by David Rogers
Candice twisted her hand out of his, and put her other arm across Jessica’s shoulders. “I didn’t mean to make you mad.”
“I’m—” Jessica started to say, but Candice kept talking.
“I just needed to—”
“—not mad.” Jessica said.
“—do something.” Candice said. “To try and make sure you guys were okay.”
“We’re okay.” Austin said quickly. “You’re okay, mom’s okay, and I’m okay.”
“I don’t want to be alone.” Candice said. “Not anymore.” She looked at Jessica pleadingly. “If we’re a family, that means we have to be together. Please don’t be mad.”
“I’m not mad.” Jessica said, forcing herself to smile. “I’m terrified. You scared me Candice, scared the living hell out of me. As bad as things were back there for a while, the worst, the worst part, was when I saw you were caught up in the middle of it. Austin and I were chased by zombies, we had people shooting at us, a man who was helping us got shot and died right next to me, and I wasn’t afraid until I saw you.”
“I’m sorry.” Candice said quietly.
“I know. I know you are. And I’m sorry I made you think I was mad at you. I just … I’m just sorry. But we don’t have to stay sorry. Everything happened, and we got through it. The only thing we have to do now is be together and be brave.”
“It still sucks.” Candice said. “Being brave.”
Jessica burst out laughing, a shaky chuckle. She put her arm around Candice’s waist, over Austin’s, so they were both holding her between them. “It sucks so much sweetie. It’s so hard. But I’m trying. I try every day. I’m just not as good at it as you are.”
“I’m not brave either. I was scared. That’s why I went to see Happy.”
“You and mom are the bravest people I’ve ever known.” Austin said. “You make me keep trying.”
“You’re pretty brave.” Candice said.
“And I work hard on it all the time, just like mom.” he said. “That’s how it’s supposed to work. You’re brave when you’re trying. When you know you’re scared and you try really hard to do what you have to. Whatever it is. No matter how scary things are. But you guys are better at it than me.”
“No.” Candice said, shaking her head.
“It’s true.” Austin insisted. “You knew something was wrong. You went and talked Happy off his porch, which Byron and me and mom and a lot of people have been trying to do for months. You convinced him to come all the way down here, because you needed his help. Because you had a plan, right?”
“Well, yeah—” Candice said uncomfortably.
“Brave and smart. Just like mom. You didn’t run off just hoping it would all just work out. You thought about it, figured it out, got what you needed, and you saved us. I don’t know how things would have gone if you hadn’t, and I wish just as hard as mom that you hadn’t done any of it, but it was a pretty good plan.”
“Why?”
“Because it worked.” Austin said. “But the next time you need a plan, me and mom are going to be there to help you figure it all out. And we’ll do whatever it is together. All three of us, so no one’s stuck alone having to be brave by themselves. Deal?”
“Deal.” Candice said solemnly.
Both of them looked at Jessica and she smiled faintly. “Okay, deal.” She pushed in close, so she could reach Austin with the arm that wasn’t holding Candice, and hugged them both. “Together.”
“Shooting a zombie.” Nate said loudly from near the back of the truck. “Remain calm.” The three of them looked around just as a gunshot boomed across the landscape.
“Because zombies.” Candice said. Jessica burst out laughing again, and so did Austin. The girl looked at them both, then smiled.
Chapter Nineteen — A day at a time
“Austin?” Candice called.
“Hang on, you got something.” he said, still out of sight in the brush along the shoreline. “And I thought it was dad now?”
“Sorry.” Candice said, giggling. “What is it?”
There was a brief squealing sound, then Austin spoke again. “Rabbit.”
“Oh—” Candice said instantly, her face wrinkling.
“That’s what the snares are for, remember?” Jessica reminded the girl.
“I know. I just thought … I didn’t think we’d get a rabbit.”
“Rabbits are good eating.” Austin said, emerging from the brush with the animal in one hand. The skin under and beside his eye was still decorated by a truly impressive array of colors — from yellow to blue to purple— but was healing. The variation of the discoloration was proof enough, and had begun to recede. It was just taking time; Happy knew how to hit.
Whatever his face looked like, it hadn’t bothered him any as it healed. Austin held the rabbit up, by the ears as he displayed it to them.
“Yuck.” Candice said, turning her head.
“You’re not going to have any?”
“After you and mom get done with it, yes. Right now it’s icky.”
“Okay icky-girl, I suppose we can give you a pass since the snares were your idea.”
“The other three didn’t catch anything.” Candice said, still facing away.
“Yes, but this one did. That’s how snares work, and why you set more than one. They don’t always get something.”
“Is that thing still bleeding?” Jessica asked, looking at the blood on the rabbit’s fur. It was a pretty decent sized rabbit, not that she was any real expert. But it looked like it was several pounds at least, and she’d always assumed they’d be smaller.
“I’ll hang it on one of the trees here to drain, while we go down the shore a little and see if we can’t add some Daffy to go along with Bugs here.”
“Gross.” Candice said. “It’s food, not funny.”
“You’re right.” Austin said, though he was chuckling. “I shouldn’t bring fun into something serious like putting meat in the pot.”
“If it’s fresh we can have it in something other than stew.” Jessica pointed out.
“Such as?” Austin asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. The one above the kaleidoscope show on his cheek, which just made the gesture look silly.
“I don’t know … rabbit stir fry?”
“Only after the end of the world would that be a thing.” he laughed again. “Let me guess, some of those canned Chinese vegetables that you’ve been wondering how to make use of?”
“Those, plus we’ve still got plenty of rice.”
“Never saw that one in the Ingalls household, but hey, you’re the boss.” he said. “Come on ladies, out of the boat while I get this draining.”
Candice started climbing over the side of the row-converted motorboat immediately, but carefully so she didn’t bump the shotgun slung behind her shoulder on the side as she stepped out onto the sand. When her daughter was out, Jessica stepped out and looped the bow line around a convenient bush just in case some oddity of wind or water might cause the boat to slip back from the shore enough to start floating off.
“And we’re off.” Austin said. He emerged from the brush again, sheathing his knife and looking around. “Which way do you think?”
“That way.” Candice said immediately, pointing down the shore.
“Why?”
“Because I heard quacking over there while you were checking the snare.” she said. Then she looked at him. “Wait, did you reset it?”
“Of course I reset the snare. We want to eat tomorrow don’t we?”
“If you’re going to keep acting like this,” Jessica said innocently, “and also keep making Little House jokes at my expense, then I’m going to start calling you Charles.”
“Naw, I’m a lot taller than he was. Better shot too. But if that’s how you want it, let’s go Ma.”
“I take it back.” Jessica said immediately.
“No, no.” he said, gesturing in the direction Candice had pointed. “You started it.”
; Jessica tried to produce a glare of indignation, but her smile ruined the effect. Austin shrugged with studied nonchalance and looked down at Candice. “Okay then girlie-girl. You and me can go find the ducks. She’ll catch up to us.”
“This way.” Candice said, pointing again. She took a step, then stopped and obviously made herself wait for Austin to join her before she began walking beside him.
“Coming Caroline?” Austin said over his shoulder.
“Me and my big mouth.” Jessica sighed merrily to herself as she followed them. “He’s going to have fun with this for a while.” She brushed her thumb across the burnished gold twists of the ring on her finger, the one she’d put on in place of the ring Brett had given her. That ring was on a silver chain around her neck, tucked into her shirt.
The new one was part of a set she and Austin had picked out in the ruins of a little jewelry store in Whidden Corner. While the store had suffered some damage and whole-scale looting, most likely by people who were probably dead now if they’d been taking advantage of the apocalypse to go after material goods rather than ones for survival, there had still been a selection left to pick from.
So while Candice had stood on one of the counters in the middle of the store keeping watch, she and Austin had rummaged through the remainder of the abandoned store’s stock and settled on a pair of twisted strand gold rings. Then, in lieu of a honeymoon, they’d shot a dozen zombies in the hardware store two doors down and loaded up on some tools and equipment to bring back to the stilt house.
The area around the lake remained quite quiet when it came to zombie activity, especially on their side of the water. That didn’t mean there weren’t any though, so she kept her eyes open as she walked behind Austin and Candice. It also ruined her attempt to deep think some strategy that would deflect Austin from further frontier woman humor at her expense. She was still pondering it when she heard the ducks.
Austin and Candice stopped far enough away not to startle them, and he knelt down next to the girl. Jessica stopped just behind them and looked around to check the land side for threats; but nothing loomed. Only the ducks disturbed the scene, floating in a loose group a few yards out from the shoreline. They were dipping beneath the water, occasionally coming up with something edible that they tilted their heads back to swallow.
“Okay.” Austin said very quietly as Candice took the 20-gauge shotgun off her shoulder and readied it. “Remember, keep it tight against your shoulder. After the first shot, they’re all going to take off. Track with them and try for two before they’re out of range.”
Candice nodded, and he patted her lightly on the shoulder. “All yours. Fire when ready.”
He sat back on his haunches and glanced briefly at Jessica. She smiled at him, almost even meaning it as she watched Candice lift the shotgun to her shoulder to take aim at the ducks. No matter what she’d promised, or how bad the world was, she’d never truly like this. But Austin was a good teacher, and she trusted them both. Plus he was right there to grab the gun if Candice swung it somewhere she shouldn’t.
A moment passed as Candice steadied her aim, and the ducks continued bobbing around on the water feeding. The girl exhaled slowly as she found her target and held it, then squeezed the trigger back smoothly. The shot split the quiet with a loud crack that sent the ducks into an urgent splashing flutter of wings that lifted them from the water. Quacking furiously, the group scattered up and out in three different directions. One duck remained behind, flopping over to float limply on the lake.
Candice turned slightly, the shotgun’s barrel coming up and moving with one of the rising clumps of birds for a moment. It was a lighter gun than her 12 gauge, both because it was easier for Candice to handle. And to keep from tearing the birds beyond anything that could make it to the cooking fire. It also made it better suited to tracking a moving target.
Another shot rang out, but all the birds kept flying. Their squawking began to recede as they winged away across the lake, altering course to come back together and continue on as a group. The girl lowered the shotgun and clicked the safety back on.
“Darn it.” she said in disappointment.
“No, good job.” Austin said encouragingly. “You got one.”
“One that wasn’t moving.”
“Hitting a moving target is harder. It just takes—”
“— Practice.” Candice said with a sigh. “I know.”
“You did fine.” Jessica said.
“Yeah. We’re eating rabbit and duck tonight because of you.” Austin said, rising to stand.
“If I’d gotten a second one, we could’ve made another batch of jerky.” Candice said as she checked the safety again, then slung the gun behind her shoulder.
“Don’t sweat it. Just takes time. Half-five.”
Grinning, Candice tugged on the sling’s adjustor to make sure the shotgun wouldn’t slip or swing around on her shoulder, then jumped up to smack her palm into his when he held it out.
“You going to fetch that one for us?” Jessica asked, nodding at the duck still on the water before looking at Austin. “Or watch it float away?”
“Oh wow, you hear that girlie-girl?” he demanded, his tone and body language full of mock indignation. “First she wants to make fun of me for my survival skills, but now it’s me who’s expected to wade out in the lake and get the other half of dinner.”
“And breakfast, and lunch tomorrow too.” Jessica said with a grin. “Two kills, especially as big as that rabbit was, is good eating. There might even be enough for tomorrow night come to think of it.”
“Not the way Au—dad eats.” Candice said, catching herself just in time.
“Heap big he-man needs food.” Austin said, affecting a deep voice. “Keeps strong.”
“And is afraid to get his boots wet.” Jessica said, starting to walk past him toward the water. “Tell you what, I’ll get it. But you can’t call me names out of any books if I do.”
“Alright, fine.” Austin said, and she stopped in surprise to look at him. Then her eyes narrowed. He was smiling like he knew something she didn’t.
“Fine?” she asked suspiciously.
“No book characters.” he said, holding up three fingers vertically and placing his other hand on his heart. “I promise.”
“Deal’s a deal.” Candice said cheerfully.
“Alright, fine.” Jessica said, and she waded out into the water. It came up to her waist by the time she got to the duck. She suppressed her urge to flinch as her hand closed around its bleeding neck, and she turned back to carry it to shore.
“But you get to carry it, oh un-squeamish one.” she said, holding the bird out to him.
“Sure Caroline.”
“Austin!” she protested, glaring at him. Again her smile ruined the effect.
“They made a TV show out of those books.” he said smugly. “Didn’t say anything about TV shows.”
“You realize of course, this means war.” she told him with a twinkle in her eye as he took the duck from her.
“Bring it. I can take it.”
Candice laughed, looking at Jessica. “Uh oh.”
* * * * *
“Hey, what’s Happy doing?” the girl asked as they angled the boat in to the shore next to their house. “What’s that teepee thing?”
“Looks like he’s got himself a boar.” Austin said. “You hang a big animal up like that so you can drain and degut—”
“Okay, okay.” Candice said hastily.
“It’s pretty yucky.” Jessica said. “But you like pork right?”
“Mmmm, bacon.” Austin said.
“Can we make bacon?” Jessica asked.
“Well it’s Happy’s boar, but according to him, all you gotta do is salt the heck out of it, then smoke it dry. He says it should be good for a month or two after that.”
“I will never get used to not having a fridge.” Jessica said. “No matter what the books, or Happy, say about how safe some of these things are.”
“You know ham is ham because that’s how it was preserved before refrigeration, right? Same thing with bacon. It’s bacon because it stayed edible that way, not because it tasted good.”
“I know.” Jessica said archly as he stepped out of the boat and turned to haul it — and her and Candice still in it — out of the water. “It’s still weird to me.”
“People gotta eat.”
“Especially you, big guy.”
“Bacon is good. Ham is good.” Austin said as he tugged on the boat one final time to slide it fully onto land before straightening and offering a hand to Candice so he could help her step out.
“What about me?” Jessica demanded in mock indignation as she stood up.
“You were mean to me.” he said, winking at her. “Declared war as I recall.”
“Oh I’ll show you mean.” she said as she picked up the cooler with the rabbit and duck and stepped out. The cooler was just a plastic box without ice, but it kept insects out of the kills. And was more convenient for carrying them back, not the least reason of which was it kept them out of sight. She might eat them, but she still had to work to stay accustomed to taking such a direct hand in where fresh meat was coming from these days.
“Can we go see what — talk to Happy?” Candice asked, obviously changing what she had been about to say.
“Hard to talk to him if you’re not looking at him.”
“It’s icky!” she protested again.
“Come on, let’s be neighborly.” Jessica said, starting toward the road in front of the house.
“And I’ll finish taking care of the boat and stuff?” Austin asked behind her.
“You love it. Lets you feel manly.”
“I’ll show you manly.”
She glanced back and saw him watching her with a smile before making it obvious he was lifting his eyes up to her face. Grinning, she blew him a kiss.
“Hello Carters.” Happy called as she emerged out onto the dead-end street. He was standing at a homemade table that had meat stacked on it. “I’m borrowing your smokers. Didn’t figure you’d mind. Especially since we’ll all be eating fresh pork tonight.”