Hard Reboot Episode 01

Chapter 13

Quinn left them outside the hospital with a half-dozen guards with instructions that they could only take what they could carry. The guards drove them to David's place. He filled a backpack with clothes, several bottles of water, and two boxes of granola bars. He changed clothes, and put on a pair of new, sturdy shoes.

The ride to Brita's house was quiet. The streets were empty along the way, the houses brightly lit. They didn't pass anyone on the way from the car to her house. Where is everyone?

Brita rushed up to her bedroom, and pulled her backpack from the desk. She dumped its contents on her bed. She'd been looking forward to starting her senior year of high school. But it looks like that wasn't going to happen. She put a spare pair of shoes in the bottom of the backpack, stuffed them with socks, and topped it with everything she thought she would need. She grabbed a light jacket, put it on, and tossed the backpack over one shoulder.

She went to her mom's room, and stood in the doorway. Her eyes drifted over the furniture, and the clothes she'd worn before going to the memorial service just - yesterday. Her eyes filled with tears, and she turned away.

She stopped at Bobbi's room before heading down. She wanted to leave something for her sister if she ever came back here. But she couldn't think of anything.

"Got everything?" David asked when Brita returned to the Great Room.

Brita took a deep breath, looking around. She'd hope to have a last reminder before she left. But every pillow, every chair seemed empty without her family. Even the air smelled more sterile than at the hospital. She started to turn around, but she hesitated. She ran to the kitchen. She grabbed all the knives she could find, wrapped them in a kitchen towel, and shoved them in the top of her backpack. She grabbed the last of the garbage bags from under the sink, and put them down the side.

Two guards drove them through town, and stopped across the river, north of town. Brita stepped out of the car and across the road. While David pulled the backpacks from the car, she stared out into the dark woods in front of her.

David stepped up beside her and set her back in front of her. "We don't even have a torch." Brita just shrugged.

"All right, you two," one guard said coming up behind them, "hand over your Halos."

Brita turned back, "Mine was confiscated at the Mission. I never got it back."

The guard shrugged. David dropped his in the guards open hand.

He pointed out into the woods where Brita had been staring, "Riverton's about 5 miles that way," he turned a little to the left, "Lenore's about 7 miles that way. Or," he flipped his hand to the left, "you can follow this all the way up to Christ's Bay. It's only 40 miles." He flashed him a grin before returning to the car.

David and Brita picked up their backpacks, slung them over their shoulders, and watched as the car drove off.

As soon as the lights from the car disappeared, Brita removed her backpack, set it on the ground, and started opening a side pocket.

"What are you doing?" David asked.

Brita remained quiet, standing a moment later and held an object out to David. She flipped a switch -- the light flared around the darkened street. Brita smiled.

"I didn't forget a flashlight." Her smile grew.

She turned back to the woods, and her smile vanished. She took a deep breath, held it, and exhaled loudly. She turned to the left, "Only 40 miles? Huh?"

David took the flashlight and shone it into the woods - swinging it back and forth along the tree line.

"There's a little path there, looks like some kind of game trail," he said squinting into the darkened woods.

"A game trail? Really?" Brita rasped.

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?"

"It's a game trail."

"So?"

"So, there's gonna be game on it."

"Probably nothing at this time of the day," he hesitated, "err, night."

"Probably?" she squeaked.

"Come on," David sighed. He waved her to follow him.

Brita stood on the tree line looking south. Bobbi lay that way. Bobbi - her sister. She pulled the Halo from her pocket, held it in her palm. "Mom? I can't keep my promise right now. But I will." She turned the Halo on and clipped it to her ear. "Bobbi?"

Nothing.

"Are you coming?" David called from within the woods.

She turned it back off, and stuffed it back in her pocket. "I'll be back," she whispered. "I will be back."

#

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