CHAPTER 4

Into Town We Go

Matt's POV

I woke up the next morning to see Rebecca sitting near the fire, cooking breakfast for us. Robert was sitting across from her, Daryl was still asleep, so was Jed. Arturo was sitting next to Robert and they were talking about some television show. Danny was sitting next to Rebecca, annoying the hell out of her.

"If you don't shut up, I will bash this pan off of your head and then cook you for dinner," she warned, rubbing her eyes.

"But don't you wonder about your family and friends?" Danny asked, I guess again.

"I have my family, Matt and Jed with me. And I have my friends, Arturo and Robert. So leave me alone," Rebecca stated.

"But what about your friends Chelsea and Emily? What about them? What about your friends Jamy and Elizabeth?" Danny questioned. Rebecca threw the stick she had been holding into the fire and then walked off. I got up and headed over to the fire.

"Why can't you shut up and leave her alone?" Robert asked.

"I was just asking her questions," Danny said, staring at the fire.

"I'm surprised she hasn't thrown you into the fire yet. I mean, if you keep annoying her, especially around this month, she will throw you in," I stated, finishing cooking the meat Rebecca put on. Just then, Jed got up.

"Hey everyone," he greeted as he sat near the fire. "Where's Becks?"

"She walked off," Arturo answered.

"Did she take anything with her?" Jed questioned as I handed out the meat to each other them for breakfast.

"Ya. She has her switchblade," Robert stated.

"Well. She better get her ass back here if she wants to go into town with us," Jed stated. Finally, what Robert said sunk into my older brother's head. "When did Becks get a switchblade?"

"She got it about a year ago. When some guy was bothering her. She never used it though," I stated. "Seriously. You don't know anything about your own sister."

"Except she's a wonderer. And she's a great tracker," Jed stated. Just then Daryl got up. "Where's Rae?"

"Wondered off somewhere," Danny stated.

"Because you were annoying her," Arturo said.

"That's not true. I was asking her questions!"

"What? Are you doing a survey? What will it be next? An election?"

"Both of you, shut up," Jed stated. About twenty minutes later, Rebecca wondered back to camp. She looked really upset but she hadn't been crying. She was just very ticked off.

"Are you guys ready to go?" She asked.

"Ya. Let's go," Jed said, grabbing a gun. I grabbed another one and me, Jed, Becks, and Robert headed back to town...

About an hour later, we finally reached the hill that you had to walk over before you got into the town.

"Jesus," Jed whispered. I climbed up onto a tank and looked in it. "Yeah. There's no one here either. Looks like it's been hear for a thousand years," I stated.

"C'mon," Jed stated calmly and we jumped into a waist deep hole.

"Hey. The stores are open. There's people everywhere! Maybe it's over!" Robert exclaimed and went to climb out of the hole. Both Rebecca and me pulled him back.

"Ya. Like the paratroopers just wanted to stop for tea," I heard Rebecca whisper sarcastically.

"Those aren't our troops," Jed stated, looking through the binoculars.

"Hey. You can't tell from here Jed," I said, plainly. Well it was true. We couldn't tell from far away.

"Jesus Christ," Rebecca sighed.

"What is that? I've never seen a tank like that before," Jed said.

"Ya. But they're packed. It means something," stated Robert.

"Let's stash our stuff...Leave it all here. You too Becks," instructed my older brother.

"HELL NO! Do you want me to be kidnapped and raped by some Russian troops? I'm going you!" My little sister snapped. She was so sarcastic most of the time that Jed would give into her just to shut her up.

"Fine." See. I was right. Jed would give into her most of the time. She was so spoiled.

"Let's go," I stated and we headed off to town.

Rebecca's POV

We were walking down main street near the theater when the head trooper drove by.

"Hey! That's the mayor's car! They got Daryl's dad's car!" Robert exclaimed.

"Look at the size of that tank!" Jed stated.

"This place is a mess. No wonder why it looks so calm," I said. Just then, a friend of the family was walking by.

"Lewis, Lewis. How ya doing?" Jed questioned but the man kept walking. He glanced at us then ran away.

"Was he scared of us?" Matt questioned. Just then, we walked by a store.

"Let's ask Alicia. She'll know," Jed stated and we entered the store. We walked up to the counter where a friend of Jed's was standing.

"Seven toothbrushes please," Jed stated and the girl looked up.

"Jed!" She gasped.

"How's your sister?" Jed asked.

"Where'd you come from?" Alicia questioned.

"We've been hiding in the mountains."

"Are you crazy? You gotta get out of here."

"We will...But first we gotta find out what's going on..."

"They know who all of you are. They're looking for you!"

"Who?"

"The KGB!"

"The Russians?"

"And the Cubans."

"Listen. Have you seen my father? I called, but there was no answer. The station was empty."

"Okay. Listen. I'm gonna tell you about what no body's supposed to talk about...They took people away, Jed. People they thought that were going to make trouble."

"Where?"

"The old drive in." We bolted for the door after she said that and headed for the drive in across town.

When we got to the drive in, we walked around the perimeter until we found some one we knew.

"Could you find my dad, Tom Eckert? I'm Jed," Jed said.

"Jed? Matt? Rebecca?" The guy questioned.

"Mr. Barnes?" Matt asked.

"I'll go find your dad. I know right where he is," Mr. Barnes stated.

"Hey," Robert said and the guy stopped in his tracks. "You know Morris' Market out on the highway? Can you see if Mr. Morris is there too?"

"I'll look around for him," Mr. Barnes said. About three minutes, he returned with my dad.

"Daddy?" Matt asked.

"Mattie, Jed, Rebecca. Don't talk. Don't say anything. Let me look at you," my dad said. He paused for a second. "Well, I knew I was right. I knew it. You're alive. I was tough on all of you. And I did things that...that made you hate me some times. But you understand now, don't you?"

"What happened dad? Why are you here? What did they do?" Jed asked.

"It doesn't matter," our father answered simply. "One way or another...for one reason or another, we're all gone. It's all gone. Remember..." My dad got the spacey look on his face and I knew he was remembering the old times. I was trying so hard not to cry and I noticed Matt and Jed were crying already. I reached for Robert's hand and he took mine in his. I was too remembering the old times. When I was little how I would dance with my dad at Christmas and New Year's Eve parties. It hurt to remember so badly.

"Remember when you used to go in the park and play..." my dad started. "And I used to put you on the swings and all of you were so...so damn little?"

"I remember. I remember all of it," my oldest brother said.

"Well. I ain't gonna be around to pick you up when you fall now. You have to take care of each other now," our father instructed us.

"We'll never see you again, dad," Matt said, sobbing. I wanted to say something but I couldn't find any words. My throat was closed and I had to take deep breaths to stop myself from crying. I promised myself not to cry.

"Yes, you will. I don't wanna hear that Mattie," dad stated.

"What happened to mom, dad? Where is she?" Matt questioned. When dad didn't answer, I automatically knew the answer. I felt Robert squeeze my hand and I took another deep breath.

"We can't afford to be crying anymore...Be strong like Reba. I don't want any of you to ever cry for me again. Don't ever do it as long as you live," dad stated.

"Where's my dad, Mr. Eckert?" I looked at Robert to see that he was crying also.

"I don't know son. I don't know," dad said softly. "You all get going now. Get out before they find you."

"Dad. I love you," Jed said.

"I know you do son. I love you too," our father replied. I wanted to say it but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I knew that if I said it, I'd cry. We took off, me leading the way. I had to get out of there.

"Avenge me! Avenge me!" I heard our dad screaming as we headed off. I couldn't cry. I was too full of emotions that I couldn't cry.

"C'mon. Let's go see Mr. Mason," Jed stated after we got our guns and stuff that we hid up on the hill. And we headed off to Mr. Mason's place.

back when I was a child, before life removed all the innocence, my father would lift me high, and dance with my mother and me and then, spin me around until I fell asleep, then up the stairs he would carry me, and I knew for sure, I was loved, if I could get another chance, another walk, another dance with him, I'd play a song that would never ever end, how I'd love, love, love to dance with my father again.