They Walk (47 page)

But I really can’t say anything about that, since the rest of us are just staring out at everyone waiting.

We don’t have to for long though, since I can see Randy weaving through the bodies and making his way to the front of the room. Closest to us, oddly enough. What is odder, is the fact that he doesn’t have to say or motion for everyone to stop their quiet chatter, they all just stop as soon as he is up front. He stoically stares out at everyone, almost waiting to make sure they hang on to his every word. From the way he had that as soon as he walked up here, I don’t think he really NEEDS to get their attention, he already has it.

“
As you can see, we have some new people here with us tonight. And in fact they are the ones that left us a week ago.”

He turns and points to us, and while Gabe waves to them all, I can feel my cheeks warming up to a deep blush. Every face to watching me, and I can see that they heard of us. Apparently we are popular for leaving? Who knew?

“
They come back with news, and I’m afraid that it isn’t good.”

He pauses and takes a deep breath, and man is I glad I’m not the one having to tell everyone there are bombs coming. I’ve never been one to like doing presentations. I’m rather comfortable standing to the sidelines.

“
They got word from the military that they are planning on dropping air bombs to wipe out the dead. And they are coming our way sometime tomorrow.”

To say that everyone in the room didn’t take the news well is a very big understatement. AT first there is shocked silence, almost like they are waiting for Randy to yell out ‘sike’ and start laughing. When he doesn’t though, that is when the yelling starts. It feels like every single one of them are shouting and screaming at the same time, and it makes my temple throb with a pulsating beat that matches them. They are all demanding as one, why Randy is even telling them this and why the military would do such a thing in the first place. Whereas no one can answer the latter, I’m thinking Randy has his own reason for the prior.

A sharp whistle cuts through the room like a knife, and brings everyone a startling silence, that leaves my ears ringing. Beside Randy now, is Brady and when he lowers his hand from his lips, I’m thinking he is the source of the whistle.

“
I’m only telling you all this, because it’s entirely this shelter might not hold up against actual bombs.”

There are admonishments from the crowd, but Randy silence’s them with one look before he continues.

“
This place was built in the sixties, during war time and fear of nuclear fallout. And we all know nothing really happened, so the structure was never properly tested. And I’m not a hundred percent sure it’ll stand up against the real thing.”

There is more silence now, as everyone ponders over what he is saying.

This is taking longer than I thought it would, and rather worrying over needing to leave, all I want to do is sit down. I’m so physically and mentally tired, that I’m to the point of not really noticing now that I have a constant headache and the body aches of an old woman. Dan and Michael rotate on watching Randy and the way the crowd reacts to what he tells them. Gabe just watches me, and he doesn’t even try to hide it either.

Not that I mind.

“
It’s possible that the tunnels might hold up against the bombs, but what is above ground definitely won’t. It would be a lot of work to get back to the surface, if anyone stayed. So I want you to choose if you want either stay or leave for the border.”

Randy lowers his head to his chest and lets out a heavy sigh. The crowd is silent, waiting to see if he’ll continue, and he doesn’t let them down. Slowly he raises his head and stares them all down.

“
You must all decide quickly, for anyone who wishes to leave has to do it as soon as possible. The group that is going leaves in an hour, after that we’re sealing the doors.”

This sends everyone into an instant uproar, one so loud I can’t even hear Brady whistle again. He doesn’t have any effect of the crowd this time, and Randy just shakes his head at him to stop. I guess there wouldn’t be a point in trying to stop the crowd now, since all the rest is up to them and what they want to do. Randy turns to us and shrugs, almost saying ‘well I’ve done my part’, but he does turn back around when some of the other people approach him with questions. I have to hand it to him; he is a lot better under this kind of pressure than I would be.

I would be a jumbled mess and probably make matters worse.

I’m about to ask the guys, what we’re planning on doing, staying or going, when I see Maria weaving through the crowd towards us. Her eyes are already locked onto Dan’s, and from the way she can’t hide her anguish like it’s a cloud around her, I know she has something bad to tell us.

About my mom.

Chapter Eighty One

As I walk behind Dan and Maria, with Gabe right beside me, I’m terrified of walking back into the room where my mom is. I know I should be stronger than this, but I can’t face what I might find. Even with all this killing and non-stop crazy, I still can’t deal when someone I love is hurt, especially my own mother.
As I walk behind Dan and Maria, with Gabe right beside me, I’m terrified of walking back into the room where my mom is.

I know I should be stronger than this, but I can’t face what I might find.

Even with all this killing and non-stop crazy, I still can’t deal when someone I love is hurt, especially my own mother. I can still hear the loud voices of all the people yelling behind us, but as my ears start roaring with a static that fills my head with numbness, everything begins to fade away.

I can feel myself slipping away again, and I find myself reaching out and latching onto Gabe’s hand like he is the only thing that can anchor me. He glances at me out of the corner of his eyes, but I can’t look at him, only what is ahead of me, because I’ll crumble if I do. He gives my hand a reassuring squeeze, and I use his strength to keep me moving.
Dan and Maria are at the entrance of the room my mom is in, too fast for my liking. And when they disappear inside, I pause at the doorway and just stare at what is inside waiting for me.

What I find is my mom half sitting up on the small cot with a pillow behind her head, and she is awake now. She is wearing a loose fitted collared shirt and has a fresh bandage wrapped around her right shoulder that is peaking out. She looks deathly pale still, and has and IV attached to her hand that my dad is holding on her left. They are talking quietly to one another, and look up when Dan walks over to them. Kelli is rinsing her hands in a bowl of water on the other side of the room, and she too looks up as Maria goes over to her.

They are all pleased to see one another, and yet, I can’t bring myself to step into the room.

I know it seems weird, since moments ago I was worried about whether my mom was alive. But seeing her now, like she is on the bed, all weak looking, I don’t know what to do with myself. Don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful she is alright, it’s just I’m afraid to run to her and hold on to her, because what if I hurt her?

She seems so frail, and it scares me more than the thought of losing her.

She smiles at us though, as if she can sense our worries and fears, and maybe she can. She always seemed to know what Dan and I were planning on doing as kids before we actually did it. She called it mother’s instinct, I call it very perceptive.  Dan saunters over to the side where my dad is and stands close to him and just stares down at our mother in awe.

I watch silently as she let’s go of my father’s hand and reaches out to Dan instead. He only hesitates for a second, and then he moves closer to her and grasps her frail hand in his. Smiling, she turns to me then and for the life of me I just want to turn tail and run the other way, but I don’t. Instead, I squeeze Gabe’s hand in mine and I cross through the threshold into the room. As I do, I feel a tension in my body ease and I don’t feel as afraid anymore.

And so, with a spring in my step I hurry to my mother and can feel the tears cascade down my cheeks at every step I take. By the time I reach her, she is crying too and I grab onto her hand with the feeling that I never want to let her go.  Smiling at me and then at Dan, she leans back and gets more comfortable on the bed, before giving me one of her worried mom looks.

“
How are you feeling Maggie?”

Her voice is so soft and scratchy, that she immediately begins coughing, so much so, that my dad grabs for a bottle of water and begins to help her bring it to her lips. I have to laugh a little to myself, here she is fresh from just getting shot, and she is asking about me? Mother’s seriously.

“
I could ask you the same thing, you know.”

She urges me to sit beside her by pulling on my hand and gently, I sit down beside her on the small cot not wanting to hurt her. When I move, I subsequently pull Gabe right along with me and he doesn’t let me go thankfully. My mom does let go of my hand though, but only so she can reach up to my cheek and tenderly touch the area around my right eye.

“
It seems we scared each other Magdalena.”

I nod into her open palm, and can feel the tears still spilling out of my eyes. She brushes them away for me and I sigh into her. When she lowers her hand and picks up my fallen one, she turns to Dan and my dad then. She gives Dan the saddest and sweetest smile a mother could give her child she hasn’t seen in a while.

“
I thought we’d never see you again Daniel, and I am so glad I was wrong.”

He grins at her and I can see his eyes get bright with unshed tears.

“
I was pretty much thinking the same thing. It’s lucky we have a hound dog in the form of Maggie here.”

She and my dad chuckle at this, but I don’t find myself being compared to a dog all that funny. I try to glare at Dan, but it’s no use since they are all grinning over being together again. I’ll just scold him later. Dan does turn serious after a moment though, and I know what he is going to ask before he does.

“
So, how are you mom?”

He asks her, but my dad turns to us and is going to answer for her. Before he can though, Kelli walks over to us then and interrupts him. Behind her, Maria is now going about cleaning some of the surgical tools in a bowl of water and it gives me chills seeing those all covered in blood.

“
I managed to get the bullet out, but your mom lost a lot of blood. Under normal circumstances, I’d suggest an immediate transfusion, but we don’t have the tools for that.

The only remedy is complete bed rest until she recovers, which could be longer than usual.”

I notice then, that the hand that holds mine is ghostly pale and shaking.

Her sitting up and awake is just an illusion; she is using all her strength just to appear well. This makes me feel so guilty suddenly, that I feel sick to my stomach. I’m about to ask Kelli if there isn’t anything more that she can do, but Randy comes into the doorway then. She turns at the sound of him, and when he motions her over she gives us a brief nod before leaving the room with him and closing the door behind her.

Chapter Eighty Two

We’re all silent and still thinking about what Kelli just told us. I know what it means to me, and it’s not good at all. If my mom can’t get out of bed, then how can she leave with us when we go to the border? And for that matter, should we even take the chance in going and leaving her here?

I’m about to go on a tangent, when my dad breaks the silence.

“
What was all the commotion about out in the hall?”

Me, Gabe and Dan share a look, almost trying to decide if we should tell them. They’ll find out soon enough though. Gabe and I have done enough sharing and we both stay quiet and let Dan have this one.

“
Randy got everyone together to tell them about the bombs that are going off tomorrow.”

Both of my parents nod, since it’s kind of a given that we told the others and that they wouldn’t exactly take it all that well. From behind us on the other side of the room, I hear a gasp, and that’s when I remember that Maria is still in the room with us. Dan does to, and gives her an apologetic expression as he continues.

“
He’s not sure how safe the tunnels are down here, during an attack, so he gave everyone the option of staying or leaving.”

The room is plunged into silence again, as my dad and mom share a look that I can’t read, before she sighs and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, she looks between Dan and I, while seeming sad and mournful at the same time. She gives my hand a squeeze, and I already have an argument at the ready for what I know she is about to tell us.

“
You and your brother need to leave with those that choose to go.”

I’m shaking my head by the time she is done, and so is Dan.

“
Mom, no it’s alright. We can stay here with you and dad.”

She sighs again, and gives me her famous resolve face. This would be the time that I’d try to convince dad to make her see reason, but I know they agree on this already.

“
Listen to me Maggie, your brother just said it might not be safe here and I want you both to leave.”

“
Well, you listen to me, if you can’t get out of bed to come with us, then we’re not going. That’s final.”