Dawn came much too quickly. Ethan was still tired—more tired than he knew was possible. For the last several nights, he’d slept less than two hours and on a few nights, not at all. He’d awaken frequently, usually half frozen, and with more parts of his body aching each time he opened his eyes. And even though he’d just banked a full night’s sleep, it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough to erase the deficit he was running. But as he walked the halls—his head pounding and his stomach in knots—he smiled. Today was going to be the day that things would change. It had to be.
Striding away from the rear doors, Ethan stopped just short of the lobby and peered back into the cell. He watched as Frank sat with his back to the wall, focusing on the book in his lap. As the older man looked up, Ethan mouthed “Good morning” and then nodded toward the front of the building.
Frank gave a thumbs up, marked his page, and moved to his feet. He stepped around his folded blanket and set his book aside. Out into the hall, he followed as Ethan moved through the lobby and stood looking out over the deserted street.
“Get much sleep?” Ethan asked.
“That’s all I’ve been doing for the last five days. But only for a few hours here and there. Sleep, wake up, listen for anything unusual, sleep some more, get up, check the windows and then do it all over again. I was starting to lose my mind in here. But it’s nothing compared to what you all have been living through.”
“Yeah,” Ethan said motioning toward the street. “It’s bad out there, really bad.”
“I’m sorry.”
Ethan shook his head. “We just kept running. From house to house, from building to building. That somehow kept us alive. It was brutal and the first few days were the worst. Those things were everywhere. We never stayed in the same spot for very long. We took shifts sleeping, and went out looking for food and water whenever it looked safe. Get in, take what you can carry and then get out. That was how we lived for five days.”
Frank motioned through the doors. “Looks like those things are moving away, I haven’t seen any groups of them since last night. There were a few stragglers out back this morning, but nothing like it was before. You still lookin’ to get up outta here today?”
“I am,” Ethan said. “But there are a few things I’d like to do before we head out.”
“Morning gentlemen.” Griffin moved into the lobby from the opposite hall. “Anyone else feel like they got hit by a bus?”
Turning from the window, Ethan smiled. “You’re up early.”
Griffin looked over his shoulder and into the opposite hallway. “You guys seen Ben? I got something I need him for.”
“Not this morning, maybe try the supply room.”
“Okay… you boys hungry?”
Ethan cut him a look. “You could fry up my shoe and I’d eat it at this point. Why, what do you have planned?”
“All I can tell you right now is that you may just have a warm meal and a hot shower at some point today. That’s why I’m looking for Ben. I need the kid’s help.”
Frank motioned toward the rear of the building. “You noticed those generators out back, didn’t you?”
“Cora saw them through the windows last night. They’re all fenced in and far enough from the building that we shouldn’t get any unwanted visitors. So if the kid and I can get in there and get them turned on, we might just have some power in this building.”
“What’s it look like out there?” Ethan asked. “Don’t risk it if there’s any chance of either of you—”
Griffin pointed out toward the street. “No, it’s good. As clear as it is out there, we’ll get in and get out quick.”
“Okay,” Ethan said. “You know anything about generators, or are you just going out there with your fingers crossed?”
Griffin smiled. “Hey, I wasn’t
always
a motorcycle mechanic. But as long as we’ve got fuel, it shouldn’t be a problem, they should start right up.”
“And if they don’t?”
“It won’t matter, there won’t be time to fix them anyways.”
“Sounds good, but don’t take any chances. Let’s meet back here in half an hour either way.”
Griffin nodded and moved out into the hall toward the rear exit.
Leading the way back past the chief’s office, Ethan headed for the door at the end of hall. He turned to Frank. “You have the keys?”
Reaching into his pocket, Frank handed Ethan the set he’d taken from Officer Tompkins. Ethan squinted at the sign on the door and then holding the keys out in front of his face, turned back toward the light at the entrance to the building. Six individual keys, sliding aside the ones for the cell door and the obvious front and rear exit keys, he found what he was looking for.
Gripping the door handle, he slid the key into the lock and twisted right. Pushing the door open, Ethan instinctively ran his hand along the wall, looking for a light switch. He tried both walls before stepping inside and remembering their predicament. “Great.”
Frank stayed outside the door, the left side of his face still partially illuminated by the dying light at the end of the hall. “We’re gonna need a flashlight. You wanna draw straws to see who goes and gets it off Tompkins’ belt?”
Shrouded in the darkness of the windowless room, Ethan rubbed his temples. “Stay here, I’ll go get it.”
Walking out of the room, Ethan moved by Frank and was halfway to the lobby as the overhead lights flickered and then burst to life. Shielding his eyes from the change in illumination, he turned back to Frank and shook his head. “This day may just turn out okay after all.”
Back into the weapons locker, Ethan loaded two black duffel bags as Frank detailed their stash. “Three shotguns, five handguns, and a long range rifle… not bad. I also counted eight boxes of twelve-gauge shells and two dozen boxes of nine millimeter ammo. The rest of that we’ll have to carry by hand. You have any boxes in the truck?”
“Yeah,” Ethan said looking up. “We’ll come back for the rest, but we should get going. The others are already waiting for us.”
Frank paused. He took a deep breath and looked out into the hall. “Ethan, I’m still not completely clear about any of this. I’ve been stuck in here for the last five days and have had hardly any contact with those things, or anyone else for that matter. I’m just hoping that what we’re doing is the right thing. I mean, we really don’t know what’s happening outside of this town, it could be worse.”
Ethan hoisted a bag onto each shoulder and moved toward the door. “You’re right, Frank, we don’t know, none of us do. It could be better—maybe we’ll find people to help, maybe not. Or as you said, it could be worse, a whole lot worse. We don’t know. But I’m sure as hell not gonna stay here and just wait to die. I can’t. I’ve got things I need to do.”
They sat around two tables in the kitchen. They’d eaten a full breakfast and most had already taken a semi-warm shower in the station’s locker room. Ethan and Ben finished loading the majority of the supplies into the truck as the others gathered anything else they figured they could use and stacked it near the rear entrance—vintage maps, mismatched clothing from the lost and found, and three winter coats from officers who never made it back to the station that morning.
Finishing his plate first and moving to the rolling whiteboard he’d pulled in from an adjoining office, Ethan sketched a rough map of Summer Mill. He drew a large circle around what he considered to be the Police Station and another at the opposite end of the Walter Hamilton Bridge.
“This is where we are and this is where we’re going. Once we get past the bridge, it’s going to be all switchbacks until we hit the city. I’ll drive us out to the bridge and then we’ll have Ben get behind the wheel. Griffin will be at the rear door with a shotgun and I’ll sit in the passenger seat with a pistol. We run into any trouble, we shoot first and ask questions later. We’ll leave a few hours before sunset. That’ll give us plenty of time for one last supply run.”
Frank glared intently at Ethan. “Why aren’t we loading up and leaving right now, this morning? Why take any more chances?”
“We need more food. The bottom line is that we really don’t know what else is out there. We may find shelter in the city and we may not. We can stay in the truck—all of us, and survive without much hassle, but we do need to eat. And with what we’ve got left, we won’t make it another three days.”
Looking around at the others and then back to Ethan, Shannon said, “Ethan we—”
He interrupted her before she had a chance to derail his plan. He’d sensed her apprehension for the last few days, but wasn’t willing to go back and explain himself yet again. “We also have to stock up for the long haul out to the West Coast.”
“What?” Frank shook his head. “You’re not serious, are you?”
“Yes, that’s where I’m going. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but yes I am going to get to Emma. I’m not sure how yet, but I will find her.”
Frank looked around the room, shrugged his shoulders, and then turned back to Ethan. He could feel his face warming and his pulse pounding in his neck. “That’s insane. With what’s happening out there, how do you even know she’s still alive? You said you haven’t received a message from her since—”
“I don’t care, I’m going. First to the city to find my parents and then to the coast. But I’m not stupid. I know I’m going to need help and that you all are my best shot at getting to them. I also realize that’s asking a lot from all of you, so I’m willing to compromise.”
Carly turned in her chair to face Ethan. “Okay?”
“If it were just me, I’d leave right now. But I agree that wouldn’t be smart. I say while the weather permits, we get on the road and into the city. We find somewhere safe to hide out and I’ll go after my parents. From there, you all are welcome to go out on your own or continue on together. I don’t want to leave anyone behind, and I do want your help, but I can’t force anyone to do anything.”
Ethan paused momentarily and took a deep breath. “This town has nothing left to offer. If any of you think otherwise or have a different plan, I’m willing to listen.” He stepped away from the whiteboard and moved to the counter. Filling a glass of water, he took a long drink and waited.
Standing and moving to Ethan, Carly leaned in and kissed his forehead. “I’m in, for whatever or wherever this takes us, I’m in.” Turning back to the others, she smiled. “He’s right, and we do need to stick together—on our own we won’t make it. We need to survive. Together.”
Again Frank looked around the room. First to Griffin and then to Shannon, Ben, and Cora. Finally turning to face Ethan and Carly, he said, “We do need to stay together, I’ll agree with that, and although I’ve lived in this town longer than most any resident, I don’t necessarily have a problem leaving my home. I just want to be sure we do it right, that we have an actual plan for what we’re going to do when things go bad.”
Ethan nodded. “They already have.”
Pushing his plate aside, Griffin sighed with just enough volume that the others knew to take notice. “Ethan, you and I haven’t seen eye to eye on much since this whole thing went down and I know I’m not your favorite person, but we do agree on one thing—survival is all that really matters. And staying here isn’t helping our chances.” He looked at Frank. “We need to get up out of here today, while we still can.”
“So you’re in?” Frank asked.
“You know,” Griffin said with a slight grin, “I’ve never been to the West Coast, but I’m willing to bet that the weather is better than here.”
Sliding his chair away from the table, Frank leaned back and interlocked his fingers behind his head. “As long as we know exactly what we’re doing and how, I mean every single part of the plan front to back, then I’m with you.”
Stepping back to the dry-erase board, Ethan turned to Ben. “What about you, kid?”
Ben smiled. He looked almost excited. “I’m with you, just as long as you promise not to punch me in the face ever again.”
His attention over to Cora, Ethan already knew what her answer would be. The beautiful tomboy had a semi-flirtatious, yet strangely platonic bond with Griffin. She’d go whichever way he did. Ethan asked anyway. “Cora?”
“Yeah, I’m in. How bad could it be in California?”
Shannon began before he even turned to her. “Ethan, your sister and I were friends. So yes, I’m coming with you. Wherever that is.”
This was new. Emma and Shannon had both worked for BXF and had to have had contact, but this didn’t add up. He couldn’t remember Shannon ever having more than a two-minute conversation with anyone in the six months he’d known her, not even over the phone.
“Friends?” Ethan said. “With Emma?”
“Yes,” she said. “I worked out in California before relocating here. Your sister and I worked together for a few months during the transition. I was sort of getting her up to speed on the new project she was taking over.”
“Getting
her
up to speed?” His voice came out angry, although he was more confused than anything. “She is a scientist, and you we’re only a—” He hesitated. Not because he was about to say something insensitive, but because he never actually knew what she did for BXF.
Shannon jumped in before he could continue. “Yes, I answered phones, I went to the bank every morning, and I came and left the office at the same exact time every single day. Those are the things you know about me. But it might just be the things that you don’t know that are more important.”
All eyes moved back to Ethan.
He smiled nervously. “Could you possibly be more vague?”
“You knew I was a receptionist and that was about it. You knew only the things I wanted you to know. But you never knew who I was or where I came from or anything else about me, am I right?”
“I guess, but that’s only because—”
“Ethan, none of that matters now. Who we were, what we used to be, or even who we used to be. What does matter is Emma, and I just may know exactly where to find her.”