by Poe, S. B.
“She sounds like my grandmother. She helped raised me when my momma died. I’m sorry about your friend. Friends.” Emma Grace said.
“But you and I are like friends now.” Jennifer said. “My mom died when I was still a kid, so we’re practically twins.”
“Before all this nobody wanted to hang out with me.” Emma Grace started. “I knew most folks didn’t care to be around my daddy too much. He was not a people person. And all I really liked to do was hang out at home, cooking, canning and tending my bees. Other kids thought I was weird.”
“Well that is kind of weird.” Jennifer said. She turned and saw the look of hurt on Emma Grace’s face.
“Oh, I’m just kidding.” Jennifer said as she tapped Emma Grace on the shoulder.
Emma Grace tilted her head at Jennifer’s touch. She traced the outline of her face and squinted her eyes slightly. Emma Grace held her gaze for few uncomfortable seconds before smiling and tapping Jennifer on the shoulder in return.
“Sure.” She said.
“Were you still in school?” Jennifer asked.
“I graduated the spring before all this happened, you?”
“I had just started my junior year. Guess I’ll never finish high school now. Oops.” Jennifer smiled again.
Emma Grace turned back to the cupboard and pulled down another small container. They heard the squall of the screen door again and both stepped into the hallway to see Kate coming towards them.
“Sorry. I knocked, but no one came.” Kate said.
“It’s fine. We didn’t hear you.” Emma Grace said.
“How are y’all doing today?” Kate asked.
“We’re good. Just starting to work on dinner, wanna help?” Jennifer asked.
“What are we cooking?” Kate asked as she leaned against the doorframe.
“Nothing yet. I was just about to start. Daddy always grew potatoes in the back yard by the fence. I just pulled a couple dozen out of the ground.” Emma Grace said. “Daddy always kept some from the year before in the shed. They would be his seed potatoes. He used to tell me he’d been growing potatoes for years from a batch he bought back in the eighties. Just keeping a few back from each harvest, letting them go to seed and planting them in the ground each year. He must have planted these just before…”
“Before what?” Jennifer asked and then looked up. “Oh.”
“Emma Grace, I want you to know something.” Kate said.
“What’s that?” Emma Grace asked as she wiped the tear off her cheek.
“I know how much you have been through. Jahda told me about how her and Bridger found you. All surrounded by deaduns.” Kate started.
“They weren’t going to hurt me. They ignore me. Well, not really. They kinda follow me for some reason, but they never hurt me.”
“Nevertheless, I am glad they found you. I am glad we all found you and your brother and the others. The things you know, the way you lived even before all this, all of it is really important. And it means the world to me that you’re willing to help us. I’ll always be grateful.” Kate said. “I just felt like I needed to tell you that.”
“Why?” Emma Grace asked.
“Well, when we got here, your brother didn’t seem all too happy about us showing up and I just wanted you to know how grateful we all are that y’all have welcomed us in now.” Kate said.
“Well Cody had a rough time too. He lost his daddy and his arm all within a few hours. It’s still hard to get my head around it all, but you people are so nice and seem so much more like a family than this place ever did. In a weird way, I’m glad all the bad stuff happened just because it led to y’all being here. I don’t know if that sounded right but,”
“But nothing. We’re glad we’re here too.” Kate smiled. “Speaking of Cody, where did he drag Ed and Vernon off to this morning?”
“Cameron too.” Jennifer said. “I saw all four of them heading towards the gate about an hour ago.”
“Do you know, Emma Grace?” Kate asked.
“Sure do. They went hunting.”
“Hunting? For what?” Jennifer asked before Kate could.
“Cows.” Emma Grace said as she sat the pot of water on the wood-burning stove.
The screen door squealed open again and Kate stuck her head around the door. She saw Evelyn walking down the hall.
“Morning Evelyn.”
“Morning, any coffee?”
“Sure is.” Emma Grace grabbed the percolator and sat a cup on the dining room table. She poured until Evelyn raised her hand.
“Thank you.”
“Bridger not with you?” Kate asked.
“He and Raj went to check on a deadun. It was one of those odd ones. Like the one I saw when that car crashed outside the gates. Right before the horde came.”
“What did it look like?”
“Dead. No, that’s not right. Dried. It looked dried up.”
“That’s what got inside the night everything bad happened here. It was different. It was…” She trailed off.
“It’s okay, Emma Grace. Bridger took care of this one before I even had a chance to wake up. They’re just looking at the leftovers.”
“Good.” Emma Grace smiled.
“Did Tilly stop by?” Evelyn asked.
“I haven’t seen her.” Jennifer said.
“Me neither.” Kate said. “Everything okay?”
“I’m sure it is. She just said she was feeling a little sick on her stomach. I’ll go check on her a little later.” Evelyn said. “But first I think I’ll go try to get the smell out of these clothes and get some sleep. See y’all later.”
Where the Water Runs
3
The sun rose over the top of the trees on the horizon. The hills were painted in oranges and reds. The morning air before the sun rose had been cool, but the temperature slowly began to rise as the local star lifted its gaze onto the earth below.
“Man fuck this.” Ed said as he stepped from around the tree, zipping up his pants.
“Patience.” Cameron said.
“To hell with patience. I’m tired of walking.” Ed said. “Ain’t seen no cow, ain’t heard no cow.”
“Then sit. I shall push forward for a league or so to reconnoiter. If the bovine are ahead, I shall return for your assistance. If not, I shall return for your company.” Cameron said as he turned.
“Whatever. I’ll be here.” Ed sat down next to a large oak tree.
“What’s he doing?” Cody walked over to where Cameron stood.
“He is taking a short respite.” Cameron said. “Let us push on.”
“What’s wrong, Ed?” Cody said.
Ed squinted as he looked up. Cody stood in outline as the sun sparkled through the trees behind him. Ed could see the one sleeve flapping in the breeze. He smiled.
“I’m good. Just give me a hand.” He said as reached towards the wayward sleeve. “Oops, never mind.” He smiled.
“Fuck you.” Cody said.
“It’s a joke stumpy. I got lots of em.” Ed smiled.
“You’re the joke, asshole.” Cody said. “You ain’t never been shit, ain’t never gonna be shit and won’t nobody miss you when you’re gone.”
“You know the worst thing about you losing your hand Cody? You’re stuck with the same girlfriend for the rest of your life.” Ed said, his left hand jerking off the air.
Cody’s face turned red.
“Alright, let’s keep going.” Vernon said as he stepped between them. “You need one of your pain pills Cody?”
“No I don’t need a damn pill.” Cody said as he turned and walked away.
“I’ll take one.” Ed said, smiling up at Vernon.
“Why you gotta go at him like that?”
“Why not? He ain’t special. Never was and now he knows it.” Ed looked away.
Cameron walked ahead of the others. His ankle was completely healed and it felt good to put his weight on it as they slid along the side of the hill. The trees were thinner
halfway up the hillside than in the bottoms but the bottoms were where they needed to be. The outing had been planned the night before. Kate had managed to bring everyone together almost every evening since they had settled in. The evenings spent in folding chairs around the campfire had made everyone more relaxed and the early tensions between the denizens and the new arrivals had mostly faded away. Cameron had begun to understand how this group he had stumbled on managed to work so well together. They were like a family and he felt very fortunate and thankful that he was now a member of their flock. Most of the others had retreated to either their beds or their posts leaving only Vernon, Ed, Cody and Cameron to watch the coals glow orange in the darkness.
“Cows.” Cody had started. “That’s what we need. And I know where to find them.”
“Cows?” Cameron asked.
“Yep. Two dozen head at least. Maybe more. We had thirty-seven in the upper pasture when the dead came. We would have had more but we had shipped most of the herd off to auction the week before. Damn bad timing.”
“And you wanna what? Gather them?” Cameron asked.
“Well, we turned them loose so the goners couldn't get to em. They found their way into the creek bottoms. My land is pretty hilly and every bottom is some little feeder creek to the Oyohusa. That’s where they’ll be. We just need to find one or two.”
“And you’ve done this before.” Cameron asked.
“We talked about it but no, we haven’t.” Cody said.
“Well how the hell do you know they’re still out there?” Ed asked.
“I don’t but I’d be willing to be they are.” Cody said.
“Are out of your mind? Those deaduns done ate all them bastards up, I promise you.” Ed said.
“Maybe, maybe not.” Vernon said. “We been out to the farm a bunch, we ran into y’all out there.”
“Yeah, I remember.” Ed said as he smiled at Cody. “You remember Cody? That’s where Bridger knocked you on your ass.”
“All I remember is your little shit ass hiding in the truck, that’s what I remember.” Cody said.
“Anyway,” Vernon steered the conversation back. “We been out there a bunch and barely seen any goners out there. Maybe they haven’t gotten to the cows. We could use the meat.”
“Why don’t we just hunt some squirrels and shit?” Ed asked.
“One cow could feed us for a month or longer. One trip out. How many times you wanna go out there hunting squirrels, brave guy?” Cody asked.
“Who said I was going at all?” Ed said.
“Come on Ed. It’ll be fun.” Vernon said.
“With you maybe. With him?” Ed nodded towards Cody. “I doubt it.”
“Well come on anyway.” Vernon asked.
“I should think I would enjoy a little adventure myself.” Cameron said. “If you don’t mind.”
“Nah man, it’ll be fun.” Vernon smiled and the pact was set.
They had found themselves walking through the upper pasture just as the sun started turning the sky gray. They had encountered only one of the dead as they drove the truck through the hanging gate heading up the farm. They had driven over it without slowing down.
The sun had risen as they made their way down the side of the hill below the house. The first bottom had yielded nothing and they were halfway up the slope of the next hill.
“How do you intend to retrieve the creature should we be so lucky as to encounter one of your herd?” Cameron asked. “We have long since passed the point of drivable roads down here amongst the flora.”
“I guess we’ll butcher into quarters and tote it out.” Cody said. “That work for you?”
“Ah, I am but a worker. I shall endeavor to perform as expected and shall leave the planning to you. I was just curious.” Cameron said.
Cody squinted his eyes slightly as he looked at him. Cameron had seen a similar look from most he had encountered since the world had fallen away. He was fully self aware and inwardly smiled. He had always enjoyed keeping people slightly off balance. The new world had just offered him an easier way of accomplishing it.
“Shall we press on?” Cameron asked.
“Sure, let’s press on.” Cody said as he turned down the hill.
The trees in the bottom below them were still holding onto most of the leaves and the path grew thick with briars. The temperature climbed with the sun and soon they were all shedding the outermost layer of clothing as sweat trickled down their faces. Ed stopped again.
“There ain’t shit out here. What the hell are we doing?” He asked as he found a fallen tree to plop down on. The tree cracked slightly under his weight and the sound of rustling bushes came drifting through the bottom.
“Shh.” Vernon said. “Something’s moving over there.”
Ed leaned forward and looked below the foliage. He could see something although he wasn’t sure what. It looked like a large brown animal moving between the trees fifty yards or so away.
“I see it.” Ed said. “Don’t know what it is but I see it. That way.” He pointed.
“What is it?” Cody asked as he knelt down to look.
“I just said I don’t know. It’s not a deadun, I don’t think.
“Let’s move slow. If it’s what we’re here for it’s probably pretty skittish and if it’s a goner, well, let’s just go slow.” Vernon said.
They slipped down to the bottom, moving away from the sound. Cody had took the lead and Cameron soon understood they were trying to arrive quartering away from the quarry to not raise suspicion. The sound had fallen away while they walked and when they got to the point where they had heard it, there was no sign.
“Dammit.” Cody said.
“It has to be somewhere. It didn’t just disappear.” Ed said. “I know I saw something.”
“Maybe it was a deer and it spooked.” Vernon said.
“It weren’t no deer. We woulda hurt it crashing through the brush if it spooked. It’s gotta be close.” Ed said.
“You seem a bit more enthusiastic now.” Cameron noted.
“Yeah, I guess. It’s kinda fading now though.” Ed said. His eyes widened as he turned around. “What the hell?
Ed looked past the others. They all spun around expecting to see a deadun on their back trail. That wasn’t what they saw.
“Cheval?” Cameron barely uttered. “My god.”
Standing a few yards up the slope, hidden by a stand of honeysuckle they had just walked by, was the horse. It stood with its nose down to its left, flicking its ears as it nibbled on the tender flowers. The horse had drawn all of their attention because it was something different in the unchanging morning landscape. The man in the saddle drew everyone’s attention away from the horse.
Long hair hung down over the man’s face. He leaned forward in the saddle and Cameron could see the rope tied from the man’s belt loop to a ring on the saddle. He assumed there was another one on the other side. He had tied himself in the same way a time or two so he could sleep while the horse walked. This man didn’t look asleep. He looked dead.
“Hey.” Vernon yelled.
The man jerked in the saddle and his head slowly raised. The hair fell away from the face and they could see the opaque eyes looking at them. Ed raised his rifle. Cameron started to object to avoid startling the horse. They all were startled when the thing on the horse raised its hands and spoke.
“Noooo.” A raspy whisper.
The four of them took a step backwards and the horse raised its head. It took a step towards them. They took another step backwards.
“Stay there horsey. Staayyy. Good horsey.” Vernon said.
“What the hell is that?” Cody asked. “Y’all heard that right? That fucking goner talked.”
“We heard something, I’m not quite sure what.” Cameron said.
“What the hell does that mean?” Cody asked.
“Perhaps it was speaking, perhaps not.” Cameron said
“Okay, so what now?” Ed asked.
�
��Hey.” Vernon yelled again. They all looked at him.
“Help me.” The man on the horse said.
“Okay, that was speaking.” Cameron said.
“How?” Vernon asked.