by Payne, T. L.
Savanah scanned the field where the goats were kept. “Where’s Karson?”
“Helping Luca learn to shoot the crossbow.”
Savanah smiled but inside, she didn’t like that her ten-year-old son was growing up so fast. As the eldest son, he somehow felt he was the man of the house and needed to protect his family. She and Jason had spoken to him after they’d told the children they were growing close. Karson had been quiet for a long time after, but in many ways, he may have been relieved not to have to carry all the responsibility. She now believed that if she and Jason decided to marry and he moved into the house, Karson would be fine with it.
“I’m surprised he let you get away.”
Jason picked up two sticks of wood with one hand and opened the door. “He looked quite proud of himself.”
He was loading the wood into the stove when Savanah heard an engine and turned toward the road. Her pulse quickened, expecting the worst.
“It’s Corey,” Jason said, hurrying out the door and stepping into the middle of the driveway. He raised his hand to wave, and she stopped ten feet from them.
“What’s up?” Savanah said, approaching her.
After Corey had filled them in on the battle between the US military and the Chinese south of Highway 108, Savanah paced back and forth across the driveway. It was becoming clearer by the moment that they were going to lose the farm. “It’s too close. If they break through, they could be here before we could get everyone rounded up and far enough away,” she said as she passed Jason.
He was staring off toward the gate, likely thinking the same thing. “We’ll know more when Will and the others make it back. We can have a meeting and decide what our next steps need to be. Okay?” Jason stroked her arm. “Please don’t give up hope yet.”
Hope? How did one hold on to hope in such perilous times? Every time things started looking better, they would get the rug pulled out from under them.
“Will and Cayden made it home. They went through hell out there on the road, but they made it here. We’ll make it too—together—all of us.”
Mrs. B had led a crew of workers assembling makeshift tables so that everyone not on guard duty could enjoy a meal together. She claimed it was necessary to keep from having to serve food multiple times, but Savanah knew it was Mrs. B’s way of bringing them together as a community. After Mr. B said grace, everyone seemed to enjoy the downtime to share a meal but Savanah picked at her food, unable to get Corey’s news off her mind.
She looked down the table to where her fourteen-year-old daughter Kendra sat next to Pete’s son, Beau. Savanah sighed heavily.
“Don’t worry,” Jason said, touching her arm lightly.
“I was fourteen once. Of course, I’ll worry.” Jason looked perplexed, and Savanah nodded toward Kendra.
His mouth formed an O, and he nodded. “Want me to have a talk with him?”
Savanah thought about it for a moment. “Maybe you should talk to Pete first.”
She was pushing her roasted turnips around her plate when she heard Gabby calling for Jason. He stood and pushed his chair back. “What is it?”
Gabby bent and placed her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath while Savanah wracked her brain, trying to recall which guard post Gabby had been stationed at. Finally catching her breath and straightening, she said, “Valson’s back.”
Five
Savanah
Event + Three Months
* * *
Savanah pushed light brown locks of hair from her forehead with the back of her hand, leaving streaks of flour behind. She looked up from the dough she’d been kneading to see Jason and Blake walking toward the house. Jason’s face was expressionless. In the two weeks since her brother, Valson’s return, he’d been out everyday searching. He hadn’t found what he’d been looking for—or whom.
It had been two months since the military came through and disrupted the Blanchard family’s control over the community of Vincent, and still there had been no sightings of his mother, sisters, or cousins. They’d found the bodies of his uncles and brothers, so he at least had some resolution. Blake was carrying an extra rifle—a hunting rifle.
Maybe their trip wasn’t a total waste.
“Hi,” Savanah said as they approached.
The corners of Jason’s mouth curled slightly and then fell back into a straight line. He was trying. Savanah knew grief was messy—even if the relationship with the deceased wasn’t perfect. At least that’s how it had been with the death of her father. Waves of grief still crashed over her at times, even now. She understood Jason’s pain.
“Any luck finding ammo?” she asked, pointing to the Winchester rifle Blake held.
“Some—not enough,” he replied.
They looked exhausted. Everyone was, but those that ventured out away from the farm and its roadblocks seemed to be hit the worst. They’d witnessed firsthand the death and destruction beyond Sugar Cove Road. The others were somewhat insulated from it—for now, at least.
“We’re going to try going farther west in a day or two,” Jason said. He took two steps toward her, leaned down, and kissed her on the top of her head.
“Go inside and get a bite to eat and then get some rest. Everything is taken care of for today,” Savanah said.
He reached down and cupped her chin in the palm of his right hand, raised it, and studied her face. The intensity of his gaze was too much. She wanted to look away and didn’t understand why. It could be that she felt old, dirty, and unattractive. The last two months had not been kind to her body—her mind—her spirit.
“You look tired yourself. You should ask for help more,” Jason said.
“Kendra is coming to help me right after she gets back from Mrs. B’s.”
“How’s she doing today?”
“The same,” Savanah said, her tone flat.
Mrs. Bertrand had fallen ill two weeks before. It had started with a headache, and then the chills and body aches began the next day. Mr. Bertrand was down a few days, though he was able to bounce back but none of Savanah’s herbal remedies seemed to be working for Mrs. B. Her cough was worse, and she was so weak. Kendra had been taking her over some bone broth and a hibiscus and rosehip tea.
“Maybe Pete and Rob will bring antibiotics back with them,” Jason said.
“Hopefully.”
“How’re your in-laws?” Savanah asked, directing her question to Blake.
Blake’s gaze turned toward the ground. “It’s not looking good. They both have pretty high fevers. My wife is just beside herself.”
“I’m sorry.” Savanah said that a lot lately. She was sick of saying and hearing it. Everyone seemed to be sorry. She just wanted this whole nightmare to end, but there was no end in sight.
She forced a smile. “Pete and Rob will bring antibiotics from the army base. They’ll be fine in a few days.” She knew it was a lie. Blake knew it too. There was no way the military would give up valuable antibiotics or other medications when their soldiers needed them to continue fighting this damn war.
Blake lifted a hand in the air and nodded. “I better get on home,” he said weakly.
Savanah watched him walk toward the gate to the pasture. As he lifted the latch, she said, “Thank you, Blake. Thank you for continuing to try.”
He stopped and turned. “No need to thank me, Savanah. We’re in this together.”
That they were. They all needed one another. Just two months earlier, they’d all gone about their separate lives, and now they must depend on one another for security and sustenance.
Jason wrapped his arms around Savanah and held her tight. She melted into him, tears stinging her eyes. She feared that if she let go, they would be like a tsunami overtaking and drowning her. It was just so damn hard to remain positive and hopeful as things continued to get harder every day.
“Come inside with me. Let’s both get something to eat and take a nap. You can’t keep pushing yourself like this. The kids need you.”
/> That last part was like a knife to the heart. She was doing everything she could think of to keep life as normal as possible for them, but death and misery were all around, and she couldn’t always protect them from it.
“When Kendra gets back, I’ll come inside and rest a minute.” She lied. There was too much to do, and she knew she wouldn’t truly rest, anyway. She had laundry and dishes still to do. She needed to go through her books and see if she could find anything more she could do for the Bertrands and Blake’s in-laws. The herbal teas and chest salves seemed to have helped the children, and those who had been sick were fully recovered now. She hoped the worst of the flu season was behind them. Was that wishful thinking?
Jason pulled up a chair and sat across from her. “I’ll go in when you do then.”
She shot him a dirty look and tossed the hand towel she’d been holding onto the table. “Okay. Okay. Let me cover this dough, and I’ll go in, and I’ll make you some eggs.”
Jason smiled. A genuine smile where his teeth showed and that sparkle she loved twinkled in his eyes. “How about I make you pancakes?”
She cocked her head ever so slightly and batted her eyelashes. “You found syrup?”
His head bobbed. “I did.”
Savanah closed her eyes and licked her lips. She’d taken her family off refined sugar long before the world collapsed, but they’d always enjoyed honey and fruits. It had been at least six weeks since she’d tasted anything sweet.
“What do you say?” Jason said, his strong chin jutting out. He looked so damn handsome—she was tempted.
“You’ll have to make enough for the kids.”
She could see Jason deflate somewhat, and then his lips curled up. “Awesome.”
Even though she knew he was disappointed that she’d put him off again, Savanah knew Jason understood. She was a good Catholic girl and was raising her children the same way her grandmother had raised her. She wasn’t going to set all that aside just because the world had changed. When the time was right, they’d go into town and see the priest. Until then, she’d make sure she and Jason never ate pancakes alone.
The pancakes were amazing, and the kids were ecstatic. Keegan, being the kind little soul that he was, saved some of his to share with his friend, Jeremy; he and his parents had arrived just a few days earlier. Savanah and Jason left Kendra and Karson in charge of the dishes and moved into the living room to discuss what he and Blake had seen on their journey outside the community.
“No sign of your family?” Savanah asked as she lowered herself onto her grandmother’s old armchair, running her hand along the arm and feeling her calming presence.
“No.”
“Were there many survivors east of town?”
“There aren’t many left. The ones who’ve stayed said most had headed to Shreveport or Texarkana to the shelters there.”
“I wonder if anyone’s made it there?” Savanah asked, more to herself than Jason.
They had no way of knowing and had all heard rumors of the bandits preying on the refugees along those routes. The tales of the robbing, rape, and murders were just one of the reasons Savanah and the others hadn’t considered leaving. Life inside some government-run camp didn’t sound much better than what they were experiencing on their own. The only thing the government might offer that was better was some measure of safety.
But as long as they had armed guards, they would be able to continue to provide what little they had to the survivors who’d taken refuge there with them on Sugar Cove Road. Savanah couldn’t think about any other scenario. She prayed that whatever came against them, they’d be stronger and faster and that their luck would hold out until the military could defeat the Chinese and put the country back together.
Six
Isabella
Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana
Event + Three Months
* * *
Isabella stood at the kitchen sink, staring out at the children who were playing a game of tag in the backyard. Children were so resilient. Despite the lack of technology, the shortage of food, and the threats of war and marauders, they continued to laugh and play. Kylie shoved Keegan to the ground, and Kendra ran to pick him up, just as Isabella imagined she’d done multiple times before the event that had changed all their lives.
The adults that had gathered to form a safe community strived to make the children’s lives as normal as possible. Isabella could understand why, but she questioned whether it was really the best for them. The world beyond their roadblocks was a dangerous and uncertain place. To survive, wouldn’t they all need to be prepared for whatever may come? Could you prepare a six-year-old?
Isabella thought about the little girl they’d nearly run over back in Houston. Her parents had left to find food for her and her little brother and never returned. If Jaz hadn’t stubbornly swooped them up and taken them to the church, what would have become of the two small children alone in the big city? Would Savanah’s children be prepared to care for themselves if trouble found them here? Kendra and Karson were very much more capable than most adults Isabella knew, but could they keep themselves and their siblings alive in this new world?
“They seem so carefree, don’t they?” Savanah said as she walked up behind Isabella and placed her hand on the counter to steady herself.
“Are you all right?” Isabella asked.
Savanah looked up. She did not look all right. Her face was pale.
Savanah wiped the sweat from her brow and lowered her head. “I just felt a little lightheaded. It’s probably dehydration. I haven’t been drinking enough water lately.”
Or eating enough, Isabella thought. The food rationing was starting to take its toll on everyone, but Savanah was hiding the fact that she was giving most of her meals to her children. What Savanah didn’t know was that her daughter Kendra was doing the same thing. She’d overheard Kendra scolding Kylie for wasting her food on her kitten when she had gone without for her to have it.
“Why don’t you sit for a while and rest?” Isabella suggested, taking Savanah’s arm, and leading her to a kitchen chair. “I’ll get you a glass of water.”
Isabella placed the glass in front of Savanah and lowered herself onto the seat beside her. She placed a hand on Savanah’s. “You have to take care of yourself too. You have to eat more. You can’t let yourself get run down. Your children need you healthy.”
Savanah looked at her with such contempt that Isabella was taken aback. She withdrew her hand, knowing that she’d overstepped her bounds. “I’m sorry. I’m not a mother. I can’t imagine…”
“No! No, you cannot imagine,” Savanah snapped.
Isabella choked back tears. She wanted to excuse herself and escape what she suspected would come next, but she stayed put. No matter how uncomfortable it was, Savanah needed to be able to release her pain and fears to someone, and Isabella wanted to be there for her.
Savanah lowered her gaze. A single tear slid down her cheek, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand, staring toward the window and the sound of her children, who were now back to squealing with laughter. “I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize, Savanah.”
“It’s so damn hard. This is not the world I wanted for them. I fear for them every minute. I can’t sleep for worrying what horrible thing could rain down on us at any moment.” The tears were flowing in a steady stream now and Savanah wiped her nose with the hem of her shirt. “I’ve taken care of them every day of their lives—me. I did it all by myself because I couldn’t rely on their good-for-nothing father.” She looked up at the ceiling and ran a hand down the length of her braided hair. “If my grandparents hadn’t left us this place, I don’t know what I would have done. It has sustained us. But I fear that it won’t be enough—nothing I do will be enough.”
“You are no longer alone, Savanah. Will is here. Look out that window. Look at all those people your homestead is sheltering and sustaining. They are here for you too. We’re all in this togethe
r. You have to let us help you now.”
Savanah turned her gaze to Isabella, and they stared at one another for a moment as Isabella’s words sank in. Savanah shot from her chair and grabbed Isabella, pulling her into a firm embrace. “Thank you! Thank you so very much. You’re right. You’re so right. We can do this—together. We can. We are no longer alone.”
Isabella rocked her gently and allowed her to relax into that truth before stepping away and guiding Savanah back to her chair. “You sit here. I’m going to make you a bowl of soup. And you are going to eat it all.” Isabella turned toward the tiny wood stove where the day’s main meal was simmering. As she ladled a scoop into a bowl, Isabella inhaled deeply, attempting to rein in her own emotions and head off a torrent of tears. She had her own fears about what their future held. As she and Will grew closer, her fear of losing him and Cayden increased. She pushed the thoughts away and placed a spoon inside the bowl before setting it in front of Savanah.
“You don’t have to worry about your children going hungry. Will would never let that happen—ever. We will find a way. The groups that went out yesterday will bring back something.”
Savanah picked up the spoon and blew on the steaming broth. “I know. Will is doing everything he can. He’s running himself ragged. He won’t stop or slow down until we are all safe and cared for. That’s my brother.” She tasted the soup and placed the spoon back into the bowl.