CHAPTER 5
No News is Good News These Days
Rebecca's POV
When we got to the Masons' place, I was tired and my legs were killing me. We knocked on the door and Mr. Mason opened it. "I'll be damned. Get in here!"
"Mr. Mason. How are you doing? Good to see you," Jed said as Mr. Mason let us in.
"We got us some outlaws," Mr. Mason said to his wife as he took the guns from us.
"Wow, a house," Jed said, grinning and looking around.
"Go and find a chair," Mr. Mason stated.
"Last time we were in house was five weeks," Robert stated.
"You look it," Mr. Mason said as we all sat down in a semi circle on chairs. I was closest to the door, then there was Robert, Jed, Matt, and Mr. Mason. "Who you got out there with you?"
"We got Danny. We got Daryl," Robert stated.
"Well. We all figured you guys had headed for FA by now," Mr. Mason said.
"What's FA?" Robert questioned.
"Free America. That's the safe zone," Mr. Mason replied.
"Where are we?" Jed asked.
"Hell, you guys is in occupied territory. You're forty miles behind enemy lines. Right smack dab in the middle of World War III. What are you doing, fooling around town anyway?" Mr. Mason explained.
"We've been looking for news, Mr. Mason. We haven't even seen or talked to anybody since it started all," Jed sighed.
"Wait here a minute," Mr. Mason said and he disappeared into another room. Mrs. Mason came in with soup in cups for each of us.
"I wish there was more. I'm sorry," she said, handing us each a cup.
"Thank you Mrs. Mason. We really appreciate it," we all thanked. Mr. Mason came back in the room. I didn't see what he handed Jed but I heard him say, "This'll keep you all warm." He then handed something to Robert. "Use this to see where you're standing from now on." Robert opened the package to reveal a radio.
"A radio?" Robert questioned.
"We can't take this," Jed said.
"It's all right. I got another one. Now you all listen to me. Don't go to Calumet no more," Mr. Mason stated.
"How come?" I asked.
"Coz there's been some attacks up there. People waking up with their throats cut...Word has it, it's you."
"How can that be when we're sitting right here?" I asked, sarcastically. Everyone went silent for a moment, but Robert broke it. "What happened to my dad and mom?" Mr. Mason looked at his wife before turning back to us.
"Your daddy's dead Robert. They shot him. Russians found some guns missing..." I looked to Robert who started to cry in shock. Mr. Mason went on, "So they shot him for aiding guerrillas." Robert buried his face in his hands and began sobbing.
"What do you mean aiding guerrillas? He never aided any body. We took the stuff!" Jed exclaimed.
"We killed him!" Robert said as I put an arm around him.
"They killed him, son. Made him an example. Now you all listen to me and let that burn in real good. I don't know where your mother is Robert," Mr. Mason stated.
"I got no body now," Robert said. I pulled him closer to me and let him cry into my shoulder.
"If you all need food, a bed, anything you come here," Mr. Mason instructed. He paused for a minute before going on. "I got a couple of heirlooms I want to hide with you."
"Jack! No!" Mrs. Mason said from beside me. Matt and Jed followed Mr. Mason into the kitchen as Robert continued to cry on my shoulder.
Jed's POV
Mr. Mason opened a cellar door that was on the ground to reveal two girls sitting there.
"My granddaughters. They spent two days sneaking here. Those sons-of-bitches tried having their way with them," Mr. Mason explained. Thank god I didn't leave Rebecca in that hole. That could've happened to her.
"Toni, Erica," Mr. Mason said to his granddaughters. "This is Matt and Jed Eckert. They're gonna take care of you. And I don't wanna know where their going." I waved at the girls weakly. Great, two more girls to worry about. We went back into the living room to get our guns, then headed to the barn where Mr. Mason had the horses. I got on one, Toni got on another one. Matt got on one, Erica behind him. And Robert got on one, Rebecca behind him. We bid goodbye to Mr. Mason after he gave me ammo for my grandfather's pistol and we headed off back to camp in the mountains.
&
Robert's POV
When we got there, me and Rebecca headed off to get water and possibly something to eat. Jed suggested that we look for bird eggs since their kinda like chickens. Rebecca finished climbing down a tree and sighed, "Nothing up there either. Let's keep going." I followed her silently and finally, she said something to me.
"Robbie. It's okay. I lost someone too," she stated.
"Well at least you still have Jed and Matt," I said, looking up to see if I could spot a bird's nest.
"You have me," I heard her mutter as she started climbing another tree. When she climbed down, she shook her head, signaling that there was no eggs up there either. She went to walk away when I grabbed her arm, spun her around, pulled her to me, and I kissed her. She was probably going to hate me after this but I had to let her know. When I pulled away, she just stood there.
"I know you're going to hate me now but I had to let you know," I stated.
Rebecca's POV
Holy shit! OMFG! I can't believe that my best friend just kissed me! Maybe he feels the same thing between us as I do.
"Why do you think I'm going to hate you?" I asked. He looked at me.
"Oh my god! Emily didn't tell you that I liked you! Oh my god! She actually kept a secret for once!" I exclaimed, happily. "I have to congratulate her!"
"You like me?"
"More than friends? If it's that, then ya."
"Wow...I'm surprised that Danny didn't tell you that I like you," Robert stated.
"Ha...For once the loud mouths actually kept it a secret. Ain't that funny," I laughed.
"So...Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Ya. Well...We gotta keep looking for those eggs."
"Ya. We should," and we walked off to hunt for eggs, holding hands.
By the time me and Robert got back to camp, we had decided to keep our relationship a secret because it'd be a big deal to everyone and Jed would probably murder me...Or Robert...Or both of us. So we sat there, eating dinner. Finally, we all just sat around the fire doing nothing. Basically, being bored out of our minds. The radio was playing but it was so boring.
"It's 11:59 at radio free America. This is Uncle Sam with music and the truth until dawn. Right now, we've got a few words for some of our brothers and sisters in the occupied zone. The chair is against the wall. The chair is against the wall. John has a long mustache. John has a long mustache," the radio announcer stated. I noticed Robert starting to cry. I mean, he did lose his parents and just learned about it. I walked over to him and put an arm around him as he buried his head into my shoulder.
"It's okay," I whispered to him. The radio started to play a song that made everyone look at the radio.
"Things are different now," Erica stated from her seat next to her sister.
After a while, everyone went to bed, except me. I just sat in front of the fire, throwing some wood in when it started getting low. Just then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Matt standing there.
"You should be sleeping," he said, sitting next to me.
"I can't sleep," I stated. "What's your story?"
"Same. Except I'm thinking of home."
"Don't remind me." I stared at the fire and wouldn't look Matt in the eyes.
"Why weren't you crying? You didn't cry at all today," Matt said.
"I couldn't...I just couldn't. It was like all my emotions were blocked. Plus, I promised myself never to cry again."
"I noticed you haven't been eating lately either."
"Wow. You're the third one on my case about that...Wait! I mean fifth."
"Who's noticed other than me?"
"Robert, Jed, Danny, and Arturo, in that order."
"They're worried just like me...Becks. You gotta eat and keep up your strength. You need it out here." I turned to look at my brother.
"Mattie. I know but I just can't eat coz all I think is being home, eating dinner. It hurts to remember."
"Well. You can't just not eat."
"I know. I've been eating breakfast and lunch. I'm just not a fan of dinner. I never was...If you noticed that."
"What do you mean? Jed's the one that doesn't notice shit."
"Hey. I know who notices stuff. Emily, Robert, Arturo, Danny, Chelsea, Elizabeth and Jamy...And sometimes you...Aren't you going out with Emily?"
"Was going out."
"You two broke up?"
"Ya. About three days before this all happened. We got into a fight and I kinda screamed at her. So, she broke it off."
"Don't worry. I know her. She still loves you." I laughed and threw another piece of wood into the fire.
"Well...I'm going back to bed and try to get some sleep. You should try that too." I watched Matt head back to his sleeping bag and I just sat there, staring at the orange-red flames. Finally, I grabbed my blanket and headed over to my sleeping bag. I climbed into it and stared at the stars. Finally, I noticed that I drifted off.
Toni's POV
When I woke up, everyone except Rebecca was up. They were all sitting around the fire, eating breakfast. Rebecca was near her tree, sound asleep. I sat down between Erica and Jed and Matt handed me a plate with deer meat on it. About ten minutes later, a really tired Rebecca walked over. She sat down between Danny and Robert, but when Matt offered her breakfast, she just shook her head.
"I'm not hungry."
"Cut this crap, Rae and eat!" Daryl shouted. Rebecca just glared at him.
"Fuck you," she mouthed as he turned away. She then raised her voice. "I'm not hungry and I'm in a bad mood. If you people wanna chance talking to me, I'll be in my sleeping bag, trying to get more than thirty minutes of sleep like I did last night." She walked off, her blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
"What's with her?" Erica questioned.
"She's a bitch," Daryl stated, slightly spitting deer meat.
"She just hasn't been feeling well lately. Can't you people leave her alone," Danny stated.
"Look who's talking," Robert muttered, sarcastically.
"Hey! What are you talking about?" Danny asked.
"You were annoying the hell out of her and now you're suddenly on her side!" I looked to where Rebecca's sleeping bag was to notice she wasn't there. I guess Jed noticed that too because he started looking around frantically.
"Shit!" he exclaimed. "She wondered off again!" Everyone watched as Robert got up saying, "I'll go look for her." He walked off into the woods, taking one of the guns with him.
Is this a dream, if it is, please don't wake me up from this high, I, I've become comfortably numb, until you opened up my eyes, to what it's like, when everything's right, I can't believe, you found me when no one else was looking,
how did you know just where I would be, ya you broke through all of my confusion, the ups and the downs and you still didn't leave, I guess that you saw what nobody could see, you found me, you found me, so here we are and that's pretty far, when you think of where we've been, no going back, I'm fading out,
all that has faded me within, you're by my side, now everything's right, I can't believe, you found me when no one else was looking, how did you know just where I would be, ya you broke through all of my confusion, the ups and the downs and you still didn't leave, I guess that you saw what nobody could see,
you found me, you found me, and I was hiding, 'Til you came along, and showed me where I belong, you found me, you found me, when no one else was looking,
how did you know? how did you know?
