Surviving Chaos

20

“What happened?” said Georgia, leaning against the Bronco.

“Are you all right?” said Sadie, rushing up to Max and Mandy.

“We’re fine,” said Max.

“That strange woman… she was going to kill Max,” said Mandy. “I had to… I had to shoot her.”

“Mandy did what she had to do,” said Max, putting an arm on Mandy’s upper back. “She’s a little shaken, but she’ll be fine.”

Mandy flashed him an artificial-looking smile. He knew she didn’t think she’d be fine. But with time, she’d get used to all this. She already was used to it. What she needed to do next was learn to adapt to the flashbacks, the memories, the guilt, and the nightmares that he knew she was having.

James stood there, gun in hand, looking like he was ready to take action. Max could see it in his eyes. He hadn’t wanted to stay there. He’d heard the gunshot, and had wanted to be the one who’d fired it.

“We’ve got another loaded gun,” said Max. “No spare ammo.”

“Where’d she get it?”

Max looked at the gun. It was small and compact. He didn’t recognize the make or model.

“No idea. She must have had it hidden somewhere.”

“I patted her down,” said Mandy, taking the gun from Max and examining it.

Max didn’t say anything at first.

Max looked at Mandy, knowing that he’d reprimand her.

“I know there was a lot going on,” said Max. “And I’d just passed out, but we’ve got to be thorough with everything we do.”

Mandy’s eyes looked like they were going to water.

“But it wasn’t just you,” said Max. “We’re all at fault. I could have checked her again myself. I should have, and that’s my fault. Each of us could have. And we’ve got to all remember that. Just because we think that someone else has taken care of something, that doesn’t mean we can’t take it upon ourselves to check it. Make sure it’s done right. After all, it’s all of our lives that are at stake.”

Mandy nodded. The others were hanging on his every word. They respected him, and listened to him.

“There’s no police,” said Max. “No military. There’s no government. There’s no one looking out for us. Everything is up to us, and we’ve got to remember that. Every action we take could be the difference between life and death.”

Max looked at James and Sadie pointedly. “And just because you’re younger than the rest of us, you two aren’t off the hook. It’s your life at stake too, and don’t forget that. And just because we’re older than you, doesn’t mean we won’t make mistakes. So don’t forget to question us, or check our work. The winter’s going to be tough. Maybe the toughest thing we’ve faced yet.”

James nodded solemnly.

Sadie looked scared and worried. And maybe that was good.

“All right,” said Max. “Enough chit chat. Let’s get going. How’s this going to work for you, Georgia?”

“Fine,” muttered Georgia, tight-lipped as she took the sapling crutch from Max.

She grunted in pain as she put it under her arm and took her first step.

“Are you OK, Mom?” said Sadie.

“Fine.”

But Max could clearly see that Georgia wasn’t fine. She was tough, and she’d put up with intense pain probably longer than any of the rest of them. Unfortunately that meant that she also would be unwilling to admit that she couldn’t make it on the crutch alone. Sometimes, toughness could be a determinant. Not often, though.

“Test that out a little, Georgia,” said Max. “James, come with me. We’re going to get a stretcher made for your mom.”

“A stretcher?” said Georgia, glaring at Max.

Max nodded as he looked her in the eye. “I don’t think you’re going to make it on that crutch alone.”

“I’m fine.”

“I also don’t think you’d ever admit any weakness, even though you have every reason to be weak. You were willing to sacrifice for your children. You got shot. Badly. You’re lucky to be alive. What you’ve got to remember is that you could put your kids’ lives in danger once again by simply failing to admit your weakness.”

Georgia’s face shifted. She knew Max was right.

“Come on, James,” said Max. “We’ve got to find some good wood.”

Before setting off with James, Max handed the stranger’s firearm to Georgia. “I don’t even know if it works,” he told her. “So check it.”

“Always do, Max,” said Georgia, already examining the gun.

Max nodded, and turned back around.

“Max,” said Georgia.

“Yeah?” said Max, without turning around.

“Thanks.”

Max raised a hand to acknowledge her, and set off, trailing James, who was already off into the woods.

The night was cold. Not yet winter cold. But it was a sign of things to come. Max could see his breath in the air as he exhaled.

James had a look of pure determination on his face. Max noticed as he caught a glimpse of his face in the dim moonlight that James was looking older. The weeks seemed to have aged him. More than usual for someone his age. Maybe it was the stress. Or maybe he was just mentally growing up faster than normal, his internal attitude showing through on the outside.

James and Max had a lot to work to do. Saplings weren’t easy to find. But the dead branches on the ground weren’t suitable for making a stretcher.

They worked for at least an hour, just to find the saplings.

When they had the saplings, they brought them back to the Bronco, where everyone was, of course, still awake, waiting and watchful for the kind of constant new threats they’d all come to expect.

They used rope to lash the saplings together, creating what was probably one of the most uncomfortable stretchers ever made. Two of the biggest saplings ran parallel together, and smaller pieces ran laterally, supporting a wool blanket that they lashed onto it.

There was some discussion about whether they should make it the kind of stretcher that one person could drag, or the kind that two people would carry together. There were advantages and disadvantages to both designs, but in the end Max thought that the terrain might be too rough for the one-person design. A severely bumpy ride could aggravate Georgia’s wound. She was on the mend, and they wanted to keep her that way.

In the end, after a fair amount of struggling, and some timely cursing, they got the stretcher together and they got Georgia on it.

There was a lot to carry. Plenty of rifles, backpacks, extra clothes, and unfortunately not much food except some mushrooms. They’d all grown horribly sick of the mushrooms, but they ate some now as a quick snack.

“Hopefully we can get something better to eat when we get there,” said Sadie, making a face as she slowly chewed a boiled mushroom.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” said James.

“You’re going to go out mushroom hunting again, aren’t you?” said Sadie.

“If it weren’t for the mushrooms, we might be dead.”

“We’ll get a deer,” said Mandy. “I’m sure of it.”

“That reminds me,” said Max. “It should go without saying, but if anyone spots any animals, it’s going to have to be our first priority.”

“You mean we’ll stop on the way there?” said Mandy.

“How would we carry a deer to our next camp?” said James.

“Well,” said Max. “We’ve got to remember that we don’t even have a camp yet. We’re still on the move. We’re just hoping that there’ll be a good place for us in these hunting grounds. Right now, we’re nomadic. And without food. That means that if we can shoot a deer on the way, we’re going to do it. We’ll simply camp out where the food is. That’s how humans existed for a long time, before agriculture. They followed the animals. Because they had to eat. Just like us.”

Everyone murmured their agreement.

They got their gear together, did a final check of the Bronco, and set off.

James and Max took the first shift carrying Georgia’s stretcher. She apologized endlessly for the first five minutes. It was hard for her to be carried along, rather than walking under her own weight. It was hard for her to a burden.

It probably would have been hard for Max too.

“You weren’t a burden back in the compound,” said Max. “And I think that’s where we should leave it. It’s hard enough carrying you, let alone listening to you apologizing the whole way.”

Georgia stayed quiet after that. They walked through the woods, Mandy leading the way, and Sadie taking up the rear. Sadie was under careful instructions to keep a watchful eye out for anything unusual.

But Max wasn’t sure she was up to the task.

It wasn’t like there were any other options, though.

It was going to be a long, difficult walk. Especially on nearly empty stomachs.

But they had to do it.