From the Ash 3 by Dave Heron

Author:Dave Heron [Heron, Dave]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: DevilDogPress

WELCOME TO BRADDOCK

I felt an uncomfortable mix of angst and relief as we trotted through the gate of Braddock. This wasn’t how I thought our meeting with Maggie would turn out. Sam and she explained how they had been childhood friends, growing up together with only a street separating their family homes. They were very close, doing everything together. It wasn’t until junior year in high school, when Maggie’s family moved towards the western part of Oklahoma, that they'd lost touch, sadly. It wasn’t the days of simply sending a text or an email to keep up with one another. Maggie chuckled when I asked if they could’ve simply called each other, explaining that they never had a landline because of her dad’s conspiracies that the government was spying on them. By the time they had both grown up and put down roots to start families, there childhood was an echo of the past that were joyful memories. Watching them, their affection looked and felt genuine. I didn’t know Maggie. Time would tell if she could be trustworthy. The van we had seen speeding through the very gate we now passed through popped and hissed with dozens of onlookers watching us with untrusting eyes. Tara now rode with her mother and Sam beside them through the throng of people. Maggie waved happily, calling out to ensure her people that everything was okay, we were "not a threat." But did a threat await us within these walls? We knew one did. Any of these people could’ve been Doc’s spies. We all had to be on our toes and keep an eye out. My gaze drifted to each face glaring at us, taking them all in while adjusting the beanie Tony had given me, making sure it was covering each strand of my hair. That would’ve been a dead giveaway. This wasn’t the time to reveal that Doc’s prize was so close.

The inside of Braddock was impressive. After a cul-de-sac-like entryway, what seemed like hundreds of wooden cabins lined either side of a straight, very smooth, reddish dirt road. They were identical: two small windows on either side of a front door with a tiny porch, and a wood shingled roof. They looked more like sheds, but they seemed awfully cozy. I don’t think the people of Braddock had to worry about having enough shelter. There was a real tidiness to this place; truthfully, it was almost unsettling. Colorful shrubbery was sprinkled along the road and surrounded each of the cabins. Adolescent trees standing about my height dotted the bright landscape, and budding green sprouts of grass poked through the dirt. It was beautiful and vibrant. A polar opposite of what was outside the walls.

Maggie stopped near the front of the van where an older man with jet black hair slicked back helped her from her horse. While they embraced, I noticed one feature that stood out from the rest. Way in the distance, I was shocked to see a large lake where the road ended, giving way to a pier that had a few smaller boats tied off on either side.

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