Catalyst (Book 2): Kingdoms of Sorrow by Franks JK

Author:Franks, JK [Franks, JK]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Tags: Post-Apocalyptic | Dystopian
Publisher: Red Leaf Press
Published: 2017-04-19T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifty-Three

Mississippi River Confluence, Arkansas

It had taken four more days to get to the Mississippi River. They had lost time on one of the many switchbacks of the lower Arkansas River when it narrowed and split into multiple tributaries. They had pulled the boats up onto a wide sandbar. Bobby was showing Jacob how to fish with a handline, and Jordan was using the radio as Bobby had shown her. She scanned the channels, listening to various reports from and about the Messengers who were now heading south along the Mississippi River. The broadcasts were heart-wrenching: chaotic and ghastly in their detail. If Jordan had had any remaining doubts about fleeing her home, they were now gone.

With the help of the broadcasts, she was piecing together where the Messengers may be and marking spots on the river map. Jacob dropped two fish in the sand in front of her. The large catfish flopped about, desperate to be back in the water. The boy was beaming from ear to ear. “Did you catch those?” she asked with a broad smile.

He held up one finger.

“Which one?”

He pointed to the larger of the fish. She hugged her son excitedly and praised him. Looking over at Bobby, she mouthed a silent thank-you.

She deftly cleaned and filleted the fish, cooking them on hot rocks by the river. As they ate, she showed Bobby the map. “They’re somewhere near the White River which runs parallel to the Arkansas for a good while, then joins the Mississippi. Basically, they’re not far from where we are.”

Bobby shoved the last bit of fish into his mouth before responding. “Let’s hope they are on the north side of it. That way, we’re divided by both rivers and the land in between. Otherwise, they may be right on our heels. Not many roads through here, so it’ll be slow going for them, and no towns to speak of in that stretch. It’s pure wilderness, so water and food will be a problem for them.”

“Some of the reports are coming from people on the other side of the river,” she said pointing to spots she had marked.

“Those areas have highways and roads. If I had to guess, I’d say they got split up during the Memphis attacks. Any vehicles remaining probably crossed the river to the east side closer to Memphis, then headed south.”

“I thought we were crossing the river, too. What if they’re already ahead of us?”

“It’s possible, but this is not a developed area, on either side, and we can go south on the Mississippi much faster than what we’ve been doing so far. I’m not sure it will be fast enough . . . Scott suggested the idea, but it is slow. He could probably do five times what we can on his damn bike.”

Her eyes met his, “What are you saying?”

“I think we need help. We can stay on the river, but we won’t be gaining much time on those already on the other side. It’ll also take us way too long to get to the coast.

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