Jeremy was next to the soldier who’d tried to rob him. Both were lying in the mud. The solider made no move to get up. Jeremy was too fatigued to even try, and in too much pain. He knew the end was near, and he wasn’t going to fight it. He didn’t have the will to live, the burning desire required to make things work.
There was nothing to say. There was nothing read to them. There was no explanation of why they were being executed. But it was clear what was happening, what was going to happen. It was as clear as the day.
Jeremy vaguely knew that the day would continue without him, that the world would still exist without him. But he didn’t care. He didn’t have the energy for complicated thought. He just wanted an end. It was a selfish end, but then again, he’d lived a thoroughly selfish life. A lazy life, the life of a coward, hiding behind his machines and his money and his good credit.
The soldiers were in front of them. They raised their guns and Jeremy saw in slow motion as they pulled their triggers.
A hail of bullets exploded out of them. The body of the soldier named Johnson danced in the mud as the bullets riddled him with violent holes.
Jeremy was next, and he made no protest. He simply waited for his turn.
29
The path was tough, and the minutes seemed to stretch into hours. Georgia was worried about her children carrying so much gear with them, such heavy packs. But they held up quite well, and their spirits seemed to be good.
The sun made it all possible. If the storm had continued, or if the sky had been filled with clouds, it would have been much more difficult to marshal the morale necessary for the long trek.
“Only a little while longer until we hit the trail,” said Mandy, who had the maps out in front of her, along with the compass.
Georgia didn’t say anything. Mandy had been saying the same thing for what felt like all day.
Georgia really hoped Mandy knew what she was doing. For all Georgia knew, they could be headed in the opposite direction of where they were supposed to be heading. She hoped against hope that that wasn’t the case.
Max had been bringing up the rear, and he sped up a little to join Georgia, who dropped a little behind Mandy, because there wasn’t always enough room to walk three by three through the woods.
Behind them, her children were silent, their footsteps as light as they could be with their heavy packs. But Chad was making an enormous amount of noise, his sneakers crashing down onto the forest floor heavily. Each step sounded like a herd of elephants. He wheezed and he huffed and puffed with exertion. But there was something new about his attitude. Even Georgia, who didn’t know him well at all, could sense the change. He was silent as he struggled. He kept on, and he didn’t curse and he didn’t complain. He simply kept going. He simply did what needed to be done.
“How are you holding up?” said Max.
Georgia had known for a while that she liked Max. Not in a romantic way, obviously, but just as a person. He seemed to have something about him… some quality. He had what it took to survive. It was something almost indescribable. Georgia had an idea that she herself possessed pieces of these qualities. Max seemed to have the whole package. In another time, he could have been a leader of something great.
“Good,” said Georgia.
“And your kids?” said Max.
“They’re doing as well as can be expected,” said Georgia.
“You know we can hear you, right?” said Sadie.
Georgia ignored her.
“What do you think about this hiking trail?” said Max, in a voice quiet enough that Mandy was unlikely to hear it.
Georgia lowered her own voice. “I don’t know,” she said. “She’s been saying all day that we’re close. I’m starting to have my doubts.”
“Me too,” said Max. “It’s not that it’s necessary, but if we don’t come across it, it could mean that we’re not where we think we are.”
“And obviously that could pose problems,” said Georgia.
“No kidding,” said Max. “I’m going to talk to Mandy about it.”
Max picked up his pace to join Mandy up in front.
Georgia walked closer to them so that she could overhear what they were saying. She didn’t think they would mind, and, plus, she had more important things on her mind than being polite. Survival trumped social niceties.
“No,” Mandy was saying. “I’m sure it’s up here. Trust me, Max, I know where I’m going. It’s just a little farther.”
“Is it possible we’re not where you think we are?” said Max. He said it in a calm tone. He wasn’t being accusatory. He just legitimately needed to know what the situation was.
“No,” said Mandy. “The only possibilities are that we’re a little farther south that I’d thought. Or the trail might have grown over. It is an old map.”
Georgia was keeping her eyes peeled for any trail makers. So far, she hadn’t seen anything that looked remotely familiar to her, even though she’d been to this area before.
“Hey,” said Georgia, suddenly spotting something. “Look! A trail marker.”
It was there, a spray-painted blue mark on a larger tree trunk.
“Yes!” said Mandy excitedly. “I knew it.”
“Good,” said Max, nodding.
He moved ahead of the rest of them. It was amazing to Georgia that he could move so quickly with all the gear that he was carrying. He didn’t seem as tired as the rest of them. He must have been in even better shape than he looked.
Max paused at the trail, waiting for the rest of them to catch up.
Georgia arrived next, then her children, and finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Chad arrived, crashing through the underbrush, wheezing heavily.
“Looks like the trail grew over a little,” said Max.
Sure enough, the trail wasn’t exactly what you’d call a hiking trail. There were plants growing where it would have been a clear path a few years ago.
“It’s only a couple years of growth,” said Georgia, examining it. “It’ll still be easier to walk through this, and we can walk three at a time. That would make me feel like we had a little more security.”
“Which way are we headed, Mandy?” said Max.
Mandy pointed in the direction that would take them north.
“Let’s take a break for lunch,” said Max. “I know we’re all tired, and we could use a rest. I know I could really use one myself.”
Georgia knew that it wasn’t quite true. Max didn’t really need a break. He was strong, and he didn’t seem as tired of the rest of them. He must have had a very regimented training schedule in the years before this event. Georgia knew that Max was doing this, encouraging a break, so that the rest of them didn’t get too tired. In her opinion, he was being an excellent leader.
They sat down in a close circle right on the trail, as Max cleared away some of the overgrown branches here and there, so that they could sit more comfortably. Max worked tirelessly with a large knife that he kept on his belt. He refused all offers of help, and encouraged them all to start preparing the food.
There was still some perishable food left. Some chicken that had been frozen, for instance, that wasn’t yet too rotten to eat.
Georgia helped Mandy start the cook stove. Georgia knew that they couldn’t rely on it forever. There simply wasn’t enough gas. But fortunately, she knew well how to make a fire, provided the conditions were good. Max had all manner of camping equipment, like flint and steel fire starters, that would last a long, long time. He had enough to start fires for many years to come. Georgia, on the other hand, had a couple of lighters with her as their supplies. Those wouldn’t last more than a few months if she was lucky. She envied the supplies that Max had. Although, then again, he didn’t have the firepower that Georgia had brought along.