Precipice: The Beginning (25 page)

“What do we do now?” Erica asked, her words heavy with exhaustion. She reached behind her to take hold of Abby’s hands, pulling her into her lap. She held her daughter tight, taking comfort in her presence.

Annie glanced briefly over to her neighbor and her daughter. The poor girl had become nearly a deaf mute since this whole thing had begun. Her normally cheerful smile was now hidden with dirt, and beneath that were trembling lips. She was thankful to have them. Even Heather. Annie looked up into the rearview at the young girl, feeling a deep since of whoa for the child. She was left alone. In just a few minutes she’d lost her parents and was on the run. Annie couldn’t imagine the sorrow, the overwhelming confusion.

“Everything is going to be all right now,” Annie spoke into the mirror, hoping a few shallow words might offer the tiniest bit of comfort. But Heather just kept on crying. Her long blonde hair fell over her face, hiding her from the terrors of the real world. “I think I know where to go.”

“Where?” Erica maneuvered Abby on her left leg, pressing her daughter’s head to her shoulder where she was instantly asleep.

“Someplace with lots of weapons.” Annie had to slow her speed, crawling along the highway to weave in and out of abandoned vehicles. Most of which she used the grill of the truck to nudge onto the shoulder, but she didn’t want to risk damaging the engine. This was not the right time for them to suffer a breakdown. The solar cells had been depleted, but fortunately the truck had almost a full tank of diesel. “I know a place. Just a few hours from here where we’re sure to be safe.”

Erica took faith in her friend. She lowered her head back to the seat, pressed her cheek to her daughter’s head, and joined her in sleep. Annie looked back into the rearview and saw Logan had also fallen asleep, laying back on the small mattress the trucker had stashed in the cab. Only Heather stayed awake. She sat on the edge of the mattress, her knees pulled up to her chest, shivering. Poor child. Annie tilted her head as an odd thought surfaced, something so random and yet very obvious, slightly comforting and mortifying at the same time. Annie was a mother again. This was her new child. If not hers, Erica’s. Annie had to suppress a laugh, knowing full well this was not the appropriate time to look at the lighter side. Still, she found it funny; looking back into the rearview at their newly adopted child, thankful this one came without the pains of childbirth.

Annie slowed the semi to four miles an hour, weaving between an overturned bus and the sad remains of a motorhome. It would be slow going, but at least the rain had stopped. She could be thankful for that.

50

D
asher set Siren down gently between two couch pillows. He stepped back, eyed the distance from Siren to the hardwood floor, and added another pillow. Trial and error from her little roll off a motel bed. He told himself it was so she wouldn’t wake up and scream her head off again, but he knew that was a load of shit. He liked the little bitch. Dasher smiled, folding his arms. The “little lady.” He was a father now, after all.

“I’m sorry,” Ann Marie said from the doorway of the kitchen.

“About what?”

“Crying all over you like a little girl, and then passing out.” She rubbed her elbow, nervously moving her hands about her arms. “I am thankful you’re here.”

“I am too.” Dasher joined her in the kitchen, taking a seat at the table.

Ann Marie pulled some matches from the drawer and lit a candle. It flickered in the breeze, but the flame held. She opened the fridge and stuck her hand inside, sighing only to shut the door.

“Generator’s out.” She took a seat. “Looks like we’re back to the Stone Age.”

“I’m just thankful to be off the road.” Dasher’s good humor faltered as the flame danced about. He leaned to his left and looked out the window. “Is this a good idea? The light?”

“You can’t see the kitchen from the road. Should be fine.”

Ann Marie looked over his shoulder to the living room. “You’re very sweet to take her.”

“Didn’t really have a choice.”

“Yes, you did.”

Dasher was pleased to hear that he wasn’t such a bastard after all. He set his hands on the table and nodded slightly, unsure what to say. Ann Marie was a very beautiful woman, wearing a soft cotton dress that showed off her form. A woman he would have never even been allowed to speak to in the old world, but times had changed. Ann Marie leaned across the table and kissed him, grabbing his face passionately, desperately. She pulled free and sat back, crossing her arms about her chest while turning her head in embarrassment.

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s perfectly alright.” Dasher licked his lips, tasting the strawberry flavor of her lip balm. “In fact I think that’s one of the nicest things that has happened to me in years.”

“Do you want to go down the hall?” Ann Marie bit her bottom lip, eager to have company in the only bedroom downstairs. She’d been alone for too long, scared and in need of someone, anyone, to press their security against her. Nothing against Dasher, she really did like him.

Dasher shook his head slowly with a soft whistle. “I take it back.” He looked her in the eyes, seeing a slight retreat on her end as she feared some kind of denial. “That was the nicest thing.”

Ann Marie stood from the table and took his hand. Dasher took one last peek at Siren as they passed her on their way to the bedroom. She was sleeping soundly with a thin blanket pulled up to her chin, her arms stretched out past her head. She looked so peaceful. Dasher turned his attention back to Ann Marie, pulling him along with an eagerness he’d never experienced. He had had his share of women, but it had never felt like any of them had actually wanted him. Maybe paying him back for some favor, asking him for a little drug money in exchange for some head, but never pulling him in like a wife on their anniversary after a romantic dinner. Only at the end of the world could a smalltime, luckless thug become a father and a husband.

51

I
t was truly dark now. It must have been noon, maybe two or three when they had left the hardware store. Annie had left her watch, as well as everything else they had, back in the tent. But Annie couldn’t dwell on that now. She kept her focus on the road, her eyes squinting through the available light cast out from the semi’s headlights. The fastest she’d gone in the past six hours had been a whopping seven miles an hour, but that had been short lived. She could see fires all along the horizon, cities burning turning industry to ash. Annie slowed the semi to a stop a mile shy of the turnoff. She rolled down the window and leaned out, squinting through the night to get a better glimpse of what ran across the road. Two deep gashes ran up the shoulder, across the road, and off into the distant field like two train tracks. But these were caused by something cutting into the earth. Or possibly by something dragged, but what could be so large? Annie rolled up the window and turned back to the road, gasping as one of the smaller creatures, the hairless dog type, leapt onto the hood of the semi. Annie put the large truck in reverse, knocking the dog from the hood. She put the semi in drive and let out a cruel chuckle as the semi gave a little bounce.

“What was that?” Erica spat, her voice groggy.

“Just a little speed bump.”

“Where are we?” Erica lifted her cheek off Abby’s head and looked out the window.

“Almost there.”

Annie turned off the highway and headed up a winding road, pavement quickly giving way to mud. Thankfully this road was all but deserted. It was too narrow to work the semi through any sort of jam, but then again no one else really used this exit except TransWorld Inc. Annie knew they were trying to keep their location private, but with their money they could have sprung for a better road. At least they were making their way through the mud. Had she been driving her car, they would have gotten stuck the second the pavement ended. But they were moving along fine and the scenery was a pleasant change. Tall trees blocking the fires. It was as if they were going camping rather than seeking refuge, just a normal outing for her and her neighbor. Annie turned onto the facility’s road, nearly missing the narrow turnoff in the dark. She drove slowly, leaning forward to see any sign of life up ahead. Even that asshole soldier that had pointed a machine gun at her son would do. But the large metal gate stood open; the metal twisted and warped.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Erica eyed the gate and the empty guard booth.

“This place has weapons here, trust me.” Annie looked over briefly and gave Erica a smile, but there was doubt in her face. She couldn’t take her eyes off the mangled gate. Something had either torn it open, or the soldiers had bust through.

Annie drove through the gate and down the road, pulling up in front of the building as she had a month ago. The front entrance was buried behind a foot of mud. Annie turned off the semi’s engine and waited a moment, leaning over Erica to look in through the dark windows of the facility. There was a smear of blood on the wall beside the door, but no bodies. The silence was making her uncomfortable.

“Try the glove box. Maybe he had a gun.”

Erica opened the glove box, pulling out several maps, a box of condoms, and some pills. No gun. Annie gave a huff and opened the door, easing her foot out slowly, hopping down into the mud. She pulled her foot free, thankful her shoe hadn’t been pulled off by the suction. She crept around the front of the truck, shielding her eyes from the headlights while wishing she’d remembered to turn them off. No point being stealth if you’re traveling in a spot light, unarmed to boot. But all that was about to change. Lying in the mud, discarded like a balled up fast food wrapper, was an assault rifle. Annie picked it up and ejected the clip, slapping it back in with a sigh of relief. Let those bastards come at her now. She enjoyed feeling the weight of the rifle in her hands and the pressure against her shoulder. Oh, it felt so damn comforting.

“Wake the kids, but stay put. I want to check this out first.”

Erica nodded and rolled up the window, relieved she could do her part by staying put inside the locked truck. Annie could read this across her face and nodded, knowing it was best to keep her in charge of something easy and calm, like watching sleeping children. Annie gripped the rifle tightly with anticipation as she tiptoed toward the heavy glass doors. They opened easily. A bit alarming for what had once been a heavily secured building. She slipped in between the doors and stepped across the lobby, stepping over a pool of blood, looking black against the dark blue flooring. The glass sculpture of the hand holding the Earth had been shattered. She moved her eyes back and forth, walking past the conveyer belts and through the metal detector. Her heart raced as it beeped. Annie hurried through and turned in a slow circle, hoping she hadn’t just rang the dinner bell for whatever might be lurking in the dark. A moment passed and nothing sprang forth to eat her. She knelt down behind the detector and flipped a black switch, shutting it down. At least the power was still on. Annie gave the dark hallway ahead of her a quick glance and then hurried out to the truck.

“Anyone in there?” Erica opened the door and stepped out, frowning as her foot sank into the mud.

“No one that I saw, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there. Still, we really don’t have anywhere else to go.” Annie thought back to the pool of blood just within the entrance as she hopped up into the truck, wondering if they should let the kids sleep while they search for something else. But where? “Come on little tiger, wake up.”

“No mom.” Logan swatted about his face, rolling onto his side to face away from his mother.

Annie dug her fingers beneath his arms to tickle his pits. The laughter that followed was such a refreshing treat, innocent and honest. She reached over the seat with both hands and took hold of her son, helping him up and over the seat. Heather and Abby opened their eyes and gave out simultaneous yawns. Annie reached out and brushed some hair from Heather’s face, offering her a warm, genuine smile.

“Are we home?” Logan asked, rubbing his eyes.

“No, we can’t go home.” It broke Annie’s heart to say, especially when she knew he didn’t understand. “We’re just going to stay here for a little while. Like a campout.” Annie ran a hand through his hair and set him outside, gently lowering him onto the mud. “Stay close to Erica.”

“Can I stay with you?” Heather’s voice was small.

“Of course you can, dear.” Annie took hold of the young girl’s hand as she climbed over the seat and hopped outside. “Abby, sweetheart?” Annie grabbed her hand, but the young girl was unresponsive, staring out into space. “Can you come with us please?”

Abby nodded without looking her in the eyes, moving up and over the seat, hopping out of the truck. She trudged through the mud to wait with her mother and the other children outside the main doors. Annie pulled the keys from the ignition and shoved them into her pocket before joining the others. She took point, leading them through the lobby with her rifle pointing the way. Past the small rooms where she had spoken with her husband to the end of the hall, on their left was a door marked Private. Annie shoed Erica and the children back as she tried the knob, turning it with ease. She kicked the door open and hurried inside, flipping the light switch on the inside wall. Overhead lights buzzed into life, revealing a row of six cubicles, three on either side, and beyond them was a single door.

“Follow me and stay close.” Annie waited until she’d gotten a nod from all four of them.

Annie stepped past the cubicles slowly, ducking down to look beneath each desk. She didn’t want any surprises. When she passed the last one, Annie took a deep breath and pushed open the back door. The room was dark. Annie stuck her hand into the darkness and felt along the inside wall, her fingers stumbling over the switch. As the room lit up, Annie turned to her son and smiled.

“Are you a hungry boy?”

“Yes!”

Annie threw open the door and stepped aside, motioning with her head for them to go on in. Erica lit up as she saw tables and chairs, vending machines, and even two fridges. It was like winning the kitchen you’ve always wanted on some game show. Erica approached the counter and pressed random buttons on the microwave, covering her mouth to stifle a cry. How such simple things could bring joy and comfort. A little reminder that pieces of your old life might still be out there, little conveniences after being without for far too long. Annie threw open the fridge and got down on her knees, thankful the power hadn’t gone out. There was half a cheesecake on the bottom shelf, a quart of whole milk, takeout food in mysterious wrappers stuffed inside plastic bags. Sealed Tupperware on all three shelves. Truly a magnificent sight.

“I think this one might be teriyaki.” Annie pulled open a Tupperware and set it on the table, letting them all get an eyeful. It wasn’t teriyaki, but meatloaf mixed with mashed potatoes wasn’t bad. Maybe two more days before the toss out date. “What do you say we heat this up?”

The children smacked the table and smiled, enjoying some home comforts. Even Abby was smiling, swaying side to side with an eerie grin, but smiling all the same. Annie turned to the microwave and opened the door, pausing as she thought she heard something.

“What is it?” Panic began filling her tone.

“Nothing, just a beeping sound. Can you hear it?” Annie cupped her ear and listened, hearing a repetitious beeping. Three defined beeps, a moment of silence, then three more. “Heat this up. I’ll be right back.”

“Be careful.”

Annie nodded, giving Logan a kiss on the cheek before picking up the assault rifle. She kept her eyes warm and positive, yet the weapon raised some concerns for him. Annie opened the door and walked through the cubicles, following the beeping. It led her out into the hall, turning left through some double doors. She’d never been this far into the facility before, far beyond where the normal visitors were allowed to venture. She stopped and waited for the cycle to pick up, growing that much louder with each step. Finally she turned to a door on her left. The plaque across the door read:
Communication Uplink Center.
Annie tried the knob, but this one wouldn’t turn. She took hold of her rifle and slammed the butt down hard on the knob. Three more hits and the wood cracked. The door swung inward.