Jason asked. “You think we’ll need it?”
“Never know,” John replied.
Hunter covered everything back up. “Stay for two moons, then head to river. Safe by water. Follow the flow.” He finished covering it. “Hunter… I must rest now.”
“Yes,” John said. “You deserve it. And Hunter… very good job. Thank you.”
Hunter nodded. “Thank you. Pound it.” He held his close fist to John.
“Pound it?” John asked, shifting his eyes to Nora. “Sure.”
He hit his fist against Hunters, and after a half smile, Hunter turned and walked away.
John waited. Oddly, he didn’t move, make a sound, or say a word. He waited until Hunter was out of earshot, and then he released a soft but excruciating sounding, “Ow”, cringing as he grabbed his hand.
He traveled the last two hundred miles on pure energy reserves. More than anything, Malcolm just wanted to pull over and sleep, but he kept thinking how close he was and he had to keep going. It was a quiet trip, Maggie hadn’t even tried to contact him again.
Malcolm didn’t know if he should worry about that, or be glad.
It had been weeks since he saw the others. He would have to explain what happened to Amy, how she was killed early in their journey. He spent most of his driving time thinking how he was going to explain to everyone that Salvation was off the radar, and that they had to go and not look back. How he would tell Nora that her husband was alive and well, but she couldn’t chance going to see him.
His mind raced with plans for the future. How they would survive long term, grow food, and hide. He heard stories about The East, so that was out. Maybe they’d go south, or even back to California.
Malcolm was disheartened when he pulled into Champaign. He didn’t see any of the buggies. He didn’t have a clue if Blake had even arrived yet, it had only been a few days. He worried that the others hadn’t gotten the warning.
There was also a chance the others hadn’t gotten there. Then his tired and dejected feelings quickly turned when he saw the message loud and clear on the storefront window.
A message from Jason.
Rantoul Lives.
He recalled seeing the sign for Rantoul and Malcolm hurriedly sought the map. It wasn’t that far, eighteen miles.
It wouldn’t be long, Malcolm thought and he’d not only be reunited with the others, but he could rest, at least briefly, before heading out again.
EIGHTEEN – TRUTH
Just on the outside chance that Blake had arrived and warned the others about Salvation, Malcolm pulled the Salcom van over about a half a mile from Rantoul. He didn’t want the others to see the Salvation vehicle and worry.
It was only a short walk, it was a warm day and the van was out of sight.
Wandering into town, it took everything not to run down the street hollering out.
But something wasn’t right.
It was quiet, too quiet. Where was everyone?
Malcolm knew he was in the right place when he saw three solar buggies. Three of them meant Blake had arrived.
He refrained from calling out, looking around as he walked. It looked like a community picnic had taken place in town. Tables were set up and there was a grill. Food was left on the table. Flies buzzed about the food.
Perhaps they took off in a hurry, but why didn’t they take the buggies? A few steps beyond the tables, Malcolm spotted them. It looked like two bodies, covered in cloth sat outside the church. He couldn’t be sure they were bodies, he had to get a closer look.
“Hold it!” A female voice called out. “Stop, or I’ll shoot.”
The racking of a gun chamber rang out.
Malcolm stopped. In fact he lifted his hands. “I mean no harm. I’m looking for my friends. I’m supposed to meet them here.”
“Who?” she asked.
“Nora. Jason…” Before he finished saying any more names, the door to one of the stores opened and a man stepped out.
Malcolm recognized the clothing, he had also worn that clothing when he was released from the Genesis lab.
The man walked up to Malcolm. “John said you’d be arriving. I met him and Meredith out east. They sent us.”
“Us?” Malcolm asked.
“There are four of us.”
“Where are my friends?”
“They were gone when we got here, they left word, Marilee knows.”
“Who? And you said there are four of you? Where are the others?”
“Helping.”
“Helping?”
“Yeah,” Cole said sadly. “Come this way.”
Malcolm wanted to vomit. In fact it took everything he had not to throw up the second he walked into the church and saw it had been transformed into a make shift hospital. More than a dozen people were in there, laying on cots, intravenous lines in their arms.
Cole explained he was a doctor and like Malcolm was unknowingly part of a Genesis project. He, along with another man and two females, were told by John to come to Champaign.
“They were sick when we got here this morning,” Cole said. “Marilee was helpless. She was doing great, but I felt so bad for her, I haven’t had a chance to talk about the others.”
Malcolm nodded and looked at Marilee. “When did everyone get sick?”
“It started yesterday evening, we were sitting down to eat and people started getting sick all of the sudden. Coughing, shaking, and fevers. I mean it was scary,” Marilee said. “Our doctor was the first to go. But a lot of folks said they were feeling off all afternoon. I was spared. Cole here got the IV bags done and has been giving them pain medication.”
Cole said, “I had to makeshift out of old things. The first aid kits have pain relievers and I been trying to get people to take those.”
“Is this the virus?” Malcolm asked. “The one that hit before?”
“I don’t know,” Cole answered. “Unfortunately, none of us have seen it. But whatever this is, hits hard and fast. We lost two since I got here and the others… well… the others aren’t far behind.
“I’m sorry for this,” Malcolm grabbed Marilee’s wrist. “I will do whatever I can to help. But can you excuse me for a second.
Malcolm used needing to get the van and checking for supplies as his excuse. The truth was, he just needed a moment. He needed to absorb what he saw.
An entire town was sick and dying. His friends had been there and gone and Cole and the others had just arrived. Maybe it was coincidence, or timing, Maybe Jason, Nora, and the others didn’t have anything to do with the illness.
There was a chance, albeit slim, but it was one that Malcolm clung to. The only way he could stop from being overwrought with guilt was by believing they had nothing to do with the town’s sickness. Even though a part of Malcolm knew and believed differently.
When Nora finally fell asleep mid afternoon, Jason decided to take Meredith up on her invite to go fishing. Hunter went with them as he had scouted the area and found a great fishing hole. After an hour, Hunter left them alone.
In an unindustrialized world nature took over in more ways than one. The fish were surprisingly large and easy to catch. And even more so, Jason was surprised how easy Meredith was to speak with. It was the first time he had any conversation one on one with her. Since she made her living theorizing, Jason was eager to pick her brain.
“If we have a warning message, then Malcolm went to a lot of trouble to get it to us,” Meredith said. “He’s in a position where he can’t speak. He’s obviously with Salvation people and knows what they are up to.”
“But like what?” Jason asked. “I mean Salvation is called Salvation, right?”