Ella’s throat was too parched to laugh. But when she met Mindy’s laughing eyes, they burst into giggles.
“You’ll see!” Twila teased.
“Whatev,” Justin spouted.
Everyone turned to Scarlett for confirmation. “All I see is a mist of—nothingness.”
“There it is!” Dean’s elation surprised them all. He pointed to a short train with his crutch.
“Are you flippin’ kidding me?” Scarlett moaned.
The sudden sensation of prickly pear barbs prickled her entire body. “Not Last Chance?” Profound sadness descended. That was where baby Miguel—
“Sweet Jesus,” Luther bemoaned. “Now I know the sun’s done gone to your head.”
“Dude, I think losing your cowboy hat gave you brain damage,” Justin berated, slathered with sarcasm.
“Stop!” Twila whispered. “We must be very, very quiet. We can’t let them hear us. They still think we’re dead.”
“Really, this is our new paradise?” Justin ranted.
Twila’s ear-to-ear grin told her the child knew something. “You’ll see. Now, be quiet!”
But despondency set in. How could Last Chance be the forever home Ella’s angels had promised . . .
Chapter 39
Scarlett Lewis recoiled at the sight of the familiar train they approached with drawn weapons. Of all places, why had Dean brought them to Last Chance? She wanted to scream. Instead, she listened internally for anything lingering just beyond her peripheral, only to be greeted by serene silence.
Her friends’ furrowed brows revealed she wasn’t the only one upset with Dean. Ella looked like she might burst into tears. The pain from losing her first son abruptly shrouded Ella’s heart chakra. And Justin’s soul-crushing guilt reemerged, for he had de-activated Miguel and Sheena not far from there. As for Luther, he pined with sorrow, for he had truly been in love with Sheena.
Twila smiled mischievously to herself. Oh, Twila, what are you up to now? Although the child meant well and was more in tune with her metaphysical abilities, sometimes she got it wrong. Like out of the ballpark wrong as with the whole Katy with a Y catastrophe.
“Folks, stay sharp,” Dean rasped through the western-blue bandanna covering his nose and mouth after the wind had picked up. Sand had settled into the creases around his eyes, giving them the appearance of starburst eyes. “Scarlett, hang back with the gals while we recon the train.”
She nodded, at a loss for words. During her brief stay, the rather short train had served as a pop-up trading post and rest stop. She and Sheena had fed hundreds if not thousands of weary immigrants who had braved the desert to escape the hordes hunting the highways and byways of America. Until the creepers had caught on to the new trend: wagon trains.
Scarlett spied what remained of the collapsed corral through the rifle scope, where her loyal equestrian friend Willow had stayed. The camp appeared deserted. Still, the place seemed full of life and vigor as if she heard the vendors barking their products while she smoked fish by the barrels. Those days of hope had inspired her to persevere.
North of the train, the junkyard of wagon remnants melted into the desert, half-buried in sand. As she recalled, penniless immigrants often escorted wagonloads of people through the marauder-infested section from Last Chance to Immigrant Station. They returned with the horses and wagons, hoping to resell them to the constant influx of new arrivals too exhausted to continue on foot.
With a series of hand signals, Dean, Luther, and Justin slinked to the caboose door. Scarlett waited, biting her lip, half expecting Sheena to burst out, brandishing guns with her brassy steampunk attitude. Sheena had been a tough chick, the one most likely to survive the apocalypse. And yet she hadn’t.
There was something electrifying about this place. Hmm, like a ley line. Shari had explained ley lines and vortices. Earth had its own electromagnetic roadmap crisscrossing the planet, imbued with ancient cosmic powers that connected its sacred sites and high-energy points. For even the earth had chakras.
Did Last Chance lie upon one of those power points? Was that why so many immigrants had found it? Her rational mind had assumed immigrants seeking refuge had merely followed the train tracks, knowing it would eventually lead them to Last State. But now, she had a better understanding of how the universe worked. Last Chance definitely exuded a strong lifeforce.
“You feel it too, huh?” Twila was all smiles.
Scarlett kept her eye on the guys while they searched the train’s five boxcars. An unexpected bout of déjà vu had her tasting Zac’s kisses. There, in that boxcar, she had let down her guard and succumbed to his smoldering charms. But the faint whisperings of recent dreams had revealed Zac had been forced on a new mission. Abandoning me! Abandoning his impossible promises she clung to.
How dare he tempt her heart. Whoever said, “ ’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,” had definitely missed the mark. Bitterness soured through her like a deadly venom. Impatiently, she brushed away her vanquished dreams of starting a new life in Last State. Lies, lies, lies.
Finally, Dean motioned the all-clear. They hurried, aware of the setting sun. At least they could sleep inside tonight. The caboose had been quite comfortable.
“Looks like it’s been vacant for some time.” Dean glanced around. “Suppose everyone who wanted to migrate to Texas would have done so by now.”
“Dean,” Scarlett implored, “what are we doing here?”
Dean kicked at the sand with his boots. “The honest to goodness truth, I’m not rightly sure. All I know is, we’re supposed to be here.”
“I can’t be here—” Ella covered her mouth quickly, unable to continue. Justin rushed to her side.
Dean glanced at Luther. “This seems to be an emotional hot spot for everyone. Tell you what. All I’m asking is twenty-four hours. Then, we move on.”
Luther paced in a semi-circle. “So, this
