Strange meeting you here

Posted on Sat Jun 29th, 2024 @ 9:05pm by Joshua MacCallan & Lydia Dunham

2,861 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Winter is Coming
Location: Rockefeller State Park, New York
Timeline: September 3, 2010 - 7:00 p.m.

The wind as he rode his motorbike into what was known as Rockefeller state park, was chilly, even through his leather jacket. Joshua was constantly looking in his mirrors and around him as he rode into what was a parking area. He had been heading fully west but roadblocks were forcing him to change his path. He parked his bike and pulled his helmet off and listened. There were a few vans and cars around but they were all silent. He figured everyone was doing what he was, which was listening and watching.

Dressed in worn jeans and a soft, white pullover, Lydia lay on her bed, chin propped on her hand, and studied the map spread out in front of her. A spill of red hair fell forward blocking out part of the map; not the part that interested her and so, it remained where it was. No, she wanted one of the more remote campsites. The ones that most people wouldn't be bothered with. The ones where the possibility of running into ... them ... would be remote. So, remote but it had to have easy access so that, if she had to, she could get away.

In the garage, which was slang for the storage area under her bed that was accessible by the rear doors of the van, she had three full gas cans and her tank was full. Safety lay in being faster than the lunatics ... lunatic? ... chasing you. As was her habit, she had backed into the parking spot. The windows were covered in the back and a wall, with a pocket door, separated the cab from the rear area which was, and had been for awhile now, her home.

So ... easy way for the van to get out ... and maybe a grill, water source? Water, yes. That would be good. She could dump the gray water and top off the fresh. That narrowed it down to three or four. With luck, no one would be there and she could make camp for the evening. Having made the decision, all that was left to do was get in the driver's seat and go.

And yet, she lingered. Steeling herself for whatever was out there in the parking lot. "I can do this," she whispered softly. "I can do this." She sighed, squared her shoulders, and moved forward, through the pocket door into the driver's seat. Through the windshield she was readily visible as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail and started the van. Necessary but somehow vulnerable what with all the insanity shuffling around everywhere.

Josh slid from the bike and placed his helmet on the backseat and looked around again. Movement caught his eye and his hand dropped to the baseball bat he had kept strapped to the side of the bike. But then he paused as he focused on the woman putting her hair up in the front seat of a van nearby. He had to smile. He recognized her. He had wondered where she had gone after she gave her deposition.

Slowly to keep himself in clear view he moved towards her van and waved to get her attention. She started the van and he made his movements a bit more visible. “LYDIA” Josh called so she could hear him.

It took her a moment to place him but when she did she smiled, opened the driver's side window, and shut down the van. "Mr. MacCallan? What on earth are you doing way out here?"

"Same thing as everyone else I believe, trying to find a way out of the country." Joshua replied. "The city has gone nuts." He added remarking on the chaos that was swamping New York. "I was trying to head to my sisters out in Tennessee but the roads are just bad that way."

"Me, I thought I'd head North, maybe try Canada," Lydia said as she pulled her pony tail forward, easy to do when you hair was nearly waist-length, and played with the end. One of the several nervous habits she'd been gifted with thanks to "HIM". "With Grandfather dead and all these ... I'm don't even know what to call them ... people, I guess ... wandering around, there's nothing left for me here."

Joshua nodded. "North seems to be a viable option right now." He agreed. "I have my bike, If you want we can travel together until it doesn't work any more." He pointed his thumb at his bike and trailer.

Her gaze followed the line marked by Josh's thumb and was glad to see the trailer. He had tried to do right by her, to bring 'HIM' to justice and if it was unsuccessful, that wasn't Mr. MacCallan's fault. "Alright," she said with a soft smile. "I'd welcome the company. I found a couple of campsites that might work for tonight. Remote enough not to be bothered but with a water source and a grill."

"That's good. I have some meat that I was hoping to cook before it goes bad. If you lead, I will follow and keep an eye on the area behind us." Josh offered.

"Alright," she found herself repeating and, once he'd headed back toward his bike, she found herself shaking her head and muttering to herself. "Alright, Alright," she squawked, mimicking a parrot, "Pick another word, girl." Still, she started up the van again and stopped at the head of the road, waiting for him to follow, and once she was him in her rear view, she lead them to the spot she had in mind.

The road was decent, worn from other campers and weather, but passable and nothing the van couldn't handle. She pulled into the best of the spots, angling the van for a quick getaway, and shifted into park. Waiting to see if anything popped out.

Joshua parked beside her, but he didn't turn off the bike as he waited and looked around. Slowly he pulled his helmet off and listened. Nothing. He turned the bike off and slid from it, and began having a good look through the trees.

Lydia watched him, sliding in and out of view among the trees, and heaved a tiny sigh of relief. Tears sprung to her eyes and she wiped them away with an impatient brush of her hands. Such a small act, checking for trouble, and yet, it brought with it, the first sense of safety, even if it was just a tiny bit, she'd felt in a long while. Emboldened by his bravery, she shut down the jeep and waited for him to return.

Joshua came back and waved as he moved to the bike. “All clear.” He said as he moved back to her window. “For now at least. I get the feeling that … the… beings will remain closer to the population centres for now. That said, we cook, eat and do it quickly.”

Lydia pocketed her keys and slid out of the van through the driver's side door. "That was my thought too," she said. "Camping slows way down after Labor Day at the best of times and with the virus and the stay-at-home orders, I figured these places would be mostly deserted. If we can get a fire going, I can make some rice to go with the meat you want to grill. Almost a real meal."

Josh nodded. "Good Idea, I will get the stuff and meet you over at the BBQ, keep an ear out as well." He headed for his teardrop camper and pulled open the rear hatch and began unloading a cooler and a bag of what was BBQ tools. As he did he kept looking around.

Lydia nodded in response and got to work. Stones to form a ring in the dirt. Wood for the fire. Kindling. Her lighter. A metal rack she kept in the 'garage' and a pot from her kitchen filled with water and rice. She seasoned it all in the van and brought the pot out, ready to go and set it down on a flat rock to wait until the fire was going. The thought niggled at her mind that she had forgotten something and she brushed it aside. These were things she understood, things that were comfortable. Easy. She squatted beside the fire, comfortable in the position, and encouraged the fire to catch hold. Once it did, she put the pot, covered with a lid, on the fire to cook and remembered suddenly. Pot holder. She found one in the crate in the 'garage', slang for the storage space under the bed that was accessed only from the van's rear doors.

Joshua had set up his own fire and as much as he was not good at camping, his brother in law had taught him this much. He pulled out the grill pan and the steaks he had brought with him. As he cooked he kept his gaze wandering around the area. The scent might lure things in, but he hoped they were too far from where they were lurking.

Lydia turned toward Mr. MacCallan, her mouth twisted up on one side in thought. "Access," she said after a moment. "This spot is near a hill that's steep on the other side. I know because I almost fell down it once on a overnight here. And we're right near the water here. Most likely access is the road. I didn't think to close the gate which is what they do at night sometimes but ... I think its the best we're going to find tonight." There was hope in her voice as she spoke. Hope that there could be one night of peace before things got bad again. One night where she could sleep and not be haunted by nightmares.

"Sounds like it." Josh replied. He flipped the steaks. "I have a feeling that we will need to be cautious as we leave, we do not know whats happening outside this area but, we cannot stay here, we need to find a safe place."

"Where would that be," Lydia asked as she held back her hair and peeked at the rice. "Serious question. I couldn't honestly think of a place other than run north until I run out of world or gas, whatever came first."

"Maybe there wont be one for miles, for months but eventually I think, I have to believe there will be" Joshua said softly as he plated a steak for her and handed her the plate. "Maybe we will find a place where others are that they have made safe."

"It's a nice thought," Lydia said. She snapped her fingers and jumped up, leaving him holding the plate, and ran back to the van. A moment later, she returned with silverware. Shrugging off her mistake, she pulled the pot off the fire and added rice to the plate, then returned it to him with silverware. "I'm ... I'm not as good about trusting people as I was ... but I know I won't make it my own. How do we find them? These people?"

"We be cautious. We work together. You know me, and I know you, mostly." He replied as they began to eat. "You can call me Josh, and I think if we work together we can get through this. And also, if and when we find new people, we discuss if we go with them or not."

"Fair," Lydia said as she settled down with her plate. "You and me. We decide together. And because I do know you, and probably no one else at this point, I'll answer any questions you have. I promise I won't lie to you. Even when its easier. I'll tell you the truth."

"And I will do the same." Josh assured her. "Truth always." He ate but kept his eyes on the area around us.

"Okay, so ... first truth," Lydia said. She ate slowly. She didn't have a good appetite at the best of times and the stress of this new reality showed up first in how much food she could eat. "I have nightmares and once in awhile, panic attacks. Quiet ones mostly but If you hear a small scream in the middle of the night, that's me."

No wonder Josh mused. What she had gone through and now this. It was amazing she was not catatonic. "I will keep that in mind," he replied to her. However he knew that there were screams, and then there were SCREAMS.

Lydia watched his face, the play of expressions, and her forehead wrinkled as she tried to understand. She sat, toying with the food on her plate, relaxing in the peace of the moment. The crackle of the wood burning in the fire, the distant call of some animal she couldn't name, and thought as how she could probably hear for miles .... Oh!

"Sound proofing," she said, a flush of embarrassment spreading across her cheeks. "The van is soundproofed. For just that reason, I might add. Screams attract attention and even before all." she waved her hands, taking in the world, "this, I didn't want to attract attention." She laughed, her expression softening as she remembered the day, the moment, and above all, her grandfather. "Once it was all done, I sat inside the van, everything closed, and had grandfather stand outside while I screamed as loud as I could. He said that once he heard a small scream but you had to be close and it wasn't that loud. I have a soft voice and," her voice dropping to a soft chuckle, "I was hoarse for days after that."

Josh smiled at that. he was about to toss the leftovers when he remembered what Tim had once told him about wild animals. "We should make sure we leave nothing here when we leave. And no food scraps. I don't know about you but attracting wildlife is not on my list of things to do."

"There are trash bins near where we came in but, likely no one's going to be picking anything up for a very long time. What if we buried them?" She shrugged lightly. "Sort of ... natural compost?"

Joshua nodded. "Sounds good. Do you have a shovel?" he asked.

"No," Lydia said and then turned her head, looking up and to the right, as though the answer was in the darkening sky. "Yes. Maybe. Had some problems with digging the van out once so ... I think I got one. I'll have to check in the garage." She took a bite of steak, nodding her appreciation, and then hopped up. She walked over to the van, circled around to the back, and opened the rear doors. Beneath her bed, visible through the opening, was a u-shaped set of cabinets. She opened one of the left side and found a small, folded shovel, the kind that could fit into a backpack. She set it on the ground and closed the rear door, then picked it up and returned to the campfire, brandishing it triumphantly. "Definitely yes."

Josh had to smile at her. She was doing well despite their circumstances. "good, we can use it to cover the coals as well." He began the clean up, he was used to cleaning up after himself. Heaven knows his wife had never been big on household chores.

"I'll wash the dishes," Lydia volunteered as she took a last bite of the steak. Well, the last she could eat. There was some left over but there wasn't much she could do about that ... or could she ... "Wait," she said. "I have a small fridge in the van. Can steak be ... reheated? Not something I've ever done."

Josh nodded. "Yes we can wrap it in alfoil and put it in the coals."

"Okay, we're good then. I can wrap this up and you can reheat it the next time we eat." She smiled cheerfully. "Embrace the leftovers. That's what our cook used to say. Well, our cook's mother but same difference. She said it too."

"Sounds like a very good plan." Josh replied as he finished cleaning up the cooking stuff. "I think we need to leave before dawn." Something was telling him to keep moving.

The campsite cleared, the remains of the meal, what wasn't saved, buried, all that was left was to head to bed. Lydia turned toward Josh, as she rose from beside the fire ring. "Good night, Josh," she said as she pulled the band out of her hair, releasing a spill of red hair from its ponytail. "I'll see you in the morning."

Joshua nodded and replied "Sleep well Lydia." He watched as she headed back to her van and then he went to his trailer and was glad he had organised it so he could sleep inside it without moving stuff. He waited until she was inside her van and the doors locked before he made sure his bike was as secure as he could make it, and taking the baseball bat he slid into the trailer and closed the hatches. He doubt he would be able to sleep really but he would try.

 

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