Human Extinction Level Loss (Book 3): Liberation (11 page)

“When you are ready, open the box,” Jacob said.

Tommy raised his head and looked at the plain cardboard box in Jacob’s unwavering hands before reaching out and taking it from him.

“When you are ready,” Jacob said again.

He turned to Beverly and with no animosity in his voice asked for his keys back. Beverly handed the keys to him and Jacob walked to the Cherokee, took off his helmet and climbed behind the wheel. Beverly put her arm around Tommy and together they got in. Jacob started the engine and drove away.

Beverly sat next to her son in the back seat. Every few moments she would glance down at him to see if he was okay. Tommy was unresponsive. For several hours he sat beside his mother and stared at the box in his lap. Another hour and another sixty mile markers passed before Tommy reached up with both hands and pried open the flaps on top of the box. Beverly looked over, desperate to see, but not wanting to intrude. Inside was a case of Febreeze Cranberry Cider scented spray. Beverly looked in surprise from the case of cans to Jacob. Jacob did not take his eyes from the road. As Beverly looked back at her son, Tommy pulled an item from the box, wrapped in paper. He slowly unwrapped it to reveal a policeman’s badge, the number
1701
across the bottom. With tear filled eyes Tommy looked to his mother. Beverly moved to hold her son, but resisted.

“It’s Dad’s,” Tommy said.

Tommy caressed the numbers, then looked to his mother.

“Will you put it on me, mom?” he said.

Beverly’s tears flowed as she nodded her head and pinned the badge to the front of Tommy’s shirt. Tommy stared at it for several seconds, then looked again into the box. Inside was a black pen and the sheet from Jacob’s ledger. Tommy reached in and took out the pen. Resting the paper on the box, Tommy drew a single line through the only name on the page.

Officer Mark Sanders My Dad

In the front seat, Jacob looked in the rear view mirror and watched Tommy.

Tommy gingerly folded the paper and clipped the pen to it, holding the folds securely.

“Do you want me to keep that safe for you, Tommy?” Beverly asked.

Tommy nodded and reverently passed the paper to his mother. As another mile marker flew by, Tommy stared out his window.

Jacob turned his eyes back to the road and took the exit for the Westbound lanes of the I-70.

Epilogue

Jacob drove out of the darkness and into the light. He wasn’t prepared for what he saw. He had driven all night and now the morning sun rose behind him. In the rear of the Cherokee, Beverly and Tommy lay sleeping. Jacob eased his foot on the brakes and the Cherokee came to a rolling stop. He gripped the steering wheel tight and stared down the road ahead, the idle of the Jeep’s engine the only sound.

Presently, the absence of the rhythm of the road brought Beverly awake. She looked around and saw Jacob staring out the windshield.

“What’s the matter,” she said, apprehension bringing her fully awake.

“We’re here,” he said, not turning around.

Beverly caught his meaning and leaned forward over the back seat and looked down the road. In the distance, she saw activity, human activity, movement that seemed purposeful and alive. There were booths set up that looked like they contained fresh produce. Beverly rubbed her eyes and squinted, trying to clear the image, but the vibrant colors of fresh fruits and vegetables continued to beam at her even from this distance. There was a table set up under a canopy and someone sitting at it. And there were… people, maybe a dozen or more. Some were helping set things up, others talked amongst themselves. Two figures stood near the table and one of them threw their head back in laughter. They all went about armed, but carried their weapons as almost an afterthought.

In the Cherokee, Beverly took in a gasp and her hand went to her mouth. Tears of relief and joy ran down her cheeks and she felt almost weightless. She turned to her son and began to gently shake him awake.

“Tommy, baby, wake up. We’re here,” she said.

Tommy rubbed his eyes, then sat up. He clung to the bars on the back seat and looked where his mother pointed.

As the surprise sank in, Beverly looked to Jacob, expecting him to hit the gas and drive toward the entrance in the mountain. Jacob remained motionless, staring straight ahead.

“What’s the matter, Jacob? What are we waiting for?” she asked.

Jacob did not respond right away, and Beverly thought maybe he didn’t hear her. She began to sense an apprehension in him and so she only waited for him to respond.

“I can’t go any further. I… I have to get back,” he finally said.

Beverly sat and stared at Jacob, processing his words. She nodded, then turned to her son.

“Come on, Tommy. We’re going,” she said.

They climbed over the seat. Beverly popped up the back window, lowered the tailgate and climbed out. Tommy grabbed his box and followed. Closing the tailgate, they made their way to the front of the Jeep. Beverly stopped and looked at Jacob.

“Thank you,” she said.

Jacob looked at her, then nodded. Beverly shifted nervously, then fixed her eyes on the people in the distance. When she looked back at Jacob, he too was staring back down the road at the mountain.

“You told my son to open the box when he was ready. When you’re ready, Jacob, this place will be here,” she said.

Jacob did not respond or look at her. Beverly took Tommy’s hand and started walking toward the mountain. After a couple of steps, Tommy looked back at Jacob and up at his mom.

“Sheriff Miller isn’t coming?” he asked.

Beverly looked down at Tommy. “No, baby. Not right now,” she said.

Tommy took a few more steps with his mother before he pulled his hand from hers and stopped. Beverly stopped too then and looked at her son.

Tommy looked at Jacob a moment, then turned and walked back to the Jeep. Jacob and Tommy locked eyes, then Tommy spoke.

“Thank you for freeing my Dad, Sheriff Miller,” Tommy said. Holding his box under his left arm, he stuck out his right hand.

Jacob looked at Tommy’s hand, then reached his own out and shook it. A second more, then Tommy ran back to his mother, took her hand, and the two proceeded down the highway.

Ruby sat at the welcome table, clipboard and paper in front of her. The cool morning air wafted through and she felt its invigorating caress. She looked at the faces around her, recognizing Sam, Billy, and Walt’s. She saw other faces, newcomers whose faces were not yet so familiar, but knew they would be in time. Ruby looked over at the produce stands where Walt busied himself making sure the fruits and vegetables were arranged just so.

“That’s some good looking squash you got there, hippie!” she called.

Walt’s head popped up and he beamed a smile at her.

“Thank’s Momma! Nature’s bounty, you know!” he called back.

Ruby turned back and double checked that everything was in order. Looking up, she saw two figures walking down the road towards them.

Ruby smiled. People were coming in a few at a time, almost every day now. They were getting the message and seeking out the hope it provided.

“People coming!” she called and all eyes turned to look down the highway.

Beverly fought back her emotion as she held Tommy’s hand tight. She saw an elderly woman, the one sitting behind the table, waving at her. A red GTO emerged from the tunnel and parked next to a bus. A young woman got out. Beverly watched as a young man called to her.

“Nicole! We’ve got survivors!” he shouted.

“Coming, Sam!” she shouted back.

Tommy looked up at his mom.

“That’s the lady from the broadcasts,” he whispered, awe in his voice.

“That’s right, baby. That’s Nicole,” she said, wiping away the tears as Sam and Nicole approached them at a jog. The four met in the road. There was an awkward moment as Beverly and Tommy stared at Sam and Nicole. Nicole looked over Beverly’s shoulder at the Jeep Cherokee in the distance. She shielded her eyes and saw there was a driver behind the wheel. Nicole threw up her hand and waved. Beverly and Tommy turned and the four of them watched, waiting for some acknowledgment. The Jeep sat motionless in the road for several seconds before Jacob turned the wheel and drove back the way he had come.

Nicole, perplexed, watched the Jeep Cherokee disappear in the distance.

“They’re leaving,” she said.

Beverly and Tommy turned to Nicole.

“His name is Jacob. He’s got some things to take care of first,” Beverly said.

Nicole looked back at Beverly and Tommy and nodded. The awkwardness again passed between them. Nicole knew that any journey taken here could not have been an easy one, so she gave them a second. Finally, she did what she always did and stuck out her hand.

“I’m Nicole Bennett. Welcome.”

About The Author

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