Ryan Westfield - Surviving Chaos

“There’s no blood.”

“But what about this? I found it on the other side, over there.” James seemed hesitant and nervous as he held out his hand, as if he didn’t want to show Max.

Finally, he opened his hand.

There was a shell casing resting on his palm. “There are more over there,” he said.

Max picked it up and examined it.

“It could have come from Mandy’s gun,” said Max.

“Shouldn’t we look for more over here, to figure out what happened?”

“No time,” said Max. “We can philosophize all we want about what happened. But it’s not going to save Mandy. If she’s still alive to be saved. Come on, let’s get a move on it.”

They set off down the dirt road, which became clearer the more they walked.

“Keep your eyes on the tracks,” said Max. “But don’t forget to look up, too. I’m watching, but don’t rely just on me. We’ve all got to get used to the idea that the other person might not be doing their job. And at the same time rely on each other.”

“Tricky balance,” muttered James, whose eyes were fixed to the dirt road. “I’m pretty sure these are the same tracks. It’s a little hard to tell, because it looks like other cars have been on this road before.”

“It’s probably the same car,” said Max. “Or truck.”

“I wonder where this leads.”

“Me too,” said Max.

They walked for a good half hour, still seeing nothing.

Max’s leg was hurting more than it had been. Carrying Georgia on that stretcher had strained it. But he just gritted his teeth.

“Hey,” said James, stopping. “Do you see that?”

“What?”

“Right there. Some kind of structure.”

Max took the binoculars from where they hung around his neck and put them to his eyes.

As he dialed in the right adjustment, the image came into focus.

It wasn’t a building, but some kind of old tent.

“Take a look,” said Max, unslinging the binoculars from around his neck and handing them to James.

“What is that?” said James. “Doesn’t look like a normal tent.”

“It’s not,” said James. “Looks like one of those old military tents. Not meant to be portable.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means we could be dealing with people who are more prepared than average,” said Max. “In the sense that they’re very well-prepared.”

“Maybe it’s just some people who had an old tent from their dad or granddad or something,” said James. “I mean, I’ve seen things like that before. Big canvas tent, steel poles and all that.”

“I don’t think so,” said Max, taking the binoculars back and scanning the area. “There’s a ton of equipment around. Actually, it looks like they’ve been there for a while, before the EMP.”

“What should we do?”

“We’ll do some more surveillance, before we move in,” said Max.

“What about Mandy? Time isn’t on our side. Anything could happen while we’re snooping around.”

“We’re not going to be able to save Mandy unless we know what we’re up against,” said Max. “Rushing in there might be the worst thing we could do.”

It was a hard decision for Max to make. After all, he realized now that he cared about Mandy in a way… well, it was different than how he felt about the others.

But he needed to keep a cool head. He needed to stay practical and strategic. There was a good chance that they’d be up against people who were better fed and better armed.

“Come on,” said Max. “Follow me. And try not to make any noise.”

Max set off, heading away from the road, on a course that would lead them around the campsite. He didn’t know how many people there were, or how big the campsite was, and he wanted to circle in on it. If they were dealing with another compound situation, they didn’t want to walk right into the center of activity without realizing it.

“You doing, OK, Mom?” said Sadie.

“I’m fine, Sadie.”

The truth was, the pain was getting worse. She didn’t know why. But she hoped that it was simply because of the journey. The going had been bumpy. That was the reality of being carried across uneven terrain on a makeshift stretcher. Every bump had gone right to her back, right to her injury.

But Sadie had checked it, lifting Georgia’s shirt up to expose her bare skin. She’d said it had looked fine.

Georgia shouldn’t have been worried. At least that was what she kept telling herself. If there’d been a fragment of the bullet that hadn’t been removed, she’d have a fever right now. And an infection. Maybe she’d be dead.

But maybe the antibiotics had been keeping it at bay. Maybe there was a splinter of metal there, working its way slowly to her heart, or some vital organ.

She had to keep a clear head, though. For her kids.

It was difficult, though. Georgia was not the type to get anxious. So it was a new experience for her. Probably compounded by the injury, the stress, and the lack of food.

“You think they’ll be OK?” said Sadie, looking up at her mom with worried eyes.

Georgia nodded. “James is with Max. He’s in good hands. As good as any.”

“But what about Mandy?”

“We’ll have to wait and see, Sadie. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled. We can’t afford to let something happen to us while we’re here waiting.”

“But maybe we should go help. We can’t just sit here doing nothing.”

“Unfortunately, that’s the reality of the situation. There’s nothing else to do. The truth is that I can barely walk, let alone go running after some unknown threats. Trust me, I feel worse about it than you do.”

It was true.

Georgia was not the type for sitting back and letting others do the dangerous work. And she hated the idea of sending her son out there, while she stayed in the relative safety of the campsite. James and Max were about to face unknown dangers. And there was nothing she could do to protect them.

She kept her worries to herself. It was better if Sadie kept as clear a head as possible. The calmer Sadie was, the more likely she’d be able to spot someone if they were approaching.

“Sadie,” said Georgia. “Listen to me. I’ve got to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“If something happens to me, I want you to…”

Just then, Georgia saw it.

A woman.

Georgia froze, stopping midsentence.

Sadie turned her head to where Georgia was looking.

She was in her mid-30s. Tall, with long hair that hung past her shoulders. She had a pretty face, and an athletic build.

Georgia reached for the gun. She’d already thought over whether Sadie was better off with it, or whether she was. In the end, she’d decided that she was still the better shot, even with her injury. And she’d likely draw the fire, if there was any. If she was shot, Sadie could reach for the gun.

Funny where the mind went. These sorts of thoughts had become completely normal to Georgia.

Unfortunately.

But that was reality.

The hiker saw them. She stopped dead in her tracks.

Georgia was waiting for the woman to reach for her gun.

But she didn’t.

Behind her, a man appeared. About the same age. Also tall.

They glanced at each other, and then back at Sadie and Georgia.

They didn’t seem to have seen the gun yet.

Georgia made a quick strategic decision. She pulled her arm and hand completely under the blanket that lay over her. This hid the gun completely from sight. It was better if they didn’t know she was armed. If they tried something, she’d be better able to take them on.

“Hey there!” called out the woman, suddenly, waving her hand.