Chapter Nineteen
They pedaled down the roadway, weaving between sidewalk and road, avoiding obstacles. Nerves tightened his stomach the closer they got to their destination.
Chloe had asked what he would do after meeting Grav.
Too murky to envision, the future would depend on how the reunion went, what the human-Progg situation was, and mostly, what she wished to do.
If forced to choose between her and Grav, he would pick her, but he prayed to Zok it didn’t come to that.
Something had shifted while they’d been at the big store. She smiled more. Touched him often. He’d almost swear she looked at him differently. Her voice had a softer tone.
As they approached a big quad landscaped with trees, she consulted her map. “This is Park Central Square. The Gillioz should be right around the corner.” She turned to peer behind her and then ahead. “Do you notice anything different about this street?”
“Like what?”
“There are no cars here. For like the past mile!”
“You’re right!” He hadn’t noticed until she’d mentioned it, but they’d been pedaling unobstructed down the middle of the street. While some roadways were less congested than others, all streets had some cars, but this one had none.
“Strange…but hey. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, right?” she said.
“What does that mean?”
She laughed. “Be happy with your good fortune.”
He was. Chloe was with him, and very soon, he’d reunite with his brother.
They turned onto another street devoid of vehicles, but this one had been barricaded to prevent autos from entering. She braked in front of a building and pointed at the marquee. He couldn’t read the big bold letters. “What does it say?”
“Survivor Meeting today. Five p.m.” She checked her watch. “We have forty minutes.” She looked at him. “Nervous?”
“Yes.”
“Me, too. Let’s go in. Maybe he’s here early.”
The doors were propped open, and they wheeled their bikes into a long hall.
Lit only by sunlight, he made out reddish-brown stone walls forming a faux-arch design along the length.
An unlit crystal chandelier dangled from the high ceiling.
Carpeting led to three open doors beneath a railed balcony at the far end of the hall.
“Looks like that’s where we go,” Chloe said. “Let’s leave Kevin and the bikes here and check out the theater.”
He peered through an open door into a dark auditorium, illuminated only by flickering lights at the far end of the huge room. Outside, an easel held a sign written in English.
“Bring a flashlight, come in, and sit in the front row,” she read aloud.
They each grabbed a light from a box under the easel, switched them on, and ventured inside. He swept the beam around. Rows and rows of seats descended to a stage. As they made their way down the aisle, he could see the glowing lights were candelabra.
“The flashlights were a good idea. I’d trip over my own feet without one,” she whispered.
“I can see quite well. I won’t let you fall.” He cupped her elbow. “Why are we whispering?”
“I don’t know,” she replied with a laugh, and then yelled out, “Hello? Anybody home?”
Nobody replied.
Upon reaching the stage, Chloe cupped her hands around her mouth. “Hello!” she yelled again. “Anybody there? Hello?” No answer. “I guess we’re the first.”
“Or the only,” he said glumly. “Maybe Grav and Laurel aren’t here at all.”
“They’re here,” she said confidently. “The candles didn’t light themselves. We’re still early. There’s another message,” she said.
Two stools had been placed between the candelabra. The candles illuminated a huge white board containing a message in the Earth language. “What does it say?” he asked.
“It says, ‘Welcome to Springfield, Missouri. Population: 23.’”
More people than he expected. “They may…not all be friendly toward me.” He worried about that, and he worried about his brother’s reaction to seeing him again and seeing Chloe. He’d been making some huge assumptions.
“Your brother is one of the twenty-three. I feel positive about this,” she said.
“I imagine when he shows up, you’ll have a lot to say to each other.
” She shined her flashlight on her wrist. “We have thirty-five minutes. Kevin needs to go potty. I spotted a green area around the corner. You should wait here in case Grav shows up. Will you be okay?”
“I’ll be fine.” He was a bundle of nerves.
“I won’t be long. Ten minutes tops.” Her spontaneous, affectionate hug bolstered him like no words could. As long as he had her, everything would be fine. Of course it would.
Maybe.
Taking her light, she hurried up the aisle.
“Be careful!” he called out.
“Of course!”
Rok swept his light over the stage framed by heavy curtains and flanked by faux arches. Soaring overhead, green and white squares checked the ceiling. A balcony with more seating jutted over the bank of doors where they’d entered.
He clicked off the light and settled into a seat.
He could see; the candles provided enough light for his vision.
The smell of melting wax mentally transported him to the church where he’d ended Knife’s life.
That single act changed everything. He hoped the family was okay.
They could have encountered another Progg still following orders, unaware the General Ministry had halted the Earth campaign.
He was poised on the brink of another life-altering moment. How would he be received by his brother? Would it change his relationship with Chloe? Would she leave him now?
Scuffling and footsteps sounded from behind the heavy curtain at the side and rear of the stage. Rok leaped to his feet.
An attractive dark-haired human female accompanied by a Progg stepped out onto the stage. Older, taller, more muscular, attired in Earth clothes, but with vivid blue eyes and familiar familial features, his brother was instantly recognizable.
“Grav! It’s me—”
“Rok!” His brother broke into a grin, bounded off the stage, grabbed him in a rib-busting hug, and pounded him on the back hard enough to dislodge food caught in his throat if he’d had any. Rok returned the brotherly beating, thumping back equally hard.
“I can’t believe it. Let me see you.” Grav shoved him away and scrutinized him. “You’ve grown up!” He turned to the woman. “Laurel, it’s my brother!”
“So, I gathered,” she said drily, taking the steps at the side of the stage rather than leaping off as Grav had done.
“Hi! I’m Laurel Knight. It’s so nice to meet you. Grav talks about you all the time.” She welcomed him with a warm smile.
“Thank Zok, you’re all right. I’d wondered what had happened to you, if you were still in the military, if you’d been deployed, or if you were on Progg-Res.” Grav’s expression turned grim. “If you were still alive.”
“I landed on Earth in the second wave. Everyone in my unit is dead,” he recounted.
“How did you end up here? Were you stationed nearby?”
“No, quite a few muh-ruga from here. I came looking for you after everyone in my unit passed. I started with Admiral Drek’s last location. Chloe and I saw your sign at the school in Big Creek and came to Springfield. We saw the sign at the hospital.”
“We have them posted in several locations around town. And Chloe is?”
“A human woman. My…friend. She’s here, but she took Kevin outside to pee.”
“So, there’s three of you?” Laurel asked. “The toilets in the theater still flush—they will until the water in the city tanks runs out.”
“Kevin’s a dog,” he said.
“A dog!” Laurel’s eyes lit up. “I can’t wait to see him!” She hunched her shoulders. “And, meet your friend.” She looked chagrined. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I just haven’t seen any dogs since…before.”
He grinned. “No offense taken. I’m pretty sure Chloe liked Kevin more than me at first.” He’d only recently gotten the sense he mattered to her. “Are we the only ones coming today?”
“No way to tell. People trickle in a few a week. Some meetings, we get as many as three or four, some days none.”
“Other survivors will be here,” Laurel said.
“We take turns attending the meetings to welcome newcomers since we never know if anyone will show up, and we’re all working toward reestablishing a community.
I’m a nurse. Along with the doc we were extremely fortunate to get, I tend to illnesses and injuries.
I also prep houses for people to live in. ”
“So, you’ve settled in Springfield?” Rok asked.
“Yes. We planned to travel the country in search of survivors then realized it would be easier to stay put and invite them to come to us,” she explained. “It wasn’t enough to meet people; we wished to establish a community.”
“When there are more of us, we’ll dispatch teams to nearby cities,” Grav said. “And then expand from there.”
“We assume people seeking to reconnect with others will venture to the urban areas—the former urban centers. They’ll hide in rural areas first but then will seek out other people. Unfortunately, not everyone seeks to reconnect in a positive way.”
“Nor will everyone accept the invasion is over,” Grav added grimly.
“A few weeks ago, a colluder showed up,” Laurel explained. “Friendly at first, he returned with a Progg. Grav intercepted them and took care of the situation.”
His brother patted his holstered weapon and glanced at the one on Rok’s hip. Thankfully, he’d retrieved it after Chloe had thrown it away. Not only did he prefer to be armed, but if they hadn’t gone back for it, he might not have found his brother.
Laurel cocked her head. “What was that?”
“What was what?” Grav asked.
“I thought I heard a crack.” She paused. “There’s another one.”
He shook his head. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Me either,” Rok said.
She shrugged. “Guess I imagined it.”
“It’s critical we spread the news the campaign is over, and none of us are going home,” Grav continued.
“I’d gone scouting for a new location when I got word Admiral Drek had taken ill and was shuttling to the command ship for treatment.
Before he died, he infected the entire crew and observers from the General Ministry, who shuttled back to Progg-Res. ”
“Oh, Zok…” It would have spread…
Grav nodded. “My last communique reported millions had sickened and died. Shortly thereafter, the command ship pulled out. I don’t know if it ever got to Progg-Res. Those left behind were to abort the campaign and avoid humans. I think the concern was that they would catch the plague.”
“My unit didn’t receive the message,” Rok said. “I doubt other units did either.”
“I’m pretty sure Progg-Res is in chaos. The information came through on my private channel. Then my comm device stopped working.”
“If the command ship isn’t there, the comms don’t work either.”
“Right.” Grav nodded.
“So, we get the plague from humans, but they don’t get it?” he asked.
“We do, but it’s not usually fatal,” Laurel said.
“Most people feel crappy for a few days, and then they recover. Damon—he’s the doctor—and I debate whether it’s the common cold or the flu or maybe COVID.
Nobody—nobody human—dies of a cold. Influenza can kill the weak and vulnerable, but most survive. Same for COVID.”
“Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!” Kevin tore down the aisle, a leash trailing from his harness. “Ruff! Ruff!” The dog halted in front of him and continued to bark.
“Quiet!” Rok said. “Sorry. He doesn’t usually do this.” He reached for the leash, but Kevin darted out of reach.
“Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!”
“Kevin, stop it.” He moved toward him.
The dog darted up the aisle, halted, and barked.
“He responds better to Chloe. I’m sure she’ll be here in a minute.”
“Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!” Kevin continued backing up.
“He wants you to follow him,” Laurel said.