Mass Extinction Event (Book 6): Day 100 Page 14

  “But...”

  Before I can finish, I see others heading toward the vehicles. Turning, I look around, and with a slow sense of dread I realize that Toad is far from the only person who's preparing to join the convoy that's heading to Boston. I was so sure that Carter's speech had derailed the whole thing, but if anything she seems to have galvanized her support. In fact, as I look around, I realize that everyone is here, and a moment later I hear an engine starting somewhere in the distance.

  None of this makes sense.

  Are people actually reacting favorably to Carter's speech?

  “Going back to how things were is not the answer,” Toad says, as I turn to him. “The world we lived in is gone. The people we loved are gone. That's what Carter's speech showed me. We can't live in perpetual hope that everyone's going to miraculously come back. We have to look forward. I might not agree with Carter's ideas, but I do agree with the idea that we have to move on. And if the people in Boston are trying to take us back to how things used to be, then I guess the next step is to wipe them out of the way.”

  “We don't know what the people in Boston are really like,” I point out. “We don't know what they're really planning.”

  “You heard Carter, she said -”

  “She already admitted that she lied to all of us!” I snap. “How can you believe her now?”

  “Everyone lies,” he replies. “Very few people admit to that and apologize. In fact, she's the only one I remember right now. So in some strange way, I think I'm actually starting to trust her. And what's the alternative? Sitting around, waiting to die?” He checks that the truck's rear-board is secure, and then he heads over to the door. “We're going to build a future, not rebuild the past.”

  Stunned, I watch as he climbs into the truck, and then I turn and see that others are doing the same. Over the past few days, I've noticed that people were getting less enthusiastic about the journey to Boston, but Carter's speech – which I thought at the time was a mess – has somehow managed to bring everyone back together. I don't know whether that's by design, or whether she just got lucky, but either way the effect is stunning.

  Spotting General Patterson up ahead, I see that he's talking to Carter. They seem to be discussing tactics, but after a moment I realize that it's Carter who's giving orders. Patterson's supposed to be in a charge, but Carter's telling him what to do and he seems to be accepting that situation. As I continue to watch them, I can't shake the feeling that Carter seems to be unusually persuasive.

  Patterson turns and walks away. I wait to see what Carter will do, and after a moment she makes her way around past the corner of a nearby building. As she disappears from sight, I can't help wondering what's really going on with her. She just gave a speech that was easily the most pathetic and weak that I've ever heard, one that should have made people desert her in droves. Instead, somehow she managed to make everyone more loyal and more determined to stick with her.

  Is everyone else crazy here, or am I the crazy one?

  Glancing over my shoulder, I see that my truck is waiting for me, and that Taylor is dropping a couple of cans of gasoline next to the door for me to take. I guess rations are being given out, and everyone is simply assuming that I'll be joining the rest of them. I hesitate for a moment, figuring that I don't really have much of a choice, and then I turn and head over to the nearest building. When I reach the corner, I take a look around the edge and see to my surprise that Sarah Carter is leaning back against the wall.

  I can only see her silhouetted against the night sky, as rain continues to fall, but after a moment she reaches into her pocket and takes out what looks like a small box. She opens the lid and stares down at whatever's inside, and then she seems to freeze for a moment, as if she's staring at something that has left her completely stunned. A moment later she leans back and puts a hand on her own forehead, and I can't shake the feeling that she seems to be upset by something. Upset and tired. Exhausted, even.

  And then she suddenly closes the box again and turns to come this way.

  I pull away just in time, and then I run back toward the trucks. Reaching the edge of the convoy, I glance over my shoulder and see that Carter is only now coming into view, which means she shouldn't have been able to see me running. That's good, because I'm not sure that she'd take too kindly to being watched. She walks this way, and then she heads toward the large truck over by the old bank.

  “Let's go!” she calls out, raising her voice so she can be heard over the increasingly heavy rain. “Once you've got your rations, get your engines started. There's no time to waste. Anything else you need to do can wait until we've taken Boston. We're moving out!”

  I pull back as she turns, and fortunately I don't think she spots me. I really don't want to attract any more of that woman's attention, and I take a deep breath as the rain starts really crashing down. Already starting to get drenched, I hurry to my truck and fill up the gas tank, before climbing inside and looking out the window as vehicles start moving all around me. Lights are blazing through the rainy night, and I swear that even here in the truck I can hear the ground shuddering as so many trucks and vans and cars rumble along in the same direction.

  Reaching forward, I start my truck's engine.

  I don't know why I'm going with the others. They might have been impressed by Carter's speech, but I sure wasn't. At the same time, I have nowhere else to go and I guess I'm still clinging to the hope that somehow Martha and Melissa and Katie might still be alive somewhere, and that by getting back to civilization I might be able to find them. Carter might have been lying earlier about Martha, but that doesn't mean that my sister might not be alive out there. And if traveling with this convoy – even joining them in some kind of war – is the best way for me to discover the truth, then that's what I'll do. Besides, I also want to figure out what's going on with Sarah Carter, and how she managed to persuade so many people to join her as she travels to Boston with that mysterious little box.

  The rain is really coming down now.

  10pm

  Elizabeth

  It's chaos.

  The siren started blaring about thirty seconds ago, and now people are racing to their positions. Rain is crashing down now, hammering against the buildings and getting blown through the night air; the ground is getting slippy and any stretches of grass or dirt are being churned into mud. Most of the lights have been switched off, to confuse the enemy as they approach, so we're running in almost complete darkness. Occasionally people bump into one another and I hear grunts as well as voices calling out, but something there's order in the heart of all this madness. Somehow people seem to know what they're doing. We've been trained well.

  “I'm on lookout five!” Natalie yells as we hurry together along the street. “That's got a good clean view all across the old depot area. I'm gonna be one sick bastard, taking out anyone who tries to attack from that direction. Where are you?”

  “I have to go to lookout nine,” I tell her, “and -”

  Suddenly somebody slams into me in the darkness, with enough force to shove me to one side and send me thudding down into a patch of mud. I wince as I land hard on my own bag of supplies, but I immediately start getting up and after a moment Natalie grabs my arm and helps me to my feet.

  “I'll see you on the other side of this, yeah?” she says, and I can't even see her face now in the darkness. I can only see her silhouetted against one of the buildings. “Peace out, sister.”

  She grabs my hand and holds it up, then she squeezes so hard that for a moment I worry my fingers might break.

  “We're gonna do this, you know,” she continues, sounding a little breathless now in her excitement. “We're gonna fucking do this and we're gonna wipe the floor with those fuckers who're coming this way. They think they can mess with Boston, but they can't 'cause we've got destiny on our side. All those bullets that've missed me, they were sent as a message, telling me to be ready for this moment. 'Cause right now I'm not the only one who'
s about to whip some ass. It's all of us, Lizzie. We all made it to this moment and we're all... I was gonna say blessed, but I don't think it's that. It's something cooler. And whatever happens, I know we're gonna win.”

  She twists my hand around.

  “Boston rules!” she adds, before letting go and turning away.

  “Sure,” I reply, a little shocked by her vehemence but impressed by her determination. “Boston rules.”

  I hear her various weapons rattling as she hurries off into the darkness, but I don't hear any reply from her. I watch for a moment until she's completely disappeared, and then I take a deep breath. I wish I felt Natalie's level of confidence, but I guess that doesn't really matter. All that matters is that I get to lookout post nine and do what's expected of me. Who knows? Maybe in the heat of battle I'll turn out to be a pretty good shot after all? Either way, I'm going to go and do my job.

  Turning, I hurry along the sidewalk. There are still people running and yelling all around me, although the streets are noticeably a little emptier now. I guess most of the others have already reached their positions, which means I'm a little late. I pick up the pace, but when I start running I feel a flicker of pain from my right leg. The fake wooden foot seems to be coming a little loose, but I figure that's something I can fix once I reach the lookout position so I keep going, and I break into a run as I pass position eight and spot the building up ahead that serves as lookout position nine. The rifle over my shoulder is hanging a little loose, but again that's something I can sort out once I'm at my post.

  Suddenly my fake foot twists and comes loose. I land with all my weight on the stump of my right leg and I let out a gasp of pain as I fall. I land on my knees and topple down against the soaking wet sidewalk, but I immediately roll onto my front and try to get up. My right leg is agony now, and I reach for the chunk of wood, although then I realize that it's not important right now so instead of reattaching it I simply slip it into my pocket before turning and half-limping, half-hopping toward the door that leads into my designated building. I don't know how, but from somewhere a sense of determination is starting to rise up into my chest, and for the first time I'm actually starting to think that I can do this. Finally, with voices still calling out in the distance and rain still lashing own, I gasp as I bump against the wall, and then I shuffle over to the door.

  “Lizzie!”

  A hand grabs my shoulder and pulls me around. In the darkness, it takes me a second to realize who I'm facing.

  “Dad?” I stammer. “What's wrong? Shouldn't you be with the Council?”

  “I should,” he replies, “but I came to find you first. I need you to come with me.”

  “I have to -”

  “This is important, Lizzie!” he snaps, taking hold of my arm and pulling me away from the wall. “I need you for something.”

  “Wait!” I gasp, almost falling over for a third time as I limp after him.

  “Where's your foot?” he asks.

  “In my pocket. It's a long story.”

  “You can put it back on in the car.”

  “What car?”

  Without answering, he leads me across the dark intersection and toward another street. I'm really struggling to maintain this pace, what with all the equipment on my back and the lack of a right foot, but somehow I manage to keep up as we head along the next street. I'm starting to realize, however, that Dad seems to be leading me away from the lookout positions, which makes no sense.

  “They're waiting for me,” I tell him, raising my voice so that hopefully he can hear me above the rain. “Dad, where are we going? I've been assigned to position nine.”

  “I don't care where you've been assigned,” he replies sternly. “You've got something more important to do.”

  “Dad, I can fight!”

  “I know you can.”

  “I'm serious!” Pulling away, I wobble for a moment before managing to steady myself against an old fire hydrant. “Dad, I get it you think I'll screw up, but I can do this. I'm ready for it. This is my city now, just like it's everyone else's, and we have to fight for it.” I pause, waiting for him to admit that I'm right. “I'm not a coward,” I continue finally, and I actually believe those words. My voice isn't even trembling anymore. “I can fight, just like everyone else can fight. When it comes down to it, I know what I have to do, so let me do it.”

  Turning, I start limping back toward position nine.

  “Lizzie, I need you,” Dad says suddenly, grabbing my shoulder from behind. “You're the only hope we have right now. Put your foot back on and come with me.”

  Stopping, I turn to him.

  “We're going to lose this fight, Lizzie,” he continues, silhouetted against a rare electric light that has been left on outside one of the Council buildings. “We're outnumbered, and we've been outmaneuvered, and our supplies are running perilously low. Short of a miracle, all we can do is try to hold the enemy back while we wait for reinforcements.”

  “How long will that take?” I ask. “When are the reinforcements coming?”

  “They're not. Our radio systems are down. Maybe it's sabotage, maybe it's just bad luck, but we haven't been able to get a message out. Our nearest functional ally is the base in Philadelphia, they can help us but only if they know that we need help. Right now, they don't know anything at all, so no-one's going to come riding to our rescue. Without reinforcements, this battle is just going to be about forestalling the inevitable.”

  “No, we can fight,” I tell him. “Didn't you hear Diane? She said -”

  “What was she supposed to tell all of you?” he asks, interrupting me. “That we're doomed? That we might as well put our weapons down and let the enemy stroll right into town? There's still a chance that we can get out of this mess, Lizzie, but for that to happen we need those reinforcements to come in from Philadelphia. And that's where you come on.”

  Suddenly an ominous boom rings out in the distance, and we both turn to look along the rain-strewn street as the ground shudders slightly beneath our feet.

  “The outer perimeter guards must have been engaged,” Dad warns me. “That gives us half an hour, maximum, before the fighting reaches the main perimeter. It also means that the enemy will be sending units to circle the entire city and find other ways through, which means that there isn't much time. Now move.”

  “But -”

  “Lizzie, move!”

  He pulls me along the street, almost dragging me. I just about manage to hop along at his pace, but I'm starting to wonder exactly where he's taking me and why. He mentioned a car a few minutes ago, which doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, but the one thing I know for sure about my father is that he always has a plan. He always has multiple plans, all ready to go whenever the situation develops. I might not trust him much to tell me the truth about things, but I absolutely trust him to be ready when there's trouble.

  He leads me around the next corner, and that's when I spot a dark car parked close to the Council's main office.

  “Put your equipment down there,” he says, pointing toward a patch of sidewalk that's protected from the rain by a set of old billboards. “I'll make sure it gets to people who need it.”

  “I need it,” I point out.

  “Lizzie, I don't have time to say everything twice. Please. Trust me on this. And put your goddamn foot back on. You're going to need it. Don't make me tell you a third time.”

  I hesitate, before limping over to the designated spot and starting to haul the equipment off my shoulders. I Let out a gasp as I drop the various bags of ammunition onto the dry patch of ground, and I can feel a twinge of pain in my back as I turn and make my way over to where Dad has already opened the door on the driver's side of the car. Reaching down, I take the piece of wood from my pocket before strapping it back into place against my stump. Once I'm done, I turn and see that Dad is staring at me.

  “Lizzie, I meant to ask earlier,” he asks, sounding a little confused. “Why are you wearing a contaminat
ion suit?”

  “It's a long story,” I tell him.

  “Never mind,” he mutters. “Get into the car.”

  “Why?”

  “I'll explain it all, but first I need you to get into the car.”

  I pause, and then I do what I'm told. The suit makes it a little difficult for me to maneuver myself, but after a moment I manage to get into position, and then I watch as Dad makes his way around to the other side. Opening the passenger-side door, he climbs in and then he switches on the small light above us. As soon as he does that, I see the fear and uncertainty in his eyes, and I struggle to hold back a wave of sheer panic.

  “Dad?” I ask cautiously. “What is it?”

  Reaching into his pocket, he takes out a clear plastic bag that looks like it contains some kind of envelope.

  “Lizzie,” he says after a moment, as he places the bag on the dashboard, “you're our only hope. This car is filled with gas, and there are spare cans in the back. There's enough for you to get to Philadelphia and -”

  “Why would I go to Philadelphia?” I ask, still trying really hard to not panic. “Dad, I'm staying here!”

  “I have to send someone!” he says firmly. “Lizzie, I love you with all my heart, but you're not exactly a great soldier. I have no doubt that you'd hold your position on that outpost, I know you'd give it your all, but I also know that you're the only person I trust to get this message to Philadelphia. You made it all the way here from Manhattan. You're resourceful, you're reliable, and I have this crazy feeling that you'll make the journey regardless of what's thrown at you. Every able-bodied person is manning the outposts right now, the rest are too young or too old or too sick to drive, so it has to be you.”

  “Dad, I want to -”

  “You're the only one I trust!” he adds.