Nathan Hystad - The Survivors - Books 1-3

“I know we’re going to wait to get to my house to really talk, but, guys, how is it you don’t look any older? What the hell happened out there?” Magnus asked, leading us past the stores.

“It’s a long story. One Nat’s going to want to hear too. How many people live here?” I asked. I had a general idea, because a lot of them had left Earth.

“This city? About half a million, but we’re spread out over two hundred square miles. We have places set up all across the world. Different things grow in different biomes, and we have each city manufacturing various supplies. That way, we can trade and keep everyone gainfully employed and productive. It’s quite the setup.” Magnus looked happy about it, but I could tell he was dying to know our story.

“What’s your main export?” Mary asked.

“Agriculture. We have the planet’s best soil, and grow everything from food, to hemp for clothing, to bamboo for various things. I bet you didn’t ever think I’d be a farmer.”

I laughed. There was no way he was being serious. “Are we almost there?” I asked, curious to hear if Nick and Slate had made it planetside yet.

“Not quite. That’s why we’re taking this.” He led us to a camo-covered Jeep-like vehicle, and we hopped in. Mary took the front seat, I grabbed the back. I sat in the center of the rear bench, watching wide-eyed as Magnus fired up the engine and drove down the dirt road. We left behind what constituted cityscape on New Spero, and in a couple minutes, we were away from any signs of humanity. The only evidence anyone had been here before were the tire tracks in the grass we were driving in. “See all this? It’s mine.”

I looked around us, seeing acres upon acres of farmland, crops growing in the summer-like afternoon. At least it felt like afternoon. I really didn’t know what time it was and realized I knew next to nothing about the planet we were on. It was remarkable. If I took a deep breath, there wasn’t anything there to tell me I wasn’t on Earth, in middle America, somewhere much like the state I’d grown up in. I suddenly felt homesick, but for what or where, I wasn’t sure. It was just a feeling gnawing at my stomach.

We kept going for a few minutes. Soon Magnus turned right and drove down a dirt road leading up to a cabin. It wasn’t big, and smoke poured out of a chimney on the left side of the structure.

“Home sweet home,” he said, his words adding to the aching feeling in my gut.

“This is amazing, Magnus,” Mary said, her voice cheerful. I hadn’t seen her so happy in months and tried to picture me and her living in a similar place, quietly farming, minding our own business. No more intergalactic strife to deal with. I wasn’t sure how we’d manage, but I was willing to try.

“It’s not much, but it’s home. I know I didn’t have time to tell you anything, but we have a few surprises of our own.” He parked the vehicle and we got out. The ground felt soft under my feet, and it did feel alien for a moment. I quickly forgot all of that when I heard a bark. A dog barking, on this faraway planet, brought normalcy back to me in an instant. It woofed again, and my heart sped up. I knew that sound. It was from someone that had become my best friend during the Event.

“Carey!” I called. My hands were shaking as I looked for him. Another yap, and I spun to see him running at us from the house. Natalia was at the door, her hand covering her eyes, trying to see who was with Magnus. He’d wanted us to be a surprise. Carey bounded at us, and I ran toward him, so excited to be back with the little guy. His ears flopped up and down as he raced to me. “Carey!” I said again. He seemed to know it was me.

I fell to my knees, and the dog jumped on me, licking my face with fervor and love. I couldn’t recall a time I’d felt more relief or pure joy, and I sat there petting and talking to him, trying to explain why I’d left him. He didn’t seem to care at that moment, and we just shared that time together as equals on the ground. After everything we’d been through, this was exactly what I needed.

Once we’d both settled down, I noticed how different he looked. He’d aged well, but at eleven, he was heavier than he’d been, and his eyes didn’t have quite the same glow to them.

“Thank you for being there for him,” I said to Magnus, who I could tell was behind us by the large shadow. My voice was thick with emotion.

“Dean, we love that dog. It was our pleasure, really,” Magnus said, walking over and giving me his hand. I took it, and he pulled me up off the ground. Carey rubbed his head on my shins, and I heard more barking. Natalia was walking toward us, two other dogs in tow. They were cockers like Carey, one brown, and the other buff like the older dog.

“Magnus, who’s with you?” Natalia asked as she neared us. Our backs were to her, and Mary and I turned to her, tears already falling down Mary’s face.

“Nat,” Mary said, stepping over to our friend. It was then I noticed there was a small boy clutching on to Nat’s leg.

Natalia cried out in anguish. I almost reached for a gun before it clicked that she was just surprised by us.

“How? How are you here?” she asked, her eyes instantly red, puffy, and adorable at the same time. She embraced Mary, holding on tight.

“If you have a cup of coffee, we can tell you,” I said, and she turned to me, grabbing hold of my arms and pulling me into a big hug. She was so warm, and I hugged her back, telling her how glad I was to see her. “Who’s this?” I asked, crouching to be at eye level with the boy. The three dogs came over and played, rolling on the grass between us.

“These are Carey’s little ones,” Magnus said. “Charlie, the boy, and Maggie, the little troublemaker there.” He pointed to the brown one, who gave him a bark. They looked young, but they weren’t puppies any longer. “And that,” he nodded to the brown-haired hiding boy, “is Dean.” Magnus looked at me, a twinkle in his eye.

“We didn’t think we’d ever see you again. It had been four years. We wanted to… remember you,” Natalia said, sniffling as she held Mary’s hand.

It was quite the reunion, and I felt like I’d been through an emotional wringer. “Hi, Dean,” I said. He peeked out from behind her leg and looked at me, the perfect little combination of Magnus and Natalia. I was so happy for them. “Look at what you guys have accomplished out here. It’s amazing. It’s… kind of the dream.” I felt the loss hard. They’d had seven years together, building a family and taking care of Carey, and we’d just been on a journey across space for a few months. It was hard to wrap my brain around.

“It’s been nice,” Magnus said, and I hardly heard him.

“Let’s go inside,” Natalia said, her accent still thick, but her voice softer than it had been.

We started the walk to their cabin, the dogs sauntering along. Carey stuck close to Magnus but looked back to make sure I was coming. I knew whose dog he was now, and to say it didn’t hurt would be a lie. I was glad he was a happy dog who’d had the opportunity to lead a safe and healthy life. I wasn’t sure if I could have given him that security.

The smaller brown cocker followed along behind me, playfully romping through the grass, her bark trying to get me to play along. I knelt and scratched her ears, which she rolled over for, kicking her back legs out for a stretch. “Well, Maggie, it’s nice to meet you. I think there might be some treats inside the house with your name on them.” At that word, she perked up and ran ahead into the house as Magnus held the door open.

Mary stayed behind after the other three entered the home. “Are you okay?”

“I think so. It’s just… a lot. How about you?” I asked.