A New World: Reckoning (12 page)

…was in the USAF. No biggy. It’s…

…canned goods are running out. I’ll have to start looking through the neighbor’s houses soon. That’s a hell of a walk though. I suppose I’ll have to fire up the old truck. I’m not…

I heard those things closer last night. Their screams are as annoying as fuck and kept me up. I hope they don’t make it all of the way out here. I’ve seen what they can do. When I went to see…

It’s been a while since writing here. The food ran out and I made some runs to Tom’s and Sam’s. Cleaned them out and running low again. Worked on barricading the old place as those things seem to be spreading out. I haven’t seen any near here yet, but they seem to be getting closer each night. I’m going to have to run into town and get some supplies there. The well is holding up so I just need food. I’ll start with the houses on the outskirts. I hope
th
…

That didn’t work out so well. Pulled a few items from some houses and ran into a group of people in the area. I guess they didn’t appreciate me taking stuff from ‘their territory’. By heading through backyards, I managed to eventually lose them.
 
This fucking leg of mine made it hard. Broke my fucking knee when a Humvee clipped it while in the sandbox during Desert Storm and it’s never been the same. Of all the luck, in a war zone and I get hit by our own security. Fuckin…

…the group driving around during the day. They haven’t found my place yet, but I need to do something soon. It’s them during the day and those fucking shrieking things by night. It’s pretty obvious they don’t come out during the day. I’m beginning to wonder if there isn’t something about daylight they don’t like. Maybe UV rays? I have a couple UV lights, but I don’t know if that will work. Thought about going out to scavenge at night and using those but I am reluctant to try. If I’m wrong, well, I only get one chance considering what I saw them do to Tom and his family. I may ha…

..going to have to figure out something else. Those creatures found the house and damn near got in last night. Pulled the boards right off the walls. Had to hold them off on the stairs with my shotgun. What a fucking mess. I should have had those UV lights with me. Not sure they would have worked though. Those motherfuckers are fast. Heard them on the roof too. And those other scumbags drove too close for comfort about an hour ago. I’m gathering my shit and heading to the maintenance hangar where I have worked since leaving the AF. That will be a more secur…

Set up shop. It took some doing, but I’m settling here in the hangar. It’s a little better than the house. It will be harder scavenging but hopefully I’ll be left alone out here. I fucking hate crowds and it seems even more crowded since this shit went down. I don’t even know why I continue writing in this thing. Keeps me sane I guess. Tomorrow I’ll se…

…lost this thing. It’s been several days. I suppose I should keep track of them but couldn’t really be bothered. Ran out of supplies and emptied the vending machine. Damn they make those tough to get into. The pipe wrench I used damn near hit me in the head when I swung at the Plexiglas. Luckily there’s a well with a hand pump close by. Those fucking things keep trying to get in every night. So far I’ve been able to keep them out, but they are persistent motherfuckers. They have to be in one of the buildings on the airfield. They keep me up all night and I’m starting to feel the lack of sleep. I’m going to have to do someth…

This idea didn’t work out so well. I set fire to the hangars on the west side hoping to get rid of any place that those things can hide out in. Earlier I burned the guard base buildings and had no problems there. I was going to burn each hangar individually but the fucking wind shifted. Now the whole place is going up. Explosions and streams of fire from the fuel are pouring across the taxiways. It’s only a matter of time before it reaches here. Going to have to get some shit together and take one of the aircraft out of here. I have no idea where I’ll go, but I need to leave.

That’s the last thing written. Whoever it was apparently dropped it in their haste to get out of there. At least the story of why the airfield was burned is known. Not that it will do any good but it’s always nice to find out what happened when confronted with a mystery. Closing the journal and sticking it back in my pocket, I wonder where the person who wrote it went.

The flight back is an uneventful one. The sun seems to be winning the race west, drawing ever closer to the horizon as we drone along in the clear, afternoon sky. It will be a close one to see whether we make it to the compound before the sun vanishes below the horizon.

A fair distance out, with the bottom edge of the sun resting on the horizon, I call the compound, getting a reply on the first attempt.

“Did Robert arrive?” I ask.

“Yes. He landed several hours ago.”

“How is Greg?” I ask, worried to hear the answer that he didn’t make it. From what Lynn had said, he had been in pretty bad shape.

“The doc is with him but he hasn’t regained consciousness yet. I don’t have word if he’s stabilized or not.”

“Anything else I should know about?”

“Not that I know of, Jack. Frank’s here. Would you like for me to get him?”

“No, that’s okay. We’ll be there in about an hour,” I say.

“See you then.”

The western sky transitions from yellows to deep oranges. Droning along with the forming sunset ahead, with the blue overhead deepening toward twilight, lends itself to a very peaceful scene. It’ll get busy in a short bit as I set up for the descent and landing, but that is still a few minutes away. Even with all that has transpired and all that is pressing, I lean back in the seat and relax, taking in the moment, worries diminished for the time being.

With the sun just sinking below the mountains to the west, casting the land in twilight, I bank the aircraft and line up on final. The runway carved out within the compound walls is a lighter shade than the surrounding field but barely visible in the fading light. With the gear and flaps lowered, I descend toward the narrow strip.

Off to the side of the runway, I make out the dark outline of Robert’s 130 parked on a makeshift ramp. The outer walls of the compound flash under my nose, briefly illuminated from the intensity of the landing lights. The guard towers, standing at the corners and at intervals along the walls, are no more than dark shapes that pass by quickly. The inner wall, meant to enclose the compound and provide for a secondary defense, flashes underneath. Easing the power back, I flare and feel the aircraft settle onto the narrow, dirt strip. We’re home.

Shutting down, I just sit in the seat, utterly exhausted. It’s been a hell of a day, and past few days. Although we can’t totally relax within the compound walls, we can at least feel a measure of safety. Now, with us being targeted by a group that has access to far greater technologies, even being within the walls carries a certain tension. While we may have a basic understanding of their capabilities, we don’t know for sure. The fact that they attacked Greg’s team with only an armored column gives credence to the info Harold found, with regards to what they have available for use anyways.

Looking out of the window into the gathering darkness, there are headlights from several Humvees that have come to pick us up. With effort, I unbuckle and make my way outside. Robert, Bannerman, and several others are waiting for us.

“Made it okay, eh?” I ask Robert.

“Yeah, it was a pretty uneventful flight really,” he answers.

“How is Greg?”

“He was still unconscious when we landed. I think the doc is with him, but I haven’t seen him since we arrived,” Robert says.

“Why didn’t you wake me for landing, Dad?” Bri asks, walking up and stifling a yawn.

“You needed your rest, Bri. It’s all good.”

“What in the hell happened to you?” Robert asks, seeing remnants of grime on Bri’s face and in her hair.

Bri starts to tell her story, her voice fading as her and Robert walk away, heading toward one of the Humvees. Gathering our gear together, we trudge wearily to the waiting rides. I don’t say much. Returning to Cabela’s brings back the full extent of what we’re facing.

Inside the building, with night fully upon us, Robert heads up the stairs. Bri and the others of Red Team grab a bite to eat before heading to wash away the grime accumulated from two days in the field. Lynn and I head upstairs to see the doc and check on Greg.

Walking into a partition set up for the doc, I see Greg lying on a bed. There’s a lot of swelling on one cheek and his closed eyes look sunken. His breathing appears shallow but with normal repetitions. A mask connected to a green oxygen tank covers his mouth and nose. Turning to the doc, who is standing next to the bed, I ask how Greg is doing.

“He’s stable for now and is doing well from what I see. His vitals are close to normal. I thought at first there might be some swelling on the brain but there aren’t any indications of that. This is really the best I can do for him considering,” the doc says, sweeping his arm to indicate the oxygen and IV setup. “We just don’t have the equipment and, to be honest, even if we did, I only have the vaguest notion of how to operate them. We’ll keep him monitored and the IVs going for hydration. The concern will be if he remains unconscious for a period of time. He’ll need sustenance beyond what the IVs will provide. But, we’ll let him rest and see if he recovers on his own. I won’t be concerned unless several days have passed without a change in his condition. After that, we’ll have to come up with something different.”

“Thanks, Doc. Let me know if I can help or if there’s anything you need. And I know this goes without saying, but let me know if there’s any change,” I say.

The horrible feeling returns as I see Greg lying on the bed. I really should have known better than to send a single team out—Stryker or no. I was trying to alleviate any guilt that I would have felt by cutting short the search for families because I wanted to get my son back. Perhaps there was some justification for that, I mean, for me, it was what I was going to do, and would again, but I should have delayed the mission and not spread us so thin. Now those soldiers who were seeking to find out about their families will be buried with the coming day. It may have been their choice to continue looking, but it was my responsibility to say no and to come back out in strength at a later date.

I’ve made my share of mistakes in my life, but they seem to be coming in droves as of late: Robert getting bitten, Greg’s team, all dead but one, and today, coming close to losing Bri. Besides that, there are the night runners increasing in numbers north of us and this other group targeting us. It’s just becoming too much. While I may have asked for this, I’m ready for someone else to take the reins. The peaceful feeling I had during those scant few minutes of flight, watching the sky paint its glorious sunset on a canvas of blue, is gone and forgotten.

Even though I want to sit at Greg’s side, I nevertheless turn and leave with Lynn. We won’t be having a meeting as it’s late and I’m tired. Lynn and I make our way to our cubicle. Inside, it feels tiny and cramped. I’m looking forward to having the quarters built so we can have more room. I’m sure everyone else is feeling the same way.

Mom comes by and we talk for a while. With worry, she mentions that I’m looking ‘stretched thin’. I, of course, tell her not to worry, “I’m a little tired, that’s all.”

I ask how she is doing, attempting to turn the conversation.

“I’m fine. I’m worried about you taking Robert and Bri out with you all of the time. I know you can take care of yourself, but I heard what happened today.”

I notice Lynn nod her head and stare harder at me. This is so not the time to be mentioning that. I feel bad enough already. Even though I fucked up, I still feel the same way about them gaining experience. I’m not going to be around forever. This world we now live in is going to be this way for a lot longer than I’m going to be around, and my kids need to gain the knowledge and skills to survive in it. Yeah, I don’t need to make foolish decisions like I did today, going into that building when there was no need, but they need tools to survive. I just don’t know how to both give them that and keep them safe at the same time. I am still at constant odds within myself, trying to come to terms with those two opposing concepts. I relate that to mom as best I can.

“Well, Jack, you know best. You always do,” she says, patting my knee and rising to leave.

“That is such a mom thing to say,” I reply, giving her a hug. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

She smiles and, parting the curtain at the entryway, leaves.

“She’s right, you know,” Lynn says after the curtain closes.

“Not now. I’m too tired. I know I fucked up today and I already feel bad enough.”