Ted looked at him a bit exasperated. “We have two trowels. I think a small fork hoe somewhere.”
“It would take us the whole damn season to plow this space by hand with two trowels.” Charlie put his hands to his forehead and frustratedly ran them through his hair.
“Don’t they have horses? Couldn’t we just have them use the animals to plow the field?” It was a reasonable question to ask, so Joe was a bit surprised at the anger in Charlie’s response.
“The field’s supposed to be ready for them when they come! Plus I doubt they’re going to be riding here with the horses dragging a plow behind them.”
“Ok, man, jeez.” Joe put his hands up in surrender.
Charlie took a big breath, and kept his hands on top of his head as he looked over the space covered in a mix of dry old grass and the bright green of freshly sprouted blades that poked out from underneath. “Let’s just move on to the the coop. Wood, any kind of scrap metal, nails, another hammer, fencing, anything like that?”
Jack volunteered to answer Charlie. “I could check the fourth floor. See if they left anything we haven’t used yet or framing we might be able to take apart.”
He took a few breaths as they waited for his response. “Ok. Ok, that’s a start.” He turned to look at the toppled over part of the wall.
They had since managed to pull the fallen tree off it and drag it into the grounds. It was big enough to do damage, but small enough that five people were able to manage it. Without a chain saw or saw in general, it was looking like it was going to be a permanent fixture to the yard now.
“Mortar. Shit, where are we going to get that?” He said it more to himself than to any of them, but Liam had a suggestion for Charlie.
“I once saw on one of those survival type shows in Alaska that you Americans are so fond of, that they collected a large amount of shells from a beach near them. They then cooked them at an extremely hot temperature, something like one thousand degrees celsius, to take out the carbon dioxide, breaking them down in to lime. They then added some water, activating the calcium oxide, then added some sand and such, creating their own mortar to build a structure.” He had faded off into his own thoughts not noticing the blank and exhausted faces staring back at him as he continued his ramblings. “Any shell baring body of water would probably be much too far to travel to, and carry back the shells, unless we used a vehicle. But no, that might draw too much attention. There are copious amounts of skeletal remains we could use. Dry them out if need be, create a blast furnace. Looked simple enough. Break them down in there. Hm, we might be able to do it. We could have mortar in, like, possibly, a couple weeks.” He looked up at them very proudly.
“I’m sorry, what are you suggesting?” Cara asked in shock.
“Well, I mean- Is it because I used celsius?“ He was saved by Mac who had been sitting off to the side in the cool grass.
“Sound plan. Desecrating bodies, stripping them of their bones, and creating our own crematorium and all, but could I maybe chime in here?” She looked up at Liam expressionless. “But by all means, we can definitely back burner the bone cement as a possible future option,” she said with absolutely no inflection. “Magda told me there was an unfinished development about a mile or so over. She said they stopped in the middle of building a few houses when they realized there was no interested buyers, and their funds were running short. Wouldn’t there possibly be enough materials for all three, or at least worth a look?” She finished never actually looking up at any of them, pulling little bits of grass out of the ground as she spoke.
Everyone turned from her to Charlie, and waited. He stood, his brow furrowed in thought, but the rest of his body relaxed by the insight.
“Yeah, it seems like we’re going to have to give that a try…” He looked at Mac from the side of his eyes down on the ground, now leaning back on her arms, legs stretched out, her eyes closed as she took in the warm morning sunlight. “I’ll go tell Magda our plan for the day and see if she can give me a direction to head to for this development. Joe and Mike, could you head over to the wall and gather up the bricks? Stack them together so when we’re ready to repair it, we’ll have them standing by to build it back up.”
They headed off towards the crumbled part of wall and started clearing bricks from the small mound of rubble. Charlie gave the group a once over and headed off back into the Block. Each person started looking around and slowly broke off to go do their own thing on the grounds while they waited for Charlie to come back. Liam chose to make his way over to Mac.
“Ms. Mac, as they say,” he laughed softly at his own little quip, and sat down cross legged on the cool ground next to her. She remained unmoving. “I must say, I am continuously impressed by your capabilities, and the things you have done for us here. But I must ask: Do you not have a set place to stay?”
Mac tossed a few blades of grass that fluttered down to the ground. She sniffed in some air as she squinted through the sun at him. “I have a few, yes,” she replied, then went back to picking at the yard.
“A few? I don’t know if that sounds lovely or the complete opposite of a set place.” He let out a nervous laugh when she didn’t acknowledge him. “I mean, isn’t it tiring? Not being able to put your things down for good, in a safe place?”
“Things tend to change regardless of where I am, plus they always keep going. And things always catch up to you if you stay long enough,” she said to the space out in front of her, still not turning his way.
“Oh, well, I guess that puts a damper on my thoughts of convincing you to stay here then…” Liam let out more nervous laughter. He started to wonder what kind of things would be catching up to her, to them, if she stayed there long enough.
The words hung in the air with Mac making no effort to respond to them or comfort his anxious twitches next to her. Behind them, the door on the side of the building closest to them banged open with its squeaky metal push latch, and out came Charlie, Jack and Doug. Charlie gave a wave of his hand, directed at no one in particular, and gestured for them to join him over by one of the old, warped, wooden picnic tables. Slowly, everyone made their way from their busy work when they realized the planning was back on.
Charlie started unfolding what looked like a brochure and spread it out onto the uneven, planked surface. Once they got a look at it opened and flattened out, they realized it must have come from the school store. It was a map with Benson Academy printed right at its center, and around the grounds, roads and highways webbed out from it. They were dotted with useful landmarks: a café here, warehouse club store there, a shopping center, hotel. They were things that would most likely be of interest to visiting parents who would have dropped their kid off everyday or had come to visit the ones that roomed there.
“Right here.” Charlie pointed to a light green rectangle with no identifying marks. “Magda said it’s literally one turn away, down the road.” He traced his finger over a line that stretched out in front of the school, and followed it a bit until it made a right turn eventually leading up to the rectangle he showed them before. “It should be a fast look-and-scavenge. In and out as quick as we can. Lumber and tools are key. We’ll have to take two vehicles. Big enough ones to fit the supplies and our people.”
Most of the crowd shifted a little in place at the mention of some of them leaving the walls of the Block. Eyes darted between people or down at their feet. It didn’t seem like volunteers would be jumping up without some sort of assurances and encouragement.
Jack caught on quickest and jumped in. “Doug is going to be driving the school shuttle in,.Laila the Jeep. Charlie and I will be going around for supplies. We could use at least two more to join us and two to stand guard.” He stopped there hoping their questions and fears would be answered and quelled a bit, but a few beats in and still no one spoke.
“I’ll go,” Mac said, now sitting on the ground off from the table.
“Ok,” Jack said, not too surprised at her participation, but
grateful for it. He nodded at her, then looked at the others.
“Well, I’m your ‘go to man’ right? So where ever you need me, I guess.” Joe said with nonexistent enthusiasm.
“Alright.” Charlie’s eyes subtly flickered from Joe to Mac, then back out to the rest of the crowd.
“Fine. Quick as a bunny though, okay?” Cara said to Charlie. Jack smiled at her.
That left at least one more to step forward and offer their services. But as the time stretched on it looked like that slot would have to be filled by someone assigned to it. Charlie let out a long breath as he scanned the group, assessing a useful candidate. As he was about to open his mouth with a selection, a voice stopped him.
“I will do it.” Liam confidentially stepped out from behind the crowd, chest slightly puffed. The open mouthed, blank stares that greeted him from the majority of the group, and what was sure to be immediate regret, made him falter a bit when he started his next line. “I suppose it would not hurt to have a tech minded person out there with you, you know, incase, we stumble upon something… that could be useful… that we never thought of…” His voice slowed and quieted at the end as it seemed he was suddenly trying to convince himself to go with them even though he had already volunteered.
Charlie put his hands in his pants pockets for a second and shuffled his booted feet around in the grass a bit before he looked back up at Liam, now tight lipped and a bit wide eyed. A little of the color had faded out of his face. “You sure? I think we could grab somebody else.”
“Yeah. I can go grab Nate. He’s just sleeping off his night gate shift,” Joe said flatly, side eyeing a look of skepticism at Liam.
He gulped loudly, his Adam’s apple sliding up and down along his small neck. “No. No, I want to do it. I can surely add my eyes to the search, right?” Liam looked at Charlie and Jack in front of him, then around at the rest of the group outside. He forced a nervous smile on to his face. “Right?…” he asked again this time panic creeping in to his voice, almost looking for someone to answer him with a ‘wrong’.
It was a pretty quiet response for him, but a few people shook their heads slightly in agreement. Mac looked up not fully raising her head, her eyes squinting a bit in consideration, but almost looking uncomfortable for him. Charlie raised his eye brows and sighed.
“Ok, then. That at least reaches our basic requirements. Whoever’s staying, get to work clearing space where you can, or help clean up the bricks. The ones coming for the ride, go on in and get whatever you think you’re going to need, and meet me in the back at the top of the garage entrance.” He grabbed the map, not bothering to fold it and headed inside again.
“You can ride with me,” Jack said with a supportive smile, and clapped Liam on the back, heading inside too.
Liam remained standing, seemingly frozen save for his Adam’s apple that still bobbed up and down much more than it should be doing. He stutter stepped himself a bit and pivoted towards the Block. His shoulders started to rise up and down rapidly and his knees buckled a bit. He was about to drop down to the ground when a strong hand grabbed his arm, holding him up on his wobbling legs.
“Here, this is a good one.” a knife with a four inch blade sheathed in its own cover appeared in front of his face. As his eyes began to focus on it, he wasn’t sure if the reddish brown splotch across its handle was rust or blood. Thankfully, before he had a chance to really think about it, the knife was being forced into one of his hands. Mac started walking him towards the side door of the Block. “Keep it clipped to your belt. Go inside. Change your clothes. Put on boots if you have them.” He looked down at his once stylish gray and yellow sneakers. “If you don’t, it’s fine. Fill up a glass of water, take three big gulps, and whatever is left, throw in your face.”
They had reached the door; her thumb resting on the latch above the handle, the other hand still gripped the top of his arm. She angled him towards her so they were face to face, his eyes searching all around for something. His hand still absently holding the knife she gave him. Mac took her hand off him and snapped her fingers in front of his face.
“Liam!” His eyes locked and focused on her steadily, staring into his. “You can do this.” His eyes started to wander off to the side of her, and she shook him by the shoulder until they slid back over to her again. “Hey! Look at me.” She gave him a smile. “The hardest part is over.”
He shook his head when her last words filtered through to his brain. “What? What part?”
She gave him a smirk and opened the door, guiding him through it. She stood in the doorway as he turned back to her from the hallway. “You volunteered to go.” She gave him a wink, and then let the door close in front of her leaving him in the hallway.
She walked away to the back of the building where everyone would be meeting in just a few more minutes, but Cara was already back there looking under the hood of the school shuttle. Jack was sitting with his legs out of the open front passenger side door of the Jeep, looking off at the gate. Charlie and Laila were giving Harrison hugs and head pats. Doug was sitting in the front seat of the shuttle obscured by its popped hood. Joe was sitting against the brick wall by the door to the garage, looking over his gun. The only person missing now was Liam. Mac realized the only reason they were given five minutes instead of just heading out was for Liam’s benefit. Everyone else had already left the gates on more than one occasion.
“So how are we going to do this?” Joe asked as he slid the gun’s magazine back in with a resolute click.
Charlie gave Harrison one more pat on the shoulder then shooed him back into the building and turned to the group who gathered closer. “Well, I figure, each car has a driver.” He pointed to Laila and Doug. “Then each car will have two searchers and one guard.”
“I’ll guard,” Joe called out just barely after Charlie finished his sentence.
“Ok,” Charlie said taking a deep breath, “Sounds good. That’s what I was going to suggest anyway. Head to the shuttle then.” He turned to Mac as Joe jumped into the first seat in the school shuttle. “Would you mind being the other?” he asked her meekly.
“That’s fine.” She walked a couple steps behind him to the Jeep and leaned against one of the back doors.
“Great, that just leaves the searchers, which is the rest of us. So Jack and I are each in one car, that leaves Cara and Liam.”
Joe let out a loud snort from inside the vehicle, and by the look on his face was about to go into some rant against Liam, when he was interrupted by the man himself.
“Hello, everyone. Are we ready to go then?” he said, trying to sound unaffected, but the slight quaver in the beginning of his words and the few beads of sweat dripping down his forehead gave him away. He had changed from jeans to cargo pants, but still wore the same sneakers, and a bright orange windbreaker.
“You do know we’re not going hunting right? We don’t want to be noticeable to other people,” Joe scoffed from the open door.
Liam looked confused not getting the sarcastic joke. “Yes, I know,” he sputtered.
“Liam, you’re over here with us,” Mac said, opening the back door and gesturing him in.
“Got it,” he said with a look of relief, and ducked down to get himself into the backseat.
When he bent over to get in, Mac saw her knife attached to his belt. It was on the wrong side, being that he was right handed, but she’d give him the tip in the car out of ear shot. Jack walked over to the Jeep and got into the front passenger seat again. He gave her a quick smile, which she ignored, as he looked from her to Liam. Laila walked around to the driver’s side after a quick kiss to Charlie.
“Ok, gang. We’ll be following them,” Laila said as she started the engine.
Liam was already buckled in tight and grasping his knees while the rest of them clicked their seatbelts on. The bright, white shuttle slowly drove past towards the gate. The blue Benson Academy crest on the side looked brand new. Laila slid in right behind them with the Jeep and t
hey sat waiting for the people on gate duty to hit the button, and slide it out of their way. They took a right out of the driveway and headed out, keeping pace with Doug.
“Oh!,” Liam suddenly exclaimed. “My jacket! Is it that bad?” He turned to Mac.
Laila started laughing in the front seat. “It’s fine.”
Mac could see Jack had a huge smile on his face looking out the car window when she looked up front at the side view mirror. She also noticed Liam started to breath heavier and faster again.
“If you’re really worried, we can just smear mud over it,” she said, still looking out the window herself. “But it is what it is. Everyone learns something when they go out. Especially the first time. No big deal.”
“Yeah, it’s not like you brought a cow bell you’ll be banging on the whole time, right?” Laila said, looking at him kindly from the rear view mirror.
He let out a forced laughed, but he did start to relax a bit. “No, no, certainly not. I will be moving about like a ninja. I assure you.”
“Ok, then we’re good. Just be where you’re supposed to be, doing what you’re supposed to do, and you’re fine,” Jack said as the lead car made a right turn onto the next street and they followed.
About another half mile down that street, they saw a wide entrance to open land. Large trees made a bit of a border on each side, blocking full view of what would’ve been a development of McMansions. As they drove into the packed dirt road it curved ever so slightly until you realized you were parallel to the main road, but about two hundred yards away from it. It seemed to be leading to more of nothing until they reached a cul de sac where the skeletons of four elaborate houses stood. The one furthest back was the one with all of its walls built up and covered with boards. A few sporadic clumps of graffiti here and there. Both vehicles rounded the circle and parked together, pointing the hoods back at the road. As the cars stopped, the people started filing out.
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