by Chris Hechtl
Helen nodded as she scraped a hide. “Go,” she said simply. “Enjoy what you can while you can.”
Hayden dried her eyes and then nodded. She hugged both women. That evening she packed her things.
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Early in the morning Tanya, Helen, Dwayne, and Bill set out for the shore. The morning fog was thick, especially over the water so they couldn't see him. They used their cell phones to light the way. Toshi's solar panel was great to keep them charged, but only one at a time, so they tried to use the devices sparingly—not that they were really useful for anything else. And for some, just keeping the damn things on was a chore. The energy saver system would shut off on occasion.
Hayden had hers, but the charge on it had died over a week ago. She hadn't bothered to get in line to charge it either since she was leaving the camp, perhaps for the last time. She still felt the hug bruises from Lucile and some of the others. She'd miss them but vowed to visit and drag Bret's ass along with her to keep her safe.
Twice they had to stop at the sounds of rustling in the bush. “Here, bear!” Dwayne called out, making knocking sounds with sticks. The hard raps startled something off.
“You really think it was a bear?” Helen asked nervously as they continued on their way.
Dwayne stepped over to a steaming pile of scat. “From that, I'd say yes.” he pointed to it. There were a few bits of fur in the pile. He shook his head then pointed his stick to a bear track in the dirt nearby. “Yup. Black bear.”
“Great,” Helen sighed. “Can we get out of here then?”
“Well, that answers the eternal question,” Bill said as they moved on.
“What?”
“Does a bear shit in the woods? No, he does it on the trail,” Bill said. Dwayne and Tanya groaned.
“Stand-up comedian you are not, Bill,” Tanya said, looking at Hayden. “You okay?”
“Yeah, let's just get there before he leaves,” she said. She whistled a few times, loud enough to hopefully be heard a distance away. She remembered something about sound carried over water. To her relief they met Bret near his trap several hours past dawn.
“I was wondering if you were coming,” he said. “I was about to leave,” he said.
“Got held up. Traffic was a bear,” Bill quipped.
Dwayne snorted as the girls groaned. “What he means is, we've moved further away. Closer to the meadow on the other side of the lake that a way,” the trooper said, pointing in the direction they had come.
Bret looked that way and then nodded. “Hunting better?”
“Yeah, you could say that. We don't want to drive the herds away though, so I'm trying to balance hunting there and hunting elsewhere.”
“Good,” Bret said as he noticed Hayden. “Uh, hi,” he said, waving a hand to her.
“I thought you wouldn't notice me,” she said pouting a little.
“You're kind of hard to miss,” he said. Tanya gave her a nudge. He wasn't certain what was going on, Hayden had a pack, so that said something was up.
“Here's our end,” Bill said gruffly. He set the pack down.
Bret nodded and waved to the sledge he had pulled down the trail. This one came to a point and had hand grips wrapped in leather. “I'm getting better at these things. I wish I had a wheel though.”
“Would a luggage wheel do?” Helen asked.
“You know, it just might. Getting the axle right would be a pain, but having some sort of wheel would help from having to drag that end through the mud and stuff,” Bret said. “Less resistance,” he said, looking at her.
“I'll see what we can do. We're not at the crash site though. Not anymore. Besides,” she waved to the plane. All they could see in the morning fog was the outline of the wing. “Most of it is underwater now. I think it's slipping into deeper water or something.”
“Settling in the mud no doubt,” Dwayne said shaking his head. He looked over to Hayden.
She rubbed her arm; she seemed a bit put out over not being the center of Bret's attention. He cocked his head at her, getting her attention. She looked up and then when he nodded meaningfully to her she cleared her throat, getting Bret's attention. He turned to her. “Yes?”
“Miss me?” she asked, uncertain about his response. The fact that he hadn't rushed to her wasn't a good sign in her estimation. He nodded hesitantly.
She came over and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down for a kiss. “Did you miss me?” she asked again, softer that time as she looked into his eyes searching for the answer she hoped for.
“Damn right I did. Well, that part. The rest of me is finally recovered I guess. I'm not as sore in some funny places,” he teased. She blushed as Tanya gurgled a laugh behind them.
She looked over her shoulder to Tanya, stuck her tongue out, then went back and kissed him once more. Bret felt relief, glad she wanted to be with him. He hugged her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down for another long awaited kiss. “Guess what, honey, I'm moving in,” she told him, giving his buns a warning squeeze.
God, how he missed that, but he was confused. “You are, um ….”
“Just say, okay, dude or you're dead meat,” Bill stage-whispered to him. Tanya chuckled.
“Um, okay …,” Bret said, still unsure.
“With the group moving closer to the game, they won't be back this way for a while. Not very often,” she told him. Her eyes searched his. “It's okay, right?”
He's not sure what to think, but he nodded dutifully. “Yeah, I know it's, um, it is logical,” he said. “And, um, us. I, um, guess we have a lot to discuss,” he said to her as her hands dropped to his arms.
“Yeah,” she said softly.
“Monthly then?” he asked the others. Dwayne looked at Helen and the others. They nodded.
“I'll try to find some wheels,” Helen said. “And maybe think of other stuff.”
“I'll work on a few more things on my end too,” Bret said gruffly. “I mean we will,” he said, catching himself.
“Yes, definitely we,” Hayden said, eying him.
“Sorry. I'm still learning here. It's sudden and all,” he said.
“You'd better learn fast,” she said, eying him.
“Hmmm,” he frowned thoughtfully. “I don't know about that either. I kind of take my time on some things. So you're going to have to be patient and teach me. Maybe over and over,” he said, teasing her again. The others chuckled as she squirmed.
“You'll pay for that,” Hayden vowed, glowering at him.
“Probably,” Bret said as he waved goodbye to the others. Helen and Tanya hugged Hayden, then they departed.
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He led her back to the base. She took his hand a few times and smiled at him. “I missed you,” she murmured. He nodded.
When she cleared her throat meaningfully and then tugged on his hand, he grunted. “And I missed you too,” he finally responded.
“See? Now was that so hard?” she teased, swinging their hands together and giving him a challenging look. He smiled and shook his head, ducking away from her gaze.
“I've been in a few relationships, but they were … brief,” he admitted. “This is new. Nice. But I've never been beyond …,” he shrugged. “Well …”
“A one-night stand?”
“A week honestly,” he said, hunching his shoulders a bit.
“Oh.”
“So, go easy on me, okay?”
“Hmmm …,” she pretended to look thoughtful. When he heard a noise and turned to look, she goosed him and then danced out of reach grinning. He chuckled and tried to swat at her rear. She chuckled and kept moving on up the trail.
She was at first quiet, a little upset about losing touch with her friends, Bret thought. He wished that the cell phones would work; even short range it would allow her, them, to keep in contact. He shook his head and puffed his cheeks in and out. “If wishes were fishes,” he murmured.
“What's that?” she a
sked.
“Nothing,” he said. “Nothing.”
“Let's get to work,” she said, doing her hair up in a ponytail. He smiled and nodded. She threw herself into the work. He brought her up-to-date on what he had done in her absence. She smiled in approval at the new bed and bedding. It wasn't up to Bed Bath and Beyond standard, but pretty good.
“So …”
“So the grain looks good. I thought we'd give that a try and see if we can make flour. It'll be a pain to do but …,” he shrugged. She nodded.
“I'll bring you the grasses,” he said. “You can get the grain off here. Save everything.”
“What do I do if I run out of grass? I mean wheat?”
“You'll think of something I'm sure,” he said. She nodded.
He brought her grasses to thresh for grain and to weave with. It was dusty chafing work. The stuff stuck everywhere. That night they were tired, but they wove a few baskets and ropes together before going to bed.
She smiled in approval as she picked a piece of grass out of her hair. They had short coils of braided rope, mats, and other things, all nice-to-have things. She even found enough material to weave herself a grass skirt and then joke about wearing it, prancing about. “Are you going to do a Hawaiian dance?” he teased, eyes lighting at the sight of her shapely legs. She hadn't shaved but he didn't care. He cared more for the sensual curves and what they led up to.
She did her best but collapsed laughing at his poleaxed expression. She crawled over to where he was sitting and then climbed into his lap to kiss him. He liked how she cupped his chin, keeping him still while they kissed. The entire world went away. They made love into the night.
The next day he was up early and off to hunt and do other work around the area. She did her best to help him dig, collect clay and rocks, and strip bark from the logs. They made a better perimeter wall and worked on the basement walls. She used the rope to weave branches into the wall, sealing off the area closest to their teepee. She didn't like the idea of eyes on the other side looking at them. It gave her the willies.
“We're going to have to figure out a gate. Gates plural,” he said, looking at the two openings.
“Eventually,” she said tiredly. She wrapped one arm around him and rubbed the small of his back. “Come on, time to rest. Tomorrow is a new day, dear,” she murmured. He nodded wearily.
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During the morning Bret got up early, before dawn as he usually did. Hayden was great, but he could tell she missed the regular social interaction of the group. From time to time he did too, but he preferred to be alone. It was scary; if he was hurt or … something, he'd be in trouble. He shot a guilty look at her sleeping form. And it'd suck for her too. He'd just have to be careful he reminded himself.
He went outside and stretched, breathing in the warming air. It was nice, but he was still sore. The woman was a vamp, amorous at night sometimes, especially if she had a spark of unused energy in her. He was tired, a lot of what they were doing was backbreaking work. He was still hesitant, so she was the one who took the lead and initiated their love making.
He pursed his lips as he rolled his shoulders. Truth to tell he liked it that way. Not only did it show her confidence, but it was a definite way for her to tell him when she was in the proper mood or not. No attempts at guessing her mind or biology. He could tell when she was in the throes of her period, but only when it really bothered her. He'd found ways to give her space during those sullen times.
He looked up when he saw a flash in the air. There it was again, out of the corner of his eye. He turned slowly but didn't pick it up. Perhaps a bird or something he thought. Or a shooting star? He turned again, searching the sky.
He saw the flicker again out of the corner of his eye. When he turned it was gone. He waited a moment, and when it did it again, he moved quickly. For a brief instance, he saw something in the sky, a pixel, a rough spot that shouldn't be there. When he blinked it was gone, leaving him to wonder if he'd really seen it or not.
Was that pilot right? Gisel or Ginger or whatever the hell her name was? Were they in some sort of Matrix? Or wait, some sort of dome? But … he frowned thoughtfully. To make it this large … that was insane! Like that Truman Show movie? Or that movie series with the teenage girl with the bow? Hunger something or other? He'd seen it briefly with a date years ago. He frowned thoughtfully. Were they captives in some sort of Saw movie thing? Or something like that Ascension thing he'd heard about? Some sort of social experiment? Or were they being watched? He turned and frowned again. They'd been there months he thought and then straightened. He hadn't seen a single camera. So if they had ones around, they were pretty damn tiny. Or a drone? He frowned and then shook his head.
It didn't matter; it wasn't like they could do anything about it. He heard a rustle behind him and turned to see her stepping out of their teepee. She smiled and stretched, then wrapped her arms around him from behind. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi yourself. Thinking deep thoughts? Or planning your day? Our day?” she asked into his back.
“A little of everything,” he said with another shrug as he reached around to pull her into his arms. She rubbed the small of his back before she allowed herself to be tucked into his side. “Appreciating the world we're living in.”
“It is nice,” she murmured as a bird began to sing nearby.
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A month of hard work and they had a complete foundation and floor among other things. He joked about a dance floor. He had worked out an adz through trial and error to cut the logs and hew them into shape but using it was a pain. Frequently, the tools he had made broke under the constant use. Cutting notches and then cutting out the notch to a rough flat surface worked, but he hated the wasted wood it generated. Of course Hayden was practical; she tossed the waste into the firewood pile or used it as bedding material for the animals. But it still meant he had to cut more trees down and then haul them back to the cabin, remove the bark, and … he sighed. She gave him a look. He tried to smile but eventually just shrugged.
Once a week he went to check the fish trap. He brought back the fish he found; though twice he had to rebuild the trap after something destroyed it. Most likely a bear he judged, taking advantage of the trapped fish. On the third time, he decided it wasn't worth the effort to rebuild it.
When the month was up, they went down to the meeting site together. They waited quietly until they spotted the group coming along the shore. Hayden practically jumped in place and then hugged the girls and then led them aside to talk animatedly with them.
The men nodded to each other and then watched the women chatter in amusement. All of them are now sporting hide clothing. Their Terran clothes were few and far between, just worn footwear. All of the guys had beards and looked a bit scruffy. Dwayne rubbed his nose and then looked expectantly to Miguel.
“I'd, um, like to come back with you. Sort of serve as an apprentice or something if you don't mind,” Miguel asked.
Bret turned and looked at him curiously.
“Oh, not to stay, man, I just want to learn,” Miguel said, hands up. “We've been trying to replicate what you're doing, but well …,” he shrugged helplessly. Bret nodded. “I'll work my share for a week or so then we'll leave. I need to know man. We need to know,” he said, motioning to the guys in the group. Dwayne, Bill, and Jim all nodded.
Bret frowned thoughtfully, not committing to anything. He wanted to check with Hayden. He felt a bit put out though; their privacy was about to be invaded. He cocked his head. On the other hand, they'd get a lot more done, he thought. It'd be a pain to feed an extra mouth, but Miguel would do a lot. He'd see to it.
“I mean, we're trying to make shelters, but …,” Miguel shrugged. He held up his hands. Bret looked and then winced at the sight of a few nasty looking blisters. They were healing over into calluses, but not well.
“You need gloves. You can wrap your hands in rags or strips of leather,” Bret murmured.
�
�Yeah, we've been doing that,” Bill said, showing him his right hand. “More as bandages though,” he said sourly. They turned at a rustle of cloth and shuffle of feet off to the side where the girls had been.
“We're coming too,” Terri and Gisel informed him. Hayden nodded and gave Bret a challenging look He blinked at them in surprise. His lady gave him a more intense challenging look as she crossed her arms expectantly. He finally sighed in resignation and then motioned for them to go. He knew now it was better to go along with the flow than argue with her when she got that way.
“Good luck. You'll need it,” Bill said. Jim snorted.
“Definitely,” Bret sighed, watching the small group moving out. They nodded politely as they parted ways.
Bill, Jim, and the trooper were amused to take their loads back alone.
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At the camp Miguel whistled at the sight of it all. He grinned and then examined the tools and commented about everything. The girls ran from one thing to the other, gushing about this and that. Even the simplest thing had them chattering on and on They loved that he had gotten some running water from the stream. He rolled his eyes. “They'll be at it all day,” he said gruffly. “I'd give you a beer, but I haven't quite gotten that far yet,” he said in an aside to Miguel.
Miguel snorted. “Yeah, I heard you've got grain,” he said with a laugh.
Bret grinned. “Yeah. Not much, but some. Some yeast too. I think I found hops but I'm not sure. I'd have to check it carefully,” he said.
“Ah. Halfway there then,” Miguel said, half serious. He eyed the other man.
Bret snorted. “If you forget about needing all the industrial stuff to make it,” Bret said with a laugh.
Miguel shook his head. “Dude, with you, anything's possible. We've all seen it. Besides, didn't they make beer somehow before Busch and others came along and industrialized it? Hell, I think I remember in my history class that the ancient Egyptians had it while making the pyramids.”