“Is Nana okay?” Lizzy asked.
“She is,” Hodge assured. “Nobody was hurt.”
As the cries of “all clear” resounded throughout the town, people cautiously exited their homes and peeked out of the shop windows to catch a glimpse of the new arrivals.
“Where is she?” Lizzy got up, grabbed the sack of medicine, and walked towards the edge of the boat. “I want to see her.”
Hodge held her hand and helped her over onto the shore. “She’s in the church with Father Costello.” He laughed. “She’s been in there most evenings… Probably lighting candles for your safe return.”
Lizzy beamed, and hurried past Hodge and went towards the church.
Hodge approached the boat and smiled at Teddy. “I’m sorry, friend, but I didn’t catch your name.”
“Teddy.”
“Nice to meet you, Teddy. I’m Hodge Branson—formally Sergeant Branson of the Tennessee National Guard.” Hodge boarded the boat and extended a hand.
Teddy shook the man’s hand. “Former?”
“I’m a deserter,” Hodge explained. “Wasn’t a fan of what the feds were doing.” He turned his attention towards Ein. “And you are?”
“Ein.” He didn’t extend a hand and stared at the man’s slung rifle uneasily.
“Nice to meet you, Ein.” Hodge turned back to Teddy. “So, how did you cross paths with Elizabeth?”
“She ran into some trouble up in Nashville,” Teddy said. “Got tangled up with some militia.”
“Figures…” Hodge shook his head and frowned. “Everyone keeps telling her to stop going out there, but she won’t listen as long as she thinks there’s a drugstore that she hasn’t found yet… She knows better than to go to Nashville. None of us go that far west.”
“She did it for her grandma.” Teddy looked towards the church and watched as Lizzy embraced an elderly Hispanic woman who seemed thrilled to see her.
“She always does,” Hodge said. “The flu hit Dover pretty bad... The rest of her family died. Did she tell you about that?”
Teddy shook his head. “I figured as much, though.”
“That’s why she keeps taking unnecessary risks. Things are getting worse. She’s lucky that she made it back at all.”
“She almost didn’t make it,” Teddy said. “She was pretty sick.”
“Sick from what?”
“Food poisoning. Lizzy thought it was a good idea to eat some rotten meat.”
Hodge cupped his face and shook his head. “That girl has a heart, but she’s no survivalist. How is she doing?”
“She seems to be on the mend.” Teddy thumbed over at Ein. “My buddy over here was practically her nursemaid.”
Ein grew flustered, and his cheeks reddened. “I was just concerned, that’s all.”
Hodge laughed when he saw the boy’s bashful expression. “A kind heart is a rarity these days.” He hopped off of the boat back onto the shore. “Thank you for bringing her back home.”
Teddy followed him onto dry land. “I, uh, gotta be honest with you… I wanted something in return.”
“Oh?” Hodge looked over at him and appeared not the least bit surprised. “What would that be?”
“We need fuel.” Teddy held a hand out at the boat. “Enough canisters to get us to the gulf.”
Hodge laughed.
Teddy frowned. “I’m serious.”
Hodge pointed at the church. “We need the gas for the generators.”
Teddy looked through the stained-glass windows, at the lights glowing dimly inside. “How many do you have?”
“We’re just powering the church for now, but we’re going to hook up some of the other buildings this week to keep folks warm.” Hodge paused and crossed his arms over his chest. “So, you see, we’ll need the gas.”
“Spare some,” Teddy said.
“Why hand over something so valuable?” Hodge asked.
“Because Lizzy would’ve died if it wasn’t for us,” Teddy sneered.
“I already thanked you for bringing her home. What more did you expect?”
“I think fuel is a fair enough trade,” Teddy argued. “I sure as hell can’t run that engine off of your pleasantries, now can I?”
“So much for kind hearts.” Hodge looked at them both and shook his head. “Everyone wants something.”
Ein looked away, ashamed, but Teddy didn’t waver under the man’s judgmental gaze.
“Look, are you going to hand over some fuel or not?” Teddy asked.
“I can’t make that call.”
“Who can then?” Teddy asked.
Hodge pointed at the church. “Father Costello runs things, so I suggest that you take it up with him.”
“Fine—I’ll pay him a visit.” Teddy started walking up the hill towards the church.
Ein followed after him.
“Teddy, wait,” Hodge called out.
Teddy stopped and looked over his shoulder. “What?”
“When you see her grandma, could you not mention the militia or Nashville? The poor woman worries herself to death enough as it is—every time Elizabeth goes on one of these hunts for meds.”
Teddy nodded, turned back, and continued onward towards the church.
At the top of the hill, standing in-between a large crowd of curious onlookers, a man wearing jeans and a black clerical shirt appeared to be waiting for them—his hands clasped behind his back. A silver crucifix hung around his neck. The thick lens of his gold-rimmed eyeglasses magnified his eyeballs to the point of making them look like giant brown orbs.
Judging by the way his hair had receded into a black crown around his olive-colored scalp, Teddy figured that the man was in his late forties. Unlike most of the others, whose body odor could only be matched by his own, he noticed that the man’s clothes looked clean and his skin was clear. The man kept what little hair he had left neat and tidy—he had even bothered to shave.
The well-groomed man gave Teddy and Ein a courteous smile as they approached. “Welcome to Dover.”
“Father Costello?” Teddy asked.
“Technically, it's Reverend Costello. My parish isn’t Catholic—we’re Lutheran.” Costello gave a rueful smile and a little shrug. “But, yes, that’s what they call me. Who might you be?”
Teddy noticed that the townspeople had encircled them, and not all of them looked as pleased as Costello did.
Ein noticed it as well and moved closer to Teddy.
People started murmuring.
Lizzy looked around at the stern faces and frowned. She stood in front of Teddy with the bag of medicine in her hands. “His name is Teddy, and the young man is Ein. They’re good people! I wouldn’t have made it back home without their help.” She held up the bag and shook it so everyone could see. “They even helped me get the medicine for Nana and some antibiotics for the community center!”
The hard faces softened somewhat, and eyes shifted back-and-forth between Lizzy and Costello.
A lanky man wearing overalls and a long-sleeved plaid shirt spoke up with a thick country twang. “We’re sorry, sweetheart… Things done got a li’l complicated since you left.”
“Looters tried coming through from the city,” a woman said with added emphasis and a disgusted scowl.
“They were dressed just like your friends here,” someone else pointed out.
Angry murmurs followed.
“These two aren’t looters,” Lizzy protested. “They’re friends!”
There was some more muted conversation, but everything fell silent as soon as Costello held up his palms.
“Stop it—you all know that this isn’t what our community is about,” Costello announced in a soft, even-keeled voice. “Yes, we have been tested during the past few days, but we should not let the wickedness of this world harden our hearts to strangers.”
The townspeople reluctantly complied.
“Sorry, bud,” the man in the overalls told Teddy as he extended a hand. “Didn’t mean any harm.”
<
br /> Teddy shook the man’s hand and nodded. “None taken.”
Lizzy stepped back to the sideline, and her soft gaze fell on Ein.
Ein smiled at her and grew red around the tips of his ears as he started to get lost in her eyes. The spell broke abruptly as an overweight man stepped between the two and introduced himself.
Costello allowed the impromptu reception to continue for a few more minutes before clearing his throat and speaking. “Thank you, Teddy and Ein, for bringing her home. Would you like to join us for dinner? It isn’t much, but it’s a warm meal.”
Teddy temporarily forgot about the fuel at the mere prospect of eating hot food. He looked over at Ein for confirmation, but he noticed that the kid was already practically salivating. He grinned and turned back to Costello. “Sure, if it’s no bother.”
“None at all… You’re our guests.”
Atop to the steeple, the church bell started ringing and startled Teddy.
“That’s just the dinner bell,” Costello explained. “It certainly draws more people than it used to draw to my sermons.”
Teddy stared up at the towering steeple. “I never was much of a church-goer.”
“Luckily, that shouldn’t affect your appetite,” Costello said, amused. “I promise that I won’t be giving you any sermons.” He stepped aside and held a hand up to the church doors. “Please, go ahead.”
Ein looked confused. “You eat in the church?”
“We grow, we cook, and we eat as a community here,” Costello explained. “The bounty that the Lord provides belongs to us.”
Teddy had doubts about the man’s promise not to preach, but he started to smell the savory aroma of food and couldn’t help but ascend the steps.
“It smells like a stew,” Ein said as he hurried up the steps beside him, sniffing the air. “Stew with actual meat in it!”
“Now you’re just dreaming, kid,” Teddy whispered.
They opened the church doors and stepped inside.
As it turned out, Ein wasn’t dreaming.
A veritable banquet of vegetables, beef stew, and a few baskets of bread covered six foldable poker tables that stood where the wooden pews once were.
Teddy and Ein stopped and stared in awe at the variety of food. After eating nothing but canned goods, the spread looked like a feast.
Townspeople trickled in behind them and found their seats in the plastic chairs around the tables.
“Please, have a seat wherever you wish,” Costello said as he walked in with Lizzy and Nana. “We don’t have assigned seating, and you certainly don’t need to make a reservation.”
Lizzy reached over and grabbed Ein’s hand. “Come on and sit with Nana and me.”
“Quien es este chico?” Nana whispered as she stared at Ein.
“A friend, Nana. A good friend.” Lizzy smiled at him and led him through the growing crowd up to one of the tables in front.
Teddy was left standing with Costello and watched uneasily as the tables started to fill up. His hunger started to subside, and an urge to turn and walk away began to manifest.
At the front of the church, just beyond the preacher’s pulpit, stood a massive altar covered with flickering devotional tea lights. Glass-encased candles adorned with the depiction of Mother Mary and a plethora of saints and angels that Teddy knew nothing about, surrounded the image of Mother Mary.
A large crucifix was suspended over the altar and appeared haloed by the setting sun that came through the large stained-glass window behind it.
Teddy stared ahead at the altar and became even more uncomfortable. He quickly turned his attention back to the seats.
Costello adjusted his glasses and looked over at Teddy. “Is everything alright, my friend?”
“I, uh…” Teddy cleared his throat and frowned. “I’m not comfortable in a place like this.”
“Are you referring to the church or the crowd?”
Teddy thought it over a moment before speaking. “A little of both, I guess. I never liked crowds, and being in a place like this doesn’t feel right—I already told you that I wasn’t much of a church-goer.”
“Are you a man of faith?”
“I don’t see how anybody can be after everything that’s happened, to be honest with you.” Teddy, as if suddenly remembering that the man was a clergyman, looked over at him apologetically. “No offense.”
Costello smiled and didn’t lose the softness in his voice. “Belief isn’t required to break bread with your fellow man. All are welcome here, believers and non-believers alike.” He clapped him on the back and walked towards one of the tables. “Come and sit with me.”
Teddy followed him, frowning. If they knew what I did, I’d be the last one they’d want sitting at their table, he thought bitterly.
They took a seat across from Ein and Lizzy.
Nana sat next to them and kept piling spoons of green peas onto Lizzy’s plate with a shaky hand disfigured from arthritis.
Whatever qualms Teddy may have had about eating in the company of a room full of strangers quickly dissipated as soon as he took the first savory bite.
The stew was thick and meaty.
The vegetables were fresh and cooked just right.
Even the dinner rolls were warm and flaky.
Truthfully, it was all very divine.
Costello, true to word, didn’t preach.
Nobody said much of anything as they sat and devoured every bit of food placed on the tables.
Ein prattled off to Lizzy in-between mouthfuls of food, but the girl didn’t respond.
Nana regarded Teddy with a wrinkled, toothless smile. “Thank you for bringing her home safely. I ask the journey wasn’t much of trouble?”
The woman’s English was heavily accented and broken, but Teddy understood enough of what she said.
“It was no trouble,” Teddy said. “All I did was drive.” He nodded over at Ein. “The kid was the one who looked after her when she was sick.”
“Los enfermos?” Nana glanced worryingly at Lizzy.
“Just a stomach bug, Nana,” Lizzy assured. “Vomiting.”
“Ah…” Nana nodded, understanding. “El nauseado…” She looked at Ein and placed a boney hand on top of his. “Thank you for helping her, mi hijo. You have kind heart.”
“You’re welcome, I just wish I could’ve done more,” Ein said. “It was frightening for a while…”
His comment caught Nana’s attention, and she looked over at him with growing concern.
Ein put down his dinner roll and started to explain, but Teddy abruptly cut-in before the kid had a chance to worry the old woman anymore.
“The worst has passed,” Teddy said.
“Yeah, she’s much better now,” Ein agreed.
Lizzy stared down at her plate and nodded. “I think I need to eat something solid… I’m just afraid that I won’t be able to keep it down.”
“Try the stew,” Teddy suggested. “It isn’t bad.”
“That’s an understatement.” Ein ate another spoonful and savored it for a moment before swallowing. “It’s the best stew I’ve ever had.”
“Greg Hodge and his wife, Norma, make it,” Costello said. He dabbed his lips with his napkin and adjusted his glasses. “A very well-kept secret family recipe, I’m afraid—it might be the one thing that even God doesn’t know.”
“Where are the vegetables from?” Teddy prodded one of the carrots on his plate and then plopped it in his mouth. “I know these didn’t come from a can.”
Costello laughed. “We have a community garden… The local rotary club used to tend to it as an outreach program, but now it’s feeding the masses.”
“What are you going to do once winter hits?” Teddy asked with a mouthful of food. “I mean, this shit is nice and all, but I don’t see an endless supply of beef, spices, and greens in the future.”
“We’re… prepared for that eventuality.” Costello cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “We do have enough MREs to last
us through the winter. In the meantime, we’ll feast on what we have before it spoils.”
“After the MREs dry up and Spring comes around, what then?” Teddy took another greedy bite and watched the father’s reaction.
Surprisingly, Costello didn’t act affected by the grim realities. He smiled at him. “He will provide.”
Teddy certainly had his doubts about that.
“Teddy, enough,” Ein scolded.
“What?” Teddy asked innocently. “I’m just asking him questions.” He flashed a mischievous grin towards Ein and took another bite. “Father, how does your small community plan to defend itself once—”
Ein kicked him under the table.
Teddy jumped and spat up a few half-chewed pieces of carrot. “Ow, fuck, kid, what was that for?”
“You’re acting like an asshole,” Ein said.
Teddy sighed and shrugged. “Fine, I’ll behave.” He looked over at Costello. “Still, those are questions worth asking yourself if you want to survive, Father.”
“And yet those are questions you wouldn’t have if you walked in faith.” Costello looked up towards the altar and smiled. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Teddy grumbled and rolled his eyes. He shoveled some more food into his mouth to keep himself from saying something caustic.
Across from him, Lizzy stared down at her untouched plate while Nana continued to place food atop the heap.
“Tomar, tomar,” Nana insisted.
Lizzy held up a hand and gave her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Nana, but I can’t…”
“Por favor,” Nana said as she dropped another spoonful of peas onto her plate. “You need to eat.”
“Nana, I can’t. I—” Lizzy stopped, cupped a hand over her mouth, and stood up abruptly. She darted away towards the exit.
Nana pushed her plate away and dropped her napkin as she watched her run away, frowning. “Dios mío…” She looked at Costello, excused herself, and went after Lizzy.
Ein looked at Teddy, concerned. “Do you think it’s back?”
Teddy shook his head. “Stomach bugs take time to work themselves out of the system. She’ll be fine in the morning, but she probably won’t be able to travel for a few days.”
Ein seemed especially bothered by that realization. He took one last bite and then stood up. “I’m going to go check on her.”
H7N9: The Complete Series [Books 1-3] Page 64
