by David Achord
I nodded. “I must admit, some of our people smoke more than they should, but we also use it as a barter commodity.”
When I said the word, barter, the older man’s face lit up. “Do you have a bartering team?” he asked.
I smiled. “Do you remember the man that talked you out of those bananas when we met in Bristol?”
“Yeah, is he still around?”
“Yep. His name is Raymond Easting. We half-jokingly call him the director of trade and commerce. He’s currently in Marcus Hook.”
“Marcus Hook?” he asked.
“It’s a borough in southern Pennsylvania. There is a small group of survivors living there who have gotten a refinery operational. They also have a deep-water port, and we’ve got a wild idea of getting a sea merchant fleet operational.”
“A refinery? Is that how you people still have running vehicles?” he asked.
“Yep, they’re able to produce diesel fuel.”
“And a sea merchant fleet?”
“Right now, it consists of two sixty-three footers, but we’re working on it. The biggest problem is a lack of manpower.” In fact, I was the one who thought of it, but I wasn’t going to toot my own horn. “If everything goes to plan, we’ll have an operational fleet by the summer. It will allow us to have easier access to all of the port cities on the eastern coast.”
Big Joe nodded. “Impressive. You people think big.”
“The weather has hampered travel somewhat, but when Ray gets back home, you two should talk. They have a personnel shortage and I happen to know they don’t have a handle on winter crop production.”
Both Joes and Ned nodded thoughtfully.
“What are you doing here?” Ned asked, gesturing at the truck I was working on.
“Good tires are scarce these days. So, we rotate, balance, and align the front ends of our vehicles on a regular basis.” I pointed at the alignment apparatus.
“All it requires are shims and then wheel weights for balancing the tires. We have plenty of each.”
Fifteen minutes after they had left, Riley came wandering in. Logan was with her and trying hard not show the high degree of lust he was currently feeling.
“I see you two have met,” I said.
“Yeah,” Logan answered. “I was showing her around. Say, Riley says she’s got mad sniper skills. Any chance we can sign out some ammo and do some shooting?”
I started to remind Logan we were short of ammo, but then realized he was probably unaware of that particular predicament.
“I’ll see what I can do, but if I know Captain Smithson, he’ll probably want to save the ammo for the next training class.”
Now Logan frowned. “Yeah, I heard about that. We all have to go through it, right?”
“Yep, but with your SWAT training, maybe you can get together with Captain Smithson and review the training. I’m sure he would appreciate your input.”
Riley did not look surprised when I mentioned Logan’s SWAT experience, so I guess he’d already told her. Obviously, he was interested, but it was hard to tell about Riley. I tried to help him out.
“I don’t know if you two have any plans for after dinner, but tonight’s movie night. I think they’re showing Predator,” I said.
“Cool movie,” Logan said. “Do you want to watch it with me?” he asked Riley.
Riley shrugged apathetically. “Sure, I guess so.”
We talked a little more before they meandered out. I noticed Josue eyeing me. I got back to work.
Kelly and I discussed the best way to handle this minor dilemma with Frederick Zachariah Gunderson and came to the best solution we could think of. I sat my rambunctious son down and had a long, fatherly talk with him. His lower lip was stuck out the whole time, but he listened attentively and didn’t talk back.
Once we entered the cafeteria, I took my mischievous son by the hand and walked him over to the table where Parvis, his children, and Doctor Kendra Salisbury were eating dinner.
“Doctor, my son has something he’d like to say to you,” I said.
I saw Garret and Grace grinning. They’d obviously already heard the story.
“I’m sorry for putting a booger under the microscope,” Frederick said.
“And?” I chided.
“And I won’t ever do it again,” he finished.
“That was nasty, you understand that, don’t you?” Kendra pointedly asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Frederick timidly replied.
“I hoped you learned your lesson,” she admonished.
“Yes, ma’am, I did. That was the weirdest-looking thing I’ve ever seen,” Frederick said.
I started to groan, but Grace started giggling, and to my surprise, Kendra cracked a smile.
“Perhaps, in the future, we’ll find more pleasant things to look at under the microscope.”
Frederick’s face lit up in anticipation. “Yeah,” he said excitedly.
Chapter 25 – Xmas Eve
The next few days went by quickly, and before I knew it, Christmas Eve was here. I finished up a brief journal entry and then I walked to the auditorium. The place was crowded and stirring. We’d not had any type of attack on the compound in years, so people living here had a sense of security, and therefore were more inclined to pursue forms of amusement that had nothing to do with survival. I asked Parvis about it once. I wanted to end all of the amusements, parties, socials, all of it, and force the Mount Weather community to focus only on training and work. Parvis patiently lectured me that humans needed mindless distractions, and if we did not provide them, they’d create their own. And, if people were left to their own devices, they would create their own distractions, and those distractions could be destructive. I hated to admit it, but he was right. He was almost always right.
The festivities tonight was going to be the traditional Christmas play, with the kids playing various roles. Macie was a little too young to recite lines, so she was going to be one of the animals in the manger while Frederick was going to be one of the three magi. I stood in the back, watching everyone. Kelly and Janet were involved with the play, which gave me the freedom not to sit with the rest of the audience. Normally, I wouldn’t mind, but I was not in the mood to sit there and listen to people brag on and on about their kids.
“Kind of silly, isn’t it?”
I turned to see Parvis. He was looking out at the audience in much the same way I was doing.
“I mean, we do the same thing every year, and every year people behave the same way.”
He was right. Mount Weather had every conceivable Christmas movie on file, so they played one or two a night for the entire month of December. Except for the kids, we’d all seen them many times, but we watched them anyway. And then, on Christmas Eve, we had the traditional baby Jesus in the manger play. Not everyone here were Christians, but we did it anyway and it was always a packed house.
“I don’t think it matters,” I said. “Like you’ve lectured me before, people need distractions, and I’ve come to learn, people need symbolic events to help remind them of the past. And, it gives them hope that our lives are getting better.”
“Well said,” Parvis said with a grin. “I believe I’m going to steal that line from you when I give the toast tomorrow.”
I gave a small laugh. Over the years, we had created more than a few Mount Weather traditions. On Christmas Eve, we had the children’s play, and then someone would play the role of Santa Claus and pass out presents. Then, after the kids were put to bed, the willing adults adjourned to the adult party room, which was the only indoor location where smoking of marijuana was permitted and the homemade alcohol flowed like water. The next day, Christmas, the cafeteria opened at ten, whereupon brunch was kicked off with a commemorative speech. We did it every year and someone was always nominated to give the speech. This year, it was Parvis.
“I see there’s a lot of people who are getting an early start,” he commented.
He was referring to several people
holding coffee mugs, which were not filled with coffee.
“Yeah, I bet it’s going to be a wild party tonight.”
Parvis scoffed. “No doubt. Are you going to it?”
“Doubtful. It’s up to Kelly. I’d rather be fresh for your profound speech tomorrow.”
He scoffed again. “What can I say that hasn’t been said every other year? What’d you get your kids?”
“I found a girl’s bicycle with training wheels a few months ago, so that’s what Macie’s getting. My rambunctious son is somewhat of a challenge. I was going to give him a Swiss Army knife, but Kelly nixed that idea immediately.”
Parvis laughed. “I wonder why?” he asked facetiously.
“Yeah, too soon I guess. So, Fred and I have rigged him up some cowboy gear, complete with a hat, fake spurs, and a water pistol.”
“He’ll love it. What about Kelly?”
I shrugged. “That’s even harder. She’s gotten a shit ton of maternity clothes and baby stuff. All of it’s used, of course, but clean and functional. Plus, after our raid on Dayton, she’s got all kinds of other stuff that makes women happy.”
“Yeah, I’ll say. Everyone was ecstatic with that haul. You scored a lot of brownie points on that one,” he said with a chuckle. “Especially with Kendra.”
About a year after Kendra arrived at Mount Weather, she and Parvis had developed a relationship. This was not uncommon in Mount Weather. New people would arrive and the single people would naturally gravitate toward each other.
I’m not sure what it was, but she and I seemed to have a clash of personalities. Even now, she was sitting on the other side of the auditorium and declined to walk over to socialize the way Parvis did. Shortly after meeting her, I overheard her comment about people from Tennessee were probably nothing more than rednecks. It was a belief borne from ignorance. I happened to know that back before, Nashville was one of the most culturally diverse cities in the nation.
But, because of Parvis, we had stayed civil with each other over the years.
“Do you know what Kelly is getting you?” he asked.
“I hope it’s a blowjob.”
Parvis got a good laugh out of my response, but it soon segued into a coughing fit.
“Sorry,” I said. I was going to say more, but the lights dimmed, causing everyone to grow quiet. Kelly then walked out on stage, and with a big smile announced the play was beginning.
This was going to be the fifth time for me, and others, but we clapped anyway and watched with rapt attention. It was slightly different this year. Janet and Kelly had put a comic twist on the story, and each kid had one or two humorous one liners. The audience laughed appreciatively and there were several pictures being taken by doting parents. I’ll have to admit, I took a few as well.
After the play was over and everyone was milling around, I eased out to go visit Fred.
Guard duty was different these days from when we’d first came to Mount Weather. We’d made many upgrades over the years and hardened our defense works. Now, there was no need to man every guard post. In addition to hardening the defense works, we’d gotten all of the surveillance cameras back online, added several, and even included infrared cameras and motion sensors. The only post that was constantly manned now was the main gate and we had a Quick Reactionary Force in case of attack.
Fred and Rachel had volunteered to man the main gate so others could watch the play and attend the ensuing party. I heard Rachel laughing about something as I walked in. Rachel was smiling, Fred looked, well, like Fred usually does.
“I brought you two some cookies,” I said and held out a plastic Tupperware container.
“Wow, thanks, Zach,” Rachel said.
Fred looked them over. “Oatmeal?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“Good. I need some fiber,” he said and took one.
“How was the play?” Rachel asked.
“About the same as last year, but they added a few humorous lines here and there. It spiced it up a little bit.”
“Sounds like we missed a good one. Would you like a drink?” Rachel asked as she held up a bottle with a grin. “It’s a fine Mount Weather vintage.”
I laughed. “No thanks. So, anything going on?”
“Nope,” Fred said.
“We were just having a discussion,” Rachel said, and I saw the hint of one of her mischievous grins forming. “I think we need your advice. You see, Fred has pointed out more than once that he’s old enough to be my father, so, I’ve started calling him Daddy. He doesn’t seem to like it too much. What do you think, Zach?”
I glanced over at Fred, who looked fit to be tied, and started laughing. Rachel started giggling uncontrollably, making me suspect she’d already had more than a few sips of that fine Mount Weather vintage.
“I’ll be back at midnight to spell you guys,” I said.
“No need for that,” Fred said. “We have relief coming at two.”
“And don’t worry, Daddy will protect me,” Rachel said and giggled some more before standing. “Before you leave, I need to go pee.”
“Carry your rifle with you,” Fred admonished.
“Yes, Daddy,” Rachel replied. I heard her giggling as she walked off into the dark.
Fred waited a few seconds before speaking. “We’re not sleeping together,” he said under his breath. “She’s a good person, but I really am old enough to be her father.”
“Hey, it’s your business,” I said. “She really seems to like you though.”
“She didn’t have it so good, growing up. She never knew her father and her mother had a new boyfriend every month. She more or less grew up on her own.”
I nodded in silence. It certainly explained why she’d attached herself to Sarah, an older woman, and then, after Sarah was murdered, Fred.
“How old are you now?” I asked.
Fred’s response was a grunt. I figured he was in his late-fifties, but he was still tough as nails.
“Do you feel up to going on a ride in the morning?” he asked, deftly changing the subject.
“Uh, well, sure, I guess. It’s a little cold. I don’t suppose I can talk you into riding in the truck, can I?”
Fred’s response was a silent stare.
“Yeah, okay. They’re not going to serve breakfast at the usual time. Brunch starts at ten, so we’ll need to fix something for ourselves.”
“Yep,” Fred replied.
“Yeah, okay. What time?”
“I’m going to need a little bit of sleep, so let’s go with six.”
I did the mental math. He wasn’t going to be relieved until two, so with any luck, and Rachel didn’t pester him, he was going to get less than four hours of sleep. I chuckled in appreciation of the man’s stamina. Maybe I was getting an inkling why Rachel liked him.
“Six it is,” I said. “See you then.”
My next stop was the armory. In addition to a Quick Reactionary Force, we kept the armory manned at all times so there would be quick access to the weapons, if needed. Priss was sitting in front of the monitors, feet propped up, reading a book.
She was still a good-looking woman, kept her hair cut short, and worked out regularly. Oh, and she still had a smart mouth, although she’d mellowed her temper toward me and we had become friends. When she saw me walk in, she held her hand over the title.
“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of another.”
“Ah, that one’s easy. To Kill a Mockingbird,” I said.
We’d started playing this little game a couple of years ago. She was an avid reader, as was I, and she liked to challenge me to see if my memory was as good as I claimed.
“Alright, smarty-pants, which character?” she rejoined.
“Again, a no-brainer. Miss Maudie.”
“Are you sure?” she drawled as she eyed me.
“Of course, I am. That quote is classic Miss Maudie. She was full of sayings and witticisms.”
&n
bsp; She smirked and then looked at the Tupperware container. “What’ve you got there?”
“Cookies.”
“Oh, nice,” she replied and took them out of my hands. She took a bite out of one and washed it down with a glass of water.
“I’m surprised you don’t have a glass of wine or something,” I said.
She gave a slight shrug. “I’ll wait ‘til the party.”
I chuckled. Since hooking up, the two of them got along like fire and ice, but they were still together. I happened to know every once in a while, Priss and Grace would hook up. I only knew because I walked in on them once while they were engaged in a deep, tongue-probing kiss. Priss was amused, but Grace begged me to keep it a secret, which I abided.
“I’m sure Liam is looking forward to it.”
“Yeah,” she said.
“You don’t sound too enthused,” I remarked.
“What’s the saying, strong as an ox and almost as smart?”
I chuckled and decided to change the subject. “Do you need me to spell you or anything?”
“No, I’m good. Are you and Kelly going to the party?”
“Nah. Kelly doesn’t want to be around smoke and I’ve got an early ride with Fred in the morning.”
“Pfft, you’re an old fuddy-duddy,” she said.
I laughed and scanned the monitors. Priss saw me looking.
“The only thing I’ve seen moving out there is a coyote who was trying to figure out how to get through the fencing, and you. Oh, and Rachel either doesn’t realize cameras are everywhere, or she doesn’t care who watches her take a squat.”
I laughed again. “I’ll let her know. Alright, if you don’t need anything, I’m heading back.”
Priss suddenly jumped up and gave me a tight hug. “Merry Christmas,” she said. “I’m glad we’re friends.”
“Definitely,” I replied, hugging her back.
Before it got awkward, Lawrence Boner walked in and gave us barely a glance as he took his jacket off and hung it up. Boner was a big, beefy man who played football when he was in the Naval Academy. When the outbreak occurred, he was serving as an aide for his uncle, Admiral Jackson Walker, who had become infected shortly after arriving at Weather. Boner made the decision and killed him.
