by Eric Vall
“When were you all going to leave?” Renee asked.
“As soon as possible,” I said. “Unless you all need some help here.”
“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “We’ll be fine. You all should head back home.”
“I appreciate that,” I said. “We’ve been away far too long as it is.”
And boy did that sentence ring true.
Chapter 16
The next morning the civilians, the girls, and I loaded up the boat and trailer with our gasoline. There were three jeeps at the refinery, plus the two that the civilians had shown up in, and we took the one we’d been driving with us. It was nice to have a working vehicle again, but I’d be happier once we got some fuel in our military trucks.
“I can’t wait to head home,” Bailey said after we had finished loading up everything.
“Well,” I said, and I pursed my lips.
“What?” Tara asked with a raised eyebrow. “What do we have to do first?”
“I just want to make a pit stop at the fort,” I said.
“It’s only an hour drive or so,” Paige said with a shrug.
“Yeah,” Anna agreed. “But why are we going up there?”
“I want to see what Brody would be willing to trade,” I said.
“I guess that makes sense,” the redhead sighed. “If we know what it is that he’ll want, we can plan during the summer.”
“Right,” I said. “If we can establish a trade now, then it shouldn’t be an issue in the future.”
“I’m guessing that’s why you hid the other five drums of fuel?” Paige laughed.
“Exactly,” I said with a grin.
“Well, let’s get going, then,” Anna said.
We said our goodbyes to the civilians, and then we loaded up into the jeep, and I pulled us out onto the highway.
It was another sunny morning, and I wore a pair of cargo shorts and a T-shirt that Tara had picked out for me. I hated the idea of her dressing me, but the clothes were nice, and I had to admit that I liked the shorts. It seemed she had done a good job with picking out clothes for everyone.
The closer we got to the fort, the more apprehensive I felt. I didn’t want to spend much more time at that stone place, I had already grown to despise it, but I needed to see Brody. I wanted his word on a trade now, that way I had all summer to come up with the goods.
I took a deep breath as we went through the town of Fort George and continued up north toward the fort.
“Are you alright?” Paige asked.
“I’m fine,” I said with a soft smile. “I just really don’t like this fort.”
“Me, either,” Bailey agreed. “It’s cold and gloomy.”
“But it’s historic,” Paige countered.
“Nobody cares if it’s historic,” Tara said with an eye roll. “We all know that Brody’s kind of a dick, and the fort itself is kind of cold.”
“It’s all the stone,” Anna said with a nod.
“Duh,” Paige teased.
“Brody is a dick,” I said with narrowed eyes. “I don’t like the way he runs things up there. The civilians were obviously hungry when they showed up last night.”
“That’s true,” Bailey said with a frown. “It was pretty clear.”
“Even if we don’t like it, we still have to trade with him,” Tara pointed out.
“Yeah,” I said. “But also, not necessarily.”
“What do you mean?” Bailey asked.
“Well,” I said. “It would be kind of dirty, but if what Brody wants is unreasonable, then we could always try to strike up a trade with the civilians instead.”
“Doesn’t seem dirty to me,” Tara said with a grin.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Paige said. “They are the ones doing the work, and I doubt Brody will go down there to check on them very often.”
“He would probably notice if supplies were low, though,” Anna pointed out. “Especially if he sets up trades with other groups.”
“I agree,” I said. “We’d have to be very careful, and it’s only if what Brody wants is unreasonable.”
“I would feel better trading with them anyways,” Bailey said. “They are doing the work, and then at least they would get paid for it.”
“I know,” I said with a nod.
“Can we just try not to stay at the fort for long?” Anna asked. “I really want to get home today.”
“So do I,” I said. “Fifteen minutes, tops.”
We arrived at the fort a little while later, and I parked the jeep by the gate and hopped out. I saw no reason to take the vehicle inside when we wouldn’t be there long.
The men on top of the fort wall saw me, and when I waved and called to them they held up a finger and a moment later the front gate opened.
“Tav!” Brody said as he came down the staircase to our right. “My guards told me you were here!”
“We just wanted to stop by on our way back home,” I explained.
“Well, first off, let me say thank you and congratulations,” Brody said with a grin, and he clapped me on the shoulder. “If you’re here I take it to mean the work’s been done?”
“The work has been done,” I agreed. “And your civilians showed up last night.”
“Excellent,” the large man said with a wide, greedy grin.
“I just wanted to talk to you about--” I started, but Brody cut me off before I could continue.
“How about a celebratory drink?” he asked.
“Oh, no,” I said, and I raised a hand to give him pause.
“I insist,” Brody said with a smile. “Come, one celebratory drink, and then you can head back to your home.”
I was not happy about the ordeal, but I also didn’t want to piss Brody off right before I tried to broker a deal with him, so I took a solid breath and put on a smile.
“Alright,” I said. “One drink.”
“Come, come,” Brody chuckled, and he led us up the stairs to the dining room we had been in several times before.
Once we were there, he popped open a bottle of the terrible potato vodka he was so proud of and handed us each a glass.
“To you,” he said as he raised his cup with a grin.
“To you,” I repeated, and we all took a drink. Brody gulped half of his glass down at once, while the girls and I each took only a small sip.
“I noticed you had a casualty,” Brody said, and he gestured at Paige and the sling around her arm.
“It’s fine,” the brunette replied. “Just a cut.”
“Missions are dangerous,” I said pointedly.
“That they are,” Brody agreed. “I thank you for your service.”
I tried to discuss the trade deal with Brody, but he insisted that I finish my drink first, however once I downed that one another one quickly replaced it. He was a stubborn asshole, but I wasn’t in a position to fight with him over it, especially not if I wanted to get a good deal out of him. The better mood I could get him in the more it would benefit me I was sure, so I drank with him for a while, though not at his quick pace, and kept the conversation light.
Eventually, though, I had to use the restroom, and on my way back to the dining hall Brody caught me in the hallway.
“Tav,” he said. “Come with me.”
“What about the girls?” I asked with a point at the door.
“They’re fine,” he laughed. “I left them with booze. I want to speak with you for a minute.”
“Alright,” I said skeptically.
Brody led me out to the wall of the fort that overlooked the water. The daylight reflected off the lake in a gleam of white that was almost blinding, but still beautiful. The day was bright and warm, and the sun felt good as it hit my face with a gentle heat.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“It’s very pretty,” I said honestly.
“It’s all mine,” Brody said, and I was a bit taken aback by his comment. “I run this area.”
“So you do
,” I said with a nod.
“And now with your help, I have the refinery as well,” he chuckled.
“You do,” I agreed. “That’s actually what I wanted to speak with you about.”
“What’s that?” Brody asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I want to establish a future trade for fuel,” I said.
“I have a proposition for you as well,” he said, and a slow grin crept across his face.
“What might that be?” I asked warily.
“I want you to stay,” Brody said earnestly. “Stay here with me, all of you. You and the girls. You and I can rule over this whole area together.”
“Oh,” I said with a shake of my head. “We already have a home.”
“You could bring your civilians, too,” he pushed. “The fort is the safest place around, you know that.”
“It is safe,” I agreed. “But we like where we live.”
“Up at that school of yours?” Brody snorted. “Come on, Tav. You know this is a better option.”
I looked him in the eyes and saw nothing but resolve there. It would not be easy to turn Brody down, he obviously didn’t like to take no for an answer.
“I’ll consider it,” I said at length.
“Considering it is a good start,” Brody said with a grin.
“Right now, though,” I said. “I’d like to head home, but before that I want to establish a trade.”
“You know if you lived here with me there would be no need for a trade,” he said. “It would all be yours, equally.”
Somehow, I didn’t believe that one bit.
“I understand,” I said. “And I’ll think about it, but for now I want to set up something. At least as a backup plan so that I know our farmers won’t be left high and dry come harvest season.”
“Alright,” Brody said, and he narrowed his eyes at me but kept the smile plastered on his face. “What would you like?”
“We’ll need more fuel for harvest time,” I said. “The ten drums we have is enough to get everything planted, but once fall comes we’ll need more to run the machinery.”
“I see,” he said, and his face showed more interest than usual. “And what do you think is a fair trade?”
“I was hoping you could tell me,” I said. “We’d need another ten drums at least.”
“Another ten drums,” he repeated, and he pursed his lips. “That’s a lot of fuel.”
I had grown impatient with his hesitance and decided it was time to get down to business.
“What would you like as a trade?” I asked. “After harvest we can supply you with canned goods.”
“Hm,” Brody said with a snap of his fingers. “I think I know what I want.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I want some farm equipment,” he said.
“What?” I asked, and I looked around. “You don’t even have land enough here, you’d have to clear trees.”
“I have some land,” he argued. “And a tractor would make planting and harvesting that much easier.”
“I don’t know if I can get you that,” I said.
“Don’t you have an extra one lying around?” Brody asked with a raised eyebrow.
“No,” I said sternly. “I don’t. We need all of our equipment for harvest, and right now we’re not entirely sure what we’ll be able to get going since we didn’t use them last year.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” Brody said with a grin. “You’re one hell of a resourceful soldier.”
“There’s nothing else I can trade with you?” I asked. “We’ll have plenty of canned goods after harvest season, we’d gladly trade those for fuel.”
“Ah, but then I’d have to give you an advance,” Brody said.
“That’s true,” I agreed. “Anything else?”
“No,” Brody said with a shake of his head, then he gestured around. “I have pretty much all I could ever want here, the only thing I need is farm equipment.”
“Right,” I said, and I ran my tongue across my teeth. “Well, I should be off, then.”
“Don’t forget you can always come here and live with me,” he said. “Then whatever is mine is yours.”
Two minutes later, we were saying goodbye to Brody as we walked out the gate.
“Come back anytime!” he called after us. “I’d love to work out that trade deal.”
“Thanks,” I said, and I waved my hand in the air.
“Maybe I’ll come see you instead,” he yelled. “University of Vermont in Burlington?”
I didn’t answer, instead I waved once more and hopped into the jeep. The girls had known something was off the moment I had come back from my talk with the man, but I had yet to tell them what, I had only focused on getting us out of there as soon as possible.
I turned the engine over and slowly made my way to the interstate, then I tore down the road a bit too fast.
“Tav!” Paige exclaimed. “We have a trailer, remember?”
“Shit,” I said, and I closed my eyes and hit the brakes. “I forgot.”
“What’s wrong with you anyways?” the brunette asked with concern.
“Yeah,” Anna said. “What did Brody tell you?”
“Did he agree to the trade?” Bailey asked.
“We didn’t come to an agreement,” I said angrily.
“What does he want?” Tara asked.
“He wants some of our farm equipment,” I said.
“What?” Paige asked incredulously.
“Then what would be the point of even getting the fuel?” Anna asked.
“It’s like a catch twenty-two,” Paige added.
“That’s what I said.” I nodded. “Not the catch twenty-two thing, but that it would defeat the purpose.”
“Why does he want our equipment anyways?” Anna asked.
“He said it would make it easier for him to plant and harvest as well,” I explained.
“I mean, that makes sense,” Bailey said. “But you told him we could trade some of our harvest, right?”
“I did,” I said with a nod.
“That’s a dick move,” Tara said dryly.
“Couldn’t agree more,” I said.
“What did you tell him?” Paige asked.
“I told him I would have to discuss it with my group,” I said.
“What he said about wanting to visit us was weird, too,” Tara said.
“I don’t think he was happy that I refused him,” I said.
“I thought you didn’t refuse him,” Bailey said, confused.
“Not about the equipment,” I sighed. “But he offered for me to stay at the fort. Actually, he offered for all of us to stay there.”
“What?” Paige asked. “Why?”
“He seems to have it in his head that we’re good friends, and that I want to rule over the area with him,” I said in a monotone voice.
“That’s fucked up,” Anna laughed.
“I felt the same way,” I said, amused.
“Soooo, what’s our plan?” Tara asked.
I sighed and looked ahead to the highway. We definitely needed a new plan, especially with Brody giving me such a bullshit trade deal and refusing to budge, but at that moment I wasn’t sure what it was. I was just happy to be out of that fort and on my way home.
I thought about the civilians and Rolly and Betty and how much I missed them. It had only been a week and a half or so, but we had told them we wouldn’t be gone for more than a few days. They must have been worried sick over us.
This new fiasco with Brody was cause for concern, but at the moment there was nothing to do but consider our options. We had already discussed going directly to the civilians at the refinery, but we knew that plan had flaws, and we would have to be particularly careful with it. But it seemed we also had a bigger problem, Brody’s desire for me to live with him. I didn’t think he would give that up easily, and I could tell from his demeanor earlier that if he wasn’t my friend, then that meant he would become
my enemy.
“Tav?” Tara asked.
“Hm?” I questioned as the platinum blonde’s voice drew me out of my own thoughts.
“What’s the plan?” she repeated.
“Yeah,” Anna added. “We have to figure out something.”
“We do,” I agreed. “But right now, let’s get home.”
I turned onto a familiar road and smiled when I realized how close we were to the campus. I also smiled when I remembered that we had told Brody we lived at the University of Vermont. Even if we made an enemy, we had a leg up when it came to knowing their location.
Since the bridge was blown, there was no way for us to drive the jeep and trailer up to campus, so we found an area in the woods to hide them both. We used a couple small containers to take some fuel with us so we could grab the ATVs and use them to haul back the supplies we had gotten on our trip.
The forest was familiar as we walked, and I breathed in the homey scent of sap and pine. The spring had brought grass that burst through the pine needles on the ground, and flowers that popped up every so often in yellows, purples, and whites. The trees shielded us from the sun for the most part, and we were cast in shade as we walked, but every so often a patch would open above us and the sun would warm us with a soft, gentle heat.
“It’s nice to be back,” Bailey sighed as we walked.
“It is,” I agreed.
“We aren’t home quite yet,” Anna chuckled.
“May as well be.” Bailey shrugged. “It’s already familiar.”
“Do you think everyone’s okay?” Paige asked. “They must have been worried.”
“I’m sure they were,” I said with a small smile. “But they’re tough, I’m sure they’re fine.”
We used the fallen logs that we had put in place before to cross the creek once more, and we checked the trout lines as we went and picked up a couple of fish. I figured those on campus had reset them that morning, but with spring came wildlife, and that meant more fish ready to be caught. I kept an eye out for rabbit traps, but didn’t see any as we walked. I guessed they had moved them to a new location.
