Chapter 21

“Take care, alright?” I told Anwyn as we embraced and she walked onto the ship bound for her native country of Wales.

She wasn’t alone, of course. She had Gabby, her wife, and Lewis, their recent partner, all three of them gay until Tara’s condition took hold of them. They also had thirty-five volunteers who had voted to join their expedition, leaving the bulk of my tribe still with me. It was a small band of heavily armed troops, ready to take over the place for the triumvirate led by Anwyn Slater. I would miss them and fear for them, but ultimately, I had to respect their wishes and their will.

“Vaya con Dios,” Gabby told me in Spanish.

Go with God ... yeah, that summed it up pretty damn well.

“Godspeed to you as well,” I answered her, “you’re a firebrand. A radical. Don’t let them push you around. Same goes for you, Prof. And you, Officer.”

“Thank you,” Anwyn smiled at me one last time.

“Will do,” Lewis blushed as he waved goodbye to us.

As the ship, a refitted freighter, took sail, it was more bitter than bittersweet. The only good news for us was that they would likely do some good in Wales, whether they conquered the place or not. I doubted very much that anyone in Wales was ready for Anwyn, Gabby, or Lewis ... or their thirty-five volunteers.

“Alright, guys, let’s go west, shall we?” I wiped away tears that I didn’t expect to shed and walked away from the pier.

“Yeah, we got work to do, don’t we, babe?” Autumn replied.

“Hell, yes!” I smiled at her.

“You said it, sugar!” Hannah agreed.

“Very true it is,” Xia Delan gave me a kiss as we headed back into Baltimore.

“Well, I’m a hard-working girl and you know it,” Stacy laughed.

“That we do,” Kylie Anne answered.

“Indeed,” Kelly Rae added.

“Well said,” Eve giggled, swishing her pointed tail, as she was in full demonic guise.

“Which route are we taking from here, north, south, or west? We’ve discussed it, but we never decided on it,” Raquel spoke up now.

“True enough,” Eileen responded nervously.

“I recommend going a different path. There’s no reason to head back the same damn way, is there?” Ryan urged us.

“I agree. We’ll go south and cut through Virginia, then southern West Virginia, then Ohio, and then either Kentucky or Indiana next. We need to know what’s happened to our country since Doomsday, not just in Maryland. Maryland has largely settled into self-governing four colonies or settlements, for at least the foreseeable future. But what about Virginia, right? What about West Virginia, where more than a few of us were born? What about Ohio? We have to know,” I stated.

“Alright, then. The Prophet has spoken. Where you go, we will follow,” Yitzhak asserted, getting nods all around.

“My ancestors followed Moses. I will follow you,” Sarai backed her husband up, of course.

“Amen to that,” Diana declared.

“Very true, if you ask me,” Barry confirmed.

“Well, wherever we go, we can expect to have a fight on our hands. But let’s do it,” Ryan resolved.

“Very much so,” Bonnie kissed her husband as a way to reinforce him.

“Well put,” Till approved.

“Well, then ... let’s do this,” I cracked my knuckles as we went on our way.

“Let’s do it,” Raquel beamed.

“Let’s,” Sardha nodded.

“Yes, let’s do it,” Becca encouraged us to nods from her sisters.

Wilbur Junior, Willa, Leah, and Tara were quieter, but their faces spoke volumes. They were on board. They were with me. Their body language and even smiles said it all. The others joining us, as they looked up at me, all lifted me up ... physically, above their own heads. It was a very real watershed moment, reminding me of stories of Gallic and Germanic barbarian kings being elected by their own tribes and standing on the shields of their warriors.

That was me, at least for now. I was their Brennus, their Moses, their Spartacus, their Brigham Young, and their Fritigern. I would lead them to the Promised Land. I was their Prophet, their Judge, their Chieftain, and their King.

We had a journey to make, and alas, we didn’t have Steve Perry along ... but we would make do.