Jailbreak Read online

  Then again, it sounded like I couldn’t afford to wait.

  When we arrived, it looked that way too. Backpacks and duffel bags had been piled on the cave floor around the Jennings’ area. Clearly, her mom, Spotted Fawn, had been packing.

  I subtly patted Katelyn on the backside as we slipped into the cave.

  “See you, babe. Wish me luck.”

  She gave me a quick smile, then broke off to the left to her family.

  Mom sat at a makeshift picnic table, head in her hands. That was nothing new the last few days.

  My sister, Maddie, had a couple kids gathered on the floor around her talking about memorizing multiplication. Dad would have been so proud. No doubt he would’ve wanted her to follow his path to accounting. Too bad there wasn’t any money or capitol or whatever currency to count in the ruined economy, or however Dad had described it to us.

  Dad’s little Goth girl had grown into a smart, stable young woman the last several months, though her hair stayed jet black like maybe it really was that color. I’d always assumed a dye, but that wasn’t possible with our spartan existence.

  It didn’t used to be that dark, but somewhere along the way it had turned black as a raven. I veered over to Maddie first to find out, then to get some intel.

  “Hey, Mads,” I called out.

  She looked up from her students with a smile.

  “Zachary. Fun out on the road?”

  “All kinds,” I joked at the usual boredom, then nearly blushed when I thought about what really went down with Katelyn along. “You got a sec?”

  “Sure.” She turned to her pupils. “We’ll take a break until after supper, okay?”

  She patted the ground next to her after they ran off. “What’s up?”

  “When did your hair get that dark?”

  She looked at me like I had two heads. “Really?”

  “Yeah, why not?”

  “Probably like second grade. I dunno. Mom wasn’t big on school pictures.”

  “Or public school in general. Kind of strange that she still let us go.”

  “Only because she was too busy to teach us herself.” Maddie looked over at our mother, who still stared at the cave wall like she was watching award-winning television. “Can’t say that I’ve learned much from her lately.”

  “That’s sorta what I was wondering.” I gestured around the cave, ending with the Jennings’ luggage. “Everyone is clearing out. Shouldn’t we go too?”

  “Because Katelyn’s leaving?” she asked, side-eyeing me. “I know what you’re thinking.”

  “I mean yeah, but….”

  “But what?” Maddie shrugged. “Mom’s hurting.”

  “Aren’t we all?”

  “Well, duh,” she said, finally sounding more like her age for a change. Our experiences had aged her significantly. Not as much as Mom though. She looked at least ten years beyond her actual age in the early forties.

  “I think we need to leave.” I held up a hand to preemptively shush my sister. “And not just because Katelyn is going.”

  “When are they leaving?”

  “She’s not sure, but obviously soon.”

  “That doesn’t leave many.” Maddie looked around. “No way Mom stays with the Olsen’s, or those jackapples over there. She’ll take us out on her own before she stays with the rest of this, uh…cluster.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  “You want me to talk to her with you?”

  “Heck yeah.” I hadn’t even thought about that. We’d pretty much argued most of her life, but things had changed lately. Even more so now that Dad was gone. “Would you?”

  “Something needs to change. I love teaching those kids, but…you know?”

  My smile probably reached ear to ear. “Thank you.”

  “What’s the plan, though?”

  “Go back to Gatlinburg. Check things out. See if it’s safe to hole up somewhere in town, or keep going back to Knoxville.”

  “Makes you wish you had a brother that would actually let you know something like that.”

  “Good ole Austin.”

  “I’m down,” Maddie said, looking over to the picnic table. “How about now?”

  “I don’t know.” I stared at Mom for a while. She hadn’t moved since I’d been back in the cave, not even a glance over or a wave. That was completely out of character. “I guess.”

  “Maybe we should just tell her what we’re doing. Tell her she has to do it.”

  “And she’ll listen to you?” I couldn’t see that. Maddie had spent her entire life being bossed around by Mom. Then again, so had I.

  “Same as you. Maybe it’s time we take charge.”

  “You got that right.” I just hoped I could.

  I looked across the cave to try to spot Katelyn. She stood next to her mother, probably giving her an update on our watch patrol like a good little scout.

  Spotted Fawn nodded, then wrapped her arms around Katelyn. What I would have given for a little affection from my mother, but she had grown increasingly aloof. All bossy when she wasn’t withdrawn. Losing Dad had been incredibly tough on her, especially since her nursing skills had not been enough to save him. Not that anyone could have fixed the damage from a rocket blast.

  “C’mon, Zach,” Maddie said, hopping off the floor. “Let’s get this over with.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  I looked over to see Katelyn turn our direction. She gave me a discrete thumbs up and seemed to mouth the words, “Good luck.”

  No doubt I would need it.

  CHAPTER 4

  “Hey, Ma,” I said, sinking down at the picnic table next to her.

  “Son.” She looked up to see Maddie standing next to me. “What’s going on, children?”

  Of course, I fumbled the words. “We just, uh….”

  Maddie wasn’t much better, saying, “We kinda wanted to, uh, talk and stuff.”

  “Oh hell no.” Mom shot upright. “What are you kids up to? I’m not having some kind of intervention.”

  “It’s not that,” I said. “We just wanted to talk about, uh, some camp stuff, you know?”

  “No, I don’t know. Spit it out.”

  I cut to the chase. “Everyone is leaving. Don’t you think it’s time to go back?”

  “To what, Zachary?” She shook her head. A scowl returned. “There’s nothing out there for us.”

  “What about for us?” Maddie asked, much more forcefully that I’d anticipated. “I don’t want to stay out here forever.”

  I thought Mom might lash out at her, but the normally confident woman shrunk back in on herself.

  “I don’t want to either. I really don’t.”

  “Then let’s pack up,” I said. “We can go with the Jennings. Spotted Fawn wants us to go with them.”

  “About that,” she said. “I’m done with the codenames.”

  “I thought you came up with those.”

  “Prepper forums,” she replied, then quickly changed the subject. “Anyway, I’m done with all the fighting back. The snooping around. We have a nice set-up here.” While I groaned inwardly, she seemed to perk up. “The garden’s planted. We’ll have fresh food soon. When summer comes around everything’s gonna be so much better. And much warmer.”

  “Maybe, but shouldn’t we at least look around?”

  “It’s springtime, Zach. Rebirth. A new beginning. We’re gonna be so much better set up when winter rolls back-”

  “Mom,” Maddie interrupted. “I don’t think you’re hearing us.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I hear you fine. My hearing’s real good.”

  It made me wonder if she’d overheard something I shouldn’t have said, but she didn’t press the issue. Instead, she slumped back over the table, propping her chin on two hands.

  “We’ve already lost Austin to the Mitchell’s,” she mumbled. I assumed that was Spotted Owl and Field Mouse’s last name, but I hadn’t heard that before. “Now I’m losing you to the
Jennings.” She looked to Maddie. “Both of you?”

  “We’re not saying we want to leave you. We want to leave here.” I gestured around the dismal cave for effect.

  She was unmoved, saying, “This is as close to town as I want to get.”

  “Can we at least look? Things could have changed.” I wanted to add that I hadn’t heard a bomb or seen smoke rising in a few months, but figured I shouldn’t push my luck. Possibly I should have.

  Mom looked at both of us and declared, “Your father wouldn’t want us to leave. We’re not quitters. We’re not going.”

  “It’s not quitting,” Maddie said, but Mom raised a hand to hush her.

  “Discussion over.”

  I started to object, but pinched my mouth shut. I’d been learning to pick my battles, and that was definitely not the time to keep poking the bear.

  While Mom buried her head in her hands, I motioned for Maddie to walk off with me.

  We lumbered toward the front of the cave. I’m fairly certain Mom didn’t watch us walk away, but I knew Katelyn did. She joined us later, gesturing for us to step outside and around the corner from the opening.

  “That didn’t look like it went well,” she said.

  “Even worse than I imagined.” I exhaled my frustration. “She pulled out the your father card, and there’s no way to argue with that.”

  “Emotions.” Katelyn nodded. “And to think she was also so even keel.”

  “Exactly,” Maddie interjected. “She never let her emotions rule. It’s always facts and figures.”

  “Maybe you could approach it that way,” Katelyn suggested.

  “Maybe, but not today. It’s gonna have to wait.”

  “You know it can’t,” she pressed.

  “Well, maybe you should stay with us,” I said. “If I can’t leave, then you should stay. It’s kinda not fair that I have to do what you have to do.”

  Maddie sucked in a breath and made like she was going to slink way. Understandably so.

  Katelyn grabbed her arm. “Mads, do you think I’m being unreasonable?”

  “I don’t want to be here,” she replied, a bit unclear as to whether she meant living in the cave or playing referee to our disagreement. Probably the latter.

  “I’m just saying, no one wants to stay here,” Katelyn said, but quickly softened her tone. “I’m sorry, guys. I really am. But we need to go.”

  “Where are you even going?” Maddie asked.

  “To follow Spotted Owl and those guys.”

  Maddie fired off another pointed question; one I should have asked earlier. “Do you know where they’re at? We haven’t heard from Austin or Mouse. Have you guys?”

  “Not me,” Katelyn answered, “but my folks just said they think they’re holed up at a hotel in Gatlinburg.”

  “That doesn’t sound so bad,” Maddie said, looking at me for confirmation. “I could go for that.”

  “As long as it’s not burned out.”

  “I can’t imagine there’s like any power or anything,” Katelyn said. “But it’s shelter, in the city, where you can kinda see what’s going on.”

  “So they’re like homeless,” I said. “That doesn’t sound so great.”

  “Neither does living out here.” Maddie gestured to the cave. “Not even a working toilet.”

  “There won’t be there either without power,” I noted. Maddie looked at me curiously. “I’m just sayin’. There’s no running water without power to run the pumps and fill the towers.”

  Totally unbeknownst to us, someone had been listening. A tall figure stepped out of the shadows right behind Maddie. Dark clothes. Scarf obscuring his face.

  An unknown visitor; our number one fear.

  I sprung into action, brushing my sister out of the way. Once I put myself between him and the girls, I settled into a fighting crouch, ready to strike if necessary.

  The scarf came down and I saw an impressive beard.

  “Easy, killer,” Katelyn’s brother, John, said with a grin. Or so it looked. It was hard to tell with long whiskers covering his face.

  “Don’t sneak up on us like that, man.”

  “I wasn’t.”

  “The path’s over there,” I said, pointing to the opposite side of the cave. “And what’s up with the scarf?”

  “It’s good camo.” He shrugged. “Besides, I saw you guys talking. Figured I’d check it out. It looked pretty serious.”

  “Kinda is,” Katelyn said softly.

  “Anyway, there’s power in town, just so you know,” John said, evidently having heard much of our conversation. “If you go up Roaring Fork after dark, you can see a glow from town. Not as bright as it used to be, but it’s there.”

  Katelyn interrupted to ask, “I thought you had second shift?”

  “I did for a little bit, but I’m done watching that dang road,” he said. “It’s time to finish packing. I’m ready to roll out tonight.”

  CHAPTER 5

  “Great,” I muttered as the world crashed down around me again.

  “What do you think?” Maddie asked me as Katelyn and her brother went back inside to gather their stuff.

  “That we better get used to being out here…alone.”

  “I can’t do it. I thought I could, but this is all too much.”

  I pulled Maddie into a hug. “I thought I could too, but not anymore. It’s all so…pointless. What good are we doing out here?” I huffed under my breath. “What happened to bringing the fight to the enemy?”

  “Maybe we should ask Mom all that? I mean I’m not sure I want any of that fightin’ business, but it could help change her mind or something.”

  “Or have her flip out on us again.”

  “I’m willing to take that risk,” she said, but quieted as she turned to find Mom with her head still down on the table.

  “I can’t leave her, but….” I blew out my frustration.

  “I know. Maybe if we started packing?”

  “Make her think we’re leaving? I don’t see that going well.” Truthfully, I didn’t see anything going well. It was the epitome of a no-win situation. I leaned back against the rock at the side of the cave and stared into the sky.

  Dusk had settled in quickly. We’d be full dark in a couple minutes until the moon could find a gap in the overcast sky to give us a little light.

  “Not the best night for a hike,” I said, wondering if Katelyn’s family would reconsider.

  “It’s pretty dark. Maybe that’s what they want,” Maddie suggested.

  “I wouldn’t. It’s a recipe for a branch to the face.”

  “They could probably walk down the road. Sounds like you guys haven’t seen anyone out there in weeks.”

  “That is true, but they’ve gotta get to the road first.”

  That wouldn’t be easy, but it would be nice to have the cover of darkness to slip into town. The problem was where. Katelyn’s parents saying my brother was holed up in a hotel didn’t narrow things down much. Gatlinburg had been a major tourist town before the crash, with condos and hotels lining the whole strip and side streets, from there all the way to Pigeon Forge. There had to be hundreds to check.

  “They’re not telling us everything,” I announced. Maddie looked at me funny. “They wouldn’t just leave without knowing exactly where they were headed. No one packs all their stuff unless they’re sure.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I was gonna tell Mom that we should scout the town first, but it looks like those guys already have a destination in mind.”

  “They do. The hotel.”

  “But which one? That what I want to know.”

  “You want to talk to Kate’s mom?” Maddie asked.

  “Kate? I don’t even call her that.”

  “Yeah, we’re buds now.”

  “I knew that, it’s just…I dunno.”

  “You don’t know much, do ya?” Maddie added a laugh to the playful jest to ease the sting, but the truth still hurt.

&n
bsp; I stared at the sky again, wondering what to do. That’s when I heard a growl build from the south. A deep, roaring buzz of an airplane. Certainly not the whisper quiet hum of a drone, nor the higher pitched whine of a jet.

  “Plane!” I shouted back toward the cave.

  Everyone scooted away from the opening. Maddie’s school kids and the Olsen’s, along with a couple other adults who I’d never really taken the time to get to know. Wood Duck and Box Turtle, Spotted Owl’s friends who’d been taken prisoner, had vouched for them. But Woody and Turtle had moved on with Spotted Owl when he’d cleared out earlier.

  I don’t think Mom even knew them that well, though she’d hardly come out of her shell since winter.

  I let Maddie go on ahead while I waited a moment longer to try to trace the sound. It slowly built, the buzz becoming a powerful, echoing hum.

  Then the aircraft crested the far ridge, and the sound changed dramatically. The familiar, fearful, whop-whop-whop of a helicopter froze me in place.

  I’d hardly heard once since the attack, when we’d bloodied the Army, and they’d bloodied us.

  I should have run. Infrared heat sensors could draw them to our cave, if they had any. But I remained rooted until John grabbed me by the shoulder and dragged me back into the cave. Deep. All the way to the back wall where it narrowed up to a crack.

  I stood there with the others, listening to the rotor whopping overpower every other sound. Even Mom had shaken off the stupor to come over, standing by herself in the corner. Maddie kept watch over her from a distance.

  The chopper seemed to hover for a while. Then circled in a tight pattern around our hillside, much like a vulture waiting for an opportunity to move on dead meat.

  That was us. A rag tag band more resembling a carcass than a force to be reckoned with.

  We knew better than to try to shoot it down. Not when it had the advantage of darkness and high-tech electronics. Still, my eyes drifted to the wall, where rifles hung by ropes that stretched over a couple notches in the rock like a homemade rifle rack. Out of reach of the kids, though several of those youngsters were getting close enough to learn to shoot. Eight or nine years old was close enough, at least by Mom’s estimation.