“Yes. Because they’re in danger.”
“They’re in danger because they are a danger. Don’t you see it?”
“No, I refuse to believe that. If they stay away…”
Trey shook his head. “If they carry the virus, they remain a threat as long as they are out there. Let this go. Forget your friends. Hate what you saw, disagree with it, but don’t put yourself in the middle of this.”
“I already am. How can you accept this so easily?”
“Because I watched everyone I love die. I also watched a lot of people be saved by this initiative. It may be strict, but we are alive. So I stand by it.”
Malcolm sighed out. “I can’t just stand by.”
“I understand,” Trey said. “Know this. I will protect you, I will stand beside you, and I will always love you. But please, I beg you, don’t do anything stupid.”
That was all that was said and Trey walked away. Malcolm began to think about what he needed to do, if he could do anything. He knew he had to try. Something wasn’t right and the puddle of the regurgitated stomach contents before him reminded him how sick this new world truly made him.
Marilee was pleasant when the four of them returned, leaving Hunter and Blake behind as a precaution. She expressed that she thought they changed their mind until they asked her about Salvation.
“You said not to go there,” Nora probed. “Why?”
“I wanted you guys to want to stay here, I didn’t want you to think I was scaring you into not leaving,” she replied.
Jason asked. “Should we be scared?”
“Salvation isn’t what you think,” Marilee explained. “Yeah, they do a lot of good for those inside the wall, but out here… they don’t.”
“Is that why you arm up?” Jason asked. “Because you don’t trust them?”
“We have plenty of reason not to trust them. They haven’t swept through here in a while, two years, but they used to come through all the time.” Marilee said. “At first, I can remember hiding. My mother telling me to stay quiet, don’t make a sound. I was twelve when it first happened. I used to hold my hand over my mouth, hear the gunfire, and hear our people screaming.”
“Oh my God,” Meredith gasped. “They came in and killed you?”
“Those who fought,” Marilee said. “Those who refused. And we guess those who attempted to get back what Salvation took. We lost a lot of people because they chased after them and never came back. Our people that is. We used to be a big community. Now look at us.”
“What about the others that you trade with?” John questioned.
“They hit them too,” Marilee replied. “I guess they learned early on. But most of the towns, villages, and communities were hit by Salvation.”
Nora asked. “Did they think you had the virus?”
Marilee laughed sadly. “I wish. But no. We’re ready for them, but I don’t think they’re coming back. Not yet. There’s nothing left for them to take. They took it all from us.”
“What… what did they take?” Nora asked. “What did they keep coming back to get?”
Marilee puckered her lips before answering, her glossed over eyes shifted to Meredith. “You asked about the drawing. My son Dillard drew that when he was six. They took him. In fact… That’s what they took until there weren’t any more left to take… the children. They took our babies.”
NORA’S ENTRY
I didn’t want to stop or make a detour. I just wanted to keep on going now we had a direction. Funny how one page ago, in my journal, we were taking off and hopeful, little did I realize we’d only get so far and have to turn around.
What Marilee told us was tragic, and enough to convince the others to not move until we heard from Malcolm. Obviously he knew something about Salvation, or he wouldn’t have gone to that much trouble to get word to us.
I heard that, I understood that, but all I kept thinking about was Rick. Rick was alive. How did Malcolm find out? Did he meet him? So many questions.
Marilee made a suggestion on where we should go to lay low. Obviously, Rantoul wasn’t the place. She would inform Malcolm and any others that arrived where to go.
We thanked her and knew we’d see her soon because she gave us directions to the trading post.
It would be empty for two more weeks until communities started showing up. Even then we’d be able to hide among them. No one would find it. To the best of her recollection Salvation had never been there. Why would they? On the outside it looked abandoned. It was a safe haven. A place, those other communities and Rantoul always believed they could safely retreat to.
It was an old tourist attraction, built in the 1700’s the Fort De Chartres had been refurbished and kept up throughout the years. The southwest wall had been torn down but Marilee told us about six years ago they erected a fence. Like it was originally, the fort was completely… fortified.
She warned us that we wouldn’t see it at a distance, the trees were tall and overgrown, but inside it was clear and clean.
“Look for the rusted tractor and pull cart, they block the path.”
She was right on all accounts. The overgrown road just seemed to end as it approached a line of trees. Sure enough, twenty or so feet in, there was the tractor.
The trees didn’t extend to the fort, once we passed through it was open and the vine covered fort was clear as day. It wasn’t hidden.
If Salvation made it beyond those trees they wouldn’t have a problem finding it.
The gates were open and once inside we secured them. The others looked around. Except Hunter. He was up to something. But I didn’t care. I felt jilted. Outnumbered and outvoted.
I wanted to ignore the warnings and keep going, but admittedly, I was thinking of myself and not the others. It had been thirty years what would a couple more weeks be?
SIXTEEN – HIDING
A half a dozen apples dropped to the ground by the campfire. After leaving them there, Hunter checked on the roasting meat that cooked over the fire.
“Thank you,” Nora picked up an apple. “This will be wonderful.”
“You must eat.” Hunter lifted her arm. “Will break.”
“Oh my God,” Nora giggled. “He makes me feel so thin.”
“He’s just wonderful,” Meredith said. “He’s such a protector and he wanted to see the world.”
John gave a twitch of his head. “Our post apocalypse sex symbol.”
Jason asked. “Do we know what Hunter did in his village?”
“Hunted, protected,” John answered. “From what Matthew told us he was one of the earliest births after the war. The DNA mutations grew stronger with time. He’s a good man.”
Hunter seemed to notice John referred to him for the first time as a man. He nodded at John, then pointed. “Hunter will go check wall.”
“I’m sure we’re fine,” John said. “Really. Relax.”
“Must watch. Will be back.” After lifting an apple, Hunter walked off.
“He’s been doing something on that wall,” Jason said. “Aside from perching himself up there.”
“Added protection,” John said. “Quite a world we woke to.”
Meredith murmured. “Thirty years later.”
At that point, out of character, Nora tossed an apple and stood abruptly. “It’s thirty years to them. Not to us. Just when I think I’m getting it, I’m not. It’s still last month that I walked my daughter into school. Now she’s dead. The other one… God knows. It was just last month that I got in that stupid fight with Rick because he was sneaking cigarettes in the garage. Now today I bet he doesn’t even remember that argument.”
“Well at least we know now,” John, said sarcastically, “cigarettes didn’t kill him.”