Toils and Snares - Deserted Lands #0.5

CHAPTER ONE - Part I

CHAPTER ONE

SAMUEL HERMAN FELT MOVEMENT IN his wife Anna’s pregnant belly. Stay calm. “Everything will be okay.” His head pounded as he nestled his chin in the curve of her neck.

“Sam,” Anna said. “We need to leave now.” Her voice rose, still a whisper, but audible to their children down the hall. “Leave Portland. Go into the wilderness, like Moses. Go where there aren’t any people.”
“How many times, Anna?” he said, softening his voice, hoping she would do the same. Noah was too young to understand anything except the tension in their voices, but Abigail was six and sharp as a tack.
“If we don’t leave Portland and one of my kids gets the plague…” She spun at him, eyes stabbing, voice still rising. “What then?” She turned away again.

“Honey, shhhh… Let’s not scare the kids any more than they are already.” Samuel placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing the tight, knotted muscles. “They’re my kids, too.” He slid her long, dark hair from her face and kissed her cheek. “It’s not the plague.”

“I don’t care what it’s called. They might get infected. The hospitals are closing. There’s no reason to stay--”

“No reason?”

When she spoke again, she no longer attempted to be quiet. “None of us have it yet. People are looking at us funny.”

“Who is looking at us funny?” Samuel couldn’t imagine that anyone had even seen them. People were dead or dying and staying inside as ordered.

“People.” Anna grabbed his face and held his gaze. Anna’s eyes slide from anger through panic then back to fear. Her eyes darted to the door.

Had the stress kicked her back into mental health watch mode or was she in pregnant mother-bear mode? He needed her here, not catatonic. A shiver ran through him. He couldn’t help her when she retreated into herself after losing the babies. How could he calm her now? “When Maria gets here. Then we’ll go.”

“Maria may not even be on the way. Your daughter—”

“Maria is our daughter. When you married me, she became one of your kids.” His face flushed hot. “I know you two don’t get along, but she is ours.”

She pursed her lips and nodded.

Sam choked down his frustration. Redirect the conversation. Inspiration fired in his brain. “We can go to your grandpa’s place up at Lake Quinault. That’s the middle of nowhere.”

“Yes. That’s perfect.” A slight smile snuck past Anna’s guard. “Thanks for not thinking I’m losing it again.”

“Honey, I never-” But he was thinking it.

“If you don’t find Maria—”

“I will find her.” Sweat broke out on Sam’s forehead as his anger surged back. He spoke deliberately, “If you can’t wait, you take the younger kids and I’ll come when I can.”

Sam watched her reassessing, closing him off. Take it easy, Sam.

“Okay.” Anna nodded. “Go see Brad. Please.”

“I called him three or four times.”

“He’s not going to call you back. Go see if he and Pam are— Ask him for help. Ask them to come with us. I would go with them.”

And leave you. Samuel sighed and stood. “Okay. I’ll go talk to Brad.” He paused at the door, facing it. “If Maria hasn’t called by tomorrow… You can leave with them while I head East to find her.” He turned around as Anna’s face hardened.