Eliot Strange and the Prince of the Resistance

29) More of the Cold, Hard Truth

After the story, we settle into eating a quick breakfast, and Gus starts a small fire with the papers and boxes Reginald found. They are oddly well supplied for men on a months long trek through hell, no matter their obvious skills. Reginald heats up an MRE of hash browns and bacon, and we drink coffee from a thermos.

"Sorry," says Gus. "Borrowed some supplies."

Oh yeah, right. From my house. I forgot I left some supplies. That explains it. I hope they didn't get it all.

Gus must be reading my mind because he says, "Don't worry, didn't take it all. Left you some, in case you got back there. Looks like you are headed there now?"

"Yeah, thanks," I say. "Going to look for my dad." I think about it and add, "And my mom."

"Your dad?" asks Gus. "I thought he was in the mountains somewhere. Hiding. Waiting it out."

Jeez, they know all about me, but not everything. My dad is not "hiding". He's waiting. "No, my cousin Carli saw him. He was there that day. The day of the stadium battle." I realize they may not know about the battle so I add, " We had a battle."

"Good news then. He's all right then? Carli was with him? Carli here too then? Jack or the prince with her?"

Gus's questions seem innocent enough and with just the right amount of concern, but he is sure asking a lot of them. I feel like I am being interrogated by a smooth operator.

Without answering, I ask my own question even though I know the answer, "So you didn't find Carli in High Point?"

"No, she was gone," and before I can ask him how he knows he adds, "Met her boyfriend. A real piece of work. Billy? Barry? He told me where she'd probably gone."

"Brad's his name. His name is Brad," 'I say. I feel like I need to defend Carli for some reason so I add, "They broke up."

"I met him, talked to him. Not a pleasant or forthcoming type of fella, but he did tell where Carli had gone. He mentioned a man she was with. Sounded like either the prince or Jack."

"It was Jack," I say for the first time confirming that I might know Jack or Torin. 

"So you say Carli was with your dad for awhile?" asks Gus.

"Carli saw my dad in Mt. Airy. He helped her at the battle. We all got separated, during the fight, but she found me later and tried to warn us that the One Nation Army was here. They encountered them, but she got away."

"Hope your dad got away too because that town is blown to tiny pieces now." Gus points towards town. "See the smoke. Heard their army blew a man who was shooting at them from atop that building to the moon. Kaboom."

More confirmation about my father's demise.

"Did you see it?" I ask.

"No, but I heard it," says Gus who adds this time with hand gestures, "Kaboom."

"I saw it," says Reginald.

That's enough for me. Confirmation from a man of few words. Now more bad news from Gus:

"If you're going back to find your mom, she's gone."

Oh praise Jesus, did they see or hear her blown from the earth to the moon too?

"How do you know?" I ask not wanting to know.

"One Nation Army retreated to Stuart. The army of America is on their tail. They look to make a stand there, is what we heard. If your mom is still with them, she is there, not Mt. Airy. You should come with us. Help us find the prince. We heard he's with Jack, his bodyguard. Heard you might know the prince. Know him very well. If we find him, it might be a way to end this sooner."