by Bale, Sarah
“Means this winter is going to be bad,” Grey replied with a frown. “Too bad there aren’t any persimmon trees around. Then we’d know for sure.”
I said, “My dad used to look at the persimmon seeds to gauge what kind of winter we’d have, too.”
He would let me get the persimmon fruit so that he could slice it open. Then he’d take the seed, cutting it vertically. The shape inside of the seed would determine what kind of winter we’d face. We used to get such a kick out of the seed’s prediction. The funny thing was it was usually right.
Cooper said, “If you find one, bring me the persimmons. I can stew them and make jam.”
Grey nodded. “Will do. Now, if you babies are okay, I’m going to finish digging this well.”
We laughed as he left, the mood feeling lighter. We took the spoiled food out back, making a burn pile. Then we went to work on cleaning the cafeteria. By the time lunch rolled around, we were working on the hallways.
Jo asked, “Are there really enough rooms here for everyone?”
We’d only been able to clean a few rooms yesterday, but by the end of the day everyone would have their choice in rooms.
“Yeah. They’re spacious, too. Apparently, this used to be a privately-owned orthopedic surgery center. Elijah said they were big on treating patients like VIPs. Said each person deserved the best and it didn’t matter how much money they made.”
Places like that were rare. Before the outbreak, most hospitals did whatever it took to make the most money. The funny thing was that the rich got off with better deals than the poor. Elijah said it hadn’t been that way here.
Coop said, “I can’t wait to have my own room. Even at Lilly’s I never had my own space.”
“After we eat you can pick your room.”
The men came inside, dirt covering their clothes, but they, too, were in good moods. Elijah kissed me as we went to the cafeteria.
“Damn. You’ve been busy.”
I replied, “We’re just ready to have things in order.”
I told him about our plan for the rest of the day.
“Hopefully everyone will be in a room by tonight.”
His lips curved in a frown. “Just don’t overdo it.”
“We won’t.” I paused. “I just have this feeling that we need to get this place in shape as soon as possible.”
It felt like we were racing an unknown force and the loser wouldn’t survive. I hated feeling like that. Before the apocalypse I suffered from bouts of anxiety that left me feeling the same way. My heart would race for no reason. I’d feel restless or like something bad was about to happen. And my stomach would churn if I wasn’t busy. It was everything I’d felt since getting back to Oklahoma.
Elijah touched my arm. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll have this place livable sooner than you think.”
I nodded, but didn’t respond. It wasn’t fair for him to make promises like that. We didn’t know what was going to happen from day to day.
Sighing, I went to the table where Cooper had laid out our lunch. Today we were eating canned meat that we’d found at the base and canned veggies.
I took a bite, moaning. This was literally the best thing I’d consumed since leaving Texas. The room was silent as everyone ate. Grey closed his eyes, sighing as he took a bite.
Elijah said to me, “Never thought I’d be excited to eat canned meat. My dad used to fix it all the time growing up.”
I smiled. “We ate it, too, when my dad would cook. Mom used to say it’s because it was so easy to prepare.”
“That’s probably why my old man would fix it for us.”
I took a bite and asked, “Was he around much?”
“Not really. Drove my mom crazy, but we managed.”
I wanted to ask more, but he finished eating and stood. “Tell Coop to fix something light for dinner. We’re going to be out there until the sun goes down.”
I nodded as he left. Jo came over, sitting next to me.
“Sounds like they’re making progress on the well.” She smiled. “I can’t wait to take a hot shower.”
“Yeah, that’ll be nice.”
“Is everything oaky?”
I asked, “How well would you say you know Norm? I mean, about his life before the outbreak.”
She replied, “Pretty well. He’s always telling stories about being on set and everything he did before. Why do you ask?”
“Does he talk about his childhood?”
“All the time. He was raised by his grandmother. She took him and his sister in when they were young. Never had any pets because she was allergic. That’s why he got Percy. It was his first pet ever.” She paused. “Is something wrong between you and Elijah?”
I sighed. “No. It’s just me being… me. He doesn’t talk about his old life. Like ever. I feel like I don’t know anything about him.”
“Have you asked him about his old life?”
I replied, “I’ve tried. We just don’t get very far. I couldn’t even tell you his parent’s names.”
She said, “Try not to look too much into it. Maybe it makes him sad thinking about the past.”
That made sense. I know when I thought about how my parents used to be versus how they ended up it made me very sad. It was kind of like the time I’d gone to an open casket funeral as a child. My great aunt was a warm, friendly lady with rosy red cheeks. After seeing her in the casket, that image of her was burned into my memory and not how she used to be.
“You’re right.” Standing, I said, “Let’s go clean some rooms.”
By the end of the day we’d cleaned enough rooms so that everyone now had a place to stay. Jo and I moved the baby items we’d found in Lawton to Kat and Grey’s room. Kat supervised and I remembered just how bossy she could be.
“No. Move the crib a little to the left. A little more.” She clapped. “There! That’s perfect.”
Jo, whose back was turned to Kat, made a face. I held back a laugh.
“Need anything else?”
Kat shook her head. “This is great. Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
She rubbed her growing stomach, smiling. But then her eyes moved from item to item in the room and I got the feeling we were about to be stuck helping her move things around. Again.
I said, “I’m going to head to the cafeteria. See if Coop needs anything.”
Jo quickly said, “Me, too.”
We left Kat in her room. Jo shook her head as we walked.
“If we moved that crib one more time I think I would have screamed.”
Laughing, I replied, “I think it’s sweet that she wants everything perfect.”
“I get wanting it to look nice, but moving the crib one inch doesn’t help anything. At all.”
We reached the kitchen, where Cooper was standing at the stove cooking. He had a towel thrown over his shoulder and looked like he’d been working there all his life. He would have gotten along wonderfully with Juan. My chest ached at the thought.
Coop grinned when he saw us. “You guys, I found some apples out back. We’re having cinnamon glazed apples!”
He lifted the lid of the pan and the sweet scent drifted our way. My stomach growled in response and we all laughed.
“It’s like a grown-up version of applesauce,” he said.
“Don’t knock applesauce,” I laughed. “That was my favorite snack back in the day.”
Jo asked, “Where did you find an apple tree?”
“Along the wooded area south of the fields. The apple trees aren’t very big yet, but I managed to get enough for dinner.”
I said, “I think there’s berry bushes out there, too, if the birds haven’t got them all.”
Cooper replied, “We should check it out tomorrow.”
Jo said, “I’m down.”
We went to the cafeteria and sat at a table while we waited for the apples to finish simmering.
I asked Jo, “How are you holding up without Faith?”
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She frowned. “Does it make me a horrible person if I say that part of me is glad she’s gone?” She quickly went on, “Of course I miss her, but we weren’t getting along very well toward the end.”
I could understand how she felt.
“It doesn’t make you horrible at all.”
She said, “Faith just couldn’t get over her crush on Norm, which I totally get because he’s amazing. But her feelings for him put a strain on our friendship.”
I replied, “She broke girl code. I get it.”
Jo smiled. “Does girl code still apply in the apocalypse?”
Norm entered the room with a few of the men. He waved at Jo before going to a bucket of water we’d brought it so they could wash up.
I said, “You tell me.”
“Okay. It does. I know some people are okay sharing their lovers, but I’m not one of them.”
My eyebrows rose. “Is that really a thing?”
She chuckled. “I forget sometimes that Elijah is the only man you’ve been with. Yeah, it’s a thing. My cousin was into multiple partners.”
“How did that even work?”
“They took turns with each other, so no one felt left out.” She grinned. “Used to drive my mom and aunt bonkers at holiday gatherings.”
I grinned. “That’s pretty badass.”
Jo said, “I always thought so.”
Norm came over and said, “I’m so glad we’re done for the evening.”
He sat heavily in his chair, rubbing his temples.
Jo said, “My poor baby. Still having a hard time with manual labor.”
He grinned. “These hands weren’t meant to dig. They were meant to be used for art.”
I couldn’t help but to say, “Just look at it as the role of your life.”
“Well, I could look at it that way, if my feet weren’t covered in blisters.”
Jo said, “You need to wear a second pair of socks. It’ll help.”
I agreed with her. “That’s what we used to do at the farm.”
“Guess it’s worth a shot.” Norm looked around. “Where’s Elijah?”
“Wasn’t he with you at the well?”
Norm shook his head. “No. He and Grey went off and I didn’t see him after that.”
I did a quick scan of the cafeteria, searching anxiously for him. Grey stood in the doorway with Kat, but there were no signs of Elijah.
I said, “I’ll be back.”
Crossing the room, I made my way to Grey.
He said to Kat, “The room looks great, baby. You did good.”
Kat blushed. “The girls did most of the work.”
Grey said, “Fine work you did in our room, Daisy.”
“It was no problem.” I paused. “Do you know where Elijah went?”
Grey’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Uh. Yeah?”
Before, I’d gotten a funny feeling when I didn’t see Elijah. After Grey’s response that feeling was now full-fledged worry.
“Where is he, Grey?”
“Went to talk to Bobby. Said something wasn’t sitting right with him.”
My stomach dropped. “You let him go? Alone?”
“You know how he can be. There’s no talking him out of something when he puts his mind to it.”
He had a point there, but still!
“How long has he been gone?”
Grey’s cheeked darkened. “Since lunch.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Turning, I left the cafeteria. If that stubborn headed man of mine didn’t start communicating with me, I was going to show him the consequences. Starting with making his ass sleep on the floor.
Nine
Elijah
Bobby shook my hand. “Damn good of you to come here. My cousin was wrong about a lot of things, including you.”
We’d just spent the better part of the afternoon talking, making sure we were on the same page. I didn’t want him to come knocking on our door one day, trying to get the hospital back. On the other hand, he needed to know that I had no beef with his group since Wyatt was gone. As long as we could respect each other then we were good.
“I wouldn’t say that, sir. I made a lot of mistakes in the past.”
“But it seems like you’re making up for them now. And no one is perfect.”
I replied, “I’m going to do my best to make things right.”
And that meant speaking to the people who had once lived under my protection. If the human race was going to survive, we had to stop fighting each other.
Bobby stood, knees popping. He shot me a grin when he realized I’d heard.
“Cold weather’s about to move in. I haven’t been this achy since the winter of 2009.” He rubbed his knee. “That was the same winter we had the blizzard.”
I replied, “I remember. I was in surgery and couldn’t leave the parking lot by the time I got out because of snow drifts.”
Blizzards in Oklahoma were rare. In the winter of 2009, the drifts had been over six feet in some areas. Thousands of people were stranded on the roads and some even died.
Bobby nodded. “That should have been our warning that the world was about to go to shit. Mother Nature seemed to know what was going to happen. We just didn’t listen to the old gal.”
I followed him from the office. Being in that room brought back memories I didn’t care to remember. But this man was different than Wyatt, so I was willing to look past my own pain and sit in the same chair I’d been in when Wyatt had cut my arm the first time.
As we walked I asked, “Have you had any communication from Texas?”
I’d wondered for a while if Lilly had been telling the truth about the communication between groups. She’d known certain facts, so it was possible she told the truth. But I needed to know for sure.
“You mean through the networking system? Nah. The runner never showed up. Figured he got killed or took off. No skin off my back.”
I said, “It’s still hard to believe that a system like that existed.”
He said, “It was severely flawed, but, I’ll give it to that gal in Texas who set it up. She was scary, but smart.”
That sounded like Daisy’s cousin for sure.
We reached the back door and stepped out to the courtyard. Before me were several faces I recognized, some that didn’t look happy to see me.
Amos, a man who used to work for me, crossed his arms. “Bobby, what’s this all about? Why were we all summoned and why is he here?”
He glared at me as he finished speaking.
Bobby held up his hands. “You’re all here because I reckon you should hear what this man has to say. You owe it to him, especially if you’re one of the ones who turned on him.” He scanned the crowd. “I’m talking to you, Marianne.”
I stepped forward. Nerves made my stomach feel heavy. Inhaling, I got a whiff of manure and death, which didn’t make my uneasy stomach feel better.
I said, “Amos, you’re right to ask why I’m here. I wanted to talk to those of you who used to live under my protection and work for me.”
Amos sneered. “Your protection was a joke. When it came down to it you ran, leaving us to figure things out.”
“You’re right. I did run. I was injured when Wyatt’s men took me. There was no way I could help anyone, not even myself.” I looked around. “Daisy was the one who got me out alive. I wouldn’t be here without her.”
Someone called out, “Why did you come back?”
“I left with Daisy, hoping to find a new home. We discovered that there’s not much left out there, nothing worth fighting for at least. Nothing like my home here.”
Amos asked, “Do you expect us to feel sorry for you? We’ve suffered hard times. We lost our homes and people we cared about.”
“I’m not asking anyone to feel sorry for me. I came back expecting a fight. But that wasn’t the case. Instead, Bobby gave me my home back without question.” I met Amos’ gaze. “So now I’m here, asking if anyone wants to come back.”
He snorted. “That’s pretty funny. Like we’d go back to your ways.”
“And that’s your choice.” I paused. “I know I made mistakes in the past, but I’ve learned my lesson. Just know that if you want to come back, you can.”
The crowd murmured amongst themselves. Bobby slapped my back, narrowly missing my injured shoulder.
“Well, that could have gone better.” He grinned, revealing several missing teeth.
I shook his hand. “Thank you again for letting me speak to them.”
“No need to thank me. If they’re wise they’ll give it a go. Heck, if that place wasn’t cursed, I might go, too.”
I thought about telling him about the biter in the well, but thought against it.
Instead, I said, “I’ll take my leave now. I doubt anyone will want to come today.”
“Probably not.” He slapped my back again. “See you around.”
I looked around one last time. People were still talking, but no one made any moves to come to me. I made my way through the gate. The gravel crunched under my boots. And then another set of footsteps came from behind me.
“Boss. Please wait.”
Marianne came toward me. Her hands were clasped in front of her, a nervous gesture. I prepared myself for whatever was about to come out of her mouth. With her, there was no telling.
“Boss, I’d like to come back home.”
Out of all people, she was the only one who wasn’t invited after what she’d done to me. Surely to God she had to know this?
She rushed on, “I know I messed up, but you did, too.”
“You’re right, I did make mistakes.”
She nodded. “I knew the day you brought that girl back that-”
“No. Do not bring Daisy into this. She is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. She saved me, Marianne, when you did the opposite and handed me over to be slaughtered.”
Her cheeks flushed. “I only wanted your love. Is that so wrong?”
I felt bad for her. I truly did. But that didn’t change anything.
I tipped her chin up with my finger. “Wanting love isn’t wrong, but what you did to me was unforgiveable. Surely you see that?”
Her eyes watered. “Please. I’ll do any chore you assign me, even field duty. I won’t complain. You won’t even know I’m there.” Her voice broke. “I can’t stay here. The way they treat women is awful. We’re used to clean, cook, and fuck. Even if it’s not what we want. They take us against our will, Boss.”