Darkness on a Pale Blue Stone (15 page)

"Correct, though we were only aware of Project Blackout's potential very recently, hence its last minute retrieval. We underestimated Gimbal's ability to keep their secrets... well, a secret."

"I'm still shocked you were able to get in and out of that building undetected," Michael said.

Gresson chuckled. "Not exactly undetected..."

"So, who's in charge of this group? Are you giving the orders or are they?" Lash asked.

"Neither. We have no traditional leadership. Every member contributes what they can."

"Why the secrecy from us, then?" Jake asked.

Gresson sighed. "We had agreed not to tell anyone about the Arrival, or about ourselves. Perhaps it's taken me this long to realize that the situation is different than we had anticipated. Our 'old' rules are not going to help anymore. If the Exterminators are really here, on the ground, then we will need all the help we can get now."

"You told something to the army and Valdez..." Lucas wondered, more from curiosity than jealousy or frustration.

"Not even as much as I've told you. But by the looks of things, we're going to need an army. I told Sanders to send representatives to our group for a meeting, enough to satisfy him, and I told Valdez to keep an eye on Sanders. Our escape from the capital is sure to sour relations with the general, but we still might need him."

"So what is this group called? And where are we meeting them?" asked Adam, who had now put away his gun, though still wary of Gresson's trustworthiness.

"We don't have a name for ourselves, but our final destination is our home: New Salvador," Gresson said.

"New Salvador? Where is that?" Michael asked.

"Northern Florida. Near Jacksonville," said Gresson.

"So Charleston isn't too far out of the way," Lash said.

"Fortunately, no," Gresson replied.

For the moment, there were no follow-up questions as everyone contemplated what Gresson had told them.

"Are you satisfied, Adam? Can we continue on?" Gresson asked.

"For now. But no more secrets. If you want us to trust you, trust us," Adam said.

"No more putting guns in each other's faces and you have a deal," Gresson said.

"My family and I might have a hard time believing you'll hold your end of that deal..." Adam said.

"You have my word. If we all help each other, we may just save this world."

Chapter 20

Richmond - August 13, 2072

They arrived in Richmond the next evening. The city was littered with trash and riot debris, but the citizens had relatively calmed down. The group had trouble finding shelter, as most buildings were occupied, whether by the original inhabitants or other squatters. Jake suggested they head to a nearby bar to ask for help because he had been "needing a strong drink for days now."

The bar was a popular place for the now-isolated locals to hang out and escape the horrors of the world. Most stood outside of the bar, holding drinks and talking around barrels that would hold fires later in the night. To avoid attention, Gresson waited on a nearby bench, collar up and forehead resting on his palm. The rest of the group approached and were motioned inside.

The bar's interior was candle-lit and there were a few people sitting at the bar. The owner, who was currently serving drinks, had set up a trade system. He provided alcohol to those who provided him with relevant supplies or information. He had also hired enough armed muscle to ensure civility among his customers.

"What can I get you folks, and what do you have for me?" he asked.

Lash assumed the lead of the group and said, "We need to find a place to stay. And a few drinks wouldn't hurt. We have some medicine we can give you."

"Medicine, huh? Let me see."

Lash pulled out a bottle of pain-killers and a few bandages. "This is all we have," she lied.

He sighed, clearly hoping for more. He reached out his hand and took the bottle, inspecting the pills inside. "Yeah, alright." He pocketed the bottle and put aside the bandages, then told them about a nearby park where tents and bedding had been set up for temporary shelter. Grabbing a few glasses, he then filled them up with beer from a nearby keg and gave them to the group. "Just bring the glasses back in when you're done."

"Wait, how do you wash these?" Jake asked, inspecting his glass.

"Don't ask what you don't want to know," the owner replied. The bar's lack of running water and the owner's laziness both contributed to the fact that none of the glasses had been cleaned in days. In the darkness of the bar, few customers noticed the dirty glasses they drank from.

Jake grimaced, then shrugged and took a swig. Everyone except Lucas, who courteously refused his, took their drinks and made their way out of the bar. It was the first time Marie had alcohol in front of her parents, but no objections were raised. As she went to take her first sip, she noticed a mirror hanging on the wall. She sighed. Her black-dyed hair was growing out and her original blonde hair was beginning to show. Now having another reason to drink, she took a sip, then followed the others outside. For a moment, everyone awkwardly stood together, silently drinking.

"No drink, Lucas? I thought you Christians were pretty over that by now," Jake said, breaking the silence.

"Why do you assume I'm not drinking for moral reasons?" Lucas asked.

"So... you're pregnant?" Jake asked, truly confused. Lucas sighed.

"Where are you all from?" a nearby woman asked, as she and some others joined the circle.

"Uh, all over, to be honest," Lash replied.

"You've got quite the tattoo there," someone remarked.

Lash put a hand up and touched the red marking on her face. She had almost forgotten it was there. She had
wanted
to forget it was there. Normally, questions and awkward stares were common, though surprisingly few recognized the tattoo, but for the past few days, a face tattoo was of little interest to others compared to everything else going on. That night, it seemed, some were trying to return to normalcy. Lash could not decide if she liked it.

"Yeah, yeah, it is," Lash said, with a small chuckle. "So, are you all from around here?"

"Born and raised," the one woman said, proudly. She introduced herself and her friends. The group followed with their own introductions. They all talked for a few minutes, sharing stories and rumors.

"Well, before it gets too dark, we need to head over to the park. The guy inside said it has some shelter," Lash said.

"Well, alright then. It's over that way," the woman said, pointing down the street.

"Thanks," Lash said, beginning to head inside to drop off her empty glass.

"Hey, when you leave there tomorrow, don't keep going south through town," the woman said with a serious look on her face.

"Why's that?" Michael asked.

"Just... just don't," she said, walking away with her companions.

The group returned their glasses and walked back to Gresson.

"No drink for me?" he asked.

"Oh, sorry..." Lash started to apologize.

Gresson held up a hand. "I'm kidding. So, where to?"

Jake gave him a look.
A joke?
he wondered.

Lash filled him in on the park and the group began to walk there. It wasn't far. As the sun was setting, they found a large empty tent among the others on the muddy grass. There were only seven beds, but Michael and Alice quickly offered to take a small tent nearby for themselves. Jake was about to jokingly comment about their desire for privacy, but he noticed that their kids were standing next to them and decided against it.

"Can't say I've gotten used to these conditions," Michael moaned.

"I'd do anything to be back home right now," Marie said.

"You know, some people have always had to live in these 'conditions,'" Lash commented.

"We're just not used to it, okay?" Alice said in defense of her family.

"Oh? You're not used to it? How sad," Lash groaned.

"What's your problem?" Adam asked.

"My problem is that you all used to live in your rich little bubble," Lash growled. "And now that you're out of it..."

"So, what?" Michael asked. "We were well off. Does that make us bad people?"

"It does when there are plenty of people with nothing," Lash answered.

"And we're responsible for them?" Alice asked. "We worked hard for..."

"All I'm saying is that the world would be a better place if you
had
felt responsible for someone other than yourselves."

Michael scoffed. "How would that have changed what's happening now?"

"I didn't say it would have. I just think 'these conditions' are karma for you all. It's probably about time you experienced how the rest of the world lives."

"We
did
experience that," Michael said, nodding toward his wife. "And we worked hard to make our lives better."

Lash shook her head. "Not everyone gets a chance to."

"How's that our fault?" Alice asked.

"That's enough," Gresson said. "Everyone, get some sleep."

Lash exchanged bitter looks with the Cases before they all headed for their tents. Michael and Alice were even happier now to have one to themselves. While still in the same tent, Adam and Marie kept to the opposite side as Lash. The others between them struggled to find comfortable positions to sleep in, but no one complained about the "conditions."

Eight hours later, everyone woke up and made their way to the south end of the park. There, along the road, was a bike rack full of bikes.

"Perfect," Gresson said. He scanned the row for a decent bike for himself. He found one and pulled it off the rack. The electro-magnetic locks on the rack were as useless now as anything else. The others each picked out a bike for themselves.

"Think you're alright to ride?" Lucas asked Jake.

Jake hopped on his bike and said, "Yeah, I'm fine." Jake pulled up his shirt, pulled off the gauze patch, and looked at his wound. It had dramatically improved over the last few days, though Jake still experienced occasional pain.

The group began to head south once again. It was an odd feeling for them, to be moving so fast, relative to their usual walking pace. Odder still was the thought that bikes were now the fastest means of transportation on earth. They were forced to ride their bikes slowly, however, in order to balance their heavy packs.

No one remembered the woman at the bar's warning until they reached the south end of Richmond. Some of the buildings were still smoking from a massive explosion. The source was soon apparent. A massive piece of an airplane's tail lay charred in the middle of the road. The rest of the plane was missing, no doubt incinerated after impact. Alice guessed that the plane had hit some type of accelerant, such as a fuel tank, that caused the wide radius of the explosion.

Marie gasped as she looked at the debris scattered around. The real reason for the woman at the bar's warning lay on the ground around them. Burnt human bodies lay only slightly hidden among the burnt remains of buildings. They had been far enough away from the explosion to still exist in varying degrees, but close enough to have had no chance of survival. The group had seen dead bodies before on their trip, but never in such a large number. The worst news came from Sean's realization. "They're children," he said somberly, seeing how small most of the bodies were.

They all stood in horror, having dismounted from their bikes. The scene became clearer after more observation. The building next to them had been a school, possibly holding an evening event for the children. The blackout had sent them all outside, while desperate adults tried to keep them all accounted for. Only minutes later, the plane had crashed, killing everyone.

"Let's... let's go," Michael said, trying to avert his eyes from the small figures on the road. Everyone immediately jumped back on their bikes and rode south out of Richmond.

For the next few hours, the group rode in silence. Before now, they had been able to deny the potential destruction the blackout had caused with much of the carnage out of sight. But no more. It was clear now that the death toll of the past two weeks would have been well into the millions. All over the world, there would be crashed vehicles, uncontrollable fires, and many people trapped without access to food, water, or light, to name only a few of the terrors the supposed "frequency" had caused.

Adam thought about the giant fire his family had seen in New York. He had attempted to forget what he had seen that night, but now it came haunting back to him. He was not sure how much his mind had exaggerated, but he remembered fire throughout the skyline. Adam could not help but wonder what percentage of the world had died these last two weeks. Five? Ten? Twenty? And how many more would die in the coming months? As Lash had pointed out before, food was now incredibly limited. Most farms that existed were scattered far to the west and many of those were dependent on now-defunct technology. Perhaps worst of all, few people even knew
how
to efficiently raise crops for large groups of people, let alone themselves. How would anyone find this information? The internet was destroyed and physical books about agriculture were undoubtedly scarce.

Adam's parents were having similar thoughts. They tried to imagine a best case scenario, but even that was unpleasant. Assuming humanity survived this and they managed to shut off the frequency, it would be generations before global society would recover. Even then, the world would be living in the ruins of its past.

Marie was also deep in thought, but she avoided thinking about the future. Her concern was with everyone she knew in New York, most, if not all, of them now dead. Anyone who had survived, she would probably never see again. She had desperately wanted this all to be a dream and to wake up in her luxurious house with her friends only a phone call away, but, after two weeks, she had mostly given up that hope. All she wanted now was to find a new home, and a new normal.

The rest of the group shared fear as well. Sean, having first come along for some sense of purpose and perhaps "adventure," now felt callous to that desire. He felt guilty for his newly acquired confidence and for finally feeling not quite so alone. As much as he had wanted these things his entire life, he would give them all up for none of this to have ever happened. Jake and Lash found themselves incapable of comprehending the devastation. Jake's frustration fueled his anger, while Lash could feel only pity for the billions of others in the world now living in renewed isolation. Lucas spent his thoughts in prayer. He asked for God to guide him and to protect his new-found friends. He begged for mercy on behalf of his world, feeling akin to Abraham as he had pleaded for God's mercy on Sodom and Gomorrah. Perhaps he was asking too much. Lucas had little idea about what the future would hold, but was certain that the God of Christianity was in control.