"Well boy, no point in working you till your hands fall off." He said, falling back into thoughtful consideration. "Why don't you go have Mother clean those up for you, then see if she might have something you can put a little muscle to in the house? I'll help Kevin out back till supper."
"Yes sir, Mr. Powell," I nodded politely, and he grunted in reply. That was the extent of our relationship for the most part, and I was happy with that.
Not waiting for Jeremy to say anything else, I walked around him into the house. Finding both Becky and Mary in the kitchen, Becky spared me a solemn glance as I walked in but Mary offered me a warm smile.
"Well, what do we have here?" She said, coming over to me as I held out my hands for her to inspect.
"Mr. Powell sent me in to be bandaged up." I stated, but she was already gasping and pulling me over to the sink before I had even finished talking.
We didn't have running water in the house, but there was a well out back and a wood stove in the kitchen that was almost always smoldering. That kept Mary with a handy supply of clean, fresh water. She used some of her store to wash the dirt off my hands and out of the sores so she could get a better look.
"Hrm, looks like you might get a break for a day or so while these heal up, huh?" She smiled at me, turning to leave the room. She was probably heading for the medicine cabinet in the wash room. If I was lucky, there might even be some cream to help with the healing.
I chanced a look up at Becky who was plucking a scrawny hen for our dinner. She barely suffered me a glance. Briefly, I wondered if she was as scarred and numb to pain as I was and that was why she would never talk to me. That wasn't a topic of conversation I wanted to bring up, though. It would result in questions about my past as well, and I wasn't ready to share. These people knew about Ali, but neither I nor Ali had talked about Seth.
I looked down at my hands, my thoughts again drifting to my brother and I wondered what he would do right now. I desperately wanted to make him proud of me, so I often thought about how he would handle a situation. I knew he would smile at Becky, and be as nice to her as he possibly could. He might even be able to get her to laugh. That's just the kind of guy Seth was.
I tried to think of something, anything, to say before Mary came back in, but my mind failed me. I was still standing at the sink silent and unmoving when she returned.
"I found something that will help with those sores, love. Why don't you come have a seat at the table while I fix you up?" Her voice was so warm and inviting that I had no trouble smiling and talking to her.
"Yes, Mrs. Mary." I returned her smile as I sat down beside her. "Is there anything else I can help you with in here? Mr. Powell doesn't want me working outside today."
"Is that right?" She mumbled as she started rubbing some ointment into my blisters. It stung, but I managed to only wince a little bit. "Well, Becky and I pretty much have dinner handled, but there is a lot of sorting that still needs to be done from the last haul you boys pulled in."
"I can do that!" I quickly jumped on the task. I actually liked looking through all the new supplies that we brought back from our hauls. It was easy, too.
Mainly, it consisted of separating clothes from tools and other useful items that we brought in. Normally the food was pulled out first, so there wouldn't be anything left from the last haul as far as that goes. It had already been over a week since we had gone into Sweetwater.
Mary laughed richly at my enthusiasm, and she nodded. "Sorting it is then. Just let me get these bandages on and it's off you go."
She started humming an old song as she continued to work on my hands. I thought I might recognize it, but I never paid much attention to music and lyrics when I was nine. Mary sang and hummed all the time, but if it wasn't a Christmas carol, I couldn't even begin to sing along. I didn't care though. The humming seemed to make this place more like home.
Becky knew the song and surprised me as she started singing along. Her voice carried softly through the house.
Well it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind,
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in.
The song seemed haunting and beautiful at the same time. I was becoming entranced just listening to Becky's soft voice. It was better than any radio.
I would have liked to known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did.
Mary stopped humming as she finished with my dressings and Becky fell silent. I looked down at my hands and opened and closed them a few times to check my flexibility. Mary had done a fine job dressing the wounds. I found the sores restricted my movement more than the bandages.
Thanking Mrs. Mary, I left the table and started for the stairs. Something made me pause as I was passing Becky. I finally had something to say to her.
"You sing really pretty. You should do it more often." It sounded dumb in my own ears and I could feel the heat seep into my cheeks. She looked startled that I had spoken to her for a second, and then she smiled. I saw the blush rising in her cheeks as her blue eyes sparkled.
"Thank you," She whispered, and I fled up the stairs.
* * *
A few hours had gone by and I was still sorting clothes into different piles when I heard the front door slam. I knew Jeremy and Kevin had come in for dinner. I sighed as I finished up the small pile of shirts I was going through before I went downstairs.
Jeremy and Kevin had already washed up and were sitting down to the table. When Jeremy saw me peaking around the corner from the stairs, he waved me over and I took my usual seat beside Kevin.
"So how are those hands, boy? Will you be out in the garden again tomorrow?" He said, and it was hard for me to tell if he was joking or not.
"Now, you leave him be. I need his help tomorrow too." Mary gave me a sly wink behind Jeremy's back. "He did an excellent job today, and it helped free up my time." She made a round of the table, sitting down bowls and plates for all of us and I smiled up at her as she passed by me. She patted my back affectionately.
"Well," Jeremy said looking at me, scrutinizing me as he gnawed on a celery stalk. "Can't disappoint Mother, now can we?"
He smiled a bit as he reached for the salt. At least I think it was a smile. Now that I was hurt, I knew he had to be calculating the extra days it would take to finish the storage project. It meant more work divided between himself and Kevin until I could get back out there.
The Powells had been farmers before everything happened, and had taught me quite a few things about raising crops. We even had a couple big horses and a nice cow in the barn that Mary could get milk from. Milk meant butter and cream and cheese.
They also weren't the only family out here raising animals and crops. Some tended chickens and pigs, and there were as many dogs as anything else. All dogs hated dead-brains, and were a great alarm if one actually wandered through here.
All the families shared or traded to help each other out. It reminded me a lot of the way it was when I was still in Oklahoma. We had been secluded there, just like we were here, but bad things still managed to happen. I guess it was okay to feel safe here, but I didn't want to let myself believe any place was safe anymore.
I knew Jeremy had grown up on this farm, even though he had been living in Sweetwater with his family when the outbreak happened. He came back to find the couple that had bought the place turned into mindless dead-brains. Jeremy and his brother Jacob took the farm back the hard way. That old couple is buried outside now, beyond the garden.
This area hadn't been very populated. Some of the neighboring houses survived, others didn't. New survivors had come in to take their places though. We were up to eight houses occupied with families now. It seemed odd to me that there were so few travelers here, but considering how close we were to Dallas, I guess it wasn't so odd after all.
I watched Becky as she brought out the soup pot. Her blue e
yes flashed me a look so quickly I thought I might have imagined it. Mary was right behind her, and they both took their seats.
Jeremy said grace, and I respectfully bowed my head with the rest of the family. Prayer seemed useless to me now. I knew I was like Ali in that respect. Either God wasn't there, or he was no longer listening.
"Amen." Jeremy ended, and we echoed him. He stood up to serve us, making sure to divide the portions evenly. It was enough to get us full, but never over eat. Even with Jeremy taking those precautions, we didn't have leftovers often.
I could feel my mouth salivating as I looked down at the rich chicken and vegetable soup swimming in my bowl. It was no small amount of torture waiting for it to cool to the point it wouldn't burn my mouth. I caught a glance from Kevin and knew he was thinking the same thing. Between the two of us, we could probably eat the whole meal ourselves.
Twice since I'd been here, the people in our community had come together to butcher one of the cows. All the families shared the meat, and we still ate on it for two days. Those two times were the only times I could remember being full in the past year.
The meal was spent in silence for the most part. When Jeremy let his spoon drop into his empty bowl, he finally spoke. "Jake and I have been talking, and we both think it's getting time for another run. With one worker down anyway, this might be the time to do it."
Both Kevin and I looked up in interest at the same time Mary snorted her disapproval. We both knew that being able to get off the farm and away from the daily choirs always made for a nice break in the monotony. "I'm going to run over to Jake's in the morning to see if he wants to go with us up north."
I turned back to my stew almost immediately, hoping to hide my face and my reaction. Even though Jacob was Jeremy's brother I didn't much care for him. He lived in the neighboring farm house with his new wife and baby. His wife came to visit us often with the little one, but I only saw Jacob during hauls. I preferred it that way. It seemed like he enjoyed killing the dead-brains way too much. It was unnerving to say the least.
"Papa, can I go this time?" I glanced up at Becky in surprise. She never went on hauls. I saw Mary give Jeremy a warning look, but Jeremy just sucked at his teeth in contemplation. His refusal to acknowledge Mary had her face turning three shades of red.
"Now Rebecca, I'll need you here working with me tomorrow." Mary finally spoke up, obviously irritated that Jeremy hadn't said anything yet.
Becky just looked down into her plate, frowning. She spoke again, but she didn't have the courage to look up. "It'll be safe, Papa. We haven't seen a madman in nearly a year now."
"Harrumph." Jeremy grunted, still lost in his contemplation. "We'll see in the morning, child."
Jeremy pushed himself back from the table and retired to the master bedroom. Mary immediately followed, slamming the bedroom door behind her. I could hear them as they argued behind the door.
Wanting someone else to break the awkward silence, I turned my attention back to the stew. No one else spoke, though. Becky finally rose from the table, gathering up the dishes to take to the kitchen.
I finished quickly and decided I would help as much as I could. When I brought my bowl into the kitchen, Becky was already washing the dishes.
"I can help with those." As I spoke, she glanced up to meet my eyes briefly, then her gaze dropped to my hands. I noticed her eyes were red-rimmed from crying.
"Your bandages... You shouldn't get those wet." And she turned back to the sink.
I flexed my hands, looking at the bandages and shrugged. "I can help you dry at least."
She didn't look at me again, but just nodded after a few seconds. Kevin joined us a few minutes later, storing the extra food as best he could. I knew the stew would be our breakfast in the morning since it would only last a few days. The vegetables would keep a bit longer.
The three of us cleared the dinner table and cleaned the kitchen in silence. We retired to our beds without seeing Mary or Jeremy again that night. Their voices drifted up to my bedroom on the second floor though. I knew they had lost their youngest daughter before I met them. Mary had understandable fears. She didn't want to risk losing her last daughter.
I didn't blame her. I didn't want to lose anyone else either.
Sleep came slowly for me. I had gotten used to the hot nights, but tonight was different. The wind that rustled through my open window wasn't enough to keep me cool. I was thinking about Seth and Mom and Dad, missing them all. I just didn't want to be alone anymore. I didn't want to feel so alone anymore. I cried.
We only had one working clock down in the living room, so I had no idea what time it was when I finally drifted off to sleep. When I did finally sleep, I dreamed of Ali. She was coming back for me.
The dream was already gone by the time the dawn gently woke me. That, in itself, was a refreshing change from Jeremy's harsh wake-up calls. Not wanting to linger, I hastily got dressed and went down stairs to find Mary patching up some of our clothes. Becky was outside working on the wash.
"Good morning, love." Mary flashed me a quick smile, but the light that was normally in her eyes wasn't there this morning. I knew the talk her and Jeremy had last night must have been rough. She was back to her sewing without another word.
"Morning, Mrs. Mary." I replied politely as I made my way to the back door. I wanted to find Kevin so we could talk about the haul today. I figured Jeremy was already over at Jacob's and we would have a free morning until he returned. I knew I could take the time to work on my carving, but I really didn't want to be alone. I found Kevin helping Becky hang the wash.
"Hey Joss!" Kevin replied, overly excited to see me. I actually got a smile from Becky as I walked up. "Guess what?"
"Um..." I started, but Kevin had no intention of letting me guess.
"Becky gets to come today! Pa went to get Uncle Jake's truck and we're heading out as soon as they get back!"
"That's great news." I smiled at Becky and tried to match Kevin's enthusiasm, but I knew I fell short. It wasn't because Becky was going with us, and I hoped that she didn't take it that way. It was the mention of Jacob that soured my mood.
I wasn't really surprised by it. After all, he was the one with the running vehicle. I had always known chances of him letting us use it without him were slim, but I didn't want to be reminded of it.
I habitually started to help them hang the clothes and asked, "Are we going into Sweetwater?"
"Nah, Pa thinks Sweetwater has been too cleared out." Kevin replied. "There's a small town just up the road to the north he wants to start going through. It's not far, maybe twenty miles or so. He said the Wilson's have been up there a few times already." Kevin chattered, his excitement bubbling over. "And there's that little airport up there too, maybe we can check that out sometime!"
I was frowning to myself, hoping the Wilson's had been able to clear out the dead-brains. New places normally meant running into a few, and that meant having to watch Jacob kill them sadistically. Trepidation spread inside me and I briefly thought about offering to stay with Mary to help her today. I didn't want to look like a coward in front of Becky though, so I dismissed that idea pretty quickly. I felt nauseous. I was glad I woke up late and missed breakfast.
Kevin continued to rattle on about the airport and maybe learning how to fly a plane someday to find other survivors. I nodded and grunted at appropriate times during his one sided conversation while Becky stayed silent through it all.
Kevin may have been older than me but he hadn't seen what the world looked like out there now. They'd moved from Sweetwater up to this farm not long after the outbreak started. He'd lost his little sister to the flu, but I had lost my whole family to this horrible disease. He was so naive.
The dread was building in me every second. No wonder Mary was so worried about Becky going. Going to Sweetwater was one thing, but knowing now that we were going to a new location, I didn't even want her to go.
I knew it wasn't my place to say anything or intrude
in this family's business. By the time I heard the horse galloping up the drive way, I was back to my sullen, quiet self. Turning to watch Jeremy guide the old mare to the barn, I could see the dust trail being kicked up by Jacob's old Ford truck.
Kevin actually jumped with his excitement, and took off for the barn. I barely even glanced at him as he left, determined to finish hanging the wash first. Becky wore a perplexed expression for a bit as she noticed my mood, and she soon drifted back to her indifferent attitude toward me. The smiles were gone. I sighed to myself as I finished hanging the last shirt.
"Becky," I started and she looked up at me while she gathered the baskets. Again I felt foolish for what I was about to say, but I had to get it out. "If we see any of those diseased out there, please don't get near them. Let Jacob and Jeremy take care of them."
She straightened and just stared at me for a second, the perplexed expression back on her face. I wished I could hear her thoughts. Finally she nodded her agreement and said, "Of course."
With that, she walked to the house and my gaze turned to the barn and the blue Ford truck that was just now rolling up. Even though the trepidation was still sitting so heavy in my stomach, I decided it would be best if I joined them and helped with the preparations for the trip.
* * *
In less than an hour, we were on the road. Despite my best efforts to skip breakfast, Mary had prepared me a thermos of soup for the trip. I could hear the liquid sloshing around in the can as we drove. The thought of trying to eat it wasn't appealing at all, but I gave it a shot.
Jacob drove and Jeremy was sitting in the passenger seat. That left the three of us kids to cram into the backseat. Kevin and I were at the windows, and Becky sat in the middle. This left me little room to manage the thermos, but I did my best. I could only sip at the broth since my stomach still hadn't calmed down.
Kevin was rambling about all the things he wanted to find in this little town. He had only been to Sweetwater before, so he could hardly contain his excitement.
The Phoenix Curse (Book 1): After Page 4