a small drive to the right that cut up the steep slope, he didn’t recognize it. The last turn was just ahead. He drove around it and came face to face with a roadblock. He slammed on the brakes. With the road being narrow, he couldn’t turn around, his only choice was to go back and pull into that driveway he remembered seeing. He put the truck into reverse and began to retreat.
Bright lights kicked on and beamed down blinding him.
From behind a large five-ton military truck approached, blocking the road and preventing him from exiting. He was trapped with nowhere to go. Frustrated at his predicament, he slammed on the brakes and cursed, “Shit!” He wasn’t going anywhere. Was this it? Had he driven his last mile? Not one to go out without a fight, he grabbed his rifle and readied himself for a gun fight.
“TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND EXIT THE TRUCK. KEEP YOUR HANDS HIGH OR WE WILL SHOOT!” boomed a voice from a bullhorn.
In front of him he counted eight shadowy figures approaching. He looked over his shoulder and through the rear gun port and saw some coming from behind.
“TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND EXIT THE TRUCK. KEEP YOUR HANDS HIGH OR WE WILL SHOOT!”
With only one choice, he did as they said. He turned off the truck’s engine, slowly opened the door and stuck his hands out to show he was unarmed.
“STEP OUT, KEEP YOUR HANDS HIGH!”
He did as they said. Once out he got a better visual. In front of him standing tall were eight armed men, all in uniform. Behind him he had the same.
“WALK TO THE FRONT OF YOUR VEHICLE AND PLACE YOUR HANDS AND FACE ON THE HOOD.”
He did as they ordered, praying they weren’t going to take him prisoner only to sell him into slave labor.
Several men surrounded him. One came forward and patted him down. “All clear.”
“Hey, who are you guys?” he asked.
Someone stepped up behind him and said, “You can get off the hood.”
“Thanks,” Kyle said wiping his hands and face off, then turned to see who had stopped him. Standing a foot away was an older man in a camouflage uniform. “Hi.”
“Where you heading?” the man asked.
Finding no reason to lie, he told them the truth. “I’m heading to Adelaide, it’s an old ghost town. I’m looking for a place to rest for the night.”
“Where are you coming from?”
“The Collective,” he answered. His curiosity grew as he looked closer at their uniforms. “Say who are you? You guys look, legit.”
“We’ve heard reports the leader of The Collective is dead, is that true?”
“Yes,” Kyle answered.
“Are you just passing on rumors you’ve heard or do you really know?”
“I really know because I’m the one who killed him.”
A shocked look appeared on the man’s face. “You killed Xavier Smith?”
“Yes,” Kyle replied.
In the distance a man called out, “That means you’re Driver Eight.”
Kyle looked and saw a man approaching. He walked slow and deliberate. When he got close the others stepped out of his way. He walked up and stopped directly in front of Kyle. “Who are you and why did you stop me?”
“I’m Major Avery, but you sir, you’re the infamous Driver Eight,” Avery said holding out his hand. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
First he was being stopped and frisked, now he was being greeted with compliments. He took the man’s hand and shook. “Nice to meet you. Again, who are you?” Kyle asked motioning to all the soldiers and their vehicles.
“I hear you’re trying to get to Adelaide. Well, it’s off limits, sorry.”
“You’re not going to answer my question are you?”
“I think we have the prerogative.”
Kyle nodded. “Why is Adelaide off limits?”