by Steven Pajak
Still nude with only the thin blanket wrapped around me, I now became aware of the temperature in the house. It was getting downright cold. Taking my cup, I went to the living room and checked Lara’s wood supply. She had several bundles of wood still stacked in the iron log rack. She had enough to get by for several more days.
I downed the rest of the lukewarm coffee, set the mug on the fireplace mantel, and got dressed. The fire was still clinging to life and producing some warmth, for which I was grateful. My underwear and jeans were quite warm when I slid into them. Once I had my boots on I felt less exposed and ready to face the world we now lived in.
Lara reappeared dressed in black jeans, a red and black checked flannel shirt, a black fleece sweater and a black knit hat. She wore a black parka; a red scarf hung loosely around her shoulders. She, too, was apparently ready to face the world.
We loaded up our gear—Lara dropped a baggie full of Honey Nut Cheerios into my back pack so I’d have breakfast—and took up our weapons. Lara still carried the Mosin M44 slung over her right shoulder; I carried my splitting maul. Before leaving, Lara fussed over me, pulling up the zipper of my coat and telling me to put my hat on before we went out. She so much reminded me of my wife.
“So how do we play this?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Are we…I don’t know…dating?”
“I think we moved beyond the dating stage last night, mister, don’t you?”
I nodded my head. We had gone to home plate; definitely not first date stuff, at least not for me, and apparently not for her either. “So…how should I act when I see you out there? What if I have a strong urge to kiss you?”
She thought about my question for a moment, her head cocked slightly to the right. The splash of freckles on her nose and cheeks were adorable. Finally she said, “If the urge strikes you, go for it, and I think I’ll do the same. In this world, you have to take what you want. If you wait for something, it will be gone before you know it.”
As usual, Lara was right. I took a kiss and then I patted her on the butt before racing out of the house.
* * *
This morning the CP was empty but the council table was full. Even Ray was at the table. Before we got started, I asked Lara to introduce Brian’s new friends around the community and to take them along on her on morning rounds. Wesley agreed to also accompany Lara, as long as he could take Cody. Although unusual the last several months, we locked the doors and put up our “Council Meeting in Session” signs.
Brian pulled in a metal folding chair from the garage and sat to my left, both of us sharing the head of the table. For the first time in months I saw eagerness in everyone’s eyes, that same sense of spirit we all had in the beginning when we believed our difficult days were behind us and that soon we’d be saved. We had been naïve; of that I have no doubt.
Standing, I cleared my throat and waited a moment for everyone to quiet. When I had their full attention I said, “I know we are all anxious to hear from Brian—I know I certainly am—but I want everyone to just listen and save your questions. Let him tell us what he has to tell us first, okay?”
Heads nodded eagerly in agreement and with that I turned the group over to Brian. His hair was tied back in a ponytail, secured with a piece of black shoelace. He looked tired; the dark circles under his eyes and the slack look to his face told me he hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. After our discussion, I could only assume he had lay awake all night thinking about what he would say to these folks. I had no idea, either, but I trusted my brother would do what was best for everyone. Perhaps I was still naïve even after these long, hard months.
“It’s good to see you all again,” Brian said. “Yes, even you, Ray.” Ray’s lips parted in a big smile and everyone at the table let out nervous laughter.
Surprising us all, Ray joked, “I missed you, too. Now that you’re back I can resume my place as the second biggest asshole around here.”
More laughter from around the table; I could see my brother had already engaged his audience. Brian laughed with them, reminding them that he was just one of them.
“Well played, friend,” Brian said. “Looks like some things haven’t changed. I thought absence was supposed to make the heart grow fonder…”
“That’s only true if you stay gone, son,” Paul chimed in.
“Shit, tell me how you really feel, Mr. Dazzo,” Brian said.
“I thought I just did!” Paul shot back, not missing a beat.
Everyone laughed again and Paul had a bit of a coughing jag. Ravi had to bring him a glass of water to get him to calm down. “That’s enough, please,” she said. “He’s going to rupture something.”
“My apologies,” my brother said. He bent and picked up his back pack from where it lay beside him and set it on the table. “Before I get started, I have something for each of you. I realize I missed Christmas, but I was thinking about you all while I was out there on the road and I picked up a few things along my travels that I’d like to give to each of you.”
“Now he’s trying to buy our good graces,” Al Sanchez said. His thick stomach bounced when he laughed.
Ignoring Al’s comment, Brian dug into his bag and then turned to Paul and presented him with a set of architect pens complete with tin case. “Paul, I know it’s not much, but I thought you could use these pens for drawing up your diabolical plans.”
I watched as Paul accepted the gift, turning the black box over in his hands. On the front in silver letters were the words Faber Castell. When Paul flipped back the lid he revealed a set of forty-eight Pitt brush pens in a multitude of colors.
“These are fantastic,” Paul said and shook Brian’s hand. “Thank you, son.”
“Enjoy them,” Brian said and clapped Paul on the back. Taking his bag with him as he moved, he walked around Paul and stood next to Ray who looked up at him with a mix of suspicion and hope on his face.
“And here is a little something for the second biggest asshole.” Brian pulled out three packages of Winston cigarettes. The hard packs were still wrapped in cellophane. He placed them down on the table in front of Ray. “Smoke up, buddy!”
“You’re a life saver,” Ray said and grabbed my brother’s hand and shook it fiercely. “I haven’t had a cigarette in about a month. You a goddamn saint, you know that?”
“Let’s not go overboard,” Brian said. Moving again, my brother now stood beside Stanley. Like Santa delivering gifts to all the good boys and girls, Brian reached into his bag and produced three sets of reading glasses which he placed on the table in front of Stan.
“So you can still look like a dork when you’re reading Jayne Eyre, professor.”
Everyone laughed at that, Stanley included. He swiped up the glasses and began examining them, a big smile on his face.
Next Brian stopped in front of Kat. Once again he dipped into his bag of goodies and came up with a rather large folding knife which he placed down on the table in front of her.
“A Zero Tolerance knife for the lady with zero tolerance.”
Kat picked up the knife and flicked the blade open with a quick flick of her finger. The satin finish blade was thick and formidable.
“And moving right along,” Brian said, and pretended to run away with his eyes opened wide when Kat flicked the knife open, and I was pleased to see her smile at his subtle joke.
“I’ll kill one of those walking bags of meat with this in your honor,” Kat said, playing her part as the ice maiden.
“That’s so sweet,” Brian said. Now it was Sam’s turn. My brother presented her with what appeared to be a notebook. “This is for keeping inventory. And here’s something to write in it with.” Brian also handed her a package of Dr. Grip pens.
Sam smiled and held up the book so that we could all see it. The front read GREAT MARK REPORT PAD. She flipped through some of the pages. “It’s a real inventory book!”
Next, Brian presented Reverend Reggie with a leather bound bi
ble. The orange-colored leather was dimpled, like a basketball. A simple inlayed cross was stamped into the front cover. Reggie flipped the book open and leafed through a few pages before looking up at Brian.
“This is a Protestant bible. Not very many around here, thank you.”
Brian shrugged his shoulders as if he had no clue what type of bible it was. “Should read the same as any other bible, right?”
Al looked up at Brian when he stopped next to him. The magic bag revealed a fifth of Knob Creek. “How much of your good graces will this buy?”
“As much as you need,” Al said, snatching up the bottle and looking over the label. “Stop by later and we’ll drink it together.”
“Sounds good, brother.”
Finally, Brian took his seat next to me and put his bag on the floor beside his feet. Everyone’s eyes turned to us to see what my brother had gotten for me.
“Oh, yeah,” Brian said as if he’d forgotten. He dipped into his bag one last time. “For you, bro.”
He handed me a wristwatch. I turned it over in my hand and looked down at the vintage Rolex Submariner. It was in fantastic condition, the brushed finish slightly dulled with age. The second hand started to move smoothly around the matte black dial when I gave the watch a quick shake.
“This is beautiful,” I said, quite stunned by this gift.
“A watch is a watch, right?”
I stared at the Rolex for a few more seconds before finally taking off my Seiko and sliding the it onto my wrist in its place. It was a tad loose, but it fit well.
“Looks good on you, dude.”
“Thank you, man.” I put a hand on my brother’s shoulder and said, “I’ve been wanting a watch like this for as long as I can remember. I never could justify spending the five grand for an old watch with Alyssa.”
There was a brief moment of silence around the table as everyone looked over their new items. Ray had removed one pack from the carton and was tapping it against the palm of his hand. Promptly he pulled one out and lit it up. To my surprise, he even passed the pack around the table, offering his precious smokes to his fellow council members. Only Al and Brian took one, but the gesture was not lost on me. As I watched the folks around the table talk about their gifts, I realized Brian had taken great consideration in what he’d chosen to give. He had not given these gifts out of kindness, or because he had been bitten by the Christmas spirit, but rather to serve his agenda, whatever that might be.
Not to look a gift-horse in the mouth, but I found myself wondering where my brother had secured these items.
After lighting his own cigarette, Brian inhaled deeply and let out a cloud of smoke. “So, let me tell you about my winter vacation. I’m sure you will all have questions, but please let me tell my tale and I’ll let you ask your questions when I’m all done. I’ll probably even answer a few. Deal?”
“We’re all agreed,” I said. “Go ahead. We’re all ears.”
“After leaving home, I stayed on Route 20 mostly, all the way until it ends. You all know after Reggie’s church and the small crop of luxury homes to our west there’s pretty much just farms spread out here and there until you reach Hampshire where they have a few fast food joints and a quick mart.
“My first night I made it as far as the luxury homes and slept in one of the models. In the morning, I checked them all out and they were all empty. I didn’t find much there except for Paul’s pencils and some tools that were left behind by one of the contractors. All the homes were still inventory and no one lived in them even before the outbreak.
“The next morning I started my trek down 20 again, planning on making Pingree Grove forest preserve as my next stop, but I didn’t make it. A group of the crazies, about six or so, came up on me around Switzer Road. I don’t know exactly where they came from because there’s nothing out that way.
“Anyway, you know when they get in a group they’re dangerous and it’s not a good idea to mess with them. I figured I could outrun them, so I booked for about a half mile until I got freakin’ winded but the bastards were still on my tail. I made it a little further and saw the Kountry Pet Resort. I busted in through one of the windows and blocked it up with a table. I don’t think they knew where I went in and after about twenty minutes they didn’t find me so I figured I was clear.
“I scouted the place and found one of the vets who had become infected and turned. He must have gotten trapped in there or someone locked him in there. Anyway, I killed him with a fire extinguisher.”
Ray started to laugh and he dug another cigarette out of his pack and plucked it into the corner of his lips. “Those things are supposed to save lives, not take them.”
“Seriously, Ray? If that was a joke you really need to work on your delivery, man. Anyway, there were a bunch of dogs kenneled there and I let them loose. I tore open three huge bags of food and left it for them. I filled up some metal buckets with water, too.
“I scrounged over the supplies that were left over and I found a bunch of stuff I’m sure Ravi would love to have. They’ve got a lot of machinery and diagnostic stuff and the like. When the weather is better we can probably transport some of that equipment and Paul can rig up some solar panels or something.”
“What about meds?” I asked, although Brian had said we should wait until he was done to ask.
“There were a lot of meds. Not sure if any of them can be used on humans, but I guess it’s worth looking into.”
“All of that will be gone by the time we can get back there,” Stanley said. He took off his glasses and started to polish the lenses, as was his habit.
“There are very few folks around those parts. The ones that were there took their leave and probably aren’t coming back. No, the stuff will be there. And I found a few other places along the way that have things that we need. I have them all marked on my maps.”
“That’s great news,” Sam said. I could see that all this talk about supplies had really pushed her buttons. Sam took our diminishing supplies personally, and felt she was to blame for not stretching our meager stockpile further.
Brian nodded his head. “It’s good news. But it’s not great news. If we gathered all the supplies I found we’d be in decent shape for another few months, certainly no longer. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take a few months if that’s all I have, but without food we won’t make it more than a few months.”
Stanley blew hot breath on his lenses. As he expertly rubbed the lenses he said, “There’s bound to be trade. If we can’t trade to our east, then we trade to the west.”
“There’s only one place I found that would have the amount of food we need. They’re seventeen miles away.”
“That may seem far at the moment,” Stanley continued. “But when the weather clears travel will be easier.”
“If we make it through the winter here, which from what I heard it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen…” Brian said. “I hope I’m not out of line saying that.”
We were all silent, remembering our conversation from just yesterday morning. As the seconds ticked away, Kat stood at the head of the table and stared at each of us. Almost a full minute passed before Kat finally spoke. Her voice was not harsh, but her tone was firm. “Let’s not pretend like we don’t know what’s been going on around here. This isn’t a place for self-righteous preaching or to lay blame. We’re all in this mess together and we’re not where we are because of any one person.
“We’ve all known for the last couple of months that our food and supplies were getting low. After we lost so many in the war with Providence and to the walking dead we worried a little bit less because there were fewer mouths to feed.
“We all know why Brian left in the first place; to find supplies, a trade route, and friendly folks that want to help humanity survive. So let’s hear what he has to say before we start jumping all over each other and pretending like we’re victims who don’t know we’re on the verge of death.”
“Thank you, Kat,” Brian sai
d, taking his cue to continue. “I’m not one to mince words. And I don’t apologize for being blunt. If we stay here we won’t make it through the rest of winter. That is a fact.”
His eyes moved from person to person, locking gazes with each and every one, until he was sure they were absorbing his words. “I’ve been out on the road and I’ve seen what the rest of the world looks like. We’re the lucky ones, trust me. We’ve fared well, considering.”
“If you’re trying to scare us, it’s working,” Sam said. “Now tell us what you really came to tell us. No more beating around the bush, please.”
Brian smiled and shook his head. “Fine. All those things that Kat said I went out there looking for…I found. I found everything. I even found friendly folks with lots of food who want to help us.”
Murmurs arose around the table as excitement came back into the voices of the council.
“And what is the catch?” Stanley asked. “There’s always a catch, isn’t there? Providence wanted half our supplies to leave us alone, so what do these folks want from us?”
“Stan you always piss on everything,” Paul said.
“I’m just trying to be the voice of reason here,” Stanley said. He took off his glasses again and began polishing the lenses in that nervous way. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t drink the Kool-Aid. If the rest of you are so naïve, it’s a good thing that I’m still grounded in reality.”
“I’m with Stanley on this one,” Al chimed in. “I have a wife and kids I have to think about. I want to know what we have to give in return.”
“The place is called Finnegan’s Farm. Its thirteen acres run by the Finnegan clan, headed by Ethan Finnegan,” Brian said. He reached down and lifted his bag again, placing it on the table in front of him. As he continued to speak, he started pulling out jars of fruits and vegetables and setting them out on the table in front of him.
