Exchange Rate by Bonnie R. Paulson Page A

the way we came.
    I didn’t want to walk backwards. There was nothing for us that way. Just like there was nothing for us anywhere.
    We followed, because that’s what we did.
    John abandoned the trail, leading us deeper into the woods, veering off to the right for about a hundred paces, and then looping to the left. After multiple turns which made me dizzy trying to keep track, he finally stopped and plopped onto a large flat boulder. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry that happened today of all days, guys.”
    Bodey sat beside him, nodding. “It’s okay. At least it’s memorable, right, Kel?”
    Right like he wanted me to agree with him so we didn’t stress John out more? Or right like he really wanted me to be optimistic about losing everything?
    I answered with a slight nod, not sure what I was agreeing to. The smoke had burned my throat and eyes, and using them stung. The devastating drop in emotions created a dizzying spin and I sat on the ground. To keep some of the whiteness of my dress safe, I pulled up the skirt and sat on the rear of my tights. If I didn’t have those, I’d be pretty cold pretty quick.
    “Now what?” I couldn’t help asking. I needed a plan and John was our strategist.
    “Aren’t you curious about what happened?” John crossed his arms, rubbing at his elbows.
    I shrugged. “I don’t know that it’s a mystery. Somehow Charlie’s gang found us, right? Who else would do something so wrong?” Other people would steal or trade, not blatantly destroy such a collection of valuable resources.
    “I’m not sure, but I think it’s a great opportunity to start fresh.” John stood, bending low to stretch his quads.
    “Start fresh? Dad, it took us months to gather those items. Just the basics came with what you packed. We lost so much.” Bodey squatted beside a tree, hanging his hands between his knees and bowing his head. The picture of defeat. I’d never pictured him as anything other than optimistic.
    John moved to one knee beside his boy. “Bodey, this really is a good thing. Our load was getting too heavy. We can go further with less.” Further for what? Did he really think after so long we were going to find his wife and daughter? Every place we stopped, he checked for evidence.
    We were going to get cold fast. Night would be upon us and then we’d freeze. The dress was pretty but not worth more than looks.
    Bodey stood, dusting off his pants. He attempted a smile, achieving only a faint shadow of one. “Okay, what do we do? Where are we going?”
    “Let’s go to the Scoggins’ place. They’ll be more receptive to our sudden appearance.” John held his hand to me. “Come on, Kelly. This really is a good thing.” He patted my shoulder as I joined them.
    We’d met the Scoggins, an off-grid family, shortly after fleeing John’s place. They didn’t have any preconceived notions about anyone and gave everyone a fair shot before displaying their extensive knowledge in either weapons or stockpiling – depending on which side you needed to see. Fortunately for us, we were invited into their world-saving experience and learned more than I ever wanted to know about how to can things and check for spoilage.
    Friends came and went – died or disappeared – and some you couldn’t wait to see again. The Scoggins had been a constant, something very rare in that time. But as with everything lately, you didn’t stay with people who’d prepped well before the fallout, because then you felt like a freeloader. Someone who sponged off others wasn’t a person to be trusted.
    I had my doubts, but John had been right about most things so far.
    Hiking three miles over rough terrain without the steady weight of my backpack threw me off. The distance moved too fast and we stood outside the Scoggins’ cabin in over an hour but felt more like minutes.
    John knocked on their front door. The curtains had been drawn long ago. I don’t remember ever seeing someone waiting outside