“And you didn’t go?”
“I’m trying to get home to my family. So no. I didn’t go. Though I realized too late that if I had I probably could have gotten to them a lot sooner.”
“Or you would have died in a plane crash.” The officer’s tone was softer and he thought about what Rick said for several long seconds before nodding curtly. “Get in the back of the truck and stay put. We’ve got search and rescue to perform before we head back to base.”
“You’re doing a search and rescue on the plane crash out in the valley?” Rick shook his head. “I saw that crash happen. The plane nearly came down right on top of me.”
“You saw the crash?” The officer’s eyes lit up. “Where is it?”
“Bottom of the valley. Just keep going straight up the mountain and you’ll find it by the smoke and the downed trees. It’s no good, though.”
The officer narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
Rick shook his head. “I went down there to search for survivors. It’s… there’s nothing left.” Rick felt his stomach turning and he tried to force the image of the bodies out of his mind. “Just bits and pieces.”
The officer’s shoulders visibly slumped. He turned around and cursed under his breath before waving at the soldiers. “Get him in the front of the truck. Don’t bother tying him up. He’s going to show us where the crash is.”
“But I said—” Rick’s protest was met by a raised hand from the officer.
“Doesn’t matter. We’re on a search and rescue mission. So that’s what we’re going to do.” The officer walked away, muttering quietly enough that no one else could hear him. “Or one part of it at least.”
***
Rick’s statement about the crashed plane and the status of the passengers on board turned out to be accurate. He guided the soldiers to the pull-off along the road and guided them down the path and into the woods. The soldiers fanned out in a search formation, searching through the woods with powerful spotlights as they tried to locate anyone who could have survived the crash. Rick hung back on the path, choosing to lean up against a tree and look at the sky rather than involve himself in the search yet again.
After a few hours the officer in charge called the search off and ordered everyone back to the vehicles. Rick trudged along with the soldiers, noticing that their palpable disappointment over the result of the search was mixed with another emotion: hopelessness. Barely anyone talked to each other and when they did it was in hushed tones and bleak expressions.
The ride back to Fort Carson was slow and plodding and Rick nearly fell asleep by the end of it. When they did arrive, though, the officer ordered him out of the truck. “Get out and follow me.”
“Where are we going?” Rick looked around at the Fort in the dim rays of the early sun.
“You’re going to get a few hours sleep before you go see the general up at the base.”
“Base?” Rick raised a quizzical eyebrow. “I thought we were at the base.”
“No, you get to go up there.” The officer pointed at the nearby mountain. “The generals are all holed up there. We got word on the radio on the way back that one of them wants to talk to you. Apparently your story checks out. Sort of.” The officer shrugged and motioned for Rick to follow him. “Not that it’ll do much good anyway. The world’s gone to hell and there’s no coming back from that.”
“What do you mean?”
The officer shook his head. “If you think you’ve seen some shit in the last couple of weeks… well. You don’t know the half of it.”
Chapter 16
The Water’s Homestead
Outside Ellisville, VA
“Who is that?” Dianne slammed on the brakes and Jason was relieved they weren’t traveling more than a few miles per hour. He looked out the side window to see a dark green SUV parked near the charred remains of the Carson’s home.
“That is not their car.”
“No it’s not. It sure as hell is not.” Dianne veered off the road into the field opposite the Carson’s house, heading for a rotten old half-collapsed barn sitting near a grove of trees.
“What are you doing?” Jason looked at Dianne before turning back to try and see the SUV again.
“Getting us out of sight so we can go see what’s going on.”
“Sweet mother of mercy…” Jason grabbed the rifle and two full mags that he had quickly loaded back at his house and hopped out of the truck. Dianne was already at the edge of the road, crouched down as she ran across and knelt down in the tall grass at the edge of the Carson’s property.