As the World Ends (7 page)

“A penny for your thoughts,” Rob said.

“Why didn’t we stay to see what caused the explosions?”

“I thought it was prudent to leave. The chaos on the block had already begun.”

“Oh.”

“Lauren, do you want to head back?”

“I want answers, Rob. It’s the not knowing that’s driving me nuts.” She stood and started to pace.

Rob stood and went to her. “Lauren, we’ll drive to the path that overlooks the town. See if there are still fires in the distance. Then we’ll decide. Okay?”

“I’m not being silly, Rob.”

“I didn’t say you were. Please try to relax.” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms in a gesture of support and comfort.

“Why haven’t we heard from that guy? What’s his name?”

“Roan. I haven’t seen any of his tracks since that first day. A tracker he’s not.”

“I need air. These walls are closing in on me. I’m tired of lying around. I need to move around. Let’s take a ride to the path.”

In mid-rub, he dropped his hands. Walking over to his duffle bag, he rummaged through it until he found his keys. Until today, he hated the color of the SUV. That dark, forest green, but it dawned on him now how well it blended in with the woods. Together they headed out of the cave, making their way to the truck. As he climbed into the driver’s seat, the gas gauge caught his eye.

“Lauren, we only have half a tank of gas. I think we should hike to the path and save the gas.”

“How far is that?”

“I’d say about three miles.”

“Huh, three miles, I hope I can make it.”

“Come on, you can do it. Didn’t you just complain about being sedentary? Plus, it will help you sleep tonight. We’ll bring one sleeping bag and some food in case we have to camp out.” He reached over and grabbed her hand, gave it a squeeze.

She smiled at him, trying not to complain. “Okay, I’ll pack the food. You pack the bag up. Don’t forget to stick a couple of my sweaters in. I want to put my other stuff in the truck in case that creep finds the cave. I don’t want him to steal anything or worse, rummage through my underwear.”

They walked back into the cave. Packing what they’d need. Rob loaded the truck. It was midday by the time they finished. If they were lucky they’d reach the path around four before the sun set.

It proved slow going over the wooded, rocky terrain. Good thing we’re not in a hurry, he thought.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Roan found their cave around two o’clock. He’d been walking for three hours before stumbling upon it. Spotting the fire, he reached over, touched the wood, stone cold. As he moved deeper into the cave, he came upon the sleeping bag. Only one? Baffled, he ruffled through the duffle bag and pulled out only men’s clothing, no women’s. The cave didn’t look deserted. Did Rob come up here alone and leave his wife to fend for herself? He didn’t seem the type. Besides he knew he saw two sets of prints last night. Where was she?

“Now where did you stash that pretty wife of yours, Rob,” Roan spoke out loud.

Right at home in their cave he opened the cooler, took out a beer and sat contemplating Rob’s whereabouts. Roan spotted Rob’s radio and cranked the handle, hoping for some communication from the outside world. Still nothing.

After he had his beer and a snack, he couldn’t decide whether to head back to his cave or spend the night here. Should he wait out Rob and surprise him? In the end, he decided to head back to his own cave before he lost daylight. He wouldn’t confront Rob until he knew the location of his wife. It dawned on him that the other night he was only a few feet away from discovering them when the mountain lion scared him off. He laughed without humor.

“Ace woodsman, Roan,” he chided.

They stopped several times to rest or replenish their fluids. Rob wouldn’t have needed to stop as often if alone, but fatigue showed in Lauren’s footsteps. He had to give her credit, not once did she complain. Walking for over two and a half hours now, all he wanted to do was reach his destination. After checking his watch, he knew they only had about an hour and a half of daylight left. If they could make it to the ridge, it would give them an advantage overlooking the path against intruders. Rob took his gun out of his backpack, checked the chamber then stuck it into his waistband.

“What’s that for?”

“See that ridge up there?” Rob pointed.

“Yes.”

“I want to head up there for the night. I don’t know if it offers shelter from the elements, but it will give us a good vantage point against visitors.”

“Okay. How long will it take to get there?”

“We’ll take it slow. If you need to rest, Lauren, tell me. Okay?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not a martyr.”

“You’re doing great, hon,” Rob encouraged. Lauren was stronger than she gave herself credit for, he knew; but sometimes she needed a little push.

“How long, Rob?” Gauging the distance and how fast she was moving he answered her.

“I’d say about an hour. I want to be there before dark.”

“Okay, I can make it. Don’t worry.” She pushed off the ground, stood by him. Smiling, when she patted his butt in a display of sportsmanship, he thought, that’s my girl.

“I’m not worried. Let’s head out.”

She grabbed her backpack, put the water bottle in the outside pocket Once she put the straps on her shoulders, he waved her in front of him. The higher they climbed the steeper the accent. It slowed them down more than he anticipated.

Rob and Lauren reached the ridge around three-thirty. He scouted the area then strung string from several branches—his idea of an early warning system. The ridge didn’t have a cave, but it had a huge overhang which offered little protection from the weather. Rob spread the sleeping bag against the rock wall and dug out some food. He was starving.

“Hungry, Lauren?” He tossed her an energy bar as she raised her head to look at him.

“Oh, yeah,” she said, catching the bar.

Sitting up she ripped open the wrapper with her teeth. At the speed of light she shoved it into her mouth. She ate like it was her first solid meal in days. At that moment, it beat the Alaskan Crab she’d had for their anniversary dinner.

“I better eat mine before you attack me.” Rob laughed, watching her eat.

“I’m so hungry. What else do you have?” She eyed his bag, hoping for more food.

“That’s all for now. I could only carry so much. We’ll eat again later.”

“Rob, I’m starved now,” she pleaded.

“It’s only three forty-five, Lauren. It’s going to be a long night. Let’s wait awhile.”

“Oh, all right, but if you feel someone gnawing on your arm, it will probably be me.”

“I have something else you can gorge on.” He flashed a big toothy smile.

“I can only guess what that is,” she mussitated.

“Here, you can have half of mine,” Rob offered.

“What will it cost me,” she joked.

“The usual,” he sang out.

“Not a problem, hand the bar over.” She reached for his bar.

“You’re kidding, right? You’re gonna take the food right out of my mouth.” He pulled the bar to his chest, eyeballing her.

“Yep.”

“How do I know you’ll honor your bargain? Maybe you should cover your bet first.”

“When have I ever reneged on a bet?” Lustfully, she eyed his bar.

“Jesus, Lauren, so this is how it is going to be, dog eat dog.” He waved his bar in front of her face.

“You idiot.” She laughed. “Give it to me. I know you have more.”

“Lauren, survival is all about pacing,” Rob said, patiently.

“Screw pacing, Rob.”

“I’d rather screw you,” he joked.

“Cute, give it over and you live,” she said, seriously.

Keeping a close eye on him as he grabbed her backpack and his own before pouring out the contents; between them, there were six energy bars, a bag of cashews, three bottles of water, and four packs of peanut butter crackers to last the night and into the morning. Lauren didn’t think that would keep her and it had to feed the both of them.

Rob’s right. Though how can I pace myself when I’m so damn hungry?

They would have to pace their meals. A shiver ran down her spine as the sun started setting. Hanging low in the sky the temperature had dropped a good twenty degrees. She grabbed a sweater and pulled it over her head.

“Okay, Rob, here’s your bar back, but all bets are off,” she said, ungraciously, handing it back to him.

“Man, do I want the bar or the bet…let me see.”

Quick as the flash of light he snatched it from her hand and ate it before she changed her mind. He knew from experience that she could eat. For a small woman, she ate more than he did in a day.

In the morning, they stood at the bottom of the path that led to the top of the mountain and looked around. It was more an animal trail, a few feet of barren ground where life refused to flourish. An amazing thing though, on either side, trees were tall, green, and alive.

Rob took out his binoculars to scan the immediate area. The air, heavy with some kind of grey substance, made it difficult to breathe. It blocked their vision of the town below. Unsure if it was the altitude or the grey mist, Rob searched his memory for an explanation. It wasn’t fog, something more like smog, but thicker. They had noticed yesterday the darkening of the sky, but didn’t know what to make of it. The roads carried no cars or trucks, it was eerily quiet. He pitched the binoculars up and out and directed them towards the city. There was no visibility beyond the lower roads.

The thick, grey veil blocked his view. Rob didn’t think it was volcanic ash. Racking his brain he found not explanation. They had been on the mountain for three days now, so it wasn’t smoke. Smoke dissipated.

Lauren broke into his thoughts, “What is it, Rob?”

“I don’t know, it’s hanging low and blocking the view of the city. I can’t make anything out.”

Was it a chemical fog? If so, what kind of damage to the body would it cause? Moving closer to Lauren he put his arms around her. They didn’t speak, only clung to one another.

CHAPTER NINE

Coughing, Roan woke from a sound sleep. Something about the air had changed, he could actually see it. Not good, he thought. He grabbed his flashlight and headed out to the entrance to look around. The heavy, grey substance grew thicker as he approached the entrance. It wasn’t smoke, he determined, nor ash. The texture baffled him. Maybe a chemical fog of some sort or another though it had no taste or smell. That would make sense with things blowing up all over the place down there. If so, was it poisonous? Another thing he didn’t think of, a gas mask and oxygen. Unsure of the time, he looked down at his watch, seven a.m. It looked like twilight out there. Did Rob make it back to his cave last night? Today he’d at least make the effort to check to see if he had returned. If not, he’d need to track him. Was he still alive? Did he leave the mountain due to the smoke? Deciding it would be hard to track him in this mist, he decided only to check the cave today.

Roan ate then dressed. He grabbed the 9mm, checked to make sure it was loaded then put it in the holster on his left side. Next, he grabbed the knife, stuck it in its sheath strapped to his right ankle. Now he was ready for his trek to Rob’s cave. Re-thinking his readiness he packed up some food and water before heading out.