Absolution by Mark Campbell

Author:Mark Campbell [Campbell, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Darkest Hour Publishing
Published: 2019-07-17T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

Without breakfast, the bus ride was especially grueling.

Teddy sat slouched at his window seat with a hand on his sour stomach. He felt the acid bubbling inside and crawl up his esophagus. He felt slightly lightheaded.

Even worse, the heaters weren’t emitting any semblance of warmth.

All the passengers sat shivering with their arms across their chest. At the front of the bus, past the grille, Salguero manned the wheel and Vue sat silently across from Parham.

A wiry, nervous looking man with olive skin and jet—black hair sat next to Vue. He was wearing a white dress shirt, grey slacks, and scuffed dress shoes. A briefcase sat in his lap and he anxiously fiddled with the handle as he stared down at the floor.

Teddy thought that the man looked ridiculously out of place—he looked like a college kid applying for his first job.

The sergeant announced back at camp that they were headed out to some godawful town about thirty miles away to get a power substation back online.

The Topeka settlement was experiencing brownouts and that just wouldn’t do.

Teddy didn’t know much about electrical shit, so all he could do was hope that he did not end up electrocuting himself.

He supposed that this was the reason why they had a Middle Eastern man in ill-filling business casuals riding shotgun.

If he had to guess, the man was some sort of engineer.

People with knowledge like that were worth more than a whole truck full of food in this new world, he imagined.

Back when Teddy boarded, he noticed a military Humvee idling behind the bus. A masked officer manned the .50 CAL gun turret on the roof and swept it menacingly towards the crowd.

Teddy didn’t understand why they had an escort at first, but after seeing their unusual travel companion it wasn’t too hard to put it all together.

If he listened closely, he could hear the Humvee’s rumbling diesel engine tailing close behind.

His mind wandered back to the day’s task that awaited him at the substation.

God, it was going to be a lot of work.

Outside work.

Cold work.

No gin rummy today, Teddy thought sadly.

It was going to be a long day.

Teddy was hungry, tired, and so fucking cold—the prospect of forced labor intensified his pain and discontent.

Next to him, Roger looked just as miserable and was actually quiet for once.

Whatever pitiful country road they were traveling on was in a state of extreme disrepair. Every pebble and crack in the sun-beaten asphalt made the bus rock on its axels.

His window still had a small peephole scratched through the black paint coating.

Teddy kept leaning over and peering outside.

Endless dead fields and scattered farmhouses with their shutters drawn stretched out as far as he could see.

They rolled past weathered billboards which he read with bored fascination.

A couple announced the arrival of the Pratt County Harvest Festival, but Teddy figured that the billboard had turned out to be a goddamn liar by the time the plague passed through. A few others proclaimed the salvation and mercy offered by Jesus

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