by Kip Nelson
He wondered if Jerry would be able to rally people into being a productive group, or if the people in the chapel really would find salvation. Neither path was right for Tillman.
He'd done what he had come here to accomplish, though. He'd saved his niece and was going to bring her home. Morelle would be overjoyed, but there were still some issues he had to discuss with his father, such as how to proceed from now on. Tillman had his own ideas, but his father always was stubborn and always thought he knew best. It would be a challenge getting him to see the way forward.
Tillman was looking forward to seeing Greg and Penelope again as well. He'd missed their company out here and hoped that Greg was feeling a little better after this rest. He knew that he had been hard on them both as he dragged them away from the city. He hoped they weren't too angry with him.
“How are you doing, Anthony?” he asked, not wanting to make the boy feel awkward.
“I'm doing okay, sir,” he said. “Thank you for what you did. I don't know what we would have done if you weren't there.”
“Call me Tillman, please, and I'm sure you'd have found a way. Gamers like us always can find a way out of any puzzle,” he said, giving Anthony a wink.
Anthony smiled and seemed a little more relaxed. Tillman tried imagining how he would have handled this situation when he was Anthony's age, and found that he didn't know. He would have been with Angela and would have wanted to do everything he could to protect her. It was all senseless, though.
“Mom is gonna kill me,” Jessica said mournfully as they drew closer to the ranch. Tillman almost was surprised they had encountered no other problems.
“She's going to be glad to see you. Dad, on the other hand,” Tillman said, offering her a sympathetic smile.
“Maybe I should stay out here,” Jessica said, laughing.
Tillman chuckled too and was glad he still had the ability to laugh. It was cut short by Major's growl. He stopped dead in his tracks and sniffed the air. Tillman fell silent and listened. His fear was that Khan had waited out here in the hope of trapping them. He tensed, ready for whatever this new world would throw at them.
But when he listened closely he heard a soft groan. Someone was in pain.
“What do we do?” Jessica whispered.
“Stay here,” Tillman said.
He walked toward the bank of trees and bushes that lined the road, carefully making his way towards the noise. It was faint and incoherent. The closer he got, the more confident Tillman became, because it was clear that whoever was making that noise wasn't in any condition to fight.
He made his way over to one of the bushes and peered over it. Among the leafy green plants was a man dressed in a plaid shirt with scratches on his arm. His clothes were torn, and it looked as though he had been mauled by a wild animal. There was a rock beside him that also was stained with blood. He groaned again. Tillman leaned down to help him into a sitting position. The man was groggy. Tillman reached into his bag to feed him a little water and felt guilty when he had to take it away from the man's dry, cracked lips.
“What's going on?” Jessica asked, for Tillman had been gone for a few moments and she was worried. She took one look at the man Tillman was helping and fell by Tillman's side.
“Oh my God! Tony!” she said, then turned to Tillman. “It's Tanya's dad.”
Tillman was relieved to see that he was alive, and it showed that Tanya had been right to stay in her house and wait for her father to return. Tillman and Jess tended to Tony and helped him get his senses back.
He was dazed, but conscious.
“Where am I?” he asked, clamping his eyes shut. His head still was pounding.
“It's okay. It's Jessica. This is my Uncle Tillman.”
“Jess? Where's Tanya,” Tony said, suddenly alarmed. The thought of his daughter being in danger was enough to summon vast energy, energy he didn't even know he had. Tillman calmed him, though.
“She's alright. She's at home waiting for you. She's safe. What happened to you?”
“I came out here trying to figure out what had happened. I had some kind of idea, and seeing the place so empty and quiet, well, I knew things had to be desperate. I heard some people nearby, so I hid. But they were moving through the town, so I found my way around the edges. I figured I'd walk out here a little bit for safety, and to see if I could hunt anything. It's been a while, though, too long really, and I found myself the hunted one. Something attacked me. I don't know if it was a wolf or a dog, but it was big and vicious, as you can see,” he said, looking down at the slashes that ran across his shirt, and the deep scratches in his skin.
“Thankfully, I managed to get hold of the rock and fought it off. Maybe I killed it. I'm lucky it didn't come to finish the job.”
“Do you have any antibiotics at home?” Tillman asked. After a cursory examination it didn't seem that Tony was mortally wounded. The scratches seemed to be more superficial than anything, but it was better to not take any chances. If the animal was feral, he was in more danger from infection after the attack.
Tony shook his head. “I have some antibiotic cream though, I'll put some of that on right when I get back.”
“Okay then. I have to warn you, though, that the world has changed,” Tillman said, and gave him a quick rundown of everything that had happened. Tony exhaled deeply as he listened.
“Maybe you and Tanya should come to our ranch? You'll be safer there than in the city.”
“Thanks,” Tony said, “but we have family nearby. I think I'll head there. I appreciate what you've done. I don't know if I would have woken up. I hate to think of Tanya in the house all alone. She's probably freaked out.”
“Tell her I said ‘Hi!’, and that, well, I hope to see her again,” Jessica said.
“I will,” Tony said.
He thanked them again as he made his way back to town. Tillman and the others walked in the opposite direction. As they did so, Tillman noticed that Jessica was subdued. It was a difficult thing to know that you weren't going to see someone you loved again.
“I know this is a big change, and I wish I knew something to say that would make it easier. I just want you to know that I know what it's like to leave this place knowing you're never going to see your best friend again. I had to do it with the girl I loved. All I can say is that nobody knows what's going to happen in this crazy world. So, while we're alive there's always the chance of seeing them again. This might not be as much of an end as you think it is, but even if it is, at least you know she's safe, and she's with family. Just like you'll be.”
Tillman put his arm around her, holding Major's leash in his opposite hand. The four of them walked back to the ranch.
Chapter Fourteen
They reached the driveway of the ranch without any more incidents. Tillman breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it still was standing. He almost expected it to be on fire with the way the world was heading. Jessica slowed her pace as they approached, as did Anthony. Tillman understood the young man's anxieties.
“Does Morelle know about you two?” Tillman asked. He knew the answer just from the two of them glancing at each other.
“Not exactly,” Jessica said.
“I wanted to tell them,” Anthony said pointedly. Jessica glared at him.
“It wasn't time...” she said, her voice faltering.
“Well, it seems like it's the right time now,” Tillman said.
He encouraged them to head up the walkway. Greg was out on the porch and waved as he saw Tillman. He disappeared inside, and then Morelle sprinted out, tears streaming down her face. She peppered Jessica with kisses and showered her with affection. She hugged her so tightly, as though she never would let her go again.
“Let the poor girl go, Morelle,” Ana said softly, but her eyes were equally sad. Fernando stood on the porch, glaring at them. Penelope and Greg flanked him.
Morelle did as her mother suggested and then wrapped her hands around Tillman, thanking him profusely for
getting her daughter back.
“And who is this young man?” Ana asked.
Anthony blushed.
“This is Anthony. He's...he's my boyfriend,” Jessica said with determination in her voice. Ana's eyebrows went up. Morelle was too happy to think that anything was amiss.
“He needs help,” Tillman said.
Ana ushered them all in and said that she'd see to them. Penelope welcomed him back with a hug as well, and Greg with a handshake. Fernando gave him a sharp nod. Tillman had come to expect nothing more than the most cursory signs of affection from his father.
“You took so long we almost didn't think you were coming back,” Penelope said.
“It's good to see you again, though, and your parents have taken good care of us. I feel like my old self again, although my body still is aching,” Greg said cheerily. Tillman turned to his father, but before he could say anything, Fernando turned away and walked back into the house. Penelope gave him a sympathetic look.
“How was he?” Tillman asked.
“Worried,” Penelope said.
She didn't say any more, as the others joined them and moved inside. Morelle looked as though she was going to burst with emotion, but Tillman was glad they were tears of joy and not sorrow. Before he joined the others inside the house he pulled Penelope and Greg back and told them all that had happened in the town.
“Damn, I guess it's not going to get any easier out here,” Greg said.
“This Khan guy, you think he's going to come back?” Penelope asked.
“I don't know. All I know is that it's going to be a challenge to keep us all safe. We're going to have to show everyone that we're capable of surviving here. I don't think we should move for a while, not until we've found a way to grow some sustainable food. I don't think there's going to be more threats from the town just yet, but we have to be prepared for people to come along here. There are going to be people migrating from city to city, and along the way they might just stumble across us. We have to be ready, whether they be friend of foe.”
The words were ominous, and it gave each of them much to think about.
As soon as he sat down on the couch Tillman felt his eyes growing heavy. His mother came in with some food and water, which he hungrily ate. Morelle and Jessica were having some mother-daughter time upstairs, which Tillman thought was going to be a very emotional affair. Anthony was resting in a bed upstairs after Ana had seen to his wound. She came downstairs to tell them all that Anthony looked as though he was going to be okay, and a little rest would see him right.
“What were you thinking, Tillman, bringing him here?” Fernando said.
The room’s mood had been jovial, but it instantly was transformed by Fernando's tone. Greg and Penelope had been sharing a joke together, but they were silenced. Tillman opened his eyes and looked directly at his father. He was too tired to have to deal with his father's ire.
“What do you mean?” Tillman asked.
“He's the reason she was in danger in the first place. He should be with his own family, not with ours. And she's too young to have a boyfriend.”
Tillman rolled his eyes at this.
“You and mom were her age when you got together!” Tillman said, frustrated with his father's hypocrisy.
“We were responsible,” Fernando spat out. Tillman rolled his eyes again.
“He doesn't have any parents. They were on a weekend trip away. What was I supposed to do, leave him out there alone in the state he's in? You have no idea what it's like out there, do you? Just try spending one hour out there and you'll see what it's like. You'll see what people have to do to survive, what lengths they have to go to.” Tillman's voice cracked under the pressure of everything he had been through.
Fernando scoffed. “If people are strong enough they won't have to go to those lengths. You've always been one to dramatize things, Tillman. I would have hoped you'd have grown out of the habit by now,” he said.
“I can't even argue with you right now,” he said.
Penelope and Greg stared at each other awkwardly. Tillman burned with anger, and he knew rest would not come to him anytime soon. He placed his head in his hands and breathed deeply. Part of him wondered why he even had bothered to come back here, for it was so difficult to be with his father in these situations. But he wasn't here for his father. He was here for his mother, Morelle, and Jessica. If he hadn't been here, well, he didn't bear thinking about what could have happened to Jessica.
She came down the stairs with Morelle. The two of them looked so happy together, and Tillman was glad to see they had grown up with a close relationship. It was something that had been denied to him and Morelle because of Fernando’s nature, and he was glad Morelle had made up for that. It would have been easy for Jessica to resent Morelle for not having a father, and blamed her, but Morelle had loved Jessica enough for two parents, and the love was returned in kind. It almost made Tillman regret not having a family of his own.
“Have you spoken with her?” Fernando asked.
“Yes, and it's all taken care of. She knows that I'm disappointed in the way she acted, but the most important thing is that she's here with us,” Morelle said, giving her father a pointed look. Jess bowed her head and looked chagrined. Tillman knew what was coming next.
“It's not the most important thing. The most important thing is this lack of discipline,” he said, then turned to Jessica.
“You cannot expect to sneak out like that to see a boy and get away with it. There are consequences for your behavior. You put yourself in danger and you worried everyone in this house. This is why we have rules, Jessica. You lied to us, you betrayed us, and you almost paid for it. You're at an age now where you need to grow up and think about what you're doing. You're not a child, even though you act like it. And don't think for one minute there's going to be any funny business with Anthony going on in my house,” he said. Then he stopped and sat down to read a book, as though his word was final.
Jessica still had her say, though. She had been through the wringer and had found reserves of strength that previously had gone untapped. After having survived the night in the abandoned town, Jessica was able to summon the courage to stand up to Fernando. Perhaps too she had been inspired by Tillman's efforts in standing up to Khan.
“I didn't lie, I was with Tanya. But can you blame me for not telling you about Anthony? He's a sweet boy, he's kind, and you'd like him if you gave him a chance. Not everyone is out to hurt me. He hasn't done anything wrong,” she said.
“It doesn't matter what he has or hasn't done. What matters is the rules of this house. He can stay here until it's safe for him to return home, but I will not have the two of you play at being adults while you're here,” Fernando said, glaring at her.
“That's not fair!”
“Neither is life, but we all have to deal with it, and the sooner you get used to that fact the better you will be,” he said. Tillman thought he was being far too cruel.
Jessica looked at her mother, who turned away. Morelle, unfortunately, had been cowed for too long by powerful men to put up a fight against her father. Ana was the same, always the dutiful wife. Greg and Penelope were guests, so were not in a position to argue. Tillman was the only one who could argue with him, as it always was.
But Jessica still was fighting valiantly.
“I'm not some stupid little girl. I know what I'm doing. We've been friends for a long time. He's actually shy, and he already knows us, at least he knows Uncle Tillman. He wants to be like him when he grows older,” Jessica said, not realizing it was perhaps the worst thing she could have said.
“That's just what we need, another person who wants to waste his time on something so unproductive. Trust me, Jessica, when you're older you'll see what a big mistake this is. I tried to warn your mother and look what it got her,” he said. Jessica flared with anger, as did Tillman, who jumped to his feet. Morelle bowed her head and looked as though she was pretending that none of this was happen
ing.
“What the hell did you say?” Tillman said, standing beside Jessica.
“You heard me,” Fernando said defiantly. His eyes were like ice, and he stared at Tillman, unperturbed.
“I did, but I can't believe what I heard. That's not the way I remember it at all. You loved him. You encouraged her. You thought he walked on water, especially compared to me,” Tillman said.
“Anthony is not like my father!” Jessica yelled at the top of her voice. She glared at Fernando, and then stormed out of the room, stomping upstairs. Morelle chased after her.
“I hope you're happy,” Fernando said.
Tillman scoffed. “Yes, because it's never your fault is it? I don't know how you just can sit here when the world is falling apart. None of this matters anymore, Dad. Jessica's misbehavior, your dislike of my career, nothing matters. The world has changed, and we have to change with it,” Tillman said.
“You're always filled with delusions, Tillman,” Fernando said, rising from his chair.
“I've been alive a lot longer than you and I've see the world end many times. There was Vietnam, the o-zone layer, the Millennium Bug, the threat of terrorists, of World War Three. This is just another one of those, and you're a fool if you're taken in by it,” he said. He pushed past Tillman before Tillman could make any reply and left. His mother scurried after Fernando.
Tillman sank back to the couch, looking drained.
“I don't know how I'm ever going to get through to the man,” he said. Greg and Penelope looked at him sympathetically.
“He'll come around in time. He'll have to. We all did,” Greg said. “It took me a while. I mean, part of me still hopes the government is going to get their shit together and sort this mess out, but the longer it takes...how can we just believe that this is going to pass?”
