“Thank you,” Dr. Banks said. The man nodded and exited the room.
Dr. Banks then walked over to me and Finn. “Dr. Lee will be staying here with Rhett’s group. They are in need of a doctor, and he volunteered. His patient also wants to stay. Neither have family, and want to remain free. We are leaving them well stocked with medicine.
“Is everyone else okay?” I asked.
“The other night, when they called me to check on Jamie, I discovered something. It appears Reed left her with a precious gift; a part of him to live on, and hopefully help her through the grieving process.”
“A baby?” I gasped.
He nodded with a slight grin. “Yes, they’ll need a doctor to help care for her and the baby, once it’s born.”
“That’s wonderful news,” I said.
“Yes, and Dr. Lee has had lots of experience with child birthing and pediatrics. He said he’d like to stay and help, and spend the rest of his days on the outside, not confined to walls.”
“I don’t blame him,” I said. “We were also debating the same thing, but we have so many loved ones waiting for us.”
“Indeed we do,” he nodded and smiled.
I was happy for all of them, but a little sad this baby wouldn’t have the chance to know its father. But this hive was close, and the baby would have multiple men who would step up and become father figures. I doubted it would lack any love.
I was also happy for Jamie. She was devastated by her husband’s death, and maybe, this child would help her broken heart to mend. Part of me wished I could stay to witness it.
Finn tightened his hug around me.
“Hopefully one day, the world will be filled with children, laughing and playing like we used to,” he whispered in my ear.
“I hope so,” I said.
We grabbed our things and headed outside. The people of Sanctum were now free, and hopefully wouldn’t have any problems in the future with the Arvies. I doubted they would, knowing this place was out in the middle of nowhere. It was a miracle we’d found it.
Fate, I guess.
Everyone stood just outside of the Sanctum, in a small cemetery. There were a few dozen headstones scattered about, each deteriorating from years of chemical weathering. But there was one fresh grave, adorned with an ornate wooden cross, about four feet tall. Reed Miller was neatly carved into it, with the date of his birth and death. He had been thirty-two years old. A beautiful hand-crocheted blanket of colorful flowers was laying over the top of his grave.
Rhett’s men continued to dig Pike’s final resting place, but seeing his lifeless form, lying off to the side, released another wave of heartache. His body was wrapped in a sheet; blood from his wound had seeped through, creating what almost resembled a butterfly. At least, it looked like a butterfly to me, and it made me hope he got his wings. If anyone deserved heaven, it was Pike.
We quietly waited and watched the men. The only sounds were those of the shovels hitting the dirt, and Tina’s deep sobs.
Dr. Lee stood next to Tina, still trying to console her. I knew she would never be the same. Her smile, her wit, and her charm would be lost for a while. I just hoped one day she would be able to find that part of herself again.
When the grave had finally been dug, we all stood around it in a half-circle. Finn and Tim carried Pike’s body over, and gently laid it to rest. Rhett took out an old, tattered Bible and began reading. It was a simple, yet powerful message of the fragility of life, along with the hope and rebirth of new life and new land.
At the end, he closed with a prayer for all those who had lost their lives, and those who remained. He turned to his men with a slight nod, and they began shoveling the earth back into the grave, covering Pike’s body.
Tina howled and ran forward, dropping herself on the side of his grave. I ran over and knelt next to her, gently rubbing her back. She was my friend. Her world was falling apart, and I didn’t know how to comfort her. There was no way I could.
She turned and wrapped her arms around me. I hugged and cried with her. I didn’t know how she would get through this, but I knew somehow, she would. She was strong. She would find a way. And I repeated those words to her, over and over, hoping it would offer some reassurance.
When his grave was finally filled, Tina stood. Staring blankly, she swayed, and then collapsed.
“Dr. Banks!” I screamed. He ran over and checked her.
“She’s fine, just sleeping. Dr. Lee gave her some pills to help her rest,” he said.
“Oh, good,” I breathed out in relief. “I think sleep would be the best thing for her right now.”
Finn lifted her, carrying her to a blanket and pillow Peggy Sue had lain out for her.
“Thank you,” I said to her.
“It’s no problem,” she answered.
“No, not only for that, but thank you for everything you’ve done for us. You and your group have been very hospitable. You didn’t have to take us in and feed us, but you did. You shared what little you had, and for that, we thank you.”
She smiled and nodded, and I saw a brief look of guilt on her face.
“I’m really glad you came,” Shelley said, coming over and giving me a hug.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’m glad I had the chance to meet you. You remind me of my little cousin, who is waiting for me at the next bunker.”
“Really?” she squeaked, her eyes smiled.
“Really. I’ll have to tell her all about you. Maybe one day you’ll get to meet her.”
“I would like that,” she said.
“I’m glad you came too,” Jamie said, coming forward. Her eyes were puffy and red from her own grieving. “You really helped us, and now, our town is free from those monsters. We will be able to start again. It will be hard without Reed, but I know he’d want me to go on, especially with his child.” She gently rubbed her belly.
“I’m really sorry about your husband, but I’m happy that you will be having a baby,” I smiled. “It would have been awesome to have watched the birth.”
“You are welcome to stay,” she said.
“Thank you,” I returned, “but we have family waiting for us. They will need our help to rebuild, once we are free.”
“I understand,” she smiled, and then gave me a hug.
Nely stepped forward and wrapped me in her arms.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “You are a very strong girl. You will make a difference in this world. I can feel it.”
“Thank you,” I smiled.
Laura stepped up next and gave me a hug. “You didn’t have to stay and help us, but you did. It’s nice to know that there are still good people out there.”
I smiled and my heart swelled. “Thank you all. We really do wish you all the best and hope that one day, our paths will cross again. And, please do not worry… we won’t tell anyone about this place. It’s yours, unless they discover it on their own, and hopefully they’ll just let you keep it. There is more than enough usable land for the few thousand which survived. I doubt you will see anyone for a very long time. And by then, everyone should be settled and won’t care.”
“Hopefully,” Peggy Sue said.
“Yes, hopefully,” I agreed.
Rhett and his men disappeared and all of a sudden we heard a loud rumble. It was the truck engine starting up.
Finn immediately turned to me with a smile. Seeing him smile brought one to my face.
I wiped my face dry, as the truck pulled around to the front. It was a rusted old heap with wheels, but it was rolling, and that’s all that mattered.
“Now that is one awesome ride,” Finn said.
“Yep, she’s an old battle axe,” Rhett said, slapping the side of his door. “Alright everyone, load up!”
We loaded the injured into the back first, while Tim escorted Tina to the front. He sat with her since he was the navigator, and held the map and the compass. The rest of us sat in the bed of the truck, wherever there was an open spot, and not complete
ly rusted through.
I sat in between Finn’s legs, up against the back of the cab, happy for his closeness and support.
Dr. Banks and Dr. Fox sat on either side of the patient; each had a duffle next to them filled with medicine.
“You all ready?” Rhett asked.
“Yes,” we answered.
As he turned the key and the truck roared to life, my stomach twisted with both excitement and apprehension. As we started to move, Finn held me.
“You ready for this?” he whispered.
“No.”
As Rhett turned the truck around, we faced a row of melancholy faces, along with the fresh graves of our friends we were leaving behind. We didn’t know when, or if, we would ever see them again, so the parting was bittersweet.
Nely, Peggy Sue, Jamie, Laura, and Shelley were all huddled together, waving goodbye. At least they had each other. I was optimistic about their future, and could only hope our happy story would start soon.
Dr. Lee, Revek, Billy, and the rest of the men also waved us farewell, until we couldn’t see them anymore. We would always share a common bond with the families of Sanctum. Together, we defeated the Arvies.
“Are we making the right decision?” I asked Finn.
“No matter where we go, or what we do—as long as I have you by my side—the answer is yes.”
His answer didn’t help. Actually, it made it even worse because we weren’t going to be allowed to be together at the next bunker.
“Abi,” he chuckled in my ear. “Don’t worry. I told you, one way or another I will find a way for us to be together. You just have to trust me.”
“I do trust you. With my whole heart,” I answered.
“Then we are exactly where we need to be. Fate is guiding us now,” he whispered, kissing my cheek.
Chapter 20
It was so nice to be in a vehicle, not having to walk through this desert, but the ride was very dusty and very bumpy. We all had to put on our masks to keep the dust from entering our lungs. The noon day sun was unrelenting, blaring down on us, burning our skin.
Dr. Fox had given the injured man a shot, which knocked him out. Thank God, because even in his sleep, he moaned every time we hit a big bump.
Attempting to hide my face from the sun, I placed my head between my legs. Focusing on the rusted hole between my legs, I watched the ground pass by.
I tried to think back to when I was four, before we went down into the bunker. I didn’t do this often, because every time I did think back, I would be transported to one particular scene. We were leaving our home, in a truck very similar to the one we were in now, trying to escape the impending doom. A crazed man came charging at us, but my mother hid my eyes. I heard a gunshot, and as we drove away, I saw the man’s body lying in our driveway, lifeless. My father killed him. I didn’t realize how much of an impact it had on him, and me.
At first, I refused to touch a gun, and was terrified until my father forced one in my hand and made me shoot. I remembered crying, but he said I couldn’t leave the training center, until I fired every round. It got to the point where I became so frustrated, I raised the gun and pulled the trigger over and over, until every shot was fired. Most of my shots hit the target, and one even hit the bull’s eye. They were shocked, and so was I.
He had been trying to prove a point, wanting to break my fear, and make me stronger. I took it one step further and became obsessed. That’s when Hellfire became a vital part of my life.
There was a knock on the glass window, and the truck started to slow until it came to a complete stop. As soon as the dust settled, we took off our masks.
“We’re here,” Dr. Fox said, his eyes scanning the area to the front. His eyes quickly and deeply furrowed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, trying to crane my neck.
“That’s the problem. There’s nothing,” he said. “What if they left us? What if they aren’t coming back?”
“We won’t know that yet,” Dr. Banks said, always hopeful.
“But it’s been days. They’ve probably made all the transfers.” Dr. Fox was starting to lose his calm, collected composure.
“Doctor, if they don’t come, we will just return to Sanctum with Rhett.”
“My wife and my mother are waiting for me at the bunker,” he said, closing his eyes and pressing his temples.
Finn helped me up, and I jumped out of the truck. He followed right behind me. Rhett opened his door and pulled out his binoculars. He did a quick scan of the skies, and then of the land surrounding around us.
The pick-up zone was marked with a hundred long, red poles, wrapped with reflective tape. Each was sticking out of the ground, surrounding two helipads.
“Look,” he exclaimed, pointing north east of where we were. Behind us, barely seen with the naked eye, were tiny black dots.
“What are they?” I asked. A rush of fear shot through me.
Rhett handed me the binoculars, and as I held them up to my eyes, a gasp escaped my mouth.
“What?” Finn asked, placing his hand on my shoulder.
“Humans! And they’re headed our way,” I exclaimed.
“Are you positive they’re human?” Finn asked.
“I’m sure,” I said, handing him the binoculars. “Look for yourself.”
“Yeah, looks like they’re from our bunker,” Finn added.
Dr. Fox started to laugh and cry at the same time. He was relieved and exhausted, like the rest of us.
“Looks like we’ll all be headed home soon,” Dr. Banks said.
“I think I should be heading back to my family. Do you think you all will be alright now?” Rhett asked.
“Yes, we will be fine,” Finn said. “That group should be here in a few hours, which means a chopper should be heading this way soon.”
“Great. Well, it was a pleasure to have met you all,” Rhett said, shaking Finn’s hand, then each of the doctors. He then turned to me. “Keep these men safe, Abi,” he winked.
“I will,” I smiled.
“I cannot thank you all enough. You helped save our town, and you will always be welcome at Sanctum,” he added.
“Thank you,” we said in unison.
“I feel our paths will cross again,” Rhett grinned, adding a bit more fuel to his tank.
“As do I,” Finn said.
We helped Dr. Banks and Dr. Fox carry the injured man and set him up off to the side, while Rhett jumped back into his truck. Tina was still really groggy, so we set up a place for her to lie down, and she passed out. The medicine Dr. Lee gave her was very strong. A small patch of gray clouds covered the sun, which was a godsend. We would have all been burned to a crisp by the time help came.
“Stay safe, friends! Until we meet again,” Rhett yelled, then started up his beast and took off across the desert; a long trail of dust followed him, slowly dissipating in the gentle winds.
We waited for about an hour as the figures headed toward us. They were starting to become more visible. It would be at least another half-hour before they arrived.
“Hey do you hear that?” Finn said, cupping his ear.
We all stilled, but as I glanced into the sky, I saw it before I heard it. Way in the distance, behind the other survivors, headed toward the pick-up zone, was a chopper.
“Oh my God! They’re coming. We’re going to be rescued,” Tim exclaimed, jumping up and down. He was so excited it made us laugh. It was funny how our laughter started to feel a bit foreign, or even out of place, with all we’d come through. It felt satisfying, but not completely.
We all gathered our things and pulled back a ways from the landing pads.
“Put on your masks,” Dr. Banks said. “The radiation is in the dust. You don’t want to breathe it in.”
We did as he said. In a few minutes, the chopper hovered above us, its blades swirling dust, like a tornado. It was a huge chopper, one with double blades.
“That’s a Chinook. That baby will be able to take all of us home, wit
h no problem,” Tim noted with a large smile. He was ready to leave.
As soon as the chopper landed, a soldier dressed in camouflage, wearing a helmet and goggles jumped out. He was holding an M-16 rifle.
“Are you from the bunker?” he asked.
“Yes,” Dr. Banks answered. “Our chopper went down a few days ago, and we are all that’s left.”
“You’re all from the lost bird? They finally sent out a search team today. It takes time to get those things approved. Come aboard. We have cold water.” The soldier alerted the pilot, who radioed in an affirmative as to our whereabouts.
The soldier then jumped out, slung his weapon over his shoulder and helped Finn carry the injured man onto the chopper. Finn offered me his hand, and helped me in. Tim carried Tina, and helped her buckle into her seat. She was slurring and her eyes were heavy, and then passed out again.
Chapter 21
The group heading toward us was very close. It looked like there were eight in their group.
“Ya’ll are lucky. This was our very last pick-up. Everyone from the Montana bunker has been transported to the Black Hills.”
“Wow, I guess fate was guiding us,” Finn said.
“Yep, looks like fate is not finished with you yet,” the soldier added with a grin.
We sipped on some water, and as I turned to check on Tina, I heard a voice call out.
“Abigail?”
My head snapped up.
“Dad?” I knew his voice. I knew the way he said my name. Tears flooded my vision.
I blinked rapidly, then saw his face. My dad was running toward the chopper. I quickly unbuckled from my seat and ran toward him. As soon as I reached him, he wrapped me in his arms and began weeping.
“I thought we’d lost you. I thought you were gone,” he cried. He cradled my face in his hands and stared at me, like he was looking at a ghost.
“I’m here dad,” I assured him. I could hear footsteps behind me and knew it was Finn. “It was all Finn. He is the reason why I’m still alive. I would be dead if he wasn’t with me, protecting me.”
My dad looked back over my shoulder, then reached out his left arm and pulled Finn into our embrace.