Chapter 3 Cam #3
Cam shrugged. “Winters should win by a landslide.” If he had doubts, he’d stay to vote. He stared at the captain. “You probably guessed I’m not voting for my mother.”
The captain nodded. “You were brave yesterday. I was prepared to overrule your decision if you sent the Clarks away, so I appreciate your decision. They aren’t the kind of people we should ever turn away. They also won’t be the last people at our gate pleading for sanctuary.”
Cam rubbed the back of his neck. “My family forgets I have my own ideas. I’ve lived on my own for years. Even though I grew up in xTerra, I often camped with my old friend, Lewis. I’ve seen what it’s like out there. Then and now.”
“The mayor over-reacted yesterday.” The captain must have overheard when his mother had called him a traitor.
“Maybe.” Cam kept his face neutral. “That’s been a long time coming. My absence might give her time to cool off.”
From the set of Wilson’s jaw, he didn’t agree.
“We’ll look for you in a few weeks. I have a feeling before too long we’re going to need every able-bodied person we have.
Best of luck out there, Montgomery. Safe travels.
” They shook hands, and the captain unlocked the door in the stone wall beside the main gate, letting Cam through.
The iron gate clanged behind him, and the lock turned with a click.
“Thanks.” He adjusted his loaded backpack and headed south, cutting away from the gravel road and into the flat grasslands.
Grasshoppers leaped away from his steps through the knee-high grass, and the occasional bird caught his attention as he walked.
A gentle breeze flowed, carrying the scents of warm earth and growing things while the quiet became that of ordinary open spaces without people.
It wasn’t true silence if you listened, just nature going about its business of living. He took a deep breath, inhaling the peace and calm. Out here, a burden lifted from his shoulders, and expectations ceased to matter.
Cam hiked for several hours, checking his compass occasionally to maintain his southern trajectory, angling east through the afternoon until he ran across the crumbled and pitted remains of Highway 71.
Turning onto the road, he walked another couple of hours without seeing a soul.
There weren’t many landmarks, so the odd rolling hill or bank of trees acted as visual markers to break the monotony of the landscape.
He’d forgotten how much he enjoyed being beyond the walls.
Alert for other travelers, including the Slains, other sounds crept into his awareness once more.
He listened to the insect orchestra of whirring and clicking, which, though not as abundant as in high summer, still showed a flurry of activity.
Birds swooped through the air, catching bugs, while others hid in the trees, trilling, their sound carrying on the breeze.
Higher overhead, faint honks accompanied the Vs of geese heading south.
While walking this flat terrain, his pace remained steady.
Cam ate a sandwich on the move and took the odd pull from his canteen as needed.
When the sun grew low on the western horizon, the sky a brilliant blaze of color, at last he stopped.
With everything appearing much the same in every direction on the grasslands, he chose a likely-looking place to camp overnight.
Near a rolling series of low ridges, he set up his two-person tent, using a convenient stone to pound the pegs into the sun-baked earth.
With the persistent breeze, he stretched out the guidelines and staked them.
He threw his self-inflating mattress and sleeping bag inside the low structure before making dinner.
While he still had daylight, he readied his candle lantern for later, leaving it beside the tent, stowed his matches in his pocket and continued.
Cam ambled along the treed ridge, collecting firewood.
With the sun going down, the temperature dropped.
This time of year, a hot meal for dinner would be welcome.
When he returned to his camp in the fading daylight, he dug a hole, built a compact fire at the bottom, and boiled water for his dinner.
After a quick meal of pasta with rehydrated tomato sauce, he stretched out on the ground, his pack as a pillow.
He wasn’t quite ready to sleep, so he listened to the crackling fire as it burnt down to a glowing pile of embers.
For probably more than an hour, he watched the sky fade from navy blue, to charcoal, and at last to deep velvety black filled with a blanket of brilliant stars.
The peace of the day continued as he stared up at the heavens and the last of his worries dissipated. Out here, a man could breathe.
When at last Cam grew chilled and his eyes heavy, he doused his coals before climbing into his tent. From a distance came faint howls and yips of wolves and coyotes who roamed the plains. He faded off to sleep to their symphony.
If the canines came closer in the night to investigate his presence, they left him alone.