Reentry Read online

  Chapter 4

  As they crested another hill in the middle of the desert about three hours away from the town, Katrina came to a stop. The adrenaline from the earlier events was beginning to wear off and she was starving. She also wanted to check on her friends. She scanned the horizon and still couldn’t see anyone following them.

  Katrina opened the driver’s side door and glass came pouring out onto the ground. She carefully stepped down and tried wiping the rest of the glass off the seat with her gloved hand. Jayden dropped the tailgate as Dreya and Mia used their feet to push out more glass from the back. Katrina heard the crunch of James’ footsteps as he walked through the shards of glass to stand behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, and she stopped sweeping to put her hands on his forearms.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  Katrina tensed. “Yes. Why wouldn’t I be okay?” She turned around to face him. James stared at her with his eyebrow raised before he started laughing. A second later, Katrina burst out laughing too.

  Mia stopped sweeping when she heard them. “Are you guys seriously making jokes right now?” She put her hands up in the air. “Hello, we almost died. There is absolutely nothing funny about this. You are both freaks.” Dreya turned to look at Jayden and they both also began to laugh. Mia put her hands on top of her head. “Great. I’m surrounded by freaks.”

  Katrina almost fell over because she was laughing so hard. James caught her. As she tried to stand up, she realized she couldn’t put all her weight on her right leg. She froze and looked up at James. They both looked down at her leg and saw that her suit was torn and bloody.

  “You are hurt.” James stopped laughing as he picked Katrina up and carried her over to the back of the truck.

  “I’m fine,” Katrina said as he sat her down on the tailgate. “It’s probably just a scrape.”

  “What’s going on?” Dreya asked as she jumped down from the truck. Katrina tried to say “nothing”, but James cut her off.

  “She’s hurt. Her leg is bleeding.” James began to unzip her suit.

  “I’m not a child,” Katrina said while pushing his hand away. She pulled off her own suit and shivered when the air hit her skin feeling unnaturally exposed. Then she lifted the leg of her ripped and soaking sweatpants to see a deep gash in her calf.

  Dreya walked closer to her. “Can I take a look?” Katrina nodded and then winced when Dreya delicately touched her knee. “This is going to need stitches. Crap. We have to find a needle and thread. First, let’s do something to stop the bleeding.” James began to hurriedly unzip his own suit.

  “Um. What are you doing dude?” Katrina asked him.

  “Taking off my shirt so we have something to wrap around the wound,” he answered.

  “Gross. I don’t need your sweaty shirt,” Katrina laughed. “There is some gauze in the emergency bag behind the front seat.”

  Mia pulled out the bag which held gauze, ace wraps, some medicine, a flashlight, lighters, bottled water, and a couple of MRE packs. “Geez. Anything else in here?” she asked handing the bag over. “All that is missing is a radio and a spaceship to get us off the planet.”

  Katrina smiled. “I’m not sure that would fit. But there is a utility knife and Chapstick in the glovebox, jumper cables under the seat, and I’m sure there is a small axe floating around in there somewhere.” Her friends stared at her and Katrina shrugged. “My dad is a prepper, remember?”

  “Alright, well hopefully there are some antibiotics in the med pouch, but we still need a needle to sew you up.”

  “There are a few houses on the way to the cabin. I don’t want to risk going through any more towns though. And there are medical supplies at the cabin too,” Katrina said.

  “I agree with the avoiding towns part. How long until we get to the cabin?” Dreya asked.

  “Well, whenever we find the main road which I think is about 30 minutes that way,” Katrina pointed northeast, “it should be around a 6-hour drive.”

  “I think we will do okay for about 6 hours,” Dreya said.

  “Except we are going to run out of gas well before we get there. Unless we find a town to fill up in, we are going to have to hike in.” Katrina gave Dreya a strained smile.

  “Okay.” Dreya exhaled. She looked to her sister before turning back to Katrina. “How long of a hike?”

  “A week or two?” Katrina answered. “We will have to cut through the mountains because it would be too risky walking night and day along the main roads.” Katrina saw the worry in Dreya’s eyes. “Is this still okay?”

  “Do we have another option?” Dreya asked.

  “Not really. I don’t know what those guys were talking about or why they were so afraid of the government, but I don’t want to ever risk being held as a hostage again. I just want to get to the cabin. No one knows it is there besides me and my dad and there are enough supplies there to live comfortably for a few years. Getting to the cabin is my main priority right now.”

  “It’s mine too,” James said. “Except you’re not going to be able to hike with your leg like this.”

  “I’ll be okay,” Katrina said staring at him.

  “Why don’t we find somewhere to get supplies soon then?” Dreya said. “We need you to be able to walk if we are all going to make it to the cabin.”

  Dreya took over driving the truck while Katrina sat with her leg elevated on top of James’ lap in the back. Now that all the adrenaline had worn off, Katrina realized how much pain she was really in. She was reminded of it every time Dreya hit a bump. Thankfully, they found the main road fast and it was a much smoother drive. Jayden sat in the back with them watching the world pass by.

  “Where’d you learn to shoot like that?” Katrina shouted to him over the wind.

  “I’ve been shooting since I was a kid,” Jayden yelled back. “Though I’ve never shot a car before. Well, at least not a moving car.” Katrina smiled and told him that she was grateful he had come along. He nodded and turned back to look at the desert.

  An hour or so later, the scenery began to change. There were outcroppings of large rock formations. Further down the road, pine trees began to appear sparsely throughout the horizon. Before they went over the next hill, Katrina asked James to tap Dreya’s shoulder so that she would pull over.

  *

  “There are a couple of trailers down in this next valley. We are going to split from the main highway and take a side road up that mountain there,” Katrina told everyone as she pointed east. “The road that we need to be on will take us behind the houses. I guess if no one is there then we can stop for supplies.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” James said. “It will be fast, in and out. Jayden and I will go.”

  Katrina rolled her eyes. “Why just the guys, huh? Don’t think the girls are fast enough?” she asked sarcastically.

  “Let’s see.” James looked straight through her. “Dreya is driving and needs to stay ready in case we need to get away quickly. Mia stays with her and you are a cripple right now.” Katrina tried to respond but James interrupted. “Now isn’t the time to question gender stereotypes. This is the time to shut up and say thank you.”

  Katrina folded her arms across her chest as she muttered “thank you.”

  They descended into the valley and Katrina saw the four trailers spread out on their uneven plots of land just as her memory had left them. There were no signs of life. No car tracks in the ash that covered the smaller roads leading into the driveways. They picked the house that was closest to the turnoff road they needed to take. Dreya drove slowly into the front yard. Katrina watched for any movement in the house and saw nothing. There was a Jeep parked on the gravel driveway. The driver side door was left open. Ash covered the inside of the door and the seat.

  “Looks like no one is home,” Jayden said as he grabbed the rifle and stood up. James also stood and turned to wink at Katrina. She huffed at him, but her heart was beating hard in her chest as she watched them climb out
of the truck. Dreya turned the vehicle around and Katrina scooted forward to drop the tailgate in case they needed to jump back in fast. James knocked on the door as Jayden stood point with the rifle. When no one answered, James turned the door knob. The house was unlocked. He waved at Katrina before walking inside. Jayden followed him in.

  Katrina held her breath and started slowly counting to herself. She could see through the dirty windows with lace valence curtains as the guys rummaged around the living room. They disappeared from her line of sight and she continued counting. Seventy-four, seventy-five, seventy-six…

  Jayden and James came running out of the door. They each wore a back pack and carried blankets in one arm. James had a fly-fishing rod sticking up high out of his bag like a flag and in his free hand he carried a pistol. Jayden balanced two jugs of water in the crook of his elbow. They slung the gear into the truck and Jayden ran to the side of the house to unscrew the hose from the spigot. He cut off a large piece and ran back to the Jeep. James pulled an empty gas can out from the back of the vehicle. Katrina watched as they tried to syphon gas from the Jeep’s gas tank, but nothing came out. James shook his head and the boys ran back to the truck.

  Katrina pulled the tailgate up once they were in and Dreya started to drive away. James was staring at the sky, his face serious. “What happened?” Katrina asked.

  “They shot them,” James answered bluntly. “Someone shot them in their own house. The place was a disaster and I took the gun from the man’s hands. Just an old man and his wife. They were left lying there on their kitchen floor.”

  Katrina moved closer to him and wrapped her hand around his. “Thank you for going in there for me,” she told him.

  He nodded and put his arm over her shoulders.

  Chapter 5

  Behind them was the desert and in front of them was the base of the mountain range that stretched forever in either direction. The main road they crossed had been traveled on recently from what Katrina could tell. A light dusting of ash covered multiple deep track marks. Katrina felt uneasy and told Dreya to pull over.

  “We need to get off this road,” Katrina told her friends as they huddled against the shot out window. “How much gas do we have left?”

  Dreya let go of the steering wheel and tried to smooth down the crazy mess of flyaways in her braid. She settled on tucking the loose hair behind her ears. “Not much,” she said. “We’ll be driving on fumes soon.”

  “Crap,” Katrina sighed. “Alright. The plan is to take that steep road over there. Let’s get as high up the mountain as we can before we have to go on foot.” Dreya nodded and started the engine.

  As they drove up the hill, Katrina thought back to her childhood memories tied to the old truck. She remembered her father driving them home late one winter night. A light rain had started which quickly turned into fat snowflakes. The snow melted so fast against the speeding truck that it looked as if they were shooting through the stars. Her dad had taught her how to change the oil and the tires on the truck one summer day when she was twelve. She learned to drive in this truck. Katrina shook her head. She was getting too sentimental. It’s just a vehicle, she thought.

  Her ears started to pop, and it brought her out of her thoughts. Glancing around, she saw everyone trying to yawn or yanking on their earlobes to relieve the pressure. They were more than halfway up the mountain. Come on old girl, Katrina touched the side of the truck. Get us a little bit farther.

  At 8,000ft the truck started slipping. Dreya turned it to the side of the road and pulled the emergency brake. “That’s it,” Dreya called over her shoulder. “There’s nothing left.”

  “That’s fine,” Katrina said as she dropped the tailgate again. “We got further than I thought we would. Now it’s time to hike.”

  “Why don’t we get you stitched up first?” James said while helping Katrina get down from the truck.

  “Not right now,” Katrina said. She winced as she landed on her right foot. “I want to get off the road and up to that vantage point over there first so we can see if anyone is coming.”

  Katrina limped over to the front of the truck and pulled the seat forward. She grabbed the emergency pack and put the extra bullets, road flares, and hatchet into the bag. Then she slid the seat back and opened the center console to get the utility knife, flashlight, and lighter. Finally, she took the registration papers and plates off the truck, just to be on the safe side.

  The bag had enough room to shove one of the blankets that James had grabbed into it. Jayden tied up the rest of the blankets with a rope and handed the bundle to Dreya. He used the rest of the rope to tie up the water jugs and he swung them over his shoulder. James secured the fly rod to his backpack and took the rifle from Jayden. He handed him the pistol which Jayden tucked into his waistband. They worked fast and then started walking.

  “Let me take that,” Mia said to Katrina easing the pack from her shoulders.

  “I’m okay,” Katrina said but Mia took it anyway.

  From the top of the mountain they had a view of the entire valley floor below. To the right was a large town that they had avoided by taking the back road past the trailers. Everything was in miniature scale from this high up. Katrina could see no signs of life and no moving cars on the road. She sat down awkwardly on a rock. “Alright,” she sighed. “Who has the needle?”

  James pulled a sewing kit in an old tin cookie container from inside of his backpack. Dreya took it from him and sat down in the dirt next to Katrina’s leg. He handed Dreya a bottle of rubbing alcohol and Katrina smiled.

  “For the pain?” she winked.

  “No dummy.” He stared at her. “To clean the wound. Here’s some ibuprofen for the pain.” Katrina laughed and swallowed two pills. Then she clenched her teeth as Dreya washed the wound with the stinging alcohol. Dreya worked swiftly and sealed the wound up tight.

  “Wow, that’s really good,” Katrina remarked as she checked out the stitches. “How’d you learn to do that?”

  “Eh. You are still going to have a gnarly scar but it should hold up.” Dreya stood and washed the needle before putting the sewing kit away. “I learned from my mom. Well, from her medical books. She is a surgeon.”

  Mia laughed. “All this time I thought you were such a nerd but look at it paying off now. Good job, Dreya.” She smiled at her sister.

  “Well I am glad we have a medical student in the group,” James said. “Should we see what else we have now?”

  “You got lucky today.” Jayden unzipped the pack and pulled out a bag of Takis chips which he handed to Mia. “I remember you said that you missed these while we were in the shelter.”

  Mia jumped up and down hugging the bag to her chest. “Oh my gosh! Okay. I love you. Dreya, your boyfriend is seriously the best.” Jayden flushed at the word boyfriend but Dreya gave him a warm smile.

  James and Jayden emptied the rest of their packs onto the ground. Between the two of them, they had gathered cans of food, kitchen knives, a cooking pot, a box of salt, a bag of rice, Crisco grease in a can, plastic bowls, some electrical cords, a box of flies for the fishing rod, extra hooks and line, more rope, two flashlights, batteries, a box of matches, soap, a small first aid kit, bullets for the pistol, and an unopened box of Fruity Pebbles.

  Katrina raised her eyebrows at the cereal box and James whistled as he turned away. They packed everything back up and started moving east into the wooded hills.

  “You guys did good,” Katrina laughed. “Hopefully we all get to share the Fruity Pebbles.”

  “Hey,” Mia smiled back at her. “This isn’t the society that we just ran from. If he doesn’t want to share, then he doesn’t have to.” She held her Takis bag protectively.

  “It’s fine,” James chuckled. “I don’t mind sharing with anyone here. Those other guys were just jerks. No one wants to share with people like that.”

  Dreya put her arm around her little sister. “And you don’t have to share your weird spicy roll up chips with anyone i
f you don’t want to.”

  Mia stopped walking and held the open bag out. “Does anyone want some?”

  “No thanks,” they all laughed while walking past her. Mia smiled in triumph as she ran to catch up.

  *

  “It’s going to get dark soon,” James told Katrina as he helped her climb over a rock. She was sweating in her suit and her leg was throbbing.

  “I know,” she said. “I was just hoping that we could get further away from the road.”

  “I don’t think that anyone followed us,” James reassured her. “And you need to take a break.”

  Katrina was about to argue but she looked back to see Mia resting her arms on her thighs and breathing heavily after clearing the rock patch. Dreya nodded to Katrina after checking on her sister. “I guess this is as good a place as any to camp for the night.”

  “Guys,” Jayden called out. “Look at your monitors.” Katrina pulled hers up. The air was cleaner where they were standing. The device still showed the dial in a hot zone, but the numbers were dropping. Mia ripped off her mask.

  “Hang on,” Dreya shouted at her. “Wait until we talk about this.”

  Mia inhaled deeply as she smiled at her sister. “Oh come on in, the water is fine.” Dreya slowly took off her mask and smiled back at her.

  Jayden quickly took off his entire suit. “Screw hiking in that thing anymore. I think I’d prefer radiation tumors.”

  Dreya laughed. “I’m sure you’ll get your wish someday.”