by Kip Nelson
While Nick and Cosmo were talking Backdraft came up to her and rubbed himself against her legs. She leaned down and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly, burying her face in his black fur. Although he was wet too he still was warm, and Tanya was glad to share in his warmth. She rubbed him and when he wagged his tail she smiled. She wondered what Backdraft thought of all this, if he really was aware of how much had changed, or if he was just happy knowing that he was back by Nick's side? She gazed into his dark eyes, trying to see if she could gain any kind of understanding from them, but he just stared back at her, his pink tongue lolling out of his mouth.
“Let's see where the river has taken us,” Nick said.
Tanya looked up and rose. She glanced at Cosmo, who looked sullen. They passed through the trees, listening for any sign of life, but it was all quiet. The trees quickly thinned and then Tanya gasped. Through the trees she could see the towering outline of the city. Inwardly she groaned. It seemed as if every path was leading her back here, when all she wanted was to get as far away as possible.
He was still in the city. He had to be. Waiting for her. Knowing that she would come back. She wanted to turn away again. Needed to be away from the city. Anywhere was better than there.
“It carried us all the way back here,” Cosmo said. Nick's lips were pressed together in a thin grimace.
“We should keep away from the city. We all know how dangerous it is,” she said, trying to not make her voice tremble so much.
“I agree,” Cosmo said, “but then again, it doesn't really matter where we go because people are all crazy and we're going to end up in danger wherever we are. Best thing to do is find an isolated place where there's nobody around. Wish we could get to an island. Maybe we should find a boat.”
“And how are we going to sail it? I don't fancy rowing across the ocean,” Nick said. He gazed toward the city. Tanya couldn't think straight. All she knew was she wanted to stay away.
“The woods weren't so bad. Maybe we should just carry on. There might be good people out there, or maybe we can find another farm, one that's abandoned this time. There have to be other people out there, ones who are like us.”
“It's possible,” Nick said, “but look at us. We're tired, we're drenched. If we don't find shelter soon, we're going to get ill, and I don't fancy the chances of getting pneumonia in this world. I don't like it any more than you two, but I think we must go back to the city for a little while, just to recover. We need some fresh clothes as well. Once we're rested, then we can talk some more and think about where to go next.”
Tanya and Cosmo fell in line with Nick's decision. They trudged through the forest and made their way to the city. On the way there, Tanya fell slightly behind the two men, feeling stupid and silly around Nick. She was a foolish girl who had tried coming on to him twice, and had been rebuffed both times. The only explanation she could think of was that she was ugly to him. Because in this world it was natural for people to want to be together. That's what happened in times of distress; people sought comfort in the arms of each other. It wasn't as though he had a wedding ring on his finger either, and he hadn't made any mention of a girlfriend. There was nothing stopping him from loving her, aside from the fact that she was unappealing.
The short walk to the city seemed longer than it was, mostly due to Cosmo's constant grumbling. Tanya wanted to tell him to shut up but knew it wouldn't do any good and she didn't have the energy for another argument. The closer they got to the city the more Tanya's fear grew. Her eyes darted about furtively. Part of her almost expected her father to be waiting there for her. They reached the suburbs. The sidewalks were deserted. There were no signs of life. They picked a house randomly and entered. The door swung open slowly. Tanya's heart beat in her chest, scared they would find another hostile person.
The silver moonlight slanted through the windows. It surely would be time for morning soon. Quietly, they walked into the living room and began relaxing, since it appeared the house was deserted. Tanya looked around and then gasped as she saw a figure sitting in a chair. Cast in shadow, it was difficult to make out any features.
“Hello?” Tanya said quietly.
Nick walked past her, brushing her arm as he did so. Tanya moved closer so she could see who was sitting in the chair. It was a woman. Nick tried talking to her some more, but it quickly became clear that she was dead. Her eyes were sunken, and her head lolled back in the chair. Her body was gaunt and frail. It looked as though she had died from starvation, but then again, she may well just have given up on life. Tanya was saddened by the sight. Nobody had come to check on her. The family and friends of this woman either were unwilling or unable to go check on her. She was alone. A cold chill swept through Tanya's body. She wrapped her arms around herself and turned away. She had a feeling she would end up alone. Was this the fate that awaited her, to die alone and forgotten?
Despite the presence of the corpse the three of them were desperate for warmth. So, they still took shelter in the house. They searched the kitchen, but came up with nothing, then they went upstairs. There were some towels with which they could dry themselves and they also were able to wrap themselves in blankets, which helped to deal with the cold. Tanya laid herself down on the bed and closed her eyes for the moment, trying not to think about how she was alone, how nobody could love her and one day she was just going to be sitting in a chair like that woman. That was if her father didn't find her first. He was close, and somehow, he would know she was back in the city. She hoped they would turn around and retreat into the woods, but she had a sinking feeling her destiny lay in the city. Tanya pulled the blanket over her head and tried forgetting about her sorrows, but as she fell asleep her mind was plagued with worries.
Just as she fell asleep her hand moved to her bare neck. She missed her necklace. It had been one of the only things that had given her comfort through all the bad times. In her haste to leave her home the day of the solar flare she had forgotten it. It was as though a piece of her was missing, still with her father.
Chapter Thirteen
Joe was sitting in one of the upper rooms of the care home with a rapt audience. He was a tall man, with a round face and good build. The kids knew him as a gentle giant and often played with him, trying to bring him crashing down to the floor. This time they all were quiet, though, as he told them a story.
“...the princess was beating at the door, trying to free herself from the evil witch, who was cackling with laughter. She was brewing a potion that would steal the princess' beauty! The witch planned to get younger and prettier so she could go into the castle and marry the prince herself. The princess would be locked up in the witch’s lair forever, and nobody would know where she was. It was the perfect plan, and the witch was confident she would succeed. The only thing she needed was time for the potion to brew. Then once it was ready she and the princess would drink it, and the spell would be cast. The witch rubbed her hands with glee as she stared at her ugly face, covered in warts. She even had a few dark hairs sticking out of her chin!” The children all made disgusted faces at the description of the witch.
“She smiled at the thought of tricking the prince into marrying her and then having lots of babies and becoming queen of the realm. It seemed as though nothing could stop her...” he paused, letting the tension hang in the air. Joe suppressed a smile as he surveyed his audience. Some of them were so enchanted by the story that their mouths were hanging open in wonder.
“But she had forgotten about one important thing. You see, the witch was so ugly she hated looking at herself, so she had removed all the mirrors from her lair. In fact, she was so ugly she never carried a mirror around with her either. She had completely forgotten that such things existed! When she had captured the princess, the witch had been so smug that she hadn't bothered to search the princess, who still had a pocket mirror with her. The princess walked to the window and dug it out of her robes. Filled with fear she prayed for she was desperate for it to wor
k, but she also was scared the witch would find out. She walked to the window and opened the mirror. It caught the sun and gleamed through the darkness of the woods.
“And it just so happened that the prince was gazing out of his window, wondering where the princess was. He missed her terribly, you see, and nobody in the kingdom knew what had happened to her. Search parties had been sent out, but there was no trace of her, and the prince was convinced there was some kind of magic at work. The light caught his eye and, at first, he thought it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but then he realized it was coming from the dark forest.
“Then it stopped.
“Now, some of you might be wondering how the prince could tell that this was the princess. The truth is that he couldn't. But, and all of you will learn this when you grow older and fall in love, being in love gives you this kind of instinct about certain things. Something in the prince's gut told him that he had to investigate this light. So, he leaped on his horse and galloped to the dark forest. He searched and searched and, eventually, he came across the witch's lair. He unsheathed his sword and crept up quietly. The witch was so focused on her potion she didn't see or hear him at all, but the prince saw her, and he heard her through the open window, mumbling to herself about how she was going to be the princess. It was all the prince needed to hear. He barreled through the door and swung his sword, leaving it inches away from the witch's throat.
“Where is she?” the prince demanded.
“I'll never tell you! The witch shrieked, but her eyes had told the prince everything he needed to know, for she had glanced toward the room where the princess was being held. The witch was about to reach for a potion, but the prince was too quick and slashed her hand with his sword. He warned her not to try anything. He went to the room and flung open the door. There was the princess, looking beautiful, although a little worse for wear. He helped her out and was ready to deal with the witch, but just as he turned there was a puff of smoke and the witch had disappeared! The princess sobbed following her ordeal, but the prince comforted her and led her back to the castle. There was much rejoicing by the king and queen. The prince and the princess were married soon afterward.”
“And did they live happily ever after?” one of the girls in the front row piped up.
“That is a story for another time,” Joe said, smiling slyly.
He rose. The kids all protested, wanting more and more stories, but Joe had to refuse them for there were other things that needed to be done. They huffed and moaned and protested some more, but eventually they moved along. Joe chuckled to himself as he grabbed a cup of water. Telling stories was fun, but it did take its toll on his throat.
After the children went to bed Joe was congratulated on his storytelling skills. The adults stayed up a while longer and all spoke with one another. Joe was happy to listen to all the conversations. It was wonderful how so many different people could come together in this way and be a community when so much of the world had fallen apart. He wondered about the rest of the city, the rest of the world, and wondered if other people had managed to find somewhere as secure and stable as he had.
“That was a hell of a story, Joe. I don't know how you keep coming up with them,” Jackie said.
She was the mother of Millie, a cute girl, who would break many hearts when she grew up. Jackie was at the other end of the spectrum. She would have been gorgeous in her twenties, but her beauty had faded over the years, although her eyes still sparkled with a playfulness that Joe found appealing.
“It's just a gift, I suppose. I've always had a good imagination.”
“Well, it's certainly coming in handy here. Sometimes I worry about them, you know, what kind of world they're going to grow up in.”
“I know what you mean. I suppose all we can do is the best we can to give them the tools they need to survive.”
“Spoken like a true parent,” she said, and raised her glass to him. “It's such a shame we couldn't stay at the hospital, though. It was safe there.”
“It was, but at least we found this place. This will be safe for a while. The hospital always was going to be a target for raids, what with all the medicine. I'm just glad we managed to pull through. There's still hope.”
“I know, but sometimes it just seems so depressing. I look around at how much the world has changed, and it terrifies me. It really does.”
“To be honest, it wasn't that great before this,” Joe replied dryly.
“I know, but I felt a lot safer and a lot more secure. I don't know what's going to happen in the future and that scares me. I suppose I'm just being silly. I have a roof over my head and my child is safe, and we've found a lot of people who can help us, like you.”
When she said this, she looked up at Joe with sultry eyes. It would be so easy to romance her, Joe thought. In this world there was a lot that was easy, like falling into the arms of a beautiful woman, or presenting the best version of yourself to people. But he couldn't let himself do that. It only would complicate matters. He had to stay true to his girl. That was one thing of which he couldn't ever let go.
“You know, if you ever want to talk in private, well, that would be nice,” she added.
“It would,” Joe said, giving her a polite smile without accepting the invitation.
Joe looked around at the other people in the room. A lot of them had come together in the face of adversity. They were a ragtag bunch of strangers who had been thrown together and just were making the best of it. Joe wondered if they all would have stayed together if it hadn't been for the children. There had been a need for all of them to protect the kids, who stood no chance of making it in this world by themselves. Some people, such as Joe, weren't parents to any of the kids in this care home, but others were. That distinction didn't really matter too much anymore, though. Everyone pitched in and they all looked out for each other. It really was the best side of humanity, and something that Joe hadn't thought existed.
He envied some of the other adults for how easily they fell into each other. Joe always had found it difficult connecting with other adults. He was glad there were a lot of children around. They were easy to talk to, and Joe could be his silly old self around them.
“So, how did you get to be so good with kids anyway? You're a real natural. Were you a kindergarten teacher or something? Don't take this the wrong way, but I never would have pictured you as something like that,” Jackie said.
“Oh really, and what have you pictured me as?”
“Well, I don't know, a firefighter maybe. You certainly have the build for it.”
Joe chuckled. “Thank you for the compliment, but no, I wasn't either of those things. I think it's just something I'm naturally good at. The key is remembering they are people in their own right, with their own personalities. I think a lot of people just see kids as a nuisance, but if you take the time to talk to them properly, you'll realize they're wonderful, and they look at the world in an entirely unique way. Life is all about respect, you know, and if you respect kids, they'll respect you.”
“You should write a book on parenting,” Jackie said.
“I've got plenty of time on my hands, maybe I will,” Joe said.
“Do you have kids of your own?”
Joe sighed. He ran his hand through his hair. “I did,” he said in a voice heavy with emotion, “but she ran away when all this started.”
Jackie gasped. “I can't believe that anyone would do that to their father! Especially not in a time like this, when it's important for families to stick together. I've heard a lot of stories about people being separated from their kids through no fault of their own, but I'd never believe that anyone could have just run away from you like that.”
“I know. She was a good girl, really. She just had some difficulties and made some mistakes. She was probably more frightened than anything and needed to panic. I just wish I had been able to keep her safe. I was sleeping when it all happened. I woke up to find the city in chaos and my daughter
gone.”
“You're a saint for being so forgiving. If Millie ever did that to me, I don't know what I'd do. What's your daughter like? Did you try finding her?”
“I did. I looked around the neighborhood, after I figured out what was going on. Nobody had seen her, though. I waited at home for a little while to see if she would come back, but she didn't. Then I ventured outside to some of her favorite places, but still there was no sign of her. It's not like she was just a kid, though. I mean, she was 23, although she'll always be my little girl.”
“That is the way of it, isn't it? Millie is growing up faster than I can handle, but I know that even when she's my age, God willing, I'll still want to protect her from the world.”
“That is the hardest thing, really, knowing that she's out there and I can't do anything to help her. You know what this world is like. I can't imagine what she's going through out there.”
Jackie swallowed a sob and placed her hand on Joe's arm. “It'll be okay, Joe. Maybe eventually a few of us can go out looking for her again. I know that the odds of finding her are slim, but where there's a will there's a way. You've done so much to help us look after our children. It's really the least we can do.”
“That's very kind of you, Jackie I'll keep it in mind.”
Jackie leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. Joe barely reacted. Before she left, Jackie asked Joe the name of his daughter.
