Desolation (30 page)

“It did,” Jerri said as she closed her eyes.

“It didn’t,” he assured her. “What broke you was losing someone
else you cared about. That’s why you refused to see the truth before your
very eyes.”

Jerri didn’t argue with what she knew was true.
“If you pull yourself together again, you can do this. Remember,
as far as he’s concerned, you’re weak and teetering on the verge of
insanity,” he said as he gently ran his hands up and down her arms.

Jerri turned around and looked up into his eyes.
“And if I fail?” she asked.
“You won’t,” Mitch said with a smile.

Jerri and Mitch embraced as the snow started to flutter down all
around them. For a brief moment, Jerri’s world was finally at peace.
40

J
erri’s eyes fluttered open and heard the loud propellers outside
and saw the metal scaffolding that ran along the ceiling. She knew that
they were somewhere in the back of the plane, somewhere people aren’t
supposed to be riding inside.

A solider wearing a gas mask hovered over her, staring down at
her.

 

Jerri startled and let out a gasp.

 

The soldier pulled off his gas mask, revealing Andrew’s face. He
looked feverish.

“Relax, it’s just me,” Andrew said.
Jerri groaned and closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart.

“Why are you dressed like that? Are you trying to give me a heart
attack?!” she asked.

 

Andrew laughed.

 

“No, it’s just how I’m keeping my cover with the pilots,” he
calmly explained. “They think I’m one of the men from the base.”

“And me…?” she asked.
Andrew shook his head.

“They don’t even know you’re back here,” he said. “I’m still
trying to figure out how to handle that… To be honest I was worried you
wouldn’t wake up,” he said as He reached down and brushed the back of
his fingers across her cheek, coughing.

The hand he touched her with looked swollen, pus-filled, and
infected. She pulled away and tried to sit up.

 

Andrew quickly stopped her and gently pressed her back down
onto the metallic floor of the cargo hold.

 

“Don’t get up,” Andrew told her. “You need to rest. You lost a
lot of blood. You’re lucky I found a first aid kit when I did.”
Jerri slowly raised her bandaged arm and stared at it. All she felt
was a dull consistent throb.

 

“Given the chaos at the base, I’m surprised we made it,” Jerri said
in a hoarse voice.

 

Andrew stroked his fingers across her cheek again but made sure
to use his other hand, his healthy hand.

 

Her skin crawled at his touch.

“Yeah, same here. The plane is deserted for the most part,” he
said as he broke into a coughing spasm. “The only two people on here
aside from us are the pilots.”

Jerri looked at him and could tell that he was very sick. She didn’t
bother asking what happened to him; she didn’t really care.

“And Jacob?” she asked.
Andrew smiled and gently ran his fingers through her hair.

“He’s safe,” Andrew explained softly. “He’s on a special medical
transport… He’ll be waiting for us at the Capital.”

Jerri quickly looked away. She knew he was lying.
“So I take it we’re still going there,” she said weakly.
Andrew smiled down at her and nodded.

“Of course, remember what we talked about in Witt’s
apartment?” he asked as he wiped the sweat off of his brow. “If you want
Jacob to have a future then we can’t chase pipe dreams about safe havens
in other countries... You want to see him again right?”

Jerri looked up at him and forced a thin smile.

 

“Yes,” she hoarsely replied. She frowned and closed her eyes.
“I’m parched though… is there anything to drink?”

 

Andrew stroked her forehead and nodded.

“Of course,” he said. “But it’s from the sink in the bathroom so
it’s warm. I guess the days of chilled bottled water are behind us,” Andrew
said with a smirk.

Jerri opened her eyes and smiled.

 

“That’s fine,” she answered softly. “I’m not really picky at the
moment.”

 

Andrew laughed.

 

“Wait here,” he said as he stroked her bandaged forearm. “I’ll be
right back.”

 

Andrew got off of his haunches and staggered down the cargo
hold, boots clacking as they struck against the metallic floor.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Jerri sat up on the floor and
was immediately overcome with vertigo. After her blurred vision started
to come back into focus, she carefully surveyed her surroundings.

Strange alien looking devices were fastened against the sides of
the cargo hold. They resembled bombs. Each device had ‘LAZARUS
TYPE’ stenciled on it; it was a name she was seeing more and more
frequently as of late. It gave her the creeps.

She looked down and saw that she was lying on a dirty army
blanket with an open first aid kit beside her. She didn’t see any sign of
Jacob or his shawl and could only assume Andrew left the dead baby
behind.

Her hand rummaged through the open first aid kit…
While she was busy searching, Andrew walked back into the
cargo hold holding a plastic cup of water.

 

She quickly withdrew her hand from the kit and looked up at
him. She smiled as she gently took the cup and emptied it in one swallow.

Andrew watched her drink and sat down next to her.
“What did they say?” Jerri asked as she sat the cup down.
“Pardon?”

“The soldiers who took Jacob away on the medical transport,”
she asked. “What did they say when they took him away?”

 

Andrew’s eyes flickered away from hers briefly.

“Ah, yeah, that was pretty awkward… It happened so fast,” he
said. “You know… they didn’t say much of anything. They were just
ready to get out of there. I can’t really say I blame them.”

Jerri nodded understandably.

 

“Funny they didn’t take me,” she casually mused. “You would
think getting shot would warrant some kind of special medical attention.”
Andrew frowned.

“I tried,” he said sourly. “I couldn’t carry you both. By the time I
went back to get you, the helicopter already took off.” He stared at her. “I
hope you’re not accusing me of–”

Jerri shook her head and held up her hand.

 

“No, no,” she said earnestly. “I understand… the baby took
priority. I would have done the same thing.”

Andrew nodded, settling some.
“That’s right. That’s why I did what I did,” he said.
He placed his hand on her knee.
Jerri tensed.

“That child deserves a future,” Andrew continued, “just like we
do.”

 

Jerri looked up at him and smiled slightly. She took his hand and
gently brushed it off of her leg.

 

A look of disappointment came over Andrew’s face.
“We both deserve a better hand,” she said calmly as if nothing
happened.

Andrew smiled and folded his hands in his lap.
“We’ll make a fresh start together,” he said. “You’ll see.”
Jerri looked over at him and gave a playful smile.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that we were a thing. Have you made
any more decisions on my behalf while I was out?” she asked.

“I didn’t mean that,” Andrew snapped. “Besides that’s not really
my choice to make,” he said in a snarky tone. “But to be fair… eligible
bachelors with a heartbeat do seem to be in short supply these days.”

“Well…” Jerri said as she placed a finger against her chin,
pretending to contemplate. “I’m sure there are quite a few men at the
Capital you keep insisting on. You might be in for some competition.”

Andrew’s gaze sharpened.

“Same thing goes for women… I do have a thing for
northerners,” Andrew replied. His voice sounded calm but he couldn’t
hide the crimson in his face.

Jerri studied his reaction and smirked.

 

“I don’t think you have much to worry about,” Andrew said as he
reined his emotions back in control. “I’ve taken a certain interest in you.”

Andrew smiled and stared into her eyes.
Jerri leaned towards him and grinned.
“Oh… lucky me,” she said flatly.
Andrew lost his smile and abruptly stood up.

“Well I’m going to go check with our pilots,” he said in a bitter
tone. “You should stay back here and rest.”

 

“I’d rather not,” Jerri replied. “It’d be nice to get out and stretch
my legs…”

 

Andrew stared down at her, unwavering in his expression.

“No. I’ll be back to check on you in a little bit,” he said before
erupting into a spasm of coughs. He put on his gas mask and walked out
of the cargo hold, closing the bulkhead door behind him.

Jerri frowned and waited for a few minutes before finally standing
up. He reached under her blanket and pulled out the small pair of scissors
she had managed to take from the first aid kit just seconds before Andrew
had walked in earlier.

She stared down at the scissors and mulled over her thoughts.
They were short but had a point; they weren’t the ideal weapon but they
would have to do.

Jerri staggered along the side of the cargo hold, supporting herself
on the Lazarus devices as she walked. Each step made her dizzy and her
stomach was consumed with a ravenous hunger. After several minutes,
she finally reached the bulkhead door that led into the rest of the plane.

She held the scissors between her teeth and grabbed the latch bar
with both hands.

 

The door was locked. She was trapped.
41

A
ndrew swayed as he stumbled along the center of the second
partition of the plane. The area was shorter than the main cargo area in
the rear of the aircraft and was empty. Windows were sparse. Gunmetal
benches lined both sides of the plane with nylon seat belts to
accommodate troop transport. Numerous empty army duffel bags were
stuffed underneath the benches. At the far end of the area were male and
female restroom stalls. In-between the two stalls stood the door that led
into the massive cockpit.

Andrew glanced over at the female restroom stall; it was where he
stashed the soldier he killed. A minuscule puddle of blood seeped out
from underneath the door but he didn’t think anybody would notice.

Coughing, Andrew staggered his way to the cockpit door, turned
the handle, and stepped inside. He made sure to hide his swollen hand
inside his flight jacket.

The cockpit was much larger than that of a typical commercial
airliner. There was a communications station on the right side and a map
desk on the left; both stations were unmanned. Two pilots sat behind the
controls at the front of the plane and both looked haggard and tired as
they stared blankly at the illuminated gauges and instruments.

Both of the pilots seemed to ignore the amber fuel warning light
that flashed on the display.

 

One of the pilots turned and gave a passing glance towards
Andrew before focusing ahead once again.

 

“Everything kosher back there?” one of the pilots, Jonathan,
asked.

 

“Yeah, nothing seems to be shifting around so I think the straps
are going to hold,” Andrew replied, voice raspy through the gas mask.
The second pilot, Wayne, chuckled.

 

“I think it’s safe to take that thing off by now,” Wayne said. “If
one of those tanks was going to rupture it would have done it by now.”
“I feel safer keeping it on,” Andrew replied quietly.

“I don’t see how,” Jonathan said. “I hate those fucking things.
My visor gets all fogged up and it feels like a sauna in there. I’d rather take
my chance with the gas. If it’s my time it’s my time.”
“Yeah, well, you know…” Andrew said, coughing.

“You don’t have to explain. We get it,” Wayne interrupted with a
smirk. “You’re a pussy. But that’s okay.”

Jonathan laughed.
“You’re such an asshole sometimes,” Jonathan said.
Wayne chuckled.
“I’m just messing with him,” Wayne said passively.

Ignoring them both, Andrew peered out the window. The world
below looked lush and green. Tall trees towered into the sky and small
towns were overgrown with vegetation. Toppled trees and rusted vehicles
speckled the interstate below. In the distance he saw snow capped
mountains enshrouded by fog. In its desolation there was a certain beauty.
One thing was for sure, he knew they were a long away from Arizona.

Andrew winced as his hand throbbed and pain radiated up his
arm.

 

“How much longer?” Andrew asked, gritting his teeth through
the pain. They had been flying for what felt like an eternity.

 

“We should be there within the next hour,” Jonathan said.
“Which is good…” Wayne said as he tapped the fuel gauge.
“Otherwise we’d be doing a permanent layover in the forest.”

Andrew looked over at the empty communication’s desk.
“Any word from the Capital yet?”
Jonathan and Wayne both shook their heads.

“The coms have been down on this bird for months,” Jonathan
said. “We’d have better luck sending them smoke signals.”

 

Andrew coughed violently and stumbled backwards.
“Are you okay? You’ve been coughing an awful lot,” Wayne said
with slight hesitation.

“I’m fine… I just have an infection,” Andrew explained.
The pilots looked at each other with concern.

“It’s nothing serious so calm down. It’s… stupid really,” Andrew
reassured. “I cut myself and it got infected. It’s my fault for being a klutz.”
“Well after we land they’ll have you pumped out of your head
with antibiotics so you’ll be fine,” Jonathan said.

 

Andrew nodded.

 

“That’s what I’m counting on. I’m going to go keep an eye on
things back there until we land,” Andrew said. “See you in a bit.”
Andrew lurched out of the room and shut the door behind him.
“I think it’s a good thing that he’s keeping his mask on after all,”
Wayne whispered to Jonathan. “Do you buy that bullshit story?”
Jonathan shrugged.

“I don’t have to buy it one way or the other,” Jonathan said.
“When we land they’ll strip us down and medically screen us. That’s the
protocol. If he’s lying and was bit and they find out…”

“Bang,” Wayne said, nodding.

 

“Exactly,” Jonathan said. “If he turns before we land in the next
twenty minutes or so then I’ll shoot him myself.”