Read Dark Titan Journey: Finally Home Online

Authors: Thomas A. Watson

Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Genre Fiction, #Horror, #Dark Fantasy, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Science Fiction, #Military

Dark Titan Journey: Finally Home (4 page)

BOOK: Dark Titan Journey: Finally Home
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“You think they will follow?” John asked.

“I’m not taking the chance they won’t,” Nathan said pointing to the dogs.

“They shot at us first,” Jasmine popped off.

Nathan looked at her, “I will tell them we are on base and they can’t touch us now,” he replied. Jasmine sucked in a breath to unload.

“Nathan,” John said, cutting her off. “Why do you think they would chase us?” He asked hoping Jasmine would stay quiet.

“Shit I don’t know, maybe they’re bored. I know I did at least wound some,” Nathan admitted.

“I thought you were supposed to yell ‘grenade’ when you used one,” Amanda stated.

“Sue me,” Nathan said, leading Smoke out of the creek up into the woods. It was slow going in the woods at night. Off to the east they heard vehicles. Nathan finally dismounted and led the horses. It was dawn when he led them out to a logging road. “There’s a ravine a hundred or so yards on the other side,” Nathan said, crossing the logging road.

“We’re making camp?” Amanda asked, shocked.

“Yeah,” Nathan said crossing the road.

Amanda strode up to him. “Why don’t we get farther away?” she asked with the sound of ATVs off in the distance, “They’re looking for us.”

“I’m not running the horses into the ground because some good ole boys are upset,” Nathan said.

Jasmine joined Amanda. “There were quite a few of them, Nathan. How about we move another mile or so?”

“No, I’m beat,” Nathan said. “I led the horses while everyone rode last night. If you want to go then go but my ass is holding up to rest.” He traipsed off up the small hill, weaving between the trees. Since leaving wasn’t an alternative, the others followed and were surprised to see Nathan stopped halfway up the hill.

He dropped his pack and tied Smoke’s reins to a tree. Walking back to the pack animals he pulled out some rope, then walked to Jasmine, handing her Emma. “Stay here,” he said, and strode down the hill with Ares at his side.

Everyone looked to Jasmine, who shrugged her shoulders. Amanda climbed down and dug some food out for Athena. “Sometimes he makes me so mad I could eat nails,” she admitted.

John smiled and climbed off, “Amanda, you ever think about it from his point of view?” John asked walking over beside her and pulled out his water bottle handing it to her. Amanda took it and started drinking making John freeze
. ‘Damn, she psyched me again,’
John thought as she handed the bottle back.

“Yes, but I’m scared,” she admitted as Nathan walked onto the logging road. They were above him thirty yards in the woods as the logging road ran in a valley between the hills. Nathan walked to the other side of the road and then walked back laying the rope out across the road. “What the hell is he doing?” Amanda asked.

Nobody answered as they watched Nathan and Ares walk to anther tree and kneel in some bushes. They stood around and wondered when they heard engines heading toward them. Looking down the logging road they spotted two ATVs speeding toward them. When they were almost to Nathan he pulled the rope taut.

The group watched, stunned, as the rope caught the first rider by the neck, slinging him off his four wheeler. The other rider wasn’t watching him and the rope caught him in the chest, knocking him off. He landed on his back and had the air knocked out of him. The four wheelers speed off down the logging road then veered off into the woods.

“Stay here,” Jasmine said, handing Emma and the reins to her horse to Amanda. John handed his reins to Tom and ran after Jasmine. By the time they got to the road, Nathan had the second man zip-tied and was moving to the first one, who was holding his throat and making funny noises as he breathed.

Raising his rifle Nathan shot him in the head and walked back to the man he had tied up. John gave him room. “How in the hell did you do that without them pulling your arms out?” he asked. Nathan pointed to the end of the rope where he was. The rope was wrapped around the tree three times. “Man, you’re like Jason Bourne,” John said, moving with Nathan to the man lying on the ground.

“Your buddy’s dead. Talk or you’re next,” Nathan said, aiming the rifle at the man’s head.

“Okay! What do you want me to say?” he asked.

“Why are you chasing us?” Nathan asked.

“You killed Scott and two others,” the man said.

“And that means what?” Nathan asked.

“Everyone liked him,” the man replied.

“You shot at us first,” Jasmine popped off.

The man looked at her, “Y’all raided our farms,” the man shot back.

“Like hell, asshole! We were just passing through. We don’t raid people,” she said. The man looked at her shocked.

“Is that what the people in the fields you were chasing did?” Nathan asked.

“Yep. We were tired of it,” he said.

“How many are after us?” Nathan asked.

The man shrugged. “I don’t know. The sheriff called most of the group up here to look for ya.”

“What about the group that raided your farms?” Nathan asked.

“A few stayed back for them,” he replied.

John pointed his finger at the man. “I saw a woman carrying a kid gunned down.”

The man looked at him with indifference. “They were taking our food and livestock.”

Jasmine’s face turned red. “You were shooting unarmed women and kids?”

“Someone don’t need a gun to steal from ya,” he said.

Nathan put his hand on Jasmine’s chest as she advanced toward the man. “I need information, so drop it,” he told her quietly and looked at the man. “How far out are you searching for us?” he asked the man.

“Sheriff told us to stop before we got to Powell. A biker gang hit them a few weeks ago, and then the Army came through, gathering up survivors takin’ ’em to some camp,” the man said.

“Army still there?” Nathan asked.

“Nah, they pulled out. Sheriff just didn’t want us to get too far from home,” the man admitted. “Tell you what, let me go back and I’ll tell my guys this is a mistake and you didn’t have nothing to do with the raids.”

“We will let you go to talk to them for us but is the Army close by?” Nathan asked.

“They said there was a big fight in Fayetteville. Said the Army wasn’t doin’ what the president wanted. Terry went up to Springfield and when he came back he said there was a bunch of solders there wearing blue helmets and funny camo,” the man said, relieved they were letting him go.

“Heard anything from the Feds?” Nathan asked.

“Shoot yeah! Homeland came through a few days ago and tried to take our guns. We buried them on the Caldwell farm,” the man replied.

“Anything else?” Nathan asked.

“Heard there was a bunch near Joplin workin’ with the Army that was listening to the president. Word is they’re headin’ to Kansas City,” he answered.

“Much obliged,” Nathan said, pulling out his knife. “You tell your Sheriff to leave us alone. I don’t want to kill more of your friends but I will,” Nathan said walking behind him as the man sat up holding his hands out, and Nathan walked behind him. Jasmine was raising her hand to talk to Nathan as the man spoke.

“Sure thing, mister, sorry bout th—” he stopped as Nathan covered his mouth and drove his knife into the base of his skull. Jasmine was looking into his face seeing the surprise on his face, then the light left the man’s eyes. Nathan pulled his knife out and wiped it on the man’s shirt. He knelt down and pulled the man’s hunting vest off and went through his pockets.

Jasmine helped loot the man’s body. “Though you were going to say something about that,” Nathan said, rolling the man over.

“Shit, I was about to shoot his ass, shooting people like that,” she said, pulling out a 1911.

Looking up at her Nathan shook his head, “Jasmine, they had every right to do it. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. When we get home, if unarmed people try to take our stuff they will be killed.”

Startled Jasmine jumped back. “Nathan, that’s not right.”

“You’re damn right it’s not. But there is no choice. We lose what we have and we die. Nobody lives.” He gathered what he wanted from the dead man, leaving the hunting rifle.

John picked up an AK-47. “We want this, Nathan?” he asked.

“Bring it. We might need it for trade,” Nathan said walking to the ATVs. They pulled some water and food off the ATVs. They could hear the faint sound of engines off to the east. “Come on,” Nathan said, heading back to the group. He stopped by the man he had stabbed, rolling him over, then back. Standing up he walked to the group.

Emma ran over to him when they reached the group. “Come on,” he said climbing up on Smoke, “we have four miles to go.”

“Thought we weren’t going to ride the horse hard?” Amanda asked.

“Since we know where the search ends, now we can move out of the area,” Nathan said.

They rode through the woods, following Nathan at a very easy pace. Twenty minutes later they heard an explosion behind them. “What was that?” Tom asked.

“Grenade,” Nathan said over his shoulder.

“How do you know?” Casey asked.

“Because I left it,” Nathan said.

Amanda rode up beside him. “How did you make it go off back there and you’re here?” she asked.

“I pulled the pin and put it under the body,” Nathan replied.

“How do you know it wasn’t someone just coming up on the body?” she asked.

“Don’t, but the odds are against it,” Nathan told her. “That should give them something to think about now.”

“Or piss them off more,” Amanda added.

“True but they are losing men that they can’t afford to,” Nathan replied. It was midmorning when they crossed the highway leading to Powell and headed back into the forest, following logging roads. They hadn’t heard any engines after the explosion but everyone was still nervous.

Nathan stopped them in a small clearing with a creek off to the side. When everyone saw him getting off and drop his pack they climbed down. “We need to set the tent up,” Nathan said.

“The sun’s out,” Casey said.

“It’ll rain before tonight,” he said.

“This time we’ll wait before moving,” Jasmine said, pulling her saddle off her horse.

“No, we need to get to the plains,” Nathan said.

Spinning around putting her hands on her hips, “You didn’t want to travel last night but we wanted to and look where that got us,” she informed him.

“No, I was being a pussy,” Nathan admitted.

“Look what happened,” she said, throwing up her hands.

“Doesn’t mean anything, who’s to say if we had waited we wouldn’t have run into that group in an ambush?” he asked.

Caught off guard, Jasmine just stared at him. “Nathan we were wrong in wanting to go,” Amanda said.

“Wow,” Nathan said, taking off his damp clothes. “Never thought I’d hear you say that. But you weren’t wrong, if you want to play worse case scenarios a thousand things could’ve went wrong if we stayed,” he said stringing a rope between two trees. Grabbing his clothes, Nathan hung them up, hoping they would dry some before the rain hit.

“How can you tell it’s going to rain?” John asked.

“I smell it,” Nathan said. He spread out his woobie and sat down and started to clean his weapons.

Amazed, John smelled the air. “How far west do we have to go till we don’t have to worry as much about people?”

“I figure past Salina, Kansas. We’ll cross I-70 between there and Abilene. Then it should get better,” Nathan said.

“Are we going to start traveling by day then?” he asked.

“Depends on how the batteries hold up. I have to admit I kinda like traveling at night,” Nathan admitted.

“That shouldn’t be a problem. The batteries are doing great. They are holding their charges and we still have plenty,” John said with his customary smile.

Amanda carried Emma to Nathan. “You realize if you had set up your compound in Nebraska like you wanted we would almost be there,” she informed him, handing Nathan food for Emma.

“True, but the others might not have made it,” Nathan said, moving Emma to his lap as he put his pistol back together. He started feeding her.

Amanda sat down beside him, looking down at her boots. “Nathan, I’m sorry I made you mad,” she said in a pitiful voice.

Falling back Nathan started laughing then pulled Amanda into a hug. “Firecracker, it’s okay. At least you give me a chance to cool off before you do it again,” he told her making her smile.

Amanda kissed his cheek and ran to help with the tent. When she came to get Nathan to go sleep in the tent, she found him asleep with Emma on his chest. Ares was beside him with his legs sticking up in the air. She crept over and kissed Nathan’s forehead. “Love you, Nathan,” she whispered and went to take care of the camp.

There is where Nathan laid until four p.m. sound asleep, waking up when it started to rain.

Chapter 4

 

Day 37

 

Nathan didn’t go back to sleep after the rain woke him. The group was apprehensive as they headed out. It was only a light shower but they could see with their NVGs. Emma sat inside Nathan’s duster, babbling away, as they rode down a gravel road. It only took them an hour to reach I-49.

When the group spotted the road, visions of the mass of people in Mississippi attacking them filled their heads. Nathan pulled out his thermal and saw very few people on the roadway. However, there were a shit load of cars. He slowly led the group, with everyone holding their rifles ready. When Nathan glanced back and saw this, he was nervous. Not from the area but from them.

Pulling to a stop, he motioned them around. “Guys, you have got to relax some. You are wound so tight if any of you fart you’ll explode,” he told them in a low voice.

“Someone jumps out I’m cranking the gat on them,” Casey said glancing around.

“Just don’t shoot me, please,” Nathan said, shaking his head. Leading the group on he kept an eye on Ares. Ares and Athena trotted along with their tongues hanging out.

They reached the interstate and looked down from the overpass at the cars, frozen forever along the roadway. When Nathan looked ahead he noticed Ares and Athena beside an old fire, sniffing around. As Nathan rode past he saw bones, human bones. “Ares, come,” Nathan said, looking away.

“Someone got burned up,” Amanda gasped. Nathan thought about keeping his mouth shut.

“I’m sure they were already dead when the fire got them,” Jasmine said.

“Guys, they were eaten,” Nathan said over his shoulder.

Jasmine stopped her horse. “What did he say?” she asked as John passed her.

“They were eaten,” John said, waiting for Jasmine to go.

Jasmine kicked her horse and trotted up to Nathan. “You mean like cannibalism?”

“When was the last time you saw a bear or coyote cook food?” Nathan asked.

Shocked, she didn’t know how to answer. “I’m just saying, people?”

“Yes. I told you to expect it,” Nathan said, looking ahead with the thermal.

“Nathan hearing you say it, then seeing it are two totally different things,” she said in a quiet voice.

Letting the thermal hang, Nathan refilled Emma’s cup seeing her eyes getting heavy. “Before you ask, no, this isn’t the worst yet,” Nathan told her. Jasmine pulled her reins slowing her horse then pulled behind Nathan.

They rode into Oklahoma an hour later and the group was still in shock as the rain continued to fall. At all the bridges they crossed, the creeks below looked like whitewater rapids. Nathan held up his hand as he led the group to the side of the road.

“Nathan,” Casey asked. “Why do you get out of the road when we stop? No cars are coming,” she said.

“You’re right but it’s easy to see stopped shadows on the road. This is like hiding in plain sight,” he said. She raised her eyebrows, thinking that was smart.

“Guys, we have a choice, stop now or use the bridge in Wyandotte. We will get there about three so not many should be awake, but after that we have to go ten miles and camp less than two hundred yards from I-44. There are a lot of farms here so we have to be careful where we stay,” Nathan said.

The group looked at each other uncertain. “What do you think?” John asked.

“I say we get the hell out of here,” Nathan said. Hearing that, everyone became nervous again.

Timidly, Jasmine asked. “What has you worried?”

“This rain. Did you see those creeks?” Nathan asked her.

Caught off guard, “Huh, what?” Jasmine asked.

“The water was almost over that last bridge. The river that supplies the Lake of the Cherokee is going to be over its banks. I don’t want to wait till it goes down or wash out the bridge and we have to find another one,” Nathan told her.

Jasmine looked at him dumbstruck. “Nathan, how can you think of this shit?” she asked.

This time it was Nathan who was dumbstruck. “What shit?” he asked.

“You are thinking of the water level rising, threatening the roadway, the population at the crossing site, how we are moving, and I bet a thousand other things. We just saw where humans were eating other humans! Don’t you get sidetracked?” she asked.

Nathan put his map up, “I’m sure if I do, one of us will probably die. I try to keep my mind on problems I can solve,” he said, kicking Smoke.

“And everyone snaps at
me
when I piss him off,” Amanda muttered.

Ignoring her, Jasmine fell in behind Nathan. It was then everyone started looking around noticing all the standing water and that the rain was still falling. In several places they came to water was over the road, so Nathan went first and the others followed. When they reached Wyandotte they didn’t see any people and Nathan’s fears were well-founded as they saw the river just at the edge of the roadway.

“How in the hell did you know this shit?” Jasmine shouted over the roaring water.

“Think, damn it! How in the fuck do dams open and close their flood gates?” Nathan shouted back. Suddenly Jasmine felt like the biggest idiot in the world.

Slowly Nathan led them across and even he was getting nervous, watching water nearly coming over the road in places. The horses started acting skittish as the roar of the water became deafening. Nathan kicked Smoke into a run and Smoke was fine with that. The others did the same. When they ran over the center suspension most closed their eyes.

Reaching the other side, Nathan turned around making sure the others were with him and found most had their eyes closed. “Wish I could’ve done that,” he said, pulling Smoke into a walk. The river had spilled its banks and covered the first road he was going to turn off. They moved on.

The next road was covered with water but it wasn’t deep or moving fast. They rode in the rain as the world started to lighten. In all directions the land was flat so the water accumulated. As they got closer to the interstate the water got deep, up to the horses’ knees. Nathan stopped, since they were exposed from every direction.

As Nathan looked at the map the others kept an eye out and soon the body of a bloated child floated past. Some threw up at the sight of it; the rest threw up as other bodies soon floated past. “We are finding a barn,” Nathan told them.

“What if the owner says something?” Amanda asked, wiping her mouth off.

“We just need a place to hole up,” Nathan said.

“I’m just asking,” Amanda said.

“I’ll offer him some money,” Nathan said, kicking Smoke. Ares and Athena were having to swim in places now.

Jasmine keyed her radio. “What if he doesn’t take money?” she asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Nathan answered. As they neared the interstate the water became shallower. “There,” Nathan said, pointing at a barn that was half a mile from the interstate. None of them asked about the house just a hundred yards away. Nathan climbed off his horse as they reached the barn. He was getting ready to hand off Emma when he noticed Ares wagging his tail and looking inside.

“That’s good enough for me,” Nathan said, opening the door leading Smoke in. The others led the horses inside as Nathan cracked a chemlight, filling the barn with a green glow. There were stalls on the right side but nothing was in them. Nathan pulled off his saddle and hung it on the stall. He walked to the front of the barn and carried back a bale of hay, throwing it down for Smoke. Nathan led Smoke into a stall then threw her some hay and the others copied him.

Nathan carried over a bag of feed and had John fill the bucket in each stall. Nathan moved to the side of the barn and looked out at the house. Not seeing any movement he turned around to see everyone trying to get dry. “Everyone get in your sleeping bag after you hang up your clothes. I’ll be back in a second,” he said, walking out the side of the barn. Ares led the way toward the house.

When he got to the back door he noticed it was kicked in. He brought up his rifle and looked down at Ares, who was just staring inside. Nathan eased the door open and the smell almost knocked him out. Even Ares sneezed when the odor hit them. Nathan draped Emma’s sling over his face and crept inside, letting his rifle hang. If a person was living here with this smell he wouldn’t shoot them. They were a tougher person than he was.

The kitchen was a mess with every cabinet open and broken glass over the floor. Creeping into the living room he found the source of the smell. A man was lying in the middle of the floor with dried blood forming a wide oval around him. Nathan moved down the hall and found a bedroom where a woman was tied to the bed. He couldn’t see how she had died so he ignored her, moving to the bathroom.

He found some towels and grabbed a sheet, tying them up in a bundle. Not wanting to find another body, he left. Back in the barn he found the group around a massive gas barbeque grill with blankets draped over their shoulders. He dropped the bundle beside them. “Grab some towels and dry the horses off,” he said grabbing one moving to Smoke.

“They’re going to get wet again when we go out,” John said.

“Yes they are and have been carrying saddles and not letting their backs air out,” Nathan said.

They dried off the horses and donkeys, then the dogs. The inside of the barn was starting to get warm with the grill on and all the living creatures in it. Nathan put a pot of water on to start supper as everyone ate some jerky. “Find anything in the house besides towels?” Tom asked.

“Nothing we need,” Nathan said with a shiver.

“Nathan, can I tell you something and you not get mad?” Amanda asked.

Closing his eyes, Nathan took a deep breath. “Okay,” he said.

“What you told Jasmine about the dam…they do have manual controls. I toured one before and I saw them,” she said.

Letting out a laugh, “Yes Amanda they have manual controls but who is at the dam? Think people are going to stay there as their families starve? It takes more than one person to crank those things,” he said.

“I was just saying,” she mumbled.

“I know but think about how things are now, not what was,” Nathan told her, starting supper. When supper was done Nathan carried Emma up to the loft. He opened the loft door toward the interstate. The rain was still coming down as he sat, feeding Emma and himself. He could see a few people moving along the interstate but the field between them and the interstate looked like a lake.

“Think we can sail a boat out there?” Jasmine asked, sitting down beside him.

Nathan didn’t answer her for a second because she had scared the shit out of him. “No, but if someone tries to cross that they will sink to their waist,” he answered.

“I’m trying to think like you, but it’s hard,” Jasmine said, laying her head on his shoulder.

Reaching over he patted her leg, “You’re doing fine. Just remember nothing works and you’ll do better.”

“How long can we stay here?” she asked.

“Not long. There are people moving on the interstate, and if this rain keeps up I don’t want to build an Ark to leave here,” he said.

The others soon joined them in watching the rain. Amanda looked at the interstate with her binoculars. She sat there for several minutes then gasped, “There’s a kid out there!” she said, pointing.

“Where?” Jasmine, John, and Tom asked together.

“By that big truck to the south,” she said, standing up zooming in.

“Let me see,” Jasmine asked, holding out her hand. Amanda handed over the binoculars so she could see.

It didn’t take her long. “I see him. He’s hiding under the trailer as those people walk by,” Jasmine said. Everyone took turns looking at the little boy hiding as people passed him.

Jasmine looked at Nathan. “Don’t you want to look?” she asked.

“Not really,” Nathan said. Jasmine was totally taken aback.

“Why not?” she asked.

“I’ve seen enough pain for one day,” he said, rocking Emma in his arms.

“We might be able to help him,” Jasmine stated.

Nathan looked up at her with sad eyes. “He may be trying to get to his parents or others. They could be close as it is. If we go out there we’re exposed. There aren’t a lot of people on the interstate, but still enough to make trouble,” Nathan said.

“He can’t be more than five,” Jasmine said.

“So you want to risk the safety of these kids for that one? If we go out there we can’t come back here. Look around! The land is flat and we will have to stay on the roads. Even those are covered with water. Do you want to risk it?” he asked.

Jasmine sank down to her knees. “It’s not right,” she said.

“Name one thing that’s been right since this started,” Nathan demanded.

Natalie came over and sat down beside him, “You saved us,” she answered.

Shaking his head Nathan held out his hand for the binoculars. He found the truck and trailer but didn’t see the kid. “Where is he?” he asked.

“He climbed up in the back wheels when that last group went by,” Amanda said.

Nathan watched the truck for half an hour and was starting to doubt them when he saw a little blond head poke out between the wheels looking around.

“There he is,” John said behind him. Nathan turned to see John watching the kid with his massive binoculars.

Turning back around, Nathan looked back at the boy. The kid was wearing underwear and nothing else. He would venture away from the truck, then see someone and dash back to it. “It looks like he’s trying to leave but keeps running back,” John noted.

“Yeah, he has a good hiding place,” Casey said, looking through her binoculars.

“If he’s there when we leave we will go and check on him,” Nathan offered.

“That’s going to be awhile,” Amanda said.

Putting down the binoculars he looked at her, “You want me to go get him?” Nathan asked.

Amanda looked at the interstate and around the countryside. “No,” she said looking down.

“Guys it sucks, I’m not saying it doesn’t. But think about the risk,” Nathan said.

“You came for us,” Casey said.

Nathan nodded. “I did. But I knew how many were around.”

“Would you go out there if that was me?” Casey asked.

“Casey, I would lay waste to the world to make sure you were safe. If you were out there I would get you then spank your butt for going out there,” Nathan said.

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