Hunted (41 page)

Along with the good feelings, Vicki couldn't help being nervous. What if she and Judd didn't get along? Their friendship had grown, but what if things changed when they were face-to-face?

Before the disappearances, the way a guy looked had been so important to her. Whether a guy looked “hot” was the only test Vicki had used to decide whether to go out with him. Now she couldn't imagine being interested in anyone who didn't share her faith in God and want to reach out to others. She was sure there was nothing that would keep her from liking Judd.

Judd and Lionel made it safely to the midway point of their trip by early afternoon and thought about continuing but decided to play it safe. They found the group they had contacted packed into the basement of an old library and running out of food. Judd and Lionel took the food they needed from the Humvee for the rest of their trip and gave the rest to the group.

“We e-mailed the Trib Force about supplies, but they don't know when they'll be able to get here,” the leader said.

“I'm hoping to help move supplies around,” Judd said. “I'll put in a word about your situation.”

If Judd had trouble sleeping the night before, this night was a disaster. One of the younger members argued with the leader, and another coughed most of the night. Judd and Lionel slept on the floor, which was a thin strip of carpet over a slab of concrete. Judd walked the floor above them through the early morning hours, looking out at the charred remains of cars, trucks, and trees.

Before they left the next morning, Judd warned the leader about GC movement in the area. “I didn't see squad cars, but people were definitely out last night. When they see this library still standing, they may try to take possession of it, so be careful.”

The leader thanked them for the food and wished them well on the remainder of their trip. Lionel pulled out the tattered map they had started with in South Carolina so long ago and traced his finger along the route they had carefully chosen for this final leg of the trip. It ran a hundred miles south of Chicago so they wouldn't have to deal with the new GC buildup outside the nuked city.

Judd had to keep from driving too fast on the sweltering roadway. He set the cruise control and let the Humvee keep speed until he came to a burning wreck or a melted bridge. Twice they were forced to drive through a small stream or find another route.

Finally, they reached the road to the campground Vicki had described.

Lionel folded the map and put it in his pocket. “How do you feel?”

Judd took a breath. “Remember when those GC guys were looking for us in Israel? It's like my heart's beating out of my chest.”

“Settle down, big boy. It's just another stop on our way to the Glorious Appearing, right?”

“Maybe it is for you,” Judd said. He let off on the gas pedal and slowed. “I want to remember this last part of the drive.”

38

LIONEL
felt a strange mix of emotions as he got out of the Humvee and walked toward the campground. A white van and another car were parked nearby, and he spotted a child's toy in the grass and picked it up.

Lionel had dreamed of this moment from the first time he suggested he and Judd return home. Through trips to New Babylon, France, Petra, and their ordeal in South Carolina, Lionel never let go of the dream of being back with his friends.

But how will they react to my missing arm?
The thought sent a shiver through him and Lionel turned. Judd was still in the car, his hands on the steering wheel, peering into the afternoon sunlight. Lionel shook off the emotion and walked toward the first cabin.

The door opened and Conrad flew out, racing to his friend and embracing him. Lionel hugged him tightly and wept. Darrion followed, then Shelly and Mark. The rest was a blur as familiar faces and people he'd never seen surrounded him.

“You wouldn't believe how we've prayed for you,” an older woman said. “You look just like I thought you would.”

Lionel smiled and tried to speak.

“I'm Maggie,” the woman said. “Vicki and the others helped me get out of Des Plaines.”

A woman holding a child stepped forward, and Lionel handed her the toy. “Where is Vicki?”

Zeke stepped forward and grabbed Lionel's hand. “Vicki and Janie have been down at Cheryl's cabin fixing the place up. Down at the end.”

Lionel glanced back at the Humvee. Judd was still inside.

The emotion of seeing Lionel connect with his friends was too wonderful for Judd. Years ago, when Judd was a kid, he'd had relatives visit his family. At the end of the visit there were hugs and tears as Judd's parents said good-bye. At that age, Judd couldn't understand why older people cried so much.

Now, as he saw the friendships formed during the earth's last days, he shook with emotion. These people had prayed for him, had faced death together, and had lost many friends. The gathering seemed like a breathtaking dream.

Vicki and Janie had worked on Cheryl's old cabin since Vicki had returned from her trip. Food wrappers littered 382 the floor. Clothes were thrown about, and Cheryl's cot hadn't been made for weeks. Though Marshall had assigned cabins and put at least two people in each (he said the partner system was best), Cheryl had stayed alone, which was fine with everyone else. But Cheryl's solitary life had come with a price. Vicki wondered what might have happened if the girl had roomed with someone who could have helped her think through the situation with Ryan and the Fogartys.

Janie had finished moving a bed into place when Vicki heard a commotion outside. Janie went to the window and noticed several people walking toward the cabin.

“Are they here?” Vicki said.

“Only one way to find out,” Janie said, then rushed out, the screen door banging behind her.

Vicki tried to move but couldn't. “God,” she prayed, “you know how long we've prayed for Judd and Lionel to come back. You know all that's happened, so before I even see them, I want to thank you for loving us and sending them back. Whatever happens between Judd and me, even if we just become friends, I pray you'd get the glory for it. Amen.”

The screen door opened, and Lionel walked inside. He looked older, his eyes somehow wiser. Vicki had first met Lionel when he was only thirteen. Now he was almost nineteen, and he had grown taller than Vicki by a few inches. She rushed to him and hugged him, forgetting about his arm injury.

“I'm not hurting you, am I?” Vicki said when she could speak.

Lionel smiled. “Nothing there to hurt.”

“Oh, Lionel, we've missed you so much. I thought you'd be gone a couple of weeks, maybe a month tops.”

“So did I. Guess things don't always turn out the way you think they're going to.”

Vicki glanced at the door, and Lionel stepped aside. “Were you looking for somebody else?”

Vicki smiled. “He's with you, isn't he?”

Lionel took her hand and pulled her toward the door. “Come on.”

The first one to reach Judd after he stepped out of the car was Mark. There were no words, just hugs and slaps on the back. Judd and Mark had disagreed about a lot of things through the years, beginning with Mark's involvement with the militia movement, but now all that seemed forgotten. They had both seen enough death and had been chased by the Global Community enough to know that any squabbles in the past were easily put aside.

“You don't know how good it is to be back,” Judd said.

Zeke gave Judd a hug that nearly squeezed all the air from his lungs. “Looks like you got a few scratches during your travels.”

“You haven't changed much, Zeke. Still have the tattoos.”

“I'm thinkin' about gettin' a new one here,” Zeke said, pointing to his right hand. “It'll be a GC symbol with the words
Carpathia stinks.”

“Judd!” Shelly screamed. Zeke and Mark made way for her as she embraced Judd.

“It's a big family reunion,” Zeke said.

Judd studied the faces outside the cabins while he walked this gauntlet. He recognized Tom and Josey Fogarty and hugged them tightly.

“Vicki told me you'd finally believed,” Judd said to Tom.

“It took me a while to come around, but I finally realized the truth.”

Darrion pecked Judd on the shoulder. “Remember me?”

Judd couldn't believe how much Darrion had changed. When he had first met her, she was just a kid. Now she was a young woman with long hair and a beautiful smile.

“Everybody's changed so much—it's hard to believe.”

“I think there's somebody down there who wants to see you,” Darrion whispered. “She's been really nervous.”

Judd watched as Lionel came out of a cabin pulling someone behind him.

Vicki stepped outside the cabin and saw the glow on the faces of those before her. Somehow Vicki felt she had seen this moment before or had dreamed it. At the top of the hill, a few yards from the main cabin, a young man moved slowly toward her.