Gleanings

by Alice Sabo

  “What’s High Meadow do about security?” Brendan asked.

  Nick was about to launch into an explanation of the Watch, Rovers and Sentinels when Wisp shuffled into the room. “Hey. You okay?”

  “Overload,” Wisp said hoarsely.

  His presence seemed to send the others into action. A couple of kids starting setting the big table. More people came in, covered in dust, to wash off at the sink. Nick watched as Wisp took his turn. He seemed to be sturdy enough on his feet.

  The ranchers set out a hearty dinner of meat, potatoes and green beans. Nick was pretty sure the meat was beef because it didn’t have the right flavor for venison. He dug in happily. It had been years since he’d eaten real beef. He discounted whatever meats were in Stew-goo.

  “The meal doesn’t surprise you,” Marvin said.

  “I don’t think our green beans are in yet,” Nick said with a smile. His answer only incurred more frowns, so he decided to give them a little information for goodwill. “And we don’t have a supplier for beef. We lean more towards venison right now. Holly Hill gave us a litter of pigs, but I think we’ll be breeding most of them.”

  “So food isn’t an issue?” Brandon asked.

  “It’s always an issue,” Nick corrected him. “We opened our doors to refugees. Last I heard, we were feeding over a thousand people.”

  “And you can sustain that?” asked a woman who hadn’t spoken before.

  Nick rubbed his chin. “We’re working on it. We’ve got contracts with a couple of farms and a dairy—”

  “Contracts?” Brendan laughed. “What kind of contracts could you possibly have?”

  Nick saw the anger behind Brendan’s words. He took a moment to pick his words carefully. “The old fashioned kind where each party gets something they want.”

  The table quieted for a moment. Marvin leaned forward. “And what do you give them for their hard work?” His question was sincere, but there was a lot of heat in his eyes.

  “It depends on what they need. Creamery needed security, so we gave them trained men. Holly Hill was almost wiped out by the last flu. We sent over people who wanted to work the land. Sometimes I help swap things around. Holly Hill’s grain for Creamery’s cheese.”

  “What happens if they decide they don’t need you to do that for them?” Marvin asked.

  Nick was starting to feel angry by where the questioning was going when Wisp spoke up.

  “Most of the people involved have had to deal with raiders, and they know how disruptive it is. Aside from the danger involved, it takes them away from their daily work. Angus is building a safe place where they can get on with their businesses. It’s more than supplying food. The food producing partners know that they can ask for help, any kind of help because Angus isn’t just keeping the farms safe. He’s keeping the tailors and doctors and chemists and barbers safe too.”

  “You have doctors?” Elaina asked.

  “We do,” Nick said. He was impressed with Wisp’s speech and decided to underscore their position. “I know you folks want to be independent. We just want to be able to trade with you. Swap out some chickens and roosters. Maybe some other animals to keep them healthy.”

  He was pleased to see an inkling of interest spark in Marvin’s eyes. “You have chickens?”

  “I’m not on a trading trip this time,” he said apologetically. “Next time I can bring some chickens, maybe some cheese.”

  “Do you have cows?” Elaina asked.

  “No. We have a trading partner that’s a dairy. They might be interested in a bull, or its services.” Nick had no idea if milk cows were that much different from meat cows, but his comment got some discussion going.

  “It would be crazy to try to travel with animals,” Brendan said. “We’d need more men as guards than we can spare.”

  “How far away is the train station?” Nick asked.

  Marvin gave him another dark look. “Trains stopped running awhile back.”

  “Some of them are back online,” Nick said. “They run a freight car now, so we can move animals that way. If you let me know what station is closest here, I can ask them to start servicing out this way.”

  “Won’t go north,” Wisp added.

  “No,” Nick agreed. “You’ve got some troublesome neighbors up that way.” His words caused a lot of guarded looks to be traded across the table. Now that he had a chance to see all of them together, it was obvious that this was not a single family. But they were joined more tightly than the average community.

  “We’re going to take care of that after dinner,” Brendan said in a low growl. “We’d appreciate a hand if you’ve got the time.”

  Nick glanced at Wisp. They hadn’t planned to go after the rest of the bandits. He expected Wisp to beg off, saying he was needed elsewhere.

  “I’ll scout them and let you know how many are left. You shouldn’t head out until you have solid numbers,” Wisp said.

  Marvin nodded but kept his eyes on Brendan.

  “We know there were about twenty-five of them. More than half are dead in the yard now. This is the best time to hit them.”

  Nick didn’t want to get caught in an internal argument. “How long to scout them?” he asked Wisp.

  Wisp pushed his chair back. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

  Chapter 44

  Many small communities or large families that we come in contact with were reticent to join with us until they saw how they could also receive the benefits of security, food and medicine.

  History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss

  BRIDGET SAT DOWN TO another incredible meal. It was too much food for her, so she tucked away what she couldn’t finish. She had chosen a seat with her back to a wall so she could look out across the noisy cafeteria and watch all these strangers. Mothers with children, children on their own, men with their families or friends all sat side by side smiling and polite. It seemed a little unnatural.

  “Do you think there’re drugs in the food?” Jace asked as if he’d read her mind.

  She forced a chuckle for him. “No. I think they’re all so glad to get a good meal that they’d sit next to a tiger if they had to.”

  A tall man with dark hair and brown eyes came in the door and scanned the room. There was something of authority about him.

  “Uh oh,” Jace said as the man turned towards them. “What do you want to do?”

  “About time,” Bridget said. “I want to see where he takes us.”

  “Right,” Jace grumbled. He wolfed down the last few bites off his plate.

  “Evening,” the tall man said with a pleasant smile. “If you folks are done, Martin would like a word.”

  Bridget let him lead them to the dish room to drop off their trays before taking them down the hall. She assessed their guide, and knew she couldn’t take him. He was well fed and fighting fit. Maybe with Jace she had a chance, but not here where he had a lot of help. She might be walking into a trap, but was there any other way to get the information she needed?

  They were brought to an office that looked more like a war room: maps on the walls, rosters on clipboards. It was full but tidy. The man behind the desk was older, maybe forties. He had dark hair and a weathered face that looked vaguely familiar. She wondered if she’d already met him. Then he looked up, and she recognized those brown eyes. “Asbury?” she howled.

  His eyes lit up. “Rahara?” He jumped to his feet to welcome her with a hug. “I can’t believe you’re still alive.”

  “I’m a tough old boot,” she bantered back.

  “Me too, me too.” He held her at arm’s length with a fond smile.

  “Don’t tell me you’re in charge here?” she asked.

  “I am.” His smile turned somber. “And you’ve been casing the place all day.”

  She laughed, not sure if she was glad or not to see him. This could complicate things. “We saw your flyer and had to figure out what kind of place this was.”

  Martin pointed them to chairs tha
t faced his desk. “It’s a good place.”

  She took note of the fact that he went back to sit behind his desk. Despite their previous connection, he made his loyalties clear. She approved of that and appreciated that he made it obvious. “So it seems.” She nodded at him amiably. “This is my buddy, Jace.” The men nodded at one another.

  “Who’s we?” he asked.

  Bridget stared at the man she’d been through so many bad times with and wondered how much she should trust him. Just after Zero Year, she wouldn’t have had to think twice. They had fought shoulder to shoulder in some of the worst conditions. But she hadn’t seen him in a long time. “There’s a group of us up north.”

  “You familiar with General Washburn?”

  She shook her head, wondering if he would give her any information.

  “You need to steer clear of him.”

  “Why is that?” Jace asked, a belligerent edge to his question.

  “He takes,” Asbury said sourly. “And he didn’t earn that rank. Not sure if he was in the military at all. My intel is a couple weeks old, but he’s set up a fortress and is stockpiling food and weapons. He’s supposed to be working for the president.”

  “President?” Bridget twitched at the name. “We have a president?”

  “Self-proclaimed, I believe. There’s a whole office building full of toadies passing laws and filing papers.”

  She was stunned. “How come we don’t know about it?”

  Asbury pointed at her with a smile. “I always knew you were a smart cookie. It’s just the last gasp of bureaucracy holding on to a lost time.” His smile faded. “He hasn’t a clue what’s really going on.”

  “Do you know about the train food?” she asked. If he could give her real information, she didn’t care if it exposed how out of touch she was.

  “Pretty sure all the factories are shut down now. The train people said they haven’t had a delivery in months. The press gangs have disappeared, so it makes sense that they don’t have need for the people anymore.”

  She wondered if her face asked the question. Asbury was obviously more connected than they were.

  “I guess you didn’t run into them,” he said.

  She worried that he’d read something into that. “We’re pretty isolated.”

  “Well, you’re welcome here.”

  She knew what Dunham would say. That they couldn’t leave their posts. And she wondered why it would matter. She wanted so much to confide in someone. She had trusted Asbury with her life once. But so many things changed after Zero Year.

  “I can use as many trained men as you’ve got.”

  Bridget startled at his assumption. “What makes you think we have any?” She was just about to start making up some stories when the tall man reappeared.

  “Got a situation, Martin.”

  Asbury was on his feet and moving. She motioned for Jace to join her as she followed him out the door. They went down to the infirmary. She had been impressed by their setup. It was almost like a real clinic. In the middle of the room, a wild-eyed man was wielding a steak knife. He was skinny and nearly gray with stress.

  Jace sidled up behind her. “This is a situation?” he murmured for her ears only.

  Unless he’d gotten awfully lazy, Bridget knew that Asbury could disarm this guy in a heartbeat. She wondered how this was going to play out.

  “Hey there, friend. What’s the problem here?” Asbury said gently.

  “I’m taking my wife home!”

  “Okay.” Asbury looked to a short woman wearing a white coat, her dark hair skinned back into a bun. Bridget guessed she was one of the doctors.

  “I’m not keeping her here,” she said sharply.

  An equally thin woman pushed past her to confront the man. “I’m not leaving!” Bridget recognized her from earlier. She was the one with the sick baby.

  “You’ve brainwashed her,” her husband growled at the doctor.

  “Easy, easy now. There’s no reason to get worked up. We just need to sort this out. Why don’t we go down to the cafeteria and sit down with a cup of tea.”

  “I’m not eating anything from this place. You’re drugging people!”

  Bridget wondered if that was true. The mood here was much too cooperative in her opinion. An old woman with frizzy white hair and pale gray eyes joined the circle around the confrontation.

  “When did you last eat?” she asked.

  The husband spun to face her. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Of course it does. It’s hard to think when you’re hungry.”

  “I won’t eat your food!” His voice was getting more shrill and his eyes even wilder.

  “I’m Tilly,” the old lady said in a gentle tone. “My husband and I run this place. Everyone’s welcome” Her soft voice was mesmerizing. She held out a packet of Crunch. “Would you eat this?”

  The husband actually started to drool. He dropped the knife and took the packet with shaking hands. “Why would you do this?” His voice cracked with emotion.

  “Because we need every human being left on this planet just to survive.”

  Her soft words resonated through Bridget. It sounded like something she’d heard Dunham say. Her opinion suddenly shifted. This situation had shown her more about this place than a week-full of speeches. Asbury could have come in here, disarmed the man and thrown him in the stockade till he started listening. Instead, they fed him.

  The skinny woman threw her arms around the skinny man. “They’re feeding our boy,” she whimpered to him. “We can’t leave now.”

  Bridget’s eyes prickled suspiciously. She reached over to tug Asbury out of the room. “I’m ready to talk to your commander.”

  Chapter 45

  At some point, we have to stop reacting to each crisis as it arises and make real plans.

  History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss

  WISP SCANNED THE ROADSIDE for the best cover. He could feel the remnants of the attackers moving away erratically. Their anger burned bright, and he estimated that there were less than ten of them moving in different directions. They would be disorganized for a couple of days. And depending on the egos and relationships, they might never come together as cohesively as when the crazy man led them. He considered them a very low priority target. If this was his home, he’d track them over the next few days to see what they got up to. But it wasn’t his home. The ranchers wanted to end this threat. Unfortunately, their attackers didn’t neatly go back to a central location to regroup. It would take a couple of days on foot to track them all down.

  He reached for Ep and found him a lot closer than he’d expected. Close enough that he could get to him tonight. The contact disoriented him. For a moment, it didn’t feel quite right. Not like the brother he was expecting. He shook off the illusion concentrating on his surroundings until he felt centered. With Ep this close, he almost headed back to grab Nick and go after him, when he stopped himself. The ranchers needed a better report than a vague assurance that the attackers had disbursed.

  He walked the perimeter of the ranch staying under cover as much as that allowed. The sun was setting by the time he returned to the house. Nick was feeling intense, but very pleased with himself. Wisp knocked on the back door even though it was open. The ranchers were all still very jumpy.

  “What did you find?” Nick asked.

  Wisp was surprised to find papers and maps spread out all over the big kitchen table. He wondered what Nick was up to. “They scattered in all directions.”

  “Damn.” Brendan crossed muscular tanned arms. Wisp didn’t feel a threat but was aware that Brendan didn’t believe him.

  Wisp walked over to the table to look at the maps. He found one of the ranch and began pointing out where the attackers had gone. “Three of them headed this way. There are about seven others that took off singly, mostly headed down this way. I don’t know if they will join up again elsewhere. There aren’t any people along here as far as I could feel.”

  “So n
o trouble tonight?” Nick asked.

  “No.” Wisp felt a combination of distrust and relief in the room. They were too wound up to believe that there was no follow up attack coming. “I think that taking out the leader disoriented them. He was unhinged. Most of the time the followers of a leader like that won’t be able to work together without an equally powerful personality forcing them to. But a leader like that wouldn’t let anyone take on that much power.”

  Nick scooped up a handful of papers. “We should get going.”

  The distrust in the room increased. Wisp wasn’t sure that he and Nick could take all of them. He stepped back and loosened up.

  “Where to?” Marvin asked, his brows scrunched together in a frown.

  Wisp could feel that Nick was aware of the emotion in the room, but he was acting totally relaxed. He gestured to Wisp. “That’s up to him. We’re still looking for his friend.” Nick carefully folded the papers and tucked them into his pocket. “I should be back at High Meadow in a couple days. I’ll talk to the animal committee about getting you some chicks. I know they’re expecting some to hatch soon. And I’ll let Creamery know you’ve got bulls.”

  Nick’s trader talk started to calm the ranchers.

  “Maybe we’ll come for a visit,” Brendan said. Wisp could feel a mix of emotions in him. He was suspicious but also hopeful.”

  “Anytime,” Nick said as he started shaking hands around the room. He gestured to the counter where Wisp saw three jars of Eunice’s cherry preserves. “I think we’re expecting a plum harvest soon. You might want to come barter for some of that. If that last storm didn’t strip the trees. Can’t make any promises with that kind of weather.”

  There was a swirl of longing going through the children. A few others were streaked with jealousy. But Nick’s disclaimer seemed to smooth things over. Ranchers understood the vagaries of nature.

  Wisp headed for the jeep hearing Nick’s constant banter behind him. He reminded them where High Meadow was and about the train lines and which stations to take. The chatter was disarming them. Once more, Nick spoke of bartering, and what they had available. Wisp slid into the passenger seat. The inside of the vehicle was coated with a layer of dust.