“You sure that’s a good idea?” Tyrel asked. “I mean, not to sound too callous, but we got enough mouths to feed as it is. Not to mention the natives might not take too kindly to us pilfering from their neighbors. Especially as they might be having the same notion.”

Dad’s eyes drifted to me and hardened. “Then we go armed and make it clear we’re not to be fucked with.”

“Joe,” Lauren said.

“What?”

“We can’t just go around stealing from people.”

“Like hell we can’t.”

“Are you listening to yourself?” Lauren said. “You’re talking about robbing people. That’s insane. What the hell has gotten into you?”

Dad heaved a long sigh and shook his head. “Lauren, I don’t think you’ve quite grasped the gravity of the situation.”

Lauren stiffened with anger. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Dad pointed a finger at the dark orange glow pressing through a curtained window in the living room. “You see that out there? You know why it still looks like that? Because those fires we escaped yesterday are still burning, that’s why. And they’re not going to stop any time soon.”

“The government will get everything under control, it’s just a matter of-”

“No, Lauren,” Dad said sadly. “They won’t. We’re already past the point of no return.”

My stepmother’s lips began to tremble. “Don’t say that, Joe. You don’t know that.”

“Lauren,” Blake cut in, “open your eyes. The eastern seaboard is gone. Do you understand that? Everything east of the Mississippi—New York, DC, Boston, all of it. Gone. No one knows where the President is. More than half of Congress and the Senate are presumed dead. Martial law has been declared nationwide, not that it’s gonna do a damn bit of good. State and local governments are collapsing everywhere. What’s left of the military is in full retreat, headed for Colorado Springs. We’re on our own, Lauren. No one is coming to help us.”

The room went still as Lauren stared at Blake, her face slowly crumbling. She had heard the same newscasts and radio announcements we had, but evidently had not absorbed the full consequence of their meaning. Like many people in the early days of the Outbreak, she simply could not wrap her head around the fact that the rule of law had broken down and it was not coming back. After a harsh stretch of silence, Lauren’s shoulders began to shake and she let out a dry, choking sob.

“Honey …” Dad moved toward her, hands outstretched. Lauren slapped them away.

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” she screamed, and fled up the stairs.

I stared in shock. I had seen Lauren upset before, but never anything like that. It rattled me. I began to follow her up the stairs, but as my foot touched the first step, my dad’s voice cut the air like a whip.

“Don’t, Caleb.”

“But Dad-”

“Trust me, son. Let her be for now. She needs some time alone.”

A door slammed upstairs. “Are you sure?” I said. “I think I should try to talk to her.”

Dad approached and gently led me back to my chair. “Like I said, just leave her be for a while. I’ll go talk to her in a little bit.”

“Okay,” I muttered, not convinced.

“Mike, you stay here with the girls,” Dad said. “Blake, you’re with me; we’ll take my truck. Tyrel, you and Caleb take Mike’s Tundra. First things first, let’s try to make contact with the other people in the area. I don’t think there will be many of them, but we need to know their disposition regardless. ROE is best judgment, but try not to start a fight if you can avoid it. Questions?”

We all shook our heads.

“Tyrel, you and Blake know what to do. Caleb, follow Tyrel’s lead and do exactly as he says. Clear?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good. Let’s get moving.”

SEVENTEEN

Hollow Rock, Tennessee

 

At almost two o’clock in the morning, Miranda finally spoke up.

“Why Tyrel?” she asked.

“Huh?” Caleb replied.

“Why did your father pair you up with Tyrel? Seems to me he should have asked Mike along and left you to look after Sophia and your stepmother.”

Caleb shrugged. “Objectivity.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dad knew nobody would fight harder to protect Sophia—and by default, Lauren—than Mike. And if we paired up, he would spend more time worrying about me than focusing on what he was doing. That’s the kind of thing that could get both of us killed. Besides, he knew I could handle myself, and I was in good hands with Tyrel.”

Miranda traced her fingernails down the ridges of Caleb’s abdomen, raising goosebumps on his skin. “Seems awfully … impersonal.”

“Dad was a pragmatist,” Caleb said defensively. “He knew how to take his emotions out of the equation and think clearly. It was the right call.”

“I don’t know if I could have done that.”

“You don’t have the training my father had.”

“What about you?” Miranda asked, raising up on one elbow and looking Caleb in the eye. For once, despite the fact she wasn’t wearing any clothes, he wasn’t distracted by the view. “Would you have made the same decision in his place?”

It struck Caleb he had never asked himself that question. “I don’t know, honestly.”

Miranda leaned down and kissed his forehead. “I want to hear the rest, but I’m having trouble keeping my eyes open.”

“I’m pretty tired too. I’ll tell you the rest tomorrow. What I have time for, anyway.”

Miranda snuggled her head in the hollow of his shoulder and breathed deeply. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Minutes later, Miranda’s breathing slowed and she became heavy against his side. For Caleb, sleep was much longer in coming.

*****

After breakfast, seated at the little table between the kitchenette and living room amidst the trailer’s 1970s era decor, Caleb asked Miranda what she wanted to do with their day together.

“If it’s all the same to you,” she said, “I’d just as soon stay home.”

“Fine by me,” Caleb replied.

One of the many things Caleb acquired during his travels with the Army was a portable solar charger, weighing less than two pounds, which could be rolled up for easy storage. It didn’t generate a tremendous amount of electricity—12 volts was its max—but it was enough to charge the batteries on small devices, laptops, and tablets.

Things like iPads and smartphones, once more or less considered minor luxury items, were now one of the cheapest things a person could buy. During the Outbreak, after the grid went down, most people left their electronic devices behind. Consequently, a quick search of any abandoned home or residential neighborhood yielded a plentitude of the once-treasured items. Caleb had a sizable collection in his storage unit on the other side of town.

After he and Miranda finished eating and all the dishes were cleaned and put away, they sat together on the couch, perched an iPad on the coffee table, and watched a few episodes of The Sopranos. Caleb had never cared much for television, but found he didn’t mind it with the warmth of Miranda next to him.

Four episodes in, Caleb declared he was hungry and went outside to start a cookfire. Miranda connected the iPad to the charger and followed him to the backyard where there was a small patio table situated beneath the shade of several tall trees. Miranda sat in a chair next to the table, feet outstretched, watching Caleb as he mixed flour with water, eggs, and dried meat while heating a non-stick skillet over a small fire.

“Be nice when Jutaro finishes repairing the grid on this side of town,” Miranda said. “I’d dearly love to cook indoors again.”

“It’s not so bad, cooking outside,” Caleb said. “Least not when the weather’s nice.”

They spoke no more until Caleb brought a stack of soft flatbread and beans to the table. Miranda made small talk about a few goings on around town, but Caleb only half listened. He found his thoughts wandering as he ate, long-repressed memories scuttling across his mind on needle-sharp legs. It wasn’t until he finished eating that he realized Miranda had stopped talking and had been watching him thoughtfully the last few minutes.