Storm clouds, p.18
Storm Clouds, page 18
“How did you find us?” Samuel asked hoarsely, finally lifting his eyes.
Luke gestured to Ragland who stood stoically nearby, having tactfully held back as they reunited. “My friend Joshua here helped me get to you. I couldn’t have done it without him.” Ragland gave a nod of acknowledgment. “Looks like your stepdad Ben and Isaac were on the case too, though.”
Ben made to say something, but his eyes suddenly welled with tears, the loss of Cade too fresh for him. Isaac put a supportive arm around his shoulder.
“I wouldn’t have made it without Ben. It was his idea to use bikes. If we hadn’t had them, there was no way we could have made it here in time.”
“Everyone must be worried sick back home,” Ben said finally. “We should make plans.”
Luke pondered their situation as he idly stroked Erin's hair. “Until we are well away, we should stay off the main roads. We don’t know what sort of blowback there might be once that other slaver spills the beans about what happened. Are they organized enough to come after us?”
Isaac and Ben looked at each other.
“Yes. Not only that, but I also gathered some disturbing intel. I won’t tell you in front of the kids, but it’ll be best if we get as far away as possible, and as quickly as possible.”
There was a brief silence as they pondered this. It was broken by Ragland, who decided to take the lead given the emotional state of the other men.
“I think we should follow the river north for a bit, then cut west once we're well clear of Catskill and pick up one of the backroads leading north. Luke, it means we won’t be able to keep your promise to Tyler and his brother. Once the children are back home in Manchester, I’m happy to go and fetch them.”
Luke nodded. As much as he wanted to keep his promise to pick up the medic and his brother on the way home, he knew the priority was getting the children home as quickly and with as little risk as possible.
“Can we rest first?” Peace spoke up in a small voice that reminded them how young they still were. The other children's faces echoed her plea. The non-stop tension and marching over the last week had exhausted them physically and emotionally.
“Not just yet, we’re still too close,” said Ragland, before anyone else could answer. He looked up at the sky. “Give me two hours, and then we’ll make camp for the night and eat. Have some more water now, and we’ll move out.”
None of the Manchester men protested; Ragland’s plan made perfect sense and they were happy to let him take the lead while they shepherded and cared for their traumatized children.
When Ragland called time in a clearing by the shore two and a half hours later, the kids slumped to the grass in relief. Ben and Luke began gathering wood for a fire while Ragland disappeared with his bow.
Isaac cleaned the wound on Max’s neck and coated it with the salve Ragland had pulled from his pack.
The sun was sinking below the western hills by the time they had a modest camp established, the crackling fire washing them in warmth and flickering light as they ate the fat rabbits that Ragland had skewered.
As darkness settled over the camp, Luke sat with one arm around Erin, her head resting against his chest as she succumbed to exhaustion. The other children were likewise curled up near the flames, the day's events having drained them completely. Only Samuel remained awake, staring hollowly into the fire across from Isaac.
Luke met Isaac's gaze. “Why don't you and Ben take the first rest,” he suggested quietly. “Ragland and I will stand watch tonight.”
Isaac nodded. The chance to close his eyes even briefly was sorely needed. He settled near the children, soon slipping into a light, troubled sleep.
As the night deepened, Luke kept vigil beside the fire, axe resting across his knees. The events of the day churned endlessly through his mind... finding the children against all odds, only to discover they’d lost Cade so senselessly.
Ragland's movement nearby drew Luke from his brooding thoughts. The Drifter approached and quietly handed him a steaming mug.
“Just water, but it's hot,” Ragland rumbled.
Luke accepted the mug gratefully. “Thanks. How are you holding up after all this?”
Ragland settled on the ground beside him with a soft grunt, gazing into the flames. “It was a bloody business back there, I’m just glad we reached them in time.”
Luke nodded, taking a sip. “It's funny, when I snuck up on you that first time, who’d have guessed we'd end up here.”
The hint of a smile touched the older man's weathered face. “The After Days make for strange bedfellows. But you've proved yourself an okay sort of guy. Despite your nonstop jabbering.”
Luke chuckled softly. “You love my jabbering, don't deny it. It’s how I got you to finally spill about this mystery woman of yours, didn't I?”
Ragland simply glowered into the fire, and they fell into silence as they sipped the warm water.
“I’d kill for some whiskey right now,” said Luke finally.
“You and me both.”
“What are your plans after this?”
Ragland was silent so long that Luke thought he wasn't going to respond. “I’ll let you know after I help you all home safe.”
Luke nodded.
“Thank you, Joshua,” he said, his voice choking with unexpected emotion. “For everything.”
Ragland grunted uncomfortably.
Luke laughed, wiping a tear from his eye.
“Don’t ever change, Joshua,” he said, patting his friend’s shoulder before climbing to his feet to wake Ben and Isaac for their watch.
*
They set out the next morning after a breakfast of nuts and berries Ragland had gathered before dawn. They saw no signs of pursuit that day or any other day for that matter.
During their five-day trek, Isaac and Ben disclosed what they had discovered in Catskill and placed it high on their agenda of things to address when they arrived back in Manchester.
Mid-morning on the sixth day of walking, they approached Manchester on Amoskeag Street.
“Look!’ yelled Peace. “It’s the tower!”
The other children cheered excitedly, even Samuel. There were hugs and claps on the backs between the men.
“We made it,” said Isaac.
Chapter 19
They quickened their pace as they crossed the bridge into the eastern part of Manchester. They hadn’t even finished crossing when people started appearing around the corner and rushing to them. Obviously, the spotter on duty had seen them and raised the alarm, because as they drew nearer to the heart of the small community, people began emerging to see what the commotion was.
Cries of joy went up when they recognized the lost children and crowded around the group. After a few minutes of yelled greetings and more claps on the back, the crowd separated to let them continue over the bridge.
Becky came sprinting from the tower entrance with Elizabeth's hand clutched in hers, the girl squealing “Daddy!” when she spotted Luke.
Luke's heart swelled at the sight of his girls. He swept Elizabeth up in his arms and pulled in Erin as Becky collided with him, the small family hugging each other fiercely amid happy tears.
The other parents were not far behind. Ben, who had arms around both Samuel and Blake, was nearly tackled by Diana. There were hugs and tears all round as the children were reunited with her. They only broke apart when Diana realized Ben was sobbing. She looked around.
“Cade?”
Ben shook his head, unable to say the words. Samuel, also overcome with emotion, smothered his mother in a tight hug.
“Oh, poor Cade…”
Isaac looked around for Indy, and finally spotted her fighting her way through the crowd, making a beeline for him and Max. She flung her arms around his neck.
“Thank God, you brought him home safe,” she breathed. Over her shoulder, Isaac spotted Ava clutching Peace protectively.
Indigo finally released him and bent over to inspect Max more closely. Her son looked thinner and was scuffed and bruised.
“Where’s Paul?” he asked.
Almost reluctantly, Indigo straightened. Tears filled her eyes even as, a few feet away, Peace began to wail with grief.
“He’s dead,” was all she could manage.
“Oh no…”
Isaac took both of them in his arms again. It had been a long time, but death had again been visited upon them. Another of the founding members of their group lost. He heard Luke swear somewhere behind him, and knew he too had been told the news about Paul.
Amidst the reunions, and the sadness at the news of those they’d lost, Samuel suddenly froze, eyes wide. There, hanging back from the crowd and standing with his mother, was Vincent, arm in a sling but very much alive. Shock rooted Samuel to the spot, unable to comprehend how his friend had survived.
“Vincent...? How?”
Vincent hurried over, a mix of emotions on his face. “Chris let me go that night instead of killing me,” he explained. “Then Indigo and everyone found me.”
Overwhelmed, Samuel embraced him fiercely. The guilt and pain over Vincent's apparent execution now lifted and replaced with amazement and joy. Any residual doubts he had about letting Chris walk away also dissipated.
As the initial euphoria of reunion dissolved into retrospection, the crowd parted and the leadership group, along with Ragland, who had been introduced to Indigo and Diana, made their way back to the tower.
“What happened to you?” Isaac asked Indy, tenderly touching her bruised face. “Were you with Paul? Who found Vincent?”
“Not here. Let’s get you all inside. We have plenty of time to debrief…”
Epilogue
When Isaac rose late the next morning, sunlight was streaming through the big plate glass windows. The apartment was quiet. He took a moment to process what he’d learned the night before about the rescue attempt that had been doomed by the dumb luck that crossed their path with that of a bunch of psycho hillbillies.
The loss of Paul and Bowman left a dark hole in their collective hearts. Bowman’s death was also a strategic blow, not only for Concord but for them in Manchester too. They’d have to get word to Concord as soon as possible and hope that whoever took over Bowman’s role as leader would also be such a staunch ally.
Sighing, he crawled out of bed and went into the kitchen, where he found a note on the wooden countertop.
Figured you needed to sleep in. We’ve all taken the kids downstairs for breakfast. Join us when you wake up!
Love
Indy xx
PS good to have you home.
Isaac had showered the night before, so he just pulled on jeans, a t-shirt, and a fresh pair of sneakers before heading for the door. He found their core group in the old cafeteria. The kids and Luke’s friend Ragland were nowhere to be seen.
He was greeted happily enough by everybody but could easily sense the sad undertone that he knew would take a while yet to dissipate.
“I’ll get you some eggs. Here, take my seat,” said Indy.
“Where are the kids?” he asked as he sat down.
“They’re all outside playing,” said Luke. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. Where’s your friend?”
“The mysterious Mr. Ragland isn’t really an indoors kind of guy. He’s gone to explore Manchester.”
After he finished eating, they went their separate ways, with Isaac, Luke and Ben heading outside to check on the children. They found them in the square, laughing and horsing around on the play equipment of the big playground they had set up in their second year in Manchester. Samuel and Vincent were in the shade, quietly talking to each other as they supervised the younger children.
The three men sat down at a picnic table. In the distance, Joshua Ragland emerged from a side street onto Elm. Luke waved to him, and The Drifter changed course and headed towards them.
“So,” said Luke. “What do we do about Catskill?”
Isaac gazed into the distance, his steel-blue eyes hardening before turning back and regarding them seriously.
“What do we do? We go to war…”
The End
Also by Scott Medbury
The America Falls Series:
Hell Week
On the Run
Cold Comfort
Rude Shock
Luke’s Trek
Civil War
Lone Wolf
Texas Fight
Messenger
The Drifter
The Rabid States Series:
Unleashed
Alpha Pack
Foxhole
Pack Hunt
Standalone novels:
INGA
Scott Medbury, Storm Clouds
