by Jon Cronshaw
26. The Deal
The wizard leans back against a truck, arms folded as he glances between Abel and Sal. “I've been talking to some of the people around here and they're not happy.”
Sal nods. “I know it's a lot to ask. Abel’s talking about constructing some kind of ramp so we can send our people over the fence.”
“You need to see it from our perspective, man. We’re just getting things sorted here. I've got nothing against Trinity, but you people are draining us. We were away more than a week to meet the caravans. That food usually lasts a few months. And now it’s going to be gone in a matter of weeks. We can't live like this.”
Abel leans forward and stares at the wizard. “This is why you should help them. As soon as they get Trinity back, they'll be gone. And then you’ll have another place to trade.”
“No offence, man. But what's stopping us from just asking your lot to leave. I'm sure it was fine for you to be here when Jacob was running things, but when it comes to it, he was a Trinity guy. We don't owe you anything. I'm running things now and I need to do what's best for my people.” He flinches at Abel’s glare. “I know that sounds harsh, but that’s what I need to do.”
“So, what?” Abel asks. “You’re going to leave these people to wander the wastes and die? Come on, you know what it’s like out there.”
“You said you'd help us,” Sal says.
The wizard nods. “That was before. I’ve got to look out for my people. And, no offence, Abel, every time you and me cross paths, you're always trying to do something stupid.”
Abel shakes his head. “I thought you’d changed. But you haven't changed at all.”
Sal places a hand on Abel's arm and nods. “You’re perfectly within your rights to do that. I understand my community has placed a great burden upon you. We’ll work out a way.” She turns to leave.
“Wait,” says the wizard. “I haven’t finished.”
Sal raises her chin. “You've made your position perfectly clear. I'll let my people know and we’ll be out of your hair as soon as we can.”
“I said, I haven't finished.”
Sal hesitates and looks at Abel.
Abel nods and turns to the wizard. “At least just help us get a decent ramp built. There's a lot of stuff around here that’s just junk.”
“I didn't say we can’t help you. It's just you're expecting a lot from us for nothing in return. Apart from...” He shrugs. “What are you offering? You're offering to clear the people at the Grid. All I need to do is give the word to a few of my people and you will have no choice but to leave.” A grin curls along the wizard’s mouth. “We’re going to need more.”
“What do you mean?” Sal asks.
The wizard pushes out his bottom lip. “I'll help you with your ramp. I'll even give you people to help with the raid. But I want what Jacob had. I want a home in Trinity.”
“This isn’t about helping your people at all,” Abel says.
The wizard glare at him. “If we’re going to take Trinity, we’re taking it for everyone here—that means everyone.”
Sal shakes her head. “We’ve spent too long building a community of God-fearing Christians. Having some of the people here, living among us...I don't know.”
The wizard snorts. “You're kidding right? You’re talking about your community as if it’s still a thing. Trinity is gone, man. It's gone and I'm offering to help you get it back.”
Sal takes in a deep breath and looks in the wizard’s eyes. “If you promise to live by our rules—”
The wizard raises a hand and shakes his head. “We'll live within your walls and help out with everything. But you’re not leading us. I need to be in charge.”
Sal closes her eyes. “You promise not to interfere with our Christian duties?”
“When I see Trinity, I see a trade hub. If you want to carry on with all that Christian stuff, don’t let me stop you.”
Abel clenches his jaw. “You don’t have to listen to this, Sal. We can work something else out.”
Sal holds out her hand to the wizard. “If we can continue to live our lives how we did before, I accept your offer.”
The wizard gives a wolfish grin and shakes Sal’s hand. “Done. Let's get to work.”
THE WIZARD CLIMBS ONTO the back of a pickup truck and casts his gaze across the gathered people. “Everyone, listen,” he says, raising his right hand. “This is important.” Smiling, he looks over to Sal. “You guys at the Grid know who I am. The rest of you...” He shrugs.
“You that magic man,” Second Bob calls out. “I remember you. You made Mister Fluffy live.”
The wizard nods. “That was a long time ago. My magic show was destroyed. For the benefit of everyone else, I'm Alf. As Jacob's right-hand man, I've done a lot of stuff to make this place better. But now things are looking up. I've just had a conversation with the leader of Trinity. I've said we’re going to help get the place back.”
The residents from the Grid grumble. “Why should we help them?” a man calls out.
“If we help, we’re helping ourselves,” the wizard says, rubbing his hands. “Sal has agreed that if we get Trinity back, we’ll all be able to live there.”
The crowd erupts in a mixture of cheers and jeers, hostile eyes turning to Sal.
“When did this happen?” a pale-skinned woman asks, her eyes darting from the wizard to Sal. “Well?”
Sal raises her hands. “I was going to tell you myself, tell you in my own way.” She shakes her head. “But obviously, Alf has pre-empted that.”
“What did you offer them?”
Sal swallows. “I offered them what they're offering us—the chance to live in Trinity. We can't do it alone. We need people and we need equipment.”
“So you’re just going to let all these ungodly people into our home?”
“We don't have a home,” Sal sighs. “Our home was taken. I'll admit that it's not ideal, but we will build a new community and we will take our home back, and if it means sharing our home with these good people, that is a small price to pay.”
Abel climbs up onto the pickup truck and stands next to the wizard. “You can stand around debating this all day, but we really need to start getting to work. We need to make a ramp. We need to make weapons and shields. Look around you, these cars are made from things we can use. We should hit them at first light. They've got firearms. I'm sure there's a few of us around who’ve got weapons.” He pats the shotgun strapped to his shoulder. “We might be out-gunned, but we can use our numbers to overwhelm them. A few of you need to stay back here with the kids. With Big Ned's people and everyone from the Grid, there should be a good few hundred of us.”
“They're behind a big fence. And they are well-armed,” a bony man calls out. “You're sending us into a certain death.”
Abel shakes his head. “You're right. They've got all the advantages. But all of you from Trinity aren't going to be welcome here for much longer. You are going to have to split up if you're going to be in with a chance of surviving. And even then, most of you won't cope.” His eyes drift to Sal. “I'd hazard a guess that half of you will be dead by the time winter’s done, maybe more.” Raising his chin, he casts his gaze east, following the highway towards Trinity. “If you don't want to help, then go. Leave now and don't look back.” He scans across the faces, watching the low murmurings and whispers. “Anyone?” He waits again, but no one moves. “Good.”
27. The Campervan
Walking at the wizard’s side, Abel inspects the rusted remains of a pair of sinking trucks. “You think we can do anything with these?”
“No, man. It’ll take too long to do anything. We need to look for stuff we can use now.”
“These tyres look pretty hefty. I made some armour with some tyres once, saved my life.”
The wizard nods, rubbing his chin. “That could work, I guess. Only trouble we’ve got is if we start making things like armour, then we’ve got to make it for everyone.” He looks around. “We might
have enough tyres, but how long did it take? I’ve tried to cut through those things in the past and they’re filled with metal.”
“Yep. Took me a while. You need tools to cut through them. We don’t have time.”
Grunting, the wizard yanks a rusted car door from its hinges, staggering back when it comes free. “We could use these though.”
“What?”
“The doors, man. A couple of people could walk behind these. Might be enough to stop an arrow or two.”
Abel grins. “Sounds good. We need as much cover as we can get.”
“I’ll tell the others.”
“Should start with the ones people aren’t using to sleep in.”
“Good point,” the wizard says. “If this thing doesn’t work out, then at least I’ll still have somewhere.”
Abel rolls his eyes. “Right.”
“What?”
“After everything you’ve been through, it’s still all about you.”
The wizard raises a hand. “I do what I need to survive, man.”
Abel stops and gestures past the wizard. “Remember that thing?”
“Yeah, I remember chasing after that thing. Nearly got me killed.”
Abel approaches the campervan first, its sides scorched. “We sure did a number on this.”
“What happened to those kids?”
“Most of them stayed at Trinity. A couple of them went back to the Family.”
“Glad we saw the back of them. It was hard when the plez dried up. A lot of violence around here.” He looks around, swallowing. “Bad days, man.”
“What do you mean?” Abel kicks the campervan’s tyres, still inflated.
“After what happened with us, we move them out. People still got plez though. And then it just stopped. They just got up and moved on.”
“You know where they went?”
“Damned if I know.”
“I took out their factory.”
The wizard cocks his head. “Yeah, right, good one. The factory is in the city. Unless you're good at swimming...” He pushes out his bottom lip.
“I had a boat and some dynamite. Watched it fall into the water.”
There's a long pause, and the wizard raises his eyebrows. “Is that true?”
“What do you think?”
“I think you're nuts, whether you're lying or not.”
“Got no reason to lie. And you said yourself the supplies dwindled.”
The wizard holds his gaze, looking at him for several seconds. “You’re telling the truth, aren’t you? You really did it.” He shakes his head, grinning. “You really are nuts.”
Abel looks down, smiling. “Maybe.”
Pacing around the campervan, the wizard crouches next to each tyre, testing them. After checking all four, he looks up at Abel. “We got four intact wheels and a solid frame. I think we can work with this for a ramp.”
“Look at it, it's burnt.”
“That's just the bodywork, man. Structure’s still intact.” He wanders around the outside, pondering the campervan's form. “We have to pull off the sides, keep the front and get rid of all of this.” He gestures to the campervan's accommodation.
“I suppose,” Abel says, rubbing his chin. “If we made a walkway, we could use it to get over the fence.”
“Let's get some people.”
Abel stops and shakes his head. “There's no way we’ll be able to get this to work.”
“What do you mean?”
“It's half a day's walk to Trinity.”
“So? We’ve seen this thing being pulled along before. That's what we need to do.”
Abel nods. “Right.”
BIG NED AND SECOND Bob sit cross-legged on the ground as they each drag a stone along steel rods, sharpening their ends to a point.
“How are you getting on?” Abel asks.
Big Ned looks up and snorts. “Busy making sharp.”
“We found these metal things, mister,” Second Bob says. “We whittling them to point. They better than sticks.”
Abel takes a seat on the ground and examines Second Bob's spike, nodding as the reflected sunset runs across its surface. “I think the wizard is nearly done building a ramp. You think your people are going to be ready to head out first thing?”
“We always ready, mister,” Second Bob says.
“Keep your words, boy,” Big Ned says, flashing Second Bob a glare. He turns to Abel. “We be ready. We got spikes. We got shields. If we get in, they going to get got.”
Abel sighs and looks down at his hands, the creases along his palms black with grime. “Yep. I just hope your people are okay in there. They killed a friend of mine, hung him up on a cross.”
“They pull Little Big Ned and Second Ned up on ropes by their necks. They took Big Bob’s head.” Big Ned says. “They bad. They got to get got.”
“I was thinking we should get on the highway after breakfast,” Abel says, looking up at the sky. “You should get some water boiled from the well, make sure you’ve got something to drink on the road.”
“How long it take, mister?” Second Bob asks.
“You can usually do it in half-a-day, but with the ramp, it's going to take a lot longer.”
“Whole day?” Big Ned asks.
“I'd say. Best time to strike will be just as the sun rises. It will be light enough for us to see, but most of them should still be asleep. We can take them by surprise.”
“And then they get got.”
SIS LOOKS OVER DAVID's shoulder, watching as he slowly dismantles his pistol, laying the bullets side-by-side at his feet, setting them into the ridges of the pickup truck's trailer floor. Abel tilts his head, feet on the ground, arms resting on the trailer’s side, light fading in the sky. “How's it going, you two?”
“Got my rifles clean,” Sis says. “David not so good at cleaning.”
“Always good to keep these things maintained. Either of you eaten?”
David shakes his head, his eyes still focused on dismantling the pistol. “I figured I'd eat once I've finished this.”
“There’s not enough light left, kid. I was thinking, we’re going to need some people to stay here and look after the other kids. You think you can handle it?”
“I can,” Sis says.
David looks up. “I want to come.”
“No, kid. It's too dangerous.”
“We've seen worse.”
“No we haven't. This is serious, kid. There's going to be a lot of children staying here and not a lot of adults. I promise someone will come to get you as soon as everything’s done at Trinity.”
David looks up at Abel. “What if you don't?”
“Then you have to teach them how to survive out here. You know about finding food and water, how to find shelter.” Abel shakes his head. “The rest of these kids don't know that. This is a big responsibility. Think I can trust you both?”
David and Sis exchange glances then nod in silence.
“Hey,” Abel says. “There's nothing to worry about. You'll be fine. You'll be great.” He looks over his shoulder. “Just make sure you heat the water from the well over the fire until it bubbles. It should be safe to drink, but if you don't heat it, you might get ill.”
“It's not that,” David says. “I don't want you to go.”
“I need to, kid.”
“You've already done so much for them. We should go home.”
“Damn it, kid.” Abel slaps his hand against the trailer’s side. “I said I'm going to help these people. Once we get Trinity back, we’ll have somewhere to trade. We can get back out into the city and find some more great stuff. Remember how things were when we first met?”
David nods.
“Things have got better. Things will always get better. I think that's worth fighting for, don't you?”
“I'm scared you're going to die,” David blurts, his bottom lip starting to tremble. “Please, don't go.”
Abel reaches forward and places a hand on David's forearm. T
hey look at each other for a long moment as Abel takes in a sharp breath. “I need to,” he says, lowering his eyes. “I'll be back. I promise.”
“Damn it, Abel. And what if you're not? I can't be alone out here.”
Abel shakes his head and forces a smile. “You don’t have to be alone, kid. You and Sis can run together. The people from Trinity will look out for you, I'm sure of it.”
“And what if you don't get Trinity back?”
“It will still be the same people. I need you to be strong and to be brave and to look out for all these other kids. You've been through more than they have and you survived—just remember that.”
David nods and sighs. “Sorry.”
“Don’t sweat it, kid. Let’s go eat before it gets too dark.”
“What about this?” David gestures to his pistol.
Sis crawls over to the weapon and fixes the parts back together. “There,” she says, handing the pistol to David and smiling. “We work together, whatever happens.”
SUMPTUOUS DARK CLOUDS eddy around the moon as Abel prods at a fire with a steel spike. Wrapping a hand with a cloth, he removes three tins of beans from the flames, and sets them down to cool on the asphalt. He turns away from the glare, squinting as the light dots cloud his vision. “Give them a while,” he says. “Did you manage to get water sorted?”
David fingers the tin’s edge and drags it towards him along the ground. “I'm bored of beans,” he says, wrinkling his nose.