Eve of Man (The Harvest Book 2) (21 page)

“How do you do. Edward McGrath, but you can call me Ed.”
He tilted his head at Kyle.

“Kyle Bosch and McKenna...,” Luke faltered on her last
name.

“Markovo.”

“Sorry and McKenna Markovo.”

Colin stepped forward. “Colin Londergan and this
here’s German, the last surviving canine.” German barked.

“Nice to meet you,” Kyle replied.

“He came from Germany,” Luke said. “Said there’re
people. All over Europe and more. Alive.”

Ed and Colin would have been less shocked had Luke
sprouted horns from his head and spit fire at them. They turned astonished
faces towards Kyle.

“That true?” Colin demanded.

“Yes. At least it was a few weeks ago. I haven’t had
contact since I left.”

“How’d you get here?” Luke asked.

Kyle gave a small chuckle. “I walked and then swam
across the Bering Strait, to Deadbear, Alaska. That’s where I found this one.”
He jerked his thumb in McKenna’s direction.

“Are you an Eskimo girl?” Colin asked.

“Chukchi,” McKenna corrected him.

“Chew what?”

“Chukchi. Northeast Siberia,” she replied. “You know,
Russia.”

 “Of course I know Russia.” Colin had no idea what a
Chukchi was or if he’d ever heard of such a person in his geography class, but
he wasn’t going to insult her by saying so, or worse, have this little girl
make him look stupid.

“Deadbear. That’s where Austin’s from or lived when he
was a kid,” Luke remarked.

“You didn’t find anyone else?” Ed asked.

“No. It’s been pretty damn dead all the way here, pun
intended. Except for a few unsavory gents we met in Anchorage.”

“I’m hungry,” McKenna interrupted on purpose, stopping
Kyle from telling the story of her kidnapping.  

Kyle glanced over at her and lowered his window,
hiding his gun as he did so. “Look, we’ve been on the road for a long time
and—”

 “And where the heck are our manners. You can come
back to the bunker with us. We’ve got plenty of room and food,” Ed offered. “And
we won’t take no for an answer,” he added on Kyle expression of doubt.

“How far is it from Cheyenne Mountain?” Kyle asked.

“About fifty miles that way,” Ed  replied, pointing, “but
you don’t want to go there.”

“Why not?”

Ed glanced at McKenna who sat at attention waiting to
hear Ed’s answer. “You don’t want to is all.”

“It’s ok. McKenna can handle it,” Kyle assured him,
but wondered if he could handle the bad news that was about to be laid on him.

Ed pursed his lips and grunted. “There’s nobody there.
They killed them all.” He stopped at that. ‘
They’
covered a lot of
ground and wasn’t a conversation he would have in front of a child, no matter
how accustomed to the bullshit of their new world she’d become.

Kyle’s chin sank to his chest. He’d traveled all this
way for nothing, risked everything for nothing. His mom, his sister. Gone.
McKenna laid her hand on his and squeezed. Heartbreaking disappointment
threatened to takeover, forcing Kyle to gather his strength, to focus on
reason. Coming here wasn’t a total waste. He’d found McKenna. That in itself
was worth the trip, worth risking his life for wasn’t it?

“I’m sorry. Were you hoping to find someone? Family?”
Ed asked.

Kyle nodded. “So this bunker is where?” Talking about
what he’d been hoping for didn’t matter, not if all hope was gone.

Ed gave brief directions and as soon as Luke finished
changing the tire, they were off. Conversations in the two vehicles landed on
opposite ends of the spectrum. Colin and Ed talked fast and over one another,
speculating, postulating, and debating the possibilities of civilization still existing
in other parts of the planet. Luke wondered, but not out loud, if this would
change Austin’s mind.

While their conversation continued on and on, silence
reigned in the truck following behind. Kyle stewed over the facts, chewing the
inside of his mouth to keep obscenities from spewing forth. For her part,
McKenna worried about meeting new people and what she would say to them. In
school she’d been too smart for her grade, surpassing the standard curriculum
and that of some college level studies. Her classmates, because children were
often mean without knowing why, resented or ignored her. Her teacher, because he
lacked grit and nobility, left her to her own devices.

For McKenna this meant long solitary days spent
filling time and the state’s attendance requirement. She hadn’t minded being
alone. It allowed her to think about things that were important, topics that
never came up amongst her babbling peers, who, in her opinion, yapped on and on,
like little toy dogs, and did so in continuum. On a good day her mom would
allow her to stay at home and study, but those days were rare. This time though,
she wanted things to be different. She wanted to be outgoing, not shy. And she
could be whoever she wanted. Having made this decision, she turned her restless
mind onto worrying about Kyle the remainder of the trip.

When Luke came to a stop in the middle of the once
upon a time cow pasture, McKenna leaned forward anxious and eager for things to
come. Curiosity turned to wonder when the ground rose up revealing a ramp
leading underground. Kyle followed Luke down the ramp watching in his rear view
as the ramp closed down blocking the outside and any chance of escape.

“You stay near me ok?” Kyle said.

“Ok,” she replied. “But I think they’re good people.”

“Maybe so,” Kyle agreed.  

At the bottom of the ramp Luke pulled the Hummer into
a parking space and indicated for Kyle to pull up in the next empty space.
Colin was the first to come over, bringing German with him. McKenna, having
overcome her earlier misgivings about the dog, didn’t wait on an all clear from
Kyle before opening the door and sliding out.

“McKenna right?” Colin verified.

McKenna nodded, suddenly having lost all of her
planned bravado and newly found outgoing personality.

“This is German.” Colin brought German forward. The
dog stood at McKenna’s shoulder. He wagged his tail and licked McKenna’s face
making her laugh. “He likes you.”

McKenna reached out touching the dog’s head, stroking
his ear. He was a beautiful dog. She missed her dogs, sometimes more than she
missed her family. And now, with German standing there in front of her, she
felt at peace, something she hadn’t experienced since the aliens took everyone
away. Colin would have understood and although he shared German with everyone,
he very much thought of the dog as his dog.

Kyle came around the truck and stood next to McKenna.
He wasn’t surprised by her change in attitude. A dog could melt a person’s
heart like nothing else and he liked to believe the animal’s warm behavior was
an indication of the kind of people Luke and his friends might be.

“Come on. They’re all waiting to meet you,” Colin
said. “We haven’t found anyone in a long time.”

“How many live down here?” Kyle asked.

 “We were up to eighteen with the babies, but,” Ed paused,
“but not anymore.”

“What happened?” Kyle asked.

Colin and Luke exchanged weary expressions, Ed kept
walking, not looking at anyone. “We lost a family member last week,” Ed
answered. “There was an accident. There’s no doctors, so...” His voice trailed
off.

“I’m sorry.” Kyle offered.

“Yeah, so are we,” Ed replied and walked on.

After a few moments Kyle asked, “You sure you have
room for two more?”

“Did you say babies?” McKenna asked.

“Space is one thing we do not have to worry about,” Ed
assured him. “And yes babies. Anne had her twins and—”

“We’re here,” Colin announced and opened the door to
the diner.

The newcomers were overtaken by smiling faces and
friendly greetings of the bunker’s residents. Everyone welcomed the distraction
after the past week. Two new lives to fill the void of one special life lost.
New life brought new hope for survival when they discovered Kyle had traveled
from Germany.

That afternoon Kyle and McKenna settled into their
rooms. Charlie, who kept to herself unless with Colin, took an instant liking
to McKenna and invited her to be her roommate. Charlie didn’t have a roommate
and, although she enjoyed spending time with Colin, thought having a friend
would be nice. Leery about being away from Kyle, McKenna needed only a little
prodding before she’d accepted Charlie’s offer. She couldn’t help feeling
elated at the prospect of having friends. Kyle gave her his blessing, which
eased her guilt over feeling as if she was abandoning him.

If Kyle had known McKenna fretted over him, he would
have assured her that guilt was not necessary. He was beyond relieved to have
found this group of people with kids young enough for McKenna to feel
comfortable with, for him to feel comfortable enough to allow her out of his
sight for longer than a few minutes. More than that, if he had to leave her
behind he could do so with a clear conscience. It was the first time since
leaving Germany he felt able to relax.

     Kyle’s suite was across from Austin’s, who along
with Zack, hadn’t been part of the welcoming committee. Later when Kyle opened
his door to step out for dinner, he did so at the same time Austin and Caleb
opened theirs. The two men stared at each other.

“You must be Austin,” Kyle stepped across the hall
extending his hand.

“And you must be Kyle.” Austin shook Kyle’s hand,
thinking he was a kid, not much older than Luke, if he had to guess. “Nice to
meet you.”

“Same here. The others talked you up quite a bit. I
half expected to see a giant S on your chest,” Kyle joked.

“You’re disappointed?” Austin teased, knowing it wasn’t
fair since he could hear the man’s thoughts, but he hadn’t asked for the
ability. Eve herself had been unaware of the small side effect until he’d
brought it up.

Kyle choked a bit. “Not at all.”

Austin smiled, easing Kyle’s discomfort. “This is my
son Caleb.”

“Now that I could have guessed. Nice to meet you
Caleb.”

“Very pleased to meet you Mr. Bosch.” Caleb shook
Kyle’s hand, careful to not squeeze too tight.

 “You ready to eat like a king?” Austin asked, hoping
to distract Kyle from thinking too much about how Caleb knew his last name.

“Sure, but I need to find McKenna.” Kyle turned, but
wasn’t sure which way to go.

“She’s already in the dining room,” Caleb announced.

“Oh. Well let’s eat then.” Kyle glanced down at Caleb.
Cute kid he thought, cute and a bit off, but wasn’t sure why he would think the
latter.

The two men walked down the corridor while Caleb
skipped ahead. They were shoulder to shoulder in height, Austin being the
broader of the two. They walked in silence, although both had a thousand
questions to ask the other. They entered the dining room and were almost the
last to sit down. Caleb was quickly grabbed up by Jane and the other girls who
thought he was too precious for words. Caleb didn’t mind the attention. The
humans were fun, like playing with a new toy. 

Colin sat at the head of the table taking Zack’s place
as host. He’d tried to convince his brother to come out of his room, but he’d
declined. Ed had taken a shot at coaxing him out as well, but also failed. Not
even the prospect of new people could persuade him to join them. Over the past
year, during the entire ordeal, Colin had never seen Zack miserable or
depressed and now he was both. This scared Colin more and more each passing
day. The only thing easing his fears was Austin’s promise to talk with Zack. If
anyone could get through to his brother, the captain was that person.

Ed and Jenny were handling dinner, which meant Irish
fare. Beer, cottage pie, and corned beef were on the evening’s menu. The only other
residents not present were Anne and Grace. Anne was nursing, and Grace, after
her last check up, had been put on strict bed rest. Austin made excuses for
Roxanne, but other than Charlie, no one cared much that she decided to not join
them. The others thought Roxanne an odd sort, cold at times, but would never say
anything to that effect.  

No one had thought this more than Madison, something
Austin had been fully aware of, as well as being cognizant of the uneasiness
felt by the rest of the group. If the truth were told about Eve, about what
occurred the day Madison died, if told about many things, he’d no doubts of
their reaction. Keeping secrets had never been his way or how he liked dealing
with people, but their circumstances were different, their situation unique and
delicate. Keeping balance amongst them remained key to a peaceful coexistence.

Austin turned his attention to the end of the table
where Luke sat alone wearing a permanent scowl. Since Madison’s death he’d
become more reclusive and incommunicative. Jenny seemed to be the only person able
to draw him out from under the dark cloud he walked under. Talk of the baby
brought light into his eyes, animation into his voice, but these were all too
fleeting.

They hadn’t announced Jenny’s pregnancy yet, but would
need to do so soon. As with anything where the Adita were involved, time never
came and went in the same manner they expected. Pregnancies were nine months,
not six as Eve had warned Jenny to expect. Austin had discussed the timing of
the announcement with Ed and Jenny. If planned right they could push the news out
so that when delivery day arrived appearances would seem Jenny had carried the
baby about eight months. A few weeks premature wouldn’t raise suspicions with
anyone, except the one person who was no longer with them. Austin smiled to
himself. Madison had had an eagle eye for details and a nose for sniffing out
the truth. She was missed. He missed her and he knew Luke missed her more than
the rest.              

The kitchen doors swung open drawing everyone’s
attention. Ed and Jenny pushed out two carts loaded with comfort food. “Dinner
is served,” Ed announced, using a watered down version of his usual
enthusiastic attitude. Even he, who could find the silver lining in the darkest
of clouds, couldn’t make sense of Madison’s death.

The meal took center stage and for the next hour
conversation centered on eating and the Irish. Safe subjects. McKenna couldn’t
get over the abundance of food and, as she popped another bite of pie into her
mouth, she hoped to never eat another peanut butter and jelly sandwich ever
again. She caught Kyle watching her and gave him a big smile. He winked back at
her.

Jane and Sue sat on either side of Caleb taking care
of his every need. They couldn’t help being drawn to him, because, though they
hadn’t discussed or even thought about it, he reminded them of their younger
brother Mike, who would have been his age. Caleb understood this, as did his
father, who kept a watchful eye on his son.

Zoe, who usually talked nonstop, sat stirring her food
around her plate. Of all the girls, she was the only one not completely scarred
by what took place in Section Seven. Being too young had saved her from the
horrors the others experienced, which in turn allowed her to move on and
eventually forget. Having a carefree attitude also made her more vulnerable and
ill-equipped to deal with Madison’s death. 

 Austin added little to the conversation. No one
expected him to talk much and he was fine with playing that role. Tonight, more
so than any other, he was impatient for the evening to end. He absently stirred
his food around on his plate. The conversation around him and inside his head
turned into a dull hum. Thoughts of Eve commanded his attention. He laid his
fork down, propped his elbow on the table, and placed his hand on his head.  

Charlie watched Austin and wondered what bothered him.
Those who knew him best would have suspected something other than Madison’s
death weighed on him this evening. By Ed’s expression, she could tell he also
worried. What does it matter what’s bothering him? She asked herself. It wasn’t
like he gave a damn about her anymore. Charlie almost dropped her fork when Austin
looked up and his piercing eyes bore into hers. You can hear me, she thought
and despite it sounding silly, even absurd, Charlie couldn’t help thinking this
was true. She stared into his eyes unable to look away and for the briefest of
moments felt like she was seeing two people. Austin on the surface, but someone
darker, more ominous behind him. 

“Girls turn to cleanup,” Ed announced, drawing Charlie’s
attention back to the table and away from Austin.

Charlie jumped up, happy to be on cleanup detail. Before
the aliens arrived she wouldn’t have been caught dead doing the dishes. That’s
why they had servants, she would have told anyone who dared to suggest she wash
a dish. Those days were long gone and Charlie, more than the others, looked
forward to the menial tasks. Colin teased her about how clean she kept her room,
but he didn’t know any better. If he’d paid attention, maybe looked past the
stars in his love struck eyes, he might have realized her compulsion to clean
was more than a weird quirk. But he couldn’t have known she sometimes stayed up
until the early morning hours cleaning, any more than he could have known the
reason why. For Charlie the reason was simple, keeping busy was the one thing
standing between her and breaking her promise to Austin.

Once the table was cleared, the dishes washed and everything
returned to its rightful place, Austin asked Kyle if he wouldn’t mind telling
them about his journey to Colorado. At this suggestion the room grew quiet and they
turned their attention on the new guy. His story was what they’d all been
waiting to hear, but didn’t want to be rude in asking before he finished eating.

Kyle began his story from the time the massive cloud
first dropped down over the US and Canada and fifty minutes later paused after
telling them about his excursion across the Bering Strait and what he now
believed were Svan visiting him on the island.

After dessert was served, Kyle continued. “I crawled
into Deadbear, Alaska on a wing and a prayer. And that’s where I found
McKenna.”

“Deadbear?” Austin asked.

“Yeah. Looked to be a shithole of place even before
the aliens wiped out the population.”

“I was born there,” Austin replied.

“Aw hell,” Kyle said, embarrassed. “Man I’m sorry. I
mean I’m sure it wasn’t all that bad.”

“It was worse.”

Kyle felt like a heel. What were the odds of coming
across someone from Deadbear? They had to be worse than winning the lottery.
Yet here sat a man born in that godforsaken place. The image of the yellow
newspaper clipping taped to the window of the gas station came back to him.
What was that name? Reynolds? D. Reynolds. Austin Reynolds. “Shit,” Kyle said
under his breath.

“My father was Donny Reynolds,” Austin said. “He died
when I was nine.”

Luke and Ed, who were hearing for the first time about
Austin’s father, were somewhat taken by surprise. They knew so little about
Austin’s past, or his family. Ed had joked with Luke that he thought Austin had
been born a grown man.

“You said all of Europe is still there and operating
as normal?” Austin asked.

“Yeah. I mean things were rough at first, but you know
they returned to normal. Sort of normal anyway.”

“We can go back the way you came then.” Luke said. “We
might have a chance against the Adita.

“Who are the Adita?”

And so Kyle heard about the incredible journey they
had taken, from Drop Day to Cheyenne to Bliss, and how they’d wound up living
in the bunker. At the end of their tale he sighed and shook his head, finding
the entire thing almost too hard to believe, except he’d seen the Svan up close
and knew it wasn’t bullshit.

On the other side of the table Ed was shaking his head
over a thought he was stuck on. “I’m not going anywhere,” he blurted out. “I’m
going to find my son.”

“I’m with Ed,” Luke said.

“Why’d you leave Germany?” Austin asked before the
discussion turned to expeditions across the US.  

Kyle’s hand moved to his pocket. “I was hoping to find
my mother and sister, Grace. The last time we talked they were going to
Cheyenne Mountain.”

“Did you say Grace?” Ed asked.

“We have a Grace,” Zoe announced.

“What do you mean you have a Grace?”

 “I mean, like, we have a Grace, she lives here. She’s
didn’t come to dinner cuz she’s really pregnant,” Zoe explained, but wished
she’d kept her mouth shut when Kyle’s face turned pale.

From his pocket Kyle pulled out the picture he’d kept
close to his heart for over a year now. He handed it across the table to Zoe.
She didn’t have to look twice before nodding her head. She handed the picture
to Ed. This was too big for her to handle, let an adult say it out loud.

“That’s our Grace,” Ed confirmed.

“Where is she?” Kyle could barely speak. “Is she ok?”

“She’s fine. Her blood pressure has been elevated is
all,” Austin assured him.

“When’s the baby due?”

“Three weeks,” Jeremy spoke up.

Kyle looked at the young man and knew without asking
that he must be the father. “You’re her husband?”

Jeremy shook his head. “I’m...no it wasn’t—”