*****
Mayor Delgado shook their hands and thanked Lieutenant Griffith for bringing Aeric and his friends to meet with him. Aeric watched the mayor’s face intently when both he and Tyler took off their bandanas, revealing their substantial scaring. To his credit, the man didn’t blink an eye. “I know my daughter will be excited to see you folks,” he stated. “She took it hard when Julie showed up and told us that you’d been killed by the Vultures.”
“Do you know where my little sister is?” Katie asked.
The mayor shuffled around some papers on his desk until he found the calendar. “Let’s see, today is December 31st—a Tuesday in case you wanted to know—so that means she and Kayla are at Shellie’s house. The girls split time between our house and living with Shellie, one of our city’s guards.”
Christmas had come and gone, they hadn’t even known. It used to be his favorite holiday. His parents would always decorate the house with lights and tons of little knickknacks everywhere. They’d have his aunts and uncles over with their children and invite the neighbors for dinner. There was always an abundance of presents and food, good tidings and cheer, the works. His memories of the holidays with his family were some of his favorite. This year, it hadn’t even been a passing thought for him.
“Is Shellie’s house far?” Katie pressed the mayor, stirring Aeric from his brief nostalgia.
“No, it’s only a couple of blocks away,” he answered. “Veronica can take you there when she gets back.”
“Sounds good,” Aeric said. “Lorelei said that you might need help with your gathering squads?”
“Yes, we need experienced people who can go out into the surrounding area and bring in supplies to the community. We started doing that last month once we fully took stock of our provisions and realized that our current population could only be sustained for about six months with what we had in warehouses across town.
“We’ve had a terrible time with losses to the gathering groups, mostly because they are inexperienced and the people who currently own the goods don’t want to give them up. The after action reports almost always have a clue as to what went wrong and if there’d been an experienced, level-headed leader with them to make the decisions, then things might have gone better. Would you be interested?”
“I don’t know,” Aeric replied. “You have the military base right here, why not ask them for leadership?”
“Well, that’s a tricky subject. Sure, they have manpower, but the base was mostly a training installation with a lot of students and few experienced leaders. Look, I don’t know you from Adam, Mr. Traxx, but I know that you led your group through the wastelands, out in the open, for more than three months. Plus, you faced the Vultures, who are already starting to encroach on what we view as our scavenging land, and survived. There’s no way that you made it without having the ability to know when to talk your way out of a fight and when you needed to stand up to someone. San Angelo needs that type of leadership.”
“Not everyone in my group survived,” Aeric muttered.
“Maybe not,” the mayor admitted. “But most of you did. I’ve lost entire groups of people with no clue what happened to them. Twenty men and women at a time. We need whatever it is that you have, whether that’s skill or just dumb luck, you know how to survive and I want that capability with our gathering squads.”
“I wouldn’t be alive right now if it wasn’t for Tyler and I’d still be chained in the Vulture’s palace—or hanging from the wall—if it wasn’t for Katie. Our strength comes from our ability to work as a team. I’m nothing special, these guys are the reason we were able to make that journey and survive.”
The mayor nodded his head in approval. “I know that. We’re only as good as the people that we surround ourselves with. We need all of you.”
Aeric looked at his friends and asked, “Well, what do you think?”
“I go where you go, buddy,” Tyler responded and Aeric bumped knuckles with him.
Kate shook her head. “Aeric, I don’t think I can go back out there. This place seems so…normal. I want to settle down and start a family. My days of fighting are over.”
He did a double take and asked tentatively, “A family?”
She nodded her head. “I can’t go back out there. Not right now.”
“Oh shit,” Tyler mumbled.
“Are you saying that you’re pregnant?” he probed, ignoring Tyler’s comment.
“I’m pretty sure. I… I want to keep it. I can’t explain it.” She glanced at Lorelei and Mayor Delgado, who’d made themselves busy by studying the art on the walls and shuffling papers around on the desk respectively. “Even though it’s Justin’s, I can’t bring myself to get rid of it. I already love it. We could pretend that it’s yours and no one except you and Tyler would ever know. Please, Aeric.”
For a moment, anger rose up inside of Aeric, a rage that made him want to break everything in the room. There was no way that she was pregnant with his child, they had only tried to have sex one time since Austin and that had ended with her crying uncontrollably. No, if she were pregnant, it would be from that raping madman. He couldn’t allow the seed of that man to grow into a child. He thought about the old days of coat hanger abortions in the back room, or maybe he could kick her repeatedly in the stomach, anything to cause her to abort the baby.
Then, he felt embarrassed and ashamed that he’d considered doing anything to her. The rage subsided and he thought about the millions of people who’d adopted children before the war. It wasn’t Katie’s fault. She’d been a victim, biding her time until she could stand up for herself and rescue the two of them. If she asked him to, could he raise Justin’s child? Could he show it enough love and support to overcome Justin’s genetics?
It was a lot to ask of an eighteen—make that nineteen—year old kid. It was a major burden that he wasn’t sure he could carry. And then the memories of his father flooded through him. Sure, he’d been one of those helicopter parents, always hovering and heaping praise upon Aeric, but the man had been a good father. Could he live up to his father’s legacy?
“Uh, we’ll need to talk about this later,” he answered her and then made up his mind as he spoke. “I’m with you, through thick and thin. We’ll work through this, but this isn’t the time to talk about it.”
She took his meaning and smiled. “You’re right. We’ll talk later.”
Aeric felt her fingers intertwine with his own as he looked back to the mayor. “Okay, I’ll do it. If I’ve got Tyler with me, I know that I can be successful.”
The front door to the house opened and closed. “Good, I’m sure we’ll make a great team, Mr. Traxx. Sounds like my daughter is here.”
“Hey, dad. The guys down at the soup kitchen said you wanted to see me,” Veronica’s voice drifted from the foyer.
“We’re in the office, honey.”
They waited a few moments while she made her way through the house. She opened the door and looked the three newcomers over momentarily and then glanced at her father. She didn’t even seem to notice Lorelei over in the corner. “What’s up?”
The mayor smiled and then asked, “You don’t recognize your friends?”
Her eyes narrowed slightly at his words and she looked back to Aeric and Tyler. Veronica studied them for a moment and then she haltingly said, “Aeric?”
He grinned and felt the scars across his face tighten and stretch with the effort. “Hi, Veronica. We made it.”
“Oh my…” her voice trailed off and she rushed across the room to wrap her arms around him. After a few seconds, she let go and threw her arms around Tyler. “I thought you guys were dead! Julie said that you died in Austin.”
“We might as well have been,” Tyler replied. “We were taken prisoner by the Vultures and Katie rescued us.”
Veronica released Tyler and stuck out her hand to Katie. “You must be Katie. Are you Julie’s older sister Katie, or am I confused?”
Kate took her offered hand an
d shook it lightly. Aeric hoped that there wouldn’t be some type of territorial showdown or something like that. “No, I’m Julie’s sister. God, I’m so glad that she’s alive.”
“She’s such a huge help in the soup kitchen for us. We don’t make her work since she’s still a kid, but she jumps right in there and never asks for any special favors. She’s a trooper.”
“I can’t wait to see her again,” Katie answered enthusiastically.
“Okay, I can take you guys over to Shellie’s house in a few minutes,” Veronica stated. “Shellie likes having Kayla around. It helps her take her mind off of things that have happened.”
Aeric sensed that there was a story there of some kind, but he knew that this wasn’t the time or place for it either. “So, how have things been?” He felt foolish trying to make small talk with a woman he barely knew in front of everyone.
“Well, after you left Austin, the shootings and gangs started getting out of control,” the younger Delgado replied. “Then, the nukes hit all over the place and wiped out everything electric that was still working after the power had been shut off. It was a really scary three or four days until my dad got there. We rode bicycles all the way from Austin to San Angelo—of course, that was before the crazies started coming out of the woodwork in the wastes.
“Since then, we’ve established a centralized feeding point for the city over on the old Angelo State University campus. It’s pretty much in the center of the city, so we can help keep the food supplies safe and it’s about the same distance for everyone to get their daily rations.”
Veronica snapped her fingers and said, “Hey, I just had a great idea. Since you know your way outside in the wastes, maybe you should train our gathering squads. We could really use your expertise.”
“Ah, you’re just like your old dad, honey,” the mayor stated. “I’ve already asked them and they both said yes.”
She nodded her head, “Smart. If you’ve got a useful skill, then you’ll be a huge help to the community and not a burden like a few of our residents who lived here before things went to hell.”
“We would never be any kind of freeloader or something like that,” Aeric assured her. “We pull our weight and then some.”
Veronica poked him lightly in the ribs and teased, “Looks like you’ve lost a lot of that weight since the last time I saw you. I didn’t even recognize you two.”
He chose to keep the mood light and not mention the month of constant torture that they’d endured at the hands of the Vultures. Instead, he answered, “Yeah, we spent a lot of time pedaling away on bicycles too. My old baseball coaches would be proud of how thin I’ve become.”
“I didn’t know you were a baseball man, Traxx. I used to play too,” the mayor said. “What position did you play?”
“I was a shortstop. Tyler was a first baseman. We both played for the Longhorns.”
“Eh, I was an Aggie myself, but I won’t hold the fact that you went to a party school instead of a real academic institution against you boys.”
Aeric grinned to himself. Even in post-apocalyptic America, sports fans ribbed one another over their alma mater. Humans had messed up this world, possibly beyond repair, but there would always be good people who tried to make the most of the situation.
Aeric wanted to be one of the good guys and he decided that he’d start by making a difference in his new community.
EPILOGUE
“And that, children, is the story of Aeric Traxx, your great-great grandfather,” Aiden said with a wide grin. “Because of him, we are who we are. Our family has thrived for more than one hundred and fifty years while others have faltered and died out. He laid the foundations that we have built our empire upon.”
Varan glanced around at the ramshackle family homestead with its fourteen houses built around a central meeting area. Beyond the houses were the family crops and further still, the walls that the Traxx family maintained to keep away the Vultures and creatures that roamed the darkness. It didn’t resemble much of an empire to him.
“Grandad, why did we leave San Angelo?” Varan asked. “If Aeric journeyed all that way to get to the city, why don’t we still live there?”
The boy was much smarter than his older brother the old man thought. Caleb would have been content to smash demonbrocs with a hammer all day long instead of applying critical thought to wonder why they attacked and making an effort to change things. “San Angelo fell to the Vultures when Aeric was an old man. My father and I fought to save the city, but there were too many of them. They were much more disciplined back then, not nearly as wild and unorganized as they are today. The Vultures were able to mass their forces and destroy the city. Not for plunder or for food, simply for revenge.”
Caleb’s eyes lit up at the word. “Was it Cantrell?” he asked.
The old man yawned and stretched his arms skyward to loosen his aching shoulders. He shouldn’t have sat as long as he had that night. Aeric’s story could have been told over the course of two nights, but he’d been delighted to see the looks on the children’s faces as he described the events of the past that had been passed on to him by his own father and grandfather, Traxx himself.
“No, it wasn’t Cantrell. They never heard from him again. He probably died quickly in the wastes.” Aiden shifted in his chair. “The story of the Vulture’s revenge is best left for another night, young ones. It’s late now and you must go to sleep or else you’ll be worthless at sword practice in the morning.”
The grumbling of the children brought a smile to Aiden’s weathered face. Now he was certain that he’d done a good job telling the story. The children rarely seemed enthusiastic for anything that didn’t involve learning new ways to trap or kill and he was delighted that he’d been able to relieve their burdens, even if it was only for one night.
Little Tanya placed her hand on his knee and asked, “Did Aeric marry Katie or is Veronica our grandmother?”
“Ah, child, you are so observant. I didn’t tell you who he decided to be with, did I? Aeric married—” He stopped himself from giving away the answer. He’d enjoyed himself thoroughly this night and wanted the feelings to be repeated so he kept them wanting more.
“You know, my little Traxx warriors, the story of your great-great grandmother will have to wait for another night as well. But know this: Aeric Traxx loved my grandmother until his dying day.
“Now, off to bed, young ones. Your fathers will beat me and throw me to the demonbrocs if you sleep late tomorrow morning. Go!” he shooed them away with both hands, only giving up the fight when Tanya wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I love you, Grandad,” she whispered in his ear.
“And I love you, baby girl. Run along, I’m getting tired myself and will probably fall asleep in this chair before too long. Your grandmother would strangle me if I don’t come to bed, though. I don’t want to get in trouble either,” he said with a wink.
The small child patted his knee affectionately and then ran to her house. Once she was safely inside, the old man picked up Aeric Traxx’s sword and walked stiffly to the house that he shared with his wife and their youngest son’s family.
Behind him, the fire continued to crackle, sending large flakes of gray ash skyward to mingle with the remains of the old world suspended in the heavens above.
To be continued in Fireside, Book 2 of The Path of Ashes
Fireside
Book 2 of The Path of Ashes
a post-apocalyptic novel by
Brian Parker
Copyright © 2015 by Brian Parker
All rights reserved. Published by Muddy Boots Press.
Edited by Aurora Dewater
Omnibus Contents Page
PROLOGUE
The ringing of the family’s alarm bell woke Aiden from a fitful sleep. He’d gone to bed late last night after telling the story of Aeric Traxx, the family’s patriarch, to his grandchildren. The old man had a restless night as he dreamt of the past and the destruction of the ci
ty of San Angelo when he was a boy.
He peered around his bedroom, scanning for a threat, half-expecting to be attacked by someone in the darkness. The ink-black night outside his windows told him that it was still likely hours before dawn. The sturdy, old grandfather clock down in the foyer was the only timepiece that they had in the house, so he couldn’t be sure of the time. If it had been the alarm, he needed to respond, regardless of the time of night, it was his duty.
He listened intently. The sound of the clock’s swinging pendulum permeated the darkness, causing him to question his old ears. Had I imagined it, possibly another nightmare? he wondered. Aiden began to relax and lay back. The alarm no longer rang outside the house, so it was entirely possible that it had been a dream.
The scrape of boots against the concrete sidewalk made him sit up again. Was that movement outside? That wasn’t right. At this hour, there shouldn’t have been anyone awake except the sentries on the perimeter walls. No one should have been out in the courtyard unless the alarm had gone off and they were responding to it.
Regardless of his body’s protests, Aiden chose to listen to the little voice telling him that something was wrong. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and walked quickly over to the armchair in the corner and sat down. He slid his legs into the ancient denim jeans. They’d been produced before the destruction of the old world almost eighty years ago and were then scavenged from an abandoned store in the former Republic of Texas.
“What is it, dear?” Aiden’s wife asked.
“The alarms,” he answered, grunting as he pulled his boots on. “They woke me up.”
He saw the outline of her jaw in the moonlight as she tilted her head to listen. “I don’t hear anything. Maybe you were dreaming?”
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