Land (25 page)
Authors: Theresa Shaver
Tags: #Dystopian, #Action & Adventure, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Science Fiction, #Teen & Young Adult, #Genre fiction, #Literature & Fiction
There was the now routine road block on the outskirts of the town that was being manned by three guards. They pulled to a stop and they all climbed out and approached the barricade. The three men didn’t seem all that concerned by the group and none of them aimed their weapons at the kids. The teens had all left their assault rifles in their vehicles but all still had side arms in holsters.
Quinn limped ahead and waved at the men. “Hello! We’re headed up to Prairie Springs and we were hoping for some news of the town’s status. Will we be able to travel through or do we have to back track around your town?” he asked in a respectful voice.
The oldest man studied Quinn thoughtfully and asked, “Aren’t you Harry Dennison’s grandson, Quinn?”
Quinn grinned and thought, “It’s good to be home where everyone knows everyone.”
“Yes Sir, I am. My friends and I got caught in the States on a school trip when the lights went out and we’re just trying to make our way home. Do you have news about my family?”
“Well, that sounds like a heck of a tale to hear, if you kids came all the way up from the States. I haven’t heard anything about your Granddad but we’ve heard some things about the town. Hold your hats for a minute and we’ll move this car out of the way. You can give me a lift into the town center where we set up a meeting place and we’ll tell you all we know.”
The man waved the other two guards over and they quickly pushed the broken down car out of the road. When Dara pulled the truck through the road block the older man climbed into the back and they headed into town.
As they drove past homes, they could see many people busy at work. Most of the front lawns of homes had been ripped up and planted as gardens. There were groups of people standing in line with jugs and buckets waiting for water at a pump station. There was another area with tables set up and huge pots of steaming water where people were washing clothes. As they pulled up to the town’s meeting area they could all smell meat cooking on a barbeque. There were four giant grills set up in a row and each was manned by cooks.
They got out and locked their doors out of habit. The older man led them towards the dining area and took a deep smell of the cooking meat. “Good timing on your part, supper will be ready in about twenty minutes. You kids must be starved for some red meat.” he smiled proudly at the barbeques.
“Actually sir, we would be happy to contribute our own meat so as not to put a strain on the towns food supply” Quinn offered.
The man gave him a sharp look “Now you kids didn’t steal some poor farmers stock did you? We won’t abide looters in this town.”
Quinn laughed “No, no, we butchered a cow in Montana. The property was abandoned and the cows were going feral. We have a fridge freezer in the camper and brought some with us.” he assured the man.
The man nodded his head “Alright then, good thinking!” he held out his hand to shake, “Name’s Tom Jacobson. I’ve got a place just outside of town but we finished planting it yesterday so I came in to town today for some company. We have a communal supper every day for everyone who works in the fields.” He looked around his town with pride. “Yup we’ve done real well here. Lots of refugees walked in from the city but we made it clear there would be no free ride. We all work to get the crops planted and we’ll all eat. I imagine we’ll have to tighten our belts between now and harvest but we’ll get by.”
“Oh there’s Mike now! He’s been organizing everything around here and will know the latest on Prairie Springs. Mike! Hey Mike, I got some people you need to meet over here.” he yelled.
Mike made his way over to the group and introductions were made all around. He grimaced when he heard where the kids were headed.
“We don’t know a lot but what we’ve heard isn’t good. About five days into the emergency, a group of gang bangers and hard cases went into town and took it over. They had fifty or so men and they were all armed. They went out to the farms and rounded everyone up and put them in one place. That’s all we really know. Everyone that walks that way comes back with stories of being shot at from roadblocks and anyone with a working vehicle that goes there doesn’t come back at all.”
“I’m sorry kids. I wish I could tell you more but we just don’t know what’s happening there. The only other thing I’ve heard is that they are out planting the fields but no one can get close enough to get more news.” He gave them a sad smile “You guys are welcome to stay here if you want.”
The group was silent, trying to absorb what they had just heard. Quinn nodded to Mike “Thank you sir. We would be grateful if we could stay the night in your town but I think we will head that way tomorrow and scout things out.” He looked around at his friends and they all nodded.
“Fair enough, welcome to Abbotsville. Please enjoy supper with us.” he smiled and headed back to work.
There wasn’t much to say after that and the kids wandered back to their camper to get cleaned up and grab supplies to contribute to the communal supper.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
The next morning the group was hidden in a forested area a few miles outside of their town. They were studying the manned road block through binoculars. They each took a good look at the men and surrounding area and passed them on to the next. When Cooper looked closely at the men he grunted.
“I know one of those guys! He’s a friend of my Dad’s. Not a big shock that he’s working with the bad guys. His name’s Buddy and he’s a real loser. He’s been in jail for lots of petty crime, everything from break and entering to drugs.”
When everyone had taken a good look they moved back deeper into the forest. They were lucky that two sides of the town faced forest that went all the way to the mountains. There were a lot of campgrounds and a few lakes throughout the area. They were all familiar with the forest around their town and had spent many years having adventures in it. Their vehicles were parked well back at a little used camping area that didn’t offer any camping services except a water hand pump. The hike to the town had taken under an hour as they had brought the bikes with them and only had to walk part of the way.
Once they were well back into the forest they discussed their next move. Cooper was thinking hard on a decision and finally put it to the group.
“I think I should go talk to Buddy. He knows me and he’ll probably tell me what’s going on. The only problem is that they might think I would want to join them. If my old man has joined with them it could be our way into town. The problem is I can’t be a part of what they’re doing so I would end up giving myself away. What do you guys think?”
Alex’s first thought was, “NO WAY.” She didn’t want Cooper going in there and getting himself killed when the gang figured out he wasn’t on their side, but before she could say anything Quinn spoke up.
“Do you think you can get information out of him and he’ll let you leave? If you played it like you didn’t care about the town but you didn’t want to get involved in the gang? Would he let you turn around and go?”
Cooper thought about it hard. They needed information and he felt like he owed it to his new friends to help anyway he could.
“I think he would. He was always trying to be my pal and telling me not to follow in his and my Dad’s footsteps. I really think I could get the info and then leave. I’m willing to take the chance.”
Alex stepped forward and pulled him into a tight hug. She closed her eyes and said into his ear “Thank you. Please come back.” She quickly released him and turned away.
He nodded to the others and handed Josh his automatic rifle. He kept his hand gun in its holster and shouldered a back pack. They all walked back to where they had left the bikes and he climbed onto his.
“If I get pulled into the town, watch for me on the west side by the forest and I’ll try to make contact.” With that he pedalled away.
Alex couldn’t bear to watch him leave so she headed back into the woods to where they could see the road block.
Cooper was beyond nervous. The last thing he wanted was to get sucked into his Dad’s lifestyle but he felt he had to do this for his friends. He had been alone for so long with no friends. The past twenty three days had been so amazing for him. The way they all worked together and watched each other’s backs had filled a part of him he hadn’t known was empty. And Alex, well if he ever had a chance to be with her, he would have to prove to her and himself that he was worth someone so good.
As he got closer to the roadblock he could see Buddy raise a hunting rifle up to his face. He should be able to see Cooper very well through its scope; at least he hoped he would. Cooper kept going, waiting for the sound of the shot that never came.
When he was close enough he yelled out “Hey Buddy, is that you? It’s Cooper!”
Buddy motioned him to stop where he was and turned to talk to the other men. He came out from behind the cars and walked down the road to him. He had a surprised look on his face when he walked up.
“What the hell, Cooper! Aren’t you supposed to be in California? What are you doing here?” he asked with an uncomfortable look on his face.
Cooper grinned sheepishly “Well yeah, but I ditched the kiddy trip at the airport and was hanging with some friends in the city when the lights went out. We’ve been partying it up but things got a little hot for me there, so I bounced and headed home. What’s up with you? The cops got you working guard duty? No way man!” he said with a laugh.
Buddy didn’t laugh but he looked over his shoulder back at the other men. He leaned close to Cooper and said quickly “All the cops are dead, man. A group of hard core guys came in and took over. They’re using all the towns’ people and farmers as slave labour. It’s a real bad scene. Listen, I got bad news for you brother. Your Dad is dead. He thought he should be the big man around here cause he’s the one who told these guys about the town’s set up and the Boss man shot him like a dog. You need to jet! There’s nothing here for you and you don’t want them to find out who your old man was. Go find somewhere else.”
“Ah shit! He never could keep his mouth shut.” Cooper shook his head sadly. “But Buddy, how can a few guys hold all those people without them fighting back?”
Buddy checked over his shoulder again before answering him. “They got like sixty guys and they’re holding a lot of the women and all the kids in the community center. It’s real ugly Cooper. Now get out of here before they come check you out.” He waved him back down the road.
“Yeah, I hear you. I’m out of here. Hey Buddy, one more thing. Did any of those kids make it back from California?”
Buddy smirked, “No way they’d make it back here. All those kids are dead by now. Count yourself lucky you ditched. Take care, Cooper. Sorry about your Dad.”
Cooper nodded and turned his bike around. He headed back down the road towards his friends. He thought about his Dad being dead and thought he should feel something. He searched his heart and was saddened by finding only relief.
The group was waiting when he got back. They were all out of breath from running when they saw him heading back away from town.
Cooper told them everything he had learned and they all sat down to try and process the state of their home. Alex looked around at her friends. Dara was quietly crying and Josh was holding her hand and staring miserably at the ground. Quinn was looking off into the forest with an angry expression. Cooper was looking at Alex with a sympathetic frown. When she met his eyes he asked, “What do you want to do?”
Alex stood and looked at all her friends again. Then she picked up her rifle and spoke in a strong, clear voice.
“We fight!”
End of Book One
Coming Soon
Sea
A Stranded Novel
Emily and her friends headed to the California coast to find a boat back to Canada. They all felt that it would be much easier and quicker to sail home rather than go over land. They were wrong. Not only will they have to fight their way through the lawless city and the terrifying ocean, they will have a journey of hardship and loss as the biggest threat will come from within their own group. The trip home will change them all for good and bad as they are stranded at |SEA.
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