G Hopf - The Long Road

“My father wants to leave next week.”

“How many in your family?”

The boy waved his finger at Sebastian. “No, way, my turn.”

Sebastian chuckled and replied, “Go ahead.”

“My sister said you’re a Marine. Ever kill anyone?”

Now Sebastian looked shocked. “How old are you?”

“Answer the question.”

“Listen, I think we’ve played this game long enough, okay?”

“I think you have too,” Annaliese said. She was standing at the top of the stairs.

Sebastian was surprised he hadn’t heard her walking up. He wondered how long she had been listening to his back-and-forth with her little brother.

“Sorry, I wanted to stretch my legs or leg, and I ran into him. What’s your name anyway?”

“Away with you. Now go, you have things to do. Go see Uncle James in the garage,” Annaliese commanded her little brother.

Jumping up without a word, he walked for the stairs, but before he started down, he turned and answered Sebastian. “My name’s Zachary, but you can call me Zach,” He smiled, then hurried down the stairs past his sister.

“Nice boy. So, were you spying on us?” Sebastian asked Annaliese.

“No, I heard voices up here so I came to see what was going on,” she said, walking farther into the room.

“Listen, I’m really sorry about earlier.”

“It’s okay, I shouldn’t be so sensitive.” Annaliese approached the sectional and sat down a few feet away from him. “I know this is all strange to you and that all you know is one minute you were in a helicopter and now you’re here. I’m sorry about your friends and comrades. What questions do you have? I’ll do my best to answer them.”

Being mindful of his previous gaffe, he chose to be as polite and conscious of his facial expressions as possible. He openly asked questions, and she answered as straightforwardly as possible. She told him about Zion, about how their prophet John Smith claimed it to be the place for their people to go at the end of days. She further explained that the Mormons have always been a prepared people, always stockpiling food, water, and essential supplies. When the lights went out, their church was ready. They communicated with old ham radios they had stored in Faraday boxes; some had older vehicles that worked, and all had all the other tools necessary to protect and defend themselves.

She went into detail about what had happened locally after the attack. The reports she’d heard were horrible; she herself had not witnessed the initial atrocities, but some in her group had ventured out to plan a route for their trek away from San Diego. Of course many San Diegans were not prepared for this type of event, and within only a few days many had taken to the streets to look for food. Civil unrest had exploded quickly, followed by a total breakdown in civility. People attacked each other for the slightest bit of food. Rumors that a militia was killing and kidnapping people were being heard a few weeks after the attack. This news caused panic within her group, leading her father to start preparations for an evacuation.

When she finally was allowed outside of her ranch, the things she’d seen and now described to Sebastian were horrific. She paused now and then when she described what she’d seen. The bloated and mutilated bodies were not just commonplace; they were everywhere. She was shocked by the death and carnage. She had only been let outside with her uncle when someone had radioed that ships were off the coast. Rumors then began that the government was here to help, but reality proved otherwise. She told him that she had heard the distant gunfire that hit his helicopter and had seen it go down not far from where they sat.

Sebastian took all the information in. At times he had to remind himself to blink. He was transfixed by every word she said. Even though he’d known things would go to shit, it was still shocking to hear the specific details from an eyewitness. As she went on, his concern for Gordon grew. His brother wasn’t the prepper type. The first four weeks had been a violent and bloody fight for the limited resources in the area. After Annaliese had explained everything she knew, he expressed his concern for his brother and his family.

“I need to go check on my brother.”

“You still need to heal, maybe next week.”

“No, I need to go. You’re leaving next week, and by the way it sounds out there, I have to go. He might need me now.”

“I understand. Let me talk to my father,” she said and placed her hand on his back and rubbed him gently.

“Can you go now?” Sebastian asked.

“Sure,” she said. She stood and walked away.

A queasy feeling overcame him as he thought about Gordon, but more specifically about Hunter and Haley. The thoughts of the horrors befalling them made Sebastian sick. He had to find his brother and he had to do it now.

40 miles east of Barstow, California

The sun’s rays cascaded across Samantha’s face. She twitched for a minute, then rolled over and attempted to go back into the deep sleep she had been enjoying. She then thought about Gordon. She hadn’t seen him off when he left last night. As a couple they worked hard at their relationship, but this time they’d both broken a vow of not going to bed mad. After the group’s meeting, she fed the kids, got them ready for bed, and went to bed herself, all without uttering a word to him. Their silence was mutual, as Gordon didn’t attempt to smooth things over either. Now, though, she regretted her behavior.

She rolled back on her back and placed her hand on the empty part of the bed he usually occupied. She wondered where he was. Slight concern grew, but she dismissed it quickly because knowing Gordon he was probably outside, “getting something done.” Her thoughts were then directed to the little footsteps she could hear coming toward her. Haley was tiptoeing, taking each step gently so as to not wake her mother, whom she thought was still asleep.

“Come here, baby,” Samantha whispered.

Seeing her mother was awake, Haley hurried over and jumped into the bed next to her. They both cuddled, and Samantha kissed her daughter on the head.

“Where’s Daddy?” Haley asked.

“I don’t know…” Samantha yawned.

Both of them continued with small talk. Haley had started to role-play more since the lights went out. She would tell her mother that she was Princess Celestia from My Little Pony and that Samantha was her sister. She assigned everyone in the family a role. Samantha didn’t mind this innocence. She would play along with her daughter, creating new worlds and exploring them together.

“Where’s Hunter?” Haley asked in the middle of the make-believe.

“He’s not in the back?” Samantha sat up a bit to try to see him.

“No,” Haley replied.

Samantha again soothed her instinctual concern and imagined her son was out with Gordon.

After another ten minutes of play, Samantha knew she needed to get up and get ready; the group would be heading out soon.

When she stepped out of the trailer, the smells of desert sage and campfire smoke mixed and filled her nostrils. The sky was a deep blue, and the sun felt good. People in her group were packing their vehicles, and she could see Nelson talking to his father.

She made her way over to him and said, “Morning, Nelson. Seen Gordon?”

“Nope.”

Placing her hand on her brow to shield her eyes, she scanned the encircled vehicles. She didn’t see his truck. A deep feeling of dread overcame her.

“Who was on watch last night?” she asked.

“It was Eric,” Nelson answered, then continued. “You all right?”

“Um, I don’t know. I’m a bit worried.” She quickly walked toward Eric and Melissa’s trailer. After a solid minute of banging, Melissa opened the door.