by T A Williams
Ally looked to Dena and recognized a look that her own mother used to give her. She would sometimes get that look whenever she was on her own doing something and would just happen to catch her mother watching her. It had always made her feel warm. Ally looked away and focused her attention back on Tiger. Ethan always had pretended to be nice, but she had to admit she was tired and could use some help.
“Ok,” she said softly.
Dena nodded her head and took a few steps back.
Ally gave Tiger a squeeze and laid her head on his. She didn’t need their help to survive, she had made it on her own just fine. Ethan and his friend had caught her because she wasn’t careful, but she wouldn’t let that happen again. She just needed to get some food and rest until both she and Tiger were healthy and then they would go back to taking care of themselves.
Alec
Alec was still trying to convince himself the Council was a necessary evil. He understood the reason and fully admitted he didn’t want to be the one in charge of everything that was going on in their little settlement, but the constant discussions over seemingly arbitrary issues continued to drag him down. They all sat around the old rickety table staring at each other while the smell of cooking meat from outside wafted into the warm room.
“We are going to have to expand the amount of corn we’re producing,” Malcolm said looking slowly around the room. “That’ll give us more reserves for winter and also provide as feed for the livestock.”
Freddie nodded his head on the far side of the room. At one point in time the man seemed to share Alec’s view that the Council meetings were a thing to endure but had recently began to jump in and become more active. While Alec missed having someone to suffer with he did have a small feeling of pride that Freddie felt like such a large part of the community.
“We have all that land just south of us that isn’t doing anything,” Margie said. “I don’t know how fertile it is but it’s a start.”
She looked to Alec who just stared back. He didn’t know anything about farming and wasn’t about to agree or disagree with her. She seemed to sense this and gave him a smile which he returned with shrugged shoulders. With the loss of Jack they had elected Margie to take his place on the council. She, along with her father Malcolm, had helped the people of their community survive when they were on their own and under constant threat from raiders. She brought a lot to the Council including the ability to put her father in line when he got in a mood.
“Nope, not going to work,” Malcolm spat. “That land looks like it has been sitting there for ages not doing a damn thing. It’d take multiple growing seasons before it would produce what we’re looking for. That land just a few minutes west of us looks like it was used for farming. You know anything about that Alec?”
He didn’t. Jack would have.
“Not really sure,” he answered. “Jack said most of the land over there was used either for livestock or for hay.”
Malcolm thought for a second and shook his head. “If it can grow hay, it can grow corn.”
“What about manpower?” Trevor asked.
Trevor had saved Alec’s life. The man and his daughter, Jamie, found him when he had been beaten to a pulp and helped nurse him back to life. The man was a nurse prior to the power going out which meant he served as a very valuable resource for their community and for the nearby town. More than anything else Trevor was the closest thing to a best friend that Alec had had since well before the world changed. But just as the world seemed to change overnight so did the thing they shared. Trevor had been against killing Clive, both times. Since the Council voted to sentence him to death, and since Alec carried it out, Trevor had become distant.
“I’m sure I can get a few more people from town to come over and help out. They have plenty but don’t have much in the way of fertile land. Course we would have to work out something with Whitford about sharing what we grew.” Freddie said.
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Alec answered.
“Helping hands is all well and good but we still need livestock to pull the plows and do the heavy work.” Malcolm said.
Trevor smiled for the first time in a while. “Jamie and Margie seem to have that under control.”
Margie smiled even brighter. “We have another horse that’s trained to pull the plow. Just let us know when you need her.”
This seemed to satisfy Malcolm who simply nodded and sat back in his chair. Alec waited for a few seconds and when no one said anything else he spoke up.
“Whitford wants to send out a group to try and set up trading routes with the nearby towns. They’ve had a few travelers come through who said that Hallsville just south of here and Sturgeon just west still have a noticeable population.”
“If that’s the case they know how to fend for themselves and could have something to offer,” Freddie finished.
“I think it’s worth trying,” Malcolm agreed.
Margie agreed as well, while Trevor nodded his head but didn’t look his way.
“Whitford is getting a few people together and I’d like to do the same,” Alec said.
“As always I’m with you,” Freddie said pounding the table once with his fist.
“I can go as well,” Trevor offered.
“All due respect Trevor, I think you need to stay here,” Malcolm said. “You have some valuable skills that we all depend on, plus you’re a member of our defense force. Probably makes sense to keep most of that here just in case.”
Trevor looked to Alec for a second. His eyes didn’t portray what he was thinking but before Alec could say anything Trevor looked away. “Ok.”
“I’ll go,” Margie offered and no one disagreed.
With that said they broke up the Council and began to shuffle out of the room. Alec started to approach Trevor but the man was one of the first to leave. For a moment he just stood there until Freddie gave him a soft pat on the back.
“You did what you had to do.”
Alec looked to him and shook his head. “He doesn’t seem to think so.”
“Trevor’s a good man. He still believes the world is black and white but it’s not. There was a time where people like Clive would have been thrown in jail or admitted to a psychiatric facility, and we were never the wiser for it. Now we have to face those issues and deal with it.”
Clive wasn’t right in the head. Alec remembered how the man seemed to be almost confused at times when he was threatening them. Did that mean Clive deserved to die? If they had let him go again there was nothing that made Alec think the man wouldn’t have come back again. “I still think it was the only choice we had.”
“That’s because it was. You’re not the only one that knows it, hell everyone knows it, but not everyone can accept it. Trevor acts like he’s mad at you, but he ain’t. He’s mad at the way the world is now, even if he doesn’t realize it. As long as he can view you as the bad guy or the guy that went too far, he doesn’t have to come to grips with the fact there wasn’t any other decision.”
Trevor wasn’t the only one that questioned what he had done. Most of the people understood, some thanked him for doing it, but there were others that wouldn’t look at him. They whispered behind his back and scattered whenever he approached. “I didn’t want this.”
“No shit.” Freddie laughed. “Not a damn one of us did. The fact that you question yourself means you’re still a good person. When it becomes easy to make a choice like that, then your ass needs to get checked out.”
“By who?” Alec asked smiling.
“Sure as hell not me. I understand why we decided what we did, so as far as you know I’m just as fucked up as you.”
Alec laughed as they exited the building. He left the building feeling just a little better than he did when he went in.
Ally
She had never seen a horse before.
Not in real life anyways. She had seen pictures and watched movies but none of those things had done justice to the real thing. Outsid
e of the house the three horses walked about grazing on the green grass. The smallest one was brown in color, the other black, but the one that caught Ally’s eye was two different colors. Its front was a dark brown color which gave way to white throughout the middle only to allow the brown to return towards its hind end.
“Pretty cool, huh?” Coby said running up next to her.
Ally took a few steps away from him and nodded her head. She didn’t want to be mean but his constant excitement was a bit much for her right now.
He caught her looking at the multi-colored one. “That one is Toby. My mom rides him.”
“Why is he different colors?”
“Because he’s a paint horse, duh,” Coby said laughing.
Ally ignored him and just stared at the horse. It was one of the most amazing things she had ever seen.
The morning was turning into afternoon and the warm touches in the cool breeze were beginning to take over. Ally could already begin to feel her sweat glands warming up getting ready to put in work. Adam was still in the house, while Dena was out in the yard with the horses. Ally wasn’t sure where Spence, the man with cold eyes, was.
“So, did you, like, live here all by yourself?” Coby asked as he rubbed his nose.
“Not in the house,” she pointed to the side. “Over there.”
Coby crinkled up his nose. “In the shed? Why did you live in there?”
Ally walked past him towards the shed, she felt Dena’s eyes on her; the woman always seemed to be watching her. Ally steeled herself for what she was about to see in the shed. However, when she entered she saw nothing. Ethan’s body was no longer resting inside, someone had moved him. A feeling of relief washed over her and she went to her old hidden room, no longer hidden since Ethan had torn several of the boards down when he was trying to get to her. Ally squeezed inside and picked up her bow and arrows.
“Whoa! Are those yours?” Coby asked. “Can I try?”
“No,” Ally said squeezing back out into the shed and walking past him. She stopped at the edge of the shed and looked back towards her room. The boards were tore off, some of the concrete was stained with Ethan’s blood, and it no longer gave her that feeling of safety. Those men had taken it away from her. A pang of sadness hit her as she realized she would have to find a new home. Ally swallowed the feeling and walked outside.
The boy followed her out, hoping all the way. “Mom! Mom, look! Can I have one too?”
Dena wiped her hands on her jeans and smiled uncomfortably. “Not right now, hon.” She watched Ally approach and eyed the bow wearily. “So…that is what you used, when you were on your own? You know we can protect you, you don’t need that.”
Ally glanced at the bow and then back at the woman. “It’s not just for protection. I use it to hunt.”
“Hunt?” Pity filled the woman’s eyes. “Dear god, you really were out here all by yourself, weren’t you?” Ally didn’t answer so Dena wiped her hands on her jeans once again and straightened up. “Coby go see if your father needs any help in the house.”
The young boy rolled his eyes and walked to the house with his shoulders slouched.
When he went inside Dena took in a big breath. “I don’t know what happened to your family, and I understand if you don’t want to-“
“My mom died before the power went out. My youngest brother was shot by bad men that kidnapped me, and my father and the rest of my brothers died rescuing me,” Ally said bluntly.
It was like she had struck Dena in the face. The woman stumbled back a few steps with a look of shock on her face. Her bottom lip quivered and Ally could see her eyes tearing up. Ally felt anger. That had happened a long time ago to her, not to this lady. Ally had cried about it, Dena had no right to feel sorry for her.
“I—I don’t know-“ Dena started.
“It was a long time ago,” Ally said cutting her off. “The people who saved me gave me this bow and taught me to take care of myself. I need it, but I don’t need your help.”
Dena opened her mouth to say something when Spence walked out of the woods behind her. She heard him and turned and the man approached. His face was glistening with sweat. As he approached Ally noticed a large knife hooked to the side of his belt. The man stopped a distance from them and looked to Dena. She turned back to Ally for a second and looked like she was going to say something but instead just turned and walked over to Spence. Spence ignored Ally and focused on Dena as she neared him. They stood close together talking quietly. Ally noticed Spence glance her way a few times. The door to the house opened and Adam and Coby came walking out. Dena took a step back from Spence.
Adam approached them but stopped near Ally. “You feeling better?” he asked warmly. Ally nodded. Adam noticed the bow and one of his eyebrows raised slightly. “That’s pretty cool.”
“I want one, Dad,” Coby said quickly.
“We ready to head out?” Spence said loudly.
Dena looked from Spence to Adam and then to Ally. “I think she could use another day of rest,” she said to Spence.
The man’s jaw clenched and he again looked at Ally like she was a fly that wouldn’t stop buzzing around his face. “The longer we’re here the greater the chance we are going to run into someone. And it’s not getting us any closer to California.”
They were headed to California.
Adam walked past her to join the conversation but Coby stayed behind, his eyes glued to her bow. “Can I try it?”
“No,” Ally said quickly. “Why are you all going to California?”
Coby frowned and began to pout. “I’m not going to break it. I just wanted to see it.”
“Ally, honey, will you come over here for a second?” Dena asked. Ally walked over to the group. Adam and Dena watched her while Spence focused on something in the distance. “I know you can take care of yourself, but I wanted to know if you wanted to come with us?”
Ally started to say no then she thought about her shed. It was no longer her hidden spot, it was no longer her safe haven. There were a couple of other abandoned houses on the outskirts that she could go to but none were as secluded and hidden as this place. She had taken care of herself all alone for a long time and was reminded of the feeling of loneliness she often had at night. Coby was annoying, Adam seemed nice if a little strange, she hadn’t made up her mind about Dena yet, and she didn’t like Spence. But she wouldn’t be alone.
“Maybe for just a little while,” she answered.
Dena’s face lit up but she noticed Spence shake his head and walk away. Adam shared a look with Dena who cut it off abruptly and squeezed Ally’s shoulder. “We can take care of each other now.”
Ally simply nodded but deep down she felt a stirring of excitement. She wasn’t alone anymore.
Alec
Alec threw the bag of apples into the back of the pickup and wiped the sweat that had begun to run down his forehead. At his side Whitford loaded another bag full of various vegetables and other supplies that might be worth trading. Whitford caught Alec staring at him and gave him a wink.
“No worries, Alec. Worse thing that could happen is they tell us to hit the road.”
“You know as well as I do that is not the worst thing that could happen,” Alec answered.
They decided to only take two vehicles to Sturgeon. Partly because they didn’t want the people there to think they were trying to invade their town, also because their supply of gas was nearly non-existent. Margie and Freddie climbed in the back of the pickup next to the supplies while a couple of Whitford’s men went into the other pickup.
“Well I guess we’re not getting any older,” Whitford said softly.
Just as they headed to the truck someone yelled for Whitford. People were always calling out for the man so Alec didn’t pay it much mind until he looked at the source, or more specifically what was next to the source. Alec didn’t recognize the man that called for Whitford. He was older, maybe in his mid-to-late forties with dirty overalls on and a head of g
raying black hair. Next to that man was the most beautiful thing Alec could ever remember seeing.
Her hair was a pure black, reaching down to touch the top of her shoulders, the curls bouncing gently as she walked next to the other man. She looked young, possibly around his age, maybe a year or two older. As she came closer her features became clearer and the tightness in Alec’s chest seemed to double. The man said something to her as they approached and she smiled causing Alec’s mouth to become dry. Her smile lit up her entire face and to Alec it seemed as if he was trying to stare directly into the sun. They both stopped next to them. The man began to discuss something with Whitford but Alec’s brain wouldn’t work long enough for him to understand what they were talking about. She still hadn’t noticed him yet. With one hand she gently moved an errant piece of hair from the front of her face and placed it behind her ear, revealing the greenest eyes that Alec had ever seen.
“Alec?”
He heard the voice but still stood transfixed. It wasn’t until she glanced at him and he looked away that he noticed that both Whitford and the man were looking to him.
“Um….sorry what?” His voice sounded so small in that moment.
Whitford gave him a confused look. “Did you hear anything Mark just said?”
“Uh, no,” Alec said refusing to look at the woman for fear he would lose his voice. “Sorry, I was thinking about something else.”
“I was saying,” the man started again. “That we came through the big city just south of you.”
“Columbia,” Whitford clarified.
“And that place was in chaos. People shooting at each other from buildings, bodies just lying in the streets….just a hell hole.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’ve been told,” Alec answered as quickly as he could.
The man, Mark, gave him a strange look but returned his attention to Whitford. “But like I said I’m willing to give you all another body if you need it.”