The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 26

After the boys had been put in their places, Maya decided they needed more food. This time, Nathan was taking Eli.

“It’s about time you pulled your weight around here,” she said.

There were no arguments, but it became clear by his anxiety that Eli did not want to go, especially after an unknown number of wolves paid them a visit. Feeling as though he had been backed into a corner, Eli agreed and dressing for the cold, he walked out of the cabin with Nathan leading the way.

The dirt road crunched and crackled under their feet as they started out for Easton. The air coming down from the mountains was far more biting than they expected, leaving them with tingling fingers and goose flesh on their arms. But they needed food and water, and making the walk into Easton was the only way to get it. Eli tended to stay as clear from the cold as possible. When they were in graduate school, he would turn the heat in his room up high enough that it was uncomfortable for anyone walking in. Everyone concluded that Eli simply ran colder than most. But walking through the cold November mountains of Washington State left him feeling as though his blood would shortly freeze in his veins.

“Fucking shit, it’s cold,” he said. “Why the hell didn’t we bring jackets or something--this is ridiculous.”

Nathan, being remarkably calm under pressure, instructed him to cross his arms and tuck his hands into his armpits. It didn’t take long for Eli’s hands to warm, and soon the blood in his hands began circulating through his body. “Hey,” Eli said. “That works great. How did you know that?”

Unbeknownst to everyone else, Nathan spent four years as a Boy Scout and learned enough survival skills that he could hold his own if things became difficult. He once tried joining the Marines, but because of an almost undetectable issue with his wrist, he was dismissed during his third week of basic training. It was unlikely he would continue honing his survival skills in college, so he treated it as a hobby while studying journalism. Eli, seeing him as the quiet one, was more than a bit surprised and inquired further.

“Does Aurora know about this?” he asked. “You two could have a lot to talk about—maybe even hook up.”

Nathan had already shared this with Aurora, and secretly they had been involved for quite some time. In fact, the comment he made while watching her bathe was based on observations he had made several times already. Eli became confused. On a previous trip to the cabin, it was Jackson who was involved with Aurora. This was something that begged to be questioned.

“I thought Jackson was drilling her,” Eli said. “What happened?”

“You know?” Nathan began. “I’m not exactly sure. Maybe she just thought I’ve got a bigger dick, I don’t know.”

Continuing their walk, they picked up speed so as to get their muscles moving more blood, warming them further. As the highway appeared in the distance, Eli posed one more question. “Does Jackson know about this?” Nathan and Aurora chose to keep their relationship secret to avoid hurt feelings or confrontation, and he stressed this to Eli, asking for his silence. Eli agreed.

The sun was just passing its peak when they crossed the highway. The first thing Nathan noticed was that in the radiant light of day, Easton took on a very different appearance, unveiling more houses than he had seen previously. Now, instead of having to search for the store, Nathan, knowing exactly where it was, led the way as Eli followed. Glancing at the ground, he could see the paw prints of the wolves that confronted him and Jackson the night before, but he was unaware of how large they were. He had seen the prints outside the cabin that morning, yet those paled in comparison to those near the store. Kneeling down, he put an open hand out next to one of the prints and was startled to discover how much larger it was.

“Jesus Christ,” he said. “These things are fucking monsters.”

Eli was stunned and quickly felt a disquieting degree of fear welling up from his soul. He could think of only one course of action—leaving. “Dude,” he began. “Can we just get what we need and get the fuck out of here?”

Nathan agreed and, getting to his feet, continued to the store with Eli in tow.

Rummaging through the store was far easier during the day as opposed to the struggle of doing so at night and grabbing several plastic bags, Nathan and Eli filled them to near bursting with whatever they could grab. The only condition was that they take only what they needed—nothing extravagant. Stealing had never been done so quickly. Having what they needed for several days, they opened the front door and walked down the steps, only to be met by a woman armed with a shotgun. Nathan silently asked himself if it was indeed loaded, but also knew there was a 50-50 chance that it was. Both stood frozen as the woman stepped closer—the shotgun trained on Nathan’s chest.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” she asked. Facing the end of a shotgun barrel, Nathan struggled for words, daring not to anger the woman who seemed genuinely threatened by their presence.

“Um, look,” he began. “We don’t want any trouble. We just need to get some food, then we’ll leave. Is that okay?”

Taking a step closer, the woman pulled both hammers of the double-barreled shotgun back while taking a small step towards them. She was not so much cautious as she was paranoid. But secretly she, like Nathan and Eli, feared for her life and was willing to kill anyone who might pose a threat. And she already had her fingers on both triggers.

“Not so fast,” she said. “Give me your guns.” Having attended graduate school, owning a gun had never entered their minds.

“We don’t have any guns,” Eli said. The woman’s face took on a brief expression of bewilderment. She did not understand how anyone living in this part of the country could not own a weapon of some sort.

“No gun?” she replied. “We’ll see about that.” Still aiming the shotgun at Nathan, she walked around behind them and began searching for anything they may be hiding. Beginning with Eli, she lifted his jacket and shirt, finding nothing. Proceeding with her search, the woman ran a hand down the inside of his legs. Eli wasn’t sure if he should fear for his life or be aroused by the firmness of her hand.

“You got nothing,” she said.

Moving over to Nathan, she began a similar search, moving her hand up the inside of his leg. But feeling something firm near his crotch, she quickly became suspicious and inquired about what she believed it might be.

“No gun, huh?” she asked.

Moving her hand around to the front of his pants, she angrily questioned him again. “Well, what the fuck is this, then?”

Nathan had only one answer, but it was how to word it he found troublesome. After some hesitation, he decided that plain English would be enough.

“Uh, that’s my dick.”

Finding his claim difficult to believe, the woman became determined to find the truth herself. “You’ve got to be shitting me,” she said. “Well, let’s take a look then.”

With the shotgun still pointed at his head, the woman pushed her hand down the front of Nathan's pants and gave him a firm squeeze. Although he was not expecting it, he felt every muscle of his body tense as his toes curled. As terrified as he was, Nathan enjoyed the oddly timed favor.

Still fondling him, the woman stated her intentions.

“You know,” she began. “It’s been a while since I’ve had any dick and with everyone dead, the only thing I’ve been dating is my hand.” Removing her hand, she grabbed Nathan by the shoulder and spun him back towards the door. “So,” she continued. “We’re going to have some fun.”

Pushing him up the steps, she turned to Eli and ordered him not to follow under threat of being shot. As he was being shoved through the door, Nathan tried to defuse the situation with conversation.

“You know,” he said. “If we’re going to do this, it might be nice to know your name.”

Her response was immediate as she anticipated what was about to unfold.

“Becky.”

Forcing Nathan against the wall, she stood back and aimed her shotgun at his chest. “Now,” she continued. “Take off your fucking clothes.”

Being smart enough not to try to talk his way out, he began removing his clothes. Standing naked in front of Becky, he discovered what effects the cold could have on the nude body. But it wasn’t the cold that made him shiver. Nathan was afraid. He certainly didn’t want to die naked in the mountains with a hole blown in his chest. Then again, he thought that if he were to die, at least he would get laid. However, there was another problem—not as severe as being killed. It seemed that with a shotgun pointed at him, the rush of arousal proved to be evasive.

“You know,” he said. “I don’t think I can do this with you pointing that thing at me. It makes me nervous.”

As suspicious as she was, Becky understood and, laying the weapon on the counter, tried to calm his fear.

“Okay,” she began. “See, no shotgun. Now, let’s get down to business.”

Rushing towards him, she reached down and, again, took him in her grip while throwing an arm around his back. Nathan was startled at her desperation as she began violently kissing him on the mouth.

Despite how their encounter began, Nathan became lost in the moment and, having become sufficiently aroused, helped Becky off with her clothes. After several moments, she released her arm from around him and, grabbing Nathan by the throat, pulled him down to the floor. Loosening her grip, she repositioned her hand and began a stroking motion while straddling his legs. “There,” she whispered. “How’s that?” Aside from her aggression, Nathan noticed how warm her hands were and, with his arousal galloping forward, sat up, grabbed her around the waist, and rolled her back onto the floor.

With her knees raised up near her shoulders, Nathan’s repeated thrusting quickly turned into a brawl of sweating flesh, as they transformed into an entangled mass of arms and legs. Soon, Becky’s back arched off the floor as both simultaneously achieved release. It was during this moment that Becky, with her hands wrapped around Nathan’s back, dragged her nails across deeply across his skin. However, the pain only served to heighten his release, as a roar of ecstasy leaped from his soul. Time froze to an icy stillness as their moment of glory dissolved into the abyss of oblivion. If there were to be an unlikely second encounter, the outcome would certainly not be quite the same.

After their violent act of passion, Becky, still lying on her back, became caught up in the afterglow of passion and closing her eyes let a smile come to her face. Nathan, however, was faster to achieve his sense of reason and bending down kissed her on the mouth.

“You know,” he began. “You didn’t have to point a gun at me to get what you wanted.” Taking a deep breath, Becky responded with a relaxed voice.

“I know,” she said. “But admit it, you enjoyed it, didn’t you?”

Nathan returned her smile but sitting up he caught a glance of something lodged in her armpit. At first, he thought she may have rolled onto something during their heated encounter, but bending down for a closer look discovered it to be a cluster of bumps.

“What’s this?” he asked.

Raising her arm, Becky examined the area with a questioning expression.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “It wasn’t there a couple of days ago.”

Nathan’s face turned to shock as he realized what he was looking at. Either she hadn’t noticed it, or she was lying and simply refused to tell him. Neither of those options was important, given that Nathan had now been exposed to the same disease that, he surmised, was in the process of obliterating humankind. Now, it was rage that sprang from within the darkness of his mind as he grabbed the shotgun and, pointing at Becky’s head, launched a wave of cursing at her. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he screamed. “Do you know what that is?”

Sitting up, Becky’s calm smile turned into a sadistic giggle.

“You’re so fucking stupid,” she said. “A smart guy like you should’ve at least tried to get a look first. Yeah, I know what it is, and now you’re fucked, aren’t you?”

Raising both middle fingers, she began laughing at Nathan’s expense. She got what she wanted. Now, she also had the pleasure of knowing he would die miserably. This, of course, amplified Nathan’s anger. His self-control was gone and immersed in an ocean of rage, he cursed her out again.

“You fucking piece of shit,” he said. “You mother fucking psycho! I’m going to blow your God damned brains out!”

Again, Becky laughed in his face, and taunting him about his death being only a few weeks away caused him to tighten his grip on the shotgun’s trigger.

“You’re not going to shoot me,” she said. “You can’t. You’re just some smart-ass white boy from the city—probably from the college. You don’t have the fucking guts. Shit, you’re not even that good in the sack.”

With a complete loss of reason and still seeing the teasing smile on Becky’s face, Nathan’s body tensed with a level of anger he didn’t think he possessed. But before he could regain his sanity, his finger involuntarily squeezed the trigger of the shotgun. The blast could be heard for miles, and in an irreversible instant the shot pierced the center of her face, sending buckshot exploding out of the back of her head. The wall behind her became painted with a chunky layer of blood, brain matter, and connective tissue with skull fragments deeply embedded as well.

Nathan always held a deep fear of guns, believing he was incapable of taking a life under any circumstances. Now, looking down at Becky’s near-headless body, a twofold reality swept over him. He had taken a life—something he thought he would never have to do. And he had been, quite directly, exposed to smallpox. From what he had seen—news reports, military involvement, and social upheaval—Nathan realized that he was now living on borrowed time. He also knew that he could never return to the cabin at the risk of putting his friends in danger. The question that remained was what he would do now that his life was on the clock. Endless scenarios flashed through his mind—he could use the remaining shell of the shotgun and end his life, or stay in Easton and die alone. He would certainly have everything he needed as his life slowly drained away. But one thing was clear, he could not have contact with anyone—either stranger or friend.

His hands trembled as he dressed. Looking closely, Nathan found his clothes absent of any blood spatter from the explosive dissection of Becky’s skull. But it didn’t matter. He had already been exposed, but suddenly wondered why he was checking for blood in the first place. Now, fully dressed, he picked up the shotgun and, opening the door, carefully walked down the steps of the store. Still trembling, Nathan staggered down each step, aiming the shotgun at the ground. Standing on level ground, Nathan took the opportunity to sit on the bottom step, continuing to collect his senses.

Eli, having witnessed the chaotic noise from within the store, stood speechless, but somewhere in his mental fog a single question arose. “Dude,” he began. “What the fuck happened in there? It sounded like you were boning her, then I heard that gun go off. Are you alright?” Sitting in shock, Nathan found himself short on words, but within a few minutes, he was able to organize his thoughts and tell Eli the story that eventually would end badly. Eli was stunned and took a few precautionary steps back. “Jesus Christ,” he said. “Dude, what the fuck are you going to do? You can’t go back to the cabin, you know.”

Nathan was quickly slipping into hopelessness and as tears flooded his eyes, he began thinking out loud about what he would do next. “Well,” he said. “There’s still one more round in this shotgun, so I suppose I could just blow my fucking brains out.”

Eli’s face took on a grim expression. They had never been especially close, but as Nathan continued to sink into despair, Eli felt a bond developing between them. He also realized that there wasn’t anything he could do for him. But sometimes desperation can generate a moment of genius, and Eli suddenly became inspired with an idea.

“Hey, Nathan,” he said. “I’ve got an idea. Maybe we can build some kind of shelter for you near the cabin. You won’t be exposing anyone, and we can still look out for you.”

Some ideas are better than others, but this was not one of them. Everyone had seen the rapid onset of this disease, and staying anywhere near the cabin would be hazardous given the short amount of time he believed he had. And the nearby presence of a corpse flooded with smallpox was a risk he did not want his friends to face.

Knowing there was one round left in the shotgun, Eli asked Nathan to lay the weapon on the ground so as to comfortably continue their conversation. Nathan did so without hesitation.

“So, what now?” Nathan said. “I can’t go back, and I don’t think I have the balls to shoot myself. So, what do you think I should do?” Eli carefully considered his question. There were few choices, and two had already been ruled out. But there was something that Eli had not previously thought of. As ridiculous as it seemed to be, it also made sense.

“Hey,” he began. “I got it. You could stay right here. I mean, look around. Everything you need is here—you can pick out a house to live in and go through the others looking for anything else you need. You’d be fine.”

Nathan had considered it, but there was one drawback. He would die alone.

“I know,” he replied. “But I’m still going to die, and probably sooner rather than later.” Some say that every dark cloud contains a silver lining, but the storm clouds were quickly closing in on Nathan’s life. Yet, there was a small golden thread hidden within the oncoming storm. “You know,” Nathan said. “With everything that’s going on with this smallpox shit, it might be better to just check out. At least I wouldn’t have to deal with that anymore. I guess I’m just sorry that you guys are going to have to deal with it. God knows what else is out there.” Realizing that he would be staying behind, Eli felt his eyes tear up, but he had himself together just enough to ask one last question.

“So,” he began. “What do you want me to tell everyone?”

After a moment’s thought, Nathan gave the only answer he could.

“Tell them the truth,” he said. “And tell them to be careful. There’s a lot of crazy people out there.”

With these last words, the two said their goodbyes and parted company as Nathan continued sitting on the steps of the small store. He was not yet able to grasp the full impact of his circumstances, but it wouldn’t be long until he began showing symptoms. At that point, the seriousness of his newly acquired illness would hit him like a steamroller. He would have time to grieve for the loss of his life, but not much.