A Child's Dream

Chapter 7 A Journey\'s End

Again he leaned out the door of the helicopter. He didn\'t think the human body could throw up so much. Now he knew why groundwork appealed to him so much. \"First time flying?\" asked one of the men next to him. He nodded, taking the sterile wipe from the man. \"Don\'t worry, you\'ll get use to it. This is the best time to take a first flight, the weather is nice and calm. The worst time is in a storm, or when the wind comes up. Then you pitched side to side, up and down, just when you think you\'ll get ahead, you\'ll...\" He stuck his head out the door once more.

\"Lt. You\'re bad you know that.\"

\"Hey, he\'s the one who insisted the fastest means possible,\" replied the teaser. \"Is it my fault he can\'t hold his water?\"

\"Forget water,\" said the man across from the wretching lanficeficer. \"I think he just puked up his testicles!\"

\"Funny!\" Godett announced. \"Very funny. Need I remind you, I\'m in command here!\"

\"Tell that to your stomach!\" They all laughed as he was handed another sterile wipe.

They\'d finally landed in the only field near where he believed the woman would go. There was a town named Dunmow, only a few miles away. If he were lucky, the local sheriff would notice a guy like what he saw, and tell them where he went. They could use the vehicles stored in the local munitions depot to catch up to the rider. And get rid of him before he causes any more trouble. \"What makes you think he\'s not gona stay in Dunmow?\" asked one of the officers.

\"Think of it grunt,\" Godett answered. \"You know the border is being watched, would you stay in the nearest town? I sure as hell wouldn\'t. I\'d get as far away from here as possible. Then settle down and fuck the hell out of some poor bitch who don\'t know a thing about you.\"

\"Hey I\'m all for that.\"

\"Rein it in airman,\" warned one of his superiors. \"We\'re here for a reason, not a breeding trip. That\'s next month.\"

\"You go on breeding trips?\" Godett asked, as the blades stopped turning.

\"Yeah. It\'s part of our bonus package. MOVE OUT!\"

Godett really had to get use to flying, with a bonus package like that, he\'d really get to like the airforce.

There wasn\'t much left of St. John. Thversversing falls were gone, a wall built and sealed the area off, the river was still there, but the water was released through valves and pipes under the new fields that were built. It was a long trip down to them, but it was a good area. She could smell the hay and other grains that they grew. She even saw rows upon rows of corn. Who\'s idea were these walls anyway? Oh well, St. John\'s greatest tourest attraction was no more. So she rode on. For three days.

Finally she reached a familiar place. It wasn\'t too wide. About 30 feet, but it was cold. Too cold for the current weather to swim safely across and not freeze to death. She could see a small raft on the opposite bank, but she couldn\'t see anything on this side, and the river spanned as far as the eye could see in either direction, and it seemed to get even wider. This was the one time border crossing between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The old bridges now long gone, even their concrete supports were gone. Maybe someone would come in a boat. Soon.

Just then she saw the wolf again, it\'s leg still banged up, but at least he was putting more and more weight on it. He howled slightly, looking down over the grass and then back to her. She could have sworn he was trying to tell her something. \"Why not?\" she said aloud, and followed the animal down the hill and to a little cove hidden from view. There on the shore, was a raft. Rather than steer with ores, or poles, the raft was connected to a rope coming out of the water, which thread through posts, went around a pole in the ground, and back into the water. The wolf hopped onto the raft, there was ample enough room for a vehicle, though she doubted it would hold its weight. \"Thanks,\" she said, but the wolf didn\'t move away. Instead, it sat down, and waited. \"You want across too?\" she asked it. The wolf lay down, looking totally bored. \"I hope I don\'t regret this. Max, find a spot, balance us off.\" Once the three were settled, she started pulling on the rope. It wasn\'t hard to know what it was there for. The water was cold, and froze her hands. She couldn\'t use her gloves to pull on the rope with, they were just cloth, and wouldn\'t keep her hands warm. Oh what she\'d give for a pair of her grandmother\'s hand knitted mittens right now. Even wet, her hands were always warm in them.

She noticed, half way across, that as she pulled the rope through the poles on her raft, the raft from the opposite bank, though empty, was heading towards the bank she left. Didn\'t take a genius to figure out that the rafts were also connected by ropes underneath, so that when one raft left one bank, it pulled the other raft off the opposite bank across the river at the same time. \'Quite a trick,\' she thought. \'Though I wish someone left a sign explaining that. No wonder it feels like I\'m pulling a ton. I\'m pulling two rafts instead of one.\' The wolf barked slightly. Well she couldn\'t call it a bark really, it wasn\'t like a dog\'s bark, but then she didn\'t know what to call it. \"I\'m ok,\" she answered to it. \"Just needed to catch my breath.\" A moment later she continued her work.

Finally on the opposite bank, the wolf jumped off the raft, she mounted up and Max too returned to the land, then together the three headed off, traveling east and slightly south, cutting across country. She knew where she was going to now. She\'d get there. In a few days, she\'d be there.

She passed through woods, and farms, ruins of old towns, and the rebuilt portion of another. She saw people working hard, trying to reclaim what had been lost, and she saw those who just wanted everything. Gangs were abundant. She was just lucky they didn\'t notice her. Farmers told her to stay off the main restored roads, tax collectors traveled them frequently, and took what they wished in payment, and for a woman traveling alone, sometimes that meant more than she was willing to pay. Heeding their advice she stayed off the restored roads, seeking her destination on her map. Praying she wasn\'t too far off. She didn\'t have a compus, and her stitch kit was left behind in Nightmare, and no where could she find a shop that sold sewing needles. She\'d just have to wing it, and go by memory.

He carefully toured the tiny village of Dunmowt fit finding any useful information, and continued on. It had rained for two whole days, and washed away any hope of finding her tracks. He managed to trade for a map, and figured out where her home once was. He knew she\'d go there, she had to. There wasn\'t any place else to go for her. At least so she said. As he was leaving he noticed a group of about a dozen men marching into town. The boarder guards, he was sure of it. He had to get away quickly. The people here didn\'t know much about Dhampires, though he was sure the military kept up to date on such matters. The last thing he needed were them on his trail, before he met up with Kale.

\"Nope, no one by that description,\" answered the shopkeeper to the military man in front of him. \"I haven\'t seen any strange man wearing a green cloak riding into town on a silver horse.\"

\"Thank you.\"

\"Now I did see an odd fellow on a dark horse.\"

\"Oh?\"

\"Tall man, about 7 feet. Slender build, wearing black clothing and cloak, broad brimmed black hat, long fucking sword on his back, riding a grayish black horse.\"

\"When?\"

\"Today. He traded me this for a map.\"

The military officer took the tiny blade and looked it over. \"Southern metal for sure.\"

\"I didn\'t know.\"

\"It\'s alright. The Lt. will want to see this. Which way did he go?\"

\"Not sure. He bought a map, then left. Can I have my knife back please?\"

\"Here. Thanks for your help.\" The man stepped outside to join the others. \"He did business with a man from the south. Either we have two trespassers, or the guy we\'re looking for ditched his horse for another and change his clothes.\"

\"Good. Law 27. No Business is to be conducted with southern visitors, without consent of the military. No exception.\"

\"Punishment?\"

\"Death, and destruction of property as an example to all others who think they can break the law. Fire crews!\"

\"Yo!\"

\"Do your duty.\"

\"Yes sir\"

He watched from the shelter of the trees as the flames climbed high in the sky. He could smell the burning flesh on the air, mixed with the burning wood. Why did this have to happen? Why couldn\'t the Northerners get along as they once had? Fear? Perhaps. Canada had seen their fair share of horrors. Even Vampires. Every water source that was dug for human use, was blessed by a priest. Useless for Dhampires and Vampires alike. Perhaps that\'s why all the Vampires stayed away. Things were too complicated to get along with, or even around. He turned his horse East once more, and spurred him further. The night was his home for now, once he found his love, he would be complete. If the military caught up with them, at least theyld dld die together.

She knew this place. She \'d been riding for days, the surrounding area becoming more and more familiar. Yes she knew where she was now. It was just a few miles away. She\'d be there before dark. Slowly the rolling hills, devoid of the once rich and healthy stands of trees, passed her by, the rivers she\'d cross on bridges, even the small flooded section. Yes, she knew this place. She\'d driven it many times, in both summer, and winter. She couldn\'t help but feel sorry for it. She didn\'t expect for it to change so much.

She rounded a corner, one she\'d turned every day in her youth, but rather than finding the long quiet road to home, she found a bustling town. She looked around for the wolf, only he\'d not come with her. Towns and villages were not something for a wolf to prowl through. She\'d see him again, he was somewhere in the distance, hiding amongst what few shrubs were around, or crouched low in a hollow. She followed her memory, in by a mile, then hard to the right, another mile, then hard left. It took her a while to weave her way through the main street, the same she\'d traveled so long ago. Back then there were so few houses here, but now it was a regular commerce area. General stores, bars, inns, doctors office, even a jail.

It wasn\'t that big, where she had to turn left, the town abruptly stopped. As though a line had been drawn and no one was aloud to cross. There was no plant life here, well not entirely so. There were a few scattered bushes, and one tall tree. But it was dead, the top of it snapped off, about 15 feet up. She turned left, went down a short ways, then turned right. In her mind she saw it, her home. Surrounded by trees, the building standing tall, and proud. It was cedar brown, with white trim. \'L\' shaped, the longer side coming toward her, the shorter end across in front of her on the far side. There were five windows that she could see right off. Two along the bottom looking into the basement, and three along the main level. The middle was her bedroom. Her safe sanctuary to rest, sleep, and dream of a world not gone mad. But now such was not the case. What she saw hurt her more than she cared to know. She only thanked the maker above that her father couldn\'t see it. It would have broken his heart.