Earth's Survivors Apocalypse (12 page)

“Don't just raise your hand if you're not sure, or just because the guy standing next to you did,” Bob said. “You have to be sure, and you should know that we may not make it. We don't have the slightest idea what we're going to run into on the way, or even if we'll get there. So you better be sure, because once we go we ain't coming back. So who's positive?”

Several hands that had been up went down, and their owners quickly gravitated to the smaller group that had begun to form by the front doors.

Bob looked at the young dark-haired kid he had been sure would end up with them, and then at Mike, who shrugged his shoulders and said, “Go figure.”

Four remained waiting.

“Okay then,” Mike said, “I guess we'll only need three cars. Who wants to go with Candace and me?” There were two women and the older man who had spoken earlier.

“I'll go,” one of the young women said, stepping forward. The older man stepped forward as well and volunteered.

“I don't think we need both of you,” Candace said. “Jan,” she said speaking to the woman who had stepped forward first, “if you want to come, let’s get going.”

The woman followed Candace and Mike out the front doors, as the older man walked over to Bob.

“Let's go back to the rear” Bob said in a low voice as he leaned closer to Ronnie. “I'm not so sure I want to stand up here and discuss our plans, if you catch my drift.”

“My thought exactly,” Ronnie said, as they walked towards the rear of the store.

Ronnie, Bob, and Dave, rested up against a wide cooler at the back of the store as Bob spoke. The two young women, Lilly and Gina, both of whom were in their late teens, stood nearby with the older man who Bob knew as John Bolton, a retired city Councilman from the Rochester area. He had been leading one of the groups that had come in yesterday. Bolton had retired and moved to Watertown to escape the crime in Rochester. He would definitely be an asset, Bob thought.

“Ed?” Bob asked. “We're going to need some other things before we go. I think maybe a couple more rifles, some camping gear, you know, things like that. If I make up a quick list, I was thinking maybe you and Gina might not mind getting it together, would you?”

“Sure,” Ed replied, “you a little concerned about that group up front?”

Bob leveled his eyes at Ed. “Them and any others like them. I'm not so sure they can be trusted. I saw Brad Saser in the crowd there, and he had a gun of some sort stuffed into his waist band.”

“I saw that too,” Dave said, and then went on. “Did you see the way he tensed up when it looked like those two kids were going to get into it?” Dave finished.

“Yes,” Bob replied, “I did, and it's something I thought of earlier. I saw some others carrying guns, when we were down to the Square. I don't much like it, but I think we have to have our own, even if only to play it safe. I mean rifles and shotguns are fine, but it doesn't appear it's just the gangs we have to worry about. Looks like the good guys ain't all good guys.”

“I agree,” John said. “I spent a good deal of time in Rochester, and I took to carrying a gun with me wherever I went. I think, especially now, since we don't seem to have any police to protect us, it's the only smart thing to do.”

“I agree,” Ronnie said.

The others in the small group murmured their agreement along with him.

“Dave?” Bob said, as he looked at him, “We’re also going to need some canned goods. Maybe some bottled water, soda, canned meats. How about you and Lilly start getting that together. Be sure to stick to the canned stuff, and toss in some basic medical stuff, you know aspirin, bandage, whatever you think we might need.” Dave nodded his head and left with Lilly. Bob scrawled a quick list for Ed and Gina, and sent them on their way. The three remaining men watched them walk off, and then Bob said,

“Ronnie? Did you see any state maps up front, at the checkouts?”

“I believe I did,” he replied, as he walked away to get one.

Ronnie glanced over at the group of people, who were still huddled by the front doors, as he picked up several maps and headed back to the rear of the store. They were all huddled together to one side of the front doors, talking in low whispers, and more than a few of them had turned his way as he picked up the maps.

Bob and John were sitting on the rail of a long meat counter, talking, and drinking a couple of beers when Ronnie returned.

“They're still cold if you get 'em from the back,” Bob said as Ronnie approached.

Ronnie reached into the cooler and snagged one of the beers from the back of the cooler, where ice had formed on the condenser unit. It hadn't completely melted in the cool interior of the store. He took a long drink of the cool liquid. Probably won't be drinking too many cold beers anymore, he thought. He reached into the cooler fished out a six pack from the back, and carried it over to the two men who were still talking. Bob and John both helped themselves to another beer as Ronnie spoke.

“Group up front is still there, and they eyeballed me pretty good when I went up to get the maps.”

“It's probably a good thing we're leaving,” John said. John had been in the crowd at the front of the store earlier and hadn't liked the way the conversation had been going. “There's a couple of loony's in that crowd, and I'm just as glad they're not with us.”

“I feel about the same,” Bob said.

Ronnie opened one of the maps, and spread it over the glass top of the meat case.

“John thinks the best way is probably Route 3,” Bob said.

“It cuts around the lake,” John explained, picking up the conversation. “If it's true, what Bob suspects about the fault line, it may be a tough way to go. But you've got to consider the other route, and I don't think that's a good choice at all. If we don't go 3, we're stuck with Route 81 to Syracuse, and the Thruway west from there. I think we all made up our minds to avoid Syracuse, so that leaves Route 3. That will take us into Route 104, and if we take that west it will bring us into Rochester. Of course there's still the lake to contend with.”

“I don't think the lake is a problem,” Bob said, “the fault line runs across the basin of the Great lakes. If it did shift, it would be a problem we might have to face down the line, but that would only be if we try to go farther west.”

“If it shifted, let’s say it did for the sake of argument, there's no real way to know at this point anyway, we could have one hell of a big river splitting the whole eastern end of the continent, from Canada, all the way down to the Gulf coast somewhere. I know, I already been beatin' on that horse, but I think it's the most likely explanation. I read about it, what could happen if the fault were somehow triggered, in an article in the paper a few years back. It may seem a bit far-fetched, but there's a lot of fact to back it up. The lakes would drop at first, and then they would level out as the new river fills up, and begin to rise again. That's a basic way of putting it I guess, but that's the gist of it. Right now though, if that lake really is dropping, we shouldn't have too much trouble getting into Rochester.”

“You don't think the road will be busted up, or flooded?” Ronnie asked.

“I doubt it'll be flooded,” John replied, “if the lake is dropping, that should keep the road dry. I'm not so sure it won't be broken up some though, and we may run into some stalled traffic I suppose, but being as it was night time, the traffic shouldn't be too awful bad, and Four Wheel Drive should get us around the worst of it anyhow.”

“I'd say it's a much better bet than Route 81 and the Thruway,” Bob said. “The traffic is pretty damn heavy there all the time.”

“Tell me about it.” Ronnie said, “I came down eighty-one on my way here the day I met you guys. I was out in Adams working that day, just happened to come in to the city. Nothing but Army trucks and traffic bumper to bumper.”

“Well then,” Bob said, “that decides that. John, what do you think our chances are, when we get there, of finding it still standing?”

John shrugged his shoulders as he replied. “Good as any, I guess, there's no real way to tell. I don't think the damage here was caused by the meteor, I think we all agree it was most likely an earthquake, but that doesn't mean Rochester's still standing. And it says nothing about what's beyond Rochester.”

The other two men nodded in agreement. He was right, Ronnie realized, as he pulled another beer from the plastic collar that held it. They would simply have to get there before they knew. He sat beside them on the small rail drinking the semi-cold beer.

A short time later a loud commotion at the front of the store, caught their attention.

“Shit,” Ronnie said as the three of them hurried in the direction of the front of the store, “What the hell's up now?”

Candace was standing over the young man with the long greasy hair who had caused the earlier argument, with her fists clenched. Mike and Jan were standing in front of her trying to hold back the small group of people.

“What the hell's going on here?” Bob shouted as he came up the aisle with Ronnie and John.

“This ass-hole,” Candace said, waving her hand to indicate the young man on the floor, “and his buddy over there,” she pointed towards Brad Saser, who was standing in the crowd. “Tried to jump us when we walked in the front door.”

Dave and Lilly emerged from one of the other aisles and stood next to Candace and Terry, as the kid picked himself up off the floor, and retreated to the safety of the other group. The two groups stared at each other across the small space for a few seconds, and then Brad Saser stepped out of the small group with a pistol gripped in one hand.

“Don't have to be nobody killed,” he said, as he waved the pistol in their direction. “We want them Jeep's, that's all.”

Mike returned the man’s icy stare. “If you want one, why don't you go get one? If I recall correctly, you didn't want to come along in the first place, and if you want to leave now there are plenty more cars just lying around waiting to be taken. Take one and go for Christ's sake.”

“Oh, I want to go. In fact we all do,” he replied, as he waved the gun around to include the group behind him. “We will too, but since you already got three good Four-Bys all gassed up and ready, it'll save us the trouble of bothering, and this gun says we'll be takin' em. Now give me the keys, Bitch,” he snarled, glaring at Candace.

“You want them?” she asked sweetly, “You come and get them.”

“I swear I'll blow your brains right out the back of your fuckin' head,” he said as he started towards her.

Mike took two steps, and placed himself between them.

“Buddy, I don't give a fuck about you at all,” Brad said, and pointed the gun at Mike's head, “I'd just as soon...”

Before Brad Saser could finish what he had been about to say, a voice from the front of the store broke in.

“You got two seconds to drop that gun, Brad, or I swear I'll put a bullet right through you.”

Ed was standing in the doorway with Gina, and both of them had high powered deer rifles pointed at Brad.

“I shit you not, Brad, I'll shoot you like a woodchuck and leave you laying there, Man,” Ed said, as Brad turned around.

Brad looked back at the group of people behind him for help, but no one moved. Mike reached out quickly and grabbed the gun from his grip, and with one meaty hand shoved the man to the floor.

“I believe we'll be leaving,” he said, first to Brad, and then lifting his eyes to include the group of people behind him. “And if you know what's good for you, you'll stay the hell out of our way.”

Dave retreated down one aisle, and returned within a few minutes pushing a large steel stocking cart.

“I'd watch them kind of close,” Bob whispered, as he moved up to Mike's side, “that may not have been the only gun they had.”

Mike held the pistol in his hand, pointed towards the silent group of people as the others left the store through the wide front doors. Bob waited with him.

“I'd like to say it's been nice, but it hasn't,” Mike said to the crowd of people.

“You really should give some thought to coming with us,” Bob said, “I ain't so sure you picked yourselves a very good horse if you're counting on him,” Bob finished, pointing at Brad, who was still on the floor. The small group of people remained silent.

“Suit yourselves,” Bob finished. He followed Mike out the front doors and into the parking lot.

The two men paused outside, waiting in the drizzle falling from the rapidly darkening skies,  as Dave and a couple of the others loaded the Jeeps. “You think,” Mike asked, “that there will be others like them?”

“I hate to say it, but yes.” Bob replied as they slowly walked across the lot towards the three Cherokee's that sat idling, “I'd like to think a little better of the human race, but we are what we are. I expect we'll run in to a whole shit load of those types.”

“It's a good thing Ed and Gina picked up guns then,” Mike replied thoughtfully. “No telling what kind of animals we'll run into and I don't necessarily mean the furry kind.”

Once the vehicles were loaded, Mike and Bob climbed into the open rear door of one of the Jeep's with John.

Candace was in the front driver’s seat with Patty beside her. The second Jeep, with Ronnie driving and Jan in the passenger seat, Lilly in the back, pulled in behind them. Ed drove the last Jeep, with Dave riding beside him,  A shotgun was resting between his knees. Gina in the back seat with her own rifle, a wire stock model that looked wildly military to Mike when he had seen it. Terry on the other back window, a heavy shotgun resting between his legs, and two 45 caliber pistols on a wide belt at his waist. There were a few more of guns scattered among them, Mike knew: He, Candace, Ronnie, Patty, a few others, but a few had stuck to rifles or shotguns.