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  Tanya nodded. Her eyes were glassy. Nick didn't know how much of what he said actually made it through. He left her to grab his gear quickly, and then returned to pack a few clothes for her. All the while he tried not to think about Jim and how he could do that to his own family. If this was the kind of world they were living in, Nick didn't know how there was going to be any hope for humanity.

  Back in the hallway, Cosmo asked about a plan.

  “I'm just wondering if Jim wasn't lying about the people nearby. If there are others around, then they might have a camp where we can stay. I think that's our best choice,” he suggested.

  None of them had any other ideas, so they made their way back down through the kitchen and away from the farm. Before they left Nick glanced down at the farmer’s body. Jim hadn't moved from where they had left him. It felt wrong just to leave him there after what he had done, but Nick didn't know what else to do. It wasn't as though he could call the cops anymore. He shut the door. The four of them walked out into the night. The rain still was falling in big drops, but the lightning and thunder were fading.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Cosmo still was half-asleep, although being in the cold air started to wake him up. He still was reeling from everything that Nick had told him. Tanya seemed to be in a similar state. Given the way she looked, Cosmo suspected Jim had done something to her. What a dirty old man. He was a piece of work. There were times when Cosmo wondered if he really was right in his mistrust of people, but cases like this proved it. There was no sense of safety in the world anymore, and all of them had to be on their guard if they were going stay safe and keep away from people like Jim. Sadly, they seemed to be all over the place. In the city, out in the woods, Cosmo wondered if there ever was going to be a safe place. Still, he was glad this truth had been revealed before they all had been put in the freezer too.

  Cosmo never could understand people. What was it about the world ending that made everyone go crazy? Life went on. Sure, you didn't work anymore, but that didn't mean you had to go cutting up other people, or just killing people for the fun of it. And now they were going to meet more people. Cosmo wasn't exactly in favor of the plan. After all, more people meant more trouble. Nick seemed to think it was the right idea, though, and Cosmo didn't have any alternative. They were going to come across other people at some point. Might as well make it now.

  Since Nick had saved his life, Cosmo was inclined to go along with him, and the stocky man had a feeling that his chances of surviving were better if he went along with Nick. However, there was a feeling that Nick didn't have it all sorted out. After all, he accepted Tanya into their group all because she brought his dog back. Cosmo didn't have anything against the girl yet, but it was always dangerous to trust a pretty face, and she hadn't exactly been forthcoming about her past. Not that he was going to say anything. It wouldn't go down well with Nick, and only would cause more problems, but Cosmo would keep a close eye on her. He should have been more careful of the farmer, really. He'd figured something had been up when Jim hadn't given him any respect for being from a farming family. Sure, Cosmo had turned his back on them for a more stable life in the city, but he still had farmer's blood in him. That never would change.

  Some people were so judgmental.

  The rain poured down, blurring his vision. He wrapped his jacket around himself and was glad they'd actually managed to get some better clothes while on the farm. It was a bit morbid, though, given what was associated with these clothes. Still, the clothes were needed. Nick walked off in a random direction, even though none of them had any idea where any of these neighbors were, or even if they existed. Cosmo wasn't going to say anything to Nick, but the flaw in his plan was he was taking the word of a madman.

  It was probably more for Tanya's sake that they needed some direction. She was staggering, and only kept on track because Nick and Backdraft were guiding her. Cosmo couldn't imagine what it must have been like for her, or what it was like to be a woman in this world. So vulnerable...he wished that things were different. Most of all, he wished he was on his own tropical island where he didn't need to worry about anyone else invading his privacy. Then again...if he was on his own, there could have been a disaster, such as at the watermill, and that wouldn't do any good. Not that he liked thinking about that too often. He was more capable than that.

  Nick had been in the right place at the right time. Cosmo wasn't really one to trust in fate, but that certainly had been a stroke of good fortune. He wasn't sure the same could be said of Tanya, though. The way she was mooning over Nick...and it wasn’t just now that he had noticed that. Cosmo had seen the way Tanya was looking at Nick ever since she had approached them. It seemed quite coincidental, really, the way she had appeared so soon after the men had walked away. Maybe she was a spy. She'd said she was working her way back home, but Cosmo wasn't sure about that. She didn't have the same accent as Alaskans, and when she'd told them, she paused for a few moments, as though she had to think about what she was going to say next. But why would she have to think about something like that? No, there was definitely something fishy, and it was going to be up to Cosmo to figure it out. Nick wouldn't do anything about it because he was too grateful she had reunited him with his dog.

  The other annoying thing about Tanya was that she seemed to be monopolizing Nick's time. Cosmo wasn't a jealous person, but he and Nick had been forming a good camaraderie, and it was a shame to see it pushed aside for Tanya.

  “You know, I think the river should be nearby,” Cosmo said. He stopped a moment to get his bearings, and then headed off in a slightly different direction from the one in which they had been walking.

  “You sure about this?” Nick asked.

  “Oh yeah, I read a lot about the geography. It was something of a hobby of mine. It's fascinating to read about the history of this place. Cities come and go, as do generations of men, but the land always stays the same. Did you know that before this place got colonized it was--”

  Just as he was about to continue, Tanya stopped and groaned, leaning against a tree. Cosmo pressed his lips together, feeling it was rather inconvenient timing. Nick saw to her, and after a little while she seemed ready to move again. They continued. Cosmo took the lead, hoping it would impress Nick and show that he could be trusted with responsibility. Nick still was supporting Tanya, and Cosmo was getting annoyed. Yes, it was an ordeal, but surely she should have been able to stand on her own two feet by now? Self-reliance was one of the most important qualities anyone could have, especially with the world the way it was. Tanya couldn't always rely on Nick and, at some point, she was going to have to get used to that.

  Cosmo continued, following his instincts. He thought back to the maps and the books he had read. Getting to the river was paramount as they needed to have clean water. Given that they had left the farm in such a hurry they had not been able to replenish their water supplies. The rainwater was a relief, but it was tapering off, and would not last forever. There was a moment of doubt, when Cosmo was unsure whether to go right or left. He didn't want to disappoint Nick, so didn't let on that he was confused and instead chose right. Right is always right. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the river nearby. He was about to declare he had found it when he peered through the foliage and saw people milling about. It was hard to say how many there were, but there were enough for Cosmo to be alarmed.

  Nick came up to him. “We should stay hidden and watch them for a while,” Cosmo suggested.

  The worst thing they could do was to announce themselves. If these people were hostile, then they would stand no chance, and Cosmo didn't like the idea of being captured. The world was filled with murderers, and he wouldn't be surprised if this was some kind of cult. To his dismay, Nick walked out into the open and spread his palms out wide, greeting the people by the river. Cosmo placed his head in his hands and wondered what he had done to get mixed up with such a reckless man. Wasn't he ever going to learn his lesson? They should have moved away.
It still was fairly dark, and there were plenty of places to hide. It would have been easy for Cosmo to slip away into the night and go off on his own...but that was impossible. He still owed Nick a life debt, and until that was paid he had to stay by Nick's side. With that, Cosmo rose from his hiding place and stood by Nick.

  The people by the river stared at them for a moment. They seemed relaxed and, as far as Cosmo could see, none of them had weapons. Some had been bathing, while others were sitting around on the grass. They had laid material on the ground, so they did not get covered with mud, although they seemed the type of people who weren't bothered by that sort of thing. There was no real discerning pattern among them, other than that they wore stupid grins. Cosmo's mind instantly began to turn.

  “Welcome, friends. I'm Gillian, and we're rejoicing that the storm is over! Don't you just love that sweet smell in the air after a storm, when nature finally has calmed down?” she said. She was a red-haired woman, very attractive, although Cosmo tried not to notice.

  “I'm Nick,” he said, and introduced the others, “and yeah, we were caught in it ourselves. It was a hell of a thing. I hope you weren't out in it all this time.”

  “Well, unfortunately, there's not much in the way of shelter out here, but thankfully we were spared. I have to tell you that we are somewhat favored by fortune,” Gillian said, with an enigmatic smile. Cosmo glanced toward Nick and saw how Tanya shrank behind him.

  “What do you mean by that?” Nick asked.

  “All the people you see before you were on a plane that crashed when the bright light flashed through the sky. Yet, we managed to survive by the grace of whatever force controls the universe.”

  “Is that everyone who was on the plane?” Nick asked, amazed.

  “Sadly not,” Gillian said.

  By this point the newcomers had caught everyone's attention, and they looked at Cosmo and the others with great interest. Most of their attention was focused on Nick, since he was speaking. Cosmo took advantage of this and looked carefully at the mixture of men and women and children before him. He saw a couple of burly men who he assumed would be the main threats if this went down. Some people were obviously couples, while others were single. The ones who had been bathing were not ashamed of their nudity and none of them seemed bothered by it, which was a strange attitude in Cosmo's eyes.

  “There were many who lost their lives,” Gillian continued, “and we try to pay tribute to them every day. We know it just as easily could have been us who no longer saw the light of day. So, even though the world has changed, we try to make the best of each day, and find joy where we can.”

  It was a noble thought, but to Cosmo it was a little too close to flower power for his liking. He had a bad feeling about these people, although he did not know how to communicate that to Nick. Gillian invited them back to their camp, and Nick accepted without even consulting Cosmo. Cosmo hunched his shoulders and grumbled under his breath as he fell into step with Nick. The others were alive with chatter at these newcomers, but Cosmo couldn't help the feeling that he was being led to a prison.

  “Where were you all flying to?” Cosmo asked.

  “We were coming back to Atlanta, then pretty much everyone was catching a connecting flight somewhere else. Funny how a bunch of strangers can be thrown together, but then become the best of friends. We're almost like a family now, what with everything we've been through,” a nearby man said. Cosmo wasn't interested enough to ask his name. He wanted information.

  “Is that woman in charge of you?”

  “She is a...spokesperson, I suppose you could say. I wouldn't go as far as to say that she is in charge. If there are decisions to be made, we talk them over and come to the one that best fits our needs as a group.”

  “Have you tried getting back to the city?”

  “When we crashed here it took all we could to piece together what had happened. We looked around us and saw the beautiful world of nature. Some of us thought about going to the city, but we saw the bright light and knew this must have happened all over the world. Why go back to the city when there was nothing waiting for us? We have everything we need right here,” the man said. Something about the way he spoke set Cosmo on edge.

  Nick glared at him and nudged him. “You don't have to interrogate these people,” he said in a low voice. Cosmo merely shrugged. He was just talking, and somebody had to get some information.

  They walked a little deeper into the forest, and as they did so, Cosmo's eyes widened. The trees had been split and flattened by a airplane. Broken trees and bushes splayed out underneath the hulking metal, which was crumpled and dented. Some of the propellers were bent, and the windows were smashed. It was humbling to see how a product of human ingenuity so easily had been reduced to nothing.

  The camp itself was made of supplies from the airplane. There were crates and blankets all around. Somehow, they'd even managed to remove some of the seats. The camp was an open area, and everyone seemed ready to welcome them in. It was almost too easy for Cosmo's liking. People were supposed to be suspicious. For all they knew, he, Nick, and Tanya could have been crazy people. They all were friendly, though, and welcomed them into the camp. Cosmo wished he could have a moment to speak to Nick alone, but for the time being it felt as though he had to be quiet and look and learn. There had to be a clue about their real intentions. Nobody was this nice without their being a price, especially not in this world. Everyone had a dark side, and it only was a matter of time before these people revealed theirs.

  Chapter Nineteen

  David remembered when this all had begun. As soon as the solar flare hit Mikey had visited, telling him something major had happened. David wasn't sure about what was going on at first, but he could sense there was trouble. He'd always had a good sense about these things. Mikey dragged him outside and said that this was the perfect time to take a trip. They went to the store where he worked and gathered up a load of equipment to take with them on their little camping adventure. David had felt a little guilty about taking everything without paying for it, but Mikey said he'd square it with the boss as soon as he was able. Besides, it's not as though they could have paid for it, even if they'd wanted to do so. David rarely carried cash on him anymore.

  While they were walking through the city they could see people panicking. David shook his head.

  “Typical of people, isn't it?” he said. “One bad thing happens, and they just lose their minds. Don't they know this all will blow over soon? All they have to do is be a little patient.”

  Mikey agreed, and the two men tried ignoring the howling cries of the rabid people.

  “The best thing is to get out of the city for a while until this settles down,,” Mikey said.

  David couldn't help but agree. Mikey had been hankering for a trip like this for a while. David sensed that he was unhappy with his life and needed to get something off his chest. It would be good to have a male bonding experience. David wasn't exactly a fan of sharing feelings, but sometimes it was needed. Anyway, he and Mikey had been friends for so long they were more like brothers. David knew he could trust Mikey with anything.

  The city had been a dark place in the beginning. People were rioting, and David didn't understand why the cops or firefighters weren't doing anything. It must have been bad if it had seized the entire country, but there were procedures in place for this sort of thing, there had to be. He always had had faith in the government, and that faith still was as strong as ever. He knew that in the White House the President would be mobilizing forces and, soon enough, the country would be rebuilt. Until then, he and Mikey were going to enjoy their vacation.

  They made their way out into the woods and set up camp. It was fun, just the two of them, like old times, and they commented on how they should do this more often. It was something David hadn't realized he'd missed until he was there. Of course, by this point in life, he'd assumed he would have been married with at least one kid, maybe two. Life hadn't worked out that way for eithe
r him or Mikey, though. Maybe it was time to take stock and change. He'd been thinking about online dating for a while now, but never had taken the plunge. Something about it seemed so seedy, and yet the chances to meet new people were growing few and far between.

  He and Mikey spent the days hunting and relaxing by the river, then huddled round a campfire during the night and reminisced. They spoke of old high school stories, of people David had completely forgotten existed. He and Mikey had completely different memories of high school. For Mikey, it had been the peak of his life. He rode the wave of popularity and was never short of a date. David, on the other hand, focused on his work and was something of a loner. Over time, David had come to terms with this, and he was glad to see high school in his rearview mirror. Mikey had been the only one to be a true friend, though. Nobody else had understood David. Nobody had bothered.

  And now, his only friend in the world was gone. It all had been perfect, up until that bastard Nick had appeared, and his cretin friend Cosmo. What kind of a name was that anyway? Had his parents been from the circus? Hatred boiled in his blood as he thought about those two men. They had cost him so much. Mikey never would get a chance to get his life together, and David had been cast out, alone in the world. He never would forget that moment when they first had met. Nick had been rummaging in David's tent when he and Mikey had returned to their camp. He should have put a crossbow in Nick's back then and there, and put an end to all this before it even had begun.