Windigo Soul Page 19
“Not tonight. Looks like it’s more rice and canned peas.”
“Let’s get inside,” John said. “See what’s going on.”
“Sounds good to me.” Peg hooked her arm around Hank’s arm on the right side and grabbed John by the left. “Escorted by the two most handsome men in camp.”
Hank chuckled. Learning about John’s past was a big shock to Peg as well but she got over it a lot quicker than their daughter. The three of them found Sara and squeezed into the back of the room up against the wall.
The old museum was an octagon-shaped building with a tall open ceiling. With all the partitions and displays removed, it was large enough to hold the entire group when needed. The room was abuzz with conversation and quite comfortable thanks to all the body heat.
“Oh,” Sara said. Her hands went to her belly.
Peg grabbed her arm. “Honey, what is it?”
“I think I felt the baby move!” Sara took her mother’s hand and placed it on her stomach. “It was right about here.”
John shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled. Sara beamed at her parents and her smile faltered when she locked eyes with him. “Would you like to feel?” Sara asked him.
“Uh, yeah. Sure.” He got closer and put his hand on her belly. She took his wrist and moved it to where she’d felt the flutter. Hank and Peg took a few steps back and started up some small talk with another couple.
Sara looked up at him. “Do you feel anything?”
“No, I…wait!” His eyes widened. “I did, I… whoa!” He felt it directly underneath his palm. A big healthy kick. “That’s amazing,” he whispered.
“She knows it’s her father,” Sara said.
“She?”
“Just a hunch.”
“I miss you,” John blurted out. He immediately regretted it.
“I miss you too. What I thought was you.” Sara’s lower lip quivered. “I don’t know who you are anymore.” A single tear rolled down her cheek.
John wiped the tear with his finger. “I’m having a hard time figuring that out myself lately.”
“Can you promise me just one thing?”
“Anything.”
“No more lies.”
John shook his head. “I have absolutely nothing to hide from you. Just give me a chance and you won’t be sorry.”
James Grayson’s voice boomed from the other side of the room. “Can I have your attention, folks?” He stood on a table up against the far wall. The small talk in the room tapered off.
John took Sara by the hand. She didn’t pull away.
“Folks.” Grayson held up his hands. “Quiet down, please. By now we’ve all heard the phony news reports. We all heard the spin and the lies the State whips up to try and cover the truth about what we accomplished. But it’s not working. They’re scared and it’s starting to show.
“We found out something very interesting this morning that they’re not so eager to share on their news reports.” He pointed to the back of the building where the group’s modest communication equipment was stored. Thanks to stolen military-grade encryption hacks, they were able to tap into satellite feeds for everything from basic web browsing to secure communication with other cells sharing their cause.
“Our videos are having a greater impact than they would like us to believe. Retiree no-shows on retirement day are up as much as thirty percent in some cities. The police haven’t had to arrest this many to drag them to the processing centers since the law passed in the first place!”
The room broke out in applause. Somebody shouted out, “Go get ‘em, James!” resulting in healthy laughter from the crowd. Grayson held up his hands.
“A riot has been raging in Chicago for six days now and shows no signs of slowing down. They already burned one of the processing centers to the ground and overwhelmed the local police. And not a peep outside of the city. Nobody knows. According to the rest of the world, it’s business as usual. Why? Because they’re scared. They want to keep us all in the dark. Keep us under control. Keep us down!”
Another roar of applause, twice as loud as before.
“And so we’re going to keep fighting,” Grayson continued. “As I look around this room, into the eyes of my brothers and sisters, I can see you’re tired. Hungry. Scared. I understand.” He paused and surveyed the room. Nobody made a sound. “But I also see the strength, resolve, courage, and heart. We destroyed Windigo and one month from now we’re assaulting Brakenridge with help from our allies to the West. And with each plant we destroy we will get stronger. They’ll get weaker. This land will be free and they will pay for what they’ve done!”
The rickety old building practically shook as the room exploded with such a roar it was almost deafening. Even Hank found himself screaming with enthusiasm. Now that he had his family back, he thought his fight was over. But he realized it was just the beginning. He didn’t want his grandchild to grow up in the same world he did.
Grayson wrapped up his speech and eventually the festive atmosphere died down as people retired to their tents and campers to prepare simple dinners and dream of a time when they could live normal lives in society again.
Hank, Peg, Sara, and John stepped into the night. “Brakenridge, huh?” Hank asked John.
“I heard some rumors. I guess it’s true now.”
“Ever been to that one?”
“Nope, that one wasn’t in our jurisdiction. Hopefully Grayson’s buddies in the West have solid intel.”
“Hey, look!” Sara pointed to the sky. The clouds parted directly overhead to reveal a perfectly clear patch of night sky.
“Wow,” Hank muttered. “Look at all those stars. Beautiful.”
“It’s been years,” Peg said. “It’s so easy to forget there’s something above that blanket of smog over our heads. A whole universe out there.”
The small patch of sky dissolved as quickly as it came, as the thick clouds moved lazily overhead and the stars disappeared.
“Ah, well,” Hank said. “Nice while it lasted. Maybe it’s a sign.”
“Well, I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” John said. Home for him was a four man tent on the edge of the woods. Hank, Peg, and Sara shared a three room tent on the other side of the field.
“What are you doing now?” Sara asked.
“Uh, just getting something to eat. Maybe do a little reading. I’ve been holding onto a can of stew I thought I’d break out.”
“I traded for a few potatoes this afternoon. Care for some company?”
Hank and Peg stood behind their daughter, holding hands and smiling.
“Sure,” John said. “That sounds really nice.”
Sara nodded at her parents. “I could use a break from these two anyway. It’s sickening the way they’re always pawing at each other.”
Hank and Peg giggled like teens and headed off for their tent, arm-in-arm.
This time Sara took John’s hand as they walked in the opposite direction. “I was thinking,” she said. “Now, I’m positive it’s a girl, but in the very slight chance I’m wrong, I thought John might make a good boy’s name.”
“John, huh? Not bad. But I was thinking Henry might be a better fit. Strong name. A classic.”
Sara looked at her husband and smiled. “And people would call him Hank as a nickname.”
“Sure. I was never quite sure how that worked but it’s no stranger than calling a Richard, Dick.”
They stopped outside of John’s tent. “But all that doesn’t matter, because you’re sure it’s a girl,” he said.
“Right.”
“So what about her name?”
Sara looked up at him. “You’re going to think it’s stupid.”
“Try me.”
“Well, it’s a strange name, but I can’t get it out of my head. It just…fits.”
“Aaand? The suspense is killing me,” John said.
“I was thinking about…Liberty.”
“Liberty,” John repeated. He smiled. “I think it�
�s perfect.”
“Me too.” Sara put her arms around John’s shoulders and pulled him close. They kissed deeply as he fumbled for the zipper door on his tent. They finally tumbled inside, the stew and potatoes forgotten.
Special thanks to my great beta readers. Without them, this book would be a typo-filled, incoherent mess! Listed in no particular order:
Jim Apol, Rhonda Smith, Heidi Richards, Colby Zoeller, Bigi Stotzka, Shawna Newton, Brian Benison, Yvonne Usher-Benwell, Evan and Patricia Breyn, Deb Robbins
Please feel free to reach out and say hello! I love to hear from readers almost as much as I love getting reviews (hint,hint)!
Website: www.robertbrumm.com
Twitter: @robertbrumm
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Email: rb@robertbrumm.com
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More Books by Robert Brumm
Desolate – The Complete Trilogy
Black Water Creek
Stage Five
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Table of Contents
Copyright
A Quick Note From the Author:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
More Books by Robert Brumm