Chapter 18Waynesboro - Saturday, July 28th to Sunday, July 29th
The Party walked up the last incline of path before the road. Fic, in the lead, could see a guardrail at the top of the climb. High grass grew on each side of the trail and the sun was shining brightly on the green leaves of grass and the contrasting dark brown dirt of the trail. Fic came to the guardrail and stepped over.
Behind him was Brown Shades. An older man with a full beard and wearing a pair of eyeglasses that were quickly turning a dark brown as he moved from the shade of the forest to the bright open area by the road. He too came to the guardrail, looked up and down the road, then stepped over, just as Fic had.
Next in line was a short, squat, brown-haired man with a beard longer and shaggier than the hiker who had just passed. His name was Rodent Whisperer. His large boots stood out as he walked up the trail. Above the boots were bare hairy legs and above that a brown kilt wrapped around his waist. His large, wooden cross swung back and forth. He stood at the guardrail and waited for the hiker behind him.
A cute face smiled out of her longish blond hair. Her blue eyes sparkled as she playfully knocked away the hand Rodent Whisperer offered to help her step over. “I got it, you old dwarf,” she said with a laugh, lightly stepping her long legs over the rail and moving to the right. Rodent Whisperer smiled back at her and followed her over the barrier.
Last came a tall, slim young man. His light brown skin glowed in the sunlight. A knitted cap with fox ears covered his short cropped tightly curled black hair. He had a small pack. A toy fox, like the ones that dogs play with, that have no filling was attached to his pack. The long tail swinging back and forth as he walked along. A short Katana knife was in a sheath on his belt. His name was Kitsune. He came to the guardrail and stood looking at the other members of his group. His Party. His slight smile said that he was happy to be with this crew. He had watched them a lot before joining them two days ago. Moving around them in the forest as he figured out who they were and what their quest was. He stepped over the guardrail then looked back down the trail. No one was there. No one was on the road either. The place was completely deserted.
It was hard to believe that they were at the gates of a very popular national park. One that saw millions of visitors a year. The great Shenandoah National Park. A mountainous, forested land, spanning over a hundred miles. There was a twisty, turny road that ran the length of the park. Skyline Drive was its name. Alongside this road, crossing it many times, was the great Appalachian Trail. It had been the Party’s trail for several weeks now as they made their way north. Made their way towards their various homes. Hoping to find family and friends alive in this now crazy world that had gone to shit.
They had already escorted two of their group to places of safety. Gnobbit, someone Fic had met down in Georgia, near the beginning of the trail, and Finn, who had become attached to Gnobbit and stayed with her when she had found her family in Pearisburg, VA, recently. Kitsune had joined the Party after the other two had left the group, but he still felt like he knew them as the others had told him many stories from their travels before meeting him, mentioning Gnobbit’s and Finn’s exploits along the way. Kitsune had taken over their role of scouting road crossings. He seemed to be just as stealthy as the short thief and the tall elf.
The trail followed the road for a bit, and they came to a small parking lot with a welcome kiosk. The Party gathered on the grass next to the parking lot. They each had a bit of food that Kitsune had provided when he joined them. He had a huge zip-lock bag full of lots of different food that he had “discovered” along the way before meeting the others. He had distributed it to the others with relish. Enjoying the laughs of delight when someone would exclaim in surprise and glee when they saw something that they had been craving. They had all pretty much been craving everything though. Food had become scarce along the trail. The whole area seemed to be vacant of people and a lot of them had taken all they could before leaving. They could still find some things that had been forgotten or left behind, but it had been a while since they had eaten a large hearty meal. Kitsune’s gift had been perfect, but they continued to ration what they had as they moved north along the trail.
Now, the Party was trying to decide if they could continue along the trail, or head into the small town of Waynesboro, VA that the road they had just crossed over goes in to. Just a few miles to the west. Fic knew from his guide that it was about 3.5 miles to the edge of town. They didn’t know what they would find there, but after each of them had checked their food bags and found them lacking, they all voted to try heading into town to see what they could find.
They had only walked about five miles so far in the day, but this detour was necessary. Their bellies insisted.
They crossed the road and bushwhacked down a short hillside to the road to town. Across the road was an old, abandoned gas station. It looked like it had been that way for some time. Well before the Fall. They all picked around the buildings anyway, finding nothing useful. Each started down the road to town separately, after satisfying their curiosity. Walking along the shoulder, getting spread out along the way until they were about 200 meters apart. Kitsune was still in the rear and after a while the twists of the road dropped him out of sight of the others.
The day had become hot and as they moved along the road, putting one foot in front of the other as they made their way to the edge of town. No cars came past them. They couldn’t hear any cars on the roads nearby. Most notably absent was any traffic on I-64, which they crossed under as they started heading towards town.
As Fic walked along, a cardinal came flying past. It appeared to be on a mission. It would dip down by each of the hikers as it passed them, as if it was checking on them. It disappeared ahead of them around the next bend in the road.
About an hour later, they came to a single story building that had an old Pepsi sign at one end of the building. Fic, walked up on the porch of the building and looked into the glass doors. It was dark inside, but he saw that the doors weren’t locked. Well, they weren’t locked anymore. Someone had taken a crowbar to the lock and pried the doors open. He went to the side of the building and waited for the others to catch up.
Kitsune was the last to arrive. It looked like he had been hiking hard or even jogging a little and sweat was running down his smooth face. He quietly mentioned something about a cat hole when Fic questioned him with his eyebrows.
Fic let everyone know what he had seen so far, and they decided to check the place out. They went inside and looked around in the cool darkness. The building was a small store, but the shelves were bare. They found a few small items, dividing them up amongst themselves and realizing they needed more. They didn’t know if they would find any food while they were in the park, so they each wanted several days' worth if they could find it.
Brown Shades checked a tiny office at the back of the store and found that there was a dead body lying on the floor next to the small desk. The stench hit him as he opened the door like a sledgehammer. He only stayed long enough to verify that there was just one dead body back there and nothing else of value, and he shut the door quickly and went and told the others of his findings.
They all exited the building and gathered outside to show and share what they had found. Kitsune didn’t seem surprised at Brown Shades discovery. He told the others he had been here before and he thinks there is an outfitter just up ahead and at the first intersection of the town, a Speedway grocery store.
They moved along and quickly came to the Outfitter store. The houses had become more numerous and closer to the road as they got to the edge of town. The entire area seemed too empty. Nothing moved, but the tree’s leaves in the warm, steady breeze moving from the west into their faces. They repeated the search process at the outfitter store. “If you see any wool socks, I need to replace at least one pair if I can,” Rodent Whisperer mentioned.
“I could use a fresh shirt,” said Fic. This one has quite a few miles on it and quite a few gallons of sweat too. I have had this since Georgia. It is time to put it to rest. It never has had a really good washing.
It surprised them that they found quite a bit of gear in the looted store. They had found the door off its hinges, and everything scattered inside, but a lot of product was still there and even though it had been thrown about, it was just what they needed. Each of the hikers was able to find what they needed or wanted to change out, so they could continue on with their journey. They even found some power bars in on corner of the building, under a jumble of clothes racks and scattered and destroyed gear.
Once again, they gathered outside the building before moving on. “At least we didn’t find another dead body in this place,” Brown Shades said thankfully.
Wanting to get some more food, the Party continued along Main Street. They came to an intersection with dark streetlights. Once again, not a soul was seen. The only sound was a few birds and a light breeze running down the street. Tossing a random piece of trash to and fro. Fic was expecting to see a tumbleweed roll down the road and hear a red-tailed hawk call, but the blue jays he heard yelling at each other in a nearby small stand of trees was all he heard. Across the street and on the right was a Speedway gas station. The Party spread out as they crossed the street. Moving at a quick pace and looking around to see if anyone was around. They advanced on the store behind the pumps and tried the door. It was locked. “I sure wish Gnobbit was still with us,” Fic said rattling the locked door. Missing here burglar skills.
“I think there might be a door around back,” Kitsune said. “Maybe it isn’t locked,” he added. He went around the corner of the building and disappeared from view of the others. In two minutes, he was standing on the other side of the glass door and turning the bolt that was keeping the others out.
“You got skills, kid,” Rodent Whisperer commented. Moving past the young man and heading down one of the dark aisles. This store seemed more intact than the others they had visited. There wasn’t a lot of food on the shelves, but once again, each of the hikers found a few things that were still sitting on the shelves or lying on the floor.
The mood grew a little light as Class Room bartered with Brown Shades, trying to trade a pack of ramen she had found for some Cosmic Brownies that Brown Shades had picked up from the floor in the back corner.
The trade complete, the hikers once again departed the dark, quiet building and gathered in the parking lot off to the side.
“Where do you think all the people are?” Asked Brown Shades to the group. No one had an answer, and they went about loading their latest take into their food bags inside their packs.
As they sat in the parking lot, trying to decide if they should continue or head back to the trail, Kitsune caught some movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked up towards an overpass where a road passed over the one they were on. He thought he saw something short, but fast, move back away from the far side of the overpass. He kept staring and saw it again. “There is someone here,” he whispered to the others.
Everyone became instantly alert. Reaching for their weapons first, and their packs second. They all looked to where Kitsune focused his gaze.
“I see something there by that large white building,” Class Room stated. “It looked like a kid,” she commented. Hefting her pack and moving towards the overpass.
The others followed. Each hiker at the ready with their real or makeshift weapons. Fic carried a pump shotgun. Acquired along the trail earlier in their adventure. He only had a few shells for the weapon, but it was nice to have, considering all they had been through so far. Brown Shades carried a long oak staff. He was quite skilled in its defensive and offensive uses as well as a good hiking stick. Rodent Whisperer carried a quality hand axe on the belt of his kilt. It remained sheathed at this time, but his hand rested lightly on the axe head as he moved up the street, eyes glued to the building across from them. Class Room had a good sized knife on her belt, and her 9mm handgun named Kevin, taken from the man she killed, who tried to kill her, rested in the small of her back, tucked into her belt, and Kitsune carried a short Katana.
The Party crossed the street at the overpass and walked along the front of the building. They moved along until they came to an intersection. “There he is,” Fic said with surprise, as he pointed to the left. He had seen a short person running across the street about 100 meters down and into the yard of a house that had tall hedges on its perimeter. They all quickly crossed the street and continued along Main Street. Fic hoped that they were still paralleling the runner, but he had lost sight of him again.
They came to the next street and once again, they all saw the short person crossing the street and then disappearing into a yard. “It seems this boy is purposely waiting for us and intentionally being spotted,” Brown Shades stated. “I think he wants us to follow him.”
“Let’s do that then,” said Fic. “But keep alert. This could be a trap. In fact, I’m starting to get a little spooked.”
“There’s a river up ahead. If this kid is heading that way, the bridge is the easiest way across the water,” Kitsune said.
The Party continued. They approached the bridge, at the ready and constantly checking their surroundings. There was a small, landscaped area near the river. It had some small trees with some large bushes in front. Standing next to the trees was a kid.
The kid was dressed in dirty jeans and a faded orange tee shirt. A small leather jacket covered the shirt. On his head was a brown cowboy hat. The face was small. Large brown eyes looked out over a long, thin nose, liberally covered in freckles.
The kid started walking towards the Party, taking off the hat. When the kid did so, a long spill of red hair tumbled out from under the hat.
She shook her mane and smiled at the Party, looking surprised at her.
“Hi, I’m Daisy,” the girl said. “I’m sorry it looked like I was running from you. I just had to make sure you were good people before I revealed myself. What’s your names?” she asked forwardly.
“Why, you are a lass,” said Rodent Whisperer, stating the obvious. “You are pretty sleek and quick running about.”
Fic took a closer look at the girl. She was about 10 years old or so, maybe a little older. Her hair and clothes looked like they needed some washing, but who was he to talk. He couldn’t remember when his last shower had been. He noticed that she had a small holster on her belt. In the holster looked like a small revolver. Daisy’s hand rested on the grip. Not threateningly, more of a comfortable afterthought.
“Are you alone, Daisy?” He asked. Unconsciously looking around for others.
“Yep, ever since my Pa died, I been on my own. I got plenty of food and stuff.” She said, a slight catch in her voice as she mentioned her father. “I’m livin’ over in the Kroger right now. Like I said, lots of food. Y’all are welcome to come visit for a spell.”
“That would be nice,” said Class Room. Looking at Fic and raising her eyebrows in a look that would bear no disagreement as she protectively put her hand on Daisy’s shoulder.
“Yes, let’s check out your place for a bit. We might just decide to stay in town tonight. It is starting to get late with our detour into town and the next shelter is about eight miles from Rockfish Gap. We have been pushing hard for about a week now and I think it is time for a short day.” Fic said. “By the way, where is everyone? He asked.
“The army took them,” Daisy replied. “A bunch of buses came in one day about a month after the bombs went off and the power went out and made everyone who was still around get on. Pa had me hide in the cellar of our cousin’s house. He hid somewhere too. After dark, he came back and got me and we took off into the nearby woods for a few days,” her story continued.
“We watched from up on the mountain as buses kept coming and from time to time, we would hear gunshots and one gigantic explosion. Then a whole bunch of smoke started rising from different neighborhoods in town. After a few days, the buses stopped coming and there was no one left. We were starting to get hungry because we had lit out so fast and didn’t have a lot of stuff, so we snuck back down into town. There were no people around and we saw that our cousin’s house and about three more on the same street had burned to the ground. We found that we could set up camp in the Kroger, and that’s what we did. There wasn’t a lot of food in the storefront, but we found quite a bit that we could eat in the back warehouse.”
Now, Daisy’s voice got a little deeper and quieter as she continued telling the Party how her Pa had started feeling sick. “He kept complaining about his arm being numb and his jaw was hurting,” Daisy said. “One morning, I went to wake him, and he wasn’t there anymore. I mean he was there, but his spirit was gone. I guess he had died during the night, and I didn’t even get to say goodbye.” At this point, Daisy stopped talking and a tear spilled out of her left eye.
Class Room went over to Daisy and gave her a hug. “I’m so sorry you had to experience that, darling. Life has become quite hopeless since the bombs.”
“I buried him over across the road in the Smith’s backyard. That was as far as I could move him. He ain’t too deep, but nothing has bothered his resting place so far,” Daisy stated nonchalantly, the tear on her cheek already dried and forgotten. “Life has always been hard, and it made me and Pa hard. His heart just couldn’t take it all I guess.”
“Ok, show us your home, Daisy,” Fic said to the girl. “I’m starting to get hungry, and we can share what we found so far today.”
“Let me feed y’all,” Daisy replied. “Like I said, I got plenty of food.”
Daisy turned and started for the bridge over the swift flowing water of the South River. Leading the way to the large grocery store she now called home. The others followed behind, once again stringing out into a long single file line.
They crossed the river and passed an open park on their left. After another two blocks, Daisy turned left and walked another two blocks until they could see the large squat building with the large, blue Kroger sign on it. It looked inviting and forbidding at the same time.
Daisy continued past the side with the main doors and walked along the windowless brick building to the back. They turned the corner and saw two blue dumpsters. They were pushed together and one of them was in front of a brown, metal door. Daisy went up to the one dumpster and gave it a push. It moved out of the way, giving access to the brown door.
She pulled a screwdriver out of her pocket and pried the door open. She pulled the door all the way open and walked into the dark, cool loading dock of the grocery store.
They walked past the loading area, which had a lot of boxes strewn about. Some stacked neatly, some broken and spilling their contents, some laying empty by the doors.
Daisy moved into the warehouse proper and led the group over to a small area that was long stacks of boxes that created a space inside. There they found two cots with sleeping bags on them, separated by a small table, a small desk stacked with boxes of food and a large cooler sitting in the corner of the makeshift room. Next to the cooler was another small table with a propane stove on it. Several cans of propane were in a box next to the table.
“Does anyone want a pop?” she asked, opening the cooler and reaching inside, pulling out a Coke. “It ain’t cold, but it still tastes good.”
Everyone helped themselves to a can and the next few minutes were silent except for the sound of pop tops and swallowing.
“Ahhhh,” said Rodent Whisperer. “That truly hit the spot. Thanks, lassie.”
“Da nada,” Daisy responded. “I still have quite a bit stashed away.
The Party dropped their packs and found places to sit comfortably, while Daisy lit a small propane lantern. She went over to a couple of the boxes next to the wall and picked out a couple bags of snacks. She placed them on the table and told the hikers to help themselves to a snack.
“So, where did you get the pea shooter, Daisy?” Fic asked.
“It was my Pa’s,” she replied. “When he passed, it became mine. I know how to shoot it too. Killed a couple river rats just the other day. I’m kinda low on ammo though.”
She pulled the small revolver from its holster and presented it to Fic grip first. Fic took the weapon and gave it a look. It looked old, but well cared for. It was a snub nose 38. He noted that it was fully loaded and ready to go. He handed it back to the girl.
“That’s a nice little piece,” Fic said.
Daisy re-holstered the weapon and told more of her story.
“Since Pa has gone, I been lookin’ for my cousins. My Aunt Missy and her two boys, Joey and Davey. That’s whose house I hid in that is now ashes. I’m pretty sure they got taken on the busses, but I been seeing signs of other people around. I haven’t seen anyone, but I see they been there. A box opened that had been closed before. Bikes and stuff moved or missing. Someone is around, I just need to find them.
When we came to this store, we thought it would be empty. It had been a while since the bombs and the store closed after a couple days, saying they were all out. What we found when we broke in, was a nice stash in this very warehouse. I guess the manager or whatever was lookin’ out for himself, but he got taken away, so we claimed it when we found it.” She stopped to take a breath.
“So do you know why everyone got taken away?” Brown Shades asked. Looking with interest at the girl and her story.
“Not a clue, but they all went towards the Interstate, so they coulda been taken anywhere up or down state,” she replied.
“I’m pretty good at takin care of myself,” she continued. “Pa taught me a lot of skills. I can hunt and fish, we always had a good garden at home. We live up in Luray and had been visiting my Aunt Missy when the bombs came. I been doin’ all right here, but this food won’t last forever, and I don’t know if my kin are ever gonna come back.” Once again, her voice caught a little, but she had a stern look and no other tears streaked her dusty face.
“We can take you home,” Class Room said, not even bothering to check with the others who were all nodding their heads in agreement. “You can join our Party. Is that where your Ma is?”
“I don’t have a Ma. She died when I was born. It’s just been me and Pa since, ever.”
“I’ll think about your offer, but other than a mostly empty house, there’s nothin’ or no one up there for me to go back to” Daisy replied.
Daisy took the group for a tour of the building. They exited the warehouse area to the main shopping area. Thin light streamed through the front windows at the front of the building. The store was a mess. Once again, a lot of stuff was strewn about. A lot of it was empty boxes that once held food and other stuff. They explored the whole store and even found a few forgotten items that were here and there in the store.
After that adventure, they all came back to the small room and sat together again.
“If it’s ok, we would like to spend the night here with you,” Fic stated.
“Sure,” Daisy replied. “We have plenty of room.”
The group spread out, and each found a place to set up their sleeping arrangements. Kitsune found a perfect place to hang his hammock between two of the steel pillars that supported the warehouse roof. Brown Shades did the same nearby.
Daisy started looking through the boxes again, taking out a can here and a box there. She took everything over to the stove area and picked up a large pot that was next to the table. She started opening cans and boxes and put everything into the pot. She added some water from a canteen that was in the cooler and lit the flame on the stove.
“I’m making Everything Stew,” she said. “Pa taught me how to make it. I just pick stuff that might taste good together and heat it up. Usually it tastes pretty good.”
The hikers looked at the concoction and the smell emitting from it as it started to warm up was not too bad. It looked like chili, canned chicken, some sort of pasta, green beans and a few other powders and spices that were not easily identified. Brown Shades added a few large pinches of his special spices to the mix, nodding his head after taking a taste.
Daisy announced the stew was done and everyone spooned some into their pots. Once again silence reigned as the hikers concentrated on filling their bellies. “That was amazing!” exclaimed Rodent Whisperer.
Kitsune got up and went to fill his pot again. Licking his lips as he did. Everyone followed his lead and, in a few minutes, the big pot was empty and everyone was sitting around lazily.
The day was done, and the light was leaving the store area. The Party sat around the lantern and told stories about the adventures they had so far. Daisy was interested in the fact that they had all walked all the way from Georgia. “I always wanted to take a hike on that trail,” Daisy said. “I have been to the park a lot and have walked on the trail there, but I’ve never done a lot of nights out on a trail.”
“We can probably get you all geared up if you decide to come with us. We checked out the outfitters on our way here and there is still a lot of gear strewn about in the store,” Class Room said, hoping she would decide to come with them.
Daisy was still a little reluctant to commit to coming with them. She changed the subject and asked them to tell her more about what had happened in Damascus, VA.
Eventually each of the hikers wandered to their sleeping bags, and the lantern was set low. Only Fic and Kitsune remained.
They talked a little in low voices about the next few day’s plans. Once Daisy decided what to do, they would gear up and continue north. Fic still needed to get back to his family, and Kitsune didn’t really talk too much about why he was out there and what he had been doing before they had met him.
To Fic, he was still a bit of a mystery. Waiting for them in that clearing as if he was expecting them. Seeming to know things that he shouldn’t know. It was as if he could move around the map quickly, checking things out, and then bring that information back to them. There had already been quite a few times when he had been away from the group for a while, usually behind, and when he would catch up, he would seem to know what was ahead of them.
He had been hiking south when they met him, but he quickly decided to join them and turn around to hike north. Fic didn’t know if he had family or even where he was from. The boy was a quiet, closed book.
He definitely was helpful to be around. He was always polite and willing to do the extra work that comes easy to a seventeen-year-old. He was extra respectful to Class Room, addressing her as Ms Class Room or sometimes Ms Classy.
Fic decided he wanted to know more about this boy. “So Kitsune, where do you come from?” Fic started his quest for answers.
“I was born in Maryland, and grew up there, but I finished high school a year early and have been kind of wandering around for a while. I had decided to take a gap year before college and I wanted to explore the area. I like to be in the woods. I feel at home there. My folks are still up in Maryland. At least I hope so. I was out on a camping trip when the bombs fell. For a while I tried to get back home, but the closer I got to DC, the worse it got. I decided to head south for a while to maybe find someone to travel with and I found you guys.”
This was the most Fic had ever heard the boy talk. He wanted to know more. “That is a cool hat you wear, with the fox ears. Is there a story behind it?”
“My Memom, uh, my Grandma, made it for me. She had always connected a fox to me. Called it my spirit animal. I am quite attached to foxes, as my trail name implies. The toy fox I hang on my pack, my mother gave to me. I had one like as a baby and would carry it everywhere. I lost it long ago. Before I headed out into the woods, my mother gave me this replacement as a good luck charm. I also have a strong connection to certain birds, especially cardinals.”
Fic’s eyebrows went up when he mentioned cardinals. He brought back the memory of the cardinals that have seemed to visit them a lot lately. It started right before they met Kitsune. “Did you see that cardinal today, that seemed to swoop down on each of us as we walked the road to town?” Fic asked.
“Yes, I saw it,” replied Kitsune. “Interesting isn’t it,” he added with a slight smile.
Kitsune looked at Fic for a good ten seconds. Saying nothing, just looking at him with his deep brown eyes that had an Asian tilt to them. Finally, he spoke.
“My father used to tell me a story. It was about a fox named Kitsune, who had the ability to shape-shift into human form. In my father’s story, he was a hero who was a guardian, and friend to others. Doing good deeds and protecting his friends from the evil demons. I always loved that story and along with it, foxes. It’s why my trail name is what it is. Foxes are cool.”
Fic looked back at Kitsune, more excitement coming into his face. “Ya know, just before we met you, we had a weird encounter. First with a cardinal, and then I saw a fox up ahead on the trail, staring at us. No one else saw it, so they only sorta believe me, but I assure you, I did see one,” Fic said.
“I believe you,” said Kitsune, that same slight smile once again moving into his face. “I hope we see it again.”
Silence grew between the two. The lantern sputtered a bit, signaling the tanks near emptiness. Fic reached over and killed the flame. “I guess I’m off to bed. See you in the morning,” Fic said.
Both men retired to their sleeping bags. Fic was sleeping at the foot of the two cots, which Daisy and Class Room were occupying. Rodent Whisperer was sleeping just outside the boxed room, his snores wafted through the warehouse like a small buzzing saw. Brown Shades was in his hammock out near Kitsune, wrapped in his large brown quilt. Soft snores came from his hanging bed as it swung slightly back and forth. The slow rise and fall of his breathing caused the motion.
Kitsune went to his hammock, which was a good ten meters away from the others, except for Brown Shades. He sat on the hammock sideways, his favorite way to recline while in camp. He stared out into the dark warehouse. Slowly sipping from a long water bottle every few minutes. He seemed to be waiting for something.
Soon, Kitsune could hear another low snore coming from the boxed in room. Fic had joined the realm of the sleeping. All the hikers were usually pretty quick to fall asleep, especially if the day’s hike had been long. If they were hungry, slumber helped them forget about their empty bellies for a time. The last long days had taken their toll. Their full bellies had made falling asleep even easier.
Kitsune took one last sip of water and placed the bottle next to his pack. He stood and walked towards the front of the store. Moonlight was coming in through the front windows. A full moon on a clear night.
The young man walked to the doors and checked them. As he had discovered earlier when they were exploring the store, the one door opened easily. He pushed it open and went outside.
The night sounds hit Kitsune with a welcoming wave of crickets, Katydids, and a few night birds. A bat fluttered by above him. Jerking back and forth, looking for its next bit of dinner.
Kitsune walked to the road and crossed the street. Disappearing into the yard of a large house.
One minute later, a large fox came out the other side of the yard, heading south. Away from where Kitsune had entered the woodsy yard, as if it had been spooked out.
The fox trotted lightly down the middle of the dark street. He sniffed the air and after two blocks, turned west and continued down the middle of that street.
After a few more turns and sniffs the fox came to a row of burned houses. You could tell that they exerted no effort to control or extinguish the fires. The houses were almost all burned to a pile of ash and twisted pipes.
The fox sniffed around one of the houses which wasn’t completely destroyed for about ten minutes. After seeming to find something it had been looking for, it started trotting down the road again, seeming to follow a scent.
The fox came to the end of a road that crossed the street and stopped at a long, red bricked, building.
After another check of a scent on the ground, the fox turned right and started walking along the length of the long building. When the building stopped, he turned left and walked along the fence of a pair of tennis courts. Behind the courts was a football field. He traversed the length of the field along a hill that ran above the field and came to a squat red brick sign. The animal stared at a sign as if he could read the words, Fishburne Military School, Est 1879.
The fox sniffed once more and looked at the building behind the sign. In one of the windows on the second floor, he saw a flickering light. It appeared to be a candle or maybe a small fire. The fox approached the building.
After sniffing around the multiple doors to the building and seeming to find none easily opened. He went around the side of the building and saw one of the windows on the second floor, above a small, brick porch was slightly open with a rock holding it from closing all the way. He sniffed one last time and then started down the road next to the school. Heading back towards the Kroger. After walking down the middle of main street, the fox veered right and entered the yard of one of the houses along the street and disappeared from sight.
Ten minutes later, a dark form enters the store, walks to the back and enters the warehouse area. It is Kitsune. He finds his hammock in the dark and slips inside. Ten minutes after that, a small, quiet snore emits from the hammock.
Morning came to the warehouse as a faint glimmer of a gray dawn. The clear night had given way to a cloudy morning and there was rain in the air. Each of the hikers had become particularly attuned to the weather and they would make bets on what time the precipitation would start and how long it would last. Brown Shades almost always got it right within a few minutes or so.
The Party each had an individual breakfast of something that they had gathered the day before. It was a mishmash of different things, from peanut butter on a rice cake to a few crumbled pop tarts to things no one has a right to eat as their first meal of the day, but everyone seemed satisfied at what they picked out of their food bag.
Daisy pointed to a row of boxes against the wall in the warehouse. “Y’all can fill your food bags if ya want,” she announced.
“Have you decided to come with us?” Class Room asked the girl. Giving her a stern look of concern. “I really think you should. We can help you get back to your family.”
Daisy returned Class Room’s look and said, “I really need to find out about my Aunt Missy and my cousins. I been worrying about them a lot since Pa passed. Maybe we can do some looking around some. Like I said, someone is here. Maybe it’s Aunt Missy and the boys.”
Kitsune looked over at Fic and said, “I have a few ideas of places to look around town. Maybe someone is holed up somewhere, just like Daisy is here.”
“You said you have been here before,” Fic responded. “Where should we look first?”
“There is a Military School up on 11th Street just a few blocks over. We can start there,” Kitsune said.
“Sounds like as good a place to start as any,” said Brown Shades.
The Party placed their now full packs in a corner of the warehouse, keeping their weapons and some water and snacks. They all headed out the store, closing the door firmly and pushing the dumpster back in front of the door.
Kitsune turned towards Main Street with Daisy next to him. “So have you ever been to Fishburne,” she stated to the young man.
“Yes, I have,” he replied. “Quiet recently, actually.” That slight smile was starting to become a repeat visitor to his face. It looked good on him.
The hikers walked the few blocks and after about 10 minutes were at the football field. “Let’s check this building first,” said Kitsune. Pointing to the building that a fox had been checking out not six hours ago.
They broke off into pairs and started checking the multiple doors, finding none open.
Kitsune was teamed up with Rodent Whisperer and they tried the door around the corner from the others. The door had a small, brick porch above it and Kitsune pointed out the slightly ajar window. The brick porch had some architectural brickwork that could provide a foothold and Kitsune sprung up on a railing and vaulted up onto the foothold like a parkour expert. He reached up to the top of the porch and vaulted once again. He was on the roof.
Kitsune looked down at an astonished Rodent Whisperer and told him to get the others and he would come down and open the door below, before disappearing into the building.
Rodent Whisperer gathered the others and when they returned, Kitsune was standing at the now opened door. “This man is an acrobat,” Rodent Whisperer stated. A look of awe was still on his face.
The Party entered the building and Kitsune pointed up the stairs. “I think I smelled smoke up there.”
The Party cautiously headed up the steps, spread out two to a step, and entered a long hallway with doors on each side. Slowly, they worked their way down the hallway, opening a door and checking inside, weapons at the ready, but not brandished.
At the third door on the left, they found the lock engaged. As they were fiddling with the doorknob, they heard a noise from within. It was the sound of a shotgun pumping a round into the chamber. The Party scattered back to the last room quickly. Getting out of the hallway as fast as they could.
“Aunt Missy!” Daisy yelled as Class Room pulled her into the room.
As Fic, the last to get into the room, was moving through the doorway, he heard a muffled boy’s voice say, “Daisy?”
Fic stopped at the doorway and shouted, “Daisy’s here. Do you know her?” He held his shotgun at the ready, but it was pointed low. The voice sounded young. A boy.
“She’s here,” yelled Fic.
“I’m here!,” yelled Daisy, who had come back behind Fic. “Is that you Joey?”
“Yeah,” the boy replied. “Who’s that with you?” He inquired.
“Friends,” she responded.
They heard a bolt turn, and the door swung open. Out walked a boy of about twelve years. A large pump shotgun in his hands. He was tall and skinny. Almost on the too skinny side, but he didn’t look like he was starving. He looked wiry. “Boy it sure is good to see you,” he said to Daisy. “I thought you and your Pa had been taken away on the busses. My Ma and Davey were taken. I was too, but I was able to sneak away when we took a break. I made my way back here and went to my house. When I found my house in ashes, I holed up here. I had crawled into the basement and found my Pa’s old Remington and some shells. It is a little singed, and I’m really surprised the ammo didn’t cook off, but it was away from the worst of the damage.” He told his story.
The boy looked at the group of people around him. Checking each face in the dim light of the hallway and moving to the next when he saw no one he knew. “Where’s your Pa?” he asked his cousin.
“He passed,” Daisy replied in a soft whisper. “I think his heart gave out. I buried him across the street from the Kroger in the Smith’s backyard.” Once again, her voice caught a little and a look of sorrow came to her face, but then faded back into a hardness that spoke of courage and fight.
Joey went over to his cousin, slinging his shotgun and gave her a hug. “I’m so sorry Cuz,” he said. Uncle Ned was a good man. I will miss him. Have you been all alone since then?”
“Yeah. I been livin in the Kroger, in the back. We found a lot of food stashed back there, so we set up camp. Pa died a few days ago.” Her voice stayed hard and clear this time. She was coming to accept the loss but was still very sad about it.
“Do you know where they were taking you, Son,” Fic asked Joey.
“I’m not completely sure, but I did hear a couple of the soldiers say something about Mt Weather or something. I never heard of the place,” Joey replied.
“I have,” said Fic. “I used to work there. It is a pretty important place for the Military and the Administration. Do you have any idea why they were taking you there?” he asked the boy.
“Naw,” was his response.
“That’s about a two hour drive from here and very close to where I’m trying to get to. I’m trying to get back to my family, who live just off the mountain from Mt Weather, near the river.”
“I was stuck down in Georgia doing some survival training with the Army, when the bombs fell. I have been trying to get back ever since. I’ve picked up some friends along the way,” Fic said. Motioning to the rest of The Party.
The boy’s eyes tightened and looked stern when Fic mentioned the Army. “Army,” he said. Reaching for the strap of his shotgun, but just leaving it there at the ready.
“I know what you are implying,” Fic said. Placing his hands out in front of him in a stop gesture. I’m one of the good guys. The ones you saw who took everyone away are part of some rebellion that started when the bombs dropped. These traitors killed a few of my men. As far as I’m concerned, my contract with the Army is on hold until I find my family and find out what is happening to our government.”
“It seems Mount Weather is a part of it,” Fic continued. “Our mission there was pretty secret, but I can tell you that the place is a large underground base, where important people can go to stay safe in times like these. If the enemy has access to that base, I have no idea what that tells us about the rest of the government.“
Joey took the group into the room he had been holed up in and showed them around. He too had been resourceful in setting up his hidey hole. There was a large brick fireplace at one end of the long room. Joey had set up around that. The remains of a recent fire showed in the fireplace with a pot set off to the side on an improvised tripod. A sleeping bag was spread out to the side and a small pack was next to it. Beside that was a small box of food and a gallon jug of water.
“Good setup,” said Daisy. “My room is better though,” she added with a little twinkle in her eye. You could tell that she got along good with her cousin and they liked to rib each other from time to time.
“You’ll have to show it to me,” he replied. “I was just fixin to go check out the Kroger, anyway. My food box is getting low.
“Why don’t you bring your stuff and stay with me,” Daisy said to Joey. She looked over at Class Room, who had a worried look on her face. “I have decided to stay here Class Room. I appreciate the offer to join you guys, but I think I need to stay here with Joey and help him find his Ma and brother.”
“If they are at Mount Weather, that is where we are heading,” Fic said to the two kids. “Maybe we can help you find them,” he added.
The two tweens looked at each other for a bit and then walked off to the corner of the room to have a quiet discussion. The private conversation went on for a few minutes as the Party tried not to listen to what they were saying. Kitsune and Rodent Whisper decided to take a look around the building some and Fic, Brown Shades and Class Room, spoke together in soft voices. Already starting to plan how they would gear up the young cousins.
Daisy and Joey came back to the group. “We’ll come with you guys,” Daisy announced. “Joey wants to find his Ma and Davey and doesn’t think they are coming back here.”
The group all reconvened and gathered Joey’s things. He had a small pack that was hidden in the corner, so they helped him pack it up and they were ready to go in about ten minutes.
The Party, now numbering seven, exited the building at the same door they had entered. They turned east and walked along the football field on Federal Street before turning left at the next street to head towards Main Street, where they wanted to check out some of the stores on the way back. As they passed the football field, Fic noticed that it looked like it had been used hard not too long ago, and not for a football game. There were tire tracks on the field and places that looked like something had been corralled there. It was all tamped down and the grass was browner. There was also a lot of trash strewn about. He made a note of it as they walked away from the school.
On Main Street they searched a couple of the small stores along the way. They found a few interesting items, but nothing spectacular.
As they were turning onto Arch Street where the Kroger was, they all heard a low rumble. The sound was of an engine going through its gears as it climbed an incline, heading towards them. It sounded like a diesel.
The sound got closer and louder and as they were standing on the corner on a red brick sidewalk, they all saw something come over the rise way down Main Street. It was a bus.
“Quickly!” Fic said. Let’s get out of sight.
Everyone ran down Arch Street to the next block, coming up alongside a long building that was an antique shop. As they looked down Federal Street, they saw the bus come out of one of the side streets and turn towards them again. It didn’t go far and pulled to the curb at the school, next to the football field.
Men in army uniforms got off the bus and walked around the area. After about five minutes, people started exiting off of the bus and were directed down the hill into the football field. It all made sense to Fic now. They were gathering people on that field. Preparing them for transport to Mount Weather for some unknown reason.
“Follow me,” said Daisy. She started across the street to a small driveway between two buildings. The Party followed her as she made her way behind the buildings and avoided being seen by the men on the bus. She made her way back to the street after going through a couple of backyards and they came out right across the street from the grocery store. Right by the door where they had been entering.
They ran to the dumpsters and pushed the one away. Daisy opened the door again with her trusty screwdriver and they were all safely inside in a couple of seconds.
“Who do you think those people were and why are they back? Joey asked.
“I don’t know,” replied Fic. “But we are going to find out,” he added.
“I’m gonna go out and see if I can sneak in close to the field,” said Kitsune quietly.
“I’ll go with you,” replied Fic.
“No, I don’t think that is a good idea,” Kitsune said with a bit of authority. “I’m pretty stealthy and I should be able to get a good look at what’s going on by myself. Less people out there, less to be discovered and maybe captured. “
“OK,” Replied Fic. “But if you aren’t back in an hour, I’m coming after you.” He had a worried look on his face but knew Kitsune had a point. The boy was good at surveillance. He always seems to have intel on what is ahead of them when they are approaching danger.
Kitsune checked his Katana, and Fic offered him his shotgun. “Do you want to take this, just in case,” Fic asked the boy.
“No, I don’t intend on being seen,” Kitsune said. “At least not recognized as someone they want to catch,” Kitsune added cryptically.
This time, Kitsune left the building by the large brown door. Pushing the dumpster most of the way back to protect those within.
Kitsune crossed the street and entered the alley, following it about halfway down before turning right into a well-wooded yard, disappearing behind a large hedge.
Two blocks away, the football field was a busy place. There were about 30 people all gathered in a cluster at about the fifty yard line. The group themselves looked like an older set of people, with several young children that looked more like the adult’s grandchildren than their kids. A few of the people were coughing and one seemed to be about to fall over, looking flush with fever. About 30 feet away from them a cluster of five soldiers gathered in a circle, discussing their plans. As the soldiers talk, a cardinal flies over the field. Circling around twice, swooping down next to the people as if checking them out closely and then landing on the ground about ten feet away from the soldiers.
The bird pecked at the ground once or twice before cocking it head in the direction of the men as if it was listening in on their conversation.
“Ok, Corporal,” a man with Sargent stripes said to a rather chubby man whose uniform was wrinkled and whose chin was in need of a shave. “Process these rejects quickly, so we can get back to Weather. This empty town gives me the creeps. Always feels like someone is watching us, even though we most likely got all of them.”
“Roger that Sarg,” The chubby man replied. “Let’s go guys,” he said to the two privates next to him.
The three men went over to the group of old, sick people. The cardinal jumped into the air, flapped its wings a couple times and glided back to the ground near the crowd of people. Chubby looked at the clipboard in his hand and started calling names. Each time he said a name, a person in the group would hold up a hand or say yes or here. He continued until he had finished the list. Each person present and accounted for.
An old woman at the edge of the crowd near the soldiers asked Chubby, “What are we supposed to do now?” She asked. “Some of our houses have been burned. Where do we get food? Where…”
“Listen, lady,” Chubby cut the woman off. “Just find a place to stay and work together to find food. We aren’t your babysitters, but you need to take care of these kids until their parents get back. Maybe if you do a good job, we will send you some supplies. As it is, we are leaving you a couple cases of MREs. Y’all are too weak to do the work at Weather, so you are rejected. We don’t have a lot of use for you.” Chubby turned and went back to the other two soldiers.
“All present, Sarg,” He reported to the Sargent.
“Very well,” The Sargent replied. He turned to the other man, who had the bars of a Second Lieutenant on his collar. “Shall I send them off?” He asked the leader of the group.
“I will address them first,” the Lieutenant said. He walked over to the crowd and cleared his throat.
“People of Waynesboro. We have brought you back here because we don’t need you right now. We will be checking on you and may need you again if our mission changes. Our leader is making a lot of changes in this country, and you need to realize that we are here to stay and will be calling the shots. If we say jump, you only need to start jumping. We will determine if it is high enough. You can’t jump high enough, so here you are. You are actually lucky we brought you back at all.” He paused here and looked up at the school buildings and around the field. His eyes focus on the cardinal that is just standing there looking right back at the uniformed man. The bird realized that the Lieutenant was staring at him, so it took flight and circled around the crowd to the other side from where the man was addressing the sickly people.
“Go find a place to stay, if your house is no longer there and take care of these children. You can go now.” The Lieutenant waved his hand at them dismissively.
The cardinal once again took flight, but this time, it kept circling around the field, getting higher and higher into the sky. Looking down at the small, sad cluster of people start to spread out from the field. Some stayed together in small groups, others going off in ones and twos to check to see if they still had a house or if they needed to find something new. The five soldiers returned to the bus, started it up, and drove back to Main Street. Turning left and heading back to the interstate.
After a few more circles, the cardinal heads off towards the river, disappearing from view after a few seconds.
Fic was standing at the brown door. The door was open several inches, and he was looking at the alley across the street. Suddenly, he sees Kitsune enter the alley from one of the yards. He turns and heads towards the store. Fic looks at his watch. Only forty minutes have passed since the boy headed out on his mission. He released the breath he was holding. Letting out a long sigh.
Fic whispers, “What did you find out?”
“A lot,” Kitsune replies. “Let’s go inside to discuss it.”
The two men head back to the small room and gather everyone around. Kitsune relates what he had found out. His details about the conversation made Fic a little surprised and worried. “How close did you get to these people?” He asked the boy.
“I was pretty close,” He replied. “But they were talking pretty loud, and I was well hidden.” His sly smile was back.
“Do you think your mother was possibly in that group, Joey?” Kitsune asked the boy.
“Well, she isn’t really old and was pretty healthy, so by what you said about the shape of the people, I’m not very confident,” Joey said.
“Let’s go find some of those people and find out,” Fic said.
“I’m coming,” said Daisy, as Joey stood up and started walking towards the door.
“OK, young lady,” replied Fic. “Me, Kitsune and you two can go. The rest of you can start getting ready to go. If that bus decides to come back or drive down that road back to the trail, we might want to be back in the woods.”
The four walkers headed back out of the grocery store and walked back down the alley. They walked through the yards until they came back to Joey’s neighborhood. He showed them his mostly burned house and they took a look around. As they were walking in the front of the house, the door of the still intact house across the street from Joey’s house opened and the same old woman who had asked the questions, came out on the porch.
“Joey?” The woman asked. “Is that you?” She started down the steps of her porch and approached the foursome.
“Hi Mrs. McHenry,” said Joey. “Have you seen my Ma and Davey? Did they come back with you on the bus? He asked with a worried look on his face.
“Oh Joey, it is so good to see you. Have you been hiding here since we all were taken away?” She asked. “You and your little cousin,” she added.
“Yeah,” Joey replied. “I snuck away when the bus took a break and made my way back here. Daisy has been here the whole time. She and her Pa hid up in the woods.” He suddenly remembered that his Uncle Ned was no longer with them, and a sad look came to his eye.
“Her Pa passed a few days ago,” he added. Now the woman was the one with a sad look.
“I’m so sorry honey,” she said to Daisy, who nodded her head and looked down the street. “I’m also sorry for you, Joey. Your mother and brother are still at that horrible place they took us to. They are using us as slave labor. They deemed the ones who came back with me too weak, too young or too old to do the work they are forcing us to do.
“What kind of work are they doing, ma’am,” Fic asked the woman.
She looked at him and his shotgun and a little wariness went into her gaze. “Who are you, sir?” She asked him.
“I’m Fic,” he replied. “We are traveling north on the Appalachian Trail and are trying to get back to the area of Mount Weather. That is where my family is. We met Daisy yesterday and found Joey just this morning. We are trying to help them find their kin.
She seemed satisfied with his explanation and continued on. “They are doing a lot of manual digging down in that retched base. Making us do it. Enlarging the place or something. A few of us had already been killed or died from their cruelty and abuse.”
“So is my Ma and Davey, ok?” asked Joey. When did you see them last?”
“I saw your brother just before we got on the bus,” the woman said. “He was in a work group that was moving from the rooms they were keeping us in to the digging area. He didn’t look too happy, but he was still healthy and not sick. I haven’t seen your Ma in over a week.”
Joey turned to Fic and said, “I want to come with you to this place. I need to find them.”
“You are welcome to come along,” Fic replied. “You too Daisy. In fact, I really think you two should come with us.”
Daisy nodded her head and said, “Yes, we will come with you guys. I’ll need some gear though. I have a small backpack and my sleeping bag and such, but I’m not ready to do any long term walking.”
“We can check out that outfitter that we searched on the way here,” said Kitsune. “I think I remember seeing gear that might come in handy.”
Daisy turned to Mrs. McHenry and said, “We will be leaving some food in the back of the Kroger. Just go in the door by the blue dumpsters. It is all in the corner in a little room like area.”
“Thank you, my girl,” Mrs. Henry said. “They didn’t leave us with much and who knows if they will give us more.”
“Take care of yourselves,” Fic said. “We wish we could help more, but we need to keep moving up the trail. If they are coming here to find workers, I wonder how my family is dealing with this, being so close to Mount Weather.”
The four members of The Party made their way back to the other three hikers who had returned to the grocery store and reentered the building.
They updated the rest of the group about their conversation with Mrs. McHenry and the cousins' final decision to come with them back to the trail and everyone started to gather their gear.
They packed up Daisy ‘s things, and she hefted the small pack that was now very much packed to the brim. They all took as much food as they could carry. There was still a good amount left over, and hopefully the old townspeople will come and get it soon.
The Party filed out of the dark warehouse, closed the door and pushed the dumpster in front of the door.
Daisy took Joey over to her father’s grave and they paid their respects, while the others waited at the edge of the yard. “We gotta go rescue Aunt Missy,” Daisy said to the long pile of packed earth that had a small wooden cross at one end. “We’ll see ya later Pa,” she added.
They walked back to Main Street, turned right, crossed the river and started out of town.
At Rockfish Gap Outfitters, they found gear for both tweens’ load outs. Daisy found a medium-sized pack stuffed into the corner. It was a Deuter woman's pack. A sort of maroon color and it had a small silk flower pinned to the side. The flower was a Daisy.
“Well, this pack certainly has been waiting here for you,” said Class Room with a smile as she helped Daisy pack it up with her old gear and some new stuff she had found in the mess that was the store.
Class Room lifted the pack, checking its weight, nodded her head and held it for Daisy to slip onto her back. At first the pack seemed to dwarf the ten-year-old girl, but as she buckled it up and adjusted the straps, it seemed to work for her.
Joey’s pack was already of a decent size and appeared to be well worn and an older model. “This was my Pa’s pack from when he hiked the Trail,” he said. “It worked for him on the AT, so it will work for me.”
He added the few things that he still needed for some long distance hiking and after about a half hour, the group of hikers were ready to continue down the road towards the park. Off the went single file, spreading out along the side of the road. Kitsune in the lead this time and Fic bringing up the drag position.
The hikers moved along at a good pace, not worrying about any buses for now, just trying to get under cover of the trees and having white blazes to follow once again as they head north towards their mission goal. Home.
About an hour later, the Party were back in the parking lot they had sat at the day before. It seemed like it had been so long since they were on the trail, but it had really been a little over twenty-four hours. It was just after noon and the day had become hot and humid. They could see storm clouds far off in the west, but they were heading their way.
The hikers entered the forest and started the process of putting one foot in front of the other to make the miles. Since they had started pretty late, they were only trying to make the first shelter. It was about seven miles away and the trail was pretty easy at first. The experienced hikers also didn’t want to put too much on their newest members mileage wise. The kids needed to develop their trail legs.
They arrived at Calf Mountain Shelter at around five pm. “Kitsune and then Fic had set an easy pace as the rest of the Party monitored how the cousins were handling the hike. As they entered the shelter area and dropped their packs. The kids looked tired but invigorated. Joey seemed to enjoy himself immensely. And Daisy kept talking about her new pack, which she had named Flower.
It had become routine for the group to break off around the campsite and set up their gear. Usually someone would stay in the shelter, but Kitsune and Brown Shades preferred to sleep in their hammocks nearby. Rodent Whisperer still carried a tent that he would put up from time to time. The kids, Fic, and Class Room opted for the shelter. Picking their spots and claiming with a pad and bag.
After everyone was set up, they all wandered in the nearby forest and picked up wood for a fire. Brown Shades started the fire and had it crackling and spitting up sparks in no time. He secretly added one of his special packets of powder to make the flames turn several different colors for about ten minutes to the delight of the tweens. “I found that packet in the outfitter store. It contains several different chemicals that change the color of the flames,” Brown Shades said. “Here I was creating my potions with household items and these things have been around all along.” He finished with an amused look on his face.
They ate dinner in silence and then spent some time sitting around the fire. Telling stories and talking about what was ahead and what they hoped to find. The surrounding forest grew darker until all that could be seen was the hikers within the circle of light that the fire provided. The night noises of a summer evening sung and moved about.
One by one, the hikers moved to their beds until is was just Brown Shades and Fic left. Fic realized that he was usually the last to hit the rack each night. He wasn’t sure why. Whether it was a sense of duty to protect those with him or his worry that his family was somehow in danger. He didn’t know.
“So, what do you think is happing at your old workplace, Fic?” Brown Shades asked him.
“I really don’t know BS,” replied Fic. “Something seems to be going on there and it is a continuity of operations site. I would have thought if this attack was nationwide, that the President and some of his cabinet would have evacuated to Mount Weather. Continuing to run the country and fight that asshole Richard Flaherty from there,” Fic mused.
“It seems like it's the enemy who is doing this and if they have possession of that place, then I have pretty much lost hope for the legal government. They must have been dug in deep, and were ready to go when the bombs dropped.”
“Yes, I agree,” Brown Shades said. “We could be walking into one hell of a hornet's nest, but I’m willing to be by your side. Even though I hope to get back to my home in Pennsylvania, I am committed to helping you find your family, just like we did with Gnobbit.”
“I appreciate that BS,” Fic said. We only have about a hundred and fifty miles or so to go. After all this way, that seems like almost nothing. If we can keep moving at a decent pace, we can be there in maybe a week and a half.”
“Have you had any more of those strange dreams?” Brown Shades asked Fic.
“No,” Fic Replied. “Not since that last one down in Pearisburg.”
“Yeah, me neither,” Brown Shades replied. “Well, time for bed for me,” Brown Shades said. “Maybe we’ll have one tonight.” He winked at Fic. Getting up and heading to the shelter.
Fic sat at the fire for a while thinking about Brown Shades use of the word we’ll, like it was now a natural thing to all have the same dreams together.
Fic poked the burning logs around in the fire pit to tamp the fire down for the night. As he was doing so, the rain that had been threatening all day long started to fall. He continued to sit by the fire for a short time as the rain gained momentum and the fire started hissing as the drops made their way through the forest canopy and started to get him wet.
He stirred the ashes one more time, breaking up the larger coals and then headed to the shelter.
He lay in his sleeping bag, staring into the darkness of the shelter as the rain danced on the metal roof. His hand reached under his shirt and clasps the neckless he wore there. The leather pouch with locks of his wife and children’s hair weaved into a braid and the other trinkets brought him comfort. He thought of his wife Lori, his daughter Britney and his son Shane. He wondered if they were alright. He hoped that whatever was going on in Mount Weather hadn’t affected them. As sleep came to him, his mind stayed with his family.