The Crash Box Set, page 16
part #1 of EMP Crash Series
“Do you think our need to survive ultimately just will override our conscience, though? I mean, if push came to shove, do you think you honestly could give up your own life for the sake of what you believe in?” Luis asked.
Grace looked at Mack, who replied, “I think it's different for me because I always was trained to think of things from a military perspective. I was always just one cog in a much larger machine and there were always things bigger than me. I'd like to think that we can stay true to our principles even in the most desperate times, but I know it's not easy. I suppose the question to ask yourself is, ‘Do you think you could live with yourself even after knowing that you betrayed your ideals?’ I'm not sure I'd like to go through life knowing I had cast aside everything I had stood for. How could I look in the mirror, or at anyone, again after that?”
His answer made Grace and Luis think about themselves. The two of them were from a much different generation, where patriotism wasn't such an all-encompassing force. Also, unlike Mack, they considered themselves outsiders; Grace because of her activities as a hacker, and Luis, not only because of his cultural heritage, but also because of the way he was treated by his family. As such, they had nothing larger to stay true to, only themselves. Mack noticed how they both looked unsure.
“Say, for example, you came across a man dying, and there was no one else around, but perhaps it posed some risk to you. Maybe you have to cross a dangerous bridge, or perhaps you're not sure if it's a trap? Your conscience, I would hope, is telling you to go help him, but your survival instinct probably is telling you to leave. Now, there's nobody else around, so nobody is going to judge you for it, but if you turned away would you really be able to carry on through life knowing you had consigned a man to his death? Wouldn't that just eat you up inside? I'd rather try to be the best possible version of myself and fail than turn away from people who need me.”
“Man, they should have hired you to play Captain America,” Luis said, and the trio laughed.
The moment of jocularity was enough to break the tension, but the issue remained on their minds for a long time afterward. The rules of this new world were still to survive, and with nobody to maintain law and order the only code of honor available was one's own. Mack knew it was easy to sit around a fire eating food and talking in conceptual terms, but when it came down to it even he wasn't sure how far he was willing to push himself for his own survival. Death could be waiting for him at any moment, and while he wanted to believe he could make it back to Anna, he knew that was a long way away. To get there he would have to have Lady Luck on his side, as well as not making any mistakes himself.
On one particular night, after they had been traveling for a few days and were far away from the farm, Grace finally broke their silence about Willie and his family. As yet they hadn't actually spoken about what had transpired there.
“At least you've been proven right,” she said, directing her comment toward Mack.
It was late at night and the stars were twinkling high in the sky, while far away they could hear the distant sound of a stream bubbling by. They had used this earlier to wash themselves and refill their water bottles. The choking smell of the fire long since had burned away and they could make out only the vague shapes of each other in the darkness.
“About what?” Mack said.
“That there are still good people in the world. They didn't have to take us in or show us kindness, but they did, and not in a superficial way either. For a time there I actually felt like part of the family. It was nice,” she said, her last words turning wistful.
“They were,” Mack said, “I'm sorry to you both for cutting our stay short.”
“You don't have anything to apologize for,” Luis said.
“You did what you thought was right and we all were there. We all agreed to your plan. I just don't know what we're going to do about that group if we ever run into them again. They seem to be watching out for us, and they're the ones in charge here.” He tried to hide it, but the others could hear that he sounded worried.
“They're just people, like any others. And they sound like bullies. Hopefully, we'll avoid them, but if we do run into them again what we need is more information. So far we know that they come out to the farm to get supplies. So it's safe to assume they don't have a way to produce food themselves. I would imagine their power comes from their numbers, and the weapons they carry. The man on the wagon also mentioned a Mr. Smith, who would seem to be their leader. A conversation with him would be very interesting indeed.”
“But how are we going to fight them if we run into a patrol?” Luis asked. “You can't talk us out of every bad situation.”
“No, unfortunately I can't. I think we need to start making some weapons. We need to start using the tools that nature has provided us with. We can't always rely on the things that we carried over from our old lives. We have to think of the future and learn how to live off the land. Tomorrow we'll start.”
With that they slept in the darkness, hidden from everything else. Somewhere else in the forest there were deadly predators waiting for them, and Mack hoped it was not just a matter of time before they were hunted like prey.
Chapter 2
To that end, in the period after leaving the farm he quickly showed Grace and Luis how to make rudimentary weapons. He still held the pistol he had taken from Kathryn's house, but as yet he had not fired it, wanting to save the bullets for when he really needed them. Before they left the farm Willie had given them a knife and an old hammer that the farmer didn't need anymore, but it was still good to have a variety of weapons. As such, Mack used the knife to whittle some spears, and they used them to hunt so Grace and Luis could practice throwing them.
At first, the two of them were not very good, and the spears landed harmlessly a few feet away, but Mack persisted. He showed them the correct form; how he would plant his feet in the ground, maintain his posture, bring his arm back while using the other to point toward his target, then move his body forward, flinging the spear from his hand, hitting against the tree with a loud twang. Grace and Luis were impressed. After more practice Luis proved to be adept with the weapon, while Grace never quite seemed to get the hang of it.
While this discouraged her, Mack reminded her that it was just one weapon and there were many others. As a case in point, Mack spent a while looking for a good piece of wood with which to make a bow, and then made some arrows. It was a more arduous task than making spears, but a bow was a potent long-range weapon in the right hands, and it was much easier to carry around a bunch of arrows than an armful of spears. Both Luis and Mack were surprised when, on her first try at using the bow and arrow, Grace hit the target multiple times. On the first shot they assumed it was just luck, but as she drew back the bow a second time and exhaled slowly, it was clear she had a natural talent for it. After shooting a few arrows she turned to them, shrugged, and said it was just a matter of simple physics to get the angle and force right.
Equipped with their new weapons they were like human hunters of a bygone era, using only the land to survive. At first, Grace thought the act of hunting was barbaric and she still struggled to kill animals, who she saw as harmless creatures, but it was a matter of logic that she had to keep her strength up for the times ahead. The first time she had to kill an animal was difficult, but then it became easier and she thought about what Mack had said about pushing their limits to survive. This was one of hers and she had been capable of crossing that line. Who knew what else she would be capable of?
As the days went by they talked a little more about the state of the world and if civilization ever was going to be rebuilt. It was difficult to tell without knowing what sort of shape the rest of the country was in, especially Washington, but as Mack said, it was dependent on getting a communications network up and running. Right now nobody knew what anyone else was doing, and they were completely in the dark. This was a position that Mack hated and he wished he had more information about, well, just about everything. There were so many questions and he wondered if he ever actually would get the answer to any of them.
On their way to the city their path eventually took them back toward the river, which snaked through the land. As they approached, Mack started noticing some marks on trees, and he pointed these out to his companions. They were notches carved into the trunks with knives, and each one had a different pattern. Some were stars, some were just two lines running parallel to each other. They were barely noticeable from the usual markings on the trees. Grace went up to look at them more closely; she was used to seeing symbols and was intrigued by what they could mean. Mack was about to tell her when Luis piped up.
“I know what these are!” he said, beaming, “they're symbols used by backpackers to give information about the terrain. This one means that we're on the right track to the river, it means that there's water ahead. Others can talk about shelter, or friendly places, or even warnings, although I don't see any of those symbols around here.” Feeling pleased that he was able to contribute something, Luis then had an idea. He asked Mack for the knife and began carving something into an unmarked tree.
“What are you doing?” Grace asked.
“I'm just putting up a warning. Maybe before there wasn't a threat in the area, but now there is. If anyone else comes along and recognizes these things they should be aware of what's out there.” He chopped out some wood and bark fell to the ground, and by the end of it a crude symbol had been carved into the trunk.
“Now people will be on their guard. Hopefully, it'll help somebody,” he said, and they continued on their way.
It felt as though they had been in the forest for a long time, even though it had been only a matter of weeks. Yet, weeks in this world were like an eternity, for anything could have happened. The world had taken only a matter of hours to fall apart, and Mack wanted to get back to the city just so he could see what actually had occurred, even if it was something he rather would not see. When he thought about Mr. Smith's group it amazed him how they had been so organized so quickly, as it hadn't taken them long to band together. It suggested they were already a group of people who knew each other and were able to congregate swiftly. They must have come from somewhere with a large population, though, as they clearly had many mouths to feed. Mack couldn't believe there were so many people who just happened to be wandering around the forest at that time who then decided to throw their lot in with the famed Mr. Smith. The mystery nagged at him, and although for their own safety it would have been better if they never heard from Mr. Smith or his group again, part of Mack wanted to encounter them just so he could get the answers he was seeking.
However, although they kept their eyes peeled for other people, none crossed their path, and Mack wondered how long their luck would last. As they approached the river they heard the water gushing as it splashed against the rocks and flowed in a steady, fast torrent. The air smelled a little sweeter than usual and they had to walk down a slope to get to the river's edge. While Grace and Luis were ready to walk down to the river, Mack held them back. He peered around the area and looked across toward the other side of the river. If there were other people nearby, this water source is what would lead them to come together.
However, again the world around them was quiet, so the three of them stumbled down the slope and made their way to where the ground plateaued into the river. They set down their bags and stretched their aching muscles, glad to have the opportunity to rest. Mack walked forward and crouched down, cupping his hands into the water and splashing some on his face. Walking through the forest had worked up quite a sweat, and feeling the cool relief of water against his skin was refreshing.
“I think we should stop here, it looks like a fairly safe place. We can bathe and maybe do a little hunting. I don't think we should stop for too long, though. This river is long and we'll be near it for a while. So we know we'll be able to find more water easily if we need it.”
The area in which they were standing was a piece of flat land. The path continued to the right and the left. The right was the direction in which they were going to head after they finished their rest. Trees drooped over the river, blocking out the sun and giving them shade. To the left the path went further along and there was another area given privacy by a big rock. The river was wide, and the water gushed forward, sparkling like crystal in the sun.
Mack looked up and down the river. It looked smooth, although there were places in which jagged rocks jutted out of the surface of the water, and the river was going at a fast pace. He had wondered if it would be possible to swim along the river, but judging by the water’s pace, it would be difficult to maintain control against the current. More likely, anyone who tried would be swept up by it, and he didn't fancy finding out what it would be like to be slammed against one of those rocks.
Meanwhile, Grace walked around to the other side of the big rock and began peeling off her clothes. She pulled her hair across her face and pouted as she saw the dye beginning to fade. Soon her rainbow hair would be no more. Her hair was thick with sweat and dirt, and she was grateful for the chance to wash it. They had taken some small washing supplies from the plane, but she used them sparingly. The smell of coconut was a welcome change from what she had been used to smelling, however. As she let her clothes drop to the ground she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting the fresh air drift over her body. She stepped into the water, which was a pleasant temperature, and let it wash over her skin. There she bathed and sank under the surface, able to forget about her problems for a while.
Luis was just about to bathe as well, when he realized Grace had taken the shampoo. He walked around the rock, calling out her name so he didn't disturb her, but as she was under the water she was unable to hear him. So when he peeked around the corner, he saw her emerging from the water, and his eyes popped out of his head. He knew he shouldn't look, and after a moment his head jerked away and his darted to the ground, but that moment was enough to see the array of tattoos that wound around her body like vines, intricate patterns that covered much of her flesh.
Along her right arm were cascading musical notes that reached down to her wrist. Words that he couldn't read stretched down from her shoulder to the middle of her chest. Spider webs hung on both sides of her stomach, stretching around to her back, leaving her navel bare. On her left thigh was a fairy holding up a wand, and stars fell down to her ankle. For a moment, time froze and the two of them stood there, too shocked to say anything, then Luis quickly excused himself and rushed back to Mack. He flung himself in the water.
Grace dried herself and put her clothes back on. Nobody ever had seen her naked before, and there was something thrilling about the clandestine way Luis had happened to come forth upon her. When they first had met Grace had found his attention irksome, but as he grew close with Margaret she found she actually missed it somewhat.
She wasn't sure if she wanted anything to happen with Luis because that would just make things awkward on the journey, and she didn't feel like the best catch anyway because she had a long list of intimacy issues, but the attention was appreciated. When she returned to Mack and Luis she decided not to say anything, but she noticed how Luis' eyes drifted down her body, then quickly darted away as her eyes threatened to meet his. It was notable how Luis kept his distance.
Grace sat by the water's edge with her feet resting in the river while Mack and Luis continued bathing. Mack's body was in good shape, seasoned with muscle and cut in all the right places. Luis had the slim body of a twenty-year-old, his muscles slender and stomach flat. Their waists were under the water but whenever they stood up Grace turned her head away, not wanting to know them that intimately, although she felt that seeing Luis' naked body would have been fair.
Luis quickly grabbed his clothes and wrapped them around his body, then stood up to let the water drip off him. They had some old cloths that they used as towels but it was more effective to just dry naturally. As Luis was standing up, avoiding looking at Grace by gazing out down the river, he furrowed his brow. He stepped forward, and climbed up a few rocks to get a better vantage point.
“Oh my God,” he said, “there's someone out there.”
Chapter 3
As soon as the words flew from Luis' lips Grace scrambled up and joined him, looking in the same direction. Mack turned his head as well; he was still in the water, and swam out so he could see what Grace and Luis were pointing at. The river was mostly smooth, with a little bit of foam curdling at the edges. It was deep enough that he couldn't stand but the bottom wasn't too far below the soles of his feet.
As he strained his eyes he had to raise one arm to shade them against the burning sun, and in the distance, he could indeed see what looked like a body bobbing in the water. Downstream the river looked to be stronger, and the current was carrying the body in its wake. Mack couldn't tell too much from where he was swimming, but it was clear that whoever it was had lost consciousness -- or worse, was dead -- and wasn't going to be able to stop themselves from being knocked against one of the protruding rocks.
Without a second thought Mack leaped into action and began making his way to the body, which was coming toward him. He had to fight against the current with all his strength. His sinewy muscles pushed himself through the water, crashing down, creating waves around him. Grace and Luis watched, worried for what may happen, not only to Mack, but to this stranger as well. Mack thrashed through the water, making sure to avoid the dangerous obstacles, turning his head to keep track of where the body was.
