Chapter 27
It was harder to carry Maggie to the truck than John had originally thought. The wood Teddy found in the barn was flimsy and rotting, so they had to take apart the kitchen table and use the top to carry Maggie down the road.
But even before they reached the truck, John knew something was wrong. He instructed Teddy to gently set Maggie down on the ground, and then hurried to examine the truck.
The tires had been destroyed, sabotaged no doubt by Dillon who must have seen the truck on his escape from the farm.
Frustrated, John kicked the deflated tires, and he hunched forward, trying to think about what they could use to move them quickly to the cabin.
John paced back and forth, Teddy watching him in a daze. The cart and horse could work, but even that would be difficult to navigate on the roads, and it would be slow. They needed something that could move quickly. Something was?—
“The barge,” John said. “It’s still working. And the river runs through my property on the cabin.”
“What?” Teddy asked.
“We need to get her down to the river, get back on the barge,” John answered.
John and Teddy picked Maggie back up and hurried toward the river. The canoe was still on the bank. They gently laid Maggie into the canoe, and they kept her stable while the boat rocked.
“Make sure you keep a close eye on her pulse,” John said. “Just like I showed you.”
“Right,” Teddy replied, gently keeping his hand on her neck.
“If you don’t feel anything for ten seconds, you let me know right away,” John said, rowing quickly.
“What happens if we can’t get the barge to start?” Teddy asked.
“They drove it here, so it has to be working,” John answered.
There were still plenty of obstacles in their path, but John was confident they would be able to overcome them no matter what.
And John’s drive to keep his family safe overpowered everything else in his mind.
There was nothing more important to him than getting his wife healthy and reuniting with his children again.
When they finally reached the barge, John didn’t have any rope to tie off the canoe to keep it steady from the current, so he had Teddy use both arms to keep them from moving farther downstream while John picked up his wife and placed her onto the barge.
Once Maggie was on the barge, John climbed up and then helped Teddy do the same. And then, together, they heaved the canoe onto the barge in case they needed it later.
John and Teddy then carried Maggie to a shady spot to keep her out of the sun. John instructed Teddy to stay with his wife and keep an eye on her, just like he’d been doing.
“Remember, if she?—”
“Doesn’t have a pulse for ten seconds? I’ll call you,” Teddy said. “I’ve got this.”
The wheelhouse was shot up, but the controls were still operational. He positioned himself at the wheel and then hoisted the anchor and steered the boat farther down the river.
The old barge was much harder to control than John anticipated, and it took him a bit to get a feel for the vessel’s movements.
Once John had the barge heading in the right direction, he decided to check on Teddy and Maggie.
“How is she?” John asked.
“Fine, I think,” Teddy answered.
John had been down and checked his wife’s vitals, and once he confirmed they were still strong, he allowed himself to relax.
“It looks like we really dodged a bullet on this one,” Teddy said.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” John said. “But it looks like things are finally heading in the right direction.”
Teddy didn’t share John’s enthusiasm about the situation, not that John blamed the kid. After everything Teddy had experienced, it made sense for him to be a little nervous about the possibility of what came next.
“How did you do it?” Teddy asked.
John frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I don’t understand how you managed to get through all of this and still have energy,” Teddy answered. “How are you not terrified of the future?”
It was a fair question, but John wasn’t sure how he should answer. He didn’t even know if he was capable of answering.
“Life is unpredictable,” John said. “Today was a harsh lesson in that reality. But no matter the uncertainty of what comes next, you have to have confidence in yourself. You have to have faith in the people around you. It doesn’t do any good to worry about the future that you have no control over.
It will only hurt yourself in the long run and cause even more stress for your and the people around you. ”
“So, you just don’t worry at all?” Teddy asked.
John almost laughed. “I worry every day. I worry about my family and my friends. I worry about what kind of world we’re leaving behind and what part I played in shaping that future.
But I don’t dwell on the worry. I guess that’s the biggest difference.
Being afraid, worrying, not having all the answers—it’s all a crap shoot.
The only thing you have control over is how you react to a situation.
You can let it control you, or you can control the situation.
That’s it. Once you learn how to accept that, then you can face anything, no matter the odds. ”
Teddy bowed his head. “I just don’t think I have that kind of confidence.”
“I think you have more confidence than you realize,” John replied. “You just need to have faith in yourself that it will work out.”
Teddy remained hunched forward and slightly timid, but John believed the young man would be able to overcome his own doubt in order to grow into a good man.
John returned to the helm of the barge as they continued down the river. They caught a few stares from people along the riverbanks and even came across a few stuck out on their boats, but most of them had managed to maneuver to the shoreline.
John counted dozens of boats that had been abandoned and all the frustrated captains who were trying to figure out what was wrong.
John stuck to the middle of the river where he hoped it was deepest, and he only had a few close scares when he had to pass under a bridge, scraping against one of the concrete pillars, but no real damage was done.
After it was smooth sailing, all the way toward the dock was part of John’s property that pushed up against the river.
Once they maneuvered past the farms and other homes in the agriculture area outside of the city, they entered the forest where John had bought land. It was a much more scenic route along the river, with nothing but trees surrounding them.
It was the kind of peace and quiet that John had wanted. Everything slowed down, even the rush of the river. There were no car horns, no people shouting at one another, and no planes flying overhead. It was just the sounds of nature.
The moment John was back in his environment, he remembered why he had worked so hard to build a home out here.
Everything he had done had been for the same reason: making sure his family had a safe place to grow up.
This was their sanctuary, and it was a place where they could come to recharge and regroup.
And it had never been needed more than right now.
John maneuvered himself as close to his homemade dock as he could get without damaging it, and then he dropped the anchor.
John put out twenty feet before he stopped and waited to see if the anchor had caught the riverbed. Once John was certain the vessel was secure, he and Teddy prepared the canoe to take Maggie to the dock.
“I don’t know if you want to stay on the boat or come with us,” John said. “You’re more than welcome to come inside and get some water and food. I’m sure Sydney would be glad to see you.”
Even with Teddy’s injuries and the marks all over his face, John noticed Teddy blushed at the mention of his daughter.
“I’ll come with you,” Teddy said, clearing his throat. “If that’s okay.”
“It’s fine,” John replied. “I could use the help with Maggie anyway.”
John and Teddy carefully carried Maggie over to the side of the barge where they had placed the canoe. John stepped down into the canoe first and then carefully cradled Maggie’s head as he gently laid her down in the boat.
Once Teddy was in the boat, John rowed them to the dock. Thankfully, the river waters were much calmer here than near the farm.
“How far away is the cabin from the dock?” Teddy asked.
“It’s less than a mile,” John answered. “We should be able to use the canoe to carry Maggie over the trail. It’s mostly flat all the way to the cabin, and I cleared a path when I first built the dock.”
“It’s peaceful out here,” Teddy said, glancing around and admiring the landscape.
“Yes, it is,” John said.
“I don’t get out much from the city, aside from going to the farm,” Teddy said. “But this is much nicer than the farm.”
“Do you even like working on the farm?” John asked.
Teddy shrugged. “It’s okay. I wasn’t around nature a lot growing up, so it’s been a bit of an adjustment dealing with different animals and that kind of thing.
I only really joined up because of Syd—”Teddy caught himself, and then he cleared his throat as his cheeks flushed a crimson red. John repressed a smirk.
“You like her,” John said.
Teddy struggled to find the courage that John had noticed before, but he eventually harnessed it.
He straightened up and looked John in the eye.
“I do, sir. I very much enjoy spending time with your daughter. And, if it’s all right with you, I would like to take her out on a date. You know, after all of this is over.”
John almost smiled at Teddy’s sincere request. The kid had a good heart, and while John didn’t know if Sydney had similar feelings toward him, he didn’t have any qualms about the two going on a date.
“Well, I don’t think it’s really up to me,” John said. “You’d have to ask Sydney if that’s what she wants to do. But if you’re asking if I approve. I do.”
Teddy smiled and once again blushed. After so much bloodshed, hardship, pain, and suffering they had all experienced in this short amount of time, it felt good to see a bit of hope shine through.
Everything John did, everything Maggie did, was for the prospect of the future of their children.
They wanted to create a path they could follow, but ultimately, their children would have to walk it on their own.
They had always preached the importance of finding somebody to walk that path with them, somebody who shared the same ideals and hopes for the future.
Above all else, that was what John and Maggie wanted for their children. To find the balance between all of life’s struggles and happiness. To never become so overwhelmed that they were crushed by life itself. But instead, to meet challenges head-on and find a way to thrive.
And if there was one silver lining John found amid all the pain the EMP had caused, it was that his family had the strength and perseverance to overcome any obstacle.
They had faced the worst life could throw at them, and they had survived.
Now, all that mattered was making sure everyone was healed and rested to start again.
Or perhaps this was finally the last push that John and his family needed in order to leave the city and move out to the homestead for good. John didn’t have any qualms about living out here.
It was nice to think about all the plans that could come to fruition, and it was a very welcome change of pace from all the horrible decisions that John had had to make since the EMP was detonated.
After ten minutes of walking along the trail, Teddy stopped.“Mr. Carver, I think I need a break,” Teddy said.
“Sure,” John replied.
The pair sat the canoe down, and Teddy walked over to a nearby stump. While Teddy caught his breath, John tended to Maggie.
Maggie’s vitals had improved, and when he brushed her sweaty bangs from her forehead, she grunted as she stirred awake.
“Hey, it’s okay,” John said. “It’s me; you’re safe.”
Maggie looked startled when she finally opened her eyes. “What happened?” Maggie asked.
“You were shot, but we got you to the cabin,” John answered. “We’re almost there, and Sydney and Blake are waiting for us.”
Maggie started to sit up, but John held her back down. “I need to see them. I need to see my children.”
“You will,” John said, keeping his hand firmly on her chest. “But right now, you need to rest. We have plenty of time for a reunion. I promise.”
Maggie relaxed, and John gently brushed his fingers through her hair. They stared at one another for a moment, happy to have made it out.
“I wasn’t sure I was going to see you again,” Maggie said.
“You can’t get rid of me that easy,” John replied.
“No, I guess I can’t,” Maggie said.
The brief show of strength that Maggie had vanished, and she closed her eyes again. He was glad she was awake and was thankful this was almost over. He let Maggie sleep and then checked on Teddy.
“You all right?” John asked.
Teddy shook his head. “It’s my ribs. Feels like something is stabbing me every time I take a breath.”
“Let me take a look at your side,” John said.
John slowly lifted his shirt and revealed a bruise along his side.
It was clear they were broken, and he had a possible collapsed lung.
It was a serious condition and required more medical expertise than John could offer.
Maggie might be able to help if she was awake, but she was still recovering herself.
“Why don’t you sit right here, and I will get Sydney to come back and help me,” John said.
“Are you sure?” Teddy asked.
“Yeah, it’ll be fine,” John answered. “Just hang tight, and I’ll be right back. It’s not much farther up the trail.”
“Okay, thanks,” Teddy answered, and he started wheezing again.
“Just stay on the path,” John said. “Don’t wander off of it. There are traps I’ve set in the woods as a security precaution.”
“Got it,” Teddy replied.
John was fully aware of just how dangerous a collapsed lung was, but he didn’t want to alarm the boy. He hurried along the path toward the cabin, leaving Maggie to help save time.
John was so consumed with thinking about the next steps for Teddy that he didn’t pay attention to his surroundings. But when he neared the cabin, he noticed how quiet it was.
He didn’t think Sydney and Blake would be having a party, but the silence made him worry there was something wrong. And just as John was slowing down, gunshots were fired in his direction from the cabin window, and John dove behind a nearby tree for cover.