by Ryan King
It was not a sword, just a broken lawnmower blade. One end was square while the other showed evidence of breaking on a rock or sidewalk curb. Jacob picked it up by the blunt end and hefted it. It felt like a sword.
A childish smile crossed his face.
Jacob sat down on the dark dirty floor with the blade in his lap, all thoughts of the raging storm and rats forgotten. He ran his hands lovingly over the still shiny surface. It was covered in dust and cobwebs and small specks of rust, but it was still in good condition. The edges tapered into a thin point, but were not sharp enough to cut a finger.
Remembering something he had seen earlier, Jacob jumped up and rummaged through the open toolboxes until he finally found what he was looking for: a large metal file with the handle broken off. Jacob went to work on the edges of the blade. It was slow work, but he was happy. He didn't even notice when it became too dark to see or when the storm ceased. He worked through the night.
By the time Jacob could actually see the blade again in the dim light, he was convinced it had been transformed. The entire surface looked brighter. The edges were sharp enough to draw blood, which was evidenced by the dozens of small cuts covering Jacob's hands.
Standing up and holding the blunt base of the metal that he had left unsharpened, he hefted and swung the heavy blade experimentally. It felt good. He imagined the blade biting into those who would suffer God's vengeance and smiled.
"Thank you, Lord," he said out loud. A tear leaked from his one good eye.
Realizing that the rough handle would be a poor grip, he wrapped rags from the floor around the base of the blade and tied them off with cords. Using the scant remains of a roll of duct tape, he wrapped the makeshift hilt up tightly. When he was done, he had a round smooth handle that gave him total control of the blade.
"A sword," he said in awe. "The sword of Uriel. Fire of God."
Wondering how he could carry it, Jacob looked down on his bedroll. Sliding the pointy end in carefully, he found the blade, and all but a few inches of the handle fit within and out of sight. Jacob lifted the bedroll by its strap and slung it over his back as he normally wore it. Reaching up experimentally, he grasped the handle of the sword and pulled it out over his head. He heard some rips in his bedroll as the jagged edge caught, but that was of no consequence. The important part was he could draw the sword quickly if needed.
And no one was likely to know he had it until it was too late. The world saw Jacob Daniels, but Uriel could hide within that pitiful husk.
Knowing he should be tired, Jacob packed up his things. He had been nearly exhausted the previous day when caught in the storm and he had stayed up all night working on the blade. Additionally, he hadn't had anything to eat in almost two days. Despite all of this, he felt filled with energy and power.
Jacob Daniels flung open the door of the shed and strode out into the dead graveyard, walking west with the rising sun at his back.
Chapter 15 - Self Sufficient
Nathan was relieved. When he'd heard his mother had taken a bad fall, he and Bethany had rushed to Mayfield, but by the time they got there, all the drama was over.
"I was just a little dizzy," she said. "It's not like I broke a hip or anything. I'm not that old yet."
Nevertheless, they decided to stay a few days to keep an eye on her, and also to take the opportunity to visit those they hadn't seen in a while.
"How's he doing?" asked Bethany from her bicycle beside him.
"Clarence?" asked Nathan. "Fine, I guess."
Bethany looked worried. "You know men don't tend to last too long after their wives die. It's like you lose the ability to take care of yourselves."
Nathan chuckled a little. "I think he stays busy."
"Yeah, but not like before. When he was the general in charge of saving the JP, you don't really have time to get lonely, but now—"
"I hear he does a lot of gardening," said Nathan helpfully.
"Gardening?" she said with a look like he was daft. "How long has it been since you've spoken to the man?"
Nathan stalled by swerving to avoid a pothole. "A little while, I guess."
"Since he retired?"
"Sure," answered Nathan. "I saw him at Reggie’s farewell address.
"That's been months," protested Bethany. "That poor man has no one to look out for him. He could be sitting over there drooling on himself or have a house full of stray cats. Seriously, Nathan, I thought he was your friend."
"Friend might be too strong a word," Nathan said. "Besides, I've been a little busy."
"If something happened to me," Bethany said, "wouldn't you want someone to watch out for you?"
"Nothing is going to happen to you," Nathan said, "and besides, I don't need looking after. I'm a grown-ass man."
"Right," she said and turned to look at the road. After several minutes of silence, she said, "You should probably get remarried as soon as possible."
Nathan nearly crashed as he jerked the wheel in surprise. "What?"
"I know you, Nathan," she explained. "You wouldn't do well on your own."
"What if something happens to me? Are you going to get remarried?"
She smiled. "No, dear. You're the only husband I'll ever have."
Nathan grinned broadly and nodded.
"But I don't want to get lonely," she added, "I'll need to get a few boyfriends. Just to keep me entertained and all. We'll likely travel the world and party off of your life insurance."
"I'm glad you've got a plan," said Nathan. "Speaking of a plan, I'd like to be serious for a moment."
"Nathan!" she said in protest. "We were having such a good time."
"I know," he said. "It's probably not necessary, but I'd feel better having said it."
"Okay, let's hear it," she said, sitting back and folding her arms skeptically while riding her bike with no hands.
"If things get bad or something happens to me—"
"After or before I get the boyfriends?" she asked.
"After, please," said Nathan. "I want you to go back to the Land Between the Lakes. You'll be safer there with the folks we came to the JP with. They have the dam and electricity, and the lakes provide good protection. I've talked to Harold and Jim, and they're keeping our cabin ready for you."
Bethany put her hands back on the handlebars. "What aren't you telling me? Should I be worried?"
"Not yet," said Nathan. "You know me. I'm a worrier, and most of the things I worry about don't come to pass, but it would help me if you would agree on this."
"As long as I get my boyfriends," she said.
"Deal," answered Nathan.
"Yeah!" yelled Bethany. "Mind if I start shopping around now?"
"Yes, I do," said Nathan.
"Fine," she said primly. "Be that way."
They turned onto Clarence's street and Nathan had to check the mailbox address. He had been here before, but the yard didn't look like that of a bachelor in the twilight of his life. The grass was neatly trimmed, flowerbeds were in full bloom, and birdfeeders out front were filled.
"Well, good for him," said Bethany.
"What do you mean?"
She pulled her bike up in the driveway and pointed at the front of the house. "Isn't it obvious? He found a woman."
"Pul-eezze," he said. "We are not complete basket cases without you women."
"We'll see," she answered in the infuriating tone that told Nathan she was convinced he was wrong.
Nathan walked up and knocked on the door, and after a few seconds, it opened to reveal a tall, thin, and athletic-looking man with a full head of gray hair.
"Clarence," said Bethany with pleasure, stepping forward and giving the man a big hug before kissing him on the cheek.
Clarence next turned to Nathan, who stuck out his hand to be shaken, but the man ignored it and pulled him in for a full-blown backslapping nice-to-see-ya. Nathan was shocked. When they had worked together, it had been cordial but also strained at times.
"Good to see
you two," said Clarence. "Come on in. Hope you brought an appetite."
"We sure did," Bethany said, already starting to snoop around the house. "It's a wonder you keep it so nice and straight all by yourself."
Nathan gave her a mean look.
"Oh, I do my best," said Clarence, chopping up a salad.
Bethany looked at the table and frowned. "Only three of us eating?"
Clarence paused. "Yes, was someone else supposed to come?"
"No," said Nathan, giving his wife a triumphant smile.
Bethany walked around to gaze at Clarence and what he was fixing. "You look really good, Clarence. I'd say you're in better shape than Nathan. What's your secret?"
"Peace and quiet," said Nathan, wrinkling his nose at Bethany.
"Oh, I just do what I've always done," said Clarence. "I keep a routine. Work out every morning. Read. Tend my garden and my rabbits."
"Rabbits?" asked Bethany, who always had a soft spot for furry things.
"Yes," said Clarence, pointing out the kitchen window to a series of hutches about three feet off the ground along his back fence. Each one contained at least one rabbit. He then pointed at the simmering pot on the electric stove.
"Rabbit stew?" asked Nathan around saliva that threatened to run down his chin.
"Indeed," answered Clarence, now nodding toward the salad he was preparing and some sliced cucumbers on a plate. "Everything I eat now comes out of my backyard. Wasn't sure if I could do it, but after I retired, I didn't have much else to do. Also, I don't exactly have a JP pension coming, so I had to make things go as far as they could."
"That's amazing," said Bethany, looking out the window onto the garden. She could see melons, beans, squash, tomato plants, and even a few stalks of corn.
"It's really more than I can eat," said Clarence. "My cellar is full of canned food. Thank goodness Rita taught me how to do that before she died. I give away or trade what I can't use. Don't really need much."
Bethany smiled at him and looked like she wanted to go give him a hug. "That's really nice, Clarence."
"See?" said Nathan. "We can survive without women."
"Yeah," said Clarence with a smile, "but who would want to?"
"Not me," said Nathan. He helped Clarence carry food to the table and fill glasses with what looked like sun tea.
"Let's eat," said Clarence, who reached out for their hands and said grace over their food before clapping his hands together in a way that seemed to officially signal the start of the meal.
"Oh, this is so good," said Nathan around a bite of rabbit stew.
"Maybe we should keep some rabbits," Bethany said around a spoon. "I'll love and pet them, and you'll do everything else."
"Josh or David would probably be better suited for that. I'm gone too much," said Nathan.
"How are the boys?" asked Clarence.
Bethany smiled. "Good, I think. Don't see them as much as I would like, but they come around every so often. I'm pretty sure they have girlfriends now."
Nathan froze. "What makes you say that?"
"Just a feeling," she answered. “A way they talk and act. Sort of impression a girl makes."
"I didn't know anything about it," Nathan said.
Clarence smiled at him. "That's probably not to your credit, SSA Chief, but to be fair, women are better at picking up these sorts of things than men are."
"Why thank you," said Bethany with a bright smile.
Clarence pulled back a little and regarded Bethany more closely, "With that said, men can also be intuitive. I must say you are looking rather full of life. Granted, it's been a while since I saw you last, but has something changed?"
Bethany looked embarrassed and wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Well, I wasn't going to say anything yet, but what the hell? I'm pregnant."
Nathan choked on his soup. He couldn't have heard correctly. Gasping for breath, he looked at Bethany in amazement.
"Why congratulations!" said Clarence, standing up to come give her a hug. "How far along are you?"
"Not very," she said with a shy smile. "Only about eight weeks. I wanted to be sure before I said anything."
"Pregnant?" Nathan was finally able to gasp once he had cleared his airway of rabbit stew. "What? But..."
Clarence frowned at Nathan. "I must say, there seems to be quite a lot the JP's senior most intelligence official does not know. Are the good tax payers of the Jackson Purchase actually paying you to know stuff?"
Bethany just shrugged.
Nathan's mind raced. They had tried unsuccessfully to get pregnant a few years after David. Bethany had really wanted a girl. After five years without getting pregnant again, they had gone to the doctor who had told them nothing was wrong with either of them and to keep trying. Friends of theirs had resorted to extremely invasive or time-absorbing measures that had placed incredible pressure on their marriages. Nathan and Bethany saw the creating of a baby in some of their friends become such an all-consuming endeavor that they ironically forgot about each other and the children they already did have. They had resolved to not go that route and to be happy with the two wonderful children God gave them if that was all they were to have. Since then, Nathan had presumed that the radiation exposure they had received coming out of Maryland had made him sterile.
"From one married man to another," said Clarence, interrupting Nathan's thoughts, "it would probably be in your best interests at this point to hug and kiss your wife."
Startled at himself, Nathan jumped up. He smiled broadly and covered Bethany in kisses.
"That's more like it," said Clarence. "I'll get you some more soup, dear. You're eating for two now."
They continued to laugh and talk for nearly half an hour until a sound from the front of the house stopped them. It was obviously the sound of a vehicle, which in this new world was cause enough to take notice.
"Excuse me," said Clarence, standing up and walking to the door.
Nathan happened to see him stick his hand in his front pocket and pull out a small automatic pistol, and Nathan stood as well. He was about to pull the pistol on his hip, but heard familiar voices and relaxed, sitting back down.
"Who is it?" asked Bethany.
"Just more friends," said Nathan as General Butch Matthews and Major Luke Carter entered.
Nathan and Bethany rose to greet the men, but the looks on their faces and that of Clarence's froze them.
"This isn't a social call, is it?" asked Bethany.
"No, ma'am," said Luke, looking as forlorn as any of them have ever seen him.
"Clarence," said Nathan, "would you mind taking Bethany in the other room and keeping her company for a little while?"
"The hell he will," said Bethany. "I've been associated with the military long enough to recognize what's going on. Are you men designated as casualty assistance officers or something?"
They looked down uncomfortably at their feet.
Bethany's jaw tightened as she put her hand to her chest, but her voice was steady. "Which one is it?"
"Joshua," said Luke. "It's not that bad. At least we don't think so. He could be all right..."
"Where is he?" asked Bethany. "How bad is it? Are they operating?"
Butch put his hand on her arm. "Bethany, we don't know where he is."
She looked at them as if they couldn't understand.
Clarence pulled out a chair and said, "Why don't you sit down and tell them what you know. I'll get everyone some tea."
Bethany smiled at him gratefully, and they sat around the table. Luke told them what he knew from the men who had returned while Clarence gave them a glass of sun tea and then listened from the kitchen.
"So he could be all right," Bethany said when Luke had finished.
Luke hesitated. "He could. But like I said, he should have contacted us or come back."
"Maybe his radio is broken," reasoned Bethany, "or he got lost or is helping someone."
"All of that is certainly possible," said Butch. "We jus
t wanted to make sure you had what information we knew."
Nathan frowned. "Said he had two squads with him when he went searching for his missing men?"
"And about a dozen of what is believed to be Missouri Alliance men," said Luke.
"What did the three soldiers Joshua rescued say?" Nathan asked.
Luke shook his head. "Not much. They were ambushed and forced to lead the men to Joshua's patrol base. Part of the Missouri Alliance element took the rest of the recon squad west."
"Missouri Alliance?" asked Bethany.
Nathan looked around at them and then told all he knew about the group. Some of the information was certainly sensitive or classified, but he didn't care at this point.
"So what are you going to do now?" Bethany asked.
The room was silent.
Clarence cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him. "I know I'm not in charge of anything anymore, but might I offer a suggestion?"
"Sure," said Butch. "Any ideas you got would be welcome."
"I recommend you do what Joshua said to do if they didn't return," said Clarence. "Send the heavy stuff."
Luke shook his head. "His men were pretty sure he was just bluffing with the MA boys."
"Maybe he was and maybe he wasn't," said Clarence. "Still a good idea."
"Excuse me," said Bethany, "but I'm not sure what we're talking about here."
"Tanks?" asked Nathan, looking at Clarence. "How are those going to help?'
"Everything you're telling me leads toward a massing of MA forces to our west," said Clarence, "Could be they are planning some sort of attack or probe, or they aren't. Either way, it's better to be ready than not."
"But they're in reserve in case the WTR gets stupid," said Butch.
Clarence smiled. "The WTR's tanks and heavy weapons are all accounted for. The regiments can guard the border. You need tanks up north where the threat is."
Nathan frowned. "Tanks aren't real good in the defensive. They're best in the attack where they can use mobility and firepower. Also, they'll have to be supported by infantry."
