The Last Tribe (24 page)

“There’s nothing that says we have
to stay here an entire day.  Let’s light the signal fire, have a picnic lunch
in this square, see if there are any supplies we can take, and move along this
afternoon.  We’ll leave the fire burning and hang a sign with instructions to
our next stop.”  Todd knew they had time to burn, but having idle time did not
mean he wanted to burn it sitting around the empty city of Richmond, VA.

“I’ll make some sandwiches, and
we’ll hang out for a few hours.”  Emily announced after listening to John and
Todd’s exchange.  “Why don’t one of you blow an air horn a few times, maybe two
or three bursts in each direction, throw some wet leaves on the fire?”  She
ducked into the RV to make lunch.  Hubba stuck his head out, jumping down the
steps.  He waddled over to the center of town and used the facilities.

Todd turned to John.  “One good
thing about the end of the world, no leash laws, and I don’t have to pick up
dog poop in public places.” 

John nodded, but did not
acknowledge the weak attempt at humor.  He walked a few paces and blew the air
horn, holding the button for a three count.  Hubba went crazy, barking loudly and
bee-lining it back to the RV, up the steps, and out of sight.

John blew the horn three more
times.  Thick black smoke rose from the trashcan fire.  Survivors had three
hours before the caravan pulled out of town.

Two hours and two horn blasts later
the boys were playing soccer in the square, and the adults were peering into a
few of the local shops.  A car engine hummed in the distance.  John yelled for
the kids to get into the RV, and he pulled a gun from his waist.  He ducked
into one of the stores.

Emily and Todd walked towards the
RV and saw a small red car driving towards them.  They started waving in a
friendly fashion, wearing big smiles on their faces.   “Is your crazy brother
really hiding with his gun pulled out, waiting to pounce on this person?” 
Emily said through her smile.

“I guess.  It’s not a horrible
idea, but it’s not the most welcoming approach either.”

“Matt’s got the kids in the RV.  I
think we are a go.”  Emily was nervous.  Finding and engaging new people was
her idea.  She hoped it went well.  The red car drove cautiously down the road
towards them.  Emily could make out one figure in the driver’s seat of the
small luxury coup.  The car pulled up short of the waving Todd and Emily.  A
young woman rolled down the driver’s window and stuck her head out.

“Oh my god you are actual people,
real people.  I thought I was alone, but you are real people.  Are you broken
down?  Do you need help?”  The woman had a slight accent, Latino, Italian, or
Spanish. Emily could not be sure.  The girl had a dark complexion, jet black
hair, brown eyes, and was attractive. 

Emily and Todd decided if they met
a woman or a child, Emily would engage.  If the new person was a man, Todd
would lead.

Emily stepped forward.  “No, we’re
doing well.  My name is Emily Dixon and this is my husband Todd.  There are
seven of us and we are headed north to find family members.  We are trying to
find other survivors to join us.”

“It has been months since I have
spoken to someone or heard another voice.”  The girl did not cry, but tears
welled in her eyes.  She gripped the steering wheel to maintain her composure.

Emily continued.  “We’re nice,
normal people.  We even have a dog.  Are you hungry?  Would you like something
to eat or drink?  Again, my name is Emily, this is my husband Todd.  What is
your name?” 

The woman turned off the car and
opened the door.  She stood and fell into Emily’s arms.  “I am so lonely.  At
first I was scared, but now I am lonely and bored.  I cannot believe you found
me.”  She cried.  Emily held her, patting her back, and telling her, “It’s
okay, it’s okay.”

Todd waved to the small faces
looking through the windows of the RV.  The door opened and the boys spilled
out with a barking Hubba.  The dog trotted to the new girl and sniffed her feet
and legs.

“You really have a dog?  I thought
all the dogs were dead?”  The girl was calm.  She  backed out of Emily’s arms
to bend down and pet the dog.  Hubba was indiscriminant about scratches.  He
sat and enjoyed new person.  He was panting from the short burst of energy
displayed jumping from the RV and jogging to the new person.

“That’s Hubba.”  Jay the chatterbox
told her.  “He’s the first dog of North Carolina.  My mom rescued him from a
mansion.  My name is Jay.”  The six year old walked to the girl and stuck out
his hand.

The young woman stood and took
Jay’s hand.  “My name is Solange, but my friends call me Sol.”  She sniffed in
her tears.  “Because you are now my friend, you may call me Sol.  Very nice to
meet you, Jay.”

Solange was young, 28 or 30 was
Emily’s guess.  She was thin with an athletic build, and normal height for a
woman, maybe a little taller.  Now that Solange stood in front of her, Emily
realized the woman was not just attractive, she was drop dead gorgeous. 

Solange turned to Emily.  “Nice to
meet you Emily, I am sorry I lost control for a moment.  I have been alone for
a long time.”  She leaned in to give Emily another hug, and a formal greeting.

Jay decided, since he was Solange’s
first friend, to introduce her to the group.  “Sol, this is my brother Brian. 
He’s seven.”  Jay held Solange’s hand and walked her to the other children. 

Brian was shy when he met new
people.  He stared down at his feet and mumbled a soft “hello.” 

“He’s kind of shy when he meets new
people, but he’ll warm up to you.  This is Craig, my cousin, he’s ten.”  Craig
shook hands and said hello.  Craig tapped Brian on the shoulder, said “tag,”
and ran off to play soccer.  Jay decided soccer was a better option.  He dropped
Solange’s hand, and ran off, yelling over his shoulder, “and that is my cousin
Matt, he’s like 17 or something like that!”

“Hello Matt, very nice to meet
you.”  Solange shook his hand and walked back to Todd and Emily.  “And very
nice to meet you, Todd.”  She leaned forward and hugged a surprised Todd. 
“What a nice young boy you have, young boys I should say.”  The introductions
sent the group into a pre-rapture paradigm.  Solange stood silent, waiting for
the adults to speak.

“My brother in law, John, is
somewhere over there, waiting to see if you are friend or foe.  He is Matt and
Craig’s father, and should be out at some point.”  Emily was embarrassed, but
believed candor was the best policy.

“I understand.  In this new world,
it does not make sense to be too trusting.”  Solange spoke controlled and
proper English.  “My full name is Solange Wright.  I am an exchange student
from Ecuador studying at VCU.  I was enjoying my summer semester when the
sickness began.  I had no way to get home to my family.  Travel to other countries
was halted after Brazil.  I have been living near the VCU campus.  I had
nowhere to go.”

Solange shrugged her shoulders.  “I
stayed in the dorm until it became cold.  I hid from the police.  When everyone
was gone, I found a house and have been living by myself.  I have plenty of
food, and I am excited to talk to you, to meet all of you.  As I have said
several times, I am lonely.”  She wore jeans that were loose on her waist and
legs, a gray t-shirt with gold VCU written across the front, and a long sleeve
flannel shirt, unbuttoned and hanging loosely like a jacket. 

“Do you know if your family
survived?  Do you know anything about Ecuador?”  Matt stepped forward. 

“The internet stayed up longer than
the phones, and I followed my family until they were taken by the rapture, or
el encantado as we called it.  My family, my parents, my two brothers and one
sister, all died.  It is just me.  It is why I stayed here.  I really do not
have a place to go.  I waited to see if the government would arrive.  It
appears you have come in its place.”  She smiled.

“Have you seen any other
survivors?”  A voice said loudly from across a street.  John emerged from the
store.  He walked up to the new woman and held out his hand.  “Hello, I’m John
Dixon.”

“Solange Wright, very nice to meet
you, sir.  As you can see, I am not a threat, just a young woman who has not
seen a single survivor in months.  I have driven around Richmond trying to find
another person.  I have not seen anyone.” 

Todd extended an invitation to
Solange.  “Sol, if I can call you Sol, my family has been living in Raleigh,
North Carolina for the last seven years.  John’s been in Charleston, South
Carolina for the last ten years.  We have two brothers that are meeting us in
Hanover, New Hampshire this spring.   John has a son who is trapped at a
boarding school, much like you were trapped at VCU.  We kept in touch with them
until late September.  We are positive they survived el encantado.  We are
driving to New Hampshire, seeking out survivors and inviting them to join our
group.  We aren’t sure we are going to settle in New Hampshire, but wherever we
do settle, we’d be happy to have you join us.  We have some livestock, and
plenty of food.  We can stay in Richmond for a few days if you need time to
consider coming with us, but we welcome you with open arms.” 

“New Hampshire is cold, right? 
Very cold?”  She replied.

“Yes, which is why we probably
won’t settle there.  John and I grew up in Hanover.  When we had to pick a
meeting spot during the chaos, our families decided on a place we all knew.”

“I do not have to think about it. 
I would like to join your group, if you will have me.  I will work hard to
become a strong member.  I do not have many belongings, but I would like to get
my clothes and my family pictures.  If you will give me some time, I do not
live far from here.  May I come back in a few minutes?”

“Absolutely, take your time, we
will wait.  Welcome to the family, Solange.”  Todd said with a smile. 

“Do you need any help?”  Matt
offered.  “I could come and help you pack and carry.”

“No thank you, Matt, I can pack
quickly on my own.  I will be back shortly.”  She turned and jumped into her beautiful
two-door, cherry red, Mercedes Benz.  She slipped it into drive and sped away,
much more quickly than she pulled up to the Dixons a few minutes earlier.

“Matt.”  John said to his son. 
“What’s the first rule?  Were you about to get in a car with a stranger?  I
know you haven’t seen a girl in six months, but let’s keep your head on,
okay?”  He rustled Matt’s hair.  “I’m also counting that as a ‘denied.’  So,
ouch.”

Matt hung his head with a smile. 
“That was not a play to meet her, I swear.  I was just trying to make her feel
welcome to the group.”

“Uh, huh, like you helped me pack,
or anyone else pack for this trip.”  Emily razzed.  “You just got sacked,
player QB.  Take a seat on the bench.”  The adults had a good laugh at Matt’s
expense.

Jay ran over from playing soccer. 
“Where’s Sol?  Is she gone already?”

“She’ll be back.  She’s going to
come with us.”  Emily told Jay.

“Sweet!  Hey guys!  Sol is coming
with us!  I call her on my team!”  He ran back to Craig and Brian.

“What do you think?”  John asked
Todd and Emily.  “I know my son’s opinion.”  He looked at Matt with a smile.

“Best case outside of a person with
needed skills, although we did not ask her about engineering.  Maybe she is an
electrical or mechanical engineer, and can help us get things running again.” 
Todd said back.

“She has great taste in cars.” 
Emily said.  “That’s a good sign.”

John looked down the empty street. 
“I don’t think anyone is that good an actress, but just in case, Matt and I
will hide until she gets back.  If she was a scouting party, we may be sitting
ducks.  She got all of our intel.”

“Intel?”  Emily repeated. 
“Seriously?”

John ignored the comments.  “Matt,
grab a rifle and find a building on the other side of the square, just until
she comes back alone.”  Matt nodded to his father before walking towards the
Suburban to find a rifle.  John made his way to a new hiding spot on the
square.

Todd and Emily clasped hands and
went to supervise the soccer match.

Solange drove back to her house a half
mile from where she had met the Dixons.  When she arrived at her cape cod just
off campus, she sat in the car and cried. 

She wiped her tears and ran into
the house to pack.  She stuffed her tablet into a brown leather purse, threw
her clothes into a Louis Voutton rolling bag, and jogged back to her car. 
Solange kept family pictures and videos on her tablet, charging it through the
car’s cigarette lighter.  It was all she had of her family and country aside
from memories.

Surviving a plague alone in a
foreign country, unable to be with her family as they died, earned her this new
start with the Dixons.  They did not need to know about her past. 

“Adios.”  She said to the house,
speaking in her native tongue when she was alone.  Solange turned her music on
shuffle and put on her ear buds.  Kelly Clarkson sang “Stronger.”  She sped
back to her new friends, returning in under twenty minutes to her new life. 

Solange parked the car across the
street from the RV.  She slung the shoulder bag, pulled the roller from the
passenger’s seat and announced, “I’m ready.”

“You travel light.”  Emily smiled. 
“I like that.”

“I have all of my personal items on
these.”  She held up the technology.  “And I do not have many winter clothes. 
I have found that I can acquire new clothes where ever I go.  I only bring
essentials.  I buy or take what I need when I travel.”  Emily assumed Solange
was referring  to a post rapture lifestyle, but Solange used the same strategy
before the rapture.  She brought only the one suitcase and purse with her from
Ecuador ten months ago.

“We believe the same.  It’s nice to
see you have a head on your shoulders.”  John emerged from his sniper spot.  He
was impressed with the young woman.  High praise, considering he was holding a
gun on her just a half hour earlier.