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chapter forty-two

Emily

Day Twenty

The tall wrought iron gate had presumably once been operated by a security guard who sat inside a small box and pushed buttons to open and close it. Now, however, it was manned by two large men both wearing camo and with rifles in hand. They nodded at Leon when we arrived in front of it and pulled the bolt before swinging it open. My gaze lingered on one of them. He looked familiar. A stunt man from LA, I thought. Hadn’t he worked on one of Charlie’s movies? It made sense, I supposed, as Leon had told me he lined up the security detail here in exchange for residency.

The street before us wound upward, those solar lights brighter now that the sun had sunk lower in the sky. They twinkled everywhere, lighting the way forward and, for a brief moment, I dared to dream that this lovely place would come to feel like home.

The only house I could see from this vantage point was the side of a white mansion a little ways up the hill, half of it disappearing around the turn. But I knew there were more beyond, with gardens and swimming pools and henhouses and all the various features and amenities being used to keep this community safe and fed. The foliage around us was lush and fragrant, palm trees rising into the dusky sky. “It really is as gorgeous as you described, Leon,” Layne said, her neck bent as she gazed up the hill.

“Wait until you see the rest,” he said with a sideways smile.

We walked toward what looked like a gatehouse and when Leon knocked, a young man exited. “Hi, Leon.”

“Hi, Asher.” He gestured back toward us. “This is Emily and Layne.”

“Welcome,” Asher said before looking back at Leon. “Was that your final trip?” There was something in Asher’s tone I couldn’t quite discern. A note of caution, perhaps? Nervousness? It was hard to say, and I was too physically and emotionally exhausted to think much about it anyway.

“Yes,” Leon said. “It’s too dangerous to travel into Los Angeles now.”

Asher gestured for us to follow. There were two dirt bikes sitting off to the side and Asher got on one and Leon mounted the other. “Your chariots await,” Leon said. I smiled weakly.

“We’ll go slow enough that you won’t need a helmet,” Asher said. “Just hold on.”

Layne got on behind Asher and I propped myself on the seat behind Leon, and then they both turned the keys already in the ignitions and began slowly driving up the winding road.

I estimated there were about thirty homes in this neighborhood, and it only took about five minutes to get to the top, slips of stunning mansions visible through the trees as we rolled by. The dirt bikes turned into a driveway and came to a stop in front of a gorgeous white brick estate, an empty water fountain sitting off to the side. I hefted my backpack on my shoulder, the familiar movement causing my heart to constrict. It had been a constant for the last however many miles as I’d traveled with Tuck.

Tuck.

Tuck.

“Follow me,” Leon said. “I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

I hesitated, glancing around at the quiet night, lanterns flickering and the scent of night-blooming jasmine somewhere close by tickling my nose. I heard the dirt bike fire up as Asher drove away and then turned toward Leon and Layne and followed them to the front of the house.

“It’s safe here,” Leon said as we entered. “You’ll have nothing to worry about.”

We set our things down in the foyer. The inside of the home was as beautiful as the outside, marble floors and unlit crystal chandeliers sparkling in the candlelight scattered all around the vast foyer. Leon led us into a sitting room on the right with a soaring ceiling, and similarly lit by hundreds of candles. I almost startled when I noticed an old man standing near the window with blue velvet curtains. He smiled kindly and walked toward us, his cane tapping on the floor. “I’m sorry to startle you. I just realized how spooky I must look, an old man standing in the shadows. I promise I’m not as eerie as first impressions might suggest. Welcome to Cielo Hills,” he said. “Hi, Leon.”

“Merrick. I’m going to go get some water for me and Emily and Layne.”

He nodded as Leon turned and left the room. “Please come and sit down. You must be so tired. I’m Merrick Winchester, and I insist you call me Merrick. This is my home and it’s my honor to share it.”

We approached the old man with the cane. Layne shook his hand and then I did too, his skin papery but his grip strong. “Thank you so much for allowing us here. The world, it’s…” I was suddenly lost for words. Or…no, it wasn’t that I didn’t have the words, it was that there were too many attempting to fill my mouth all at once and my brain was too tired to choose just one: terrifying , awful , tragic , lonely …

But Mr. Winchester— Merrick —who was still holding my hand, gave it a gentle squeeze. “I know, my dear. We’re very lucky. We wanted to pack this community with as many as possible, but there are only so many resources. We did the math and came up with a number based on the crops and the few animals we have…” He sighed. “Even so, rationing will be necessary as I’ve told every newcomer here. I hope you’re prepared for that. So many are doing the same, I suppose, whether their land is miles wide or one square inch.”

“Not everyone is calculating how much they can realistically share,” I said as we all sat down. “Some are hoarding.”

“Yes, it’s base human nature, of course, to hoard. You always hope that in a moment like this, you’d act in such a way that your legacy would be honor, but you never truly know until it arrives, I suppose.”

“It seems like you acted quickly to help as many as possible as soon as the event happened,” Layne said.

“We had a community meeting the morning after the power went down. No one knew exactly what had happened, but we explored the possibilities and made agreements based on worst-case scenarios. In some sense, we set up this community with just such a disaster in mind. But none of us imagined something of this magnitude would actually come to pass. Before this, it had become somewhat of a group pet project if you will, a way to use the land with purpose. I like to think it’s kept us young.” A fleeting smile touched his face. “If we’d truly known what would happen, we would have done so much more.” He looked away for a moment. “As a result, our resources will only go so far. Still, to lock ourselves behind a gate while others we might have helped suffered outside, was unthinkable to all of us.”

My shoulders relaxed and I pulled in a full breath after what felt like a day of oxygen deprivation. These were good people. I’d arrived in a safe place after all. Thanks to Leon.

“I know I speak for Emily when I say we couldn’t be any more appreciative. But…don’t you all have family to fill up this community?”

“Many do. Some were close enough to make it here. Others were not. We were all allotted the same number of potential guests. Some who didn’t need them gave their allotments away to others who did. We’ve tried to be very fair. And we’ve saved a small amount of space for family members who arrive at a later date. No one could stomach the thought of turning them away.”

That must be how Leon had been able to secure a spot for my parents should they need it. My shoulders dropped a notch lower. In the back of my mind, this had almost seemed too good to be true, but it wasn’t. These were just good people with big hearts and a solid plan.

Leon came back in the room with four glasses of water on a tray and set it down. Layne and I picked up a glass and both drank thirstily. “Thank you,” I said when I set my mostly empty glass back down.

“Is your family here, Mr. Winchester?” Layne asked.

“I don’t have children and the family I have is not close by. But, when Leon arrived pretty immediately after the event, I thought it must be fate. Here I was with a handful of guest allotments and Leon with nowhere to go and the capability of bringing other souls here who’d been abandoned in Los Angeles.”

I glanced at Leon, who looked vaguely uncomfortable. “That was very generous.” I was surprised he’d given his precious spaces away so easily. Perhaps Leon felt that way too, hence his discomfort.

“Leon’s father saved my life in that jungle in Vietnam when we were only boys and paid the ultimate price because of his sacrifice. I didn’t think there was a way to ever truly repay that debt, but then Leon showed up, and I wondered if his father had guided him to me and it was my chance to even the score,” Merrick said as if hearing my unvoiced thoughts.

I felt a pinch in my chest. I related to questions of fate. We’d experienced so much of what I thought could only be that. And I was painfully familiar with men who felt they needed to repay a debt. It was a good quality; it spoke of honor. But I also knew it sometimes obscured vision. Thankfully, Mr. Winchester hadn’t had to choose whether to leave others behind in order to settle a score he believed needed settling.

“It’s almost like you’re starting a mini government here,” Layne said.

“It’s essential,” Merrick answered. “Or what we are fortunate enough to have won’t last and none of us will benefit. Rules will keep us from sinking into anarchy.”

I stifled a yawn.

“In any event,” Merrick said, “there is plenty of time to get to know each other. You’ll want to tour the gardens and meet all the others. But for now, Leon, why don’t you show Emily to her room. Layne—”

Before Merrick could finish that sentence, we heard the front door open, and the guard speak to someone in the foyer. Then Freddie Halston was rushing into the room. Layne stood with a cry and ran toward him, both of them meeting in an embrace. “You’re here. Oh, thank God. You’re here,” he said.

I looked away, my heart simultaneously rejoicing for them and grieving the loss of the person I wanted to embrace.

“I was getting so desperate. Then I ran into Leon and he got me here. I wanted to go back to LA with Leon, but he said he had contacts—”

“Shh,” she said, putting her fingers to his lips. “We’re together now. We’re both okay.”

He let out a gusty exhale. “Thank you, Leon,” Freddie said as he and Layne parted. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

I stood. “Hi, Freddie.”

“Nova!” His eyes widened when he saw me. “Oh my gosh. How—”

“There’s lots of time to talk tomorrow. I think we could all use a good night’s sleep,” Leon said as he rose from his seat.

I agreed. As much as I wanted to see more of this beautiful place and meet all the residents who sounded so lovely, and hear what Freddie had been through too, my eyes were so heavy. A few minutes more and I wouldn’t be able to keep them open. We all said good-night and Leon grabbed my backpack for me and led me upstairs to a bedroom. I barely took the time to look around. All I cared about was that it had a place to sleep.

I locked the door behind Leon and then tumbled onto the mattress. And yet, despite my exhaustion, I lay staring at the ceiling, sadness rolling over me in waves.

I’d made it to my new home—a beautiful, safe home the likes of which the whole world was looking for right now—and yet, I felt utterly lost.