The Major and Charlene were working on Mark, his arm had been bitten, it had to be removed. They did that. Chels was gone.
Nick, Master Nick, he had fought alone; we weren’t able to get to him. There were many hewed Zoms where he had been. He was propped up against the side of the dining hall; Matt and Teckla were there with him. He was near his end. He had been bitten on both legs, and an arm. Amputation might have been an option, but the bite on his neck was his death sentence.
Tanya came and got me. “Your Master wishes to see you.”
As I walked over and saw his condition I knew, he wasn’t going to make it.
“Master Nick!” I bowed.
“Master Lance, you fought well and have done me proud” he rasped.
“Thank You, Master.” I did not know what else to say.
“I have a final task for you, before you become the new Master Sword.”
“Name it”, in my heart I felt a dread, I knew what he wanted me to do.
“Send me, give me peace!” he winced; the pain was clear on his face.
I bowed, “As you wish Master, we shall meet again.”
It was the hardest thing that I have ever done.
(Margo) We raced back toward the camp; Code was getting stronger as we moved. As we come into the open area we saw the onslaught, we knew it would be bad, but this was horrible.
We started toward our cabin then Code grabbed my shoulder and pointed to the Hummer, it was close by, the 50, yes. We had to be careful, so we stitched the bullets on the outside edges of the horde. We were able to cut them down, if not killing them, then at least turning them into immobilized mush.
When we couldn’t safely fire anymore we moved in with a couple of metal bars we found and smashed away, it seemed hours. Then finally, it was quiet, mostly quiet, a few broken Zoms still hissed, there were some sobs and screams from some of us as we realized the worst had happened and that some of us were in bad shape.
Lance and Del were safe, so were Code and I. Chels was gone; Mark was hurt, bad hurt and Master Nick was dying. Grace had been killed when the truck hit the dining hall. I am not sure how but the rest of us had made it. We were all blood soaked, and exhausted.
Matt and the people that had gone to Stanwix were back, they arrived after the ….. what do I even call it. I am tired, and sore, so much to do.
(Matt, Father Sky?) We arrived at camp too late, the battle was over, or at least the Changed were quieted. But there were still things that needed to be done. Mark will probably survive; the Major believes he got the arm off before the infection spread. Mom was doing okay with that, or as much as she could, he was still alive.
Nick, that is a little harder, he was her brother. I can understand his choice in how to move on to the next world. It had to be hard on Lance. It was hard on us all.
As we burned the bodies of the Changed it was sad, more so because so many of them were known to us, Ron, Karen, LJ, Langley, Pam and on. Many we did not know, other than that they were from Stanwix and they were good people.
I talked to Del and Margo about trying to track the two renegade soldiers, who had done this, but Margo said it wasn’t needed; she and Momma had taken care of it.
I called everyone together tonight by the flagpole, we just circled it and held hands.
“Thank you for our chance to still be here, we are family.”
“Amen” was the response.
We did not sleep well; some did not sleep at all despite exhaustion.
July 28th
(Matt) It is very quiet in camp, we‘ve been working to clean up and repair the damage that was done in the invasion. We can fix the buildings that were broken, but not the hearts, they will not be so easily repaired.
Mark is running a little fever, but the Major is on it and doing all he can to bring that down. There is an infection, but he still believes that it is controllable. Mom and Michelle have not left his side.
Tay has taken over the cooking for a little bit with Jan helping. Lance has worked with Fred to get the trucks removed from the camp. They stink of death.
Those we knew, Nick, Chelsea, we have added to the little cemetery. We also opened the earth to our friends from Burlington and Stanwix that we knew. The rest, we burned, it would be too much to try to bury them all. Total we figured that there were 87 people who had been poisoned and sent to destroy us.
We met at Vespers tonight at sunset. The day had been hot, and tiring. I miss Grace’s laugh.
July 29th
(Lance) I spent the day making certain that we had power up and running, Then Del and I headed back out to the stables. It was hard, it has been hard, we will need to get back to Stanwix to recover the horses that were left there, Black Olive, Ranger, Magellan, and Strawberry. I’ll talk to Stephen tomorrow about trying to get him to fly us out there.
Every noise, every hoot of an owl or rustle of a branch puts me, us on alert. We are stretched, some ready to snap. Del seems okay, and I am too, sort of. But we are ready. I still hear Nick’s voice, his lessons, “the warrior is always prepared, always aware, always on edge.”
(Matt) The fever has broken on Mark. The Major thinks he is pleased with the progress. Michelle and Mom are now taking turns staying with him. I stopped in for a while today, he’s his usual self, but I can see that the loss of the arm, his left, bothers him. It would bother anyone; yet, I sense that he’ll get through it.
We have pretty much gotten the camp back to where it was before this happened. I see now that I was being warned through my dreams but I couldn’t see or understand it at the time.
Lance came to me and suggested that we fly out to Stanwix and recover the horses that we had left there. It’s a good plan, tomorrow Tay, Tanya and I will fly out and get them, and we can make it back leading the extra horse.
July 30th
(Margo) We are finally rested. I wish we were back where we were a week ago when my biggest complaint was that I had to play “Bo-Peep” but that is no longer something we need to do. The sheep are dead, or gone, eaten or run off by the Zoms in their attack.
I have no great desire to write, or draw, of for that matter do anything. Not a great time for Auntie Flo to show up either.
(Matt) Off to Stanwix this morning, Steven flew us out; it took about 30 minutes to get there. We found the horses; they were still in the courtyard just casually eating. The helicopter startled them a little so we landed in the back of the fort and walked around.
We took the time to burn the remainder of the bodies that had been left behind at the fort. We buried Keith. He was a good man. He and Pam will find each other again.
We began the long trek back to Romanica. I want to visit Helen.
(Lance) The repair needs to most of the camp have been finished, as well as the cleanup. The kitchen / dining area is still being worked on, and that will take a little time. But it’s coming along. Fred and Cody have run into Pittsfield to get some building materials
Del and I headed out to the stables to take care of the horses. I could sense that Shinigami and Samurai wanted to be ridden. We hopped on and were off for the afternoon, we went nowhere in particular, just out there. I think we all need to both focus on our current situation, but also we need to let go of some of it. The losses have been hard on us all.
July 31st
I was out for a walk in the forest today. I was hoping that I would run into Momma, We are all at a point where we are on the edge of breaking. I need her strength; I need her to snap me out of this. I sat by the ledge where I had last seen her, where she had dragged the lifeless body of the soldier up the rock.
I sat, and just focused on her, and closed my eyes. I felt my breath going in and out of my body, in, out, in, out…in…….out………in….
“Well, our score is evened little one.”
I opened my eyes and there before me was Momma, with the two cubs standing behind her.
“Yes, it is, and you are me, you are in me now.” I said, this talk with her was different.
“Can you help me?”
“I will give you this, help is on the way, and soon it will be okay. I am with you always, and you are with me.” The big cat looked at me, the words sounded in my head.
“What help?” I asked.
“You will see, you have watched over another’s spirit and soon, they will be united. It will bring peace to you, to us.”
I was confused and wanted to ask more, but Momma and the cubs had gone and on the edge of my mind I heard frantic calls, “Margo, Margo, where are you?” It was Code.
I opened my eyes and scrambled to my feet, I was slow at first as the cobwebs of sleep left me.
“Over here, Code, here by the ledge.” I tried to shout, a hoarse whisper at first, then stronger.
He walked into view, “I was worried, I got back from my lumber run and they told me you wandered off alone. I was worried.”
“It’s okay. I was fine; I needed to see the Lion. We talked” I told him.
“Yeah, well, after what happened, going it alone is not safe; there could be Zoms out here.”
“I don’t think so, we’re okay now. But there is someone coming, someone on their way here, Momma told me.”
“Who? Who could it be?”
“Don’t know, she only told me that I was taking care of their spirit and they would be reunited.”
“I hate dreams, they are so, they mess us up. They lie to us, and mess with our heads,” grumbled Code.
I on the other hand, appreciated them, talking to Momma, and seeing things from a different perspective.
(Lance) Still at the stables, a few more days then Tay and Teckla will be back with the horses then we can return to the camp. We worked with our horses.
“Lance, what happened was bad, can we ever get back to where we were?” asked Del.
“You mean you and me? I think we’re fine.”
“No, the clan, the tribe, all of us.” She sounded kind of odd.
“We have been through a lot, I think we can recover, I mean, we lost some, some of us, but we have a solid core, we’ll make it.” I told her, as I held her close. It was kind of strange; we usually don’t have much physical contact outside of the cabin.
(Matt)The three of us, Tay, Mom and I covered a lot of ground today. We left early and clopped along. We are going to stick to I-90 for most of the way back. I know that Mom wants to get back to camp to check on Mark. We probably could have tried to take the cattle truck that had brought the Changed into our camp. It would have been a faster trip back but the smell, and after what had happened, we just couldn’t do it.
We were able to get to Fort Plain by about dinner time. As we rode up West Street, we turned the corner onto Main. I looked forward to finding Linda Harris out in front of her real estate office chatting away, but it wasn’t to be. The street was now littered, that little space that had once been neat and tidy was not. The building, her office and those on each side were burned out. She was gone.
As we reined in up-front of what was left of her office, there was a chipped Linda Harris Real Estate mug lying on the sidewalk. I guess we will never know for sure if she had chosen the same fate she gave to her son. I could see a couple of burnt bodies inside the office. I can’t really explain the why but I was kind of sad about it. I thought she would manage, I expected to see her on the phone.
We stayed at the farm on Oldick for the night; we used the renovated farmhouse that the Amish had rebuilt. It was very quiet. I was very quiet.
I thought earlier that I would take a detour and visit Helen. I just have a feeling that I should, and I want to make certain that she is alright. But the more I thought about it the more I felt going there was not a good idea. I was afraid that she had met a similar fate to Linda, and like Schrodinger’s Cat, I did not want to open that box to see if she was dead or alive. I need her, or the thought of her being alive.
August 1st
(Matt) We reached the west side of Albany at about 7:30 tonight. We had an hour or so of daylight left and could probably have made it to the Arsenal, but decided to tuck into a little B&B instead. The thought was that it wouldn’t be a good idea to try to navigate through the city as dusk approached. There were probably no Changed there, but really, better to be safe.
I wished that Tanya was there with me, it would have been good to talk to her about the Helen thing. I think, I feel Helen is still alive, but after all that has happened, I couldn’t deal with her being dead, or changed. I tried to talk with Mom about it, but it was not the same, she didn’t know this person or that silly cat of hers, the impact they had on us. I smiled thinking about Sylvester sitting on her lap, calmly licking his paws, as Helen talked to us about many things simple, yet, profound.
We turned in just after sundown. We wanted to be on the road early.
(Lance) Out at the stables again today, Del and I did some riding and took care of the other horses. Much to both our surprise the ram and four of the sheep wandered into the barnyard. That‘s good news; we thought that they had all been lost. We knew that some had been eaten by the Zoms during the attack, but that was only three of them. It looks like we are back in the milk and cheese business. Master Nick…..crap, I’m sorry. We’ll have to figure that all out, how to do all that stuff, I think Matt knows.
We headed over to the camp for dinner and stayed for Vespers. Tanya led the group. It was kind of sedate with no Grace, or Michelle singing, and the turnout was kind of small, Fred and Jan, Margo and Code, Tanya, us, that was about it. Heather was not feeling well so she passed, Steven stayed with her. We headed back a little after dark, the moon was bright, not quite full, but we could see the road. Actually, Samurai and Shinigami kind of just knew where to go and we just sat back and enjoyed the ride.
The stars are so beautiful and there are so many.
(Margo) Tanya and I did the gardening thing today, we’re lucky that no damage was done with the attack. The salads are working without Nick and Grace making meals for us. Jan has been doing most of the cooking, and she does great, but Nick, well, he had a touch.
Code and I stopped by to see how Mark was doing. He seems to be in good spirits, and was actually up doing a little walking around. Charlene and Michelle were helping him. He had lost a lot of blood and is still on the wobbly side, or as he put it, “I’m down a quart.” I didn’t really get it, but laughed anyway.
Vespers tonight was a somber affair, Tanya does well, but there were too many empty seats, I…..
Sorry, had a little meltdown, they were friends, it could have been any or all of us but I, we’re still here. It hurts, I thought about the others too, Mom, Meme, Gramp, all gone. Tom, Asuna, they’re alive but not coming back soon. Imagine if they came back in the winter and we, we……
August 2nd
(Margo) Lucy was kind of restless last night, it was kind of strange, she kept looking toward the door as if someone was there, or just outside.
Anyway, today Code and I played sheep herder, I mean real sheep herder, and we took the bikes over to the stables and then took Chuckles and Lemon Drop and actually brought the sheep back to Romanica. It was kind of cool. Note to self: riding in shorts, not a good idea.
We spent the rest of the day playing Bo-Peep. I didn’t see Momma. I should probably come up with a better name for her and the cubs. But have nothing at the moment.
We brought the sheep back to the camp pen around dinner time. Dinner was okay, Fred and Jan took a turn at cooking again and it wasn’t all that bad, salady, but okay. I should check with them to see if they want me to go hunting for some game other than rabbits.
Matt, Tay and Teckla came back; they were here when we brought the sheep back this afternoon. Tay and Teckla ended up riding back over to the stables tonight and took Chuckles and Lemon Drop with them so Code and I didn’t have too, although that now creates an issue of getting the bikes back to camp. O
h well, early man problems.
(Lance) We took care of the horses again today, stayed out at the stables, although we slept in the house. We did a little riding this morning and after lunch were just hanging out. We took a ride over to the main camp and planned to stay for dinner.
Matt and crew are back with the other horses. They told us about the real estate lady, which was kind of sad.
Tonight I, we, are back in my own bed, with my own girl, with AC! Life is grand. Well, getting better and back to normal.
(Matt) We finished the trip back to the Camp today. First thing we did when we got back was for Mom and me to check on Mark. He’s doing well, and damn if the family sense of humor just is kicking in. We talked for a little while, and he was actually up and walking around a little, he is still a little weak but Doc Barkley says he’ll be fine.
“Yeah, I was looking to lose a few pounds anyway” he said with kind of a smile.
What can you say back?
Then with a very straight face he said, “But seriously, Matt, Mom, I know us, the family and I am asking you to do me a favor, see, I know that it will happen sooner or later, so I want you to start calling me Stumpy.”
Michelle giggled, Charlene giggled, Doc choked back a laugh, they’d known what was coming. Mom stared at him.
“Stumpy? Really?” I said.
“Yep, it’s our way” He said with a grin. “I mean you could use Lefty if you want. I am okay with this, I am alive, and there is tomorrow to deal with.”
“Stumpy,” and then Mom laughed. “Yep, we’re noodle folk”, but I could see the tears too.
I guess I should explain the idea of noodle folk. It was a reference to a kid’s movie from years ago in which the family group, although not biologically linked had a common set of qualities, they made and sold noodle soup. So with certain of our family qualities (bizarre sense of humor, car lovers and tended to show our affection with insult and harassment) we saw ourselves as kind of ‘noodle folk’.
I do think that Mark was kind of doing the “man up” thing here, putting a brave face on what has to be a hard thing for him. But I think Michelle has helped him there.
The Event Series (Book 3): The Archive and Beyond Page 2