RATH - Redemption (8 page)

As the cloud cover rolled in and the first signs of the new winter began to overtake the area, they moved to Boothe’s yacht, fully loaded and waiting to transport the seventy plus residents to their new home. Accommodations would have to be made upon arrival, as those in Boothe’s inner circle who already occupied the submersible habitat would need some sort of explanation for the change in leadership.

Benjamin Rath marched through the soft sand with his wife. They leaned into one another and followed Vera, Lauren, and Chloe onto the vessel. He moved to the main quarters, helped her onto the bed, and made sure she was comfortable. “Sweetheart, I’ve missed you more than you know and cannot explain what these last few days without you have been like. That’s over now, we’re going home.”

Before allowing Samuel and Tonya to captain the powerful, one hundred-foot yacht into the building storm and attempt to use the navigation to find Halo, the group shared a moment of silence for those lost in the battle with the Andros. Women cried softly for their husbands and comforted their children as they pulled out of the jetty and into the open sea.

The women each took turns tending to Sarah, giving Rath time to have Symon set and bandage his left arm. Men who braved Presidio and were reunited with their wives and children thanked Tyler for helping get everyone safely to the beach and beyond. The mothers and children moved to the kitchen and started preparing meals for the hungry and exhausted.

Still not herself and unable to string more than a few cohesive thoughts together, Lauren took her daughter’s hand and made her way to Sarah. “This is my baby girl, her name is Chloe. Your husband kept her alive just like you did for me. Sarah, my little family owes you everything. I will be here for you always… thank you.” She started to cry and sat with Sarah for the remainder of the trip as Chloe curled up next to her on the makeshift bed and fell asleep.

.      .      .

Within sight of their destination, Rath moved to the wheelhouse and was greeted by Vera and Samuel. “Is that Halo?”

“Yes,” Vera said. “We’ve already made contact and explained our situation.”

“And?”

“Let’s just say that they were noticing the same personality defects with Boothe as of late.”

“Are we going to have any problems?” Rath asked.

“I don’t think so,” Vera said. “They currently number just over one hundred and said they’d be able to accommodate twice the amount we have on board.”

“So,” Rath said. “Twelve years locked away at the bottom of the ocean, seems like it may become a bit claustrophobic?”

“Well, as crazy as it sounds, I believe we’ll be fine. One thing about Boothe, he made sure to think of everything. I’m not sure how he did it, although Halo was built as a city and there are areas that simulate being outdoors. This was his most perfect creation.”

“I guess we don’t really have a choice, do we?”

“No, not really. Now go be with your wife; you’ve more than done your part. You’ll be in your new home in less than three hours. Get some rest, you need it.”

He kissed her on the forehead and hugged her gently. “Thank you, Vera…for everything.”

Attending to the business of captaining the colossal ship, Samuel turned to Rath as he was exiting the wheelhouse. “Hey…one thing I can’t figure out. How on earth were our men spared by the Arkuss? I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it.”

Rath turned and smiled. “Short answer is that they wanted Boothe and I knew where and when he’d be the most vulnerable. We simply made a deal.”

“And the long answer?”

“For years, Boothe has been steadily eliminating the Andros. Recently he upped his game and began going to Presidio and targeting the Arkuss. All but twelve were slaughtered at last count and with their backs against the wall; they started fighting back, although until today they never were able to get close enough and in such numbers to have a real chance. They wanted him; I just showed them where to find him.”

He turned and strode out the door and down onto the main deck, sharing a moment with Symon and the pair acknowledged their newfound trust for one another before parting. Symon made his way back to his family as Rath moved to the main quarters and his wife.

Entering the room as Chloe exited with her mother, he smiled and gave her a high five. She turned back to Rath and said, “Mr. Rath, you’re still my protector, but you’re also still very stinky.”

Feeling somewhat like herself and unquestionably excited to see him again, Sarah sat forward as he moved to the bed and greeted him with a kiss. She shared the plate of food she’d yet to finish and a small glass of cold water. While he ate, she detailed her time without him, leaving out the darkest times where she felt most alone. She instead focused on the impact his memories had on her surviving the terrible ordeal. He listened for as long as he could keep his eyes from closing and when they finally did, she held him close and watched him sleep.

The sand between her toes and the warm spring air pushed her hair away from her face. Peering out over the shoreline, Sarah watched her husband’s hand carve the large piece of driftwood. He’d been working since sunup and today was determined to break the halfway point. She sat on the last step with her seven-year-old son, enjoying the day and answering questions about his father, the man who saved the last remaining humans, those who would repopulate the earth.

“Mom, how old is he today?”

“He won’t admit it, but he’s fifty-six.”

“Are you getting him a present?”

“Yes, I am and so are you.”

“We are? What are we getting him?”

“Just before the sun goes down, we’re all taking him to the cemetery to visit Aunt Vera. Then tonight, a barbeque for his birthday, on the beach.”

“Dad really loved her; he told me that you guys are together because of her.”

“Yes, she was very special to him. Vera took care of him like a mother. She helped your dad find me when I needed him.”

“Did you love her too?”

“Very much.”

He hugged her and before running off to help his father, turned to her. “Mom, I love you.”

As he scooted away toward his father, she whispered, “I love you too, Benji.”

“Hey dad.”

“Hey kiddo, you here to help?”

“Yep, whadda ya want me to do? Can I use that tool? The one you make shapes with?”

“Sure, I left a section that’s all your own. You know, long before you were born, I made a swing for your mother and would watch her sit and enjoy it every single day. Even in the cold, she’d go out and swing until she was frozen. I think it reminded her of being a little girl.”

“What happened to it?”

“Just like everything else from before…it’s gone, but the world is a much better place now and your mother and I get to smile every single day. You are a big reason for that.”

“Are we ever going back there, to Halo?”

“Not again in our lifetime. Samuel and the others he works with say that we are good to live here on the beach for as long as we like.”

“What about those bad people who used to be here?”

“The Andros?”

“Yeah.”

“Well,” Rath said. “We haven’t seen them since we got back. Hopefully they’ve moved on.”

“Okay dad, can I go play with Evan?”

“Sure buddy, have fun.”

He watched his son run across the same beach he and Sarah had found one another on all those years before. Trotting off without a care in the world, his son would never fully understand what it took to get to this place in time. He’d never understand how the human race had dwindled to less than eighty-six souls before ascending back to the surface of the ocean and repopulating the place they had once lost.

Turning to face the blue water, he smiled as she approached. All grown up and as strong a woman as he’d ever seen, he was proud of the person she’d become and often thought of her as his own child.

“Hey Mr. Rath.”

“Hello young lady, I can’t imagine you’re that bored that my company seems worthwhile.”

Chloe knelt in the sand next to him, wrapped her arm around him, and hugged him tight. “Happy birthday, how you holding up?”

“I’m fine, can’t wait for the barbeque. You still coming tonight?”

“We’ll be there, mom just went to the cemetery; she likes to be there alone, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Rath said.

“Hey, I know this is hard for you. Her passing on the same day as your birthday. I’m sure the reminder every year is a bit of a downer. You know I’m here if you need to talk.”

“Thanks, although I think Sarah needed you for the final fitting. I sometimes think she’s more excited about this wedding than you are.”

She patted him on the back, complimented his woodworking abilities and started toward Sarah. A few steps in and she returned. Chloe took his hand and said, “After all these years, I still need your help.”

“Anything.”

“You mean more to me than just about any person in this world, you know that. I need you to be my hero one last time…will you walk me down the aisle next month and give me away to Logan?”

“I was hoping you’d ask, and I absolutely cannot wait sweetheart. Now go before I start to well up…and thank you.”

Chloe moved off and disappeared into the beach house with Sarah as he returned to the task of creating the last porch swing his wife would ever use. Benjamin Rath spent the remaining daylight sitting in the warm air and watching the younger children play in the shore break, calling to mind those he now cared for and so many others who’d already left this beach for a better place.

Just before sunset and as the group began to gather where the tide reached up and kissed the soft sand, Rath moved in behind Sarah. They leaned into one another along the railing of the raised deck, overlooking their new family and smiled. Sarah pointed to the piece of driftwood he’d spent the day with. “It’s coming together nicely, just like the last one you made me. You gonna let Benji help you again tomorrow?”

“Yeah, he asked me how we’ll know when it’s finished.”

She laughed and brushed his greying hair away from his face. “What did you tell him?”

“I said that when it’s as beautiful as his mother, then we’ve built something worth giving you.”

It took him eleven separate days outside in the scorching sun to secure the piece of wood suitable for his latest project, although it took him nearly thirty years to find her. She was still worth every second.

THRESHOLD

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