The End of All Things

by Lissa Bryan

“I don’t understand.” Mindy had always been friendly and talkative with Carly but something about the town had changed that.

  Mindy dropped the blanket and rubbed her temples. “Look, Carly, I accept that Stan and I are just along for the ride. You and Justin will be the ones to decide where we go and what we do, that was the deal we made. But I’m not ready to jump in with both feet. I don’t know if it’s because it’s weird to be around so many people after such a long time, or if it’s because this place seems to have been oddly frozen in time, but I’m just not . . . comfortable with it. Besides, you don’t want to take Dagny with you, right? Stan and I can watch her for you and have a nice relaxing evening together.”

  Carly nodded. She wouldn’t push. Just like Justin, she had to let Mindy accept things in her own time. Maybe Mindy was afraid of getting her hopes up in case they ultimately decided not to stay. “Did Tom give any information about what the meeting is about? Anything at all?”

  “Just that it’s after sunset at the church on the corner of Main Street.”

  “I don’t know where that is. Why don’t you and I take a walk after breakfast and explore the town a little?”

  Mindy liked the idea, so after Dagny delivered a surprisingly large belch, Carly dressed her in one of the pretty dresses Justin had got her for Christmas and wolfed down the eggs Mindy had made her for breakfast. As they left, Sam followed. He drew slightly wary looks from the people they met on the street, and Carly wished she’d thought to bring his leash. That might have made people feel a little bit more comfortable.

  The town had a small business district that covered about four square blocks. Some of the shops were still open. Carly saw a chalkboard in the window of a small grocery store that listed the exchange price of various foods in eggs or vegetables. It seemed all of them had gone over to a barter system.

  There was even a small book store still in operation, and the rate of exchange was two used books traded for one new book. Carly made a mental note to stop down there when Mindy wasn’t with her and get her a book on plants as a surprise.

  And speaking of surprises, Carly was startled to find all of the townsfolk seemed to know their names. They greeted her like she was an old friend, though Sam’s presence made them keep their distance. One little boy shopping with his mother was brave enough to ask if he could pet Sam. Carly happily gave permission and reassured his worried mother while he stroked the top of Sam’s head, which was almost level with his own. Sam gave the canine equivalent of a grin, with his tongue flopped out to the side of his open mouth. He gave the boy’s hand a sniff and licked him on the cheek, which made the little boy squeal with laughter.

  They met Justin and Tom coming down the street, and Carly kissed Justin on the cheek. “Morning, honey,” she said.

  “Morning. Out shopping, are you?”

  “Window shopping,” Carly said. “We didn’t bring anything with us to trade. I’m amazed at this, Tom. Your town is still . . . a town.” She finished the sentence lamely. The words she wanted to use to express her surprise at the sheer normalcy of it all wouldn’t come.

  “Morning, Miss Carly, Miss Mindy.” Tom actually tipped his hat. “Are you comin’ to the meeting tonight?”

  “What’s that all about, Tom?”

  “I’d rather wait to talk to you when we’re all gathered together,” Tom said.

  Carly glanced at Justin, and he shrugged.

  “Yeah, sure, we’ll come,” Carly said. Mindy had turned away and fiddled with the bracelet she wore, as though pretending she hadn’t heard Tom include her in the invitation.

  Tom beamed. “Excellent. Just come down to that church over there.” He pointed to the steeple on the other side of the little business district. Carly and Mindy hadn’t worked their way over there yet. “And then the missus wants to know if you’ll come to our place for dinner afterward.”

  “That sounds lovely. Thank you.” Carly glanced over at Mindy, but Mindy wouldn’t meet her eyes.

  “God, it’s almost creepy,” Justin muttered as Tom walked on down the street, having tipped his hat to the ladies once more. “I feel like I’ve fallen into a time warp.”

  Mindy’s eyes followed Tom as he strolled away. “I can’t help but wonder what lengths Tom and the other city council members went to in order to preserve this place. Hard decisions had to be made, sacrifices given. They preserved this little gem of normalcy, but at what price?”

  Carly imagined what it must have been like for family members returning to find the roadblock, pleading to be let inside to no avail, or neighbors trying to climb the wall or crash through the garage door gate to get inside. She couldn’t imagine her own anguish if it had been her parents or Michelle on the other side of the wall. Justin, sensitive to her moods, as always, took her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

  They enjoyed a very relaxing day. Carly let the horses out of the barn, and they galloped through the large yard. Carly and Mindy sat out on the porch, reading. Mindy was a bigger bookworm than Carly was and had already read all of the books Carly had in the wagon. She’d been delighted to find a shelf full of paperbacks in the living room.

  Dagny played with her toys on a blanket spread on the porch floor. Carly called the horses back when they began to wander away, out of fear they’d find someone’s vegetable garden and devour a family’s food. Sam and Tigger played a rousing game of chase before settling down together on the porch for a snooze.

  Mid-afternoon, Justin and Stan returned from “looking around,” and they had a delicious lunch of fresh vegetables steamed with rice. Afterward, Carly and Justin curled up on the porch swing together, and Carly read aloud to him from the novel she was currently enjoying, but she didn’t think he was listening. When she looked up, his eyes were distant.

  She came to the end of a chapter and turned the page.

  “Carly?”

  “Mmm?”

  “If I can’t find . . .” He rubbed the back of his neck, his expression thoughtful. “If it turns out there’s nothing wrong, how would you feel about staying here?”

  “I’d love it,” Carly said with an exuberant little bounce that made the swing creak. The enthusiasm she’d been trying to hold back, waiting until he could be assured the community was all it appeared to be, spilled out of her. She spoke so fast her words tripped over one another. “Oh, Justin, this place is more than I could have hoped for. It’s safe, we can grow plenty of food, and I might be able to trade with Mrs. Sutton and get us some chickens. We could have a wonderful life here, Justin.”

  “We could.” His expression was brooding. “I just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

  “Maybe they really are what they seem.”

  “Maybe. The town meeting will tell us a lot.”

  “What do you think it’s about?”

  “That’s not what I meant. I meant it would tell us about how well the townspeople cooperate, how their government works.”

  “I can’t imagine Tom is an ironfisted dictator.”

  Justin chuckled. “I think you’re probably right. But that could also be a weakness. If there was a hard decision to be made, do you think he could come down on the side of practicality versus emotion?”

  “I don’t know. He said he was in the service, and you saw his face when he mentioned people trying to force their way in. He’s a nice man, but I think he could be hard when he needs to be.”

  “I think you may be right,” Justin said. His eyes still had a distance, indicating he was thinking hard about something

  In her makeshift crib, Dagny started whimpering. It was a fruit crate, lined with towels and blankets, that Carly had set up on a small table so they could watch her while she napped. Dagny’s real crib was still in the wagon. The thing was so heavy Carly couldn’t carry it by herself, and Justin hadn’t mentioned bringing it inside yet. Carly wondered if that had some sort of special significance for him, and he would only unload the crib once they had found their new home.

  Carl
y picked Dagny up. Not wet, not hungry . . . she must just have been lonely. Carly settled back into the swing with Dagny on her chest, where she fell back to sleep almost instantly hearing the comforting thump of her mother’s heart. Justin smiled down at her, his gaze soft and tender.

  “There are other kids here.” Carly kept her voice low to avoid disturbing the baby’s sleep. “Boys she could date.”

  Justin groaned. “I changed my mind. We’re leaving. Not one of them is good enough for my baby girl.”

  Carly laughed. “You don’t even know them.”

  “I don’t need to,” Justin grumbled. “What about your dad? How did he react to you dating?”

  Carly considered his question. “He was very protective while I was still in school. I had an early curfew, and he wasn’t hesitant about checking up on me to see if I was where I said I was going to be. I know now he was doing it because he loved me, but at the time, I was the typical teenager, irritated and frustrated by his restrictions. I tried sneaking out once. Once.”

  Justin laughed. “What happened?”

  “The usual—I got grounded, privileges revoked. But the worst part was the look he gave me, like he was so disappointed in me.” She sighed and stroked Dagny’s downy hair. “I’m glad we were so close when I grew up. It gave me a chance to tell him I was sorry for all the trouble I’d caused him and Mom.”

  “And he probably told you it wasn’t any trouble and he was proud of you.”

  Carly smiled. “He did. How did you know that?”

  He pressed a kiss to the top of Carly’s head. “Because that’s what I would say to Dagny.”

  The bell in the tower rang and people poured in from all over the island, squeezing together in the church pews to make room for latecomers. Carly and Justin were seated in the front row, something which made Carly uncomfortable since she had never liked being the center of attention. She felt dozens of pairs of eyes on the back of her head.

  Mindy and Stan had stayed home with Dagny. Carly hated to leave her, but she knew a town council meeting probably wasn’t an appropriate place to bring a baby, and indeed, she saw none among the crowd squished together on the pews. Cynthia took the place next to Carly. She patted Carly’s hand and smiled at her. Her eyes sparkled. “How are you?” she whispered.

  “Fine, thanks. Did Andrea come with you?”

  “No, she’s got a bit of a sniffle. She stayed home. She’s watching over my roasted chicken, or at least she’s supposed to be, but she might get engrossed in a book and forget.”

  On the stage, a six-foot folding table had been set up, and the council took their places, Tom seated in the center. Carly tried to match them to their names. The somewhat grouchy-looking elderly lady was, without a doubt, Old Miz Marson. The middle-aged man beside her could be either Clayton Bierce or Doc Cotton, but then she noticed the younger man to his right and decided he was more likely to be Clayton. She’d expected Doc Cotton to be older, on the basis it sounded like an old person’s name. She wondered if he was a doctor, or if his real name was Murdock or something along those lines. She hoped for the former. It would be wonderful to have a doctor around for Dagny’s sake.

  Tom stood, and the murmur of conversation room fell to a respectful hush. “Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.”

  There was a rumble as the audience stood, and hands were placed over hearts. Tom started the recitation, and the people continued, all in one voice. Here, in this precious little pocket of normalcy, America was still a country.

  “You may be seated.” Tom waited for everyone to settle in their seats before he continued. “As you all know, we’ve been blessed by the arrival of four new friends. Five actually, if you count the little one.”

  “And we do,” Old Miz Marson interjected.

  “Five, then. In the course of getting to know them, I’ve discovered they’re fine people, indeed, and they have much to offer this community. Justin has many skills. Carly has her animals, including two horses, which will improve our farming, if she will consent to allowing them to be used in that fashion.”

  He glanced down at Carly. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to answer. “Of course. Shadowfax won’t mind pulling a plow.”

  “Thank you. Beyond that, they have a good deal of medical supplies Doc Cotton here thinks could save many lives, things we don’t currently have. Now, I’ll ask if you all will consider allowing Carly and Justin, Stan and Mindy to join our community.”

  Carly had half-expected this topic to be broached, but she hadn’t expected Tom would ask people to make a decision so quickly. She could tell Justin was surprised, too, from the tension in his posture, but he kept his face impassive.

  There was silence for a moment before a voice rang out. “I’ll second the motion.”

  Another followed. “I’ll third.”

  “A vote is called. All those in favor?”

  “Aye!” The cry was loud.

  Carly’s breath caught in her throat, and she felt tears sting her eyes. Justin took her hand and turned his head to face her, a question in his eyes. She gave him a tiny nod, and he responded with a faint smile and a gentle squeeze of her hand. She threaded her fingers through his. Her heart pounded. It was the start of a new life for them, and Carly knew she would always remember how she had felt at that moment, the wild tumult of emotion. Excitement was tangled up in a little trepidation, for it was a big step they were taking. She was both flattered and humbled the community would embrace them so quickly and wholeheartedly. And she was happy, so happy their long journey was at an end, and they could begin the business of building a life for their family. She hoped Mindy would become more comfortable with the idea once she’d had a little time to adjust.

  “Opposed?” Tom asked.

  “What about that wolf?” someone called out.

  Carly turned to look for the speaker. What about Sam? She had thought of all of them as a package deal and had assumed that’s how the offer had been intended. Apparently, she was not the only one because the room hummed with whispers and murmurs from the crowd.

  Tom held his hands up and silence fell again. “The chair recognizes Mike Yoder.”

  “That animal ain’t safe,” Mike Yoder said. He was a heavyset man with ginger hair that continued down his sideburns to join with a matching beard. “It’s not a dog. It’s a wolf. A wild animal. You can’t tame them, not completely. They’ll always have those predatory instincts. And you aren’t a professional animal trainer, are you Miss Carly?”

  Carly tilted her chin up. “No, I’m not.”

  Mike softened his tone a bit, possibly aware he had struck a nerve. “Never had no training in how to care for a wolf or how to recognize the danger signs in their behavior?”

  “No, but—” The tears were threatening again. She tried to remind herself Mike wasn’t trying to upset her with his questions, and they were questions that, truthfully, represented valid concerns for someone who didn’t know what Sam was like.

  “Miss Carly, I know you mean well and you believe the wolf would never hurt anyone, but you’re askin’ me to bet my child’s life on it. And I just can’t do that.” Having said his piece, Mike sat back down.

  Carly stood. She could do it for Sam, though her voice trembled a little from anxiety of speaking before so many people. “You don’t know me. You don’t have any reason to trust me, and I understand that, but Sam is very special. He’s incredibly intelligent and well-behaved. He’s never once been aggressive toward peaceful people.”

  “But he has been aggressive?” someone else called out.

  “He saved my life,” Carly said. “He saved me after the Crisis because without him to take care of, I might have just laid down and given up. After we started out on our journey, he protected us and defended us when necessary. He brought me food when Justin was injured. In short, I owe this animal my life many times over, and I’ll understand if you say you don’t want him in your community, but I’ll go with him if you say he has to leave.”


  Another voice began, “But you can’t guarantee—”

  “Life has no guarantees,” Justin said sharply. He stood and scanned the room. “You can’t guarantee the person sitting next to you won’t go crazy tomorrow and kill people.” He took a deep breath and gave Carly a small smile. “Just as my wife said, you don’t know us, and you don’t know if you can trust us, but I have this to offer you.” He pushed up the sleeve of his shirt. “Do you see this symbol? At one time, it meant something—a set of principles and a code of honor—for which I would have gladly laid down my life. Know that I swear on my honor I would not bring that animal amongst you if I had any doubts about your safety.”

  “Shall I call a vote?” Tom asked the room.

  “No,” Mike Yoder said. “I retract my objection.”

  Tom smiled. “So noted. The motion is so carried. Justin, Carly, I’ll not ask you to decide right now, since you’ll need to share this with Stan and Mindy, but we’re formally inviting you to join us.”

  Carly and Justin rose to their feet. The crowd became a blur as tears welled in her eyes, but she was smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. “Thank you,” she said to Tom and then to the townspeople. Justin repeated it and gave Carly a quick kiss on the cheek as they sat back down.

  “Here.” He fished in his pocket and handed her a tissue he must have brought from the house. Carly chuckled even as she dabbed at her eyes. That was Justin, always thinking ahead.

  The meeting continued for about an hour afterward, discussing issues with crop planting and the schedule for the gate watchers. As Cynthia had suggested, the number of watchers would be increased, and regular foot patrols would circle the fence around the swamp. The townspeople’s level of cooperation was admirable. There were those who disagreed, but logic and reason won out in the end, and issues were resolved by a vote.

  After it adjourned, Carly and Justin walked home with Cynthia and Tom, who held hands as they strolled. As soon as they entered the house, they knew something was wrong. Carly smelled burning meat. Cynthia’s forehead wrinkled in concern, and she called for Andrea, but her daughter didn’t answer.