Hugo continued to drive north into the foothills of Yosemite. The smoking mountains were much more visible now. The view from the windshield depicted a sky of smoke. Everyone was asleep by then.
The trees started to get taller the further they drove. The view of central valley was blocked by thick forest. Occasionally, a wanderer or crashed car would appear on the side of the road.
They passed by another sign, “Coarsegold.” Soon after, the woods cleared up. They entered a small village with several shops, inns, and dirt streets that led into the forest. The streets had a couple of stray cars and it all seemed abandoned.
Whoop went a sheriff’s car from behind the group. Hugo hit the brakes, stopping the car in the middle of an empty intersection. The entire car jolted awake. Mordecai sat up and frantically looked around, upon noticing the sheriff’s car he sunk out of sight, and clenched his knife.
“Hugo, go!” said Carmen. She looked at him sternly while also keeping the sheriff’s car in the corner of her eye.
“I’m sorry,” Hugo said, nervously. He was frozen with his hands to the wheel, and he watched the sheriff’s car in the side view mirror.
The sheriff stepped out of the car. He seemed normal.
Hugo slowly moved his hands to the window control and lowered his window.
“Hugo!” Carmen whispered sternly.
The sheriff stepped to the window and leaned on the car with one arm. The badge on his shirt said Yosemite Ranger.
“You know why I pulled you over?” he asked Hugo, his face almost cold.
Hugo slowly turned his head to the sheriff. “N- no. Officer.”
The sheriff’s cold face grew to a smile. “To give you a warm welcome!” He slapped the top of the car and had a nice smile. “Come on, pull over right there and I’ll introduce you to the place.” He pointed ahead at a sidewalk with enough space to park beside. “I know it’s a lot, but trust me, everything is gonna be fine.” He nodded and walked back to his car. Hugo watched the sheriff from the side view mirror, noticing a holstered gun at the back of his belt.
“Hugo,” Carmen whispered. “Get out of here!”
Hugo slowly drove the car forward, without responding. He turned into the parking spot and held the brakes. The sheriff pulled up behind him. Hugo watched the sheriff get out of the car.
“Hugo?” said Carmen.
“C’mon man,” said Mordecai, still hiding with the knife.
When the sheriff closed the door to his car, Hugo hit the gas, speeding up the road once again.
“Sorry guys, cops freak me out sometimes,” said Hugo. He swerved around a wander, bobbling everyone in the car. “It’s an LA thing.”
“Hey, who's following us?” said Jacob, he was looking out the back window of the car. Hugo glanced into the rear view mirror, and everyone else peaked over their shoulders, it was the sheriff steadily approaching.
After making a turn, the road ahead was straight and clear, the sheriff sped up, trying to pass them. Hugo pressed the brakes as hard as he could, but the sheriff was just a little faster.
“No, no, no,” Hugo said to himself. He looked to his left and saw the sheriff through the windows of the car. He pulled his gun and aimed it at Hugo. Hugo raised his arm to cover his face.
BAM
The car’s left tire popped, and the car swerved to the left. The sheriff slammed his brakes, being almost hit by Hugo’s car. Everyone was pulled forward as the momentum kept the car going. It drove off the road and into a shallow ditch, and its passengers were thrown forward. Mordecai and Genesis grabbed Lila, and they caught the two front seats, softening the blow. Jacob was pressed against the back seats and was fine. Carmen and Hugo were caught by the air bags.
The sheriff parked his car and ran up to Hugo and the others. He opened the door and dragged Hugo out, resting him on the grass. He was shaken up by the impact, seeing the glass of the windshield and the two front windows shattered. He could hear the groaning of everyone getting a hold of themselves.
The sheriff opened the passenger door behind the driver’s seat. There, Genesis was shaking off the impact. The sheriff helped Genesis out of the car and pointed her beside Hugo.
“Hugo?” said Lila from inside. “Hugo, where are you?” She looked over to Hugo on the ground.
The sheriff reached out to Lila, beckoning her to come to him. Hugo got himself to his feet, shuffling over to the car. “Hey!” he said roughly and loudly. “Don't…touch-”
The sheriff turned around and pointed a gun at Hugo’s face.
“Back up. Sit down,” he ordered.
From inside the car, Mordecai wrapped a cloth around the sheriff’s neck and pulled him back. Hugo moved out of the way. BAM went the gun. The sound echoed throughout the forest and the bullet disappeared down the road. Hugo snatched the gun as the sheriff struggled to break free.
Hugo pointed the gun at the Sheriff. “Get down and stay down! Now!” Mordecai let go and the Sheriff pulled himself out of the car. With a heavy breath, he put his hands to his neck trying to relieve the pain. He stepped to the side of the road and got to his knees with his hands up. Hugo kept the gun pointed at him.
“Everyone out! Come on!” said Hugo.
Mordecai came out of Genesis’s door and helped Lila down. Hugo nodded approvingly at Mordecai. Carmen walked out from around the car and opened the back to let Jacob out. They all stood before the sheriff, who was still on his knees.
“Talk,” said Hugo.
“My name is Fred Gunman. I have a wife and kids. If you kill me now they’ll be wondering where I went. That gunshot was a call for help.”
Hugo stepped closer, breathing in, ready to shoot.
“BUT if you kill me, the people who are coming will gun you all down without a second thought. Keep me alive and you'll all get a chance to make things right. Fair?” said the sheriff, with his hands out.
Hugo stepped back to the group, with the gun still on the sheriff.
“Who’s coming?” Hugo asked.
“My crew. After I first pulled you over I radioed them everything I knew. So they might try to outnumber you,” said the sheriff.
Carmen spoke up, “What do you want with us?”
“I was going to interview you, and see if you were a good fit for our community,” the sheriff looked up at the group, who were glaring back at him. He nodded, “Our community. It’s just up the road. We’ve been there since the outbreak started. It’s no more than about a couple hundred people. At the beginning, people came up here in droves, but then the fires started and-”
A fleet of several more cars drove up from the north side of the road. The crashed car blocked the view.
“Sheriff Gunman! You there!”
Sheriff Gunman hesitated. He glanced up at Hugo who nodded his head in the direction of the cars.
“Yeah! I’m here! Guns down! Code 12-90!” Gunman shouted.
Hugo angrily whispered, “What does that mean?” to Gunman.
Gunman flinched when Hugo spoke. He whispered back, “They won't shoot you.”
The others stood around Hugo, waiting for his next move.
“Get up,” Hugo said. He nudged Gunman around the car to be the first one in view. “Stay here,” Hugo whispered to the others. He followed the sheriff into view.
Three more sheriff cars were in front of the wreck, and five other sheriffs stood behind the open car doors. Hugo held the gun up to the Sheriff Gunman’s head.
“Okay kid, you don't want to do that,” said one of the other sheriffs.
“Give us a car then,” said Hugo.
“Why?” said the sheriff.
“Take a guess,” Hugo answered, tilting his head to the crashed car beside him.
The sheriffs glanced at each other, two of them whispered between themselves. “Why?” said one of them to Hugo.
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“We’ll get out of here and never come back,” Hugo answered.
“Let our partner go and we’ll get you a car,” a sheriff said.
Hugo glared at them with the gun still on Sheriff Gunman’s head.
After a few moments, the sheriff’s glanced between each other again.
“I’ll do you one better, how bout a home,” the sheriff said.
“Really,” Hugo said, plainly. He readjusted his stance.
“Yeah,” said the sheriff. “I know it must be tough out there, being as you all came from the valley. How’s Fresno doing?” the sheriff smirked.
With an unamused glare, Hugo answered, “Overrun.”
Some of the sheriff’s shook their heads, but the one who made the offer nodded. “Come on, follow us. If you don't kill our partner we’ll let you stay.”
Hugo glanced over at the others, who were listening from behind the car. He noticed Lila with a hope in her eye. “Okay.” Hugo nodded to the others to come into the open. Once the sheriffs got a good look at the group, they got in their cars and started back up the road, going slowly so the group could follow.
“You sure about this?” Carmen asked Hugo, but he didn't answer.
They walked a good five minutes up the road into the woods. Hugo still had the gun to Gunman’s head.
“Looks like about noon,” said Sheriff Gunman. “Should be getting back before dark.”
“Why?” Hugo asked.
The sheriff did not respond, he looked forward and continued to walk.
“Why?” Hugo repeated. Sheriff Gunman glanced at him from the corner of his eye, but kept his head forward. He gulped.
“After the outbreak, a lot of people came through here to get to Yosemite Valley. When the fires started, the ones stuck outside stayed here in Oakhurst. But some of them split off into the woods, some alone, some with their families. We spot them watching us from time-to-time, always at night.” Gunman stopped himself from continuing.
The group was already glancing at the forest beside the road, hoping no one was watching. Genesis pulled Lila closer to the center of the group.
“Is it safe?” Hugo asked.
Sheriff Gunman looked down, then back at the road ahead. “We built fences, and are working on building walls.”
They continued walking for about ten more minutes until the road was blocked off by a wire gate. Several layers of chicken wire were wrapped around the trees, surrounding the perimeter of the town.
The sheriff’s in the cars opened the gates and waited for the group to pass through before closing the gate.
“You can put the gun down now,” said Sheriff Gunman. “You’ll only spook everyone.”
After a moment of hesitation, Hugo turned on the safety and put it in his side pocket.
“Thanks,” Gunman said. “Welcome to Oakhurst.”
It was a small town in the foothills of Yosemite. People were taking walks through the streets,the abandoned buildings and empty parking lots were repurposed for recreational use. The neighborhoods were populated with cabins and tents. Kids were playing, almost unbothered by the condition of the world. The tree’s slightly blocked the giant cloud of smoke, so it was barely in view.
The group took everything in, feeling like things can go back to normal.
“Wow,” said Genesis.
Hugo felt a tug on his shirt. He looked down and it was Lila.
“I wanna stay here,” Lila said to Hugo.
“I know,” said Hugo. He nodded his head agreeingly.
“You can if you want,” said Sheriff Gunman. “Just…you know…hand over the gun.” He stuck out his hand.
The group watched Hugo as he slowly took the gun from his pocket and handed it to Sheriff Gunman.
“Thank you,” said Sheriff Gunman. “Normally, we’d have you arrested, but I assume you did it in self defense. So all’s good.”
“Thanks,” Hugo nodded, he turned his head unsure of where to go or what to do.
“There is one more thing though,” said Sheriff Gunman. The group turned to him. “The Interview. You’re already in so we can’t kick you out, but this will help us if you have any medical conditions and what not. You mind following me to the station?”
The group hesitantly followed Gunman to the station, which was just down the street.
On the way passed by someone cooking meat in one of the empty parking lots. Several families were sitting on the surrounding benches waiting for their meal.
“That smells good,” said Mordecai to himself.
“What is that?” Carmen asked Sheriff Gunman.
“Critters mostly. When there’s less people, the animal populations tend to grow. Traps bring in enough to feed the town. We’re working on taking down bears at some point, but that’s way down the line,” answered Gunman.
The whole group’s stomach grumbled.
At the station, Gunman let them into the lobby of the station where there were rows of empty chairs. The only light was a floodlight connected to a wire that went out the door, it lit up the half of the room without seats.
“We’re here. You all sit there. Hugo, I’ll talk to you first.”
“My sister stays with me,” said Hugo, taking Lila’s hand.
“Sorry. Kids stay in the lobby, but I'll ask you her questions if you want to keep her with your friends,” said Sheriff Gunman.
Hugo looked away, “fine,” he said. He looked down at Lila. “Stay with them. Don't go anywhere.” Hugo looked at the group with an ask in his eye, they all returned the look, Mordecai with a nod.
“Right this way,” said Gunman. He walked Hugo through a short hall and into an office. The walls were wood and the floor had a brown carpet. There were two filing cabinets in the corner. In the center was a bulky desk and two chairs on either side. Out of a drawer in the desk, Gunman took a paper and pencil and sat down. “Have a seat.”
Hugo sat.
The sheriff looked over the paper. “Full name?”
“Hugo Borne,” Hugo said.
“Date of birth?”
“October 30th, 1993,” said Hugo.
“So you’re what? Nineteen? Y’look practically 30…Any medical conditions?”
“No,” said Hugo.
“Okay,” said Sheriff Gunman. He put the pencil down and put his hands together on the desk. “The need-to-know is this, here we enforce the law as if everything was normal. We do have this system to have a rotating judge so one person doesn't get all the power and all that but it’s a work in progress. Do good and get good, hear me?” he asked.
Hugo nodded.
“Also, we patrol the streets at night. Try to stay in your quarters for the sake of everyone’s peace of mind, we’re only watching for crime and the reanimated. And no one leaves town without permission from us. Understood?”
Hugo nodded and leaned forward. “So, the road into Yosemite is…what? Blocked off?”
“The road goes into a wall of fire. That’s all there is up there,” said Gunman.
Hugo leaned back and glanced to the side with a nod. “Okay.”
Gunman saw the look in his eyes. “I know what you’re thinking, don’t,” he said, in the sternest manner Hugo’s seen from him.
Hugo nodded again and relaxed his eyes.
“Anyway. Your sister?” said Gunman. He took out a new paper.
“Lila Borne,” Hugo started. “January 2nd, 2008. No medical conditions.”
“Parents?” the sheriff asked.
“Dead,” Hugo said plainly.
Sheriff Gunman nodded, marking some things down.
“Okay, we’re done. Thank you for your time Hugo. Send the next one in if you don't mind,” said the sheriff.
Hugo left the room and sent Carmen in next from the lobby. “Is it safe?” she asked Hugo as they crossed paths.
“You’ll be fine, just a few questions and the rules,” Hugo answered. He sat down as Carmen entered the office.
The room was silent. Lila was playing with some sort of kids toy found in dentist offices. It was a jumble of metal wires with beads that rode along them
“Where’d you get that?” Hugo asked Lila.
“I found it,” Lila answered.
Mordecai, Genesis and Jacob were already asleep in their chairs. In the sitting silence, Hugo noticed how dim the room was.
Jacob was the last to be interviewed. He seemed to take the longest. By the time he was finished, it was almost dark and the sky was scarlet. Sheriff Gunman walked out of the room with Jacob.
“Alright everyone! Very productive day!” said the sheriff. He stopped once he saw the sky through one of the windows. “Wow the time has passed. Okay, quarters.” He put his hands together. “If you want a cabin you’ll have to be okay with roommates because we don't have any empty cabins. But if you want privacy we have plenty of tents, okay? Follow me.”
Sheriff Gunman led the group into the nearest neighborhood of cabins and tents where he handed off the group to the woman who was in charge of housing. The group took one very large tent and a second mid size tent. Hugo and Lila took the mid size tent and the rest took the large tent. They were given time to set up and by nightfall they finished their tents. Hugo positioned his tent door to have a straight view of the chicken wire wall. The woman in charge of housing provided them with cushions, blankets, food and other necessities. There were about 40 other tents and about ten cabins in this one area alone.
Lila fell straight to sleep but Hugo stayed up. He had the tent open just enough to see outside. Just like Gunman said, he was patrolling the area. He walked around the neighborhood with a low-level flashlight.
Hugo assumed it was because Sheriff Gunman knew what Hugo was thinking in his interview. Hugo waited until Gunman walked out of sight and when he did, Hugo slowly opened the zipper to the tent, one tooth at a time.
When the zipper was wide enough for Hugo to sneak through, he did. Then he slowly re-zipped the tent, watching Lila to make sure she doesn't wake up.
The light to the sheriff's torch appeared in the corner of Hugo’s eye and he jumped behind the tent. He waited for the light to go away and adjusted his position whenever the sheriff moved. Finally, the sheriff left out of sight, so Hugo crept to the fence and used it to climb up the side of the tree, but he noticed the light again. Out of instinct Hugo let go of the tree and fell three feet to the ground.
THUD
He landed on the forest floor behind a tent and out of sight from Gunman, but the people in the tent were alerted. It was a man and a woman. They began to whisper.
“Babe,” said the woman. “Babe.”
“Huh? What?” said the man.
“Did you hear that?” said the woman.
“Hear what?” said the man.
“I heard something fall,” said the woman.
“Want me to check?” said the man.
“I don't know,” the woman said.
“I’ll check,” the man said.
Hugo heard a shuffling within the tent beside him. He couldn't move in fear of making a sound. Sheriff Gunman’s light disappeared but Hugo waited. After several seconds, Hugo heard a small window in the tent zip open in the direction of him.
“It’s too dark. I can't see anything,” said the man. He re-zipped the window and the shuffling inside the tent resumed. Hugo launched himself up and to the chicken wire fence, lifting himself over the top and to the other side.
“Babe! I heard it again!” said the woman, still in a whisper. More shuffling ensued within the tent and by the time the window was open, Hugo was gone into the dark.
Hugo walked along the perimeter of the town, avoiding the sheriffs on duty and found the road to Yosemite. Following the road, Hugo walked up the mountains of Yosemite. The heat started to grow, and the roaring sound of a crackling fire filled the air. An orange glow filled the trees.
Going around a bend in the road, Hugo saw the wall of fire and a sea of burning wood. Trees were tumbling down the side of the mountain and there was a buildup of charcoal on the road, and it towered over Hugo.
He stepped back, being overwhelmed by the heat and brightness. He squinted and covered his eyes with his hands. Through his fingers he noticed a figure.
There was the silhouette of a human in the fire, and they were looking at Hugo.