Darby clapped his hands, brightening. “That's great to hear, Mr. Statton! I'll go talk to Bruce, then as long as he's on board we can get going. I suppose if he has a problem we can relocate you and your daughter and the new scavengers to a camp in the woods a ways off. We'll make sure all of you have what you need to comfortably camp out.”
The Mayor made his way to the house, although before he climbed the steps to the porch the door opened and the Norsons emerged; it was obvious they'd been watching the conversation from inside. As they all began debating Darby's idea Gen slipped past them holding a plate of food for Ricky.
Since Nick and Tallie had plenty of food, and even a propane stove to cook it on, they didn't need help from the family any longer. In fact, since he needed to get an early start for scavenging he and his daughter had already eaten.
Even so, as soon as his friend finished delivering Ricky his breakfast she headed Nick's way, expression curious. “What's up?” she asked, nodding towards where the Mayor and Billy's grandparents were still in fierce discussion.
He quickly told her what he and Darby had talked about. “What do you think?” he asked quietly when he was finished. Or at least as quietly as he could considering the distance between them. “Is it wrong to scavenge people's houses? I understand the need, and the arguments justifying it are reasonable, but . . .”
His friend stared at him for a minute thinking it over, expression troubled. “It may be self-serving to say,” she finally answered, “but if I knew I was dying of Zolos, and that at some point my neighbors would come and search my house for things that would help them survive, I think I'd be okay with it. Better than if I knew it was all just going to rot, while in a neighboring town people suffered.”
Nick wondered if he felt the same. The idea of someone breaking into his apartment and taking what little he'd left behind bothered him. But then again, he was still alive and there was the possibility he'd be going back.
If he knew he was dying, though? He liked to believe that as long as Ellie and the kids didn't need any of that stuff, he'd be fine with it being used by whoever needed it.
But it was a moot point, because he was determined to survive and keep his children alive through this disaster.
Gen stepped a little closer, looking supportive. “Hey. You've already helped make sure my family has what we need to survive until things settle down. You've helped the town and the quarantine camp, too. Just remind yourself of that as you do what you have to.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “Thanks, Gen.”
She smiled warmly, but before she could reply Darby hopped down from the porch and came over, looking a bit irked. “Okay, we've reached a compromise,” he said curtly. “Bruce doesn't like the idea of having that many strangers on his property, but there's a clearing in the thicket twenty or so yards away. He wants you to relocate there, but you can come to the shed to get water since the place is already contaminated, and you and Tallie can visit Ricky whenever you want. Just make sure you all stay within the boundaries as agreed.”
Nick regretted being kicked out of that source of shelter, inadequate as it was. But he supposed if Darby wanted him to work with, or even lead, this group of scavengers then he should probably live in the same camp as them. “Okay.”
“Great!” the tall man said, rubbing his hands together briskly. “I'll go send your five new helpers over. We've also got two more moving trucks for you, to keep you working as efficiently as possible. We'll use the same arrangements for refueling.” He paused. “Although since I'm effectively doubling your workforce for each individual truck, I'd like to see you bringing in two truckloads a day. You can manage that, right?”
“It should be doable,” Nick agreed reluctantly.
The Mayor gave him a double thumbs up and wasted no more time setting off to make the arrangements. After he was gone Nick got directions to the clearing from Bruce, then carried Tallie out there to look it over and begin planning the new camp.
It was . . . a downgrade from the shed, to put it generously. They'd have to hit up the sporting goods store for tools to clear away the undergrowth and smooth the ground, as well as scrounge tents and sleeping bags and tarps and other items to help make a comfortable long term encampment.
Although at least they had food and water covered; so as long as they weren't freezing to death their situation could be far worse.
Far, far worse.
He absently hugged his daughter tighter as he looked around the small clearing, thankful for the only thing that really mattered: that his children were alive and safe and the future was looking more hopeful for them. And once Ellie finally caught up to them, in as little as a few days if his math was correct and everything went smoothly for her, his greatest source of worry would be resolved.
Nick set Tallie down on a patch of grass and got to work clearing the dead branches and logs out of the clearing. He was just about to head back to the shed for a rake when he heard the rumble of engines, so he carried his daughter back out to the road.
He arrived just in time to watch two moving trucks, both the same size as the one Darby had given him, pull over a bit down the road from his. Waving, he approached as two young men jumped out of the closer one, and two women and an older man climbed down from the middle truck.
The five new scavengers were about as varied in age as he could imagine. Although the ones who immediately stood out were the two young men, who looked to be in their early 20s and were similar enough in appearance to be brothers.
They were also the most confident of the group, probably because they were the only ones besides Nick and Tallie who weren't completely surrounded by strangers. So while the others hung back a bit, they immediately headed over to shake hands and introduce themselves.
“I'm Chet McCleese, and this is my kid brother Benjy,” the taller, leaner man said, his grip firm. Nick had to admit it was nice to actually be able to shake hands with another human being and talk to them from just a few feet away, after weeks of isolation and being viewed as a threat by strangers.
“Ben,” the younger, more athletic looking man corrected with good-natured humor, his grip more relaxed. “Chester is just jealous that youngest siblings are always the best looking.”
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that, little bro,” Chet countered, grinning.
The next to shake hands was the older of the two women, who introduced herself as Val Brunswick. She had streaks of gray showing at the roots of her auburn hair, as if she usually dyed it but had been unable to since the disaster, and was closer to Nick's age, maybe a few years older. The elegant beauty of her features was offset by the grief that seemed to hang over her shoulders, in spite of her obvious effort to be polite and friendly.
Almost immediately after introducing herself the woman's attention shifted to Tallie, who Nick had been holding with one arm during the handshake. His daughter peeked out from inside her blanket shyly, returning Val's genuinely warm smile.
The auburn-haired woman lifted her eyes back to meet his. “She lived through the disease?” she asked quietly. He nodded, and she looked back down at the five-year-old. “There's no child this young among the survivors. I'm happy for you.” In spite of Val's words, the glimmer of sunshine that had peeked through the clouds of her grief faded and her expression once again became sad and subdued.
She quickly stepped back to make way for the tall, sturdy-looking girl with her, who looked to be in her mid to late teens and clung to the older woman's side like a shadow. The girl introduced herself as Lila Williams; she seemed equally sad and reserved, perhaps even haunted, although like her older friend she came out of her shell a little with Tallie.
In fact, before long both women were fussing over his daughter, who finally got over her shyness enough to poke her head out of her blankets and talk to them. Lila seemed sympathetic about how Tallie had been forced into isolation with Nick for so long due to her dangerous illness, and decided she needed a friend. Val, on the othe
r hand, looked like she wanted to cry as she watched the young woman interacting with the five-year-old. It wasn't hard to guess that she'd had children of her own she'd lost to Zolos.
Nick left them to win Tallie over as he introduced himself to the last new arrival, a man in his late 40s named Charlie Lyman.
Charlie was unique among the scavengers, in that he'd actually gotten sick from Zolos near the beginning and spent weeks bedridden, and even now was still weak and recovering his strength. “Although I'm getting stronger by the day,” he insisted staunchly. “I'll pull my weight.”
Although Nick had some doubts about that, he didn't say anything; it wasn't as if he had a huge labor pool of people immune to the virus to pick and choose from. Also, the man explained he had worked as a mover for four years when he was younger. He claimed to be an expert at shifting cargo around so that it fit with no gaps, filled the space available as efficiently as possible, and ensured that all the more fragile stuff was protected from being crushed.
With the introductions made, Nick invited the new arrivals to gather their meager possessions. Then he brought them to the shed to introduce them to Ricky, the Norsons, and Gen and her son, and afterwards showed them to the clearing.
“It needs a bit of work,” he said apologetically as they filed into the small open space after him. “There's a sporting goods store in Wensbrook where we can get some stuff to make our stay here more comfortable.”
Val made a face. “Won't take much to make it more comfortable than the quarantine camp.”
He frowned at that. “Are conditions bad there?”
The new arrivals shared uncomfortable looks. “We're surviving,” Ben said reluctantly. “But let's just say the more stuff we can find to improve things for our loved ones in that place, the happier I'll be.”
Nick was sorry to hear that they were struggling that much. He supposed that even with having to leave his home, he and his kids were lucky to have gotten help from the Norsons. “So the Mayor's going to give your people in camp more supplies as payment for your scavenging, until the stuff you find has been sitting for three weeks and we know it's safe?”
Chet snorted. “Screw that. The survivors are all safe from Zolos, and at the moment we're more worried about improving their conditions than about how long we're isolated as potential Zolos carriers. We're taking some of what we scavenge to help them right now.”
That was fair enough. “So why are you guys moving out here, then?”
“Mayor Darby insisted,” Charlie growled. “He's pushing hard for everyone in the camp to stay separated and isolated from new arrivals, and other potential exposure to Zolos, so they can get out after 21 days and be integrated into the town. He's fine with us getting supplies to immediately improve conditions for our loved ones and the others depending on us, but once we've done that he wants us separated.”
Val nodded solemnly. “We understand that as scavengers we'll probably be constantly getting exposed to Zolos, so for the near future we'll need to be separated from the others. At least until Stanberry either has the supplies it needs, or more Zolos immune and healthy survivors are able to take over for us so we can go through our three weeks.”
Nick nodded. “I'm in the same boat. My son will be done with his three weeks in another eleven days at the latest, so he can finally move in with the Norsons and doesn't have to be alone. But I'd still like to be reunited with him as soon as possible.”
Chet tossed his bundle of possessions on the ground and clapped his hands briskly. “In that case, let's get scavenging. We can fix up our new campsite tonight when we actually have what we need to make it more comfortable.”
“Does the sporting goods store have inflatable mattresses or sleeping pads and blankets?” Lila piped up, edging out from behind Val. “The recovering patients really need those.”
“And tents or at least tarps to make shelters and provide ground covers,” Ben added.
“If the store doesn't, we can always grab blankets and mattresses from houses,” Nick said. “Those might take a few trips all on their own, but the Mayor can hardly complain about the necessity.”
“That mouthy SOB who leads the town's patrols probably will,” Charlie grumbled.
Sounded like they'd met Darrel. Nick shook his head wryly. “Well, the more we can get done the less he'll have to complain about. Let's go.”
✽✽✽
When it came time to split everyone up into two-person teams and assign them trucks, Nick quickly realized that his new scavengers didn't care about efficiency so much as personal preference.
The brothers were in by far the best shape out of everyone, but they obviously wanted to stick together. Ditto for the two women, or at least Lila, who edged a bit closer to Val when Nick brought up who would go with whom.
Neither of them looked comfortable driving a big moving truck, but Val volunteered to give it a try. “Not like we have to worry about clipping other cars on the road,” she added wryly.
That left Charlie to travel with Nick and Tallie. If Nick had to guess, he had a feeling that Chet and Ben were going to easily be first to finish loading their truck, while with him partnered with a man who was still weak from Zolos they'd probably be last.
Val brought that up too, seeming concerned about how fast she and Lila would be able to fill an entire moving truck. “It's not a race,” Nick assured her. “Ideally the Mayor wants us to get two truckloads filled a day, but those who finish more quickly can help the others.”
She glanced dubiously at the truck she'd been assigned, as if imagining the work involved. “It kind of feels like a race. Are we going to be able to do that much in one day?”
“We should be able to. I was able to fill a truck and then unload it at Stanberry's stockpile in less than a day, so with six people and three trucks it shouldn't be too difficult.” He didn't add that hopefully, after they'd worked for a while and gotten more comfortable around each other, everyone would be more willing to switch up the teams to an arrangement where they'd all work at closer to the same pace.
Along with the new trucks, Darby had issued them six radios complete with car chargers. That was a relief, because given the potential danger and the need for coordination, Nick had been worried about communication. His experience with walkie-talkies was limited to what he remembered of having one as a kid, which he'd used to talk to a friend for a few weeks until they both lost interest, and what he'd seen of people using them on TV.
Still, as he handed them out he hashed out the basic rules for radio use to the others, which mostly involved using “over” at the end of every transmission so people didn't talk over each other.
Then everyone climbed into their vehicles, Tallie moving into the center seat so Charlie could take the window seat. Nick took the lead on the way to Wensbrook, having Val follow as she got used to driving her truck, while the brothers brought up the rear so they could keep an eye out for issues.
The drive was uneventful, aside from a few near mishaps as the new drivers got used to the vehicles. They spent the time talking over the radio, breaking the ice and getting to know each other a bit better.
Nick told his own story first, explaining how he and his kids had stayed holed up in his apartment in Kansas City while they waited for Ellie to make her way back to them. Then about the attack on his apartment, his attempts to self-quarantine, Tallie getting sick and Ricky miraculously escaping unscathed, and how Nick had decided to get them out of the apartment before his son was infected. Then a brief explanation about his relationship to Gen and the Norsons, and how the town had insisted he scavenge if he was going to stay.
Ben volunteered to go next, speaking on behalf of his brother as well. It turned out they'd left their dad and Chet's girlfriend Aimee back in the quarantine camp, recovering from surviving Zolos, so they could come and scavenge. Before coming to the camp, their family had been holed up on their farm ten miles outside of Stanberry, and Aimee's family had fled the town to join them in the
more secluded setting.
A sensible choice, but in this instance it proved to be disastrous; while Stanberry had managed to keep its borders secured, apparently Zolos had found its way onto the McCleeses' farm without them even knowing how. Their best guess was that a group of infected refugees passing through their property had made use of their outhouse without telling them, spreading the virus to both families living on the farm before they knew the danger.
Of thirteen people, only the four of them had survived. And they counted their blessings for even that.
Chet and Ben were up front about the fact that they were scavenging to get supplies for themselves and their surviving loved ones. What they didn't make as obvious, but that Nick had picked up on right from the introductions, was that the brothers talked mostly to him and didn't interact with the others any more than necessary. Even more than that, their easygoing natures became much more subdued around the other Zolos survivors they'd come with.
Almost tense, even.
He wasn't sure what was going on there, but if it impacted the two men's ability to work as a team he'd probably have to address it. That realization made him once again long for Ellie to get out of the quarantine camp and make her way here; his ex-wife had always been good at figuring out what the source of conflict was in a group, and peacefully resolving it.
When the conversation moved on to Val telling her story, her tearful display with Tallie became more understandable. It turned out she'd tried to nurse her entire family, two daughters, both parents, and a younger brother, back to health on her own after they all contracted Zolos. Only to watch them all die one after the other until she was alone, untouched by the disease.
She had no way to contact her ex to let him know what had happened to their children, since he'd walked out on her and the girls shortly after their youngest daughter was born and been out of contact since. On top of that, her friends and neighbors had all been evacuated to the quarantine camp outside Des Moines.
Isolation (Book 2): Going Out Page 25
