Surviving the Fog (43 page)

"You two behave yourselves," he said.
 They laughed.

"We will," Tyler said.

"We know the rules," Gabby added.

"Don't get Gabby pregnant, Tyler," Mike
instructed the younger boy.

"Chief!"

"Don't worry, Mike," said Tyler. "Diana found
those plastic penises the girls were supposed to use for practicing
putting a condom on."

"Tyler!"

Mike chuckled.  He got up, took his bowl
and his utensils to the kitchen window, and left the dining hall.
 At the bridge, he met Lieutenant Kennedy and Yuie.

"Hey, Ch... Mike," Yuie said, giving him a
quick hug.

"Hey, Yuie," Mike replied. “Lieutenant,
please, take care of her.”

"Roger that, Mike," said Kennedy.  He
and Mike bumped fists.

In the parking lot, Mike found Howard, Jacob,
Eric, Ahmad, Rasul, and John.  They were carrying their
spears.

"We thought that we would take a walk with
you," Howard said, grinning.

“Yeah, the old lady said I could go,” John
added.

Mike shook his head in disgust, but secretly
he was pleased.

"You don't want to wait for the motorcycle?"
Mike asked Ahmad and Rasul, who were scheduled to begin guard duty
at the RV guard post.

"Motorcycles are for pussies," Rasul sneered.
"Real men march."

The Spears marched up the rise, and at the
top, Mike turned and waved once to Yuie.  Then they marched
away and passed out of the sight of Petersburg.  They marched
down the road until they came to the Hanging Tree, where Mike
stopped.  He looked at the graves.  He looked at the
noose still hanging from the branch.  He turned to Howard.

"If I had it to do all over again, I would do
the same thing," he said fiercely.

"So would I, Chief," said Howard.  "So
would I."

Howard shook hands with Mike, and then he
started back to the village.  When he was still within hailing
distance, Howard stopped.

"Hey, don't forget, Mike," he called. "You're
still a resident of Petersburg.  Behave yourself."

Mike laughed.  "I know the rules,” he
called back. “Hell, I wrote most of them."

At nightfall, they arrived at the Logging
Road junction guard post.  They spent the night around a
campfire, laughing and telling old lies.  In the morning, they
waved goodbye to Ahmad and Rasul.  The other four trudged up
Logging Camp Road, until they came to the junction of Davis Brown
Farm Road.  They ate their supper around Mary's table.
 The next morning, John informed Mike that they would ride the
bikes when they left the farm.  Mike was surprised and
gratified to hear that.  Mike said “good-bye” to the girls and
boys living at the farm.  He said “good-bye” to Mary and her
kids.  Finally, he turned to Ralph.

"You know, it might be a good idea to figure
out some way to paint that barn," he said.

"Yeah," Ralph said as he chuckled. "I'll get
right on that."

"And the chicken coop really should be
expanded."

"Good idea," Ralph said with a smile.

"And the trout pond needs to be weeded around
the edges."

"Alright," Ralph said.

"And the horse stalls could be mucked out a
little better."

"Chief.”

"And the solar walls need cleaning."

"Get lost, Chief," Ralph growled.

Mike started laughing.  He climbed on
his bike, and the four boys pedaled away, down the road.

"Get a haircut, Chief," Ralph yelled.

Mike laughed and flipped him the finger.

The four boys bicycled past the teenagers at
the guard post with a wave, as they began the difficult journey
through the towering mountains.  Sometimes, they were forced
to get off and push their bikes uphill.  Sometimes, they
coasted downhill for a long way.  Two days later, as the
autumn sun was going down, they arrived at the old campsite beside
the clear blue lake.  White lilies had taken up residence
among the fireweed and lady ferns.  They spent the day
fishing, relaxing, and giving John a hard time about Desi.

"Big talk from guys that aren't getting any,"
John replied.

That shut up Mike and Eric.  John
noticed that Jacob had not harassed him, and he had a good idea
that Lily was the reason why.  A dirt road led north from the
lake.  Jacob told them that he was going to ride his bike
north for a day and then explore the terrain.  He agreed to
meet John and Eric in three days at their camp by the lake.
 Mike rode alongside Jacob to where the turnoff of the north
road began.  They got off their bikes and looked awkwardly at
each other.

"Um... Jacob," Mike said.  "I was
wondering why you didn't want to come and get me, so I could help
you guys with those people from the Retreat.  Did you really
think I had led you guys long enough, and that you guys needed to
prove yourselves to me?  Or did you think that all of the time
I spent in Chief’s Headquarters meant that I was getting, like,
soft or something?  Or did you think there was not enough time
to come get me?"  He paused and looked expectantly at
Jacob.

Jacob said, "Yes."

Mike waited one moment more, and then he
started laughing.  "Bye, Jacob.  Be careful," he
said.

"Thanks, Chief," said Jacob.  He got on
his bike and rode away.

After watching until Jacob disappeared, Mike
mounted his bike and rode back to where Eric and John were packing.
 Together, they rode northeast that day, until they came to a
steep slope.  The road climbed the slope by way of some
switchbacks, and then it disappeared around the north side of the
rocky mountain.  At the bottom of the slope, they made their
camp.  In the morning, Mike said “good-bye” to John and Eric.
 He started the long climb up the slope, pushing his bike.

As Eric watched Mike, he asked John, "Why did
you want me to come with you guys?  I would have thought that
you would have liked to be alone with Mike for this trip.
 You're his best friend."

"Are you kidding, dude?" said John.
 "You had to come and see him off.  Shit, man, you’re the
guy that started all this."

"Me?" Eric said, surprised at John’s words.
"What did I do?"

"You told us that we should be hearing
someone on the radio phone, remember?  After that is when Mike
got serious," John explained.  "After that is when he started
thinking about how we could survive on our own.  A bunch of
kids on our own.  Hell, Mike was only thirteen."

"Yeah, that's right," said Eric, remembering.
“I always wondered why all of you older kids did whatever he told
you to do.”

“We were scared, and he was the only one
taking charge,” John answered.  “Someone had to.”

John shaded his eyes from the early morning
sun as he watched Mike reach the top of the slope.

"You know," he remarked. "If Pete hadn't
gotten himself killed, we'd probably be living in Geek City.
 Yeeoowww!"  John yelped when Eric used his spear to
goose John between his legs.

"Geeks rule! Jocks drool!" cried Eric,
laughing as he jumped on his bike and quickly rode away.

"Come back here, you little shit," John
yelled as he jumped on his own bike.

High above, on the slope where the road bent
around the mountain, Mike was laughing as he watched the antics of
his friends.  He watched John chase Eric for a few minutes,
and then he turned his bike, and he continued his journey around
the mountain and down the other side.

That night, Mike made his camp in a green
grassy vale, and then he turned in, early.  The sky was clear,
the moon was a thin crescent, and the stars were brilliant.
 He lay in his sleeping bag with his hands behind his head
watching the skies.  Occasionally a shooting star flashed by
from the east.  He was truly alone for the first time in
years.  There was no one within miles of him.

He thought about his lost family, and he
dripped tears for a while.  But inevitably, his thoughts
wandered back to Petersburg.  He hoped that his friends were
happy.  He hoped that his community was safe.  He hoped
that they would all survive and grow, and that one day when the fog
was gone, and when someone from outside made contact with them,
those who found them would find a thriving vibrant town.

The next day he pedaled hard, only stopping
for a few minutes.  At dusk, he was hailed and told to
stop.

"Who are you?" a man in a uniform asked.

"I'm Mike," he said. "I'm from
Petersburg."

"Hold on."

One of the soldiers was sent to the rear.
 He came back, and then Mike was allowed into the post.
 He was escorted to another soldier.

"You say your name is ‘Mike?’  And
you're from Petersburg?  And you made your way here alone?"
she asked skeptically.  Later, he learned that she was
Sergeant Annie Jenkins.

"Yes, and I have a letter from the Mayor of
Petersburg that’s addressed to Major Collins," Mike replied.

"I'll take that," she said brusquely.

"I'll give it to the Major personally," Mike
replied.

She scowled.  "Fine," she said.
 They found Mike a billet and even offered him a meal, which
he accepted.

Mike had planned to leave the following
morning, but when daylight arrived, he was told that he would have
to wait until the following day, when Sergeant Jenkins was leaving
for the main Army post.  His bike was confiscated for use by
the Army.

So he cooled his heels for a day, and then he
was allowed to accompany Sergeant Jenkins.  The bike was
returned to him and Jenkins rode another, so they made the trip in
two days.  When they arrived at the palisade, she led Mike to
the building that housed Major Collins’ office, and then Sergeant
Jenkins told Mike to take a seat outside the inner office while she
went in to see the Major.

"Sir, I have a civilian in custody who says
he has a letter for you from the Mayor of Petersburg," Mike heard
her say to Major Collins.

"Really?  Well, show him in, Sergeant,"
the Major replied.

The Sergeant came to the door and motioned
Mike into the room.  When he entered, the Major's face lit up
with pleasure.

"Mike!" he cried.  "Mike, how are you?
 So you came.  Wait a minute."  He looked at
Sergeant Jenkins.

"Did you say that you took him into custody,
Sergeant Jenkins?" he said.

The Sergeant opened her eyes wide.
 "Uh..." she said.

"You took our top civilian leader into
custody?" he asked furiously.

"Uh..."

"Sir, I 'm not a leader or anything anymore,
remember?" Mike said hastily as he sat down on the sofa.  "I'm
just Mike.  Howard is the Mayor now.  He's the one that
sent the letter."

The Major winced.  "Sorry, Mike.
 Like everyone else, I've got into the habit of thinking of
you as the Chief."  Mike did not reply.

"Sorry, Sergeant," said the Major. "That will
be all."

"Yes, Sir," the Sergeant replied as she
saluted.

As she passed by the boy, she glared at Mike,
and he pressed himself into the sofa.

"Annie Jenkins is a good soldier," said Major
Collins.  "Even if she is a little too much by the book.”

He sat down behind his desk and read the
letter.  When he finished, he looked at Mike.

“Do you know what this says?” he asked.
 Mike said nothing.

“Stupid question,” the Major muttered. “You
probably wrote it.”  Mike just smiled.

“Alright, then.  Fill me in, Mike.
 What has happened in Petersburg since I left?"

Mike and the Major talked for over an hour,
and then a young woman popped into the room.

"Hi, Chief," she said, grinning at him.

"Hi, Erin," he said, delighted to see his old
friend.

"Ah, here's my orderly now," said the Major.
 "Perhaps you could take our famous visitor and find him some
quarters, Erin.  Get him something to eat.  Show him
around.  Oh, wait, I forgot.  You already know where
everything is.  Including the way out."  The Major
laughed at his joke.

"Hey, I said that I was sorry about that,"
Mike complained, but he laughed too.

Erin escorted Mike from the Major's office,
and then she gave him a hug.  They talked as they walked to
the mess hall.  Erin told Mike that her boyfriend was meeting
them at their destination.  Erin's boyfriend was nice, and
everyone in the mess hall was friendly until Sergeant Jenkins
passed by.  She stopped and gave him an unfriendly eye.

"So, you were the big shot in your little
pond, huh," she said. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen," Mike replied. "Almost
sixteen."

"Almost sixteen," she repeated with a smirk.
 "A real experienced guy."

Erin stood up and faced Annie, anger flushing
her face.  "Yes, he is," she said in a loud voice.

The room quieted, as the startled people in
the room turned to listen to Erin.  Her eyes flashed as she
stared back at the Sergeant.

"His name is Mike, and when he was thirteen,
he became the leader of our people.  He began by organizing a
bunch of kids into a fighting unit. He used that unit to compel the
rest of us kids to face the reality of the Fog.  He started
guarding and rationing food.  He made a plan for the winter,
so we wouldn't freeze to death.  He made rules that protected
us girls from sexual intimidation."

“Jeez, Erin,” Mike mumbled, his face red.

Erin looked around the room to make sure that
she had everyone's attention.  "When we were attacked by
vicious bastards who murdered two of us, he single handedly killed
one of the attackers with a homemade spear.  It’s still known
as 'Mike’s Throw.'  He and his fighters chased the murderers.
 He was too late to stop a girl from being raped and killed,
but he arrived in time to stop a man who was in the process of
raping and strangling another girl.  His unit killed two of
the men, and they captured a third man.  Not a boy like Mike
and his guys.  A big evil man.  Mike personally put a
noose around that man's head, and with the rest of us helping, he
hanged him.  There are a lot of other things he did; though
it's true that he had a lot of help.  We were happy to help
him, because he was determined to keep us alive.”