A sudden jolt awakens me from my sweet slumber, my body being forced forward as my eyes open wide. The sight mostly hazy and blurred as I try to adjust my bright hues. Smoke is rising from the hood, my mind spinning from the sudden jump from dream to reality. The adjustment vague as I glance over towards Jasper in the driver seat.
"Jasper?" I say, seeing him looking in my direction.
"Clara, are you okay?" His voice was low as his hands cuff my cheeks, raising my head as he inspects any injuries.
"Yeah, what the hell happened?" I ask, pulling away only slightly as I shake my head. The world now coming to a halt as my mind finally settles.
"It was a deer or something.." Jasper is hesitant as his hands drop and reach to the back, retrieving his bag and my own. "Looks like we're walking."
Sighing softly, I allow my eyes to close and open before taking my bag. The door opens as I slide out, grabbing the shovel that is in the floor board. I was not leaving this behind. As I can see, the jeeps front is smashed into the side metal railing, a little smoke rising from the hood.
"How long have we been on the road?" I can't help but question as I throw my back pack over my shoulder, meeting Jasper at the rear of the jeep.
"Maybe forty five minutes."
"Great. At least three hours away now." I shake my head.
"Getting closer." Jasper says, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
" I feel further away." I say, leaving it at that as I begin to walk along the interstate median. My eyes looking for any sign along the road indicating what was available at the next exit. Not much talking was going on as Jasper knew the pressure I felt, wanting nothing more than to see Lucas again. Instead all these obstacles were in the way. If only we would have continued last night. Maybe none of this would be happening. Dwelling on the matter wouldn't change anything. That I know. But the thought helps.
After walking two miles, I can see a sign off in the distance. Jogging to it slowly, I read the city lies two miles off. My god. Well, let's go. It was like a spark erupted inside me as I walk away from the sign, kicking it into overdrive as we walk quite quickly to the exit two miles away. The journey felt shorter than it actually was, my mind more occupied than I had thought it to be. The grave yard of cars and fear of any movement causing my heart panic. Ascending the exit ramp, I make a quick decision to go right at the red light. With Jasper quick on my heels we make our way down the deserted street.
"I don't like this." His voice is faint, but still noticeable as we jog our way down the street, passing cars and stores and banks. All abandon and cars resting still on the road, the occasional sound of a thud as we pass a few figures tucked in an alley or by a car.
"Neither do I. But there's a car lot up here just a bit. We can get a car and go." I tell him, the sign from just a few blocks back present in my mind.
"Nice." Jasper encourages the idea on. The agreement all I need to press on the short distance to the car dealership.
My feet stop short as I make it to the grass of the Toyota dealership, not the best option but I am not the one to complain. My digits scanning the vacant lot of any people, or wondering ones.
"Let's go get some keys and get us a ride." I say, giving Jasper a smirk before taking off toward the glass double doors in the front of the store. It was easy to see there was no one inside, considering the front of the building is glass. At least to what we can see. Opening the door, I make my way to the front desk, scanning over the possibilities.
"Here, come on." Jasper says leading me behind the desk, pulling open drawers. I watch as he looks through the first two, a smile present on his lips as he turns to me.
"Bingo." He raises a pair of keys beside his face, that having to do. Waiting for Jasper to meet me at the door, I notice the vacancy of people. Most of the employees must have already left before it began. I let the door swing open as we run to the nearest employee parking lot. Only three cars are sitting there, Jasper raising the keys and hitting the unlock button. A beep is heard to our left, the green toyota truck the winner of the bunch. Not a second more, we close the short distance to the truck, opening the doors and throwing our things in the back. Climbing inside the passenger seat a third time today, something I am not used to. But allow the relaxation that came with it.
The engine starts as Jasper twist the ignition switch, not as loud as I originally thought it to be. Rolling the window down only a crack to allow the wind to seep its way inside, the temperature well into the nineties on this hot day. I can hear the sigh leave Jasper's lips as he puts it into drive.
"We're gonna need gas before we go any further." At least I know where the sigh is directed from.
"Well, if that's the next step." I mean, logically what else are we going to do.
Jasper peels out of the parking lot, taking another right down the main road looking for a store to fill up the gas tank. It would take no more than five minutes if we plan it right.
"I'll stand watch as you pump?" I ask, keeping my eyes open as a gas station comes into view on the left.
"Sounds good." His words are short as he pulls into the gas station, the evident view of one car at the multiple pumps, the others parked in the spaces in front of the store. As he pulls up to one pump, I jump out rather quickly to scan the area more thoroughly.
"Stay close." I hear as I begin to take out my bag, searching for my ammo case. Finally finding it, I reload my mag, having already shot more than enough, I refill the remaining slots. Leaving one in the chamber as I put it on safety and back inside its holster.
I walk away from the vehicle, not far but the distance widening as I take each step. With Jasper now filling the gas tank, I plan to step away for a moment. The area we are in seems clear for the most part, a small gas station tucked away at the end of the main road, with a small gate wrapping around the back and sides. Finding my way to the restroom I pull open the door, standing behind it just in case any person was inside waiting. I move in front of the door, the light flickering on with motion as I take a step in and lock the door behind me. Seeing the one stall and sink made it feel easier.
My mind not able to take anymore of this killing. Taking these souls as if they are nothing more than a bug on the bottom of my shoe. The thought harsh, but the most relevant. As I finish up, I wash my hands, looking in the small circle mirror hanging above the sink. My features not changing much from the night before, except for the extra blood stains, and the dirt on my face. I look away as I exit the rest room, having finally taken the time as I've been holding it in for a while.
Making my way back around the store, I can already hear the truck ramming up, the engine echoing off the building. My feet round the corner as I see a few dead walking slowly up the entrance of the store. Heading for the passenger side of the truck, I open the door and jump inside.
"Took long enough." Jasper says as a movement can be heard from my right. Looking to my window I can see a woman with her blonde hair pulled back, and business suit as she claws at my window. Blood running down her chin as she pushes her face closer.
"We gotta go." I say, swallowing away the lump in my throat as I see multiple ones banging on the hood with their fist, walking around to opposite sides of the vehicle. "Let's go!" I yell now, ready to get away from the mess of people who is trying to get to us.
I move in my seat only slightly before shots are being fired, the sound loud as I watch the woman fall to the ground from a bullet to the head. The other falling shortly after. Before I could manage to get out a single word, the back widow smashes and a thud is heard. Looking to the floor, I notice a small item.
"Clara go!!" I hear as smoke begins to fill the truck, flowing from the broke glass window. A horrid smell fills my lungs as I frantically search for the handle, trying to open the door to escape this deadly trap. My hand schemes across the structure of the inside of the door, finding the handle. Pushing the door open, I lung out over the dead bodies as I cough franticly, the tainted smoke not leaving my lungs as I try my hardest to clear my passage way. My mind begins to feel hazy as I fall to the concrete ground, feeling a body as I do.
"Jasper!" I try to yell, possibly coming out as a whisper as my head leans toward the ground. Not being able to keep my eyes open as my peripheral catches a moving object to my left. Rising my head only slightly as I see the nose of a gun coming to view. Just then, does the world go black. My oblivion now present as I feel my head hit the concrete below me.
I awake with a throbbing against my frontal lob and my lungs on fire as I begin to cough. My eyes flutter open with the sight of a white ceiling above me, a ceiling fan on. My head turns and I let out another cough. I see a shelf placed next to a wall, just a few feet from a closed door. Feeling the fabric beneath me brought great suspicion as my eyes began to scan the small room I am in.
"She's awake." I hear a female voice to my left, out of view. She steps towards me slowly as another, a brunette lady walks to the door, opening it and exiting. "It's okay. I'm Elaine." The blonde female says as my head turns to view her, raising slightly to lean on my elbows.
"Where's Jasper? Where I am? Where's my stuff?" I ask, not really caring for her name. Just the whereabouts of Jasper and our things. I can see her smile softly as a sigh emits her lips, she is trying to hold back something.
"He is fine. Everything is here, Clara. Your bag and weapons are over there." Elaine says as she points towards the door, a chair sits in the corner with my belongings there. Waiting for me.
"I need to see him." I say as I finally manage to sit up right, the pain still present my head as a hand is placed on my arm.
"You will." Elaine says profoundly, a smile catering to her lips as the door opens and the same lady returns, only with two other men. One waiting by the door whom looked to be of Mexican descent as the room couldn't accompany that many bodies.
"Hello, I'm Travis. This is my group. I am sorry for our actions and causing you such distress. We were clearing the area and we came across you and your partner." The mention of Jasper rattling my brain.
"Where is he? Tell me he's alive." It's all I ask. The realization that there are other survivors besides the children and Nessie and Jasper and I, not setting in.
"He's alive, yes. But he's not here."
"Then where the hell is he?" I ask, feeling anger and confusion grow as my legs move and drape over the bed, sweeping to the side. Elaine steps closer to me as her hand rest on my shoulder.
"I told you, he's fine." She tries to reassure me again.
"Then tell me where he is."
A sigh can be heard after my voice is raised, annoyance or controlling of the situation. I do not know. His red hair and beard standing out, maybe early mid thirties. His America flag shirt very visible with blood and dirt stains, holes present as if he has been in a scuffle.
"He is with a few of my men at a location just a few miles from here. He's helping us for taking care of you."
"Taking care of me? You did this." My voice growing louder as my shoes hit the floor beneath me. Elaine's body now closer as I move. The last memory a bit hazy and blurred, but still very present.
"And we understand that. But you have been out for hours now."
Hours??
"No, that can't be." My head shakes at the thought of being asleep for so long, not doing a damn thing to get closer to Lucas.
"It is Clara. You've been out for six hours now." I can hear the young girl say whom stands by the door.
"What? No.." To say my heart dropped couldn't amount to the actual feeling in my chest. Slumping back against the bed I once rested on, I close my eyes. "Fuck.."
"Got somewhere to be?" The insincere evident in his voice as the male crosses his arms.
"Yeah I actually do and being here a second longer jeopardizes any chance of finding my child alive. So can I please leave now?" I ask politely, my jaw tightening as I stand inches from Elaine, her hand still resting on my arm.
"Well, we thought you should know. Jasper has been gone for three hours now along with our group." Travis tells me as he leans against the door way, his eyes on the floor as he addresses me.
"Okay? So where is he? Let me go to him." I say, this not what I need at the moment. Another delay.
"Have a seat, please." He tells me as his arms uncross and fall to his side. I do, reluctantly. Only to make the process go by faster.
"When this all went down, my group and I were at a truck stop. People started going down around us. Just a few. So we decide to ditch our loads and head home. But we didn't have time." I can see the uncertainty on his face as he continues. "We traveled a good few miles yesterday until we found a problem. We found a factory, decided to get supplies for all our rides home. Found the dead instead. Maybe a hundred. All trapped behind a fence."
I swallow away the lump that has grown in my throat as Travis tells of their story.
"I haven't slept since. Sending out my men to take them out one by one to get inside."
Whatever was inside must be very important.
"I was on my way back when we saw you and Jasper. When he woke a few hours ago he decided to go with a small group to help us."
Of course.
"What do you need me to do?"
"We need you to go with Misty here to see why the delay is."
As much as I wanted to negotiate, I needed to get to Jasper.
"Okay."
They allow me the room as I dress, exiting and leaving me in solitude as I walk over to my bag and weapons. I see my shovel propping against the wall and my holster laying on a chair. Unzipping my bag I look through my things, making sure nothing has been messed with. Seeing my crown Royal bag and the items all still there I have the temptation to roll myself a fat blunt. Before I do so, I reach inside my jeans pocket and pull out my phone, the battery level reading sixty four percent. A low signal bar shows in the corner of my screen as I click on most recent calls. Seeing my dad's name I click dial and hold it to my ear.
It rings.
And rings.
And rings again.
No answer after a whole two minutes of waiting, my eyes staring at the floor as I end the call.
Why not. With all that's being processed I need it. I pull out my small bag and get to work, rolling a blunt in under two minutes. As I'm putting my things away I hear a knock at the door.
"Can I come in?" I hear Elaine's voice from the other side.
"Yeah." The knob turns as the door opens, showing the blonde older woman. Not by much, maybe five year my senior.
"Travis wants to know if you're ready." She asks as I zip up my back pack, my blue lighter and blunt in hand as I place them on the bed. Sliding my phone back into my jeans pocket as I comb my hair out of my face.
"Almost." I tell her as I walk over to my holster and place it on my hip. "Now I'm ready." Seeing the waiting lady by the door as I sling my bag over my shoulder and pick up my blunt and lighter, sliding the lighter into my pocket as I snatch up my shovel on the way out.
Leaving the small room I had awaken in, I close the door behind me, seeing Travis waiting for us at the end of a hall.
"Ready to go?" He asks us both.
I only nod as a pull out my lighter from my pocket, readying to light my blunt, shovel in one hand and the rest in the other.
"You don't mind, do you?"
"No, go right ahead." Travis says as he begins to push a door open, leading us into another hall. Doors lining the way as we go.
"Where are we?" I ask, my blue orbs scanning over the white halls as we walk towards another door at the end.
"A church. Found safety here while we wait." Travis turns to us slightly before pushing open the door, a dim sunlight shines through as we make our way outside. After my eyes adjust to the landscape, I see a small white picket fence out laying the perimeter, the gate open with cars against the outside and some inside.
I bring my blunt to my lips I prop my shovel against the brick wall of the church, lighting up my blunt.
"It's safe for now. Since we have the numbers. Well, we did. We haven't heard back from our last two groups."
"Wait what? I thought Jasper was just going to get the first group?" My brow raises as the open gaps he was leaving. "Tell me the truth, now."
"Look, our last radio call was an hour ago. It got cut out. We have been debating on sending more, but can't risk it."
"That's why you waited for me to wake up." I shake my head at the thought of how long it has actually been since seeing him. This causing me to take a rather large puff of my blunt, allowing the smoke to rest in my lungs as I look to the fence, then to the ground.
What the hell was I suppose to say?
I bite down on my lower lip, pulling a tiny bit of skin off as I comb back my hair with my free hand. Taking another puff, I thump the ash to the ground.
Probably not the best area to smoke.
"Hey, we ready or what?" We all turn to the female to our left, the voice belonging to Misty as she leans against the hood. Catching the girls nonexistence patience like a snake.
"Almost. Just filling her in." Travis says before anyone else can, "Don't worry about her. Less chit chat the quicker you find your friend and we find ours, okay?" Although the sentence would have sounded arrogant and cocky from anyone else, this seems more of a tip.
"Got it. Can you tell me where the location is?" I asks, bringing the blunt to my lips yet again. This is helping more than I could have imagined.
"It's three miles north from here. You won't miss it." Travis says with a grin, almost proud of his discovery.
"Got it boss. We'll be back soon." I say as I re-adjust my straps to my back pack, taking my shovel in hand.
"No, Clara." Travis grabs my forearm as I walk, not roughly or with anger. "When you find Jasper go. Your kid needs you."
I can only nod as I place the blunt to my lips, taking a puff and blowing out the smoke.
"You got it. May we meet again." I tell him, and look to Elaine as he releases my hand, allowing me to step away slowly to the SUV to my left.
"Safe passages, Clara." I hear Elaine say as she steps to me, pulling me into a soft warm embrace. I am hesitant, but wrap my free arm around her.
"I hope you see your child again." She whispers to me just before pulling away with a soft smile, a kind hearted soul she is.
"Thank you." I say before offering them both a smile and turning away towards the awaiting SUV, Misty already inside. Reaching the passenger side I take off my back pack and place it in the floor board, along with my shovel before climbing in.
"Ready now?" Misty ask, her hand on the gear shift, ready to put it in drive.
"Ready." I tell her as I close the door behind me, taking a puff of the blunt that is now almost halfway gone.
This is going to be a nice little trip.