“Well, you’ll have questions like the rest of us,” Mariah spoke up. “We’ve got questions for you. Come on into the cave, get warmed up. Unpack. Then we’ll talk.” She led the way, and everyone followed her.
They had spent some time creating small rooms with pallets for Irv and the brothers. John and Drew were shown theirs, and Irv his.
They left their bags and stripped off some of their outer clothing. None of the walls that partitioned off the rooms were higher than six feet, so clothing was tossed over walls. There were too many questions to linger for organization.
Ashar didn’t want to talk about it again. It was still too fresh, had taken too much of a toll on each of them already.
“Talk, bro,” Irv demanded. Ashar settled on a vacant stump around the fire and started at the beginning. He would say it all once more, and then hoped never to speak of it again. John and Drew listened, but worked on removing the black tarp from the travois while they did.
Carl interjected here and there, but Adam stayed silent, eyes downcast, body drawn in.
“Where was the tattoo?” Irv asked when the story was finished.
They’d never asked that question. Ashar looked at Adam and waited for the answer. Rather than speaking, he reached behind him and indicated the area between his shoulder blades.
“Yeah, that’s definitely Axis.” Irv was shaking his head. “I still don’t know why he was hiding in the woods and not fighting with the rest of them.”
“We’ll never know,” Mariah said decisively. “There isn't any point trying to figure out a dead man’s mind. We are still here. Now, we need to figure out how to live in the life we’ve been dealt.”
“She’s right,” Marcus agreed. “Are the two of you any good with those bows?”
Drew forced a grin and picked up the instrument by his side. “Good? I’m an expert. Come on John, let’s go and bag us a deer. That’ll feed us all for a month!”
John straightened. “I’m in. Irv, we’ll leave you to sort all this out.” He waved at the unwrapped travois and they headed toward their room to gather the clothing they had discarded. Ashar wasn’t sure if they meant the material things or what he had just told all of them.
“We spent some time gathering what we thought would be most useful.” Irv unzipped a large heavy black duffel bag. “Boots, for one.” He removed a pair, dropped them, reached in for another. “We’ll have too many now.” He paused with his hands in the bag. Rolling his shoulders back, he lifted a pair. “Carl, those shoes of yours gotta go.”
Carl lifted a foot. Both of his shoes had long been wrapped many times with thick leaves and cording to keep them together. “Not sorry to hear that!” Carl got to work removing the coverings on his feet.
“Don’t freak, Ashar, but we brought weapons. And tools.”
Marcus went to Irv’s side, crouching down. “I’m interested. Let me see.”
The last thing Ashar wanted was more guns, but he said nothing, just went to stand beside them as Irv opened a bag full of various weapons.
Marcus picked up a shotgun, peered down the barrel. “Nice,” he murmured. “Never know when we might need all this. Axis has already hit far too close to home.”
“I hope we don’t need it at all,” Ashar frowned. He leaned down to unzip another bag, and found it full of clothing.
“Last one is food,” Irv said, pointing. “If you’re hungry, dig in. We took everything non-perishable we could find.”
“Yes, please,” Mariah exclaimed, coming over to open and rifle through the bag, pulling out a box of granola bars. She tore the top off and removed two, then passed the box to Ashar, who took one himself and handed it off to Carl.
“Mmm,” Mariah murmured around a mouthful of chocolate chip flavor granola. “Chocolate,” she said appreciatively.
“You’re welcome,” Irv grinned.
“Fill us in on what’s going on out there,” Marcus encouraged.
“Nothing good, I’m afraid.”
While he talked, they set about finding places for all of the things in the bags.
“The new government that is trying to rise up… I told ya about them… well, they’ve appointed a leader. He’s a powerful military man and humanitarian from Russia. He’s brought in troops and the fighting is everywhere. One World Order is making all sorts of claims, promising a whole new world of unity and peace for all. Advertising their notions everywhere, not just here in America.
There were rumors that Axis segments had been rising up in places overseas, that they’d tried to start wars in other places. The One World Order government claims it has it under control.”
“This sounds like a good thing,” Mariah commented. “Do you still think this new government is bad and is related to Axis somehow?”
Irv shook his head, his lips tight. “I don’t know. I just don’t know. He, Afion, the new leader, created these hydration pods that can hydrate ya for twenty-four hours as one of his humanitarian efforts.” Irv held up a hand and spanned his thumb and forefinger apart two inches apart. “They’re like this big, tubes that ya can carry easily.”
“Because of the poisoned water supply,” Marcus commented. His eyes narrowed. “That’s very convenient that he created such a thing and suddenly there is a great need for them.” Suspicion was like a cloud in his eyes, and coated his words.
Irv nodded. “A lot of major water sources that were polluted in the first round of attacks have been trickling in to secondary water sources. Lots of people have died from poisoning. Everyone is afraid to drink the water. OWO is setting up supply stations with the pods to help.”
“OWO? And, how does a small tube of water guarantee hydration for twenty-four hours?” Mariah waved her second granola bar. “Seems like it’s too good to be true.”
“OWO stands for One World Order. Less of a mouthful. The tubes of water are genetically modified,” Irv explained. “This guy also created vitamin surges that he states give you energy and vitality, as well as protein packs, which are really just dried meat packs with high levels of protein. He’s doling all of these things out to help save lives.”
Carl finished lacing up his boots, and clomped them on the ground with a satisfied grin. “Sounds like this guy is doing his best to help. You’re making it sound like…” Carl circled a hand in the air, trying to come up with a word.
Irv leaned the empty travois up against a clear section of wall. “The death count is so high. The war is devastating. Axis and OWO soldiers are fighting, the water is polluted, people are starving, they have no homes. America is facing famine from the loss of workers and crops and industry with all of this. It’s far from over, bro.”
Marcus was putting the food inside of a square of rocks that they covered with a board. They were careful not to do anything that might attract a bear. Any edibles they found and didn’t eat right away were put into it. “So you’re saying there's no end in sight for this war? I’m not surprised. War never has a quick resolution. Causes more problems than it fixes, in my opinion.”
“I don’t know.” Irv shook his head, shoved his long hair back. “There’s something off about this new government, that man Afion.” Irv said the name with contempt.
“So you do still think this government is bad,” Mariah concluded.
“Yeah, I guess I do!” Irv shoved empty duffels into the biggest one and zipped it up, setting it against the wall out of the way. “He’s all talk and it’s too smooth, like Marcus said. It’s obvious OWO has taken the place of the US government. They have a lot of support, from the American people and from other countries. It seems weird to me how quickly this guy Afion has garnered the respect of other nations. I’m not up on the whole politics games, so I doubt I have all of the facts.”
“When it comes to politics, one never can,” Marcus said dryly.
“Okay, so we stay here,” Mariah declared. “It’s safe. We’re surviving. The war can’t last forever.”
“I don’t have any better ideas,” Ir
v agreed. He looked around. “I’m gonna go to the river and get some water. I need a bath.”
Ashar stood. “Then let me show you to one of our favorite places here. Get your extra clothes.”
Mariah was smiling and handed Ashar some pulverized yucca wrapped in a leaf.
“What is that?” Irv peered at the pieces of root as he flung his pack over his shoulder.
“Your new favorite plant,” Ashar said with a grin and led Irv out of the cave.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Irv spoke. “Did ya tell me everything, Ash?”
“I left my suspicions out. I suspected everyone after the whole thing happened.”
“And now?”
“Now, I don’t know. They all seemed just as horrified and surprised as me. I’ve been watching everyone, trying to see if I’ve missed anything, but I just can’t make myself believe they were a part of it.” Ash eased down the rocky drop off just before the cave. “The bath cave,” he announced, shifting the wooden door keeping the wind out.
“Nice!” Irv exclaimed.
“We all use the second pool. It’s small, but deep enough to stand in, so it works.” Ash rounded the smoothed narrow pathway to the fire and added wood. Since there was plenty around, they kept a supply stockpiled and kept the fire burning for a few hours before everyone began taking their turns. Carl was often the one who would get it started. He liked to bathe frequently, he said it relaxed him. The rest just followed suit because the cave had been warmed.
With the addition of the wall, the space wasn’t large and the fire did the job. The deepest part of the water was never warm, but neither was it unbearable, even with the continued drop in temperatures.
“I’d like to ask John and Drew some questions,” Ashar went on, picking up the conversation about what had happened again. “They were the ones to tell me to keep an eye on Monty, so I wonder what it was that set them on alert about him. I feel like if they’d had suspicions about anyone else, they would have pointed that out too.”
“They’re good guys, bro,” Irv said. “Drew’s funny. John’s quiet and steady. I’d trust them both with my life. They’ve earned that after our trip.”
“You run into trouble?”
“It was a little harder with three people, but they followed my lead, and being hunters I think was helpful. They’re used to staying still and silent.” Irv looked around for a place to put down his pack. Ashar pointed to a pile of rocks they’d stacked higher on one edge just for the purpose.
“So you did run into trouble?” Ashar handed him the pouch of yucca after his hands were free.
“This is?”
“Soap, sort of. It makes a bit of a lather. Smells funny, but you get used to it.”
“Cool.” Irv shucked his coat and tossed it onto the rock shelf. “Every time I wander, there’s possible trouble. I’ve just gotten good at avoiding it. All kinds of survivors are out there, rummaging for food and weapons. Whatever they think will keep them alive.” His sweater and shirt followed the coat, and Ashar wandered back toward the front of the cave to give Irv some privacy.
“Are ya good, Ash? Should I be worried about ya? Ya seem… different.”
Ashar perched on a low rock protruding from the cave wall, pondering the question, absorbing it, asking himself if he was before he answered. “I love the stars, and seeing them above me every night before I go to sleep. I get a little thrill every time I find a berry bush, or stumble across a cache of walnuts or chestnuts. It’s amazing to see all the beauty this earth offers, to know that even though we’re here in this forest hiding from a horror I haven’t even begun to grasp, that we’re living as fully as we can.”
“Living like that was before the war. Before ya became part of a unit. I hear a but…?”
“I give thanks for every peaceful day, but I’m angry.” It hurt to say it aloud. It made it real. “There’s been so many changes, Irv. They’re stacking on top of each other and I haven’t managed to deal with one, and another one happens. It’s too much, too fast, too constant, and it’s still changing. I don’t know if I can keep going.”
“So what bro, you’re giving up?” There wasn’t any compassion in Irv’s voice. “Ya can be angry, Ashar, but ya can’t give up. Millions of people have died. I’ve seen the bodies, the destruction, the chaos up close and personal, and I keep going back out there because ya taught me life exists beyond what we can see. Do ya understand?”
Ashar stared at the small pool and heard Irv sigh with satisfaction. He smiled slightly, glancing back at his friend, watching as Irv immersed himself. He was smiling when his head emerged, dripping wet hair clinging to his face.
“I don’t understand,” Ash admitted.
Irv added some of the yucca to his palm, and looked expectantly at Ashar.
“Add some water and rub it to produce some lather. Works as soap and shampoo,” he explained.
Irv nodded, and did as Ashar had instructed.
“God, Ashar.” He happily dug his foamy hands into his hair and began scrubbing. “He exists. He cares. Despite all that has happened. Just like ya said.” He stopped talking to rub the soap vigorously over his face and beard.
There was silence while Irv finished bathing, splashing as he climbed out. Ashar heard the slide of a zipper, the rustle of clothing. Irv came up next to him, socks in hand. He dropped his pack beside Ashar and crouched, reaching into the front flap. He pulled a book free. A bible.
He peered up at Ashar. “I got this book for Mariah because she seemed interested, but I read it. Ya have something my dad never did. Faith, yes. But more than that, ya know God in a way I didn’t know was possible. Like He’s your friend. I didn’t get it.” One-handed, Irv opened the Bible, and in much the same way Ashar had hundred of times, ran his fingers over an open page.
He held it out to Ashar, who took it. Irv dropped one knee to the ground and pulled a sock on.
“He is my friend,” Ashar confirmed.
“Well, there was a night that I got separated from John and Drew, and there was fighting. Axis and OWO soldiers, and I thought, what if they die? What if I have to come back and tell ya and the others I lost them? So I prayed. I started talking to God and telling Him that I needed some help, that ya were the only friend I had and I couldn’t let ya down, and it didn’t matter all that stuff from when I was a kid. If He’d help me, I promised I’d figure it out.”
Irv pulled in a deep breath, and tugged his other sock on. “Ya know what bro? John and Drew found me the next morning and I found this bible lying on the ground. Literally. Lying there like God dropped it deliberately to tell me He was listening.”
Boots went on next. “So my point, bro, is that you’re the beacon. Ya turn the lights off, we’re all done for.” Irv tugged a shoelace tight and crossed his wrists over one knee, looking Ashar in the eyes.
Nothing could have surprised him more than what Irv was saying to him. He didn’t feel like a beacon for anything. He was angry. Lost. Floundering. Every day he had to remind himself that God had a purpose for everything that was happening, that there was a reason to wake up and keep going.
Irv tied his second boot and stood, putting a hand on Ashar’s shoulder. “The fight’s bigger than we are, Ash. I know it’s going to sound weird coming from me, but we gotta find a reason to keep on fighting our part in it.”
Chapter Twenty
Ashar stared up at the firelight, reflecting on the cave ceiling, thinking about the words that Irv had spoken.
He breathed a prayer of forgiveness, for himself, for his parents again, for Monty. He closed his eyes and listened to the soft ruffles of the others as they sought their own sleep.
“Tell me my purpose, God,” he breathed. He was still waiting with the hope that God would answer his request when he slipped into sleep.
Ashar trembled and awoke, the four bones lining his back aching with pain. Using the ground to push himself up, he slid a hand beneath his shirt to run his hands over the lower bones on his
back. He held his breath as he checked each one, half expecting to find feathers along the ridges. They felt no different.
If he had dreamed, he could not remember. He just felt as though he had been experiencing the same sensation in the dream that still shivered along his skin now. He worried about the pain. He had been very careful to keep his secret hidden.
He couldn’t bear the thought of being a freak in anyone’s eyes again. The separation between him and the others was thin, and the last thing he needed was worried eyes watching him like they watched Marcus after he’d had a bad night.
He could say nothing to the others. Not even to Irv. It was just a reaction to the things Irv had spoken to him about.
No one looked at him suspiciously when he murmured good morning when the light finally filtered in. He headed out of the cave. It was just one dream, he told himself as he went about his morning routine. Snow was falling, thick heavy flakes of it. He was glad for the bulky coat Irv had brought. His hands sought the pockets, his fingers searched for the tattered hem. In this coat, there was no familiar hole to soothe along his skin. It was strangely disappointing.
John and Drew were on a hunting expedition. He wondered if the snow was good or bad for hunting. They hoped to bring back enough food to feed them for a while if they rationed well. Ashar would just be glad for meat. Meat was familiar and comforting to sink your teeth into, if you could look past the what. Ashar had never had venison before. It had been hard enough to acclimate himself to rabbit, squirrel and fox.
He supposed at this point deer wouldn’t be that much different than small game. Food meant survival, and you ate what was there.
Ashar stood still on his ledge, listening. The sounds of the forest, even the silence, were still so different to him, even now when he gave himself the time to dwell on it. No traffic, no people, just an encompassing widespread silence that wrapped itself around him and made him feel small and welcome at the same time. He wondered if the others ever felt it. Home.
Seal Two Page 15
