Covid winced at the sound of the thick titanium door locking behind them. Leaving the bunker had been the most momentous decision of his life and one he would rather not have had to make. Corona had left him no choice. He turned to Destine. “Why did you come with me?”
“You know as well as I do that Varian will make a shambles of things. When the others figure out they’ve made a mistake choosing him they’ll need a true leader to whom to turn. That will be you: but only if you return alive.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning you won’t last a day out here on your own.”
Covid frowned. “I can take care of myself.”
“Really? Have you studied biology? Can you tell which fruits are edible and which are poisonous? Have you read any books on medicine? Do you know how to clean a wound or set a broken bone?”
“Well, no but —”
“What about trailblazing? Sociology? Psychology?”
“Why would I need to know those things?”
“If we do run into other people and communities, knowledge of sociology and psychology will help us understand them. What about architecture? Can you tell the difference between a church and a school?”
Covid became defensive. “There was no reason to study any of that stuff in the bunker. It wasn’t relevant; it had nothing to do with our lives.”
“It does now,” Destine said. “Fortunately for you, I have studied all those subjects. I can teach you some of what I know and keep you alive.”
Covid grimaced.
“You’re welcome.”
Covid looked around their surroundings. In every direction he could see clear to the horizon. He had never imagined such vastness. “It’s huge out here. How far does it go on?”
“A long, long way. I told you it would be nearly impossible to find Corona and Kai. They could’ve gone off in any direction. And we don’t know what’s out there: wild animals; contaminated environments; hostile humans. We don’t even know if there’s an uncontaminated source of food and water. Their odds of survival are slim… Just like ours.”
Covid gritted his teeth. “We’ll survive. All of us. Now which way should we go?”
Destine perused the ground. “Footprints. They lead that way.” She pointed. Covid nodded and followed her. They walked for several miles before coming to a halt.
“What’s wrong?” Covid asked. “Why have you stopped?”
Destine pointed to the ground. “The terrain has turned rocky. Boots and shoes don’t make impressions on hard rocks as they do on soil. There’s no more trail to follow. They could have gone anywhere from here.”
“We should head in the direction we’ve been traveling in.”
“That may work for a while. They probably continued in the same direction but at some point they would have veered left or right. There’s no road or path for them to have stayed on. Even if they thought they were walking in a straight line they would have strayed in the dark.”
“What do we do now?”
Destine shrugged. “We could go back the way we came and return to the bunker…” She saw the determined look in his eyes. “Or, we can pick a direction and start walking.”
Covid wiped the sweat from his brow. “All right. That way.” There was no logic to his choice, nor could there have been. All Covid knew was the one direction he couldn’t choose was the one from which they had come. He was determined not to return to the bunker until he had searched everywhere for Corona. He just hadn’t realized how massive “everywhere” might be.
Destine slipped off her facemask and sipped water from one of the canteens she had brought. She offered it to Covid, who shook his head. “If you don’t drink, you’ll dehydrate. We’re not used to this heat.”
Covid wiped his sweaty brow with his shirtsleeve, which was already drenched in perspiration. He nodded and accepted the canteen, removing his mask. “If this is what the days outside the bunker are like, we haven’t been missing anything.” He pointed to a grove of trees. “We can rest there. The trees will shade us from the sun.”
Destine followed him into the grove. They were surprised to find a lake hidden behind the trees. “A pool of water!” Covid exclaimed. “I could use a bath to cool off and wash the sweat from my body. We can refill the canteens, too!” He stripped off his shirt and kicked off his shoes.
“Wait!” Destine cried. “Don’t go near the water: it’s polluted.”
Covid paused. “How can you tell?”
She pointed toward the edge of the lake. “See the dead fish floating on top? There must be something contaminating the water that gradually kills them. It might not harm us immediately we don’t want that touching our skin or inside us.”
Covid stared longingly at the refreshing, inviting water. “Damn. All I want is to cool off.” He pulled out his canteen and poured water down the back of his neck.
“Hey! That’s our drinking water.”
Covid recapped the canteen. “We’ll find more. There’s got to be drinkable water somewhere; otherwise, it doesn’t matter how much I use. We can’t survive out here if there’s no water we can drink once our canteens run dry.”
“Let’s move on,” Destine said. “This lake is too tempting.”
Covid nodded. They replaced their facemasks and headed back out into the sun. They walked for miles, the unchanging scenery making it difficult to know how far they had traveled. Then, Covid espied something in the distance. “That structure… Is it a school or a church?”
Destine peered at it, squinting against the harsh rays of the sun. “Neither, I think. If it were a church it would have a spire. But it looks like there are other buildings clustered nearby. It could be a town. This rocky path we’ve been on may have been a road at one time.”
“That means people… And food.”
“Not necessarily. The virus may have killed everyone years ago. We could be walking into a ghost town.”
“Even so, we might find something useful. If Corona and Kai came this way we might find some sign of them.”
“Possibly, but don’t get your hopes up.”
Nonetheless, as they drew nearer Covid grew excited. “It is a town. It must be; look at all the structures.” They walked through the center of the deserted street, taking in all the empty buildings on either side of them. Covid paused when he passed a glass window. “Look! We can see inside.” He pressed his face against the window. “There are rows and rows stocked with tins like one of the storerooms in the bunker. We might find food or even water inside.”
“This must be what they used to call a store or market. See if you can break down the door.”
Covid approached the entrance and pressed against the door. “It wasn’t locked.” He pushed it open and stepped inside, followed by Destine. They wandered through the aisles, picking up various items from the shelves as they passed. “They have pictures on them. Do you think that’s what’s inside?”
“In most cases,” Destine said, picking up a can. “This one has a picture of a ship. I doubt that’s what’s inside. Before the coronavirus, people used to sail ships on great bodies of water called seas and catch fish. There might be some sort of fish inside.”
Covid frowned. “Do you think any of it would be edible after this long?”
“The tins in the bunker are. They were vacuum sealed. These look the same.” Her eyes drifted to a plastic bag filled with candy. Destine ripped it open and, hesitatingly, lifted her facemask and placed one into her mouth. “Mmmm. Tastes fresh. Sweet. Try one.”
Covid took one of the candies and sampled it. “Wow, that tastes good. Throw a couple bags into the sack.” He perused the various items on the shelves. “If the rest of the stuff is safe to eat then we won’t have to worry about provisions. Especially if there are more stores out there like this one.” His eyes fell on a package of potato chips resting on a top shelf. He reached up to grab it, clutching the bottom of the bag. An arrow sliced through the air spearing the package and pinning it to the wall. Covid and Destine turned in surprise.
Two teenagers stood at the entrance aiming bows and arrows at them. Between them, a white-haired woman, her hair tied back in a bun, stood grinning. “Looks like we caught us someone raiding our stash,” she said.
“They can’t be Raiders ‘cause we are, and we know all the other Raiders,” the boy said. “They must be Utopians.”
The woman shook her head. “Do they look like Utopians to you? ‘Sides, Utopians wouldn’t have the stones to come this far in.”
The girl gleefully targeted Covid with her bow and arrow. “Can I shoot him now, Granny? Bet I can pierce his heart from here.”
“Now Robin, what have I done taught you about meeting strangers?” Granny asked. “The first thing you do is find out their names. How else you gonna know what to write on the grave marker?”
The girl frowned, lowering her bow by a few degrees. “Yes, Granny.” She looked up at Covid. “What’s your name, boy?”
“Covid.” He glanced cautiously at Destine. He whispered, “What do those psychology books say about this?”
“Covid,” Robin repeated. “That’s an odd name. You care how I spell it on the marker?”
“With a C,” Destine said. “But I don’t think you really want to shoot us.”
Robin grinned. “I like shooting things. I’m real good at it.”
“I bet you are,” Destine said. “But I know how to help people who get sick or injured. I’m more useful alive than as a target.”
“She's got a point there, Robin,” Granny said. “Archer,” she called out to the boy, “Don’t shoot her.”
Archer lowered his bow. “Shucks, Robin always gets to have all the fun.”
“I take it you’re her brother?” Destine asked.
“Yep, and just as good a shot, too. I could shoot you right between the eyes without budging from this doorframe.”
Destine turned to Robin. “Are all the boys around here like your brother?”
Robin shrugged. “There ain’t many our age, but yeah, I guess.”
Destine gesture toward Covid. “Do you really want to kill the only new boy around?”
Robin lowered her bow. “Well, when you put it that way…” She stepped closer and perused his features. “He ain’t too hard on the eyes.” She turned back to the old lady. “Granny, can I keep him?”
She stroked her chin. “We’ll see. We’ll take them back with us. Now load up your sacks.”
“We’re looking for a girl and boy dressed like us.”
“With them funny masks?” Granny asked. “Ain’t seen ‘em.”
“Then, we’ll be heading on,” Covid said.
“Nope,” Granny said. “You’re coming back with us to the Outpost.” She turned to Robin and Archer. “If they give you any trouble, shoot ’em.”
Archer grinned. “Awesome.”
Robin pouted. “You said I could keep him.”
“Up to him if he wants to come home with us,” Granny said. “Either way’s fine with me; your brother could use the target practice.”
Destine spoke up. “Of course we’ll come back with you.” She gave Covid an admonishing look.
“Yeah, sure,” Covid said reluctantly. They watched Robin and Archer fill their sacks with canned goods. Then, the Raiders led them outside. Covid and Destine’s eyes widened. “What are those things?”
Granny squinted at him. “What’s wrong with you, boy? Ain’t you never seen a horse before? You hop on back with Archer. Your girlfriend can ride with Robin.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Covid said.
Robin grinned. “He can ride with me, Granny.”
“He’ll ride with your brother. Don’t start getting’ no ideas. Well, what are you two waitin’ fer? Get up on them horses.”
Archer reached down and offered Covid a hand up. Robin did the same for Destine. “Hold on tight,” Granny said, as each wrapped their arms around the riders’ waists. “Giddyap!” The three horses galloped off.