The End Boxset: Postapocalyptic Visions of an Unstoppable Collapse Page 15

  “I don't get it,” Bill continued, “I don't understand how the rifle went off. He ain't dead is he? Please tell me he ain't dead.”

  “It was an accident. Everything is going to be okay,” Jeremy said, steadily approaching.

  Bill looked at the ground and mumbled. He was still in a state of shock. Jeremy found his opportunity and grabbed the rifle from his hands. Bill looked up, startled.

  “I'm just going to hold it for you,” Jeremy said.

  “Don't hurt me,” Bill said with a hint of desperation.

  “No one is going to hurt you. Do you have a faucet?” Jeremy asked.

  Bill didn't answer. He stared at the ground in a daze.

  “Bill!” Jeremy said.

  Bill's eyes looked up.

  “You have a faucet around here? A hose?”

  “Around back,” Bill answered.

  “Why don't you go inside, take that woman with you. At least until the authorities arrive.” Jeremy suggested.

  Bill's eyes darted everywhere. He half-nodded, nearly unresponsive. The look of dread was worn across his aged face. “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah I could do that.”

  Jeremy escorted him to the front of the store. The woman was frozen against the wall with tears welled up in her eyes. “Both of you wait in here,” Jeremy said.

  Jeremy pushed them along inside, like cattle. They didn't seem to be operating on anything other than indifferent obedience. Once they were inside, Jeremy shut the door and ran to Rodney's body. A quick glance down the road and Jeremy saw a few people within at least a mile of the store. Their curiosity seemed to peak, as their pace towards the store quickened. If they saw him holding a rifle, with a man on the ground missing half his head, it would no-doubt inspire more panic. Jeremy felt that, if approached, he would really have his hands full.

  Jeremy slung the rifle around his shoulder. He grabbed Rodney's legs and pulled as hard as he could. He dragged the man until they reached the side of the store. A clear path of smoothed sand and blood followed their movement. He wasn't leaving the most difficult crime scene to figure out, for any rookie detective, but it would have to do. He rolled Rodney's body from a hill on the side of the store, into the thick brush below. This would temporarily conceal things, enough for him to make an escape. It was a sad thing, this dead man. But Jeremy didn't have time to mourn the loss of any such person.

  He ran to the water faucet, just where Bill said it would be, and turned it on. Water sprayed in all directions from the spout. Jeremy splashed the water onto his face. He washed and washed, but felt that he could do little to completely remove the red colors from his skin and clothing. He walked to the station wagon and looked at himself in the reflection of the passenger window. A little better, but still alarming in his appearance. There was also the difficult decision of carrying the rifle—now a murder weapon—with him. Jeremy was conflicted, but wasn't going to leave the rifle anywhere near Bill. Perhaps it was best to get rid of it farther up the road. Jeremy grabbed the radiator hose from the thick puddle of blood near the front tire of the station wagon. He looked back up the road and identified a man, woman, and two other men, walking in a sort of wedge formation. They were close. Jeremy took off in the other direction, down the road from which he came, with hopes of repairing his truck. Hopes, he felt, that were hanging by a thread.

  An hour later, Jeremy was at his truck. It looked exactly the way he had left it. He hoped and prayed that his supplies were still hidden behind the trees, off the road, where he left them. The first thing he needed to do was to start the truck. Or see if it would start. First, he needed to get rid of the rifle slung around his shoulder. It was evidence of a crime, a murder. Jeremy couldn't believe what he was thinking. He unslung the .22 caliber rifle, ready to throw it in the woods, but hesitated. What was he afraid of? Would they ever really make the connection? Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't think twice about getting rid of the weapon. Hell, he wouldn't have bothered taking it in the first place. But his circumstances were anything but normal.

  Jeremy opened the front door to his truck and slid the rifle under the seat. He hopped up to driver's seat, placed the radiator hose in the seat near him, and searched his jacket for his keys. A slight panic struck, as he dug into each pocket. He felt his jean pockets and back pockets and came up empty handed. He felt the sting of foolish loss—in this case, the irresponsible loss of his car keys. His hands moved fervently through his jacket. Finally he felt something near the top pocket that caused a slight jingling sound. He dug into the pocket and out came the keys, connected to an old key chain that his father gave him. Jeremy sighed in relief. He aligned the car key with the switch and counted to three. A careful turn of the ignition switch, and nothing. Jeremy closed his eyes and counted again. He turned again on the count of three. Nothing happened. The car was completely dead. Not even the engine light came on.

  Jeremy leaned forward and rested his head on the steering wheel. He turned the ignition switch again, and again. He pulled the lower engine hood lever and unlocked the hood. Noticeably frustrated, Jeremy exited his truck, opened the hood and stared into the engine, in a similar fashion to Rodney, only an hour ago. In one hand he held the radiator hose. His other hand rested against the engine. Jeremy looked up to the sky. It was definitely later in the day, dusk was approaching. The engine itself provided no answers, beyond the obvious busted radiator hose. Jeremy was certain that a closer inspection of the truck's computer board would reveal fried circuits. “An EMP,” Jeremy said to himself. At least that's what he believed. However, the only thing certain at the moment was that Rodney's death had been for nothing.

  Chapter 2: Alice & Brian: School's Out

  Alice gave in, against her better judgment. She knew Brian's school friend, Tobias, and as much as she preached about “family first,” nothing in her could look past abandoning a child in the woods. Brian wasn't speaking to her at the moment; after his pleads to retrieve Tobias had gone unanswered. His eyes lit up, however, when Alice passed the school and turned towards a path he was all too familiar with. It was the path Brian and Tobias originally took when they tried to flee the school and make it home safely. Now it was night time. Most of the crowd outside the school had cleared out. A once collective crowd of disorder lined up at the school gates had dispersed into groups of confused wanderers abandoning their cars and trying to get assistance. With the exception of a small police force, themselves unsure on how to maintain law and order, there was little in the way of answers or comfort.

  Alice was hesitant to drive past the wanderers, as they marveled at her newly discovered Plymouth Valiant drifting down the road. People shouted as she passed by, begging for a ride. Some even stepped in her way. It was only a matter before some kind of barricade was constructed to block her path, she believed. Alice veered left and right to avoid the cars and people along the road. There were so many people. Where were they coming from?

  “Mom?” Brian asked with a hint of worry.

  “I know, Brian,” Alice answered, not taking her eye off the road.

  She turned quickly into the woods, jolting Brian as he sat.

  “Where are we going?” Brian asked.

  “Just be quite for a moment,” Alice said.

  Brian went silent. Alice's eyes darted between the cluttered path in front of them and the rear-view mirror, where she noticed a group of people following them on foot. She gently accelerated the vehicle as fast as she could go, given their limited vision in the darkened woods. The blaring of the engine combined with the headlights meant that they could be seen and heard for miles. They were going to have to fight for this car if it came to it; a fight they would most likely lose.

  Alice had driven a good mile into the woods. She allowed the car to drift to a halt while shutting off the headlights. She put the car into park and grabbed the flashlight they took from the shop class garage.

  “Now listen to me,” she said to Brian, “We have less than ten minutes to find Tobias and get ba
ck to the car.” She paused. “Will you be able to take us right to him?”

  Brian thought for a minute, feeling the pressure. “It's so dark out now.”

  Alice held up the flashlight. “That's why we have this. But we have to be discreet. People are going to see us as soon as we turn this on.”

  “I put up a stick and tied a piece of my jacket to it. Sort of like a flag,” he said.

  “That's good. We're near the fence where we met earlier. I remember you came from that direction,” Alice said pointing. She placed a hand on Brian's shoulder. “Just stay calm and focused, and we can do this.”

  Brian smiled and nodded. Alice opened the driver's side door. “Let's go,” she said, taking one last glance in the rear view mirror that displayed only darkness. They exited the car and walked around to the front. “Which way?” she asked.

  Brian scanned the black forest ahead. It seemed hopeless. But if they could get find Tobias and get him to a hospital, everything would be okay. Everything would be normal again. Alice handed Brian the flashlight. “Can you see anything at all?” she asked. “Not really,” Brian answered.

  “Take a moment and let your eyes adjust to the darkness. I want you to use the flashlight only when you have to, “she said.

  “But I can't see anything without it,” Brian said.

  “Only use it when you have to,” Alice reiterated.

  Brian turned the flashlight on, and walked towards the most recognizable path. He led the way as his Alice followed. “Brian!” Alice said with a whisper. Brian turned his head to Alice, “I have to use it now,” he said. “I can’t see anything without it.”

  At his age he was always a bit of a smartass, but he was also leading the way, and Alice was going to have to put up with it. Tobias could effectively ruin Alice's entire plans of getting her family home and secure. But he was someone's son as well. Alice had met Mary, Tobias's mother, through a few school functions, and children’s birthday parties. She was friendly enough. Her husband, a lawyer, who also ran for a local congressional seat, was always out of town. Mary's ability to raise children in spite of her husband's absence was admirable. Alice could relate to it as well. Why hadn't they been better friends? Once again, Alice found herself pursuing someone else's child, as she had yet to be reunited with her own daughter.

  “This way,” Brian said.

  “How much farther?” Alice asked.

  “Not much,” Brian answered.

  “Keep your voice down,” Alice said.

  “Not much,” Brian whispered.

  “Are you sure you still need the flashlight on?”

  “Yes,” Brian said a bit too loud.

  “Brian!” Alice said beneath her breath.

  “Yes, yes, I know. Keep my voice down, thanks,” he responded.

  They walked at a quickened pace. To Brian, it felt like they were going in the right direction. If only he could call out to Tobias, they could probably find him much faster. Brian stopped.

  “Why are you stopping?” Alice asked.

  Brian turned around to face her. “We should call out to Tobias, just once. It's our best shot,” he said.

  “Brian, no. We can't.”

  “What are you afraid of?” Brian asked with an angered tone.

  “Everyone. And it's about time you were aware of the same thing. Those people will take our car, the first chance they get, leaving us stranded—”

  “Just like we took the car from Mr. Brampton?” Brian asked.

  Alice pulled Brian towards her, and bent down to his level. “Turn out your flashlight,” she demanded. Brian clicked it off. “You need to learn this now. We take what we need. It's ours. If we're going to survive, we have to hold on to everything we can get. Understand?”

  Brian stared at his mother blankly. Even in the darkness he could see the fire in her eyes.

  “Tell me that you understand, she said.

  “I understand...” Brian said carefully.

  She relinquished her grip on Brian. He turned, switched on the flashlight and proceeded to walk deeper into the woods. Alice followed.

  “Tobias!” Brian called.

  There was no answer. Brian called out again. Alice gripped his shoulder. “What did I tell you?” she asked. “It's the only way we'll find him,” Brian shouted out.

  Alice covered his mouth with her palm immediately. Once silenced, she could hear several footsteps in the distance. She grabbed the flashlight and switched it off. “Hey!” Brian said in a muffled tone, his mouth still covered. “They're moving in on us,” Alice hissed. “I knew this was a bad idea.”

  Brian pulled himself away from her, and ran. “I'll find him myself,” he said fleeing into the darkness. “Brian!” Alice called out. She trailed behind in a desperate attempt to keep up.

  Brian could see only a foot ahead of him, and even that was unclear. He held his arms out carefully feeling for trees and anything else obstructing his path. “Tobias!” he called again. He heard running from behind him. The flickering of Alice’s flashlight was getting closer as its beam bounced up and down. Alice caught up with Brian and scolded him further. “Don't you ever run away from me again,” she said between heavy breaths, “The only way we're going to find Tobias is if we work together.”

  “I know, mom. You're not telling me anything I don’t know already,” Brian said, stomping off.

  Alice followed, shinning the light ahead of her so that Brian could see. Approximately twenty yards ahead of them, Brian could see the stick in the ground with his jacket sleeve waving in the area. “Shine it over there!” he said, pointing. Alice pointed the light in the right direction. They saw the marker. Brian bolted towards the makeshift flag in elated excitement. “This way!” he shouted back. Alice followed, ducking vines, and branches in her way. They neared the location of where Tobias was earlier that day. Tobias was nowhere to be found. Brian called for him repeatedly, but there was no answer.

  “He's got to be around here somewhere,” he said to Alice.

  Alice surveyed the area with the flashlight. She noticed a rustled spot of leaves where Tobias had most likely been. Brain called out for Tobias again. Alice looked behind her. The movement of people through the woods was unmistakable. “We have to get back to the car,” she said.

  “But, Tobias!” Brian cried.

  “He's not here. He might have already left and found help,” Alice said.

  “He had a broken leg. There's no way,” Brian said.

  “I'm sure it wasn't that bad. Brian, look, we tried to get him, he's not here, and we have to get moving.”

  “We need to search the woods for him. Get the police. Somebody!” Brian said.

  Alice took his arm and pulled him with her back towards the car. “We're out of time, let's go,” she said.

  Alice didn't have to pull Brian far, before he gave-in and followed her willingly to the car. They heard the movement and the rustling of leaves in all directions. Alice couldn't distinguish between natural forest ambiance and the advancement of people around them. They made it back to the car and once behind the wheel, Alice assumed that her real challenge would begin. Brian felt worse than he had before they attempted to rescue Tobias. His stomach hurt. The longing pain and guilt of leaving his friend grew. Tobias’s disappearance left a few certain possibilities: either he was dead, or he was alive. Either he was safe, or he was in harm’s way. Not knowing was the worse. Alice placed her hands on the steering wheel. “I'm sorry we couldn’t Tobias, but I’m sure he’s okay,” she said.

  “How would you know?” Brian asked.

  “Because he's young and because he’s a survivor,” she answered.

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  Alice didn’t answer, but continued, “We're going to have to get this car to your sister's school without being mobbed. I need you to be ready.” She turned the ignition key and the car started. Thus far, she had said a little prayer every time before starting the car. She hated having to turn the engine off. The
path they had taken into the woods left little room for a three-point turn. Alice's only option was to drive all the way to the road in reverse. She gently pressed onto the gas pedal and the car moved backwards. If Alice thought it was a challenge navigating through the woods with headlights, then driving in reverse was a real treat. “Easy...easy,” she said to herself.

  Suddenly two men appeared directly in her path. “Stop the car!” they demanded.

  Alice panicked and slammed the brakes, as if by instinct. Just as the men approached the car from its side, she laid onto the gas pedal, jolting the car backwards. “Hey!” they shouted running after her from the front. Alice had her head turned to the rear of the vehicle along with her arm across Brian's seat. She did her best to stay on the path. Her hands carefully guided the steering wheel back-and-forth. In the distance, she saw the end of the path as it connected with the main road.

  “Hold on, Brian,” she said. As they came to the road she jerked the steering wheel to right. Several people standing in the road jumped out of the way and landed on the nearby gravel. “Close call,” Alice thought. She put the car in drive, and floored it. A slight lag in the transmission caused immediate concern. “Move!” she shouted. A bright beam from a flashlight blinded temporarily blinded her from the front. It was a police officer, standing directly in front of her. “You there, stop the car,” he ordered. She covered her eyes from his light and drove to the side of him, nearly clipping him in the process. Roads were no longer roads, but mere obstacle courses. Alice had to be ready for everything. “We're going to Kiya's school,” she said to Brian. And they were off.

  If Brian's high school proved chaotic, then Sun Crest Middle School—where Kiya was being held—was a different animal all together. Something was going on at Kiya's school similar, but more massive than what Alice had experienced earlier. There was a crowd formed around the school walls, but no one was getting in. They just seemed to languish together. There were just too many people for her to contend with. Even in the dark, Alice suspected that the crowd was large. Or at least enough to seize her means of transportation. And transportation was what people wanted. Nearly every person they had passed along the way had foolishly chased their car, begging for a ride. Alice had never seen anything like it. Brian had no clue what to make of it. “Why are all their cars broken down?” he asked Alice. “Something has messed with the computers cars rely on,” she responded.