The Beginning at the End of the World: A Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian Series (The Survivor Diaries Book 2) (38 page)

“Mark, the Doc said that you are going to be fine,” I told him, purposely not commenting on what he said.

“Bri came by earlier. You did right with the way you helped in raising her, even though sometimes I criticized you. She pulled me out of there. I would be dead if it wasn’t for her.”

“She’s a brave one, and you had something to do with that, too.” Tears were forming in my eyes and I sniffled, hoping to keep them back. “She wanted to be in the army, just like her brave Uncle Mark. You were a good influence.”

A tear fell from Mark’s eye, and I wiped it away. He didn’t take his eyes off of my face, and we stayed frozen, still unable to say all that we needed to say.

∞

Matt had finally made it into the deep frozen earth with the tractor so that we could bury Ramirez in a way befitting the hero that he was.

Sampson had made a plain wooden coffin out of some of the supplies we had, and Jackson found a flag to drape over it. I wish that there had been someone to give the flag to after it was folded, but Sergeant Ramirez was alone in the world after the Last War. Sometimes I felt guilty that I had so many of my family with me when others did not. I also felt very fortunate.

When they lowered the coffin in the hole, we had no flowers to throw on it, but Holly had some of the children make some out of coffee filters and colored markers. Bailey went up and dropped her flowers on the coffin of the man who, only days before, had taught her how to milk a goat. She was crying. I went over, lifted her up and held her close. Maybe it was a bad idea to let her attend so many funerals. She was only eight years old, and her existence day in and day out was full of fear and death.

Fitzpatrick was the first to speak. “I was honored to know Sergeant Jose Ramirez for the past year. I worked alongside him in his tireless efforts to prepare for the Last War, for which we will all always be in his debt. He died saving the life of a fellow soldier. I believe that is how he would have wanted to go, as a hero. We can honor him by caring for his beloved animals and using them to help sustain the people with us today. In that way, he will live on as long as we do.”

I leaned myself and the tearful child in my arms into Jackson’s shoulder, and he placed an arm around us. I wasn’t in the mood to worry about how it looked to everyone else.

When Holly asked for the kids to gather, Bailey wiggled out of my arms and joined them. They sang a haunting rendition of
Amazing Grace
, and Reverend John ended on Psalm Twenty-Three. It was becoming a staple in this world.

After a funeral in the old world, we would have joined together for food and to tell loving stories about the deceased. In this world, we went back to work.

Good-bye Staff Sergeant Jose Ramirez. Thank you for what you did for Mark and Bri.

∞

I was working at my table in the cabin when Jackson came back from the MT meeting with Fitzpatrick at his side. He looked tired. I had encouraged him to wait to discuss the MT leadership until things settled down, but he said he needed to get it done.

“How did it go?” I asked, foregoing a more pleasant greeting. I looked at the clock on the wall. “That was one long meeting.”

“We had a, well, let’s call it a lively debate,” said Fitz.

“I am sure you can guess who wasn’t so happy with your idea,” said Jackson. “Mason has three years seniority over Fitz, but in the Marines. He whined that it was his time, blah, blah, blah. When it came up that Fitz had more combat experience, and that he was generally better received by the Villagers, that’s when the real fit happened. He went on and on about you being the one putting us in danger, and how you will make sure that we will never get out of here.”

Jackson came over and put his hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. I didn’t care what that old bulldog thought. I smiled up at Jackson to make sure he knew that.

“He insisted that rank determined who was to lead, but we made Fitz here a General, anyway,” said Jackson. “Mason was out numbered.”

I got up and shook Fitz’s hand. “Congratulations, General. Jackson told me that you were planning on retiring right before learning about the war, so I am deeply grateful that you took on this incredible responsibility,” I told him.

“You would be the one person to know just how incredible the responsibility is,” he told me. “I have no doubt in my mind that we will be able to work together to accomplish our goals, Laura. And thank you for your confidence.

“And I wanted to tell you two congratulations on figuring out how to, ahem, get along now. Any small piece of happiness in this nightmare has to be clung to.”

Jackson and I smiled knowingly at each other. I thought about how Fitzpatrick walked in during our first, let’s say,
encounter
in the snow cave, and I blushed.

“And that reminds me,” said Fitz. “I have a prior engagement with Miss Jessica Sheraton.”

I had no idea when those two found the time to even talk; much less make an “engagement,” but it did answer my question about Jessica’s good mood this morning.

“Tell her I will be by for that free hair cut soon,” I told him before he left us alone.

“Sit and have a cup of tea,” I told Jackson. “How’s your leg?”

“It’s fine, just stinging a little.”

I made tea as he got comfortable on the sofa, elevating his upper thigh on a pillow.

I brought him his tea and sat on the overstuffed chair across from him. No one had much time for recovery anymore. I looked at the dark circles under his eyes. His hair had grayed so much since I meet him that first day when we came out of our houses to form a community. It was now more salt than pepper. I remembered seeing photos of how presidents aged during their time in office; any youth they had was stolen under the great weight of the office that they held. In just half a year, he had aged more than any two-term president. Perhaps Fitz taking over some of his responsibilities would help, but I was still concerned.

He took a sip of the tea and made a face. “What is this pig swill?”

“Ammie made it. It has healing herbs, and you are going to drink every last sip. The ginger and turmeric will help with the pain.” I said. I didn’t mention the lavender that was added for his blood pressure that I assumed must be high with all of the stress he was under.

“It’s awful. What?” he said in reference to my staring at him. “What do you want? More sex? Damn woman, do you ever think of anything else? You’re exhausting me.”

“Funny! No, not that. And you are the one who only thinks about sex. Actually, I was just wondering what your life was like before you came to Monterey. You went to parochial school?”

“Yep, Roman Catholic. Got whipped by my fair share of nuns and priests, heh.”

“Yeah, I bet you were one great altar boy.”

“You laugh, but I was. Let’s see, then it was off to West Point, like my father and his before him. I met my wife and settled down, had three kids, but you know that part. I was deployed more times than I can count. Oh, then there was that little matter of finding out about the doom of the world and meeting you. That’s it in a nutshell.”

“That’s one short nutshell,” I said, disappointed at his lack of details.

“I don’t have the strength to do anything with the innuendo that you just left dangling,” he said. “The best part of my life was my kids and you.” His eyes were beginning to close. I found him a blanket and covered him. I wished we had enough fuel to light the gas fireplace, but he drifted off comfortably.

I stared out the window as sheets of ice were released from the dark and angry skies above us and thought about what Jackson said. His life hadn’t been a dream come true. He spent thirty-five years going to wars and working towards a retirement. Maybe he would have moved to the Bahamas and lived out his years with some pretty girl, downing
piña coladas
on the beach. And he would have deserved it. He certainly didn’t deserve this.

Something struck me about the Village; people were beginning to pair up like Noah’s Ark. Was it like Violet said? Did the women really believe that they needed a mate in order to survive? We have lost so many good people, but how would having a mate insure that you weren’t going to be picked off by natural selection or just a gang of really bad people? Perhaps these new pairs have simply come about for some kind of comfort in these terribly uncertain times.

Still, I was glad that people were finding happiness and reassurance in their new relationships. Maybe some of those younger pairings would produce offspring. But would that be advisable with all of the radiation and other containments we have been exposed to? Mark and I had tried for kids before the war, but I couldn’t do it. The doctors told me it would be a miracle, and I learned to accept it. Maybe Jackson’s Bahamian girlfriend, the mythical one I just made up, could have given him more children, assuring that his bloodline would continue.

I leaned over Jackson and really looked at him sleeping peacefully. I bent down and kissed his forehead.

“I love you.” My whisper was barely audible.

His eyes flew open, and he took me in his arms and kissed me ardently.

He moved back a little from my lips to say, “I knew it.”

“Faker.”

“It was completely worth it. Do you know how long I have wanted, needed, to hear that? I want you, mind, body and soul, Laura Patton. I want to know everything about you.”

I went to the bedroom and brought out my first two diaries. I tossed them on the table next to him and said, “Knock yourself out.”

He looked down at the books, stunned. “No, even I am not that big of a snoop.”

“And that’s saying something,” I said with a chuckle. “I don’t want any secrets between us. Just try to remember— you ended up with the girl.”

∞

I met Fitz as he was leaving Jessica’s tent with a big smile on his face.

“Hey, Laura,” he said. “I’m glad that I ran into you. The MT would like to have an update meeting with the Village, with your permission, of course.”

“As long as there is no recruiting, I’ll set it up. Would Tuesday morning at eight work? I am hoping to give us time to come up with a plan to get moving again, and that way we can announce both pieces of big news at once.”

“You have my word, no recruiting. See you,” he said.

“Knock, knock,” I said as I made my way through the flap that Fitz held open for me.

Jessica had a smile on her face that matched Fitz’s. Good for them. “I can come back if it’s not a good time,” I told her.

“No, come in, come in,” she said.

“I was wondering if you had time for that haircut,” I said.

As she got out her scissors and a silver hand mirror that must have been a family heirloom, she asked, “Wouldn’t this be more comfortable in the cabin? I heard it has a pretty spectacular bathroom.”

“It’s nice, but Jackson is resting. He was hurt yesterday, and he was on his feet all of today,” I told her.

“So, you two are living together?” she asked me.

I was a little taken aback by her blunt remark and was fishing for the best thing to say when she said, “Oh, I’m sorry, Laura. I can be such a nosy body. You don’t have to answer that. I just want to say that I am happy for you both.”

“Thanks, and I am happy that you are spending time with Fitz,” I told her. “He’s a good man.” Actually, I thought that Jessica and Fitz made an odd couple. She wasn’t exactly educated or refined like Fitz was.

“He is, isn’t he? The Colonel is very thoughtful,” she said.

Oh, no. Fitz, you didn’t tell her about the promotion?
I yelled at him mentally
.
Was he waiting for the meeting for her to find out? My guess was that wouldn’t sit too well with her, but I wasn’t about to tell her.

“He is at that,” I said.

Maybe it was her happy state, but she did an amazing job on my hair. My red curls perked up at their new length into a very cute bob.

As I was making my way to supper, I saw Violet slipping out of the RV that housed the recuperating Mark. When she saw me, she looked like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Was she really that desperate to pounce on a man who almost died last night?

I gave her a quick smile and went on my way. Seriously, though, Mark and the former Mayor of Santa Cruz?

I woke up to Jackson reading my diary in the dim bedside light.

“I’m sorry, darlin’,” he said. “I was too riveted to put it down. Does the dashing Colonel get the gorgeous girl? Do they make it out of the apocalypse alive?”

I reached my arm over his bare chest and said sleepily, “You know the first part, but you aren’t going to find that last bit in there. That remains to be seen.”

He put down the book and caressed my hair. “I didn’t know how truly irritating I could be. Between the ‘heh, heh, heh’ and the nasal voice, I don’t know how you put up with me.”

“Well, it’s a tough gig, but someone’s gotta do it,” I teased.

“But really, I can’t believe that you documented all of this in such a detailed way. And with everything you have on video, you have a real record of everything that has happened to us. I am impressed, baby.”

“Thanks, it has been healing to a degree, you know?” I said. “This is just my point of view, though. I just hope that there are others out there doing the same. Maybe one of those other groups of military saved people like me who are recording their experiences for the future, too. Maybe it can be a ‘how to,’ or maybe a ‘how not to.’”

“I find you more remarkable every day that I know you, Laura. You are an angel sent down to this unworthy man to help him remember what is still right with the world.”

“I’m no angel,” I said pulling him into a kiss with a giggle.

“Hallelujah to that,” he said reciprocating with his lips on mine. “Maybe just a goddess.”

“Thank you for always making me laugh, Jackson.”

∞

My hair was still wet, and I was only wearing a robe and socks when there was a knock on our door.

“Sorry to bother you so early Laura, but I think we figured it out,” said Adam. He was standing next to Sampson, and they both were wearing smiles and holding numerous maps and atlases.

“Come in,” I whispered in an attempt not to wake Bailey. “Put your stuff on the table.”

I went over to put the kettle back on the range to make some tea for my guests, as I had already consumed my MRE coffee ration.

“Is everything okay?” asked Jackson as he entered the room holding a sleepy Bailey in his arms. His hair was also wet, and he was only wearing his uniform t-shirt and pants.

Our two visitors looked at each other in surprise but were too polite to ask questions. Jackson went to lay Bailey on the sofa, but she made a protest noise, and he brought her over to the table and set her down to see what was going on.

I hadn’t told Jackson that I had Adam and Sampson working on an escape route for us since the day after the latest bombings.

“That’s a lot of maps,” Bailey said, pulling out a chair and taking her place to hear the latest news. Jackson shrugged and helped me with the tea. He was finally getting used to the fact that Bailey was not a typical child. She had a mind of her own, and he was adjusting to the way that my family didn’t discourage it, either.

“It is a lot of maps,” said Adam. He playfully ruffled her already messy hair. “And these maps are going to get us out of here.”

Jackson and I just stared at each other. Then, all five of us broke out in giant smiles.

“Look at this,” said Adam as he ran his finger over the map from the forest to what used to be the main road into the Valley.

“Yeah, we know that there is a forest and then a bombed out road,” I said, somewhat disappointed.

“It isn’t going to be easy,” said Sampson. “But if we start cutting a road out here, we can make it to Carmel Valley Road.”

“I thought that road was gone,” said Jackson.

“A lot of it is,” said Adam. “But rumor has it that there are portions still intact.”

“I’m not too inclined to listen to rumor if it came from Wanderers like the ones we have come into contact with,” said Jackson. I nodded in agreement.

“They aren’t all like that group, and listening to the Wanderers was how we were able to travel when we were out-bounding. But, we haven’t finished with our idea. We believe that this part of the road is pretty blasted away,” said Adam pointing to a portion of the Carmel Valley Road near a golf course. “But we want to get past that and continue down to the river. Then, we hope to hug the river until we make it to the compound. Those buildings are pretty deep in the Valley, but we believe that this is our best bet to make it.”

“What happens if we can’t get the convoy through the forest or over the bombed out road?” asked an obviously skeptical Jackson.

“We flatten it with whatever the MT brought with them. You told me that you had explosives,” said Adam.

“And risk an avalanche?” I asked.

“I will have to consult with our ballistics experts. Our best one is already in the Valley, but Granville should be some help. We are going to have to call out to the Valley and talk to Walker, but there are other questions I have, like how long is this going to take to get us to our final destination?” said Jackson.

∞

We decided to put off telling the Villagers about this new plan until we could verify some of the information with the MT, both here, and in the Valley.

Adam and Sampson showed the group what they had come up with, much to the chagrin of Colonel Mason. I swear that man would let us all rot out here until his people were the ones to come up with a solution. But the point was, they had nothing. At least this would get us moving again in the right direction.

“We can’t just go off on some half-baked idea from two guys who just happen to be handy at reading maps,” said Mason.

“Okay, then why don’t you order some planes over the area to take aerial photos; oh wait, you don’t have planes,” I said. Looking at the faces of the MT, my sarcasm was not appreciated.

“But we do have some experts in the Valley to consult with,” said the newly minted General Ellis Fitzpatrick. “If they give us the go-ahead, then we need to think about sending out a detail to travel as far as they can west. Maybe they can give us an idea of what we are in for from that direction.”

I was glad that he was at least considering the viability of the plan. I knew that we made the right call putting Fitz in charge. He wasn’t unduly influenced, like Jackson, or completely against every idea we had, like Mason. He was temperate, yet thorough, in his decision making. I could work with that.

“I am going to send some of our tree cutters and trucks to get started opening up a wide enough perimeter to turn around your bigger trucks. If they finish that, then I am sending them out to begin to cut a trail. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just wide enough to get us through the trees. I need the information for our final decision before dusk,” I told Fitz.

Mason began to protest, but Fitz said with a knowing smile, “You will have it before COB.”

∞

“You know that I am simply giving Fitz time to argue it out with Mason. We are going,” I said as Jackson and I made our way back to the cabin.

“I know. It’s smart, I guess, but I do have some concerns, Laura. I don’t know about trying to transport seventy people over that terrain. It’s not only rocky, but after last night’s weather, it’s going to be like an ice skating rink to drive on.”

“I need to make sure that our drivers can manage it. Would you be willing to give a crash course on driving in these conditions?” I asked him.

“Of course, but that is no guarantee. There are so many variables,” he was more serious than usual, meaning he was apprehensive about this one.

“I would like to ask Audrey and Zac to help the guys on this. They know the area better, and they are out of quarantine now.”

“Okay,” he said.

“What is it, Jackson? I’ve seen you way less worried over much bigger things.”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s that I have a family now, and protecting you all is the most important thing I will ever do in my life from here on out,” he told me.

“But aren’t we too vulnerable sitting like we are? We have to make a move, and the sooner the better,” I told him.

He thought about it.  “Okay,” he finally said. “I am behind you 100%.”

“We will take every precaution, but there are no guarantees in this world now. We all know that,” I said. “Just do me one favor, please. Go and sit on the collective asses of the MT. Make them move on this.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m on it.”

“Good, because I am going to spend this afternoon getting to know our new Villagers.”

“Be careful, darlin’,” he said, searching me with his earnest and gorgeous blue eyes.

∞

Katie and Bri, who just started her apprenticeship, were waiting for me as I got the serious facemask on. Malcolm wouldn’t let us anywhere near the newcomers unless we were properly outfitted. He added two extra days onto their quarantine due to the highly unsanitary conditions they were living in. The always serious Marine, Granville, was standing guard, wearing the same protective outfitting as we were.

There were chairs for all nine of the Wanderers and across a snowy area were the three chairs for Katie, Bri and I. We took our places and waited for them to do the same. There were four women, three teens (including Chase) and two men.

“First, I am sorry that we have to wear this crazy stuff, but it’s precautionary. We have had our share of problems with disease since the Last War,” I said.

“Hi, I’m Amy Simmons,” said one of the ladies wearing some the filthiest and ripped clothing I have seen to date. My heart ached for her, and I felt a twinge of guilt for the garments and lodging I had inherited from Agenia. “We aren’t dangerous. I just wanted you to know that. I know how we must look, but under all of this, we are just normal people trying to survive, just like you.”

“In this world, Amy, there are different ways to survive, and from what we can tell, yours has been very different than ours,” I said. She bowed her head in shame.

“Why are you always videotaping everything?” asked Chase.

“Because I am making a record of what it is like to survive the Last War,” I said.

“It sucks,” said a woman who did not introduce herself.

“Yes, it can,” said Katie. “But we are working towards a future, one that doesn’t suck.”

“I know that some of you surrendered to our people during the unfortunate battle that took place in the winery. But that does not mean that you understand or agree with our ways.” I told them. I knew that two ladies and one of the men were a part of defending the Wanderers, and I could tell immediately by their faces which they were.

“We are open to you joining us if that’s what you wish to do, but I will not put any of our people in danger. You know that Katie has been questioning you from outside of your tents for the last few days. She is a psychologist, and she is here to listen to you. And that is Ms. Patton. She is studying in the field of psychology.”

“Specialist in the Arizona Guard, right?” said an African American man. “I was Colorado Guard a long time ago.”

“Yes, I was a student of psychology and a Weekend Warrior,” said Bri, in measured words. She was going to make an excellent clinician one day; so says a proud aunt.

“We would like to get to know you on an individual basis,” I explained. “These two ladies will be doing evaluations, and if you are peaceful, and willing to help us, we are willing to let you stay with us. If not, we will ask you to leave. We will try to help you in any way we can so that there are no hard feelings, but we cannot let any threats into our group.” I knew this could be risky, letting loose potential threats, but there wasn’t much more we could do. I was not going to have them executed. I could only hope that they would all check out.

Since there wasn’t much more I could do to help them out, I left Katie and Bri to work with the group first, and then start on the individuals. I wasn’t worried about leaving them in the capable hands of those two competent women and one scary-looking Marine.