The Savior of the Font

Chapter 1

Alexander County, North Carolina - 16 months after the Rapture

"Molly, is this really where you want to get off?"

How do I say yes? Am I insane? I've been trying to psyche myself up for this, to promise myself it will be okay. Even just looking through the car window with the AC on full blast, I can already tell just how hot it is outside. The afternoon sun bears down on a seemingly endless row of cornfields to my right. Across the street, there's an old house; two-floors with faded white paint and light blue accents. Behind that is a barn. There are more structures beyond, but I couldn't say what they are or what they're for. I've never been on a farm. I know nothing about any of this.

Taking a deep breath, I pull the door handle and step out onto the pavement. I was wrong; I couldn't tell how hot it was. It's way hotter. The smell of dirt and scorched asphalt hits my nose. I stand and take a moment to stretch. It's been nearly two hours to get here from Charlotte, all spent with a cramp in my legs and a knot in my stomach. Bending over, I get my backpack out of the floorboard and swing it over my shoulder.

"That's for the ride, Charlie," I say sweetly.

The worry on his face is obvious. "Listen, Molly. I know I been saying this to ya for a while now, but this really is insane. You don't know if she's here. And if she ain't, you don't know nobody around here. What will you do if you don't find her?"

I sigh. "I have to find her. There's nothing else I can do." I shut the door before he can protest again. Admitting defeat, he puts the car in gear and drives off down the long, country road. Just to confirm what I already know, I pull my phone from my back pocket and light up the screen: no service. Not surprised. After the Rapture, everyone who didn't float sort of packed themselves into the cities. Small rural towns like this went from sparse to deserted. No one stays out here except to run the farms that feed all of us in the cities. It sounds like a lonely and quiet way to live, so it's exactly the kind of place you'd go to disappear.

Holding my breath, I walk across the road and up the dirt driveway towards the house. Sounds of clanging and men talking echo up from around the barn, shifting my path in that direction. My heart pounds. Charlie is right, I don't know anybody here, and if I don't find her, I'll have nowhere to go and no way to get home. I've got a few provisions in my pack, but nothing to live off for very long. I'm jumping with my eyes closed, trusting my intuition that I know her as well as I think I do.

There are two men at the corner of the barn, both with leathery skin. One's under a tractor with a pile of tools next to him in the dust. The other is leaning on the bar wall with a cigarette in his mouth. He has on a white cowboy hat and a blue t-shirt. It's him who sees me and pops to his feet with a quick jolt. His hand reaches for his waist, and it's now that I see the pistol strapped to his belt.

I come to a halt and throw my hands up. My eyes shoot open and I gasp. "No, no, no; please," I say nervously. "I don't mean to startle anyone." I guess my high-pitched voice got the other guy's attention because he's crawling out from under the tractor.

"Who the fuck are you?" asks the first guy, who thankfully hasn't actually drawn his firearm. His hand is still on it though, so can't let my guard down. His tone is more one of bewilderment than anger. Can't say I blame him. There aren't many reasons for a city girl to be wandering up on a farm unannounced.

"I... I'm Molly Roberts," I reply. "I don't mean to intrude, but I'm looking for someone who might be here?"

"Looking for who?" he asks. His hand leaves his hip and I relax a little.

"Faith Meade," I say.

He nods a second, smiling a little. "Well, ain't that some shit?" he mutters to himself.