Chapter 14
Colson did not know how to react. He decided to do what any soldier did when in the presence of a senior officer and accept what he said. Thomas chose to send his mother to the building where children not old enough for any kind of work were left. There were over a hundred of these children in the camp of three thousand. She was a retired kindergarten teacher, so the job suited her well.
After that, Colson gave a map to Marcus’s father and sent the trio to Angel Island. On the trip, their father questioned them, “Why does Kathryn refuse to meet you? Do you think she’s afraid?”
“I’m not sure; she has refused to meet any of us in private no matter what. Perhaps she is worried that we may try to control her; intimidation can be a powerful tool to one of my size.”
“From what I hear, she’s just a spineless little bitch that knows how to run a business,” Liz stated, “She probably as afraid of Colson as she is of you, Marcus.”
“Come now, I have yet to give her a reason to fear me and-”
Their father remarked, “She doesn’t need a reason; I’m still a little uneasy around the both of you.”
“To me, the reason is inconsequential. The meeting will happen tomorrow morning whether they want it or not.”
“And if they become hostile?”
The question burned in Marcus’s head for several seconds before he could come up with an answer that was both reasonable and true. He said, “Then our meeting will happen all the sooner.”
For the rest of the journey, the only sound was that of the wind flowing past them and the occasional distant gunshot from a far off skirmish or undead encounter. Marcus would have given much to enter those fights, yet he knew that his purpose was where he was – with Liz and his father - and his wishful thinking would never change that.
As soon as they reached the island, Liz jumped off Marcus and created a small crater a foot deep in the dirt. She jumped to a small group of soldiers congregating at the north side of a small airfield. They greeted her with mixed reactions; some were fearful, others were indifferent, and only one was lustful (a few thousand years down the road, Liz wanted to become a love goddess, so she had some work to do).
The group was assigned to count, sort, and transport the goods brought over by Marcus. Behind them was a large storage shed where the goods would be stored for transport.
Marcus landed and his father jumped off. Marcus said, “I will give you ten minutes to do as you please. As soon as we start, we do not end until nightfall.”
His father took his warning seriously and left to relieve himself. When he returned, he found Marcus with a large black crate strapped to his back. How it was placed there and how it was strapped on, the father could only guess. He did guess that Liz carried the half-ton metal box to Marcus’s back, as she looked a little too happy and the soldiers looked slightly frightened.
Liz jumped off Marcus and grabbed her father. She said, “I can’t get a good grip without breaking a few bones. You gotta do half the work.”
He did as she instructed and she jumped first to Marcus’s claw and then to his back. She was careful to not jump too far, lest her father loose his grip. She set him down in front of her on Marcus’s shoulders and took her seat ahead of the crate.
His father said, “First stop, Home Depot. It’s southwest of the Golden Gate Bridge.”
Marcus took flight and turned to the southwest. He knew that supplies were scarce these days and every square inch of space needed to be filled with as much wood, tools, and appliances as possible. He found a large flat area and saw the large orange sign. Marcus landed in the middle of the parking lot and his father said, “Go forward; we need to make this as short a trip as possible.”
“Not yet,” Marcus said, “I smell unfamiliar living and undead nearby. Were Liz my only companion, we would have moved forward much sooner as she is immortal. You are vulnerable, and I am not going to risk your life for the sake of time.”
Marcus’s worst fears were realized when a flash and a bang erupted from the top of the structure. He lifted his wing in the direction of the gunfire and a hundred others fired at will. Marcus roared, “Ceasefire,” and turned to his father to say, “Father, are you hurt?”
He would have asked the question, but he stayed silent; the answer was obvious.
After that, Colson gave a map to Marcus’s father and sent the trio to Angel Island. On the trip, their father questioned them, “Why does Kathryn refuse to meet you? Do you think she’s afraid?”
“I’m not sure; she has refused to meet any of us in private no matter what. Perhaps she is worried that we may try to control her; intimidation can be a powerful tool to one of my size.”
“From what I hear, she’s just a spineless little bitch that knows how to run a business,” Liz stated, “She probably as afraid of Colson as she is of you, Marcus.”
“Come now, I have yet to give her a reason to fear me and-”
Their father remarked, “She doesn’t need a reason; I’m still a little uneasy around the both of you.”
“To me, the reason is inconsequential. The meeting will happen tomorrow morning whether they want it or not.”
“And if they become hostile?”
The question burned in Marcus’s head for several seconds before he could come up with an answer that was both reasonable and true. He said, “Then our meeting will happen all the sooner.”
For the rest of the journey, the only sound was that of the wind flowing past them and the occasional distant gunshot from a far off skirmish or undead encounter. Marcus would have given much to enter those fights, yet he knew that his purpose was where he was – with Liz and his father - and his wishful thinking would never change that.
As soon as they reached the island, Liz jumped off Marcus and created a small crater a foot deep in the dirt. She jumped to a small group of soldiers congregating at the north side of a small airfield. They greeted her with mixed reactions; some were fearful, others were indifferent, and only one was lustful (a few thousand years down the road, Liz wanted to become a love goddess, so she had some work to do).
The group was assigned to count, sort, and transport the goods brought over by Marcus. Behind them was a large storage shed where the goods would be stored for transport.
Marcus landed and his father jumped off. Marcus said, “I will give you ten minutes to do as you please. As soon as we start, we do not end until nightfall.”
His father took his warning seriously and left to relieve himself. When he returned, he found Marcus with a large black crate strapped to his back. How it was placed there and how it was strapped on, the father could only guess. He did guess that Liz carried the half-ton metal box to Marcus’s back, as she looked a little too happy and the soldiers looked slightly frightened.
Liz jumped off Marcus and grabbed her father. She said, “I can’t get a good grip without breaking a few bones. You gotta do half the work.”
He did as she instructed and she jumped first to Marcus’s claw and then to his back. She was careful to not jump too far, lest her father loose his grip. She set him down in front of her on Marcus’s shoulders and took her seat ahead of the crate.
His father said, “First stop, Home Depot. It’s southwest of the Golden Gate Bridge.”
Marcus took flight and turned to the southwest. He knew that supplies were scarce these days and every square inch of space needed to be filled with as much wood, tools, and appliances as possible. He found a large flat area and saw the large orange sign. Marcus landed in the middle of the parking lot and his father said, “Go forward; we need to make this as short a trip as possible.”
“Not yet,” Marcus said, “I smell unfamiliar living and undead nearby. Were Liz my only companion, we would have moved forward much sooner as she is immortal. You are vulnerable, and I am not going to risk your life for the sake of time.”
Marcus’s worst fears were realized when a flash and a bang erupted from the top of the structure. He lifted his wing in the direction of the gunfire and a hundred others fired at will. Marcus roared, “Ceasefire,” and turned to his father to say, “Father, are you hurt?”
He would have asked the question, but he stayed silent; the answer was obvious.