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I stumble along the narrow mountain track. The pavement is interspersed with potholes. In some places, rocks have dropped down from the mountain side overgrown with pine trees. They partially obstruct the path. I pause to take a breather while putting down the backpack and lifting Adam off my chest. My clothes are drenched in sweat. Even the sun is siding with the angels to kill us – it has to be at least ninety degrees out here, if not more. The wind tousles my hair like Mark’s ghost is running a hand through it in a sweet caress. It’s a relief, both mentally and physically. It makes me feel less alone. Of course Adam and Luca are with me, but by now I’m craving a conversation with a grown-up, so in the past few days I’ve started to talk to Mark and to my family, as though they’re here with me undertaking this journey. And who knows – now that God and His angels turn out to be real, ghosts might be just as real.
I can hardly feel my legs anymore. My feet seem to have a will of their own. In the past few hours they just kept going forward and forward, as if they were even more hell-bent on reaching our goal than I am myself.
A little bit further up the road is a sign. It’s askew and is teetering on the precipice stretching out on my right side. Below me is the forest in which I’ve dwelled for the last few days. The sign is a welcome friend in troubled times that have almost made me lose courage.
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Keystone Valley, 2 miles
Keystone River Run Village, 10 miles
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“Guys, we’re almost there,” I whisper. None of the ghosts answer me, but Luca does. He’s sat down next to me and is barking in jubilation while licking my hand. I pet him on the head while digging around for my water flask in my backpack. I take a few greedy gulps before letting Luca drink by pouring some water into my cupped hand. I pour some into Adam’s bottle and slip it into his mouth. He pushes the bottle away in protest, but I don’t let him and force him to drink something. It’s the only kind of fluid I can currently offer him, even though water is not necessarily good for a baby. Food has become scarce too. Two more fruit purees, that’s it. I hope we’ll stumble upon a few abandoned houses once we get to the valley, because the village is ten more miles of trekking. Maybe I can replenish my supplies before that. I can only hope that River Run Village hasn’t been completely plundered already.
The Keystone area is a small community and not nearly big enough to be deserving of a nuclear bomb being dropped on it. Which is a good thing, because otherwise the radiation would still be all around us and take us out slowly, like a covert assassin taking his time to kill us from the inside or even mutate our genes. I look at Adam and swallow. God forbid that would happen. However, I’ll only know the state of things in Keystone Village once I get there, and by the time I can witness it with my own eyes and see whether it’s a site of impact, it’ll be too late to retrace my steps. For all I know we may have trotted around on radiation-poisoned land already. On the East coast we were never far away from big cities, after all. Besides, so many bombs were dropped that I wouldn’t be surprised if the planet is blanketed by an eternal cover of black clouds in some places. If that’s true, I might as well enjoy the sunshine while it lasts, because even that could be taken away from me eventually.
Don’t think about that.
I pack up all my stuff, haul the backpack onto my shoulders, strap Adam to my chest again and pray to whoever’s listening that my legs won’t give up.
Only a few more miles.
But what if nothing’s left of this valley and its inhabitants? The thought – or rather, the ridiculous idea – that I would find my brother here is what kept me going for so long. What if he isn’t here? Or worse – what if he is here, but dead? I don’t know if I can deal with that. What’ll be left for us if that happens? Where will we go?
The roads curves to the left in the distance, which gives me a view of the ravine stretching out below the road and the sun in the sky. Only two puffy clouds have dared to venture out and invade the territory of the clear, blue sky. I follow the road but stop midstride when I encounter five parked cars around the bend. They’re abandoned and parked crisscross alongside the road, covered in dust. The doors are wide open and two of them have the trunks popped open. The windows are grimy. Some of them have holes in them... caused by bullets, perhaps?
Just beyond the last car in line is the entrance to a tunnel which leads to the valley and the Keystone village. Or it used to: now it’s partially blocked by a huge rock as well as a diagonally parked truck.
“I’m afraid we’re gonna have to climb over,” I whisper.
Luca looks at me uncomprehendingly .
I shift the weight of the backpack slightly to the right and head for the tunnel.
A gunshot echoes off the rocks, the bullet missing me narrowly before it ricochets off the bumper of the car next to me. With a yelp, I duck down. I lose my balance, fall forward and scrape my knees on the gravel on top of the pavement. Adam starts to cry because of the sudden movement. I crawl around the car as quickly as I can to find cover, in case they’ll shoot at me again. I shrug off the backpack hastily and cradle Adam’s head in my hands. His wailing makes my head hurt, my temples pounding in agony. I cover his mouth with my hand and try to shush him. “Hush, baby. Sshh.” My voice is trembling so badly that it doesn’t sound very convincing. It doesn’t help – Adam keeps crying. A fresh bullet bores into the asphalt right next to the car, and drowns out the sound of Luca’s barks. I cast a quick glance over the open trunk and see the Labrador looking around searchingly. The fact that the sound echoes makes it hard for even him to locate the position of the shooter. “Luca, come over here,” I whisper. My hand slips into my backpack to take out the gun. “Now!” Please. I can’t deal with this world anymore if they shoot you too.
Luca stops barking and hesitantly glances my way.
“Come here!” I repeat adamantly.
The words have barely left my mouth when the dog comes running my way. I pull him in and whisper in his ear to stay put. He obeys, but still growls to warn me when another shot rings out.
It’s followed by silence.
Gasping for breath and trying to slow down my heartrate, I look around me, half-expecting to see the shooter coming at me from somewhere. Two minutes pass, then five, then ten. I take a deep breath and gather courage before slowly standing up straight to look over the opened tailgate. To my left, there’s the ravine next to the deserted road. To my right, there’s the other cars and the blocked tunnel.
Nothing moves.
I try to gauge where the shots were coming from and am about to crouch down to crawl around the car again when I hear a gun being cocked. A voice addresses me. “Drop the gun and turn around. Slowly.”
The barrel bumps against the back of my head and I hear the shuffling of feet. My heart beats erratically in my chest. “Please. I’m not dangerous...” I’ve already established that my assailant isn’t a Hunter, or I’d be dead already. In all likelihood he’s just as freaked out as I am. I have to use this to my advantage. I do as I’m asked and put the gun down. With both hands raised in the air, I turn halfway so my shoulder is pointed at him and I can take a look at him, but Adam stays out of his firing range.
What I see makes my knees buckle. The man isn’t that old yet. He’s wearing a long rain slicker caked in dust with faded jeans and biker boots underneath. A baseball cap is shielding his face from the sun. He’s definitely in need of a good shave and his eyes radiate a certain toughness, but I immediately recognize him.
“Steph?”
His hard stance wavers. His left eyebrow quirks up questioningly.
“Steph. It’s me, Anna.” Tears start rolling down my cheeks and hit the crown of Adam’s head. My throat feels dry all of a sudden, and the lump stuck in there throbs painfully. I suddenly realize that he’s never used that name for me. He always addressed me as ‘hey, sis’ after we got our new identities, refusing to use my new name. “Paula,” I add quickly.
He’s not real, he’s a mirage. You want him to be here, so here he is.
No – the barrel of the gun pressed against my head is real enough. This is not just my imagination. But it’s too good to be true. Of all the people I could have bumped into, I run into the very person I set out to find here? That only happens in books or movies. It’s too much of a coincidence.
And I don’t believe in coincidences.
Why, then, do I stand there with my mouth hanging open? The answer is simple: I’ve been touched by hope. Inspired by the thought that good things might still happen to me in this world. What if it is true?
“Paula?” His voice sounds older than I remember – jaded by life experience. How long has it been? Five years... seven? Too long.
I nod. “It’s me.”
Clearly debating with himself, he stares at me, the baby, and Luca. He lowers the gun somewhat, but the weapon’s still aimed at me.
Adam, meanwhile, is screaming at the top of his tiny lungs.
Another voice – low, threatening. “Drop it.”
Startled, I look over Steph’s shoulder. An old man of about seventy is standing right behind him. He must have come out of the tunnel. He looks like a weathered and especially confident, retired soldier. A cigarette is dangling from the corner of his mouth. His back is slightly bent and his clothes simple. And yet, the look in his eyes tells me that this guy is not to be messed with. But of course, the rifle in his hands already clued me in to that.
To my surprise, a faint smile tugs at Steph’s lips. He raises the gun and both his hands in the air before turning around.
“Steady,” the man warns him. “I really don’t mind pumping you full of lead.”
“You’re really willing to kill reunited siblings in cold blood? With that baby watching you?”
The old man cocks his head and looks at me. It makes me shiver, especially since the gun’s still trained on us. Apparently, he’s only seen Adam strapped to my chest just now. He quickly recovers, though. “I will if you leave me no choice. So, put down the damn gun.”
Steph doesn’t comply. Instead, he slowly lowers his gun again, aiming it at the old man. “How do I know you’re not one of them?”
“You’d be dead by now, son.”
“Same goes for you. We’re on the same side here.”
“I’ll be the judge of that. Lower your gun!”
It doesn’t look like Steph is going to obey that order.
I feel it in every fiber of my being: this is going to spiral out of control. Well, I’m not about to lose Steph – not now that fate has handed him to me on a silver plate. “We’re not here to harm anyone,” I quickly cut in. “We’re just on our way to Keystone.” I shoot Steph an unresolved look. “Or we were, at least.”
“Why?” The man spits on the ground like it’s the most disgusting thing he’s ever heard. “Nothing’s left of River Run Village.”
I nod at Steph and raise my voice to make myself heard over Adam’s wailing. “I was looking for him.”
Baffled, Steph turns toward me. “For me?”
I look at him disbelievingly. “Yes, of course!”
“So you didn’t travel here together,” the old man points out cynically.
That seems to be the breaking point for Steph. With a deep sigh, he says: “Look, grandad. You’re outnumbered, even if you’re the one armed.”
The man bursts out laughing. “Ah, is that what you think? Well, look around you, buddy.”
And that’s what I do. At first glance, I see nothing that stands out to me, but upon closer inspection I can make out more armed people huddled between the trees on the mountainside.
We’re surrounded.
“So, brother and sister, huh?” the man continues with a sly grin. “I really don’t know what bothers me more – the fact that you’re lying, or the ease with which you’re doing it.”
“But he is my brother!” I stammer.
“Sure he is.”
“She’s right.” Steph looks around and also spots the guns pointed at us from everywhere. It makes him realize how much he is outnumbered – how violence won’t get him out of this. So he does as he’s told: he sinks to his knees with his hands in the air, then puts the gun down on the pavement. “I’m not looking for trouble.”
“And that’s why you were holding your so-called sister at gunpoint?” The man spits on the ground once more and squints his eyes at us. “Not very convincing, is it?”
“I didn’t know it was her. Besides, I wasn’t really trying to hit her. But you can’t trust anybody. I just wanted to...”
“I’m glad we’re agreed about one thing, at least,” the man interrupts him.
“I had to know for sure that she wasn’t one of them. The fact that she’s got a live child with her convinced me that she isn’t. But I only saw him when I came closer.” He takes me in with an intense look. “Though I have to admit it would be the perfect decoy.”
“Excuse me?” I stare at him, completely baffled.
Adam keeps on crying.
Luca’s right next to me and lets out a few barks when more men emerge from the tunnel – five of them, all armed. They climb over the car blocking their way and come to stand around the old man. Only now do I see that one of them isn’t a man at all – it’s a woman with short, black hair. She takes a step forward and puts her hand on the old man’s shoulder, who hasn’t moved an inch ever since they came and seems to be debating whether he should shoot us now or three seconds later. “Lower your gun, Howard,” she commands him, her voice cold as ice.
“They know our location. We can’t allow them to leave.”
“I agree.”
“Good. So you won’t mind if I...”
“And that’s why they’re joining us in our camp.”
Shocked, Howard gapes at her. “What’s that?”
“You heard me.”
“Are you insane?”
“They have a baby with them.”
“The guy just told us: it’s the perfect cover.”
The woman takes us in one by one – me, Adam, Luca, and Steph. In the sky above, an eagle screeches out in the charged silence surrounding us. Well, him and Adam, of course. At long last, she simply states: “That’s a bit far-fetched. I refuse to believe that.”
The man’s eyes grow wide. “You refuse to believe it?”
“Listen. I’m the last one to claim we shouldn’t be careful. And believe me, it’s not like I’m bringing out the welcome wagon and give them food and a tent. They’ll be put in prison for the time being, and they’ll be monitored round the clock until the council has decided whether they’re to be trusted or not. But what we aren’t going to do here is shoot innocent people on a hunch, just because you believe they might be dangerous. Not here, not now. Besides, I seem to remember giving you the benefit of the doubt not too long ago.”
“But...” the old man tries again. He turns to the other four men for support. “What do you think of this?”
“She’s right, Howard,” one of them replies.
“Enough blood’s been shed,” another one adds.
“To be honest, I’m with Howard on this one,” a third man calls out. “Besides, think of all the extra mouths we have to feed. It’s not like we’re drowning in supplies as it is.”
The woman puts her hand on Howard’s shoulder again and squeezes it while she fixes the third speaker with her stare. “We can always kill them later. Bringing someone back to life is a lot harder.”
Howard yanks his shoulder out of her reach. “You’ll regret this, Elaine. I can feel it in my bones.”
The woman shrugs noncommittally. “I guess we’ll see. But by now there are so many of us that even one or two Hunters wouldn’t be able to fight us off.”
I doubt that.
Slowly, the woman approaches us. I hastily cover as much of Adam’s body as I can and turn away from her. “What a cutie.” She smiles at me. “You must be tired. Don’t worry about us locking you up, that’s just out of precaution. As soon as we’re sure you guys pose no threat to us, you’re free to go wherever you want.” Her voice drops a notch, and she gives me and Steph a pointed look. “But don’t get any funny ideas. The minute I feel you’ve been lying to us, I won’t hesitate to kill you myself.”
At that moment, a cry bounces off the rock face, making us all look up anxiously. “Steph? Oh, Jesus.” Followed by: “Wait, don’t shoot!”
One of the sentinels on the mountainside slides down as quickly yet carefully as she can. Her voice is the only thing clueing me in to the fact that she’s a woman. She’s wearing jeans and a flannel shirt that’s way too big for her. A bandana keeps her long hair away from her eyes and her face is half-covered by a scarf serving as a face mask, which she is now pulling down. Out of breath, she stops in front of us, her rifle dangling against her side. “Is it really you?” Open-mouthed, she stares at my brother.
“Sasha?” Steph squints his eyes as he looks at the woman disbelievingly.
Hearing her name, Sasha begins to cry. With a sob, she wraps her arms around him. “Thank God. I thought you were dead.”
Steph hugs her back – gingerly at first, but then his arms really pull her in and he holds her close. “Sasha, is it really you?”
“You better believe it, babe.”
Cocking an eyebrow, I look at the scene in front of me. “Uhm, Steph..?”
Apparently I’m not the only one puzzled by what’s happening. “You know these people, Sasha?” Elaine asks doubtfully.
The young woman wriggles out of Steph’s grasp and turns around. “Steph’s my boyfriend.” She then turns toward me. “And you are...”
“His sister.”
Sasha nods in agreement. “Yeah, of course. We had a photo of you up in our living room. Steph told me all about you and your family. So terrible. Are your parents and sister, ehm...”
I nod with tears in my eyes, not brave enough to look Steph in the eye. My gaze lingers on Adam. Absently I stroke his little head, which finally calms him down a bit.
“That’s what I suspected,” Steph says dejectedly. “It’s a miracle I’ve found the two of you back already, actually.”
“I’m so sorry,” Sasha says with compassion. Then, turning to Elaine: “You’re not going to hurt them, are you?”
“She wants to throw them in jail,” Howard replies cynically.
“You want to do what?” Sasha gives Elaine a wide-eyed look.
“Hey, at least I’m taking them to camp,” Elaine defends herself. “That’s risky enough as it is. I’m only locking them up until we find out for sure they’re good people.”
“I just told you I know them.”
“You haven’t seen your boyfriend in months,” one of the men behind Elaine comments.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sasha snaps.
“A lot could have happened in those few months, girl.”
“You fucking...” Sasha clenches her fists, then pleadingly addresses the obvious leader of this troupe. “Come on, Elaine.”
“I’m afraid we don’t have a choice,” Elaine says. “It’s either this or shooting them on the spot, because letting them go is just not an option. If Hunters take them prisoner and torture them for information about our hideout, we’re dead.”
“And if they are Hunters, you’re leading them right to us,” Howard points out, still in a huff.
Sasha puts her hands in her sides demonstratively. “Well, if you’re going to lock up Steph, I’ll be in the same cell with him.”
Elaine shrugs it off. “Your choice, dear. It’s a free country.” To the men behind her, she says: “Tie their hands and bring them to camp.”