A Rat's Chronicle - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – The Missing Rocket

It was a peaceful summer eighty one years after the Final World war. Steph was the only woman in her pack, but she did not seem to care by now. She only stared out the window as Robert struggled to steer the van on a safe path. The scenery was beautiful to her. She loved the mountains, but since she moved around so much, she never spent much time in them. As intoxicating as the scenery was, that didn't stop her from praying that Robert wouldn't tip the van over the edge of the road.

"I don't understand." Robert griped. "We've passed through these mountains some many times. Why is the road so much harder to drive by?"

"We've never been down this path Robert." Alfred argued observing the scenery. "We usually cross these mountains further south."

"I know that this path is new. That doesn't make this drive any easier." Robert growled.

"Just relax." Joe told the man. "You are our leader and we don't need you stressing out. Especially near the edge of the road."

"Right." Robert sighed. "I should know what I'm doing." Steph couldn't blame Robert for being nervous. It had been Robert's first time driving through the mountains since Dan was left behind. The pack had changed so much since she was first put in it. Many men joined and left the pack, either on their own will or just bad luck.

Dan and Bear had grown too old to keep up, so the pack had to leave them a few years ago. Since then, Robert became the new pack leader, but he still needed to choose an apprentice in case something happened to him. He was only thirty one, but one never knew when they would fall behind. Personally, Steph believed he would teach Steven. Even though the boy became part of the pack only a year ago, he was the youngest at fifteen. Plus, his nerdy appearance made him look smart enough, but not strong enough. If Robert didn't pick him, he would have to pick Gage. Gage was a strong kid, but he was slow upstairs. He was only a few year older than she was, and she doubted Robert would consider her to become the pack leader. It wasn't like she believed Robert disliked her; she just wasn't the leader type. Everyone else in the pack didn't seem to qualify as second in charge. Joe was too old, just about to age at fifty. It was a wonder how he didn't fall behind before Dan. Alfred was only a few years older than Robert and Luke was the same number of years younger, so it didn't make any sense to train them how to become the leader. Still, Steph believed Robert would figure it out.

He would, if he didn't kill the pack first. Robert slowed down on every curve, yet managed to get the vehicle closer to the edge with every turn. After one last sharp turn, the others sighed with relief at the sight of a straight road. "See?" Robert said with confidence, "I know where we're going."

The road dove down into a small valley between the mountains through a thick shrub of pine trees. For a few minutes, the sun was blocked by their branches and made a dark tunnel for the car to drive in. Soon, the branches were torn back to reveal a small town within the valley. Just past it, there appeared to be a large lake shining as the sun's ray danced on the surface. The town looked abandoned, with the buildings crumbling and some plants growing tall around the ones that were still standing. As old as the area appeared, it was still standing, and that's what shocked Robert the most. The sight was enough to make Robert stop the car altogether. The pack gasped at the sight of the strange town.

"Would you check that out?" Joe gasped. "It's like it was never touched since the war."
"Holy…" Alfred sighed unable to finish his sentence.

"Are we really going in there?" Steven asked. "It's not like the cities. This place is still intact. There's no ruble or anything."

"It's weird, but it may contain some supplies." Robert agreed. "Let's see if there's anything good in here." Robert then stepped on the gas and eagerly drove into the small town. Half of the pack was nervous about his actions, but none of them questioned their leader. The buildings they passed by didn't appear to be taller than two stories. However, Robert passed by all of them until he made it to one large building with a small sign in the front. Most of the words were weathered out, but the word "inn" was clear enough to see.

"We're staying here." Robert decided. "I know places like these have a lot of supplies."

"How long do you think we'll be able to stay for?" Steven asked.

"That depends on how many supplies are here." Robert explained. "If Joe is right, then there might be a lot of rotten food here, but just as much stale food as well. For now, let's just look for something that hasn't expired."

The pack exited the car happily observing their new home. Steph made sure not to leave her backpack behind. She always made sure it was near her at all times. She followed the others into the main lobby. It wasn't much to look at, but it was good enough for a pack. Right away, Alfred headed for the front desk and started to dig around looking for something. While he did, the others headed into the main halls and looked at each individually numbered door. Gage was the first to make an attempt to open a door, but it remained locked.

After a few more attempts to open the door, Gage mumbled, "Damnit, is there a hammer somewhere? The lock looks like it needs a card. What kind of lock needs a card? What's wrong with a key?"

"Already on it!" Alfred shouted out to him. "I've seen locks like those before. They DO need special cards. It looks like you need to power this computer to activate the cards, but there's no power here yet. Is there a generator or something outside?"

"Let's go find out." Joe told Alfred. "If we don't get that thing working then we're going to be locked out of the rooms for a while. No use in that."

"Sounds good to me." Alfred said. The two men walked out of the main doors.

"Wait for me!" Steven called out as he joined them.

Steph was about to head out and see if she could help as well, but she stopped when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see it was Luke. "Steph, can we find a place to talk?"

"Sure." Steph said figuring she had nothing better to do. She didn't really have any idea what Luke wanted to talk about, but she didn't care too much. They talked all the time. The two had grown close over many years that they became good friends. Both of them could be calm and casual around each other. Nothing odd about their relationship crossed her mind. Steph figured it wasn't that important anyway. He would have worn the same serious face if it was. Still, he did seem less confident in his stance, but she thought nothing more of it.

The two walked on outside of the inn and found a small hill nearby to climb. On their walk up, neither of them said a word to each other. In their silence, Steph could hear the others talk about the generator and saying how it looked different that the ones in the city. Once at the top, Luke took a seat in the grass and stared out over the town. Steph, on the other hand, remained standing as she observed their temporary home. She sighed as she embraced the scenery around her. The town did look odd, unlike anything she had seen before, but the natural scenery helped her ignore that.

He looked up to Steph while she stood still, "What's on your mind?" he asked her breaking the silence.

"It's just beautiful out here." she sighed. "Don't you think so?"

"Yeah, I suppose it is." Luke chuckled. "Personally I like the beach better."

"Which ones?" Steph asked.

"I don't know. I guess the ones on the eastern side of the land. They all look the same to me." Luke sighed. "Still, it's nice to travel around and see the different places in this country."

"True." Steph sighed. She didn't want to admit that she wasn't a fan of traveling, but the pack was home to her. After all these years, she still wasn't happy with the life of a nomad, but it wasn't like she had anywhere else to go. Plus, the cities scared her and if she left she would have to face them alone. She would rather live in the pack then face that world.

"So anyway," Luke said stooping her train of thought, "I wanted to talk to you about something important Steph."

"Go ahead." Steph told him sitting next to him. "You know I'll listen."

"Well, here's the thing." Luke started. "We've been in the pack together for a long time now, but I've always hidden something from you. I wasn't too sure of it until recently, but I know it's true now. You have to understand… this isn't easy for me to say. I uh… Steph… I think I'm in love with you."

Once the words came out, Steph's eyes got wide. She wasn't expecting Luke to say that at all. They had been friends, but she never considered being anything more. She could only manage to say, "Oh…"

"I know this is sudden." Luke explained. "I just figured we were a good match anyway. We were both children when we joined the pack and we've grown up in the pack together. I know that I'm a lot older than you, but is that a problem?"

"No, no, it's not a problem." Steph told him. "I just… I wasn't expecting you to say that. I didn't think anyone in our pack would fall for me, especially not you. I always though you saw me as a friend, or even a sister."

"I'll be honest, I used to." Luke replied. "But now, I just want to make you happy. But the thing is I can't really stand having these feelings for you when you don't know the truth. I guess I'm asking if you love me too."

Steph remained quiet for a minute. This was a lot to take in, and she wasn't too sure how to respond. "Oh… sure. I could do that."

Luke's hopeful grin quickly disappeared at her response. "You don't sound too thrilled."

Steph bit her lip, trying to think of a good response. She managed to say, "I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in. I mean, I care about you too Luke, but I'm not exactly sure if I can love you. Well I CAN, but I don't know if I'm in love with you. Besides, wouldn't that get in the way of caring about the pack?"

"I don't think so." Luke then chose to make a move and placed his hand on top of hers. "I think we can make it work, but the decision is up to you."

"Well, I guess you're right, but I don't know." Steph responded with an unconfident smile. "I'm sorry I couldn't give you the answer you wanted, but I will think about it more Luke. Maybe I do love you and I haven't realized it yet. Just give me time and I'll give you an answer."

"When you do figure it out, can you tell me right away?" Luke asked. "I just want to know sooner rather than later. It was hard enough to tell you the truth."

"I'll try." Steph told him. She didn't know how much time she was allowed to sort out her feelings for him. Plus, it wouldn't be an easy decision to make. She could barely figure out if she liked him hold her hand the way he did.



When the night came upon the pack, most of them had already settled into their chosen rooms. Alfred had helped get the locks open with the card keys. The rest of the group spent most of their time cleaning up the place and making the area livable. After all, the years weren't forgiving to the cleanliness of this place. One thing the pack had to get used to was the early arrival of nighttime. Bing surrounded by mountains, the sun hid over the horizon much quicker. That night, Steven was looking up at the stars impatiently. His hands folded at his chest and his foot started to tap. While he did this, Steph noticed the boy standing right outside the front doors. She rolled her eyes, smiled, and walked outside to join him. The young boy turned his head only for a minute, and then turned back to the dark sky.

"You're still looking for it?" Steph asked him.

"I always look for it before I head off to bed." Steven replied, keeping his head still.

"I know." Steph laughed. "There was that time you waited so long that you fell asleep outside. You're so obsessed that it's not healthy."

Steven explained. "You can't blame me. I wanted to see if it would come back. It's going to land here one of these days."

"So, what makes you so sure you'll see it tonight?"

"I don't know. I just have a feeling."

As the two talked, Gage noticed the both of them outside. He quickly hopped out into the dark with the two. "What are you two talking about?" he asked.

"Steven wants to see the missing rocket tonight." Steph explained

"The missing rocket?" Gage asked. He looked up at the sky, scratched his head, and then asked, "What's the missing rocket?"

"You've never heard about it?" Steph asked in shock.

After shaking his head, Gage bluntly answered. "Nope."

"Oh, I thought you at least heard about it." Steph explained, "It's a legend of the Final World War. They say that just before the air was contaminated with the war's air, a rocket blasted off into space. Now, no one knew why this rocket did so or who owned the rocket. All people know now is that it has never landed back on Earth. They say you can see orbiting the Earth at night if you look hard enough."

"Oh wow." Gage said. "Is that a true story?"

"I don't know." Steph admitted. "I obviously wasn't alive when the war took place. It's only a legend I used to hear when I was little."

Gage turned his attention back to the night sky. "Then how do you know what it looks like Steven?"

As if on cue, Steven pointed up to the sky. "There it is!" the boy said in an excited tone. "Look! Do you see that star that's moving slowly?"

Both Gage and Steph tried to follow the boy's finger and spot the rocket. What appeared to be a star was slowly moving past the other stars in the night sky. It almost appeared to be a shooting star that was moving unbelievably slow. Finding the star was like searching for a turtle among rocks.

"I can see it." Steph said out loud.

"What you mean that thing?" Gage said unimpressed. "It's just a shooting star."

"Shooting stars don't move that slowly Gage." Steven replied in an irritated.

"So, what makes you so sure it's a rocket?" Gage asked.

"Well, what else could it be?" Steven asked.

Gage rolled his eyes. "I say that it's a star and the rocket is nothing more than a fairytale used on kids like you."

"I'm not a kid!" Steven argued. "And the rocket is real!"

Steph sighed out as the two started to bicker. It was hard to believe that Robert had to choose one of these guys to become his student. Avoiding the argument, she snuck back in to the hotel and proceeded to her claimed room. She was surprised when Alfred opened the doors earlier. She was expecting something more like an apartment like most hotels. Instead, this place was more like a small condo. It had a kitchen, bathroom, and living room. Each room was like hers, but she still found it surprising.

Tired, Steph reached for her bag and looked for a wrinkled pair of pajamas. They were buried underneath an old pink blanket she kept. Steph pulled out the blanket, closed her eyes, and rubbed her cheek with it. As she did, a small leather wallet fell out of the bundle and on to her lap. The memories were faint, but they were still comforting to her. Once she had gotten her fill, she laid the small blanket out on her bed and placed the wallet on top. Reaching back into her bag, she pulled out her pajamas. In a quick fashion she changed out of her regular clothes and into the wrinkled clothes. She always had to be quick when changing clothes, for she never knew when one of the guys would walk in unannounced.

Once she had finished, a few knocks came from the front door. Joe's voice called out, "Steph. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah I'll be right there." Brushing her hair with her fingers, Steph walked over to the door and let Joe inside. He strolled in casually and took a seat on the bed.

"What's on your mind papi?" she asked. She used the title ever since he rescued her. She knew that he wasn't her real father, but he treated her saw her as his daughter. As a result, he asked her to call him that and she never broke the habit.

Joe took his mind off of her for a minute and looked at the pink on her bed. He sighed, "Even after all these years, I can't believe you still carry those things around. Aren't you too old for a blanket?"

"Papi," she teased him. "You know I couldn't these go."

"I know. That blanket and wallet are important to you and I have no right making jokes. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about.  You see, Luke told me about what he said to you today." Joe informed her.

"Oh, he did?" Steph sat on the bed. "What exactly did he tell you?"

"Well, he told me about his feelings for you, and he said that he confronted you about it."

Steph hung her head down and sighed, "Papi, I'm not sure what to think about Luke. I mean, I like him, but am I really ready to love him? I'm not even sure if I understand love. I don't mean a parent's love, but a couples' love. They're different aren't they?"

"They are very different, hija."

Steph sighed "I could use some advice."

Joe smiled and rubbed her shoulder, "Hija, you are past that age where I can't tell you what to do anymore. But I will tell you this. When you do feel love, you won't understand it, but you WILL know what it is. Now, Luke is a good guy and you two do have fun together. However, I don't want you to rush into things with him if you're not ready. We're going to be here for a while so just try sort your feelings. You'll know when you love him."

Steph managed to bring out a smile, "I think I get it. Thanks Papi."

With that, Joe gave her a kiss on the forehead, stood up, and then made his way towards the door. Just as he turned the handle Steph called out, "Wait! Papi, if I DID love Luke, would you be happy?"

"He's a good man." Joe told Steph. "He would take care of you, but that doesn't matter. No one is good enough for my little girl."

Joe's smile gave some comfort to Steph about her decision. He walked out the door quickly. Steph lay on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She wasn't sure if she did have feelings for Luke at all, but if she did, it would make everyone else happy. Maybe she would end up happy too. Not giving another thought to it, she got up to turn the lights off. She could hear Steven and Gage taking their argument into the hallway. She rolled her eyes once again and proceeded to the bed. After wrapping herself inside of the large blanket, she slowly closed her eyes and awaited sleep.

After tossing and turning for a few hours, Steph couldn't find a comfortable position. She tried to concentrate on sleep only to stress herself out about it. She opened her eyes slightly, but found something odd. She could have sworn she turned the lamp off a minute ago. Opening her eyes wider, she then noticed a blue shade of light was coming from the window instead. The oddest thing was that the light seemed to be moving.

In a tired state, Steph rose from the bed and proceeded over to the window. She used her fingers to peek open the blinds on the window. She gasped loudly at the sight. What appeared to be blue fire was hurdling out of the sky down into the forest. The grass and trees bent at the wind it was causing. She looked closer, but she couldn't convince herself it was a comet. The object was too smooth, and it appeared to be changing its direction slightly at times. It was almost as if someone was steering it. The object then flew past a small hill and Steph could no longer see it. She heard a small thud and watched as the forest turned blue with light. In only a few seconds the light faded away behind the trees and the dark night took its place once again.

Steph rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times. She didn't want to believe she was going crazy, but at the same time, she didn't want to believe what she saw. It wasn't every day when an object from space came crashing down. Plus it landed only on the other side of town. It was close enough to go check out.

Quickly, Steph closed the blinds and walked back to the bed. She found it much harder to fall asleep this time. The sight of the strange object played over and over again in her head. The need to find out what the object was grew as the night continued on. It was an idea that would have to wait until morning.