by Karen Carr
Lily touched her own hair, like she was worried Zora was going to chop it or like she was looking for lice.
“Don’t worry, your hair still looks good.” Zora smiled and let out a quick chuckle.
“I can’t believe we’re talking about hair when we should be talking about Trevan and Boa,” I said.
Lily nodded her head in agreement. “Once we were settled in and it was dark Trevan got the brilliant plan to go back to the village to look for you. He felt miserably guilty for being a coward and racing off, especially with Boa giving him the silent treatment.”
“She’s good at that,” Zora said.
“She is,” Lily said. She reached forward and touched Zora’s hand. “They took an electric car Hipslow loaned them.” Lily looked around the room to make sure we were still alone. “He signed a contract but that’s a different story, one you will hear about soon enough. The electric car was Hipslow’s idea because it is silent. They keep it charged with a generator. They have lots of generators here, Hella, and gas. That’s how they made it through the winter.”
Fareva came back into the dining area carrying a large tray of chicken tenders. She placed them on the bar as my stomach growled. Hipslow and Broder came out, Broder carrying the tomato dish and Hipslow had a pitcher of orange juice. They all placed everything on the bar.
“It’s all you can eat today,” Hipslow said. “Come and dig in.”
Zora, Lily and I rose from our seats, but before we could grab anything Fareva put up her hand.
“In this town, we work for our money.” She produced a beautifully colored paper bill with a wide spreading green oak tree on a farm field with a figure next to it and the words PLENTY stamped across it. “This is our currency. We’ve been using it for years, way before the apocalypse. It’s worked out nicely after.”
Zora and I halted, exchanging glances with Lily.
“Here, my treat,” Lily said. She produced several bills and handed them to Fareva. When I gave her a surprised look, she smiled. “I earned them last night cleaning up the place. You know how I like to sort things out.”
“First everybody fought over everything and then we tried trading,” Hipslow said when I gave him a puzzled look. “We found that trading goods only went so far. People couldn’t agree on what was considered a fair trade. How many of Fareva’s fruit tarts would you trade for a golf cart? Can you see how it became fairly complicated right away? We then started putting prices on things, which made it much easier.”
“I guess that makes sense.” I took a mouthful of the chicken tenders. They were fresh and delicious. “Why don’t you use real money?” I asked.
“Can’t control that,” Hipslow said. “Who knows how much money people have stolen from corpses? Or who has robbed a bank? Not everyone living here is from around here, you know. This is our money. We have a bank. We make it, we know how much is out there.”
Suddenly, Huck, Stan and Zeke burst through the doorway.
“I heard there is food here,” Zeke said. He whipped out a stack of their currency, the PLENTY. “I’d like to buy my friends a meal.”
Zeke paid for meals for himself, Huck and Stan, and then they helped themselves to Fareva’s spread. She had brought out more food, more homemade bread and biscuits, honey and marmalade.
“Shelly Mac helped Georgia make these,” Fareva said, gesturing to the baked goods. “Georgia runs the bed and breakfast where your friends are staying. You can have these as a treat, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind and if not, I’ll take up the bill. They’re on the house.”
Shelly Mac. My face flushed and I lost my appetite. Shelly Mac was dead.
“Miles said the Reverend and his wife went out to the fields with the children,” Huck said.
“His wife?” I echoed. The Reverend’s wife, Shelly Mac, was dead in the middle of downtown. Huck shook his head ever so slightly to indicate that I shouldn’t mention anything about it. If Shelly was dead, what about the others? Why had she separated from them?
“Miles is our scout,” Hipslow said. “That boy has so much energy. He spends most of his time running around town.”
“He found me,” Zeke said.
“And me,” Lily said.
I hoped that Miles hadn’t spotted any zeroes killed off by my virus when it hit. Their telltale signs, popped eyes, brains dripping out of their ears, would surely spark some conversation, and lead them to believe something mysterious was happening. We hadn’t seen any more on the way here, and Hipslow said most of them were on the east side of town, so I felt like my secret was safe for now.
We all ate fast with very little conversation, if they were feeling like me I wanted to get on to the next step. I regarded Zora, trying to pick light topics like the weather, but her face still drawn in stress over not having found her sister. My sister was out there and younger than Zora’s. She was twelve, now thirteen. Rescuing her would be impossible, but I would try. I would try with the determination I felt in Zora’s heart.
Eating this meal was so different our life back in Haverlyn Village. We’d often gather in the pizza place and talk about life before the apocalypse. Our conversations weren’t rushed and hushed. They were pleasant and fun. Huck and Zeke told stories of how they grew up together and how they became best friends until Huck left the mountains. Zeke stayed to help his family with their vacation business, cabins in the woods.
After her last bite, Zora stood up. “We’ve got to get going soon. Can we fix the tires and take the monster truck?”
“It’s a little too conspicuous,” Stan said.
“Plus we’d have to pay to have the tires fixed, and I don’t have that much Plenty.” Lily wiped her mouth. “Of course I’m coming. Trevan’s been gone too long. If we get him now, we can be back by dinner and I can earn more.”
“You can borrow one of my rides,” Hipslow said. “It will cost you Plenty.” He laughed and winked. “I know you don’t have any Plenty now, but we can work out an agreement, like we did for Trevan. I’ll even give you some men to take with you. We’re peaceful folk down here and if trouble is coming our way we want to stop it before it gets here. Besides, this one here,” he gestured toward Lily, “and her husband have been so helpful, we need him back here. Plus he has one of our electric vehicles, one of my favorites, it will have to be returned.”
“Thanks, Hipslow.” Lily gave Hipslow a hug. “I promise I’ll work hard for you when we get back. Maybe I can start those classes like we talked about at the community college.”
“Sure thing, Lily,” Hipslow said.
“You all need me, I can teach too,” Zeke said.
We all regarded Zeke with surprise.
“Appalachian State,” Zeke said. “Summa cum laude, architecture and design.”
“You did it, Zeke?” Huck asked. “You always wanted to build stuff. How come you never told me?”
“Yea, well. You left and it didn’t come up, especially after all this.” Zeke smirked. “How did you think Eliza and I were able to spend so much time together?”
“Summers?” Huck said. “Hella can teach some sociology, right Hella?”
“I never finished my degree,” I said, feeling embarrassed.
“Great job kids,” Hipslow said. “It looks like you all are thinking about a future here. That warms my soul. As for what we want to teach, I think we need some basic survival skills, agriculture, building, Zeke sounds like that’s up your alley. Hella, I’m sorry but I don’t think we can use a sociologist right now. There’s not a lot of people to study anymore, right?”
Zeke and Huck exchanged tentative glances and then they both looked at me. My education was useless in this new time, it made me feel ashamed, especially ashamed of how I behaved back at Haverlyn Village, like everything was my own personal sociology experiment.
“It’s alright, Hella,” Huck said. “We still love you.” He grasped me by the shoulders and squeezed.
Hipslow turned to Fareva. “Tell Broder to round up some folks, m
eet us at Georgia’s.”
Fareva regarded our group like she was sizing up our capabilities. She seemed to acknowledge Zeke and Huck’s strength, Lily’s cunning, Zora’s determination, but when it came to Stan and myself she stopped grinning.
“How many you think you need and where are you going?” Fareva asked.
“There are probably only a dozen troops in Haverlyn,” Stan said. “But, we’re going to need to go to Durham to get Saudah. They have her in one of the old tobacco warehouses. There are about thirty troops up there, maybe more by now. They have a base in Wilmington. They have heavy artillery in Durham, tanks and big guns and helicopters of course. They could be coming down to Haverlyn too.”
Hipslow patted Stan on the shoulder. “One rescue at a time, son. Let’s get Trevan and this one’s sister first.” He pointed to Zora with his thumb. “Can you tell me more about them?”
“Some of them are failed football players from Duke,” Stan said. “Ones that couldn’t make the team, because of their grades or other reasons. Some are from the federal prison in Butner. That’s where Miles Duce is from. He broke out of there, along with a couple of dozen other inmates. He’s been travelling around North Carolina picking up all the derelicts he can find. He doesn’t have to trust them because he kills them if they don’t obey. He’s got a house out there in Granville County surrounded by farms. It’s on the peninsula, you know Falls Lake?” North of it.”
“But your friend is in Durham, right?” Hipslow asked.
“Yea, the tobacco buildings,” Stan said.
“What do you think Fareva, how many can we spare?”
Fareva looked us over once again, giving Stan a more approved expression, and still frowning at me. If she only knew about my virus, she would realize that I was more powerful than anyone here. I didn’t need anyone to survive.
“Who is going on your side?” Fareva asked. “Perhaps Helena should stay here.” She gestured toward me.
“No way, I’m going,” I said, trying to make my voice sound less angry, especially since she used my real name, which meant someone had told her what it was.
Zora stepped forward and raised her hand. “Me, too.”
Lily stepped behind her and did the same. “I have to go. I can’t sit around here anymore. I’m useless right now.”
“Oh don’t be silly,” Fareva said to Lily. “You’ve been a great help.”
“I’m going,” Zeke said.
“Count me in,” Huck said.
“Me too,” Stan said.
“It sounds like everyone wants to go,” Fareva said.
“Except the Professor,” I said. “He’s too warn out.”
“That’s six on your side,” Fareva said. “We can spare three or four. Galen, Broder wants to go, I can’t talk him out of it, and maybe Minnesota. I’m sure Candy will want to go too, especially with these young bucks.” She gestured toward Zeke and Huck, making me bristle.
“That’s ten. Sounds good to me.” Hipslow nodded at Fareva. “Not the best odds against thirty, but if you find them quick enough you will be just fine.”
“I’ll send Broder out to the fields to get the rest.” Fareva smiled and left the room.
Hipslow turned to us. “If we’re done here, why don’t we walk over to the Bed and Breakfast and see how your companion, the Professor, is doing. We’ll meet the others there, and then we’ll show you where the supplies are and get you on your way.”
Hipslow ushered us out the door. As we walked by him, he sized each one of us up in a pleasant yet serious way just like Fareva had done. When he looked at me, he smiled sympathetically, as if to tell me he didn’t anticipate my return. I sneered back at him with confidence, which seemed to surprise him because he immediately pulled back his shoulders and smiled broadly.
CHAPTER 8
We crossed the street, which had looked deserted before but now showed signs of life everywhere. The turned over art tents were a distraction, perhaps left as a decoy. In between the mess of the tents were potted plants with blooming flowers, hinting again of a greenhouse. Bicycles were left resting in bike racks, but they looked like they were in good shape and not weathered from surviving a winter.
The windows in the shops were clean, too—some even showed signs of life inside. In fact, everywhere I looked evidence showed that this town was still alive and active. My heart swelled at the knowledge that others had survived without my kind of protection.
On the way down the street, Hipslow began singing a melancholy blues-type song with lyrics about sacrifice and betrayal. He stopped in front of an old farm house. The recently painted sign outside read Georgia's Bed and Breakfast, All Welcome. Hipslow took the steps two at a time, opened the door and hollered for Georgia, letting her know that we were coming inside.
We walked inside a vintage farmhouse where mismatched chairs and white clothed tables were setup as a restaurant in the living and dining areas. Each table had a place setting, inviting customers to sit down and have a good meal. I felt at once welcome and at home here. I walked farther into the entryway where a long table stood with desserts on it, all labeled with cards, including an upside down pear ginger cake, Mocha Pots in a heart shaped container, Apricot-Almond Clafouti, and Rustic Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake Tart. I licked my lips and wiped my mouth, wondering if we could stay for dessert, forgetting about everything except food.
A tall slender woman came out from down the hall, wiping her powder covered hands on a dishcloth. “Oh my, good word. I heard you were coming. But don’t you look hungry. Do you have time for dessert?” She read my mind. I started feeling woozy from the sweet smell and was about to answer, when Huck interrupted.
“No,” Huck said in a short tone. I glanced at him, noticing the wariness in his face. He touched my elbow, squeezing it harder when I gave him a puzzled expression. An uncomfortable silence followed.
“Humor them,” I whispered in Huck’s ear, not sure of his reason to react with such caution.
“Mam, we just ate.” Huck put a hand on his stomach. “And I’m afraid I don’t have room for any more.”
Georgia made a tsk-tsk sound with her tongue. “Oh that Fareva. She’s always feeding people too much. They must have room for dessert.”
“I know you want customers, Georgie,” Hipslow said. “It’s been a while since anyone new has shown up, except your other friends. Georgie does love to entertain. They have to go on a mission first, to recall Lily’s spouse and Zora, here’s sister. Boa is her sister, can you believe that?”
“Oh yes, I can,” Georgie gave Zora an approving once-over. “Looks just like her. That Boa has a heart of steel and she sure does love you. She was so frightened when she left, but you couldn’t tell her to stay behind.”
“I love her too, Ms. Georgia,” Zora said. “That’s why I want to go find her as soon as possible.”
“I understand that,” Georgia said. “What are you going to do to help them, Hipslow? Get on with it.”
“We’re going to rent them a couple mud slingers for a few hours. Should be back in time for dinner. I’ll tell Fareva to go light on the entrees this time.” He winked at Georgia, who blushed.
“Mud slingers?” I asked. Stan shrugged his shoulders behind Hipslow’s back.
“ATV’s,” Zeke answered. “How much will it cost us to rent them?”
“Let me see, my boy.” Hipslow looked thoughtfully at a picture on the wall, calculating the price in his head.
The picture was a painting of an elderly couple with severe creases in their faces from both age and concern. They were dressed in black like they had just come from a funeral or it was the fashion of their day. The woman was sitting in a rocking chair and the man stood behind her with his hands placed stiffly on her shoulders.
“I reckon it’s going to take the better part of the day to round up your friends. It may be quick, but better plan for the worst. Renting vehicles will be one thing, but loss of life, injury of any of our own men, that’s big. Since it does
n't look like you have anything to offer us except your strength, you don't have any Plenty hidden anywhere do you?” I glanced at Huck and Zeke, then to Zora, Stan and Lily, and shrugged. “I can tell you all are a bit bewildered by our ways. It’s for the good of everyone, trust me. No ill will with a contract. Isn’t that right, Lily?”
“That’s right, Hipslow,” Lily said.
Just then the Professor came down the stairs looking refreshed and rested. He must have taken a super powerful nap in the few short hours he was away from us. He beamed when he saw us. “Have you tasted the blueberry pie?” he asked as he walked down the last few steps. “It tastes just like my wife’s.”
The Professor had never mentioned a wife before, but I didn’t want to discuss it with him at the moment, nor did I want to talk about the delicious desserts again. Trying to convince my stomach that they weren’t displayed in front of us was hard enough, without bringing them up in conversation. “Professor, we’re going to find Trevan and Boa now.”
“Oh you are not taking him with you, are you?” Georgia asked. The Professor’s shoulders slumped like he didn’t want to go either. “The Professor has been helping with some of the children.” Georgia’s eyes pleaded with us. “He’s been very good with them. He’s a psychiatrist, you know.”
“No nap, Professor?” I asked. Having the Professor stay on in Pittsboro was not a bad idea. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but unless we were miraculously going to be able to steal another helicopter, the Professor would probably hold us back.
“No time,” the Professor said, grinning from ear to ear. He was happiest when he was helping others with his skills, helping others through their mental anguish.
“A Psychiatrist, you say?” Hipslow asked.
“A good one,” Huck said. “The very best.” He flashed me a pensive grin. I covered a yawn with my hand and shuffled back and forth on my sore feet, wondering how long it would take to wrap up this exchange and get out of Pittsboro.