Fortitude by Phil Maxey

Author:Phil Maxey [Maxey, Phil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Philip Maxey
Published: 2021-11-13T22:00:00+00:00

*****

Mike rubbed his hands together. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure all his fingers were still attached, but sliding them across his face confirmed they were. The white noise of the turbulent waves was constant, as was the whimpering from the girl, whose knees were up against her chest. At least some of her shaking was due to the cold, but the rest was the grief of losing her brother to a swarm of AI controlled flying machines. To the rear sat Casey, her son nearby and up front, closer to Mike was Jared, whose eyes hadn’t left the way they were heading. To Mike that felt like north. At least they were still heading in the right direction.

He scanned the tree tops set upon the hills bordering the river. Dark spears set against the undulating mountains. The moon was bright, but somewhere up there were also clouds because the flickers of ice had began to fall again.

“We can’t stay in this boat,” said Casey. “We need to get on the land. Find a place to hole up.”

Paige sniffed. “I want to go home.”

“We ain’t never going back there,” said Dale. “Home’s gone.”

“I want to go home.”

Casey let out a sigh. Mike felt sorry for the girl, but sympathy was in short supply within the battered wooden craft, which bobbed and swayed with the currents. He also had no interest in staying for any length of time in one place. He needed a vehicle. He needed to get to Anchorage.

“There’s probably a lodge on one of these banks,” he said. “You should all take refuge when we find one. But I’m getting a vehicle and heading north.”

“This is all your fault!” The words from Paige came between snorts but weren’t a surprise to him. She was right. It was.

“That’s why I’m leaving when I get the first chance. The AI will keep coming at me. It will not give up until I’m dead.”

“You think this AI thing will leave us alone?” said Casey. Mike’s pause in replying was enough of an answer for her. “Then we’re sticking to—”

“Are you fucking crazy?” said Paige. “It.. it…” Her words dissolved into sobs.

“There’s strength in numbers,” said Jared, without turning from the river. He too then let out a sigh. “That’s what Gregg always said.”

“And he was right,” said Casey. “If this snowfall gets worse, and we can’t find a vehicle, then we stay put, otherwise we keep on going. Agreed?” Everyone but Paige did.

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