I sped after him, my eyes searching the sky. And then I spotted it. A black dot in the sky, growing bigger. Yes, it was coming back. It was the black dot that I’d seen several times. Within seconds it was above us and I saw it was a military helicopter. It was flying so low I could even make out the soldiers sitting in it, their faces covered with black gas masks.
There were other people. Military. We were saved!
The other members of Safe-haven gathered around us, waving wildly. “We’re here!” we shouted.
Tyler’s eyes grew wide and he started to tremble. Slowly he sank to his knees.
I looked over at Rachel, who was standing next to him, but her eyes were fixed on the helicopter. Behind her, Geoffrey appeared in the doorway of the house and stood frozen in the shadows as he stared at the sky.
“It’s not slowing down,” Larry said.
“They have to see us. They’re so close! How can they miss us?” Karen stared at the helicopter in shock. “We’re down here!” She jumped up and down.
There had to be a way to make them see us, to attract their attention. “We need a flare gun!” I said.
Joshua bolted past Geoffrey into the house and returned a few seconds later with a boxy-looking pistol. He raised it over his head, but before he could fire it, Tyler tackled him, sending them both flying to the ground. “Get off me! Are you crazy?” Joshua yelled. He pushed Tyler off and jumped to his feet. Tyler stayed on his back and covered his eyes with his hands. What was the matter with him?
Joshua pulled the trigger.
A light soared into the sky, sparks of glaring red against greyish-blue. It was impossible to miss. But the helicopter didn’t change its direction, nor did it dive. It flew on as if we weren’t there, though the soldiers must have seen us.
“Why aren’t they rescuing us?” Bobby asked, looking at me as if I knew the answer.
“Hey, you bastards!” Joshua shouted. The helicopter was becoming smaller and smaller, until it was nothing but a black dot on the horizon again.
“Maybe they’re just waiting for reinforcements,” Marie guessed, clutching Emma to her body.
Tyler cowered on the ground, his head buried in his knees. His body was shaking now and he was rocking back and forth like he’d really lost it. Rachel was behind him, her eyes wide – whether from shock or fear, I couldn’t tell. After a moment, Tyler looked up and our eyes met. I knew instantly that something was horribly wrong.
He croaked out something, but after months of not talking, his mouth wasn’t used to forming words. It sounded like, “They won’t save us.”
The others looked at him. Shock and confusion mingled on their faces, but I felt only dread.
“What did you say?” Joshua asked.
“They won’t save us.” Tyler’s voice was deep and rough, but so quiet that I had to strain my ears.
“What do you mean, they won’t save us? How do you know? I don’t understand, Tyler.” Karen walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He flinched as if she’d hit him. Karen exchanged a look with Larry that made it clear she thought Tyler had lost his mind. But somehow I knew the words coming from his lips weren’t the result of madness.
“I was there, on the other side.” He pressed his cheek against his knees, his knuckles turning white from his grip on his legs. He looked lost, and so much younger than he was.
“What other side?” I asked, keeping my voice gentle so it wouldn’t upset him.
“The other side of the fence.”
Larry pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses out of the way. “Fence. I don’t get it. What fence?”
Something in Geoffrey’s face changed, as if he feared what was coming.
“There’s a fence.” Tyler sucked in a breath. It was obvious that every word was a struggle. “It keeps us and the Weepers here. It separates…separates us from the rest of the country.” He swallowed. “There’s an entire world beyond the fence. A world where life goes on as if nothing h-has happened.” Tyler was still shaking, as if his own words had scared him even more than the helicopter.
That didn’t make sense. How could life go on like it used to? How could anyone live a life in safety while we were fighting for survival every day?
“How do you know this?” I asked.
“After I left the public bunker, me and a few others were travelling through the country, searching for more survivors, when a helicopter appeared above us. They shot at us and a tranquillizer dart hit me. After that, I don’t remember much. I must have lost consciousness. When I woke up I was in a laboratory, tied to a table. On the other side. Beyond the fence.”
Part of me wanted to block my ears, so I wouldn’t hear any more. The other part wanted to learn as much as possible.
“They were using us as lab rats to test the rabies on. There was so much death.” He closed his eyes as if that would make him forget. But I knew it wouldn’t; every memory I wanted so desperately to forget seemed even more vivid once my eyes were closed.
There was a moment of silence. I was frozen, and so were the others. My fingers felt numb and slowly the numbness spread through the rest of my body. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
It was Mom who spoke first. “They’d never do that.”
Geoffrey grimaced, an odd expression on his face. “They would, believe me. I’ve seen a lot in my time as a scientist. Many things that have made me doubt humankind.”
Karen lowered herself to sit beside Tyler. “But how did you get out of there? Did they let you go?”
A choked laugh left his lips. “No, they don’t let anybody leave who’s been in the laboratory. I managed to escape. For days I hid in abandoned houses, before I discovered the fence. Other captives told me about it, but I never believed it was really true. I found a tunnel. It was in bad shape, but I had no choice.” He shuddered.
“When I came out on this side of the fence, I was sick with fever. I ran and ran and didn’t stop, but I don’t remember what happened after that. The first thing I remember is waking up here.”
“I’m so sorry, Tyler.” Rachel crouched beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
I couldn’t even imagine what Tyler had gone through. I didn’t think I’d have survived if I’d been in his place. No wonder he’d stopped talking.
Larry shook his head. “But why can’t we reach anyone with a cell and why isn’t there any television reception? If life is going on as it used to be across the country we would have noticed, wouldn’t we?”
I took Joshua’s hand, needing his support more than ever. He glanced at me and his eyes showed he believed Tyler.
Tyler ran his fingers through the dirt beside his feet, drawing a long line. The words seemed to flow from him more easily now. “The government was thorough. They made sure nobody found out about us and we never got over the fence unless they wanted us to. There are minefields, spring guns, cameras.”
Larry nodded, his frown clearing as if a riddle he’d been working on had just been solved. “So they sealed us off from the rest of the world. It must be as if we don’t exist. The government is sending interfering waves. That’s why we stopped getting a signal.”
“But the world would never allow it – the rest of America would never allow it,” I said. “Someone would have stopped the government. Wouldn’t they?”
Geoffrey rubbed his temples. “To the rest of the world, we’re probably nothing more than dead or infected beasts. They will have been manipulated by the government into believing that we’re no longer human.”
The truth sank in. Nobody would help us. Joshua squeezed my hand gently, steadying me with the gesture. I gave him a faint smile, though I’d rather have cried.
“How come we’ve never seen helicopters or planes or ships before, if the rest of the world is living their lives as if nothing happened?” he asked.
“This is a restricted area. It’s prohibited to fly over or set foot in it. They labelled it ‘contaminated wasteland’. I heard them talk about i
t while I was in the lab,” Tyler whispered, his legs pulled against his chest.
Contaminated wasteland. That’s what they called my home.
“Why haven’t other survivors seen the fence?” Joshua asked.
“Helicopters are patrolling the fence area. If they catch people nearby, they take them away to the lab. That’s what happened to me,” Tyler said.
Geoffrey closed his eyes and ran a hand down his face – he looked grey. And that’s when I realized how little he’d said. And suddenly it was obvious.
“You knew?” I asked.
Geoffrey froze. “I knew they made plans to build a fence, but I thought it was nothing but talk. I never thought they’d go through with it. And I was too scared to check for myself if it was true.”
I searched his face while Joshua glared at him. “But you seem to know so much.”
“Like I told you, I worked for the government as a scientist. When they began talking about building a fence, about separating the country, they wanted me to join them. But my family was already infected at that point and I couldn’t take them with me, so I decided to stay with them. I didn’t know if I was infected myself. I never really thought we’d be deserted.”
“And the government just abandoned you?” Shock was obvious on Mom’s face. How she could still be shocked about anything after what Tyler had just told us was a mystery to me.
“I knew too much. I guess they only let me live because they thought I wouldn’t survive more than a few days in Weeper territory.”
Karen scowled at him. “Why didn’t you tell us any of this before?”
“I didn’t really know what the truth was any more. I…” He swallowed. “I was scared and worried too. Worried you’d hate me and cast me out. I’m sorry, it was selfish of me.” Nobody said a word and Geoffrey dropped his eyes and turned to Tyler. “What else do you know, Tyler?”
“Oregon, California, Nevada and Arizona are restricted areas. The fence runs along the borders of the outer states and separates us from the rest of the country. From here, the nearest section of the fence is south of Las Vegas. You’d reach it in six hours by car.”
Joshua and I exchanged looks, and we both knew we wanted to see the fence with our own eyes.
Tyler looked straight at us, his eyes wide and pleading, as if he knew what we were thinking. “You can’t ever go there. They’ll catch you and then it’ll be over. You’ll die. Just like my brother.”
“Your brother?” My mouth went dry, because I was sure another horror story was about to be added to my memory. Another thing I could never wipe from my mind.
Tyler traced the tattoo spelling his name on his wrist. “My twin, Tyler. He died in the lab. He didn’t make it out of there.”
Karen was the first who got over the shock that seemed to paralyse us. “I’m sorry. But if Tyler was your twin, what’s your name?”
Tyler rose and dusted himself off. It was like he was shutting down. “It doesn’t matter. That guy doesn’t exist any more. Just call me Tyler.”
He walked into the house, leaving us with nothing but the certainty that everything was even worse than we’d thought.
Dad turned out the light, ignoring my protests. Izzy giggled. The glow of candles filled the room. Orange and yellow. They flickered, making shadows move on the walls.
“Happy birthday” surrounded me. Bobby sang off-key on purpose. Izzy tried to drown him out with her loud screech.
I was tempted to cover my ears. A grin spread on my face. All my friends were there. Except for Abi. She’d been sick for a few days. A virus, they said. Nobody was allowed to visit her in the hospital.
Mom put the birthday cake on the table. It was pink and blue and white. “Make a wish.”
Twelve candles. Their glare dazzled me.
A wish.
That pair of pink Converse.
Or that Brittany got a bad case of acne.
Or…
Brown eyes flashed in my mind. Heat crept into my face.
I want Alex to like me as much as I like him.
Closing my eyes, I blew out the candles. Smoke wafted up my nose and my smile widened.
The next day, Karen and Larry waited for Joshua and me in the kitchen. I’d known something was wrong from the moment I’d visited Mom and Dad in the infirmary cottage that morning. They’d avoided looking me in the eye, as if there was something they felt guilty about.
“I think we should have a discussion about Safe-haven,” Karen said.
I’d suspected this conversation would come ever since Tyler had told us the truth. It had changed everything and made us realize that Safe-haven was even less of a safe place than we’d thought.
Joshua exchanged a worried look with me before he turned to Karen. “What about it?”
Larry wrapped an arm around her. “We think it would be better to leave the winery and search for a new place to stay.”
“We?” Joshua echoed.
“The adults had a conversation yesterday,” Larry said.
Joshua’s expression tightened. He didn’t like that nobody had asked us. I didn’t like it either.
Karen put a hand on his shoulder but he shook her off. “We agreed to move away.”
“But why?” I blurted out, horrified about the prospect of leaving our home.
“It’s too dangerous to stay here. Tyler’s words made us finally realize it. The Weepers know where we live and now the military does, too. I bet the helicopter had a camera. And maybe we could find more survivors during our search for a new place to stay. We could join forces. That way we’d be less vulnerable,” Larry said.
They had made up their minds already.
“Isn’t there another way? Safe-haven is our home.”
Larry shook his head. “We must think of the future. Safe-haven is no longer a safe place.”
I didn’t like it at all, but I knew they were right.
The military, or the government, or whoever was behind the fence, knew where we lived and they’d left us to die. They wouldn’t hesitate to kill us if they thought we were a danger to their web of lies.
Everything was packed, except for the furniture. Larry had found and patched up an old trailer, so we could take the cows with us and wouldn’t have to butcher them – their milk was more important than their meat.
It was strange to think that this was our last evening in the winery. We’d find a new Safe-haven, a new home, but I didn’t want to leave. I loved the pretence of peace in the vineyard, this sense of another time. Of my other life.
I exchanged a smile with Karen while we set the table – the plates and cutlery barely fitted. Elbows on the tabletop would be a no-go during dinner. I’d forgiven them for making the decision about moving without us. Joshua, on the other hand, was still furious.
In fact, I’d sensed anger building in him ever since we’d found out about the fence. I could tell he felt betrayed that Geoffrey had kept it from him. And perhaps he felt stupid for ever allowing himself to trust a man who had helped to create the virus in the first place. But Joshua didn’t seem to want to talk about it and I didn’t push him. I didn’t want to spoil our last day at Safe-haven.
Marie stirred tomato sauce in a huge pot. Almost every meal here contained tomatoes and red peppers. I hadn’t gotten tired of it yet. 1,141 days without fresh vegetables made me hunger for them.
Marie had told me she’d harvest the potatoes tomorrow so we could take them with us to our new home – wherever that would be. We planned on staying close to the ocean. The adults didn’t want to risk moving closer to the fence.
“Sherry, look!” Mia said in excitement. I turned to her. She held up a piece of paper with her first and last name written on it in block letters. She was beaming at me.
“Larry says I’m a fast learner!” She glanced at Larry, who sat across from her at the table. He gave me a grin. He’d been in teacher mode for a few days. While he’d tried to teach Emma how to count to five, he’d made Mia write her name and that
of every member of Safe-haven. He loved teaching others, and with Mia and Emma he had two willing students. He’d suggested he could teach me and Bobby too, but we hadn’t found the time. Not that Bobby and I were too keen on sitting down with textbooks.
Mom helped Dad towards a chair, supporting him with an arm around his waist. It was only the second time he’d gotten out of bed. His leg hadn’t healed yet, but at least the swelling was down. He still couldn’t put pressure on it, though. Our journey to a new safe haven would cost him every bit of strength.
With a groan, Dad plopped down on a chair and wiped his forehead. Karen had told me he’d probably end up with a stiff leg like Larry. As long as he didn’t get rabies, I could live with that. His fever and sweating worried me. Karen still hadn’t said anything. But what if he was already turning into a Weeper, and she wasn’t telling us because she knew there was nothing we could do?
Mom smiled at him before she turned to us. “Can I help?” Her skin wasn’t grey any more. It was pale, but at least she could no longer be mistaken for the living dead. Dad and Mom had gained some weight, though they were still too thin. I wished I didn’t have to worry about them so much.
Karen shook her head and gestured at the set table. “We’re done. You can sit down.”
“Dinner!” Marie shouted. Seconds later Joshua entered the kitchen, Tyler and Rachel just behind. Only Geoffrey was missing. He’d been keeping to himself since yesterday.
Everyone took their seats, chairs scraping over the floor and plates clanking when someone hit them with their elbows. It was strange for me that Grandma was no longer with us. I sat down beside Joshua. He took my hand under the table and the ghost of a smile crossed his face. I smiled back. It came naturally when I was around him.
8 days since we’d rescued Rachel and Dad from the Weepers, and now that they were in better shape, we wouldn’t postpone our departure any longer. This was the first time we’d all had dinner together and it would be the last around this table. I pushed the thought aside.
I was sandwiched between Joshua and Bobby, but I didn’t mind. It felt like a big family gathering. Chaotic but wonderful. The scent of pasta and tomato sauce filled the kitchen, making my stomach growl. God, I was hungry. Joshua chuckled and winked at me. I punched his leg under the table and scowled at him for laughing at me. He tried to keep a straight face, but failed miserably. I rolled my eyes and looked away.