Ferryman

by Jonathon Wise

  “Is that something you can teach me?”

  “Sure. And maybe you can show me how you got around us without being seen…that was really something. There’s probably a lot we can learn from each other.”

  A few minutes later Chuck heard Andy ask, “You’re him aren’t you…the one they call the ferryman?”

  He ignored the question and kept moving.

  Chapter 34

  Each morning after breakfast Andy would ask Chuck if they were going back to look for more survivors. After the first few days it became more of an urging than asking. Brandt quickly jumped onboard and added his own pleas. Cindy got hers in at night after they went to bed. Their pleas didn’t fall on deaf ears, though Chuck thought it best to see how they adapted to the additional demands on their food and water supply before jumping into any rash decisions. If someone up there needed saving today, they would surely still need saving in a few weeks. But after five straight days of hearing it from everyone, Chuck finally gave in. He and Andy drove to Indianapolis.

  They found Teresa and her younger brother Robby that first trip. She was in her last year of elementary school when it happened, and since then she had been taking care of her little brother as best she could.

  Andy spotted the pair scavenging for food a few blocks inside the loop. They didn’t want to scare the children, so they trailed them on foot back to an apartment building a few blocks farther in. Once they had the right apartment, it took them nearly an hour to convince the girl to unlock the door to the only home she had ever known. When she finally let them in—it was hard to believe that the two kids had survived. The remains of their mother and father were still in the bedroom where they died in each other’s arms. The children left that room untouched, but the remainder of the unit was in a shambles. Food wrappers, covered with ants and roaches were discarded about the place. The floors and walls were soiled. Planted right in the middle of it all, like a small oasis surrounded with trash and human waste, was a tent the children made by pushing two couches close enough together to hold a sleeping bag draped over the gap. That’s where they had slept since the End—in a pile of sleeping bags, quilts and blankets.

  Chuck scooped up the scared little girl and was shocked by how light she felt in his arms. Her eyes were set in deep, dark sockets and when he raised her torn shirt he could see every rib. He closed his eyes and dropped to the sofa while she weakly clutched to the life he offered. His lips were trembling and his eyes watering when Andy walked over with the boy in his arms and asked, “Chuck…you okay?”

  Chuck raised his head and looked at the small helpless boy resting in Andy’s arms. He swallowed hard and mumbled, “These poor children…I can’t imagine…” The back of his throat started to swell. “…I can’t believe they survived all by themselves.”

  “Well…I don’t think they would have made it through the summer,” Andy said, as he instinctively bounced the boy in his arms while he lost himself in thought. “And I can’t believe that Jason never found out about them.”

  Cindy watched the father come out in Chuck during the days that followed. She witnessed a softer side in him that until then, he had only shown to her. She saw the smile on his face as he watched the kids wolf down their first real meals since the End. That first night after she finished the dishes, she was on her way to read with Chuck in the parlor, when she heard the children giggling. She peaked around the corner and saw Chuck leaning against the wall next to the bathroom door at the end of the hall. He was listening to the playful sounds of Teresa and Robby in the shower. She couldn’t help but match his smile as she whispered, “What are you doing?”

  He raised a finger to keep her quiet and whispered, “Come here…you’ve got to listen to them laugh.”

  ~~~

  The next morning before they got started on their chores, Chuck asked Cindy to sit with him on the porch swing and watch the children play with Brandt in the yard. She could feel his warmth as he watched with the wonderment of a child. Every once in a while he would nudge her and point to the children as one of them did something cute. It didn’t matter if it were Teresa, Robby or Brandt. He found joy in each of them.

  Cindy didn’t mean to stare, but she couldn’t pull her eyes from Chuck. In fact she spent more time looking at him than she did watching the children. As her stomach filled with butterflies, she wanted to kiss him and tell him that she was in love with him. He made her feel safe. He made her feel loved. She had spent many nights imagining what it would be like to feel the heat of his body as they made love. She wanted to tell him. She reached up and caressed his face.

  He turned to her with a warm smile. “Yeah?”

  She bit her lip as she stared into his eyes. After a long second, she watched the children and said, “It’s wonderful to see such life isn’t it.”

  He turned back to the kids and said with a sense of fulfillment, “Oh yeah…it sure is.” He squeezed her and added, “I’m so glad we went back. It feels good…it feels like we did the right thing.” A smile of appreciation spread across his face. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For pushing me.”

  She smiled and watched the ongoing display of joy and life with equal enthusiasm as she rested her head against his shoulder.

  ~~~

  After Chuck was confident that Teresa and Robby would be okay, he and Andy headed north to search for others. This time he didn’t need any urging. He wanted to go. Brandt wanted to go too, but Chuck told him that he had to stay and look out for the women and young Robby. Brandt took his appointed job seriously and helped Cindy with the more physical chores while still doing his own. He even found the time to show Teresa and Robby how to do the chores Cindy handed down to them.

  It shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone how quickly the bonds started forming. When you take individuals who have endured the kind of isolation they had for that long of time, and then suddenly throw them back into any resemblance of community or family, their psychological needs quickly led them to establish bonds similar to those that were lost. The effect was readily evident in the children within the first two days. The way they followed Brandt around and how they jumped on Chuck’s lap after they finished playing. Chuck recognized what was happening because he felt it too. Brandt and the kids were starting to feel like his children, Andy like a younger brother, and Cindy—well, she had captured his heart long ago.

  Chuck and Andy worked the second trip differently from the first. Instead of parking and both proceeding on foot, Chuck remained in the truck and slowly trailed Andy as he scouted the area a few blocks ahead. In that fashion, Andy provided the eyes for finding those who wished to remain hidden, Chuck maintained the means for a quick get away, and together they would listen for any noises that might indicate trouble. As they cautiously made their way along the street, Chuck kept observing Andy. He watched the young man in total amazement. Andy always appeared calm and cool. He stayed close to the buildings and kept his movements precise and deliberate. Even more compelling was the courage and confidence the young man had in himself. But what Chuck truly respected was the unending compassion the young man showed for others.

  Andy signaled that it was safe to proceed. As Chuck watched him return to his methodical advance of the street, he knew that he was looking at a natural born leader. Before him was a man who others would follow. Including himself.

  Andy suddenly stopped, threw his right hand up and made a fist. Chuck killed the engine and ducked to where he could barely see over the dash as Andy dropped behind the cover of a derelict car. A second later he heard the low exhaust rumble of an approaching vehicle. Suddenly a blue pickup shot out from the cross street two blocks up. Sparks lit up the truck’s undercarriage as it bounced and scraped off the rise in the middle of the intersection. No sooner was it gone than a Monte Carlo flew through in hot pursuit.

  They waited for the echoes to fade before Andy stood back up and waved him on. That night they arrived back in Madison safe
, but empty handed.

  They found Bill hiding on the roof of an eastside convenience store the next trip. He was a divorced businessman from Cincinnati. When the End was imminent, he had tried to make it to Terre Haute to see his ex-wife and grown children one last time. He never got the chance. The bug grabbed him just outside Indianapolis and he crashed into the guardrail on I-74.

  Bill wasn’t the most agile survivor they found, but he also didn’t back down when something needed to be done. The following weeks went by and two more trips netted Jim Sinclair and Sara Jennings.

  Chuck and Andy were about to head back up for another search when Brandt ran up to the Chevy and panted, “One of the windmills is making a grinding noise!”

  They jumped out of the truck and followed Brandt over to the side of the house. It was one of the power generation windmills.

  “What is it?”

  Chuck pulled a lever and the grinding noise stopped.

  “Did you fix it?”

  Chuck bent over and started inspecting the gears and shaft. “No, I just uncoupled the drive.” He stood up and addressed Andy. “We’re going to have to put off Indy today.”

  “No,” Andy said with a shake of his head. “You stay here and fix this and I’ll go up.”

  “Not by yourself—you won’t!”

  Andy thought for a second. “What about Bill? I think he wants to go.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah…I think he feels that he needs to…you know, to make things right.”

  Chuck bought a few seconds to think it over by opening the cover to the windmill’s gear assembly and pretending to assess the damage. “Alright…you go on up with Bill.”

  “Will do.”

  Chuck glanced over his shoulder as Andy ran around to the front of the house to find Bill. “You take it easy! Play it safe up there.”

  “You got it boss!”

  From that point on Bill made the runs with Andy instead of Chuck. That left Chuck to keep things running at home. But he didn’t stop with mechanical issues. He realized the need to train folk so that if something ever happened to him, they would know what to do.

  He also knew that he wasn’t the only one that brought value to the table. With that in mind, his first task was to find out what the others were good at. Some were mechanically gifted. They could teach others how to maintain and rebuild the group’s vehicles, and work on new ways to generate electricity and purify water. Others were better with nature. He put their expertise to work in planting crops and maintaining the properties. Still others were best with people. He felt they were the most valuable resource of all. Their job was to teach the young and explain why they couldn’t give up—why they had to go on. Once he understood and structured the exercise of one’s competency for the benefit of all, he made sure that everyone started to be cross-trained.

  By the time the searing heat of mid-summer arrived, they had outgrown the old Victorian and were boarding new arrivals in the houses on both sides of it. They took down the wrought iron fences that divided the lots and before long the three adjacent houses took on the flavor of a small community. As their numbers continued to grow, so did the foot traffic and play of the children. Within weeks the grass was run to bare dirt. But that didn’t matter. What they were striving for was more functional than aesthetic.

  They dug a large fire pit roughly one foot deep by ten feet in diameter in the front yard between the main house and its neighbor to the west. The pit was an instant hit with everyone and quickly led to a group campfire each night where they would discuss the day and any issues that arose. That also happened to be the perfect time to formally introduce new survivors to the rest of the group. It was the one meeting that Chuck thought too important for anyone to miss, not just because of the introductions, but because it gave everyone a chance to keep in touch with what was going on outside of Madison.

  Andy and the new arrivals would describe what they saw and how things were changing to the north. Through it all, they were beginning to realize that the few souls that lived through the End were drawn to the cities like moths to light. In some cases it made perfect sense. The canned and freeze-dried food found in the city meant living for another day. In other instances there was no apparent thought given to it. People simply found themselves migrating to the cities. Unfortunately, based on the stories passed from one survivor to the next, it didn’t sound like venturing to the cities was the best idea. It appeared that Jason wasn’t unique in his behavior. There were similar mobs in Chicago and rumors of violence in most of the other major cities. Not that all violence was spawned by the same ideology as Jason’s. Some people were just scared. Lashing out was one way of overcoming that fear. Others were simply driven crazy by the massive loss of life and the isolation that followed. But then there were those like Jason, who by all accounts tied the pending extinction of mankind to God’s biblical wrath. Jason kept his followers in line by stating that he was the right hand of God. He told them that if he wasn’t doing God’s will—then someone would have stepped up and stopped him. In either case the best path to surviving in the city was for you to keep to yourself. That being said, some would wonder what was the point then of living.

  One afternoon while making their rounds, Chuck and Cindy stopped at the library to see how the children were doing with their reading assignments. It was a routine born out of necessity. They usually found at least one child sleeping, playing or reading something outside their assignment. That day was no different. Kyle was reading on the floor with his back to a bookshelf and noticed Chuck and Cindy as soon as they eased the door open. He glanced up from the manual on gasoline engines as Chuck smiled and motioned for him to keep quiet. Julie and Cathy were busy reading at one table, but Teresa—she was another story. She was at a table over by the windows looking through a magazine. Chuck smiled and motioned for Cindy to stay by the door while he quietly walked over behind Teresa. She was scanning through the worn pages of Vogue when he appeared at her side. “Hi.”

  She was the keepsake image of childhood guilt as she looked up. “Hi Chuck.”

  There were a few giggles and smiles from the younger children, but they came from the playful innocence of a child and weren’t meant to cause Teresa any embarrassment. Even so, they quickly stopped when Chuck glanced up from the table.

  He knelt down next to her and pulled the magazine over in front of him. After thumbing through a few pages he came to a full-page advertisement showing a model enamored with the delicious taste of a diet candy bar. “She’s pretty, isn’t she?”

  Teresa scooted over next to Chuck for a better look. “She’s beautiful.”

  He pulled back and glanced at Teresa with a smile. “To tell you the truth though…I can’t take my eyes off that candy bar…can you?”

  She grinned, “No…it looks awfully good.” Her expression quickly changed as she inquired, “Am I in trouble?”

  “Why do you ask that?”

  “I’m supposed to be reading about first aid.”

  Chuck puckered his lips and nodded for a few seconds like he was thinking. “Why do you think you should be reading about first aid?”

  “In case somebody gets hurt, I’ll know what to do.”

  “But don’t we have other folks that would know what to do?”

  “Yes…but if they get hurt then the rest of us have to know how to take care of them.”

  Chuck nodded. “You know you’re a pretty smart girl.”

  They smiled at each other and then she asked with a sigh, “Do I have to go get the book I’m supposed to read right now?”

  He caressed the back of her head. “I reckon it can wait a few minutes if you want to finish the magazine first.”

  She smiled. “Thanks Chuck!”

  He started to stand up, then stopped. “Everything else okay…you’re happy aren’t you?”

  “I wish my mommy and daddy were here…that would make it best. I miss them…but I have Robby and you…” she looked over at Cin
dy standing by the door, “…and Cindy. We don’t ever want to go back home.”

  Chuck leaned over and gave her a kiss on her forehead before standing up. He pumped his brows once as he shot a glance over to Cindy. She walked over with a smile and slid her arm around him. Then together they walked around and checked on the others.

  As they were heading back down Main toward the house, Jim Sinclair yelled from the middle of the street two blocks over and waved them down. It was his day to work the crops planted in the vacant lots down along the river. He was covered in dirt and sweat, wearing only a hat and a pair of ripped, blue jean shorts to go with his work boots. They were about to wave when Sara Jennings came storming out of the field and stopped in a mad huff at Jim’s side. She was dressed in similar fashion to Jim, with a T-shirt covering her top. With a sigh of both humor and frustration, Chuck looked at Cindy, took her hand and said, “Here we go again.”

  Jim stood his ground and waited for them to get close enough to hear without yelling. Then while Sara nervously tapped her foot on the ground he said, “You guys have got to find me somebody else to work with.”

  Cindy spoke first, “Why’s that?”

  “Look at what—”

  Sara interrupted, “My work is every bit as good—”

  “No way…look at it…it looks like shit!” Jim shot back at her.

  Chuck observed Jim as he expressed his frustration. What he saw was that even though Jim was complaining about Sara’s work in the field, he never took his eyes off the sweat soaked T-shirt clinging to her front. “Hold on…is this really something you guys want us to decide?” Before they had a chance to answer, he pointed at Sara. “Come on over here for a second.” When she walked up, he turned around and continued with her a few more yards. Then with his arm around her and his back to Jim, he said, “You know what’s got him all riled up don’t you?”

  “He says my work sucks!”

  Chuck cocked his head and grinned. “You do good work.”