“Elaina! Where are you?! We’re leaving!” I heard Henry running up the stairs. He ran up behind me. “Love…do you have everything you want to bring with you?” His voice was very calm and smooth. I nodded, crying. Henry rubbed my shoulders with his gloved hands. “Hey…hey, hey. Listen. If we can, we will come back. Okay?” He pulled me in tight.
“It’ll be too dangerous, and probably will be burned to the ground by then.” We heard another explosion closer than the last. It felt like a small earthquake.
“We have got to go.” He grabbed the photo albums out of my hands and we ran out to his truck.
Thomas had already taken a spot in the back seat. There was just enough room in there for him. Sophie was siphoning some of the gas out of her truck to put in Henry’s. I got in on the passenger side, and hung the cross on the rearview mirror. Henry got in, looked, and touched it curiously. Then he looked at me in the same way.
I looked down, nervously fiddling with my fingers. I saw Henry engage the four-wheel drive, and then he put the truck in reverse. I couldn’t look at the house anymore. It was the last piece of normalcy that I had.
“Turn on the walkie talkie. It’s in the glove box.” I didn’t move. “Love…?” He touched my leg, and I jumped. “Can you grab the walkie talkie out of the glove box and turn it on?” I nodded, and did what I was told, handing it to him.
“SJ, you got me?”
“Loud and clear, HD.”
“Just follow me. If we can’t get through, listen for further detail.”
“Copy that, boss.” Henry drove as fast as he could in the weather conditions. Not only was there snow on the roads to deal with, there was still a significant amount falling, as well as black clouds of smoke in the background from areas that were bombed. Could it possibly get any worse? I was doubtful.
More planes were dropping bombs all around us. My hands were shaking. I unzipped my coat. I couldn’t tell if I was sweating from fear, or just from being overheated.
“It’s going to be okay, love.” Thomas laughed. He obviously had a different opinion. “Shut up, Thomas!” Henry barked.
Henry reached into his jeans pocket, and pulled out his iPod. He opened the center console, pulling out the car charger. “Can you plug this in?” I took it from him. The first track was from The Killers.
We drove about twenty miles, with only the iPod breaking the silence. Thomas had nodded off in the back. I had no idea how he could sleep. I was too jacked-up. We came upon a congestion of cars. It was still snowing like crazy, and we could hear the planes and explosions off in the distance.
“Bloody hell,” Henry grumbled as he reached for the walkie talkie. “SJ, do you copy?”
“Loud and clear.”
“In about three hundred meters, there’s some congestion. Going to pull over and check for gas. Let’s see what we can do.”
“Copy.” Henry pulled up close to the vehicles, and Thomas stirred.
“Have your weapons at the ready. Thomas, you come out and cover. Elaina, stay put.” I frowned at him. “You’re to stay put unless I say differently.”
“Fine.” I folded my arms and looked the other way.
“Christ, Elaina. Cut the shit,” he grumbled, opening the door and hopping out.
“Be careful,” I mumbled. He grumbled something else, then closed the door. I watched him and Thomas slowly walk toward the traffic. With all the snow that was still falling, they pretty much disappeared. I saw Sophie walk past, still in my mother’s fur. She waved at me as she went by.
***
Henry treaded through the snow, Thomas following obediently behind him, watching their surroundings. Henry held up his hand to stop. He was listening for those horrible, familiar sounds. All he could hear were the two trucks running, the snow hitting softly all around them.
He approached the first car. With some hesitation, he wiped the snow off the driver’s window with his gloved hand. He breathed a sigh of relief. Empty. Sophie knelt down and tapped on the gas tank and, lucky enough, there was plenty in it. Henry tried the handle and it was unlocked. Then he looked for a trunk button. When he found that, Sophie searched it and pulled out a gas can.
“Check it out! Got us a gas can.” She pulled the siphon out of her pack, which she had on under the fur coat. She siphoned out as much gas as the can would hold.
“I’m going to walk ahead a bit, see how far this traffic jam goes.” Thomas looked between Sophie and Henry. He wondered if he should follow Henry or stay back with Sophie.
“Go with him! I’m fine. I’m going to fill our tanks, then check this other car.” Thomas walked off, catching up with Henry. Sophie headed back to the trucks. As she put half of the can in each truck, more planes flew over, dropping bombs in the distance.