by Kip Nelson
“I'll be glad for the help,” Freddie said, smiling warmly towards Saul.
“Is there anything specific you'd like me to do, Mack?” Hank asked.
Mack looked at the solemn preacher and was glad to see he was the type of man who wanted to do something, who wanted to help rather than sit on the sidelines and takes things easy. All in all, Mack couldn't have asked for a better group of people to have around him and he wanted to let them know it.
“I'm glad you asked that. I've been thinking about things a lot lately. There have been times when we've been separated or we've gone off on our own agendas, and there have been times when we've been threatened and close to death, and maybe we haven't been sure we'd ever see each other again. In those times, at least for me, I've come to realize how much you all mean to me. We've been through a lot together, and these hard times forge bonds that are not easily broken. I couldn't make it through all this without you, and I think we all have our roles to play in the coming days.
So far, I've been taking the lead, and I'm glad you trust me enough to give me that responsibility. I hope I won't let you down, and I also trust you'll come to me if you think I'm making mistakes. But we all know the reality of this world, and that any of us could die at any moment. It's a sad thing to face, but it's true, and we're all fortunate we have managed to survive together for this long.” He paused.
“That's why I want to create a hierarchy. So, if something does happen to me, there are people who can step up and maintain the chain of command, as it were. I liked the idea of the council, but I do not think it best to have a revolving door policy when it comes to people in charge. I believe it's better to have more of a singular vision to get things done. But I do believe in democracy and cooperation, and to that end, I would like you and Grace to be my deputies, and to help me make the decisions and the policies that will affect us all. There's a lot to take care of. I know not everyone always is going to have time for meetings such as this. So, I think it's best if the three of us can have regular meetings to deal with any problems that arise. We can save the bigger meetings for when everyone is available.” He continued.
“I would be honored,” Hank said, and Grace was beaming.
With that settled, everyone had a job to do. They were glad to have these plans in place as it gave them goals on which to focus, and a purpose, which was always good for the soul.
“There is another thing that we haven't discussed yet, and that's patrols,” Grace said.
“We still have to send people out for supplies, especially with winter coming up fast. The sooner we plan for that, the better. With more mouths to feed, we're going to need as much as we can get, but it's not just food, either. We're going to need warm clothes, medical supplies, tools, and pretty much whatever else we can get.”
“Can I trust you to get on with that?” Mack asked. Grace nodded, and all were happy.
The group left and Mack once again turned his back to look out at the city. He exhaled as he tried thinking of exactly how much time had passed since all this began. There had been so much happening he hadn't kept track of the days. The only indication he had was the changing of the weather, and how much they had changed.
Most of them now sported beards, or at least stubble, and hair mostly was chopped off with knives rather than cut by experts. When he first had met Grace, her hair had been dyed like a rainbow, but that slowly had disappeared, and now her natural dark color showed through. It just proved that time was in some ways meaningless. It was either a predator stalking you or a companion, reminding you to take heed of every moment. But as the days bled into weeks that bled into months, Mack started realizing life was just one unending string of moments that didn't need to be defined by an arbitrary measure of time. Animals didn't have a sense of time, and they seemed perfectly happy.
In his mind, he could choose any moment in which to live from his past, whether it be first laying eyes on Anna, the night they first made love, or the time when he proposed. It was all out there, and there were many more moments waiting for him, although those he was not aware of. Beyond the city lay the rest of the state, then the country, then the world. When he tried thinking of what was happening across the globe, he was engulfed by the vastness of it all. There surely must have been other people like him, who were trying to rebuild humanity, and he wished there was some way to communicate with them to see how successful they were and to offer support. But it wasn't only people on land he was thinking of there. There had been people at sea, no doubt, and some in submarines, who were destined for watery graves. It was a sobering thought.
The only thing that separated Mack from them was the sheer fortune of circumstance. No matter how bleak things looked, they all were the luckiest people in the world because they were living when so many others had lost their lives. Mack wanted to keep that thought close to his heart. So, he didn't become complacent or lose sight of how dangerous the world was.
Mack knew that, no matter how successful this settlement became, there always would be threats out there, always a group of people wanting to take it away from them. He knew one day death would catch up to him as well, but he wanted to go out on his own terms. He intended to live a long life ye0t, because there was much he wanted to fulfill. So, he turned away from the window and made his way out of his office, following the others down the steps. He was ready to meet the next challenge, even though he was tired, and the energy he had expended was beginning to catch up to him.
CHAPTER FOUR
“I WAS SURPRISED when you volunteered,” Grace said.
She was walking beside Luis, who exhaled with every breath as he pressed his cane into the floor and hobbled along slowly. She reached over and held his hand, linking her fingers in with his. Luis smiled at her as they made their way through the park and sat down on an empty bench. The air was warm, although a little cooler than they had been used to. Sweat prickled on Luis' brow and he wiped it with his sleeve, somewhat embarrassed by his physical ailment. He leaned his cane against the bench and winced as he relaxed.
“It's still giving you trouble?” she asked.
Luis nodded, pulling up his shirt to look at the wound caused by the bullet.
“You're going to have a nasty scar,” Grace said, lightly touching his skin with her fingers.
“It'll make for a good story, I guess, and I'll be alright eventually. Just gotta get used to the pain,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Are you sure that volunteering to be Maggie's deputy was the best idea? You should be taking it easy. There's no shame in recovering. We're going to need everyone at their best, and there's no sense in you overdoing it for no reason,” she said, trying to remain more affectionate than nagging.
Luis' gaze wandered over the surrounding area at all the people walking around, on their way to doing some good for the settlement. In the distance, he could see men and women hauling debris up to strengthen the barriers around the settlement.
“I've spent too long taking it easy. You don't know what it was like to be bedridden while everything else was happening out here. I wanted so badly to help, but I couldn't. I felt so useless and guilty. People died while I was in bed.”
“You can't blame yourself for that. You were wounded. It's not as though you were hiding.”
“No, but it felt like I was. All the time I was lying there I just wanted to be out here with you and the others, making a difference, just like we used to when it was just the three of us. Things have changed, you know, we have more responsibility now. We have to change, too.”
“Are you alright with what Mack said, about staying here? I know that you get restless sometimes, I just want to make sure you didn't say that for the benefit of everyone else...or for me.”
“I think before I wanted to keep moving because I didn't have any reason to stay anywhere, but now I do. You guys are the first people ever to treat me with respect, to make me feel like I'm not just a waste of space, and I want to repay you and prove to y
ou that you were right in trusting me. I want to do something that I can be proud of, and to really matter to this place. I feel like we're creating a new type of history here, and I want to be a part of it. I don't know if I'll be any good as a deputy, but I want to try, and at least I can learn something along the way.”
Grace smiled, leaned in, and kissed him deeply. Then she nuzzled into his neck and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tightly, glad that she had him back by her side and that he wasn't confined to a bed any longer. She was also glad that he showed such spirit in wanting to get back out there and seize life. There were many people who, after suffering the trauma of being shot, would have recoiled and retreated into the shadows, too afraid to brave the sun once again, but Luis was different than that.
Grace hadn't seen it when they had first met, but over time Luis had proven himself to her and she was glad the two of them had come together, sharing something deep and real. She sighed contentedly. With Luis back beside her, and Anna in the infirmary, and a plan forming for the future of the settlement, things seemed to be looking up and hope was in the air.
AS THEY LEFT CITY HALL, Freddie and Saul were in deep discussion, talking about their plans to handle the integration of the Lost Children. Maggie skipped up behind them, smiling a little before she approached as they seemed like an odd pairing. Freddie the slight, diminutive man who was soft-spoken and didn't look like he would be able to harm a fly; and Saul, the tall giant with long white hair and a bushy beard, with a muscular physique and tattoos that told the story of a hard life lived in a hard way, calloused hands and eyes that had seen the true side of human nature; both of them coming together for a common goal.
“Wait up,” she called out, and fell into step with them.
The men paused their conversation and greeted their new sheriff. She inclined her head, proud of her new position.
“I'll have to see if I can find a star lying around,” she said.
“What can we do for you?” Freddie asked.
“Well, I think it's great what you're doing with the kids. I remember how good you were with Tristan, and with me. They couldn't be in better hands. I was thinking, actually, if you don't mind, that I could ask Tristan to help you as well. It might help them to see that someone they know already has adjusted to things here, and that you have his trust. And it'll give him something to do, save him moping around.”
“Yeah, of course, Tristan is a great kid, and we'd love his help,” Freddie said, glancing to Saul quickly to make sure it was alright with the big man too, and indeed it was.
“How is he doing?” Freddie asked.
Maggie raised her eyebrows, indicating that he wasn't doing as well as he could have been.
“He's still pretty shaken up about everything that happened with Peter. I've tried explaining to him that sometimes it's okay to use violence, but I think it scared him to see just how far he can go when pushed. He's already seen more than most kids his age. Well, they all have, so I can just hope that it doesn't affect him too badly.”
“He couldn't ask for a better mom to help him,” Freddie said. Maggie smiled at the compliment.
“I'm still mad at Sharon, though. I'd love to give her a piece of my mind, but Deborah seems so nice, and I remember what it was like when Tristan and I reunited. I don't want to get in the way of that. Whatever Sharon has done, she deserves time with her mother.”
“That's very mature of you,” Freddie said, teasing his old friend, “but seriously, you've offered Tristan's help but have you thought about offering your own? The other parents could benefit from your experience, I'm sure.”
Maggie looked uneasy. “I'll think about it. I'm not sure I have your tact, though,” she said, “and if I have to face Deborah, I'm not sure I could be nice about her daughter.”
“It's going to take a while for us all to get used to each other,” Saul said, “but we need to put the past behind us and look to the future. I know all too well how anyone can change, if they're willing.”
Maggie nodded at these sage words and bid them farewell, telling them that she would send Tristan to them when he's ready.
The two men said goodbye as well and resumed talking about how they were going to help the children. Saul would handle teaching them valuable skills to channel their energy, while Freddie would have sessions with them to talk through their feelings, and the two of them would come together to talk about any issues that arose. Saul still was puzzled as to why the children seemed drawn to him. Freddie punched him on the arm and said it was because he was a big teddy bear.
“And anyway, speaking of how people are doing, how are things with you? We haven't had a conversation for a while,” Freddie said, broaching a topic that was a sensitive one for Saul, and one that he only had told Freddie about. Freddie, of course, had kept it in the strictest confidence.
“I've been having a good time of it, actually, although I'm aware that, eventually, it's going to come crashing down again. I'm just trying to take each day as it comes. I think it's actually helping that I feel important, and I'm glad to be working with my hands again. All that time walking through the woods with no direction only made me frustrated. I feel like I'm doing what I'm good at again, it's therapeutic.”
“I'm glad to hear that. But, you know, if you ever need to talk, my door is always open,” Freddie offered, and the two men continued walking.
HANK WAS WAITING for Mack at the entrance of City Hall.
“Something I can do for you?” Mack asked, stepping outside into the fresh air. Hank smiled at him, his white teeth contrasting against his black skin.
“No, actually, I was wondering if there was anything I can do for you. I know this is more Freddie's area, but I thought you might want to talk about how you're feeling with the return of your wife.”
Mack leaned against the gray wall, digging a hand into his pocket.
“It's amazing. I can't believe she had been in the city the whole time. I'm overjoyed, I'm happy, I'm delirious, and I'm overwhelmed. The truth is I have so many things going on in my head right now that I'm not sure how I'm doing. I think once I'm alone in bed it'll all hit me like a thunderbolt, and everything will come out, but just knowing that she's in that building over there,” he directed his gaze toward the infirmary, “it’s unbelievable. I'm almost afraid to go back in there in case it turns out there was some big mistake and that's not my wife at all. I know that sounds stupid, but I spent so long trying to believe that we'd find each other again, knowing that the odds were truly against us...”
“I am praying she's okay, and this is really happening, Mack. You have your wife back. But I sense there's something you're not telling me,” Hank said.
“I guess even though I'm an expert at reading body language, I still give off signs myself,” Mack said, chuckling at himself.
“I guess it’s that I'm a little worried. I've spent all this time wishing I could see her again, and now it's actually going to happen. I'm...I'm scared. We've both been through so much. We're not the same people as when we last saw each other, and I don't know what she's going to say to me. I mean, she killed a lion for goodness sake! I just hope the woman in that bed is still the Anna I know.”
Hank reached out a hand and placed it on Mack's shoulder, squeezing it gently. The preacher had a kind face and an aura of serenity about him, a calmness that seemed to transfer from himself to Mack. Mack felt the sensation spread through his body and instantly was relaxed. Hank spoke in his deep, soothing baritone.
“Mack, love is eternal, and it can survive many more things than mere flesh. Your and Anna's story will be one that will be passed down through the ages, but do not try forcing it to be exactly like it was, because that will not be the case. Take it slow and give yourselves a chance to get used to each other again, and everything will be fine.”
Mack smiled at him and nodded, and stifled a yawn. He wanted to talk about something else to take his mind off worrying about Anna.
“I didn'
t get a chance to ask anyone in there, but has anyone actually seen Peter yet?”
Hank rubbed his jaw. “I think Freddie may have gone in for a quick word, but other than that, no. There's been too much going on, in all honesty, and I don't think anyone of us thought that talking to him was a good use of our time.”
“How do you feel about it? He did some horrible things to you.”
Hank stretched out his back as he remembered the box and how painful it was, how his joints still were recovering from being bent and squashed in that tiny space, how dry his throat had been, and how he had been plunged into darkness.
“I feel like I need to pray to the Lord to give me strength. It's a lot harder to live by my values when people do those kinds of things, but I must rise above my instincts and be better than them. He's just a child, and if he has a long life ahead of him, then there is a chance that he can be reformed into a productive member of this settlement, but it will not be an easy thing to do. He is of a singular mind, and he will not take his defeat lightly. Even if we do try rehabilitating him, he will put up resistance and try causing as much trouble as he can. I'm not sure we can afford that. Perhaps you should have a word with him and see for yourself,” he said.
“Maybe I will, if I can find the time after the long list of things of things I have to check off. I've got some more people to go to now. Thanks for the advice. I'll speak with you later,” he said, and gave the preacher a nod as he walked off.
CHAPTER FIVE
DIRECTLY AFTER LEAVING HANK, Mack finally allowed himself the chance to yawn. His jaw stretched and his eyes closed as a rush of air left his mouth, and a warm sensation flooded through his body. He'd been up for...he didn't know how long, and now that things were calming down and the adrenalin was leaving his system he was beginning to feel the effects, but he couldn't surrender to sleep just yet. There were still things he had to do, things he didn't want to leave until later in case he didn't get a chance to do them.
