DAY 13: April 21st, Wednesday

It had been four days since we drove around the backroads to Albany, and sleeping on the humvee made me miss the cold nights back in the cathedral.

The good news was, we never encountered a vector since West Point.

We were lucky to find a campground with a working shower and some cabins, one of those KOAs, saw that the employees had closed it down once shit hit the fan. We got to use showers and managed proper hygiene after days without one, so I was happy that it boosted morale. I didn't think that stocking up on three boxes of toothpaste and two toothbrushes was too much. Even without showers, having clean minty teeth felt like my entire body was clean.

As the days went by, I was sure that Luke's military disguise plan was the right call. Towns opened up for us (avoided us, mostly), and we get to cut in line on gas stations that had some long lines. We sent the humvees out, collected the oil, and then rendezvous to a secluded location to put gas into the bus and the Jeep. I felt so ashamed because of this, seeing as I had to look desperate people in the eye and told them to back off.

The uniforms served as control and intimidation tactics. Whenever we saw a car on the road, they would stop and moved out of our way as if they saw an ambulance barreling through. They would avert their eyes if I so much as looked out the window and peered through their vehicle. If we happened to stop on the side of the road to take a break, cars would veer off to the other direction, or if they cannot avoid it, slowed down, said a polite hello to us out of their window with gritted teeth, but gazed at our weapons with contempt and fear.

Though others were braver.

"I demand you to escort us to the city!" One woman said. She was in her forties, caught her cowering three children at the backseat, and her husband desperately trying to pry her out of my face. I could best describe her as someone who most likely screamed for the manager when she didn't have her way in a department store.

The internet would call her a Karen.

The shoes fit.

"We are on a scouting mission," I said. "Our way isn't to the city, ma'am. We're heading south."

She wouldn't fall for the lie. From where I stood, the road connected to one of the main ones leading to Albany. Our humvees were pointed north. Still, I hoped her anger clouded her judgment.

"Who are you calling, ma'am? I am not that old! And you have no right to refuse me! I am an American citizen. Do you get that? I paid your taxes just so that you can eat, shit, and sleep!" She shoved a finger on my chest. Her nails dug in, but I didn't move. "You are supposed to help us, and you cannot say no! If the governor hears this...if the president hears this, he'll get you, motherfucker!"

"I have my orders, ma'am."

"You have a nerve, don't you? Ha! I don't give a fuck about that! I will write a complaint to your CO. My father is a former officer, and he will have your hide once he hears of this! You will be stripped off of your precious rank! Just you wait, Lieutenant Miller! Ha! My father will chew you a new one, boy, because that's what you fucking are. A scared little boy who is not brave enough to save good, god-fearing, real Americans like us."

The woman shot an accusatory glance at Yousef standing behind me. Yousef caught the slight, but I was impressed when he held his composure, standing as menacing as possible with that rifle in his hand. For a guy who had no idea how to use it two weeks ago, he sure looked like a veteran.

A part of me still agreed with the woman. Soldiers were supposed to help everyone, but in the past few days, that hadn't been the case. As for the rest of her argument, well, she could fuck off. Like Armas, I wondered if more soldiers had deserted their posts once they heard of what happened to New York. All I could do to her was hardened my gaze. She didn't even flinch—tough woman.

"Shall I shoot her, sir?" Logan asked suddenly.

That did it. Suddenly, the woman paled, and her husband grew limp, eyes opened as if he'd heard the most offensive thing in the world. I was shocked, too, trying to keep my face still as I turned to look at Logan. Once our eyes met, I realized he was bluffing.

"There's no need for that, corporal," I said. "I understand that the woman is in distress, worried for her children."

"Alright. Just give the order, sir," Logan said, glaring at the woman. He readied the rifle on his lap.

The woman caught her jaw and nodded. "Y—Yes. That's my main concern. My Children."

"Hon, come on, let's just leave these soldiers be. They're on a mission. We can't delay them," her husband said.

Miguel peeked out of the window from the second humvee. "Lieutenant! We got vectors coming three miles out from our position, southeast. HQ just called it in," he said, pointing up the sky while carrying a radio with the other. A twinkle caught in Miguel's eye as he held a poker face, knowing full well that the vectors were far from where we were.

The woman and her husband gaped. "What's a vector?" She asked.

"The infected. That's our call sign for them," I said. "It's best if you and your family get as far away from this area immediately. Head north. As far north as you can."

"What about the city? Shouldn't we go with you?"

And break our disguise, I think not.

"Albany's full of crap, lady," Logan said.

I whirled around, putting as much force to my voice as I could, shouting, "Corporal David! If you don't quit that mouth of yours right now, I will have you on clean-up duty."

Logan hardened his jaw and looked straight ahead. "Yes, sir. I'll shut my mouth, sir," he said, copying those shouts and stances from Full Metal Jacket and other war movies he saw on TV. I realized Logan enjoyed playing the jarhead.

It didn't take long for the woman to pack up what dignity she had left, dragged her husband back to their car, and drove away.

"Good work on that radio thing, Miguel," I said.

Miguel gave a mocked salute. "I live to serve."

"Damn! That was hot!" Aria called out from the other humvee. "You guys can come out now," she said to the bus. Henry was the first to peek out the window, watching the family's car driving further away. Steve massaged his shoulders, having to hide next to the supplies, which were already short of free space.

Tessa frowned said, "I think we should have helped her."

"We're a large group," I said. "If we take in more people, more will notice. I'd rather keep us as it is."

Tessa's frown deepened, but she said nothing of the matter. I walked over to Logan and smacked the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Logan rubbed the nape of his neck.

"You're enjoying it too much," I said.

"You think they bought it?"

"Well, they won't be running away now, are they?"

"Hey Yousef, you alright?" Logan called out.

Yousef stared at the fleeing car. "Yeah. Glad we're not taking her in. That'll be awkward. She looked at me like I caused this shit."

Luke put his arm around Yousef. "Nah. She probably thought you have something up your nose." Then, Luke put a finger in Yousef's nostrils, and the latter irked away, spewing curses and playfully punching Luke on the arm.

I caught Steve standing in the middle of the road, looking up at the sky. I walked over to him, asking what he was thinking.

"You smell that?"

I took a couple of sniffs in the air and frowned.

Something was burning, the wind carrying it from the south.

"They're moving up fast," Steve said.

I agreed. "Alright. Let's get out of here."

—

The closer we got to the city, the larger the military presence was, with many helicopters flying overhead and dropping off supplies to hidden outposts and to the city itself. I even saw a drone flew overhead, spotted a dozen outposts with twice as many soldiers; one was on a farm with vast open fields and a perfect vantage point; the other was on top of a town's library tower. I was more worried about the outposts. If we stumbled upon one, and they saw through our cover, then everything would fall apart.

"The city is still safe," I told the others.

"What makes you say that?" Yousef asked.

"The army left New York before the bombs dropped."

Yousef paused, thinking, then his mouth and eyes opened. "Ah! Yeah! The armada!"

"Yep. If the military is still in the city, it means they still have control, though I can't tell for how long. Once they start packing, then it's bad news for us. I don't think they're still doing that. They're still dropping off supplies and fresh troops."

"We can be there by tonight, but we won't enter the city limits right away."

I shook my head. "I want to scout it just in case it is dangerous. After New York, I don't trust the military. We only want Major Clemons to help us get out of here."

Luke sighed. "Fine," he said, rubbing the small of my back. "We can make camp while we wait for sunrise."

I smiled. Then, Logan made a whipping noise from behind. I scowled at him, but he merely grinned back and made the sound again. Luke didn't seem to catch what he meant and continued to study the map we laid down on the humvee's hood.

Logan had been teasing me for the past four days that because I was sleeping with Luke, I had apparently whipped him into being a sucker for me, always agreeing on what I said and wanted. I didn't like that idea as I wanted Luke to be himself, making me think that I was wrong. Logan had been an asshole the past few days, and if he didn't stop, I might have to start throwing fists so that he would get the message. Though, I was afraid it would take more than that. Logan didn't like Luke that much, and the feeling was mutual. At least they tolerated each other.

I did not know that relationships would get this complicated.

Luke and I didn't label what we had, and if I did, I could only describe it as friends with benefits. He had to get his rocks off, and so did I—a mutual benefit. I never was in an official relationship before, but this came close to it than what I had with Peter.

I still came around to Luke's side. Logan still teased. And yet, it was hella awkward.

"I wished we had a map of the city. Then we can deduce where he might be. City hall, perhaps?"

I shrugged. "That's a good start to look. The governor will be there, and city halls as large as this one will have a big bunker underneath, too, possibly acting as the region's operations center."

"The Cold War ended decades ago. It'll be old from disuse," Steve said. "Then again, they could have fixed it up since this outbreak started."

"Then Clemons might be there with the rest of High Command."

There was a possibility that Clemons would refuse my request. But if I got hold of a satellite phone and contacted my dad, would he pull some strings, including Major Clemons, to make our plan a reality? They were close, and they owed each other a great deal of debt that numbered decades. Undoubtedly one of those debts would make Major Clemons do it.

"Damn it. There's still no internet," Aria spat, rechecking her phone for the hundredth time. "Can they really blocked access to an entire region?"

"They're the government, babe," Yousef said lazily.

"I just...I just want to call my sister and my mom. That's all," Aria said, frustrated.

"You will, baby. You will," Yousef brought his arm around her and rubbed her shoulders. Aria relaxed and took Yousef's hand into hers. Yousef kissed the back of her hand.

Next to them, Logan made a face as if he's seen something disgusting. Aria threw a punch to his upper arm. I thought about doing it too for other reasons, and I caught that Luke wanted to do the same. Logan had been on a mean streak lately, feigning everything as a joke. I planned on talking to him later tonight, maybe psychoanalyze the shit out of this. I am no psychologist, but I could tell when someone pretended they didn't give a damn.

Maybe Natalie's death still affected him, even if he says he was over her. They had been together for a long time. Perhaps a relationship like that wasn't easy to shake off in a matter of days after it ended so horribly and bloodily.

Since everyone began sharing videos online of the outbreak, the government lost control of their narrative to the public. The southern region of New England was already signal-blocked, but I had hoped the northern areas were not.

I was right, though only briefly. We managed to find a signal, but only for a few laughable minutes. The situation became worse and worse, and I surmised the government decided it was best to cut off the entire area of the internet instead, keeping us forever in the dark.

That only happened yesterday, and I barely contacted my parents and friends back on the west coast.

Logan managed to reach his mom and talked to her for a minute before the signal was lost forever. I couldn't help but feel jealous that he had contacted his family while I did not. However, he managed to pass on that I was still alive, telling his mother to let my parents know. I could kiss Logan there, and I was so happy that my folks knew I was still kicking.

Hopefully, that was enough information for my dad to reach out to Major Clemons. Logan never told his mother where we were exactly, except that we're almost in Albany. Had my dad already done that? After all, the call happened yesterday, and Mrs. Hardy would have told him by now. We only lived a few blocks away from her house. Was Major Clemons now waiting for my arrival? Maybe I should have gone for the interstate or the highway. Perhaps he was expecting me there on the checkpoints, dressed in civilian clothes and not in a combat uniform.

Or maybe not.

I couldn't risk walking up to a checkpoint and asking if the Major himself had asked for me. I might get laughed at, or I might get captured and jailed, or find myself a bullet to the head for disguising myself as a soldier.

No. I couldn't risk it.

I tried my phone again; The signal was still offline. Damn it. We needed a satellite phone since those did not rely on cell towers but a network of satellites over the atmosphere. I could contact my dad without the internet or the government interrupting me or the stupid cell towers going down.

"Hm. If only it were that easy." I had tried to look for a satellite phone back in Highland Falls' electronic store, but they didn't have it, and the ones on campus probably got stored up with the cadets during the school's initial evacuation.

Gabe and Tessa hailed us from the edge of a rocky outcrop, binoculars in hand. We walked over toward where they were. A few miles below was I-87, jam-packed with vehicles honking and the smell of people wafting in the air.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Take a look at it yourself," Tessa said, giving me the binoculars. "Something's gone big."

We could see that the survivors had begun to abandon their vehicles through our binoculars and walked the long miles toward the city instead. Most of the roads we took put us on top of the hills, giving us a critical vantage point on the highway and the city skyline over the horizon.

Hm. Took them long enough, I thought.

The city was probably filled with vehicles and people by now, and there was no more room for more, trapping millions outside the safe zone, begging to be let in. But for the past four days, those people on the interstate had been sitting ducks for the vectors.

I pointed the binoculars south, about ten miles down the interstate. Towering billows of smoke and fire raged, turning the clouds into black. My binoculars didn't go that far, but whatever was going on down there, it wasn't any good. It was slowly moving north.

"We should make camp," Miguel said. "Possibly farther away from the interstate. I don't want those people stumbling onto us and stealing what we have."

We headed out a few miles west. We decided to drive toward Thompsons Lake, hoping that we'd find an opening if we came into the city from the north.

Before dusk settled, Armas left without a word. He left a note out on the windshield wipers of my humvee, saying: THANK YOU AND GOOD LUCK.

I never met Armas again. I didn't even know his first name.