Tim Washburn - The Day After Oblivion

Alyx chuckles. “You haven’t caught fire yet.” Alyx scans the area behind them and tenses up. “Zane, two people are coming up on our six.”

Zane turns to look. It appears to be a young couple and they’re about two hundred yards away. “Where’d they come from?”

“Don’t know. Just spotted them.”

Zane eases over, takes the shotgun, and moves to the cab, where he pulls the box of shotgun shells closer to the passenger window. “We should leave before they get here.”

“I’m hungry, Zane. Maybe they have some food we could trade for. We haven’t had anything to eat since we had that turkey early yesterday.”

“We’ll be at your parents’ house by the end of the day.”

“What’s it going to hurt, Zane? You’ve got a shotgun in your hands.”

“I just think it’s an unnecessary risk.”

“They’re almost here. If they don’t have any food, we’ll head on down the road.”

Zane shakes his head. “Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?”

“I’m not stubborn. Just determined.”

The couple stops when they’re ten feet away, and Zane’s already picking up a bad vibe from the man. He appears to be in his midtwenties and has broad shoulders and narrow hips. She appears to be of similar age and she’s attractive, with long, dark hair, large, dark eyes, and a well-proportioned body. Probably homecoming queen back in her day, Zane guesses. Although attractive, there’s something off about her. She appears timid, almost frightened.

The young man is holding his hands up, about chest high. He’s wearing jeans, heavy boots, and a pullover shirt. “I’m Chad and this is Lori. Do I need to be worried about the shotgun?”

Zane widens his stance. “Depends.”

“On what?” Chad asks. Either the young man is cocky as hell or he was born with a permanent smirk on his face.

“Your behavior. I’m Zane and my friend is Alyx. You guys from around here?”

Chad lowers his hands. “Naw, I’m just passin’ through. Originally from Wichita Falls. Found an abandoned house and decided to hole up for a while.”

Zane nods. Lori, the young woman, begins to visibly tremble. “You both from Wichita Falls?”

“Lori’s local. We hooked up a couple of days ago.”

Alyx steps around the truck and takes a position next to Zane. “Willingly?”

“Of course.” He glances at the girl. “Right, Lori?”

Lori offers a timid nod and clutches her hands together. Upon closer inspection, she appears younger than Zane originally thought, maybe late teens, at best. She’s dressed in jeans, sneakers, and a long-sleeved T-shirt. Zane can see the remnants of a faint bruise edging beyond the collar of her shirt.

“See. We’re good.”

“You two out for a stroll and just happened upon us?” Alyx asks.

“No, I spotted your truck when you rolled in. Thought maybe we could do some trading.”

Alyx takes a moment to study the situation. She glances up at Zane to see him clenching his jaw. “We’re willing to trade some meds for food.”

“What kind of meds? Oxy?”

Alyx brushes a strand of hair from her face. “No, antibiotics.”

Chad takes two steps forward and leans in. “You’ll have to do better than that, if you want something to eat.”

Zane takes a half step to the left, putting himself between Alyx and Chad. “That’s all we have. Take it or leave it.”

“You a hard-ass?” Chad asks, turning to eyeball Zane.

“Only when I need to be.”

Chad smiles. “Don’t you have something else to barter with?” He turns to Alyx. “Alyx? That your name?”

“Yes,” Alyx answers.

Chad switches his gaze back to Zane. “You willing to turn her out?”

Instead of answering, Zane smashes the stock of the shotgun into Chad’s face, and he drops where he’s standing as Lori sinks to her knees. Alyx hurries over and helps the girl up as Chad rolls over and gets up to his hands and knees. Lori breaks free of Alyx’s grip and runs over and starts kicking Chad in the ribs and head until he collapses back to the ground. Alyx wraps an arm around Lori and pulls her off. “What’s going on?”

Tears are streaming down Lori’s cheeks. “That bastard… that bastard tied me… up… and… and tortured my… my parents to… death. He… made… me… watch.”

Alyx pulls her close and wraps both arms around her, whispering in her ear. “It’s okay, Lori. It’s over now.”

Lori sniffles. “And… he… raped me… repeatedly.”

Zane, the veins pulsing in his forehead, reaches down and pulls Chad up by the collar of his shirt. “Get up, you piece of shit.”

Once Chad is up and standing, Zane and Alyx exchange a quick glance.

“Start walking,” Zane orders.

“She’s lying,” Chad shouts.

“You’re the damn liar,” Lori screams, spittle flying into the air. “You murdered my parents.”

“Walk,” Zane orders again. He lifts a foot and kicks Chad in the ass.

Chad stumbles forward and regains his balance.

Lori stomps a foot and screams, “You can’t let him go! He’ll just come back.”

Alyx gently places a hand on either side of Lori’s head. “Shh, it’s going to be okay.” Alyx gently turns her head, forcing Lori to look at her. “I promise.”

The shotgun roars and both women jump. Lori whirls around to see Chad lying in the middle of the road, his blood already pooling around him. She sinks to her knees again, and Alyx kneels next to her. “It’s over, Lori. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Lori nods and continues to sob. Alyx helps her to her feet and Zane drops the tailgate. Alyx steers Lori over and gently helps her into a sitting position. Alyx sits next to the young woman and hugs her as she sobs, Lori’s entire body trembling. Eventually, the trembling subsides and the tears slow. Lori wipes her nose with the back of her hand.

“Do you have other family in town to stay with?” Alyx asks.

Lori nods. “An aunt and… uncle.”

“Do you think you can make your way there by yourself?”

Lori nods again. “Yes.”

When she’s ready, Alyx helps her up while Zane shuffles over to the cab and grabs a new shotgun shell and reloads. Lori is tentative at first, but a glance at Chad’s body strengthens her resolve. Zane can see her squaring her shoulders and her steps become more determined. Once she disappears down the highway embankment, Zane and Alyx return to the truck and climb in.

“Any remorse?” Alyx asks.

“Not a bit.”

Ottawa, Kansas

The flashlight-for-headlights gig lasted only so long. The high number of expired vehicles on the highway made the going treacherous. After several harrowing miles, McDowell turned off the highway and cruised slowly along the access road and spotted a new-car dealership. He turned into the lot and parked behind the building among a slew of other vehicles. He and the rest of the crew bedded down in the service waiting area. After only three short hours of sleep, McDowell climbs back behind the wheel at daybreak. Two days of gunplay have left him strung out. It’s Lauren’s turn in the cab while Melissa serves her shift in the back with the group of cranky teenagers.

Lauren wraps a strand of her dark hair around her index finger. “How far to Oklahoma City?”

“On a good day, maybe three and a half hours. Today, who knows? Things will probably get gummed up when we reach Wichita.”

“Another military base?” Lauren asks.

“Yes, McConnell Air Force Base. They’re a big refueling outfit that was probably high on the target list.”

“Have you been to every Air Force base there is?”

McDowell smiles. “Not all of them, but a bunch. I spent twenty years in the Air Force. They like to move people around.”