The Event Series (Book 2): The Gospel According to Matthew, Margo & Lance

by Thomas Larson

  “Well, actually we did, or they did try, while we were scattered we received a message from them, kind of texting from space,” he said with a smile.

  “What? What did they say?

  “Well, they asked how we’re doing, and if we were alright.”

  “Oh. That was it?” I asked, feeling a little hurt.

  “No, they are going through the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, that ship of theirs is fast, but not very controllable. The problem is that once they get beyond the asteroid belt they may have difficulty in communications with us. We can receive, but may not have a signal strong enough to send back a message.”

  “Oh,” I was kind of bummed.

  It was kind of a nice day, so Code, Del and I went out for a run. We were careful and cautious looking out for Hunters. It was fine. We also did a little sword drill today.

  We talked about The Three as we ran. None of us want the job, maybe in 5 years, wow, where will we be in 5 years.

  Rats, back to deer stew tonight, did I ever mention that I really am not a fan of deer stew.

  I spoke with Mom today, trying to talk her into staying on The Three. It would be good for her, give her focus to move on, but she has declined. She explained to me why. It gave me insights into her, and the job, and for that matter what it must have been like for her and Tom in those early days of this new world order. Leadership weighs heavy on a person; it can consume them and shackles them. It makes me wonder if it is a task that I should seek to take on, or should I try to serve the group through Your will, acting as a buffer and a guiding light.

  Taylor seems to be doing okay, and she is helping Chelsea out to move back beyond the void of sorrow.

  March 24th

  Code and I had a fight this morning; it was kind of weird, it just kind of happened. I don’t think that either of us was really angry at the other at the start, but we got to talking about the cabin and how we had some projects to take care of, to update it. He jokingly said something about how he had planned to do it, and I didn’t have to remind him every three or four months. I blew up, and it just turned to poop.

  Actually, after the initial hissy and the yelling, I suddenly thought to myself, “Damn, I sound like my Mother.” She used to get on Tom for taking care of projects and, they did get done eventually and was it really that important for it to be right now?

  I found him in the dining room sitting alone, I could see he was upset, and flushed. I grabbed a coffee, well, what we call coffee, it is actually roasted ground acorns, it sucks, but it is warm and black, and joined him.

  “Hey”

  “I will get to fixing tha……

  “Stop, it is fine, I was being kind of a jerkface about it and well, this living together thing is new.” I say staring in to the cup.

  “Yeah, I know. It is good, and bad, I mean, I…dammit…”

  “No, I know exactly what you mean, I love you, but it is not easy having someone underfoot all the time.” I continued.

  “What can we do?”

  “I don’t know, but for now, let’s take a run, and just chill a little. Tom always told my mom that everything works out, and he really believed it. I, I think he may be right.”

  We never got the run in, stuff happened while we were changing into our running clothes.

  At dinner, E came over, he had a thumb drive with him that he put it in front of me. It is kind of amazing that even after over a year in the end of the modern world we still have so much technology available to us.

  “I was looking into that last message that the QUalz ship sent. Besides asking if we were okay it told us that they would not be able to send messages for a while. But I found this packet of data in a file that was addressed to you. I, as much as I wanted to, I didn’t open it. I think it is from Tom.”

  “Thank you”, I tried my best not to lose it, but there was a quiver in my voice, I could feel it, not sure if they did. “I’ll check it out after dinner.”

  Suddenly, I wasn’t hungry, but I mushed my food around and forced a bite down every once and again. I know there were conversations going on. I shook my head every so often, said “yeah” and pretended to be listening. But I, my mind was elsewhere.

  As Code and I walked back toward the cabin he stopped, “Are you okay?”

  “No, not really, this message….Code…should I read it? What’s in it?”

  “I don’t know, what do you think? What does your gut tell you?”

  “Ah, that damned inner voice!” I grunted.

  “Huh?”

  “It is a Tom thing. He always used to tell my Mom that she should listen to her inner voice when she had to make hard decisions.”

  “And did she listen?” he asked.

  “To which, him or the inner voice.” I kind of laughed. “No, most of the time she didn’t listen to either.”

  “So are you gonna listen to it?”

  “My gut says I probably should, I am just afraid of what it might have in it.”

  “You know what he would say if he were here don’t you.”

  “Yeah, and you are really a jerk sometimes! But a loveable jerk”, I took his hand as we walked back to the cabin.”

  I should read to it, the little voice told me, but not tonight, I thought about the old days, and them, Mom and Dad. I laughed and cried, Code thought…. well, I am not sure what he thought.

  March 25th

  Our Father, You have laid out bounty for us, and challenge us to live and thrive. We have the chance to reconnect with You and what You have created. What would You have us do? I think that it is time for me to move away from the group for a while and to contemplate this. A pilgrimage for Tanya and me, somewhere quiet and peaceful to find the new way for the new age, is what we need. But it is too soon, Mom, Taylor and Chelsea are still suffering and until that is done we cannot go.

  This is Lance Champlain, I adding my journal to the server I have created. I am known as Captain E, or just “E” to my friends. I am sort of the tech geek of the group, and to be honest, am very surprised that I am still living. Before the end I had always figured I was outside of society, and have, had contemplated killing myself dozens of times. Now, I see that I have a gift, and have a people that relies on me. I used to go to sleep every night fearful that the Zoms would get me, turn me. Now I see this new world as a challenge, to beat whatever it is that has changed life as we knew it, and to make a new world, a world of science and rational thought. I am not a great thinker, but I can help move us forward, and use the old technology to build the new world. And to make these records easier to follow I am going put a name with the journal entries to keep it clear who is saying what. Also, Matt will be in Italics and Margo and I will be in regular type.

  (Margo) Code, Del and I took a run this morning, I am glad they were with me, I was still distracted by the mystery file from Tom.

  As we moved along Del asked, “Well, what did he say?”

  “I haven’t read it yet.”

  “You gonna?” She asked.

  “Yeah, soon, I, Del, I’m afraid, I mean what if he tells me I have a little brother or sister on the way, or that he is never coming back, that the QUalz lied and they can’t return them.”

  “Yeah, maybe, but I am thinking that it’s more just a postcard from the Lobster Nebula.”

  We all laughed.

  I read the file after lunch.

  “One of the things that is interesting about space travel is although there is so much to see, after a very short time, as your home world drifts away into the distance it becomes very boring. Don’t get me wrong, there are days or even just hours where it is extremely exciting. But for the most part it is boring, a black velvet painting with lots of little twinkly lights. So it is not all that and a bag of chips.

  One of the things that I have found out about the QUalz, the little lizard folks who are our host, is that as reptilian they tend to like it on the warm side. The temperature on the ship is 95 degrees. It reaches a point where you
are sweating all the time. Asuna and I are pretty much down to underwear or just wrapped in a little piece of cloth.

  I wonder and worry about how you and the camp crew are doing. You are in the middle of winter and even though you are, or were, well stocked with food, I hope you are okay. I miss you all.

  One never realizes how attached you get to the herd. Most of all, I miss you Margo, you are my daughter and maybe I was wrong in leaving but I think what we are doing here on the ship is important to the future, to you, and to the remains of humanity. We need to have a way to fight the virus, and this is the best way I could see.

  Asuna and I are getting along, we have to. It is very different, 24/7 together, not much space in space….Oh, I made a funny….Space is something that we all need, it was one of the reasons that your Mom and I never lived together before the meteor. I miss her, I miss you, I love you, see you in December.

  Tom”

  I asked Code to leave me alone for a little while and had a good cry. I did not look my best at dinner, eyes were kind of still red and puffy.

  March 26th

  (Margo) Code and I talked this morning, I told him about what was in Tom’s message. I think it has helped both of us. He is moving out, well sort of moving out. He is going to go back to sleeping at the “Boys’ Dorm” for most of the week. We will get to spend some nights together, but we need that away time. I know it sounds silly maybe, but I am 15 years old, and well, I’m 15 years old.

  Del and I went out for a little hunting this morning, I am thinking that if we have some success we can have rabbit, or squirrel, or some turkey, anything but deer stew again. While we were out there we had a chance to talk.

  “Are you and Code done?” she asked.

  “No, we, well we’re young, we have time together, but I need space, so does he.”

  “I understand, and if it helps at all, E and I have had the same talk awhile ago.”

  After a little silence I added, “I do love him, it is just, well, being on top of each other, I mean, so close, in the cabin, it makes me crazy sometimes.”

  “For sure, E is such a neat-nik….drives me nuts, a place for everything and everything in its place.”

  “I know, right, Code is just as bad.” I choked back a laugh.

  “No, E won’t even leave his clothes on the floor, kind of a passion killer, trying to get him undressed and he has to hang his stuff up, and even fold his friggin’ socks….Really!” She said.

  We laughed about that for a few and it was good to have a little girl talk, we haven’t had that chance in a while.

  As we crested the hill I stopped, there about fifty yards out was a deer, it was a buck, and a beauty. Del started to target it.

  “No, let him go, I don’t want deer meat again.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” She giggled, the deer looked at us and then turned and wandered off into the woods.

  We did return to camp with about 8 rabbits and 6 squirrels. We begged and pleaded with Nick for a rabbit fry for tomorrow dinner. The little suckers were kind of chubby so there would be enough for everyone.

  (Matt) I talked with Tanya about the idea of the pilgrimage today, she had some doubts about the safety aspect of it, but she does she thinks it is a good idea. We will wait until after Easter, so we can serve the group for that Holy Day. It will give us time to gather our thoughts, and the things we will need, a tent, food, and things to survive. Then, we shall be off on our own, to walk with You, my Lord.

  The timing will also allow us to make sure that those who have suffered recent loss will be more at peace. It is hard on them. We all know that life is short, but it is more difficult when that end comes up so suddenly, and unexpectedly. Science has done some stuff for us, but we have become too trusting of it, it has no soul, no gentle side, simply a cold hard thing that exists.

  (Lance) E here, and I am thinking that I should join or try to join The Three, I think that I can bring some stuff to the group and have some ideas for the way we move forward in the future. We could turn this place into a safer island in the storm. We have a lot of the things that we need close by to expand upon what we already have.

  March 27th

  (Margo) It was kind of a nothing day for us all. Things are normal, we have heard nothing from the QUalz ship or the Pittsburgh and we haven’t seen or heard anything from the Hunters, although we still go out and can see some lights off to the west and the south at night. Sometimes there are bursts near the horizon that probably means another Hunter A has been destroyed, or so I hope.

  Code and I had a night together, it was kind of nice and when those happen I think we both wonder if the living under one roof is the thing we should be doing, but then, one of us does something and well, you know.

  E has not asked us for any more runs into Hinsdale or other scavenger sites; I think it has to do with the idea of the risks from the G’s. We will probably have to face them sooner or later but right now, he thinks we can get by with what we have.

  I am kind of curious who is going to run for the slots on The Three. I am thinking that Matt would be a logical choice, he is a leader, and has a good head for it. I would not be surprised by that one. I am thinking that Fred or Ron might also make a run for the job. Nick or Grace would be good also, I think. Us youngers, me, Del, Code are too young. It will be interesting. The election is next Wednesday, and we will see who is running on Monday.

  I drew that deer we saw the other day, he was beautiful, majestic.

  (Matt) I spoke with Mom today, and explained to her that I needed to make a pilgrimage, laying out what I’m looking to do, and find. I could tell that she was not happy with the announcement, but she said she understood. I know that she is afraid that something will happen to me, or Tanya. But really, something can happen to us in camp just as easily, as we have seen.

  Tanya and I have talked more about what we are exactly looking to do on this pilgrimage into the wilds. In a way it is kind of a Moses, Biblical type trip. We have decided that we will do it on foot, or at least start out that way. He will give us transport if it is needed. But I am thinking that it is not so much the destination that is important, but rather the time and chance to be unfiltered, away from the everyday things that will give us the chance to see His glory and greater plan.

  In a way it is like looking at the sky in the open country rather than with the light pollutions from the cities, we will see many more points of light. We will leave April 1st for this trek.

  (Lance) I looked in on the server today and found that there are three of us who are making journal entries. I have not looked at the entries of the others, even though they are not protected. It was part of the agreement that we made when we opened the server up. I also see that Nick is keeping a recipe folder on there, and Tay is doing inventory stuff. Doc Barkley, aka the Major has a medical folder also.

  I have checked the radiation levels and find that they are still in normal and acceptable ranges. We have no incoming messages from anyone, so right now that is a good thing. I have spoken with Charlene and the Major, they have sort of assumed the leaders role after the death of Henry and Teckla’s decision to step down. I think that Matt and the Major will probably be the new additions to leadership, although I am not sure I like the idea of the Major and Charlene both in charge, kind of a two vote with one mindset thing. Matt seems to be a good choice. And I’m still considering whether I should put my name in. Yeah, I know, Captain Emo, a leader, it just doesn’t sound right.

  March 28th

  (Margo) Oh great, the announcement came down this morning that our propane supplies are starting to get a little low and we need to look to conserve. We will focus most of that energy resource for cooking, and cut back on the supplies of hot water for showers and washing. The plan is to use, have, hot water available only on Wednesdays and Sundays and only available in the boys and girls dorms. We will still have cold water to the individual cabins, but cold showers are not my favorite thing, but it is the apocalypse, so I
guess we have to make sacrifices.

  E kind of surprised us at lunch today, while Code and I were eating, he and Del joined us, they usually do. But he quietly asked, “Should I run to a spot on The Three?”

  Wow, that was out of the blue, and I didn’t know what to say. “I, ah guess, where did that come from?” was the best answer I could give.

  “Just thinking, that’s all, wanted to know what you thought.”

  It was kind of a conversation killer. I am not sure I have an answer for that question.

  Code and I talked about it after lunch. We both think that he has some really good qualities and ideas, but he is young, and yet really we’re all much older than our years. This thing, this surviving changes you, you grow up fast.

  (Lance) Well, that did not go quite like I expected, but then springing the idea of my running for a board membership was a little out of my usual character. I think that they handled it well; really, I had almost figured I would have had a response like “you’re kidding right?” or something similar. They did not tell me no, so that is good. Part of me really wants to do it, I think I have some great ideas and could be an asset to the future, but I am not sure I can make the hard decisions or choices that would be needed to be made. I mean, could I really lead the group in a battle, or say, yeah we need to put someone down? I don’t know.

  Del tells me I could do it, to be the leader, a leader, but I don’t know. I remember something that Tom once told me when I wanted to be one of the Fly-boys. “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it”. I need to think about it, maybe it is an ego thing, wow, me and an ego thing, which is something I never had to worry about before, and now, is that what this is about?

  (Matt) I guess I need to start preparing for my service this Sunday. I am going to tell the congregation about our pilgrimage, and our 40 days in the wilderness. I want them to know that it is for them that we’re doing this and that I think it will bring us all closer to Him. I hope that they will understand. I think most will, or if nothing else, they will not care. If Arcelia was still with us I would take some heat, but it is God’s work I am trying to do here.