“Then what is it?”
His grin turned to disbelief. “Come on now… you really don’t know?”
She crossed her arms and pushed her lower jaw out.
“Really?”
She uncrossed her arms and flagged him with both hands in frustration. “What!”
“Sara…you’re a young woman…a beautiful young woman…” he continued, even though he could tell she was starting to understand, “your top.”
She glanced at her chest and saw what he was talking about. Without really saying it, she mouthed a big, surprised, ‘Oooh’.
“I might be wrong, but I think Jim is acting like an ass because he likes you, and seeing you like this is really hard on him…if you know what I mean.”
She glanced over her shoulder at Jim. “You really think so?”
“That’s my guess.” He squeezed her shoulder and said, “Now, I can break you two up if that’s what you want, or, if you like, I can tell Jim that my hands are tied and that I can’t do anything with the schedules for a couple of weeks. That way if you want to see—”
“Let’s do that…okay?”
He nodded and they walked back to where Jim and Cindy were talking about crop yields. “I’m sorry Jim.” He looked at Cindy and when she nodded, he couldn’t help but crack a slight smile. “I can’t do anything with the work schedules until next week at the earliest. Until then, you guys are going to have to work it out on your own.”
Jim tried to raise an objection, but Chuck stopped him with a show of his hand. “That’s it, you two are adults. Work it out.” Before either could say another word, Chuck took Cindy’s hand and led her toward Main Street. Once they were out of hearing distance, Chuck confided, “You know it’s so obvious to us what’s going on. I can’t believe that neither of them has picked up on the chemistry they share.”
Cindy met his eyes with a queer look. “I know, it’s truly unbelievable.”
When they got back to the main house, Cindy followed him to the small wooden platform at the foot of the porch. Brandt built the platform and mounted a bell to a post next to it so that whenever Chuck wanted to address everyone he could do it properly. At that moment, it wasn’t being used to address the others. It was simply a good place for he and Cindy to take a quick break and look out over what they had created before they went back to work.
Appearing before them was a vast, vacant, stretch of dirt yard. The grass might have been gone, but that didn’t mean they were lacking in other areas. Windmills now numbered eight, two for each of the additional houses to go with the four for the main house. The other houses were plumbed into the well in the main house. They had one crude, wood-fired boiler to heat water for hot showers in a new shack outside the main house. Each day everyone had the opportunity to take a hot shower in the main house. Probably most important of all, was the fire pit with the scattering of lawn chairs and comfortable logs standing on end around it.
What they didn’t see was any one of the other thirteen people who helped create it. But that was as expected. Andy and Bill were in Indianapolis looking for other survivors. Hopefully, Robby wasn’t getting too much of an eyeful as he helped Jim and Sara with the crops. The day’s schedule had Mike helping Brandt with vehicle maintenance. The children were reading in the library, and Jeff was helping Lori with her household chores. In fact he and Cindy were the only two not doing anything at that very moment—a matter quickly solved. Chuck smiled as he squeezed her hand and said, “Time to search for supplies.”
That night everyone gathered around the fire pit for the formal introduction of the new arrival that Andy and Bill found earlier that day. Most had already met him, but the fire pit was a standing tradition. Brandt and Mike had a nice fire going. Not so big as to be too hot for that time of year, but big enough that it made for good atmosphere in the dark of night. Chuck and Cindy walked over with a man in his mid-twenties and joined the assembly at the fire pit. While Cindy sat down, Chuck put a hand on the man’s shoulder and said, “Now I’m sure that most of you met Mike before supper. Some of you probably knew Mike even before that.” Chuck glanced around the fire and nodded as he called out names. “Jeff, Julie…Brandt and Cindy…you all probably remember Mike Cameron as one of Jason’s scouts.” There was a murmur around the fire and a few soft greetings as the group continued to listen. Chuck looked at Mike as he held him at arm’s length by the shoulder. “Mike and I, we sort of met a couple of times ourselves. Mike is the scout who saw me long ago and gave birth to that crap about the ferryman.” He gave Mike a nod and let go of his shoulder.
Mike rubbed his chin and stepped forward as he addressed the group. “As Chuck said I’m Mike Cameron and until just a couple of days ago I was still running with Jason.”
Cathy Ferguson voiced her skepticism. “What made you decide to leave?”
Mike cocked his head once to the side as he swallowed. “Well…I’d been meaning to leave for quite a while. I didn’t believe in Jason’s bullshit any more than the rest of you…but as some of you know…you just don’t get up and tell Jason you’re leaving.”
“So why now?” Jim Sinclair questioned.
“Well…I’d been noticing that people were suddenly disappearing. Sometimes it was somebody from the tribe…and sometimes it was somebody that I’d seen in the city. But it always seemed to happen four or five days apart.” He opened up his hands and gestured. “Pretty simple to figure out that someone was coming in and taking them. Didn’t know for sure that it was Chuck or that you guys had a good size camp down here. But figured that whoever it was they couldn’t be any worse than Jason. So over the last three weeks or so, I’d tell Jason that I was going out scouting. But what I was really doing was looking for you guys. Today I lucked out and Andy,” he paused to find where Andy was sitting, then looked at him and smiled, “well…I’m glad he found me.”
Chuck stepped back up next to Mike. “Well guys…what do you say? Do we welcome Mike into the group?”
Andy spoke up before anyone could answer. “What do you say Chuck?”
Chuck didn’t answer immediately. He understood the importance of the question. Like all decisions in life, it didn’t come without risk. But without risk there can be no reward. “I know every time we offer sanctuary to someone that ran with Jason, it feels kind of scary. That’s only natural. But you look at those I named earlier and to the last one, we’re all better off by their presence here tonight. We all need to remember that the problem up in Indy is pretty much the cause of one man. Many of those up there are just doing what they have to do to stay alive. Mike and I talked over supper and for what it’s worth…I think he’s sincere about wanting to be free of that life.”
Cindy immediately voiced her support of Chuck’s opinion. “I say let him stay.”
Chuck started making eye contact with each person sitting around the fire as they nodded their agreement.
Lori Wilson, the oldest woman in the camp spoke up. “Chuck, you’ve given me a life with hope. I didn’t know if I…” She stopped herself as she started to get emotional. “I say let him stay.”
“Thanks!” Chuck said with an appreciative nod before looking on to the next person.
When he got to young Mike Donaldson, the teenage boy said, “We’ll have two Mikes. How are you going to tell us apart?”
“Well, we can call you little Mike—for now I mean. A couple of years and we’ll have to find another way to distinguish you two because you’ll probably be bigger than him.”
Little Mike smiled as Chuck continued on through the rest of the folks sitting around the fire. “I guess its unanimous then,” he said as he turned and offered his hand to the man standing next to him. “Welcome to Madison.” They shook hands and then Chuck offered Mike one of the logs standing on end. They sat down and joined the others around the fire. “Why don’t you tell us how things are going up in Indy?”
Mike stared at the flames and confided, “Not very good I’m afraid. Food and water are pretty d
amn scarce and they don’t have any electricity like you guys. The only good thing I can say is that Jason isn’t killing as often as he used to.”
Someone asked, “How many people are with Jason now?”
Mike let out a big sigh as he thought for a second. “Must be about thirty. But it’s not really growing any more. He hasn’t found any other survivors in the city for at least three or four weeks. I think that’s why he’s kind of mellowed out on killing—replacements are getting scarce.” He took on a dead serious look as he added, “And don’t think that rescuing people every week hasn’t been noticed. If he figures out that it’s…” his sentence died off as he pictured the unthinkable.
One of the younger boys asked, “Why is Jason the way he is? Why can’t he live in peace like we do?”
Chuck saw the uncertainty on Mike’s face and spoke up. “That’s Kyle Thomson.”
Mike nodded and smiled. “I don’t know, Kyle. But I’d say he’s just crazy. Somehow he’s convinced that what happened is God’s way of dealing with the damned. Hell…you know.”
Sara asked, “But who’s the damned? Those who died or those who lived?”
Chuck broke in before Mike could answer. “That’s enough of that. We’re not going to make this into something that it’s not. God had nothing to do with what happened.”
Julie McAllister stared into the fire and added, “I remember one night up there, a bunch of us started talking about what happened. I don’t know why this guy said it or how he knew, but he said that right before we lost everyone…that some scientists were on TV talking about how they might have been wrong about what killed the dinosaurs.”
Chuck saw Cathy Ferguson lower her head. Jim Sinclair did likewise. They were beginning to relate what Julie said to the extinction of the human race.
“Okay!” Chuck said loud enough to get everyone’s attention as he stood up. “Let’s not get too concerned about what might have happened way back when…or even what happened to our world. That’s the past, nothing we can do to change it, so let’s just let it be. The important thing for you to keep in mind is that the world didn’t end…life continues on.” He looked around the group and tried to instill as much confidence as he could. “Look at us! We’re still living. I promise you that life will go on. We may not have the details yet—but believe me it will.”
“But why…why did we live?” Brandt asked from across the fire.
Chuck replied, “Before the End they were talking about a genetic defect in some people. My guess is that’s why we made it.”
“If we all have this defect, then how come none of our babies are living?” Sara asked.
There was a lengthy silence until Chuck spoke up. “Someday…one of you will spot a bird flying overhead…or see a fish swimming in the water. Or maybe it will be a squirrel or a chipmunk or something. Animals that we all thought we’d never see again—we’ll be surprised. And take my word for it—just as we’ll see that, sooner or later we’ll also hear about a baby living. That’s the day we’re all working for. That’s the day that brings us the fruit of our hope.” He stood there and looked around the fire until he was sure they weren’t giving up. He got Andy’s attention. “Go ahead and lead the discussions about the day and let everyone know their work assignments for tomorrow.” He waited to make sure that everyone was participating in the discussion before he and Cindy headed back to the main house. It was vital to the survival of the group that they not dwell on Sara’s question. Yet that very question was still on his mind when he shed his clothes and climbed into bed.
That night his recurring dream took on a new aspect. Cindy no longer stood alone at the edge of the cliff. A young boy was holding her hand and pointing over the ocean waters to the sun setting on the horizon. Chuck could still feel the chill and push of the ocean breeze, but now there was more to smell than simply the ocean. He could smell the grass and flowers, and something else that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. It was a fresh, woodsy aroma. In fact it was so pure and exhilarating that when he woke the next morning the lingering memory left him in particularly high spirits.
Chapter 35
Two nights later Andy and Mike Cameron caught up to Chuck and Cindy as they were walking up the steps to the porch after the nightly meeting around the fire pit. “Chuck! Can we talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure…come on up and have a seat.”
Andy and Mike picked out a comfortable spot along the railing while Cindy and Chuck took the swing.
Andy said, “Mike wants to go with me tomorrow.”
Chuck looked at Mike. “You sure about that…you’ve only been here a few days. Are you that anxious to go back up there and put your life on the line?”
“No, not really. But I know what it’s like to live in fear under Jason. I still have friends living up there with that fear and I can’t turn my back on them.” He looked for understanding in Chuck before he finished with, “Let me go.”
Chuck turned to the others for their read on the situation. Cindy dipped her head and raised her shoulders. She was on the fence. Andy gave a nod of approval for letting him go. When Chuck looked back at Mike, he could see the sincerity in his eyes. He raised his shoulders and nodded. “Alright…you can take Bill’s place tomorrow.”
Andy quickly responded, “Actually we’d like to take two trucks.”
Chuck straightened up to full attention on the swing. “What?”
“Since Jason is getting suspicious about people disappearing, we thought that we’d go up one last time and use two search trucks to make a quick sweep of the city. We’ll find as many as we can and then call it quits.”
Initially, Chuck reared back at the thought of something so brazen, but as he let the idea set in, he became a little more comfortable with it. “Who else would you take?”
“Jim Sinclair has been itching for the chance,” Andy answered. “I thought I could scout with him in one truck, and Mike could go out with Bill in another.”
Chuck leaned back in the swing and gave it a slight push as he rubbed his tongue over the front of his teeth and considered the proposition. “You’re sure about this?”
“Yeah…let’s do it.”
“You know Jason will be out for blood after something like this.”
“Nothing new in that!” Mike stated as fact.
“You don’t think this will bring him down here?”
Mike replied, “He’s suspicious. He believes someone is gathering the people, but no one has mentioned you or Madison beyond the scope of that stupid boogieman story. So I’m pretty sure that he believes it’s someone up there doing it.”
Chuck stopped the swing and bent over to where he was resting with his forearms on his thighs. While staring at the weathered wood planks of the porch floor, he said, “Okay…Tomorrow night at the pit, after we introduce whoever you find…we’ll tell everyone that we’ve decided not to chance taking any more trips up to Indy.” He nodded to himself as he thought over what he just said. “Okay…keep it fast and safe.”
~~~
Cindy and Sara were busy in the kitchen preparing supper for everyone after a full day of chores. Kyle and Julie were lined up in the hallway outside the bathroom waiting their turn for a hot shower. Teresa, Robby and Brandt were playing tag around the fire pit in the front yard. And Chuck was resting on the porch swing, one chapter further into the romance novel he started a week ago, when the sound of squealing tires jerked him out of his seat. He jumped off the porch and made it to the sidewalk in time to see the Chevy fishtailing as it cleared the turn off Michigan. It was Andy and Jim coming back from Indianapolis. There was someone else in the cab with them, but finding another survivor wouldn’t make Andy drive that way. Nothing positive was ever expressed like that.
Chuck threw his hand up like a mechanic on a pit crew waving a driver in as Andy locked up the brakes. The truck skidded along the curb and Andy shot out the door before the truck even finished rocking from the sudden stop. “They got them!”
he panted, as he ran up and grabbed Chuck by the arms.
Chuck glanced down the street for the other truck. A split second later he yanked Andy in front of him. “Bill and Mike?”
Andy nodded vehemently as he tried to wet his lips.
Cindy stepped out on the porch while the others ran toward the truck to see what the commotion was about. Chuck walked Andy farther into the street to where the Chevy fell between them and the gathering crowd. He put his arm over his shoulder like a father consoling his son and asked, “What happened?”
Andy forced a swallow down his dry throat. “We picked up Jamie.” He glanced over his shoulder at the man standing with Jim. As the tears began to roll down his cheeks and drip off his trembling lips, he gasped, “And we were on our way to find Bill and Mike…” He stopped abruptly and looked away as the emotions became too much for him.
Chuck rubbed his back. “It’s okay, they knew it was dangerous.”
Andy faced him again as the tears silently ran down his face. “It was my fault. I never should have let them go.”
“You didn’t let them go—I did. You guys asked me remember. And I misjudged the danger—not you. I’m so sorry…I just thank God that you and Jim made it back. Now tell me exactly what you saw.”
Andy was still shaking as he said, “I was out in front of the Chevy, heading in their direction when we heard the shots.” He paused and stared at the cracks in the asphalt fingering out from under his right foot as he took a deep breath. “We were going to make a run toward the sound but then heard the trucks coming our way. I never saw Mike—he was scouting on foot—but Bill…the Dodge shot through the intersection a couple blocks up from us.” He started shaking his head in anger. “The mother fuckers were hot on his ass. A car and a truck, loaded with guys—and they all had rifles. We waited for a while…” Andy’s thoughts drifted as he started shaking his head again. “I should have gone after him. But instead I ran to the truck and we shot back here like a bunch of pussies.”
“I doubt we’d be talking right now if you had chased after him. As hard as it may be to understand, you did the right thing. I’ve seen you in action, and believe me there’s not a soul here that would ever consider you a pussy. You’re the bravest man among us—bar none.” He squeezed the back of Andy’s neck. “You were thinking of Jim and the new guy, you were thinking about their safety. That’s why you didn’t chase after Bill—you didn’t want to gamble with someone else’s life.”
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