Ever Onward by Wayne Mee Page A

felt
like a thief as he used the butt of his shotgun to shatter the
heavy glass. The screaming of the alarm bell did nothing to ease
his mind, and he waited anxiously for several long minutes while
Eddy found the alarm switch. Once inside, they took a large
shopping cart, went to Radio Shack and loaded up on flashlights,
extra batteries and a few ‘goodies’ for the road.
    Eddy got a whole box of long range
walki-talkies. Jessie found the latest version of whatever video
game player was popular and a dozen cartridges. Bobby headed for
the music store. Josh told him to meet them at the Friar Tuck’s
Books in half an hour.
    Once inside the book store, each of
the three sought out their own special interests. Eddy leafed
through fishing and hunting books. Jessie picked up several graphic
novels, then turned his attention to Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit
Calendar. Josh browsed alongside Eddy in the sports section,
looking at books on canoeing and backpacking. He chose the Farmers
Almanac and a Rand McNally Road Atlas, then wandered over to the
Fantasy section. His eye caught a hardcover copy of ‘Lord of the
Rings’. Though he’d ready it several times, he tucked it under his
arm anyway. By then Eddy was waiting for them at the door. When
Josh called him, Jessie fumbled the glossy calendar back onto the
shelf and joined them by the fountain. Bobby came along a moment
later, a expensive looking guitar case in each hand and a smile a
mile wide. He handed one to Jessie.
    “You said you wanted to learn how to
play. Well, I got us two of the best. A Gibson Special and a
Rickenbacker 12 sting! Each one costs over a grand!”
    Josh smiled. “No big amp,
Bobby?”
    Bobby’s grin widened. “Hey, Mr.
Williams. Give me a break. I’m no Einstein, but even I know that
the power’s not going to last for long. Maybe a month or two, maybe
longer, but sooner or later the motors are going to burn our. I
can’t fix them. Nobody can.” He held up the thick guitar case. “So
from now on its acoustic all the way! You know; Eric Clap all those
old guys you liked way back when --- Eric Clapton Unplugged, Bob
Dylan, Cat Stevens, maybe even a little Beatles!”
    Josh chuckled. “Groovy.”
    Their last stop before leaving Crown
Point was at Le Baron, a large sporting goods store. Josh wanted
them to have the best in camping equipment, clothing, footgear ---
and weapons.
    When they arrived they found that,
like the grocery store, someone had been there before them. The
front door was shattered and broken glass lay on the sidewalk.
After they entered, they saw that not only had someone been there
before them, they had done a fair job of wrecking the place.
Clothes, fishing gear, sleeping bags had been scattered about.
Whole display cases had been tipped over. From the holes in various
walls, a number of shots had been fired at random.
    Then Bobby found the dead body.
Tripped over it really. It was a middle aged male with the top of
his head blown off. No papery wasp’s nest here, but real blood,
brains and bone. From the look of the body it hadn’t happened more
than a few hours ago. A revolver lay at his side.
    “Why?” The question came from
Jessie.
    Josh turned his son and walked him
stiffly away while Eddy covered the remains. The four of them stood
in a tight circle. The large room had suddenly turned sinister.
Ring Wraiths seemed to lurk in the shadows, their red eyes
glowing.
    Josh felt like a fool. Here he was,
the oldest, supposedly the leader, and what had he been doing?
Treating this all like some bloody shopping spree! Toying with
computers and leafing through books on fantasy while just around
the corner some poor, deranged soul had blown his bloody brains
out!
    He turned away and suddenly slammed
his fist down on a counter. The glass shattered, cutting his wrist
on a jagged edge.
    Blood flowed.
    Jessie cried out, then grabbed his
father’s hand. Their eyes met. “Please, Dad. We’ve got to hold on.
Or we’ll end up like