Reset (Book 2): Salvation (14 page)

“If you need to talk.” Jason said. “Just know, it’s okay to find them for you. Even if it’s to say goodbye, it’s alright if you benefit more, because remember, you lost too.”

Nora stared at Jason standing so close to her, staring with compassion. There was something about him at that moment, a closeness with him, and a kinship that suddenly became more apparent. She didn’t know what it was that caused it. Instinct. Foolishness. Need. Impulse or emotion, but she kissed him. She leaned into him and softly kissed him.

At first he didn’t move his lips, then Jason responded. His response was brief and then he sprang back as if she poisoned him.

His reaction was so hard to read. Was he offended?

“I’m sorry,” Nora said. “I am so sorry. I don’t know why I did that.”

“And that … is why I pulled back.”

“I don’t understand?”

“If I kissed you, then I would know the reason I kissed you. It would be because I wanted to and I needed to.”

“You don’t want to kiss me? Is it because I am still married?”

“Nora, that life is over. As hard as it is to say, it’s over. And heck yeah, I want to kiss you. I just want you to know the reason you’re grabbing onto me.”

“It’s hard to verbalize. I mean we’re close,” Nora said.

“We are.”

“You know me. We share the same circumstances. You’re attractive even if you haven’t had your skin professionally peeled in thirty years. And just to set the record straight, I didn’t grab onto you.”

“Oh, I beg to differ. You copped a feel.”

Nora laughed. “That was funny.” She extended her two fingers, grabbing onto his belt hook and pulling him to her. “I like you. We have a closeness, Jason. One I haven’t felt in …”

“Thirty years?”

Nora smiled. “Something like that.”

“Yeah, something like that.” Jason placed his hand on her face and leaned into her.

It was a different type of moment for the two of them. The moment Jason kissed her, Nora pulled him to her and held tightly to him. It wasn’t the physical need to have that closeness it was the emotional yearning.

It seeped from them both in the embrace and kiss. It was a moment that had been building. Nora wasn’t certain if they were wrong in what they were doing, but she knew it felt good, and it felt right. Since she woke from Stasis, she had felt hollow and wounded, and for the first time she was experiencing a sense of healing. At that point, she had no plans or desire to stop, no matter where it led.

<><><><>

In a low voice, the man who identified himself as Number Four, real name Blake, said. “We know what happened. We just don’t know when.”

“Thirty years ago,” Malcolm replied as he stayed busy working on a buggy. Which was more of an act than anything else in case Maggie or Norris checked on him.

They were still in the lab, searching papers and it was their suggestion that Malcolm go back to the warehouse to check things there.

“Jesus,” Blake said. “Thirty years. So chances are, when they left to look for family, they aren’t finding anything.”

Malcolm shook his head.

“Okay.” Trey lifted his hands. “Why is this man hiding in here? Why are we not telling the team he’s here?”

“Trey,” Malcolm said firmly. “You saw their reaction when they saw the empty pods.”

“Yeah, they need answers.”

“And the people that hatched, have no more answers than I did.”

“You can’t be sure,” said Trey. “You can’t. I know you come from a time that there was an ulterior motive for everything. But that’s not the way it is. They are taking the cryo fluid, they are searching for answers. It was frustrating for Maggie.”

“Be that as it may, let’s be safe,” Malcolm said then turned to Blake. “Why did you hide when we arrived?”

Blake scoffed. “From my knowledge they kidnapped me, froze me for God knew how long while the world ended. I see a military guy, I’m thinking they’re gonna think those of us protected are the cause. I got worried.”

“I think you may be right,” said Malcolm.

“No,” argued Trey. “You’re basing this on what they say about the president and you can’t blame them, he knew about the virus, he was part of Genesis.”

Malcolm slammed a tool. “None of us were. None of us had knowledge. How about you, Blake?”

“No, I was confused when I woke up,” Blake replied.

“Why didn’t you leave with the others?” Trey questioned.

“I went to my apartment, which was gone. I don’t have family. I was a ward of the state until I went into the Army. I was career military, satellites and communications when this happened. I had no clue.”

Malcolm held out his hand toward Blake as if to say, ‘There’.

“What?” Trey asked.

“He didn’t know.”

“That’s not to say someone else didn’t,” Trey continued to argued. “Do you have a meeting place, or are you guys all on your own?”

“Some are meeting up in Vegas. We figured with the Hoover Dam, we could get power restored,” Blake answered. “But meet up isn’t for several weeks.”

“Good. But Vegas is a military Salvation stopping point,” Malcolm said. “I have an idea. I hope you’re game. I just have a really bad feeling…”

“And I don’t.” Trey interrupted.

“Yes, Trey, we know you don’t.” Malcolm snapped. “What in the world would it take for you to see something is up?”

“When you can tell me what you
think
is up. Because right now, it’s just a feeling something is not right. No idea what it could be, right?”

‘No.”

“It’s a gut feeling,” Trey said. “I get it. I can also remember being a kid and saying, ‘Dad, I’m hungry, can you make me something to eat?’ And you’d say what?”

“I’d ask what you wanted.”

Trey nodded. “And if I didn’t know, you would always tell me. Well let me know when you know what you want to eat and I’ll cook it, until then, I’m not lifting a pot. Same premise. When you know what it is you think they’re doing, then I will listen and stop fighting. Until then …I’m staying away from the stove and being neutral.”

Fair enough. Malcolm could accept that, mainly because he knew, soon enough, Maggie or Norris would do something and Malcolm would be able to read his gut instinct a lot clearer.

“What did you wear?” John asked Meredith. The question seemed to confuse her, or perhaps it was the fact that she was abruptly drawn away from watching Hunter attempting to drink coffee.

“I’m sorry,” Meredith replied. “What did I wear?”

“Wardrobe. How did you dress?” John explained. “Before stasis. When you woke up in the morning, what did you wear? I’m curious. Those oversized blue jeans just don’t strike me as something that you would naturally wear.”

“That is an odd question, John,” Meredith said. She sat next to him. They had set up a small campsite the night before. One that would pack up with ease and have them in Champaign in just a few hours.

“I know. I’ve just been spending an enormous amount of time with you and I was curious.”

“Fifteen days,” Meredith said. “It’s been fifteen days since we woke up. Ten days since we emerged from the lab and eight continuous days for us.”

“You’re counting. I’m touched.”

“You’re not?”

“Thirty years have passed. Why bother?”

“True.”

“So …” John sipped his coffee. “What was your wardrobe of choice?”

“Well … it depends. I’m always comfortable. Work days I wore pant suits, or a nice dress. At home. Yoga pants, a tee shirt, or sweater. Not the thinnest of women, John, so I am limited on what I wore. Or rather what was comfortable wearing. So you’re right. Jeans were not a number one preference.”

“I think you are built wonderfully. They work for you. The … blue work shirt does not.”

“Remind me next time we’re by any clothing store to grab something more becoming.”

“Maybe we should do the same for your boy, Hunter.” John nodded Hunter’s way. It wasn’t that Hunter didn’t wear clothes. He did. Hand sewn pants made from animal hide and no shirt. No matter what the weather.

“That’s not a bad idea. Especially if we want to integrate him.”

“Maybe there will be a Walmart.”

“Would the clothes be any good?” Meredith asked.

“I’m sure. Dusty as finding Grandma’s old wedding dress.”

“What about you, John? What did you wear?”

“I was a writer. It was hard put to get me out of my pajamas before noon. When I did, I never dressed up. I dressed in jeans that were old and comfortable and I had a writing shirt with so many holes in it, my wife used to have a fit.”

Meredith stared at him a few seconds. “That’s just odd. You seem so pompous.”

“Gee, thank you.”

Meredith smiled and finished her coffee. “Are we ready?”

John stood. “What next? Seriously. After we get to Champaign. What is next?”

“Salvation?”

“With Hunter?” John asked.

“He’s human.”

“Is it a good idea to go there?”

“John,” Meredith scolded. “That’s not fair to Hunter.”

“I’m not talking about Hunter. I’m talking about is it fair to go to Salvation. We still aren’t sure we are carriers or not. We have the DC lab coming to Champaign. I’m thinking that perhaps we who have so much in common, who are infants in this new world, should in fact, just do what we were supposed to do.”

“And that is?” Meredith asked.

“Survive and establish civilization.”

“Civilization is established in a place called Salvation...”

“Look around. Is it really? It’s behind some big wall,” John said. “Do we in fact even belong there?”

John brought up valid points. Meredith, who before it all, made a living off of theorizing, had some deep thinking to do and had to get back to what she did best. Determining outcomes from the present situation. John was missing one more important point. It wasn’t about if they belonged in Salvation, more importantly, it was if would they even be welcome there.

<><><><>

Malcolm tried discreetly to place the solar cell back in his bag. He inched it out, he believed unseen, to check the slow charging progress. Unfortunately, he was spotted.

He felt her presence as she took a seat next to him.

“I didn’t know you took that,” Maggie said.

“Yes.”

“Can I ask why?”

Malcolm cleared his throat. “I have my cart and wanted a spare. It’s not like there are stores where I could go and pick one up.”

“This is true, not everyone has private transportation.”

“Why is that?” Malcolm asked. “I mean Salvation is big.”

“There’s no need. Everyone resides within their sectors of work. It operates well.”

Malcolm merely hummed a ‘hmm.’

“Why the distain? And your mood has switched. Care to share?”

He shrugged. “A lot of things.”

“Like?”

Malcolm debated. He thought about his late night, hidden conversation with Blake. How he fixed the buggy for him. Because Blake had no family to find, and since the meeting destination of Vegas wasn’t a great idea, he would head to Champaign. The plan was he’d stop in Vegas, at the meeting place, leave a note and then head to find Malcolm’s crew. He would tell them, when Nora and the others arrived, that they had to go elsewhere.

Trey believed it was insane and overboard. Follow the clues to meet up. Note in Vegas saying go to Champaign, note in Champaign, saying go … wherever. But Malcolm didn’t. Safety in numbers. Get as many together as they could and get off the radar of Salvation. It wasn’t safe, Malcolm felt it.

“Malcolm?” Maggie drew his attention.

“Like …. Like it seemed you weren’t concerned about finding a cure. You were more concerned with the … Hatched.”

“I want a cure. Working on it isn’t my forte. And yes, I am concerned about the Hatched.”

“Why?”

“They can be carriers, like the president.”

“What difference does it make?” asked Malcolm. “You’re behind a great big wall and don’t come out.”

“Is Trey, our military? Farmers? Not everyone is behind the wall. All it takes is one person. One infection. We lucked out with the president. We won’t luck out again. Remember, I told you it was herd immunity, so some are not immune. The children born, the first Generation Salvation are only fifty percent immune. The virus hit us hard and wiped out the world. We saved a portion, we can’t let that happen again.”

“I understand.”

“Do you?”

Malcolm nodded. “I do. That doesn’t make Salvation sound any more appealing.”

“What?” Maggie asked, shocked. “It’s Utopia.”

“Sans freedom.”

“No.” She shook her head. “There is freedom. It’s a good life. You need to give it a chance. You’re welcome there, you know this. You have immunity.”

“Others that have hatched, as you call it, have immunity.”

“No. No.” She chuckled. “Not immunity to the virus. Immunity.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You’re helping us. No charges will be brought. Unlike the president. He will be charged for crimes against humanity and genocide.”

“He was part of it,” Malcolm said, “we were innocent bystanders.”

“We don’t know that.”

“We’re telling you. We were taken against our will. Ask Trey he saw a video.”

“If there was such a video, it’s long gone. We go by what we know. You woke up thirty years later. Protected from the horrors of the virus. A vital part of civilization with skills. Tell me, Mr. Lowe. What would you think, if you were us?”

Malcolm wanted to tell her, he would give them the benefit of the doubt. He didn’t. Instead he said, “Well, keep in mind. Innocent until proven guilty.”

Maggie tapped him on the leg. “It doesn’t operate like that anymore. In the old world too many criminals went free.”

He was rendered temporally speechless. Every day that went by he was given another reason to believe the city behind the wall wasn’t all that much of a Salvation. At least not for him.

<><><><>

“Quit playing with your crotch,” John scolded Hunter the second they stopped the buggy in Champaign. “You’ve been doing so since we stepped out of Target.”

“It was not a target, it was a large building of the old world,” Hunter said. “Items inside. Not needed.” Again, he pulled the crotch section of the blue jean fabric. “Tight.”

“Not really,” John said. “You’ll get used to them. You need to look human.”

“Hunter is human,” Hunter said.

“Hunter speaks in third person,” John retorted, “Which makes you slightly different.” He then dropped his voice to barely a mumble. “Of course, your size and appearance don’t help.”

“What does John say?” Hunter asked.

Meredith replied. “He’s just being cranky. You do need to wear clothes. You look different than most, Hunter.”

“Most?”

“Okay, all the people we’re meeting with. You’re different from them.”

“Because Hunter looks different does not mean Hunter is different,” Hunter said.

“That is true. But you wanted to experience the world, wearing clothing is part of it.” Meredith reached out and touched the side of his jeans then his shirt. “Understand?”

“Yes.”

John looked up from the tops of his eyes. “I still can’t believe you wouldn’t let me make him wear the Superman shirt.”

Meredith snapped. “Because you just want another reason to call him Sloth from the Goonies. He doesn’t look like Sloth. If you recall, Sloth had a cone head, eyes at different levels. Hunter does not look like Sloth.”

“You have to admit there are similarities.”

Meredith looked at Hunter. The flat nose, thick lips, rounded mouth and bald head, were indeed similarities, but that was all. “I refuse to give into your bullying,”

“Bullying?” John laughed. “You’re blinded by your toy boy infatuation with him.”

“Oh, stop.” Meredith folded her arms, then looked behind her. Hunter was walking slowly up the road, looking around.

“Where is he going?” John asked.

“You know how he is. Safety first. He’s looking for a good camp spot. Obviously the others aren’t here.”

“We just want to wait?” John questioned.

“What else is there to do?”

“Well, we can become as infatuated as Hunter with old store windows.”

After a double take Meredith saw Hunter. He stood by a store window just staring, “Hunter?”

“Message.” Hunter said. “Dirt is cleared.”

“What?” John asked and walked toward Hunter. “What do you mean?”

Hunter stepped out of the way of the hardware store window. “Dirt gone. Message. What does it mean?”

Hunter was right. Decades of dirt covered the pane of glass, yet a clean spot of letters had been created to write a message.

Meredith replied. “It’s from our friends.” She read the message out loud. “Rantoul is Life. It’s signed Preacher J. That is our friend, Jason.”

“What is Rantoul?” Hunter asked.

John handed Meredith the map and pointed. “About fifteen miles north. That’s where they went.”

“Rantoul is life?” Meredith asked.

John smiled. “People.”

<><><><>

Nora squinted as she looked up to the cloudless sky. It was warm and the breeze carried the amazing smell of meat cooking on an open fire. The Rantoulians ate well. It wasn’t a town crowded with people, only a couple dozen, so things went a long way.

They bred farm animals and not surprisingly, deer were plentiful.

Nora always hated shucking corn. When she used to buy corn on the cob for her family, she paid the extra money to get them already shucked. Yet, there she was, sitting with Marilee, shucking away.

Since arriving in town, Nora was given the task of working with food because she didn’t have a set skill.

Marilee flashed a fake smile. “Look how good and fast you do that.”

“Yeah, I’m a champ.” Nora looked across the road to Jason who spoke to a group of three men. “Everyone pitches in, right?”

“That’s right. Especially during the warm weather. As good as we eat now, we have to preserve half.”

“But I never see any of the men doing the preparing?”

“They hunt.”

“I see. What about Jason? He hasn’t done any work yet.”

“He preaches,” Marilee said. “He has an important job.”

“Like once a week.”

Just then Jason walked over.

“Hey,” He greeted, casting a shadow as he stood above them. “Do you need help?”
Just as Nora was about to toss him corn, Marilee interjected.

“No,” Marilee said. “You’ve done enough. Wonderful service today. The sermon was uplifting.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much. Nora, did you like it? You didn’t say.”

“Um … sure.”

Jason cocked his head back. “You didn’t like it.”