The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 62

With both gas cans and the tank filled, Maya and Aurora decided a bit of time off was necessary and by the time they made their way to the back bedroom, both were without clothes. Their bodies were so flushed that the cold didn’t seem to affect them. In fact, before leaping onto the bed their skin had begun running with sweat. Once their bodies hit the sheets, the things they did together, from outside the RV, could have been mistaken for a fight, rocking the back of the RV in chaotic directions. The only things that would indicate otherwise would be the occasional scream of passion and the calling out to God. But there was no one present to hear their howls of lust and as much as they pined for the demise of humankind, both thought it fortunate their passionate exchange was going unheard.

It wasn’t until the fall of darkness that the girls rolled out of bed. The sweat that kept them warm throughout their fervent sexual dialog was gone, replaced by the cold winter air. Dressing was not done quickly enough and with a last embrace and a passionate, open-mouth kiss they began the process of making dinner. With their lengthy tumble, they had expended a great deal of energy, and it was now time to fill their tanks as well. Still parked at the gas station, there seemed to be no place to start a fire, and they were out in the open. They needed cover and Aurora, studying the map once more, found it.

“Here,” she said. “By The Way Campground. It’s perfect. If we can find a spot with enough cover, we can have a fire, and it’s just off of Route 90.” Pointing a finger, she guided Maya’s eyes to what she believed was the only campground for hundreds of miles. There might be others, but this one seemed to be in the perfect place. Seeing the convenience of its location, Maya wanted to get there as quickly as possible.

“How do we get there?” she asked. “I’m fucking starving.”

Referencing the map again, Aurora pointed in the proper direction.

“That way,” she said. “Right down that street.” As the navigator, Maya had always trusted her to give accurate directions and so far, Aurora had never steered her wrong.

Once at the end of East Fork Pine Creek Road, Aurora directed Maya to look right. There, as if by grand design, was the sign for ‘By The Way Campground’. It wasn’t much, but it was near the road and just a bit farther from Route 90 and as long as they could find an empty slot to pull into they could stay for as long as they wanted. Hopefully, the campground would offer them enough cover – enough that they would not be seen. The idea of two women traveling alone frightened both of them, and the fact that they forgot to get guns only magnified their fear. Driving into the campground, the girls searched the area and, noticing how many RVs were parked there, Aurora pointed out a spot that was both available and well hidden.

“Over there,” she said. “Off to the left.” It was the perfect place. Even their 45-foot RV would be completely out of sight. “It’s a little,” Maya said.

“I know,” Aurora replied. “But it’ll give us great cover.”

Maya agreed and, pulling in, got out and walked to the back of the vehicle to see if anyone had followed them and was relieved to see no one.

It always seemed safer to travel at night, so the girls decided to remain in the RV until nightfall and explore the town at night. They would also have the opportunity to continue planning the next step of their trip to Colorado but decided to stay away from any large cities, fearing the presence of anyone left behind after the smallpox virus did its damage. Having scanned the area, Maya went back into the RV, locked the door and sat on one of several side cushions, lay down, and closed her eyes. During Maya’s phone conversation with Marty, he indicated that it was believed Iran was responsible for the attack, but as the call was cut off, he was unable to provide any more information. There was never any discussion of how widespread the virus had become, but Maya believed that it was global and wherever they went, they would see the same thing. But why didn’t they have it? They tried not to think about it, but every time they saw the bodies of those killed by what could not be seen, the question briefly ran through their minds. After all this time, after losing four friends, Maya decided it was necessary for a conversation. Aurora may not want to participate, but Maya thought the same question stirred in her mind as well. “Aurora,” she began. “I’ve got a question for you.”

Aurora was studying the maps in an attempt to determine the best route to Colorado and laying it on the cushion on the other side of the RV, lying down next to Maya. The warmth of her body had an almost addictive quality, and she could have lain next to her forever.

“What’s up?” she replied.

With no other way of wording it, Maya simply asked.

“Have you ever wondered why ‘we’ didn’t get this bug?”

Aurora gave her question a few moments thought as she wrapped an arm around Maya’s waist. “I never really thought it,” she replied. “And I don’t know if it’s all that important. I do think that it’s important that we’re alive. Who gives a shit, why? Maybe it’s because we managed to isolate ourselves, I don’t know. Why does it matter? You know what it's strange, though. All the roads are plowed – I mean, all of them. We just drove through town and every street had been plowed. Doesn’t that seem a little odd to you?” Both girls sat up as Maya absorbed Aurora’s observation and began to wonder who would go to the trouble of maintaining the town’s roads when everyone was likely dead.

“That’s a good question,” she replied. “You know, this is a tourist area. Maybe they kept the roads clear every day, and it doesn’t look like there’s been a storm here for quite a while.” It was a sound rationalization for something neither of them understood, but they agreed to keep watch for any signs that might indicate that they may not be alone.

With the sun perched high in the sky, Maya and Aurora decided to turn in. They needed to explore the town, and the only way of safely doing so was at night. Sharing the same fear of being seen, they didn’t want to deal with the dark side of people, the side that tends to come out when social order comes crashing down. The cold later woke them as the darkness of a moonless night enveloped the silver blue of the town’s snowy landscape. Maya always kept a flashlight near her side of the bed and, sitting up, reached for it. She was surprised it still worked given the icy temperatures they had been living with. They dressed as quickly as possible to escape the cold, and each carrying a flashlight, made their way towards the door. “Ready to go?” Maya asked.

Aurora was already shivering but replied, regardless of the cold.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she answered. Leaving the RV, the girls walked into the snow, being certain to examine the area for any tracks nearby. Whenever they didn’t need the flashlights, they turned them off so as to lessen the risk of being seen. There were two things they were looking for, and a town this size likely had both – and more. As usual, Aurora suggested going back to the gas station, despite recent events. She was sure they could find more detailed maps of the town and so far, the maps she had were not very precise.

“Are you sure?” Maya asked. “You know what happened the last time we were there, right?” Aurora answered with a slight grin. “Yeah,” she said. “You fucked my brains out.” Maya thought it good that she didn’t reference the body in the car or vomiting next to it. Their roll in the hay somehow overshadowed the trauma Aurora had experienced while violating common sense.

Walking out of the campground, they turned left and down East Fork Pine Creek Road. The middle of the road was clear down to the pavement, while cars on each side were half-buried in snow. During the uneasy covering of night, the odd sight of so much stillness left them anticipating the appearance of some axe-wielding stranger leaping over a snow bank while screaming out insane gibberish. Given their fearful anticipation, what conversation they had occurred in whispers. “This is so messed up,” Aurora said. “Maybe we should have stayed in the RV.”

“I know,” Maya replied. “But we have to get more supplies and we need heavy coats. Winter’s here’s getting to be a bitch.”

As they walked down the street, both were careful to scan both sides, looking for any signs of trouble. Finding none made them even more nervous, causing them to walk faster. Aurora had memorized the approximate location of the gas station, and soon they approached it on the left. “Here we are,” she said. “Let’s see what we can find in here.”

Her tone was almost jovial as she opened the door and shining her flashlight around celebrated in a whisper.

“Holy fuck,” she said. “Look at all this. I think we’re going to be pretty good for a while.” Maya, searching the establishment as well made a similar yet cautious reply.

“Yeah, but we have to be careful. We should take only what we can carry and try not to make any noise.”

Aurora would have agreed but hunger led her to the donut display and opening the case discovered its contents to be partly frozen and free of mold. Removing one, she broke it open and putting it to her nose found the smell overwhelming. “Oh my God,” she said. “Maya, these still smell fresh. We seriously need to take some of these with us.”

Maya walked over to investigate and moments later completely agreed but Aurora still needed a map of the area. She knew it would include the outlying ski lodges but to find their way around the town they had to have one. Approaching the counter, she took a deep breath expecting to find the liquid remains of some unfortunate clerk but was relieved to find space behind the counter empty. Searching through the darkness, her hands happened upon several folded and stacked papers, and pulling them out discovered them to be what she was looking for.

“Maya!” she called. “I found them. There’s a bunch of maps over here. I’m going to take all of them.”

Maya was overjoyed. Now, they could find their way around the town – day or night.

Packing everything in triple plastic bags, they made their way to the door. Maya was surprised at its construction. Without a magnetic seal, there was no need to smash a window or otherwise make a lot of noise while gaining entry making it easy to visit the gas station as many times as they needed. Walking out to the street, they turned right and soon found the campsite and the RV. Maya unlocked the door and opened it slowly, not knowing if anyone had been there before them. Both sighed in relief upon seeing its interior untouched without so much as a bit of snow or dirt on the carpet. Now, all that was needed was to unpack and organize what they had procured. Still, they needed clothes and assumed a town this size must have a store where they could find them but now they had a map. Things were starting to look better.