Forager (9781771275606)

by Scheer, Ron

  At the bottom of the stairs I turned left down another hallway. On either side of me, faded pictures of landscapes and flowers blurred by. The pounding steps behind me were closing in.

  I burst through the surgery’s double doors like a lightning bolt with a tornado on its heels. Sawyer was strapped to the operating table, and Dr. White stood over him. Brooke, the doctor’s wife, was pedaling the generator that provided the lights. Lights that reflected off the mirrored surface of the scalpel Dr. White held in his right hand.

  “Stop!” I yelled.

  Behind me the doors flew open. Frank and the mayor, both more winded than I was, stood panting in the doorway.

  “What’s going on? Can’t you people see I’m in the middle of surgery here?” Dr. White said.

  I took a deep breath. “Stop—I’ve got the medicine!”

  “Everyone slow down!” Sawyer said. “You two,” he pointed at Frank and the mayor, “out!”

  The mayor nodded. He walked to the door and held it for Frank. I guess they figured I wasn’t going anywhere, especially since the double doors were the only way out of the room.

  Setting everything on the floor, I brushed past the doctor and began unbuckling the straps that held Sawyer to the table.

  “Dillon, what are you doing?” Sawyer asked.

  I pointed to the floor. “I’ve found the medicine. It’s in there.”

  “You left last night?” the doctor asked.

  “Yeah, I just got back.”

  “You know those medicines might not work?” Doctor White asked.

  “That’s a chance I’ll gladly take.” The relieved smile on Sawyer’s face was all the justification I needed. I’d done the right thing.

  The doctor sifted through the contents of the pot first.

  “Be careful,” I warned. “There are knives in there.”

  Dr. White pulled his hands back, and then gingerly began a more careful examination of the pot’s contents. He searched with an eagerness I’d never seen. I’d heard the expression “like a kid in a candy store”, and now knew what it meant.

  “What’s this for?” With two fingers low on the handle so that it hung upside down, the doctor held up the pistol.

  I looked at Sawyer and saw him recognize the gun. “That and the bullets are for Sawyer.”

  “And these?” The doctor held up two knives in one hand.

  “For Millie.”

  “And batteries too! Did all of this come from the pharmacist’s house?”

  “Yes.”

  Dr. White’s eyebrows lifted as he spilled the contents of the sack on the floor. “Dillon, are there more meds?”

  My knees went weak. Had I spent all night for nothing? “I didn’t bring the right one, did I?”

  “What? No—No. Several of these will work on Sawyer. At least if they’re still good they will. But…are there more?”

  I nodded. “Lots more.” I told him about the room in the basement.

  “Let’s hope they work, then. If I can get Sawyer here back on his feet, then we can send a real Forager out to get the rest.”

  It shouldn’t have bothered me. I’m sure the doctor hadn’t intended his words unkindly, but they stung. Regardless of my successes, I wasn’t a real Forager.

  Sawyer sat up on the bed, one hand pressed to the wound on his leg. “What are you waiting for? Give me some of those pills and let’s see if they work.”

  The doctor took one of the packages of bubble-wrapped pills and opened two. He gazed thoughtfully at the packages, opened another, and handed three pills to Sawyer. “You realize we won’t know for at least two days if these are going to work.”

  “They’ll work,” said Sawyer.

  “If they don’t…” Dr. White trailed off.

  “They will.” Sawyer dry-swallowed the pills.

  A wave of exhaustion washed over me. I hadn’t slept since yesterday morning. I wanted a bed, but consequences were waiting for me on the other side of the double doors. “I guess it’s time to face the mayor.”

  “Dillon,” Sawyer said.

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks.”

  At that moment, I didn’t care that I wasn’t a real Forager. I didn’t care that the mayor was waiting for me. All that mattered was the honest gratitude Sawyer put into that single word. A smile stretched across my lips as I slipped through the double doors.

  The mayor and Frank leaned against the opposite wall. When I stepped out of the surgery room, Frank came forward and shook my hand. “Dillon, even though we told you not to go, I’m glad you did. I take it you were successful?”

  I nodded. “You should know that the place where I found the medicines, it also has batteries, guns, and ammo. Lots of ammo.”

  “As soon as the Forager’s healed, we’ll send him out,” he replied.

  “Did you see any of the Scavengers?” the mayor asked.

  “No. None.” I wanted to sit down. My legs hurt, my back hurt, everything hurt. I was exhausted, and my thoughts were foggy, like my head was stuffed with cotton.

  The mayor shook his head. “If the governor ever caught wind of this, you’d be in serious trouble. You know, I have the authority to banish you for that stunt you just pulled.”

  I was too tired to care, but I was smart enough to simply nod. Saying anything would only make things worse.

  “I’m glad we understand each other. Because if you don’t get back on that Forager’s horse and get out there and find where those Scavengers are holding my daughter, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

  For a few seconds the weights lifted from my eyelids. The mayor wanted me to go back out. “Can…can I get some sleep first?”

  A small chuckle escaped Frank’s mouth. “I don’t think Dillon cares about anything but a bed right now. Let’s give him a few hours rest and try this again when he’s a little more alert.”

  “My daughter might not have a few more hours!”

  “Harold, look at him. He can barely stand. If we send him out there like that, the Scavengers will kill him if he even gets close. You know as well as I do those Scavengers aren’t going to hurt Chane. Not as long as they think we’ll pay her ransom.”

  A heavy breath rushed out of the mayor’s nose. “Fine. Four hours rest, and he better be ready.

  “Give him at least six. He’s been up all night. Besides, I think it might be better if he waited until nightfall. There’s a lot less chance of them seeing him.”

  “There’s a lot less chance of him finding my daughter in the dark, too!”

  Frank looked at me. “You know the general area where they shot at you, right?”

  I nodded. I was only half following their conversation. I’d moved myself to the side of the double doors so that my back was against a solid wall. Keeping my eyes open was too much work.

  “I’ll see if there’s an open bed here,” said Frank.

  With my eyes closed, I heard the slight swish of the double doors as he slipped into the surgery room. I guessed the mayor was standing there scowling at me, because his breathing was heavy and irritated.

  I may have fallen asleep, because the next thing I remembered was Frank putting his arm around me and walking me down the hall into a room. He sat me down on the softest mattress ever made. My eyes stayed closed the whole time. I didn’t know where the mayor was, nor did I care. I lay back on the bed and let Frank pull my shoes off.

  “Sawyer’s horse…she needs tending,” I mumbled.

  “I’ll see it gets done. Now sleep. I’ll be back in six hours.”

  Later, I woke to the sound of hushed voices and the ache of an empty stomach. Bright sunlight lit the room. Sitting up, I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Frank, Josh, and the mayor all sat on chairs, quietly arguing about something.

  I let them talk. Their murmurs were too soft to distinguish. I wasn’t interested, anyway. I noticed Josh’s bandaged nose and the twin bruises around his eyes. They faded from black in the center to purple and around the edges to a
light brownish green.

  Face-planting him into the asphalt might not have been one of my smarter ideas.

  I yawned loudly enough to attract their attention. Frank looked up. “Good, you’re awake. It’s a bit past midday, but you’ve got time for a shower and a meal before you need to leave.” He tossed me some clean clothes.

  It took me a moment to remember what “leave” meant. A yard-long stake of fear streaked down my spine. Naturally, I wanted Chane back, but I definitely didn’t want to go looking for the people who had tried using me as target practice.

  The mayor stood, walked to where I sat, and held his hand out to help me stand. I’d always thought of him as a strong man, probably because of his large frame. When he pulled me to my feet, though, his grip was weak, like his strength had disappeared with his daughter.

  “You can use the shower in this room. When you’re done, we’ll all go to the Dining Hall.”

  “Yeah, Orphan Boy, you stink,” Josh said, as he waved his hand back and forth through the air.

  The mayor frowned, but didn’t speak.

  Stepping into the bathroom, I peeled off my clothes. My pants were so stiff from all the dirt and dust that when I pulled them off, they were like a cardboard suit. The cold water rained down on me in sheets of icy pinpricks.

  When I emerged ten minutes later, Frank stood and asked, “All set?”

  I nodded. I wasn’t looking forward to sharing my meal with Josh or the mayor, but I was hungry, and wanted to get outside and let the sun warm me up. “Where’s Fred?” I asked when the four of us walked out of the building.

  “Who’s Fred?” the mayor replied.

  “The Forager’s horse,” Frank answered. “I took her down to the stables.”

  “The horse’s name is Fred?” Josh asked. “I thought she was a mare.”

  “She is,” I said flatly.

  Josh and his father started laughing. I didn’t think it was all that funny. Josh let Frank and his father get a few steps ahead of us. Then he grabbed my arm, pointed at his face, and harshly whispered, “You’re gonna pay for this. No one does this to me. You hear me? No one.”

  Jerking my arm free, I did my best to keep the fear out of my eyes and stayed quiet in case my voice wavered. Sure I was scared, but it was nothing compared to the terror of those Scavengers shooting at me.

  Maybe that was all bravery really was. Maybe it was having something else that scared you more.

  Josh wouldn’t be intimidating me again. A reckoning was coming. It wouldn’t be now, not with his father a few steps away, but when it came, I’d be ready.

  We walked to the Dining Hall in tense silence. The smell of tomatoes, peppers, and onions cooked with a fragrant spice lingered in the air. It made my stomach rumble and my mouth water. The few people seated were eating spaghetti.

  Millie looked up when she saw us enter. “Dillon, it’s good to see you’re okay. Thanks for the stockpot and the knives. Frank brought them to me earlier.” She pointed the ladle she was holding at a pot of tomato sauce. “I’ve already put the pot to good use.”

  “I can tell. It smells great in here!” I said.

  “You can thank my spice garden for the smell, but without this pot, there’d be people missing out, including yourself.”

  Millie heaped the spaghetti on a plate. I hoped it tasted as good as it smelled. Without waiting for the others, I carried the heavy plate to an empty table and began shoveling the fantastic food into my mouth. It was my first real meal in three days.

  The mayor, Frank, and Josh joined me at the table. “Let’s get down to business,” the mayor said.

  I swallowed. Before I put the next heaping bite in my mouth, I said, “What’s to talk about? You want me to go back out there and find out where they’re hiding Chane, right?”

  I took another bite while the mayor said, “There’s more to it than that. The most important thing is to remain unseen.”

  I thought that was kinda obvious.

  “Let me explain,” said Frank. “We need you to find the Scavengers’ base. They know where we are, it’s time we did some reconnaissance of our own. We need to know not just where they’re holding the mayor’s daughter, but everything you can tell us about their camp. Are they in a building? If so, what kind? How many doors and windows? How many are guarding Chane? Is she tied up? Where? How many guards on the road? What’s the best way to sneak up on them?”

  “I get it—we’re going to kidnap her back,” I said.

  “She’s my daughter. We’re rescuing her!” said the mayor.

  A few of the nearby diners turned and stared at the four of us. I lowered my voice. “Sorry, bad choice of words.”

  Frank sat up a little straighter. The muscles in his jaw tightened, as if he knew I wouldn’t like what he was about to say. “It’s a big job, an important one, too important to trust to any single person—”

  Oh great, here it comes.

  “—that’s why Josh will be going with you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The mayor and Frank looked at me, waiting for me to argue. I wanted to, but I kept my head and spoke calmly, “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Wouldn’t it be less risky to just send me?”

  “We’ve discussed this,” Frank said. “In fact, we were talking about it when you woke up. We think it’s best if there are two of you. That way, if one runs into trouble, the other can still report back.”

  “Should we get Sawyer’s advice on this?” I asked.

  “I already did. Sending two was his idea.”

  Thanks a lot, Sawyer. Still, I doubted he had chosen Josh. Another argument popped into my head. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to send someone with more…experience?” What I really wanted to say was “someone more trustworthy.”

  “It wouldn’t matter who we sent with you. None of us has ever done anything like this,” said Frank.

  I looked the mayor straight in the eye. I had one more card to play. “You’ve already got one kid in trouble. Are you sure you want to risk another?”

  His eyes narrowed, his lips tightened, and his jaw clenched. There was fear and guilt in his expression, but there was also pure stubbornness. “Everyone else is busy collecting the ransom. Besides, Josh needs to make up for his mistake. He has to prove to the townsfolk, and to me, that he has this town’s best interests in mind. I realize the two of you don’t like each other. So I’m betting neither one of you will want to spend any more time together than you have to. That makes it easy. The sooner you complete your reconnaissance, the sooner you’ll be away from one another.”

  Josh shoots the Scavengers’ leader and the mayor calls it a mistake?

  Frank spoke again, “Under no circumstances are you to try and rescue Chane. Don’t get any closer to the Scavengers’ camp than you have to, and make sure you’re not seen. If you do it right, you shouldn’t be in much danger.”

  What, exactly, was his idea of much danger?

  Before there was time to think of another argument or a way to leave Josh behind, one of the stable hands entered. He signaled the mayor, who nodded. “Good, your horses are ready. Dillon, you’ll be riding the Forager’s mare. Josh, you get Bonnie.”

  “As soon as you’ve finished eating,” said Frank, “you and Josh should head out. There’s still plenty of daylight left, so best make the most of it.”

  There was no getting out of this. Josh was coming. I hoped he understood there wouldn’t be any place for his bullying on this ride.

  Scooping up the last of the spaghetti with my fork, I shoveled it in my mouth. I got up to take my plate to the dish water, and the mayor said, “Millie can take care of that.” He looked at Josh. “Stay safe.”

  “Find out as much as you can, but don’t get caught,” Frank said. “When the sun goes down, you two hightail it back here. We’ll be waiting.”

  I waved at Millie as we headed out. “Thanks for the spaghetti. It was great.”

  She waved back. “Glad you liked it. You be care
ful, you hear?” I smiled Same old Millie.

  Not wanting Josh behind me, I made it a point to follow him outside. I clenched my jaw in frustration. This was not a good idea. How could I work with someone I didn’t trust?

  I checked Fred before I mounted. Everything was in place, including Sawyer’s rifle and bow. The saddlebags held small rations of food for both me and Fred. It wasn’t even enough for one good meal—they didn’t expect us to be gone long.

  Josh gave a low whistle when he saw the rifle in the scabbard attached to the saddle of the stout dapple-gray mare. “At least we’re not going out there unarmed.”

  I’d almost rather we were. I’d seen what could happen when Josh put his hands on a gun. Whatever his father said to him about shooting Rasp, I hoped it hit home. I didn’t have a bulletproof vest.

  “C’mon, Orphan Boy, let’s get going,” Josh said as he climbed into the saddle.

  There was that name again. Anger rose in me like lava in a volcano. It wasn’t easy to force myself to stop it from erupting. I wanted to have it out right then, but I would wait. Quenching my burning blood as best I could, I wondered if bullying was so ingrained in him that he couldn’t stop, even to find his sister.

  The thought gave me pause. Maybe I was reading too much into the nickname. Maybe he’d used Orphan Boy for so long that for him it was my name. Maybe his sister’s kidnapping was affecting him more than he was letting on.

  I mounted Fred. “Have you ever been further than the fields?

  “No. What’s out there?”

  As much as I didn’t want to speak with him, it would be easier to judge his mood by his voice rather than his silence. I told him what I’d seen.

  “What about where the Scavengers have my sister?” he asked. “What’s that area like?”

  “I don’t know. I wasn’t paying attention to the road while they were shooting at me.

  I nudged Fred, and Josh started Bonnie walking alongside. We rode through town and onto the highway.

  “How far is it to where we turn?” Josh asked.

  “Two miles, then east.”

  “And how far that way?”